Hearing this, Cathy bit her lower lip. “Then isn’t she pathetic?”
“She was a hostess to begin with. If she hadn’t been lucky enough to meet me, who knows when she’d get out of that world.” As he spoke, Ashton falt a pang in his chest but brushed it off quickly.
Harper was the one behind all this mess. She’d confronted Cathy while he wasn’t around. ‘Since she couldn’t learn to stay in her lane, why should I pull my punches?‘ Ashton thought.
“Mr. Ford… I never thought you were this sort of person,” Cathy said, disappointed, as her eyes flickered toward Harper.
Noticing Cathy’s changed demeanor, Harper scoffed inwardly. She thought, ‘This is the standard reaction when people find out I’m a hostess. Ellie is the rare exception who didn’t bat an eye.‘
Giving a delicate blink, Harper switched to a wounded tone. “So you dolled me up and showed me off to your family–all just to piss them off, right?”
For some reason, Ashton couldn’t meet her gaze. “Exactly. They looked down on Cathy’s background, so I had to find someone beneath her to make her shine. You were nothing but a tool from start to finish.”
As she listened, Cathy felt both sorry for Harper and a strange surge of sweetness. She thought, ‘So Mr. Ford has gone to all this trouble for me over the years. Maybe I should forgive him for keeping Harper? After all, he’s been backed into a corner.
Harper wobbled upright, her eyes brimming with pain as she stared at Ashton. “I get it now. I was such a fool, actually falling for a heartless bastard like you!”
The moment he heard the word “love,” Ashton couldn’t stop himself from looking at her. That was when she slapped him hard across the face. “We’re done. Hope you two are miserable together and stay away from other people!”
With that, she bolted out of the room.
“M–Mr. Ford, are you okay?” Cathy asked, wincing at the bright red handprint on his cheek. She reached out to touch it, but he pulled back.
She froze, confused.
“I’m fine.” Ashton rubbed his stinging cheek. The pain reminded him of Harper–fiery and unforgettable. He sighed and closed his eyes.
Meanwhile, Theodore had taken over watching Eliana from Megan.
Noticing the tenderness and concern in his eyes, Megan made a quick exit, shutting the door behind her.
Standing by the bed, Theodore gently stroked Eliana’s hair, then kissed her pale forehead.
Eliana, already a restless sleeper, jolted awake. “Theodore?”
Seeing the fear still in her eyes, he pulled her close. “You scared me. How do you feel?”
Feeling his wild heartbeats, she comforted him. “I’m okay. Thank goodness I can swim, and the lifeguard got there in time.”
Just thinking about the danger made Theodore’s arms tighten. “Any aches? Pain anywhere?”
“Just a little shaken up.”
Hearing her brush it off like that made him ache inside. “I asked Mr. Jean to gather all the crew. I want you to see if you recognize anyone. Is that okay?”
Eliana nodded. “Let’s go.”
1/1
