Chapter 479: Chapter 479: Warren Prescott, Confession
Ashley Shaw never really cared about those things from childhood.
If she truly cared, she wouldn’t have chosen to marry him in her previous life.
What she cared about were the things that happened after marrying him.
But she couldn’t bring herself to say these things to Warren Prescott, nor did she feel the need to tell him.
After all, it’s all in the past.
Since it’s already over, there’s no need to dwell on it.
Actually, Warren Prescott wasn’t inherently bad; he might not be great as a husband, but as a friend, he’s alright.
Back in Westcroft, whenever she encountered danger, it was Warren Prescott who helped her.
She’s not heartless, nor blind; she could see Warren Prescott has indeed changed a lot, so gradually, her animosity towards him wasn’t as strong.
Of course, it might also be because she stopped caring, so she no longer hated him.
After a moment of silence, she smiled in relief and said, "Since we’ve already talked things over today, let me also say my piece. The things from before were indeed due to misunderstandings. Now that they are cleared, let’s not dwell on past things. Let’s just pretend nothing ever happened."
Warren Prescott’s dark eyes flickered like a burning candle.
His hand under the table slightly tightened, and he asked, "Are you saying you’re willing to forgive me?"
Ashley Shaw said, "Back then we were young and naive, but now we’re adults. It’s all in the past, and there’s nothing to forgive or not forgive."
"You mean you’re not willing to completely forgive me."
"That’s not what I mean; I just want to pretend nothing ever happened."
Warren Prescott pondered her words, then suddenly said, "When I lost my memory, Assistant Lowell told me I really liked you, but later you told me that Assistant Lowell was mistaken, and the one I liked was Rosalind Lynch..."
Ashley Shaw frowned slightly, about to speak, but Warren Prescott spoke again before she could, "Now I remember everything..."
Ashley Shaw nodded, "It’s good you remember, so there won’t be any more misunderstandings."
Warren Prescott looked straight at her.
"It was a misunderstanding, but not the kind you think."
"What do you mean?"
After a brief pause, Warren Prescott continued, "I never liked Rosalind Lynch. From when I first met her until now, I’ve never liked her, not even for a second."
Ashley Shaw looked at Warren Prescott in surprise, instinctively saying, "Have you not completely remembered?"
Warren Prescott still looked at her as he did before.
"No, I’ve remembered everything. When I was young, I saw Rosalind Lynch as a sister, and naturally, I saw you as a sister too. It’s just that you came into my life later; I’ve known her longer. After the pool incident, I instinctively wanted to help the sister I had known longer."
"Later, as we all grew up, Rosalind Lynch went around saying we were a couple, and I didn’t care because having her as a shield reduced a lot of trouble, so I let her say whatever she wanted."
"But later, when I learned the truth about the pool incident, I suddenly saw through her. So I didn’t even want to treat her as a sister anymore, and didn’t want to see her."
"After that, whenever I saw you, I felt a deep guilt..."
"At first, I truly thought I only felt guilty towards you, until you didn’t even want to acknowledge me, I felt really upset."
"Gradually, I realized what I felt for you wasn’t just guilt, but also affection. I then realized I’d liked you for a long time. So after the pool incident, I not only felt a grudge towards you but also disappointment. It was because I was so disappointed that I always like to tease you..."
"Actually, it was probably from that moment on that you were different from everyone else for me."
"If it had been anyone else, I wouldn’t have held a grudge for so long."
Ashley Shaw was stunned on the spot.
With every sentence Warren Prescott spoke, her eyes widened.
By now, her eyes were nearly popping out.
She had always thought Warren Prescott’s kindness towards her was out of guilt, but she never expected...
No, she had sensed it too, but the thorn in her heart was too deep, so she didn’t want to recognize the truth, constantly brainwashing herself not to overthink, not to assume Warren Prescott liked her, not to be narcissistic.
Actually, this kind of self-brainwashing was truly self-deception.
Her mind was in chaos at this moment, but then suddenly calmed down.
"So... is this a confession?"
Warren Prescott nodded seriously, "Yes."
Ashley Shaw suddenly smiled brightly.
"Since you’re confessing, let me clearly express my stance too. Warren Prescott, I don’t like you, but we can be just friends."
She still had to visit Grandpa Prescott frequently, and they would see each other often. Instead of being like two parallel lines as she initially thought, why not... just be ordinary friends?
Now she had completely figured it out; in the future, no matter who Warren Prescott ends up with, she will sincerely wish him well.
After all, this version of Warren Prescott didn’t owe her much; instead, she owed him a lot of favors.
So at this moment, she genuinely wished him well.
Warren Prescott didn’t seem too surprised by her rejection, only asking, "Are you rejecting me?"
Ashley Shaw was a bit puzzled. Her voice wasn’t quiet earlier; did he not hear?
So she nodded again and said, "Yes, I think being friends suits us better."
Warren Prescott’s eyes deepened, and he asked her, "I want to know, why? We haven’t even been together, so how do you know being friends is more suitable than being lovers?"
Because they’ve been together before... and she paid a huge price for it.
Thinking this in her heart, Ashley Shaw just lightly shook her head on the outside, "Some things don’t need to be tried; you can imagine it. I’m just a person with no parents, and you... you will be the future chairman of the Prescott Group. Of course, it’s not just the difference in status; there are other reasons too. The disparity between us is too large. We are not suitable to be together."
"But without trying, how would you know? It’s not only two completely similar people that are suitable to be together."
Ashley Shaw took a gentle breath, clarifying, "Let’s put it this way: you like me, but I don’t like you. Maybe in the past, I did like you, but now, I truly don’t like you anymore."
"Do you have someone else you like? Jensen Hayes, the guy from before?"
Ashley Shaw was a bit surprised how he knew Jensen Hayes’s name, but soon realized that after regaining his memory, he likely investigated everything about her.
Suppressing her discomfort, she said, "I don’t like Jensen Hayes and there’s no one else I like. My lack of liking isn’t related to any other person."
Warren Prescott let out an "Oh" and suddenly pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
Ashley Shaw thought he was going to smoke and reminded him, "Smoking is prohibited here. If you want to smoke, you should go to the entrance."
"I’m not smoking."
Warren Prescott said this and pushed the pack of cigarettes towards her.
