"Two years have gone by, Master. The matter is long past."
"Go home."
"The old sir is well into his declining years. You must go home and preside over the Crawfords."
"You've concealed the fact that you got married into the Steward's household two years ago. It wrought your family with shame."
"The Stewards are a lowly and undeserving bunch who aren't even worthy of being the humblest of servants. That Noelle girl has never been a good match for you, what more her family?"
Several well-dressed old men stood outside the Stewards' home located in Rollinsford, pleading bitterly to an apathetic Asher Crawford.
Asher stared at the servants of the Crawfords with great indifference.
He had caused a great blunder two years prior by crippling a man from an influential household, who was at the time, the most reputable pampered heir of the Capital City. The trouble was so great that he had to flee the city. He, however, still failed to escape his pursuers.
Asher was severely injured. It had been Noelle, the daughter of the Stewards, who went to his aid.
At that time, the Stewards were pressuring their daughter, who was to be no more than a pawn, into an arranged marriage. Noelle refused and would rather marry Asher than be manipulated.
Asher, who wanted to pay her back for rescuing him, then became the Stewards' relative-in-law.
What he did not expect was for the Stewards to regard him with contempt after he got married. Everyone thought of him as a washout non-achiever.
Asher had thought about walking away from the situation. However, how could he with his debt yet to be repaid?
He heaved a sigh as he recalled his experiences over the past two years and answered with resignation, "My personal matters have nothing to do with the Crawfords. Don't bother me again."
Once all was said and done, he returned to the Steward's residence and never looked back.
The Stewards were, at best, a third-rate household in Rollinsford, but the youngsters of the family acted as if they were superior. They were ignorant, arrogant and overbearing. None exemplified those traits more than the eldest son, Erick Steward.
Erick had gathered a group of gentrified men yesterday for a drag race when a car crash occurred. The deceased was a young man from the Leonard household.
The Leonards were one of the four great households in Rollinsford and highly distinguished. They were foaming at the mouth following the incident and threatened to have the Stewards removed from the city.
The Stewards knew that a great disaster was imminent, and thus, held an urgent family meeting to discuss a solution.
Asher did not want to participate at first, but with Noelle repeatedly requesting for his presence over the phone, he reluctantly agreed.
"Ash, who are those people who were talking to you?"
The moment Asher stepped through the gates of the residence, his sister-in-law, Livia Steward approached.
"A few friends I got to know a while back."
The family that had a vendetta against Asher continued in their attempts to track him down over the past two years. He, concerned that the matter would affect the Stewards, chose to hide his identity. Even his wife, Noelle, was left in the dark about the fact that he was the heir of the Crawford household of the Capital City.
"Friend?" Livia frowned, clearly unconvinced.
She clearly heard those men respectfully addressing him as Master Asher. Their posture and tone of voice showed that they were not friends. They seemed more like subordinates.
Livia was puzzled. How could Asher, the well-known loser, be the master the men spoke of?
That was when a thought came to mind. 'The Capital City. The Crawfords…'
Livia was flabbergasted. Could Asher have something to do with the Crawfords of the Capital City?
Just as she was about to confront him, he had already turned to leave. She felt as if a bombshell had been dropped on her. She had heard of the Crawfords of the Capital City despite her rare visits there. Who cared about the four great households of Rollinsford? They were nothing but horseshit in the face of the Crawfords.
Livia hurriedly reached for her phone after some hesitation and rang up her friend who resided in the Capital City. "I want to ask you about something…"
There stood a stunningly beautiful woman at the door when Asher arrived shy of the living room. She had an oval face framed by long, curly hair which perfectly accentuated Noelle's unique temperament.
"Grandpa would blow his top off if you had arrived any later."
Asher gave a bitter laugh. "Has he ever been any less pleased with me over the past two years?"
"You…" Noelle wanted to protest but then thought about the grievances he had had to suffer after he got married. She could not bear it any further, choosing to ignore him and entering the main room.
The patriarch of the Stewards, Carter, was seated on a sofa in the grand living area. Gloom was evident on his countenance. The others stood by his side.
"What are you doing here, Asher? We, Stewards, are having a family meeting. What does it have to do with you, an outsider? Scram!" Carter was immediately taken over by fury when he noticed Asher strolling in.
