In Love, Never Say Never Chapter 551-552-553-554-555
In Love, Never Say Never Chapter 551-552-553-554-555
In Love, Never Say Never Chapter 551-552-553-554-555
In love, never say never chapter 551
I wasn’t really hungry to begin with, and seeing him here made me lose my appetite completely.
The weather was already chilly during the winter, and the heavy rain outside just made it even colder.
Damn it… I just had to forget my umbrella, huh? Well, my car isn’t too far away, so maybe I could just run through the rain…
But the moment I stood outside the entrance of the restaurant, the biting cold discouraged me.
Suddenly, a man held an umbrella over my head, and I didn’t have to turn around to know it was Marcus.
“Did you drive here or take a cab?” His voice sounded as cold as the weather.
I looked up at the heavy downpour and said, “I drove here.”
Marcus nodded. “I’ll give you a lift.”
“No, thank you,” I declined his offer immediately.
“Haha… I know you hate me and all, but you don’t have to avoid me like that! I’m not going to kidnap you or anything!” he said with a wry, self-mocking laugh.
I pursed my lips as I looked at my shoes that were completely drenched by the rain. “I didn’t mean to give you that money, you know? You and Ashton are both amazing men! You shouldn’t be hurting each other over a nobody like me!”
A mutually beneficial outcome is always the best one when it comes to business, after all.
“Who are you worried about? Me or Ashton?” he asked with a sneer.
Marcus sure is a stubborn one…
“I just think it isn’t worth it, that’s all.”
“That’s not for you to decide. We all have to fight for what we believe in. I chose to go all in, and I accepted my defeat.” His tone sounded really harsh when he said that.
I let out a helpless sigh and decided to keep quiet because there was nothing I could do about his stubbornness.
Seeing as the rain had let up a little, I tried making a run for it. “Come on, I’ll give you a lift!” he called out to me again.
“No, thanks!” I declined his offer in a much firmer tone, but he refused to take the hint.
“Even so, you could at least take the umbrella with you, right?” He reached out and offered me the umbrella.
When I refused to take it, he grabbed me by the arm and shoved it into my hand.
I paused and shot him a cold glare. “If the pictures get uploaded online, Ashton will only come down harder on you. You might even end up in prison after the fall of White Corporation.”
He sneered. “So what? That’s just how it is when it comes to business. I’ll admit that I can’t beat him, but I won’t give up on you, Scarlett!”
I tensed up and got a little angry when I heard that. “I know you have things that you want in life, but so do I. I too will fight hard for what I want. Although I’m not sure what it is that you want, I know exactly what I want.”
“And what is it that you want?” he asked while staring right into my eyes.
“A family with Ashton!” I replied without any hesitation.
At that moment, we were hit by a strong gust of wind, and the umbrella was blown away.
He let out a wry chuckle, seemingly in pain from the biting cold of the wind. “Scarlett… Do you know what heartache feels like?”
I kept quiet and began walking toward my car.
Our fates have all been decided from the moment of our birth. I’m not a greedy person. All I want is to be with Ashton for the rest of my life.
When I saw Ashton’s black Maybach at the intersection in the city center, I pulled over by the side of the road. It felt like he had intentionally come looking for me.
Ashton got slightly wet from the rain as he came out of his car and got into mine.
I handed him a tissue and asked, “You came all the way here just to pick me up?”
The bodyguards that Ashton had assigned to me did what they could to avoid making it too obvious, but I knew they were following me around the whole time. Although bumping into Marcus was purely coincidental, I figured the bodyguards had already reported it to Ashton. Well, not that it made any difference since I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret from him to begin with. Besides, knowing how nosy the media can be, pictures of our encounter were bound to reach Ashton anyway.
“Would you believe me if I told you I just happened to be passing by?” he asked while wiping himself dry.
I shook my head. “Nope!”
He chuckled. “Where are you headed next?”
“Hannah’s child had a fever, and since I wouldn’t be of much help even if I visited her, I was planning on heading back to the villa at first. But then I remembered that it’s New Year’s Eve tomorrow, so I figured I’d do a little grocery shopping on my way home. What about you? Are you done with work?”
He reached out and pulled me into his arms. “We can do the grocery shopping later in the evening. It’s freezing cold and raining right now, so how about you go to the office with me instead?”
I figured it was pointless to refuse, so I nodded and drove straight to the basement parking lot at Fuller Corporation.
