In Love, Never Say Never

In Love, Never Say Never Chapter 866-867-868-869-870

In Love, Never Say Never Chapter 866-867-868-869-870

As soon as we reached the hotel, I washed up and just fell asleep on the huge bed.

When I woke up, it was already night. Realizing that Ashton was not with me, I gave him a call whilst lying in bed. As soon as he picked up, he asked, “Are you awake?”

I nodded. “Where are you?”

“In a casino!” he said, “I’ll go pick you later and bring you over to take a look!”

I was dazed for a few moments before it registered in my mind that he had said “casino.” Taken aback, I asked, “Why did you suddenly go to a casino?”

“I was just taking a walk. Go get ready, I’ll head back now!”

After he hung up, I sat up for a while and gathered myself together before I went to wash up. He came back just as I finished changing my clothes. He wore a casual black suit. and it showcased the coolness and vigor of a young man compared to his usual mature style. Even though Ashton never look old, wearing this new style made him look haughtier and domineering instead.

I could not help but compliment him. “I won’t be surprised if your picture makes tomorrow’s fashion headlines.”

He smirked, which only served to make him look more charming. “I’ll take it as praise from my wife.”

Since he was dressed so nicely, I could not wear anything too plain. I changed into a black spaghetti strap dress and put on a pair of heels, giving off a gothic vibe. When he noticed my exposed back and shoulders, Ashton became a little unhappy and forcibly added a coat to my outfit.

I did not resist, since the overall look was not bad anyway.

As it was my first time going to a casino, my entire body was tense. The image that I had in my mind was a casino from the eighties, filled with smoke and thugs fighting. It just felt as if it was a place where groups of outlaws fought over money and desire.

When he noticed my nervousness, Ashton hugged me and said, “Don’t be so anxious. People are constantly going in and out so not many of them will pay attention to you. Just take it like you’re going to a bar.”

I nodded but was still a little nervous. As soon as we entered the casino, I realized that it was totally different from what I imagined. The decorations were posh and elegant, and although there was still some smoke in the air, it did not affect the elegance of the place.

There were many long gambling tables in the large open space, each holding some chips that I could not accurately name. A sexy lady stood beside every table, acting as the dealer. There were also several poker tables. However, as I was clueless about gambling, I merely glanced at everything before I followed Ashton to the second floor.

The second floor was all private rooms, and attendants dressed in white and black soon escorted us into one. A poker table stood in the middle, surrounded by leather sofas all around the room. There were two people gambling at the table.

When Ashton entered the room, the young man sitting on the sofa stood up and walked over. Smiling, he said, “Mr. Fuller, I finally get to meet you.”

After a round of simple introductions, I learned that the man’s name was Holden, he was Archie’s grandson, and he was the owner of the casino. Due to his unique style and behavior, the public had varied opinions about him.

Holden leaned on the sofa as he conversed with Ashton for a while. Then, he looked at me and said with a hint of cynicism, “Mrs. Fuller is really a true beauty She’s more beautiful than most women. Do

you bring her with you everywhere, Mr. Fuller?”

Ashton smiled slightly as he kept his expression gentle. He said, “I’m getting old. If she stays with me, I’m more at ease.”

Why does that sound like he’s flirting with me?

Holden laughed. “Such blatant flirting lines. Since you’re already here, Mrs. Fuller, why don’t you try out my table worth two hundred million for yourself!”

I looked at Ashton pleadingly, asking for his help. I did not know how to play poker or any other card game as I had never touched any of them since young.

Ashton pursed his lips as he pulled me over to the expensive table and pressed on something. Then, a few more cards appeared on the table, and six captivating women walked in, each carrying a pile of red chips on a tray.

Holden looked at me and raised an eyebrow. “What should we play, Mrs. Fuller?”

I turned to Ashton helplessly, but before he could speak, Holden said, “Mrs. Fuller, if you just keep sticking to your husband like that, he won’t be able to do anything else. You won’t be able to maintain your rich wife status for long then.”

