Secret Scion

As Asher touched her body, Noelle could not help but tremble as a flush crept up her face.

She did not dare look Asher in the eyes. She merely nibbled on her bottom lip, trying to convince herself to accept whatever he wanted.

"Why are you silent?"

"As long as you are happy," Noelle mumbled under her breath.

"Happy? Ha! If that's what you think, we won't have ended up like this!" Asher suddenly pushed Noelle away, as if a burst of emotions had made him lose control. He stood up and said, "Go. Tell Carter that I'll look for him as soon as I can."

When she was pushed away, Noelle felt somewhat disappointed for some reason. She felt rather afflicted, as if something was nibbling away at her heart.

Meanwhile, back at the Leonards.

Radley had his head hung low as he stood in Hallberg's room. He dared not look in Hallberg's direction as the latter was on the verge of exploding.

"So, you're telling me that lowlife who married into the Stewards is actually a scion from a great household from the Capital City?" Even Hallberg was asking a second time for the validity of this information. He could not believe his own ears. Castor had even slapped Radley because of Asher. That alone meant that Asher had the backing of a very influential household.

"I've never heard of a Sander household with that much influence in the Capital City," Hallberg said with suspicion in his voice.

Radley was first stunned before raising his head and saying, "Grandpa, you mean... Is Asher's identity as a 'Master Sander' just a ruse? A fabrication by Castor? I knew it. If Asher really is a scion from the Capital City, he would not have married into the Stewards and was looked down on for it. That damn Castor! He even slapped me in front of everyone! It's clear that he's not showing us any respect! Grandpa, I can't take this lying down!"

Hallberg still had his brows snapped together as he explained, "While I can confirm that there's no such powerful household from the Capital City, there's an exceptionally terrifying household called the Crawfords. That Yaeger boy had been staying in the Capital City for the past two years and did not return to Rollinsford much, so he couldn't have known much about Asher. I suspect that before Asher married into the Stewards, Castor had already met Asher. If that's the case, then there is only one possibility left. Asher must somehow be related to the Capital City's Crawfords."

When he reached that conclusion, even Hallberg's expression had become stern. If it was really the Crawfords from the Capital City, it was something even more terrifying. If they really did somehow step on the Crawfords' bottomline, it would become very problematic for them in the future.

Radley blanched and could not even muster the courage to speak.

Hallberg thought about it for a moment and then said, "I'll send someone to the Capital City to gather some information and see if there's someone called Asher among them."

"Then, what about the Stewards? Does that mean that we cannot make a move against them anymore? Asher did say that the Stewards' survival has nothing to do with him. We cannot let Jackson die in vain," Radley said, refusing to accept it.

"No need to rush. We should find out more about this Asher before we take any further action."

***

The news that Asher was a scion from the Capital City's Sander household became widespread amongst the Rollinsford's households in just one night. Everyone believed that the Stewards were finally done for, but with the appearance of a "Master Sander", there seemed to be a chance for them to turn things around.

Asher's fame had also exploded, to the point where he almost overshadowed Castor.

However, that was not something that Asher was willing to see. The more prominent he became, the more danger he would be in.

In the afternoon the next day, after Asher and Livia had just eaten lunch and exited the hotel, a blue Maserati suddenly stopped on the other side of the road. It was a Capital City's plate number. Asher recognized who it belonged to with just one look. It belonged to his cousin, Layla Knight.

"Asher, is she looking for you?" Livia realized that something was not right with Asher's reaction. She then followed his line of sight and saw the long-haired woman in the Maserati.

Layla also turned and looked in their direction. She did not look exceptionally beautiful, but she was wearing a pair of sunglasses. She was so full of grace.

"Let me go over for a while." Asher nodded and walked over to the Maserati.

Asher was still quite surprised that Layla would come to Rollinsford personally. Layla was the daughter of Asher's eldest paternal aunt. The two of them were not especially close. Ever since they were little, the two of them would constantly clash with each other. "Cousin."

