Chapter 285: Chapter 285: Forced Smiles
Instead of forcing her weak body to stay here with Leo, it’s better for her to hurry back and rest well.
What kind of person is this? She’s not Iron Man, so why pretend to be strong when she’s clearly unwell?
His words were anything but pleasant.
But this was the effect he wanted.
Reverse psychology.
It should work pretty well on Ashley Shaw.
Earlier he realized, speaking nicely to Ashley just doesn’t work.
Look at Leo talking there for so long, did she even hint that she wanted to go back?
No!
Might as well use his tactic.
However, this time Warren Prescott was too clever for his own good.
The reverse psychology not only failed, but he got Ashley’s cold shoulder for the whole night.
No normal girl could stand him talking like that, and of course Ashley couldn’t either.
Her lips pressed tightly together, anger flared up in her eyes for a moment, but she quickly forced it down.
She told herself, today is Leo’s welcome party, she couldn’t get into a conflict with Warren Prescott and ruin the mood for Leo.
Leo’s day had been stressful enough, she couldn’t add more to his burden.
So she quickly forced a smile, saying, "It’s fine, I won’t cause you any trouble, I’ll just not drink anything."
Warren Prescott looked at Ashley’s forced smile, and suddenly felt very irritated.
She didn’t need to act this way in front of him!
Warren took a deep breath, feeling the air in his lungs was hot.
Is Leo’s welcome party really that important?
Causing her lips to turn white, yet she insists on soldiering through it.
Even after he said such unpleasant things, she still had to put on a brave face here?
The fire in his heart burned brighter, yet his expression on the surface was as cold as ice.
He uncontrollably said, "If you go in and drink nothing, are you planning to ruin everyone’s fun?"
Ashley Shaw couldn’t help but clench her fists tightly.
She didn’t say anything, but she cursed him a million times in her heart.
He’s lucky today is Leo’s welcome party, otherwise her slap would have landed on his face by now.
Leo glanced at the two of them, only feeling an undercurrent he couldn’t see.
As the oldest among the three, he said sternly, "Warren, speak properly, apologize to Ashley."
"It’s not necessary..." Ashley tugged at Leo, "I’m fine, forget it."
She still wanted to seek peace and didn’t want to make a scene at Leo’s welcome party.
Warren Prescott saw Ashley tugging at Leo’s sleeve, his tongue pressed against his molars, suddenly let out a chuckle, and said, "Whatever, just don’t come crying to me if something happens."
Finishing, he forcefully pushed the door open, his handsome face clearly twisted.
The blaring music flooded in, and Ashley only felt like her eardrums might be pierced.
Luckily, the door soon closed automatically, and the surrounding area returned to quietness.
Leo patted her shoulder.
"Don’t mind Warren. Although he appears calm when doing things, in reality, his mental age is lower than most people when it comes to dealing with people. When he was a kid, everyone pampered him too much, I’ll talk to him properly later."
Ashley smiled slightly.
"I know, I didn’t take it to heart."
Leo opened his mouth, suddenly asking.
"Ashley, do you still like Warren?"
Ashley’s mind went blank for a moment, instinctively shaking her head: "I don’t like him anymore."
A hint of surprise flashed quickly across Leo’s face, a cool breeze swept away the day’s dust apart from the surprise.
But he quickly regained his normal expression.
"That’s good, you’re so outstanding and beautiful, you deserve better. Warren is a good person, just has a bad temper. You seem gentle, but you’re a little hedgehog, honestly, you’re not suitable for each other in terms of temperament."
Ashley gave a small smile.
"Our incompatibility goes beyond just temperament. Let’s go, we should head inside."
"Yes, let’s head inside, don’t let that brat ruin the mood."
Ashley nodded.
Leo walked ahead, and Ashley intentionally lagged behind slightly as they passed through the thick round door, quickly wiping away a tear that had escaped from the corner of her eye.
Who would be in a good mood after being provoked by Warren’s words?
What’s more, today, Warren set her up without her knowledge, placing her in a dangerous situation.
After wiping away the tear, the rims of her eyes were still slightly red; fortunately, the dim lighting in the bar and the colorful lights of the disco ball conveniently hid her grievance.
...
The layout of The Queen’s Bar is a massive circle, with the bar counter at the center.
When Ashley and Leo walked in, Warren was already sitting at the bar, drinking a cocktail mixed by the bartender.
Except for...
Leo glanced around.
In the vast bar, other than the staff and the three of them, there wasn’t a fourth person.
Leo approached Warren.
"What’s going on?"
Ashley waited for Warren to "act," only to see him place his glass on the bar and throw out three words, "I don’t know."
Her eyes widened instantly.
This bastard! He had clearly agreed to act this out, and now he was backing out.
But Leo turned towards her.
She immediately collected all her emotions, pretending to search for her phone.
"Wait a moment, I’ll ask everyone..."
This wasn’t supposed to be Ashley’s scene; she was almost panicking and lying through her teeth.
One moment saying to wait a bit longer, the next saying she would ask via phone.
Leo suddenly pressed down on Ashley’s hand which was reaching for the phone from her bag, smiling gently.
"Ashley, you know, when someone is guilty, they tend to appear particularly busy."
Warren suddenly raised his eyes to glance at Leo.
That phrase, Ashley had said before too.
They really do seem "connected at heart."
Warren abruptly stood up from the high stool.
"Stop hiding, come out!"
Just as a song ended, Warren’s voice was unmistakably clear.
As his words fell, twenty-something figures leaped out from various corners.
There were only a dozen people in the group chat, but several had brought their girlfriends along, and a crowd was heading towards the bar, forming quite a spectacle.
"Leo!"
"Leo, didn’t expect this, right?"
"Long time no see, Leo."
Leo nodded and greeted each one.
Although they hadn’t met in a long time, Leo still accurately called out each of their names.
Damian Ford stepped forward: "Leo, didn’t see us, are you super disappointed?"
Ashley’s expression was a bit unnatural.
Because she hadn’t even started acting before Warren called them out.
Due to the loud music at the time and everyone deliberately hiding, they had no idea their carefully planned "surprise" had already fallen flat.
Leo understood what was happening.
He amiably played along, saying to everyone, "Indeed, quite disappointed, but now it’s a wonderful surprise."
"See! I knew you’d be surprised!"
"Our plan was a huge success, wasn’t it, guys!"
Ashley awkwardly wanted to find a hole to hide in.
She coughed lightly, saying, "I’ll head to the restroom, you all chat."
Saying this, she quickly walked towards the restroom inside the bar.
This wasn’t her first time at The Queen’s Bar, so she knew her way around.
However, when she came out of the restroom, she coincidentally ran into Warren.
Their eyes met, and Ashley only wanted to treat him as air, keeping her gaze straight ahead, and walked directly forward.