ã€ŠA Love Trapã€‹


 Chapter 1 Betrayal

    Chapter 1 Betrayal

    "Dad, Mom, Ashley, thank you for attending our engagement ceremony. Raymond and I are so happy

    that you''re here with us. May I propose a toast everyone? For the start of our new life, for love, and for

    the family! Cheers!" the endearing girl proposed as she raised her ss with a beaming smile.

    Wearing a flowing white off-the-shoulder, knee-length satin dress, the angel-faced woman was basking

    in infinite happiness. With a calm and contented expression, she was holding a man''s arm intimately.

    On the contrary, the man in white, tailored business suit, appeared to be uneasy. Looking at him, one

    would know that he was not happy. Instead of fixing his eyes on his radiant fiancee, heid his eyes on

    a girl. With a simple shove of his hand, he tried to withdraw his hand from his wife-to-be, but thetter

    tightened her grip.

    "Raymond!" The elegant middle-aged woman beside him called out his name casually, warning him to

    behave properly. Her voice was filled with mirth and a tinge of displeasure.

    The woman''s voice pulled Raymond Luo back from his thoughts. Holding on to his ss, he shifted his

    gaze from that girl to his fiancee reluctantly.

    Forcing a faint smile on his face, he greeted his fiancee''s parents respectfully, "Dad, Mom."

    Despite his mother''s thugs and warns, he couldn''t stop himself from stealing nces at that girl

    asionally.

    Taking the absent look on Raymond''s face, Lena Mu pinched his hand forcefully. Gnashing her teeth,

    she sneered at Ashley Mu who kept her head down with resentment in her eyes.

    "What are you doing, Ashley? Lena and her fianc¨¦ are making a toast. Lift your ss, for goodness

    sake!" Peggy Su nudged Ashley who kept a low profile trying to be invisible. She handed a ss of

    wine to the shy girl.

    "Ashley, thanking you foring here," Lena Mu said to Ashley Mu in a soft tone as she raised her

    ss.

    Timidly, Ashley Mu was forced to take the ss. Looking up at Lena Mu and Raymond Luo, she

    scoffed in her heart, ''One is handsome, and the other is pretty. A cheater and a bitch. They are perfect

    for each other.''

    A faint smile climbed up the corners of her lips. Her smile was so dazzling that no one could look away

    from her whenever she shed her perfect teeth. She said, "Congrattions! May you live happily

    forever!" With one swift swig, she emptied the ss of wine down her throat.

    "Thank you, Ashley! For sure I and Raymond will live a happy life," Lena Mu replied sweetly, leaning

    her head on Raymond Luo''s shoulder like a timid kitten. With that, she shifted her gaze from her fiance

    towards Ashley Mu. She gave her a provocative stare and looked at her from head to foot.

    Feeling insulted by her criticizing stare, Ashley Mu gave a wider and merrier smile in response to her

    challenging behavior.

    With an arrogant air, Lena Mu gave her sister a resentful stare and pulled her fianc¨¦ to another table to

    greet other guests.

    Taken aback for a moment, Ashley Mu took a deep breath and joined her parents as they returned to

    their seats. When she faced her parents, her lips curved into a scoff. ''I know what they are up to. Today

    is Lena and Raymond''s engagement party. They insisted on asking me to be here because they

    wanted me to give up on Raymond.

    They are into talking to their friends, but now they stay with me. Are they afraid that I might ruin this

    betrothal ceremony?''

    Sitting idly, Ashley Mu started to get bored. Turning to her parents, she said, "Dad, Mom, I am a little

    tired. I''d like to go home."

    "No, you can''t," Peggy Su declined sternly the moment she finished her statement.

    "But, why?" Ashley Mu asked with a scowl. The response was unexpected, making her mulled in

    confusion, ''If she is worried that I might ruin this party, there is no need. Lena and Raymond are now

    engaged and I can do nothing about it. They are supposed to rest assured.

    Or...

    are they up to something behind my back?''

    Out of the blue, her head was throbbing. She held her head with her hands, and a surge of heat ran

    through her body. ''What''s going on? I am feeling dizzy. And my headache is killing me. Did I catch a

    fever?

    I only drank one ss of wine. There is no way that I would be tipsy, '' she wondered, trying to keep

    sober.

    Seeing her struggle, Peggy Su walked over to Ashley Mu and said, "What''s the matter with, Ashley?

    You don''t look good. I will take you to a room so you can have some rest." Without asking for her

    daughter''s opinion, she helped her up and pulled her upstairs.

    As they reached the second floor, Ashley Mu tried to free herself from her mother''s grasp. She had a

    feeling that something was not right. "Let go of me!" she shouted as she braced herself. She was

    desperate to be left alone and fought her way out with all her might.

    However, her attempt was in vain. She could barely stand, let alone get rid of Peggy''s tight grip.

    As her daughter kept on trying to withdraw her hand from her, Peggy dragged her to a quiet corner and

    pped her in the face furiously.

    "You wicked girl. You are lucky that Mr. Du is interested in you. As long as you can make him happy,

    you can live afortable life and our family can get several big deals from him. So keep quiet and

    follow me," she cursed with a vicious look.

    The p brought Ashley Mu back to her senses. Upon hearing Peggy''s harsh statement, she couldn''t

    help but give her a disdainful sneer.

    ''What''s wrong with them? They are using me to butter up that Michael Du who is in the real estate

    business. That man is old enough to be my father.

    Besides, he is fat and loves abusing young girls sexually. His victims ended up being miserable.

    They are putting me in big trouble, but she made it sound like she''s doing it for my sake.

    Although I am not their biological daughter, I have lived with them for more than ten years. Do I mean

    nothing to them? How could they treat me like this?'' she pondered bitterly.

    Feeling sorry for herself, Ashley Mu gathered all her strength, pushed her mother away and ran

    towards the direction opposite to the ce she was led to.

    Her reaction left Peggy dazed and stunned. The olddy was snapped out of her bewilderment, she

    watched as Ashley ran and dashed forward. There was a malicious look in her eyes.

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    Furious at her careless action, Peggy''s blood curdled as she ran after her daughter.

    When Ashley heard footsteps drawing closer from behind without looking back, she bit her lower lip

    hard. She pushed her feet harder and ran as fast as she could, not intending to be caught by her

    mother.

    ''No.

    I can''t be caught by her.

    Otherwise, I will be as good as dead. I can''t let them ruin my life!'' she thought, determined to escape

    her ill fate.

    ncing back, she caught sight of Peggy Su who wasing her way. Her mind raced as to what she

    would do. Then her attention was caught by a door opened ajar. Without any hesitation, she sneaked

    into the room, locked the door and leaned against the door frame.

    Out of strength, she copsed to the ground and sat against the door.

    The hotel room might be soundproof so she couldn''t hear any noise from outside. Heaving a breath of

    relief, she lifted her head and examined the ce. The ckout curtains were closed, but she could

    see theyout as rays of moonlight came in through the curtain gap.

    Running her eyes across the room, she noticed that there was a king-sized bed in the middle of the

    room. An oversized TV was ced right opposite the bed, and a desk was on the left side. Clothes

    were scattered on the floor, a pair of socks, and a coat, a belt strangled with a tie, a lump of ck

    trousers and a shirt. Obviously, they belonged to a man.