From his words, I could guess that Ashton had come to the casino for a purpose. I could also tell that because of my presence, Ashton could not do what he had to.

I pressed my lips together and looked at Ashton, then said, “If you’re busy, go ahead. I’ll stay here for a while!”

He gave me a small smile then looked at Holden. “Let her play the simplest game.” Then, he turned to me and said, “Just play however you want. I don’t have much, except for money.”

In love, never say never chapter 867

“Damn!” Holden almost swore. “Are you showing off your wealth?”

He then raised his hand and placed three cards face down on the table, then looked at Ashton. “Go. I’ll take care of your wife. I promise to protect her well!”

Ashton smiled slightly and kissed me on the cheek before he said, “Go ahead and play. I’ll be back soon.”

I nodded. Although I was tempted to ask him what he was busy with, I stopped myself. When Ashton left, Holden looked at me and smiled. “You’d better not cry. I don’t know how to coax women. He said he’d be back, so he definitely will. You can stay here and play with peace of mind.”

I raised my eyebrows slightly and said in a solemn tone, “Betting money is a little too boring. Let’s bet on something bigger!”

He was stunned for about two seconds before he suddenly laughed. “Damn, are you two-faced? You seem to know how to play around. Hmm, this is interesting. Tell me, what do you want to play?”

“How about roulette?” I said, raising my eyebrows and narrowing my eyes at him.

The men in the room started to yell excitedly. Holden snapped, “You even know this? I’ve really underestimated you.”

He then turned to the ladies who were standing to one side. “Did you guys hear that? Do as Mrs. Fuller says. Let’s play something exciting.”

Two of the ladies nodded and left the room. Soon, they returned with a large roulette and placed it on the table. Holden grabbed the dice that were on the roulette and raised his eyebrows. “How do you want to play?”

Looking at the vulgar numbers on the roulette, I said lightly, “We’ll spin to number seven. If I lose, Ashton will give you Fuller Corporation’s investment rights in Moranta. How about that?”

He narrowed his eyes as his originally cynical expression changed to something a little more solemn. He replied seriously, “What if I lose?”

I looked at him and said, “Stop working with Abe. Let him go back to Venria the same way he came here. What do you think?”

He looked at me as his pupils constricted. “I have indeed underestimated you!”

I kept silent, looking at him expressionlessly as I waited for his decision. His dark eyes swept across the roulette as his lips started to curl up. “I have to say that your condition is very interesting indeed. How fascinating!”

Then, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers as he kept his eyes on me. “Let’s play. But since you’re a woman, I can let you win one round.”

I gave him a faint smile as I calmly replied, “It’s alright. Let’s just play a fair game.”

As he walked over to one side of the table, he raised his eyebrows and said, “Let’s start!”

When I made my way to the opposite side, he gestured politely for me to begin as he said, “Ladies first!”

Making myself comfortable, I pressed the button in my hand slightly, and the roulette began to spin. The pointer spun around the ten numbers endlessly, and as I predicted, it soon landed on the number seven.

I smiled and looked at him. “I guess I must be lucky.”

He shrugged and replied calmly, “Does it look like I’m about to lose? I could say the same for myself!”

As he spoke, he threw the playing cards in his hands at the roulette’s pointer. It spun rapidly again and soon began to slow down to stop on the number eight.

At that moment, the onlookers all let out a sigh as if they were regretting the outcome. However, Holden was not the slightest bit anxious. He simply looked at the roulette casually as if he did not care about the result. Then, two seconds later, the pointer stopped swinging and landed on the number seven. It was an unimaginable feat.

He looked at me, pretending to be full of pity. “It fell on seven. What a shame, you almost won!”

I pressed my lips together as I studied the roulette. Then, I suddenly realized that no matter what we bet on, the game would always come to a tie in the end. After all, he was the owner of the casino, so it was a lot easier if he wanted to manipulate something.

Looks like he’s definitely not willing to have a chat with me!

I put down the cards in my hand before I sat back down. Looking at him as I raised my eyebrows. “Mr. Taylor, do you not intend to have a chat with me?”

