Chapter 278
Ashley was somewhat surprised upon hearing Jaden. She hadn''t expected Jessica to take the bait so quickly.
Previously, when Ashley had heard that Jessica was nning to sell the Ramos Group’s shares secretly, Ashley arranged for
Jaden to have someone from the Zenith Group approach Jessica for a deal. Ashley had thought the negotiation would take some
time, but she hadn’t expected
progress so soon.
Ashley pondered, ‘It seems Jessica is very eager to sell the Ramos Group''s shares secretly. | bet she wants to cash in the
Ramos family’s funds for herself and then run off with the money. Evan and Bertha definitely don’t know about this. If they find
out that Jessica intends to embezzle the Ramos family’s assets, that would indeed be quite a spectacle.’
After a moment of thought, Ashley asked Jaden on the phone, “When will she sign the share transfer agreement?
Jaden replied, “It’s the end of the month now, right? We''ve scheduled the formal signing on the 10th of next month. | had the
general manager of the Zenith Group approach Jessica, and right now, she doesn’t even suspect a thing. She has no idea that
I''m the boss behind the Zenith Group and even less that you’re the major shareholder. Just wait until the day of the contract
signing on the 10th. She will get what’sing to her!
“By the way, should we bring Evan and Bertha along on the day of the contract signing? Let these two old fools see what their
darling da has done. Just thinking about them getting furious makes me feel satisfied! Wait, you won''t go soft on them, would
you?”
Ashley felt as if she was being insulted and retorted in a “Are you questioning me?” tone, saying, “Do you think | would?”
Jaden quickly responded, “Of course not! I''d like to think | know you w enough! Let’s n more over these next few days!”
“Alright, sounds good,” she agreed.
After ending the call, Ashley was about to put her phone back in her pocket when she received messages from Laura and
Miranda.
Laura sent: [Ashley, | just saw the news and was shocked. Did you restore the ancient painting? And you''re Rita?!]
Ashley replied sweetly: [I was asked to keep it a secret when the painting was just restored, so | couldn''t tell you right away.]
Laura was ecstatic as if she had just won a huge lottery jackpot. However, she was also somewhat baffled.
She was thrilled because Ashley was now incredibly popr, even attracting attention from foreign president, which was an
unprecedented
feat.
And Laura was baffled because she felt like her role as Ashley’s agent was. bing redundant since Ashley seemed to handle
everything herself.
Laura thought, ‘Compared to Bryce, Ashley is just so easy to manage, and | don’t even need to worry about anything for her.
Well, | guess getting paid for doing nothing is something others can only dream of. | might as well consider this an early
retirement!
After responding to Laura, Ashley clicked open Miranda’s message: [Ashley, Ryan just came to me saying he wants me to pass
something on to you. | didn’t agree. | think | should ask your opinion first.]
Ashley frowned, thinking irritably, ‘What the hell is wrong with Ryan?”
Since she was currently having dinner with Henry and Paul in a private dining room at the hotel, she felt that it wasn’t appropriate
to be glued to her phone. Therefore, Ashley didn’t dwell on it much and briefly replied. to Miranda: [You don’t need to bother with
Ryan. Are you free tonight? I''d like toe see you.]
Miranda immediately responded: [Yes, I’m free. Come over, Ashle haven''t seen each other for a while. I''ll be waiting.]
Ashley put down her phone and chatted briefly with Henry and Pa
Paul, eager to recruit talent, persistently asked, “Ms. Ramos, are you s you won''t consider working at the National Museum? We
can offer the best sry and benefits!”
In short, he was willing to spend big to recruit her.
After all, who would want to miss out on such a top-notch artifact restoration master?
yo
Ashley apologetically responded, “I’m sorry, Mr. Walker, | really don’t have such ns right now.”
2/5
09:07
She had a lot on her te at the moment, like the matter of Jessica secretly selling the Ramos Group’s shares. Jessica had
already taken the bait, and it wouldn’t be long before the Ramos family would fall apart.
Paul sighed repeatedly with regret, looking as if he had aged several years in an instant.
Ashley thought for a moment and then suggested. “How about this, Mr. Walker? If you ever have artifacts that are particrly
challenging to restore, I’m always willing to help.”
“Really, Ms. Ramos?” Paul’s eyes lit up with excitement. “We would be more than grateful for your help! Let''s agree on that,
then!”
Henry chuckled and pointed at Paul. “Look at how happy you are!”
Then, Henry cleared his throat and asked, “Ashley, are you dating anyone right now?”
Ashley was puzzled and left speechless.
‘Why is he suddenly asking this?’ she wondered.
Henry smiled warmly, “Ashley, if you’re not seeing anyone, my friend’s grandson is around your age. You guys could meet up
and see if you both can hit it off. He’s a very fine young man, tall and handsome!”
Ashley was left speechless again, thinking, ‘Ah, so that’s what this is about...”
Ashley calmly stated with clear eyes, “Mr. Anderson, I’m actually married already. | just haven''t made my marital status public
due to personal
reasons.”
Henry and Paul were both stunned and wondered, ‘What? She’s married already? How sudden is this?”
Just then, as if luck would have it, Ashley’s phone rang, and it was Valentin calling.
“Excuse me, | need to go take this call, Ashley said as she stood up.
Once outside the private room, Ashley answered the phone and asked with a yful tone, “Hey darling, were you just watching
me on TV?”
Valentin’s light, seductive chuckle came through the phone, and then he replied with his deep, maic voice, “Of course, | was
watching my darling the whole time. | didn’t even blink once.”
09.07N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.
Ashley rolled her eyes yfully, thinking, ‘As if. You and your bluffing.”
Valentin’s voice was rxed as he asked, “When will you be done? I’lle pick you up.”
Ashley checked the time, noting it was nearly eight in the evening, and said, “I’m going to see Miranda first, then I''ll head home.
I''ll call you when I’m done there, and you cane pick me up then.”
“By the way.” Ashley tapped her fingers against the corridor wall, teasing, “I was having dinner with Mr. Anderson and Mr. Walker
today, and Mr. Anderson asked if | was dating anyone. He wanted to set me up with
someone.”
Valentin frowned and wondered irritably, ‘Why are there always people eyeing my wife?’
“| just told him that I’m already married!” Ashley replied and pondered whether to make her marriage with Valentin public to avoid
such situations in the future, as she found it rather troublesome.
After a brief chat, Ashley hung up and returned to the private dining
room.
Henry hadn’t recovered from his shock yet and looked at Ashley in disbelief. “Ashley, are you really married?”
Ashley nodded firmly. “Yes, it’s true.”
Henry''s eyebrows knitted together, his protective instincts surfacing. “Who is the guy? Is he good enough for you? What does he
do for a living? He isn’t depending on you for support, is he?”
Ashley blinked and couldn’t help but amusedly imagine, ‘Supporting Valentin, huh? Actually, that is possible and wouldn''t be too
bad. He’s quite a looker. | wouldn’t mind at all, honestly.
Just as Henry was about to ask more, as he was concerned that Ashley might be in a rtionship that wasn’t genuine, his phone
rang.
Seeing the caller ID, Henry’s grim expression softened, and he got up to answer the call with a kind demeanor.
Paul couldn’t help but find it strange. Henry was usually a very stern person, and it was rare to see him so gentle with anyone,
Paul then wondered who was on the other end of the call.
09:070
Chapter 278
Henry walked to the entrance of the private dining room and answered the call with a friendly tone, “Hey, Valentin...”