Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Provocation
Upon hearing the commotion, everyone turned toward the door.
Warren Prescott seemed to have just stepped out again earlier, and Ashley Shaw noticed he was holding a bag with a pharmacy logo.
She blankly withdrew her gaze, lowering her head to stare at her toes.
The two people who love each other have finally met.
She felt like laughing, laughing at her past foolishness and shameless attempt to wedge herself between them.
But now, she sincerely wished them well.
She also hoped that Rosalind Lynch wouldn’t face the same misfortune as in her past life, so she could repay the marriage she owed Rosalind.
But why did her heart still ache faintly?
Ashley Shaw clenched her fingers, her knuckles turning white, feeling an urge to run away.
Claudia Jennings noticed it was Warren and promptly introduced, "Warren, see who’s here? This is Rosalind, do you remember her?"
Rosalind Lynch smiled and stepped forward.
"Warren, long time no see!"
"Long time no see, how come you haven’t grown taller?"
Rosalind feigned anger, "Warren, it’s been so many years, and you’re still so sharp-tongued!"
"I’m just stating the truth."
"Warren! Stop picking on Rosalind!" Claudia scolded protectively.
"Alright, alright."
"By the way, Warren, what are you holding? Is it a gift for me?" Rosalind asked with familiarity, just like when they were children, showing obvious affection towards Warren.
Anyone would see them as a well-matched pair of childhood sweethearts.
Warren shrugged.
"Didn’t know you were back; I’ll make it up to you next time."
As he spoke, he tossed the bag he was holding to Ashley Shaw.
Ashley Shaw was lost in thought earlier, and when the bag was suddenly thrown her way, she reflexively caught it, seeing that it contained some topical ointments and iodine.
She instinctively touched her ear.
Everyone’s gaze immediately followed.
Grandpa Prescott was the first to speak with surprise, "Ashley, are you hurt?"
Ashley instinctively tried to cover the wound on her ear with her hair, but it was obviously too late.
"Let me take a look for you."
Grandpa Prescott was about to reach out to move her hair aside but was stopped by Warren’s hand.
"Haven’t you heard the saying ’men and women shouldn’t touch each other,’ Grandpa?"
"I’m at an age where these things don’t matter anymore. Ashley is like a granddaughter to me now!"
Even though Grandpa Prescott said this, he gentlemanly withdrew his hand.
"It’s nothing, just a minor injury."
"How did you get hurt? It seems you’re still bleeding."
"I accidentally cut myself on some glass."
"How could you be so careless? Maybe you should move back in. Ever since you moved out, you’ve been getting hurt. None of this used to happen."
Ashley simply smiled, not responding to this.
Rosalind looked at Ashley, then turned her head to glance at Warren, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
"Alright, let’s eat," Claudia didn’t want everyone focusing on a servant’s daughter, urging Rosalind to have a meal.
Ashley quickly spoke up, "Grandpa Prescott, I just remembered I made plans to see a movie with a friend, so I won’t be joining you for dinner. Enjoy your meal."
"You’re leaving already? Didn’t you promise to stay for dinner and play chess with me afterward?"
"There’ll be other chances next time."
"When will that be?"
"Before the new school year, I promise I’ll play chess with you."
Grandpa Prescott resignedly nodded.
"Let me have the driver take you home."
"No need, it’s quite convenient for me to get back," Ashley waved her hand, politely declining, then nodded toward Claudia, turning to leave.
Her original plan was to spend some time with Grandpa Prescott, but now that Rosalind was back.
The person who was supposed to become Grandpa Prescott’s real granddaughter-in-law.
So there was no need for her to stay.
While waiting for the bus at the entrance of the neighborhood, she suddenly heard Rosalind’s voice from behind.
"Congratulations, you got what you wanted."
Ashley thought she heard wrong.
But when she turned around, she found it really was Rosalind.
"Miss Lynch, why did you come out?"
Rosalind curved her lips, saying, "I came out to congratulate you."
"Sorry, I don’t understand what you mean."
"Didn’t you like Warren since before? Even though you can’t be his wife, you at least became part of his family, didn’t you?"
The girl smiled charmingly, but Ashley clearly sensed a hint of malice from it.
Ashley chuckled.
"Were you talking about the past? When I was just a naive child, why take it to heart?"
"And are you sensible now? You’re a smart person, so I think you can tell that Aunt Prescott is trying to set me up with Warren."
"That’s between you two. If that’s all you have to say, I don’t think we need to discuss it."
But suddenly, Rosalind reached out and grabbed the bag filled with various ointments from her hand.
"Since you’re sensible now, don’t accept anything from the Prescott family from now on. Don’t forget, you’re just a servant’s daughter. A sparrow remains a sparrow even if it lands on a high branch."
Then she threw the bag squarely into a public trash can.
Ashley stood her ground, meeting Rosalind’s almost provocative gaze.
"Thank you for the advice, Miss Lynch. I’ve learned a lot from it."
Rosalind’s beautiful eyes fixed on her.
"Ashley Shaw, you have changed quite a bit over the years."
Wouldn’t she have cried by now, back then?
She had spoken so harshly, yet gleaned not a shred of reaction from Ashley, making it feel like she was punching cotton.
Moreover, she got a strange sensation that Ashley had the upper hand.
This feeling was very unpleasant!
"No matter how you change, you will always be you."
Rosalind scoffed coldly, stepping away in her high heels.
Ashley’s expression turned indifferent, just as the bus arrived, and she boarded the bus with a blank face.
Facing Rosalind’s earlier provocation, she wasn’t angry at all.
She was simply curious.
Did Warren know what his long-desired moonlight was like when he wasn’t looking?
The scenery outside the window rushed past, the wind from the bus window making her mind clearer than usual.
She bowed her head, deleting the recording from earlier.
—She had started the recording from the moment Rosalind said, "I came out to congratulate you," just as a precaution in case any soap opera-like scene of wrongful accusations played out.
For a moment just now, she had wanted to send it to Warren, but a gust of wind blew that impulse away.
Never mind, why get entangled with them again?
"Ding dong."
A notification sounded from her phone.
It was a message from Ariana Grant.
[Ashley, sorry, my mom suddenly called me to my grandparents’ place for dinner, so I can’t watch the movie with you today.]
[Will you be back tonight?]
[Not sure yet.]
[Okay, got it.]
[By the way, I already bought the movie tickets. I’ll send you the screenshot on WeChat. The tickets are non-refundable, so if you don’t go, it’s a waste. Would you like to go alone?]
With the college exams over and her part-time job starting tomorrow, she had nothing planned for the evening, so she replied: [Sure.]
The movie was in two hours.
Ashley wandered around for a bit nearby, and just as the movie was about to start, she seated herself.
But what she didn’t expect was that just as she settled in, she saw three familiar figures coming toward her in the dim light.
Cillian Xavier, Rosalind Lynch, and... Warren.