He leaped onto the table and looked at me carelessly. “Chat about what? About love?”

He narrowed his eyes at me and tutted, then continued, “I have to say, you’re getting old, but you still look really charming. I heard that Ashton suffered a lot and had to run around everywhere just for you. Let me ask, is true love supposed to be like what the two of you are doing? You run while he chases you?”

I pressed my lips together in silence, ignoring the disdain and ridicule in his words.

Then, I said, “Looks like you’re not that willing to talk to me.”

He raised his eyebrows but did not deny it. He was basically silently acknowledging my words.

Since that was the case, I did not try to strike up a conversation anymore and simply sat there quietly while waiting for Ashton to return.

In love, never say never chapter 868

Just a few seconds later, I realized with a start that something was amiss. I leaped to my feet and dashed out of the private room. Meanwhile, Holden raced after me, but my rapid acceleration had already placed me beyond his reach.

The lobby looked just as it had when we’d first entered. Even the people lounging around lazily were the same. Out of the corner of my eye, however, I felt the combined gazes of those who had been playing poker at the side suddenly turning towards me.

Coincidence? Most probably not, I mused.

I surveyed the lobby. Turning around, I raised my voice and called towards Holden, who was just catching up, “Ashton had a great deal of faith in you. I was the one who had a bad feeling about you, so I kept an eye out. I didn’t know whether the Moore family would be able to bankrupt you, but I’m pretty sure they can manage to humiliate you, at the very least.”

Holden wrinkled his brow. With a glint in his eyes, he asked, “What do you mean by that?”

I scoffed, “Holden, you were the mastermind, so you should have thoroughly investigated everyone involved before proceeding with your plan. It was pure negligence on your part to underestimate me.”

Holden bit his lip, his face growing darker. He then took a step forward, towered over me, and demanded, “Who are you?”

I shrugged, smiling faintly. “How shall I say this? Perhaps I should start from the beginning. My name is Scarlett. I was born in R Province, and my Grandma was the one who raised me. My parents searched for me for many years, and I only reunited with them recently. I only just found out that I’m Zachary and Cameron’s daughter. They’re giants in the commercial world, and I’m lucky to be their daughter. I have to admit that it’s rather convenient for me to ride on their reputation sometimes.”

Hearing that, Hunter’s frown deepened. “Wasn’t Larson the last name of the daughter that Zachary brought home? You…”

He trailed off uncertainly. I bestowed a kindly smile on him, then replied, “Sorry to disappoint you. There was a bit of a mix-up. Afterward, we decided not to make a fuss of things in the interest of my safety.”

Holden narrowed his eyes, a hint of suspicion still lurking in his gaze. I met his eyes without flinching, then said evenly, “Holden, you seem rather doubtful still. Why don’t you bet on it then? Let’s find out whether I’m speaking the truth.”

Having thus issued the challenge, I immediately picked up my phone and dialed Zachary. The phone rang a few times before he picked up. “Hey, Letty, how’re things?” Zachary inquired.

Holden’s pupils constricted; there was still a glimmer of skepticism in his manner.

After a while, I continued in an innocent tone, “Dad, I’m still at the casino. Ashton isn’t with me at the moment, but I’m with Holden.”

Zachary answered pleasantly, “All right. Send my greetings to Holden.”

I nodded, steadfastly gazing at Holden. “Sure!”

The phone had been on speaker mode, and Holden was naturally privy to the entire conversation. When he heard our conversation, he glanced at me, staggering slightly.

Ending the call, I then punched in another number. This time, the recipient answered the call almost instantly. “Miss, we’re all prepared! We can make a move anytime.”

I looked at Holden. At that moment, his face had grown thunderous. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Let’s go and meet Ashton then.”

At that, I smiled winningly at him, then instructed over the phone, “All right, wait out for a moment. If Ashton and I haven’t left this place within half an hour, don’t wait for me to call. Proceed immediately as we originally planned.”

My orders were readily received. “All right!”

After I’d hung up, Holden looked at me and begrudgingly admitted, “You’ve really planned everything out, I suppose.”

