Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Your Taste Is Just Too Bad
The grip on the man’s wrist was incredibly strong.
The man’s face instantly turned pale, and he gasped in pain: "Hiss—"
Ashley Shaw was stunned as she looked up at the owner of that large hand and saw Warren Prescott’s face.
What is he doing here?
After a moment of shock, Ashley saw Mark and several middle-aged men she didn’t recognize standing behind Warren.
It seemed like they were there for business, holding a few brown paper bags, with several burly bodyguards standing at the back.
Seeing Warren take action himself left those middle-aged men equally surprised, as they subtly assessed her.
So it seemed to be just a chance encounter.
Ashley only felt that the narrow road brings enemies together.
How is it that she runs into Warren wherever she goes?
Is heaven playing a trick on her?
"Sir, please let go!" the shop owner exclaimed.
He tried to struggle, but the other’s strength was so astonishing that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break free.
Ashley also realized the man couldn’t escape Warren’s grip, so she quickly called Warren’s name, prompting him to slowly release his hand.
The man quickly withdrew his hand, glaring at Warren with a dark expression: "Sir, what do you mean by this?"
"Oh, nothing much, just reminding you to stay away from my girlfriend."
Ashley was bewildered, suddenly looking up at him.
She realized that Warren was not even looking at her but was staring straight at the shop owner’s face.
What’s he doing? Helping her out?
But this little matter, she could handle it herself.
After all, as long as she doesn’t give her contact information and never comes to this store again, they won’t meet again.
Ashley was just about to speak when the shop owner said sternly, "This lady said she doesn’t have a boyfriend."
"But she said she has someone she likes."
Ashley’s heart went empty; was he behind her back then?
Warren arrogantly declared, "The person she likes is me; we just haven’t confirmed our relationship yet."
With that, he raised his chin slightly, provocatively asking the man in front of him, "Do you have anything else to say now?"
His gaze carried unmistakable confidence and arrogance, as if he didn’t take the other seriously at all.
The man’s face darkened, and his previously gentle demeanor seemed to vanish at that moment.
He gritted his teeth and looked at Ashley with inquiry.
"Miss, is what he said true?"
Ashley was caught in the middle, torn on both sides, feeling utterly helpless.
The current situation placed her in an impossible position.
Would she say she likes Warren?
How could that be?
Even if it was just for show, she didn’t want to act in such a play.
But Warren was acting out of good intentions now, and to openly refute him seemed ungrateful.
Just as Ashley was hesitating, Warren suddenly wrapped his arm around her neck, pulling her tightly to his side.
"Speak up!"
Ashley gritted her teeth.
Good intentions, really? She realized Warren was just using this as an opportunity to embarrass her.
Then, a sudden idea struck her, and she said, "Big brother, stop joking around; you know who I like."
Saying this, she took advantage of Warren’s momentary lapse in reaction, crouched down like a loach, and swiftly slipped out of Warren’s hold. Then she quickly stepped back two steps, keeping a distance from Warren before saying, "Brother, let’s go."
With those words, she turned to leave.
But she hadn’t taken two steps when Warren grabbed her arm, bringing her to face him directly.
As their eyes met, Warren smiled with a chill that could freeze, asking her, "Who did you call brother?"
Ashley’s heart was in chaos, and she forced out a dry smile.
"Of course, you, big brother."
Warren’s gaze turned colder.
She would rather call him brother than play along with his act?
When all she had to do was nod and say "yes."
Warren’s eyes slowly narrowed, full of dangerous signals.
Just when Ashley thought Warren might strangle her, he suddenly smiled playfully.
"Alright, good little sister, wait for me outside, I’ll be out in a bit."
With that, he turned expressionless to look at the shop owner.
The servers in the store sensed something was wrong and started to move toward them.
Ashley didn’t want innocent people to get involved because of her and Warren’s relationship.
The person just had a good feeling towards her, they didn’t owe her anything.
People do business, no matter how big or small, and it always affects business.
Ashley hesitated for a moment, biting her lower lip, but still didn’t leave.
She lowered her voice and asked Warren, "What are you trying to do? He’s just doing business; there’s no need to make things difficult for him. If you want trouble, take it out on me."
"Take it out on you?"
An invisible fire seemed to ignite on Warren, threatening to scorch everything around.
Yet inexplicably, it also sent a chill down one’s back.
Warren’s voice rang ominously, "You’re defending him? Could he be the one you like? If that’s the case, your taste is really poor!"
Ashley was also getting angry.
What right did he have to be so arrogant?
Just because he’s Warren Prescott, does he think he can treat people however he likes?
Ashley sneered, and retorted, "What kind of taste is considered good? Liking you is good taste? I think he’s much better than you are."
"Ashley Shaw!" he almost spat out her name through gritted teeth.
"You don’t need to say my name so loudly; I can hear fine."
"You—"
Mark saw that the situation wasn’t right and quickly tugged on Ashley’s sleeve.
"Miss Shaw, please come outside with me; I have something to tell you."
Ashley frowned, knowing that Mark wasn’t someone who couldn’t distinguish priorities.
Under such circumstances, if he asked her to go outside, it must be something important he had to say.
So after hesitating for a moment, Ashley nodded her head and followed Mark out.
As soon as they reached the store entrance, Mark began, "Miss Shaw, you’ve misunderstood Mr. Prescott Jr."
Ashley was taken aback, "What do you mean?"
"The owner of this store may look like a gentleman, but he frequently harasses customers who come to dine here."
"He uses the pretense of having a crush to get the customer’s number. It looks like pursuing, but in reality, it’s just for... irresponsible purposes."
"We came today to handle this matter because this street belongs to our company."
"Originally, the police were supposed to handle it, but due to the owner’s nationality, having them handle it would be very complicated, so it was referred to us."
"We were initially going to come around three or four, but Mr. Prescott Jr. saw a post from the Xavier Family’s eldest daughter on social media, saw you came to this store, so we decided to come early, and luckily, we came just in time."