Perfect Match: Irresistible Desire For You
Chapter 62

As soon as Joseph lifted his gaze, his eyes fell upon the important guest which his grandfather had held in such high esteem. At the same time, upon hearing a magnetic male voice, Ashley looked towards the door and laid her eyes on this person. Their eyes met, simultaneously.

She was astonished. ‘The world is so small. What were the chances that Leonard’s grandson was none other than Joseph? I thought I would never bump into him again, let alone in this circumstance. Then again, Marshall is not a common surname. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the two are related in some degree.’

Thinking of this, Ashley’s surprise abated and she returned to her normal self. She stood up and graciously greeted Joseph. “Hello,” she said politely.

It did not even cross Joseph’s mind that the guest his grandfather had lauded was in fact Ashley, rather than an old friend of his. Taking in the beautiful scene of his happy granddad, the stunning Ashley, and several delectable dishes laid out on the table, Joseph could not help but feel moved. He felt content and peaceful in this company. It was a homely, comforting feeling.

Joseph had a poker face when it came to displaying his true feelings. He nodded in greeting at Ashley and casually sat down. The two did not take a second glance at each other. There was a moment of intense silence in the dining room.

Leonard carefully observed the interaction between Joseph and Ashley. He felt a great sense of disappointment in respect of Joseph’s behavior. This polite girl had taken the initiative to greet him so graciously, yet he did not even afford her the courtesy of a reply. Leonard felt helpless at Joseph’s social discourtesy. If he could help it, he wished to assist Joseph in learning to behave more appropriately in Ashley’s presence.

“Ashley, this is my grandson, Joseph.” After letting out a long sigh of disdain at his grandson’s foolishness in his mind, Leonard broke the ice with this brief introduction.

Glaring at Joseph in disapproval, he then introduced Ashley to Joseph. “This is the very same charitable young woman I had spoken about previously, who had so compassionately assisted me when I was injured, and ensured I had a medical examination. Her name is Ashley.”

On completing this introduction, Leonard gave Joseph a wink, encouraging him to make conversation with Ashley. But it was as if the information had gone in through one ear, and left the other. Joseph remained silent, still keeping a poker face. Ashley addressed Joseph once again, “Mr. Marshall, I have heard quite a bit about you.”

Upon hearing this, Joseph could not help his expression, and frowned ever so slightly. He registered the indifferent expression on Ashley’s face, while he thought, ‘Is she really pretending as if she just met me? Does she want to conceal from others that we are acquainted with each other?’ Joseph was dissatisfied with the estrangement of Ashley.

Seated next to Joseph, Leonard could not read any change in Joseph’s expression. The old man was exasperated at his grandson’s behavior. He thought, ‘This time she addressed him directly once again, and he did not even nod. He completely ignored her. The boor!’

The older man could no longer bear the embarrassment of this scene. Before Joseph could reply, he said, “Let’s have lunch, before the food gets cold.” Then he made sure he addressed Ashley specifically, and kindly said, “Ashley, thank you for cooking for us. Please help yourself.”

Leonard was at a loss in respect of how to elude that he knew the two were acquainted. He decided he would just observe how things went between the two of them, and see whether they needed any assistance from him. He was surprised by what he had just witnessed. ‘People who don’t know what happened may think that the two have just met each other. Not only do they not speak to each other much, they don’t even make significant eye contact.’

Thinking of this, Leonard felt defeated. ‘At this rate, when will I have a great grandson?’ He agonized over this thought. Leonard was thinking about this important question with distress, while picking up his bowl and lowering his head to eat.

Joseph wanted to sincerely thank Ashley for her effort. Before he could speak, his grandfather interjected. Then, his grandfather and Ashley both returned to eating silently, so he did the same.

At this time, Joseph paid attention only to Ashley. He did not even notice his grandfather’s strange behavior, even though his grandfather flashed him several disapproving looks.

Meanwhile, Ashley continued to eat with her head down. She was wondering what Joseph was thinking when he stared at her before they had sat down to eat. ‘Is he unhappy?’ She tried to recall the moment when Joseph entered the dining room. Ashley felt everything was fine.

In the end, she concluded that she was overthinking it. Perhaps it was Joseph’s intense, deep eyes which gave her the illusion that there was more to his look, when he had looked at her. Telling from how he had reacted when she greeted him twice, it was just his nature to be cold and he was a man of few words. She had just been overthinking. Rationalizing this way, Ashley felt relieved.

As for the reason behind Ashley greeting Joseph in a manner that indicated that they just met for the first time, she had thought it was improper to show the relationship between the two of them in the presence of an elder such as Leonard. In Ashley’s opinion, however, the two of them were not familiar with each other, but just complicatedly involved.

At the dinner table, the three of them ate in silence for some time. Leonard brought up an appropriate topic to ease the heavy atmosphere. “Ashley, you are a really good cook! Who taught you how to cook?”

“I’m glad you like it. I didn’t learn from anyone. I taught myself and improved with practice. I did, however, have some guidance from my mother and our servants.” Ashley had indeed become a good cook due to her parents. They had ensured that her elder brother and she took turns to cook every alternate day, and did not let anyone offer the children any assistance. With practice, the two siblings became very good cooks over time.

“I’m enjoying this food a great deal! Will you cook for this lonely old man more often?” When Ashley said she was glad Leonard liked the taste of the food, he immediately invited her to cook for him again. Of course, his main intention was to create more opportunities for Ashley and Joseph to interact. As the saying goes, “A waterfront pavilion gets the moonlight first.” This opportunity could not be missed.

When Ashley heard Leonard call himself “a lonely old man”, she couldn’t help but feel shocked. ‘With his grandson beside him, how can he be lonely?’

On second thought, Ashley thought it was understandable. Perhaps Joseph was busy with his work for the greater part of the day and did not have time to satisfy the emotional needs of this elderly, lonely man. She did not mind coming over and spending time with Leonard when she had some free time. She was quite fond of this old man. He was easy to get along with and had such a pleasant demeanor.

While Ashley was considering what Leonard had said, Joseph remarked in an expressionless voice, “Tasty.”

The simple word of praise by Joseph, made both Ashley and Leonard think.

‘Is he praising me? But I don’t understand what he’s trying to communicate.’ Ashley looked at the expressionless Joseph in confusion.