    Her head was throbbing and her temples were in searing pain. With her situation, she anticipated that

    any moment from now she would definitely pass out. Numbness crept all over her body and she could

    only hear the sound of water dripping on the floor from the bathroom.

    As she grew more feverish, she was dying to take off all her clothes and go under in a cold bath.

    Feeling a little drowsy, she bit her lower lip harder to addle herself from her own rising body

    temperature. Certainly, it would take an idiot not to know what was happening to her. She couldn''t

    believe how foolish she was and she had to shake her head in disbelief.

    She was certain that she had been drugged by her foster mother.

    Pushing her hands against the wall and managing to get up, she thought it necessary to make an

    apology, considering the fact that she barged in, unweed. Besides, she also nned to get the

    owner''s permission to use the bathroom since she badly needed to take a cold shower.

    Before she could even reach the bathroom, its door was opened.

    Blinded by the sudden bright light from the bathroom, Ashley Mu squinted her eyes and caught sight of

    a tall, hefty man. He only wore a bath towel wrapped around his body as he stepped out of the

    bathroom. Since she was losing her consciousness, she couldn''t get a picture of his face clearly.

    Despite that, she spected that the man was over 188 cm tall and had a well-shaped face. Besides,

    he exuded a powerful vibe.

    If she was on her right mind and not under the circumstance of her mother pushing her like a harlot,

    Ashley Mu would turn around and run away. But since her mother was outside, she didn''t have any

    other choice but to stay.

    She saw the half-naked man, with water still dripping down his pale skin, and the scent of the body

    wash diffusing from within him wafted through her nose. With all these teasing her senses, she felt a

    burning desire within her and was overwhelmed by the sensation.

 Chapter 2 A Dangerous Man

    Chapter 2 A Dangerous Man

    Andrew Lu found a woman standing in the room when he opened the door. Under any other

    circumstances, he would have thrown out somebody who entered his room without his permission.

    But the second he saw Ashley, he was rooted to the spot.

    Something stirred within him and, sure enough, something hardened inside his towel.

    Andrew was surprised at his body''s reaction to this stranger. He never imagined that someone like

    Ashley would turn him on. For one, he was extremely fussy when it came to women. His strange

    aversion to women''s perfumes was a testament to this fact.

    That exined why he wasn''t seen with any women.

    Pushing that thought aside, his face turned grim. ''Only a few people know I''m here right now. Who sold

    me out?'' Andrew thought to himself.

    Meanwhile, Ashley sauntered towards him but tripped and fell right into his arms.

    When their eyes met, Andrew felt his pulse quicken.

    "Oh my!" He whispered.

    Regaining control of his senses, he frowned at the woman in his arms, trying his best to look annoyed

    at the intrusion.

    He stood there, his face like thunder. His disdain for the woman was clearly written across his face.

    Ashley, however, relished the feel of his cool skin on her, and before she could stop herself, she was

    hugging his taut waist.

    "Mmm! That''s so nice!" she murmured.

    To her, Andrew was nothing more than a huge chunk of ice meant to douse the drug-induced fire

    coursing through her body.

    She was losing consciousness by now.

    But more importantly, she wasn''t behaving like herself as the man she was unknowingly seducing was

    way out of her league.

    "It''s so hot..." she whispered. The effects of the drug continued to ravage her body. She felt as though

    her insides were burning up and finally broke down.

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    Andrew already regretted not pushing her away at first, but now he felt much worse as this woman

    shamelessly took advantage of him.

    Yet, for some reason he was reluctant to reject her. ''Could it be because she doesn''t wear the strong

    perfume that I loathe on most women?'' he pondered.

    Everything, including Andrew''s face, had turned blurry for Ashley. Andrew carried her over to the bed

    andid her down.

    Her rippling ck hair fell in a thick mass around her. Her purple dress slipped from her shoulder,

    revealing her creamy skin.

    Her petite face was flushed. Her skin had turned pink. And beads of sweat ran down from her white

    forehead. Her rosy lips looked more inviting as she bit them.

    Watching this luscious woman before him, Andrew broke into a sweat despite having stepped out of a

    cold shower just minutes ago.

    "You''ve brought this upon yourself!" he growled.

    The lust in his eyes turned to fire as he threw himself to her.

    ...

    "Oh!" The noise outside woke Ashley up. It seemed to be getting louder and she vaguely heard her

    name being called out amid all thatmotion.

    Suddenly Ashley remembered that her wine contained a philtrest night.

    Her eyes shot open at once. Ashley got up so fast that she felt a pain inside her special area. "Ouch!"

    she cried.

    In doing so, the sheet slipped from her body, and she saw that her body was covered in bruises.

    Moreover, the pain between her thighs killed her.

    The sight of the scars all over her body made her eyes well up. And a memory shed vividly in her

    mind. Peggy had secretly added the philtre in her wine and was about to give her away as a gift to

    Michael Du.

    Scattered memories ofst night were surfacing in her mind. Slowly it was alling back to her. She

    had managed to get rid of Peggy and had run into an unlocked room.

    As Ashley tried to piece together more information, she turned to her side and saw a man lying next to

    her. His eyes closed and his thin lips slightly pouted. His handsome face was sculpted perfectly, and he

    looked so peaceful right now.

    Ashley breathed a deep sigh of relief when she saw the man''s face.

    ''Thank god! It wasn''t Michael Dust night!'' she thought to herself.

    Ashley clenched her teeth as the noise outside became louder. She was certain that source of the

    noise was Peggy. She must have given up looking for herst night only to resume today.

    Fortunately, the man didn''t tear her dressst night. She found her clothes and dressed herself. Luckily,

    the long hemline hid all the bruises on her body.

    "Ouch! It hurts so bad!" Ashley muttered irritably as soon as she got out of bed. All of a sudden her

    knees went weak and her arms felt heavy. She tumbled down but swiftly gripped the bed for bnce.

    She red at the man lying on the bed as the nagging pain between her legs was killing her.

    Ashley forced herself to stand up despite the pain. She was certain that Peggy and her team were only

    after her and she didn''t want to create troubles for this man. So she decided to slip out quietly.

    She grabbed the bed for support and tried to get up but suddenly a warm hand gripped hers.

    Ashley looked up to find that the man was awake.

    He was quietly observing her, a strange emotion sparkling in his attractive eyes, which would have

    made any woman go weak in the knees.

    Without bothering about niceties, Ashley blurted out,"They are looking for me. You''d better hide now.

    You can leave after I go."

    "I can take care of this for you," he offered after a while of silence, just before Ashley almost lost her

    patience. His voice was deep and still a little hoarse as he had just woken up - it sounded so

    intoxicating. Which woman could resist such an attractive voice?

    Ashley, however, was an exception.

    She knew that anyone who could afford to live here was either rich or powerful, or both! This man could

    help her get rid of Peggy once and for all. After all, they didn''t have the balls to go against a powerful

    man like him. After a moment''s hesitation, Ashley decided to take a chance.

    But she hadn''t expected this stranger to offer to help her even before she asked. She believed that

    there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world but right now she was so grateful for his offer.