Had Ashton not been with me, I would never have parked my car here, especially after what happened before.
Fuller Corporation was a really huge company with lots of employees, but we were able to avoid the crowd by taking Ashton’s private elevator to his office.
As he had a meeting to attend, I could only wait for him inside his office.
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After a bit of browsing, I managed to find myself a magazine to help pass the time. I was just about to sit down for a read when I heard a knock on the door. “Come in!”
A young woman came in through the door shortly after. She seemed to be in her early twenties and had an amazing figure to go with her beautiful face.
When she saw me, she paused for a few seconds before saying in a gentle voice, “Hi, I’m looking for Mr. Fuller.”
“He’s in a meeting at the moment. Should be out in a bit, though,” I replied with a smile.
She nodded and eyed me from head to toe. “Got it, thanks!”
Then she walked out of the room, and I couldn’t help but chuckle as I went back to my magazine.
Ashton’s charm sure is something!
Joseph came in moments later to deliver some documents. “Let me get you a glass of fruit juice, Mrs. Fuller!” he said when he saw me.
“Thanks! By the way, is Fuller Corporation planning on developing AI technology as well?”
“Yes, it is a global trend these days. Fuller Corporation is growing stronger by the day with the help of both engineering and technology. However, there’s no way to guarantee that these things wouldn’t suddenly be replaced by something new someday in the future. That’s why Fuller Corporation has invested a part of its funds in all types of AI technology just in case.”
I nodded. “Who’s in charge of the AI project here? I used to work in White Corporation for a bit, and I know Richard from OrbitTech, so I have developed some understanding on this subject.”
“It’s a talented individual who just came back from Ustrana. She has conducted intensive research in the field of AI and is considered to be a professional,” Joseph said while placing the glass down in front of me.
I took a sip of it and said, “I assume this individual is a fairly young one, then? Must have a bright future ahead.”
Joseph nodded. “Yeah, she’s twenty-five, performs well, and has a decent attitude at work. Mr. Fuller had personally made a trip to Ustrana just to invite her over. I’ve met her a couple of times, and she seems to be a great talent, given how decisive and capable she is.”
I suppose she must be really amazing if Joseph is praising her this much.
“What’s her name?”
“Rachel Zimmer. She’s a Chanaean residing in Anglandur.”
I figured it would make me look nosy if I were to continue asking about her, so I decided to end the conversation there and said, “I see… Okay, you can carry on with your work now. I’ll just go back to reading my magazine until Ashton comes back.”
Rachel Zimmer, huh?
An hour had passed by the time Ashton returned from his meeting.
I was starting to doze off when I felt something on my shoulder and opened my eyes, only to meet Ashton’s that were only inches away.
“Will you be able to fall asleep later at night if you take a nap at this hour?” he asked with a grin.
I sat up straight and closed my eyes as I leaned against his shoulder. “Yup!”
“Sleeping too much is bad for you,” he said with a chuckle.
I hummed in response and continued leaning against him without saying another word.
He then adjusted his posture to make it more comfortable for me.
Knock! Knock!
“Come in,” he said in a soft voice.
I heard the sounds of high heels approaching, followed by the sweet voice of a young woman. “I’ve completed the initial draft for the new product, Mr. Fuller. Please have a look and let me know if any changes are required.”
Ashton was so gentle and graceful in his movements that I could barely feel anything as he flipped through the document.
“It looks fine to me. You can have the engineers take a look and discuss the details with them before proceeding.”
Ashton kept his voice low so as to not wake me up.
“All right, I’ll get to it right away,” the woman said, and the sounds of her heels faded as she walked out the door.
I was still leaning against Ashton’s shoulder and pretending to be asleep until his deep voice rang in my ear.
“She’s gone. You can wake up now.”
Realizing it was pointless to keep up with the act, I rubbed my eyes and looked up at him awkwardly as I said, “Are you planning on continuing the research and development of AI technology after acquiring White Corporation?”
He raised an eyebrow and said with a nod, “That’s part of the reason I acquired it.”
Then he paused for a moment before continuing, “How did you know it was AI technology?”
I shrugged. “I saw the documents she was holding when she dropped by earlier.”
He smirked and leaned in closer as he asked, “And you asked Joseph what her name was, right?”
I figured there was nothing wrong with what I did, so I nodded and gave him an honest answer. “I’m sure any woman would have a reason for concern when faced with such a beautiful and talented young lady.”