I flashed him a sunny smile. “I don’t have a choice. Besides, isn’t it better to nip things in the bud? We can’t go about placing our lives in the hands of strangers, can we?”

Holden snorted at my remark. He then brought me to another spot on the second floor, past multiple private rooms. At the last room in the back, Holden keyed in the password to unlock the door.

When the door slid open, I carefully assessed my surroundings. Nothing seemed particularly surprising as I had been in far more pressing situations than this.

This room was very much the same as any of the others. The typical furniture was present in its usual arrangement, with a poker table and surrounding sofas. The setting was made noteworthy by the fact that most of its occupants were people I knew.

I was mildly surprised to see Abe again. Oddly enough, he didn’t appear out of place here at all.

Around the table, Ashton and Abe both held cards in their hand, seemingly in the midst of negotiating. When I suddenly appeared, all eyes were riveted on me.

Obviously, Ashton was taken aback. He put his cards face down on the table, then walked towards me. “Why did you come over?”

As he spoke, he shot a glance at Holden, who merely shrugged in return. “I had no say in this.”

At the same time, Abe squinted at me, evidently bewildered. He didn’t seem able to recall who I was. That wasn’t shocking. However, considering the multiple women he’d encountered over the years, the women Abe had met probably numbered in their hundreds, even thousands. I was merely one among his many faceless victims. The only conceivable difference that set me apart from the rest was probably the fact that I’d managed to escape. I was lucky that he’d never gotten to torture me.

Abe’s eyes flickered with recognition. However, as he saw Ashton and me standing side by side, Abe gazed at me, then intoned in a low voice, “Is it you?”

I smiled at him brightly. “Long time no see, Mr. Abe.”

In love, never say never chapter 869

Abe glanced at Ashton, then sniggered.

“What were you planning to do, Holden? Why did you bring her in?” Abe asked menacingly.

Holden, however, turned to Ashton. “Mr. Fuller, it’s getting late. Mrs. Fuller looks a little tired. Perhaps you should be heading home to rest,” he suggested matter-of-factly.

“Holden Taylor, what exactly do you take me for?” Abe roared. With one swift motion, he furiously swept the cards off the table.

Holden, however, remained looking steadily in Ashton’s direction. “You’ll have to meet Dad tomorrow. You should get some rest tonight,” the man urged, a note of warning in his voice.

Indignant at having been ignored multiple times, Abe flew into a rage. He suddenly drew out a pistol and pointed it straight at Holden. “Taylor, let me ask you again, what do you take me for?” Abe bellowed.

The solid presence of the pistol immediately draped a dense cloak of tension over the room. Ashton silently shielded me with his body as he watched the situation unfold.

Holden, however, seemed accustomed to Abe’s behavior. He glared defiantly at Abe, then said coolly, “Mr. Abe, if you fire that pistol, I’m afraid neither of us will be walking out of Gold Star Casino tonight.”

Abe’s face had turned purple. He had evidently dedicated his full strength towards restraining his anger.

After what seemed like an eternity, Abe slowly lowered the pistol. He looked at Ashton and suddenly laughed harshly. “Mr. Fuller, perhaps some other day then. Don’t worry. There’ll be plenty of opportunities for us to meet again. Off with you!”

Nonetheless, Ashton’s gaze never wavered. He remained expressionless even as he nodded politely. “I’ll be happy to meet for drinks. As for other activities, I still abide by the same principle that I won’t do anything to hurt anyone else.”

With that declaration, Ashton grabbed my hand and practically hauled me out of the private room. I was utterly bewildered by the entire event and had so many questions to ask. My curiosity died on my lips, however, as I saw the urgency with which Ashton dragged me through the corridors of the casino.

The first floor was bustling with its usual activity. Ashton weaved through the raucous crowd with me in tow until we finally arrived at the exit. Zachary’s appointed personnel were already waiting for us there. With that, we hurriedly linked up with them and got into the car.

Ashton had just started the car when a crowd of people swarmed out, forming a barricade on the road before us.

