Chapter 253: Chapter 253: Come With Me
Ashley Shaw turned her head and looked up along that large hand, meeting Warren Prescott’s cold, stern gaze, like a layer of ice covering a lake.
Caught by this look, her heart skipped a beat.
Was he really angry now?
Because she had caused him trouble again?
But she hadn’t asked him to come help.
Yet even though she hadn’t asked, the fact was she had troubled him once again.
She clearly wanted to stay away from him, but time and time again they were brought together by some twist of fate—is this destiny’s trick?
Warren Prescott coldly said, "Get in the car with me, there’s no need for you to worry here."
"Get in the car?"
Go where?
Ashley Shaw was puzzled.
While Ashley hesitated and didn’t move, Claire Xavier walked over.
"Warren, today’s issue was purely caused by the Ley family, it had nothing to do with Ashley."
Warren Prescott glanced sideways at Claire Xavier.
"What do you mean? Do you think I want to blame the victim?"
Claire Xavier and Ashley Shaw’s expressions both tightened.
Isn’t that what he meant?
But if that’s not what he meant, why was Warren pulling such a long face?
Seeing their expressions, Warren felt even more annoyed.
Do they really think he’s so unreasonable?
Suppressing his anger, he said, "We had an agreement to pick up Leo. Ashley Shaw, don’t tell me you forgot."
Ashley quickly shook her head, "I didn’t forget, but... isn’t Leo’s flight landing in a few hours?"
"I don’t have time to come back and get you again. You’ll go with me to the office, and once I’m done, we’ll head directly to the airport."
"But here..."
Seeing that Warren wasn’t blaming Ashley, Claire felt slightly relieved, "It’s okay, Ashley, I’m here, go do what you need to do."
Ashley wanted to say she didn’t actually have anything urgent, but she vaguely realized that if she really said so, the person next to her was sure to explode.
"Go on!" Claire patted the back of her hand.
"But if you’re staying here, what about the hospital...?"
"My parents are at the hospital, and Cillian is over there too. I’ll have him go back to the hospital later."
Ashley glanced at Cillian, who was standing not too far away.
Cillian instinctively looked over in her direction as well.
Their eyes met, but Cillian was the first to look away, as if he didn’t notice her at all, and continued helping move the tables.
The crowded store had left the tables and chairs disordered.
"Alright, I’m leaving now. If you need help, just let me know anytime."
"Don’t worry, everything’s settled, just tidying up the place now, nothing else to worry about."
Ashley nodded, looked at Warren, who was visibly impatient, and said, "Then I’ll go with you."
"Then I’ll go with you..."
A simple sentence, yet it felt like it plucked at a chord within Warren, slightly soothing his irritable mood.
But he didn’t reveal any real emotion on his face, kept his handsome visage long, and walked out.
Ashley waved to Claire and the others, grabbed her bag, and quickly followed him out.
After they left, Cillian’s shoulders slightly slumped as if giving a silent sigh.
After finishing with the store’s deputy manager’s medicine, Claire grabbed a band-aid and applied it, and then walked out without looking back.
As she walked, she said, "Archie, come out with me."
Cillian thought his sister was asking him to go back to the hospital first, but unexpectedly, Claire raised her fist and punched him on the chest.
A dull pain made Cillian let out a low groan.
"Sis, what are you doing?"
"What do you mean, what am I doing?!"
Claire’s face was full of exasperation.
"Look at them, then look at yourself! You’re simply useless! I’ve never seen anyone as cowardly as you!"
Cillian was stunned for a while, then immediately understood what his sister meant.
His sister was saying that he shouldn’t have said nothing at that time.
But, what could he have said?
Warren had a legitimate reason, what reason did he have to keep her?
Back at graduation, he lost the right to keep her.
That moment of hesitation was his lifetime regret.
He deeply regrets it, but time cannot be turned back.
Cillian suddenly felt as though he had lost all strength.
He lowered his head; the sunlight shone on him, yet he still felt cold.
"Sis, I don’t like Ashley anymore."
Claire laughed coldly, "Who are you trying to fool?"
"I’m serious...ugh..." His chest was hit again by Claire.
"You’re lying to me? Hmm? I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice! Don’t pretend!"
"Sorry."
"What are you apologizing to me for? What have you done wrong?"
Cillian pressed his lips together and said nothing.
Claire continued, "I know you liked her for a long time. You like drawing but never portraiture. Once I came home, and suddenly there was a portrait in your studio. It was a drawing of Ashley."
"..."
"Later, you frequently went to the Prescott’s, and Mom and Dad thought you were visiting Warren. But I noticed that you would always put a few fruit candies in your pocket. I remember Warren doesn’t like sweets."
"..."
"Before last year’s college entrance exam, you suddenly caught a fever and missed it. You had to retake the year. But were you really sick?"
Cillian took a breath and said, "Sis, stop it."
"Why should I stop? Why won’t you admit you like her? Ashley doesn’t like Warren, I’ve checked, you obviously still have a chance, why don’t you fight for it? Do you consider yourself a man?"
Cillian blurted out unexpectedly, "Sis, I’ve agreed to be with Ivy."
"..." This time Claire was the one silenced.
"She doesn’t know she’s sick, but this morning she confessed to me. She said her greatest wish is to be with me. I feel... for humanitarian reasons, I should agree."
Claire felt her anger rising.
"You’re, you’re ridiculous! Did you cause her illness? Where does that big sense of morality come from?"
Cillian spoke, "Sis."
"What?!"
"I consulted a specialist, and Ivy has less than a year left."
"..." Claire was at a loss for words for a moment.
After a while, she turned her back.
"You can go now, I’ll stay here at the store."
She then walked straight into the store.
The automatic doors opened and closed, isolating everything inside.
Cillian looked up at the sky.
The sunshine was splendid today.
But he felt cold, as if a chilling wind pierced through his heart.
...
Inside the Maybach.
Neither of them spoke, only the sound of the wind whistling past the car window could be heard.
Warren didn’t want to talk.
Every time something happened to Ashley, he "happened" to know, rather than Ashley informing him voluntarily.
She never actively seeks his help.
This made him very unhappy.
It’s not as if he wouldn’t help, so why couldn’t she ask?
How precious is her mouth?
Today’s incident, if Mark hadn’t been on Leon’s discussion thread, he wouldn’t have known, much less come over.
With just Claire and them, Chief Sutton might not have given them face.
He couldn’t fathom what was in Ashley’s mind.
Was it just full of water?
And yet, he couldn’t hear any sloshing sound from her head.