Chapter 264: Chapter 264: Self-Deception
At this moment, Shawn Coleman suddenly remembered that his brother-in-law had mentioned that his current boss was the future heir of the Prescott Group.
So this "Mr. Prescott Jr." is also the Crown Prince of the Prescott Group!
Shawn Coleman’s face instantly lost all color.
Initially forced to bow and scrape, he now voluntarily bent even lower.
"Mr. Prescott Jr., Miss Shaw, I am sorry!"
"It’s my fault for being blind to Mount Tai! I was shortsighted! I was blind! I was a fool..."
Ashley Shaw had no particular opinion about Mr. Cheney, but she found it hard to put on a friendly face towards Shawn Coleman.
With a blank expression, she said, "Enough, stop talking, I’ll just pretend you don’t exist."
Shawn choked, unsure if Ashley’s words meant she forgave him or not.
But regardless, it was right to humble himself as much as possible at this moment.
He gritted his teeth and slapped himself harshly.
"Miss Shaw, I was wrong, I’m sorry!"
Ashley didn’t even want to look at him and turned to Warren Prescott, saying, "Let’s leave it at that, shall we go?"
Warren clearly saw the impatience in Ashley’s eyes and gestured to Mr. Cheney with his hand.
"Aren’t you going to take him away? Do I have to do it myself?"
Mr. Cheney quickly responded with "yes" and gave Shawn a "follow me" look as they disappeared into the elevator.
There weren’t any violent arguments like with Sean Langley in the morning, nor any crying or shouting like with Jillian Lynch earlier; Shawn was quietly taken away by Mr. Cheney.
The scene was as calm as it could be, as if nothing had happened.
But everyone present knew that there was no way Shawn could come back.
Or rather, he probably wouldn’t even show up in Westcroft anymore.
The executive who had provoked Ashley was drenched in cold sweat.
He had only just realized that Ashley was not an ordinary employee—in fact, she wasn’t an employee at all.
Now, even one word from Ashley could have him "taken away" like Shawn.
Fortunately, Ashley didn’t even spare him a glance.
The resulting sense of relief made him profoundly grateful for his survival.
The third-in-command who had asked Ashley to make tea wore a grave expression.
Upon closer inspection, you could see he was trembling slightly.
These executives had all voluntarily transferred from the Prescott Group’s headquarters.
The headquarters was full of talented people; those who asked for a transfer were mostly those who saw no prospects for promotion there.
So they followed the future heir to Spectator Tower, hoping that after the "Crown Prince" inherited the Prescott Group, he would remember their service in "the Crown Prince’s residence" and offer them a prosperous future.
But now, it was a lucky thing if Warren didn’t crush him to death right here and now.
He didn’t even dare to breathe heavily, fearing he might attract Warren’s attention.
Luckily, Warren didn’t look his way and just said to Ashley, "Let’s go."
Ashley nodded lightly and took a few steps with Warren, only to realize they were going in the wrong direction.
It wasn’t towards the office but towards the elevator.
Did this mean she could finally leave Spectator Tower?
However, upon entering the elevator, Warren pressed the button for the second floor.
Ashley cast a puzzled glance at him.
Warren didn’t look at her, but perhaps sensing her confusion, he explained, "It’s still early, let’s have lunch first."
Ashley’s eyes widened.
The second floor... was it the Spectator cafeteria?
She instinctively declined.
"You go ahead, I’m not hungry yet."
However, no sooner had she said it than her stomach embarrassingly gave her away with a loud gurgle.
Her face turned a bright shade of red instantly.
Warren glanced at her with a gentle look.
"If you can’t lie well, then don’t try to. Isn’t it embarrassing to be exposed?"
Ashley’s face turned from red to green.
"I was just... afraid of causing a misunderstanding."
"Do you think the misunderstanding you caused earlier isn’t big enough?"
He was referring to the incident upstairs.
Ashley’s face was like a paint palette, turning from green to black.
"I didn’t mean to..."
She really just wanted to keep a low profile, to become like air that no one would notice.
But things always turned out contrary to her wishes.
She even considered going to a temple to pray; since her rebirth, it seemed like Fate had been deliberately testing her, granting her hardly any peaceful days.
The most peaceful time was in the month before college entrance exams.
Back then, all she needed to focus on was studying, unlike now, with constant issues arising.
She hoped time would pass quickly, so once school started, she wouldn’t run into problems like she was facing now.
Warren, noticing Ashley with her head down, thought she was upset over what he had said, and felt a twinge of regret.
After a moment of silence, he explained, "I didn’t mean to blame you."
"I know, I just wanted to say sorry. I accidentally caused you more trouble again."
Warren felt a weight on his chest.
Ashley was so polite, so accommodating, that it would have been better had she gotten angry with him.
At least that way, she would seem "alive" before him.
Rather than acting like a formally polite guest.
He took a deep breath, looked at the elevator display indicating they were almost on the second floor, and suggested, "If you don’t want to eat in the cafeteria, we can go out."
"It’s fine... let’s just eat in the cafeteria."
As Warren said, by now she was undoubtedly the center of attention and gossip in the entire company, avoiding it was just deceiving herself, was just self-deception.
She wasn’t that delicate; a few finger-pointings from others wouldn’t matter much.
"Ding-dong——" the elevator chimed, indicating they had reached the second floor.
Warren didn’t step out immediately but confirmed once more, "Are you sure you want to eat here?"
"Mm, let’s go!"
She had already caused him enough trouble; there was no reason to waste his time by going out to find a restaurant.
She was a person who kept personal matters separate from professional ones and wouldn’t mix the two.
Hearing her say this, Warren no longer insisted and stepped out.
Once outside the elevator, Ashley was surprised to realize her worry was unfounded.
Because Warren didn’t head toward the crowded employee dining hall but walked past it to a room next door.
Calling it a room, it resembled more of a private dining suite.
Inside was a single table, complemented by a sofa and a tea table.
Assistant Lowell was already there, directing the cafeteria staff to arrange dishes neatly.
She recalled that Assistant Lowell wasn’t present when Shawn was apologizing.
It seemed while she was on the phone with Attorney Coleman, Assistant Lowell had come down ahead.
When they entered, Assistant Lowell immediately stepped forward to greet them.
"Miss Shaw, Mr. Prescott Jr., all the dishes are ready. Please see if there’s anything else you’d like; I’ll have the kitchen prepare it."
Glancing quickly at the table, the array of dishes was more sumptuous than at a hotel.
It was completely different from what she imagined a working person’s lunch to be, with even abalone and shark fin being served.
She seriously suspected that the chef here had been hired from a five-star hotel.