Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Very Gentle, The Kind with Coaxing
Bella Woods glanced at Ashton Marshall, an instinctive look of seeking help in her eyes.
“Answer it, you should know what the other party wants to say,” Ashton Marshall suggested.
Bella Woods nodded, pressed to answer, and put it on speakerphone.
She placed the phone aside, lying on the table.
“Bella?” Jade Patel attempted a call.
“Mm, I’m here. Mom, is there sothing you need?” Bella Woods responded normally, but thinking about what happened yesterday, her heart felt uneasy.
At this mont, Ashton Marshall touched her face, and Bella Woods instinctively looked up at him. He gave her a slight smile. Although he didn’t say anything, Bella Woods felt comforted.
“Mom wanted to tell you that I’ve had your room tidied up. Every day when the house is cleaned, they also tidy up your room. You can co back anyti; we’ve kept everything just for you.
Previously, it was my oversight about the room, and I’ve scolded the cleaning lady. It won’t happen again.”
Jade Patel said this very gently, and Bella Woods was very familiar with this tone. She had seen it countless tis—the way Jade Patel spoke to Rose Woods.
Very gentle, with a coaxing nature.
It made Bella Woods feel disoriented, instinctively wondering if Jade Patel had dialed the wrong number.
“Bella, are you listening to what I’m saying?” Jade Patel inquired.
Bella Woods sat up straight and glanced at Ashton Marshall: “Yes, I heard.”
“Will you co ho for dinner tonight?” Jade Patel asked. Bella Woods wasn’t sure if she was imagining it or not, but she kept hearing Jade Patel speaking cautiously.
She added, “Your brother doesn’t co back often; I thought the family should have a few more als together these days.”
Bella Woods found it hard to respond to this sentence, so she looked at Ashton Marshall for assurance.
Receiving Ashton Marshall’s affirmative look, Bella Woods nodded and replied, “Mm, okay, I’ll co back tonight.”
“Ah.” Jade Patel was obviously very pleased with the answer: “Mom will personally cook tonight and make your favorite braised pig’s trotters…”
“Mom, that’s Rose who likes that. I don’t like pig’s trotters,” Bella Woods reminded.
Jade Patel paused for a mont, then said, “Oh, oh, I rembered wrong. Mom ant to say, I’ll make your favorite braised ribs…”
“That’s what my brother likes,” Bella Woods reminded again.
Jade Patel fell silent, evidently unable to recall what Bella Woods truly liked to eat.
Bella Woods didn’t make things difficult: “I’ll head back tonight. I have class now, so I’ll hang up first.”
“Ah, okay, okay. Let know after class, and I’ll send the driver to pick you up,” Jade Patel hurriedly said.
Bella Woods didn’t refuse, responding with a simple ‘okay’ before hanging up.
She looked at Ashton Marshall and asked, “Are they still planning to give to Elder Thompson? Didn’t they talk to him yesterday with Rose Woods? How co it’s still…”
“I think we never intended to give you to anyone,” Ashton Marshall looked at Bella Woods and replied.
“Why?” Bella Woods couldn’t understand.
anwhile, the doorbell of the hotel room rang.
Ashton Marshall walked over to open the door. It was the hotel waiter with a food cart: “Sir, here’s the foie gras you ordered.”
The waiter pushed the cart in, pausing when he saw Bella Woods seated at the dining table, but then quickly lowered his head, placing everything on the bar counter before retreating.
After leaving the room, the waiter imdiately made a call, “Allan Season, Third Young Master has arrived at the hotel today. I even delivered a food cart to his room, but I saw soone in the room, who looked very much like… Young Master Oliver’s ex-fiancée.”
In the room.
Ashton Marshall placed the foie gras in front of Bella Woods: “Eat so first.”
“I was just acting on impulse,” Bella Woods said quietly, staring at the foie gras.
Ashton Marshall raised an eyebrow: “Are you saying, you don’t want to eat it now?”
“I’m not in the mood. Go ahead,” Bella Woods picked up the foie gras and brought it to Ashton Marshall’s mouth.
“I don’t like these things,” Ashton Marshall said seriously.
Bella Woods ignored him and tried to put it in his mouth. When he didn’t open his mouth, she looked up at him mischievously and blinked.
Ashton Marshall: …
He sighed softly and eventually opened his mouth to eat the foie gras, which he never ate.
“How’s the taste?” Bella Woods tilted her head, questioning.
“Would you like to try it?” he offered.
“I don’t like it.”
“No problem, you can taste it.”
With that, Ashton Marshall leaned down to kiss Bella Woods’ lips. As she tried to dodge, he held her head firmly to let her savor the taste of the foie gras she insisted on eating.
A kiss… or rather, a taste-test ended.
Ashton Marshall raised an eyebrow: “Tastes good?”
Bella Woods pouted, pushed Ashton Marshall away, and grabbed the nearby water to drink: “You still haven’t answered . Why did you say that my mom and the others wouldn’t give away?”
“Just go back tonight and have a good al,” Ashton Marshall reassured.
Bella Woods, though she didn’t fully understand what Ashton Marshall ant, could infer that tonight it really was just about a simple al.
But she still couldn’t comprehend why they would suddenly speak so kindly to her for no apparent reason.
“Isn’t this sort of masochistic of ?” Bella Woods couldn’t help but ask.
“Mm?” Ashton Marshall continued preparing lunch for her.
“In the past, I always longed to be treated nicely. For my parents to speak to with the sa tone as they do with Rose Woods and Elliot Woods. Now she indeed speaks to with such an attitude, coaxing .
But I still feel sothing’s off.”
It feels like so kind of conspiracy.
“It’s not masochistic, just precautions built up from being plotted against too many tis,” Ashton Marshall explained.
Bella Woods couldn’t help but laugh.
Whenever she was lost or clueless, Ashton Marshall always provided an answer.
Afterward, Bella Woods didn’t want to dwell on this matter anymore. Since it was said to be no big deal, she might as well go back for the al—with nothing else worth discussing.
Bella Woods watched Ashton Marshall cook—it was delightful.
Later, since Bella Woods had classes in the afternoon, she had lunch with Ashton Marshall, who then personally drove her to school.
“Tonight, I have to fly to Country A. I’ll have the driver pick you up to have dinner at the Woods Family’s place and then bring you back to Cascade Court for the night,” Ashton Marshall arranged.
“You specifically flew back to see ?” Bella Woods couldn’t help but mutter.
Just as she said this, the car suddenly shook with a collision sound, and Ashton Marshall applied the brakes abruptly.
“What happened?” Bella Woods inquired.
“Rear-ended,” Ashton Marshall glanced at the rear-view mirror and plainly stated, “Stay inside the car; I’ll handle it.”
As he got out, the driver of the car that rear-ended them approached: “Sorry, I just… Ashton?”
Bella Woods looked towards the door and imdiately recognized Nina Sutton.
She looked pure and serene, standing there like a captivating moonbeam. At the sight of Ashton Marshall, her eyes filled with untold stories, instantly reddening.
Bella Woods couldn’t see Ashton Marshall’s facial expression, but seeing the reddened eyes of Nina Sutton was as if she witnessed Nina seeing a once-separated lover eting again through so fateful coincidence!
Reviews
All reviews (0)