Yuna watched Ashton calmly. She saw the change of expression on his face. There was conflict in his eyes. "Mr. Yale, being together is not just a matter between two people. It involves both of their families as well. "Besides, I have a complicated background. I don't want to bring you more trouble because of my issues," Yuna confessed. "I chose to leave without saying goodbye to you. I even cut you off. It's because I hope you'll be able to figure out how you truly feel toward me. "I won't forget about my promise or all the things you did for me. I hope that we'll always be friends," Yuna said seriously. "Mr. Yale, do you really want us to end up this way?" Ashton didn't say a word. He merely lifted the glass and finished his drink in one go. "Seems like talking things out in person hurts even more." As he spoke, he smiled bitterly. Yuna glanced at him calmly. "Mr. Yale, we can only be friends, nothing more." Ashton appeared to be slowly accepting the truth. He said,
Yuna didn't try to hide anything from him and nodded. "Yeah, my teacher brought me to Phoenix City to undergo treatment. "After giving birth to my children, I started working with him in the research center. That was when I got to know Carl. "How should I put this? We share a lot of similar opinions on things, and it's nice to talk to him. "Besides, he's considered my superior too. We interact a lot during work. From working under his supervision, I became friends with him. "Also, he's quite close with my senior, Cedric, as well. That made our friendship stronger." Hearing that, Ashton nodded. "I can tell that Carl does treat you well." "Yes. He takes care of me," Yuna said. Smiling, Ashton said, "If a man like Carl stays by your side, I'd have nothing to say to that." Yuna nearly choked on her drink. Ashton passed her a tissue. "What's wrong?" Yuna wiped her mouth while shaking her head. "Carl and I are just friends. I hope you don't overthink that too." "Really?
Surprised, Yuna asked, "Really?" Carl said, "Yeah. Although we can now be sure that Master Eastin is in Hultic, the situation there might be more complicated than in Flokstra." The smile on Yuna's face disappeared. "If that's the case, isn't it impossible to save Master Eastin anytime soon?" "Yes, it would be a bit challenging. At least our men have headed to Hultic. I think we'll have a better handle on the situation there compared to Flokstra. "That way, the news we receive after this would be accurate. Then we'd be able to save Master Eastin soon," Cedric explained. Yuna could only listen to his words to comfort herself. She had to tell Jeremiah about this. Cedric left after getting a call. Now, only Yuna and Carl were left in the lounge. Right then, Carl looked at her. There was a mixture of emotions in his eyes. "I heard that a friend of yours from Jefton State visited you. Is that true?" he asked. Yuna admitted, "Yeah. His name is Ashton Yale." Of course, Carl
After work, Yuna got a message from Ashton. He said that he'd be free at night to discuss the project. He didn't invite her for a meetup. He said that they should only meet if she weren't tired. Seeing the text, Yuna thought that there was no reason for her to turn him down. After all, Ashton didn't plan on staying for long. Besides, she was handling quite a lot of projects now. She'd only be able to plan things out after making arrangements earlier. And so, she went to see him after work. She didn't know that Yvan had followed her again. When he saw Yuna coming out to see Ashton, his face was steely. He immediately called Lucian. "Why are you calling me at this hour? Is there something urgent?" "Ashton is in Phoenix City now." Lucian was silent for a few seconds. Shocked, he said, "No wonder I haven't seen Ashton these two days. So he's in Phoenix City." "Give him some warning." "Are you planning to use the Longman Group to threaten him?" "He's not allowed to see
Ashton checked out the man standing in front of him with a knowing look. Increasingly, he felt that this man looked like Yvan. But they were clearly people who had nothing to do with each other. Yuna said, "Indeed, he's a friend of mine from Aradelle." Yvan smiled a little and held out his hand. "Hello, I'm Stanley Morgan. I'm considered Ms. Surra's friend too." Ashton put on a smile like a gentleman. He shook the man's hand. "Good to see you, Mr. Morgan." When the two shook hands, Yvan even squeezed his hand in secret. It made Ashton frown a bit. When he looked up, "Stanley" was still smiling. Ashton felt that this man was strange. Yvan retracted his hand. He turned to look at Yuna. "I happen to be having a meal with a friend here too. If you're interested, you can come over and sit with us later." "Okay." Yuna merely nodded and agreed politely. With that, Yvan left. Like what he said, Yuna did see him chatting with another man happily and walked to the other sid
Ashton watched as the car left. He had a grave yet suspicious look on his face. He was still standing at the same spot, waiting for Caleb. Then, his phone rang. The one who called him wasn't Caleb. It was Darren. He answered the call. "Darren, is everything alright?" "Did you really go to Phoenix City?" "Yeah, why?" Ashton furrowed his brow. He thought that Darren's tone sounded off. "Did something happen?" "Yvan is making things difficult for you again. It's probably because you left for Phoenix City," Darren informed, his voice tense.Ashton's face paled a little. "What do you mean?" Darren briefly told him about what was happening over there. …When Yuna reached the entrance of her house, Yvan called out from behind her. "Ms. Surra." She stopped in her tracks and turned back to look. "Stanley" had stepped out of his car. He was walking over to where she was. Taken aback, she asked, "Did you finish your meal so soon?" Yvan was all smiles. "Yeah, it was borin
Yvan appeared calm. "Does Carl know about this already?" he asked. Gabriel nodded. "Definitely. Besides, they're doing their best to investigate the Black Crown Organization and watch over Jacob. Looks like Yuna's senior, Cedric, would be heading over to Hultic soon as well." Yvan said, "Let's watch how things go first and see what they will do after this. No matter what, our most important job now is to make sure that Master Eastin is safe." Lucian said, "Just to ensure Master Eastin's safety, you've delayed the investigation on your own matter." "To Yuna, Master Eastin is her only family other than the twins. If we lose Master Eastin, she won't be able to handle it." Yvan didn't want to see Yuna suffer because of losing someone important to her. "Besides, the incident happened so many years ago. Investigating it sooner or later would make no difference. The most important thing is to save Master Eastin now." Lucian was just saying. After all, he knew Yvan's intention to
Natalie and Nathaniel watched as Yuna left for work. Aunty Reina held their hands. After the car left, they entered the house. Natalie said that she wanted to have cake. So, Aunty Reina left them to their own devices and headed into the kitchen to bake one. The kids then headed upstairs and back into their room. Natalie asked, "Nathaniel, have you not found out about that man yet?" Nathaniel appeared solemn. "Yeah, that man is truly mysterious. The only thing I could find was his age and name. I couldn't find anything else." "Woah, I can't believe there'd be another thing you can't find out about." Nathaniel did feel defeated. Before this, the one whom he failed to investigate was Jacob. But now, he couldn't look into Stanley as well. "Nathaniel, do you think Stanley could be related to Jacob?" Hugging her doll, Natalie asked curiously. Nathaniel looked at her. "Why do you say that?" "It's just a guess. Why don't you put these two men together? Perhaps you might be