"I thought that you've forgotten all about your dear cousin. Why didn't you contact me for the past two years?" When Layla said that, there was clear irritation in her voice. "If I hadn't heard the news from Grandpa, I would've never found out that you're in Rollinsford. I heard that you married into a third-rate household in Rollinsford. I didn't expect a scion of the Crawford household to marry into another household. This is so remarkable."

For the past two years, Asher had only stayed in touch with his grandpa. There were few amongst

the Crawfords that knew about him staying in Rollinsford, so it was not surprising that Layla did not know about it as well.

Asher smiled gently and said, "Don't tell me that the entire reason you came all the way to Rollinsford is to just berate me, Layla?"

"Berate you? Ha! I wouldn't dare!" Layla could not help but roll her eyes at him. "Grandpa told me to come over and ask you just how much longer are you going to hide? Or are you going to settle down and be the Stewards' son-in-law for the rest of your life?"

"What does Grandpa want?" Asher asked curiously.

"You're your Grandpa's grandson. A scion of the Crawfords. You're also one of the candidates to become the next patriarch. Do you really think that Grandpa would simply let you live with your own devices out here? Asher, has the past two years eroded your ambition? Do you still remember what you said all those time ago? There's only one true scion in the Capital City, and it's you, Asher Crawford. While you were quite arrogant back then, at least you were willing to reach for it. But look at yourself now. The Schmidts are enough to scare you into hiding. I'm not impressed with that."

There were only a few among the Crawfords that had the courage to speak to Asher in such a way, and even fewer among those of the same generation.

But Layla was one of the few. The two of them were of similar age and grew up together. However, Layla had never liked how Asher acted so arrogantly ever since she could remember. While others might be afraid of him, she was not afraid of him at all. Instead, she would go against him whenever the opportunity arose. Twenty-odd years had passed in the blink of an eye.

Asher had already gotten used to her attitude a long time ago. This cousin of his had never really adored him that much since they were little, and would always tease him whenever they met. However, Asher understood what message his grandfather wanted to send. He could not avoid it forever. He had to face it eventually.

If that was the case, then he would make a stand from this moment forth. "Oh, that little girl is your wife? She's a bit young, isn't she? Your appetite is quite peculiar." Layla stared at Asher with disapproval. "Right, you still remember the marriage that grandpa arranged for you? You simply left after you were done with your business, but Phoebe Webb still thinks of you now. The news that you're in Rollinsford will reach her eventually. Once she knows that you're in Rollinsford, she'll find her way here. I cannot wait to see the moment when you have to give her an explanation."

"Our relationship is not as complicated as you think," Asher said with a frown. Anything that she said would always end up carrying a different meaning.

"I'm not Phoebe, so your argument is not with me. Once she gets wind that you got married into the Stewards, do you think that she would simply leave you alone? While you're an heir of the Crawfords, the Webbs are not people that you can trifle with," Layla said.

She then gave Asher an angry glare before rolling her window up and leaving.

"Asher, who is she?" Livia quickly caught up with him. She felt that the woman was somehow quite hostile toward her.

"My cousin, Layla Knight," Asher replied to her. He gave it some thought, and then continued, "A woman very difficult to get rid of."

Livia nodded and said nothing else.

When Noelle returned to the Stewards last night, she then relayed everything that Asher had said to her to Carter. When he heard that Asher was willing to support the Stewards, he was elated. Carter then smiled at Noelle and said, "I told you, Elle. Asher still listens to you. There are some things that I've done wrong before finding out that he's a scion from the Capital City, but I was doing it for your own good. While the Stewards can't be compared with the four great households, we still have some fame in Rollinsford. As our heiress, I'm not happy that you have to marry an ordinary man.

"But since Asher is a scion from the Capital City and cares about you that much, maybe the two of you can take some time off to get your wedding certificate?"

Noelle felt her heart bleed when she heard Carter mention that. It was all because of him forcing her that she ended up divorcing Asher. Now that he found out Asher was a scion from the Capital City, Carter immediately started groveling at his feet. Even if Carter could throw his pride away, Noelle simply could not ask Asher to restore their marriage shamelessly.

That was why she turned it down without a thought.