Chapter 184 Mr. Ethan Is Jealous... Again
"But..." Jasmine wanted to ask; after all, Ethan had never bothered to explain those rumors before.
"Are you referring to those rumors from before?" Ethan felt a bit guilty. "Fiona is an artist under my company's label. Nolan Cunningham personally intervened at that time because she needed a bit of publicity..."
Back then, Ethan couldn't have known that one day he would meet Jasmine. "I can explain this situation," he offered.
"I meant to clarify earlier, but I just didn't feel like talking about it at the time. Should I issue a statement tomorrow?" Ethan voiced his concern, fearing that Jasmine might be upset.
Jasmine was puzzled. "Why would you issue a statement?"
"I don’t want you to get the wrong idea..." Ethan explained, drawing in a sharp breath.
This was how it felt to be guilty in front of someone he liked.
"No," Jasmine said, shaking her head. "We're working together, and my job is to keep those women away from you. I just need to know your true intentions, and if it's someone you care about, I'll respect the boundaries."
Jasmine was so business-like that it made Ethan's heart sink.
"You don't need to respect any boundaries." Ethan's voice was heavy with emotion.
"Mr. Ethan…" Jasmine, still not giving up, asked softly, "You don’t have any other feelings toward Ms. Fiona, right?"
"Do I look like I'm interested in her?" Ethan snorted, becoming a bit upset.
Jasmine couldn't figure out what she had done to upset Ethan, so she just looked down and fidgeted with her fingers.
Even though Ethan claimed he wasn’t bothered, she knew embarrassing him in front of Nolan Cunningham would upset him.
Haunted by a sense of inadequacy from her upbringing, Jasmine was hyper-sensitive to such situations.
Ethan parked the car next to the night market where Justin and Richard often ate, his luxury car standing out among a sea of shared electric scooters and tricycles.
Of course, Ethan's car wasn't the only luxury car there that was drawing attention.
"Uncle!" Justin got out of the car and was surprised to see Richard and Erin also eating at a street food stand.
Meanwhile, at the street food stand, Richard's face darkened as he looked at Erin. "Are you sure you can stomach this?"
Erin scoffed. "I was dumpster diving for food in Europe while you were still in the military."
Richard was taken aback, assuming Erin was joking. She was the Miss Ryan from a well-to-do family and married into wealth; there was no way she would have ever needed to scavenge for food abroad.
"Uncle!" Justin suddenly popped up, diving into Richard's arms.
Richard was taken aback, staring at Justin, Jasmine, and Ethan in disbelief. "Mr. Ethan?"
On the other hand, Erin was unfazed and patted the seat beside her. "Well, look who’s here. Dinner’s on Richard, come and eat."
"We've got someone treating us already," Ethan said, lips curling into a smug smile.
"Huh? Jasmine, are you also treating him to skewers? You two are truly siblings. You have the same tastebuds," Erin teased, propping her head up and grinning at Jasmine.
Jasmine adored Erin and, without realizing it, nudged Ethan aside to sit excitedly next to her. "It’s Justin who’s treating... he’s the host today..."
"Our little guy is treating?" Erin exclaimed in surprise, looking at Justin. "Come here, let me give you a kiss."
Justin leaped into Erin's arms with glee. "Sister, I'm treating."
Erin cherished Justin immensely, showering him with hugs and kisses. "All right then, you're saving your Uncle Richard some money today."
Feeling awkward, Richard stood up and said resignedly, "Mr. Ethan... if you don’t mind... please, take a seat here."
After that, he meticulously wiped Ethan's stool with an alcohol wipe.
Ethan stared at the street-side skewer stall for a long while, silent. Perhaps his mind was processing the unfamiliar sight. He had never encountered this type of food before, and the bustling crowd sharing from one pot slightly caught him off guard.
He was hesitant, but since Justin was treating... he couldn't let the kid down.
Jasmine was too preoccupied with Erin to care about Ethan anymore.
"Ms. Jasmine, do you like it here?" Erin asked, her eyes sparkling.
Almost as though composing poetry, she admires Jasmine's expression.
