The party at Berenike Hotel continued, though it had lost a significant amount of its enthusiasm with the departure of their guest of honor.
Zoe had longed to show off in front of Ada to feed her unbelievably swollen ego. But now that the celebrity was gone, all her hard work and planning had gone down the drain-all because of that sneaky bitch Alyssa.
Jasper stood in the hallway, watching the green Rolls Royce drive away in the dark of the night. His posture was rigid and stoic, and the air around him seemed to go down a few degrees.
âThis might not sound very nice, Mr. Jasper, but I believe weâve been played the fool again,â Xavier reported shakily.
He continued, âEveryone online is focused on Alyssa and her hotel, leaving ours in the dust. Even Mr.
Javier has caught wind of it.
âBerenike Hotelâs reputation is facing serious scrutiny, with some malicious comments questioning whether our standards of hospitality have declined â¦â
Xavier was practically drenched in cold sweat by now. They should have known Alyssa would have taken action and prepared for the worst. That had always been her style, after all. She never left any chance for her enemies to make a comeback.
Jasper gazed into the distance, asking hoarsely, âI thought she was âMadam?ââ
Xavier flinched, frightened. âSheâs âMadamâ when she doesnât do stuff like this⦠When she does, well ⦠â
Ms. Alyssaâ will do.â
âYou can call her whatever you please,â came the response. âIâm not too angry, really. Sheâs always been like this, no?â
Xavier was surprised by his bossâ relatively calm reaction. He remembered how Jasper used to seethe with anger and frustration whenever Alyssa managed to outmaneuver him.
Xavier couldnât help but wonder if/Jasper had gotten used to it.
âWhat Iâm wondering is how Alyssa managed to bypass the security measures. Every guest tonight required a personal invitation to enter, and the security has remained steadfast without fail.â
âWell⦠apparently, there was a CCTV malfunction shortly before her arrival. We suspect it might have been the work of a hacker or some sort of virus, considering the systems had just undergone maintenance two days ago.â
Upon hearing the word âhacker,â Jasperâs mind raced with possibilities. Was hacking another skill Alyssa possessed? Or could it be one of her troublesome brothers at play?
âJasper,â a sickly, sweet voice called out, interrupting Jasperâs thoughts. It was Zoe.
Jasper scowled just the slightest. He had no patience for her whatsoever. He didnât even turn to look at her.
âAlyssa Taylor was too rude! How could she bring Ada Kingsley away just like that? Sheâs practically humiliating you in front of everyone!â Zoe exclaimed, stomping her feet angrily.
Her assumption was that men cared deeply about their pride and public image, especially someone as esteemed as Jasper. Therefore, she was doing her best to appeal to him in this manner.
However, what he said next left her pale with trepidation.
âYouâve never met her, so you wouldnât know. This is how she has always been.â
âW-What? What are you s-
âBut I donât mind.â Jasper glanced coldly at Zoe, a hint of anger in his tone. âBut you, Ms. Harper, crossed the line tonight.â.
How he referred to her as âMs. Harperâ hit Zoe like a bolt of lightning.
They⦠A gap had formed between them, even after all these yearsâ¦
Was he intent on putting up this unbreakable wall between them now?
âMy familyâs company had organized this event, and Iâm the companyâs representative this evening.
There was no justification for you to speak up on our behalf before Alyssa.â
âBut I was only trying to help you!â Zoeâs voice had gotten so high-pitched that she sounded like a cartoon character.
She clung to Jasperâs arm, exclaiming, âShould I have simply let her have her way? To let her steal your guest of honor and humiliate you in front of everyone? Sheâs far too conceited and arrogant. You canât let this stand just because you two used to be married!â
In a split second, Zoe realized her blunder.
Jasper arched an eyebrow, his gaze icy and piercing. âMy marital status was no big secret, but I have never revealed who I was married to. Who told you Alyssa was my wife?â
âIt⦠Landon told me!â Zoe quickly lied.
âBetty told you, didnât she?â
Zoe remained silent, her lip bitten raw.