Chapter 611: Howard's Last Struggle
At Ethan's crib, Jasmine took a bath and then snuggled up in his arms.
Even with a little cut on his forehead, Ethan was feeling pretty good. With his sweet-smelling, soft wife right there, he couldn't help himself.
He gave Jasmine's cheek a playful pinch, and when she didn't push him away, he decided to take things up a notch.
Jasmine slapped his hand away. "You're hurt; get some sleep."
Ethan switched gears. "Hey, there's some juicy stuff going on. Wanna check it out?"
Jasmine's curiosity was piqued. "What kind of juicy stuff?"
"Grab your phone and see for yourself," Ethan chuckled.
Jasmine rolled over to get her phone.
Ethan wrapped his arms around her from behind, peeking at the screen with her.
Jasmine opened the news app and was shocked.
[Claire caught sneaking around with Howard's assistant. They're inseparable.]
[Claire was cheating on Howard with his assistant.]
What kind of headlines were these?
Jasmine wanted to keep reading, but Ethan snatched the phone away. Before she could protest, he kissed her.
"You sneaky devil," Jasmine muttered, the worst she could call him.
"Yeah, but only for you," Ethan grinned, pulling her closer. "Now, let your hubby give you another kiss."
"You said we'd hit the sack early tonight," Jasmine complained, feeling like Ethan always tricked her.
"Yeah, I meant 'hit the sack' as in the fun way."
"Ethan!"
Meanwhile, Howard and Claire were too busy with their divorce drama to mess with Ethan.
Ethan took Jasmine to the Cunningham family, then whisked the kids off to a beach resort, and finally, they headed back to the Cunninghams. It was a rare chill time for them.
"Charity auction tonight. Howard's probably scheming something," Jasmine checked the time. Howard was planning to stir up trouble by firing employees.
"Ready? Mrs. Douglas, the wife of the President of Raymond Group and Douglas Group?" Ethan leaned against the door frame, smirking at the elegantly dressed Jasmine. "Babe, there's still time, but you can't just seduce me like that."
Jasmine instinctively covered her chest. "Ethan, cut it out."
Ethan laughed. "Let's roll."
Jasmine nodded, letting Ethan take her hand.
Ethan led Jasmine downstairs.
"Got a plan for tonight?" Jasmine was still a bit nervous.
"Just stick by me and watch," Ethan said confidently.
Jasmine nodded, gripping his hand tightly.
At the Banquet Hotel, they stepped out of the car, and the media went wild with their cameras.
"This couple looks like movie stars on the red carpet."
"Even charity events feel so classy with them around."
Reporters were buzzing. "Did you hear? The real president of Raymond Group is coming tonight, and it's not Brandon."
"No way!"
"Yeah, Brandon's just the face; the real boss is super secretive."
Inside the Banquet Hall, Ethan and Jasmine spotted Howard.
He stood there, glaring at Ethan. "You've got some nerve, messing with me."
Howard had figured out that Claire and Mark's affair was Ethan's doing.
"What are you talking about?" Ethan sneered.
"Ethan, don't do anything stupid," Howard warned, lowering his voice.
"You should worry about yourself. When you get to hell, my mom won't let you off easy," Ethan's voice dripped with menace.
Howard raised his hand to hit Ethan. "You bastard!"
"Yeah, I am," Ethan grabbed his hand, his voice low and dangerous.
Jasmine stepped up and slapped Howard across the face. "Oops, sorry. There was a mosquito on your face. It's gone now."
Howard was livid, ready to blow up, but Jasmine cut him off. "I don't care who you are. If you touch Ethan, I'll fight you to the end."
Her soft, almost timid voice had a unique edge when she was laying down the law.
Ethan stood behind her, ready to back her up, glaring at Howard.
Howard, worried about his image, didn't dare to make a scene. He sneered and stormed off.
Jasmine's legs felt a bit wobbly. She had just slapped Ethan's dad, even if the guy deserved it.
"Nice move, Mrs. Douglas," Ethan grinned, leading her into the banquet hall.
"Did you hear? The real owner behind the Raymond Group is showing up today. Everyone thought it was Brandon, but it's someone else."
"Who could it be? So mysterious."
"The Raymond Group has blown up in recent years. Everyone's dying to cozy up to the real boss."
"Mr. Russell, I heard the real owner of the Raymond Group is coming today?" Howard, looking surprised, approached Brandon to confirm.
"Yep," Brandon nodded.
"I didn't expect there to be someone else." Howard was super curious about the person he had been trying so hard to impress, sacrificing his pride and all.
"Ethan, I heard you recently took over the Douglas Group. Young and promising, you must be doing great," some entrepreneurs and big shots chatted with Ethan.
Howard snorted. "He's still too green, too young."
A few bosses looked at Howard and smiled. "Yeah, Ethan, you should learn from your dad. He's got more experience."
Ethan smiled. "Of course."
"In a bit, the president of the Raymond Group will be here. That's the real genius. Remember, don't get too cocky. There are plenty of people who can put you in your place," Howard lectured Ethan like he knew the president personally.
A few big bosses were surprised. "Mr. Douglas, you know the president of the Raymond Group?"
Howard looked smug. "More than just know."
He expected the other party to give him some respect.
Ethan let Howard ramble and then said lightly, "The president of the Raymond Group is a real young talent, a capable person. I'm nothing compared to him."
"Good that you know," Howard sneered. "About the layoffs, I have to bring it up in front of all these seniors. You just took over and fired a dozen key employees, severely impacting operations. Such a rookie mistake shouldn't happen."
A few big bosses exchanged glances. Would Ethan really make such a rookie mistake?
"Ethan, that's on you. The company needs those positions filled, or it could cause big problems."
"Yeah, you should listen to your dad."
Howard looked at Ethan with pride. He thought he had caught Ethan in a big mistake.
"No worries. The missing positions were the ones you previously fired. Now, the old employees have returned." Ethan pointed to several old employees from the Raymond Group. "They will replace the fired employees."
Howard's face turned pale. "Ethan, don't joke around. They work for the Raymond Group now. They won't just come back easily. You're declaring war and sabotaging the Douglas family."
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