âIndeed, I am. Is there a problem with that?â Jasperâs nonchalant reply nearly gave Javier and Sophia heart attacks.
Sophia stared resentfully at Jasperâs indifferent look as she lurked behind Javier like a ghost. Her eyes held an ominous quality as if she were bestowing an evil curse upon Jasper.
Javier shook in rage as he growled, âJasper Beckett, have you forgotten your roots?â
Jasper snickered. âThanks for reminding me over and over again that Iâm your son. Otherwise, I might have forgotten.â
âYou ungrateful brat!â With his eyes burning with anger and a dizzying sensation overwhelming him, Javier pointed at Jasper. He seethed, âIâll ask you one last time-are you dead set on attending the Taylor Familyâs event this weekend?â
âOh, dear child, how can you be so wrong?â Sophia seized the right timing and put on the façade of a worried mother. âItâs not my party that I care about. But you knew your dad and Winston donât get along well, and Alyssa has been giving us trouble repeatedly.
âWhy would you side with them during such a crucial time? You, missing our event as the company.
president, will only be a disgrace to your father!â
Jasper retorted in a frosty tone and a glare, âSophia, if you donât care about the party, why donât you call it off?
âYou, your daughter, and your relatives have been abusing your power, causing scandals our company struggles to recover from.
âYou have pushed the company to the forefront of public scrutiny and hurt our operations.
âYour reputation stinks in Solana City, so why would you choose to throw a high-profile event for your birthday? You should lie low instead. Do you take the netizens as fools? They remember.â
âYou-You-â Sophia balled her shaky fists in a fit of rage.
Initially, Javier was somewhat swayed by Jasperâs argument, but his sentiments shifted when Jasper added, âWhile my father might be willing to make sacrifices for you out of love, donât expect the rest of the family to go along with your behavior.â
Sophia nearly passed out from the provocation.
Meanwhile, Javier momentarily pushed Sophia out of his thoughts. He was only consumed by a sense of Jasper continued, âIf youâre talking about Sophiaâs birthday, forgive me; that has nothing to do with me.
Iâm not prepared for it at all.â
Jasperâs smile faded as he added, âSophia is your wife and Bettyâs mom. The two of you can take care of her party. I see no reason for me to get involved as an outsider.â
Javier was enraged when he heard Jasper describing himself as an outsider. He snapped, âArenât you part of the Beckett family too? How dare you act like an ungrateful brat when youâre benefiting from the Beckett Group and sitting in the role of the president?â
Sophia leaned into Javier, wearing a sly smirk.
In the past, Jasper might have engaged in an argument with his father. But now, he had no intention of speaking to his father, who had fallen entirely under the influence of Sophia and Bettyâs manipulations.
He said, âDo you have anything else to discuss? If not, Iâll retire to my room.â
âJasper Beckett, Iâm not finished with you! Get back here!â Javier sprang up from the couch, nearly toppling Sophia in the process.
Jasper paused in his tracks, standing tall without looking back. He declared, âOh, I almost forgot to mention-I wonât be attending Sophiaâs birthday party Sophiaâs expression soured upon hearing this. She demanded, âWhat do you mean?â
Javier was equally astonished and exclaimed, âAre you ditching your family event for the Taylorsâ party instead?â
âIndeed, I am, Is there a problem with that?â