Chapter 14

Jasmine gnashed her teeth. Eric had undergone a noticeable transformation. He used to listen to her obediently, never daring to speak up against her. The pain caused by Jasmine's betrayal had deeply wounded Eric, making it impossible for him to consider taking her back. Nevertheless, Jasmine was not willing to give up easily.

Jasmine cheated on Eric with David for his money. She wanted David to divorce his wife and marry her, but he refused. Jasmine had stayed with Eric for almost a decade because he was a good person, but the only problem was his financial situation. Now, in order to get the Porsche that David had promised her, Jasmine knew she had to win Eric back.

Eric had expected that Elly would not show up at the hospital today. He had seen Elly's post on Instagram yesterday night, and it seemed like there was a conflict between Elly and her husband.

Eric sat alone in the ward, and someone unexpectedly showed up.

The mayor of their small town, Hank Jenkins, had come to visit Mr. Johnson with some homegrown fruits and fresh milk in his hand.

"Mr. Jenkins, why are you here?" Eric was surprised to see him.

"The town's construction is commencing soon. Your father gave me the land certificate previously, but the actual land area is still subject to measurement by the engineering team," Hank said as he put down the fruit basket near the bed. "The area of your house and farm is about 10,000 square meters and worth approximately $80,000. You need to take this matter seriously since your father is still hospitalized."

Eric nodded in agreement.

The land requisition of their small town had started a few years ago. Since then, most of the younger generation had left the town to seek a better future.

"Your sister, Elly, also has a small plot of land, so she will receive a share of the compensation as well," added Hank.

"Thanks, Mr. Jenkins," said Eric.

He was not too happy about the requisition of their land. After all, it was where he and Elly had grown up.

Hank concluded his short visit to the hospital. His primary purpose was to update the Johnsons on the progress of their land requisition. Typically, the compensation would take about three months to be processed and paid to the families once the engineering team had thoroughly measured the land. The Johnsons' lives would improve if they could receive the compensation as soon as possible.

Elly showed up near noon. Eric knew Elly and Craig must have had an argument last night because her eyes were still puffy and red. However, he knew not to bring up the topic unless Elly was willing to open up to him.

"Elly, Mr. Jenkins dropped by this morning. The engineering team wants to measure our land back home. Let's go back together and have a look," said Eric.

Elly nodded. She looked rather sad upon receiving the news.

Meanwhile, Jasmine had come to the hospital with a fruit basket in her hand. She knocked at the door and said, "Elly, Eric, I'm here to visit Mr. Johnson." Jasmine entered the ward without permission.

Eric was about to lash out at Jasmine, but Elly intervened. She looked at him and shook her head. Eric took a seat and did not even take a look at Jasmine.

"Jasmine, I know what you did to Eric. Our family might not be wealthy, but we also have our limits. Consider yourself lucky that my father is still sleeping. Otherwise, he'd be livid to know what you've done," said Elly.

Jasmine's expression changed slightly, and she tried to justify her actions. "Elly, it's my fault. Can you advise Eric to give me a chance? Everyone makes mistakes. I'm not a saint, so it's only normal for me to make mistakes. I believe you also make mistakes, right?"

Elly chuckled. "I do make quite a lot of mistakes, but I'll never make the mistake that you did. Eric is married, so please leave and stop bothering him anymore."

Jasmine was shocked upon hearing Elly's words.

She had been under the impression that Eric had bought a fake marriage certificate just to piss her off. She looked at Eric only to receive the cold shoulder. Evidently, Eric did not want to have anything to do with Jasmine.

Jasmine left the hospital feeling dejected.

-

At Westman Technology.

David was shocked to learn that Eric had gotten married.

"Who in their right mind would be willing to marry a sore loser like him!? Could it be that his wife has a powerful background? But it doesn't make sense. How did he manage to get married without us noticing at all?" he muttered.

Since David was having an affair with Jasmine, he was well aware of Eric's whereabouts and could facilitate her private meetings with Jasmine. Moreover, Jasmine was the only woman in Eric's life.

"Beats me." Jasmine shook her head.

She did not believe it when Eric said he was married, but it was a different story hearing it from Elly.

David narrowed his eyes and said, "Seems like I'll have to take things into my own hands. Jasmine, continue to pester him."

"Alright," replied Jasmine.

She had her eyes on the Porsche David had promised.

-

At the Rosewood Estate.

Sylvia, who was at home due to her swollen ankles, furrowed her brows upon receiving a message from an anonymous sender accusing Eric of infidelity. She scrolled through her contact list and called Brook. The phone rang for a while before he finally answered the call.

"Was it fun following Eric around, Brook?" Sylvia spoke indifferently.

Nobody knew she was married except her own family. As such, it was easy for her to guess Brook was behind this since he was skilled in private investigation.

Brook smiled sheepishly and said, "Sylvia, I'm just worried about you. Please don't get mad at me. I promise to stop immediately!"

"Why are you stopping now that you've found out he's cheating on me? You should continue," Sylvia said coldly.

"Sylvia, I promise to leave Eric alone!" Brook felt a chill run down his spine. It seemed like he was afraid of Sylvia.

"No, Brook, I insist," said Sylvia. "You should keep an eye on him so that you can report to me if he's up to no good. By the way, whether you decide to continue following him or not, get ready to spar with me when I return home."

Sylvia hung up after uttering the last sentence.

"Dammit! Why did I send her that message!?" Brook slapped himself on the cheek. He never expected Sylvia to quickly realize he was the anonymous sender.

-

In the house, a man in a suit approached Sylvia. "Ms. Sylvia."

He was none other than Sylvia's chauffeur.

"Brook is following Eric, the man we saw at the hospital. I want you to follow him and report his actions to me as well. Keep it a secret from Brook. I believe in you," said Sylvia.

"Yes, Ms. Sylvia!" he replied.

Unbeknownst to Eric, he was being followed by three parties.