Stevie did calm down after a while and said, “If Denise did it, you can’t stop me and your mother from teaching her a lesson this time.”
Ashlyn forced a smile as she said, “I won’t. I mean it.”
Stevie nodded, satisfied.
He had been holding back his anger for a long time now. If Denise had really done it, he would not let her go so easily this time.
After lunch, they walked out of the private room, Stevie’s expression still sour.
Ashlyn smiled as she took his hand and said, “Dad, come on. Give me a smile.”
Stevie lowered his head to look at his daughter before smiling reluctantly.
Ashlyn couldn’t help but laugh. “It looks like you’re in pain.”
Her words amused Stevie. “You’d fight back when being bullied at school. Why have you turned into a pushover? Are you afraid that I can’t protect you?”
The smile on Ashlyn’s lips faded. “I’ve grown up. I’m not as impulsive as before.”
Stevie couldn’t help but mention the fact that Ashlyn used to be a school bully.
They continued to talk and laugh, Ashlyn holding onto Stevie’s arm. It looked way too intimate from a distance.
People who knew them would say the father and daughter were close, but it was possible for others to overthink it. There were rumors that day that Ashlyn was Stevie’s mistress. This scene seemed to confirm those rumors.
Gordon exited the elevator to see Ashlyn holding a middle-aged man’s arm, talking and laughing with him. His expression soured at this.
Lowell, who was standing behind him, froze. He hadn’t believed the rumors about Ashlyn being someone’s mistress. But he hadn’t expected to see this scene live in front of him.
He subconsciously looked at Gordon and cautiously called out to him. “Mr. Jones?”
Gordon pretended to not hear it. He fixed his gaze on Ashlyn, who was now walking towards him.
Ashlyn wasn’t expecting to meet Gordon. Not because she was guilty, but because she just didn’t want to see his face as a reminder of their failed marriage.
Besides, she was holding Stevie’s arm.
Stevie had always protected her, ever since she was a child. When she was in middle school, he had been asked to talk to the teacher because she had fought with other students. The first thing he had done was ask her if she was injured. Only then had he gone into other details before finally asking her to apologize.
It was hard to define who was right and who was wrong in her and Gordon’s relationship. She had been the one who insisted on marrying him.
But Gordon hadn’t considered her to be his wife over the past three years. He hadn’t protected her once.
When she just had divorced him, Stevie would have gotten even with the Jones family if she hadn’t stopped him.
On meeting Gordon again, Ashlyn felt a headache coming.
She didn’t want to greet Gordon, and in fact, there was no need to.
She walked past him, still holding onto Stevie’s arm, without sparing Gordon a glance.
“Ashlyn.” Gordon greeted her even though she didn’t want to say hello.
He looked at her, his deep-set eyes simmering with inexplicable anger and coldness.
Ashlyn glanced at him in mock surprise and said lightly, “What a coincidence, Mr. Jones.”
Stevie’s face darkened, but before he could say anything, Ashlyn tightened her grip on his arm.
“Dad, quarreling here will be very embarrassing,” she said in a whisper, looking at him warningly.
Stevie controlled himself at her words. He paused before asking, “Is this your ex-husband? He’s just so-so.”
To Gordon, Stevie’s words dripped with irony.
He looked at Ashlyn as he said, “Your life is getting more and more interesting after leaving the Jones family.”
He had thought that she was really something, but he hadn’t expected her to find a sugar daddy for herself.
Although the man standing before him wasn’t bad-looking, and he appeared not too old, Ashlyn was his mistress. This caused Gordon’s condescension towards her to grow even more.
But Ashlyn wasn’t angry at this. She smiled instead as she said, “Thank you for the compliment. I’m indeed happier after divorcing you.”
She then guided Stevie into the elevator.
As the elevator doors closed slowly, Ashlyn looked coldly at Gordon. She wasn’t disappointed. Her only regret was her extreme stupidity of the past.
Stevie snorted. He spat angrily, just as the elevator doors closed shut.
Gordon was rooted to the spot, his mind going over the way Ashlyn smiled proudly instead of feeling ashamed. The thought that she was provoking him filled him with anger, and before he could vent it, she had left with that man.
“Mr. Jones, if we don’t leave now, we will be late,” Lowell reminded him. He had stood there for a while, watching the events unfold. But time passed by and Gordon had shown no signs of moving. So Lowell had bitten the bullet and spoken up.
Gordon cast a cold glance at him before saying, “Investigate that man!”
Lowell went blank for a while. He then came to his senses, wanting to remind Gordon that he had divorced Ashlyn.
But he controlled himself and said, “Okay, Mr. Jones.”
Gordon collected himself and walked forward.
As the CEO of a large and prosperous company, Stevie had a tight schedule all day long. It had taken him a lot of effort to spare some time to come to Courtbush to see his precious daughter, Ashlyn. Little did he know that something so unexpected would happen in his short trip.
Stevie had to attend an important dinner the following day, so he had to leave Courtbush that night. Otherwise, he would’ve waited for Talia to find out who had made up the rumor about his so-called mistress so that he could confront them with Ashlyn.
But Stevie not only had an important dinner but also an important meeting the following day. He had no choice but to leave after dinner.
There was a company party that same night, so Ashlyn couldn’t send Stevie to the airport.
Before Stevie left, he instructed Talia to tell him the second she found out who was responsible for the rumor.
After bidding Ashlyn goodbye, Stevie got in the car that had been waiting at the gate of the hotel.
Ashlyn got in Talia’s car and the two headed to the dinner party.
It was still cold in Courtbush in early March, and the wind that night was a little chilly.
Ashlyn wore a long, dark brown strapless dress and a brown wool overcoat. When the car pulled to a stop at the gate of the venue, she took off her overcoat and strode inside, her black heels clicking against the floor.
All the guests at this dinner party were businessmen. So Ashlyn wasn’t surprised to see Gordon here.
Their earlier encounter was enough for Ashlyn to see Gordon’s opinion regarding the mistress incident. When they met again, Ashlyn didn’t feel too sad seeing the irony in his eyes.
Maybe she had been disappointed in him too many times that she was used to it.
She just glanced at him indifferently and smiled. Then she walked into the hall, a flute of red wine in her hand.
Her outfit tonight wasn’t that extravagant. Instead, it was simple yet elegant, drawing people’s attention wherever she went.
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