Chapter 165
“Is our security just for show now?” Ethan's voice was low and questioning as he addressed Liam.
Liam appeared bewildered; after all, he wasn't responsible for security. Lately, Ethan had been acting strangely, casting disapproving glances his way...
"Mr. Ethan, I'll speak to the security manager right away and get things in order," Liam whispered.
"Ethan..." Harper's eyes reddened as she spoke softly. "Ethan, I'm here on behalf of the Brown’s Family about Yunxiu's matter. Let's talk."
Ethan glanced at the date; tomorrow was the deadline he had set for the Brown’s Family.
After closing the office door, Ethan conducted matters formally, leading Harper to the VIP negotiation room, where surveillance cameras ensured transparency and openness.
Ethan was making it clear that he intended to handle things with Harper formally and officially.
Harper took a deep breath, composed herself, and followed Ethan into the negotiation room.
"Yunxiu was certainly at fault this time. She's the youngest at home, and our parents have always spoiled her too much, and I... as her sister... have made mistakes as well," Harper said, choked up, adopting a humble attitude while acknowledging her error.
Ethan had no interest in these excuses. “So, what’s your point?” he asked directly.
Harper clenched her fingers tightly as she responded, "The Browns will hold a press conference, confess to Yunxiu's wrongdoings, publicly apologize to Jasmine, and then send Yunxiu abroad..."
By doing this, the Browns would be signaling a complete abandonment of Zelda. In fact, this was somewhat of a silver lining for Harper. Despite the damaged reputation, the Browns would emerge as the victim, garnering sympathy.
Moreover, having discarded one daughter, Zelda, they would now invest all their efforts into Harper, the remaining daughter. She was the eldest, and originally, when the Brown family and the Patrick family had an arrangement, her parents had considered Zelda first, not her.
Even if Harper did not wish to be engaged to Henry, she still felt slighted by her parents' favoritism. She was the firstborn, yet her parents clearly doted on Zelda more. Now, with Zelda essentially discarded, the family would have to rely solely on Harper.
"In front of the reporters, there's no need to apologize directly to Jasmine. Simply acknowledge the crime publicly. An apology could re-traumatize her. Seeing Zelda's fate is enough for her; there's no need for any so-called apology," Ethan asserted firmly.
He didn't want Jasmine to be exposed to the public eye again—it would be too cruel. Jasmine, with her severe social anxiety, just needed protection from him in the background.
Harper clenched her fists with envy, avoiding Ethan's gaze for fear of encountering genuine affection in his eyes. Her hope was that Ethan was simply using Jasmine and that once Jasmine had served her purpose, he would no longer be as attentive.
"Ethan, please have a look at these paternity test results," Harper murmured softly, laying the results before Ethan.
Ethan furrowed his brows suspiciously, unsure of what trick Harper was trying to pull now. "This is a paternity test between Justin's hair and Mr. Patrick Sr."
Knowing Henry would be vigilant and that getting hair with follicles from him would be too difficult, Harper had approached Mr. Patrick Sr.'s assistant under the pretense of giving the old man a haircut and had secretly obtained the samples.
Currently, Harper was the only one with these test results—evidently using them as leverage with Ethan.
Ethan's expression grew dark in an instant. "I would like to know, Ms. Harper, how did you come into possession of Justin's hair?"
Ethan's voice was icy cold, sending a chill skittering down Harper's spine.
Clearly, Ethan was furious.
"I was about to let the Brown family off the hook, but it seems you're hell-bent on digging your own graves." Ethan's anger was palpable; with the children no longer feeling safe even at school, it seemed as though the daycare might as well shut down.
"Don't get mad yet. Let's just look at the results first," Harper said, her voice quivering slightly. "I admit I got someone to take Justin's hair, but I swear I didn't harm the kid. I'm just worried about Jasmine and I truly have her best interests at heart."
Harper sighed before continuing, "Ethan, you know that Jasmine tells everyone Justin is Henry’s son, and both Henry and Mr. Patrick Sr. believe it. Mr. Patrick Sr. is really fond of Justin. However, the Browns and the Patrick family are connected by marriage. Our family, the Browns, deciding to publicly admit Yunxui's mistake is as good as ruining this marriage alliance. Mr. Patrick Sr. will definitely hold a grudge against Jasmine. And if—"
Harper's tone was soft and filled with concern, as if she was genuinely worried about Jasmine's well-being. But between the lines, she was telling Ethan that Jasmine was a habitual liar, her words never holding an ounce of truth.
Ethan ignored Harper. He reached for the document bag, and pulled out the DNA test results for a quick glance.
The results revealed no biological relation between Mr. Patrick Sr. and Justin, indicating that Mr. Patrick Sr. was not Justin's great-grandfather.
Frowning, Ethan's fingers tightened on the report, crumpling the paper. "Do you think I'd believe you?"
"Ethan..." Harper began to cry, choking up as she looked at him. "Jasmine and I are friends; we knew each other before all this. I really like her, and I did this for her benefit. Plus, Justin clearly doesn't resemble Henry."
Seeing Ethan's darkening expression, Harper added, "If you don't believe me, take Justin and Henry to do another test. If I lied, you can do whatever you want to me."
Ethan fell silent, deep in thought. Harper had no real reason to fabricate anything in this matter. She knew all too well the consequences of lying.
However, Harper was far from being a kind-hearted woman; her true goal was to leverage the DNA test results to keep Ethan in line. She understood all too well that once Mr. Patrick Sr. learned the truth, Jasmine would bear the brunt of his anger and become entangled in the situation.
"Harper, what are you up to, dropping off these test results out of the blue?" Ethan's voice was heavy with accusation.
Harper got straight to the point. "I don't have an agenda..." She was feigning her innocence, portraying herself as pure as a white lotus.
"Ethan, I'm just worried. Jasmine is now seeking refuge and dares to lie to the Patrick family. What if she's exposed and has no one to protect her?" Harper was subtly planting the idea that Jasmine was prone to lying in Ethan's mind.
"Do you think Jasmine has the skills to lie and deceive Henry?" Ethan scoffed, taking a lighter and setting the test results he held ablaze.
To Ethan, there was only one possibility; the one lying was Henry. He believed that Henry, in an attempt to bind Jasmine to himself, was exploiting the child.
"Men can't just claim someone else's son. Is it possible that after Henry got together with Jasmine, he also wasn't sure..." Harper trailed off, not daring to finish. "What I mean is, Jasmine must have known who Justin's real father is. How could she possibly be unaware of her own son's dad?"
"What, does she have some sort of superpower to perform DNA tests?" Ethan warned Harper. "If this gets out before I have all the facts..."
"Ethan, you still don't trust me. I won't let it slip, but if something happens to Yunxiu, the old man will hold even more of a grudge against Jasmine. If he decides to investigate himself and finds anything, there's nothing I can do," Harper hurriedly explained. "Plus, it won't be hard to track down who visited Jasmine during her time in prison. Justin's real father couldn't have stayed away."
Harper attempted to lead Ethan astray by encouraging him to explore this possibility, insinuating that due to Jasmine's numerous relationships, any of them could be the child's father, thus intensifying the controversy.
But Ethan wasn't listening to Harper. His mind was consumed with thoughts about Justin's resemblance...
"Liam, take Harper home," Ethan commanded as he quickly walked out of the negotiation room and back to his office. He opened the safe and started rummaging through it frantically.
He finally found what he was looking for tucked in the back: a childhood photo of him and his mother.
In the photo, a five or six-year-old Ethan appeared, around the same age as Justin was now.
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