He smiled again, gazing at me with his dark eyes. “I got someone to follow her—don’t worry about it. Originally, I planned to go out for a walk with you alone, but Joe isn’t around, and Rebecca might be bored if I left her alone in the hotel. Next time, let’s go out by ourselves, alright?”
I pursed my lips and grunted in response, sounding rather deflated. When had he become so close to Rebecca, anyway?
Over the past few weeks, he had started treating her like a younger sister who had been entrusted to his care!
He suddenly leaned closer and pinched my cheeks. It hurt a little. I looked up and met his gaze defiantly. In a low voice, he said, “Scarlett, as long as she doesn’t do anything inappropriate, can’t you just treat her as your younger sister? Do you need to make things so difficult for the both of us? Just let go of your grudge, won’t you?”
I frowned even more fiercely. His words had touched a raw nerve in me. Staring at him in the eye, I asked, “Is that all I am to you? A wretched woman who has been wasting away in hatred and regret?”
Was he castigating me for acting like a woman who had been deserted by her husband?
Hearing my sudden question, the smile disappeared from his face. “Scarlett, you know that isn’t what I meant!”
The streets were swimming with people and having an argument here would only reflect badly on us. I pursed my lips and kept quiet.
Ashton seemed to have realized the mistake in his words, too. He tried to take my hand, but I swatted his arm away irritably.
Here, Rebecca appeared with a couple of yo-yos in her hand and a fabulous smile on her face. “Ash, take a look at these! My brother and I used to play with them all the time, and I didn’t know they sold them here! In fact, I thought I would never see them again!”
Ashton assented and handed me one of the yo-yos. “Do you want to give it a go?”
I shook my head. “No thanks!” I was in no mood to play.
He didn’t force the matter. Instead, he looked at Rebecca and nagged, “Don’t injure yourself!” With that, he continued walking further down the street.
Lavelian Village had lovely architecture. Usually, it would be a dream to sniff the air of Jadeborough and have a stroll along the streets after dinner. The hawker stalls along the road were a feast for the eyes.
However, sight-seeing was best done in the right mood. I had been very happy when I came to visit with Nora the other day, but all I felt in my heart now were bitter traces of annoyance and disappointment.
After walking for a while more, Rebecca seemed to get a little tired. She ran over to a bench by the side of the street and sat down. Smiling sweetly at Ashton, she exclaimed, “Ash, why don’t we rest our feet for now?”
Throughout the whole thing, neither Ashton nor I said a word. After sitting on the bench for a few minutes, Rebecca seemed to think of something. Pulling Ashton up, she turned to me and said, “Ms. Stovall, wait for us for a bit, won’t you? We’ll be back in a jiffy!”
With that, she disappeared into the crowd along with Ashton.
I leaned back in the bench and watched the swarm of people pass me by. The scenery would have made me very happy on normal days, but I couldn’t find it in me to smile today.
At that moment, the phone in my pocket started to ring. It was a K City number. Who was calling me from K City? I thought for a few moments, but not a single name came to mind. I picked up the phone anyway.
Immediately, I heard the sweet voice of a little girl on the other end of the line. “Mommy, are you still at work? Why is it so noisy in the background?”
I froze for a second. I had nearly forgotten that Summer promised to call me every night. Snapping out of my daze, I said, “Oh, I just had dinner, and I’m out for a walk now. Work is over for today.”
Summer’s voice was soft and almost ticklish in my ear. “Mommy, you have to rest well! Don’t be too tired! Mr. Fuller went to look for you today—have you met him yet?”
I nodded and smiled. “Yes, I have. Summer, who are you with right now?” With Ashton gone from the villa, she had probably been left in the care of Mrs. Dune.
“I’m in Granny’s house! Since Mr. Fuller isn’t at home, I went to stay with Granny and Grandpa for a while. Mommy, do you want to talk to Granny? She misses you as much as I do.”
I froze again. I wanted to turn down her offer, but Cameron was already on the phone. “Scarlett, how are you? It’s getting cold lately, so make sure to put on warmer clothes. Come back when you’re done with your work, alright? It’s nearly the Harvest Festival—are you and Ashton going to be back in time for it?”
Perhaps it was because we were speaking over the phone, but she sounded even older over the line. In fact, she sounded almost elderly.
I nodded and said, “We’re not sure yet, actually. I’ll get back to you closer to the Harvest Festival.” After a short pause, I said, “Thanks for taking care of Summer for me.”
I heard Cameron’s helpless laughter on the other end of the line. “Oh, you silly child. What’s there to thank me for when I’m taking care of my own granddaughter? Scarlett, I’m getting on in age, and I’ll be gone in a couple of years. I know you still hate me deep inside, but we must look forward in life.”
I pursed my lips and didn’t say anything else.
Summer started fussing to speak to me again. She took the phone from Cameron and started telling me about the interesting things that had happened in school. I listened half-heartedly to her, laughing slightly when appropriate.
