Chapter 32

Chapter 32 Jasper? A Tattooed Gangster?

Watching Eric leave, Eileen stood at the bus stop, still wearing the Petalburg High School uniform,

distinguished by the knight riding and archery school badge on her chest. Anyone with a keen eye

could easily identify her school affiliation.

Amidst the bustling street, Eileen’s bright appearance made her stand out, attracting both. friendly and

potentially malicious attention.

Just then, three troublemakers approached Eileen.

It was still the year 2000, with no street cameras, and technology was not as advanced as it would be

later. This made it challenging to gather evidence in case of any untoward incidents, leaving

wrongdoers with a sense of impunity.

As the hooligans closed in, she instinctively lowered her head, hoping they would pass by without

incident. Unfortunately, luck was not on her side that day.

“Hey, little girl, where are you off to? Want us to accompany you?” one of the hooligans

taunted.

“Look, she’s a student from Petalburg High School. I heard only rich families send their kids. there.

Does this little beauty have some money to spare us?” another one chimed in.

With three people surrounding her, Eileen had no escape route, and bystanders preferred to avoid

getting involved in such situations, leaving her feeling stranded and vulnerable.

Terrified, Eileen took a few steps back and nervously retrieved a black wallet from her schoolbag, but it

was swiftly snatched from her before she could even open it.

The young gangster checked the contents and his eyes gleamed upon seeing the bills inside. “Wow, I

didn’t expect this little maggot, to be quite wealthy!” he remarked with a hint of surprise.

“And there’s a student ID card,” one of his companions observed, taking a closer look at the card. Upon

seeing the name, the trio exchanged glances, their expressions changing.

They then looked back at Eileen and the one holding the ID card asked, “Why are you out of school so

early, girl? Why don’t you come and have some fun with us?”

As he spoke, he extended a hand toward Eileen…

On the opposite side of the street, Elsie leaned against the car window, placing her hands on her

forehead, leisurely observing the people nearby. He spoke casually to Eric, who was

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beside him, “Darling, aren’t you gonna rescue her? It won’t matter if I don’t. In this situation, no one will

ever find out about us.”

Elsie moved closer and hooked her arm around Eric’s, intimately observing the scene not far away.

She could not help but admit that Eileen was undeniably beautiful, which sparked a hint of jealousy

within her.

“You really fear nothing, Elsie!” Eric’s eyes darkened, his intimidating presence growing

Nevertheless, Elsie smiled like a flower, undeterred, and continued to approach him.

stronger.

openly.

Elsie’s red nails brushed against his firm chest, saying, “Fine! Let’s face death together and become a

pair of ghosts. It’s not a bad outcome. We’ll be together in the afterlife.”

Elsie slowly reached out to Eric’s chest.

Annoyed, Eric grabbed her hand on his chest and pushed her away, warning, “Do you think Will doesn’t

know what you’re doing? Elsie, don’t be reckless, or you might end up getting burned.”

“So what? As long as I have you… Eric, you’ll protect me, right?”

Eric looked at her coldly, replying, “Do you think your death would affect me? Once Will finds out, do

you think it will be you or me who’ll meet the same fate?”

“I’m a businessman, and I only see things that benefit me. Don’t overestimate. importance in my heart.”

your

As he said that, he reached out and pinched Elsie’s cheek, an evil grin forming on his face. “You can’t

even compare to Eileen?”

To Eric, there were only two kinds of people. Pawns he could use and friends who can benefit. him.

Women were merely playthings that can be discarded at will.

In his eyes, anyone could be married or have children.

Elsie’s eyes gradually cooled down, the smile still on her lips but with a chilly glint in her

gaze.

“We’ve known each other for ten years, and I can’t even measure up to Eileen. Do you truly care about

me, Eric?”

“To be honest, are you even worthy?”

Eric observed the disturbing scene as they mistreated Eileen, uncertain about whether he should

intervene. However, before he could make a decision, several suited bodyguards appeared out of

nowhere and quickly subdued the attackers. The screams echoed loudly. even reaching Eric’s ears

from across the street.

