Ashley instinctively raised her hand and slapped him.

“Pop!”

Robert’s hand was knocked askew, instantly swelling and turning red.

Ashley stepped back, her eyes full of caution. “Robert, I’m sorry. I’ve trained in self-defense techniques, and it was just an instinct...”

This made Robert feel even colder inside. Did she not even see him as a good person?

Robert’s eyes darkened, and he unwillingly stepped forward again. Ashley backed up two steps, finding herself trapped against a Royce Rolls.

“I really like you. Please give me a chance to take care of you. I promise...”

“Robert, I want to focus on my studies. I have no plans for a relationship. Thank you for your feelings, but I’m truly sorry.”

“Ashley,” Robert raised his hand to touch her face, “let’s give it a try, shall we? Trust me, I—”

Click.

Just as Ashley was about to push him away, she heard the sound of a car door opening behind her. Turning her head, she saw Brian stepping out of the car.

Ashley’s mind went blank.

No wonder this Royce Rolls looked so familiar.

Brian leaned on the car door, watching them with a mocking expression.

Ashley’s face turned pale, her mouth opening and closing several times as she tried to explain but couldn’t find the words.

Robert thought the man was upset about them touching his car and pulled Ashley aside a few steps, frowning. “Sir, if you’re unhappy because we touched your car, I can apologize. But we have things to deal with now, so could you just leave?”

Brian ignored him and instead looked at Ashley. “Something to deal with?”

His dismissive gaze made Robert uneasy. He wanted to get rid of this intruder, but Ashley broke free first.

Ashley said, “I have nothing to deal with. I’m going home now!”

Robert was stunned.

Facing Robert directly, Ashley said, “Robert, thank you for your feelings, but I’m truly sorry!”

She then opened the passenger door of the Royce Rolls and got in.

Brian lit a cigarette and glanced at Robert. “A bouquet of flowers for the girl? Well...it’s not bad. I can deliver it for you.”

Robert, seemingly in a daze, handed over the flowers instinctively as Brian spoke.

Brian took them, thanked him, and got into the car.

Robert, looking lost, got into his own car and drove off.

Inside the car, they sat in silence until Robert had left the premises.

Brian still hadn’t started the engine. The silence was deafening, and Ashley felt increasingly anxious.

After a long while, she couldn’t help but break the silence. “Miss James...where is she...”

“She went home,” Brian lit another cigarette. “Let’s talk about your Robert.”

Her heart sank completely.

Ashley stammered, “He’s just a schoolmate.”

“Only a schoolmate?” Brian chuckled and took the bouquet from the back seat, waving it in front of her. “A schoolmate who gives you roses?”

Ashley muttered, “I didn’t want to accept that. It was you who...” took it.

Brian pulled out a rose, sniffing it.

The rich fragrance filled the car, and the red of the flowers seemed especially glaring.

Tossing the remaining bouquet to the back, Brian pressed his lit cigarette into the flower he had pulled out.

The flower sizzled faintly as it burned, filling the car with a strange, burnt smell.

Ashley watched him, feeling helpless.

Brian smirked, crushing the flower head in his hand.

Bright red flower juice seeped through his fingers, dripping onto Ashley’s light blue pants.

Ashley’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively tried to back away.

“Ashley, I thought you understood me.”

Brian released his grip, letting the crushed rose drop.

It turned to mush.

Ashley bit her lip. “I really have no relationship with him.”

“No relationship?” Brian’s fingers, stained a vivid red, were cold as he pinched her chin. “He gave gifts to the teachers for the sake of you, made connections, and got you into the Senior Dance Troupe. He worked hard for your study abroad application, being considerate and thoughtful. And you say you have no relationship with him?”

Brian’s voice was light and teasing, making it hard for Ashley to gauge his true feelings.

Brian murmured, “Ashley, you are so ungrateful, huh?”

Ashley’s face turned ashen, not knowing how to explain.

Robert had indeed done a lot for her, but she had been unaware of most of it.

Brian let go of her, pulling out a wet wipe to clean his hands. “Ashley, you know my temper. If you anger me, you might as well forget about school.”

“No!” Ashley’s face went pale, and she instinctively grabbed his arm. “Mr, please. I’ll apologize. I’ll kneel if I have to! Please, just let me stay in school!”

Brian pushed her away, making her fall onto the seat.

After wiping his hands, he tossed the stained tissue aside and looked at her coldly. “I’m not happy.”

From the initial phone call, to the rumors overheard in the restroom, and finally to the confession just now, each incident had hit Brian’s sore spots.

Ashley looked at him, her heart growing colder.

After a prolonged silence, Brian looked into her eyes and coldly said, “Last night, a vase from the Tang Dynasty went missing from the antique shelf on the fourth floor.”

Ashley looked at him in confusion. “What?”

Brian opened his tablet and played a surveillance video.

Ashley watched as the video showed Melissa carefully taking a vase from the antique shelf and replacing it with another bottle with hibiscus. The high-definition footage captured every detail, from Melissa’s careful movements to her excited expression after successfully swapping the vases.

The sweat on her face, her gleeful eyes, and the smile she couldn’t suppress...

It felt like a cold bucket of water had been dumped over Ashley, or like she had been slapped.

Despite the blazing sun outside, she felt like she was in an ice pit. Her ears were ringing, and she couldn’t stop trembling.

Tears fell in big drops, but she didn’t dare to make a sound as she cried.

Brian took a tissue and calmly wiped her tears. “I heard your father owes another two million in gambling debts. What do you think will happen to you if you leave the Quinn Family?”

What would happen?

Ashley’s vision blackened.

Brian’s expression remained soft, his voice gentle. But his words were chilling.

“Ashley, from the moment you entered the Quinn Family, you were destined to be my toy. If I want you to cry, you cry. If I want you to laugh, you laugh. Understand?”

Ashley couldn’t respond, nor did she need to. From the moment her father brought her to the casino as collateral at fifteen and from the moment she borrowed five million from Brian at eighteen, she knew she could never escape this man.

Brian looked at Ashley’s dazed eyes and chuckled.

Ashley’s eyes sparkled, as if she could find the strength to fight back no matter the adversity.

From the first time he saw her, Brian had been particularly fond of her eyes. The vibrant life in them brought him a joy that seemed to come from the depths of his soul.

That feeling of seeing light in hell was addictive.

He was willing to protect her innocence.

As long as she was his.