After making the payment, Ashton returned the card to me and expressed his intention to leave.
As Nathaniel was occupied by guests trying to flatter him, Ashton took the opportunity to lead us out through the side door.
The moment Audrey was buckled up inside the car, Nathaniel rushed over and called out, “Ashton, Scarlett, wait.”
“What do you want?” Ashton turned around and asked blandly.
Nathaniel smiled faintly and shifted sideways to allow the assistant behind him to step forward and present the oil painting that was already wrapped in kraft paper.
“My staff are inexperienced. Since you like this painting, just take it with you. You don’t need to pay a single cent. I’ll arrange someone to follow behind your car and deliver the painting to your house, then find a suitable spot to frame it up.”
Having said that, one of the assistants brought a cheque forward and respectfully handed it to Ashton with both hands.
There was nothing odd about bestowing gifts to your own family. In fact, it could strengthen the bond between them, but there was no such bond between us and Nathaniel, to begin with.
Ashton stared unblinkingly at him and parted his lips slightly. “Even brothers need to keep family and business separate. Besides, I don’t like taking advantage of others.”
After that, he swiveled around and got into the car, taking the seat next to Audrey without once looking back. John replicated his actions, pulling open the front passenger door and sliding in. Hence, the atmosphere turned rather awkward.
I was left with no choice but to patiently lighten the situation. “They don’t have anything against you. It’s just how they are. Don’t take it to heart, Nathaniel.”
“Of course.” Nathaniel didn’t seem angry at all. Then, he changed the topic. “Anyway, make sure Ashton enjoys his vacation. I’ll see him at the company.”
At the mention of the company, my expression froze slightly, but seeing that he had no intention to continue speaking, I pursed my lips into a smile and boarded the car.
Even after the car roared to life, Nathaniel’s smile did not falter as he stood in place and saw us off. However, it was a superficial smile that concealed his scheming ways.
After the car drove a distance away, Ashton’s voice filled the car. “What did Nathaniel say to you just now?”
I was coincidently trying to figure out the deeper meaning in Nathaniel’s words. A brief pause later, I relayed, “He said to return to the company after your vacation is over.”
John interjected from the front seat, “He didn’t even come forward to stop you from resigning before. Then he visited late at night, but it was about his own art exhibition. He didn’t show any concern for the company, but look, he’s finally showing his true colors.”
He wasn’t deliberately making a jab at Nathaniel, but his actions in the past two days were too phony. One second he pretended to be unconcerned about the grudges between the Hall family and Ashton, and the next, he was making insinuations through the oil painting and the art exhibition. Unbeknownst to him, it was all merely a clown act to us.
Ashton didn’t display much of a reaction. He only lowered his gaze, as though immersed deep in thought.
His subtle mannerisms were all too familiar to me. I could tell at a glance that he was already formulating a plan in his mind. But as usual, he would keep everything to himself and carry the plan out in secret. In the end, we would only get to know the outcome and not the process.
This seemed to be a habit he had developed when he dedicated his life to avenging his parents over twenty years ago. After falling in love, he gradually changed his ways, but after experiencing amnesia and breaking out of the hypnosis placed on him, his temper and habits spiraled out of control and everything went back to square one.
But I knew that change couldn’t be rushed. Reaching out to gently nudge his arm, I took the initiative to ask, “What have you thought of?”
Ashton turned his head to look at me as surprise flashed across his eyes, but it vanished as soon as it appeared. In a calm voice, he explained, “Let’s see it to the end. Since Nathaniel is so keen on becoming a successful hunter, then let’s work even harder to play the role of a trapped prey and return to the company because we’re left with no choice.”
His thoughts coincided with mine. It seemed like the hypnosis didn’t cause him to lose the tacit understanding he shared with me for more than a decade.
I failed to stifle the smile on my face and slid my hand toward Ashton’s to interlace our fingers.
“Oh God, save me.” Upon noticing this from the front passenger seat, John held his forehead in agony. “Please get me away from this place this instant. I’m going to die from all this public display of affection.”
