Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

Javier glowered at his trouble-causing son with a scowl. Following behind him closely was his secretary Rory Odon, some
bodyguards, and Betty, who put on a sour face.
Betty had initially been reluctant to visit Sophia at the police station. She had not stepped out of Seaview Manor since the
horseracing event, where Sophia had brought shame to her.
She refrained from checking social media or watching the TV. When she skimmed through her Twitter feed, she noticed people
laughing at Sophia. On top of that, she had muted the group chats with the Solana City socialites, whose members relentlessly
laughed at Sophia and herself.
One of them wrote, "How I pity Madam Sophia. I bet Mr. Javier hasn't satisfied her in a while. Why else would she touch herself
with such enthusiasm?"
"I guess middle-aged women who have given birth are no use for men anymore. I couldn't believe the same fate befell even the
ex-celebrity Madam Sophia."
"That has nothing to do with her age! If I were her husband, I would have been so ashamed of her for taking drugs and her
bladder control issues. She's a stain on their family name."
"Betty is so pitiful. Look, she's still single. After her mom's scandal and public arrest, I worry that no family would want to propose
a marriage. Who'd want to embarrass themselves?"
The socialites, who had acted friendly with Betty, were mean and harsh when it came to laughing at her expense. She scoffed at
their so-called "sisterhood".

Still, Betty knew she had to feign concern about Sophia. Regardless of Javier's stance about Sophia, Betty had to put on an
image as a caring daughter to make Lauren look bad in comparison.
On her way into the police station, she witnessed Jasper hitting Simon and the words that came out of their mouths.
Observing Jasper's dramatic antics, she couldn't suppress a silent snicker, thinking that Jasper's continued theatrics would likely
result in him losing the company presidency when their father reached the limit of his patience.
"Can't you tell what I'm doing here?" Jasper retorted with an icy squint.
"Have you thought about your social standing? You're at a police station. You're no different than a hooligan if you lay a finger on
him. How tactless and brash of you!" Javier growled.
Although Javier's attitude had softened toward Jasper after grappling with the guilt of wronging Anne, he now started disliking
Jasper for his rash behavior over Alyssa.
Cyrus and his colleagues shook their heads in disdain when they heard Javier's ridiculous statement, which got them gossiping.
"Is that the attitude of the Beckett Group's chairman? How could he qualify for running the group? I'm speechless." "Right? An
assault is certainly wrong, but he only cares about the reputational loss. He has a very peculiar moral compass, it seems."
"The rich are the parasites of the society. They're helpless!"
Javier overheard the murmurs, which only fueled his anger and dislike of his son.
Jasper returned to Alyssa's side without hesitation and held her hand firmly, declaring, "I know my place in society."

He turned to her and cast an affectionate gaze. "As Alyssa's man, I could not turn a blind eye after Simon Lynch attacked her."
Alyssa's heart raced. She wiggled her hand in his grasp.
Meanwhile, Javier stared agape at Jasper and seethed, "You—"
"Would you stay silent if someone insulted your woman publicly?" Jasper smirked. "Oh, right. You care about your image the
most, so I wouldn't be surprised if you do nothing about it."
The onlookers drew a deep breath when the battle unfolded between father and son.
Just as Javier was rendered speechless by Jasper's pointed accusations, Betty stepped in to speak up for her father. "Jasper,
mind your attitude when speaking to Dad. Beating someone up is wrong and damages the company's reputation. Dad is right to
call you out. Are you willing to risk your reputation for a woman?"
Alyssa disliked Betty criticizing her man but felt it wasn't her place to intervene in their family matters, even after she and Jasper
had pledged their love to each other.