Chapter 60
Joshua really couldn't resist Dorian's tearful pleading.
He agreed.
Joshua picked up Dorian and carried him upstairs, wiping the tears from his little face and gently coaxing him, "I'll let you see Mommy tomorrow, but tonight you need to sleep well and stop crying."
Dorian nodded obediently.
As long as he could see Ella and be with her, he would definitely behave.
After putting Dorian to bed, Brian brought Scarlett over too.
When Joshua came downstairs in his black shirt and dress pants, his presence was cold and intimidating, his handsome face gloomy.
He glanced at Scarlett sitting on the living room sofa. Before he could walk over, Scarlett came up to him first.
"Joshua, is there something you need from me this late?"
Ever since Joshua pushed her off the bed and slapped her, Scarlett didn't dare act so bold anymore.
She was afraid that being too forward would disgust him.
Then he'd be even less willing to be with her.
Anyway, Ella was already dead. Joshua would be hers sooner or later.
She needed to stay patient.
Joshua walked past her and went straight to sit on the sofa.
Calm and cold, he crossed his legs and leaned back on the sofa, his icy eyes fixed on Scarlett as he asked coldly, "Why did you fire Patricia and Karen?"
Scarlett's heart jumped. She quickly walked over, lowered her head, and explained, "I didn't fire them. After I came to take care of Dorian, those two kept talking bad about me behind my back."
"They said I was a mistress, a homewrecker who destroyed your relationship with Ella. They didn't want to stay under the same roof as someone like me."
Afraid Joshua wouldn't believe her, Scarlett covered her face pitifully, her eyes welling up as if she was about to cry.
Joshua thought that Karen and Patricia were indeed on Ella's side.
The two of them might really do what Scarlett was describing.
He didn't press the issue further and asked instead, "Did you give Dorian sleeping pills?"
Scarlett was startled, her face changing dramatically.
But the next second, she steadied herself and defended, "I didn't. How could I give sleeping pills to such a small child? He had a bit of a cold before, a runny nose, so I just gave him some cold medicine."
Joshua fell silent.
Anyone with common sense knew that cold medicine causes drowsiness.
Maybe Dorian had been sleeping so much because he really did take cold medicine.
The sleeping pills thing was probably just something Ella made up to have more reasons to leave him.
After all, Ella had never told him the truth about anything.
Joshua waved his hand dismissively. "You can go. I'm done with you."
Scarlett didn't want to leave. She stepped forward cautiously, "Joshua, are you upset about that night when I..."
Scarlett covered her face and sobbed, taking the initiative to apologize, "I'm sorry. I know Ella just passed away and you're grieving, but you know I love you. I want to be with you."
"Sometimes when I'm around you, I really can't control myself."
After speaking, Scarlett watched Joshua carefully.
She tried to move closer to him, wanting to sit beside him.
But Joshua raised his hand in the air, stopping her approach, and said in a deep voice, "Scarlett, I know I wronged you before. If Ella really was gone, maybe for Dorian's sake, I would marry you."
"But Ella didn't die. She's back. So you don't need to come take care of Dorian anymore."
"Let's end things between us. If you want to get married, go find someone else. You don't need to wait for me anymore."
Joshua was very clear that he had feelings for Ella.
Even though she lied constantly, had a child for someone else, faked her death, and didn't come home but stayed with the child's father instead.
He could overlook all of it.
As long as Ella was willing to stay.
Joshua would try to convince himself that nothing had happened and help her raise the child.
And Scarlett was almost thirty. Since he had feelings for Ella, he couldn't keep holding her back.
Making things clear now was being responsible to her.
"What did you say?"
Scarlett couldn't believe it.
She staggered, completely stunned.
Ella wasn't dead?
She came back?
How could this be?
Didn't those people say they saw with their own eyes that Ella jumped off a cliff to save her daughter?
How could she be so lucky? Why couldn't she just die?
Coming back to her senses, Scarlett looked at Joshua, her eyes already filled with tears.
She cried and laughed at the same time, her face full of misery. "Really? Ella didn't die? That's wonderful."
"But Joshua, do you really want to end things with me?"
How could Joshua be so fickle?
How could he just discard her now that he had Ella back?
She was better than Ella in every way.
Why would Joshua choose Ella over her?
Scarlett was dazed, unwilling to lose to Ella like this.
She wasn't willing to accept it.
Joshua looked at her. "I know I've wronged you. I'll compensate you. Of course, if you run into any trouble in the future, you can always come to me."
Scarlett stepped back, trying hard to accept reality.
She couldn't change Joshua's decisions.
Clinging desperately would only make him resent her.
Why not retreat to advance and plan for the long term?
Scarlett stayed calm, raised her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes, and forced a smile.
"Okay, I respect your choice. As for compensation, it's not necessary. It's getting late. You should rest early. I'll head back now."
To make Joshua feel guilty toward her.
As Scarlett turned to leave, she deliberately cried out loud.
Joshua did indeed feel some pity for her and told Brian beside him, "Transfer that villa by the river to her name, and give her another fifty million dollars."
Brian nodded. "Yes."
That night, Joshua returned to the Thomas Manor.
It was past midnight when he arrived. Walking into Aiden's bedroom, he saw Ella asleep with her head on the bed.
He walked quietly behind Ella and looked down at her.
Looking at this Ella who he thought had died and would never come back.
Joshua felt an inexplicable sadness well up in his heart, his eyes turning red.
Joshua thought that maybe God had heard his prayers and wanted to give him another chance to prove himself, which was why Ella was sent back to his side.
Even though what Ella had done was outrageous and infuriating, something no man could accept.
But he still wanted to give her another chance.
Joshua bent down and gently picked Ella up in his arms, carrying her back to their bedroom at the Thomas Manor.
He laid Ella gently on the bed, helped her take off her shoes, and covered her with a blanket.
Finally, he got into bed too, holding her as he fell asleep.
That night, Joshua slept very soundly.
It seemed that having Ella there, smelling her unique scent, made him feel at peace. He didn't have any extra thoughts about other things and slept through till morning.
When Ella woke up, she felt like something heavy was pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
She opened her eyes and looked down. The arm across her chest scared her so much that she immediately sat up, distancing herself from Joshua beside her like he was some kind of dangerous beast.
Her movement woke him up too.
Joshua looked at her panicked state, somewhat confused. "What's wrong?"
Ella quickly got out of bed to avoid him and asked angrily, "How did I end up in your bed? Wasn't I watching over Grandpa?"
Joshua sat up, his face stern, and answered indirectly, "I was kind enough to carry you back here to sleep, and I did something wrong?"