Only one thing can truly wake a person up: self-interest.


    And perhaps it was time Jasper got a wake-up call of his own.


    Abby frowned in confusion. "Didn''t Jasper want you and Haynes to get divorced more than anyone? Now that you''re finally doing it, why would he suddenly jump in and try to sabotage things?"


    As Ste browsed through the items in the disy case, she replied casually, "Odds are, he just doesn''t want to see me catch a break. He''d rather I stayed on as the O''Brien family''s glorified housekeeper. Of course, there''s another possibility..."


    Abby perked up. "What''s that?"


    "Foreman could be lying to me."


    Abby dismissed it without hesitation. "No, I think the first option makes more sense. Foreman''s a smart guy-he wouldn''t have gone out of his way to meet you just to spin an obvious lie that could be exposed so easily."


    She paused, brow furrowing in thought. "Still, you can never be too careful. What if Foreman really is lying?"


    Ste just shrugged. "Either way, it doesn''t matter much to me. Honestly, I''ve been sick of Jasper for years. If he gets a hard lesson out of this, all the better."


    Over the years, Jasper had pocketed plenty of lucrative contracts and favors from the O''Brien Group. If it hadn''t been for Haynes and Foreman stepping in to bail him out more than once, hispany-given Jasper''s questionable business instincts would have gone under long ago.


    Haynes had done Jasper so many favors that Jasper couldn''t exactly be stingy in return. Whenever Haynes shopped at one of Jasper''s upscale malls, the bill always went straight to Jasper''s ount. Haynes wore nothing but custom- tailored suits, and every now and then he''d visit one of Jasper''s entertainment venues-though he never spent much.


    A few hundred thousand, maybe a million or so, was pocket change to Jasper.


    But when the total climbed past ten million? That was a different story.


    Abby grinned at that. "You''re right. It''s about time they both learned a lesson."


    Jasper always wanted to meddle where he didn''t belong, throwing wrenches into Ste''s divorce ns. And Haynes, thinking he could manipte Ste? He deserved a taste of his own medicine.


    Clutching a thick stack of invoices-dozens of pages long-Jasper stormed into Haynes'' office.


    "Haynie, that Ste ispletely out of line! She went on a shopping spree at every single outlet ourpany owns-and charged it all to me!"


    Jasper was shaking with fury, his eyes bloodshot.


    "Do you have any idea how much she spent? Ten million! An entire ten million dors!"


    His chest was heaving, breathing in ragged bursts; it was clear he was barely keeping his anger in check.


    His voice was so tight, it sounded as if he were forcing the words through clenched teeth. "She didn''t just shop at my gship stores, either. She hit up all the other businesses under our group-some of which are run by those bastard half-brothers of mine!"


    Galen, the family patriarch, had always treated his children equally. Once they reached adulthood, each was given a handful ofpanies to manage a test to see who could rise to the top. On the surface, every business fell under the Wilkinson Group umbre, but in reality, thepanies were in cutthroatpetition.


    Jasper had suffered plenty at the hands of his half-siblings, nearly losing hispany after one particrly devious setup. If Haynes hadn''t stepped in to bail him out, he would''ve been finished.


    Jasper loathed those scheming illegitimate brothers. If Ste had racked up charges at one of his ownpanies, he might''ve let it slide. But that woman had the nerve to shop at their stores, too!


    Haynes furrowed his brow. "How did her purchases end up on your tab?"


    Jasper was practically grinding his teeth into dust. "Because I told everyone that anything you bought went on my ount. Ste started making the rounds at all our luxury malls, shing your marriage certificate and conning her way into VIP treatment!"


    Ste knew that just iming to be Haynes'' wife wouldn''t get her far, so she carried their marriage certificate with her at all times.


    Just this morning, Jasper had gotten a call from his sly and scheming half-brother, Bagot.