Chapter 175 Ethan Makes His Move on the Brown Family!
Harper was in a state of complete panic.
Once Ethan made his move, it was as if the Brown family had been utterly decimated.
He had clearly promised that if the Brown family publicly acknowledged Zelda's wrongdoing, he would let them off the hook.
With trembling fingers, Harper called Ethan, "Ethan... why would you do this?"
Ethan actually did Harper the courtesy of picking up her call.
"You had promised me that if the Brown family acknowledged Zelda's mistake, you'd forgive us," Harper questioned through tears. "Why are you doing this to me? What did I do wrong?"
Ethan, ever the gentleman, waited for Harper to finish crying before he spoke, "It's not me you need to worry about, it's the victims who aren't forgiving you."
"Ethan..." Harper cried out uncontrollably. "Why must you treat me this way?"
"Harper, you're a smart woman. I've left a way out for the Brown family. Zelda needs to disappear from Silverlight City for good, never to return. If the Brown family keeps a low profile from now on, I might spare you a lifeline," Ethan replied, knowing well that it was not wise to push someone into a corner.
After all, it wasn't the Brown family that Ethan was concerned about—it was Howard.
The Brown family must have had some dirt on Howard. Otherwise, Howard wouldn't be so invested in the Brown family's affairs.
In the short thirty minutes it took for him to return to the office, Ethan had already received thirty calls from Howard.
An average of one call per minute.
How interesting... the old man Howard was getting desperate.
They truly were a syndicate, where pulling one thread affected the whole.
Harper took a sharp breath, not daring to burn bridges with Ethan just yet. "Ethan, my feelings for you are real, regardless of what happened between us six years ago, I truly wasn't scheming against you."
Ethan didn't give Harper a chance to explain or express any desire to hear her out and hung up the call abruptly.
Harper wanted to say more, but the line was already dead.
With a deep-seated hatred coursing through her veins, Harper clenched her fists tighter, taking another deep breath.
Ethan... He would surely regret treating her this way.
And then there was Jasmine... She couldn't afford to give Jasmine the opportunity to have Ethan and Justin take a paternity test and acknowledge each other.
Glancing at her phone, she saw an incoming call from Henry and promptly picked up the call.
"Harper, are you threatening me?" Henry's voice was just as deep.
"Ethan already knows that you and Justin aren't related by blood. If you don't take custody of Justin now, the old man will find out sooner or later," Harper warned Henry.
"The Browns have been living it up lately, looking for trouble?" Henry's voice, low and menacing, dripped with suspicion and warning.
"I understand your desire to end your engagement with the Browns. With their current troubles, it might seem tempting to capitalize on their misfortune. Henry, if your aim is to pursue Jasmine, there's a better way. Here's a revelation: the person who was with Jasmine that night was Ethan. Justin is Ethan's child, although Ethan himself is unaware of this fact." Harper had nothing left to keep secret. She was hell-bent on destroying Jasmine, by any means necessary.
"If you can't snatch Jasmine away before she and Ethan find out the truth, then you might as well... forget about it for good," Harper taunted Henry.
There was a stunned silence on Henry's end before he finally spoke up, "It was Ethan?"
"Yes, I've secretly done a paternity test for Ethan and Justin. They are father and son," Harper said once more.
Henry fell silent, his voice low. "I'll take Justin, but Jasmine has to be disappointed in Ethan before she'll leave."
Henry knew Jasmine well; she wouldn't give in until she saw the coffin.
"I'll handle that part. Mr. Patrick just needs to take the ones he wants..." Harper was proposing a partnership with Henry.
"I warn you, she better not be hurt, not even a single hair," Henry cautioned Harper. Jasmine could be let down by Ethan, but she must not be harmed.
Harper clenched her phone in jealousy. "What's so good about Jasmine that both Mr. Patrick and Ethan want to protect her?"
"She doesn't need to be good at anything; her mere presence is enough," Henry said and hung up on Harper.
"Ha?" Harper laughed, but her laughter soon turned to madness as she scowled inwardly, 'She doesn't need to be good at anything? Just needs to stand there? As his trophy? Ha... then let's see what happens when she's destroyed, and if any man would still want her!'
"Tell Yunxiu to find an opportunity and leak the paternity test results between Justin and the old man to Mr. Patrick Sr.," Harper ordered her assistance with a grave tone.
The assistant was a little nervous. "Miss... didn't you promise Mr. Patrick that he could take the child? If Mr. Patrick finds out..."
"The old man, his grandfather, is so clever that he’ll figure it out sooner or later. All we're doing is giving him a heads-up. He’ll do his own digging."
Letting Henry take Justin was just a smokescreen. Harper needed to create the impression for Mr. Patrick Sr. that it was Henry and the Patrick family who were the deceived victims in this scenario.
Only in this way would Mr. Patrick Sr. get angry enough to act against Jasmine.
With Mr. Patrick Sr.'s connections and capabilities, he was on a completely different level from the average person. As long as Mr. Patrick Sr. made a move against Jasmine, even Ethan would have to weigh his options carefully—he might not be able to protect her.
Harper further added, "Find someone else, preferably a man who had dealings with Jasmine during school. Pay him off to dig up some dirt and have him stay quiet. He should come forward and claim Jasmine as his woman, stating that she was with him all along before she went to prison. He could even claim Justin as his son."
With this plan in mind, Harper was confident that this would inevitably force Mr. Patrick Sr. to push for a paternity test.
By that time, it would spell the end for Jasmine.
Jasmine could never think that she could live peacefully by Ethan's side. Dream on!
...
Stellar Enterprises.
Jasmine hid nervously in the restroom, watching the trending news about the Brown family scandal.
Zelda Brown, the eldest daughter of the family, had been bullying classmates during school, elbowing out the socialites, and oppressing her colleagues.
Jasmine fiercely bit her finger, her eyes red and swollen. Witnessing the bravery of those who dared to reveal their scars, she could no longer contain her emotions.
She had never imagined that one day... someone could help her to this extent.
The Brown family didn't mention her at all, and Ethan didn't let anyone bring her up either.
It was a form of protection in disguise.
The courage of those who had stepped forward was enough to push the Brown family toward disaster.
Wiping her tears, Jasmine curled up on the floor, taking a while to regain her composure.
Ethan had helped her so much. The fate the Brown family was facing and the punishment Zelda received was all thanks to Ethan's help.
She had to act fast to help Ethan get rid of Branson.
Stepping out of the restroom, Jasmine deliberately bumped into Branson.
"Jasmine, are you okay?" Branson saw Jasmine's reddened eyes and asked solicitously.
"I didn't sleep well last night," Jasmine replied with a smile.
"Jasmine, it's been a while now. Those terms I asked you to discuss with Mr. Ethan..." Branson prodded Jasmine gently.
His demands, though harsh, had been somewhat moderated.
It was all down to Ethan's sincerity now.
"Mr. Ethan agreed to them all," Jasmine said cheerily. "Congratulations to you, Mr. Branson; the deputy CEO spot next month is as good as yours."
"Mr. Ethan... agreed to everything? To the merger of the two departments?" Branson asked in astonishment.
It seemed Ethan was really cornered, forced to compromise.
"As long as you work well under Mr. Ethan, he will agree to any term," Jasmine whispered to Branson. "Right now, Mr. Ethan is just scared you'll resign..."
Branson's lips curled into a smirk; he had already guessed what Ethan feared the most.
"Jasmine, I have a few more conditions, could you pass them on to Mr. Ethan for me?" Branson brazenly pushed the envelope.
Jasmine nodded with a smile. "Tell me."
She was just waiting for Branson to overreach - to choke on his own greed.
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