Although Nathaniel was dim-sighted from old age and didn’t see the contents of the pictures, he heard the sarcasm in Ashlyn’s voice. “What is the meaning of this? You invited us to have dinner with you. Is this a good way to treat your guests?”
The sarcastic smile on Ashlyn’s face did not fade. “Take a closer look at the pictures and see for yourself. If you still don’t understand, demand an explanation from your granddaughter.”
Ashlyn’s words infuriated him. As Nathaniel reached for the photos, Denise wanted to snatch them away from him. But his cold stare scared her. He could be very dangerous when he was angry.
On a closer look, Nathaniel saw that Denise was talking with a man at a cafe in the pictures. He narrowed his gaze at Ashlyn and gave her a questioning look.
“What has Denise and her friend drinking coffee together got to do with you, Ashlyn?”
Nathaniel’s ignorance made Ashlyn realize that he wasn’t aware of the viral news about her online.
Ashlyn gave Talia a meaningful look. Talia nodded and quickly took out an iPad, logged into Twitter, and handed it to Ashlyn.
Ashlyn handed the iPad to Nathaniel. “People are calling me all sorts of bad names on the Internet. And this is all Denise’s fault.”
Immediately Nathaniel saw the caption which read “Ashlyn has loved Gordon for many years,” his mouth hung slightly open in shock.
After reading the article, the look of shock on Nathaniel’s face faded.
Nathaniel was not a child. His many years of experience gave him a hint about what must be going on.
However, Nathaniel was always sensitive about his reputation and took his family’s side even if they were at fault. “I still don’t understand what you mean.”
“Why do I suspect your ignorance is feigned?” Ashlyn asked.
“Ashlyn! How dare you speak to me in such a rude manner?”
Nathaniel hit the table heavily.
Ashlyn smiled. “My meaning is quite clear.”
She paused for a few seconds and continued, “My parents are aware of this. If Denise refuses to own up to her mistakes and rectify them, then my parents will get involved. I don’t think it will be that easy to put an end to this matter then.”
Hearing Ashlyn’s words, Nathaniel frowned. Stevie was not someone to be meddled with. Immediately, he glared at Denise. She cried and shook her head. “Grandpa, this has nothing to do with me. I’m being framed up. I was only at the cafe to drink coffee with my friend.”
Nathaniel turned to look at Ashlyn. “I don’t see there is anything wrong with the pictures. Why do you want to disgrace the Jones family in this manner?”
“Perhaps, more evidence will be of help,” said Ashlyn.
Talia immediately offered Ashlyn a printed document containing some data.
“This document contains the accounts of the bloggers responsible for spreading the false news.” Relaxed, Ashlyn took a sip of tea. “They were all credited handsomely from the same account. The crediting account happens to belong to Denise’s friend, Jules Nixon.”
Ashlyn’s face darkened and her smile faded. “What will you call this? Certainly not a coincidence. I have been humiliated by your family over and over again. Unfortunately for you, my patience has been exhausted. I can’t wait to see what will become of your infamous family once I make the information and photos public.”
Nathaniel was annoyed at Ashlyn’s words. They hurt him.
Few things scared Nathaniel anymore since he had experienced a lot. But the older a person was, the vainer they became.
As a young man, Nathaniel had frequently been looked down upon. But once he had become successful and accumulated this prestige, few people dared to be condescending towards him.
Still, no matter how successful or prestigious he was, he couldn’t stop people from gossiping.
People are free to talk. If Ashlyn exposed these things to the Internet, Nathaniel was unable to stop the gossip.
It was not until now that Nathaniel realized that Ashlyn had no intention of making peace with him tonight.
Instead, she had come for revenge.
How scheming she was!
Denise’s actions weren’t serious. Just an apology would have sufficed and things would have settled down.
But Ashlyn didn’t want to let it go, which was why she had specially organized tonight’s dinner.
On the one hand, Ashlyn wanted to cause the Jones family to lose face. On the other hand, she wanted to teach Denise a lesson.
