23 We're Going Somewhere

Upon entry, Ashton heard his friends pacifying the still crying Ashley. She had woken up half an hour ago and seeing how her brother was not there, she started throwing a tantrum.

"Brother!!" she only stopped throwing things upon seeing her brother.

"What do you think did you just do?" Ashton sternly asked causing Ashley who was about to approach him to stop in her tracks.

Blake and Devon looked at each other, both never saw him speak this sternly at Ashley before. He always had this gentle look despite all the things that Ashley have done. She was a mischievous child after all.

"Brother, I already told you, she is a viscious woman. You can't enter that contract with her. I know we can find a different cure for me," Ashley replied as she sat down at the edge of the bed.

Ashton instead shook his head and sighed exasperatedly.

"She left a message for you, 'I saw how much you care for your brother. But if you really do then think before you act. Causing them worry and pain is not a way to show them your care'. She asked me to pass it to you."

In reality, her last word was 'brat' but Ashton obviously have no desire to pass that to his sister. He even glared at Amber only to receive her own glare.

~"What? I'm saying the truth, she is nothing but a brat right now. Maybe I'd call her a lady in the future if she finally accepted that she couldn't just rely entirely to her name."~

With that, he has no rebuke and he could only leave.

Ashley was first taken a back, "Even so, she strangled me. If you didn't arrive, she would have killed me already."

Remembering the coldness of her eyes and her finger tips, Ashley couldn't help but shiver.

Ashton stared at her, his eyes reprimanding her, "Indeed she could have. But in the first place was she the one who looked for trouble? Was she the one who suddenly came and demanded to see you? You should understand the gravity of what you have just done."

Ashley was stunned silent. This is the first time she saw her brother this mad at her.

"But..."

"So tell me, despite everything I told you. Why did you go and visit her on your own?"

Ashley bit her lower lip, her brother was speaking normally and that tone is something he never used to her. He always had a gentle tone which contradicts the cold one that he uses against people. And his normal tone when speaking with their parents and grand parents.

"Do you know how dangerous that was?"

She tried her best to stop her tears from falling, she clenched unto her dress while her head is still bowed down.

"And you are even throwing a tantrum right here? You haven't learn your lesson? Maybe that girl is right, we have spoiled you too much. You just went out of your way to come to this country without your body guards and you even went to a stranger's place on your own without telling me."

Her tears finally flowed, her brother had always been tender towards her, but right now his voice was so serious that it scares her.

"Look at me Ashley and tell me, what you have learned today?"

She slowly looked up, scared that she would see her brother's ice cold eyes but contrast to his voice, his eyes were still as gentle as before. He just wanted her to understand the gravity of what she had done.

"I'm sorry, everything was my mistake," she finally admitted.

She knew of course from the start that it was purely her arrogance that landed her in that situation. But being the spoiled child as she is, she had no desire to accept it and would rather use her own naivety to gain other people's pity.

She had seen this work for those girls around her, they'd bully others and then turn the table by acting pitiful and all. With that they could get away with everything that they have done.

She knows that this one is wrong as well, but the opponent was a stranger, so she thought that her family would instantly take her side. And only see the fact that that woman have hurt her.

"But still she strangled me brother," just as Blake and Devon heaved a sigh of relief that she finally accepted her own mistakes but in the end she still blamed Amber.

"*sigh* Indeed, she was cruel for strangling you. But did you feel pain after she touched your neck? Or did you have difficulty in breathing?" Ashton toned down from his stern voice and asked her.

She thought back to that moment, other than feeling her cold fingers and feeling so much fear she indeed only felt a slight pressure on her neck. She touched her tender neck and didn't feel any kind of pain after being held by Amber.

She could only silently shake her head.

"She was the one who texted me to pick you up, she also left her door open for us to freely enter. If she really wanted to hurt you, then she wouldn't have gone out of her way to do all this. In my judgement she really must only want to teach you a lesson."

She could only puff her cheeks, the events of today was all her fault. Whatever that woman did, everything was still because of her decision. And she couldn't complain about it, she could only bow her head and feel aggrieved about it.

Finally Ashton approached her and knelt down in front of her, he carressed her hair and even his tone have turned gentler.

"Today, you must understand that you have just learned a valuable lesson. Our family name can never protect you 24/7 each year. You have to be very careful in interacting with people you are meeting for the first time. You always have to keep your guard up, even to those whom you've met a few times. That is something, us, children born in such a family, must always remember."

"I understand brother. And I really am sorry for what I have done today and even yesterday," Ashley finally accepted everything and admitted her own mistakes.

Ashton just smiled. In reality Ashley have always been a girl who's always obedient. That is why he also knew that what she did this time was only because it involved him.

He ruffled her hair as he gave her a gentle smile. Ashley smiled in return wiping her eyes from the remnant of tears.

Then something caught her eyes, it was her bag that she threw a while ago. Due to her anger and still feeling bad for her brother she just threw whatever she took hold off. Her eyes then grew wide, she do remembered throwing it so hard to the wall. Before it dropped heavily in the floor.

It was her bag pack that she always took care of. She jumped off the bed and run towards it. The other three young men looked at her in confusion.

Without reserve she brought everything that was inside, deep inside where it seemed to be covered in order to not get damaged, the item she's looking for came to view.

Her heart was beating so fast, she took out a pink box, it was just one inch in height, 3 inches wide and 4 inches in length, her fingers trembling as she slowly opened it. And her heart sunk after seeing that everything inside was shattered. With the way she threw her bag a while ago, this could be inevitable.

But that is far from her worries, she looked at her brother wanting to cry even more.

When she opened the box, Ashton knew what she was trying to do. Of course he knew that box, he approached her as she looked at him.

"This is bad," that's all he could say as he took the box from her.

Inside was vials, just 2.5 inches in length, around twenty in number, yet all vials were broken. The liquid had already sipped to the fabric surrounding the inside of the box.

Even if they ask for it from their parents, it would already be too late if she were to have her attack now. These vials were her pain reliever medicines that she brought with her. If she ever had her attack tonight then surely they'd be doomed.

"I'll contact mom and dad, they could send someone and bring in another batch, the earliest would be tomorrow afternoon. We could only wish that you wouldn't have an attack by then," Ashton said as he passed the box to Blake and made a call.

Maybe it is because to the tremendous fear that she felt from Amber a while ago, followed by her anger after waking up and not seeing her brother, then the fear of having an attack while she didn't have her medicine.

At two in the morning, what they were scared off, have happened. She had her attack, Ashton didn't leave and was watching her sleep so he knew instantly that she was having her attack.

Her brows were completely furrowed, her face was contorted obviously in so much pain, she couldn't raise her hand to search for her brother as tears dripped down her face. She could barely call out for his name.

She felt like all her limbs were on fire and her insides were being squeezed simultaneously. Her whole body was trembling from this pain. Normally her medicine was already beside her pillow for her easy access, in such a way she could just grit her teeth as she inject herself.

Yet tonight she had none and the pain was already killing her.

Ashton carried her into his embrace comforting her with his words despite knowing that this wouldn't help her. She only had an hour to administer the medicine, if not she would be in so much pain for 24 hours and be weak for a whole month. His teeth were gritted before an idea came to him.

"We're going somewhere."