Ashton glanced at me and said, “Alright, but do be careful.”
Seeing this, Sally smiled at me with gratitude in her eyes. If Ashton were unwilling to discuss the Fullers, I couldn’t just interject on her behalf. As such, this was a private matter within the family. A person as elegant or composed as Sally would definitely not want me around to witness her impending faux-pas.
I decided to take a stroll, marveling at the size of the yard. I followed a cobblestone path and soon found a shady place to sit in silence and observe my surroundings.
However, Marcus’s arrival immediately shattered the silence that I had been enjoying.
A tall and slender figure loomed over me with a condescending look in his eyes.
For the sake of maintaining decorum, I got up and greeted him with a smile.
He furrowed his brows again, still clutching the book he was reading earlier. His gaze fell onto my swollen belly before asking, “A Fuller child?”
I was a little taken aback by how abruptly he had asked about the child in my belly. I paused to collect my thoughts before nodding at him. “Well, I’m Scarlett. Nice to meet you.”
He nodded and didn’t say much, but there was no mistaking the hostility beneath his lowered gaze.
His reaction made me feel puzzled. I wonder why he was so hostile towards me, seeing as we’ve never met?
Fortunately, he simply grunted a response at me and left.
By the time we had lunch, it was already two in the afternoon.
There were only five of us present at the table. Apart from Sally, Ashton, and myself, there were two others, Marcus and Benjamin, both of whom were formally introduced then.
At a glance, Benjamin appeared to be in his fifties, at least. He also seemed to be surprisingly warm and gentle despite being a middle-aged man in an industry as ruthless as business or finance.
For people like Benjamin and Sally to appear together in public as husband and wife, I’m assuming they were prone to gossip. After all, the visual image they both conjured was startling. Benjamin looked much older than the more youthful Sally.
However, all other queries I had instantly vanished the moment a woman named Sharon appeared.
What was initially a quiet and harmonious meal was disrupted by the arrival of this middle-aged woman who clearly meant to start a fight. Her eyes were full of tears, her voice hoarse, but that did not stop her. “Listen here, Benjamin White. I can ignore your dalliances with your mistress and still put up with you being with her, but this is going too far. Why did you will the company to this woman instead of your flesh and blood? Yes, have you forgotten about him? Our son? Are you hell-bent on making him the joke of K City?”
The woman shuddered and looked venomously at Sally. “Sally Fuller, just what have you done? I know that I haven’t been able to compete with you for the last ten years! You’ve already ruined my marriage and my family, so why are you now targeting my son?”
Sally was quite surprised at the revelation. She turned took at Benjamin with a frown and asked, “When did you will the company to me?”
“Sooner or later, they will be yours. I’m getting older and won’t be around for much longer.” Benjamin sighed dejectedly and looked at Sharon. “I have not neglected our son. Marc will inherit all of my other assets, so he’ll have a promising future in M Country when the day arrives.”
Sharon was still unsatisfied with the explanation and could only see red. “This company was something we built and managed together over the years. Why are you giving it to an outsider?”
“Sally is not an outsider. She is my wife.” As he said this, his tired gaze fell on Marcus. Wearily, he said, “Take your mother home.”
Marcus arched a brow with an impassive yet dangerous look on his face. “Home? Doesn’t she live here?”
“You—” Before he could finish, Benjamin lapsed into a coughing fit. In a panic, Sally immediately rushed to his side and tried to ease his discomfort. “I don’t want to have anything to do with the company,” said Sally, seemingly distraught. “Please stop forcing him. He’s already in poor health! Just go home and leave us be.”
This was directed at both Marcus and Sharon.
Sharon could only stare resentfully at the couple. In a huff, she quickly grabbed Marcus’s hand. With a shaky voice, Sharon asked him to take her home.
Marcus observed Benjamin and Sally with a grim expression on his face. He sat there unmovingly for a while, contemplating his actions. If not for how upset Sharon was, he would’ve likely taken out more of his anger on the couple.
Ashton and I weren’t meant to witness this. This was a private family spat, after all. I released the breath I had been holding instinctively. Having seen what just happened, I now understood why Grandpa did not want to acknowledge Aunt Sally’s presence.
All three generations of the Fullers made a name for themselves by joining the army and have received praise for their meritorious service to the nation. They were raised with good values, but things took a different turn when Grandpa led the family. He didn’t want the future generations to be living such dangerous lives anymore. Thus, he left the army and founded the Fuller Corporation, steering the family towards business ventures instead.
I wasn’t blind to why Sharon came here and kicked up such a big fuss. From what I gathered, Benjamin’s son was in his thirties, yet Sally was only thirty-five years old. I could tell that their marriage was definitely not a simple one.
The unfortunate incident suddenly made the atmosphere deeply uncomfortable for everyone present. What was supposed to be a pleasant meal turned into a disaster in the end.
The doctor employed at the villa was later called into Benjamin’s room as Sally accompanied him.
With that, evening had already approached. Benjamin was already feeling better and was fast asleep. Sally breathed a sigh of relief and looked guiltily at Ashton. It was evident that she blamed herself for this. “I apologize for my oversight. It’s my fault that lunch was ruined.”
Ashton didn’t respond immediately but merely studied her for a brief moment. Coolly, he asked, “Do you regret it?”
Sally could only smile bitterly at the question. “Regret? It’s too late for that. It’s been so many years now and life goes on.”
Ashton pursed his lips and didn’t have much else to say. Tugging my arm, he looked at Sally and said, “Well, I think it’s about time for us to head back.”
