Chapter 1712 His Trap
Next, a video appeared and began playing on the screen.
It wasn’t clear at first. I could discern that a few men in suits were in the video and guessed that Ashton was one of them.
As the scene changed, Ashton’s face appeared on the screen.
The remaining content was simple. While one hand passed the money, the other passed the painting. They chatted briefly in Ustranasion. Something like “here’s to working together,” I guessed.
It was pretty obvious what Nathaniel wanted to show me—Ashton was now his puppet.
I instinctively found excuses for Ashton’s actions.
He might be rich, but he couldn’t force a proud man to work for him.
Ashton didn’t need others to approve him worth.
However, my steadfast trust in Ashton wasn’t what Nathaniel wanted to see.
One would need to outwit a sly hunter to achieve success. The more Nathaniel didn’t want to admit that Ashton was the chosen one, the more I needed to repeat it before him.
“What does that mean?” I asked. My eyes were calm, betraying none of my emotions. “What can the video prove? That Ashton has new friends who he exchanged gifts with? Everyone knows my husband is an excellent man. So what if he befriended some new friends?”
A hint of surprise flashed across Nathaniel’s eyes. He clasped his fingers together and stared at me in amusement. “So this is what true love looks like. To me, it is a foolish notion.”
I flashed a smirk without bothering to hide the disdain on my face. “Only those who can’t get it will vilify it,” I told him.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but lowly feelings like this that can’t affect my rational judgment.” Nathaniel remained calm, staring at me like a predator who had its eyes on its prey. “You claim that love is noble, but you had used it to pull Ashton down the pedestal. What do you feel about your own action?”
I had to admit that Nathaniel was a great predator, for he managed to hit my Achilles’ heel on his first try.
It felt like talking to the wall and barking at the moon. We were from different worlds, so there was no way we’d convince each other. After making that clear, I focused on my agenda. “I don’t want to talk about that. Just tell me where Ashton is if you’re capable of finding out his whereabouts.”
Lowering his gaze, Nathaniel flashed a tiny smile. “Do you think that will work on me?”
After a pause, he looked up and gazed at me. A faint gleam of malice shone in his eyes. “You have to know that I am the boss here. I can reveal the location of the deal anytime. But not to you, of course. You know what I want. Just play along, and we’ll get what we both want. Isn’t that great?”
The deal was an ongoing one, so he could actually reveal the location to the police. Once Ashton was captured with the goods, he would never get to clear his name.
It was rather irrational for Ashton to fall for Nathaniel’s trap.
Before I could confirm his safety, I had no choice but to play along with Nathaniel. After heaving a long breath to calm down, I could face Nathaniel in calmly now.
“Now that you got some dirt on us, there’s no need to beat around the bush,” I stated.
Nathaniel avoided the topic. “I haven’t thought of anything. For now, I want to know something. After seeing Ashton ruining himself by breaking the law and retrieving the dirty money, do you still love him?”
“Did you do everything to prove that our love is cheap enough to be pulled back anytime?”
“That’s right,” Nathaniel admitted to it at once. “You love him for his powerful status, noble character, and genes he gained from his family. To conclude, anyone could be ‘Ashton Fuller’ with enough money. Without that, Ashton is just like me, a man who knows no limits. He could do anything just for his own benefit. Well, he’s a ‘bad guy’ just like you said.”
