Chapter 659 Betty Comes to Rescue
Jasmine drummed her fingers on the table and let out a sigh. "Get out."
Tom's mom, Juniper Hamilton, was Ethan's mom's first cousin; the two mothers' fathers were siblings. Juniper's parents died young, so she grew up with Ethan's mom. They were cousins, but closer than sisters.
Juniper was the one Ethan's mom worried about the most back then because Juniper was too kind and not very bright.
Luckily, even fools get lucky sometimes. Juniper married Tom's dad, Desmond Thomas. They weren't one of the super-rich families in the city, but they were pretty well-off. The only downside? They had Tom, who wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed either. He got tricked easily but still helped others.
Liam's mother and Ethan's mother were also cousins; their moms were siblings. Liam's mother died giving birth to Liam, so Ethan's mom took care of him from a young age.
After Ethan's mom passed away, Ethan looked after his two cousins.
"Ben," Jasmine suddenly remembered something and walked to the window. "Back then, William had Howard marry Ethan's mom. So, what's the deal with Ethan's maternal grandfather's side now?"
After marrying Ethan, Jasmine didn't know much about the Douglas family and Ethan's relatives. Ethan never talked about his maternal relatives. All she knew was that Liam and Tom were Ethan's cousins.
"I've looked into it. The Hamilton family is prestigious but has few kids. Ethan's mom was her parents' only daughter. After her, there was only Ethan. As for the current state of the Hamilton family, I'm not too sure. Besides the assets, there shouldn't be much left."
The network of connections probably faded as the Hamilton family members dwindled.
Jasmine nodded. Yeah, a lot of prestigious families fell apart because they had fewer and fewer kids.
"But from what I know, Ethan's mom and grandpa left him a big inheritance that Howard couldn't touch. Ethan's ability to start the Raymond Group is definitely tied to the inheritance and connections from the Hamilton family."
No one succeeded without some support. If Ethan had really started from scratch, there was no way he could've built the Raymond Group to its current level so quickly, no matter how talented he was.
"How could Howard not have considered the Hamilton family's assets?" Jasmine was curious about how Wesley Hamilton, Ethan's parental grandfather, helped Ethan and left him this startup fund and network of connections.
Ben shook his head. "Only the Hamilton family members might know the details."
And the person most likely to know the truth in the Hamilton family now was Juniper.
Jasmine nodded. Maybe she should visit Juniper.
"Do you think the person scheming behind the scenes is related to the Hamilton family?" Ben asked.
Jasmine shook her head. "No, I just want to know how many cards we have at hand."
She needed to gauge their chances of winning.
With Ethan badly injured and unable to return, she needed to strengthen herself as much as possible and stabilize everything for Ethan. Besides, she also needed to plan an escape route to make sure Ethan, she, and the kids wouldn't be cornered.
"Got it." Ben nodded.
Both SHC Group and the Hawthorne Group were taking the initial bidding for the new energy project very seriously. Compared to them, Jasmine's LY seemed less competitive.
However, Jasmine and the Douglas Group had signed a betting agreement with Alex. Daniel no longer managed the Douglas Group's new energy project. Jasmine had two projects to bid on, which was indeed very challenging.
"You're really something, handling both the Douglas and LY project bids. Two projects—surely not both can stand out, right?" Deborah mocked as she walked over to Jasmine with Laura.
"With your abilities, you probably wouldn't even dare to think about it, would you?" Jasmine shot Deborah a cold look. Not everything could be achieved through shortcuts.
Today's bidding was mainly a showdown for the Everhart family. After all, Alex had deep pockets, and his skills and foresight were well-known. As long as Alex saw potential in the project's future and decided to invest, others would follow suit.
In fact, venture capital was a bit of a gamble: whether you bet right depended on luck, vision, and ability.
"Jasmine, where do you get the nerve to compare with me? You're just a college dropout who's been to prison," Deborah laughed, clearly ready to throw down.
Jasmine had already slapped her; no need to keep pretending.
"You know, I tended to talk less when I was nervous. Now, not only that, I am also keen on using violence." Jasmine glanced at Deborah and flexed her wrist. "If you're not afraid of making a scene in front of everyone, I can oblige."
Deborah, a woman who did not have a solid background but still wanted to keep up her high-society act, definitely didn't dare provoke Jasmine into going nuts right now. She gritted her teeth, trying to swallow her anger, but then Jessica showed up.
"People who weren't raised by their real parents just lack manners," Jessica said arrogantly, standing behind Deborah.
With someone backing her up, Deborah naturally got bolder. "Jasmine, if you lose the bid later, don't cry. After all, with Ethan not around, no one will care about your fragile self."
"Who was it that cried and begged Ethan for help, using tears to gain sympathy?" Betty walked over from behind Jasmine, exuding a powerful aura.
"The eldest daughter of the Phillips family, a prestigious lady, lowering yourself to hang out with an illegitimate daughter? Could you, Ms. Phillips, also think that wrecking someone else's marriage and family isn't something to be condemned?" Betty turned her attack towards Jessica.
Jessica glared at Betty, wanting to lash out, but Betty was notorious for her disregard for decorum. Provoking this madwoman would bring no benefit to herself.
"Could Ms. Phillips also want to be someone's mistress and ruin someone else's relationship?" Betty feigned surprise, raising her voice.
Jessica's face turned red with anger. "What are you talking about!"
"Are you saying you want to?" Betty played dumb, continuing to raise her voice. "Ms. Phillips, your grandfather is known for being a decent man. He only loved your grandmother his whole life and despised mistresses. Don't ruin your grandfather's good reputation!"
"Betty! Stop spouting nonsense!" Deborah also spoke up for Jessica.
"Your mother was Owen's mistress, and you're an illegitimate daughter. That's a fact, right? So, you corrupted Ms. Phillips!" Betty's voice grew louder, turning her attention back to Deborah, not intending to miss Deborah out.
There were many prestigious families present at this bid, enough for Jessica's grandfather to hear about it. Jessica's grandfather would definitely make her stay away from Deborah.
Jessica glanced around, clenched her fists in anger, and turned to leave. Deborah also turned and hurried to chase after Jessica.
Betty raised an eyebrow at Jasmine. "Learn from me; you're still not tough enough. Remember, to deal with people like them, you have to hit their weak spots. The more they care about something, the more you destroy it."
"If they dare to spread rumors and slander, you have to be even better at it. Use your words to destroy them!" Betty glared.
Jasmine smiled, her admiration for Betty growing even deeper.
Leaning wearily on Betty's shoulder, Jasmine choked up. "Betty, I'm so tired."
Betty comforted Jasmine, feeling a bit at a loss. "I'm here. Don't be afraid."
Jasmine smiled. "There will be a good show later."
Deborah had Beth steal her project proposal; let's see how she embarrasses herself later!
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