Secret Scion

Carter would have already berated Noelle if it was in the past. However, now that he knew Asher's true identity, he had no choice but to calm Noelle down first as he had too much to lose if he were to make the wrong choice.

Carter was rolling on his bed at night, unable to sleep. He was obsessed with the Stewards' predicament. If the Stewards wanted to take a step further and ascend to become a second-rate household, then Asher was their best chance as a benefactor. That was why the Stewards could not lose Asher as their in-law.

Carter gave Livia a call the next afternoon. He was testing her, saying that they had prepared lunch at home and asking her to bring Asher back home for lunch.

Naturally, Livia knew the real reason why Carter was asking them to return. The person that he wanted to invite home for lunch was Asher.

"Grandpa, just let me be clear. I can go home for lunch, but I can't guarantee that Asher will follow me home as well," Livia said after giving it a thought. She was a Steward too in the end. She could not forget who she was no matter how angry she was.

Carter then tried to persuade her to the point where he was literally begging her. "Lily, you've always been smart. You understand what our household is going through, right? Noelle and Asher cannot split up no matter what the reason is, understand?"

"Grandpa, you want Asher and Elle to get back together?" Livia asked. She was not feeling that comfortable with the idea.

"Yes. That's what I meant. Bring Asher home for lunch. I'll handle the rest myself," Carter said. Livia did not know what was happening to her. She felt something gripping her heart, but there was no reason for her to feel that way. When Asher went to the Stewards to save her, she was touched. However, there was something else growing behind that gratefulness of hers. It was wispy and feathery. Something hard to describe.

Livia put away her phone and then walked toward Asher. She could not stop herself from staring at Asher's handsome face. His thin and perfect eyebrows, his spirited eyes, and his thin lips. The more she looked at him, the more her heart raced. She held her hands tightly together. Could it be that she had really fallen for Asher?

When that thought entered her mind, Livia's face became flushed. She quickly shifted her eyes as they became filled with emotions. She then said, "Asher, come home with me for lunch."

Asher knew that Carter was the one who called her. However, he could not hear the conversation clearly.

"Your grandpa is the one who wants me to go back?" He asked.

Livia glanced at Asher nervously, but still nodded honestly in the end.

Asher did not turn her down. Layla had already informed him of what his grandfather's orders were. His grandfather wanted him to stop running away from the Schmidts.

If Asher did not want to depend on his household to fight back against the Schmidts, then he would have to form his own forces.

If that was the case, then he figured he could start from Rollinsford.

When the Stewards knew that Asher was coming, everyone had mixed feelings about it. It had only been some time ago when Asher was expelled by the Stewards for being a lowlife. Today, they had to receive him with the highest respect possible. They had chosen to forgo their dignity. However, when they thought about the situation that the Stewards were in, they had no choice but to submit to such humiliation.

"Elle, I hear that Asher is coming? He has suffered a great deal the past two years. Now that his real identity has been exposed, he might want to vent his frustrations. These are all within our expectations. I can see that he still has feelings for you. The reason that Asher agreed to help us is mostly because of you. You feel guilty. That's why you don't dare to face him, right?" Noelle frowned dispiritedly as a cascade of emotions overwhelmed her.

"Asher doesn't like to show his abilities, but there's no doubt that he is someone smart. I believe that he can understand why you did what you did," Teena said as she held Noelle's hand firmly. "My dear daughter, if you still cannot forget about Asher, use your actions to let him know that you still love him. It's difficult for women like us to encounter a man that we truly love. Listen to me. We humans live a long life. It's much better to live with a man you love in the decades to come rather than being a pawn in the household's game, right?"

"Asher and I... We're already done. Didn't you notice that Livia has changed because of him?" Noelle said. When she saw the surprise in Teena's expression, she nodded and continued, "Yes. Livia also adores him."

"No matter what happens, Asher is still her brother-in-law! How could she have that kind of feeling for him?!" Teena said heatedly. "If the others get wind of this, the Stewards will be the laughingstock of this city."

After some reluctance, Noelle gave some more explanation, "Mom... For the past two years, Asher and I had simply been housemates. We were simply living together. We've never consummated our marriage."

