Chapter 12: I Won’t Accept

Rhea Vale had finally achieved her goal. She stretched her neck and glanced at Riven Ashford's hand from the corner of her eye. The nail marks she left on it were clearly visible. It indeed looked a little tragic.

Riven Ashford's thoughts had already drifted far away. He did not know what to think anymore.

...

The day to return home arrived as scheduled.

Rhea Vale had already packed up early in the morning and was waiting for Riven Ashford to appear. The moment she saw him, she could not help but say, "Remember what you promised me."

Riven Ashford ignored her. Instead, he placed all the gifts that he had prepared at home into the trunk of the Maybach.

The Vale family's house was more than an hour's drive from the Ashford family's residence. On the way, Rhea Vale tried her best to behave well. She could not give Riven Ashford any reason to embarrass her in front of everyone.

Riven Ashford glanced at Rhea Vale from the corner of his eye. He thought to himself, 'It's so quiet now. She's so ladylike. I can even stare at her.'

Rhea Vale said, "Riven Ashford, drive properly. Why are you looking at me like you have nothing else to do?"

Riven Ashford said, "You're making me sick."

Rhea Vale did not say anything else and forced herself to endure it.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye. The Maybach was already approaching the Vale residence. Rhea Vale immediately saw her parents waiting to welcome her at the door. She was a little nervous and looked at the man beside her. What if he did not keep his promise to her?

The car stopped. Riven Ashford unfastened his seatbelt and prepared to go to the trunk to pick up his things. Rhea Vale was in a hurry. She originally wanted to grab Riven Ashford's clothes, but she did not expect that she would grab his hand. "Riven Ashford, you have to remember what you promised me."

...

"In your eyes, am I that untrustworthy?" Riven Ashford asked in return.

"I don't doubt you. I'm just reminding you in case you forgot." Rhea Vale withdrew her hand and stepped away from the trunk of the car first.

Beside the car, Rhea Vale saw the familiar figures and smiled sweetly. "Dad, Mom, Riven and I are here."

Riven Ashford went to the trunk to pick up the gifts. When he walked over and saw the expression on Rhea Vale's face, he was slightly stunned.

So, it turned out that a forced smile could still look so sincere. Riven Ashford was deeply moved. The exchange of sincere smiles in his family was a luxury, but to her, it was a piece of cake.

Rhea Vale hugged her parents lovingly. Riven Ashford's hands were full of gifts as he followed behind her.

"Quickly come inside. It's hot outside." Mrs. Vale brought the two of them into the house.

When they were in the living room, Rhea Vale kept saying that her life was very good since joining the Ashford family. "Dad, Mom, I've finally realized the benefits of marrying someone. I'm so free now that I'm married. I can sleep for as long as I want, and Riven doesn't care."

Riven Ashford could not respond to her, and it seemed unnecessary. He could only put on a smile to back up Rhea Vale's words.

In reality, he had not even slept with her on the wedding night.

In order to show her parents that she was really living well, Rhea Vale pretended to be very good, and her smile looked very real.

Riven Ashford felt that he should say something, so he asked, "Dad, Mom, where's Jack?"

Mrs. Vale replied, "His semester isn't over yet."

Jack Vale was Rhea Vale's younger brother. He was sixteen years old and was studying abroad. His family had not told him about his sister's marriage.

"I heard from Rhea that Jack has always wanted to come back here for his university studies." Riven Ashford continued to chat with the Vale family.

Rhea Vale turned and looked at Riven Ashford with a hint of doubt in her eyes. She had said that?

"That's true, but the pressure of the National College Entrance Examination is too great. It's harder here than it is abroad. We don't want him to come back for the time being," Mrs. Vale continued.

Her brother wanted to come back for the National College Entrance Examination? Why did she not know about this?

"Rhea, stop looking at Riven. Don't you see him enough at home? Come to the kitchen with me." Mrs. Vale smiled as she brought her daughter to help her cook.

Rhea Vale's face instantly turned red. "No, I wasn't." After saying that, she was dragged away.

Only Riven Ashford and Mr. Vale were left in the living room. They looked at each other, feeling annoyed and awkward. There was nothing much to say about personal matters, so Riven Ashford took the initiative to ask about official matters.

"Dad, I heard that you've rejected quite a few projects in a row. Is it because you don't have enough funds and materials? If it is, you can tell me." Riven Ashford was very puzzled. He looked at Mr. Vale, but he could not understand his thought process at all.

"That's not the case, Riven. You and I both know how these projects came about. Those people just want to curry favor with the Ashford family and use the Vale family as a means to an end. To tell you the truth, the Vale family has sufficient funds and raw materials. I won't accept any of these projects," Mr. Vale said. He paused and calmly drank some water.