Chapter 1737 Just A Mere Life
Hearing the sounds, I cast my gaze over, only to be greeted by the sight of Ashton walking in expressionlessly.
He wasn’t at all surprised to see me. Instead, he calmly swept a gaze over the room. Upon seeing no signs of Joseph, he looked in our direction and asked placidly, “Where is he?”
“He made off.” Emery shrugged, indicating that everything was as he could see, and there was no need to search anymore.
After hearing that, Ashton lowered his eyes, seemingly in contemplation. In the next moment, he spun on his heels to leave.
“Wait!” I called him back. “Do you know what they did to him?”
Ashton stopped with his back to me, utterly silent.
Perhaps he didn’t know anything, or maybe he didn’t want to admit it, but I wanted him to face it and confront everything he once cared about deeply.
“They broke into his house and caged his wife and children in, blackmailing and threatening him. They injected drugs into him. You’ve seen what an addict looks like. That’s exactly Joseph’s condition right now. He trusts you greatly, but what about you? How did you treat him? You merely watched as Rebecca humiliated him and walked over him, forcing him to pay the price of his dignity for your personal grievance. And now, he’s even tormented by drugs, not even daring to see anyone. This is how you treat a friend who’s even closer to you than a brother!”
Walking up to him, I forced him to look me in the eye. The distance between us remained mere inches.
When I noticed that his ebony eyes were staring back at me, my confidence soared. I looked right at him without backing down in the least. “Actually, you’re only putting on an act. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come.”
Ashton tilted his head slightly, his gaze darkening a shade. “So?”
His sudden question startled me, and my mind went blank as I stared at his familiar face.
I thought that most bystanders in the world were kind, even toward strangers. When they saw someone in a sorry state, compassion would then well within them. But at that very moment, there wasn’t a hint of sympathy in Ashton’s eyes.
Is he hiding it too well, or am I too sensitive?
“Don’t tell me you think Joseph deserves to be treated in such a manner?” My voice seemingly came from the depths of my throat. I cowardly felt that I wouldn’t hear an answer I found unacceptable as long as I didn’t provoke him.
Alas, reality proved me wrong.
Without even batting an eyelash, Ashton replied in a voice as calm as ever, “No, but I can only say that he’s not smart enough.”
“What?” I didn’t grasp the meaning of that utterance right away.
For once, Ashton finally showed some patience though his words remained dry and unpleasant. “Am I not safe and sound?”
His words had helplessness inundating me. When did he become so egotistical? Those people were obviously sent by Rebecca to take revenge on Joseph. What has that got to do with whether Joseph is as astute as him?
I propped my head against my hand in exasperation. I’ve got to straighten out my thoughts before I can figure out a way to correct his twisted thinking.
However, Ashton unceremoniously moved to walk past me. Fortunately, I reacted swiftly and took a step to the side, blocking his path.
It’s rare that Nathaniel and Rebecca aren’t by his side, messing things up, so I can’t possibly waste this golden opportunity to interact with him!
Ashton halted in his steps, his brows furrowing slightly. Canting his head with his gaze fixated on me, he warned, “You’d better allow me to leave immediately, and perhaps Joseph would live.”
A strong sense of oppression hit me, and I unwittingly froze. I gazed into his ebony eyes, wondering whether to believe that.
After all, he said it himself that I was trouble, and he had plenty of ways to rid himself of me.
As Ashton clocked my expression, a faint smile of triumph bloomed on his face. “You can continue stopping me from leaving if you don’t believe me. It’s just a mere life. At most, I’ll pay more in death gratuity and consider it as repaying our friendship of the past as well.”
Money, money, money! The moment he opens his mouth, it’s always money and profit! This side of him is truly horrible! If possible, I really want to jump onto him and thump his head where those unruly thoughts originate!
