Chapter 606
When There Is Nothing Left But Love
I nodded, indicating that I was going to go downstairs soon.
Ashtonâs voice travelled from the phone. âJoseph will be there soon. You should go over together!â
I knew he was worried about me, but I felt he was making a mountain out of a molehill. âStacey and I
will be fine.â
âI told you to go with Joseph!â he barked.
Helpless, I could only nod and agree.
I noticed that it was late and said, âIâm leaving now. Iâll call you when I reach home.â
âGo back after youâve had dinner and put on more clothes. Wear a thicker coat too,â he reminded me.
I nodded. âGot it. Itâs spring now. Besides, this is J City, not K City. Itâs hot here!â
Many girls on the street had started to wear skirts.
He ignored my words and said, âWear more clothes. Donât forget to call me when you reach home.â
I knew that he was about to start nagging. I quickly curbed the onslaught by saying, âGot it!â I hung up
the call.
So it was true. After being together for some time, our conversations were mostly filled with trivial
chatter. This was probably how life was supposed to be.
Downstairs, Mrs. Eriksen had hung up the call. When she saw me come down, she said, âLetty, have
dinner before you return home. Mr. Campbell is on his way here. He should be here by the time youâre
finished.â
I looked at the phone she had just put down and asked, âDid Ashton call you?â
As I spoke, I walked to the dining table and took a seat. I started to eat and Summer watched me with
twinkling eyes. âMommy, youâre just like a child. Mr. Fuller has to remind you to eat,â she teased.
I placed a piece of food I knew she did not fancy into her bowl and snapped, âYouâre the child. Hurry up
and eat.â
Mrs. Eriksen set down a pot of soup in front of me and said, âMr. Ashton told me to make this soup for
you this morning. He said you have to drink it because itâll nourish you.â
My mouth fell agape as I stared at the large pot of soup. My head started to ache and I choked out,
âMrs. Eriksen, thereâs no way Iâll be able to finish all this.â
She shook her head, her expression solemn. âNo. You have to finish the soup. Mr. Ashton said that you
wonât eat much at the auction. All you ate were desserts. Too much dessert is bad for you.â
I had a sneaking suspicion that Ashton was not in K City at all, rather he was in J City. He tracked my
every movement like a shadow.
I sighed and silently gulped down the soup. Once I was done, I was too full for any more food.
I looked at Mrs. Eriksen vexedly and asked, âAre you satisfied?â
She seriously inspected the pot before scooping out some of the ingredients and placing them in my
bowl. âYou have to eat these. Theyâre good for you,â she said.
The rumble of an engine could be heard coming from the yard. I stood up and said to Summer,
âSummer, finish these ingredients.â
âMrs. Ericksen, Mr. Campbell is here. Iâll be taking my leave. Please take care of Summer tonight.â
âHey, you havenât finished the food!â yelled Mrs. Eriksen from behind me.
I quickly climbed into the car and said to Joseph, âHead towards the southern suburbs. Iâll send you the
address through WhatsApp.â
Joseph nodded and started up the engine. He looked out at Mrs. Eriksen who had come out of the
house and remarked, âMrs. Eriksenâs legs are in great condition.â
Are you kidding me?
She followed me all the way out here. Her legs must be very strong. Thankfully, the car had started to
drive away and Joseph did not seem to intend to stop.
During the journey, Joseph stole glances at me. He seemed to be hesitating to speak.
After a few glances, I could not help but blurt out, âWhatâs wrong? Do you have something to say?â
As he maneuvered the steering wheel, he said, âThe Murphys are the number one petroleum
conglomerate. They might have a deeper reason for choosing J City to be the site of the auction.â
I nodded and replied, âI know. I heard that the eldest grandchild of the Murphys is coming. He always
fancied holding auctions in various locations. When he finds a treasure that he likes, he always snaps it
up at high prices.â
Joseph glanced at me and paused before replying, âItâs best if you stay on your toes. Mr. Fuller wants
you to be careful.â
I nodded. Ashton seemed overly cautious. Although the Murphys were powerful, every large clan had
members with hobbies. In the past, kings had concubines, riches, and artifacts.
It was normal for the Murphys to have a member that was obsessed with antiques.
Fifteen minutes later.
The car stopped outside the museum where the auction was being held. I climbed out of the car. âMrs.
Fuller, you go in first. Iâll join you soon,â said Joseph.
I nodded and fished the invite out of my bag. I tilted my head to admire the steps that seemed to extend
forever. For some reason, architects liked to include long flights of stairs at the entrance when they
were designing meaningful sites.
Were they trying to enforce the message that one needed to work hard in order to enter houses of
knowledge?
Several people dressed in military uniform stood at the museumâs entrance, their backs ramrod
straight.
A member of the staff dressed in a suit was checking out invitations.