Before he left the house, Ashton had given clear instructions not to let any man into the house. Not only was Marcus allowed into the house, to make matter worse, none of the security bothered to inform him about it. Ashton expected discipline from his men, so he would not tolerate such misconduct.
I was to be blamed for their plight. However, Ashton was raging at that moment, so I would have to wait for another opportune time to plead for them. Marcus’ problem was the top priority then.
After giving out his orders to Joseph, Ashton sat up straight, and his expression was grave. He was in a cold, uncompromising mood.
Marcus did not want to make things difficult for me. He took the initiative to move forward, sat on the sofa, and humbly spoke to Ashton.
“Please don’t fault Scarlett. I begged her to help me. All these years, I had done too much wrong to Camelia and our child. I can’t sit back and do nothing now that they are in danger. Ashton, I gave Scarlett up to you. Could you not return the favor and help find out about my wife and child?”
This was as humble as Marcus could get. Both Ashton and he were men of great ego. They would not be able to let go of their pride completely, even when asking for help.
He really gave his all for Camelia. They were both my friends, and also due to the indebtedness I felt towards Marcus, I had no excuse not to help.
Seeing Ashton was unmoved, I got anxious. I kept my cool and nudged him gently. “Could you do it for me? GW is eager to work with Fuller Corporation, so they would not reject your request. So long as…”
Before I could finish my plead, Ashton rebuked me with a growl. “So you want Summer and you to end up like Camelia?”
My mind went blank as I looked at Ashton. He was furious, and the veins were bulging on his forehead.
What is he saying? He is aware Camelia and Toby were missing? So he already made up his mind, and all he cares about is our own safety?
This was not the Ashton I knew.
Ashton could probably read my mind. He coldly turned around and told Marcus to leave. “You’d better leave. Scarlett is pregnant, so she shouldn’t be moving around too much. I will never allow any danger near her.”
“Ash…”
I wanted to plead for Marcus, but Ashton stood up and marched upstairs, leaving me no chance to do so.
Only Marcus and I were left in the hall after Ashton marched out. The place was eerily empty and quiet. Other than the echo of Ashton’s footsteps, only our sighs were audible.
Marcus did not voice any dissatisfaction. He stood there, numbed. After a while, he quietly walked out too. I could only helplessly watch his visibly gaunt back disappear through the door.
I was of no help when the White Corporation got into trouble. When Benjamin and Sharon passed away, I was not by Marcus’ side. Now, the only family he had left also went missing, and my dearest had refused to help him so as not to endanger me. I owed Marcus too much. On the other hand, I could not pin any fault on Ashton. He refused to get involved as he was protective of me. He was only doing his best to protect the ones he treasured.
The bedroom door was left ajar. Obviously, Ashton was waiting for me. I could not face him, so I turned and went into the study instead.
As I looked at the pile of notes for the bar examination, I had a wistful thought. Maybe if I were a top lawyer, I could unreservedly march into GW’s headquarters and demand to know Camelia and Toby’s whereabouts.
