Chapter 335: Chapter 335: Birthday
Ashley Shaw was completely unaware of all this.
She watched as the greenery outside the car window kept retreating and couldn’t help but ask, "Where are we going?"
Warren Prescott replied concisely, "To eat."
"I won’t be having dinner..." Ashley Shaw said, "Can you drop me off at the subway entrance up ahead? It’s just around the corner."
However, Warren Prescott seemed to not hear, driving past the subway entrance directly.
"Hey... why did you..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she heard Warren Prescott say, "It’s my mom’s birthday today."
Ashley Shaw choked back the words she was about to say, asking Warren to stop the car.
She glanced at her phone’s screen and realized, oh, it was indeed Claudia Jennings’ birthday.
After a moment of silence, Ashley Shaw said, "Since it’s your mom’s birthday, I really shouldn’t go. She would be having a joyful celebration, and if I went, wouldn’t it ruin her mood? Please stop at the next subway entrance."
"She asked me to bring you along."
That one sentence made Ashley Shaw’s eyes widen.
"Really?"
Warren Prescott had a look on his face that seemed to say "Is there any need to lie about something like this?"
Once Ashley Shaw confirmed Warren Prescott wasn’t lying, she hesitated for a moment and said, "Then find a mall to park."
Warren Prescott frowned slightly, "It’s just a meal, if you really don’t want to, I can take you home. I’ll explain things on your behalf."
"No," Ashley Shaw said, "It’s your mom’s birthday, I can’t just go empty-handed, can I?"
Warren’s face softened significantly.
He was just afraid that she disliked him so much that she didn’t even want to meet his family.
"Don’t worry about it, I’ve got something ready for you."
"Huh?"
Warren Prescott kept his left hand on the steering wheel, slightly leaning towards her, and reached with his right hand to the back seat.
Before long, he retrieved a gift box from the back.
"Here."
Ashley Shaw took a look inside and found a bottle of perfume.
Worth about seven or eight hundred.
For an average person, this counts as a very expensive gift, but for Claudia Jennings, would this seven to eight hundred perfume seem a bit shabby?
As if sensing what she was thinking, Warren said, "Lately, she’s been into collecting various perfumes, the one you have is sold out, and she doesn’t have it yet."
Ashley Shaw nodded, realizing this indeed catered to her preference.
Catering to someone’s interests is okay, no matter how cheap it is.
Ashley Shaw took out her phone, and after a few taps, the sound of a transaction notification rang from Warren’s phone.
"I’ve transferred the money to you, it seems to be seven or eight hundred, so I transferred eight hundred."
Warren almost couldn’t catch his breath.
"Do you think I care about these eight hundred bucks?"
Ashley Shaw shook her head, saying earnestly, "I already feel bad for not personally buying the gift. If I take it for free, I would feel uncomfortable having dinner today. Since I paid, it’s like you’ve helped me buy it, and it counts as my own gesture."
Warren’s expression improved quite a bit.
"Agencies usually charge a fee for buying."
"So how much would you charge?"
"I don’t need the money, talking about money is meaningless."
The phrase "I don’t need the money" made Ashley Shaw grind her teeth in her mind.
Look at him showing off.
"Then what do you want?" she asked with a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Doesn’t your friend make freeze-dried tea? I have a friend who wants to open a small shop specializing in selling that. Could you ask your friend if they are interested? If so, I can make an introduction."
When it came to Ariana, Ashley Shaw couldn’t agree directly, nor could she refuse outright.
She hesitated for a moment and said, "I’ll ask Ariana when I get back."
"Okay."
Warren responded without looking aside, but every time he braked, he observed her reaction closely from the corner of his eye.
It seemed that the modification was pretty good; Ashley Shaw didn’t show any signs of car sickness.
Ashley Shaw just felt Warren occasionally glancing at her, not knowing what he was looking at.
She instinctively touched her face.
Was there something dirty on her face?
But when Ariana was mentioned, she recalled her initial purpose for getting in the car.
"Um... when you were in the hospital before, a woman with the last name Sutton came to see you..."
Warren’s gaze shifted slightly, "Why are you asking this?"
"I can’t quite remember her name, could you tell me her full name?"
"I forgot."
"No..."
Seeing that he didn’t say, Ashley Shaw became a little anxious.
"I want to confirm something, not to pry into your privacy."
Warren sighed, "I’m not brushing you off, I really forgot."
Seeing Ashley Shaw’s surprised, wide-eyed look at him, he explained, "I only remember things I want to remember. I won’t bother with unimportant stuff."
"Can you ask her for me then?"
Warren raised an eyebrow slightly, "What’s going on?"
"It’s nothing, just want to confirm something."
There was a red light ahead.
Warren stopped the car and checked his phone records.
Soon, he found a name.
"Livia Sutton," he said, "The name’s a bit of a tongue twister, no wonder I didn’t remember."
"Livia Sutton..." Ashley Shaw repeated it twice and asked, "Does she have a sister named Joyce Sutton?"
Warren shook his head, "I remember this, Director Sutton only has one daughter, so there’s no sister. He mentioned it when we collaborated."
"What about a cousin or something?"
"Director Sutton does have siblings, apparently a sister and an older brother. His brother is quite old, almost sixty."
Ashley Shaw felt her heart pounding as a suspicion formed in her mind.
That Aunt Sutton named Joyce Sutton could very well be Livia Sutton’s cousin, the daughter of Director Sutton’s brother who’s almost sixty.
That means Warren’s date’s sister is Ariana’s stepmother?
And she herself is sort of like Warren’s half-sister...
If Warren doesn’t end up with Rosalind Lynch in this lifetime, but instead with Miss Sutton, then what should she and Ariana call each other?
I hope I’m mistaken, otherwise, how could this hierarchy be anything less than a mess?
The red light turned green.
Warren gave her a side glance, hit the gas, and asked, "What exactly are you trying to confirm?"
Ashley Shaw didn’t know exactly how to explain, so she said vaguely, "I met someone named Joyce Sutton today and thought she might be Miss Sutton’s sister."
"Did she bully you?"
Ashley Shaw shook her head, "No, the person’s very nice. They even wanted to invite me for a meal, but I declined."
Warren "Oh-ed" and threw out, "Don’t accept anyone’s dinner invitations lightly. It might be a trap."
Ashley Shaw glanced at him and asked, "So, is today’s lunch a trap?"
Warren snorted and said, "What are you afraid of? We’re eating at home, not outside. Even if I don’t have your back, Grandpa will."
At home, huh?
That put her at ease.
Just in time to see Grandpa Prescott once more before heading off to Aethelgard.
The car soon arrived at the villa area where the Prescott Family lived.
Carrying the perfume, Ashley Shaw went in and saw a familiar figure.
Speak of the devil.
It was Livia Sutton.
Ashley Shaw’s eyes widened, but she couldn’t hide her excitement.
Now that Livia Sutton was here, she could confirm it herself.
If Joyce Sutton and Livia Sutton were indeed cousins, she could take the opportunity to say some nice things to help Ariana connect with Joyce Sutton.