When There Is Nothing Left But Love
Chapter 420

Chapter 420

I walked toward the car and bent down to open the door.

However, I was interrupted before my hand made contact with the cool metal.

“Please, allow me!”

The man’s low, clear voice was familiar to me.

I reflexively lifted my eyes. A wave of astonishment washed over me as recognition clicked in my head.I realized in a split second that the developer in question was none other than Ashton.

Joseph appeared to be taken aback too. He flinched when he met my gaze before withdrawing hishand. He backed away and gestured toward the car. “Please.”

I went rigid. It would be a lie to say that I was unruffled, but the shock only lasted for a brief moment.

I quickly regained my composure and opened the car door with deference.

A pair of polished leather shoes appeared, followed by the man’s slender physique. He stood tall, hisgaze shrewd but indifferent.

He glared frostily at Joseph, his imposing voice brimming with displeasure as he spoke, “Joseph,you…” He faltered midsentence. His hands, which were straightening his suit moments ago, froze inmidair as if someone had cast a spell on him.

His sudden silence garnered the attention of everyone present, and they peered over with curiosity.

I frowned, loathing the unsolicited spotlight.

It took a while for him to collect himself. The hotel staff began to fidget uneasily, suspecting that theyhad butchered the welcome somehow.

Joseph knew him best. When he noticed the depth of Ashton’s gaze on me, he cleared his throat andbroke the awkward silence. “Mr. Fuller, let’s head into the hotel to get some rest!”

Perhaps it was a hallucination, but I could sense his body quivering ever so slightly—whether it wasdue to excitement or ire would be a mystery.

After a long standstill, he tore his eyes away from me and wordlessly entered the hotel, escorted by aswarm of people.

He exuded a unique aura that made him stand out no matter where he went.

I watched his broad back and sighed. This is a reunion of sorts, but we are nothing more thanstrangers. The bitter irony was not lost on me.

The throng of people that surrounded him was so thick that I barely managed to squeeze past them topress the elevator button—a feat that would have been impossible had it not been my status as thehostess.

I was not paying attention to where I was going and tripped on someone’s feet. I lost my balance andfell face-forward to the ground.

My knees hit the ground with a thud, and the pain shot up my thighs, spreading through my wholebody. A hiss of agony escaped my lips.

In any other situation, my embarrassing predicament would have blown over quickly. After all, it wasunderstandable that one would fall over in such a hectic environment.

However, I never expected Ashton to stop in his tracks and approach me. He pulled me to my feetwithout hesitation.

Time had been good to him. He had grown even more handsome in the past four years. “Are youhurt?”

I shook my head and found my footing. Retracting my hand from his grip, I gave him a faint smile. “I’mfine!”

Faking a tough exterior, I endured the pain in silence as I staggered to the elevator.

Colin introduced me to Ashton once we stepped into the elevator. “Mr. Fuller, this is Ms. Stovall,otherwise known as Scarlett. She is in charge of reception at the hotel and will be arranging youritinerary for the next few days. Please feel free to approach her if you have any inquires.”

Ashton’s eyes riveted on me as he replied impassively, “Alright.”

I would have believed his calm facade had I not noticed the tremble in his hand, which was shoved inhis pocket. The movement was so imperceptible that it almost escaped my notice, but it was hard tomiss when I had my head down the whole time.

Colin swiped the key card to the room and left to attend to other matters. Joseph looked at me andspluttered, “Mrs. Fu— Ms. Stovall, you can go over Mr. Fuller’s schedule with him. I have some tasks todo!”

I pursed my lips. Under normal circumstances, shouldn’t I be arranging Ashton’s schedule withJoseph? So why am I going over it with Ashton himself?

Joseph scuttled away, leaving the two of us in the room. Ashton reclined on the sofa, looking wearyand worn out.

Work was work, and I had my responsibility to fulfill. The silence stretched on, but Ashton seemedreluctant to talk. I figured he was tired and did not want to discuss work at the moment.

“Mr. Fuller, you must have had a long day. Why don’t you rest for now? I can go over your schedulewith your assistant later,” I suggested.

After saying my piece, I turned to leave.

His sonorous voice sounded behind me. “We’ve already met, so why are you still trying to avoid me?”

Stunned by his candor, I came to a halt. I turned to look at him and replied serenely, “You’re reading toomuch into it, Mr. Fuller. You’re our guest, so it is customary to let you get some rest before discussingwork.”

His obsidian eyes bore into me, complex emotions lurking in the depths. Curving my lips in a smile, Icontinued, “Please rest well, Mr. Fuller. Should you have any problems, feel free to approach me duringmy working hours.”

With that, I left the room. I was not escaping him, truly.

I knew since the day I left J City that our paths would cross sooner or later. I had accepted theinevitable and braced myself for this day.

Everyone carried their own baggage. There was no reason why I should be weighed down by mine.

My knees were throbbing in pain when I got back to my office. I pulled up the hem of my slacks toreveal a huge bruise that looked rather swollen.

“It’s such a rarity to see you so elegant and poised, and yet you’ve injured yourself. Don’t wear heels inthe future,” Colin chastised as he entered the office, not bothering to conceal his concern for me.