Free Web NovelChapter 112: Chapter 112 An Invitation
It was subtle and fleeting, yet Gideon still caught it instantly.
For a brief moment, Xiberius sounded lonely.
As though it carried a deep helplessness over the fact that it would never have the chance to meet the person destined for it. The thought itself seemed to weigh heavily on the wolf’s heart, leaving behind a bitterness that even time could not completely erase.
However, that moment of vulnerability lasted only for a second.
Very quickly, Xiberius forcefully pushed those emotions aside and regained its usual composure as though nothing had happened at all. It buried the loneliness deep inside itself once more, refusing to dwell on something that could never be changed.
"Then what are you going to do about it?"
Xiberius sneered challengingly inside Gideon’s mind, its tone carrying a dangerous provocation as though Gideon’s irritation did not affect it in the slightest. In fact, it almost sounded eager to push him even further, deliberately poking at the emotions Gideon was trying so hard to suppress.
It was like a restless beast crouching in the darkness, patiently waiting for the smallest crack in Gideon’s composure so it could pounce without hesitation the moment he showed even the slightest vulnerability.
Gideon merely pursed his lips tightly and chose not to answer Xiberius’s question.
Because the truth was... he had no answer.
He had already known for a very long time that he would never meet his fated mate in this lifetime. As a cursed one, that fate had long been decided for him from the very beginning. And over the years, Gideon had convinced himself that he truly did not care about it anymore.
He accepted it coldly and rationally, burying the matter deep inside his heart until it no longer seemed important.
Or at least, that was what he thought.
But ever since Ashley appeared, those firmly buried thoughts had begun wavering little by little.
Facing her now, Gideon suddenly found himself questioning whether he had truly accepted that reality in the first place. Perhaps he never genuinely made peace with it at all. Perhaps that was precisely why he was becoming so uncontrollably drawn toward Ashley now.
No matter how much he tried denying it, suppressing it, or rationalizing it away, the attraction he felt toward her remained undeniably real.
And deep down, Gideon had the faint unsettling feeling that he might already be in far too deep to pull himself back out now.
"No need. We might not be heading in the same direction," Gage rejected Gideon’s offer directly without hesitation.
His tone remained polite enough on the surface, but the refusal itself was firm and left little room for further discussion.
However, Gage was not rejecting Gideon merely for the sake of opposing him.
The truth was, even he himself had no idea where exactly Ashley planned to go next. From the very beginning, their movements had been entirely dependent on Ashley’s decisions and whatever opportunities appeared along the way.
Because of that, traveling separately would naturally give Ashley far more freedom to maneuver and adjust their actions according to the situation without outsiders interfering with her pace.
More importantly...
Gage simply did not want Gideon staying close to Ashley for extended periods of time.
Especially not after witnessing the strange atmosphere between the two of them earlier. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
"Sure..." But almost at the exact same moment Gage rejected Gideon’s offer, Ashley unexpectedly spoke as well.
The completely contradictory answers instantly caused the atmosphere to freeze.
Even Ashley herself looked stunned the moment the word left her mouth, as though she had not expected herself to agree so quickly either.
By this time, Gage had already pulled Ashley out of the elevator, and the two of them had moved several steps away from it. Yet because of the conflicting responses, an awkward silence immediately descended upon everyone present.
Gage slowly turned his head to look back at his sister.
And the moment he saw Ashley’s expression, his brows subtly twitched.
Ashley looked both startled and apologetic at the same time, almost as though she herself did not understand why she had instinctively agreed just now. Her clear eyes revealed a trace of confusion, making it obvious that the response had slipped out before she could properly think it through.
"Great. Then let’s use my business car."
Gideon was the first to break the awkward silence, his deep voice sounding noticeably lighter than before. There was even a faintly smug smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he looked at Gage challengingly, as though silently declaring that he had just won that round.
Seeing that expression immediately made Gage’s face darken slightly.
Meanwhile, beside him, Ashley nervously gripped the hem of her clothes while inwardly panicking.
’Did I just create trouble for my brother...?’ The thought instantly flashed through her mind, making her feel even guiltier. freewebnovel.cσ๓
Truthfully, Ashley genuinely had not intended to agree to Gideon’s suggestion earlier. In fact, her brain had not even fully processed his invitation yet. Somehow, before she could properly think things through, her mouth had already answered on its own.
And now that she realized what she had done, she suddenly felt extremely embarrassed and helpless.
Originally, Gideon had been planning to head upstairs to his room first. However, after Ashley agreed to accompany him, he immediately abandoned that idea altogether.
Without wasting another second, he silently instructed his assistant to prepare the car before calmly leading everyone out of the hotel lobby.
As they walked, Gideon finally turned his attention toward Ashley once more.
"Where should we go first?" he asked in a low voice. "Do you already have an itinerary prepared, or would you rather come along with me for now?"
Although Gage was still standing nearby, it was obvious that Gideon only truly cared about Ashley’s opinion. Even the coldness in his expression softened slightly whenever his gaze landed on her.
"I... I..." Ashley stammered helplessly, momentarily unsure how to answer.
Truthfully, she still did not have any concrete plan at all.
However, after thinking about it carefully, tagging along with Gideon first might actually be a good opportunity. At the very least, she could observe how he handled his business dealings and use that experience to decide her next course of action afterward.
After hesitating for several seconds, Ashley finally nodded lightly.
"Okay," she said softly. "We’ll go with you."
The moment Ashley agreed, Gideon’s expression visibly lightened ever so slightly.
Soon, everyone made their way toward the business car waiting outside the hotel. Before Ashley could even react, Gideon had already stepped forward and personally opened the rear passenger door for her like a perfect gentleman.
As Ashley bent slightly to get inside, Gideon instinctively raised one hand above the roof of the car door to make sure she would not accidentally bump her head against it.
The small yet attentive gesture immediately made Ashley’s heart skip strangely.
Once Ashley was safely seated inside, Gideon smoothly entered the car right after her without giving Gage the slightest opportunity to slip in beside his sister first.
As a result, Gage was forced to sit in the passenger seat instead while Gideon’s assistant silently took the driver’s seat and started the engine.
The entire maneuver happened so naturally and seamlessly that it was impossible to call him out directly for it.
