Secret Scion

Mikaela was staying in a hotel near the Crawford residence. Asher was going to leave after

sending her back to her room.

"Wait," she suddenly said.

"What is it?" Asher asked as he turned around.

"So, you knew all about Garrett and me from a long time ago? You're such a good actor. Where's the footage? You have to delete it in front of me," Mikaela said. When she remembered that Asher had the footage from that night, she felt like she was completely naked when she stood in front of him. Asher had seen every single spot of her, making her feel both angry and embarrassed.

Seeing that Mikaela was blushing out of embarrassment, Asher suddenly laughed. He then said after he lit up a cigarette, "I've already watched it. Is there a point in deleting it?"

"You're so shameless!" Mikaela's face became even redder as she instinctively raised her hand in

an attempt to slap him. However, Asher managed to catch her wrist just in time.

"Shameless? You should tell that to Garrett." With that, he tossed away Mikaela's hand. "Even you believe me when I say I have the security footage, huh?"

Mikaela was taken aback. "What do you mean by that?"

Before Asher could explain, a glint of light appeared in Mikaela's eyes. "You're lying? You don't have any footage at all!"

Asher did not deny it. At that time, if he did not look extremely confident, how could he deceive that old fox Xavier?

Luckily, Asher did not show any fear. Not only did he deceive Xavier, but Rose also believed him. "You did well today. I guess that the Schmidts will be searching for your whereabouts, so you better stay here. If you fall into their hands, even I won't be able to save you. If the Schmidts can't find you, then their next step will be to contact me. Only then will you have the upper hand." With that, Asher immediately left.

"Bastard! Shameless! Scoundrel!" Mikaela cursed angrily.

Once he was back at the Crawford residence, Asher had just walked through the front gate when Layla's voice came right at him. "Asher, why didn't you tell me yesterday that you'll be going to the Schmidts' too? If I know you're going to start an uproar, I would never have gone to the Schmidts' place!"

"You represent the Knights. It shouldn't affect you whether I go or not, right?" Asher asked while scratching his nose.

"Everybody knows that I'm your cousin. Do you have any idea how awkward it was for me when you were confronting the Schmidts? Seriously, you never discuss anything with your family! Do you think you can simply ignore them all just because you have full control over Rollinsford? You think you're supreme? Stop being so arrogant already!" Layla gave Asher an annoyed glare. "I know what I'm doing. I don't have to discuss with anyone," Asher said as he continued onward. Layla was so irritated that she chased after him. Then, she spread her arms to block Asher from going forward. She then questioned, "Asher, what's with the attitude? Despite Knight being my last name, my mother's last name is also Crawford. What's the problem with me worrying about you?"

There was nothing wrong with worrying about someone. However, her tone did not sound like she was worried about him at all. Asher scratched his nose again. He gave her a look and suddenly, he noticed something that he should not have. He coughed and said, "Cousin, your button."

While Asher tried his best not to look, he still could not help but sneak peeks at Layla's chest. Under that checked jacket of hers was a shirt. The button at her chest level was open, revealing a black laced bra.

Layla looked down and in that instant, her face flared up from embarrassment. She quickly turned around and buttoned her shirt.

When she turned back to face Asher, her eyes seemed to be rippling like water, making her look embarrassed and seductively beautiful.

Asher then asked in a forthright tone, "Cousin, don't tell me you did that on purpose?"

"On purpose? I'm not that ravishing just yet!" Layla was getting extremely frustrated. No matter how she looked at him, she found Asher to be very irritating.

"Oh. Maybe that's the case," Asher said with a huff.

"What do you mean maybe? Asher, just who do you think I am? I'm your cousin! Me? Seducing you? Just what are you thinking in that head of yours?"

Asher simply wanted to use this chance to tease Layla a bit. However, when he saw Layla's eyes beginning to wet out of embarrassment and frustration, he quickly pacified smilingly, "That's great. If not, I'd find it very awkward too."

With that, Asher quickly left.

Awkward?

What does he mean by that? Don't tell me that Asher really wants something to happen between

us?

Ptui!

Layla, what are you thinking about?!

Layla quickly shook her head, quickly banishing those thoughts from her mind.

