Secret Scion
Chapter 85 -

"Layla, I heard that you went to Rollinsford some time ago. Did you meet up with Asher?" A trace of longing flashed past Marguerite's eyes the moment she mentioned her son's name. She had not seen him over the past two years, so she had no idea how his life had been so far. "He's doing very well, Aunt Marguerite. Please don't worry about him," Layla said with a smile. "Since tomorrow's your birthday, I've prepared a jade pendant for you. I hope you'll like it." While she spoke, she pulled out an intricate box from her bag. An emerald jade pendant sat quietly within the box. It had a smooth and cool surface, its material crystal clear. At first glance, it was evident that the pendant was worth a lot of money.

"Layla, why did you prepare such an expensive gift for me? I don't want to accept it. Please get a refund. My birthday isn't an important day, so don't waste so much money on me." Marguerite turned down the gift with a frown.

"Aunt Marguerite, this is where you're wrong. A birthday is an incredibly important day. Besides, it's totally fine for me to give you this pendant since I'm your niece and all. I'll help you with it and see if it suits you."

Just as Layla was about to string the pendant around Marguerite's neck, Luke's elated voice drifted from the courtyard outside. "Marguerite, Father told me that Asher's coming home soon!" "Really? Is Ash really coming home?" Marguerite strode out of the living room immediately upon hearing the announcement. Her eyes were shimmering with tears in just a matter of seconds. Luke nodded seriously before continuing, "Father would never lie to us. He even said that you've suffered so much over the years, so he'll be hosting a simple gathering in your honor. Haha!" Truthfully speaking, Marguerite did not care about celebrating her birthday. The fact that Asher was coming home proved to be a better gift than anything else.

"Uncle Luke, is Asher really coming home?" Layla wanted to confirm the news. She clearly remembered that the last time she went to Rollinsford, she and Asher made a bet. In the end, he won, which meant that she would have to do one thing for him. Despite not knowing what it was, she knew very well that it would not be a simple matter.

"Mom!"

A familiar voice rang from a distance at that moment. Layla looked around immediately and noticed Asher stepping into the courtyard.

Two years might not be that long, but they were not short either. Asher had finally returned to the familiar place that he called home.

"Mom, I've been an unfilial son. I'm only able to return to meet you after so long." Even if Asher was no longer the young master that needed his family's protection, his heart would still become vulnerable and fragile in front of his parents.

"Let me see if you've lost weight!" Tears rolled down Marguerite's cheeks, her emotions already running rampant at the sight of her beloved son. However, a bright smile remained plastered on her face as she studied Asher from head to toe carefully. "You've become tanned and lost so

much weight. You must have suffered a lot over the past two years, right?"

Asher wiped away his mother's tears for her before replying smilingly, "Mom, I've grown stronger.

Haha!"

"Dad." Then, he turned to look at Luke.

"You brat!" Luke slapped Asher's shoulder heartily, his eyes glowing with tears as well. "It's good to see you back here."

"Aunt Marguerite, I have a gift for you. Please accept it," Griffin said smilingly while approaching Marguerite with a gift box in his hands.

"Griffin, why are you acting like a stranger around us?" Marguerite asked with a smile.

"It's just a token of my sincerity," Griffin replied bashfully while scratching his head.

Luke piped up happily, "We shouldn't linger outside. Let's go in and have a seat."

The small group walked into the living room after that. Marguerite intended to make some tea

for everyone, but Layla quickly stepped in. "Aunt Marguerite, you should talk to them. Let me do it."

Asher chatted with his parents for half an hour and drank two cups of tea in the process. Then, he said, "Mom, Dad, I'd like to go see Grandpa."

"Okay. Go on. He's missed you a lot these two years," Luke replied.

Asher went to Solomon's courtyard straight away. Just as he arrived at the outskirts of the

courtyard, he noticed the latter hunched over and studying an unknown plant. Having not seen

his grandfather for two years, Asher realized that Solomon's hair had gone white. Fortunately, his physical constitution was as sturdy and strong as before.

"Grandpa." Having suppressed his emotions, Asher walked into the courtyard.

Solomon's hands shivered slightly when he heard his grandson's voice. Then, he slowly turned around, a smile blossoming on his face. "You're home."

"Yes, Grandpa."

"It's good to have you back." Solomon pointed at the pavilion next to him as a gesture to sit there and chat.

There was a table carved out of stone sitting in the middle of the pavilion. A set of tea-things were already laid out on the surface. However, there were only two cups, indicating that Solomon knew that Asher would visit him.

"Have you gone to see your parents?" Solomon poured a cup of tea for Asher. The latter nodded and replied, "I just came back from their place. Grandpa, you look well. It seems as though you look younger than before. Haha!"

