I did not even know where I was; it appeared to be a small alley.
I made up my mind to return only to realize that I couldn’t locate the route from which I came. I descended into a mild panic.
I paced for a little while and was about to use the GPS on my phone when I became aware that somebody was standing behind me.
I whipped around and was frozen with shock for several moments. I recognized him; my mind whirred for a name. A foreign-sounding name. Danny!
What is he doing here?
I clutched my shirt to force myself to remain calm. “Long time no see, Danny!” I said with as natural a smile as I could muster.
Danny stared at me with his bottomless dark eyes. After a long pause, he returned the greeting.
It was a deserted part of town. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t frightened.
Besides, I did not know his intentions of approaching me. As hard as I tried to calm myself, my hands betrayed me by trembling visibly.
“When did you return to the country? Have you had your dinner?” I probed, in response to his silent stare.
Lightning flashed across the sky as rain sprayed over us like a fine mist.
“Stay indoors, will you? Abe is in the country. The houses in Venria were burned down and our goods were exposed. He had sustained heavy losses. If he finds you, you will be in deep trouble,” Danny said, ignoring my question.
When he finished, he turned and walked away. The thin clothes on his broad shoulders were already opaque from the rain. He looked a pitiful sight.
“Danny!” I called without realizing it.
He stopped but did not turn around, as if he was waiting for me to say something.
“How have you been?” I did not know what they were doing in the country. His dark skin was at odds with the rest of the population in this city and it made him stand out but not in a good way. He looked very different from when I last saw him. He was currently disheveled.
“Good!” he answered shortly. At that, he turned and left, with no intention of staying.
I stood in the alley for a little longer while the rain worsened. Before long, the bodyguard who was tasked to tail me had appeared. He held an umbrella over my head.
“Has he been following me for a long time?” I asked.
“Yes, quite some time,” he answered.
“Does Ashton know?”
“Mr. Fuller only knows that you are being followed, but he does not know who the person is.”
I nodded without enquiring further.
The bodyguard held out a phone to me. “Mr. Fuller wants to speak to you.”
“Please take me back,” I ordered, ignoring the phone.
He was startled but obeyed me. I was led out of the alley and into the car.
It was dark when we arrived back at the villa. It appeared deserted but I recognized Ashton’s Bentley in the yard.
He was home.
I took a deep breath before going in. I changed into my slippers in the hallway and turned on the lights.
Ashton sat grimly in the living room. It was hard to tell but he looked angry.
I glanced at him and caught his eye. Looking away casually, I went upstairs without a word.
Before I entered the bedroom, Ashton came after me and grabbed my wrist. “Why didn’t you pick up the phone? Who did you meet with today?” he asked quietly.
I was tired and drenched from the rain. “I met an old friend, and my phone was off,” I said blandly, without the intention of pursuing the conversation.
I shook off his grasp and headed into the bedroom to gather up my bathrobe. However, Ashton blocked me with his slender frame. “Scarlett, we’ve talked about this. We can’t have arguments when you give me the silent treatment.”
“I got caught in the rain earlier. Can we talk about this after I have a shower?”
“Go on, then,” Ashton said after a pause.
Without another word, I entered and shut the door. The September rain was chilly, plus the night was colder than usual. I felt a headache coming after my shower. I was probably already falling sick.
As I exited the bathroom, Ashton stared at me like he expected us to talk about the day. I blew dry my hair and wiped my face but was feeling worse by the minute. When Ashton went in to brush his teeth, I promptly fell asleep without waiting for him.
In my drowsiness, I vaguely heard someone calling me, but I was too tired to respond.
When I awoke the following day, my cold intensified to the point where even my throat hurt. Ashton was nowhere to be seen.
I had planned to return to K City. After I got up and tidied up for a bit, I went to Murphy Corporation to meet Armond.
Nora called before I arrived there. “Scarlett, are you free? Let’s have lunch!” she chattered.
“Sure, what’s up? Why the sudden invitation?”
“It’s Laurel. She wants to have lunch with us before everybody goes home for Harvest Festival.”
