Chapter 73
“Yes.”
C Gets
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I was about to respond when Ashton leaned in and whispered, “I can’t help it. I can’t stop myself from wanting to be close to you, to care for you, and… to tease you.”
It made sense. If love were something we could control, no one in this world would ever fall victim to it.
I didn’t know what to say, but before I could reply, Ashton released me. “Drink plenty of water when you get inside. If you need anything, just call me.”
Pointing at my bag, he added, “Your room key. Let me open the door for you.”
“It’s okay,” I said, snapping back to reality as I stepped away from him. “I can open it myself.”
I hurriedly fumbled for my room key, swiped it, and slipped inside. Leaning against the door, I stayed there for a while, trying to clear my thoughts.
By the time Maya returned, I was already lying in bed. She moved carefully, probably trying not to disturb me.
I kept my eyes shut, unwilling to talk, but I heard her mutter softly, “She’s sleeping so soundly. Looks like I’m not needed here.”
Hearing this, I clenched my fingers lightly. It seemed Ashton had asked Maya to check on me.
Ashton… How did I end up getting involved with this man?
I didn’t know. Gradually, I drifted into sleep, only to find myself dreaming again. The dream was chaotic–a jumble of images of my parents and the scene of their car accident.
Even though I hadn’t witnessed the accident firsthand, I had once secretly looked through the police case files and seen the photographs.
Those images were burned into my memory, haunting me for years.
When I first moved in with the Mercers, I had frequent nightmares about it, but over time, they had faded. Yet that night, the dream returned.
When I woke up, it was still dark outside. I checked my phone–it was five in the morning.
Lately, I’d been waking up at this hour no matter how late I went to bed. Despite drinking the night before, my head felt clear.
I noticed a few missed calls and messages on my phone, which I hadn’t heard because it was on
silent.
Nora had called twice, and so had Tessa. I didn’t know why Tessa was calling, but I had an uneasy feeling. It was likely related to Logan–or maybe even Miles.
After thinking it over, I decided to reply to Nora first. Since it was too early to call, I opened WhatsApp and saw several messages from her:
“Why aren’t you answering your calls? Are you okay?” – “Did Mr. Drake kidnap you?” – “Answer your phone or reply to my messages. Otherwise, I’m calling the police.” – “You went to Mr. Webb’s bar to drink. Did something happen there?”
Nora must have tracked down Mr. Webb’s place when she couldn’t find me. Otherwise, she’d probably
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be banging on my hotel door.
I sent her an emoji and a quick reply: “I’m fine. Just needed a drink.”
No sooner had I sent the message than my phone rang. It was Nora calling. She was likely on the night shift again, which explained her quick response.
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Not wanting to wake Maya, I stepped out onto the balcony to take the call. As I did, I spotted Ashton. jogging below. I turned my back to him as I answered the phone.
When I told Nora about Ashton seeing her messages, she laughed. “Elaine, I think you should give Ashton a chance. Why not just give it a try?”
“I rejected him last night. I’m not interested,” I replied firmly.
“Alright. Seems like you’ve been scarred by love and sworn off relationships,” Nora said with a sigh.
After hanging up, I took a shower. When I finished, my phone rang again–this time, it was Tessa.
I hesitated for a moment before answering. “Hello…”
As expected, Tessa invited me home for dinner. It was clearly just an excuse–she must have had something else she wanted to discuss.
“Tessa, I’ve loved your tacos, but I really can’t make it back right now. The amusement park project is under a tight deadline, and I’m working day and night.”
I declined politely but promised, “I’ll visit once I get a break.”
“Sigh, why is Logan making you rush like this? It’s not like the world’s ending. I’ll have a word with him later,” Tessa said with a playful huff.
“It’s not his fault, Tessa. The deadline was set long ago,” I explained. Logan had always kept work and personal matters separate.
“Alright, work is important.” Tessa hung up, though she sounded disappointed.
But there was no alternative. I really was busy, and even if I weren’t, I couldn’t just drop by the Mercers‘ estate like I used to. Perhaps with enough disappointment, she’d come to accept it.
People constantly come and go from your life. First my parents,
then Logan, and now the Mercers.
During breakfast with Maya, Ashton was nowhere to be seen.
“Hey, didn’t Mr. Drake say he’d come to the amusement park with us? Why’d he leave early?” Maya asked curiously.
I didn’t respond.
Maya nudged me with her shoulder. “Elaine, Mr. Drake really cares about you. He even asked me to check on you last night because you’d been drinking. Were you drinking with him?”
“No!”
“Then how did he know you were drinking?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.
“He saw me,” I replied curtly.
“Oh, I see.” Maya gave me a knowing look, as if trying to read my thoughts.
“Don’t bother. There’s nothing going on between us,” I said flatly, cutting off her unspoken question.
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Maya laughed. “Even if there were, it’d be fine. I admire Mr. Drake’s looks, but it’s no different from admiring a celebrity.”
She was surprisingly levelheaded about it.
“We’ll admire him together, then,” I joked, ending the conversation. We quickly finished breakfast and headed to the amusement park.
When we arrived, Ashton was already working.
“You’re here early, Mr. Drake. Why didn’t you come with us?” Maya asked playfully.
“It was more convenient this way,” Ashton replied, making Maya stick out her tongue.
We began working, and the morning passed quickly. Around noon, as Maya was about to order takeout, a luxury car pulled up.
I recognized it immediately–it was Tessa’s. She must have had something urgent to discuss, coming all the way here in person.
“You guys go ahead,” I told Maya as I walked toward Tessa.
The driver opened the trunk, revealing several lunch boxes.
“Elaine, I made these for everyone,” Tessa said, surprising me.
“Tessa, you didn’t have to go through all this trouble,” I said, feeling a little embarrassed.
“You can’t eat takeout every day–it’s unhealthy. Call everyone over to get their food.”
I glanced at Ashton, still busy working, while Maya was on her phone, ready to order lunch. For some reason, I felt like Tessa’s gaze lingered on Ashton.
“Maya, Mrs. Mercer brought us lunch. No need to order takeout,” I called out.
Maya looked surprised but quickly skipped over. Bowing dramatically, she said, “Thank you, Your Highness, Mrs. Mercer! We’re honored to have such royal treatment.”
Tessa laughed. “If you like it, I’ll bring food every day.”
“Oh no, that’s not necessary.” Maya said wisely. “An occasional treat is more than enough.”
Tessa walked toward Ashton, and I followed close behind. She looked around. “So, this is what you’ve been busy with?”
“Yes, there are some issues with the lighting,” I explained.
But Tessa was already walking toward the scaffolding where Ashton was working
“Young man, why aren’t you wearing a safety harness? This is dangerous. Safety comes first,” she said sharply, her tone that of a chairman’s wife.
Ashton had taken off his harness earlier when he climbed down and hadn’t put it back on yet.
I
“Yes, we’ll be careful,” I said quickly, then called out, “Ashton, why aren’t you wearing your hamess? Come down now.”
Ashton climbed down and admitted, “That was my mistake. I’ll be more careful next time.”
He looked like a child owning up to a mistake, and for some reason, I felt like I’d been too harsh.
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Tessa, however, wasn’t done. “Safety rules exist to protect you. You owe it to yourself to follow them. Only when you care for yourself can you care for others. Don’t you agree?”
Her words were wise, befitting her role as the chairman’s wife.
But somehow, they felt like they carried a deeper meaning–one directed at me.
