Chapter 37
Tears streamed down my cheeks, and my muffled sobs gradually morphed into heart-wrenching wails of anguish. At that moment, I couldn’t care less about how Ashton felt.
In the end, he stopped, his tone softening as he tried to soothe me. However, the more he comforted me, the harder I cried. Eventually, he gave up speaking altogether and simply held me in his arms, realizing that neither gentle coaxing nor harsh words would work on me.
Once the floodgates opened, stopping was nearly impossible. Left with no choice, he embraced me and let me cry until exhaustion took over.
After what felt like an eternity, my voice had grown hoarse, and my tears had finally dried up. The room was silent except for our uneven breaths.
“Are you done crying?” he asked, his voice low and rough.
I had no energy to respond. My eyes were so swollen that I could barely open them.
After a moment of silence, he spoke again, his arms still securely wrapped around me. “Four years ago, I took Grandpa to the southwest border to visit an old comrade-in-arms. On the way, we ran into a group of outlaws.” His voice carried an unfamiliar heaviness, laced with sorrow and melancholy, which caught me off guard.
I stayed quiet, listening as he continued. “The border was poor, and supplies were scarce. At the time, several neighboring countries were at war, and these outlaws sought asylum. They broke into Grandpa’s friend’s house, trying to force us to shelter them. Grandpa, a veteran who had spent his life guarding the country, refused to comply. But outlaws have no conscience. When Grandpa rejected them, they decided to kill him. His comrade… sacrificed himself to protect us.”
He fell silent. Curious, I looked up at him and asked hoarsely, “Then what happened?”
Seeing that I had taken the initiative to ask, a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He dropped a light kiss on my forehead before continuing. “Grandpa and I fled, barely making it back to the country. We had lost everything—money, identification documents—so we had no choice but to seek help. That’s when we met a pair of siblings, a brother and a sister. They were traveling abroad from D City for business. Desperate, we borrowed money from them to return home, but the outlaws had followed us. We ended up dragging the siblings into our mess…”
A realization dawned on me. I looked at him and asked, “The siblings… Were they Rebecca and her brother?”
He nodded. “Yes. Parker sustained a fatal injury while protecting us. I brought him back, hoping he could recover, but things didn’t go as planned. Before he passed, he entrusted me to take care of Rebecca.”
I frowned. “They saved you. So why didn’t Grandpa approve of you and Rebecca?” If Grandpa had supported my marriage to Ashton, why not Rebecca? She had been around longer, and she and her brother had even saved their lives.
Ashton didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he smiled—a rare, gentle smile that carried none of his usual coldness. It was almost… angelic.
Caught off guard, my breath hitched, and a faint heat spread across my cheeks. Embarrassed, I tried to squirm out of his embrace. “You haven’t answered my question!”
He chuckled. “That doesn’t matter anymore. It’s late. We should sleep.” Before I could protest, he pulled me closer, pressing my hand against him as his voice turned husky. “Scarlett, you have to finish what you started.”
My eyes widened in shock, and my face burned crimson. This man…
“I-I’m not fully recovered yet!” I stammered weakly.
His breathing deepened.
I…
This night was going to be a long one.
By the time it ended, exhaustion had consumed me. He carried me into the bathroom, helping me clean up before pulling me back into bed, holding me close as we drifted into slumber.
—
Morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting golden beams across the room like flickering candlelight.
Ashton had left for work early, but I remained in bed, drained from the late night. By the time I finally got up, it was nearly ten. The bedroom was still a mess, the air thick with remnants of last night’s passion. Just thinking about it made my cheeks burn again.
I never knew Ashton had such a side…
I was supposed to go to the office today. By the time I was ready, it was already mid-morning. Skipping breakfast, I drove straight to Fuller Corporation.
After parking in the lot, I was unfortunate enough to run into Joe at the elevator. He and his secretary were carrying stacks of documents. The moment he spotted me, a cold sneer curled his lips.
“Ms. Stovall, you’re not even the CEO yet, but here you are, acting like the company belongs to you. Should we be expecting Fuller Corporation to change to Stovall Corporation soon?”
Fuller Corporation had initially started as a real estate company, but in recent years, it had expanded into various industries. Joe had once run his own company, but after Fuller Corporation was publicly listed and required financial support, Quinn Corporation merged with it.
Joe was now a shareholder and played an active role in managing the company. While I, too, owned shares, mine had been left to me by Grandpa George. Technically, they were under my name, but the decision-making power remained in Ashton’s hands.