By Zephyria 
Naturally, most people scoffed at the article. The fact that Ashley Miller was the head of Miller Law Firm was something everyone reading the article knew. That alone was more than enough to explain how selfish, meticulous, and greedy this man was. And yet, this Ashley Miller fell for some penniless man’s scheme, got married, and even had a child? Preposterous.
If Koi was truly a gold digger and Ashley Miller married him, the only explanation, surprisingly, would be that he was genuinely in love. No matter how you explained the process, the conclusion remained the same.
Ashley Miller married Conor Niles because he loved him.
Furthermore, the news that he had sued every resident in the condo where he lived for insulting Conor Niles only served to solidify this hypothesis. Ashley Miller loves Conor Niles, unbelievably.
Nevertheless, the looks of disbelief had not yet faded. The idea that that Ashley Miller loved someone enough to marry them—and to fall for and marry such a penniless, insignificant person—was utter nonsense. There must be some plausible reason. There must have been some ‘need’ for that man that no one knew about.
Therefore, everyone needed to see it with their own eyes. The reason people attended this party was solely because they heard Ashley Miller would be attending with his partner. Just what kind of man had that heartless, tearless man chosen, and why him?
Amidst a mix of tension, anticipation, and slight unease, someone whispered in an excited voice.
“He’s here, over there!”
Though it was a small whisper, as if they had been waiting for it, everyone’s gaze instantly focused in one direction. In an instant, the party noise vanished, and an awkward silence descended. The man who had just appeared at the entrance to the hall was the very lawyer and firm head everyone knew. And.
‘That man’ revealed himself alongside Ashley Miller, his hand resting lightly on Ashley’s arm.
* * *
“My goodness, Mr. Miller. You made it!”
The party host, accompanied by a hostess, finally approached Ashley and Koi, who had made their appearance. After exchanging handshakes with the beaming host, the hostess, who had been standing half a step away, showed interest in Koi and spoke.
“Is this your partner? Finally meeting you, nice to meet you.”
“Ah, hello. Conor Niles.”
Although Koi had become a Miller after marriage, he usually still used his own name. Above all, saying ‘Miller’ naturally made people think of Ashley, which helped avoid confusion, and he himself still found the surname Miller unfamiliar and awkward.
After greeting the couple in turn, they, as if they had been waiting, led Ashley and Koi into the party venue.
“Everyone’s been looking forward to this. Finally getting to see Mr. Miller’s partner. You kept him hidden so well, we were starting to think we might never get to see him in our lifetime.”
Looking at the elegantly smiling woman, Koi awkwardly smiled back. In truth, he had been completely overwhelmed since the moment he saw the mansion. The enormous house he currently lived in with Ashley often felt awkward, but this place had opened the entire hall for the party and lit up the whole space so brightly it sparkled from afar.
Past the tall lanterns lining the front steps, a corridor lined with massive chandeliers appeared. Emerging from there, the hall where the party was being held finally came into view. All the doors leading to the garden were open, offering a clear, bright view that revealed the refreshing and beautiful scenery of the mansion. The scent of natural greenery mingled harmoniously with the subtle artificial fragrance.
Incredible.
Still not accustomed to such a glamorous environment, Koi tried hard not to look around, but it wasn’t easy. When he craned his neck to look up at the dizzyingly high ceiling, Ashley, walking beside him, leaned in and whispered.
“Do you want it?”
“Huh? Ah, want what?”
Stammering in surprise, Koi asked. Ashley answered with a secretive smile.
“This house.”
For a moment, Koi thought he had misheard. Why is he asking this? Not asking if he likes the house, but if he wants it. Besides, we have a house…?
“Are we moving?”
When Koi whispered back, Ashley spoke nonchalantly.
“If you want.”
Is he saying he’d buy this house? Why all of a sudden?
Bewildered by the sudden topic, Koi focused on the latter part. Anyway, he’s asking for my opinion.
“Necessarily…? I like the house we live in now.”
But if the kids grow up and throw parties or something, it would be nice if we could light up the whole house brightly like here. Barbecuing in the garden, swimming, drinking cocktails.
How fun would that be?
When Koi conveyed these thoughts, Ashley nodded, saying, “Sure.”
“If that’s what you want, by all means.”
At that moment, the two envisioned different scenes. Koi imagined children playing near the pool, Ashley standing in front of the barbecue grill cooking sausages and steaks, and himself watching them.
And Ashley imagined people chatting in small groups while eating barbecue cooked by a skilled professional chef, staff walking around with cocktails and sodas among children running around freely, and himself rolling around in bed with Koi, just the two of them, listening to the party noise through the wide-open bedroom window.
With one completely unaware and the other completely indifferent to how different their thoughts were, they greeted and chatted with the party attendees.
“Mr. Niles, are you alone?”
Someone spoke to Koi after a whirlwind of introductions had ended, just as Ashley had been pulled away by a group of people and Koi was left alone catching his breath. Turning his head absentmindedly, he saw a few people from earlier standing there.
What were their names?
Too many people had passed by; he couldn’t remember at all. Koi awkwardly responded, feeling embarrassed.
“Ah, yes. Ash had something to attend to briefly…”
The woman who had spoken to him smiled as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
“I see. How are you finding it? Enjoying yourself so far?”
“Ah… yes. So far…”
When he gave another vague answer, another woman nodded.
“It’s your first time at an event like this, so it’s understandable to feel awkward. When I first started mingling with people like this, I was at a loss for what to do. You’ve all been there, right?”
“Of course, absolutely.”
“You get so tense, worried you might make a mistake.”
“It takes a while to adjust.”
As if they had been waiting, others chimed in. Soon, heads were nodding here and there as people began sharing their own experiences. The awkward atmosphere vanished amid laughter and lighthearted jokes, and Koi finally relaxed. If he didn’t fit in properly here, Ashley would worry. If any bad rumors spread, it wouldn’t be good for Ashley either…
“You get used to it; it’s nothing special. Everyone goes through a similar process.”
When someone said thoughtfully, another person changed the topic.
“I was really looking forward to this party, weren’t you?”
“Of course, I was so excited.”
As if it were a signal, various comments started pouring out.
“We’re very curious about Mr. Niles.”
“Right, Mr. Miller never tells us anything.”
“He could have at least shown us a picture. Was he so precious he wanted to hide you away? He seems cold, but maybe he’s more possessive than he looks.”
Everyone laughed at someone’s joke. As if they had heard something utterly ridiculous. Koi also laughed, shaking his hand.
“Of course, it’s not like that… It’s just, I enjoy being with the baby, so he was just being considerate of me.”
At his words, everyone froze, their smiling faces fixed as they stared at Koi. Stunned by the sudden, strange silence, Koi blinked in confusion. Did I say something wrong?
“Considerate…”
Someone repeated the word Koi had used, muttering, and another voice picked it up.