“Okay, remind me again before we go.” After a short pause, I glanced at him. “Ashton, can I ask you a question?”
He raised a brow. “What is it?”
“I’ve always thought that you’re angry with your grandpa because he broke you and Rebecca up, but I realized that wasn’t true. Can you tell me why you were so mad at your grandpa?” Some incidents of the past were etched in my memory. I remembered he hadn’t shown up during his grandfather’s funeral.
His gaze darkened a little at my question. After staring at me in silence for a while, he said, “It’s been so long. I don’t really remember why I was so mad at that time.”
Baffled by his answer, I was tongue-tied, so I stopped questioning him.
The following day.
Ashton and I went to Fuller Corporation together. The number of reporters waiting downstairs had reduced significantly. They must have left because of the lack of newsworthy information over the past few days.
Sasha’s parents were not around as well. I reckoned that they were taking care of their granddaughter at the hospital.
The lobby that used to be clamorous was now back to normal.
The moment I stepped through the entrance, Stella skipped to my side and spoke while looking at me. “Mrs. Fuller, you’re here. Isn’t it great that Sasha’s grandparents stopped coming over? You’re amazing!”
Overcome with excitement and joy, she completely overlooked the man beside me. For a moment, I thought she was about to twirl around me in delight while holding my arm.
After a while, Stella finally spotted Ashton. She hurriedly let go of me and greeted him respectfully, “I’m sorry, Mr. Fuller. So sorry.”
Glancing at her indifferently, Ashton reached out to hold my hand. Without a word, he brought me into an elevator.
In the elevator, Ashton gave me a sideways glance. “Now I know you have a way with both men and women.”
His comment befuddled me. My cheeks flushed red when I finally wrapped my head around his words. “Cut the nonsense. I worked with her yesterday while dealing with Sasha’s parents. What are you thinking?”
He chuckled and pulled me into a hug. “That my wife is very sociable.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Stop teasing me!”
Later in the evening, I thought of Summer after preparing dinner, so I called Cameron. The phone rang for quite a while before it was picked up. “Hello, this is the Moore Residence.” Zachary’s voice sounded on the other side of the phone.
The landline phone didn’t display the caller ID, so he spoke rather formally. I froze for a second. “Dad, it’s me, Scarlett.”
The man remained silent for a short while before asking gently, “Letty, have you eaten? Are you coming home tonight?”
I chuckled. “I’ve just finished cooking. I’m staying at Ashton’s tonight. Have you guys had your dinner? How’s Summer today?”
“Mmm. She’s fine, and her fever’s gone. I guess she’ll recover soon. Your mom and aunt are cooking dinner in the kitchen now. We’re going to eat soon. Is Fuller Corporation alright?”
I nodded and chatted a little longer with him before ending the call.
Just as I was about to have my dinner, my phone rang with a call from Armond. Picking it up, I greeted him. “Hello, Mr. Murphy.” I habitually addressed him the way I did at work.
I heard a sigh from the other side. “You can call me by my name when we’re not at work. I heard from Nora that you’re in K City. Are you free to have lunch with me tomorrow?”
His words reminded me of the promise I made to him in Epea, which I put off up till now. Without a second thought, I agreed, “Sure. Let me know the time and the venue. I’m free tomorrow.”
He hummed without saying a word.
After hanging up the phone, Ashton’s dark eyes were fixed on me. “Was that Armond?”
I nodded. “When I was in Epea, I promised that I would give him the sandalwood box my grandma gave me once we returned to our country safely. Perhaps he’s interested in that box.”
Ashton’s forehead creased slightly. He kept quiet for a second before asking, “Haven’t you thought about why your grandma has the sandalwood box?”
I nodded. “I’ve thought about it, but I can’t figure it out.”
With his intense gaze still fixed on me, he said, “The way you met Armond seems deliberate to me. Scarlett, it does no harm to stay alert, no matter what you do.”
I was perplexed, yet his words made sense to me, so I nodded my head in agreement and hummed several times.
He dropped the subject afterward.
Alba Street.
Heirloom Cafe.
Following the address Armond gave me, I arrived at the restaurant, and a waiter guided me to the table where Armond was. It was already late autumn in K City. He was dressed in a casual Korean-style outfit. His hair was neat and chic. A beige trench coat was draped over the back of the chair next to him. His look made him look as dashing as a Korean idol.
The restaurant was equipped with air heaters, so I removed my jacket and put it aside. “Have you been in K City for a few days already?” I asked, looking at him.
He nodded with a half-smile. “I wanted to ask you out a few days ago, but there’s a lot going on in Fuller Corporation, I thought you might be busy, so I postponed it.”
