Jasper clenched his fist so hard that his veins bulged when he received the update. He jeered. "Javier


    is a great father, isn''t he? He wouldn''t give up on his terrible daughter no matter what."


    "This isn''t about Betty. He is trying to save his face as the family patriarch." Xavier was furious. "I saw


    him busy taking care of Mr. Newton at the hospital while keeping tabs on Ms. Lauren''s condition. I


    thought he had finallye around, but I was being naive!


    "From the very beginning, he has been an egoistic person who only cares about himself. You can''t


    expect him to self-reflect and change."


    Jasper turned around to stare at the gray sky. "Well, since he''s all about saving face, I''ll make him lose


    face."


    As public opinion continued to brew, there were increasing calls to prosecute the six bullies. Betty was


    implicated as well, especially because she was a Beckett and Lauren''s sister. In some way, her


    behavior was more despicable than that of Zoe and the rest.


    "Betty Beckett harms even her own sister; she is a vicious animal! She should be heavily punished!"


    "How brazen of her to bully her autistic sister!"


    "Betty Beckett, don''t you ever dream of escaping the legal consequences with your dad''s support! You


    have no way out!"


    Javier would never allow the Beckett Group to suffer a reputational crisis. Therefore, he would protect


    Betty despite knowing her evil ways. To resolve the problem, he immediately ordered Neil to host an


    emergency press conference at one of the halls of the Berenike Hotel.


    The cameras'' lights at the press conference blinded Javier. The harsh lights illuminated his pale face.


    He began with anger and sadness in his tone. "Three days ago, my daughter, Lauren Beckett,


    experienced a horrific abduction and torture. Until today, she remained unconscious in the ICU.


    "As her father, I was tormented and in pain. I have not slept in three days, battling the pain at every


    waking moment."


    The usually sharp-tongued reporters sank into silence out of consideration for the gut-wrenching


    circumstances that Lauren was in.


    "I decided on ast-minute press conference because firstly, I understood the public concern over


    Lauren''s wellbeing and would like to keep everyone updated here. Secondly, as Lauren''s father, I will


    not give up on holding the culprits ountable."


    "Mr. Javier, your oldest daughter, Betty Beckett, was present at Ms. Lauren''s abduction," one of the


    reporters finally blurted out. "Besides, we heard from the bullies that Betty was one of the bullies in


    middle school, subjecting her autistic sister to long-term physical and emotional torture.


    "Since you vow to hold the culprits ountable, what about Betty Beckett? How do you n to deal


    with her? She kicked Ms. Lauren during the abduction—it was captured on livestream.


    "Don''t you think it''s unfair to Ms. Lauren if you go easy on Betty because she''s your daughter?"


    The chatter grew louder. The reporters gossiped about the situation disgruntledly. This had evolved


    beyond airing the dirtyundry of an esteemed family. Everyone could tell by now that Betty was Zoe''s


    aplice. It would be unfair for Betty to walk away unscathed while the others were punished.


    Ashen-faced, Javier gritted his teeth and admitted, "Betty is wrong for hanging out with the wrong


    crowd, but she''s my daughter at the end of the day. She grew up before my eyes. Yes, she made a


    mistake, but she wasn''t a bad character. Zoe and the others have been a bad influence on her, leading


    her onto the wrong path."


    The reportersmented Javier''s tant favoritism. In an effort to protect the image of the Beckett


    family, he tried to whitewash the actions of the morally depraved Betty.


    All of a sudden, the doors to the hall flung open. A tall and strong figure marched into the venue,


    instantly bing the center of attention.


    "It''s Jasper Beckett!"


    Looking intimidating and focused, Jasper proceeded toward Javier. Javier''s expression hardened when


    he saw Jasper.


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    The rivalry between the father and son was captured by the cameras around them.


    "I have no words for the absurdity of Mr. Javier''s statement." Jasper chuckled dangerously. "Betty, Zoe,


    and the gang are responsible for abducting, imprisoning, and beating my sister, Lauren, to the point


    she suffered severe injuries. Lauren has yet to be discharged from the ICU, but you can''t wait to speak


    up for the perpetrator."


    Jasper''s remark was earth-shattering. Javier tried to keep calm while tightening his grip on the table.


    "If you don''t hold Betty ountable for beating up Lauren, what will you do if shemits murder the


    next time? Are you going to give her a p on the wrist as well?"


    "That was a hypothetical situation. Betty did notmit murder, did she? She has just been taken


    advantage of by those with ulterior motives!" Once again, Javier tried to hint at Jasper in front of the


    media that he''d much prefer to de-escte the criminal case, turning it into a private family affair. "Betty


    and Lauren are your sisters and my daughters. I am merely being rational here. There is no favoritism


    at y, and I''m not trying to get anyone off the hook."


    The light in Jasper''s eyes dimmed. He started reaching for something in the pocket of his jacket—


    something that would deal a blow to Javier.


    To his surprise, the screen in the hall suddenly lit up.


    "Look! What is that?" All eyes were on the screen, including Javier and Jasper.


    It was the result of a paternity test by an redited institution. The writing couldn''t have been more


    clear and devastating. "Based on the avable data and the oue of the DNA test, Javier Beckett is


    excluded as the biological father of Betty Beckett."