I pondered over it for a while. Since I only had to meet Professor Zidd in the morning and would be free afterward, I accepted her invitation: Yes, but I’m only free in the evening. Are you okay with it?
Rose replied: Sure, evening it is! I’ll come to your house tomorrow. Well, I should stop bothering you since it’s getting late. Good night.
Upon seeing the moon emoji at the end of the message, I couldn’t help but smile. Despite their years of marriage, Nick seemed to have protected Rose well. It was apparent from her cheerful words that she was still young at heart.
Meanwhile, Ashton had finished taking his shower and came out of the bathroom. When he saw me smiling, he half-kneeled beside the bed and inched closer to me. “What’s so funny?”
Ashton smelled good after stepping out of the shower. Putting my phone aside, I wrapped my arms around his neck to take a whiff of his scent. After a while, I replied delightedly, “Rose added me as a friend on Instagram and asked me to go shopping tomorrow. I agreed to it.”
“Rose?” Ashton was startled for a moment before he continued, “Is she Nick’s wife?”
“Yes!” I nodded and continued, “We met her in the hospital two days ago. Have you forgotten about it?”
Since Ashton was occupied recently, I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t have any impression of her.
“I remember.” Ashton grabbed my hand and sat on the bed. Then, he took me into his arms and asked with a pensive expression, “Are you two close to each other?”
“Not really.” I remembered that I met Rose less than five times, so we were only considered acquaintances. “Anyway, she’s Nick’s wife. Besides, it’s the festive season now, and I don’t have the heart to reject her.”
Ashton tilted his head and stroked my nose gently. “You should stop saying yes to others all the time. Why must you force yourself to do something that you don’t like to please them?”
“I’m not forcing myself.” Although I was easygoing, I wouldn’t make concessions to the extent that I had to abandon my principles. Hence, I rebutted defiantly, “I only agreed to it because we’re considered relatives. Don’t worry. I definitely won’t go out with strangers. After all, I have learned my lesson from Summer’s incident.” However, Ashton merely nodded and put on a slightly disdainful smile. It was apparent that he didn’t believe my words.
Dissatisfied with his response, I decided to be more assertive. I squinted and said wryly, “Hmph… Mr. Fuller, are you trying to stop me from leaving the house like I’m your pet canary?”
I knew that I probably thought too highly of myself, for I was not as young or as gorgeous as the chicks out there. Nonetheless, I didn’t think a woman who was pregnant or preparing for pregnancy had to stop socializing.
Due to the misconception, many companies nowadays still included unfair clauses in their contracts, stating that a woman, who was pregnant within five years of working with them, had to resign automatically.
Moreover, I had handed over my tasks to others at Fuller Corporation a year ago and became an idler since then. Hence, I might even become too lazy to take care of Summer if I was barred from socializing. In that case, I would be no different from pigs in a pigpen.
A glint flashed across Ashton’s eyes as I finished speaking. Suddenly, he tilted his head and scanned my face. A few seconds later, he put on a wry smile and replied, “It’s a good idea…”
Upon knowing that he really had such thoughts, I was rendered speechless.
Feeling embarrassed and angry at the same time, I grabbed the pillow below my head and threw it at him. “Don’t ever think about it!”
