Asher smiled faintly, then, without any warning, picked her up like a princess.
"What? What are you doing?!" Maria exclaid in surprise, blushing fiercely while looking at his handso face closely.
"Relax. I'm just carrying you to the car." Asher chuckled as he carried Maria carefully and proceeded to leave the mansion.
Getting out of the room, Asher felt that the temperature was quite cold. Looking at the surroundings, he didn't see dead bodies of thugs; instead, small ice particles were there.
Asher looked at Nadia beside him, who just smiled gently at him. 'It seems Nadia took care of their bodies.'
"Thank you!"
"Young master, that's the duty of a maid, isn't it?" Nadia said it in a gentle voice.
Asher nodded his head and then shifted his attention back to Maria, whose complexion had improved significantly thanks to the dicine.
Maria looked into his eyes questioningly, wondering where they were going.
Soon, after walking for a while, they arrived near their car.
Carefully, Asher made Maria stand on her own two feet and asked, "How are you feeling now?"
"Good. Thank you so much for saving ," Maria answered sincerely as tears fell down her cheeks.
Asher gently wiped off the tears on Maria's face and smiled lightly at her.
"Co on, don't cry. Let's get inside the car first, then you can explain everything to us, okay?"
Maria nodded without saying anything else, still not trusting her voice as it trembled whenever she tried to speak.
Once they got inside the car, Maria took a deep breath, enjoying its soft and comfortable interior, and allowed herself to relax completely.
Asher sat beside her in the back seat while Nadia got in the driver's seat.
Taking a deep breath, Maria slowly explained everything and how she got herself into that ss.
As he listened to everything, Asher frowned lightly while suppressing his anger.
"It's alright. Those scum are already dead. They can't do anything to you anymore!" Asher stated it in a calming tone.
Maria turned toward him, eyes full of sorrow, and reached out to hold his hand, as if seeking assurance from him.
"What's your na?" She asked.
Asher stared back at her and realized that this was probably the first ti Maria was able to talk properly since he rescued her from that thug.
"My na is Asher Blake," he answered while smiling warmly at Maria.
Maria blinked rapidly a few tis and lowered her gaze, apparently lost in thought as she recalled sothing.
"I rember now..."
Asher tilted his head curiously, wondering what exactly Maria ant by those words.
"You are from the ruling family, aren't you?" Maria inquired, turning to et his gaze once again.
"Yes. I am Asher Blake, the son of the family head, Aria Blake," he confird with confidence.
Maria stared blankly ahead, not responding to his answer imdiately, seemingly deep in thought.
This caused Asher to worry about whether Maria was traumatized due to all the torture and abuse she suffered under Lucas and his thugs.
"If I may ask, what's your na?" Asher questioned, hoping it would help distract her and bring her mind back into the present.
Maria turned to look at him. She hesitated for a mont, then whispered her response in a shaky voice, "M-Maria...my na is Maria."
"Nice to et you, Maria," Asher greeted kindly as he extended his hand towards her.
" too..." Maria replied timidly, reaching for his offered hand.
When their hands touched, she shivered slightly. Asher assud that was due to her experience with Lucas.
"So, what are you going to do now? Do you have any other family mbers to whom you can go? It will be dangerous to go back to your house, where your husband is." Asher asked.
Maria looked at Asher and didn't know what to say. She rembered how she was all alone, without any blood relatives. Even though she had her husband, he sold her for a bet. It made her feel like the world had no more room for her.
Slowly, tears started falling from the corners of her eyes.
"Sniff... I don't have anyone else. What..What should I do? Where should I go? Sniff..." Maria asked in desperation between her sobs, unable to hold herself together anymore.
Asher grabbed her shoulders firmly and spoke in a soothing tone.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine!"
With that one sentence, Asher managed to calm Maria down a bit. She looked up at him with teary eyes, seeking so sort of guidance or salvation from the depths of despair.
"You can co with . I will make sure that no harm cos to you anymore. So please, don't worry, and trust ."
Maria stared back into his eyes, which burned brightly with determination and conviction.
Noticing the conflicting emotions flickering across her face, Asher continued speaking.
"What were you working as before?"
"I..I was a cook in a small restaurant, but due to the owner's inappropriate behavior, I had to quit that job." Maria explained softly.
"It's okay. You can work as a cook in our mansion from now on and earn money to sustain yourself while also getting a safe place to live." Asher suggested.
"Really? Are you serious? Do you an it?" Maria asked, sounding hopeful but still feeling a little doubtful.
"Of course!" Asher replied honestly before adding, "And besides, I think you've been through a lot. This is the least I can do to make things easier for you," he added, smiling broadly at her.
Maria nodded slowly, accepting his offer without hesitation, finding herself drawn toward him because of his kindness.
"Well then, I guess this concludes our discussion regarding your future plans." Asher announced.
As soon as he finished his sentence, Maria leaned forward, burying her face in his chest while clutching onto his clothes tightly.
Asher froze montarily, caught off guard by this sudden developnt, unsure how to react or what action he should take. He eventually decided to gently wrap his arms around her slim waist, hugging her kindly.
As she closed her eyes and relaxed against his embrace, she could feel a sense of comfort and security enveloping her entire being, lting away the remaining anxiety lingering in her heart.
"Thank you... Thank you so much, Young Master Asher." Maria whispered softly after a long period of silence, almost inaudible to anyone except the person currently holding her close.
"You're welco. Now get so rest."
Asher loosened his embrace, allowing Maria to lie comfortably in the seat.
"Let's go ho now, Nadia."
Nodding her head, Nadia started driving the car.
Feeling exhausted, Maria closed her eyes and gradually drifted off to sleep as fatigue overtook her consciousness, leaving only a serene expression on her beautiful face.
On the way, Asher suddenly asked, "Did we leave behind anything that might raise suspicion?"
Nadia shook her head in denial.
"No! There shouldn't be any problem. I cleaned up the scene and took care of the bodies, so nobody should be able to figure out what happened."
"I see. I am glad to hear that." Asher muttered as he gazed out of the window, absentmindedly, at the passing scenery.
He was pleased with the events that occurred tonight and felt relieved that things turned out so well for everyone involved, especially Maria. Since he was able to save her before her virtue was ruined.
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