Chapter 1

"It's not me, please believe me." Ashley Patterson stubbornly looked at the people in the car, it was pouring rain, and the car door was wet with rainwater, revealing a cold face. Ashley's whole body trembled. She stood outside the car, one door away, screaming. "Listen to my explanation."

The car door suddenly opened. Before Ashley could be happy, a strong force violently pulled her into the car. She fell on top of him, and his white shirt immediately soaked a large area.

“Milan Elise, the gangsters who killed Gina were not arranged by me…” As soon as Ashley opened her mouth, a long and strong hand squeezed her chin mercilessly, and from the top of her head came his magnetic voice. "Do you like me that much?"

His voice was clear and cold, faintly smelling of cigarettes - a taste that belonged to him.

"Huh?" Ashley was a bit confused, she liked him, and the whole world knew. Why does he suddenly ask like that now?

The man squeezed Ashley's chin, his other arm was long and strong, and his palm gently touched her cold, wet cheek from the rain. Ashley got lost in his gentle eyes, she seemed to hear this man ask. "Is it cold?"

Suddenly, a cold breath radiated from his body. He said coldly: "Ashley, do you like me that much? Like me so much that you would kill Gina?"

The coldness from the bottom of his heart immediately spread to her whole body. Ashley immediately woke up and couldn't help but smile bitterly... She immediately thought, how could he give her such gentleness? This is not gentleness but just a devil's smile.

“I didn't mean to kill Gina…” She wanted to explain.

“That's right, of course, you didn't kill Gina, you just paid some thugs to humiliate Gina.” Anger gradually appeared in the man's eyes. Without giving Ashley a chance to explain, he tore the clothes on Ashley's body.

With a shrill scream, Ashley was pushed out of the car without being careful. She trembled and fell in the rain. In her ears, Milan's cold voice became clearer in the sound of the rain.

"Ashley, how you treated Gina, I will pay you back the same. Your clothes are not enough to cover your body, do you feel comfortable?"

Ashley raised her head fiercely, in disbelief, she looked into the car window, the man sat there, looking at her from above, leisurely rubbing his fingers with a handkerchief. "Ashley, I'm exhausted right now, please go home."

"Milan. Listen to me, I..."

"It's not that I can't hear you talk." The man nonchalantly raised his eyelids and glanced at Ashley. "If you volunteer to kneel at my gate one night, maybe I'll feel better. I can give you 10 minutes."

The car door closed, and a handkerchief was thrown from the car, falling in front of Ashley's face, soaked with rainwater.

Ashley bowed her head, she picked up the rain-soaked handkerchief and wrung it in her palm.

The car drove straight into Elise's house, the large gate slammed shut in front of her mercilessly.

In the rain, Ashley's face turned pale, she stood for a long time before raising her head and walking to Elise's door, her lips pursed tightly, only to hear a sound, her knees touching the ground.

She knelt.

Not because she wants to atone for her sins.

Just because Gina is Ashley's friend. Her friend is dead, she should kneel, not because everyone thinks she killed Gina.

She knelt.

It was like getting on my knees and begging this man for 10 minutes to hear her talk.

The clothes on her body were ragged, only covering important areas. She covered her body with her hands, but her waist was straight and arrogant, even when she knelt, she remained indomitable. Her dignity, her dignity, she was Ashley Patterson.

She stubbornly knelt, just to have a chance to explain clearly. She doesn't accept things she hasn't done.

But, is there such a chance?

Really, can she explain clearly?

Does anyone believe what she says?

The rain grew heavier and heavier but in the end, it did not stop.

One night passed.

As the rain poured down, Ashley still knelt in front of Milan's house as before.

The raindrops soaked her clothes, she knelt here all night.

It was finally morning, after being silent all night, the manor was finally occupied. The strong white-haired butler came from the manor's yard holding an old umbrella.

Suffering all night, the safe opened, Ashley moved slightly, she raised her head towards the old housekeeper, showing a pale smile.

"Miss Ashley, Mr. Milan told you to leave." The old housekeeper's hair is carefully combed, even when it rains, not a single hair is tangled, as carefully as every plant in the house is cared for by someone dedicated to it. Squirrel. The old butler left Ashley a set of clothes.

Ashley reached out after a rainy, shivering night and put on her clothes. Her lips were pale and bloodless, and her voice was hoarse but determined: "I want to see him."

The old butler didn't even lift his eyelashes. He didn't miss a single word of the manor's owner's words: "Mr. Milan said, you're polluting the manor here, he told you to leave, don't dirty his eyes."

From the moment the incident happened until now, Ashley has never shown cowardice. At this moment, she had to pretend to be strong but her shoulders could be seen shaking, clearly showing her sadness.

Ashley closed her eyes, her face was full of rainwater, making it impossible for others to see whether the water in the corner of her eyes was rainwater or tears. The old butler looked at her without expression. 

Ashley opened her eyes, raised her head, and said to the butler: “Butler Smith, no matter what you think, I didn't hire thugs to humiliate Gina. No matter what, I can't stand your resentment."

Although Ashley was tired, she still spoke every word... She was willing to temporarily bow her head, but all over her body was the flexibility of a woman.

The old butler finally reacted other than indifference, he raised his eyebrows at Ashley, his eyes filled with disgust. "Gina is my daughter. From childhood she was smart and understanding, she had never been to chaotic and dirty places like the Dark Night Bar, but she was humiliated to death there. Miss. Ashley, we investigated her phone, before the incident, she sent you a text message saying 'I went to Dark Night Bar, Ashley, where are you?'."