Jasper hesitated. "I admit, I couldn''t stand that troublemaker always picking on Keen, so I did say something. But..."


    He quickly added, "But I only spoke for myself I never used your name, Haynes. Maybe someone misunderstood."


    Neville offered a cool smile. "Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, we can find out easily enough. Mr. O''Brien, you wouldn''t be covering for your old friend, would you?"


    Neville wasn''t someone you could easily fool. He''d grown up with Haynes and Jasper; he could spot a lie from Jasper a mile away.


    Haynes closed his eyes in disappointment. "Jasper, don''t drag children into the affairs of adults. This time, you''ve really crossed a line."


    Jasper''s face paled. He knew there was no hiding the truth from Haynes if he decided to look into it.


    "I... I just wanted to teach him a small lesson, that''s all. He''s always bullying Keen -what was I supposed to do?"


    The truth was, Jasper wanted to knock Ste down a peg, to strip her of the protection Neville and Marvin offered. With Neville constantly stepping in, it was nearly impossible to get at Ste.


    Just likest time, when they froze Ste''s assets and locked her out of her own properties, Neville had immediately arranged for her to move into one of his own apartments. Jasper realized that every time he schemed against Ste, not only did he fail, but Ste somehownded on her feet in spectacr fashion.


    Last time, public opinion turned on him so fiercely that he became the viin everyone loved to hate, nearly drowned by a tidal wave of online outrage. The Wilkinson Group''s stock tanked for days on end.


    His grandfather was so furious he''d actually dragged him through the family''s old- school punishments. The welts on Jasper''s back still hadn''t fully healed.


    What stung the most was that, to repair the family''s reputation, his grandfather hadunched a full-blown PR campaign-on Ste''s behalf. They worked overtime to spin the whole incident as a manufactured scandal, iming it was all just a publicity stunt, that they''d never meant to target Ste, the "charity ambassador."


    Galen Wilkinson hadid down thew: if Jasper stirred up trouble for Ste again, he''d deal with his wayward grandson himself.


    After all the chaos he''d caused, and all the money he''d burned, in the end it was Ste who walked away with the prize. Jasper''s bitterness only grew.


    He was convinced the Neville family was secretly working against him. Without their interference, getting rid of Ste would be as easy as squashing an ant.


    Now, he nned to use the same tactic that had isted Keen, only this time, Marvin would be the target.


    Yes, it was true-he''d engineered that whole incident with Keen being bullied, too. All so Keen would distance himself from Ste and be closer to Rachel.


    He''d roped in a few of his own unsavory friends to make Ste look foolish at a high-society party, then spread malicious rumors about her in elite circles. Sure enough, after that, Keen grew distant from Ste. Kids aren''t exactly known for their resilience.


    With that "sess" under his belt, Jasper was ready for a repeat performance. He figured even if he got caught, it wouldn''t matter-he could just tell Haynes he only wanted to stand up for Keen. Haynes wouldn''t make a fuss over something so trivial.


    He never expected to be found out so quickly.


    But even if Haynes let it slide, that didn''t mean Neville would.


    Still, Jasper wasn''t worried. He was Haynes'' closest friend, after all. Marvin hadn''t exactly suffered any real harm-what was the big deal?


    Haynes, seeing Jasper''spleteck of remorse, frowned and turned to Neville. "So, how do you want to handle this?"