Secret Scion

"Hey, isn't that Livia of the Stewards? The man next to her must be Noelle's husband. I was wondering which bigshot showed up that made Ms. Yaeger head out to greet in person. It turns out to be the human trash Asher."

A young man spat out in disdain as he watched Asher enter.

"Shh... Lower your voice. You're screwed if he hears you." His companion quickly tried to stop him.

"Tch, I'll even call him trash right in his face."

"It seems that you still don't know what happened a few days ago. I heard that Asher isn't some useless in-law. His true identity is that of a scion of a very powerful household from the Capital City. Even Mr. Yaeger had to obey his orders. You can keep yapping away if you want to die that much."

"A scion from the Capital City? What kind of joke is that?!"

Just when the man thought it to be inconceivable, Freya and Julian took the initiative to go up to Asher to exchange pleasantries. Seeing this, he now had to believe that Asher was a powerful person. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, for fear that the former wastrel had heard what he said just now.

"Master Sander is here."

"Master Sander."

Julian and Freya greeted him with smiles.

Asher waved his hand. "My name isn't Sander. It's just Asher Crawford."

With the Schmidts being aware that he was in Rollinsford, it would be meaningless to use the identity of 'Master Sander' here, so he simply brandished his identity before everyone present. Julian and Freya were caught off guard as Castor hurried to explain. "The identity of Master Sander was something I made up as Mr. Crawford had no intention of revealing his true identity. Mr. Crawford is the heir to the Crawford name. You may ask friends local to the Capital City. They ought to have heard of his name even if they don't know him."

Julian nodded. "So that's how it is. I hope you'll forgive me if I've offended you in any way, Mr. Crawford."

When they were all seated, Livia sat to Asher's left, Castor to his right, with Dove, Julian and others following after. Almost everyone seated at the table were of relatively high status in the circle, only no Leonard was present.

Dove, for one, was not a fan of the Leonards. She decided not to invite Radley due to Asher's feud with them.

It was originally expected that there would only be two tables for guests, but now at least five were occupied. Most households in Rollinsford had sent representatives to the soiree, which proved the Yaeger's standing in the city.

"It's a rare occurrence for so many of us to come together today, and for Ms. Yaeger's twenty- fifth birthday no less. May we ask Ms. Yaeger to say a few words?" Julian suggested with a smile once everyone was seated.

"That's a great idea."

"Say a few words, Ms. Yaeger."

Julian's proposal was approved by most people, and the vast dining hall erupted in applause. Seeing that she could not refuse, Dove had to stand up to speak. "This was supposed to be a small gathering. I didn't expect so many friends to bother showing up. I thank everyone for their support. But what surprised me the most was Mr. Crawford's attendance."

Having said that, Dove glanced at Asher with a smile gracing her features. At the same time, several young women at the table next to him made unintelligible noises in unison, instantly making the atmosphere seem much more mysterious.

Dove was also slightly flushed as her eyes darted about, revealing a trace of bashfulness. "Do you like Mr. Crawford, Dove? Just confess to him if you do. We support you." The woman who spoke was Daniela White, Dove's close friend. There was nothing that could not be said between the two.

"Yeah, it's rare to meet someone you like. Don't miss out on your chance." "Confess, Dove."

The sudden clamor caught Dove off guard as her face grew as red as a ripened strawberry, rosy and charming and incredibly alluring.

No one, however, was more bewildered than Asher as it all went down. What was this, and what did it have to do with him? This was, strictly speaking, only his second time coming into contact with Dove. How could there be anything between them?

"Tell him. Tell him." Daniela took the lead in chanting the words as several women echoed along. Dove felt greatly embarrassed. This was beyond what she had planned.

"Stop fooling around, Daniela." She would most definitely have her confession rejected should she do it now. As such, she quickly gave the woman a look.

"That's right. This is a birthday celebration. Why are we suddenly talking about a confession?" Livia could not help it anymore. Dove might really confess to Asher if she did not stop them now. Daniela disagreed. "I hear that Mr. Crawford and Noelle have gotten a divorce, Livia. You have no right to interfere with others' pursuit of him now that it has been settled. Doesn't everyone agree?"

"Yeah! It was Noelle who didn't cherish Mr. Crawford. It's her who wasn't blessed with the opportunity. Are you saying Mr. Crawford isn't allowed to seek other women out for the rest of his life?"

The women immediately descended on Livia like a pack of wolves jabbering away. Livia simply could not handle the heat. There was some truth to what Daniela and the others were saying. Everyone had the right to pursue his affection now that he was single.

She was rendered speechless and simply could not pay them any more attention. She secretly sent a text message to Noelle.

Noelle had been in a foul mood ever since she left Livia's room yesterday. Dove was going too far! She and Asher had been married for two years and here she was setting her sights on him the moment they got a divorce. How impatient was she?!

She could not sleep at all. By the time she wanted to seek Livia out the next afternoon, her cousin had already left.

She was growing increasingly uncomfortable. It was as if she could see a mental image of Dove throwing herself right into his arms. With the dread clinging to her, she finally called up Candace to accompany her for a drink.

Candace Weiss was Noelle's coursemate back in university and was also her best friend.

In Candace's recollection, Noelle had only sought her out for a drink once two years ago when she married Asher.

Based on Candace's understanding of Noelle, she knew that her friend must have encountered difficulties which prompted her to hurry to the agreed place. Noelle had already downed a glass of red wine by then. She was flushed red and seemed lost.

"What happened, Elle? Why did you suddenly want to drink?" Candace was extremely worried when she took notice of Noelle's abnormal behavior.

Noelle might be the daughter to the Stewards with circumstances far better than her own, but Candace could tell that her best friend was not a happy woman. It was inevitable that she felt sorry for Noelle who put up a cold front but was in truth a fragile person on the inside. "I'm divorced."

"I know. Hasn't it been a while since then?" It was then Candace realized that Noelle was regretting the decision after she thought about it carefully. Candace moved the wine glass out of the way and held onto Noelle's ice-cold hands. "Elle, I've heard rumors about your husband... Asher. Is it true that he's a scion from an elite household in the Capital City?"

Noelle felt rather tipsy with the alcohol in her system but she insisted firmly, "I like him not because he's the heir to some family in the Capital City."

Candace nodded. "You silly girl. I know you're not that kind of person. I'm just surprised. Why would the master of a household from the Capital City spend his last two years here with the Stewards?"

Noelle had been keeping her cool but the moment the matter was brought up, her eyes grew wet as tears streamed down her cheeks. She owed Asher far too much.

Candace hurriedly wiped the tears from Noelle's face with a tissue, and she could not help but say in distress, "You should tell him if you hate to part with him instead of pretending to be indifferent. You'll only make yourself feel more miserable. I believe he feels something for you after being married for two years. He'll come back to you if you're brave and take that step." "You really think I've got a chance? I've hurt him far too much." Noelle wanted to cry out loud, but the pub was relatively quiet with soothing and soft music playing in the background. She tried her best to keep herself under control as her body was wracked with sobs.

Just then, the phone on the table rang. Noelle huffed and wiped the tears off her face before checking it. It was a message from Livia.

When Livia mentioned that Asher was going to be another woman's man, she immediately thought of Dove. Her birthday celebration was a farce. What she wanted was to get close to Asher. Her biggest fear was finally coming true.

Noelle felt that she had completely lost Asher right then and lost control of her emotions, crying as she lay on the table.

Candance quickly took her phone to take a look as puzzlement was clear on her visage. "What's going on? Is Asher getting together with another woman?"

"It's Dove Yaeger. It's her birthday today and Asher went to attend her birthday party," Noelle muttered as she wept.