Chapter 3
"You bitch, did you snitch to my dad?" Landen snapped.
"I knew it! You're the one scheming behind my back!" he accused.
"Stop!" I barked.
I rushed forward, taking a few quick steps and snatched the belt from his hand.
Without a second thought, I brought it down hard on Landen.
Landen screamed in pain.
After just a few strikes, his skin was left raw and bleeding.
I slammed the belt down on the floor.
"If you ever lay a hand on Jasmine again, I'll make sure you disappear for good!" I warned.
Landen shrank back, resentment flickering in his eyes as he looked at me, clearly unwilling to accept it.
"Dad, I'm your son," he said. "How come you always favor Jasmine over me?"
I turned away with a cold glare, not giving Landen's pitiful protests and accusations a second thought as I walked off.
Back in the room, I carefully tucked Jasmine into bed, making sure she was settled in.
Even as she slept, her brow was still furrowed with worry.
"Beckett..." Jasmine whispered.
I immediately reached out and held her hand.
"Don't worry, just sleep. I'm here watching over you," I told her softly.
It was as if Jasmine heard me. Her fingers suddenly gripped my hand tightly, clinging to me as if she was afraid to let go.
That was when my gaze froze.
There was a big, angry bruise on Jasmine's wrist.
My heart dropped.
I gently lifted her sleeve.
One after another, fresh bruises and marks appeared before my eyes.
There was a mix of old, yellowing bruises and fresh, dark purple marks scattered across her skin.
I looked down at Jasmine's pale sleeping face, and a storm of emotions raged inside me.
Landen, Karlee, fine. Every single mark you had left on her, I would return to you with interest.
None of you would escape.
To appease Karlee, Landen hosted an extravagant party, making sure everyone knew about it.
He even promised her that, as the head of the Carson family, he would publicly declare at the party that her child was the true heir to the Carson legacy.
On the day of the party, Landen was grinning from ear to ear, basking in all the attention and lapping up the compliments.
"Congratulations, Mr. Carson!"
"Mrs. Carson, you really hit the jackpot!"
Seeing that smug look on his face, I finally couldn't hold back and let out a cold snicker.
"I'm not dead yet, and you're already calling yourself Mr. Carson?" I sneered.
Landen froze for a moment, his smug grin vanishing as he ducked his head, scrambling to explain.
"Dad, it's just that everyone sees you letting me handle the Carson Group, so they all think..." he mumbled.
"So you didn't bother to correct them?" I shot back.
Landen's face went pale, and he kept his head down, saying nothing.
Jasmine hadn't answered my calls since this afternoon, and the worry in my chest only grew stronger. I dropped the subject.
"Where's Jasmine?" I demanded.
Landen paused for a moment, then shrugged it off, "Jasmine broke the rules, so I sent her away to reflect on her actions."
"She messed up, so I made her go think about what she did," he added.
"Dad, you have no idea how twisted she is. This afternoon, she actually tried to shove Karlee down the stairs! If I hadn't caught her in the act, it could've ended in disaster!" Landen insisted.
My brows furrowed in concern.
"She's not well! Let her out right now!" I demanded.
Landen let out a sigh.
"She's not really unwell. She always acts all fragile just to get sympathy. Don't fall for her act," he scoffed.
"I'm her husband, so it's only right that I keep her in line when she steps out of bounds!" Landen insisted.
My patience was gone.
With Jasmine still missing, I couldn't hold back my anger anymore.
"Landen, I'm asking you one last time. Where the hell is my daughter?" I demanded..
"Your daughter?" Landen echoed softly.
He shook his head, looking resigned.
"Dad, have you been working too hard lately? You're talking nonsense. How could Jasmine possibly be your daughter?" he said.
"Everyone here tonight is a big shot. Don't embarrass the Carson family in front of all these people," Landen warned.
"You're not getting any younger, Dad. Why don't you go get some rest?" he added.
Landen didn't even bother to look at me anymore. He just told the bodyguards straight up.
"Mr. Carson's not in good health. From now on, don't bother him with Carson family business," he said.
"Take him downstairs and make sure he gets some rest," Landen ordered.
As the bodyguards stepped forward, Karlee finally let her smugness show.
She cozied up to Landen, gazing at him with adoration and giggled flirtatiously.
"Landen, you should've put your foot down way sooner," she purred.
"Beckett's really losing it these days. Maybe it's time we called a shrink for him..." Karlee said.
As she spoke, the bodyguards came up and clamped down on my wrists.
Seeing how they were clearly expecting this, I realized what was going on.
Landen had set up this power grab for tonight from the very beginning.
I smirked and glanced over at Landen's assistant.
The assistant met my gaze, gave me a discreet nod, and signaled with his hand.
The bodyguards instantly stopped and released me.
I straightened my suit with deliberate calm and took the folder from my assistant without even glancing at him.
"Head of the Carson family? Perfect," I said.
When Landen saw the words "Succession Agreement" on the cover of the folder, his eyes went wide in shock.
His whole attitude flipped in an instant.
"Dad, let's talk about this at home..." Landen blurted out.