:
(66<b>) </b>
35 vouchers.
Ashton knew exactly what Briar was going to say next. Ignoring her struggles, he once again kissed her
senseless.
As their kisses deepened, the temperature in the bedroom began to rise. The pajama on one of Briar’s shoulders slipped off in their embrace, revealing a patch of alluring pale skin.
After a long moment, Ashton finally released her.
Sunlight streamed through the half–open window. In the light, Briar’s eyes were misty. Panting, she met Ashton’s dark eyes, which were brimming with desire.
The insistent pressure against her lower abdomen was a testament to Ashton’s incredible self–restraint.
Ashton’s hair was a mess, and his usually imposing, handsome face looked exceptionally soft. He said, “Honey, let’s go to Qathana and get married tomorrow.”
Briar’s mind went nk for a second. It took her a long moment to process what Ashton had just said. She lifted her eyes and stared directly at him.
Ashton met Briar’s gaze without flinching. Finally, Briar gave in. “Why the sudden idea of getting a marriage certificate?” she asked.
Ashton rolled off Briar and <iy </i>beside her, smoothly pulling her into his embrace. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but I never had a chance to bring it up. Back home, there was no point, as you weren’t of legal age to get married.”
Briar was speechless.
Briar stiffened in his arms, and Ashton chuckled softly. “Seeing you so free and happy here, I realized I need to secure my position. Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll lose you.”
Briar’s mind reeled. She knew Ashton was incredibly perceptive. All she did was show a little of her true strength, and he was already secretly thinking so far ahead.
He was deliberately using an insecure tone to voice his concerns, secretly trying to charm her again.
At first, Briar remained silent and yed dumb in his arms, but Ashton’s pitiful sigh made her wave the white g.
She sat up from Ashton’s embrace, raising a fine eyebrow. Her eyes held a mischievous, cold smile, but her tone was pleasant. “Stop ying the victim. You know very well I’m a sucker for it.”
“So, darling, will you marry me?” Ashton pressed his advantage.
Briar cupped Ashton’s face and kissed his forehead, eyes, nose, and lips. “Not yet,” she said, shaking her head. “If you want to marry me, you’ll have to get my two uncles‘ approval first.”
Briar could make her own decisions about anything, but when it came to something as monumental as getting married, she wouldn’t dare act without her family’s approval, even if she had ten times the courage.
12:54 <b>Sat</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b>20
35 vouchers
After what happened to her mother, any man she chose to marry would have to endure endless tests and scrutiny.
Her mother had been too naive, innocent, and clueless about the world, which was why she fell for a man’s sweet talk and ended up losing her life.
If she dared to run off and marry a man without a word, she was certain that she’d have her marriage certificate one day and her legs broken the next. She’d be locked up for the rest of her life and never get out.
“Then let’s fly to Qathana tomorrow. I’ve wanted to visit your uncles for a long time but never had the chance. Briar, call them now and ask if they’re free tomorrow.”
Briar was speechless.
‘Damn it! I fell for it again!‘ she thought.
That bastard Ashton didn’t dare to just elope with her. Instead, he was deliberately setting a trap, waiting for her to fall into it.
Briar stared at Ashton in disbelief and confusion. She pointed at his nose, and after a long moment, sputtered angrily, “Ashton, you’re so… shameless!”
Ashton gave a devilishly charming smile. He caught the finger she was pointing at him, brought <i>it </i>to his lips for <i>a </i>kiss, and even lightly licked her fingertip as she watched in mortified anger.
He said, “Darling, how can I win a wife if I’m worried about saving face?”
Briar was so flustered by Ashton’s roguish behavior that she felt like she was about to explode. “I never realized you had such a shameless side.“”
“What can I say? I have many sides to me, and I have to reveal them one by one,” Ashton said with a smile. “Darling, don’t you like this side of me?”
Briar smiled and pushed away the arm that held her so tightly she couldn’t move. “Let me go. Do you still want me to call my uncle?”
Ashton immediately let go. Eager to please, he even fetched Briar’s phone and ced it in her hand. “Darling, please say hello to both of your uncles for me.”
Briar called her younger uncle, Larry. Both of her uncles had always doted on her and would indulge her in everything.
However, her older uncle, Ruben, was the head of the family and much more stern. Whenever she made a mistake or needed a favor, she always approached Larry first, because Larry was easier to talk to.
As soon as the call connected, Briar said in a sweet, obedient voice, “Uncle Larry.”
On the other end of the line, Larry’s eyelid twitched when he heard Briar’s familiar tone. “Wait a minute. Briar, something is off with your tone. Be honest with me. You haven’t gotten into trouble behind our backs again, have you?”
12:54 <b>Sat</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>20 </b>
:
66
35 vouchers
Thest time Briar had used that tone with him, she had secretly booked a flight home to find Edgar and reunite with her family.
The time before that, she had single–handedly challenged every racing club, and was then hunted for 24 hours straight.
And the time before that, she had kept it from them, epting an invitation from the DDC Vanguard Mercenary Special Operations Base to be an elite instructor and carry out life–or–death missions.
Too many bad memories shed through Larry’s mind, and his face instantly fell. He was terrified that Briar had gotten into some kind of irreversible trouble again.
But that didn’t make any sense.
She was an elite instructor at the DDC Vanguard Mercenary Special Operations Base; with a powerful new boyfriend like Ashton, she shouldn’t have run into any problem she couldn’t solve.
Larry checked her location from the caller ID. “Why does your phone show you’re at the border? Did Ashton sell you off to have your organs harvested?”
Although Briar’s phone wasn’t on speaker, Ashton was sitting right next to her and could still overhear parts of the conversation.
Briar bit back augh.
Ashton’s expression was incredibly strange.
Ashton was known internationally as a serious and practical businessman. ‘Why did the Grant family have such a low opinion of me?‘ he thought.
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