Chapter 17: Chapter 17: The Princess and the Beggar
Warren Prescott got out of the car first and said something to Grandpa Prescott, who looked very angry.
Ashley Shaw didn’t immediately get out of the car. Instead, she first removed the layers of band-aids from her ears before opening the door.
"Grandpa Prescott."
She wore her usual smile.
Grandpa Prescott’s expression changed from gloomy to overcast.
"Ashley is here? Come in quickly. The kitchen made all your favorite dishes today, including your favorite sweet and sour pork with pineapple."
Ashley Shaw looked very surprised.
"Really? Thank you, Grandpa Prescott!"
Upon entering the living room, Ashley Shaw noticed that Chairman Prescott and Mrs. Prescott weren’t there, and she subtly breathed a sigh of relief.
But the next second, Mrs. Chase came over quickly after taking a call.
"Sir, the chairman called and said he would bring two guests back for dinner."
Grandpa Prescott frowned, "Who are they? Today, I’m treating Ashley to a meal. Can’t they eat outside?"
Mrs. Chase awkwardly wiped her apron.
"I, I don’t know either."
"Forget it! Ask the kitchen to make a few more dishes. Ashley, come to my study for a moment. I have a gift for you."
"Alright."
Ashley Shaw headed upstairs and, as she brushed past Warren Prescott, saw him staring at her face.
Ashley instinctively wiped her face.
Nothing was dirty.
Oh, no, maybe to Warren, she herself was the dirty thing.
Upstairs, Elder Prescott closed the door mysteriously, then opened the cabinet of his desk, retrieving a box made of rosewood from the bottom.
Ashley Shaw immediately recognized the box.
It was the wedding gift Elder Prescott gave her and Warren Prescott on their wedding day in a past life.
Inside, it held a thumb ring that Elder Prescott treasured highly.
It’s said to be from the Han Dynasty.
Sure enough, when Elder Prescott opened the box, the thumb ring lay inside.
"Ashley, I don’t have many hobbies, just like collecting a few antiques. This thing is said to ward off evil. Take it to play."
Ashley knew its value and repeatedly waved her hand.
"It’s too precious, I can’t accept it."
"What’s precious about it? You can take away anything you fancy in my room," Elder Prescott generously said.
"I really can’t accept it."
Elder Prescott was unhappy.
"Ashley, you look down on my broken thumb ring?"
"It’s not that..."
"Then accept it!"
Elder Prescott closed the lid and forced it into her canvas bag.
Before Ashley could refuse again, Elder Prescott spoke up.
"This thumb ring also represents a spirit of courage and perseverance. Grandpa hopes that in the future, whether you return to this home or not, you can face difficulties bravely."
Ashley’s eyes moistened again.
He already knew she wouldn’t stay.
"Thank you, Grandpa Prescott."
"When I have time, I’ll definitely come back often to see you."
She knew that after Grandpa Prescott retired, he lived quite a lonely life. Chairman Prescott was often not at home, and Mrs. Prescott had nothing to say to him, leaving him facing these mute antiques daily.
Only she could play chess with Grandpa Prescott and chat with him.
But she indeed couldn’t stay to live anymore.
"Then you must not break your promise. How about this, at least come back to see me once every three months, okay?"
The old man’s face showed a near-beseeching expression.
Ashley knew in which year Elder Prescott would pass away, how could she bear to refuse?
She could only nod. "Alright."
She would choose times when Warren wasn’t home to visit.
Just then, the sound of a car driving up came from outside the window.
"Looks like they’re back. Let’s go eat, don’t mind them, just eat for yourself. After that, we’ll play a long-lost game of chess."
Ashley Shaw again answered, "Okay."
But when Ashley went downstairs, she saw a slender figure holding onto Claudia Jennings’ hand, walking into the living room.
Even after two lives, Ashley recognized her at a glance.
Rosalind Lynch.
Warren’s... white moonlight.
Back then, just before Rosalind Lynch and Warren’s wedding, Rosalind suddenly disappeared.
To prevent the grand wedding meant to elevate the Lynch and Prescott families from becoming a joke, the Prescotts had no choice but to let her fill the vacant bride’s position.
After marriage, many insiders in the circle laughed at her behind her back as an "opportunist" or "fallback girl," but she ignored them all.
Rather than verbal attacks, she was more pleased that her long-time dream of becoming Warren’s bride had come true.
Because of that dream, she wrapped herself up, covered her eyes and ears, resisting the ridicule and disdain from the outside world, quitting her job to dutifully become a Mrs. Prescott at home.
Now, faced with the missing heroine, the facade she had personally created seemed to be torn apart.
A feeling called shame overwhelmed her, turning into waves, almost drowning her.
As for Rosalind’s disappearance, Ashley had heard some inside information in her previous life.
It seemed that it wasn’t disappearance, but she had died.
And not a respectable death.
The exact humiliating details were tightly concealed by the Lynch family.
All she knew was that later Chairman Prescott flew into a rage and severely suppressed the Lynch Group.
Ultimately, Lynch Group declared bankruptcy.
But it seemed Warren was unaware of all this.
At this moment, the heroine wore high fashion and affectionately held Claudia Jennings’ hand.
Seeing them come down, Rosalind Lynch’s eyes automatically ignored Ashley, warmly greeting Elder Prescott.
"Grandpa Prescott, I’m Rosy, do you remember me?"
"So it was you as our guest, when did you return to Westcroft?"
Elder Prescott also had a smile on his face.
"I flew back right after the college entrance exams yesterday. I was in such a hurry, I didn’t want to bother. It just so happened my mom and Aunt Prescott had a spa appointment today, so I tagged along."
"Your mom didn’t come?"
"She was supposed to, but after the facial, her face was a bit red, so she said she wouldn’t come."
"Tell your mom to take it easy, wrinkles are our badges of pride, why remove them?"
"Yes, I’ll persuade her."
"Oh, let me introduce you, this is Ashley. You two have met before, right?"
Rosalind Lynch seemed to only notice her then, turning to give her a friendly smile.
"I remember you, you’re Mom Shaw’s daughter, right?"
"Yes..."
One word seemed to have exhausted all her strength and completely revealed her original form.
At this moment, she truly felt like a beggar seeing a princess, inherently inferior.
This had nothing to do with her mother but only concerned her and Rosalind Lynch.
In front of Rosalind Lynch, she would always be inferior.
Whether in status or feelings.
She heard Claudia Jennings laugh meaningfully and heard Grandpa Prescott introducing, "I had your Aunt Prescott adopt her as a foster daughter. Now, she’s my granddaughter."
But the feeling of inferiority still drained the color from Ashley’s face.
Just then, Warren Prescott came in from outside.