Daniel frowned at Jasmine. "Where are you going?"
Jasmine looked down, clutching Justin as she stepped back. "Nowhere... I wasn’t planning on going anywhere."
Daniel had a stern look on his face as he issued a warning. "Put the kid down, freshen up, change your clothes, and come with me."
Terrified, Jasmine shielded Justin and retreated further. "I don't want to go..."
"It's Serena's birthday. Whether you want to or not, you're coming!" Daniel's voice was icy.
Jasmine stared at Daniel in horror. "I... I don't want to go..."
"Jasmine, Serena isn’t in good health, and it’s out of kindness that she even invited you," Daniel said, more out of fear of upsetting Serena than anything.
Jasmine trembled.
Birthday.
Serena's birthday.
And hers too.
She had forgotten her own birthday because she felt undeserving of celebration, even fearful of it.
Sometimes, Jasmine wished she had never lived beyond the day she was born.
But life offered no such wishes.
"Daniel... please, can I not go?" Her plea was barely above a whisper.
Was he hell-bent on breaking her spirit?
Hadn't her giving up a kidney been enough for him?
"Don't make me repeat myself," Daniel threatened coldly.
Jasmine knew there was no escape.
She left Justin in the cupboard room, telling him to stay put and be good.
Justin sat obediently on the dilapidated bed, promising to wait for her to return.
Jasmine handed the last piece of cake to Justin for when he got hungry, then left the room
After a quick shower, Jasmine still wore her own clothes as she stood in the courtyard waiting for Daniel.
She knew what was coming—unrestrained mockery and endless insults.
If that was the show Daniel wanted, she'd give it to him.
"Why aren't you wearing the dress the nanny laid out for you?" Daniel emerged; his gaze filled with distaste as he looked at Jasmine.
For Serena's birthday bash, he was dressed in a bespoke suit that made him look better than a movie star.
Jasmine met Daniel’s gaze calmly, her heart no longer racing at the sight of him.
So many years had passed.
She really didn’t love him anymore.
"I am... not comfortable in dresses." She didn’t want to wear a dress because of the many scars on her body.
She felt nothing suited her anymore, now gaunt beyond recognition. Better to just be like this.
Daniel couldn’t care less about convincing Jasmine. He headed straight for the car.
With trepidation, Jasmine gingerly opened the rear door of the car, slipped inside, and found refuge in a corner.
After a glance in the rearview mirror, Daniel was momentarily lost in thought. Jasmine used to claim shotgun whenever she rode in his car.
"Daniel, this is where a 'fairy princess' belongs," she'd say.
Being indulgent, he'd play along. "Right, no other woman is taking this seat in my car."
In hindsight, the irony wasn't lost on him.
"Jasmine, do you have any regrets?" Daniel's question broke the silence as the car settled into the shadows of the Bellagio Hotel's underground parking. "Even if you had betrayed me, and even if you weren't a Wilson Family heiress, I would not have cast you aside."
Weary, Jasmine found his question almost laughable. When she had desperately struggled and cried for help—when she most needed protection—where was he? Off with Serena.
And now he had the audacity to ask if she had regrets.
"I owe the Wilsons, I owe Serena... but Daniel, I owe you nothing," Jasmine breathed deeply and pushed the car door open to step out.
Fueled by her defiance, Daniel's temper flared. He stepped out, seized Jasmine's wrist, and hurled her against the wall, pinning her fiercely. "You owe me nothing? You sleep with another man, have his bastard child, and you say you owe me nothing?"
"You'll owe me for the rest of your life, Jasmine!" Daniel's grip tightened as he compelled her to meet his eyes.
But Jasmine, stubborn as ever, refused to look at him.
"You were so desperate for a man six years ago. How have you managed these last five years without one?" Daniel's voice was pointed and biting.
Tears reddened her eyes, but somewhere within, she found the courage to slap him.
Daniel snapped, returning a slap to her face. "What right do you have to strike me?"
"You're the disgrace!" She shot back.
Standing dazed, Jasmine was hit by the reality.
This was Daniel, and he had struck her for the first time.
That slap was the definitive full stop.
Six years ago, when Serena had led him to that hotel room and he saw the crimson stains on the pristine sheets, he had roared at her but never raised a hand.
And now...
Inhaling deeply, the ringing in her ears barely registering, Jasmine followed behind Daniel, whose hands trembled.
After the slap, he too felt regret.
But he was clear on one thing—he could never forgive Jasmine. And there was no going back.
…
"Look who's here! Today's star of the show, Jasmine!"
Stepping into the room, the privileged crowd descended into a frenzy of tasteless jokes at Jasmine's expense.
"Hey Daniel, I'm impressed you lured her in here, man," one of them commented, clapping Daniel on the back with a smirk. "Rumor has it she's for sale – that true?"
Daniel shot the guy a cool glance, his voice tinged with disdain. "Why don't you find out for yourself?"