They weren’t there for us. A few burly men had thrown a man out of the casino and were now determinedly laying their fists and kicks into him.

Their chosen target was screaming for mercy, but his cries fell on deaf ears. Only when they’d observed that the man was half dead did his assailants consider their mission complete. They headed back inside, none the worse for the wear.

Ashton coldly watched as the man convulsed a few times as he lay on the ground. He struggled to get up but crumpled to the floor each time. At last, he lay flailing on the floor like a trampled earthworm.

I felt a sudden surge of sympathy for the man. “Ashton, can we help him?” I asked impulsively.

Ashton clenched his jaw and said nothing. I didn’t press the matter either. It was a casino, after all. It was not the place for kindness or pity.

The man, however, lay squarely in our path. Unable to drive away, we could only sit in the car watching him.

After a while, the man seemed to have exhausted all of his strength. He lay unmoving on the ground like a corpse. Ashton’s eyes narrowed. He then stepped onto the accelerator as hard as he could. The sound of the engine revving was accompanied by the sudden lurching forward of the car. I was convinced that Ashton had made up his mind to run the man over where he lay.

The man, however, reacted to the firing of the car’s engines as if he had been shot. He vehemently clawed his way up and sprawled onto the hood of our car. Blood still shone freshly on his face and from the corner of his mouth. The man then cracked a smile at Ashton and asked weakly, “Are you really going to stand by and let me die?”

Baffled, I turned to Ashton. Do they know each other? I wondered.

Despite that, Ashton continued looking straight ahead evenly.

The man laughed, but it came out as barely a wheeze. “You’re both witnesses to the whole incident. Pity me and give me a ride to the hospital, won’t you? My leg’s broken, and I can’t walk.”

I found the man’s utter nonchalance towards the danger he was in rather astounding.

Ashton, however, pressed his lips into a thin line. He barely spat out the command, “Get lost!”

Even so, the man shamelessly clung on. In fact, he’d almost clambered up onto the front of our car entirely. Lazily, he drawled, “If you aren’t willing to let me into your car, I’ll continue lying here then. I wouldn’t want to frighten that beautiful lady next to you, either.”

Ashton was already seething at that moment. Without hesitation, he stepped on the accelerator once again. The car surged forward, and the man lost his balance, rolling off the hood then landed with a heavy thud on the floor. Ashton, however, made no move to stop the car. He looked as if he fully intended to run the man over.

Fortunately, the man reacted with what would be lightning speed in his condition, narrowly avoiding being crushed by our car.

The man’s violent curses followed us as we drove off. “You’re insane! If you really ran me over, you’d have killed me!”

Yet Ashton paid no heed to him. After a while, his cries of abuse faded in the distance.

I was quivering from the aftermath of that encounter. My entire back was drenched in cold sweat. I looked out the car window, focusing on the light of the street lamps flashing past. After I’d calmed down considerably, I turned back to look at Ashton. His face remained as grim as it had been the entire night. I was compelled to ask, “Just what was going on tonight?”

In love, never say never chapter 870

Ashton and Abe had clearly planned for their meeting in advance. I didn’t know the contents of their discussion, but by entrusting me to Holden, Ashton must have been confident that Holden would ultimately fail Abe.

Ashton gave me a sideways glance. “Are you afraid?”

I shook my head, then nodded, conflicted. Upon seeing my confused expression, Ashton broke out into a delighted laugh, shattering the tension that had hung delicately over the car.

“Are you afraid or not?” he repeated, teasing.

I thought for a while before answering him solemnly, “A little of both, I guess. I’m afraid because I don’t know anything. If anything happens to you, I don’t know what to do. I’m not that afraid yet because I know that you always have a firm grasp of the situation. Besides, you’re responsible. You will never put me in danger.”

Ashton drove on, looking straight ahead. His gaze was unfathomable. “What if I tell you that everything’s out of my hands now?”

I stiffened, but Ashton continued while glancing at me, “Scarlett, no matter what happens, you must ensure your own safety first. Forget about me. No matter the situation… just look out for yourself.”

