Secret Scion

Castor knew his sister very well. He knew that Dove would not suddenly decide to have her

birthday outside. There must be an ulterior motive. After giving it some good thought, he could only think of one reason.

Asher Crawford.

It was just as he had thought. When Dove heard Castor's comment, a faint red streaked across her face.

It seemed like Dove had already made her decision.

Castor did not know how he should tell Dove to stop. For years, there had been plenty of people seeking her hand in marriage, but Dove had never fallen for anyone.

When she finally encountered someone that she desired, it turned out to be the Crawfords' scion from the Capital City. Castor was not sure if he should be happy for her, or if he should be worried about her.

"Do you think he'll come if I invite him along?" Dove was not worried that Castor knew what she wanted. It was not something that could be swept under the rug for long anyway. She had to reveal it eventually.

Castor could only let out a bitter smile. As he lit up his cigarette, he then said, "I don't know Master Crawford's thoughts, Dove. Have you given it a second thought? Master Crawford cannot be compared to the so-called scions and heirs from Rollinsford. He's from the Crawford household in the Capital City. He needs to go back to the Capital City eventually, and perhaps even inherit the Crawfords. If you ask me, both of you don't have much of a chance."

Castor had stayed in the Capital City for two years. He had seen plenty where a woman had fallen for a man, but the man was not interested at all. As Dove's older brother, he did not want to see his sister become like a moth to the flame.

If you were to ask him, it would be best for Dove to marry a commoner. That would be the best partner for her.

However, Dove did not want the mundane.

"I know that you're worried about me getting hurt. However, I am prepared for that possibility. Rather than living a life that's dull and dreary, I want to walk on the path of strife. I won't regret it even if I end up getting burned by the flames." Dove said with a smile. "Not to mention that I'm not exactly worthless. Perhaps he'll fall in love with me?"

When Castor saw how cheerful Dove was, Castor did not want to destroy her dreams. He simply nodded and gave her a few words of encouragement.

Meanwhile, Garrett was already on his way to Rollinsford by car. It was a four-hour journey, which meant that he had reached the Leonard's in Rollinsford by around eleven o'clock in the afternoon.

In the past, the Leonards and the Schmidts had nothing to do with each other. Or perhaps, it was better to say that Leonards had always wanted to work with the Schmidts, but the chance never presented itself. When the Leonards informed the Schmidts about Asher being at Rollinsford however, it was only natural for them to establish a relationship of sorts.

The Leonards knew that this was a rare opportunity. As such, they treasured it a lot. When they knew that Garrett would be coming over, the Leonards had already made the preparations to receive him.

When they were having lunch, Radley kept on proposing toasts to Garrett. However, as Garrett could drink a lot, he did not stop them at all.

They finished a bottle of white wine very quickly. Radley told his servants to get more, but Garrett raised his hand and stopped him. He said, "Let's stop drinking for now. We can drink next time. My treat. We can drink as much as we want later on. Let's get back to business, shall we? Thanks to the information that you've provided, we now know that Asher is hiding in Rollinsford. If not, we'll still be in the dark about it. Originally, my grandpa asked me to bring some gifts to the Leonards' patriarch, but I forgot about it as I left in a rush this morning. I feel terrible about it, especially when you treat me so well."

Hallberg then said with a smile, "You don't have to be so polite with us. It's our honor to be able to host the two of you today. There's no need for any gifts. It is I that should take some time to visit your household in the Capital City."

"No need to be so courteous," Garrett said as he took down his glasses. "I think both our households should interact more with each other. No need to rush this since there is plenty of opportunity in the future."

"I heard that Asher got married into a family. Is that true?" Garrett asked.

Radley nodded and said, "He did. He got married into the Stewards, a third-rate household. He was expelled not long ago. If you're interested in the Stewards, I'll guide you there after lunch if you're interested."

"A third-rate household?" Even Garrett was somewhat surprised. To think that someone as prideful as Asher would end up like that. "I only want to know where Asher is staying. As for the Stewards... I'm not that interested in them."

"He's staying in a hotel," Radley quickly said. He knew the reason Garrett came to Rollinsford, and he wanted to see Asher being crushed under Garrett's boot as he begged for mercy.

