Save Myself from Desperation

“There was an issue at the company, and my brother had to dash to the office.” Joseph bounced around in front of Ashley, curious. “Ashley, where did you disappear this afternoon?”

“| went to the hospital.” Since the DNA test was already done, Ashley didn’t hide it from Joseph.

As she talked, she walked to the sofa and sat down. Ashley spotted sliced watermelon on the fruit plate, picked up a piece, and started eating.

“What? To the hospital?” Joseph became nervous. “Why would you go to the hospital for no reason? Are you sick? Where does it hurt? You have to tell Valentin!”

Joseph reached for his phone, ready to call Valentin, looking all anxious. Ashley quickly stopped him with a twitch at the corner of her mouth. “Calm down. I’m not sick.”

Relieved, Joseph put down his phone and sighed, “You scared me! | thought something happened to you. So, if you didn’t go to the hospital because you're sick, did you visit someone?”

“Not to visit someone, but to do another DNA test with the Pliskin. family,” Ashley briefly explained the condition, also sharing the results with Joseph.

Sitting on the sofa beside her, Joseph rubbed his chin and pondered. “So, George and Lester doubted the results of the first DNA test. That's why they quietly had another one done. According to this latest result, you really have no relation to the Pliskin family?”

Ashley nodded, swallowing a piece of watermelon. “I was born a Ramos.”

Joseph objected, “Ashley, those folks from the Ramos family who don’t appreciate you aren’t your family. Associating you with them is an insult!”© NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

Joseph raised an eyebrow, smiling confidently and carefree, “Anyway, now that you’re married to my brother. From now on, Valentin, me, and my grandpa are your family!”

Ashley felt warmth and smiled, “Why are you so good with words?”

“I'm just stating the facts!” Joseph lifted his chin and grinned, exuding a confident vibe. 4/4

09:24

“By the way!” Joseph suddenly remembered something and asked with vigilance, “That guy, Andrew, has he been looking for you lately?”

“No.” Ashley shook her head, surprised. “Why are you concerned about him?” “Concerned? I’m just helping my brother guard against his love rivals!” Joseph declared with a righteous expression. Ashley thought for a moment. “Fine.”

Joseph moved closer to Ashley, asking in a hushed tone, “Ashley, what's going on between you and Andrew? Tell me. | promise not to tell anyone.”

Ashley looked amused. With Joseph’s gossiping mouth, who would believe that? “| just knew him from before.” Ashley didn’t want to dwell on it, giving a simple answer. “Then, when we were in Manditus, what did he want by taking you away? Is he up to no good, planning something malicious?”

Ashley was also puzzled about that. Andrew claimed she had promised him something, but she hadn’t figured out what he meant.

“According to my brother, Andrew took you to a seaside villa?” Joseph commented, “Hmm, he seems to know how to be romantic.”

“Romantic?” Ashley found it amusing. There’s nothing romantic abou Andrew is actually a bit afraid of water.” “Afraid of water?” Joseph was surprised. “Really? Someone like him is afraid of water? Is he faking it?” Ashley sighed lightly.

When she first met Andrew, she learned a bit about his past.

Andrew was often abused by his parents when he was a child, with marks of beatings all over his body. On his sixth birthday, he was thrown into a swimming pool by his mother.

She held his head down, not letting him come out of the water, forcing him to be submerged.

At the brink of drowning, she mercifully grabbed his head, allowing him

09:24

to gasp for air, only to press him back into the water, subjecting him to the fear of imminent drowning repeatedly.

During this process, his father stood by, indifferent, even making a phone call to inquire about his illegitimate son.

His head was pressed into the water repeatedly, and the cycle continued until the six-year-old Andrew ultimately passed out. Ever since then, he was haunted.

Although Andrew later forced himself to face his psychological trauma. and learn to swim, he still didn’t like the feeling of being soaked in water.

Andrew also disliked sea, especially when the sunlight shone on it, reminiscent of that swimming pool from his six-year-old memory.

Ashley had some understanding of Andrew's gloomy and eccentric personality, which was somewhat related to his childhood experiences.

“That’s weird.” Joseph scratched his head, puzzled. “He doesn’t like the sea but took you to a seaside villa?” Ashley fell silent.

Because she liked it.

Andrew said she liked the sea, so he took her to a seaside villa.

“Oh, forget about him.” Ashley grabbed a tissue and wiped her fingers. Anyway, Andrew hadn’t contacted her recently, and she was enjoying the

peace. Suddenly, Ashley remembered that the day Andrew took her away was his birthday.

On his sixth birthday, he was almost drowned by his mother and hadn’t celebrated his birthday since, feeling that his birth was a kind of sin.

When they first met, she seemed to have said something to him.

“Andrew, your birth is not a sin. Not at all.

“Your birthday for this year has already come and gone. If we're still in touch when your birthday rolls around next time, I'll celebrate it with you.”

So, he took her away on his birthday, not letting her go until after 3/4

09:25

Chapter 213 midnight.

Ashley pinched her forehead.

This was really a twist of fate.

Joseph still wanted to say something, but Gavyn hurried in. “Ms. Ramos, Mr. Palmer from StarGavel Auctions is here. He has a painting and would. like you to appraise it.”

“StarGavel Auctions?” Joseph smiled, “Isn’t that our auction house? Last time, Valentin spent 20 million dollars on a necklace for you.

Ashley nodded, thinking of the necklace, her heart still fluttering.

It was during that auction that she identified some fake paintings for the auction house and was hired on the spot as an appraiser to help them authenticate some challenging artworks.

She didn’t want to use her real name then, so she casually took a pseudonym, “Rita Grant.”

For convenience, she didn’t hide her relationship with Valentin from Noah. If Noah needed help appraising paintings, he could directly come to Kingsley Villa to find her.

Ashley looked at Gavyn, saying gently, “Let Mr. Palmer in.” Gavyn nodded.

In a short while, Noah walked in with a smiling face, seeing Ashley and Joseph in the living room. He quickly greeted. “Ms. Ramos, Mr. Fox.”