Ashley paused. She was worried that if she pressed on, Finnick might change his mind and not let her off.
Likewise, Finnick also ignored her question. Instead, he pulled out a photo from his pocket. The photo was a little yellowish, but one could see a girl in a princess dress. The girl seemed familiar, but she could not tell for sure as the photo was quite blurry.
Finnick asked, “Do you recognize the girl in this photo? Is this you?”
Ashley’s eyes sparkled for she instantly knew that the photo had something to do with Finnick’s decision. If I said no, would Finnick treat me differently? And if I said yes, would this lead to more terrible things?
After all, I have done many hurtful things towards Vivian… I should be careful with my answer.
She decided to not answer him and instead questioned, “So what if I say I am or not? Why does it matter?”
“Do you remember on a night ten years ago, you unintentionally saved a boy with injured legs? You walked a long way and took him to the hospital. In the end, he was saved.” Finnick paused, “That boy was me.”
“You?” Ashley had no impression and could not recall the incident. But she knew that it was her only chance to escape punishment from Finnick. This is my lucky day!
“Ashley, thank you for saving me. If it weren’t for you, I would have died that night.” Finnick said in a low voice. His tone was steady but filled with gratitude.
Yesterday, when Noah received a call, the caller claimed that they had found the buyer’s list of the limited edition princess dress of that year. Funnily enough, Ashley’s name was on the list. In addition, the location of the photo taken was nearby Miller Residence. After comparison, the girl was indeed Ashley. She was the girl Finnick had been searching for all these years.
So, it turned that the girl in the photo was his savior. no wonder he reacted in this way. Ashley finally understood the reason behind the situation and an idea came to mind.
She was silent for a moment as she did not want to talk too much about the photo and the past.
She was suddenly reminded of Emma. I haven’t seen her since last night. Did she return to the Miller Residence?
Ashley asked timidly, “What about my mom? Where is she? I haven’t seen her all day, has she gone back home?”
Finnick sneered, “Here’s the deal, I can let you off, but not your mom. Especially since she was the mastermind behind Vivian’s incident two years ago.”
Finnick was being tactful with words.
Obviously, he knew that the mastermind behind the incident was not Emma, but Ashley. However, Ashley was just a college student then. Surely Emma must have known what her daughter was doing behind her back, not to mention how Ashley had used the Miller family to perform her nefarious scheme. Emma must have hated Vivian and her mother thus decided to help Ashley in the dark.
Unfortunately, Finnick couldn’t bring himself to punish Ashley when he thought of the kindness he had received from her ten years ago. But for Emma, she will not be forgiven.
Ashley instantly understood Finnick’s implication. She knew that Finnick letting her off was already a huge compromise on his part. Fearing that he would change his mind at any time, she swallowed her request of letting Emma go.
“If so, may I see my Mom then, Mr. Norton?” Ashley begged pitifully.
“I’m afraid not, I’ve sent her abroad. This is the only way I can guarantee Vivian’s safety,” Finnick replied coldly.
Chills went down Ashley’s spine. What a ruthless man.
She knew what Emma would face once she was sent abroad. My Mom won’t be able to live the rest of her life in peace…
She asked, “Is she alright, Mr. Norton? She’s old, so please go easy on her. I really want to see her. Could you please let her come back?”
Finnick could feel nothing but disgust at the mention of Emma. However, he was reminded of the kindness ten years ago and he said, “I shall allow you to say a few words to her through video call, and nothing more.”
Ashley wanted to ask for more, but when she caught sight of Finnick’s cold expression, she could only concede. I’ll think of something to bring Mom back myself. So hang in there, Mom!
