Chapter 153 Photos of Benjamin and Me
“Say something, Ivy!” Lauren nudged my arm.
“Lauren, I suggest for you to give up on Rowan and return to Grandor City,” I advised her out of goodwill.
Her eyes widened. “That won’t do. I won’t give up until I meet Ashley!”
I knew which hospital Ashley was in. But if I told Lauren, she would definitely rush there to meet Ashley.
If anything happened then, she would be the one taking the blame.
Lauren was just one of Rowan’s pursuers, and she didn’t have any malicious intentions. I didn’t want her to get into trouble.
So, I had no choice but to tell her that I had no idea where Ashley was. Then, I bid her goodbye and drove Mom home.
However, I had underestimated Lauren’s determination to look for trouble.
Somehow, she’d found the location of the hospital Ashley was located in and rushed there. Her actions had successfully infuriated Rowan.
That was what Jean had told me.
“Chester’s in the hospital now. I’m planning to head over too. Lauren’s a good–hearted woman, but there’s no way she can win against Ashley!” Jean said worriedly at the other end of the phone.
“You’re quite far along in your pregnancy. Just stay at home.” I sighed. “It’s best that I go by myself. I’ll find a way to convince Lauren to return home.”
“You’d better not. Rowan’s there as well,” she replied.
“Lauren’s dad is on good terms with mine, so it wouldn’t make sense if I don’t go. You should get some rest.” I rushed to the hospital at night after ending the call.
AND
It was extremely crowded in Ashley’s hospital ward at the moment.
Ashley lay on the bed with her eyes red. Meanwhile, Lauren stood beside her with an angry look on her face. She was glaring at Ashley furiously.
Chester quickly came over when he saw me. “Quick, Ivy, talk some sense into Rowan! He lost his temper when Lauren came over to find Ashley,” he whispered.
Rowan and Nathen Sampson had been collaborating for three years.
The fact that he was berating the Sampson family’s young lady, Lauren, for Ashley’s sake made it clear that she held a significant weight in his heart.
My heart sank. Then why did he ask me all those questions before? Was it all a hoax?
I wasn’t dumb enough to hope that he would give up on Ashley. Although I no longer held any expectations for him, I still found it somewhat laughable when his words didn’t match his actions.
“Why did you tell Ms. Sampson that I was in this hospital, Ivory? You were aware of my current condition…” Ashley stared at me teary–eyed and questioned me.
Rowan furrowed his eyebrows. “Ashley!” he warned.
He stared at her coldly with a piercing gaze. There was a hint of irritation and impatience on his face.
Shocked, a tear fell from Ashley’s eye. She couldn’t believe that Rowan would be so harsh toward her.
Ignoring the two of them, I walked over and grabbed Lauren’s hand. “Let’s go. You should return to Grandor City tonight.”
“Get your facts straight, Ashley. Ivy wasn’t the one who told me your location. You’re just spouting nonsense so you can hurl mud at someone else, aren’t you? “Does Rowan like you for your bitchy attitude?” Lauren shouted furiously. She was unwilling to leave.
Feeling overwhelmed, Ashley began to cry. “That’s not what I meant. You were the one who said you asked Ivory. So I thought she was the one who told you…”
“I said Ivy didn’t tell me. You’re taking my words out of context!” Lauren was an outspoken person just like Jean.
She seethed in a fit of anger, “I thought you were a smart guy, Rowan. I can’t believe you like this type of woman. You’re so stupid! My feelings for you are in vain!”
With that, Lauren pulled at me as we headed outside.
“I–I…” Ashley panted heavily. She seemed to be having difficulty breathing.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Rowan was about to follow us out.
However, it was clear that there was something wrong with Ashley’s condition, so he had no choice but to stay.
Lauren looked dejected once we were in the elevator.
I knew that she would become disillusioned once she made a trip to the hospital. With her straightforward personality, there was no way she was a match for Ashley.
Besides, Rowan didn’t like Lauren at all. So why would he side with her?
“Why did you lose, Ivy?” Lauren asked me in the car before she returned to Grandor City.
“What was he thinking? Jean was right. Ashley’s a pretentious bitch! You should never be left alone with her!”
“It’s fine if you give up on Rowan. There’s plenty of fish in the sea. Why must you choose a scumbag instead?” I smiled as I stood by the car door.
She cast a strange glance behind me. “The scumbag’s here, Ivy.” There was a hint of awkwardness in her voice.
