In Love, Never Say Never (Ashton Fuller and Scarlett Stovall) novel Chapter 1027

Hence, I was resolved not to tell Tessa anything for fear that the information would simply be passed on to Armond. I was afraid that before I could even get around to persuading Brandon, he would already have died under suspicious circumstances in prison.

It wasn’t difficult to uncover news about Tessa. We moved about in the same circles, after all. One could easily obtain any desired information with some effort. Nuthana Gardens was a newly-developed piece of property. Not long after it was completed, its prices skyrocketed, and it was now sold for at least ten thousand per square foot. An apartment of a thousand and five hundred square feet was worth around fifteen million. Tessa had neither a stable job nor a steady source of income and had no projects on hand. Her sudden wealth had naturally raised queries in both Tabitha and Laurel’s minds. How could a village girl have acquired enough to buy both a posh apartment and a luxury car in just a few months?

Armond was clearly rewarding Tessa handsomely. What is Tessa doing for him that warrants such a hefty sum? I wondered. Armond wasn’t a spendthrift character. I thought of what had happened in Moranta. A niggling thought arose within my mind. Has Tessa been part of Armond’s numerous evil schemes?

I had no access to the residential area at Nuthana Gardens. It boasted tight security, and external visitors had no way of entering without permission from a resident. I could thus only observe discreetly from one of its exits.

It was the only method available but also the most labor-intensive. I waited an entire afternoon before Tessa’s car pulled up at the entrance around four in the late afternoon. She drove a black Mercedes-Benz that was the latest model.

I watched as the car entered the basement carpark, then fished out my phone to call Laurel. I had intended on inviting her out along with Tessa. Before I could dial her number, however, my phone rang with a call from Ashton.

I picked up the phone. Ashton immediately demanded, “Why were you sitting out there for the entire day? Did anything happen?”

I was baffled for a moment. Then, I suddenly recalled that Ashton had arranged for a bodyguard to watch over me from afar. I giggled sheepishly. “It’s nothing! I wanted to snoop on Tessa a little, so I waited outside her residence to see when she came back. The security here at Nuthana Gardens is way too tight, and I have no way of entering. So sitting out here was the best I could do.”

Ashton was silent on the other end of the line for a while. When he next spoke, there was a note of resignation in his tone. “Scarlett, when will you finally remember that your husband isn’t a poor man?”

Sensing my confusion, Ashton continued, “Nuthana Gardens’ developer gave me a few units within the residence when it had been completed. I’m sending the key over to you right now. What are you investigating Tessa for, though?”

“She has adopted Brandon’s child. I wanted to see if there was anything there I could use to win Brandon over,” I replied. I’d already reasoned that Brandon’s testimony would be the most damning weapon against Armond.

Ashton was silent for a while. Then, he said slowly, “Scarlett, don’t interfere anymore in this matter. I’ve already made plans to handle this. Go back to K City and take care of yourself. If you’re bored of that place, come over to Moranta.”

I could detect undercurrents of meaning rippling beneath Ashton’s casual manner. He seemed unwilling to tell me just what he’d planned. Exasperated, I fumed, “I’m going to stay in A City. Armond took all of us for a ride from the start. If I don’t get to witness his conviction and imprisonment, I won’t be able to rest.”