The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 372

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 Stella 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 Stella.

Just like last time, when they froze Stella’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 Stella, not only did he fail, but Stella somehow landed on her feet in spectacular fashion.

Last time, public opinion turned on him so fiercely that he became the villain 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.

With that “success” 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’s complete lack of remorse, frowned and turned to Neville. “So, how do you want to handle this?”