Ashlyn was really good at reading people’s minds.
Nathaniel gritted his teeth and swallowed his anger before saying to Ashlyn, “Why do you have to go this far? Tell me. What do you want?”
Ashlyn glanced at Denise and said with a snort, “I’m not going to accept Denise’s apology. I haven’t held her accountable for what happened in the past, and yet she made trouble for me again. What do you think I should do, Mr. Jones?”
Ashlyn’s tone was calm and unhurried, but it irritated Nathaniel to no end.
Nathaniel had retired nearly ten years ago. This was the first time that a youngster had been so harsh to him. Yet, he didn’t know how to find fault with Ashlyn.
If this was exposed online, the Jones family would lose face.
But solving the problem that Denise had caused was a difficult problem in itself.
Nathaniel turned to look at Denise. “Apologize now!”
Denise was scared of Nathaniel and Gordon, and she’d do anything Nathaniel told her to do. Upon hearing what her grandfather said, she quickly walked up to Ashlyn and said in a pitiful voice, “I’m sorry.”
Ashlyn waved a hand and said, “I’m sorry but I’m tired of Denise’s insincere apology. Mr. Jones, I refuse to accept it. You don’t have to beat around the bush with me. What do you think we should do to solve this matter? Let’s be frank.”
Nathaniel’s expression darkened at once. “Ashlyn Ramos! You’re going too far.”
Ashlyn smiled and replied, “You’re wrong. It’s Denise who has gone too far. You’re her grandfather and I respect you. That’s why I asked you to dinner tonight to discuss solutions. How have I gone too far? Or do you think I should allow your family to continue to slander me without any resistance?”
Ashlyn’s smile vanished, replaced by cold indifference.
Every word she said made Nathaniel boil with anger. But she was right. He couldn’t find fault with her.
For a moment, the room was extremely quiet.
Then, Denise broke the silence by saying, “Ashlyn, please don’t say that. You are different now. Of course, we wouldn’t dare treat you like before. Yes, I did it. I will take responsible for it, and I’m sure you’ll be satisfied with it.”
Ashlyn chuckled. “Well, I want to know how you are going to take responsible for it, Denise.”
She paused and smiled sarcastically at Denise before continuing, “And how do you know that I will be satisfied with it?”
Nathaniel cut in, “Ashlyn, we used to be a family. Don’t be so ruthless to us. It is Denise’s fault, yes. What do you want us to do so that you can forgive her? I’ll make Denise do it. Besides, if you…”
Nathaniel stopped abruptly, his gaze locking with Ashlyn’s. He wanted to say, “If you keep making trouble like this, Gordon will hate you.” But on second thought, he said, “You are a Ramos. If our families fight each other, everyone will treat us like a joke.”
Nathaniel did make some sense.
Ashlyn didn’t want to continue their quarrel. The purpose of her inviting Nathaniel to dinner tonight was to solve the problem, not quarrel with them.
But Denise had gone too far. Ashlyn had to give Nathaniel a stern warning to keep Denise in check.
Ashlyn said seriously, “You are right, Mr. Jones. I asked you to dinner today to deal with this in the most appropriate way. The Internet is full of rumors about me. I’ve become the other woman in people’s eyes, which is the most malicious attack that can be made on a woman. This is not the first time that Denise has done such a thing. I don’t want to hear her apology. All I want is for her to clarify everything. I don’t care what method she will use. I only have two requests. First, clarify that I didn’t interfere in Gordon and Raina’s relationship. Second, clarify that the comic book wasn’t created by me and keep the information of the author a secret.”
Ashlyn looked at Nathaniel and added, “Mr. Jones, I don’t think my requests are too much, are they?”
After what had happened, it was appropriate for Ashlyn to make such requests.
Nathaniel had no reason to blame Ashlyn. He looked at her and made a solemn promise. “Don’t worry. We will meet your requirements.”
“You are right. If we continue to quarrel, people will laugh at us. We don’t have to be the laughing stock. As long as Denise does everything I asked for, I promise everything will be settled.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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