When Aurora met Asher, both were at their wits’ end, with nowhere to turn and no one to rely on. During the heavy rain, overwhelmed with grief, she even contemplated suicide by jumping into the river. Asher saved her, and from then on, they became each other’s support, striving together to reach where they were today. During the hardest times, they shared a meal. For Aurora, Asher was a lifelong friend. They indeed shared a bed, but not in the romantic sense.
However, she knew the truth of their relationship, which others did not, especially the utterly confused Hayden. “You two were…” Hayden furrowed his brow, wanting to say something, but found himself speechless. What right did he have to accuse Aurora? They had been separated for three years. Why couldn’t she find a new boyfriend?
Asher knew Hayden quite well, having seen him on TV many times and done enough background checks for him, though face-to-face interactions like this were a first. He hadn’t forgotten the pain Aurora endured in her first year in America. Without Asher by her side, Aurora might not have survived. Now, facing the root of all troubles, Asher was ready to strike back, knowing Hayden’s suffering was nothing compared to Aurora’s.
“Mr. Alvarez, thank you for driving me to the airport. My car is here, and we have other matters to attend to, so we’ll be leaving now.” Aurora didn’t wish to explain. Whether Hayden misunderstood her relationship with Asher or not, it was no longer her concern. “Mr. Alvarez, see you next time,” Asher said with a smile, waving goodbye.
Hayden watched their receding figures, his outstretched hand failing to grasp even a fragment of her garment, his ears catching their voices. “Why are you dressed so conservatively today? That’s not your style,” Asher teased.
Aurora, accustomed to his carefree personality, replied, “These clothes are from years ago.”
“It’s strange to see you dress like this. Don’t you have new clothes? I’ll buy you some. Wait. Didn’t I just wire fifty million to your account yesterday?”
Asher was always talkative, and Aurora occasionally responded. Even with her infrequent replies, anyone standing nearby could sense the sweet interaction between them. Hayden glanced at them one last time. Asher’s affection for her was evident, and his handsome features matched hers perfectly. Their silhouettes harmonized beautifully, his heart felt as though it was being gnawed by thousands of insects. He left silently through another passage alone, while they laughed and talked. Once, they were a loving couple, and now they headed in opposite directions, as if by fate. No matter how loving a couple was, once apart, they were strangers. Asher looked back and noticed Hayden had left, a playful smile curling his lips. “Tell me, Aurora. Why were you with your ex-boyfriend?”
“We even shared a bed last night,” Aurora joked. “What? You slept with him?” Asher exclaimed, his voice rising sharply, drawing the attention of everyone around. “He has a big mouth. After all this time, he hasn’t changed a bit,” Aurora complained inwardly, stepping on his shoe before speeding up to leave.
“Aurora, I was wrong. Don’t walk so fast. Wait!”
The two of them bickered all the way to the car, where Cameron had been waiting for a while. “Miss Montgomery, Mr. Betts.”
“Hello, Cameron.” Asher patted Cameron on the head and quickly sat down next to Aurora.
Once inside the car, Asher gently tugged at her skirt. “What else should I have felt? After hearing such explosive news from you, how could I not get excited?”
Aurora snorted coldly, “I’ve shared a bed with you too. Don’t know why you still make such a fuss.”
“You dare bring that up? When you had a fever back then, I kindly held you to warm you up, but you kicked me off the bed.”
As they reminisced about the past, the atmosphere between them warmed considerably, and Aurora was no longer as angry as before.
“Miss Montgomery, where are we heading now?”
“To the mall,” Asher answered before Aurora could, thinking she had no clothes to wear since she was in attire from years ago.
Aurora felt a bit helpless, “Let’s just go to the mall.” If she refused, this man could argue about it all day.
“Oh right, you haven’t told me about what had happened between you and Hayden.” Asher brought the conversation back to the original subject.
“Last night, I was chased at school and escaped into a car, which was Hayden’s. He saved me.”
“So you slept with him? How could you be so unprincipled?” Asher pursed his lips.
“Is that what your concern is? I was chased by several men. If I hadn’t run fast, I would have been…” Aurora knocked on Asher’s head, somewhat speechlessly.
“Seeing you safe and sound here, I knew nothing happened last night. It’s good as long as you don’t pick on anyone else.” Asher understood Aurora well.
“You’re really heartless. You have no idea how dangerous it was at that time.”
Asher patted her head. “Alright, I know you were wronged, so I’m here for you. Who did it?”
“Why does everyone like to pat my head?” Aurora quickly turned her head away, but the astute Asher immediately caught the key point.
He coughed lightly before saying in curiosity, “What? Apart from me, who else likes to pat your head?”
“Stop it. I was just saying. Last night, I met with Susan at Hayden’s villa. I wanted to test if she was the one who sent those people. Judging by her reaction, it probably wasn’t her.”
Aurora ignored his question, and Asher, restraining his playful demeanor, spoke seriously, “If not her, then it must be the Montgomery family.”
“Currently, the Montgomery family is a major suspect, but I feel like the Montgomery family shouldn’t even know I’m back. If it were them, they’d want to get rid of me or ruin my reputation, but those thugs last night seemed only interested in humiliating me.”
“Hmph, their attempts to humiliate you are unforgivable. If it’s neither the Montgomery family nor Susan, then who else could harm you?”
“I don’t know, but the one behind all this can’t hide forever. I’ll just have to be more careful from now on.” Aurora had to console herself with that thought.
“Without me by your side, you must always be careful.” Asher, no longer playful, became very serious and handsome.
“Mm, I was careless this time.”