Chapter 304: Chapter 304: Guilty Conscience
"Hiss——"
Ivy Bond gasped audibly.
Ashley Shaw heard this and eventually softened her grip.
However, she still held onto Ivy, not giving her the chance to strike again.
"Indeed, I was with Cillian Xavier last night, but besides me, there were nearly twenty other people, it wasn’t just the two of us."
Ivy didn’t believe her.
"How could there be so many people? It’s not like it was a class reunion!"
Ashley said, "It wasn’t a class reunion, true, but it was a welcome banquet for a friend who returned to the country. So it wasn’t just the two of us alone, please don’t falsely accuse me without any basis."
Ivy’s gaze shifted from disbelief to hesitation.
"Was it really not just the two of you last night?"
"Nonsense! If I had anything to hide, would I dare to admit being with Cillian last night?"
Ivy thought this made sense and didn’t know what to say for a moment.
Passersby who overheard realized it was just a misunderstanding and lost interest in the drama.
People at the hospital were either there for treatment, visiting, or accompanying someone, so they quickly resumed their hasty pace, going upstairs or downstairs as needed.
With fewer people around, it was easier for Ivy’s bodyguards to act.
Noticing Ashley still restraining Ivy, they immediately stepped forward and pulled her away.
Ashley didn’t want to hurt Ivy either and loosened her grip accordingly.
"Let go!"
Ashley shrugged off the bodyguards’ hands with a shake of her shoulders.
"Miss Bond, I know you have deep feelings for Cillian, but in the future, please trust yourself and trust Cillian. Since he chose to be with you, he won’t be fooling around."
These words struck a chord with Ivy.
Her lips curved into a slight smile as she sized Ashley up and down.
There’s no denying that Ashley is very beautiful, even if she looked somewhat haggard now, she still couldn’t hide her beauty.
It was this beauty that made her uncomfortable.
She pressed her lips, suppressing the smile that was about to form, and asked, "What time did Archie leave last night?"
Ashley shook her head, "I don’t know, I wasn’t feeling well these days, so I left early."
Ivy’s last bit of suspicion faded upon hearing this.
"Were there other girls besides you last night?"
Ashley thought for a moment and said, "Yes, but they were all girlfriends brought by other people. So you shouldn’t suspect anyone."
Ivy was somewhat relieved and said, "You can go! I apologize for what just happened, but I hope you understand, Archie has me, I’ll be his bride in the future. So don’t let me catch you trying to get entangled with him, otherwise next time it won’t be just a slap."
Ashley’s lips moved slightly, feeling annoyed at the unwarranted slap.
But when the words reached her mouth, she swallowed them back down.
Forget it, the other party is a patient, why bother arguing?
In her past life, she didn’t know someone like Ivy existed, so the only possibility was that Ivy wasn’t around anymore.
Thinking of this made her even more reluctant to engage.
Consider today as a day without checking the calendar or doing a good deed.
Ashley considered herself unlucky and turned to leave.
However, just at that moment, Ivy suddenly called out, "Wait!"
Ivy called out as she stepped in front of her.
Ashley frowned, "Everything is already made clear, what more do you want to say?"
Ivy smiled and said, "Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to make things difficult for you, I just want to ask you for a favor."
"Ask me?" Ashley stared at Ivy warily.
"Yes, I’m asking you. This favor isn’t difficult for you, it’s actually very simple."
A few seconds later, Ashley asked, "What favor?"
She should refuse Ivy, but considering the other party is a patient, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Her mother also passed away because of illness, she couldn’t just ignore it.
Call her soft-hearted if you must, or a pushover, but she just wanted to be a person with a clear conscience.
"It’s simple." Ivy pointed at Ashley’s phone and said, "Help me make a call to Archie, I want to talk to him using your phone."
Ashley asked puzzled, "You have your own phone, why do you want me to call him?"
Ivy sighed and said, "Actually, it’s my fault. Last night, I thought he was lying to me, so I didn’t allow him to go to the banquet, but he went anyway, and we had a spat. Until now, he won’t answer my calls, so..."
If it were any other favor, she could help without hesitation.
But being about Cillian, Ashley didn’t dare agree easily.
If Cillian answered her call but didn’t answer Ivy’s, Ivy’s personality wouldn’t let her go easily.
With this in mind, Ashley said, "You can use your nurse’s phone to call."
"The nurse was hired by him, he has contact with the nurse."
"Then you can use your bodyguard’s phone."
Ivy stared intently into Ashley’s eyes and said, "Why are you afraid to call? Are you feeling guilty?"
"What do I have to feel guilty about?"
"Then make the call."
Ashley took a deep breath and said, "It’s not that I don’t want to call, it’s just that a friend is waiting for me downstairs, if you two start talking, who knows how long it will take..."
Ivy suddenly said with certainty, "You are feeling guilty!"
"Think what you want, I really need to hurry downstairs, you can take your time to call Cillian yourself."
After saying that, Ashley tried to step around Ivy.
"Grab her!" Ivy’s icy voice rang out.
The two bodyguards immediately responded and hurried towards Ashley.
Ashley’s mind sounded an alarm, but not wanting Ivy to think she was guilty, she stopped and said, "Since you insist on using my phone, then go ahead! I have nothing to fear."
Ivy signaled her bodyguards with her eyes to watch Ashley closely.
If Ashley tried to run, they would grab her immediately.
The bodyguards understood Ivy’s signals and blocked Ashley’s escape routes, one in front and one behind.
With her path completely blocked by the bodyguards, Ivy finally said, "Now make the call."
Ashley knew she had no choice but to call today, so she took out her phone, found Cillian’s number, and dialed it.
Ivy suddenly reached out and grabbed her phone, pressing the speakerphone button.
The "beep" sound immediately resonated.
Ashley didn’t know why but felt unexpectedly tense despite having a clear conscience.
Perhaps it was Ms. Grant’s words that affected her.
Ms. Grant said that Cillian still liked her.
She knew she had no feelings for Cillian, but if what Ms. Grant said was true, Ivy’s presence would become somewhat awkward.
All of a sudden, she felt like she was letting down both Cillian and Ivy.
It was also in this moment of tension that she deeply realized: being liked can also be a stressful and uncomfortable thing.