Within ten minutes, the hashtag #FulleReconciliation had been propelled to Facebook’s most widely searched and used term.
Ashton seemed in no mood to talk once he got into the car. Wary of disturbing him, I continued scrolling through Facebook.
The photo that was the most widely-circulated piece of information regarding this trending topic was my intimate photo with Ashton at the airport.
The internet was ablaze with theories and frenzied discussions.
Tsk tsk! Look at them! That’s what I call true love!
The president’s a real man indeed! He didn’t abandon the woman who gave birth to his child after all.
Scarlett’s gorgeous! She and Ashton really look like a match made in heaven.
I definitely ship this couple! None of those messy relationships for me!
Isn’t this great? I’m glad the twins won’t be separated. I was so worried that if they divorced, they’d end up splitting the twins between them!
I was rather thankful that the bulk of the comments were positive. A handful of cynical netizens questioned the validity of our relationship, citing the ambiguous closeness between Ashton and Thora. However, these naysayers’ voices were quickly drowned out by the flood of other netizens eager to express their delight and support.
As I read on, a smile hovered on my lips. The comments, no matter their nature, didn’t affect me much. I found myself immensely moved, however, by the genuine outpouring of well-wishes from people Ashton and I have never even met.
Ashton sensed my body weakening in gratitude. Perhaps mistaking it for unhappiness, he reached out a warm hand and pressed mine firmly into his palm.
I turned to look at him in surprise, but he had already reclined against his seat, his eyes shut.
Perhaps Ashton merely wanted to hold me. I thought to myself, and another wave of pleasure washed over me.
It had been a while since Ashton had managed to get any rest. I briefly considered waking him up, then thought otherwise.
As it turned out, however, the decision to let Ashton rest for long wasn’t mine to make.
The car soon pulled up at the Stovall residence. The moment we’d entered, Thora was already waiting with Herman in the living room. They were both engaged in a frosty standoff with John and Emma.
At the sound of our arriving footsteps, the four of them swiveled around in unison to face us.
Ashton, however, looked utterly unconcerned. He airily led me into the house, where we took a seat beside John.
Herman scoffed. “True love, huh, Ashton? You and your wife really know how to put on a good show, stringing the rest of us along by the nose. Do you take us for fools?”
The Trivett family had always been suspicious of the Stovalls and naturally took an excessively defensive attitude towards us. When they’d initially agreed to let Ashton vouch for us, The Ziegler Corporation’s collaboration with Pitcoin had seen a meteoric rise in value, all thanks to the conflict between Ashton and me.
The relationship between Ashton and me was harmonious again now. Furthermore, Ashton had publicly declared that he’d never separated from me. Neither had he ever fallen for anyone else. The Trivetts saw this as an affront to their alliance with Ashton. Herman, however, was reluctant to give up his privileged access to confidential data.
Ashton remained silent, his face expressionless. His look of complete vacancy was as impenetrable as a solid wall. Unable to bear the mounting tension in the room, John burst out, enraged, “Mr. Trivett, let me give you a piece of advice. Don’t blame others for your own faults. Everyone can clearly see that the love between Letty and Ashton is real. You’re the only one who’s blind, I suppose. Who’s to blame for that?”
Aggrieved, Herman glowered at John. “Don’t think I won’t dare to touch you just because you have Louis to back you up! If you get on my bad side, I won’t rest until I’ve destroyed you.”
At that, John let out a snigger. “Be my guest. Go ahead and try.”
“You…” Herman spluttered, leaping to his feet. The air in the room was almost crackling with the abundant aggression between the two men.
Just then, Ashton intervened in a low voice. “Mr. Trivett, you’re concerned about your Pitcoin business, aren’t you? I’ll promise you that whatever the relationship between Scarlett and me, I’ll ensure that it doesn’t affect Pitcoin at all. Are you satisfied?” he asked coolly.
Herman had actually been harboring the fear that Ashton and Louis would combine their strength. They would thus emerge as a formidable opponent. Ashton’s declaration, however, greatly reassured Herman. However, another thought struck him, prompting him to thus further demand, “Mr. Fuller, I would have been more inclined to believe you if you had openly announced your relationship with Ms. Stovall at the start. In fact, I would have been willing to continue with that deal. However, now that I’ve come to know about this matter through hearsay, your credibility has been utterly reduced to zero in my eyes. How do you expect me to continue working with you?”
“What do you want, then?” John asked sharply, his wild eyes once again meeting Herman’s level gaze.
Ashton, however, stepped in before the situation could escalate once again. Icily, he informed Herman, “Fuller Corporation will withdraw from all collaborations and related enterprises with Trivett Corporation. We’ll compensate you for the breach of contract.”
