Meanwhile, insider her office, Ashlyn was eating spaghetti.
A meal with Nathaniel?
No, thanks.
When Talia came back, Ashlyn raised her eyebrows and asked,“Are they still there?”
“Yes, Miss Ramos.”
Ashlyn clicked her tongue and smiled in satisfaction. For some reason, her spaghetti tasted even better.
When she was done eating, she drank another cup of hot milk.Then she went to the washroom to freshen up. After washingher hands and face, Ashlyn finally walked out of her office and went to the reception room.
“Mr. Jones.”
Wearing a faint smile, Ashlyn strode in unhurriedly.
Nathaniel looked up at her. “Ashlyn, you’ve been busy.”
Ashlyn pretended not to hear his dissatisfied tone. “Truly. I’ve just taken over a project in the north of the city, so my hands are full.”Nathaniel didn’t want to argue with her anymore, lest she piss himoff further. “You must be hungry. Let’s have lunch together andhave a talk.” “Okay.”Ashlyn led Nathaniel out of the room.
She took her own car instead of getting in Nathaniel’s car.
Ashlyn tossed her car keys to the doorman and strode into the restaurant to wait for Nathaniel, who was struggling to walk.
Carl had made a reservation at the restaurant. They were soon led to their table and the food was quickly served.
Ashlyn barely touched the food. Nathaniel had been waiting for her for a long time and was famished, so he dug in.
Ashlyn sat there quietly, head lowered as she tinkered with her phone
Twenty minutes later, Nathaniel seemed to have finished eating. He looked at the untouched dishes in front of Ashlyn and asked,”Don’t you like the food?”
Ashlyn smiled. “Sorry, I just don’t have an appetite.”
She wasn’t lying. She had no appetite whenever she was with him.
Besides, she had gone out on a full stomach, so she wasn’t hungry.
After a pause, Ashlyn cut straight to the chase. “Mr. Jones, what did you want to talk to me about?”
She was very busy after all and had to go back to the office if shewanted to make it to her afternoon meeting.
And she couldn’t wait to end the lunch.
Nathaniel intended to play the sentiment card, but Ashlyn’s words made him realize that that wasn’t going to work at all.
“Then I won’t beat around the bush.” Nathaniel paused to take a sip of coffee. “I’m sure you know about what happened last night.The news of your pregnancy has gone viral on the Internet. The Jones family was dragged into this mess. Of course, I know that news online can be false at times, so I never doubted you. But it’s really difficult to muddle through this kind of thing. Besides, the fact that you and Gordon spent a whole night together in a hotel room was also revealed. It’s hard for one not to be suspicious.Both our families are by no means ordinary. Such a scandal willimpact us greatly. So I came here to deal with this matter with you.”
Ashlyn’s grin widened. “Well, what’s your suggestion?”
“It’s difficult to pick up the pieces since the matter has gotten out of hand. But I know that you love Gordon—he’s the only reason why you agreed to marry into our family in the first place. Thenyou divorced him because you thought that he didn’t love you back, not to mention we never treated you kindly. Well, you’ve been divorced for a year now. I did a lot of thinking and realized that I didn’t take care of you well. As for Gordon, he’s always been stubborn. Ifhe didn’t love you, why did he insist on marrying youwhen I opposed it? Now, ever since your divorce, he barely goes home. He lives on his own most of the time. He used to go back at least once a week. I think you know why. You two have feelings for each other but are divorced because of some misunderstandings. So much has happened since then, and the rumors about you are only getting worse. I hope you can forget about the past and remarry him.”
Nathaniel coughed and then added, “Don’t worry. I won’t let you suffer any more grievances. If [fail you, Ill personally apologize.”Ashlyn rolled her eyes secretly.
While he claimed to be doing this for her own good, the way he said it was quite interesting.
Ashlyn wanted to burst into laughter, but she had to stifle it for now. It wasn’t the right time to put all her cards on the table.
