Chapter 838
Jasmine woke up later that morning. As the horrific memories of the previous night came rushing back, she immediately grabbed her phone.
A second later, she dropped it onto the mattress, her lips pulling into a tight pout as she retreated under the covers.
Latonia pushed the door open. Seeing the girl awake, she asked gently, “Do you want to get washed up and head downstairs for breakfast?”
Jasmine just stared at the ceiling, completely mute.
Reading the heartbreak in the girl’s eyes, Latonia offered a lifeline. “Your mom texted me this morning to check on you.”
Jasmine shot up like a rocket. “What did she say?”
Latonia smiled warmly. “She asked if you were feeling any better, and if you managed to sleep.”
She handed over her own phone.
Jasmine practically snatched it.
Charlene’s message was brutally brief-just two short lines confirming exactly what the nanny had said.
…It was so impersonal.
Jasmine stared at the screen for a long time, the silence stretching out.
“Minnie?” Latonia probed gently.
She had expected the text to cheer the girl up, but Jasmine looked anything but happy.
Shoving the phone back into Latonia’s hands, Jasmine’s voice cracked. “Why couldn’t she just text me directly?”
“You were fast asleep, sweetie. She didn’t want to wake you, but she was still worried…”
Jasmine ignored the excuse. Throwing off the blankets, she slipped on her shoes. “Where is he?”
It took Latonia a second to realize she meant Thorne.
“The Butler said he left for a business trip before dawn.” Noticing the dark cloud settling over the girl, Latonia quickly added, “He left a note just for you, though.” She pointed to the adjacent desk.
A bright sticky note was plastered right in the center.
Jasmine walked over, her father’s sharp, familiar handwriting jumping out at her.
*Dad had a sudden work emergency. They have that river rafting course here you’ve been begging to try. Have Latonia bring you over later and we’ll go?*
Reading the bribe, her frown only deepened.
“Should I have someone book the tickets?” Latonia asked tentatively.
“No.”
Biting her lip in frustration, Jasmine stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door.
That night was pure agony for the Hawkins and Spencer families.
They knew perfectly well that the gala’s catastrophic implosion would be plastered all over the internet.
At first, they had been too cowardly to check the damage themselves.
But sticking their heads in the sand wouldn’t make the public vitriol disappear.
So, shortly after arriving home, Vesta, Maureen, and Leah finally bit the bullet and logged onto their socials.
Discovering that none of the viral
videos had audio, and that the venue’s network had suspiciously crashed during the blowout, brought a massive wave of shocked relief.
“Was that… just a lucky glitch?” Rhoda asked.
Vesta and Maureen remained silent, terrified to assume they’d just gotten lucky.
But glitch or not, even without the damning audio and live streams to fuel the fire, the damage to Vesta’s reputation was catastrophic.
Her face was plastered on every single platform.
The whole world now knew her as the despicable homewrecker who tore apart Charlene and Thorne’s marriage.
The comments were a vicious, never-ending stream of hate aimed squarely at their family.
Unable to stomach the cruelty, Vesta quickly closed the app.
Leah lingered a bit longer. Just as
the toxic comments pushed her to
her breaking point and she reached
to close the
tab, she noticed
something incredible.
“The posts are disappearing!” she cried out, pure elation in her voice. “The trending
topics are completely wiped out!”
Vesta and Maureen froze.
Maureen and Georgina instantly connected the dots. “Did Thorne do this?”
“He has to be!” Leah beamed.
A fragile spark of hope fluttered in Vesta’s chest.
Maureen turned to her. “Did Thorne message you back?”
Vesta had been desperately watching her screen for hours.
The light in her eyes died. “No.”