Chapter 10 Query

Leaving Lena and Raymond behind, Ashley headed towards the Mu family's residence. But the engaged couple still managed to arrive before her. After all, they were in a car, while she was on foot.

She arrived at the residence and rang the bell. A maid answered the door.

The servant rolled her eyes at Ashley, turned around and walked away without even bothering with a greeting. It was evident that she had no respect for her.

If even the maid of the house treated her like this, it was easy to believe that Ashley had had a hard time in this family.

But she paid no heed to the maid's offensive behaviour. She didn't see any point in paying attention to people who meant nothing to her.

As she entered the living room, she heard them talking and laughing merrily.

All of them wore a bright smile, and the room had a cheerful atmosphere.

But with Ashley's arrival the gay atmosphere instantly turned sombre. They stopped chatting and stared at the intruder. Clearly they were unhappy with her presence.

'They don't want to see me, but they asked me to be here. They don't like me, but they put on a fake smile and pretend as though they are pleased to see me. Can't they just stop all this acting? I am sick of playing this stupid game with them, ' Ashley whined in her head.

"Dad, Mom," Ashley greeted her foster parents who were sitting on the couch and took a seat far away from them.

Aware that they disliked her, she chose to keep a safe distance from them.

"Ashley, you're finally here. Raymond told us a joke, and it was really funny," Lena broke the oppressive silence.

Although Ashley detested Lena, she didn't think it was a good idea to ignore her in the presence of her foster parents.

"I see," she responded coolly.

Right from the moment she walked into the room, Ashley had sensed that she was the cause of discomfort for everyone. But it wasn't her fault. She was asked to be here, she told herself, in a bid to assuage the bad feelings rising within her.

"I need a word with you, Ashley," Spencer began as he looked at her. He rose to his feet and headed upstairs. Peggy followed him knowing that her husband would question Ashley about her whereabouts that night.

Ashley followed them obediently.

Seeing Spencer Mu seated in the study, she entered the room timidly. Since her foster father didn't invite her to sit, she had to remain standing there awkwardly.

"Where were you that night, Ashley? Your mother and I were so worried when we didn't find you anywhere," Spencer Mu inquired with fake care.

Ashley gave Peggy a defiant look and replied, "Mom knew where I was that night. She saw that I got drunk and took me to a room so that I could rest."

Peggy snapped angrily, "You're lying. That night you were not..." But her voice trailed off when she met her husband's warning gaze.

Even though she loathed Ashley, she didn't have the guts to defy her husband. After all, he was the head of the family.

Biting her lower lip, Peggy cast a furious glare towards her.

Ashley acted nonchalant as if she hadn't seen her foster mother's angry gaze.

"But you were not in the room that we had prepared for you," Spencer Mu inquired, pretending to be unaware of the fact that Ashley had been drugged by his own wife.

"I don't know. Mom sent me to that room and I dozed off. That's all I remember," Ashley explained giving her foster father an innocent look.

Spencer Mu fell for it and looked convinced about her story. Motioning her to leave the room, he commanded, "You can leave us now. Stay and join us for lunch. Your mother has something to tell you."

"Umm. I will," Ashley replied meekly before letting herself out.

"Don't be fooled by Ashley, Spencer. I was taking her to Mr. Du's room, but she ran away," Peggy said with a frown.

'Ashley has screwed up everything. Because of her, we have offended Michael and lost the chance to work with him. It's a big loss and it's all her fault!' she seethed inwardly.

"I see. You can leave now. Don't forget to tell Ashley to go on that blind date," Spencer reminded her.

"Rest assured, I will take care of it," Peggy promised confidently.

...

Ashley was halfway down the stairs when she caught sight of Raymond and Lena making out. After a pause, she continued to walk downstairs as if she hadn't seen the couple.

Perhaps the engaged couple heard the footsteps, so they suddenly let go of each other and fixed their eyes on her.

Shaking her hand in the air, Ashley shrugged her shoulders and commented, "Please go ahead. I didn't see anything."

"Ashley!" Lena called out and buried her face in Raymond's chest pretending to be embarrassed.

Raymond sat motionless, fixing his eyes on Ashley.

When Ashley heard Lena calling her in such a timid voice, she felt goosebumps all over her body. Oblivious of Lena's angry stare, she went to the couch that was farthest from the couple and sat down on it.

Soon Peggy returned downstairs and shifted her gaze from Lena, who was still nestled in Raymond's arms, to Ashley, and drew a satisfied smile.

She thought highly of her future son-in-law. Raymond was not only from a wealthy family but also treated Lena well. However, she was irked by the fact that Raymond couldn't get over Ashley.

For the sake of her daughter's happiness, she resolved to marry Ashley off as soon as possible.

Peggy settled herself on the lounge and picked up a cup of tea from the table. Taking a sip, she turned to Lena and said, "I know you have lots of work to do in the company, but you should visit Raymond's mother more often. She only has Raymond. As his fiancee, you should spend more time with your future mother-in-law."

Her voice was filled with pride. She wanted everyone to know that Raymond was her daughter's fiancé.

"I will, Mom. I will go to visit auntie with Raymond when I am free," Lena replied softly as she leaned on Raymond's shoulder and held his hand.

Ashley watched them quietly, sitting alone as if she was an outsider.

Technically speaking, she was not really a part of the Mu family, at least not by blood. She was an adopted child.

That year Lena had had a high fever and couldn't get cured. Someone told Spencer and Peggy that their daughter would recover if they adopted a child from an asylum. Although it was just a superstition, the Mus had given it a shot. They went to an orphanage and adopted Ashley.

When they brought her home, Lena got better miraculously without taking medicines or going to a doctor. That was the only time Spencer and Peggy had been good to Ashley.