    "And what do you want in return?" she asked warily. Although she was reluctant to ept the

    stranger''s offer, she knew she needed his protection. After all, she didn''t want to be unprepared when

    she faced them. She knew nothing of their ns.

    "Kiss me!" he demanded.

    Ashley was so shocked that she couldn''t speak. ''What?''

    Ashley looked at Andrew in confusion.

    "Kiss me!" Andrew said again. He was the sort of man who got what he wanted without ever having to

    repeat his words, but seeing Ashley''s baffled expression, he couldn''t help but ask again.

 Chapter 3 She Was Exhausted

    Chapter 3 She Was Exhausted

    Ashley took some time before she convinced herself. ''I think I''ll do it. We''ve already spent one night

    together, and he''s really good looking. I don''t think a kiss will hurt anyone. I''ll do it!''

    She muttered to herself as her heart was about to explode with anxiety.

    Ashley stared at the ample red lips of the man beside her. She was tempted to get closer. Then, with a

    reddened face, she leaned in and kissed him.

    It was a fast kiss, not even longer than a second.

    Ashley quickly pulled back her blushing face before Andrew noticed what she did.

    Andrew opened his eyes, sincerely disappointed with what had happened. He was hoping for

    something more passionate than a quick kiss.

    Ashley felt awkward with Andrew''s gaze. She tried to act cool as she moved away from him. However,

    her head was full of questions and doubts. ''He clearly shows signs that he wants me to make a move.

    Does he want me to make a move? Is the kiss good enough?''

    "How about we try another one?" Andrew said with a cold charismatic voice as if he knew what Ashley

    was thinking.

    Andrew was a tough-minded businessman, only making arrangements that were beneficial to him or to

    hispany. He never found himself in the losing end of any deal. The kiss was not an exception. He

    wanted something more and he must get it.

    Andrew''s words made Ashley understand that this was just the beginning. Her eyes were filled with

    both shyness and a hint of indecency. Slowly, she found herself moving closer to his face.

    Ashley then pressed her lips against Andrew''s. This time it was different. It wasn''t just a quick peck, but

    was filled with passion instead. She lusted after those gentle, smooth lips with the faint scent of

    cigarette.

    Ashley realized that this was her first real kiss. Andrew was the first man she slept with. She had dated

    Raymond but usually they just walked side by side while holding hands. Raymond would only kiss her

    on the cheeks. He never once dared to give her a passionate kiss on the lips, much less to have sex.

    Andrew wasn''t fond of women''s perfume. He found it too pungent. Ashley didn''t wear one but her skin

    still smelled likevender. Andrew tried to resist smelling her, but the faint arousing scent made him

    crave more.

    Andrew smirked as he gazed upon Ashley ¨C her sweet lips, her shy eyes, her alluring body. The pink

    bruises on her smooth skin reminded Andrew of the sensual night they shared. He caressed her body

    with vigor, touched her in her most sensitive ces. The brief shback made him realize that Ashley

    didn''t know how to kiss. She only used her lips and not her mouth

    Andrew couldn''t control himself anymore. He wanted to be more passionate, more aggressive in this

    kiss that they shared.

    He reached for the phone in the table beside their bed and dialed a number. The call connected and

    with a cold voice he said, "Get rid of people outside!" Andrew then tossed the phone away as he went

    on top of Ashley''s face. Their lips were connected again, but this time, his tongue took part. He licked

    her lips naughtily, making her mouth open up. He then made his way past her teeth as his tongue

    twirled with hers.

    Ashley was reluctant at first. It was her first time sharing a kiss this wild. She was stiff, but Andrew''s

    tongue worked his way to her mouth, going to ces no one had ever been. Her face grew hotter,

    wanting him even more. Their tongues yed, their teeth bit each other''s lips, and their skin pressed

    against each other¡­

    Ashley woke upte in the afternoon. The yellow sunlight started to turn orange as it beamed across

    the French window. It gave a warm, cozy feeling to an otherwise dark room.

    Ashley knew she had to leave soon. The long sleep she had wasn''t enough to relieve her exhaustion.

    The markings on her neck, shoulders and chest were still there ¨C proof of the intense night she shared

    with the man sleeping beside her. She gathered her belongings and looked at Andrew onest time

    before leaving the room.

    Ashley was wobbly as she walked through the corridor. She called for a taxi to send her home. It wasn''t

    long before she arrived at the apartment she rented with Ellie Su. She headed straight to the bathroom

    and filled the bathtub with water.

    She immersed herself in warm water, trying to fight off the fatigue. In her daze, she remembered the

    events ofst night. It might have been mistaken for a mere sensual dream if her body wasn''t aching

    and full of love-bruises.

    Ashley had never imagined that she would have experienced such a night.

    The zealous movements ofst night''s affair exhausted her. The warm water enveloping her body was

    able to wash her weariness. Ashley''s eyes grew heavy as she rxed. She was sound asleep until her

    ring tone woke her up.

    Ashley realized that the water grew chilly. Her hands, feet and lips were feeling cold. She was quivering

    as she hopped out of the tub. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body as she answered

    the call from Ellie.

    Ashley''s throat was feeling rough. She said in a hoarse, dry voice, "Hello, Ellie."

    "Ash, what happened?" Ellie asked in a caring tone as she noticed the fatigue in Ashley''s voice.

    Ashley grabbed a ss from the kitchen and poured herself some water. Her throat felt better as she

    poured some liquid into it. "Nothing. Don''t worry," Ashley replied.

    "Why are you absent at work today, Ash?"

    "Ellie, I''m not feeling well. Will you please notify the boss that I will take a sick-leave for two days?"

    Ashley was still dizzy from the bath. She walked towards the living room and satfortably at the

    sofa.

    "What''s wrong, Ash? ?Do you have a fever? ?Have you visited the hospital yet? ?¡­ ?Mr.¡­ Mr. Luo."

    Ashley was about to answer Ellie''s questions when Ellie suddenly stopped talking and called out

    Raymond''s name. Ashley felt stunned as she heard his name, but she was able to pull herself back

    together and disconnect the call.

    She heard her phone ring again not long after she ended thest call. Ashley saw the caller''s name on

    the screen and she left out a deep sigh. She turned off her phone and put it away. Then, her dizziness

    got the best of her as she fell asleep soundly on the sofa.

    ¡­

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    Ellie was at thepany gate of the Luo Group.

    She fixed her eyes at the man blocking her way. Sheposed herself and said, "Mr. Luo, I''m sorry. I

    am off duty and I have to go home now."

    Raymond looked desperate. He used to be handsome and well-kept, but his hair was a mess and his

    face had a lot of stubble. His eyes showed hisck of sleep and some certain redness might be

    because of crying. There was a phone in his hand, trying to contact someone, but only the sound of a

    voicemail was heard.

    Raymond confronted Ellie with sorrowful eyes. He swallowed, then with a deep, sad voice he asked

    her, "Ellie, is Ash¡­"

    Ellieshed out even before Raymond could finish his words. With a reprimanding tone she said,

    "Raymond, you are now engaged to Lena!"

    Ellie tried her best not to p Raymond and that dreadful look in his face.

    "I know that. I just want to make sure that Ashley is okay."

    "Stop it, Raymond. She''s not your concern anymore. She''s doing great without you! She''s better off not

    having you in her life!"

