The online buzz surrounding Zoe and Jasper’s “rendezvous” continued to escte. Both the Beckett
Group and the Harper Group PR teams worked tirelessly to mitigate the controversy. Still, the
widespread
dissemination of videos and photos made it difficult to quell the public discussion.
Even if they managed to take relevant hashtags off the trending topics, they couldn’t stop people from
discussing it.
Penelope dropped her phone in shock and slipped down the stairs when she saw the trending topics.
Thankfully, she was near thending and merely stumbled a few steps down. Still, she suffered from a
sprained ankle and hurt her head.
Landon was badly shocked by his mom’s injuries and sent her to the hospital overnight.
Penelope, while on an IV drip, held Landon’s hands tightly and sobbed. “Landon, what do we do? Zoe
is only 22. How is she going to live her life with this stain? What can I say to your grandpa and your
dad?”
Then, she cried hysterically. Landon swallowed hard and sat by her side with a troubled look. He
promised, “Mom, I will take care of this.”
“And how will you do that? There are photos and videos on the inte! Zoe is still unmarried. Now that
she’s involved in the scandal, no self-respecting family would want her as a daughter-inw!”
“Zoe is my sister, and I won’t tolerate anyone gossiping about her,” Landon dered, his eyes burning
with
anger.
“The weight of gossip will crush her! Do you think it was 20 years ago when our family was above the
law? We are under the rule ofw. You can’t do anything about it!” Penelope wailed and punched her
bed.
Landon furrowed his brows as he recalled his family’s origins. The Harpers started off as gangsters.
Landon’s grandpa, Cornelius Harper, had been involved in fights and killings to build his family’s
fortune.
When the times changed, Cornelius retired from the scene and slowly legalized Harper Group’s
operations to prevent his offspring from going down the same path.
When Landon’s dad was appointed the president, the group’s operations had been legalized. Still, the
family couldn’t shake off the influence of the group’s origin and worked with both the authorities and the
criminals. Landon’s dad got into many arguments with Cornelius and Preston Harper over the issue.
Landon always perceived his dad as soft and egotistical. If he were the one running Harper Group, he
would have been the patriarch by now, and Preston would have been reined in.
“This happened because of your friend, and he has not made a statement until now! Is he going to
ignore
“Stop speaking ill of Jasper, Mom! He’s not what you think!” Landon defended his friend.
Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.
“But the reporters have photos of them together! He can’t deny that!” Penelope retorted.
“There must be a reason for those photos. Jasper isn’t interested in Zoe. He has feelings for someone
élse. He would never sleep with Zoe,” Landon argued anxiously.
“Zoe is your sister! How can you defend an outsider when she’s the victim?” Penelope snapped.
“Mom, I-”
“There’s only one solution now. Jasper must take responsibility for Zoe!”
Landon looked rmed. “What does that mean?”
“I’ll get discharged as soon as possible, and I’ll meet with the Becketts to discuss marriage,” Penelope
dered determinedly.
“Cut the drama! Jasper will never marry Zoe, even if you point a gun at his head!” Landon bellowed and
jumped in rage.
“He doesn’t have a say,” Penelope insisted fiercely, her usual vulnerability reced by determination.
“A man should take responsibility for his actions. If he refuses to marry Zoe, he’ll offend the Harper
family.
“Even if I don’t intervene, your grandpa won’t stay silent. He won’t allow his granddaughter to be
mistreated. Jasper is wrong to assume the Harpers won’t act just because he’s Javier Beckett’s son.”