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Jasmine held the steering wheel with one hand while the other held her phone to her ear.

She was moving around incognito and that meant leaving behind her flashy car. She drove the black sedan through the streets of New York, focusing on the road even with the phone in one ear.

It was time to cut Jenny off from her sources of strength. By removing them one after the other, she'd be able to show her mother exactly what Jenny was. An idiot who couldn't stand on her own.

Her call finally connected, and she heard the voice she'd been expecting on the other end. "This is Amelia Ward."

"Ms. Ward." Jasmine said with a cordial tone, a smile on her face. Old habits die hard and besides, she was trying to sound pleasant to the woman. "This is Jasmine Voss. I believe you know my sister, Jenny."

There was a pause before Amelia answered. She was probably considering what best to say and wondering why Jasmine had called her.

"Yes, I know Jenny." She finally said. "What can I do for you, Ms. Voss?"

"I'd like to arrange a meeting with you." Jasmine said as she changed lanes. "There are a few matters I think we should discuss. It would be... mutually beneficial."

"I'm not sure that's necessary." Amelia said, unimpressed. "I've already committed to working with Jenny, and my schedule is quite full."
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Jasmine smirked as her eyes flicked to her rearview mirror before moving back to the road. She'd expected resistance. And that's what would make this even sweeter.

"Ms. Ward, I understand your time is valuable, but I wouldn't be reaching out if this weren't important." She said. Her eyes flicked to the time on the dashboard. She had to wrap this up as soon as possible.

"As you may know, Apex Investments has hands in a lot of pies in many industries, including those tied closely to Ward Impact Ventures' interests."

"I'm well aware of Apex's influence, but my focus is on socially impactful ventures." Amelia replied. "If you're trying to sway me against Jenny, I'm afraid you're wasting your time."

Jasmine's smirk widened. "Ms. Ward, this isn't about choosing sides. This is about making sure that all parties involved have the same interests. Apex has a responsibility to ensure its partnerships are fruitful and, more importantly, unburdened by unnecessary risks."

"What are you suggesting?" Amelia asked immediately, able to sense the hidden meaning in her words. "Are you saying that working with Jenny comes with risks?"

"Of course not." Jasmine said pleasantly in a way that confirmed that it in fact, was true. "I'm just suggesting that it would be in your best interest to hear what I have to say. After all, we wouldn't want anything to impact the partnership between companies, would we?"

This time, the message was loud and clear.

There was silence for a few seconds before Amelia sighed in defeat. "Fine. One meeting. But let me be clear, Ms. Voss, I do not appreciate your threats."

"Threats?" Jasmine laughed lightly. "I assure you, I only want what's best for all parties involved. With that said, I look forward to our discussion, Ms. Ward."

Before Amelia could respond, Jasmine ended the call, a smirk on her face. A meeting had been secured. Very good.

By the time she was finished with Amelia Ward, the philanthropist wouldn't even know what hit her.

She arrived at her destination and parked her car in the underground garage, taking the elevator up to the lobby and from there, to the necessary hallway.

The sound of her heels was muffled by the carpeted floor as she walked to the door of the private suite and opened it. She didn't knock, no, she didn't have to. The man inside had been expecting her.

Charles Harrington sat at a small table near the window, sipping a glass of whiskey. If seen like that with the light outside as a backdrop and in his suit and refined demeanor, no one would be able to see the absolutely ruthless man hiding under it all.

But Jasmine knew of this snake and its poison. As she entered, she noticed the slight smirk that appeared at the sight of her. It was the smirk of someone who believed they always had the upper hand.

"Right on time." Charles said in greeting. "I was beginning to think you might've gotten cold feet."

"Hardly." Jasmine replied as she took her seat across from him. "I don't back out of deals, Charles. That's your game."

Charles chuckled, swirling his glass. "Touché."

That was when a third person stepped out from the suite's private room, a wiry man in his late thirties, dressed in business casual but with the nervous energy of someone out of their depth. He avoided eye contact as he set a briefcase down on the table between them.

Jasmine turned her attention to him. "Mr. Fiske, I presume?"

The man nodded quickly, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Y-yes, ma'am. I'm here as requested."

"Good." Jasmine said, leaning back in her chair. "You understand exactly what I want, don't you?"

Fiske hesitated, glancing between Jasmine and Charles. "I… I understand what you're asking, but it's risky. WireFrame has tight security protocols. If I get caught-"

"You won't get caught." Jasmine interrupted him with a chuckle. "You work in their systems department. You're the person with the perfect position to do what I need without attracting suspicion."

"But tampering with their servers, rerouting key analytics, and leaking internal data-"

"Will look like an internal error." Jasmine finished, her tone hard. "Or, if you're smart about it, an act of sabotage by someone else. Either way, WireFrame will be in disarray, and its value will plummet. That's all I need."

Charles leaned forward, unable to hide the amusement he was feeling. If not for the little emotion he showed every now and then, she'd have pegged him as a psychopath. Maybe he was and was just good at hiding it.

"She's right, Fiske." He said. "You've got nothing to worry about. As long as you do your job properly."

Fiske swallowed hard, his hands trembling slightly as he reached for the briefcase. He snapped it open and checked, as if to verify that bundles of cash that he'd known was neatly stacked inside were still there.

"Half upfront," Jasmine said, examining her fingernails casually, "the rest after completion."

Fiske stared at the money, his hesitation fighting a losing battle with his greed. After a moment, he nodded. "I'll do it. But… I'll need some time. A week, maybe two, to cover my tracks."

"You have one week." Jasmine said flatly. "And if you try to double-cross me, I'll make sure you regret it."

Fiske paled before nodding vigorously. "Understood. I'll get it done."

"You'd better." Jasmine sat back, satisfied, as Fiske closed the briefcase and moved to the door. Once he was gone, Charles leaned back in his chair, staring at her with a smirk.

"You certainly know how to motivate people." He murmured.

"I don't have time for incompetence or cowardice." Jasmine replied. "WireFrame has been Nico's secret weapon for too long. If we take it out of the equation, he and Jenny lose their biggest advantage."

Charles raised an eyebrow. "And what about Amelia Ward?"

Jasmine's lips curled into a smile. "One step at a time, Charles. Amelia is a problem for later. For now, I need to cripple WireFrame. Without their data analytics and influence, their entire strategy falls apart."

"And once Nico's out of the way, Jenny won't stand a chance." Charles said, raising his glass in a mock toast. "You really do play a ruthless game, Jasmine."

She met his gaze, her voice hard. "Ruthless is what it takes to win, Charles. You of all people should know that."

Charles chuckled, downing the rest of his whiskey. "Touché again. Well, I wish you luck. You'll need it if Nico Voss figures out what you're up to."

"He won't." Jasmine said with absolute confidence. "By the time he realizes what's happening, it'll be too late."

"Too late to be stopped."