    Ellie knew from the phone call she had with Ashley that something was wrong. She needed to ditch

    Raymond immediately and rush back home.

    As if on cue, Lena approached the two of them. Ellie, with a dry smile on her face, turned to Raymond

    and said, "Mr. Luo, your fianc¨¦ is on her way. I hope she can keep youpany. I need to leave."

    "Ellie, please¡­"

    "Raymond, what happened?" Lena asked politely. Ellie already left the scene leaving Raymond and

    Lena at the gate. Lena thenced her small delicate fingers in Raymond''s hands.

    Lena wore a white knee-length tailored dress that expressed her figure. The new Channel handbag in

    her wrist showed her wealthy background. Her make-up took some time to finish but it looked perfect.

    Finally, her long, ck hair flowed gracefully down her back.

    "Nothing!" Raymond answered as he looked at Lena. He stared at her, but his eyes revealed that he

    was yearning for someone else to be in that dress.

    Raymond''s contemtion drew a sour look in Lena''s face. She knew he was thinking of that woman.

    She wanted tosh out but instead she faked a smile before Raymond could say anything.

    "Let''s go home, Raymond. We are having dinner with my parents, remember?"

    Lena said to Raymond as she took his arm and tried to remove the girl in his mind.

    "Lena, I¡­ I''m sorry." Raymond''s eyes were filled with sorrow and regret.

    Raymond was imagining Ashley in Lena''s ce. The simple white dress would make Ashley look like a

    Greek goddess. Her beautiful dark hair would sway as the wind blew. He always enjoyedbing that

    hair of hers. The time they spent together was alling back to Raymond''s head.

    "I understand Raymond. I''ve always known that you are in love with my sister. She is the love of your

    life, not me. I''m so sorry I''m not her. I wish things didn''t turn out like this. If only I hadn''t drunk that cup

    of wine..." Lena''s voice trailed off as she began to cry.

    Her shoulders started to shake while tears flowed down her cheeks. She was gasping for air in

    between sobs. Lena raised her face and with reddened eyes, she looked at Raymond. She was very

    fragile. Any man would feel the need to hug her in his arms, protect her from any harm and kiss her.

    Raymond was no exception. That was exactly what he intended to do. He slowly pulled Lena to his

    chest, embraced her in his arms and said, "Don''t say that, Lena. I am at fault too."

 Chapter 4 Best Friends

    Chapter 4 Best Friends

    Raymond pondered a few times on how things might have been if nothing had happened that day. He

    asked himself asionally, ''What could have happened if I hadn''t been to that bar? What if I wasn''t

    drunk and didn''t sleep with Lena? Would I still be together with Ashley?''

    The answer, of course, was no. Lena was so maniptive that even if Raymond hadn''t fallen into

    Lena''s trap that time, she would have another trap ready for him. She would have found a way to have

    sex with him so that he would still break up with Ashley.

    "Raymond!" Lena called out to him as she buried herself to his chest.

    Truth to be told, Lena didn''t really care about Raymond, much less be in love with him.

    She only wanted to take him away from Ashley. Lena always wanted to steal Ashley''s belongings ever

    since they were children. Whenever Lena noticed that Ashley cared for or liked something, she would

    stop at nothing from preventing Ashley having it.

    She had always been jealous of the rtionship between Ashley and Raymond. He was handsome,

    considerate and caring and he had been nice to Ashley. Lena thought that she was the one who

    deserved such an understanding man. She smirked while she devised the perfect n to tear their

    rtionship apart.

    Lena made sure that Ashley would witness how Raymond betrayed her. She was very delighted when

    Ashley saw her and Raymond together that night. She couldn''t forget how Ashley''s face lost its color in

    shock and sorrow. Afterwards, however, Lena never saw Ashley disy such a depressing face again

    in front of Raymond. Lena assumed that Ashley just tried to act cool. Deep inside, Ashley felt

    heartbroken and dejected on how Lena and Raymond were more intimate and sensual than the

    rtionship she had with him before.

    "I will take care of you, Lena." Raymond promised while he embraced Lena in his chest to show his

    devotion.

    "Thank you Raymond. I believe you." Lena replied as she lowered her reddened face.

    Ellie rushed out of the Luo Group. She almost ran towards the curb and iled her arms to hail a taxi.

    She wanted to talk to Ashley right away but her calls didn''t connect. Ellie was worried because Ashley

    turned her phone off.

    She remembered when the two of them both got employed in the Luo Group, they decided to rent an

    apartment in thepany district so that it would take them less time to reach home. Few minutes

    later, the driver drove her to her apartment.

    However, Ellie was so worried that she felt like the travel time took hours.

    She jumped out of the taxi and sprinted towards their apartment. Anxiety overwhelmed her as she

    turned the knob and opened the door. She switched on the light in the living room and found Ashley in

    a bath towel, asleep soundly on their couch.

    The cold breeze of the night made it feel like it was not summer. Ellie sighed at the sight of her friend

    sleeping on the living room while wearing a towel in a chilly evening. Ellie then fetched a nket to

    keep her friend warm

    She walked towards Ashley quietly with the pink nket in her hands. Ellie almost dropped the nket

    as she noticed the pink bruises in Ashley''s neck. When she realized that she had these marks all over

    her body, Ellie''s eyes widened in disbelief.

    Ellie had never had a boyfriend or even someone to be intimate with. However, she heard enough from

    her college roommates to be convinced that those bruises were hickeys.

    Ellie wanted to wake up Ashley. She had so many questions for her. However, the dark circles around

    Ashley''s eyes made her stop. She instead continued to cover Ashley with the nket in her hands and

    decided to cook dinner for the two of them. Before Ellie could even take a step towards the kitchen,

    Ashley took her hand and held it firmly.

    Ashley actually woke up when Ellie switched on the light in the living room. It was just hard for her to

    adjust to the brightness of the room so she decided to keep her eyes closed.

    "Ellie¡­" Ashley''s voice was barely audible as she sat up. Ashley moved closer and leaned towards

    Ellie and hugged her. She rested her head on Ellie''s shoulder and tried to seekfort from her best

    friend.

    Ellie then patted Ashley''s head to provide sce. She could feel that her close friend cried heavily. Ellie

    then stroked Ashley''s back lightly, stared into her exhausted eyes and said, "Calm down Ash.

    Everything is going to be alright."

    "They¡­ they nned to marry me to someone I don''t love. Just because Michael Du owns a real

    estatepany, they schemed to make him my husband. They even drugged mest night¡­" Ashley

    confessed with a miserable voice. Ellie hugged her tightly as the tears flowed down Ashley''s cheeks.

    Ashley told Ellie everything that happenedst night until this morning. She cried as she tried to

    remember every single detail of what transpired.

    Ellie sat and listened intently. She stroked Ashley''s back asionally to help her breathe better as she

    sobbed. By the time Ashley finished her story, Ellie was enveloped with anxiety, fear and anger for her

    friend.

    Ashley and Ellie had been close ever since high school. They shared the same desk, yed together

    and even ate together. They had always enjoyed each other''spany because they had a lot in

    common, such as hobbies.

