Chapter 202 Is Howard making His Move On Jasmine?
Casey's cries reverberated thunderously, their echo possibly reaching miles around.
Erin, who had been scouring the vicinity, abruptly halted in her tracks, recognizing the distinct sound.
“There!” she exclaimed, her voice cutting through the air.
Approaching the warehouse door with a grim expression, Erin peeked inside and called out, “Justin?”
“Sis!” Justin beamed joyously at Erin. “Don't worry, Casey and I are here. It seems like school's over, and the caretaker accidentally locked the door.”
Justin generously excused the warehouse caretaker, assuming the oversight was unintentional.
"That caretaker had locked up as per his schedule, maybe unaware that the teachers had allowed kids to search for things inside," he explained.
“Move aside,” Erin instructed Justin, urging him to step away.
She couldn't wait for the principal to send someone with keys.
With a forceful kick, Erin shattered the door open and scooped Justin into her arms. “Were you scared?”
Justin shook his head and pointed at Casey, who sobbed uncontrollably. “He's scared.”
Despite Casey's tear-streaked and snotty appearance, Erin gathered him into her arms too; after all, children needed comfort.
“The teacher told us to get our homemade flower baskets from the Warehouse and give them to mommy and daddy after school; they’d be happy,” Casey wept.
He had hoped to earn more love from his parents, especially since his mom had promised to pick him up that day.
The little flower basket was something Justin had helped Casey make for his mom.
However, the teacher had confiscated it during a break.
Justin and Casey had inquired about the flower baskets, and the teacher directed them to search for it in the Warehouse themselves.
Erin squinted, turning to face the principal. “Your teacher is quite something, letting two five-year-olds wander into the Warehouse without notifying anyone, not accompanying them, and disposing of a child’s possession without permission?”
“The teacher was negligent, and we will terminate her immediately,” the principal proposed, thinking this was severe enough since no harm came to the children.
“Terminate? That’s it? You think that’s lenient? This seems more like malice to me than negligence. Call the cops. Have them investigate this teacher's recent finances for any large, unexplained deposits,” Erin commanded her subordinates to report to the police.
The teachers and the principal turned pale with fright, their voices trembling. "Miss Lu, Miss Lu, the children are unharmed..."
“What’s there to fear? If you haven't done anything wrong, you don't need to dread a knock on the door,” Erin retorted, pointing at the principal. "Investigate him too, see if there are any shady transactions."
Anyone who crossed Justin ended up behind bars.
Just the bribery and corruption alone should be enough to land him in jail.
When the principal heard he was also under scrutiny, he nearly passed out.
As one of Silverlight City’s most prestigious kindergartens, the principal’s illicit earnings and bribes were more than sufficient to keep him incarcerated.
"Miss Lu, Miss Lu, please don't do this, Justin and Casey are fine. Please spare us, give us a way out," the teacher pleaded tearfully.
Holding Casey and leading Justin by the hand, Erin looked down coldly at the teacher kneeling before her. "As a person, you need to be grounded, and as a teacher, you must lead by example. Greed is your downfall. Whether you’ve taken bribes or been instructed by someone, you know best. Speak up now, and I might just let you off the hook."
Erin's authoritative demeanor left the teacher trembling in fear. "It... It was Master Daniel from the Douglas family. He came to pick up Casey and told me to distract the child momentarily just to ensure the parents couldn't reach him. I thought... It would be brief, and nothing would happen to the child..."
"Miss Lu, Miss Lu, please, I really didn't mean to hurt the children."
Erin's gaze narrowed, her expression darkening.
Daniel, this was probably aimed at Ethan.
It’s one thing to compete within the company and to engage in family schemes, but using such low tactics on children is despicable.
At Erin's villa, Richard dashed into the living room, his face fraught with panic. Seeing Justin and Casey happily playing with a Chinese jump rope on the couch, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Boss..." Richard looked at Erin gratefully. "Thank you."
"How many times are you going to thank me?" Erin asked, lounging in her silk pajamas, propping up her face as she watched Richard.
Richard coughed lightly. "I..."
"What kind of thanks are you offering? Just a simple thank you?" Erin crossed her legs in a deliberate, sensual manner, showcasing her long, fair limbs.
Richard stiffened, quickly stepping in front of Justin and Casey, and said helplessly, "The kids are here..."
Erin rolled her eyes. "Ethan and Jasmine will be here soon to pick up these little rascals. If you really want to thank me, don't just talk about it. How about working late tonight..."
Richard raised his hand to his forehead. "Come on, boss, have some dignity."
"Dignity, dignity. I'm 5'7", weigh 120 pounds, and my measurements are 36-24-36! Perfect and proud," Erin insisted, standing up and attempting to cozy up to Richard.
Instinctively, Richard took a step back, tripped over the coffee table, and tumbled onto the couch.
Erin fell on top of him and kissed him intentionally.
Justin covered Casey's eyes with his hand while sneaking a peek himself.
"Why are you covering my eyes?" Casey asked curiously.
"You're too loud," Justin whispered.
Casey obediently fell silent.
Then, Justin snickered. "Uncle, you got to take responsibility after kissing a girl."
Erin gave Justin a thumbs up.
That kid sure knew what’s up.
Richard was so frustrated that his face turned dark, but he had to hold it in since Erin was his boss.
"Justin!" Outside, Jasmine also rushed in.
Justin leaped up excitedly and ran to Jasmine, diving into her arms. "Mommy, I've missed you so much!"
"And what about me?" Ethan followed in with a smile.
Justin looked at Ethan joyfully. "I missed Daddy too."
Richard quickly straightened up and stepped aside.
"Today, we'll take the kids home with us," Ethan said with a smile.
"Ethan, Daniel, and Clara have gone too far, involving even the kids," Erin said with a frown.
"I apologize, it was my oversight." Ethan had stationed people near the school to protect Justin but hadn’t anticipated that a teacher would deceive Justin into going to the Warehouse.
"Howard tricked you earlier; he might be waiting for you at your place right now," Erin cautioned Ethan, anticipating an uneasy night.
"Let them wait," Ethan said with a cold laugh, picking up Justin and Casey and leaving Ryan's Family.
That night, Ethan took Jasmine and the two kids to a hotel.
Thinking he would go home, Howard and Daniel waited outside Ethan's place for four long, futile hours.
"Dad... it looks like he's not coming back tonight," Daniel said through gritted teeth.
Howard's expression also soured.
Ethan had his butler buy groceries and made it appear as though he would come home, all to outsmart them.
"Did Jasmine's biological mother, the one in prison, get out?" Howard asked suddenly.
Daniel paused, feeling a tightness in his chest.
The possibility of Howard making a move on Jasmine hung in the air.
"Yeah..."
"Bring her to see me. I want to have a chat with her." Howard's voice was deep and firm.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
