Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Guarding Against Her
At this hour, the cemetery was completely void of people. Ashley Shaw deftly made her way to Ms. Rose Shaw’s grave.
She placed a bouquet she bought on the way on the ground and carefully pulled out the weeds around it one by one.
The name on the tombstone slowly became visible.
"Shirley Bell."
Her mother changed her name the year she was born, the same year Ashley’s nearly sixty-year-old grandmother divorced her grandfather.
This incident even became local news.
Which elderly woman would want a divorce at sixty? Such things are considered disgraceful in the countryside.
But Ms. Rose Shaw resolutely helped the old lady get divorced and even took her surname, changing her name from Shirley Bell to Rose Shaw.
The reason was simple: the old man was a domestic abuser who hadn’t changed his violent ways, even in his sixties.
Ms. Shaw was very happy at her grandmother’s divorce, taking her out for a good meal in celebration.
In her excitement, she had a premature birth and gave birth to Ashley that night.
She had heard from her grandmother that Ms. Shaw once played bit parts in drama groups and, because of her beauty, gained some minor fame.
But later on, for some unknown reason, she suddenly left the entertainment industry and took up a completely different field in domestic work.
As she grew older, she eventually got the chance to work as a helper for the Prescott Family by chance.
The Prescott Family had many servants, work was easy, and the pay was far better than ordinary domestic work, so she continued working there.
As for her father, Ashley had never heard Ms. Shaw mention him, nor had she heard her grandmother talk about him either.
But from a very young age, Ashley realized that her biological father was a taboo subject in the Shaw Family.
After hearing Owen Sinclair ask about Ms. Shaw today, she suddenly missed her very much and thus came here.
"Ms. Shaw."
Ashley Shaw tried hard to smile.
"In a past life, did you save me? This life, your daughter will definitely live well and not be a pushover like before."
"I made you worry in the past, but please rest assured, I won’t repeat the same mistakes."
"When I start college, I might not have much time to come visit you."
She rambled on for quite a while, her expression changing from a smile to tears slowly trickling down her face.
In the end, she was almost in uncontrollable sobs.
When dusk fell and the cemetery caretaker came to urge her, she finally tried to stop her tears and bid farewell to Ms. Shaw.
"I’ll come to see you again."
She bowed deeply and then, with unsteady steps, left the cemetery.
That night, Ashley Shaw couldn’t sleep.
So when she showed up at the dessert shop the next day with dark circles under her eyes, Claire Xavier watched her for a while and then said, "Go home and get some sleep first, so you don’t affect others’ work."
"..."
"What are you standing there for? Go on."
Ashley quickly said, "Ms. Grant, I’m fine, I can start working now."
Claire Xavier looked her up and down, her eyes clearly disapproving.
"Not listening to the boss on the first day of work?"
"No, sorry..."
She wasn’t stupid; she could see that Claire Xavier didn’t seem to welcome her.
It seemed she had not only lost her job at the convenience store but also this job.
However, just as she was about to turn and leave, she heard Claire Xavier’s voice from behind: "Can you ride an electric bike?"
Ashley turned back and replied quickly, "Yes."
"Come by at two in the afternoon."
Ashley’s eyes lit up.
"Thank you, Ms. Grant!"
"Go on now!"
Ashley nodded and turned to leave once more.
After Ashley disappeared from the doorway, the boy next to Claire Xavier asked in confusion, "Ms. Grant, didn’t you not want to hire her? Why are you letting her come in the afternoon?"
Claire clicked her tongue and scolded, "Mind your own business," then plunged into the kitchen.
She knew her brother liked the girl, subtly helping her secure a job here.
She was quite aware of Cillian’s character; because he truly cared, he didn’t even dare tell his sister.
Out of curiosity, she immediately investigated this girl named Ashley Shaw.
When she learned from Rosalind Lynch about Ashley’s unclear relationship with Warren Prescott, she immediately developed a resentment towards her.
But seeing her in person today, she inexplicably found it hard... to dislike her.
The girl’s aura was too clean, too obedient, making it hard to associate her with the rumors she had heard about Ashley.
So, she decided to wait and see.
After all, it was just a courier position, and she wasn’t about to deny her brother this simple favor.
Whether the girl was good or bad, she’d be able to tell within a few days.
Rosalind Lynch’s words weren’t necessarily true, as that girl herself wasn’t always honest.
Therefore, over the next few days, Claire Xavier assigned all the toughest tasks to Ashley.
The difficulty of a courier’s job was directly proportional to the distance and volume of deliveries.
What Claire assigned to Ashley were the farthest distances from the store and the largest volumes to deliver.
The workload at the new store was large, and even the other male courier in the store was constantly complaining, yet Ashley bore it all without a word.
Girls usually care most about their appearance, but Ashley, even after tanning significantly in just a few days, seemed completely indifferent.
More than that, in her free time, the girl would proactively help with some tasks around the store.
This completely changed Claire’s view of her.
This girl was hardworking and willing to endure hardship.
For girls of her age in this era, she was a rare find.
A week later on a stormy day, the store had little business.
Claire Xavier was planning to give everyone a day off when one of the employees excitedly reported.
"Ms. Grant! We just got a big order! Someone ordered two hundred small cakes, needed by four in the afternoon."
"Two hundred?"
Even Claire was surprised and raised an eyebrow.
"Where did the order come from?"
"The Lynch Group."
Claire raised a brow.
"It’s good to have acquaintances who look after my business. Go check the materials and get ready to work."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ashley walked in from outside.
She had just returned after delivering an order to a school, drenched from head to toe, and said nothing as she nodded at everyone and quietly went to the lounge for a towel.
The pastry chef nearby witnessed this and quietly moved to Claire’s side.
"This delivery was originally for Little Liu, but he thought the order was too small, and the school was too far, so he passed it on to her. She must’ve left without a raincoat, which is why she’s soaking wet. But at this rate, she’s going to catch a cold."
Claire pressed her temples. In a few short days, she had completely dispelled her distrust of Ashley, but she still couldn’t bring herself to be overly friendly.
The things Rosalind had mentioned still prompted her to remain cautious around Ashley.
However, remembering Ashley’s bedraggled entrance, Claire let out a long sigh and suddenly asked, "Is there any brown sugar ginger tea left in the store?"
"No, we’ve only sold two cups today."
"Heat some ginger tea and bring a cup out."
"Okay."
When Ashley came out after almost drying her hair with a towel, she saw a bowl of ginger tea on the table.
She paused, vaguely aware that it was for her.
Before she could ask, Claire tossed a dress to her.
"Go change into this and come out to drink the ginger tea."
With that, she headed into the kitchen, giving Ashley no time to refuse.
When Ashley emerged in the dress, everyone present was stunned.