    Ashley was an orphan. She was adopted by the Mu family, but even until then she had a hard time

    feeling weed and loved. The family didn''t care for her. They made her work part time just to pay for

    her tuition fees. Even when it came to clothes and toys, she had to use Lena''s hand-me-downs. Life

    was tough before she moved out and lived on her own.

    Ellie was a child of divorce. Her parents separated when she was a young girl. She was raised by her

    grandparents instead. The two of them had experienced a simr sadness in their childhood. It was the

    reason for them to sympathize with each other and be best friends.

    Ashley was a strong woman and Ellie understood this more than anyone. Ashley never cried no matter

    how devastating things went before. However, the pool of tears tonight made her look like a helpless

    little girl.

    Ellie was enraged when she found out the arrangements made by Ashley''s foster parents. She wanted

    to murder the people who forced Ashley to marry someone like Michael.

    ''Those foster parents of hers are lower than trash, '' she thought to herself while feeling disgusted.

    She was well aware that Michael was a horrible person. He toyed with the hearts of many innocent

    young maidens. Those who thought that they were capable of being with him ended up not only broken

    hearted but even physically and mentally scarred.

    However, Michael''s wealth and influence protected him from the hatred of his victims and their family.

    They could only watch their daughters live miserably.

    Ellie was frightened when she heard that Ashley ran inside a stranger''s room in the hotel. She

    embraced her best friend as her terrible experience unfolded.

    ¡­

    "I''m hungry, Ellie." Ashley''s voice trembled from her weakness.

    She leaned towards Ellie. Ashley''s eyes were red and swollen while her rosy cheeks were moist from

    tears. She looked like a sorrowful princess from a fairy tale.

    Ellie gently wiped the tears off her best friend''s face. She looked into those sad eyes and said kindly,

    "Cheer up, Ash. I''m going to prepare dinner. You just go to your room and change before you catch a

    cold."

    "Okay, I will," Ashley answered in a calm voice.

    Ellie slowly turned around and walked towards their kitchen. She knew Ashley more than anyone.

    ''She''s just trying to act tough. She doesn''t want to worry me even though she''s having a difficult time. I

    need to support her properly, '' she figured.

    Ashley entered her bedroom and walked towards her closet. She grabbed a pair of pajamas, not even

    caring what color they were. After she changed, she returned to the living room and sat in the couch,

    barely able to think. She just stared silently at Ellie''s back.

    They lived in a two-bedroom apartment with a living room. They had arranged each of their room as

    they saw fit but they had shared their ideas for the living room. They had designed in a way that they

    both felt at peace.

    N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    They both didn''t have aplete family, but they treated each other like a sister. They didn''t need to be

    connected by blood to understand one another.

    "What are you doing just sitting there? Come here. Help me prepare the table!" Ellie said with a

    cheerful smile on her face as she noticed Ashley stil felt fuzzy in the living room.

    Ashley was about to get up and help when something entered Ellie''s mind. "Oh, never mind. You can

    just sit there and rx. I can handle this," she continued.

    Ashley smiled at her friend''s sweet remark. She jumped up from her seat and said, "Don''t worry. I''m

    fine now."

    The two best friends helped each other to prepare the table. They sat across each other with glee. The

    smell of the food captivated their noses. Ashley knew how deliciously it would be, so she praised Ellie,

    "The man destined for you is very lucky."

    "Stop talking nonsense. You must be starving. Let''s eat!" Ellie answered with a faint smile in her face,

    as she rolled her eyes at Ashley.

    She kept quiet about the fact that Raymond had asked about Ashley in thepany. She didn''t want

    Ashley to feel miserable again.

    The two of them enjoyed Ellie''s cooking in silence. It felt peaceful at their home. Afterwards, they both

    cleaned the table and Ellie washed the dishes. Ashley went to the living room and switched on the

    news. Ellie then finished in the kitchen and sat beside Ashley who was preupied with her thoughts.

    "What are you thinking about, Ash?" she asked curiously.

    "Nothing. I want to sleep with you tonight, Ellie," Ashley said nicely as she hugged Ellie. She then

    pressed her head against Ellie''s shoulder as if to convince her.

    "Sure!"

    "You''re the best."

 Chapter 5 Fever

    Chapter 5 Fever

    After considering what Ashley had been going through recently, Ellie decided to take a few days off to

    keep herpany.

    The next morning, she got up early and without waking Ashley up, cooked rice porridge and went out.

    To awaken her senses, she did a quick jog around the vicinity. The smell and feel of a new day

    refreshed her and her spirits. Before going home, she took a detour to her favorite shop and bought

    two bottles of soy milk and several steamed stuffed buns and deep-fried dough sticks. ''Ashley''s favorite

    food, '' she thought to herself, highly amused at her best friend''s taste in food. With several stic bags

    in hand, she started towards their house.

    Upon reaching the house, Ellie took a deep breath. She had hoped that by the time she got back,

    Ashley would already be awake. That wasn''t the case though. With a resigned expression, she shook

    her head and walked into her best friend''s bedroom.

    "Get up, Ash," Ellie whispered excitedly while perching on the edge of the bed. "I made your favorite

    porridge," she continued, nudging the sleeping girl. The wonderful smell of the food filled the air.

    "Ah," Ashley replied in a nasal voice. A quilt was tightly wrapped around her and it was clear that she

    still wasn''t fully awake.

    Seeing that, Ellie couldn''t help but be amused. ''Why did she suddenly act so childish afterst night?''

    she wondered.

    As amused as she was, though, Ellie wanted Ashley to get up already. The porridge was getting cold.

    She nudged Ashley several more times but she wasn''t responding. It seemed like she didn''t want to

    move at all. Feeling that something was wrong with her friend, she lifted the quilt off of her.

    "Ashley, your face is so red!" Ellie eximed, quickly feeling her friend''s forehead. "And you''re on fire!

    What''s happening!"

    Panic immediately set in. ''How am I gonna take her to the hospital alone?'' Ellie anxiously thought.

    For as long as she could remember, she and Ashley- and only she and Ashley - had stuck together. As

    a result, they didn''t have any other friends. Ellie was now at a loss and she had no idea what to do.

    Biting her lip, she pulled out her phone and dialed Raymond''s number.

    The other end of the line picked up the phone quickly. "Raymond, I need you toe over quickly. Ash

    is very sick!" she said in one breath, having worry all over her face.

    Several moments had passed but the guy on the other end of the line still hadn''t responded. Ellie was

    starting to think that she might have called the wrong person. With a skeptical look, she checked the

    screen and saw that she was indeed calling Raymond''s number.

    ''What the hell, '' Ellie thought. ''What''s wrong with this guy?'' The panic that she was feeling quickly

    turned into rage. As she was about to hang up the phone, she heard a woman''s sneer from the other

    end of the line. In a gloating tone, the woman quipped, "What? Ashley is sick?" The woman let out a

    sinisterugh. "Then you should take her to the doctor. Why did you call Raymond? He isn''t a doctor!"

    Ellie never expected that Lena would answer the phone. After immediately detecting the offensive,

    sarcastic tone in her voice, Ellie regretted her decision and became embarrassed. After a long pause,

    she found her voice back. In a weak and shaky voice, she apologized, "I''m so sorry. Bye!"

    "Oh, hold on," Lena said.

