Rebirth: Revenge of the abandoned heirress
Chapter 117: Innocent Smile

Chapter 117: Innocent Smile

Julian didn’t know what to do. John Smith would never be okay with Lucian being bullied—after all, he was his eldest son. "This situation... it’s really not what it seems. My husband has invested a lot in your company. On account of that, how about you give me a chance to explain myself?" she said, forcing a smile as she edged closer to Jazmine Harrison. But there was no warmth in Jazmine’s expression—only ice.

"This woman intended to harm my son. I’m a mother, and I couldn’t just sit and do nothing while someone threatened him."

Jazmine tilted her head, lips curling into a smile. "Did she?"

"Yes, you have no idea. She sent hooligans to beat up my son. My husband asked me to make her stop. I was just following his wishes. Jazmine, let’s not make a big fuss about this, okay?" Julian tried to keep her tone light, but something about Jazmine’s smile chilled her to the core.

"Do not call me by my name so casually. We are not that close. Besides," Jazmine said smoothly, "I’m not a petty person. I won’t make a fuss." Her voice was sweet—mockingly so. "If you kneel down and ask Auntie Margaret for forgiveness, I’ll forget it completely and never mention it to anyone."

Julian turned pale. Auntie? They were that close?

Jazmine laughed at her expression, but she felt Margaret Whitmore tugging gently at her hand. She turned, confused.

Margaret shook her head, uncertainty in her eyes.

"Are you worried about Lucian’s safety?" Jazmine asked gently. "When I took you and him in, I promised I’d protect you. You don’t have to lower yourself to these people while I’m around." She gave Margaret’s hand a firm squeeze of reassurance.

Then she turned back to Julian, her smile now gone. "Are you kneeling or not?"

"Jazmine, you’re being petty. Have I ever offended you personally before? She’s just a commoner. You expect me to kneel to her?" Julian snapped, her voice rising.

"What exactly are you implying?" Jazmine yawned, then casually sank into the couch, stretching out as if she were enjoying a weekend nap. Her utter indifference made Julian’s blood boil.

"You’re using her as an excuse just to humiliate me. You had my husband resign from his position. Is this your revenge? Is that what this is?" Julian spat.

"Enough with your blabbering. Kneel, or suffer the consequences."

Julian’s nostrils flared. "And what will you do?"

Jazmine raised her phone and showed her the recording. "I’ll upload this to the internet."

Julian’s face drained of color. But then she laughed, recovering quickly. "You’re not very clever. If you wanted to threaten me, you shouldn’t have told me your leverage."

"Oh? Are you thinking of having your dogs destroy my phone?" Jazmine raised an eyebrow. "Sorry to disappoint you. The video is already scheduled for upload. Timer’s ticking. Unless you know my passwords—and you don’t—breaking my phone won’t stop anything."

Julian froze. She’d heard rumors about how cunning this woman was. But this? This was something else entirely.

"Now kneel and apologize—or that video goes live," Jazmine said with an almost pleasant tone, though her eyes were cold.

Julian’s face turned crimson. She trembled with rage but had no way out. With every ounce of dignity torn from her, she dropped to her knees in front of Margaret and forced out the words: "I’m sorry. Please forgive me."

"You remind me of someone I had on their knees yesterday," Jazmine mused with a laugh. "Who was it? Oh, yes—Annabel Blackwood. She’s probably rotting on the streets now, if she’s still alive."

Julian flinched. The casual brutality in her voice sent a shiver down her spine. What kind of devil is this woman?

"Auntie Margaret, I didn’t have dinner yet. How about we leave her kneeling here while we go make your dumpling soup? All that time I spent in Hong Kong, I’ve been craving it." Jazmine suddenly smiled sweetly, like a cheerful girl begging for candy.

"Why not, Xiao Jazmine?" Margaret replied softly. "Let me check if we have the ingredients." She couldn’t say no to her.

"And you three—get out of my house," Margaret added, glaring at the thugs. "I don’t like crowds." They looked to Julian for direction, but she just nodded helplessly. The men quietly left.

Julian was dying inside. How could that devil Jazmine Harrison smile so sweetly after saying such cruel things? And Margaret—she didn’t even question her! What kind of people were they?

Inside the kitchen, Margaret began preparing the soup, carefully adjusting every detail to make it just the way Jazmine liked it. Jazmine helped with the cutting, though she avoided the spices—she didn’t want to ruin the flavor. Her cooking skills were a disaster, and they both knew it.

They moved deliberately slow, both knowing exactly what they were doing—drawing out the time to make Julian’s knees ache longer.

Outside the kitchen, Julian remained kneeling, her body trembling with pain and humiliation. Why is it taking this long? It doesn’t take this long to cook soup! But she didn’t dare call out.

"Auntie, how’s the shop going?" Jazmine asked casually. "I wanted to visit, see if it needed renovations. But work has been overwhelming lately. Lucian mentioned you’re planning to open an orphanage?"

"I wish it was that simple," Margaret sighed.

"Why? What happened?"

....

They moved deliberately slow, both knowing exactly what they were doing—drawing out the time to make Julian’s knees ache longer.

Outside the kitchen, Julian remained kneeling, her body trembling with pain and humiliation. Why is it taking this long? It doesn’t take this long to cook soup! But she didn’t dare call out.

"Auntie, how’s the shop going?" Jazmine asked casually. "I wanted to visit, see if it needed renovations. But work has been overwhelming lately. Lucian mentioned you’re planning to open an orphanage?"

"I wish it was that simple," Margaret sighed.

"Why? What happened?"

They moved deliberately slow, both knowing exactly what they were doing—drawing out the time to make Julian’s knees ache longer.

Outside the kitchen, Julian remained kneeling, her body trembling with pain and humiliation. Why is it taking this long? It doesn’t take this long to cook soup! But she didn’t dare call out.

"Auntie, how’s the shop going?" Jazmine asked casually. "I wanted to visit, see if it needed renovations. But work has been overwhelming lately. Lucian mentioned you’re planning to open an orphanage?"

"I wish it was that simple," Margaret sighed.

"Why? What happened?"