Torn Between Love and Hate

Chapter 248

Chapter 248 Returning Everything to You

In front of the media and the public, Ashton suddenly knelt down and announced that he wanted to

confess his past crimes to the world.

A single stone stirs up a thousand ripples.

The online attention skyrocketed rapidly, with related topics successively topping the trending list.

The media couldn’t wait to write their news articles, so they directly broadcasted the scene of Ashton

kneeling down online.

Since Ashton knelt down in public, it seems that he naturally didn’t mind being watched by everyone

online.

When Deborah received the news, she was sitting on the living room couch, researching and

comparing wedding venues on her phone.

Evelyn called in a frenzy, “Deborah! Deborah, quickly check the news online!

Ashton just knelt down in public! You have to see it; the way he’s acting is as if he’s giving his last

words!”

Deborah clicked on the link sent by Evelyn and quickly saw the live broadcast.

The setting was outside the cemetery, where Hector had just been laid to rest.

Richmond had just experienced a heavy downpour, leaving the ground damp and shrouded in a layer

of mist that followed the rain.

Gloomy and deserted, yet amidst the numerous media onlookers, it appeared chaotic

and noisy.

Ashton knelt on the ground, looking at the camera lens.

Countless reporters stretched out their microphones, amplifying his voice continuously.

It had been quite some time since Deborah last saw him.

The last time, about a month or two ago, she took Alyssa to his hospital room and said that Alyssa

would donate bone marrow to him.

After the bone marrow donation, they should not have any further contact with each

Chapter 245eturning Es hing to You

other.

A month or two is a period that’s neither too long nor too short.

At this moment, through the phone screen, Deborah looked at Ashton again.

For a brief moment, she thought she had seen it wrong; the person on the screen didn’t really resemble

him.

He had lost much more weight since last time, his eye sockets appeared sunken, and his overall

condition was utterly disheartened.

That terrible and frightening aura, even separated by the screen, still clearly overflows.

Deborah was momentarily taken aback.

The live streaming interface clearly displayed his name, and the internet was flooded with news

articles, all discussing the incident of him kneeling down.

If it weren’t for this, Deborah would be amazed at how there could be two people who

‘looked so alike.

The facial features were similar, but the spirit and energy were completely different, as if they were two

separate people.

During the live broadcast, Ashton’s amplified voice was clearly transmitted, word by word, sentence by

sentence.

It seemed as if the media was afraid that the public wouldn’t be able to hear clearly or understand what

was happening, so they hastily added subtitles to the live broadcast.

“Three years ago, my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia and her life was hanging by a thread.

However, I believed that she wasn’t my child, so I refused to acknowledge her and didn’t care about her

life or death.

Using this as leverage, I forced my ex-wife Deborah to donate her liver, subjecting her to drug trials and

endless torment. Her liver was severely damaged, leading to liver failure, and eventually, she

developed liver cancer…”

Deborah stared at her phone screen, her expression calm and indifferent.

Ashton recounted all the past events, big and small, one by one. Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Including Zayne’s injured hand, the Gaige family faced slander and accusations due to

the harm he had suffered.

He said, “My ex-wife and daughter died at my hands. It was the Moxley family, Mr. Joseph Black, and

Mr. Zayne Gaige who saved them, allowing them to be resurrected.

I wanted them dead, and even if they are fortunate enough to be alive today, it cannot

erase the fact that I once took their lives…”

The media present could hardly believe their ears.

Deborah watched Ashton as he finished speaking, stood up, and left.

She was reluctant to admit it, but at this moment, she had no choice but to acknowledge

that she had spent so many years with him, and she knew him well.

That kind of understanding was etched deep into her bones. Just like at this moment,

what she saw on his face was utter despair, a sense of having nothing left to live for.

The internet quickly erupted into a storm of outrage, with torrents of abuse directed at

Ashton, the Mullen family, and the Mullen Group.

The stock price of the Mullen Group has been plummeting, and the executives and

shareholders of the Mullen Group are all pointing fingers at Ashton, accusing him of not caring about

the company’s fate.