    "Oh, yeah?" Ellie responded, holding on to her phone.

    "Don''t call Raymond again. Also, please stay away from him. He just got engaged. If you continue

    doing this and keep in touch with him, I will feel very ufortable."

    While she wasn''t expecting anything good toe out of Lena''s mouth, Ellie was still rendered

    speechless. ''Does she think I wanted to call Raymond? He literally is thest person I want to turn to

    for help!'' she snapped silently.

    Before she could give Lena a piece of her mind, Lena ended the call. Ellie couldn''t do anything else but

    ball her hand into a fist. The annoyance that she was feeling made her want to drop her cellphone on

    the floor.

    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

    Ellie quickly ran to it and opened it. Two men wearing business suits were outside. With a stunned look,

    she surveyed the strangers and asked in confusion, "Um, sorry, but who are you?"

    "Hello, miss. May I know if Miss Mu is home?" the man, Johnny Cheng, inquired with a friendly smile.

    Baffled, Ellie nodded and asked, "What''s your business with her?"

    "My boss wanted to see her."

    Johnny Cheng then turned sideways to make way for the man behind him.

    The man who came forward was about 188 cm tall. The authority he was exuding was breath-taking.

    ''Maybe it''s because of his three-piece ck tailored suit, '' Ellie thought, gulping.

    With a tousled, soft ck hair, the man was blessed with an enchanting, wless face which could

    fascinate women of all ages. People who made eye contact with him would definitely get lost in his

    deep-set, sparkling eyes. He also had thin, sexy lips.

    Ellie studied him up and down quickly and concluded that he wasn''t a simple person. There was a

    certain air of ss and nobility in him.

    ''When did Ash make acquaintance with this guy?'' she wondered inwardly.

    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.

    "I''m sorry," Ellie started, shing the two men her best cordial smile. "I can''t let you two in. It''s not

    convenient for Ash to see you today." Her lips were starting to twitch. "If you have something important

    for her, pleasee over another day." To emphasize her politeness even more, she widened her

    smile. ''These two can definitely wait, '' Ellie thought. ''Since Ashley is ill in bed, she is in no mood to deal

    with these two strangers.'' In her mind, Ellie had already nned how she was going to send her Ashley

    to the hospital to get treatment. A few moments passed and Ellie took the men''s silence as agreement,

    so she went ahead and started to close the door. However, just as she was about to do that, the

    imposing man barged into the house.

    "Oh jeez. What are you doing?!" Ellie shouted at the man with an alert look. She ran towards the man

    in an attempt to stop him, but Johnny Cheng stood in front of her and blocked her way.

    "Please don''t worry," Johnny started, not even looking at Ellie. "My boss will not hurt Miss Mu!"

    Reassuring as his words might be, the girl still looked so rattled.

    Actually, he, too, was taken aback by his boss'' rude behavior. ''The girl asked us to leave but he broke

    in against her will, '' he sighed inwardly.

    It was the first time that he had seen his boss act this way. Today, he had been ordered to leave his

    work behind and investigate a woman. After learning the woman''s address, he reported it to his boss.

    Andrew then gave him instructions and he drove him here immediately.

    "Ash is ill!" Ellie shouted anxiously. With all her might, she pushed Johnny Cheng aside and ran quickly

    to Ashley''s bedroom.

    ''What?

    The girl got sick?'' Johnny eximed silently.

    Oh, that''s not good.''

    Deciding that it was for the best, he let the girl follow Andrew to where he was going.

    Ellie came upon Andrew crouched beside the still sleeping girl. With his eyes fixed on Ashley''s red

    face, Andrew quickly realized that something was wrong with her. He bit his lower lip and asked in a

    low voice, "What''s going on with her?"

    "Ash has a fever. Can you help me take her to the hospital?" Ellie replied with a worried look.

    Upon hearing this, Andrew immediately lifted the patient to his chest. "Get the car and inform the

    hospital. We''re going!" he instructed, casting his assistant a stern nce.

    It was the first time that Johnny had seen his boss panic like this. Out of curiosity, he stole a nce at

    the girl in Andrew''s arms. ''She''s beautiful, '' he thought, somehow understanding why Andrew was

    acting the way he was. As his boss strode out of the room, he hurried out of the house to prepare the

    car.

    Ellie grabbed her cell phone and purse and joined the two men.

    As soon as she got into the car, they sped towards the hospital.

    "Hurry up!" Andrewmanded Johnny Cheng. His voice was so icy it could freeze the air inside the

    car.

    The assistant put on a helpless expression. ''Boss, I am already driving at full speed, '' heined in

    his heart. ''Didn''t you see that we were already being chased by the traffic police?'' he continued

    wordlessly.

    As much as he wanted to say these things, he didn''t have the guts to do it.

    At the hospital, a bunch of doctors and even the hospital''s dean were already waiting for them. The

    moment that they arrived, they all swarmed towards Andrew.

    "Mr. Lu!"

    they all said in unison.

    ...

    ...

    There were so many people that Ellie was forced to leave Andrew''s side.

    In a swift motion, Andrew carried Ashley into a VIP ward and ced her on the bed gently. Without

    taking his eyes off the patient, hemanded in a detached voice, "Check her!"

    This was the first time that the attending physicians had seen Andrew care about someone so much,

    not to mention a woman.

    A doctor then came forward instantly and examined the patient carefully.

    While working, the doctor could feel Andrew''s killing gaze. After finishing his examination, he wiped the

    sweat off of his forehead nervously. "Mr. Lu, thisdy has a fever. Don''t worry, though. She will

    definitely get better," he said gingerly.

    "Umm," Andrew responded coldly, devoid of any facial expression.

    A nurse then came forward to give Ashley a shot, but she missed when Ashley moved her hand. As a

    result, the needle poked Ashley''s skin and several drops of blood seeped out.

    Seeing the blood on Ashley''s white-snow arm, Andrew went ballistic. With a livid expression, he kicked

    a chair over. ring at the nurse, he huffed, "What''s wrong with you?!"

    The innocent nurse was so frightened by his reaction that her hand shook and she messed the whole

    thing again.

    Feeling Andrew''s scary stare, the nurse became so scared that she wanted to cry. As much as she

    wanted to finish her task, she couldn''t even move her hand because she was afraid of making a

    mistake again.

    An experienced doctor then came to the nurse''s rescue. He took the needle from her and gave the

    patient the shot himself.

 Chapter 6 Hospital

    Chapter 6 Hospital

    Ellie was allowed to enter the hospital room as she was apanied by Andrew when they brought

    Ashley to the emergency room.

    However, she felt terrified as she entered the door. She saw Andrew''s bad temper. The way his cold

    eyes pierced everyone with a sharp gaze frightened Ellie. His stern face was able to make anyone

    silent in fear. Anybody would be scared witless if they ever had been under his enraged stare. Even the

    young nurse who took care of Ashley trembled just as she passed by him.

    When Ashley became stable, the doctor and the medical staff left her to rest. Andrew and Ellie were

    then left to watch over Ashley sleeping.

    It was silent in the bright hospital room. Ellie was still in shock after she witnessed Andrew''s terrible

    anger.

