Chapter 78 Jasmine Would Never Compromise Again
Richard frowned at him. "What do you want?"
Evan tried to enter the house but Richard stopped him.
"Evan! I advise you not to show up at my place alone," Richard roared with rage; he might not be able to hold back if Evan tried something again.
Evan, this rich young man, wouldn't stand a chance without a bodyguard.
Evan clenched his fingers. "Are you sure she hasn't come back?"
"You people are the ones who forced her to leave Silverlight City; how could she possibly come back now? My nephew is asleep, don't do anything stupid. Go look for her somewhere else," Richard pushed Evan out.
Evan lowered his gaze, and his breathing became somewhat anxious.
Jasmine didn't come back, and his people in Boston couldn’t find her either. She must be in trouble.
"Mr. Evan, whether you want to believe it or not, I'll tell you again. No one in our family has ever mistreated Serena, and I have never harmed her. My mother switched Jasmine and Serena when they were babies; she has always been a victim. There's no need for you to treat her this way," Richard grabbed Evan's collar.
His eyes were a deep red, making him look somewhat unpredictable and dangerous. "Please, be human."
Evan pushed Richard away; he was also burning with rage. "Richard, there’s nothing you can say that can make me believe you. Serena is kind; she would never tarnish your reputation! If you treated her well, would she be so severely depressed that she could potentially commit suicide at any moment?!"
"I'm telling you, Richard, if I have to choose between you and my sister Serena, I will always choose to believe my sister." Evan opened the car door and drove off.
Richard rubbed his forehead, cursing in frustration. "Idiot."
Taking a deep breath, Richard locked the iron gate and quickly went back inside to pack. "Jasmine, wake Justin up; we're leaving tonight."
Jasmine was still curled up in a corner, her face still pale with fear. "Evan... Did Evan leave?"
Richard glanced outside. "He left for now; I’m not sure if he'll come back. I don’t have a way to stop him if he comes with bodyguards, so we must leave tonight. When someone commits a crime, they must do the time. Zelda brought this upon herself; we will not compromise at all."
Jasmine hugged her knees, crying in distress.
Last night, she really thought she was going to die.
She was very scared... Incredibly scared.
"Don't be afraid; I won't leave you alone. We'll all run together as a family; you shouldn't have to bear this alone," Richard's voice was heavy with emotion; his eyes were also red with emotion and brimming with tears.
Men naturally shouldn't cry easily, but he felt sorry for Jasmine.
While she was in Boston, Richard worried about her every day. He was afraid she wasn't eating or sleeping well.
This time, he couldn't let Jasmine run away by herself no matter what.
"Richard..." Jasmine looked up at Richard, speaking in an incredibly sad tone.
Richard walked over and comforted her softly. "Don't worry, even if everything falls apart, I've got your back."
"Richard... Justin's condition is deteriorating and he needs treatment. Henry said he had discussed treatment plans with experts, and they all said he needed regular treatment for the next year. We can't run," Jasmine shook her head and wiped away her tears.
Richard's fingers slowly dropped, and he hit the wall in frustration.
He cursed his own weakness.
"Justin also has to go to school; we can't run," Jasmine smiled, trying to make herself look less scared. "Ethan said he will protect us; he promised to protect us."
Richard's face darkened. "He will protect us? Is he a philanthropist? How could he protect us for no reason? Jasmine, what did you promise him? And Henry? Why isn't he taking care of you? He's Justin's father! What the hell is he doing?!"
Richard spoke in an agitated tone, "Is he bullying you... I'll go kill him! Killing him will end everything!"
Six years ago, Jasmine was bullied and raped at a hotel, and he, as her brother, couldn't do anything.
People like them were like ants, only fit to be stepped on.
"Zelda is Henry's fiancée," Jasmine said weakly with a smile.
Richard's body stiffened instantly, and his hands dropped and hung weakly on his sides.
"Ethan said he needs a completely obedient woman by his side to occasionally act as a shield. Because I am obedient and easy to manage, he's willing to protect us, although only temporarily."
Jasmine didn't know how long Ethan could protect her. It would probably only last until he got engaged or married.
But at least it could give them some breathing room. "Ethan is different from others, Richard. He won't touch me; he's not lacking in women."
Richard frowned; he was still somewhat skeptical.
If Ethan wanted a compliant woman to act as a shield, there were probably thousands of them available. Why did it have to be Jasmine?
"You are his brother's former fiancée; don't you think he has other motives?" Richard wasn't stupid.
She had a past with Daniel, so Ethan shouldn't have chosen her, but he did, indicating there was definitely an issue between Ethan and Daniel.
Jasmine nervously clasped her hands, afraid to tell anyone that Carmen had killed Ethan's mom, fearing it would bring trouble to Richard and Justin.
"Richard, let's not worry about it. We don't have any other options for now. Justin still needs regular treatment; we can't leave," Jasmine's voice was very low; she wanted to give Ethan a chance.
She was prepared to try and put her trust in someone for the last time.
If this time she couldn't get the protection she needed, then she only had one path left.
Death.
"Mom..." Justin woke up in the inner room, groggily getting out of bed and calling for his mom.
Jasmine rushed into the room in a panic and embraced Justin. "Mom's here."
Justin burst into tears; he thought he was dreaming. "Mom, I miss you so much."
"Mom's not leaving; I’m not leaving anymore," Jasmine held Justin tightly, trying to soothe him softly.
"Mom." Justin's little hands cupped Jasmine's cheeks. Only then did he get a good look at his mom. "It's not a dream. Mom's back!"
Jasmine laughed through her tears, amused by the little guy's innocence.
If there was one thing that kept her going, it was her desire to see her son grow up.
"Mom, I missed you so much. Please don't leave, okay?" Justin snuggled himself into Jasmine's arms. "Mom, I've been very well-behaved recently."
Richard looked away, took a moment, then put on a smile. "Justin recently started going to kindergarten; he's very smart and even got praised by the teacher."
"Really? Do you want to continue going to kindergarten, Justin?" Jasmine asked happily.
Justin was a bit scared, but he still nodded. He wanted to go to school.
"Good boy, go to sleep. Mom won't leave again; I'll always be with you."
Justin nestled in Jasmine's arms, refusing to let go.
Jasmine struggled to lift Justin and began laughing. "Justin, you've grown so much, Mom can barely carry you now."
Justin looked at the bandage on Jasmine's neck and said, "Mom, you're hurt. I'll blow on it to make the pain go away."
Jasmine hugged Justin tightly and started choking up. "Blow on it, Justin. If you do, Mom won't be hurt anymore."
While rocking her son in her arms, Jasmine began humming a lullaby softly.
She learned this lullaby from an older inmate in prison. Her son died when he was eight, and she had been traumatized since then. She would hum lullabies from time to time as a way to cope.
"Zelda posted the video in the kindergarten parent group; I'm worried Justin might be affected, so I let him take a break from school," Richard said quietly.
Jasmine's eyes darkened for a moment. "We haven't done anything wrong, so why should we bear the consequences? Tomorrow I'll take Justin to school."
"The principal of Presidio Knolls School is said to be from the Brown family," Richard expressed some concern.
"Then we'll change schools," Jasmine didn't want Justin to be treated unfairly.
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