----Scarlet POV----
"Asten."
I groaned aloud at the sound of his name. I’d been actively avoiding Asten for the past month, and now, it seemed, fate—or something more meddlesome—was forcing me into his unwelcome company.
“Do I really need to be part of this?” I asked, trying to mask my irritation. “I could just explore the grounds and have lunch elsewhere.”
“I’m sorry, my dear, but you’ll have to attend. He specifically requested your presence—said he needs to speak with you,” George replied, his tone laced with pity.
“What could he possibly want to speak to me about?” I huffed. “I can’t think of anything.”
“I know he’s been relentlessly pursuing you since the first time you met him. But he pointedly asked for you, and I couldn’t come up with an excuse fast enough to get you out of i