He wrapped his arm around my waist and chuckled. “Why don’t you put in a little more effort if you’re that insecure about me?”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “A little more effort?”
“I mean… Broccoli? Seriously?” he asked while shifting his gaze toward the broccoli on the desk.
“Would you believe me if I told you that I just grabbed whatever I had lying around at the time?” I thought Joseph would’ve brought them home and eaten them himself! I can’t believe he actually gave them to Ashton! What a blockhead…
Ashton’s smile deepened. “Oh? Whatever you had lying around, you say?”
Right, it’s time to change the subject!
“Look, I’ll get you a bouquet of flowers next time, okay? By the way, are you finished with work yet? It’s getting late, and we should hurry on to the supermarket. You know how upset Summer gets if we come home late, right?”
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He reached out and gave me a light pinch on the nose while letting out a helpless sigh. “There you go changing the topic again.”
We bumped into Joseph and Rachel on our way out of the office.
Joseph was quick to greet us politely upon seeing us, while Rachel frowned slightly as she glanced at Ashton before flashing a smile at me.
After I returned the smile, I entered the elevator with Ashton.
The two of us decided to take my car to the supermarket instead of his Maybach, which would draw too much attention.
I noticed how plain my wrists looked as I fumbled for the car keys. Should I get myself some accessories like Rachel as well?
Noticing that I was spacing out, Ashton took the keys from me and started the car. “What’s on your mind?”
“Oh, I was just thinking that I should send this car for maintenance soon,” I lied after a brief pause.
“We’ll sell this car off. There are a few brand new ones in the garage, so you could give them a test drive and see if you like them,” he said with a nod while driving out of the parking lot.
After a few rounds at the supermarket, we ended up buying a whole lot of stuff as Zachary said they would be coming over tomorrow, and I wasn’t sure what we would need.
By the time we got home, Summer had already gone to bed. Flora took the day off after preparing dinner as something urgent had come up in her family.
It was already midnight when I finally finished unpacking the groceries. I saw Ashton marking down some dates on the calendar when I came out of the shower.
I wonder what he’s planning…
“When will your company go on holiday?” I asked while combing my hair at the dressing table.
“Soon. We’ll be on break for over ten days or so after we conclude the year-end meeting.” He placed the calendar down and came over to help blow-dry my hair as he continued, “Jared called earlier. He was asking if he could bring Summer over to W City for a few days during her winter break.”
Furrowing my brows, I was about to object when I remembered my promise to let Jared spend time with Summer.
“How many days exactly is a few days?” I asked.
“About two weeks or so.”
I wasn’t too happy when I heard that. Her winter break doesn’t even last a month, and Jared’s going to take her away for about half of it?
Ashton put the hairdryer aside and began combing through my hair when he heard no response from me. “ Remember how I kept telling you I’d take you to Remdik but was always too busy to do so? Well, I’ll have more free time during this holiday, so we could make that trip happen.”
I turned around to look at him. “So you’ve already agreed to Jared’s request?”
He shook his head and smiled. “No, I didn’t say anything.”
After giving it some thought, I nodded and agreed to his suggestion anyway. “All right… Remdik is probably too cold for Summer anyway.”
I looked down when I felt something being slipped onto my wrist and saw a beautiful bracelet around it.
“Why are you giving me this all of a sudden?” I asked in confusion.
We actually had a ton of jewelry at home, but I usually looked shabby as I rarely wore them when I went out.
“Why not?” he said with a smile.
“Uncle Louis gave me a ton of bracelets, but I’ve only worn them once because they look too expensive. Where did you get this one from?” I asked while taking a closer look at the bracelet.
“Joseph bought it from a roadside stall during his business trip in Venria. Don’t worry. It isn’t expensive,” Ashton replied while continuing to comb my hair.
I might not know much about jewelry, but I knew there was definitely more to this bracelet than he was letting on. It looked too beautiful to be sold at a roadside stall!
…
I was woken up by the faint ringing of the doorbell the next morning.
It took me a while before I recalled that it was New Year’s Eve and that Aunt Sally would be coming over with the Moores.
Seeing as Ashton had already left the bedroom, I bolted out of bed and hurriedly went through my morning routine in the shower.
I saw Ashton and Zachary sipping on tea out in the yard when I got downstairs.
Meanwhile, Summer was sitting next to Zachary with Snowfluff in one hand and a bunch of new toys in the other.