After Asher had left the Stewards yesterday, he returned to the hotel immediately. After he woke up, he had a very bad feeling, and the alarm in his head could not stop blaring. He had a nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen.

In the afternoon, Asher received a call from an unknown number. He picked it up and realized it was from Dove.

Dove invited him to go to her birthday party, which would take place in two days' time. However, Asher did not promise her that he would go. He simply said that he would consider it.

Asher waited in his room for the whole day. When the sky was almost dark, someone rang the doorbell.

He opened the door and saw a beautiful figure standing in the corridor. She was very smartly dressed. It was Noelle.

When Asher saw that it was Noelle, he could not help but be surprised by her arrival. He then asked, "Why are you here?"

He did not wait for an answer as he walked back into his room and sat on the sofa. He then poured himself half a glass of red wine.

Noelle was feeling somewhat embarrassed. She was the one that suggested divorce, but now she was also the one to approach him. Anyone could see how regretful she was.

"Have you gotten used to staying here?" Noelle said as she pulled back the strand of hair by her

ear. She did not have the courage to stare into his eyes. "I've been staying at the Stewards'. If you cannot get used to this place, you can always move to my place."

Noelle's face turned scarlet when she finished saying that.

"Stay at your place?" Asher looked at Noelle with a dry smile. "Me? A man that you have abandoned? What reasons are there for me to stay at your place?"

"I..." Noelle blurted out, gripping her hands tightly together. She was both disappointed and nervous as she avoided meeting his eyes again. She said, "You know that the divorce isn't something that I want as well. However, I did hurt you, and nothing I say will change that. I apologize. I'm sorry."

Asher did not know the reason why, but when he heard that, he felt that something seemed to have cut into his heart. It hurt him a lot.

"If you've come here only to apologize, you can leave now," Asher said frigidly.

Noelle felt so hurt all of a sudden. It was so painful that she wanted to cry. As her eyes quietly turned red, she murmured, "Asher, I..."

"What is it?"

I love you.

However, she never did say those words. Noelle was not someone that could easily profess her love. Not to mention, they were separated. As Asher's identity as the scion of the Sanders began to become well-known in Rollinsford, she could not allow him to think that she was just some gold-digger. That made it even harder for her to say those words.

Noelle took a deep breath and said, "It's nothing. This is the key to my place. You can throw it away if you want. Goodbye."

With that, she placed the key on the desk before she turned around and left.

She realized that she did not even have the courage to face Asher anymore.

She quickly left the hotel. The sky had already darkened as she quickly made her way to where

she had parked her car. As she was walking, she could feel her chest getting tighter. In just a few seconds, tears were streaming down her face.

When she finally reached where she had parked her car, she could not move her feet anymore. She bawled her eyes out as she knelt down, her hands holding her head.

She wanted her tears to take away all her pain and regret. She wanted to completely forget who Asher was from this moment onward. However, how could she simply forget someone that she loved?

Her cries attracted many people's attention. She finally stopped and wiped her tears away when people started to gather around her. She then quickly got into the car and drove away.

She didn't realize that in the crowd, a tall man was watching her from behind.

As he watched the car disappear into the darkness, Asher could not help but light up a cigarette and gave it a good drag.

Just after he finished his cigarettes and was about to return to the hotel, he could sense danger approaching him.

Asher suddenly tossed his cigarette butt into the night. Originally, he was going to go back to the hotel to sleep. However, he had a change of heart as he walked into the night. Asher could clearly sense the danger coming from behind him, and it was becoming more and more intense. He was sure that the elites were all coming for him.

Could it be that the Leonards wanted to take him out?

Asher was not sure, so he wanted to give them a chance to see who had sent the men over. Not too far away, there were indeed around four or five men dressed in black. Their expression was cold, their eyes even colder. Even when they were walking briskly toward him, their breathing was still quite uniform.

"Asher is an elite. Be on your guard when we fight later." The man with a buzzcut told the others. "Boss, Asher was already one of the most skillful fighters among the younger generation two years ago. Even when he was surrounded by the Schmidts' elites, he only suffered some injuries. With just a few of us, it's impossible for us to take him down. I wonder just what Master Schmidt is thinking," a man in his thirties mumbled with a frown.