He let out a sigh and turned toward Rebecca. “You can choose to either leave K City forever or get arrested for breaking and entering.”
Rebecca went pale and shook her head in disbelief. “You can’t do this to me, Ash! You promised my brother you’d take good care of me!”
Ashton shot her a fierce glare and said coldly, “You mentioning your brother now only disgusts me further. In fact, his biggest failure in life is having a sister like you.”
Rebecca had barely steadied herself after getting up from the floor when his words hit her like a sledgehammer and sent her falling back down again.
Ashton stared down at her as he continued, “For Parker’s sake, I’m willing to pay you any sum of money as compensation, but you tried to hurt my wife today, and I will not let it slide. You’re looking at three years in prison for first-degree burglary. Of course, you do have the option to take the money and leave K City, under the condition that you disappear from our sight forever!”
The murderous intent in his cold voice was palpable.
Rebecca had broken down completely and sat motionless on the floor while Joseph arrived with the police shortly after.
There were no security cameras in the villa, but Rebecca still had the knife in her hand when the police came in. Given Ashton’s power and influence, getting her jailed for burglary was no problem at all.
However, he didn’t say a word, and the police simply took Rebecca in for interrogation as per the normal procedure.
We were both quiet on the drive home. As I stared blankly out the window, I thought about what happened earlier. When did he get there? How much of our conversation did he overhear? Oh, this reminds me… He once told Rebecca that she could only give but not ask for love. That makes sense… After all, love that you only receive by asking isn’t worth anything.
Right then, he stopped the car by the side of the road, snapping me out of my train of thoughts. I looked at him in confusion and asked, “We’re not home yet?”
Ashton nodded, got out of the car, and disappeared behind a corner on the street.
A while later, he came back with a box of chocolates in hand. “Here, try it!” he offered while holding it out to me, but I just stared blankly at the box without responding.
He then took my hand and whispered into my ear, “You can scold me all you like. Don’t keep quiet like this.”
His hand feels so warm… Maybe it’s because mine is icy-cold…
I looked up at him and said in a hoarse voice, “She didn’t break into the house. I was the one who brought her in.”
He started the engine and nodded as he placed the box of chocolates into my hand. “I know.”
“Why’d you let the police take her away?” I had no appetite for anything at all.
He let out a sigh and looked at me. “She has to learn her lesson, Scarlett. I won’t always be around to protect you, you know? What do you think would’ve happened if I wasn’t around earlier?”
“I would’ve gotten stabbed,” I replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Is that all?”
“And I might have died.”
He let out another sigh. “I’ve waited four years for you, and this is what I get in return? Having to live a life where you only exist in my memories?”
Upon hearing that, I kept quiet.
“I have to do something to prevent her from hurting you again, Scarlett. I can’t guarantee that I’ll always be able to save you in the nick of time if she comes after you, nor can I predict when such an incident will occur again. The only thing I can do is get rid of her completely.”
“What do you plan to do next?” I asked after a brief pause.
He had a cold look in his eyes as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Either have her leave K City forever, or sue her and have her spend three years in prison.”
I frowned. “The hatred and resentment in her will only build up and give rise to new conflict. We can’t punish her for something she hasn’t done.”
“That’s why I’m planning on forcing her to leave instead,” he said with a stern look on his face.
I… Fine, I guess this is the best possible solution…
It was quite late when we got back to the villa. I had eaten while I was in the mall earlier, so I wasn’t really hungry.
Summer was munching on a slice of cake that Flora had baked. “I want some chocolates too, Mommy!” she said while staring at the box in my hand with those innocent-looking eyes of hers.
I let out a sigh and handed her the box. “You mustn’t eat too much of it or you’ll get cavities, okay?”
Summer nodded with a huge smile on her face.
Ashton shot me a glance and said with a chuckle, “Looks like I’ve got some competition for your affection.”
Ignoring his comment, I sat down on the sofa as I asked, “How much of my conversation with Rebecca did you overhear?”
There is no such thing as a pure and beautiful soul, and anyone who appears that way is simply putting on a facade. When you get to know them, you’ll eventually see their hideous side.
He sat down on the sofa in front of me. “Just a little.”
“You must think I’m pretty evil, huh?”
He flashed me a grin and edged closer toward me. “Do you want to let her bully and humiliate you, then?”
