Chapter 261 I'm Not Clean Anymore, Do You Still Want Me?
After Ambrose pulled Scarlett into the car, he stood at the door and ordered his men to search the villa for her kidnappers.
Scarlett stayed silent, because when she'd left, Ulysses had already gone. His people wouldn't find Ulysses even if they went up there now.
Ulysses had told her not to reveal his identity, or he wouldn't be able to return to the Mitchell family.
The convoy of cars rolled down the mountain. Scarlett sat in the vehicle without saying a word, just staring blankly at the pitch-black mountain shadows through the window.
Perhaps feeling the air conditioning was too strong, she said, "Open the window."
Ambrose, who had been watching her intermittently, rolled down the glass halfway. Mountain air rushed in, carrying the scent of grass and trees, refreshingly cool and invigorating.
"Aren't you going to ask me what happened?" Scarlett turned to look at him.
He reached out and took her hand. "If you want to talk about it, talk. If you don't, then don't."
In the darkness, his expression wasn't entirely clear, but his prominent jawline told her he was clenching his teeth.
His words sounded considerate, but she knew he was furious inside. She didn't give him a chance to catch his breath before continuing, "Someone violated me just now."
Those words stabbed into Ambrose's heart like a knife. The hand holding hers suddenly tightened painfully. After a long moment, his voice came out hoarse and trembling.
"I'll make that person pay."
Scarlett studied him through the shifting shadows. His jaw was clenched even harder now.
He had been her first man. Hearing that someone had violated her—he couldn't handle it.
Just as she'd expected, every man cared about this kind of thing. She might as well use this to sever the entanglement between them.
As soon as Scarlett returned to the hotel, she went straight into the bathroom, leaving Ambrose alone in the room with his rage.
Standing by the window, Ambrose's expression was dark, his entire body radiating murderous intent as he stared outside.
When someone knocked on the door, he opened it to find not just Chase, but also Soren. Soren had come to confirm Scarlett's safety, but seeing Ambrose made his heart sink.
"Mr. Boleyn, is Ms. Mellon alright?"
Ambrose looked at him coldly. "Find an excuse to cancel this project. Otherwise, I'll make sure your hotel never opens."
Soren didn't dare say another word. He kept his head down and said he wanted to see Scarlett, but Ambrose sent him away. Ambrose would never let Scarlett come to Luminous City again.
After Soren left awkwardly, Chase told Ambrose with a serious expression, "While investigating the Mitchell family, I found out that Ulysses was released from detention. He's also in Luminous City. Do you think he might be behind this?"
Standing in the doorway, Ambrose's face was dark, radiating murderous intent beneath a calm surface.
"Look into it. If it was him, bring him back. I want to see him."
If it were Ulysses, his chances of survival would be slim.
Chase left, and Ambrose closed the door. Scarlett emerged from the bathroom. Ambrose turned to see her wearing pajamas, bundled up tightly, but he could still see red marks on her arms.
His eyes narrowed slightly, but only for a moment before returning to normal. He walked toward her.
"Let me dry your hair." His voice remained as usual, betraying no emotion.
Scarlett sat on the edge of the bed, watching him quietly.
His face showed no emotion. He went to the bathroom to get the hairdryer, then dried her hair just like he always had.
She wanted to see how long he could keep this up.
When her hair was dry, Scarlett lay down on the bed. Ambrose showered and came out, climbing into bed and wrapping his arm around her waist.
Scarlett didn't want him holding her while she slept. She twisted away. "I want to sleep alone. Get another room."
"I won't do anything. I just want to hold you while we sleep," Ambrose said softly.
Scarlett resisted. "I don't want anyone next to me. I won't be able to sleep."
If she hadn't been violated, Ambrose definitely wouldn't have listened to her. But the situation was different now—he had to consider her feelings.
"Alright, I'll go next door. Sleep well." He got out of bed.
"I'll be next door. Call me if you need anything." Before leaving, Ambrose reminded her, then lowered his head to kiss her.
Scarlett flinched instinctively. Ambrose froze, not daring to kiss her.
He bit down hard on his teeth, then finally stood up and left.
After hearing the door close, Scarlett sat up in bed, staring at the closed door, lost in thought for a while.
The next day, Scarlett woke according to her biological clock. She'd slept extremely well last night—perhaps because she'd obtained evidence of Octavia framing her, or perhaps because she'd made Ambrose suffer.
After washing up, she stepped out of her room and heard knocking. She opened the door to see Ambrose.
"You're up. Let's have breakfast, and then we'll head back."
Scarlett's work was done, so she could indeed return to Silverlight City. She agreed to go back with him.
On the return trip, they took Ambrose's private jet. Scarlett looked around in surprise, seeing that only a few of them were on the plane.
She'd heard before that wealthy people had private jets, but now, being inside one, Scarlett felt curious and looked around.
"Feel free to look around," Ambrose said, seeing her curiosity and encouraging her to explore the plane.
Scarlett's curiosity was only momentary, and she wasn't that interested. She shook her head. "No need."
She picked up her phone and started playing with it, completely ignoring Ambrose.
Ambrose watched her for a long time. Seeing that she was still in the same state as after their argument that night, he spoke up.
"Those few days when I didn't come home, I really was just busy. I stayed at the office the whole time. If you don't believe me, you can check the security footage."
Scarlett's finger paused on her phone. She glanced up at him.
"No need."
Her reaction was flat, as if it had nothing to do with her. This made Ambrose increasingly anxious and frustrated.
"You don't trust me?"
Scarlett was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I don't want to talk about this right now."
Ambrose thought she was still upset about last night's incident, so he didn't dare push her and kept quiet.
But he couldn't see any change in her—she seemed the same as usual, cold toward him. This coldness had continued from that day in the office until now.
Was she angry about him not coming home those few days?
For a moment, Ambrose couldn't figure out what she was thinking, and it frustrated him terribly.
After the plane took off, Chase came over. Ambrose knew he had something to report and got up to go to the office area for discussions.
Scarlett glanced coolly at his retreating figure. Had he found out about Ulysses?
Chase had indeed tracked Ulysses's whereabouts. Last night, Ulysses had left his hotel, but where he went couldn't be determined.
The time he was gone was from 10 PM to 2 AM—exactly when Scarlett had gone missing.
"Have someone bring him in," Ambrose said.
Two hours later, the plane landed at Silverlight City airport. Ambrose brought Scarlett back to Lakeside Garden. At this time, the two children were at school, and only Rhea was home.
Rhea didn't know Scarlett had been in danger. Seeing them return, she went to the market to buy ingredients for lunch.
After Rhea left, Ambrose held Scarlett in the bedroom.
"The person who violated you—was it Ulysses?"
Scarlett pushed him away. "Let go of me first."
Ambrose released her as she asked, but he was also insistent that she answer. She replied expressionlessly:
"I don't know who it was either."