Compared with the peaceful silence in Vivian’s room, the atmosphere on the other side of the Norton family’s old mansion was much palpably tense.
Fabian walked into the room with a grim look. Ashley, who had already changed into her nightgown, went up to him in a hurry and hugged his arm. “Fabian, where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time after taking my shower.”
She was clad specially in her silk lacy gown. Under the dim light, she appeared to be even more sensually seductive as she brushed her chest against his arm constantly.
Even with a beauty in his arms, Fabian stood there stoically unmoving as he stared at her gloomily, “Ashley, do you have anything you want to explain to me?”
Blinking with feigned innocence, she was perturbed by his straightforwardness. “Explain what? What’s up with you, Fabian?”
“Those photos today.” Seeing her pretending not to know what he was referring to, Fabian began to lose his patience. “Who allowed you to release those compromising photos of Vivian?”
Ashley turned pale immediately.
Does he know that I’m the culprit?
“Fabian… You… Perhaps you have misunderstood something?” She started to panic as she blabbered, “I don’t know how those indecent photos of my sister suddenly come about, but you must believe…”
“Ashley Miler! How dare you! Still pretending at a time like this?” Cutting her off, Fabian could feel nothing but annoyance at the person currently in front of him. As his anger burned, he shoved her away and revealed, “Great Grandpa has already found out the truth! What do you think Great Grandpa would think about me after causing such a fiasco?”
What?
Even elder Mr. Norton knows?
Ashley’s expression turned deathly pale.
She did not anticipate that in her fervor to frame Vivian, she had instead shot herself in the foot.
Gazing at Fabian in front of her, she knew then that he was her only bargaining chip. Her eyes quickly reddened as she pitifully tugged at his sleeves. “Fabian, I’m sorry. I truly am. I’ve been blinded by my own emotions, which led me to commit such an act. You won’t leave me because of this, will you?”
As she pleaded, she let loose a few tears.
Undeniably, Ashley was indeed beautiful. The sight of her sobbing in sorrow, albeit feigned, was enough to invoke sympathy. In the end, she was still his girlfriend. Fabian felt his heart softened at the sight and toned down his anger. “Ashley, tell me. Why did you feel the need to do what you just did?”
Continuing with her act, she bit her lips and whispered, “Because I’m so afraid…”
“Afraid of what?”
“I’m afraid that you still have feelings for my sister. I’m afraid that you’ll rekindle your relationship with her, and then… You’ll abandon me…”
Fabian did not expect such a reply from her. Stunned for a while, he was at a loss. However, upon looking at her tear-stained smiling face, his heart ached. He reached out his arms and caught her in a tight embrace.
“What a fool,” whispered Fabian to her ears. “After Vivian’s repugnant scandal two years ago, do you think I’ll still have anything to do with her?”
Upon hearing that, Ashley still felt conflicted, perhaps it was due to the many unsatisfactory things that had happened that day, even hearing Fabian’s promise did not make her feel relieved, instead, it only aggravated what was within her heart.
“Fabian.” Nestling in his arms, she could not help but asked, “If you had known that two years earlier… My sister… She did not actually do those things. Would you have reconciled with her?
Deep inside her heart, this issue had always been the thorn in her flesh.
She had expected that as long as Fabian and Vivian were separated, the two of them would have nothing to do with one another and would move on as strangers. Life, after all, was not some TV drama where the protagonists would still long for one another.
However, that thought no longer gave her the confidence it used to.
She had not expected that Fabian would end up as Vivian’s workplace superior. In some sort of twisted fate, Vivian ended up becoming Finnick’s wife, making her Fabian’s aunt.
Since discovering that Vivian was working under Fabian, she had been worried that Vivian would take the initiative to clarify what had actually transpired back then. Yet for some unknown reason, Vivian never made the move to explain. As puzzled as she was, Ashley was relieved as well.
However, this matter still nagged her so much that she was still worried.
Witnessing Fabian’s attitude towards Vivian recently, Ashley could not shake the feeling that she had underestimated the relationship between those two. She was struck with panic, wondering if Fabian would seek to reunite with Vivian once more if he had learned of the truth about that particular incident years ago.
