Just as the words left his mouth, a few large trucks rolled into the yard.
Edwin frowned.
What were the bodyguards at the gate even doing?
They were just letting anyone in now?
He pulled the door open and stepped out of the car.
But the moment his eyes landed on a familiar figure, his expression shifted.
His grandmother, Eleanor, was slowly approaching with Pamela supporting her gently.
He was about to walk over to her—
“Ashley, my sweet girl!” But to his surprise, the grandma who usually only ever had eyes for him walked right past like he was air, beaming as she reached for Ashley’s hand.
“All of this is from you, isn’t it?”
Eleanor’s face lit up with joy as she glanced at the trucks full of furniture.
“Oh, what a thoughtful granddaughter-in-law I have!
She thought the dark wood felt too cold and unwelcoming, so she replaced everything with rosewood and ebony to make the place feel warmer.”
Edwin froze in place, looking at Ashley with mild surprise.
He hadn’t bothered snooping into her spending lately.
He’d just assumed, after being broke for so long, she’d blow up the second she got her hands on money—buying luxury goods like some tasteless nouveau riche.
He didn’t expect her to splurge on his grandmother instead.
“Ms.
Sullivan,” a representative from LOEW, the high-end designer clothing brand, walked over, “here’s the custom piece you ordered this morning, all tailored and delivered.”
Edwin’s expression didn’t change, but his gaze flicked over.
Seeing Ashley holding the outfits and walking in his direction, he casually adjusted his sleeve and lifted a hand, clearly expecting her to hand it over.
After all, she’d used his card.
She could at least get him something decent in return.
But—Ashley clutched the clothes tighter and gave him a weird look, like he was imagining things, then made a beeline for Isaiah, the butler.
Edwin: “…”
“Wait, ma’am…
this is for me?” Isaiah asked awkwardly, completely caught off guard.
“This looks pricey…”
Ashley shrugged and pushed the clothes into his arms without room for refusal.
And it wasn’t just Isaiah.
Pamela, and nearly every household employee nearby, had a gift in hand.
Eleanor stood off to the side, pleased as punch.
“Such a good girl—she remembers kindness.
Look at that, gifts for everyone.”
Everyone…
except Edwin.
Eleanor let out a dramatic sigh and glanced at her grandson, who was practically an iceberg.
Shaking her head with a tsk, she muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, “Some people just don’t know how to care for their wives.
No wonder they don’t get anything.”
“Childish.” Edwin’s face darkened as the word slipped out coldly.
Without another glance, he turned and walked off.
Eleanor chuckled, clearly pleased, squeezing Ashley’s hand with a knowing smile.
She playfully raised her brows.
“That was brilliant—playing hot and cold like that really works!
Men need a little push and pull to stay hooked.”
Ashley blinked.
“…”
Was she…
seriously this dramatic?
Meanwhile, Isaiah was carrying the clothes when a shadow suddenly loomed in front of him.
He looked up, only to meet Edwin’s sharp, icy gaze.
Isaiah’s knees nearly gave way.
Edwin stared him down, his eyes completely devoid of warmth.
“The incense and DVD from last night…
That was your idea?”
Isaiah nearly dropped the clothes then and there.
With both parties being his bosses, there was no way to shift the blame.
He swallowed hard.
“I—I was wrong, sir…”
Edwin eyed the outfit in Isaiah’s hands and asked coolly, “Does Ashley know you gave your full support to that little scheme?”
Isaiah broke into a cold sweat.
Even holding this gift made him feel guilty now.
“I’ll just return the clothes to her, sir.
Right now.”
“No need,” Edwin said dryly.
“Drop it.”
Confused but obedient, Isaiah placed the clothes down.
Then, Edwin casually pulled a matchstick from his pocket, struck it, and tossed the flame straight onto the pile.
Isaiah gaped.
Wait…
wasn’t this behavior just a bit too…
childish?
A few trucks had delivered brand new furniture for Eleanor’s place, replacing decades-old pieces.
Ashley took it upon herself to rearrange everything.
Back and forth she went, sweating from all the running around.
Her foot still ached, but she didn’t want Eleanor to worry, so she kept pushing through.
After dinner at Eleanor’s, she finally returned to her room, massaging her sore hands.
She planned to soak in the tub before checking on her bruised foot.
Even though Edwin wasn’t around, she made sure to lock the door just in case.
She sank into the warm water, letting the tension melt away.
Still, a slight furrow lingered on her brow.
That contract—still in Edwin’s hands.
She needed to come up with a way to get it back…
Right as she was lost in thought, the lock on the bathroom door made a faint click.
Ashley’s body tensed.
She reached for a towel in a panic, barely moving when—
BANG!
The locked door flew open with a thunderous crash, making the whole bathroom tremble.
And there stood Edwin.