When Carter knew that Asher had agreed to come to the Stewards' residence, he then ordered the kitchen to prepare good food and drinks.

The reasons that he was going to such lengths to welcome Asher were, firstly, to reduce the hostility and tension between him and the Stewards, and secondly, to show to the other households that the relationship between them had not fallen to the point of being unsalvageable.

When it was almost time, Carter specifically arranged for Noelle to wait at the main gate for Asher's arrival.

After about 5 o'clock, a rental stopped right outside the Stewards' place. When the door opened, Asher and Livia emerged from the vehicle.

It felt different for Noelle every time she saw Asher after their divorce. She could not describe the mixed feelings she had, nor could she describe the regret she was feeling.

Noelle forced herself to approach them with a slight frown and said, "Master Sander, welcome to the Stewards' residence. We have already prepared a feast, and all we are waiting for is the guest of honor."

Asher did not respond to her as his expression remained distant.

Livia, seeing that the atmosphere was getting tense, forced a smile and said, "Elle, Brother-in-law is not an outsider. No need to be so formal, right?"

Brother-in-law?

Was it still appropriate to call her his brother-in-law?

Noelle once again felt the conflicting feelings within her. A faint, bitter smile was plastered on her face.

"Why is Carter not here personally to receive me?" Asher said with an icy expression.

Noelle was slightly stunned at his question. She quickly explained, "Please, Master Sander. Don't worry about such details. Even though my grandpa didn't personally come out to receive you, he's already waiting for you in the living room. Let me guide you there."

Asher continued frigidly, "When Radley Leonard came here, he personally received him. However, he refuses to do so when it comes to me? Tell him to come out here."

However, Asher did not really care who was the one who was receiving him. He simply wanted to vent his frustration and animosity. He had been utterly humiliated and mocked when he was expelled from the Stewards. If it were not because of Noelle seeking him out, he would have never returned to this place.

Noelle hesitated slightly before saying, "Very well. Please wait for a moment. I'll go and inform my grandpa."

With that, Noelle quickly headed toward the living room.

"Elle, wait for me!" Livia said as she chased after Noelle. "Please, don't be angry. He has suffered so much in the past two years, so let him at least vent, alright?"

Noelle knew what he had gone through. However, what she could not stand was how much Livia cared about Asher. She then said, "I've never seen you care so much about him when he was harassed in the past."

Noelle believed that Livia must have known Asher's true identity. Only then did she begin to develop feelings for him.

However, it was different for her. After staying together for two years, Asher had already entered her heart.

Livia could sense the hostility in Noelle's words. Of course, Livia understood what Noelle meant. However, the fact remained that she was not sure if she had any feelings for Asher. However, Asher was married to Noelle and was her husband for two years. No matter how much she liked Asher, she could not do anything that was against her own ethics and morals. "Noelle, the one that you should worry about isn't me. It's Dove. Dove Yaeger," Livia said. "Last time when Castor was sending us to the hotel, I realized that Dove seemed to be interested in him. There's no doubt about it. She's interested in him."

Noelle's hand shuddered.

Even Dove Yaeger was interested in Asher?

Noelle was quite surprised. Dove was publicly known to be a prideful woman. Among the youngsters, only Castor was able to gain her respect. She cared little for everyone else. That was the main reason why she had been alone all these years.

However, Noelle calmed down pretty quickly. Now that Asher's identity had been uncovered, plenty of women would take a more active role to approach him.

"What does that have to do with me? Any woman can try to win his affection, right?" Noelle said in a self-defeating tone.

"Elle, stop lying to yourself and everyone else. I've never believed for a second that you do not love him," Livia replied to her in disbelief.

Asher took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up. After his identity as Master Sander became well-known in Rollinsford, it was only a matter of time before his identity as a scion of the Crawford household would be exposed. The interested parties would surely send their eyes and ears to the Capital City to gather information about him.

In other words, the Schmidts' vengeance shall befall him soon enough.

Even Asher knew that he was outmatched if he had to face them alone.

However, his grandpa was clear on the path he must take. He had no other options left. All he could do from this point onward was to take one step at a time.