"Jasper, you''re back," Justin greeted with a faint smile. Even so, his grip on Alyssa only tightened, showing no sign of letting her go. His eyes gleamed with an


    intense possessiveness.


    Alyssa''s heart skipped a beat. As she looked into Jasper''s deep, distant eyes, tears welled up quietly. At that moment, she felt her entanglement with Justin was nothing short of disgraceful.


    Nevertheless, havinge this far with her act, she knew all her efforts would be in vain if she gave up now. So, she had no choice but to keep ying her part.


    Instead of pulling away from Justin, she even curved her lips slightly in a faint smile.


    "Hi, Mr. Jasper."


    Mr. Jasper?


    Jasper''s expression darkened. His fists clenched, his eyes unreadable.


    "W-What are you two up to?" he asked hoarsely.


    Justin''s eyes twinkled slightly as he maintained his calm, elegant smile. "I hosted a guest at Seaview Manor tonight. We happened to discuss a business partnership, so I invited Lyse over for dinner as well.


    "We just finished, and I was about to send her home. If I''d known you wereing tonight, I would''ve asked you to join us."


    "Join us?" Jasper forced a cold smirk. "If I were around, you probably wouldn''t have the appetite to eat. Besides, wouldn''t I have ruined the mood for you and Ms. Alyssa?"


    His icy, mocking words pierced Alyssa''s heart. Her gaze faltered.


    "Jasper, you''re much more adorable now than before. At the very least, you''ve developed a sense of humor."


    Justin brushed past Jasper casually, still holding Alyssa by the hand. "It''s gettingte. I''d better send Lyse home so she can rest. We''ll chat another time."


    As Alyssa passed Jasper, her silky dark hair brushed lightly against his shoulder, carrying a familiar scent that lingered in the air.


    His heart thudded violently, and he parted his lips slightly. He couldn''t help turning around, only to see the frail Justin, who was always afraid of the cold, removing his wool coat and draping it gently over Alyssa''s shoulders by the door.


    For some reason, Jasper''s heartbeat quickened uncontrobly. He stared fixedly at Alyssa''s back, waiting. Waiting for her-the woman who had always hated Justin-to refuse his kind gesture.


    But instead, she lifted her alluring face toward Justin and smiled sweetly. "Thank you," she said.


    "No worries. The night breeze is chilly. I wouldn''t want you to catch a cold."


    Jasper watched helplessly as the two left together, Justin''s arm casually resting around the small of Alyssa''s back.


    To Jasper, Justin''s gentlemanly gestures were nothing but a tant im of ownership. He clenched his jaw so hard he could taste the tang of blood at the back of his throat as his chest rose and fell heavily.


    Seaview Manor was cloaked in silence in the dead of night.


    After everything that had happened, the ce no longer felt like a home. It was more like an extravagant yet deste pce—a stage for power struggles.


    Xavier hurried through the dim, empty corridor, its creepy atmosphere resembling that of a horror movie set. No timid soul would dare linger here for long.


    Fortunately, Xavier wasn''t afraid of ghosts. He''d met people far more terrifying than any ghost.


    "Mr. Beckett, are you in there? It''s me!"


    He knocked urgently. After a moment, a muffled voice came from within. "Come in..."


    Xavier pushed the door open and froze in shock. Empty bottles of red


    wine, whiskey, and other spirits


    littered the coffee table or<fne108> Read full story at Find?Novel</fne108>


    One even


    rolled to a stop at his feet.


    The room was dimly lit by a single floormp. Jasper sat slumped on the floor,


    leaning against the couch, chugging red wine straight from the bottle.


    "Mr. Beckett, what are you doing? You shouldn''t be drinking like this-not in your current condition!"


    Frightened and frustrated, Xavier


    ет


    rushed over, snatching the empty bottle from Jasper''s hand. With all his strength, he helped him sit upright on the couch.


    "Dr. Lovce warned you repeatedly. The medication he developed can keep your condition stable, but you must not overdrink or let your emotions spiral!


    "If your central nervous system is thrown off again and the medicine loses its


    effect, not even God can save you! Is this really what you want?"


    "I''m fine. I just wanted a drink. My chest feels tight."


    Jasper closed his eyes wearily, his breath heavy with alcohol.


    "A drink? It looks like you''ve finished every drop in your wine cab! At this rate, you''ll be reaching for the white wine next!"


    Xavier hurried to pour a ss of warm water, then found two tablets and helped Jasper swallow them.


    Julien''s medication supply was


    already running low. Xavier knew he had to contact him soon to replenish it before Jasper''s conditiono


    spiraled out of control.


    Concerned, Xavier asked, "What happened, Mr. Beckett? Why are you drinking like this?"


    "Xavier, my chest... feels tight."


    Still tipsy, Jasper thumped his fist weakly against his chest.


    Worried he might hurt himself, Xavier caught his hand. "What happened? Did that bastard Justin give you trouble again? Tell me!"


    "Alyssa... do you really have to take your act this far?"


    Jasper''s bleary eyes half-closed as he muttered, "Are you really just pretending? Or... have you already fallen for him?"


    Xavier was stunned. "Him" could only mean Justin.


    "Mr. Beckett, to be honest, deep down, you''ve never moved on from Madam Alyssa... You still care about her, don''t you? You still love her, right?"


    As Xavier spoke, he discreetly took out his phone and turned on the recorder, hoping to capture Jasper''s confession.


    But in the end, all he recorded was Jasper''s soft snores-he had already passed out drunk on the couch.