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In fear, Eileen clung to a nearby billboard, her clothes disheveled, and a few buttons torn off. Her once

neatly tied hair, adorned with a blue lace headband, now draped messily over her shoulders. Her

expression conveyed sheer terror and distress as tears welled up in her eyes.

A black Cayenne pulled up in front of the bus stop, and the window slowly rolled down, revealing a

young and handsome man inside. He spoke gently, asking, “Are you okay?”

Eileen, looking like a vulnerable princess on the streets, exuded a poignant beauty. She timidly shook

her head, sniffled, and trembled, shedding a few tears like pearls.

This young man was the same boy Eileen had met at the hospital. Seeing his smile, she felt at sense of

comfort, realizing he was not as frightening as she initially thought. He appeared quite pleasant when

he smiled.

“It’s okay, don’t be afraid. I’ll take you wherever you’re going,” he reassured her.

Eileen wiped her tears with the back of her hand and replied, “No, thank you. My driver will be here

soon.”

The young man smiled gently, saying, “No worries, I’ll wait with you. Are you a student at Petalburg

High School?”

Eileen nodded and said. “Yes.”

“Here’s your wallet, Miss” one of the bodyguards said, handing her the wallet they had retrieved from

the attacker’s pocket.

Eileen had been too frightened to notice where the attackers took the three other individuals.

The young man asked, “Check if anything is missing.”

Eileen opened her wallet and inspected its contents. Thankfully, her ID card and student card. were still

there. She replied, “Everything’s still here.“

“Where did those people go?” Eileen asked.

“I took them to the police station so that it won’t happen again,” the young man replied.

Jasper noticed the torn school uniform on Eileen’s body and expressed his concern, “Your clothes!”

Embarrassed, Eileen quickly covered her open collar to hide her exposed skin, feeling a bit. flustered.

Despite the age gap that could span two lifetimes, she could not help but feel self- conscious in such a

situation.

The young man handed a black coat from the car window, saying, “These are my backup clothes, I

haven’t worn them before, so they’re clean. If you don’t mind, you should wear

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them for now, to avoid attracting attention.”

Eileen hesitated for a moment but eventually accepted the offer, saying, “Thank you… I’ll return it to

you later. By the way, please give me your address, and I’ll return the coat to you.

tomorrow.”

“No need, just keep it,” the young man insisted.

“But…”

Meanwhile, the driver in the car noticed a Mercedes-Benz in the rearview mirror and asked Eileen,

“Miss Swan, is that car from yours?”

Eileen glanced and confirmed, “Yes.”

Before she could say anything further, the Cayenne had already driven away.

The driver was concerned about Eileen’s well-being and stopped the car in front of her, asking, “Miss,

what happened? Are you okay?”

“It’s nothing. I just accidentally fell down, and my school uniform got torn,” Eileen replied, choosing not

to make a big deal out of the recent incident to avoid unnecessary trouble.

“Miss Swan, would you like to go back home or…”

“Take me to the Skyline Building; I have a piano lesson there,” Eileen instructed.

“Alright, Miss Swan.”

Eileen wiped away the tears from her eyes and removed her torn school uniform, she was going to ask

Sharon to sew on the missing buttons. The uniform was quite expensive, and she did not want to let it

go to waste as the two sets of clothes were nearly 3,000 dollars.

As she wore the coat, she noticed a faint scent of mint mixed with the aroma of traditional

medicine.

Watching the young man’s figure as he left, Eileen could not help but wonder if she had seen. him

somewhere before. Could he be Jasper? No, that could not be possible. Based on their usual

conversations, Jasper seemed more like a warm-hearted brother next door, certainly not a tattooed

gangster.

Moreover, there were already two people like that at home. If Jasper turned out to be such at person,

Eileen would not know how to react.

With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Eileen decided to text Jasper..