The row between Ashton and Sally was something I’d never expected.
Ashton didn’t go to the office for several days, so he handled all his work over to Joe.
When Sally came, I wasn’t in the living room.
Initially, they merely chatted, but out of the blue, they started arguing for some inexplicable reason.
I actually didn’t want to poke my nose into it, but I couldn’t resist leaving the bedroom to see what had happened upon hearing the commotion.
“She’ll ruin you! All the ladies from wealthy and noble families in K City are outstanding, so why her? You’ve been at odds with Marcus for years when the two of you could’ve prospered together as allies to attain greater success. Why must you be at loggerheads with him because of a woman?” Sally bellowed.
“I love her!” This remark came from Ashton. His back was ramrod straight, and I couldn’t discern his emotions or expression since he had his back to me.
It was just three words, yet it was more than sufficient to stun me for a long while. After all, I had never heard him saying “I love you” throughout the past seven years.
This was the very first time…
Ashton’s voice was low and determined as he spoke to Sally. “In this relationship, it’s not her clinging to me, but it’s me who can’t lose her. Even if she truly becomes a lunatic who has no sanity left, I will still stay faithful to her. As long as she stays by my side, I’ll take care of her no matter what.”
Upon hearing this, Sally shook her head in disbelief.
Ashton, however, continued in a low voice, “You have no idea how bright and vivid she was when I met her at J University, nor do you know how sweet her smile was when she married me. In the past seven years, it was me who turned her into her current shell from a young and dazzling girl. Anyone else can abandon her, but not me.”
“You’re simply hopeless!” Sally was infuriated. “Have you ever considered your children in the future when you keep such a person by your side? Her condition is already severe, that with her inability to control her own emotions. Have you ever considered what she’d do to a child once her condition flares? Putting it bluntly, she might actually kill the child and commit suicide herself!”
Despite that, Ashton wasn’t at all bothered. “We won’t be having another child. I’m registered as Summer’s legal guardian, so she’s my daughter in the eyes of the law.”
“But she’s not of your blood!”
“What does that matter?” Ashton pursed his lips. “I’m not having any other children; Summer alone is enough.”
The moment Sally heard this, she almost burst a blood vessel. Staring at him incredulously, she blurted, “Have you gone mad, Ashton? You’re the only heir of the Fullers! How could you do this to your grandfather who’s in heaven?”
Ashton didn’t say anything to this, for he’d glimpsed me standing at the landing when he stood up.
His initially grim expression gradually turned tender. As our gazes locked, the corners of his mouth lifted, and he beckoned to me gently, his voice amicable. “Come down.”
As I looked at him, my heart clenched slightly.
Meanwhile, Sally wore a forbidding expression that appeared to conceal much hatred. When she saw Ashton holding my hand, she snapped with barely restrained fury, “Scarlett Stovall, must you keep pestering him so that you can ruin him? You have your choice of the Moore family or the Stovall family, so why do you insist on clinging to him? Do you know how badly the initially fine and dandy Fuller Corporation had been hit time and again from the rumors and scandals revolving around you ever since your appearance? Do you know why Ashton has been so busy?”
“That’s enough!” Ashton wanted to stop her tirade, but I held him back. Staring at her, I murmured in a placid voice, “Go on.”
“White Corporation has snatched away several contracts that Fuller Corporation had already signed, and in just a month, the shares of Fuller Corporation had plummeted to rock bottom. He’s willing to withstand anything for your sake, but why must you be so selfish and pester him time and again? “Plus, Summer belongs to the Crest family. Never mind if you don’t want to give him any child, but why must you make him a joke in the eyes of others? The price of him fighting the Crest family for Summer is his friendship with a good friend and the reputation as well as prestige he’d accumulated in K City throughout the years. Do you truly intend to ruin him, Scarlett Stovall?” she sneered in disdain.
I shook my head as I tried my best to rein in my emotions. Never had I thought of ruining him!
Sensing the trembling of my hand in his, Ashton turned to her and demanded caustically, “Get out!”
Momentarily stunned by his sudden wrath, Sally instinctively backed away several steps before she snagged her handbag and left.
All of a sudden, I shivered all over. It was late autumn, yet I couldn’t stop perspiring. Ashton hugged me tightly, his voice low and restrained. “Don’t listen to her, Scarlett. Nothing will happen to either Fuller Corporation or me because of you. You’re my lawfully-wedded wife, so no one can separate us. I’m invincible as long as you remain by my side. Trust me, won’t you?”
I nodded, but still, I trembled greatly.
Why did things come to this?
It was a long time before I finally calmed down. Nonetheless, I remained curled up like a ball in his embrace, wishing to keep myself surrounded by his presence so that I would have a sufficient sense of security.
As I rested against his chest, I murmured in a hoarse voice, “Ashton, I may truly forget everything one day, so… it’s not worth staying faithful to a lunatic like me.”