When he was back in his room, Asher lay down on his bed with his mind replaying everything that had happened today. After what he did, Garrett and Maggie's engagement was ruined. He had effectively stopped the Schmidts from becoming stronger. On the other hand, the grudge between him and the Schmidts was getting deeper and deeper. If that was the case, the Schmidts would do everything they could to eliminate him.

He had to make ample preparations and not to give the Schmidts any opportunities. Asher then sat up from his bed. After a long pause, he decided to go to the courtyard where Solomon was staying.

Solomon had three hobbies. Tea tasting, gardening and exercising. That was why when he entered Solomon's courtyard, he was surrounded by all sorts of plants. Earlier this year, a friend of his from Mount Aeon had gifted him two Atma Tea Trees. Solomon treated them as his most valuable treasures, and had the servants build an artificial rocky environment just for the cultivation of the tea tree. The tea trees were around 1'6 feet in height, and they grew very well. "As the price of tea leaves continues to rise, the Atma Tea Leaves can even fetch fifty thousand dollars for a single ounce of tea leaves. It's truly worthy of its name as the king of teas. These two tea trees of yours must be quite valuable, aren't they?"

When Asher reached the courtyard, Solomon was taking care of his tea trees. Thanks to the latter, Asher also liked to read about plants. That was why he was able to tell that they were Atma Tea Trees. These tea trees had very harsh requirements for their living conditions. It was very difficult to cultivate them successfully with the weather surrounding Alexandrius. That alone was a testament to just how much effort that Solomon had spent on the two tea trees.

"An ounce for fifty thousand dollars is the result of speculation. They're never worth that much as tea isn't a collectible. However, to be recognized as the king of teas, they do have their own uniqueness. Then again, my tea trees are not the best. They can only be considered as high- quality at most, not to mention that two trees aren't even enough for me alone. If only I could have a hundred... Haha!" Solomon replied with a smile.

Asher scratched his nose. The tea leaves were sold in ounces, and yet his grandfather wanted entire trees? From what Asher knew, there were only four tea trees left when it came to the highest grade of Atma Tea Trees. He was not as good as him when it came to feigning superiority.

Solomon patted his hands to remove the dust and asked, "You have something to discuss with me? Let's speak in the gazebo ahead."

When they were at the gazebo, Asher poured a cup of tea for Solomon before saying, "Grandpa, I went to the Schmidts today."

"Oh? Did they cause any trouble?" Solomon was not surprised at all. He picked up the teacup and gave it a sip, his expression was one of peace.

"Earlier, Garrett impregnated a woman in Rollinsford. He simply left afterward, and she's now in the Capital City looking for him. She wants an explanation for him. I simply led the way and did nothing else."

"I heard today is the engagement day between Garrett and that Lane girl. You must have messed it up, right? Haha!" In truth, Solomon had already heard it from Layla. However, he continued with a smile. "The Schmidts' businesses are growing larger and larger, and their status has also grown higher. Being a first-rate family can no longer satisfy Xavier's ambition. He wants to be the second super family in Alexandrius after the MacQuoids. However, with what the Schmidts have right now, there's still a huge gap. That's why Xavier's in a rush to form an alliance with the Lanes through marriage. Asher, I already heard about this. You did well. If the Schmidts were to rise in power, we would be in trouble as well. Now, the only worry I have is that the Schmidts are pushed into a corner and will employ some dirty tactics against you. An attack in the open can be easily foiled, but an attack from the shadows is difficult to guard against. You must be careful."

Asher nodded earnestly and replied, "I'll be careful, Grandpa."

"You've grown steadier for the past two years. That's the reason I'm no longer worried about you and not limiting you anymore. No one can live forever. When the time comes, we'll have to slowly withdraw from this stage. The stage belongs to the youths. If a family wants to maintain its glory, it needs to have a strong foundation. Then, it needs outstanding youths like yourself to carry the mantle. The Crawfords have you and Huxley, but he's still slightly weaker than you. If the two of you can work together, I can guarantee that the Crawfords can maintain its glory for the next fifty years."

Asher nodded thoughtfully. His grandfather had made himself clear that he wanted him to fix the relationship between him and Huxley. It seemed that he needed to find a chance for a little chat with that cousin of his.