Chapter 10

Jasmine's hands were shaking as she dialed Roderick's number. "I thought we agreed not to talk anymore," Roderick said coldly. "I've sent you the paperwork to sever our father-daughter relationship. It's almost the end of the month. You need to get to Southmere either today or tomorrow." "I just have one question." Jasmine's voice was hoarse. "Was it you who handed me over to Caesar for 'discipline,' or did he ask for me himself?" "What's the point of asking that?" "Tell me!" Roderick fell silent for a moment. "It was him. He traded for it with the Neoburg project. Honestly, you always annoyed me anyway. Killed two birds with one stone." The phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor with a crack, the screen shattering. Then Jasmine burst out laughing. The sound echoed through the empty villa—raw, ragged laughter that tore at her throat until tears streamed down her face. "Caesar… you really are something else." She didn't know how long she had sat there. Eventually, she wiped away her tears, stood up, and dragged out the suitcase she had packed days earlier. Slowly, she walked toward the door. Every step felt like walking barefoot across blades, but she pressed forward with fierce determination. At the entryway, she stopped. Her fingers unconsciously stroked the lighter in her pocket. It had been a birthday gift from Caesar, engraved with his handwriting—"To Jas." She suddenly smiled. The next second, she flicked the lighter and tossed it onto the curtains. The flames roared to life, quickly engulfing the entire living room. Jasmine stepped outside and stood quietly as the fire devoured everything—the couch where they'd once tangled together, the dining table where they'd kissed, the bed where she had foolishly believed he might have felt something real. Caesar arrived an hour later. His black sedan screeched to a stop in front of the blazing villa, tires screaming against the pavement. He flung the car door open, eyes locking on the inferno, and on Jasmine, sitting calmly on her suitcase. She sat quietly, watching the villa go up in flames, her pale face streaked with tears that still clung to her lashes. Caesar felt a tightness in his chest. He had a thousand things he wanted to yell at her, but when he saw her bloodshot eyes, the words caught in his throat. "You burned the house down," he finally said in a low voice. "Feel better now, Ms. Booth?" Jasmine slowly lifted her gaze. The eyes that had once looked at him with love were now flat, empty, lifeless. She stared at him as if he were a stranger and said nothing. "Mr. Snee!" Peter came running over. "The private jet is ready. The meeting in Suvania can't be delayed any longer." Caesar pressed his fingers to his temple. "Clean up this villa." He paused, then looked at Jasmine. "Take her to the villa at Neoburg." "No." Jasmine finally spoke, her voice hoarse but unyielding. "I'm going home." Caesar thought she was finally giving in and returning to the Booth residence. His expression softened slightly. "Good. Glad you've come to your senses." He turned and walked away, his black coat billowing in the night wind. "I can't always be here to bail you out." Jasmine stayed where she was, watching his figure grow smaller in the distance. A faint, bitter smile curved her lips. "Caesar," she whispered so softly the wind almost carried it away, "goodbye forever." "What?" He turned, but Jasmine had already opened the taxi door and gotten inside. Caesar assumed she was just throwing another tantrum and didn't press further. He climbed into his own car without a word. He didn't notice that the two cars were headed in the same direction—toward the airport. At the private jet terminal, Caesar took the documents Peter handed him and boarded the plane without looking back. Elsewhere in the airport, Jasmine completed a wire transfer—half a month's rent and medical expenses—then tossed her phone into a trash bin and walked away, never glancing toward the gate for Southmere. Two planes took off at the same time, flying in opposite directions, never to cross paths again.