Jasper sat on the couch in the study, gently massaging his temples. He rested his elbows on his knees


    and leaned forward. Shoulders trembling, he appeared to be in great pain.


    His head started aching on the way home, and his condition was exacerbated after listening to the


    three women badmouthing Alice.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    A princess who was a pauper. It was not their ce to badmouth Alice.


    “Mr. Jasper, is your headache acting up again? I’ll get the medications!” Mrs. Rosle found the pain relief


    pills in a drawer and brought him a ss of water. After taking the pills, he seemed more at ease as the


    pain reduced.


    “You can’t rely on pills all the time! I remember that your condition Improved after Madam Alice


    performed some acupuncture on you. Shall we get her to check on you?” Mrs. Rosle suggested.


    “Mrs. Rosle.” He choked on tears, “H–Have they been putting down Alice all along? They said that


    Alice made their meals for three years. Is that true?”


    “Yeah, Mr. Jasper. I told you Madam Alice was a hard worker, but you insisted that she was faking it.


    She went at it for three years! I’d have to praise her even if she was doing it for show. Such


    persistence!”


    He pursed his pale lips.


    “When she first joined the family, her cooking was average. She humbly asked me to teach her. I told


    her that it was the job of the maids and chef, and I asked her to sit back and rx.


    “She insisted on working, saying that she should cook for you and take care of your daily needs


    because she couldn’t help you much at work.


    “At first, she coughed a lot from the oll and smoke and had to wear a mask in the kitchen! But she


    eventually got used to it. She was busy in the kitchen every morning before I was even awake!”


    He wondered the reason behind the coughing. Was Alice allergic to smoke?


    A suffocating sensation closed in. Even the pills couldn’t help.


    Sighing in frustration and dismay. Mrs. Rosie grumbled. “I’ve had enough of Sophia and Betty. Madam


    Alice sacrificed for the family. How could they not show an ounce of gratitude and mock her instead?


    It’s outrageous, I tell you.”


    “Mr. Jasper, I wished you could get back with Madam Alice. But I also wanted her to marry another man


    because it upsets me to think about her suffering in this family. I want her to marry into a family where


    she wouldn’t be mocked and humiliated.”


    Words hurt as much as sticks and stones. Jasper furrowed his brows, feeling like he was struck by


    lightning.


    The next few days went by uneventfully, which meant that Newton Beckett’s birthday was nearing, and


    Alyssa would finalize her divorce with Jasper. She had mixed emotions about the matter.


    When she married Jasper, they did not host a wedding or publicly announce their marriage. They


    hastily registered for the marriage certificate at the city hall without even throwing a celebratory dinner.


    The only photo they took together was from that day. She smiled sweetly and leaned into Jasper, who


    looked expressionless as though he was Photoshopped into the photo.


    She had naively believed that things would change for the better after they were married. She thought


    Jasper would warm up to her one day as long as she tried her best.


    It took her long enough to realize that she could not make him love her through sheer effort.


    Their marriage did not fail because of ack of effort from her side. There was an Insurmountable


    distance between them from the beginning.


    “Ms. Alyssa, the hotel’s event nning department came up with this event proposal after pulling a few


    all–nighters. Please take a look at Ada Kingsley’s wedding nner proposal.” Sean ced the file in


    front of Alyssa. Her eyes lit up as she quickly reviewed it.


    Then, she swiftly left fer


    ideas from Eve years back.


    Den. “Hera, mere, and here. A these need to be changed. These were outdated design


    “The color palette wouldn’t work either. Ada Kingsley hates bright colors, so we need to incorporate


    more Morandi colors. Please get it.


    reworked?


    i


    “Sure.” Sean felt bad for his colleagues who had suffered from drafting the proposal


    “We need to speed up Ada Kingsley’s wedding nner proposal after Grandpa’s birthday. I need


    everyone to give their best and crush the Beckett Group. We shouldn’t take it lightly. Her eyes shone


    with determination. 1


    “Roger that! We cannot lose out to Jasper Beckett Sean curled his fists.


    To that, she smirked. “This has nothing to do with him. I just hate the feeling of losing. If he wants to


    compete against me, I shall let him


    feel the heat”


    Her phone rang from a call from Colenie Waters.


    “Colene! What’s the matter?”


    “Lyse, I got it!”


    Alyssa went nk “What?”