Solomon just smiled slightly and said, "There's no such thing as a youth potion in this world. It's just a matter of mentality. How was your life in Rollinsford the past two years? I heard that you got married into a family. You sure are a cheeky brat who can do anything, huh? Our family is still waiting for you to inherit our legacy, but instead you went on and became another family's son- in-law, you darn brat!"

Asher could only smile before taking a sip out of his teacup. Then, he replied, "Life in Rollinsford is fine, but it's a shame that I can't drink the tea that you personally make there."

"Aren't you a sweet talker, you brat?" Solomon seemed to enjoy Asher's words of flattery because his smile became gentler. "I may be living in the Capital City, but I do hear news coming from Rollinsford. I heard that the Schmidts' prided heiress lost to you. Ash, it looks like you've really grown up. You didn't embarrass us at all."

Solomon's words were filled with praise for Asher.

However, the latter did not dare to accept the praise at all. He put down his teacup and said truthfully, "Grandpa, I need to thank Garrett for this. If it wasn't for him going to Rollinsford in advance, he wouldn't have screwed everything up so badly to the point where Rose was forced to go there to clean his mess up. If that hadn't happened, I'm afraid that Rollinsford's situation might have developed into something else entirely today. Everyone knows how capable Rose is, not to mention that she's excellent in deducing one's thoughts. That ability of hers allows her to easily manipulate people into working and even sacrificing themselves for her. It's just that she chose a bad time to go to Rollinsford. Plus, she didn't lose to me, per se. After all, she never made a move in the first place."

"Not only are you humble, but you're also careful in doing things. Ash, you've truly grown." Solomon nodded in approval with a smile. "What you said is right. Your enemies may be strong, but you're not weak either. Anyway, I have high hopes for you. How long are you planning to stay here now that you're back? What are your plans for the future?"

Asher thought for a moment before replying, "Even though the situation in Rollinsford has been pretty much confirmed, it's still a step away from the outcome that I truly want. I think I might return to Rollinsford in a few days. Once I'm done dealing with everything there, I'll come back for real."

After having lunch at home, Griffin kept coming up with excuses to drag Asher to the city with him so that they could replace a place and drink to their hearts' content.

According to Griffin's logic, he was unable to drink without a care in the world due to the fact that many elders of the Crawford family were present.

Asher just smiled at Griffin after hearing the reason. He knew about the latter's personality more than anyone else in the world; Griffin was the beloved heir of a wealthy and powerful family, which had shaped his arrogant and brash personality.

The Crawford family was the only exception. Griffin behaved like a woman who just got married into the family; every time he showed up at their doorstep, he would mind his manners at all times. Even though he was very close to the Crawford family, he still found it difficult to be himself around them.

In the end, Luke could only shake his head while laughing. "When Ash is not around, we miss him

a lot, but when he's back, we get tired of him after a while. Griffin, hurry up and take him away so that we can enjoy a moment of peace."

Asher could only laugh helplessly while shaking his head.

The moment Griffin heard Luke's words, he grabbed Asher's hand and dragged him out of the manor. "Let's go, Boss! By the way, Layla, you can come along if you have nothing to do." Layla shot Asher a look. She hesitated for a moment before turning Griffin down. "No thanks. I'll stay here and keep Aunt Marguerite company."

Marguerite chimed in with a smile, "Layla, just go with them. I'm worried when these two are together. With you watching over them, I can rest assured."

"Well... All right, then." Layla then turned around to say, "Asher, you heard Aunt Marguerite. If you two dare to cause trouble, I'll beat you two up!"

After they left the Crawford residence, Griffin said, "Boss, you and Layla can wait here. I'll go get the car."

Once he had left, Asher lit a cigarette stick and started taking regular puffs while looking in Layla's direction.

She had a feeling that Asher was looking at her in an odd manner. For some reason, his gaze made her anxious. She pretended to be calm as she asked, "What are you looking at? Is something wrong?"

Asher replied with a smile, "You look very sexy in that dress. If you happen to meet a pervert later, I won't help you out."

"A pervert?" Layla huffed coldly before making a contemptuous remark. "From the way I see it, I think you're the biggest pervert out here."

The moment she said those things, she suddenly felt as though she just said something inappropriate. She was Asher's older cousin after all; the fact that she called him a pervert made their relationship a bit more ambiguous than usual.

In the end, Layla's sentence trailed off into a soft murmur, her cheeks already dusted pink. Asher chuckled meaningfully before lifting an eyebrow at her. "Layla, if you keep calling me that, I might do something to you for real."