In the kitchen, Cameron and Sally were chatting away happily while cooking.
It was a truly heartwarming sight to behold.
“You’re finally awake?” Ashton asked when he saw me.
I nodded shyly as I walked up to him.
Sally came out of the kitchen with a bowl of soup and said, “We’ve already had our breakfast earlier. Here, have some of this. We’re going to have our lunch a little later in the afternoon.”
I nodded as I took the bowl from her, and she went back into the kitchen again.
“Come here!” Ashton waved at me when he saw me spacing out.
I sat down beside him and turned toward Zachary. “Has it been long since you guys got here?”
Zachary smiled and shook his head. “No, we’ve only just arrived a while ago.”
He then eyed me from head to toe and continued, “My goodness, you’ve gotten skinnier! You should eat more!”
I forced a smile at him in response as I didn’t know what to say.
Right then, Sally came out of the kitchen and motioned at Ashton as she said, “Ashton, come help me with the tacos!”
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Ashton nodded and went into the kitchen, leaving me alone with Zachary.
Despite us being father and daughter, we didn’t really have much to talk about.
“This bracelet looks great on you,” he said after a brief pause when he noticed the bracelet on my hand.
“Thanks. Ashton’s assistant bought it during his business trip in Venria,” I replied.
He simply nodded and kept quiet after that.
Summer looked up at us and asked, “What day is today?”
“It’s New Year’s Eve, the last day of the year,” Zachary replied with a gentle look in his eyes.
“Does that mean we have to celebrate it with the whole family?”
Zachary nodded.
Turning toward me, Summer asked, “Why aren’t Grandpa and Uncle John here, Mommy?”
“They’re a little busy. Aunt Hannah just had a baby recently and has to stay home for quite a while, so they’ll celebrate it at home instead,” I said with a faint smile after a short pause.
“When will we be able to go see the baby?”
Summer was a curious child and asked a lot of questions, but Zachary answered them all patiently anyway. I decided to go help out with the tacos and joined the others in the kitchen.
“Do you know how to make tacos?” Ashton asked when he saw me come in.
I nodded at him and washed my hands before helping him out. “My grandma taught me how to do it when I was little.”
“Didn’t you grow up in the South? Not many people from the South know how to make tacos, even in the older generations. My mom didn’t know how to make them either,” Sally said when she heard that.
“Maybe it’s because my grandma has been to a lot of places. She’d make tons of them every year because she prefers Northern cuisine.”
Sally chuckled. “Haha, I get this feeling that she’s a Northerner born in the body of a Southerner!”
“I don’t think she’s ever told me about her past, though. So all my memories of her are from our life in R Province.”
Cameron walked up to me and asked, “Have you ever wondered how your grandma got to know Old Mr. Fuller and why she trusted him enough to entrust him with you? Has he ever told you how they got to know each other?”
I shook my head. “No.”
I had never really thought about that before. Grandma didn’t have any friends or family in R Province, and she rarely even talked to our neighbors there. Macy’s mom once mentioned that Grandma was in her fifties when she moved to R Province.
Then she bought herself a little house there and found me some time after that. Thereafter, she raised me all by herself, and no one really bothered to ask her where she came from as time went by.
“Do you know your grandma’s name?” Sally asked curiously.
“Winona Stovall. I took on her last name.”
This reminds me… Why did John’s father entrust Grandma with him? There are plenty of other families in R Province that are much wealthier, so why choose Grandma?
“Your grandma left you a topaz gemstone in the sandalwood box she gave you. Have you ever taken a look inside?” Cameron asked.
I shook my head in disbelief. “No, I couldn’t get it to open.”
“We’ll open it tonight!” Ashton said.
I nodded in response, feeling a little curious myself.
After lunch, Cameron and Sally suggested that we have a barbecue in the yard as we had lots of ingredients lying around from our grocery shopping yesterday.
I was helping with assembling the grill when Sally pulled me aside and said, “We’ve got two men here to do that, so just leave it and join me for a walk instead! We’ve got some catching up to do!”
After snapping out of my daze, I did as told and followed her to the rear house.
Flora had recently loosened up the soil and planted some seeds there, so there wasn’t much to see at the moment.
“Are you and Ashton planning on having another wedding?” Sally asked as she sat down on the swing in the yard.
I shook my head. “Nope!”
She pursed her lips and paused for a moment before continuing, “Then… Have you two been practicing proper birth control lately?”
