Chapter 332 Quarrel
"Dad..." Hendrix, being a junior, found it tough to comment on his dad's love life. If it were a buddy in front of him, he'd definitely give a thumbs up and say, "Nice one."
But when it came to his dad, the humor was replaced by a deep, chilling sense of sadness. His head buzzed, and he was completely speechless.
Brian said, "How many times have I told you, all these years, you're the only one in my heart. We've been through so much together; you've endured so much hardship with me; how could I be ungrateful? You say..."
He sighed, looking at his tearful wife, "Your heart is a cage of worries, locked by a knot of fear, always anticipating doom."
Nola was utterly upset; her shoulders shook, and tears streamed down her face as she looked helplessly at her son, "Did you hear that? I can't even say a word. Back when your dad's company was on the brink of collapse, my intervention and efforts were crucial. Do you think he would be where he is today if I hadn't stepped in and helped pull him through? And yet, he still pines for the woman who abandoned him in his toughest times!"
Hendrix didn't want to dive into his parents' love story from back then, nor did he want to discuss it on such an occasion. From his observations, his father's care and love for his mother were genuine and couldn't be faked for so many years. But his mother's tears were also real, and there was no need for her to smear Ashley.
So, who was right and who was wrong?
"Wait a minute... Mom, you said Ashley's mom left Dad during his toughest times? Then what was your relationship with Dad back then?" Hendrix asked.
Nola gritted her teeth, "What relationship? Ask your dad!"
Brian wiped his face with both hands, looking pained, "Your mom and I, we were actually set up by our families. Both sets of parents thought we'd be a great match. To not go against your grandparents' wishes, I didn't say it directly."
"You mean, you were dating Ashley's mom at the time? Then Grandpa and Grandma didn't approve, so they set you up with Mom? And Mom dated you as your girlfriend?" Hendrix asked.
"Nonsense! How could I do such a thing? I told your mom at the time that I had someone in my heart and didn't want to waste her time," Brian said.
Nola angrily said, "Are you saying I clung to you shamelessly? That I knew you had a girlfriend and still pestered you? Blaming me for interfering in your relationship? Fine, I'll leave now, and you can continue your love story."
Brian hurried to comfort his wife, his face full of worry. "Keep your voice down; we have guests. I didn't mean that. How could you say such things? It's just that I didn't handle my feelings properly. I apologized, and you accepted it. Why bring it up now?"
Seeing his wife crying uncontrollably, Brian stopped explaining, knowing it would only add to the conflict.
Although Hendrix hadn't witnessed it firsthand, he could vaguely sense his mother's feelings for his father back then. She knew his father had someone in his heart but didn't want to give up on him, so she continued to wait and pursue him. When his father's company faced difficulties, she was even more diligent in helping.
At that time, the girl his father liked broke up with him, and his mother took advantage of the situation, filling the emotional void and helping his career bounce back.
But while she kept Brian by her side, she couldn't fully win Brian's heart, often hearing Brian reminisce about his ex-girlfriend.
The facts might differ slightly, but it was probably something like that.
If so, wouldn't Ashley's mother be a heartless woman for abandoning her struggling boyfriend and marrying someone else?
It was often said that daughters resembled their mothers. Seeing how Ashley conducted herself, Hendrix found it hard to associate her mother with such an image. Hendrix scratched his head, "Mom, Dad, everyone can see how well you two get along and how happy you are. There's no need to let past relationships mess with your current life, right? No need to drag old grudges into this. You both are reasonable people and wouldn't do anything to break us up, right, Mom?"
Nola glanced at the side room, gritting her teeth, "If you really need a woman, even Lynn would be better than her."
His mom must have been so mad she was talking nonsense, even defending Lynn.
Hendrix held back the urge to argue, reminding himself she was his mom and he needed to appeal to her emotions, "Mom, Lynn just wants to use my status to climb up; she doesn't really love me."
"So what? Which woman wouldn't think that way? Since you have such good resources, you should be prepared to be used. But let me remind you, some women can only share the good times; don't expect them to stick around during tough times."
Seeing his wife's emotional and increasingly harsh words, Brian stood up and blocked her, waving Hendrix away, "Go check on her. I'll handle things here."
Hendrix felt super conflicted, slowly wheeling himself towards the side room.
How was he going to explain this to Ashley?
And how would he deal with his mom's prejudice against her?
Ashley wasn't that into him to begin with, and now, with Damian in the picture, things were even more complicated with this whole parental drama.
Ashley stood facing the window, thinking about leaving without saying goodbye since Linda hadn't shown up.
She couldn't understand why the Long family parents were so hostile. Was it because of the Astor Group's bankruptcy and bad reputation that they disliked her?
Thinking this way, Asheley felt it made sense. Who would want to associate with someone hiding abroad from their debts?
"What are you thinking about?" Hendrix's voice was much gentler, afraid that speaking too harshly would scare Ashley away.
Ashley turned around and immediately saw through his forced smile, "Are your parents okay now?"
"They've loved to argue since they were young. The more they argue, the deeper their feelings get. You'll get used to it. It's not your concern, don't worry about it," Hendrix said.
Ashley definitely wouldn't interfere in other people's family matters, "Where's your aunt? Why hasn't she come yet?"
Hendrix thought, thankfully his aunt hadn't shown up at this time, or the house would have exploded.
"She got held up by something. She probably won't make it today. How about..." He couldn't bring himself to invite her to stay for dinner, so he changed the topic, "I'll take you back first, and we can meet outside another day."
Ashley was more than happy, "You should rest. I'll head back."
Leaving the villa area, Ashley sped up, her mind replaying Nola's malicious gaze and Brian's shock.
Their reactions were really strange.
As she got off the highway, Ashley's phone rang.
Seeing it was her mom calling, she quickly pulled over, adjusted her emotions, and answered, "Mom."
Scarlett's gentle voice came through, "Am I interrupting your work?"
Every time Scarlett called, she would cautiously ask if she was interrupting, making Ashley feel incredibly guilty, "You're my mom; you can call me anytime! Don't say that again, okay?"
Scarlett laughed, "I just thought you were working so hard over there; I don't want to trouble you."
Ashley was almost moved to tears by Scarlett's gentle words but held back, "I'm doing well. Work is going smoothly. I just miss you guys."
Scarlett said, "We miss you too. Dorian said there was a chance to come back to the country in a few days. Did you know?"
Ashley was fully awake, trembling as she clutched her phone. "Coming back? When? For what?"
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