Chapter 78: You Brought This All on Yourself

The two officers grabbed the file bag, opened it up, and their jaws practically hit the floor.

They exchanged glances filled with shock and seriousness.

Jasper's face was a whole new level of pissed; veins popping on his forehead, eyes bloodshot, like a wild animal ready to attack.

"James, you dirty rat! How dare you set me up like this!" Jasper screamed, his voice dripping with rage and desperation, "I won't let you get away with this!"

James just stared at Jasper, cold as ice, not a hint of warmth in his eyes.

"Jasper, karma's a bitch. You brought this on yourself!" James said, his voice like a cold blade.

The young officer, seeing the undeniable evidence, finally made up his mind. He stepped forward and said to Jasper, "Mr. Jasper Smith, you're coming with us to the station."

Jasper tried to fight back, but the officers slapped the cuffs on him. He shot daggers at James with his eyes. "James, mark my words! I'll be back! And when I am, you'll be begging for mercy!"

Jasper kept cursing as they shoved him into the police car, his voice fading as the car drove off.

James watched the car disappear and let out a heavy sigh.

"Mr. James Smith, with Jasper under investigation, the Shadow Syndicate is probably next. You can finally breathe easy," Robert said, sounding relieved.

But James still looked troubled. He shook his head, his eyes clouded with a hint of sadness.

He spoke softly, a touch of helplessness in his voice, "Robert, do you think I wanted to send him to prison? If Jasper hadn't been so vicious, trying to kill me and hurting Emily, I wouldn't have had to do this."

Robert nodded slightly, knowing James was right. Jasper's actions had definitely crossed the line.

"Mr. Smith, don't beat yourself up too much," Robert said gently, knowing that despite James's tough exterior, he was actually very emotional. This whole thing was probably hardest on him.

"Alright," James took a deep breath, trying to calm his stormy emotions. "But this isn't over yet."

"What do you mean, Mr. Smith?" Robert asked, confused. To him, Jasper's conviction seemed like a done deal. What could go wrong?

"Jasper has his people planted all over the company. Sending him to prison will mess with their interests, and they won't take it lying down," James said seriously, "And then there's my father..."

James's voice trailed off. Even though Hayden knew all about Jasper's dirty deeds, Jasper was still his son. Watching his sons turn on each other had to be tearing him apart.

"What will Mr. Hayden Smith do?" Robert asked hesitantly, knowing that Hayden had always held hard feelings toward James. Would this make things even worse between them?

"Forget it, we'll just take it one step at a time," James said, rubbing his temples, clearly exhausted.

Hayden had just finished dinner when he got the news about Jasper's arrest. The fancy plates were still on the mahogany dining table, and the food was still steaming.

He always watched his diet, sticking to light veggies and porridge for dinner. But now, he was too pissed to even touch the carefully prepared meal.

"Damn it!" He slammed the porcelain spoon down on the table, making a loud crash. The spoon shattered, and a shard cut his hand, leaving a small bloodstain.

"Mr. Hayden Smith, are you alright?" The butler rushed in, pale with fright, hurrying to check Hayden's injury.

"I'm fine!" Hayden snapped, pushing the butler away. He paced around the dining room like an enraged lion. "That useless fool! How could he do such a thing? He's disgraced the entire Smith family!"

Isabella, hearing the commotion, hurried downstairs. Seeing Hayden's furious state and the mess on the floor, a sense of dread washed over her.

"Hayden, what happened? Why are you so angry?" Isabella asked cautiously, trying to read Hayden's expression.

"How dare you ask what happened?" Hayden turned abruptly, glaring at Isabella with fierce eyes. "Look at what Jasper has done! He's dragged the entire Smith Family down with him!"

Isabella's face went pale. She knew all about Jasper's shady dealings and had always feared this day would come. She just didn't expect it to come so soon and with such severe consequences.

"Hayden, Jasper didn’t mean to. Please forgive him!" Isabella pleaded tearfully, "If something happens to him, what will I do?"

She cried pitifully, covering her face with a handkerchief, looking utterly miserable.

But to Hayden, her act seemed nothing but hypocritical and staged.

"Enough!" Hayden waved his hand impatiently. "Do you think I don't know you were in on his schemes too? You two are partners in crime. Do you expect me to clean up your mess? No way!"

Isabella was stunned by Hayden's harsh words. She collapsed to the floor, crying even more sorrowfully, but Hayden didn't care about her at all.

He looked at Isabella coldly, his eyes filled with nothing but contempt and disdain.

From the start, Isabella had cozied up to Jasper for the Smith Family's money. Now that Jasper was in trouble, her first thought was how to save herself.

"Get out!" Hayden roared, "I don't want to see you again!"

Isabella, terrified by Hayden's sudden outburst, trembled all over. She didn't dare say another word, only crying as she scrambled to her feet and stumbled out of the dining room.

Hayden watched Isabella's hasty retreat, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

He picked up the phone on the table, dialed a number, and coldly instructed, "Keep an eye on James for me these days."