    Ellie then noticed that Andrew walked closer towards Ashley''s bed. The aggravated look in his face

    made Ellie cautious. She suspected that Andrew might intend to hurt poor Ashley. She hurriedly stood

    up and blocked Andrew''s path. She tried to hide her fear as she turned, quickly bent, gave a bow to

    Andrew and said,"Thanks, Mr. Lu!"

    Ellie decided to address Andrew by Mr. Lu, simr to how everybody else in the hospital did.

    "OK." Andrew actually didn''t care much about her presence since Ellie entered the room. He was only

    concerned with Ashley''s health. The emotionless reply he gave Ellie was the only time he interacted

    with her.

    "Mr. Lu, it seems that you have a lot to do today. If you don''t mind, I will take care of Ashley. You can go

    ahead and leave to address your business arrangements."

    Andrew''s already stern expression worsened when he heard Ellie''s words! The room slowly became

    chilly as Andrew''s cold stare pierced Ellie.

    Ellie''s heart froze in that scary moment. She didn''t know what to react to Andrew''s chilly gaze. The

    summer heat was useless as Ellie shivered in fear.

    Ellie was suspicious of how sensitive Andrew was with Ashley. She pondered on what exactly the

    rtionship was between these two.

    Andrew''s phone rang in his pocket and disrupted Ellie''s thoughts about his connection with Ashley. He

    reached for the device and looked at the screen with a bit of hesitation. His eyes showed rage as he

    read the caller''s name. The frown in his face grew worse. He pondered for a while before he decided to

    answer the call. His thumb swiped the screen reluctantly as he walked out of the room.

    Ellie was thankful for the call. It not only saved her from Andrew''s icy gaze but also pulled her out of the

    trouble of being in the same room as him even for just a few minutes. She let out a deep sigh of relief

    and managed to calm down. She then turned towards Ashley and guarded her with concerned eyes.

    ''I thought Ash was already fine yesterday. What happened to her that made her this sick suddenly? Her

    fever is very high and she still hasn''t woken up.''

    Andrew came back after some time. He appeared to be in distress and in a hurry. His eyes reflected his

    reluctance to leave and how he wanted to stay and care for Ashley instead. He just stared at her like he

    tried to apologize because he needed to leave before she woke up. Finally, he turned towards Ellie with

    his eyes full of sorrow and said in a cold voice,"I have to go now. I need you to stay here by her side

    and look after her."

    Ellie was confused but she still agreed to Andrew. She nodded in agreement and said in a daze,"Okay."

    She thought to herself, ''Okay? Just Okay? What is that about?

    Who does he think he is? What kind of rtionship do they have to be that over familiar? I am

    obviously the one who should look after Ash not him.''

    However, Ellie kept it all to herself. She didn''t dare to voice out her concerns. She felt ufortable

    around Andrew. Now that he had gone, Ellie felt the stress in her shoulders left as well.

    Ellie was intrigued about the cold man who just left. She suspected him to be someone with an elite

    social status. The atmosphere in the room changed when Andrew was here. She felt so ufortable

    and so nervous around him that she had some trouble breathing. She had no clue why a stranger like

    him would make her feel so troubled.

    Ellie was surprised and concerned on how Ashley crossed paths with a man with such a strong spirit.

    "Ughhh¡­" Ashley let out a faint groan as she slowly opened her drowsy eyes.

    Thest thing Ashley remembered was their apartment. She was flustered because she had woken up

    in a different ce than their home. The bright ceiling, the white walls, and the unfamiliar bed confused

    her as she tried to adjust her eyes to the lights.

    "Are you awake now?" A familiar voice entered her ears which helped her to calm down.

    Ashley turned her head towards the sweet voice. She recognized Ellie was seated right next to her and

    wore a smile on her face.

    "What happened? What happened to me?" Ashley wanted to ask Ellie for an answer, but she was

    stopped immediately by a very hoarse cough. Her voice wouldn''te out as she was anguished by

    her sore throat.

    Ellie stood up as she saw her friend barely able to talk. She grabbed a ss of hot water and handed it

    to Ashley. However, Ashley was too weak to get up by herself. Ellie grabbed her arms and helped her

    to sit up on the bed. Finally, she drunk some water and was able to voice out her words.

    "You''re the one asking me what this is all about? I should be the one interrogating you regarding what

    happened. You''ve got a very terrible fever. Thank goodness you''ve got treatment in time. If it hadn''t

    been for that, you would have been delirious by now," replied Ellie to Ashley as she stroked Ashley''s

    hair. She jokinglyined in her mind, ''What a careless woman, never able to take care of her

    body. I''ve been away for just a single day and she already found a way to trouble me and made me

    take care of her.''

    "Ashley, be honest with me. You told me you were going to attend Lena''s engagement party. Why did

    you end up like this, now in a hospital room in such a state? I need some answers." Ellie''s voice was

    full of concern but she felt so angry about what happened to her friend. Ashley looked so fragile and

    vulnerable as shey on the bed.

    "So that''s what has happened before I woke up just now. It must be the reason for this terrible

    headache." Ashley had to force herself to speak. Even though her voice was already normal, she still

    felt so weak to talk as much as she used to.

    "Oh Ellie, I''m so sorry. It was just an ident. I promise to take care of myself," said Ashley as she

    looked at Ellie with sincere eyes.

    Goo goo goo¡­

    Ashley''s stomach growled as she felt hungry. She remembered she hadn''t eaten anything.

    Her beautiful face started to blush.

    Ellie smiled as if to reassure her friend. She didn''t say anything as she took out a bowl of porridge.

    Ashley was still weak so Ellie fed her. It was a very sweet scene between two friends that cared for

    each other. Ellie cooked the porridge back home as their breakfast. Unfortunately, Ashley was found ill

    and was taken to the hospital. Ellie was so thoughtful that she didn''t forget to bring it because she

    thought Ashley might be hungry when she woke up.

    Ashley found it sweet yet awkward that Ellie fed her like she was a child of Ellie. She tried to stop Ellie''s

    hand, open her palm and ask Ellie for the spoon. She said with a pout,"I can do it myself."

    "Let me at least help you eat. One of your hands is still under infusion. How can you eat by yourself?"

    Ellie replied to Ashley as she pointed to the dextrose that connected to the back of Ashley''s hand.

    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.

    "That makes sense."

    Ashley nodded in agreement. She was a little shy to need Ellie to feed her, but she was happy to have

    a friend that cared that much.

    Ellie continued to feed Ashley. She paused for a moment as a thought came into her head.

    "Ash, there was a man who went to our apartment. I didn''t recognize him nor have I seen him before,

    but he said he came to visit you. Do you know who he is?"

    "Huh? Who? What did he look like?" Ashley felt confused as she answered Ellie with questions of her

    own.

    "He was a tall man, probably around 1.88 meters tall. His face was handsome and charismatic but the

    look in his eyes was very cold. It felt like being in the presence of a tyrant." Ellie told Ashley every detail

    that she could remember about the man. She talked about his aura and how hemanded anyone

    with ease. Ellie hoped Ashley could tell her who the man was.

    "Is that so? I''m so sorry but I can''t remember such a man. I have no idea who he is." Ashley shook her

    head as she answered Ellie. Her mouth was so full that her voice was a little hard to understand.

