Astonished, I stared at Ashton with widened eyes. I felt as if I just knew him today. Since when did he learn a new language?
It was only then that Zander noticed Ashton’s hostility. His hand froze in the air for half a minute before he withdrew it in silence. He appeared embarrassed when he spoke again. “I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. I just feel that Scarlett has the potential to become an excellent lawyer. Tinsel Group is my father’s blood, sweat, and tears, so I yearn to recruit more talents. I sincerely hope that Scarlett can work with me to uphold my father’s legacy.”
This reason didn’t sound valid to me.
Judging from how well he could speak our language, he knew our culture deeply, but he didn’t understand what Ashton meant. Hence, I wasn’t convinced when he said that he meant no harm, even though he often tried to cozy up to me.
Meanwhile, Ashton was showing his aversion to Zander brazenly.
Lifting the tickets in his hand, he tore them right in front of Zander and threw the pieces onto the ground. Right after that, he took out a checkbook, scribbled on it, and tore it off the book. Marching over to Zander, he slipped the cheque into the pocket of the man’s shirt and patted it.
“There. You can leave now.”
Zander turned to look at me. His brows snapped together, and his gaze was full of grievance. Nevertheless, he could do nothing but accept the cheque and leave.
As soon as he got into the car, Ashton turned around and headed toward the house.
He quickened his steps. Thanks to his long legs, it only took him a few strides to leave me far behind him.
“Ashton, wait for me.”
It wasn’t until he reached the room upstairs to see the babies that he finally stopped and I was able to catch up to him.
Gregory was asleep. On a couch in the bedroom, Ashton was holding and playing with Audrey, gazing at her affectionately. The one-month-old baby looked tiny in his arms. The corner of my lips curled up as I looked at his gentle demeanor, acting as if the baby was made of porcelain.
The second I stepped into the bedroom, the grin on Ashton’s face vanished. With a poker face, he turned to glance at me indifferently as if I was a stranger. Meeting his gaze, I shuddered instinctively.
“Didn’t you say that you’re coming over tomorrow?”
He remained silent, but his expression turned grimmer. His forehead creased as he asked sternly, “Are you trying to say that I came at the wrong time?”
Unexpectedly, John’s voice sounded behind me just then. “There you are. Come to the study. Uncle Louis has something to say.”
With that, he didn’t linger around and disappeared behind the door.
There was pin-drop silence for two seconds. Then, Ashton gently put Audrey on the bed and strutted past me out of the bedroom.
What’s with that attitude? Why did he give me the cold shoulder all of a sudden? What had I done to offend him?
Whatever. Everyone was bound to lose their temper once in a while. Perhaps he’s dealing with some problems at work. I decided that I would talk to him after meeting with Uncle Louis.
When I arrived at the study, everybody had taken a seat. The three domineering men looked in my direction in unison. If I were an ordinary person, I would’ve gone weak in the knees.
I was supposed to sit by Ashton’s side. However, he averted his gaze on purpose. I could tell that he didn’t want to be close to me, so I sauntered over to the single-seat couch beside John and sat down.
“Uncle Louis, John said that you have something urgent to discuss with us.”
“Yes.” Louis nodded. He then turned to look at John, who immediately understood him. “Armond told Holden that his men had developed the antidote. He guaranteed that you would be healed, providing that we return the petroleum exploration agreement to the Murphys.”
Louis then added, “What I mean is, Armond’s reputation is in tatters, overseas and locally. Even if he gets the agreement, Meudari might not want to work with a man with many criminal records. As such, it probably doesn’t hurt to give it to him. Besides, the toxin in Letty’s body is like a time bomb and we can’t afford to wait any longer.”
He heaved a long sigh and asked Ashton, “What do you and Letty think?”