Ashton’s sudden announcement startled me. What exactly does he mean by that? I wondered, disconcerted as I watched him intently. “Ashton, is there something that you’re not telling me?”

Yet the man merely drove the rest of the way to the hotel in silence.

I had intended to continue questioning Ashton, but weary from the entire day’s proceedings, I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

When I next opened my eyes, it was already morning. Ashton was already up and on the phone out on the balcony.

When he noticed that I was awake, Ashton hung up the phone, then called out to me, “We’re heading over to the Taylor residence in a while. We’ll leave once you’re done washing up.”

I nodded. After all, I had been expecting this ever since we’d arrived at Moranta.

On our way to the Taylor residence, Ashton filled me in on them. The Taylors were a distinguished family dating back generations. They’d made a fortune producing arms during the war, and Ashton’s grandfather had remained in the country, enjoying relative peace. On the other hand, Archie, Holden’s father, had instead been conscripted. Both George and Archie met through a group of mutual wartime comrades, one that also included Channing. Having stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the face of death, the bond between this group of men remained unbroken even with the passage of time.

After the war, Archie had returned to Moranta to inherit his family business. The other Taylors had passed away due to illness or accident, leaving Archie the sole survivor.

Naturally, any contention that ensued in the Taylor household was in large part due to the struggle for a portion of the family’s wealth.

As Ashton and I entered the sprawling villa that was the Taylor residence, the sight of elegant, antique structures greeted us. Resplendent with fastidiously pruned greenery, piping brooks, and flower-filled meadows, the Taylor residence was no mere mansion. It seemed more like a palace to my wonderstruck eyes.

We followed the maid into the living room, where quite a crowd was already gathered. I guessed that they must be members of the Taylor family. Archie was nowhere to be seen. From the ghastly looks on the faces of everyone present, Archie’s condition did not seem optimistic.

“Mr. and Mrs. Fuller, Mr. Taylor’s upstairs. May I invite you to follow me?” A voice courteously spoke from beside us. We turned to see the Taylor residence’s housekeeper. He looked to be around fifty or sixty years of age and exuded a reassuring air of dependability.

Ashton and I followed him up to the second floor of the house. He led us outside a room thick with the smell of disinfectant and medicine. A doctor was hurrying around, scribbling notes in his pad while giving orders to the maid, probably instructions on how to care for the patient.

“Mr. and Mrs. Fuller, please,” the housekeeper said again, gesturing towards the open doorway of the bedroom.

The smell in the room was almost pungent. An old man lay on the bed connected to an IV drip that hung from a stand beside him. When Ashton and I entered, the housekeeper announced, “Mr. Taylor, Mr. Fuller is here.”

Upon hearing those words, Archie struggled to sit up. The maid dashed over to assist him. When he was comfortably resting against the bed frame, Archie focused his attention on us.

The extended period of sickness he’d endured had reduced Archie to skin and bone. His face was sunken and sallow and looked almost like a death mask.

Ashton and I drew closer to the side of his bed. Raising his voice slightly, Ashton said, enunciating, “Hello, Mr. Taylor. I’m Ashton. I’m sorry I’m only visiting you now as I’ve had pressing matters to deal with.”

Archie mustered a weak smile. He seemed breathless, and the maid carefully strapped an oxygen mask around him. After taking several slow breaths, she removed it. Archie then whispered, “I’m glad enough that you’re here now.”

Later on, Ashton and Archie chatted, their conversation mainly revolving around the past. After a while, however, Archie shut his eyes, obviously fatigued.

The housekeeper, who had retreated to the side, sidled up to Ashton. “Mr. Fuller, I think Mr. Taylor needs some rest for now. May I invite you and Mrs. Fuller to head downstairs for a while? We’ve prepared some light bites for your refreshment.”

Ashton nodded. We then followed the housekeeper back downstairs.

Not a single soul had left in the interval that Ashton and I had been upstairs. As we descended the stairs, a woman marched towards the housekeeper, demanding anxiously, “Neil, how’s Father? Is he better? Did he ask for us?”

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