"Delicious," Erin replied in a down-to-earth manner, reaching for a skewer, her eyes pointedly on Richard. "I'm super easy to please, not picky like Mr. Ethan."
Ethan scowled inwardly, 'Fine, chase Richard if you must, but why step on me along the way?'
After finishing her sentence, Jasmine suddenly remembered Ethan, who had never tried street food before. She stood up nervously and addressed him, "Mr. Ethan... if you're not used to it, we can go eat... eat something else."
Ethan snorted. She finally remembered about him now.
Seeing Erin almost clinging to Richard, Ethan was relieved that Erin was a woman; otherwise, his jealousy would have been evident all over his face.
"I can handle it!" Ethan declared, as if in a silent contest with Erin.
Erin nibbled on some skewers, taunting Ethan, "Come on, Mr. Ethan, have a bite."
Ethan took a deep breath, his face set as if he was about to go into battle.
This whole courting business was no easy feat...
"Dad, this is tasty," Justin said, offering Ethan a fish cake.
Unfamiliar with such processed food, Ethan whispered a word of caution to Justin, "Occasional treats are fine, but they shouldn't be a regular thing when you're growing."
He wanted to add "it's unhygienic," but decided against it, swallowing the words back down.
"Casey, why are you hiding behind your uncle? Come try some of this." Jasmine noticed Casey shying away, too timid to move.
Casey was afraid to come out; he was scared of Erin.
Erin also noticed Casey. "Oh, what's this? Bringing along a tag-along?" she asked.
Having been frightened by Erin before, Casey was now exceptionally well-behaved in her presence.
"Casey is my good friend now," Justin chimed in to explain.
After all, Casey had even bitten Nolan Cunningham for him.
Erin raised an eyebrow and said, "It's good to see the kids getting along, but let's hope their moms don't have ulterior motives."
Erin was essentially forewarning Ethan and Jasmine, prompting them to be on guard.
As the children, Casey and Justin, grew closer, it would be easy for Justin to let his guard down, and if Lisa ever intended to harm the child, it could pose a serious risk.
Ethan paused for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment. Grateful for Erin's reminder, he hadn't considered that possibility before.
But children... they were innocently pure, and Jasmine couldn't bear the thought of separating Justin and Casey.
"I won't pick on Justin anymore; we're friends now," Casey said in a low voice.
"All right, then sit down and join us for the meal," Erin said as she gestured to a spot next to Justin.
Casey quietly and obediently took his seat, more docile than a tamed puppy.
Jasmine had never seen Casey this cooperative...
Indeed, there was a counter for everything.
...
The Brown Family.
Ethan's disruptive behavior during the press conference sent shockwaves through the Brown family, plunging them into a state of dire crisis. The clamor he stirred up became fodder for rival corporations, who wasted no time in capitalizing on the negative publicity. They encircled the Browns like a pack of vicious dogs, leaving the family in an awkward and vulnerable position, with their reputation hanging by a thread.
Amidst the chaos, the Patrick family remained silent, yet their actions spoke volumes. Henry Patrick, when prodded by reporters at the conference, carefully hinted at a possible reconsideration of their alliance with the Browns. His words cast a shadow of doubt over the once-solid partnership, adding another layer of uncertainty to the Brown family's predicament.
It seemed they were all just waiting for a sign of approval from Mr. Patrick Sr.
In that moment, the efforts of the Brown family appeared to have been in vain.
Luckily, they still had some leverage over Howard, enough to make him reach out a helping hand to the Browns.
"Miss, that guy Connor didn't cause a scene at Stellar Enterprises. Someone had landed him in the hospital," an underling reported over the phone to Harper.
Harper went pale with anger. "What a waste. He's a young master of the Chen family, after all. Who dares to hit him?"
"It's rumored to be Tom, Ethan's cousin."
Harper paused. This would've been easier to handle if it were Ethan, but with Tom being a notorious trust fund baby, that was a different story…
"Make sure all this gets back to Mr. Patrick Sr." Harper was annoyed that Mr. Patrick Sr. hadn't taken action yet.
Perhaps he did not believe all this gossip.
Harper seemed to realize that she needed to take drastic measures and approach the problem from a different angle, starting with Justin.
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