"Lyse, I—" Jasper was cut off by a sweet voice. Rose purred, "Madam Alyssa, I'm sorry for being late!"Alyssa turned around and saw Rose, which put a smile on her face. "Rose! It's not late at all! I was worried you might be too busy with the Bastion Fashion Week to attend!"Rose ran over and gave Alyssa a warm hug. "How could I be absent after you invited me? Of course I had to be here!"At that moment, Rose noticed Jasper's jarring presence, and her expression crumbled. She asked, "Madam Alyssa, are you going to sit at the same table as him? Isn't it nauseating?"Alyssa shot a brief glance at Jasper and replied, "It is."He was hurt by her words but remained thick-skinned, suggesting, "Lyse, if you feel sick at my sight, you can always look away."He implied that he had no intention of moving to another table.Rose couldn't help but roll her eyes at Jasper's audacity."I can't not look at you. You're gigantic," Alyssa replied, chuckling at his words."You can put on a bl
"Gosh, are you hurt anywhere? Why didn't you call me? I could have taken you to the hospital!" Alyssa exclaimed, gripping Rose's shoulders nervously."I'm fine. I just have some neck pain," Rose replied, moved by Alyssa's concern."You should get it checked. There might be internal injuries that could cause more pain later," Alyssa suggested.Jasper suddenly chimed in, "I'll get that arranged after the birthday party. I can get a physician to check on you at any time."Rose was taken aback by his thoughtfulness.Alyssa held Rose again, appearing irritated as she said, "That's not necessary. I'm a surgeon myself, and I can take care of my mentee. I appreciate your offer, Mr. Beckett."He smiled wryly. She had dismissed his offer once more."After that idiot crashed into my pink Ferrari, he didn't even apologize and had the audacity to confront me with an attitude. He tossed me a card to 'buy a new car' and walked away!" Rose complained, her anger resurfacing. "Do you think he w
Rose immediately paled. Her mind went blank like she had been struck by lightning. She panicked and was at a loss for what to do.Had she really just insulted Alyssa's brother right in front of her? Oh, that was a grave blunder!Jasper sat calmly and observed the situation, barely concealing a smile. He empathized with Rose, though. Alyssa had too many siblings, and it wasn't unusual to bump into one of them on the streets.Having once fallen victim to his own ignorance, he had suffered at the hands of Alyssa's brothers as a result of not grasping their family dynamics.Silas, on the other hand, watched Rose's face transform from fear to anger, her cheeks turning as red as a ripe cherry. Initially upset by her "sugar mommy" remark, he couldn't help but soften when he saw her adorable flustered expression. "You're not going to disown me for this, are you?""Hmm," Alyssa pretended to contemplate, resting her index finger under her chin. "Madam …" Rose pouted, looking close to
"Lauren! Why are you here?" Alyssa pinched Lauren's soft cheeks and smiled widely.Lauren pressed her lips shyly and hugged her teddy bear tight. "Alyssa, I missed you … and Jasper. I came because I wanted to see you."A pleased grin spread across Jasper's face upon hearing Lauren's words.However, Alyssa felt a slight unease at being mentioned in the same breath as Jasper. But her heart warmed at the sight of the teddy bear, which she had bought Lauren. Lauren had insisted on bringing it to the party. She gently stroked Lauren's head and confessed, "Lauren, I missed you too."Turning her attention to Landon, Alyssa gave him a pointed look and inquired, "Are you the one who brought her here from Sophia's birthday party?"Landon openly admitted with a smile, "Yes, it was me."Alyssa shot him a glare and jabbed him in the shoulder. "You're still smiling? It seems like you only care about your relationship with Lauren and how it makes you feel. "Have you considered what's best f
Lauren looked up and met Alyssa's gaze with her clear eyes. Despite the silence, Alyssa read Lauren's mind just by exchanging looks.Jasper looked over and comforted Alyssa with a hint of pleading, "This is the first time Lauren's had a crush on someone and defended him. Just think of it as Lauren going on a trip. If she's happy with Landon, let's give them a chance.""I can tell that Lauren cares about him. I don't want to get between them. I just—" Alyssa stared into Jasper's eyes.He smiled understandingly. "I know. I get it." He only reserved this side of himself for her. He added, "But don't you forget that Lauren has me too."It was a curt and powerful statement. She felt her heart skip a beat and hurriedly looked away.Jasper had always been taciturn, but each word he spoke carried weight.All the family members took their seats at Alyssa's table, except for Winston and Lyla. Jasper insisted on sitting beside Alyssa, unfazed by the disapproving looks from those around he
Jameson stood outside the hall in a modest, dark gray tailored suit, a stark contrast to his extravagantly dressed family members. His neatly slicked-back hair and gold-rimmed glasses added an intellectual touch to his appearance."Jimmy, let's … let's go home. I'm scared …" Lily mumbled, tugging timidly at Jameson's shirt. Thanks to Jameson, she was all dressed up in an exquisite magenta dress, and she wore an expensive hairpin on her bun.Although her set of pearl jewelry seemed simple, it had been exclusively designed for the royal family in Kontina and was more valuable than diamonds.She was Jameson's only family. Therefore, he wanted the best for her. He beamed at her and held her hand, reassuring her, "Don't worry, Mom. I'm here with you.""But …""Mom, I brought you here tonight to meet Lyse. You said you missed her just last night, didn't you? You can meet her here tonight.""Yes. I need to meet Lyse." Her eyes lit up as she called out, "Lyse! That's Lyse!"Jameso
Looking delighted, Jameson smiled. "Thank you, Lyse."…Alyssa led Jameson and Lily into the event hall. David appeared baffled by the scene. Pointing at the door, he gasped, "Josh, look! It's that woman!"Josh casually swirled the red wine in his glass and looked up with a cold expression. He frowned when he noticed Jameson and Alyssa chatting and laughing."Jimmy seems close to Alyssa Taylor.""Pfft, right! A firecracker like her wouldn't fall for a clingy man like Jimmy," David muttered through clenched teeth, downing a glass of wine while glaring at Jameson.He added, "Jimmy is more thick-skinned than anyone else. He was busy peeling shrimp for Alyssa when nothing had even happened between them. If they start dating, he would probably lick her boots!"Clarissa shot a disdainful look at David, whose crude remarks were at odds with his status as a Schmidt."Didn't Dad want to set you up with Alyssa?" Josh chimed in with a smirk. "At this rate, your future wife will soon bec
Lily grabbed Jameson's arm with a nervous expression and insisted, "I want to sit with you. I don't want to be alone here!"Everyone at the table exchanged looks."Hey, Mandy, why do I feel that Mrs. Schmidt … acts a little weird?" Colene elbowed Mandy and asked quietly."I heard from Winston that Mrs. Schmidt has Alzheimer's. It looks like a particularly bad case. She doesn't even recognize us," Mandy whispered back."Oh gosh, Alzheimer's at such a young age? Poor woman …" Colene sighed and cast a sympathetic look at Lily.Jameson looked at Alyssa helplessly as Lily refused to let go of him.After some hesitation, Alyssa tapped Jasper on the shoulder. "Mr. Beckett, could you do us a favor and change your seat?"He looked up slowly with an astonished and aggrieved expression. "Why should I? I was here before them."Landon bit his lip, trying not to burst into laughter. Jasper was indeed quite petty!"The timing of your arrival isn't the issue. As you can see, Mrs. Schmidt does