She sounded like she was too embarrassed to continue, so Sally spoke for her, “Rebecca didn’t bring her driver along. She came here with me. It’s already very late now and it’s not safe for a girl to go home alone at this hour. The villa’s big, so let her stay here for the night.”
Sally’s words were meant for Ashton.
The latter narrowed his eyes and looked to me instead. “What do you think about having a guest over for the night?”
I frowned, feeling slightly peeved. “What does it have to do with me?”
With that, I moved to head upstairs, but he grabbed my arm and ordered in a deep voice, “I’ll get a driver to send Ms. Larson home.”
Unhappy with her nephew’s command, Sally’s expression hardened. “Is this how you treat your guests? Since when have you become so inhospitable? Don’t you know how cold it is outside? It’s not appropriate to allow a girl to go home on her own. The house is so big and isn’t lacking in rooms. Besides, my place is so empty, so I’d like her to keep me company. I don’t like being alone at night.”
Noticing Ashton’s darkening expression, Rebecca timidly chipped in, “Ash, your aunt has gone through a lot lately. I was also thinking of staying back to keep her company. Don’t worry, I won’t disturb you and Scarlett. I only want to accompany your aunt, so that she won’t feel so lonely.”
Tsk, tsk!
How kind and considerate of her!
Ashton furrowed his brows in discontent, but since Sally put it that way, it would be unwise for him to reject her request.
With his arm still around me, he barked, “Do as you please.”
Then, he tugged me upstairs and studied my face. “Are you mad?”
I was stunned, but I quickly shook my head in response. Without speaking, I trudged into the bathroom, feeling slightly exhausted.
Sally was obviously threatening me by flagrantly bringing Rebecca here.
She probably knew a little bit about Ashton and Rebecca. A married woman’s biggest fear was having to witness her husband being intimate with his mistress.
Sally was really an expert at emotional manipulation, seeing as she came up with such a trick.
However, she seemed to have overestimated Ashton’s place in my heart. If Ashton still regarded Rebecca as a friend, I wouldn’t mind giving him up. This way, it would be easier to deal with Cameron.
I stayed in the bathroom for so long that Ashton thought I had fallen asleep, so he knocked on the door a few times to urge me.
As I towel-dried my hair after coming out, Ashton looked at me with his brows pinched together. “Were you hiding in the bathroom to avoid seeing me?”
My lips curved into a cool smile. “You have a very active imagination, Mr. Fuller.”
He pressed his lips together and squinted at me. “Make sure you dry your hair completely, lest you catch a cold.”
He went into the bathroom after that.
My phone rang with an incoming call from John just then. I answered the call, but he spoke before I could, “I’ve sent someone to keep an eye on things, but isn’t Sally staying right under your roof? Wouldn’t it be better for you to keep an eye on her instead of having me send someone else to do it?”
I grunted out a response and replied in a weary voice, “She only just moved in. I emailed you some information just a while ago. Take a look at it and see if it’s of any use to Uncle Louis.”
“There shouldn’t be a problem.” Then, he clucked his tongue, as though impressed. “You’ve been busy gathering information in secret, huh? Not bad. Did Ashton help you?”
“No.” I wasn’t in the mood to explain further. Plus, it was already late, so I said in a tired voice, “It’s getting late. Say hi to Uncle Louis for me. Let’s talk soon.”
Before I ended the call, he blurted out, “Letty, have you been feeling off lately?”
I stiffened a little bit. “No. Why?”
He hummed in relief and continued, “I received a medical record stating that you have depression, and by the looks of it, it seems kind of serious. How are you coping with Marcus’ death?”
Frowning, I shook my head. “I’m coping just fine. I’ll survive.”
“Why don’t we spare some time to meet tomorrow? I’ll take you to see a doctor.”
“That’s not necessary.” My frustration was apparent in my tone. “John, I’ll tell you if there’s anything wrong. Alright, I’m going to bed now. You should rest too.”
I hung up the call immediately.
Perhaps seeing Rebecca made me feel irritated, so I chucked my phone aside.
Sensing someone behind me, I looked back to see Ashton staring coldly at me. Only God knows how long he had been standing there.
My forehead creased. How much of my conversation with John did he hear?
I opened my mouth to ask him, but he abruptly placed his hands on my waist and lowered his head to kiss me.
Not expecting him to do this, I simply stood there, feeling slightly disorientated.
But I came back to my senses after a few seconds and shoved him away irritably. “Let go of me, Ashton!”
He froze for a moment, frowned, then pulled me into his arms again. In a hoarse voice, he grumbled, “Isn’t it supposed to be like this between husband and wife?”
“What’s wrong with you?” A hint of anger streaked through me and I shot him a dirty look. “Your lover is still downstairs. Aren’t you afraid that she’d be heartbroken if she sees you behaving so uninhibited?”
A chuckle escaped his lips and he pressed me against him. “Lover? What an interesting choice of word, Scarlett. Why? Are you jealous?”
