Chapter 498: Chapter 498: Fiancé
Chapter 498
Ariana Grant listened, utterly confused.
"Maybe it’s because my IQ isn’t as high as yours, but I really don’t understand what you’re saying."
Ashley Shaw chuckled bitterly and said, "It’s normal you don’t understand, because I don’t even know what I’m thinking myself."
Ariana Grant was even more perplexed.
"If you don’t like him, then you must dislike him. If you don’t dislike him, then you still like him, right?"
"That’s not how it is." Ashley Shaw paused and simply gave Tyler Joyce as an example, "Do you dislike Tyler Joyce?"
Ariana Grant shook her head, "No, I don’t dislike him. He’s... just hard to dislike."
"Do you like him then?"
"Of course I don’t like him. You know who I like."
Ashley Shaw spread her hands, "See, that’s exactly it."
Ariana Grant raised her eyelids, "Wow! Relationship stuff is really complicated!"
Ashley Shaw nodded; isn’t it just complicated?
She used to be just like Ariana Grant, thinking that not disliking someone meant liking them. There was a clear boundary between love and hate, separated by a wide river.
But now, speaking of Warren Prescott... she’s really unable to say what she feels.
But one thing was clear; subconsciously, she considered him the father of her child.
That’s why when she encountered something, the first person she turned to was him.
But claiming that she liked him didn’t seem accurate either.
Before, seeing him would fill her with joy, but now her heart felt calm as a dead pool.
His emotions hardly stirred any ripple in her heart.
But if she were to choose a man to spend time alone with, she would choose Warren Prescott.
Just like that day in Glanburn, if it were any other man, she wouldn’t have allowed him to stay in the same room with her.
It’s so complicated that she felt her head nearly exploded.
Back in school, even the most complex homework problems didn’t give her this kind of headache.
Ariana Grant looked at Ashley Shaw’s conflicted face, patted her shoulder, and said, "Don’t worry. Things will naturally get sorted. You haven’t figured out your relationship with him yet, right? Take your time, you’ll eventually figure it out. Besides, you and Warren Prescott don’t have to be just lovers or enemies, you could be friends, right?"
Friends...
That’s true.
Thanks to Ariana Grant’s words, Ashley Shaw’s mind cleared a bit, less muddled than before.
Right then, Warren Prescott returned.
Their expressions reverted to normal, and Ashley Shaw asked, "Did you see Aunt Talbot?"
Warren Prescott shook his head, "No, the doctors in her department said she’s still in the operating room. I checked; her department has a microwave. I left the food in her office, and the office colleagues will let her know; she can heat it up in the microwave herself."
He managed everything quite meticulously.
Ashley Shaw nodded slightly, "Thanks for going out of your way for us."
"You know, there’s no need for such politeness between us."
Hearing this, Ariana Grant felt like she was a bit too much of a third wheel.
Ashley Shaw cleared her throat and changed the subject, "So, are you really planning to not let the Xavier Family handle Ivy Bond’s situation?"
Warren Prescott started the car while asking her, "What’s your plan?"
"Just a warning should suffice; after all, she’s a patient..."
It’s not that she’s being a saint; in her past life, she hadn’t heard of Ivy Bond, which makes it highly likely... she won’t be around for long.
For someone who’s about to pass, there’s really no need to go hard on them.
Think of it as her accumulating good karma for her daughter.
"Also, with the good relationship between the Xavier and Bond families, forcing them not to take care of the Bond Family could push Chairman Xavier and his wife to the edge, and that wouldn’t bode well for you."
Warren Prescott reassured her, saying—
"The Xavier Family indeed helped the Bond Family rise, especially Chairman Xavier and his wife, they’re people who care a lot about their reputation. Their biggest fear is others saying they neglect the Bond Family."
"That’s why they had to have all their children accompany Ivy Bond."
"But by speaking up today, I’ve given the Xavier Family an out, so they won’t let their children continue to diligently accompany her in the hospital."
Ashley Shaw looked at him, "You mean, Chairman Xavier isn’t actually pleased with having Ms. Grant and the others always accompanying Ivy Bond?"
"Exactly."
Ashley Shaw understood.
"No wonder you threatened Ms. Grant."
Turns out it wasn’t a threat, but an opportunity for Ms. Grant to catch a breath.
Recently, Ms. Grant had really become much more worn out.
Warren Prescott pulled at the corner of his mouth and said, "So relax; the Xavier Family won’t expose me for ’threatening Claire Xavier,’ instead they’ll probably thank me."
Ariana Grant chimed in, "No wonder Ms. Grant was so cheerful after Ivy Bond and her siblings left."
Warren Prescott said, "Yeah, both she and Archie can finally relax."
Ariana Grant couldn’t help but ask, "So, will the Xavier Family completely ignore Ivy Bond?"
"No."
"No."
They answered in unison.
Ashley Shaw touched her nose and said to Ariana Grant, "Everything that needs arranging has long been sorted; it’s just that they don’t need to act as her caregivers anymore."
"That’s great then!"
Warren Prescott glanced at Ashley Shaw, saying, "Ms. Grant won’t have to accompany her every day, but it’s hard to say about Archie."
Ashley Shaw didn’t react much.
To her, no possibility existed between her and Cillian Xavier from the start.
So, of course, she didn’t mind Cillian Xavier accompanying another woman.
Warren Prescott saw Ashley Shaw’s calm demeanor and felt a sense of relief.
This life was different; Cillian Xavier was evidently pursuing Ashley Shaw, unlike "the past life," and he had been worried Ashley Shaw might fall for Cillian Xavier...
Luckily, she didn’t.
Soon the car arrived at the school gates.
Ashley Shaw opened the car door and said to Warren Prescott, "Thanks for today, we’re heading back."
"If anything comes up, feel free to reach out to me."
Ashley Shaw hesitated for a second before saying, "Alright."
Back in the dorm, Ashley Shaw received a WeChat message from Jane Tate, saying the meals were delicious and thanking them for treating her.
After replying, Ashley Shaw turned to ask Ariana Grant, "Are we still going out shopping later?"
Ariana Grant lay on her bed and said, "Too lazy to go out; I’ll just wear my usual clothes."
Right after speaking, she flipped over and sighed heavily.
"Ashley, I’m so nervous..."
"I know. But... whatever’s meant to happen will happen. If his attitude is good, you two can naturally be together; if not, you can cut it off early, so you don’t hold onto things in your heart."
"That’s true."
As they say, whether you face the challenge or avoid it, the result is the same; it all comes down to tomorrow!
By evening, Ariana Grant, who was dieting, ate only a cucumber, and Ashley Shaw, feeling lazy to head out, grabbed a cup of instant noodles and headed for the hot water room.
By coincidence, she bumped into Evelyn Vaughn who was also getting water.
Exchanging glances, Ashley Shaw acted as though she hadn’t seen her, placing her cup noodles on the water dispenser and swiping her card to fill hot water.
Evelyn Vaughn capped her hot water pot, but couldn’t resist speaking, "Didn’t expect you already have a fiancé."
