At that, Ashton chuckled softly. “It looks like Mrs. Fuller is missing me. What did you have for dinner?”
Likewise, I giggled. Without answering him, I remarked, “Ashton Fuller, it feels like you have life within
you now.” In the past, he used to be cold and indifferent without much warmth. From afar, he always
seemed rather chilly, but now that I had been with him for a long time, I found that he was oftentimes no
different from the ordinary person—he experienced distress, concern, worry, and he would also nag,
badger, and always treat me well.
“Why do you say that all of a sudden?” he queried. His voice was still slightly hoarse, and it sounded as
though he had caught a cold.
“You’ve caught a cold! Have you taken any medication?” I blurted even as I resolved to go to A City
tomorrow barring any unforeseen circumstances.
“I just caught a cold when I disembarked from the airplane, but it’s no big deal. How’s the weather over at
K City?”
I nodded before slowly telling him about everything that had happened today while he listened quietly. As
I spoke, I inadvertently blurted, “I miss you, Ashton Fuller.”
The person on the other end was taken aback for a moment, and silence reigned for a long moment.
Then, in a low voice, he murmured, “I miss you, too.”
“I don’t have much to do in K City, so can I go over to A City to look for you? I want to see you.” I actually
wanted to tell him about my encounter with Marcus, but on second thought, it would only add to his
troubles, so I decided not to do so.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
At that, he paused for a moment before saying, “Holden is probably arriving in K City tomorrow, so don’t
be in such a hurry to come to A City. Fuller Corporation needs you and Joseph there. If you come over,
I’ll worry about Fuller Corporation instead. Armond will most likely seek you out for the sandalwood box,
so stay at Moore Residence as much as possible. You’ll have a backup if anything happens.”
Upon hearing that, I pursed my lips. “Why is Armond still fixated on that sandalwood box? Even if the
item in there could get him some money, it’ll be a mere pittance. So, why on earth is he obsessed about
it?”
“The oil fields in Eastern Epea have been affected by the epidemic this year, so a huge amount of
petroleum there can’t be exported. The Murphys run a petroleum company, and this is the best time to
buy petroleum there at a low price. However, they don’t have a contract in hand. While that single piece
of paper agreement doesn’t seem to be of any importance, Eastern Epea only acknowledges that piece
of paper.
“As the Murphys have been operating on a small scale throughout the past few years, that piece of paper
didn’t really matter. But now that they want to purchase in huge quantities, it’ll be a drop in the bucket
without that piece of paper. Furthermore, Armond didn’t get anything useful in Moranta, and petroleum is
the fastest way to generate profits for Murphy Corporation, so he’ll definitely seek you out for that
sandalwood box.”
Bafflement gripped me after listening to him. Then, I hesitantly questioned, “So, should I give him that
sandalwood box?” After all, I might not necessarily be able to hold onto that sandalwood box if Armond
demanded it.
The truth of the matter was, I had indeed promised to give him the sandalwood box when I came back
from Venria. But then, Ashton changed the sandalwood box when I gave it to him, and I didn’t continue
pursuing the matter henceforth.
At that moment, Ashton went silent. After what seemed like an eternity, he admitted, “From my
perspective, I don’t want you to give him the sandalwood box. He’s not an honest person, so no one can
guarantee that he won’t continue targeting me when the Murphy family has stabilized. He has always
wanted the business deal in Moranta, but he has no time to bother now that he’s all caught up in the
affairs of the Murphy family.”
Indeed, that’s true.
He then paused for a moment before continuing, “Nevertheless, the Murphys is a domestic company, so
the country will have sufficient petroleum reserves after they purchase the petroleum at a low price. It’s
beneficial to everyone in the country since a huge supply of petroleum means a possible lowering of its
price. Therefore, it’s a good thing to a certain extent.”
At that, I grew increasingly conflicted. “So, should I give it to him or otherwise?”
However, he didn’t answer me anymore. Instead, he abruptly hung up the phone. When I called him
back, the line was busy. When the call was connected after a long time, we bypassed that topic.
The next day, I went straight to Fuller Corporation.
Holden was late, so Joseph briefly informed me about the company’s recent condition before leaving the
office. When Stella saw me in Ashton’s office, she was stunned for a moment. In the next second, she
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmhanded me some documents that were to be reviewed with a neutral expression. They were basically
collaboration proposals from some small companies and some internal start-up plans. Ashton had
previously left me instructions for these, so I had no problems handling them.
I was reviewing those documents in the office when Holden arrived. His method of making an entrance
was truly different from others. A long-legged beauty with wavy curls sashayed beside him, and he
wasn’t at all bothered about running his hands all over the woman in public.
As soon as he entered the office, he pulled the woman onto his lap and inserted his long and slender
fingers between the woman’s thighs. Despite it being in the middle of winter, the woman was wearing
flesh-colored leggings. He caressed her for a while, but he probably didn’t find it satisfying, for he asked
the woman to remove it altogether. Hearing his request, the woman looked at him in mild embarrassment
and murmured, “This isn’t quite appropriate, no, Mr. Taylor?”
“What’s inappropriate about it? As you said, you’re here to keep me company and make me happy. Why,
are you going back on your word?” Holden’s roguish appearance then truly seemed as though he was
itching for a beating.
The woman’s face was a mask of mortification, but Holden merely looked at her apathetically as though
everything had nothing to do with him. While he didn’t show much of an expression, he vaguely
emanated displeasure. Women working as escorts were naturally adept at reading someone’s moods, so
after a moment’s hesitation, the woman bit her lip lightly.
Lowering her head, she mustered her courage to remove her leggings right there in the office. As I sat
there at the table, I couldn’t help frowning. Staring at Holden, I suggested, “Mr. Taylor, how about I
reserve a hotel room for you, and we’ll talk business when you’re done enjoying yourself?”