Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Leaving His Home
Ashley Shaw stopped struggling.
Chairman Prescott is back.
She has an inexplicable fear of her father-in-law from her past life, who is now her adoptive father.
In front of elders, whether in her past life or present, she always thought she hid her feelings well, until the day before Warren Prescott’s wedding when the bride went missing, and Chairman Prescott called her into the study.
The first thing he said was: "I know you like Warren."
It was a fear of having one’s heart easily seen through.
She didn’t like overly intelligent people; smart people are often dangerous.
The secret of reincarnation, she intended to take to the grave.
Thinking of Chairman Prescott’s eyes, which seemed able to see through people’s hearts, Ashley felt a bit scared, and even her voice trembled a little.
"Uncle Prescott... is back?"
Warren, across from her, didn’t respond, and instead got on the motorcycle at the school gate.
It wasn’t the one from last night; it was a much more expensive one.
He turned his head and tossed her a helmet.
"Get on."
The action caused the girls at the school gate to whisper.
Some showed envious expressions, while others were full of mockery.
Ashley naturally ignored those gazes, and after thinking about it, she gave up resisting.
But just as she was about to get on, she hesitated and asked, "Warren, do you have a driver’s license?"
Having died once, she’s even more afraid of dying than before.
Warren wore his helmet and said nothing; she couldn’t see his expression but felt the air around them drop several degrees.
—Oh, no license.
Ashley withdrew her foot from stepping on the motorcycle.
"You go first; I’ll take a cab."
"Ashley Shaw, are you trying to die?"
"Getting on would be asking for death."
Ashley muttered, turned her head, and went to hail a cab.
There were plenty of taxis waiting at the school gate; once she got in, she remembered she forgot to ask for the address.
But the next second, Warren’s tall body squeezed in.
Ashley immediately pushed against his chest to prevent him from continuing to squeeze inside.
"What are you doing coming in?"
"I want to come in, so I did."
"You’re not allowed in!"
"Do you really think you can stop me with your little strength?"
"Get out! If you don’t, I’ll call for help!"
"Go ahead, scream until your voice is hoarse and see if anyone cares!"
The driver closed his eyes briefly, realizing this was just youthful innocence.
Over there, Warren’s hand made a move, grasped Ashley’s hand that was pushing against his chest, and quickly squeezed into the car.
Ashley had no choice but to sit on the other side of the car door.
The driver mentally added a line: Saying no but being honest with your body.
But he didn’t know that the honest Ashley was just suddenly reminded of how little money she had left, and with Warren there, she could save some extra expenses.
As for the card Grandpa Prescott gave her, she never used it in her past life and doesn’t plan to use it in this life either.
After all, accepting favors makes one beholden.
The car quickly reached the parking lot of The Crestview Hotel.
Ashley got out of the car first.
Warren tossed two hundred-dollar bills and followed.
"Hm, you’ve latched onto a new benefactor and don’t want to spend another second with me?"
Ashley, who avoided paying the fare as fast as she could, was confused.
"Benefactor?"
"You’re quite good at pretending, aren’t you?"
Warren sneered, not enjoying the irony.
As they entered the private room one after the other, everyone who was supposed to arrive had already done so.
Besides the Prescott Family, there was a familiar face.
Ashley immediately recognized Dr. Hollis, the doctor who was involved in her mother’s rescue that day.
At the same time, he was the doctor who performed the heart transplant surgery on Grandpa Prescott.
Dr. Hollis saw her, nodded slightly in greeting.
Throughout the dinner, Ashley played the part of a quiet decoration, and when she finished eating, she waited until everyone else left before she picked up her backpack from the corner and headed out.
She worked hard to minimize her presence.
But...
Lars Prescott returned.
"Ashley, let’s chat for a bit."
Lars pulled out a chair, and Ashley hesitated for a moment but chose to remain standing.
"Please, go ahead."
Lars didn’t ask her to sit down and spoke directly.
"I’m very glad you’ve joined this family; your mother was a benefactor to us."
"You’re a good child and should understand that as long as you don’t develop other intentions, we can support you through college, including your future work and marriage expenses."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Ashley listened quietly, suddenly recalling that this conversation happened in her previous life as well.
In her past life, she had simply nodded in agreement, and the matter was brushed over.
But this time...
Ashley suddenly raised her head, looked directly at Lars, and asked, "Uncle Lars, I wonder what ’other intentions’ you’re referring to?"
Lars paused his hand that was lighting a cigarette, and for the first time that evening, looked directly at Ashley.
The crystal lights in the private room were very bright, casting their gleaming reflections on her face, making her seem a little different from the girl who usually kept her head down.
After a full two seconds of silence, this high-ranking chairman spoke again.
"I have no other intentions, don’t misunderstand."
Ashley smiled and asked, "Then what do you mean?"
Lars put down the lighter, suddenly feeling that this newly adopted daughter was becoming a bit troublesome.
His expression became more serious than it had been at the dinner table.
"If you insist, I’ll clarify two points."
"First, I don’t want Warren to retake the college entrance exam this year."
"Second, you don’t meet the criteria for us choosing a daughter-in-law."
Ashley continued to smile, but her back straightened more than before.
"So that’s what you meant."
"Then I’ll make two points as well."
"First, Warren retaking the exam has nothing to do with me."
"Second, I never planned on becoming a daughter-in-law of the Prescott Family."
"Oh, and one more thing."
"After the college entrance exam, I’ll move out, and at that point, I’ll be eighteen, and the adoption agreement will automatically expire. You won’t need to cover any of my expenses anymore."
After speaking, Ashley politely bowed to Lars and turned to leave.
The moment the private room door closed, she heard the sound of the lighter igniting.
That night, Ashley didn’t return to the Prescott Family but instead went to stay at Ariana Grant’s house.
The next day, she took advantage of Grandpa Prescott’s absence to pack her belongings.
She didn’t have many things; most of them were her mother’s keepsakes.
Besides her mother’s belongings, she left the items she couldn’t use to Mrs. Chase.
However, even after casually packing, she had two full suitcases.
While Ashley was debating whether to take a taxi or drag her luggage onto a bus to Ariana’s house, Warren’s voice suddenly came from behind.
"Ashley, where are you going?"
At that moment, Ashley suddenly made up her mind.
Take a cab.
She dragged her luggage and headed out.
The footsteps from behind drew closer.
The next second, her suitcase was held down.
"I asked you; answer me."
Ashley turned her head and met Warren’s gaze directly.
In the sunset, his already handsome face was even more striking than usual, especially those eyes, now half-squinted, carrying an inborn air of authority from a life of privilege.
But Ashley distinctly felt that he seemed very displeased.