At this point, Hector had just passed away, which meant that the Mullen Group was going through a

turbulent and unstable phase.

Yet, at this critical moment, he spoke about those matters in front of the media,

unintentionally making the company’s situation even worse, almost pushing it to the brink of collapse.

No matter how much people criticize him online or how much the company’s executives

scold him, Ashton remains silent.

The company’s top management had no other choice and could hardly ever meet with Ashton, so they

had to approach Jeff instead..

At this point, there was no other solution. The only option was to have Jeff persuade Ashton to speak

out again in front of the media.

Let’s see if there’s anything more to say to salvage the situation, at least to prevent the

company from falling further into difficulties.

Unable to withstand the pressure from the Mullen Group’s higher-ups, Jeff had no choice but to seek

help from Ashton.

For several days in a row, Ashton stayed in his bedroom without coming out.

When Jeff entered the bedroom to look for him, he pushed open the door and was immediately hit by a

strong smell of smoke and alcohol.

Jeff was quite frightened. He looked at the messy cigarette butts and liquor bottles in the bedroom, his

face pale as he immediately stepped forward to dissuade.

“Mr. Mullen, the doctor has already explained that you’ve just had surgery. There’s a significant chance

of relapse after the operation, so smoking and drinking are strictly prohibited. Otherwise, in the

future…”

Ashton sat on the carpet beside the bed, slowly turning his gaze toward him upon hearing the words.

“Jeff, what else do I have in the future?”

Sometimes Jeff could hardly believe that this person, in his current state, could be

Ashton.

Jeff said in a serious tone, “Mr. Mullen, the doctor has examined you and said that you’re currently

experiencing psychological issues.

Psychological disorders can lead to feelings of pessimism, but with proper treatment, things will

improve quickly. Remember, your body is your own, and it shouldn’t be

mistreated.”

Ashton interrupted him, “What brings you in here?”

Jeff couldn’t persuade him any further, knowing that he wouldn’t listen.

All he could say was, “The higher-ups in the company have expressed their concern about the severe

decline in the Mullen Group’s stock price. Continuing like this is not sustainable. They hope that you

can step in to provide an explanation and help salvage

the situation.”

Ashton fell silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed. “Why should I explain? You know best whether

what I said was true or not. If I didn’t intend to admit it, I wouldn’t

have said it in front of the media.”

Jeff was at a loss for words.

He had been by Ashton’s side for so many years, and he knew best whether or not Ashton was the one

who had done those things back then.

Everything Ashton said in front of the media was not a single word of falsehood.

The online insults didn’t wrong him by a single word.

The Mullen Group can’t just let it end like this…

Jeff sighed, “Mr. Mullen, the company can’t keep going like this.”

Ashton glanced out the window and said, “Jeff, it’s my own fault. There’s not much to

explain.”

Deborah’s days continued to be peaceful.

Most of the time, she was busy working on design drafts. During her leisure time, she accompanied

Alyssa and further researched wedding matters.

The online accusations and insults directed at Ashton did not have much of an impact

on her.

The media, on the other hand, is not unwilling to interview her and get some headline.

news.

Questions such as whether she still has feelings for Ashton, if she hates him, if she has completely let

go, and what her plans are for the future.

Casually conducting an interview can easily lead to an explosive revelation.

But Joseph shielded her from all those troubles, so she didn’t have to worry about them

anymore.

The tranquil days passed by, and in the blink of an eye, more than a month had gone by.

One afternoon in early May, she received a phone call from Rebecca.

Rebecca would usually call her proactively, and it would almost always be about Ashton.

Upon seeing the caller ID, Deborah instinctively didn’t feel like answering.

But over there, they’ve always been stubborn. If she doesn’t answer, the phone just keeps ringing.

Deborah was a bit annoyed, but she still answered the call.

Rebecca’s voice came from over there, sounding unusually exhausted.

“Deborah, please come to Moxley Manor. I have something to tell you. Everything about the Moxley

family, I should have returned it to you long ago.”