Chapter 577: Ethan Tricks Jasmine
Brandon flashed a sly grin. "Mrs. Douglas, what brings you here? I am not expecting your visit and I've got an important meeting."
Claire smiled back. "No rush, Mr. Russell. You go ahead. I'll wait."
Brandon nodded and told his assistant, "Take care of Mrs. Douglas. Bring her to me after my meeting."
Claire felt pretty good, thinking Brandon valued her.
Little did she know, Brandon would be gone for four or five hours.
Claire waited forever, but Brandon never showed.
"Is Mr. Russell still in the meeting?" Claire was getting antsy. It wasn't even lunchtime.
She hadn't slept well last night, skipped breakfast, and hadn't had a drop of water. No one at Raymond Group offered her anything.
She was feeling lightheaded.
"Sorry, ma'am. Mr. Russell's meetings can go seven or eight hours without breaks. He told us to call you over when he's done," the assistant said with a smile.
Claire, feeling wobbly, gritted her teeth and nodded.
She had no choice but to wait.
Since Brandon said so, it didn't seem right to leave.
But how long would she have to wait?
After another two hours, Claire was about to pass out from hunger, and Brandon still hadn't come out.
"Still not done?" Claire asked weakly.
"Nope." The assistant shook his head regretfully.
Upstairs, Brandon was having lunch with Ethan in the office, chatting about the project's progress.
Brandon teased Ethan. "Your stepmom's probably starving by now."
"One less problem if she starves." Ethan snorted.
"Think Claire and Howard will lose it when they find out you've been behind all their humiliation and that you own Raymond Group?" Brandon laughed.
"I can't wait to see their faces," Ethan said, sipping his coffee. "It's almost time."
"Don't rush it. Let's mess with them a bit more. They deserve this due to everything they did to you," Brandon said slyly.
"Don't get any wild ideas, or I won't be able to protect you from Jasmine later." Ethan warned, raising an eyebrow and pointing at Brandon.
Brandon shivered, his back tightening. "Ethan, you're my bro. Explain it to Jasmine for me."
"If I am happy to," Ethan said, getting up and taking the last piece of steamed cake.
"Leave me a piece," Brandon complained, glaring at Ethan.
"My wife made it for me, worried I'd go hungry while job hunting." Ethan boasted proudly.
Brandon looked puzzled, and after Ethan left, he muttered softly, "The more pitiful you act now, the worse it'll be for you later. We're in the same boat."
Downstairs, Claire collapsed from low blood sugar, hitting her forehead and causing it to swell.
The Raymond Group staff finally reacted, rushing over in a panic when Claire woke up. "Oh no, Mrs. Douglas, what happened?"
Claire, with a stern face and a hoarse voice, asked, "Is Mr. Russell still in the meeting?"
"You're so ill. You should go to the hospital," the assistant said, helping Claire out with the security guards.
Claire was both angry and hungry, but she couldn't lose her temper and had to endure it.
"Mr. Russell feels really sorry for the long meeting. He has arranged a dinner tonight and invites you and Ethan's family to join," the assistant said politely.
Claire's face darkened. "Why meet Ethan?"
"Sorry. Ethan has also been waiting for Mr. Russell since early this morning. We heard that both you and Ethan want to collaborate with Raymond Group, so Mr. Russell thought it would be best to invite you both to dinner," the assistant explained.
Claire panicked. Ethan was also seeking Brandon's help?
No, she couldn't wait any longer.
"Alright, what time tonight? I'll be there on time," Claire said eagerly.
The attendant checked the time. "Mr. Russell clocks out at six. I'll text you the details later."
Claire nodded. Tonight, she had to impress Brandon and show him that teaming up with her was way better than working with Ethan.
Upstairs, Brandon sipped his coffee by the window, smirking as he watched Claire leave.
Before Ethan's true identity came out, he needed to stir up as much drama as possible between Claire and Howard. The more chaos now, the angrier they'd be when they found out Ethan was the big boss of Raymond Group all along.
For someone like Howard, with his heart condition, getting worked up could be quite satisfying.
At home, Jasmine, being extra careful about Ethan's feelings since he became "unemployed," came home early with some small cakes and fresh flowers.
Justin and Joe, realizing their mistake, bought their dad his least favorite—ice cream and waited for him to come home.
"Mommy, was the amusement park fun?" Joe asked, all wistful.
Ethan had taken Jasmine to the amusement park early in the morning. If it weren't for some urgent work calling Jasmine back to the office, they probably wouldn't have planned to return anytime soon.
"Mom, are the rides at the amusement park really that tall?" Justin asked, playing innocent.
The two brothers, one acting all innocent and the other pitiful, had clearly been to that amusement park with Cordelia, Edgar, Edward, and Nolan individually. They probably knew the place well enough to play hide and seek there, yet they were still putting on an act.
"I will definitely take you both next time." Although Ethan didn't believe the kids, Jasmine did.
Seeing the two adorable kids looking at her with big, watery eyes, Jasmine's heart melted.
Justin and Joe looked pitifully at their little feet and said in unison, "But what if Dad doesn't forgive us?"
Jasmine ruffled their hair. "Then I will take you."
"Yay! No Dad!" Joe jumped up in excitement.
Justin still hoped his dad could come along.
Just as Joe was getting carried away, Ethan came back.
Hearing Joe's words, Ethan looked wistful and started to act pitiful himself.
"How did the interview go today?" Jasmine asked cautiously.
Ethan hugged Jasmine tightly, his voice hoarse. "Not very well. I interviewed at several companies, but none of them dared to hire me."
Jasmine patted Ethan's back sympathetically. "It's okay, it's okay. They're just cowards. They don't deserve you. If worse comes to worst, we'll start our own business again. If that doesn't work, you could always agree to return to the Douglas family."
Claire announced that anyone who could secure genuine cooperation with the Raymond Group would manage the Douglas Group.
Howard's people stirred things up, delaying Ethan's takeover. Officially, Howard still controlled the company.
Ethan smirked, but everything was under his control.
The more chaos Claire caused, the more she'd have to leave the Douglas Group with Daniel in the future unconditionally.
"Brandon gave me an opportunity." Ethan cleared his throat, feeling a bit guilty for deceiving his wife like this.
"Brandon said he invited you, me, and our kids to dinner tonight." When Brandon's assistant informed him of this, Ethan almost cursed. Who knew what Brandon was up to now?
Jasmine looked at Ethan in surprise. "Brandon invited us?"
"And Claire," Ethan said, rubbing his nose.
Jasmine, understanding, said angrily, "Brandon probably wants to choose between you and Claire, to see who can offer him more benefits. This guy is so shrewd; he's really cut out for business."
She had already cursed Brandon several times in her mind.
Ethan felt anxious, wanting to come clean with Jasmine, but it was difficult to do so at this moment.
"Honey, I need to confess something. Actually, the Raymond Group..."
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