Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Doesn’t Want a Child
The night curtain fell, and the pitch-black, starless sky seemed capable of drowning a person.
Ashley Shaw looked at the table full of dishes Mrs. Chase had prepared, but she had no appetite at all.
"Madam, you should eat first. Sir said he will be back later tonight," Mrs. Chase hung up the phone and cautiously approached.
Ashley’s grip on the chopsticks tightened.
Is he with that woman?
If that woman is Warren Prescott’s true love, then what is she?
What are all the years of her sacrifices worth?
"Madam."
Special Assistant Sullivan knocked and entered, the same polite smile on his face as usual.
Ashley was a bit surprised.
"Why are you here?"
"The president is busy with work and couldn’t find the time, so he specially instructed me to deliver the gift to you in advance."
Ashley was even more surprised.
"What gift?"
"Did you forget? Tomorrow is your third wedding anniversary with the president. This is a gift that sir specially picked out for you during the day when he found some time. I’ll put it here."
Special Assistant Sullivan spoke without any omissions, not mentioning a word about Warren Prescott’s unusual promotion of a newbie to secretary during the day. He only gently placed the jewelry box beside Ashley before taking his leave.
Mrs. Chase stood by with a face full of joy.
"Madam, it seems that even though sir is busy, he hasn’t forgotten to pick a gift for you."
Ashley’s heart was a mix of emotions, and she even doubted whether she had seen wrong during the day.
Or maybe Warren Prescott’s attentiveness to that girl was merely a boss’s care for a subordinate.
Under Mrs. Chase’s urging, Ashley opened the gift box.
Inside lay a beautiful diamond necklace.
The diamond shone brilliantly under the refracted light.
Mrs. Chase’s eyes lit up immediately.
"What a beautiful necklace! Sir has a great eye! It suits you so well!"
Ashley couldn’t help but touch her collarbone.
Her smooth neck had been without any jewelry for quite some time.
Because wearing jewelry was inconvenient for doing housework.
She gently caressed the diamond necklace in the box, and then suddenly closed her eyes, shutting the lid of the jewelry box.
Perhaps, she should trust Warren Prescott this once.
Ashley picked up her chopsticks again and dug in heartily.
Mrs. Chase saw this scene and smiled with relief.
Although she didn’t know what had happened between the young couple, madam seemed to have already calmed down.
In that case, she probably wouldn’t have to cook tomorrow, right?
She had worked in many wealthy households, but only with the Prescott Family did she feel this comfortable.
For any housework, madam would personally ensure everything was done; Mrs. Chase only needed to lend a hand.
Where else could she find such a relaxed job outside the Prescott Family?
The night grew deeper.
Ashley lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
The blurry face of that girl during the day seemed to become clearer in this deep night.
She couldn’t help but think of Warren Prescott’s first love from his youth.
Originally, it was meant to be that girl who would marry Warren Prescott, but on the eve of the wedding, the other party suddenly disappeared. To deal with the media, her father had no choice but to let her marry into the Prescott Family in her place.
She went from being the Prescotts’ adopted daughter to their daughter-in-law.
The entire Prescott Family was dissatisfied with her, but for the sake of the reputation of both companies and to ensure the grand wedding proceeded smoothly, they could only accept her.
Warren Prescott seemed to accept her as well.
And she had secretly loved Warren Prescott for years.
Since their student days, she liked Warren Prescott and naturally was delighted with this marriage.
And so, three years passed, yet a girl who resembled his first love appeared.
Ashley’s eyelashes trembled as she tried to make herself fall asleep.
Warren Prescott couldn’t tolerate a speck of dust in his eye; even the clothes he wore every day had to be ironed in advance, without a crease.
She had to sleep and wake up early to place the ironed clothes by the bed before Warren Prescott got up.
Just then, the bedroom door clicked open.
Ashley’s back stiffened slightly, and she quickly closed her eyes to pretend to be asleep.
She clearly heard Warren Prescott taking off his coat and coming to the bedside.
She tried to regulate her breathing to make it seem like she was already fast asleep.
Perhaps her acting was not bad, as Warren Prescott soon went to wash.
Hearing the sound of water in the bathroom, Ashley slowly opened her eyes.
Warren Prescott’s phone was within arm’s reach on the bedside table.
Guided by a compelling urge, she picked up his phone.
However, the phone was locked. She tried several passwords but couldn’t unlock it.
It wasn’t Warren Prescott’s birthday, nor hers, nor his parents’.
Then whose could it be?
Just then, a message automatically popped up on the phone.
It was from someone saved as "Her."
"Good night."
Those two simple words almost shattered Ashley’s heart.
And suddenly, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped.
In panic, she quickly returned the phone to its original place and turned over to lie down.
"Thud, thud, thud."
Footsteps approached.
A weight suddenly pressed down on her.
"Stop pretending, I know you’re not asleep."
Ashley’s body stiffened, but she still didn’t open her eyes.
She only heard Warren Prescott’s voice coming from above.
"I heard from Mrs. Chase that you were in a bad mood today? Didn’t like the gift, hmm?"
Unable to hold back, Ashley opened her eyes.
She met those pitch-black eyes of his directly.
She instinctively turned away from his gaze, shaking her head, "No..."
Her words were completely consumed by Warren Prescott’s kiss.
"No..."
"Are you upset because I didn’t spend the anniversary with you?"
"I didn’t!"
"Ashley Shaw, you’re a bit disobedient today."
During the long night, Warren Prescott had his way with her, and Ashley felt like she was falling apart.
"No..."
She lost count of how many times she said no, but all her resistance was futile.
With every inch she tried to resist, Warren Prescott punished her by going deeper.
A man with an arrow ready to release, why would he care about her resistance?
Finally, at the crack of dawn, the night’s tranquility returned.
"You sleep, I still have work to do."
Leaving those words behind, Warren Prescott went straight to the study.
Ashley was left utterly exhausted, her mind ceasing to function, only wishing for a good sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, it was already past ten in the morning.
Ashley jolted awake, catching sight of the white pills on the beside table.
They were for post-coital contraception.
But she hadn’t yet had the chance to tell Warren Prescott that she was already expecting his child.
Even using protection has a chance of failure, and she was the one who "won."
"Warren Prescott, do you not want a child, or do you not want our child?" she murmured softly, tears already soaking her face.
The phone rang at that moment.
It was her mother-in-law, Claudia Jennings, calling.
She cleared her throat before answering.
"Mom..."
"Did you remind Warren Prescott about the dinner tonight?"
"I’ve already told him..."
"Then come over early, Warren likes the dishes you make."
"Got it."
Ashley agreed in a daze, ignoring Mrs. Chase knocking on the bedroom door as she continued her nap before heading to the Prescott family estate.
She took care to dress up a bit and hung the necklace Warren had chosen for her the day before, because during last week’s family dinner, Claudia complained she dresses dowdily and doesn’t know how to spruce up herself.
But as soon as she entered the door, Claudia still disapproved.
"You’re here to cook, not to show off. How are you supposed to work dressed like that?"
"I’m sorry, Mom..."
Claudia pressed her temples, looking vexed.
"Fine! Go to the kitchen!"
As they spoke, Claudia turned on the living room TV.
The news was broadcasting the Prescott’s branch office ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Ashley instinctively looked toward the TV, and her pupils shrank to a point when her gaze landed on the girl beside Warren Prescott.
It was that girl!
The necklace she wore was identical to the one Warren gave her.