Jasper had never planned to kill Norman or Lisa, to begin with.
Jasper was confused as to why all these people think he was truly coming for their lives.
Ever since he had started his business, he had fought with quite a few people. While some lives have been lost, it was always through suicide because his opponents could not accept the fact they lost.
Jasper had never killed anyone before.
Not now, not ever.
So when Jasper saw the ecstatic expression on Norman’s face, he said, “Just go. Leave Waterhoof City and never return.”
Jasper’s words had Norman immediately feeling despondent.
He knew that with Jasper’s words, he would lose the business he had built up with difficulty.
Jasper then glanced at Lisa, her face was pale and her lip bleeding after all the gnawing. He said calmly, “There’s never been any huge feud between us. All the resentment was one-sided from you.”
“Of course, there’s no point in saying all this now.”
“After leaving Waterhoof City with your dad, find him a place where he can retire and rest. Ignoring everything else’s he’s done, he was a good father to you. You’d be a horrible excuse of a human being if you can’t be filial to him.”
“No one will force you to sell your property lower than market value. Sell accordingly and take every Somer Dollar. It should be enough to guarantee a comfortable life from here on.”
“Then… find someone nice and get married. Start over and live peacefully, say goodbye to the past.”
Jasper waved them off afterward and did not say anything more.
Lisa’s complexion was ashen and she looked moments away from fainting.
She still wanted to say more but Norman held her back.
“Let’s go,” Norman said hoarsely.
Lisa did not say more and followed Norman out with her head down.
Jasper’s expression was calm as he watched the two leave.
He did not feel the elation of winning against his enemies, nor the despondence of a loss.
His enemies were still there, after all. Norman and Lisa were just insignificant pawns on the chessboard at most.
It was a blessing for pawns like them to walk out unscathed.
Jasper turned to look at Dominique and asked, “So, what do you want from me?”
Dominique looked at Jasper playfully and asked, “What do you mean?”
“The little prince can’t possibly have handed me the Gardners because he’s afraid of me, right?” Jasper stated calmly.
Dominique laughed out loud and said, “You can take it as an act of kindness from me.”
“As to what I want from you, I don’t know yet. I’ll contact you when I think of something. Take this as a favor you owe me now I guess.”
Jasper looked at Dominique and replied, “Yet you’ve sold out the Gardners who sought your help on a favor, little prince. Aren’t you lacking a bit of credibility to talk about favors with me?”
Dominique stood from the chair and replied lazily, “Favor or not is just a hoax. What matters is still how useful you are.”
“They’ve lost their usefulness, so they can only hope that other people will be merciful to them. If they’re useful, then they don’t need to say anything and people would still seek them out.”
“I’m sure you understand this concept, right, Jasper?” With that being said, Dominique then walked toward the doors.
Dominique was just about to open the door when he suddenly turned to say to Jasper intently, “I admire you, Jasper. But many people share a different sentiment. They hate you, so much they wish you would drop dead right now.”
Jasper arched his brow and asked, “Like Fabian?”
Dominique smiled. He did not answer the question, opting to say meaningfully instead, “Contact me anytime should you require. I look forward to working with you, Jasper.”
Then Dominique opened the room doors.
Outside stood Julian and Coffey, one on each side of the door like sentinels guarding the room.
“Little Prince.”
Coffey greeted courteously.
Dominique was looking Julian up and down. Chuckling, he commented, “Not bad at all.”
Then he left.
Coffey glanced at Julian thoughtfully before he turned and followed.
At that moment, Jasper had walked out as well.
“Did anything happen, Jasper?” Julian asked.
Jasper waved him off and replied, “People like him won’t do anything to me. And if he did, you alone won’t be able to stop him at all.”
Julian seemed indignant and replied, “If I try my best, we never know.”
“Haha,” Jasper laughed out loud. “Sure. Come on, let’s go back too.”
This meeting with the little prince had surprised Jasper. The man was completely different from what he expected.
Still, no matter what, this meeting was an overall positive one. The little prince had not shown any signs of hostility. If anything, he had even shown subtle acts of friendliness.
Norman and his daughter were one of them, the partnership at the end was another.
Albeit potentially and not explicitly stated.
Still, people like Dominique did not say anything without reason, nor would he speak unreliably.
“I’ve got to go back and ask Henry that little brat I wonder if Dominique’s got history with Fabian,” Jasper murmured to himself.
At the same time in the commercial vehicle, Dominique was tinkering with an exquisite vintage pocket watch. He had a playful expression on his face.
“Gather a copy of Jasper’s information and give it to me later, Coffey, a detailed one.”
Coffey replied after hearing Dominique, “I understand. This is the first time I’ve seen you so interested in someone, Little Prince.”
“Because I’ve found my kin.” Dominique smiled mysteriously and looked at the street view through the window. He narrowed his eyes and continued, “He’s much like me. I can even say that we’re the same kind of people, it’s just… his ranks aren’t high enough yet.”
“Why do you say that?” Coffey asked curiously.
This question showed how special Coffey’s status was to Dominique. He would not have dared to ask such a question if he was a normal subordinate.
Dominique stroked the pocket watch in his palm and replied calmly, “He’s a conqueror, yet he’s filled with benevolence. He opted to be a saint and show mercy when he should have chosen to kill. This is also why I lost the initial desire to partner with him.”
“Had he decisively chosen to drive Norman and Lisa to death, then I would perhaps be willing to give him a chance at a partnership. But now that I look at it… perhaps further observation should be made before I decide again.”
Coffey shrugged and replied, “In comparison to the little prince, he will never be as outstanding as you.”
“You overestimate me, Coffey. And you’re looking down on the world,” Dominique murmured to himself.
Then he thought about Jasper and chuckled suddenly. “But Jasper Laine. From his behavior today, he’s missing something indeed.”
