Chapter 763
When There Is Nothing Left But Love
Ashton looked up unexpectedly and caught me staring. Panicking, I averted my gaze immediately.
âWhatâs wrong?â I asked when he stared at me intently.
âPick up the phone!â
âWhat?â I asked, feeling even more confused.
âYour phone!â Ashton reiterated as he closed the first aid kit with a slam.
I wrenched myself out of my reverie only to notice dully that my phone had been ringing for the past
few minutes. It was Nora on the line, and she did not sound happy at all.
âBabe, whatâs up with you? Why werenât you picking up?â
I felt slightly embarrassed. âOh, I had something on. Whatâs the matter? Are you here?â
I recalled earlier in the day that she had called to state her desire of coming over to the base and then
going over to her grandfathers for dinner.
âIâve reached a long time ago. Iâm at the hotel now, but I donât know the exact location of your base.
Why donât you send someone over to pick me up?â
I shot a glance at Ashton. Joseph had been dispatched to send Rachel to the hospital, and Linda was
probably off with her own tasks. Armond, too, was busy with the incident of the theft.
It looks like Iâm the least occupied one for the moment.
âWhat is it?â Ashton asked when he saw me staring at him.
âNora wants a lift from the hotel, is that alright with you?â I did not know if he had anything going on
currently, so I thought itâd be better to ask first.
Ashton grunted. âSheâs at the hotel?â
I nodded.
Other than his grunt, he did not indicate that he had heard what I said after that. I was doubtful that he
understood the situation but trusted him to handle it and allowed the matter to drop.
It wasnât a big deal. We emerged from the office and headed for the museum.
Joseph was already waiting there. At the sight of us, he hurried over. âMr. Fuller, there are some
documents from Mr. Quinn for your kind attention.â
Ashton nodded and took the stack of documents that Joseph was offering him. âHow are things being
handled?â he asked with a glance toward the museum.
âThere was a breakthrough,â Joseph answered. âThe perpetrator had contacted his partners on the
outside. It doesnât appear to be a simple break-in now, but weâre still not certain.â
Ashton frowned but nodded. He took the documents and headed over to the visitorsâ room.
I found Linda, who was back to her old self again. She stared in surprise at me. âDid you not have a
fight about what happened earlier?â
She was, of course, referring to Ashton and me. At that, I nodded and told her, âHe told me to defend
myself and not let myself get hurt the next time.â
She gaped at me and burst into laughter. âHats off to Mr. Fuller for giving his wife an unlimited berth.â
We suddenly caught sight of Rachel who had had a change of clothes. She glared at us with hatred
when she passed by. It was as though she would love nothing more than to rip us from limb to limb.
However, Linda was not intimidated. She stared provocatively across and said in a loud voice, âShe
thinks that she is so popular just because sheâs good-looking. But it all amounts to nothing if her
manners and character are rotten.â
I tugged at Lindaâs shirt. âAlright, thatâs enough,â I said softly. âNoraâs coming here; Ashton sent for
someone to pick her up. Do you still have much to do? When weâre done here, weâre going over to Mr.
Oberickâs house for dinner.â
Linda was taken aback. âYouâre going to her grandfatherâs for dinner?â
I nodded. âSheâs been bored all day and is in desperate need of companionship.â
Linda shrugged but ceased her attempts in taunting Rachel.
After some time, Nora made her grand entrance by emerging from Armondâs car. Linda cast a look of
surprise at me.
I was surprised as well. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Ashton was still absorbed in his
documents and paid no attention to Noraâs appearance.
Nora had on a demure skirt with plain and natural-looking makeup. It made her appear unusually
mature.
Linda teased her. âYouâre not planning on meeting the boyfriendâs parents today, are you?â
Nora giggled. âLinda, Iâm still relying on you to make that happen for me.â
âWhat do you mean, relying on me?â Linda answered. âIt all depends on your own efforts. Meeting the
parents is the easy part â just promise an heir for them! Old Mr. Murphy has always wanted a great-
grandson. Thereâs your ticket in.â
âThatâs a bad idea,â Nora pouted.
âThough the Murphys are rich and proud, they take etiquette very seriously,â I chimed in. âIf Nora gets
to be part of the family with your scheme, sheâd be frowned upon.â
âHey, you wanted my advice. Here it is.â Linda shrugged.
Armond appeared. âTonight, you girls should take Rachel out for dinner as a truce,â he said to Linda
and me. âYouâd be seeing a lot more of each other, and you might even need each otherâs help.â
Linda and I nodded solemnly. Armond could see that we werenât taking this seriously and sighed,
âLinda, you are a veteran in this organization. You shouldnât show your displeasure like that. Think of
the bigger picture! Whatâs more, the issue with Fuller Corporation is still not resolved. If things went
sideways, the procurement of the equipment would depend on her.â
Linda nodded. âYes, Mr. Murphy,â she replied with the utmost sincerity. âI will be more mindful with what
I say.â
Armond nodded and hurried off to attend to his matters.
As soon as he left, Nora stared at us both uncomprehendingly and asked, âWhat happened?â