I looked back to see Rowan standing there with a cold expression on his face. Clearly, he’d heard me calling him a scumbag.
I waved calmly at Lauren. “You should head back quickly. Remember to drive safely at night.”
Lauren nodded as she glared at Rowan. Then, she stepped on the gas and speeded away.
The way she let it all go and moved on was truly impressive.
If only I had half of her carefreeness back then! That way, I wouldn’t have ended up with Rowan, nor would any of these incidents occur now.
Chapter 153 Photos of Benjamin and Me
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“In your heart, am I just a scumbag?” There was an edge to his voice.
“Why do you care what I think of you as long as Ashley thinks you’re the best?” I mocked.
“Face it, Rowan. Ashley’s important to you, and it’s not just because she’s Sophie’s replacement. Please stop saying strange stuff to me in the future.”
With that, I turned around to leave only for Rowan to grab me by the wrist as he dragged me forcibly to his car.
Furious, I tried to open the car door to get out only to realize it was locked. My wrist was slightly sore when I moved it.
“What are you doing?” I questioned angrily.
“Explain yourself. What is this?” he asked coldly as he took out a few photos.
I couldn’t help but be surprised when I took the photos to have a look.
I’d met Benjamin once when I came back to pay my respects on All Souls‘ Day. We had a meal together, and he gave me a hug before departing. I didn’t expect it to be caught on
camera.
From the photos‘ angle, we looked like a close couple.
I was utterly puzzled. “Where did you get these photos from?”
“Can you explain why you were hugging him? Didn’t you say the two of you were just friends?” There was an angry expression on his face. He made it seem like I had cheated on
him.
“Since you were able to get your hands on these photos, you should also know when they were taken.
“We had already divorced by then. You have no right to ask about the matters between Benjamin and me,” I replied calmly. Then, I tried to open the door again. “Open the door. Let me out of the car!” I snapped.
Rowan seemed to be furious. I was just about to get out when he unlocked the car, but he leaned over and closed the door quickly.
Upon seeing that, I also lost my temper. Once again, I decided to unleash my infamous move by biting him.
I could hear him inhale sharply when my teeth sank vengefully into his skin through the thin fabric. It looked like it hurt.
Now that I thought about it, I’d left a lot of scars on his body. There were marks where I’d bitten, scratched, and hit him. Unfortunately, Rowan was an asshole. He was asking for it.
I released him when the taste of blood filled my mouth. My bite had drawn blood from his left forearm. There were even some bloodstains on his sleeve. “Ivory Sadler!” Rowan cursed angrily when he pulled his sleeve up to take a look. “Damn it! How many times have you bitten me? Are you a child?”
I pulled out a piece of tissue calmly as I wiped my mouth clean. “I’ll call your parents if you still won’t open the door.”
Rowan’s face had turned red from anger. But in the end, he still opened the car door.
He would definitely get an earful if I complained to his parents. It was likely that even Ashley would be involved in the matter.
I immediately contacted Enoch once I returned to my car. I wanted him to investigate the person who had taken the photos of Benjamin and me.
It was definitely the work of a professional paparazzo.
Enoch had a good reputation in the industry, so he would be able to find some information about it.
“Alright. I’ll let you once I’ve found out,” he replied.
Placing my phone down, I glanced at Rowan’s car through the windshield. He still hadn’t gotten out of the car.
I believed that Rowan had fallen in love with me. Otherwise, given his personality, there was no way he would pester me.
He had even split the assets and the stocks of Payne Corporation under his name and given them to me.
However, it was too late.
If I hadn’t experienced the heart–wrenching pain from my past life, if he hadn’t wavered because of Ashley—then I might have turned back.
To put it more bluntly, if my child had lived, I would’ve let go of my resentment over time. That wasn’t all. I would’ve even let the child acknowledge Rowan as his father. But there were no ifs.
Our relationship was ill–fated in every way. We shouldn’t get entangled any further.
In a few more days, it would be Mom’s 50th birthday. So, I decided to set aside the matters in my hands for now and focus on arranging a birthday banquet for her, Needless to say, Jean and the others would definitely come. As for the other guests, they would be finalized by Mom and me.
I added Ivan to the list. I considered him one of my close friends now, and I was quite willing to invite him.
The Paynes family was the most prominent figure in the business circle. Once, the Paynes and the Sadlers had been in–laws. But now, they were more like enemies. Mom disregarded the Paynes. After the guest list was finalized, it was handed over to someone else to customize the invitation cards.