136 This Is Your Punishnt
The door to Clarisse's private study closed with a soft click and Jasmine entered, her posture stiff.
Clarisse sat at her desk, studying her daughter. Judging by her stiffness, she was still furious with Clarisse's decision and judging by the red around her eyes, she'd cried about all this.
But the most important emotion, the one that was fighting with her fury and had made her co here to the presence of her mother, was fear.
Jasmine knew that her mother's discipline wasn't trivial. Especially as they grew. Just for partying, she had cut Jenny off from the family. Yes, she'd accepted her back ho but that was because her mother didn't see partying as that unforgivable an offence.
But for making a scene and threatening her mother in front of the board, Jasmine didn't know what her own punishnt would be but it would definitely be worse.
"Sit." Clarisse said in a voice so cold, Jasmine shivered.
Shee hesitated, then lowered herself into the chair opposite her mother. For the first ti in years, she felt small under the eyes of her mother, like a little kid about to be whipped for breaking the rules.
She'd forgotten how this felt like, having made sure over the years that Jenny was the one who was always in this position and not her.
"I don't understand what this is about." Jasmine said, trying to hide the tremor in her voice. "If it's another chance to sing Jenny's praises, save it."
Clarisse arched a brow, unimpressed by her daughter's bravado. "You don't understand, do you? That's exactly the problem. You've spent your entire life misunderstanding what it ans to lead and that… is my fault."
Jasmine's anger surged forward, overpowering her fear. "I've done everything you taught ! I've been decisive, strategic and even ruthless when necessary."
"No." Clarisse interrupted, her tone like the sound of a whip. "What you've done is confuse ambition with leadership." She spat. "You've torn down everyone in your path, even when it wasn't necessary. That's not strength. It's shortsightedness."
Jasmine recoiled as if struck. "I-"
Clarisse slamd her hand on the table and Jasmine flinched. "You put the reputation of Apex at stake with your actions." She said through gritted teeth. "And your actions on WireFra? That was foolishness of the highest order."
Jasmine's eyes widened in surprise at her mother's words. Then, her anger ca back. "I've worked harder than anyone else in this family! I've delivered results! And now, because of one mistake, you're turning your back on ?"
Clarisse's eyes narrowed at her daughter, her face dark. "One mistake? Do you truly believe that? Or are you simply unwilling to take responsibility for the choices that led you here?"
Jasmine's hands gripped the arms of her chair. "WireFra was necessary."
"Necessary?" Clarisse sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Your justification doesn't change the reality, Jasmine. You sabotaged a company working closely with Apex just to weaken your sister. Not because it was good for Apex, but because it was good for you."
"And what about Jenny?" Jasmine shot back, her voice rising. "She's not innocent in this. She's always been waiting for a chance to take down."
Clarisse shook her head. "Jenny doesn't need to play your gas. That's why she won. While you were busy plotting her downfall, she was positioning herself to protect Apex. You didn't lose because she was better, Jasmine. You lost because you made yourself worse."
The words hit Jasmine like a slap. She straightened in her chair, her voice cracking as she spoke. "So, that's it? You've made your choice. You've decided she's the better daughter."
"This isn't about being better." Clarisse said, shaking her head in disappointnt. "It's about understanding what the company needs. And right now, Apex needs soone who can build, not destroy."
Jasmine opened her mouth but no words ca out. Even with her confidence in her worthiness, she couldn't find sothing to say to that.
"When I founded Apex," Clarisse said, staring at her daughter, "I had competitors who tried to tear down no matter what I did. They thought the only way to win was to destroy the enemy.
But I learned sothing important, Jasmine. True power cos not from tearing others down, but from creating sothing so strong that no one can touch it."
"You've spent so much energy trying to outshine your sister that you've forgotten how to shine on your own. That's why you lost. Not because of Jenny, not because of , but because you never stopped to think about what you were building."
"You think I don't understand power, Mother?" Jasmine snarled. "I've fought for every scrap I've ever gotten in this family. I've had to be ruthless because that's what you taught ."
"I taught you to be strong." Clarisse said quietly. "But strength without purpose is chaos. And that's what you've brought to Apex. Chaos."
Jasmine's hands clenched into fists at her sides. "So, what now? You expect to grovel? To congratulate Jenny and step aside like so kind of failure?"
"No." Clarisse said evenly. "I expect you to reflect and take accountability for your actions. If you want to make sothing of yourself, you'll need to start by understanding where you went wrong."
"And this brings us to your punishnt." Clarisse said and Jasmine's heart leapt into her mouth. "I have destroyed the major evidence against you in the WireFra case and have made sure Nicholas would keep the peace."
"But you still have to pay. I have sent enough to get the authorities to co for you." She said, staring at her daughter. "Spend so ti in jail and reflect on your actions. When you get out, we'll see if you've learned a thing or two."
"Mother." Jasmine said, a tear running down her face. "Don't do this to ."
Clarisse stood and walked to the window, turning her back on her daughter. "This… is your punishnt, Jasmine. Go and think long and hard about what you did wrong."
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