---- Chapter 10 Eliana woke up in an unfamiliar bedroom. She immediately looked down to check her clothes. They had been changed. Asher walked in with a cup of warm water. Seeing her like that, he explained the situation to her. "| had the servant, Wendy, change your clothes. Don't worry. | don't have the habit of taking advantage of a woman when she is unconscious." Eliana was awkward and tried to ease the tension. "Where am 12" Asher replied honestly, "You are at my home." Eliana was taken aback. Asher continued, "You passed out at the wedding venue from an infection. If | dared to take you back like that, Brenden would have been furious with me. So | brought you to my place. Have some water. Your wounds have just been treated, so don't move around too much." Eliana carefully held the warm water. She drank it while looking at Asher up and down. The day she got the phone, she had called Brenden, but Asher ---- went to save her. Before that, she and Asher had barely met a few times. The rumors about him, whether true or false, always made her feel a bit scared. But he didn't seem as intimidating as the rumors suggested now. While she was lost in thought, Asher suddenly leaned in close to her. "What are you thinking about?" Eliana was startled and ended up choking. Asher quickly got up and patted her back to help her catch her breath. "What are you afraid of? I'm not going to bite you." Eliana shook her head. After a long pause, she finally gathered the courage to ask him. "Why do you want to marry me?" The Barton family was the most prominent family in Bexwell and didn't need Asher to sacrifice his freedom to strengthen his family's power. "| don't want to hide it from you. | was once pregnant and almost got married to another guy." Asher laughed after hearing her words. "Do you think my reputation is any better?" Rumors had it that Asher was ruthless and had even turned against his uncle to seize control of the Barton family. ---- His uncle had raised him since he was a little boy. Asher was seen as a cold-hearted, ungrateful man. Eliana shivered, and Asher smirked. "Don't worry. You're my fiancée. I'll take good care of you. Brenden is on a business trip. Stay here at my place for a few days." Eliana didn't refuse. After all, she would get married to Asher later. It was not bad to get used to it a bit earlier. Besides, she didn't want Brenden to see her so miserable. A few days passed, and Brenden came back from his business trip. Asher then took Eliana to her home. The moment she saw Brenden, she threw herself into his arms, and tears streamed down her face. "Brenden, I'm sorry." The last time Eliana was home, she had discussed her marriage to Dean with Brenden. He was adamantly against it. "I've been in charge of our family's business since | was nineteen, and | can judge people well. Dean is not a good guy." "So do you think Asher is a good guy? Brenden, you can't sacrifice my future happiness for the company." Brenden had been very angry back then, and his temples ---- throbbed. He exploded with anger instantly. "If you can marry Dean smoothly, I'll acknowledge him as my brother-in-law." At that time, she and Dean were preparing for their wedding. Eliana confidently retorted, "Then get ready to prepare a gift for your brother-in-law." It turned out Brenden was right. Looking back, Brenden had already known about Dean's scandals. But he knew that Eliana wouldn't believe him no matter what he said. So he let her discover Dean's true colors on her own. Brenden gently patted Eliana's back and comforted her as he did when she was a little girl. "Why are you crying? I'm always here." Asher frowned in displeasure. "You can have a quick hug. I'm still here." Brenden snorted at Asher. "You're even jealous of me? | am Eliana's brother." With that, he glanced cautiously at Eliana's expression. Eliana smiled and said, "Why are you looking at me like that?" As they talked, the conversation turned back to the wedding. ---- According to the plan, Eliana and Asher should have been married a few days ago. But with the unexpected incident, the wedding had to be postponed. Asher said, "| had someone choose an auspicious date. The 28th of next month is a good day for a wedding." Brenden was stunned. "You believe in that? But it's good to set the date early. | won't worry about it then. By the way, it's Eliana's birthday three days later. It will be her last birthday at home. I'm planning a grand birthday party to introduce her to the rich people in Bexwell. And | will announce your marriage then." When Eliana's parents just passed away, Eliana had been kidnapped by some thugs. Since then, Brenden hadn't allowed Eliana to show her face in public. Others only knew Brenden had a sister, but no one knew what she looked like or her name. Asher nodded in agreement. Eliana had no objections, either. But she never expected to run into Dean at her birthday party.