I felt my face burning up a little. “No!”
“That’s good. Summer is turning five soon, so it’s about time you two have a second child. I can help look after your kids. That would help improve your relationship with the Moore family too,” she said with a nod.
I kept quiet upon hearing that.
Sally continued, “By the way, you should advise Ashton to go easy on Marcus. I was married to Benjamin for ten years, so you could say I’m quite close to the White family. Ashton’s actions are a little
overboard, so I need you to try to talk some sense into him.”
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“Aunt Sally, I’m not exactly in a position to talk to Ashton about this. In fact, things could get a lot worse if I do…” I replied.
“Damn it… It’s all my fault!” she exclaimed with a sigh.
I knew I should try and talk Ashton out of it, especially since I owed Marcus a favor, but things just wouldn’t be the same anymore if I did. The two of them had been rivals for many years, but it was nothing like this. Besides, I didn’t know what Marcus told him the other day that made him hell-bent on finishing him off.
The barbecue had begun by the time we got back to the main house. “Here, try some of this!” Ashton said as he handed me a plate of grilled chicken and vegetables.
“You grilled these yourself?” I asked with a smile.
He nodded. “Go on. Try it!”
I sat down by the side and gave it a try. It tasted really great and reminded me of the soup from earlier. “I wonder if Hannah is with John right now… Aunt Sally made quite a lot of food, so maybe we should bring them some…”
Cameron was a great cook, and having Sally around to help out made the soup even better.
Ashton nodded. “I’ll have Joseph deliver it tonight!”
“You aren’t the only one who is celebrating New Year’s Eve tonight, you know? Shouldn’t you let Joseph spend time with his wife and kids instead?”
“Hmm… Are you suggesting that I deliver it myself?”
“Yes, please!”
He leaned closer toward me and whispered, “Do I get a reward?”
I gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Will this do?”
Ashton’s face lit up with joy. “Yes, it will! You know, I thought you’d want me to bring it to Emery instead as you two seem really close.”
“Do you believe in there being another version of yourself in this world?” I asked.
He raised an eyebrow at me and waited for me to continue.
“Emery and Macy are really alike. I can see traces of Macy’s innocence, cheerfulness, passion, and honesty in Emery. In fact, when I look at her, I can almost feel like Macy’s still here with me. Hannah, on the other hand, is humble and stubborn like me. We’re practically like two peas in a pod, and I can understand exactly what she’s going through right now. That’s probably why I feel the urge to look after her.”
To be precise, Hannah resembles my old self. I know how much it hurts to wait and to keep hanging in there despite being hurt badly by the ones we love so much…
I looked up at Ashton when I heard no response from him and saw him staring at me.
“Ashton, I…”
He reached out and pulled me into his arms before I could finish. “I’m sorry! I won’t let it happen again!”
It took me quite a while to realize that he was blaming himself for what happened to me.
“Don’t overthink it, Ashton. I wasn’t talking about you when I said all that.”
“Okay…” he mumbled softly.
I guess memories of the past exist as a means of reminding us to appreciate the present… I let out a sigh at the thought of that.
Sally broke into a grin when she saw us hugging.
She then motioned at Cameron and Zachary who were chatting nearby, and the three of them looked in our direction.
Feeling embarrassed, I quickly pushed Ashton away and whispered into his ear, “Hey, there are people watching!”
“We’re a married couple, so what’s the problem?” he whispered back.
I quickly made my way back into the house to avoid their gazes.
After taking a look around the kitchen, I realized I didn’t really know what Hannah liked to eat as we didn’t hang out that often.
I then whipped out my phone and gave her a call.
The call got through after a few seconds, and I heard her somewhat hoarse voice on the other line. “Hey, Scarlett! Happy New Year!”
“We’ve still got quite a few hours before midnight, Hannah. Anyway, what do you like to eat?”
Hannah was both surprised and confused. “Huh? Why’re you asking me this all of a sudden?”
“We bought a lot of stuff to celebrate New Year’s Eve, so I was thinking of making you something nutritious since you’re breastfeeding now. I’ll have Ashton bring them over in a bit,” I said while glancing at the ingredients in the kitchen.
Her line went mute for a brief moment before she continued, “Thank you, Scarlett. You’re the first person to call me out of concern so far!”
“Is John with you today? How’s your baby’s fever? Has it gone down?” I asked.
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