Chapter 171

In the end, Elyse could not suppress her curiosity and headed to the place Toby gave her the

address to.

It was not a place they usually gathered at. Instead, it was a club she had never been to before.

Even with his instructions, it still took her some effort to replace the correct room.

When Elyse walked in, Leo was nowhere to be found.

In fact, the only person she knew in the room was Ashton.

There were also a few other men.

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The most eye-catching of the group was a middle-aged man who looked very similar to Ashton.

She had only just entered the room when she saw the man kick Ashton in the abdomen.

The blow had Ashton bending over before collapsing.

With a bang, he crashed to the ground.

The sight frightened Elyse, causing her face to go pale as she swiftly slapped her hands over her mouth.

Her feet were locked in place.

For long moments, Ashton was just lying there on the floor.

The middle-aged man's voice boomed through the room. "Starlight Media has sent a lawyer's letter, declaring their intent to sue you! Tell me who told you to do it, or you will be imprisoned!" Beside the man stood a woman, her face a mask of shock.

When she saw Ashton on the ground, she let out a screech. Her hands snapped out as if to help him up, but she did not dare to do so.

Instead, she looked down at him with a sad look on her face. "Ash, please. As your mother, I'm begging you. Tell the truth. If this goes on, your father will kill you."

It was now that Elyse recognized them.

The man was Ashton's father.

Now that she knew who they were, she allowed shock and terror to show on her face.

She had not expected the couple to get wind of this.

More specifically, she did not expect Thomas Lowe, Ashton's father, to be here. He had always been a man who was busy with major business. He was always coming and going without anyone knowing.

Ashton crawled up from the ground as pain simmered in his eyes.

When he spotted Elyse, he froze and awkwardly looked away from her.

It was then that Thomas spotted Elyse. He glared at her. "Who is this woman? Why is she here?"

His booming voice terrified her so much that she went pale as she instinctively took a step backward.

Ashton hurriedly got to his feet and blocked her from view. "She has the wrong room."

That snapped Elyse back to her senses, making her turn to leave the room.

"Stop her!" Thomas ordered.

Immediately, two arms shot out before her.

Thomas' burning eyes soon focused on her.

His gaze was so overwhelming that it made her head spin because he was not like Ashton. Ashton was a carefree slacker while Thomas was a truly capable man with a great reputation. Everything Thomas did was brutal. He was both knowledgeable and hard to fool.

Elyse even found breathing hard. Her hands were covered in sweat due to how nervous she was. Finally, he looked away from her.

He waved his hands, gesturing for his men to back off.

It was only then that Elyse could go back to her usual breathing pattern. After nodding to him, she left.

Behind her, she then heard Thomas say, "Investigate that woman's connection to this brat! Be thorough. I want a clear report on every meeting, every phone call, and every message sent." From then on, her feet felt like they were nailed to the ground. She could not take another step at

all.

She spun around to stare at him in shock.

Thomas was not looking at her, but his eyes still burned with certainty.

"If you confess, I will let you live. If you dare hide a single detail, you will be sent to jail right away!"

Although he said that to Ashton, Elyse was the person who was terrified.

The calm she was faking immediately fled out of her.

Her entire body swayed.

Guilt overwhelmed her.

When Elyse next looked up, she saw someone standing right outside the window under the light.

He was so calm and silent.

There was a serious look on his face. It was as if he belonged in a painting.

That was the face of the man she loved, but no warmth could be seen on it.

An icy gleam flashed in his black eyes. While his gaze was not particularly sharp, it still pierced right through her.

It was Leo.

He did not say a single word. He did not even move a single muscle.

He merely stood there in silence.

That was enough to make her feel cornered and dejected.

She finally realized that Toby did not summon her over to watch a nice show.

She was actually witnessing her own humiliation.

Meanwhile, Ashton was still keeping his mouth shut. It was clear he would not betray her even if it meant he would be thrown into prison. She should be happy about it.

Although they were blank and emotionless, Elyse still felt a strong sense of mockery in them.

He was mocking her for her cowardice and hypocrisy. He was accusing her of being someone too cowardly to own up to her own actions.

His gaze filled her with guilt.

It intensified the shame she felt.

It was clear that he knew she had pushed Ashton to do the deed.

Like an outsider, he was merely watching to see how long she could keep quiet.

"It's me. I told him to do it!"

All sense of rationality fled her mind as she shouted that.

Ashton stared at her in disbelief. "Elyse, you..."

Thomas' gaze slid past her. While there was no emotion to be seen in his eyes, that burning gaze still made her feel unbelievably humiliated.

Ashton's mother charged over to her and slapped her in the face. "You shameless woman! Stay away from my son!"

Her hands were clenched into fists. She was looking at Elyse as if she were staring at a great enemy who had crossed her.

Elyse hung her head low. She had never felt so humiliated before.

"Let's go!" Thomas commanded with a wave of his hand before striding out of the room.

His men ran over, lifted Ashton in a carry, and followed him.

Ashton's mother left the room as well after shooting Elyse another glare.

Elyse just stood there like a statue. She felt so very cold.

She even felt as if there were numerous pairs of eyes staring at her, laughing at her, mocking

her.

She did not know how much time had passed before she saw a pair of leather shoes step into her

view.

Those shares were so bright that her eyes hurt from looking at them.

He looked down at her in silence.

Leo had stepped into the room.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as his tuse was just merciless.

"Leo, how can you do this to Ashton? He's your friend. Don't you think you've gone too far by letting his father push him into this situation?" she asked.

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Elyse had no right to defend herself, so she could only use Ashton as an excuse to express her dissatisfaction with Leo.

"I am not the one being cruel to him; you are," he replied. His face was as cold as ever.

If the two men were not friends, what Ashton did to Bria would not end up with a mere punishment from Thomas.

"You have to pay the price for your actions, Elyse."

He then turned and walked out of the room.

He could not stay a moment longer as he was a man who would not hit women.

However, if he stayed in the room any longer, he might break that rule.

After hearing him say that, the first thing Elyse thought of was her reputation. I'll be doomed the moment my reputation is damaged.

The thought threw her into a frenzy. How she regretted what happened that evening.

Elyse soon found a way to save herself though.

She turned and shouted at Leo's back, "I was only speaking off the top of my head just now. It does not hold any weight. Even in court, I cannot be held accountable for that!"

He did not respond.

Instead, it was Laura who walked into the room.

She pulled out a box and slowly opened it.

Then, she pulled out a tiny object from within.

Elyse stared at her in confusion before realizing that she was holding a voice recorder.

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