In his memory, Ashley had always been a tough girl, never as fragile as she seemed now.

It was as if she had peeled back her bleeding, vulnerable side to show him, revealing that her love was real.

Brian wondered, “Can I trust her?”

They were only two fingers apart, and their breaths were mingling.

He reached out, gently wiping away her tears, then leaned down to kiss her brow. “Get some sleep.”

Obediently, Ashley closed her eyes.

Brian whispered in her ear, “The engagement is in tonight, be a good girl.”

Another tear slipped down from the corner of her eye.

...

When they arrived home, it was still before lunchtime.

The maids were bustling around, barely touching the ground, and the kitchen was a whirlwind of activity.

Brian told Ashley to go back to her room while he headed straight to the study on the second floor.

Ashley returned to her room, collapsed onto the bed, and closed her eyes to rest.

Anxiously, she drifted off to sleep.

When she woke up, it was already evening.

Outside, the sky had darkened, and the maids were arranging the garden, bringing out everything they had prepared.

Ashley only glanced out the window before pulling the curtains shut.

She thought to herself that neither Olivia nor Brian would want her to show up at tonight’s event.

With that in mind, she sat down at her desk and began organizing her thoughts in her notebook.

It was true that she had resigned from Vee, but everything she said afterward was a lie.

Maybe she had once loved Brian in her youth, but after the past three years, how could she?

She had to go abroad and leave the Quinn Family.

Olivia had ruined her reputation at school, so she could not get financial supports from school.

She calculated the money she had.

The cheque Brian had given her last time was for 100,000, and Mark had given her 200,000.

It’s enough.

So the next thing she needed to prepare was...

After finishing her plan, Ashley encrypted the file and shut down her computer.

Glancing at her phone, she noticed the screen was lit up.

John had called her dozens of times.

Unfortunately, her phone had been on silent, and she had been too focused earlier to notice.

Ashley quickly called back.

John was working at a club.

When he saw Ashley’s call, he handed off his current task to a colleague, “You finally picked up!”

“Sorry, I was sleeping earlier. What’s up?”

“I... looked into your dad.”

“Hmm?” Ashley was startled.

“I checked into his finances.” John was in confusion, “Is he really your biological father?”

Ashley chuckled, “I wish he wasn’t.”

John deflated, “He’s reallya jerk?”

“What?”

“I met a guy during my side job, so I asked him to do me a favor.”

“John, how could you get involved with someone like that?” Ashley immediately imagined the tough guys she’d seen in movies.

“Calm down, it’s just a regular acquaintance.” John smiled. “Legal high, okay?”

Ashley pursed her lips, wanting to scold him.

But then she remembered he did it for her. “What did you find out?”

“Your dad doesn’t actually owe that much,” John said. “Every month, his account gets deposits of millions, more than enough for his small gambling habits. Whenever he racks up debts, the money automatically pays them off.”

Ashley was stunned, “What does that mean?”

“Your dad seems to be kept by someone.”

Ashley’s first thought was of Melissa stealing the vase, but she quickly dismissed it.

Melissa only stole things in emergencies, and it was rare.

If she had a stable income of millions every month, why would she bother stealing the Quinn Family’s antiques?

So why was Jack so aggressive towards her and her mother?

Why did he always act like he had no way out?

Was he pretending?

Or was there more to it?

Ashley remained silent, and just as John was about to say more, someone called for him from outside, so he had to hang up.

John grabbed a beer and stepped back into the room, immediately hit by the suffocating smell of smoke, making him cough.

He held back the itch in his throat as he placed the beer in front of the guests.

Andrew pulled out a few bills and slipped them into John’s shirt collar.

As he did, he patted John’s chest, “Hey bro, you’ve got a nice build.”

John felt a shiver, but he bore it, “Please enjoy your drink.”

“Hold on,” Andrew grabbed his arm. “I’ve got a place that needs handsome guys. The condition’s quite good. Interested?”

John immediately understood that Andrew wanted him to be a call boy.

He rejected him immediately.

Andrew didn’t press the issue, just sneered and turned back to chat.

John quickly cleared the empty fruit plates and, as he tidied the table, noticed a stack of photos.

The room was dimly lit, so John didn’t notice at first.

As he picked up the items, he suddenly saw a picture of Ashley.

His fingers tightened around the photo, and he instinctively looked over at Andrew.

Andrew was already laughing so hard with his friends that he could barely stay seated.

John hesitated, then moved closer to Andrew, deliberately bending down to reveal his well-defined chest muscles, hoping Andrew would talk to him again.

But this time, Andrew didn’t pay attention to him.

John had no choice but to leave, silently making a note of the name “Andrew.”

At night, the Quinn Family garden lit up with various lights.

Tonight was not only David’s inauguration banquet but also the engagement banquet for Brian and Olivia.

Brian changed into his formal attire, a stark contrast to his usual casual, relaxed demeanor.

The night was hazy, and the emotions in his eyes became even harder to read.