Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Borrowing Money
As soon as Ashley Shaw leaves, the originally lively private room suddenly falls silent.
Someone boldly asks, "Warren, what’s going on here?"
Others chime in, "Yeah, Warren, what are you up to? Give us a clue, will you?"
No one wants to become the second Damian Ford.
Even though Damian Ford somehow ended up joining the group, everyone knows the process must have been very arduous.
This is evident from the fact that Damian Ford sent out more than a dozen large red envelopes after joining the group.
So they need to figure out what Warren Prescott intends to do, so they can cooperate accordingly.
Warren leans forward, picks up the dice cup on the Tribunal’s table, and jokingly scolds, "What am I up to, huh? Why so much nonsense? Isn’t the booze enough to keep your mouths shut?"
Everyone exchanges looks, only to see Warren has already started shaking the dice.
"Who’s in?"
Everyone immediately jumps in, as if they had forgotten the previous topic, eager to participate.
Even though there’s only one dice cup, they can still start playing.
Outside the room.
After Ashley Shaw steps out, she doesn’t head directly to the front desk. Instead, she follows the signs down the corridor to the restroom before pulling out her phone to call Ariana Grant.
"Ariana, are you home yet?"
The sound of gaming comes from Ariana’s side.
"Yeah, I’m home! Are you heading back? Or should I come pick you up? If I need to pick you up, I’ll stop playing this round."
"Uh, no... not yet." The words Ashley was about to say get swallowed back down.
She initially wanted to call Ariana Grant to borrow money, but then she remembered that Ariana might have, at most, ten to twenty thousand on hand, so she just laughed it off, saying, "I just wanted to call and let you know I’ll be back a bit late."
"I know! You messaged me that you’re treating that witch to dinner."
"Yeah, just thought I’d call anyway to keep you from worrying."
"Got it! I’m not worried. Seeing that witch’s behavior lately, it seems like they’ve turned over a new leaf, so I’m just chilling here, gaming."
Ashley Shaw internally refutes: How have they turned over a new leaf? Maybe they’re not killing people, but they sure are tormenting the heart.
"Alright, nothing else then. I’ll hang up. Enjoy your game."
"Okay, okay!"
Ariana does, in fact, seem as casual as she claims, ending the call even before hanging up.
Ashley can’t help but give a bitter smile.
She used to worry that Ariana had too much hostility towards Warren Prescott, fearing they would clash if they ever met, but unexpectedly, after the Hailey Hayes incident, Ariana has already made peace with Warren.
She’s even so relaxed about her being with Warren.
But she’s in deep trouble now!
Though she’s indifferent about her savings running dry, as the large sum of money she has left isn’t money she earned herself, the problem now is: it’s not enough money.
All her money combined is only enough to cover the first two bottles of wine they ordered. She doesn’t have the money to pay for the remaining two bottles of Maotai and other wine under ten thousand.
Not to mention, they’re playing dice and might order more drinks later.
After much deliberation, Ashley thinks of someone who can help her out of this immediate predicament.
Two seconds later, Ashley dials Elder Prescott’s number.
"Hello? Grandpa Prescott."
"Ashley? What makes you think of calling me at this hour? Want to come over to the house? I’ll have them prepare everything. Since it’s so late, just stay over for the night when you get here."
Elder Prescott’s voice sounds genuinely pleased.
"No, no... I’m not coming over; you misunderstand, Grandpa. I just, uh, have a favor to ask," Ashley begins, flushing before even stating the matter.
Luckily, Grandpa Prescott can’t see her face over the phone, or he’d surely notice her cheeks reddening like a monkey’s.
Without much thought, Grandpa Prescott agrees, "No problem, just say it."
Ashley’s a bit embarrassed, but she knows she has no choice but to ask Grandpa Prescott for help.
Truthfully, after hanging up with Ariana, the first person who came to her mind was Claire Xavier.
However, upon reconsidering Claire’s relationship with Cillian, dialing became impossible.
Though Ms. Grant never explicitly mentioned so, Ashley knows very well that Ms. Grant hopes she’ll end up with Cillian.
Not being able to meet Claire Xavier’s expectations makes it awkward to ask her for money, so after thinking it all through, since it wasn’t yet time for Grandpa Prescott to sleep, she decided to call.
Even though in the end, it was still incurring a debt of gratitude to the Prescott Family, Grandpa Prescott is different from Warren Prescott.
Even if she heads to Aethelgard in the future, she’ll frequently come back to visit her dear grandpa.
To her, Grandpa Prescott is family.
Among family, there aren’t so many reservations.
Ashley tightens her grip, cheeks still flushed, "Could you lend me some money?"
There’s a moment of silence, likely because she’s never asked Grandpa Prescott for money before.
Two seconds later, Grandpa Prescott’s voice, now tense, asks, "Did something happen?"
"Nothing major, just singing with some friends and accidentally ordered some expensive wine, so..."
Hearing this, Grandpa Prescott breathes a sigh of relief.
"Ha! I thought something had actually happened, scared me for a bit there... How much do you need? I’ll transfer it to you right now."
"It hasn’t come time to pay yet, so I don’t know exactly how much, but could you advance me two hundred thousand?"
"Between us as grandfather and granddaughter, it’s not called a loan. Let’s just say today, as your grandpa, I’m treating your friends to drinks. Just text me your bank details, and I’ll transfer it over right away."
"Thank you, Grandpa Prescott," Ashley says, though internally vowing to repay the sum even if it means selling her last pot and pan.
"It’s nothing. For any money-related issues in the future, feel free to reach out to me. Enjoy yourself, but don’t drink too much. Stay safe, alright?"
"Okay."
"Alright, I’m hanging up, and I’ll transfer the money right away."
Grandpa Prescott doesn’t waste more words and directly ends the call.
He presses the intercom in the study, and soon a servant enters.
"Has Warren returned yet?"
"The young master hasn’t come back."
"Alright, I got it."
Grandpa Prescott waves the servant out and then dials Warren Prescott’s number.
Inside the KTV private room.
Warren sees the caller ID for Grandpa Prescott and shows a hint of surprise.
Picking up his phone to leave, he only answers once the door is securely closed.
"Hello, Grandpa."
"Can you teach me how to transfer money using mobile banking? I’m not quite sure how to use it..."
The surprise in Warren’s eyes becomes more pronounced, and in the next instant, a sudden realization dawns on him. Grasping the phone, he draws out his words slowly, "Late at night, who is it you’re transferring money to?"
"Has nothing to do with you; just teach me. I’m using the Commercial Bank card..."
Warren interrupts Grandpa Prescott, "If you don’t clarify, I’m not helping you. There are tons of online scams these days; I don’t want you being tricked."
"Tricked? What do you mean? Could Ashley ever trick me?"