Chương 40: Did She Tell You To Screw Yourself?

||Asher||

Asher thought nothing of Dylan's threat. Shortly after, he returned to the Shen ancestral home. He reached there at a quarter to five. The traffic was bad during New Year.

The Shen ancestral home was a spacious traditional courtyard house. Only Old Madam Shen currently lived there with a few groups of staff. From time to time, Asher would drop by to visit his grandmother.

If this was before, he would be here with Liliana. She even came here without being asked for.

Even though Asher disliked to bring it up, it felt kind of weird to return to the ancestral home alone without her.

In the four years of their marriage, Liliana had always been by his side whenever they stepped foot in this place.

Frowning, Asher chased the past memories away. The frustration he pushed down earlier riled him up again at the thought of Liliana.

After pulling up in the yard, Asher handed the car key to an attendant. It would be parked in the garage alongside other cars. He walked down the path to head to the main entrance.

"Welcome home, Young Master."

Asher handed his winter coat to one of the helpers who welcomed him home. He casually asked, "Where's my grandmother?"

"Old Madam Shen is currently resting. She has just taken some medicine for her headache," reported the head maid, "Young Masters Xia and Yu and Young Miss Xia are here. They are in Lotus Room."

Asher subtly nodded. He immediately made his way to the room mentioned by the head maid.

The ancestral home was lively because the Shen family's distant relatives came to visit. They were in the west wing of the courtyard house. But, not everyone was here.

Asher's parents; Nicholas Shen and Shelley Bai were abroad. They only returned to the country when it was Lunar New Year. Both of them were already informed of his divorce from Liliana soon.

Nicholas was indifferent but, Shelley was overjoyed. The latter had always been dissatisfied with Liliana as their daughter-in-law.

Shelley was initially vocal about objecting to Asher's engagement with Liliana before but, Old Madam Shen quickly shut her up.

Thinking about his parents brought displeasure to Asher. He especially loathed his father.

Nicholas was a talented businessman but, he was also extremely promiscuous. Shelley often had an inferiority complex because of his dealings with other women.

Asher and his younger sister, Audrey grew up watching his father being drowned in short passion and his mother's constant crying.

Despite the warnings given by Old Madam Shen and the cries of Shelley, Nicholas continued having mistresses outside. Fortunately, no woman ever came forward claiming they bore Asher's half-siblings.

After Asher was appointed the new president of Shen Corporation, Nicholas resided abroad. Shelley loyally followed him, making sure her position as Madam Shen was still solidified.

Slide...

Asher slid open the wooden door. Several people were inside Lotus Room, gathering in the middle where a set of bamboo couches was placed. Card games, drinks and snacks were scattered on the coffee table.

"Big Brother!"

"Oh, Asher's here."

"Come in, man."

Audrey, Alvin, Rupert and Elaine were playing a card game. Alvin's betrothed, Shaelyn didn't join them today.

Asher closed the door and walked to the couch where his younger sister was sitting.

"Only returned now," Audrey cast a look at her elder brother. Without being subtle about her curiosity, she immediately asked, "Did you have a good talk with Lili?"

Asher's eyelashes fluttered. He grunted, "I didn't go there to meet her. Grandmother asked to deliver New Year gifts."

Audrey smirked, obviously not trusting his words, "Yeah, right. Only to send gifts."

Audrey was twenty-nine, three years older than Liliana. Even though the latter's status was her elder sister-in-law, Audrey addressed Liliana by her nickname when they were not in any official setting.

They rarely met because of Audrey's demanding job as a voice actress. Their relationship was amicable even though they weren't extremely close.

Audrey had just returned from a trip abroad. It was a long-planned trip after she completed a big project. She and a group of friends traveled to forgotten places that were far away from civilization.

Making phone calls was hard. It was already late when she heard of Liliana's miscarriage and her divorce from Asher. Although Audrey felt it was a pity, she could do nothing.

Alvin poured the tea into a new cup. He pushed it to Asher, "Drink, man. Don't look that cold. I can feel myself freezing because of your stare."

Asher ignored Alvin's remark. He reached out for the cup. Once the warm liquid traveled down his throat, his sense of irritation mellowed.

"Sucks," Rupert suddenly exclaimed, "You didn't have to travel all by yourself to send the gifts. It's not Lunar New Year. I bet that woman was happy because you went there by yourself."

"Brother Rupert, don't say that," Elaine gently chided Rupert. She tucked a stray strand of her hair behind the ear. Her eyes glanced at Asher, "It's Grandmother Shen's order. He had to fulfill it."

"So boring," replied Rupert. A sneer curved on his lips, "Your divorce should be completed this week, right? Why didn't you just pressure the Civil Affairs Bureau to speed it up before the holiday?"

"It doesn't matter," answered Asher curtly. Lowering his gaze, he stared absent-mindedly to his knees.

Audrey restrained herself from clicking her tongue. Shaking her head gently, she focused back on playing the card game.

Alvin, Rupert and Elaine returned to their respective homes when it was nearing six. They politely refused when Audrey asked them to stay for dinner.

"Let's gather again soon before you get busy, Audrey," Rupert brought it up, "You're as busy as your big brother."

Audrey easily agreed. Once the three of them left the room, she immediately interrogated Asher.

"Did something happen there? What did you talk about with Lili? Did she tell you to screw yourself?"

Asher glared at his sister but, Audrey only smirked. While leaning sideways on the couch, she lazily played with her strawberry blonde-dyed hair. Her round eyes were staring straight at Asher.

"Big Brother, I always think if you'd ever regret letting Lili go."

Asher froze. It was so subtle but, he was appalled by how his body reacted to those words.

"Why must I regret? It's just a divorce. You know that it's a business marriage," answered Asher. His tone grew colder.

Audrey ignored the frostiness of her brother's tone. She remarked, "You're so dumb about feelings."

"...what?"

Rising to her feet, Audrey stretched out her upper limbs, "Your sister's instinct has always been good. I can't wait to see the day you regret what you said today."

Asher was left dumbfounded when Audrey walked out of the room. A deep frown marred his forehead.