Chapter 1809 Fake News
Nathaniel sat down with a plate of pasta and put the dish aside before he got his laptop from me to examine it. He found nothing out of the ordinary.
In a hostile tone, I retaliated by challenging, “Do you see me as a spy? You are the one who brought me over, and you are the one who placed your laptop here. You should’ve told me earlier if you don’t want me to use it, so stop looking at me like that. I am not your slave, and I get to do certain things like using the computer.”
Nonetheless, Nathaniel ignored me entirely. His expression remained aloof as he put the laptop, which he had since turned off, aside and pushed the pasta over to me. After that, he said, “Eat up.”
His response made me feel as though I was talking to a wall. It’d feel weird if I kept complaining about it, and I was hungry anyway, so I picked up the fork and ate away.
That night, Nathaniel insisted on sleeping while hugging me like a pillow. He only left after the sun had risen, and he took the laptop away as he left.
I couldn’t sleep because I kept thinking about the e-mail and wondered if Ashton had received it.
It was ten o’clock at night, but I was too nervous. Besides, the bed felt uncomfortable no matter how much I tossed and turned. I then gave up and decided to go out for some fresh air.
When I walked down the stairs, I bumped into Ashton, who happened to be entering at the time.
I thought I was dreaming, so I pinched myself hard.
Ouch, that hurts! Huh? So this is not a dream, then. Ashton really is here.
Ashton, however, had no idea what I was doing. He seemed taken aback when he asked, “What are you up to this time?”
“Huh?” Once again, I wondered if I was dreaming.
It had been a while since he last spoke to me in that tone.
Ashton took a deep breath and straightened his back before shifting his gaze away. His tone was so icy that it was borderline inhumane when he said, “I’m talking about the e-mail from last night.”
After a sharp breath, I stared at him strangely and started questioning myself once more.
He should be aware of the risks I took to get my hands on that information. Why is he interrogating me in that tone? It’s as if I had just pulled the worst prank on him. Did I misunderstand the situation? Was I wrong to assume that he trusts me?
“What e-mail?” A familiar voice rang out all of a sudden. The owner of that voice, Nathaniel, was walking over from the living room with a glass of whiskey in his hand. It seemed like he had already downed half a glass. The man draped one of his arms around my shoulder and nonchalantly asked, “You guys don’t mind if I join in on the conversation, right?”
I knew that I was at fault, so my heart started thumping fast. At that moment, I couldn’t respond to that at all.
Ashton, on the other hand, couldn’t contain his anger. His tone was as sharp as daggers when he spat, “I don’t know what game the two of you are playing, but I will have none of it. This is the first and last time you’ll test me with fake news, get it?”
How could that be fake?
Surprised, I turned to Nathaniel. The confident grin on his lips and the blatant arrogance shining in his eyes showed that he had anticipated everything that was happening at that moment.
It also meant that the information I risked for and stole on the night before was nothing but fake content. That sly fox likely planted everything there to test the waters as he tried to figure out how often Ashton and I still communicate with one another.
That was a good move.
Pretending to let his words slip, acting all nervous when he took the laptop away from me… I had been putting on a show, but in the end, he was the one who fooled me.
It seems I have underestimated my opponent.
But this doesn’t explain why Ashton is acting like this. If he knows that the information is fake, shouldn’t he try to get in touch with me and warn me to be more careful around Nathaniel? Why is he acting this way?
It is as if he is convinced that Nathaniel and I are on the same side.
I was reminded countless times, but I would never believe that Nathaniel could tempt Ashton to do anything immoral.
At that thought, I clamped my mouth shut and tried my best to keep myself calm before saying, “I didn’t know that the information was faked and was unaware of the situation.”
“Do I look like an idiot?” growled Ashton almost immediately after I finished speaking. His tone was icy and almost cruel.
After he said that, he turned his attention to Nathaniel and added, “The two of you are living together, huh? No wonder Scarlett changed her stance so quickly and is working against me now.”
Meanwhile, Nathaniel tightened his hold on me and shrugged a little. He had an infuriating expression on. At that point, it seemed like his silence worked better than spoken words.