Everyone in the room turned to glare at Asher in disgust.
"I asked him to come, Grandpa…" Noelle said cautiously. "He's our in-law. That's why I…"
"Do not speak of the matter! If you hadn't backed out of your marriage to the Leonards and disgraced them, they wouldn't have targeted us!"
"That Leonard kid was the one who voluntarily went on that joyride. What does the car crash have to do with the Steward household?"
"The Leonards have threatened to wipe us out just because you annulled your marriage with them. And now, you bring this low life to a family meeting. You've got guts, Noelle Steward!"
Carter sounded so stern that everyone present fell silent.
Asher subtly glanced at Noelle, noticing how pale she had become. She was even vaguely trembling.
He could not stand to see Noelle bearing the full brunt of Carter's anger, so he spoke up. "I know you've never held me in any regard, sir. I'll accept your reprimands no matter what you have to say. But Noelle had nothing to do with the drag race. You shouldn't put all the blame on her. This doesn't seem fair."
"It's none of your business, Asher. Shut up." Noelle hurriedly glared at Asher.
"Why is it none of my business? You're my wife. Everything that has to do with you involves me." Asher declared with confidence.
Noelle's brows were knitted tightly together as the look in her eyes grew complicated.
Asher had never complained no matter how many grievances he had had to suffer over the past two years. This also gave everyone from the Steward household the impression that he was a good-for-nothing.
Yet, Asher did not hesitate to contradict her grandfather just because of the injustice she was facing. Her heart was not made of stone. How could she not be touched?
"How dare you, this uneducated runt, talk back to me?! Give Asher forty whacks and have him removed. Make sure he never steps into the Steward residence again!" Carter ordered as he pointed angrily at him.
The moment those words left his mouth, several servants immediately approached Asher.
Noelle felt anxiety wrack her body. She was about to plead on Asher's behalf when Livia suddenly rushed in. "Grandpa, don't abuse Ash!"
Carter spluttered in anger. "Are you going to plead for this punk, Lily?"
Livia wore a complicated expression as she looked Asher's way. Her friend's words continued to echo in her mind. Asher Crawford was the scion of the Crawford household. He went missing two years prior.
She could never have imagined that Asher, who was looked down on, was the heir to the Crawford family from the Capital City. Livia believed that Asher had the means to help the Stewards tide through the difficulties they were facing. This was, however, only if Asher was willing to provide them with succor.
Asher had been family for over two years, and yet was subjected to scorn. He was likely dissatisfied. If he were driven out of the family, how could he help them?
Livia spoke up. "Grandpa, Ash isn't some lowlife. I think he's right. It was Erick who caused trouble this time. It has nothing to do with Elle, let alone Ash. If anyone needs to be punished, it's Erick. Again, nothing to do with Ash."
Everyone stared at Livia in disbelief. They could not grasp the reason why she would plead on Asher's behalf. She was even going against Carter. Was she trying to get into trouble?
"Stop making a fool out of yourself, Livia. I'm your brother."
Erick was pissed. A punching bag had put themselves forward and yet Livia was protecting the loser that was Asher. He was the best candidate to lead the Stewards. This woman was a fool.
"You might be my brother but Noelle is also my sister. Asher is my brother-in-law. I'm just saying it as it is." Livia looked at Carter and added, "Grandpa, Ash is part of the family. I think he should be treated equally. Stop directing your scorn at him."
"What did you say?!" Carter's expression sank as he grew ashen.
Livia's father hurriedly interjected when he saw the situation slowly going south. "Who gave you the guts, Livia? How dare you speak to him that way? Admit your mistakes and apologize now!"
"Hah, I see you're siding with the outsider, Livia. Erick is your cousin and you don't even give a damn. Instead, you're helping the misfit. Have you gone insane?" Erick's mother, Laura said in a sharp tone.
Livia swept a glance at Laura and ignored her before insisting, "I'm telling the truth, Grandpa. If you think I'm going against you, then there isn't anything for me to explain. If you insist on punishing Ash, you can punish me as well."
Livia was a smart woman. She knew that there must be a reason for Asher to keep his identity hidden, which was why she did not reveal his identity without his consent.
The Stewards were facing an imminent threat and Asher was the only one who could keep them out of hot water. As a member of the Stewards, she had to find a way to have him come forward.