Secret Scion

The sudden kiss left Noelle stunned in place. Her mind had gone blank. Her eyes were wide and filled with shock.

She had not expected Asher to take the initiative to kiss her. It felt like a dream, illusionary and fantastical, and yet she felt his kiss clear as day. It was like a weak static passing through her that had her involuntarily seizing up.

Noelle had no experience when it came to kisses, and to top it all off, she was nervous to a fault. How could she cater to Asher in her state? All she could do was close her eyes, keep still, and allow Asher to do as he pleased...

The Crawfords of the Capital City were a century-old name. Their influence in the city was no less inferior to the Schmidts.

The difference was that the Crawfords were lowkey. Only those who truly understood the Crawfords were in the know about just how terrifying they were.

An old man was concurrently ensconced in an old-fashioned wooden armchair in the Crawford's quaint study with an old book in his hand. His eyes were quickly scanning the pages.

The old man was none other than the master of the Crawfords, Solomon Crawford.

His short, silver-white hair gave him an energetic appearance alongside his ruddy complexion. He looked to be no more than sixty.

Knock. Knock.

The knock on the door interrupted Solomon's thoughts. He set down his book and said, "Come in."

"Grandpa, it's late. Are you not turning in for the night?" A young woman entered the study. She had a heart-shaped face, delicate facial features and a fair complexion. She was obviously a beauty.

The woman was Asher's cousin, Layla Knight.

"It's you, Layla. Why are you not in bed? Come sit," Solomon offered with a smile.

"I was asleep until I watched this video that has something to do with Asher. It was posted on the internet. I don't think I can sleep anymore."

"Something to do with Asher?" Solomon's calm demeanor immediately showed strong interest. "What video? Let me see it."

The short clip that Layla had watched was of the clash between Asher and Rodrick. Having been told so, she pulled out her phone and searched for the video that was trending and handed the device over to Solomon.

"Rodrick may be a master on the Elite Rankings, but he's far too dismissive of the Crawfords for making a move against Asher."

Solomon did not answer. His attention was focused solely on the video and on his grandson that he had not seen in over two years. Asher did not seem to have changed much, but he had lost his arrogance and had become much calmer.

His eyebrows twitched when he witnessed Rodrick's punch sending Asher right into a guardrail. A flicker of pain flashed through his eyes.

"Rodrick isn't weak, but Ash is not without the strength to fight back. The Schmidts sent so many experts to hunt him down two years ago, but didn't he survive?"

Solomon suddenly paused the video and squinted at Noelle who was protecting Asher. "Layla, this girl must be Noelle, yes?"

Layla nodded. "For her to protect Asher regardless of her own safety... It must be her."

"I can see why Asher was willing to marry into the Steward household. She's quite worth it," Solomon said with a wry smile.

Layla, however, did not understand her grandfather's thoughts. She could not help but furrow her brows. "You think Asher marrying into the Stewards household was the right choice, Grandpa? He's a scion of the Crawfords and might be the successor to this household. It isn't right that he abandoned Phoebe Webb for a new flame. This video is trending. What are we supposed to say to the Webbs once Phoebe sees this?"

Solomon gave Noelle a careful look before returning the phone to Layla and asking, "Why should we explain to them?"

Layla was stopped in her tracks by the question. She looked confused and could not understand what Solomon was saying.

"Phoebe and Ash may be betrothed, but did the Webbs offer aid when the Schmidts came after and cornered him two years ago? Why should we care about this marriage farce when they showed no concern for his safety? When Ash was in danger, Noelle was willing to put herself in harm's way to protect him. Just this point alone proves that this girl loves him far more than Phoebe does."

Layla was rendered speechless by his words. For someone to protect their beloved in a moment of crisis regardless of their own safety was an action that Layla admired Noelle for. Layla pouted. How did Asher get this much luck with the ladies?

In Layla's opinion, Asher was just a rascal with a family background. She was confused as to the reason why so many women found him attractive.