“L appreciate your kindness, but I don’t care about those rumors.”Hearing this, Nathaniel grew a little anxious. “Ashlyn…”
As he spoke, his eyes suddenly darkened. “Don’t get me wrong.I don’t want to be the bad guy either. I would’ve wanted things tohappen naturally between you and Gordon. But I can’t wait anylonger.”
Speaking of this, Nathaniel glanced at Carl, who was standing beside him. Carl took the hint and put the prepared examination report in front of Ashlyn.
“Two months ago, Mr. Jones was diagnosed with lung cancer.
It’s terminal.”
Ashlyn’s expression changed slightly when Carl said Nathaniel had cancer.
She wanted to laugh.
The world was just, after all.
But Ashlyn didn’t want to break things off with Nathaniel now, soshe had to swallow her laughter and feigned a surprised expression. “But you’ve always been in good health.”
Ashlyn took the document from Carl and glanced at it, It seemed that Nathaniel did have a malignant tumor.
“With today’s advanced medical technology, I’m sure you’ll recover and live a long life.”
Ashlyn didn’t want to say this. Truth be told, she didn’t want Nathaniel to live a long life.
He was nothing but a despicable old bastard.
Nathaniel didn’t seem to notice her insincerity. He sighed, as though he had accepted his fate. “I’ve lived a good life. Now that time is running out, I won’t fight anymore. Gordon’s older brother died at an early age. Gordon is my only grandson now. just want to see him settle down before I die. Ashlyn, I can’t have surgery because of my old age. Ican only live another one or two years ifI take conservative treatment. The thing I regret the most in mylife is not protecting you when you were married to Gordon. Now that so many things have happened, I now you’re disappointed in Gordon and the Jones family. How about we hold a wedding ceremony for you and Gordon first? We can talk about the marriagecertificate later. After the recent rumors dissipate, we can decide what to do next. What do you think?”
Ashlyn stared at Nathaniel, who was sitting opposite her. She had to admit that this old man was a good liar.
She knew that if she held a wedding ceremony with Gordon, the public would think that they were already married even though they didn’t have the marriage certificate.
It was a good plan. All Nathaniel wanted was to get her back in to the Jones family.
Ashlyn even doubted whether his lung cancer was real or not.
At first, Ashlyn had thought about how to fight back since Nathaniel had caused her so much trouble.
Now, this old man was offering her a golden opportunity.
Well, if she didn’t cherish it, she would waste the painstaking efforts of Nathaniel.
Ashlyn frowned slightly and said, “I feel sorry for your illness. I loved Gordon before when we were married, but he never loved me.It was exhausting. I don’t want to have anything to do with him anymore.”
Nathaniel was not an idiot. He had come this far in life because he was innately cunning and suspicious. If Ashlyn said yes to his offer immediately, he would suspect her.
If she pretended to hesitate, Nathaniel would give up on her. And she was right. Hearing her answer, Nathaniel grew even more agitated. “Ashlyn, you’re wrong! Gordon loves you. Why wouldn’t he love you? If he didn’t, you wouldn’t have gotten the land in the north so easily.”
“It was because he talked to Keenan. Besides, it was Gordon who proposed to attend your father’s birthday party last time. Denise was thoughtless and offended you. As soon as he found out, Gordon punished her himself. Gordon is too stubborn to admit he loves you, but I’m his grandfather. I can see how he feels about you plain as day.”
Ashlyn lowered her head and said softly, “I need to think about it.”Now that he saw a glimmer of hope, Nathaniel smiled happily.“Okay! But time is of the essence. You’d better make a decision as soon as possible.”
Ashlyn nodded and then glanced at her watch on purpose. “I’ve got to go. I have a meeting in a few minutes.”
“Okay, go ahead with your work.”
Nathaniel smiled at Ashlyn kindly now that he saw hope.
Ashlyn flashed a wicked grin.
She wondered if Nathaniel would blow his top when he found out he was tricked by her.
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.
Leave a Reply