Chapter 643 Claire Forces Ethan to Come Out
Downstairs at Capital Hospital, Jasmine was chilling in the car, keeping an eye on a few folks heading upstairs.
She thought, 'This way, Mark's definitely gonna spot me, right?'
Justin managed to coax Casey out and whispered, "Hey Casey, wanna play a game later?"
"What game?" Casey clung to Justin's arm like a lifeline.
"A game where the big bad wolf catches the little white rabbits. We're the rabbits, and soon, some big guys will come to catch us. But don't worry, Casey, okay?" Justin reassured him.
Casey looked at Justin nervously, his voice shaky. "As long as you're here, I'm not scared."
"Scaredy-cat, I'm here too," Joe said, trying to sound tough with his hands in his pockets.
"Mommy will play the game with you too, okay?" Lisa said, wiping her tears and forcing a smile.
Casey felt a bit better but still clung to Justin. "Justin has to stay with me."
Joe snorted. "Justin has to stay with me."
Casey held on tighter. "No, Justin is mine."
Justin looked at Joe. "Joe, you're the older brother, you won't bully Casey."
Joe put his hands on his hips. "I'm only a few days older than him. Justin, you're spoiling him."
Just then, the "bad guys" burst in, each grabbing a kid and running.
Casey clung so tightly to Justin that the guy had to carry both of them.
Over at the Douglas family villa, Mark was lounging on the sofa, enjoying everything Howard had to offer..
Even though Claire and Howard were divorced, Claire still lived there.
"Sir, bad news." One of Mark's guys rushed in. "Jasmine's people took Lisa and Casey."
Mark was stunned for a second and frowned. "Send someone after them!"
What was Jasmine up to?
"Why panic?" Claire sauntered out of the bedroom, wearing a face mask and sexy pajamas, finally letting loose a bit.
Leaning on Mark, Claire whispered, "With Jasmine's temperament, what could she do to Lisa and Casey?"
"This time, it's different," the guy said nervously. "My people said that after Ethan's accident, Jasmine seemed to have changed, like she went a bit crazy."
Mark felt uneasy and got up to think of a solution.
But Claire wouldn't let him go. "Why panic? Jasmine wouldn't harm Lisa. I have something important to discuss with you. Have you thought of a strategy for dealing with Daniel?"
Mark pushed Claire away and got up irritably. "Keep an eye on her; see what Jasmine wants to do."
Mark's phone rang; it was a voice call from Jasmine.
"Hello?" Mark answered cautiously.
"Mark, got time to chat?" Jasmine said calmly.
"Is Lisa and Casey with you?" Mark asked tentatively.
"They're playing with me." Jasmine laughed. "No rush. I have plenty of time to play with them. If you're not in a hurry, you can think it over and come to me."
"Ethan had an accident. I know you're upset, but taking it out on a child? Without Ethan, how long do you think you can last?" Mark lowered his voice.
"Without Ethan, I still have the entire Cunningham family. If I die, I'll take your children with me!" Jasmine said and then hung up.
Mark took a deep breath. Had Jasmine really gone mad?
"I'll test her at the Douglas Group meeting this afternoon," Claire said, not worried at all, as if she didn't believe Jasmine could do anything crazy. "Don't worry. They won't be in any immediate danger."
Mark's face was grim as he looked at Claire. "You've never cared about them."
Claire was a bit upset, peeling off her face mask and looking at Mark. "I'm not attentive? They are right under my nose, and I'm constantly on edge, afraid Howard will find out! Do you think it's been easy for me all these years?"
Mark didn't say anything, his face dark. "Since Ethan's accident, Jasmine's definitely changed. If she can send Daniel to prison, she can send you there too. Lisa and Casey are innocent; I can't let her hurt them."
Claire irritably rubbed the mask liquid on her face. "If you're so skilled, get Daniel out. If Daniel goes to prison, the Douglas Group might end up in Bradley's hands. Can you sleep soundly with Bradley alive? We've schemed for so many years, and in the end, it still goes to Howard's son from outside!"
Claire spoke with resentment.
Mark said nothing; Howard was indeed a cunning man.
They had schemed for so many years, but Howard still had Bradley as a backup.
"Daniel absolutely cannot go to jail. Jasmine has too much evidence, and Daniel has confessed. Based on Jasmine's injury assessment, he could face an aggravated sentence. The only way is to ask Jasmine for a letter of understanding to seek a private settlement." Mark took a deep breath and rubbed his temples.
"I told you back then not to go too far. You went too far with Jasmine," Mark said coldly, glancing at Claire.
Claire was unhappy. "Now you're blaming me? If we hadn't put her in jail back then, would Daniel have given up on her? Could we have cut off Daniel's retreat? Besides, she heard things she shouldn't have; she knew I had killed Ethan's mother. Even if she had no evidence, I couldn't leave any loose ends."
Mark said nothing.
Claire kept going, "And now you're blaming me? I've suffered so much with Howard all these years. He treated me like a nanny!"
Claire was full of grievances. Howard didn't love her; he married her to protect Bradley and his mother.
Claire thought she outsmarted Howard, but he outsmarted her all along.
"Are you sure Howard and Ethan are really dead? I've been having nightmares lately, feeling uneasy." Claire patted her chest.
With Ethan dead, she didn't care about Jasmine. But if not, she indeed wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
Mark replied, "Howard's body has been found and confirmed by you. What are you still doubting? There's no news of Ethan; who knows if he's dead or alive? The search team said they couldn't find his body; either it was blown up or..."
Mark squinted his eyes. "Whether Ethan is dead or not depends on Jasmine's attitude. Jasmine dared to kidnap Lisa and Casey; do you really think I'm afraid of Jasmine?"
What he feared was Ethan still being alive, hiding in the shadows.
Claire's face turned pale with fear. "You mean Ethan is backing Jasmine? Don't scare me. Ethan is really something, not letting people rest even in death."
"Let's see Jasmine's attitude this afternoon, test her. If Ethan is really alive, we can't confront her directly." Mark looked at Claire. "What Jasmine wants to know is who is behind all this, who orchestrated everything."
Claire looked at Mark nervously. "You won't really tell her, will you?"
Mark was silent. "I know what I'm doing."
Jasmine wanted to know who was behind everything, and that would depend on how ruthless she was at the Douglas Group board meeting this afternoon.
"I've allied with several board members and a legal team. My divorce with Howard is still in the cooling-off period. With Howard gone, I'm his legal heir. Even if there's a will, I should get my share. They will fully support me in taking the management rights from Jasmine. I want to see how Jasmine will respond." Claire lowered her voice, determined to fight Jasmine.
"Push Jasmine to the brink as much as possible. If Ethan is really alive, he will definitely help Jasmine." Mark's concern was still Ethan.
If Claire pushed Jasmine too hard, Ethan would definitely not be able to stay hidden.
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