Chapter 20
When Ella arrived at the company, she realized it was the weekend.
Nobody was working.
Joshua wasn't at the office either.
She anxiously called him.
But he had blocked her number, so the call wouldn't go through.
With no other choice, she had to call Brian. He answered, and Ella was frantic.
"Brian, my daughter is sick. Can you make an exception and let me into the estate to see her?"
"Or let Patricia take her to the hospital."
Aurora was already in poor health.
If something serious happened this time, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.
Brian sighed, "Mrs. Thomas, I'm really sorry, but Mr. Thomas won't allow them to leave, and he won't allow you to see them either."
"But Aurora is sick. She's so young. If she doesn't get medical care in time, it could be really serious."
Ella was almost in tears.
Before, she thought Joshua was soft-hearted.
Now it seemed he was cold as stone, heartless and cruel.
If Aurora couldn't get medical care in time and something happened to her, she would never forgive him.
Brian maintained the same attitude.
"I'm sorry, I'm just following Mr. Thomas's orders. Why don't you go ask Mr. Thomas yourself?"
Ella knew Brian was just an employee.
No matter what she said, Brian probably wouldn't take pity on her and secretly let her into the estate.
After getting the address from Brian, Ella had to rush over there.
By the time she arrived, it was already noon.
This was a business and leisure venue with a golf course, a perfect place for business tycoons to meet and talk deals.
It was lunchtime now.
Using her identity as Joshua's secretary, Ella easily entered the club and found the restaurant.
Thinking of her daughter, she didn't care about anything else. Seeing Joshua sitting in the restaurant, she rushed over and said frantically, "Joshua, I need to talk to you urgently."
As soon as she spoke, she noticed Scarlett sitting beside him, along with Mason, the Lewis family heir.
There were also several other young men from high society circles.
Each one was well-dressed and good-looking.
Ella recognized them.
They all recognized her too.
But everyone knew she was just Joshua's assistant, an orphan living with the Thomas family.
Someone with her status didn't belong in their high society circle.
If it weren't for Joshua's sake, nobody would pay attention to her.
Ella was self-aware too. She wouldn't force her way into circles where she didn't belong.
Even though she felt she shouldn't be here, she was worried about Aurora.
She could only gather her courage to come and ask Joshua.
At the table, Joshua acted as if he hadn't heard anything, eating his meal with calm elegance.
He didn't even glance at Ella.
Instead, Mason looked at Ella a couple of times, then turned his gaze to Joshua.
"Joshua, why not let her sit down and eat with us?"
"She doesn't deserve it."
Joshua coldly ordered Brian, "What are you standing there for? Get her out of here."
Brian got up and walked toward Ella, using his eyes to signal her to soften her approach and persist.
Joshua was actually soft-hearted.
And Brian could tell that Joshua still had some feelings for Ella.
Otherwise, he would have divorced her and kicked her out long ago.
Especially after learning that Ella had given birth to children for someone else, Joshua was in terrible pain, drinking alone night after night.
When drunk, he would always call out Ella's name.
If that wasn't love, what was it?
Ella also saw Brian's hint.
She walked past Brian, ran to Joshua's side, and lowered herself to plead.
"Joshua, I really need to talk to you urgently. Can we go somewhere else to talk?"
"I have nothing to say to you. Get lost!"
Joshua remained expressionless, sitting upright.
Seeing his friends all watching the drama unfold, he snapped, "Have you all eaten enough? If you're full and have nothing to do, get out."
Everyone looked uncomfortable.
Even if they weren't full.
But Joshua was angry, who would dare stay?
A few perceptive ones quickly stood up and said, "I'm full. Take your time. I'll wait for you at the golf course."
"I'm full too."
"See you at the golf course."
The men quickly disappeared, leaving only the Lewis siblings.
Mason was also perceptive and stood up to pull Scarlett along.
"Let's go, Scarlett."
But Scarlett didn't want to leave. She sat still. "I'm not finished eating yet. You go ahead."
"They have afternoon tea over there. Let's try that."
Mason still pulled Scarlett away.
In his view, what good was it that Scarlett liked Joshua?
She couldn't get the Thomas family's blessing anyway.
He wouldn't wish for a marriage that would make Scarlett suffer.
If Joshua truly loved Scarlett, he would find every way to break through all obstacles and marry her.
If Joshua wouldn't make sacrifices for Scarlett, it proved he wasn't the right choice for her.
Why should they insist?
Ella's gaze unconsciously followed Mason.
She didn't know why, but every time she saw Mason, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.
She couldn't help wanting to get closer to him.
But their social statuses were too different, and she couldn't possibly approach him.
Besides, Ella just felt familiar with him, she didn't have any other thoughts about him.
If there was a misunderstanding and people thought she was interested in Mason...
"Ella, you're so cheap."
When Joshua looked up, he happened to see Ella staring at Mason.
Jealousy surged in his chest for no reason, and he wanted to get angry.
Ella withdrew her gaze. Seeing no one else nearby, she lowered her head and pleaded tearfully, "Joshua, my daughter is sick. Can you let me into the estate to see her?"
Joshua avoided looking at her, and his words came out cruel and cold, "It would be best if she died."
He least wanted to see those two children.
And he didn't want Ella to have anything to do with them.
Letting her see them once a week was already his biggest compromise.
"What did you say?"
Ella's chest tightened. She couldn't believe Joshua would curse her child like this.
She looked at him desperately, her eyes turning red.
Joshua hadn't realized how serious this was, and spoke even more viciously without meaning it.
"They're just bastards anyway. It wouldn't be bad for them to join their father."
As soon as Joshua finished speaking, his handsome face received a resounding slap.
He was stunned, looking up in shock at Ella, who had hit him.
Ella glared at him with hatred, tears rolling down silently.
"You can treat me however you want, but how can you say such vicious things about such young children? Doesn't your conscience hurt?"
For a moment, Joshua was actually stunned.
Despite the burning pain on his face.
He still remained composed, his eyes piercing as he stared at Ella.
Ella said angrily again, "Let me see my children. Do you hear me?"
Only then did Joshua come to his senses, so angry he almost flipped the table.
But he still maintained his composure and gentlemanly manner, sitting there calmly, "Impossible. You can only see them once a week."
"Fine, I'll go find Grandpa."
Ella didn't want to waste time with Joshua and turned to leave.
Joshua immediately reached out to grab her. "You dare try. Is this how you ask someone for a favor?"