Chapter 607: Smart Ian
Ian had set up a private meet with Jasmine at the Bellagio Hotel, and it was awkward.
Jasmine eyed Ian and said, "Mr. Patrick, are we talking business or personal stuff here?"
Ian grinned, "Do we even have personal stuff to talk about?"
Jasmine nodded. "Then it's business. If it's business, why not at the office? What's with the private meet?"
Jasmine wasn't one for beating around the bush; straight talk was her style.
Ian nodded. "Alright, it's personal."
Jasmine frowned. "We barely know each other. What personal stuff could you possibly have with me?"
"Howard came to Boston to see me. He wants to team up and cut Ethan off, make him lose all credibility in the Douglas Group," Ian said, looking straight at Jasmine.
Jasmine raised an eyebrow. "And why are you telling me this?"
"Anyone with half a brain knows who to back between Ethan and Howard," Ian said. "So, I'm not teaming up with Howard. You can chill about that."
Jasmine stared at Ian. Was he just here to put her at ease?
"I won't play dirty, but I'm going all in for the Everhart Group's investment. This is my first big project at SHC Group. I'm not holding back, and we'll see who's got the skills," Ian said seriously.
Jasmine got the gist. Ian was smart enough to avoid being seen as her enemy.
He wanted to compete for the new energy project and investment, but he'd do it fair and square.
He was worried Jasmine might hear rumors about Howard at SHC Group and think he was in on it.
Pissing off Jasmine meant pissing off Ethan, and Ian wasn't about to do that.
Jasmine looked at Ian, trying to figure him out. Henry had warned her to be wary of Ian, saying he wasn't straightforward. But this sudden nice-guy act was throwing her off.
"Ian, you might not play dirty, but you sure know how to play smart," Ethan said, walking in with a sneer.
Ian smiled like he was expecting Ethan.
He hadn't told Ethan or let Jasmine tell him, just to see if Ethan would show up.
This would show how much Ethan cared about Jasmine.
People were realistic; Ian wouldn't piss off Ethan for a quick buck, and the key to not pissing off Ethan was not pissing off Jasmine.
But he couldn't just drop the new energy project, so he had to talk to Jasmine first and clear things up.
"Ethan, how'd you know I was here?" Jasmine asked, surprised.
Ethan sat next to Jasmine, holding her hand. "Someone invited my wife to a private meet without my say-so. I got pissed."
Ian smiled. "I just talked to Ms. Cunningham about Howard. I'm not teaming up with Howard, but I'm going for the new energy project. So, I hope you'll go easy on me."
"Mr. Patrick, we're giving it our all for the new energy project too. It's crucial for LY's survival, so we're not holding back. We'll compete fair and square," Jasmine said, polite but firm.
She wasn't backing down just because the competition was tough.
She was in it to win it, fair and square.
"Alright, we'll see," Ian nodded, giving Jasmine a look of admiration.
Ethan pulled Jasmine close, shooting Ian a warning glance. "Quit staring. She's mine."
Ian chuckled. "No wonder Henry went all out to get her."
Ethan knew Ian was just trying to get under his skin. "If that's all, you can leave now."
Ian shrugged. "I haven't eaten yet."
Ethan was about to snap when his phone buzzed. It was Brandon.
"Hello?"
"Ethan, get to the hospital ASAP. Bradley's in trouble. He left something for you," Brandon's voice was urgent.
Ethan rarely heard Brandon so rattled. He checked the time, then turned to Ian. "Dinner's off. We got something to handle. Take your time eating."
Ian nodded, standing up to see them off.
"Mr. Patrick, you really think a meal will make Ethan go easy on us?" His assistant, Paul, whispered as he walked in.
Ian shook his head. "As long as we steer clear of Howard, Ethan won't mess with us."
"But LY's banking on the new energy project," Paul said, worried.
Ian had joined SHC Group without much clout. He didn't have Henry's backing because Henry had shares.
What he needed now was to make sure Ethan wouldn't come after him and then snag some shares from Matthew.
"The new energy project is my ticket to making a mark at SHC Group. I can't lose," Ian said firmly.
He wasn't about to let Jasmine take this project.
When Ethan and Jasmine got to Capital Hospital, Bradley was still in the ER.
They heard he was in bad shape, with several broken ribs, but he hadn't cried out of the pain.
"Claire's desperate now," Ethan said, his voice low.
"She won't stop at Bradley," Brandon said, looking at Ethan. Claire would definitely come after both Ethan and Bradley, so Ethan needed to be on guard.
Jasmine looked at Ethan, worried. "Desperate people do desperate things."
"Don't worry," Ethan said, rubbing Jasmine's head.
Jasmine nodded, gripping Ethan's hand tightly.
"What's Bradley's condition?" Ethan glanced at the ER. It had been a while since he went in.
"His ribs are broken, puncturing his lung. He's in critical condition," Brandon said, leaning against the wall, looking calm but clearly troubled.
"It's that bad? Claire's really lost it," Jasmine said, nervously eyeing the ER.
A punctured lung was no joke.
"He knew Claire would come for him, so he carried a recorder. I listened to it, cut out the useless parts and the torture, and kept the important stuff. You should listen to it and give it to Raymond to investigate," Brandon said, handing a recorder to Ethan.
He had spent three hours listening to Bradley being tortured. Even someone like him, who had seen it all, felt his hands shaking.
But Bradley had endured it.
"He's a strange one," Brandon said, looking at Ethan.
Yeah, strange, like a fool.
"Bradley's not like Howard," Ethan said, taking the recorder. "He'll pull through."
"The recording says Claire has a video of Howard and the nanny plotting to kill your mom. This evidence isn't just with Claire but also with someone she trusts the most," Brandon said, looking at Ethan.
He had been waiting for this evidence for years.
"Mark?" Jasmine guessed. Claire had been secretly involved with Mark behind Howard's back for a long time.
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