Chapter 205 Ethan Demands Proof of Maternal Relationship from May
Jasmine remained silent, her eyes slightly reddened. Ethan stepped forward, pulling her into his embrace. He glanced at Richard, his brows furrowing in concern. Richard opened his mouth but stayed silent.
May walked Auntie Three out, her voice sharp with curiosity. "Whose car is this? Looks pricey, huh?"
"Didn't you say your girl had no beau?" Auntie Three asked, surprised to see Ethan holding Jasmine. Panic surged within Jasmine, but Ethan held her tight.
"Getting cozy without being married? That's hardly decent,", May, you need to talk to your daughter. How do you expect her to get married behaving this way?" Aunt Tricia interjected sternly.
"Could she be someone's mistress? That guy looks rich; that car must be in the hundreds of thousands, right?" the other relatives chimed in noisily.
"Jasmine had a child out of wedlock. Is the child's father some wealthy old man?" one relative speculated.
Richard grew agitated. "Over three million," he clarified.
"Huh?" The relative was shocked.
"This is Mr. Ethan's cheapest car, worth over three million," Richard explained.
The relatives were shocked, as if they could never imagine a car costing as much as a house.
"Are they nuts? Why not buy a house with three million?" they scoffed.
"I have too many properties to list for you all, but even the cheapest one is in the tens of millions," Ethan was usually a low-key person, but these people were clearly being hostile towards Jasmine, and he saw no reason to indulge them.
"Tens of millions?" Aunt Tricia was astonished.
May, about that blind date I arranged for tomorrow, should I still set it up?"
May had been silent, knowing the situation.
After all, Howard had already spoken to her.
"Set it up," she finally said grimly, referring to the blind date.
"I'm not going!" Jasmine declared, empowered by Ethan's presence.
"I said I want to work. You've already ruined me once; I won't acknowledge you as my mother," Jasmine continued firmly.
"Mhm, no need to see each other again," Richard agreed. "Mom, you never raised Jasmine for a single day, so you don't have any say if she doesn't take care of you in old age. I'll handle your care. If you don't like the city, go back to your hometown, it's peaceful there."
"I did it all for you!" May pointed at Richard, her face darkening.
Richard frowned, his expression turning sour.
So much for doing it for him. It turned out to be quite a burden.
May moved forward, attempting to grab Jasmine, insisting, "Jasmine, I am your mother!"
Ethan positioned himself protectively in front of Jasmine, his expression dark and stormy.
"Jasmine, you're being unreasonable," a relative interjected. "How can you talk about your mom like that? Just because she did time, you're looking down on her now? Don't forget, she did it for you. She didn't just give birth to you; she gave you a second chance at life."
"Exactly," another relative chimed in. "Without being sent to Wilson’s Family, do you think you could've had such a good life? You should be grateful."
Relatives were chiming in from all sides with their opinions.
"And think about it, this guy's loaded. He’s just toying around. Do you really think he'll treat you and your kid well?" Auntie said confidently, assuming she knew best.
"Your mom is considering your best interest," another relative added. "You're unwed with a child; what kind of man would truly want you?"
"Mommy! Daddy came to pick you up and take you home. Daddy bought lots of sweets; they're so yummy," Justin called out from the back seat, his voice booming through the lowered window.
"Daddy, let's go have some skewers!" Justin smiled excitedly at Ethan.
Ethan ruffled Justin's hair with a helpless smile.
The kid was getting too smart for his own good.
But the mention of skewers made Ethan wince.
The last time, he had bravely taken a few bites; his stomach still felt queasy at the memory.
Jasmine's eyes welled up as she glanced at Justin, then back at Ethan. "We don’t need everyone fussing over our business. Just pretend the Shaw family never found me."
"I can't believe you're such an ingrate," May exclaimed, throwing a tantrum. "If it hadn't been for me, you would've died back then. These past five years in jail, who do you think I did that for!"
May wailed and sat down on the ground, visibly upset.
Tears welled in Jasmine's eyes, a sharp pain gripping her heart. She wondered if a person without a conscience could be free from the shackles of morality and guilt.
"I am your mother!" May cried, pounding the ground. "Whether you acknowledge it or not, you have no choice. You owe your existence to your parents! I gave you life, I risked breaking the law for you, all so you could survive."
"The mother-daughter relationship you speak of, we don't recognize it," Ethan declared, motioning for Jasmine to get into the car.
Nervously, Jasmine glanced at Ethan, who signaled for her to relax. As the car door closed, Ethan turned to May, still in a fit on the ground. "Tell me, after the scandal of the real heiress broke, Wilson’s Family did a paternity test with Serena alone. Have you and Jasmine ever had one done?"
May stiffened, panic flickering in her eyes. "You have no paternity test, what proof do you have of your relationship with Jasmine? Empty claims? Just your word? You never raised her for a day, and you expect us to accept you as her mother just because you say so? At the very least, you need some evidence to prove your biological relationship with Jasmine."
May fell silent, then looked at Ethan. "What are you talking about? Jasmine is my daughter. I personally switched her with Snowfall because of her heart condition, right at the Wilson's Family Exchange!"
Ethan knew May was weaving truth with lies. "Where's the proof?" Ethan demanded
He didn't actually doubt that Jasmine was Richard's sister; he was just using the situation to buy time.
Howard must have approached May with the intent to use her to restrain Jasmine, as a warning and to teach her a lesson.
Ethan just needed to stall May as long as possible, until his covert standoff with Howard was over, then he could plan his next move.
Overwhelmed, May blurted out, "What proof do you need when she is my daughter?"
"Paternity test," Ethan insisted, reaching out to demand it from May.
May's face darkened with alarm. "What paternity test? I don't have one! She is my daughter," she declared defensively.
Ethan frowned, pondering May's reaction. Given her nature, if Jasmine truly was her daughter, she would have confidently demanded a paternity test. But her guilt was evident.
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