"But, Grandpa, Asher and Phoebe were betrothed. We were the ones being unreasonable when he married another woman for no reason."

"What are you so afraid of? We are the Crawfords. We do not fear the Webbs. If they stay civil, I will do the same. If they don't, I'm not about to give them what they want either."

Layla did not dare to protest any further. She knew deep down that her grandfather favored Asher the most amongst the many descendants. It did not matter if Asher were to do wrong. Their grandfather would speak up on his behalf while everyone else was unable to voice their objections. This was a common occurrence from his childhood into adulthood.

"Ah yes, you should show the video to your uncle and aunt. Ash hasn't returned in two years. They must be eager to see him."

"Yes, I understand, Grandpa." Layla hesitated for a split second before adding, "Grandpa, the Schmidts have sent Garrett to deal with Asher, and even had Rodrick go with him. This shows how determined the Schmidts are in getting rid of Asher. Should we also show our hands to let them know that those of the Crawford name are not people they should mess with?" Solomon waved the notion off with a smile. "There's no need. Asher doesn't want our help. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left Alexandrius two years ago. If he remained at home, no one would be able to touch a hair on his head. Asher is someone with many ideas. We'll let him do as he pleases."

Layla asked cautiously, "Grandpa, do you trust Asher that much?"

Solomon gave his granddaughter a look but did not say a word as he smiled wryly.

Asher did not return to the hotel that night because Noelle was worried about his injuries and insisted on having him in her home. She, in truth, had not come home for a while. The house was the way it was before Asher left. Nothing had been touched.

It was only before he was about to go to bed when he took off his clothes to inspect the injury

on his chest. There was a large bruise that was swelling. Every deep breath he took caused pain. It seemed that it would take some time to heal.

Soon after he lay on the bed, his phone suddenly vibrated. He grabbed his phone to check his notifications only for him to find that Noelle had sent him a message.

He could not help but splutter a laugh as he read her text. He quickly texted back:

There was no need to express themselves so clearly when it came to matters regarding the heart. Sometimes it was even more necessary to have a heart-to-heart to maintain a tacit understanding. Asher was well aware that the barrier between them had been broken through Noelle's actions.

The next day, Asher woke up early in the morning greeted by a faint sound of cooking outside. He chose to remain in bed, being under the assumption that Noelle was preparing breakfast. He decided to only get out of bed when she was done.

The breakfast was not the most substantial but there was a meaning to it. This was the first time Noelle had prepared breakfast in Asher's recent memory.

"Does your chest still hurt? Should we go to the hospital to get it checked out after we're done with breakfast?" Noelle asked as she served him porridge.

"I'm fine. This is nothing compared to what happened two years ago." Asher shrugged. Noelle was inadvertently transported back to the moment two years ago when she first met Asher. There was an outing organized by the company back then. Asher had lost consciousness when she found him in the mountains. She had sent him to the hospital for treatment which saved his life.

At that time, Noelle never thought that the strange man would become her husband. "Just stay here from now on. I'll be living in the Steward residence during this period of time anyway. It's better for someone to live here than leave it empty."

"Alright." This time, Asher readily agreed.

The corners of her lips also quirked up, pleased. After everything that happened, her relationship with Asher had finally eased up.

Soon after getting up in the morning, Garrett Schmidt received a call from Radley Leonard, asking about the fight between Rodrick and Asher last night.

Radley had assumed that Garrett was the one who arranged the showdown, but the latter knew nothing about it. After he hung up, he immediately called Rodrick. "Why did you not discuss seeking Asher out with me beforehand, Rodrick?"

Garrett's tone was reproachable.

"This was an oversight on my part. My sincerest apologies, Master," Rodrick pondered before answering.

Garrett was not humored. "I'm afraid this isn't some oversight, Rodrick. You just didn't want me

to know. You have no confidence in me and think I'm no match for Asher, am I right?" Rodrick hurriedly denied it.