    "Are you certain that you don''t know such a man?" Ellie was still skeptical when she looked at Ashley.

    She remembered the events before and thought to herself, ''The man was very concerned with Ashley.

    He might be enraged but he was so passionate about Ashley''s health this morning.''

    "I don''t know," Ashley confirmed and shook her head again.

    "I understand that you don''t remember. It''s just the way he acted is like you two are really close. You

    need to be more careful about that man. It seemed like you mean something to him."

    Ellie chose her words very carefully.

    "How could that be possible?" Ashley was confused when she heard Ellie''s words. She even thought

    that Ellie wasn''t serious but the look Ellie gave was really concerned.

    Ashley always thought that she understood herself very much. She could tell, from what Ellie had

    described about that man, that he must be someone with an elite background. It was impossible for her

    to meet such an extraordinary man.

    Even if she did cross paths with some amazing man, she would be too nervous to interact with him.

    Her mouth would run dry and her tongue would be tied. She would fail to let her voice out and run away

    instead.

    However, a sh of memory entered her brain. She remembered the night when she snuck into a

    stranger''s room and met that man. Her body recollected everything that he did to her as if it had

    happened again.

    ''About 1.88 meters tall?

    Handsome? Charismatic?

    A man who gives off a feeling of a tyrant?

    That''s impossible! Could he really be that man?"

    ¡­ Ashley choked on her sudden realization. She coughed hard as her brain put together all the pieces

    of the puzzle.

    Ellie saw this and put aside the bowl and spoon in her hands. She stroked Ashley''s back to help her

    breathe better. "Take it slowly! No one will steal this food from you. You don''t need to rush," scolded

    Ellie.

    "No, I didn''t! It''s just that¡­" Ashley tried to find the appropriate words to describe her thoughts, but she

    ended up tongue tied.

    "It''s just what?"

    "I remember the man you spoke of! He must be the one I met that night!" Ashley told Ellie what she

    remembered. She tried to speak some more but her throat was still weak. She swallowed as she fixed

    her eyes at Ellie.

    Ashley was really nervous as her body was reminded of the bruises, the headaches, and everything

    else she experienced that night.

    She trembled by the very thought of what happened. Her body was still traumatized. She absolutely

    never wanted to experience that kind of agony ever again!

    ''He must be very spoiled given his social status. He could get any woman he wants very easily. Women

    like me would be treated by him like his toys.''

    Ashley tried tofort herself as these awful thoughts conquered her mind. She tried not to give any

    value about what happened between her and that man.

    Ellie could only hug Ashley after what happened. She was shocked at how hysterical Ashley got when

    she realized who that man was. It was now clear to her that Ashley didn''t want to be involved with such

    a man.

    "My dear sister, what happened to you?"

    A soft voice with a hint of sarcasm suddenly came from outside the ward door.

    Ashley frowned when she recognized the voice. Her eyes reflected fear and rage.

    When the door was open, Lena stepped inside the hospital room. Ellie stared at her with a look of

    disdain. She asked her with a cold voice,"What are you doing here?"

    "I heard my sister was sick. How can I sit at home and not pay a visit?" Lena continued to walk towards

    Ashley''s bed. She dismissed the ungenerous behavior of Ashley and Ellie. The two of them coldly

    stared at Lena, waited for her to leave, but Lena didn''t pay them any attention.

    Lena stood beside Ashley''s bed and studied her. She looked down to her sister who felt weak.

    However, the fever wasn''t enough to make Ashley look dull. Her face was still as pretty as a rose even

    though she''d been sick. Her cheeks were red and tender. This infuriated Lena. Jealousy took over her

    as she wanted to mess up the pretty face in front of her. Inside her mind, Lena couldn''t help but scream

    in her heart, ''That pretty face of yours makes you look like a whore. You would seduce every man you

    encounter. Let me do you a favor and tear it apart for you!''

 Chapter 7 Hypocrisy

    Chapter 7 Hypocrisy

    "Well, you''ve seen me. You can go," said Ashley as she looked resentfully at the hypocrite, Lena.

    Thinking about what they had done to her. She couldn''t be bothered trying to hide her true feelings.

    "Ashley, I havee here to visit you. How can you say that to me?" said Lena in a soft voice.

    "Who knows what your true intentions are?" answered Ashley coldly.

    "Of course I''m here to visit my dear sister," said Lena with a hint of menace in her voice. Then she

    paused a moment and looked at Ellie.

    "Well, since I''m already here. I would also like to say that ''someone'' shouldn''t call Raymond every time

    she is in trouble. Raymond is very busy running the Luo Group. He doesn''t have time to deal with

    meaningless tasks. Please don''te to him anymore."

    When Lena had finished, she walked out before Ashley and Ellie could say anything to her.

    But she didn''t hide the pride and triumph?in her eyes.

    She could tell that she had annoyed them and that gave her a sense of satisfaction.

    "Ellie, I''m sorry,"

    Ashley knew that Ellie disliked Raymond since then. But she still called him today and Lena had found

    out. Ellie must be feeling very upset now.

    "Silly girl, don''t say?anything about being sorry. Just go to sleep and I''ll keep an eye out for you," said

    Ellie as she gently touched her head.

    "All right," Ashley yawned.

    She found that she was very tired and lethargic due to being sick. As soon as Ashleyy down, she

    had fallen asleep.

    Ashley felt a presence in her room and slowly opened her sleepy eyes.

    Once her eyes had adjusted to the dim light, she could see who was standing there. She calmly looked

    at him but didn''t say anything.

    The man who had been standing in Ashley''s room while she was sleeping, was Raymond. Just two

    days ago, he had be engaged to Lena.

    He seemed thinner and not as handsome and elegant as before. His white suit was rumpled and his

    eyes were slightly bloodshot with dark bags under them.

    There was a hint of decadence in the disheveled man that stood before her.

    He stared at her.

    Ashley gazed out of the window at the bright sunny day. The sun was so strong outside that she could

    feel the heat that radiated through the window pane.

    Ashley''s mind went back to the time when they had met for the first time. It was at school, Raymond

    was her senior.

    They met at amunity activity that the school had organized. He was always courteous to everyone

    and always wore a bright and happy smile on his face. Rarely would you see Raymond lose his temper.

    He eventually took her under his wing and became like a big brother to her.

    Even Raymond didn''t know why he felt the need to protect and look out for her. He was very kind to her

    during those school years. He even knew better than she did, what her preferences were to things like

    hobbies and what her likes and dislikes were. He could read her like a book.

    Perhaps she was also drawn to him because of his tenderness towards her. Because, no one had ever

    shown her any kindness, from when she was a child. They eventually became a couple and they were

    right for each other.

    They would talk on the phone, at least once a day, for hours on end. About nothing in particr. It

    seemed enough, just to hear each other''s voices.

    After Raymond had graduated, he took over the familypany. That was when Ashley had

    discovered that he was the son of the Luo family.

    When Ashley found out that he was from that family, she was rmed. She suddenly became self-

    conscious and felt that she didn''t deserve him. Ashley was out of her depths and didn''t want to be

    involved in the struggle with the rich and powerful. So she decided it was best to break up with him. Of

    course, Raymond didn''t ept it, nor agree with her reasoning behind the breakup.

    Eventually, Raymondpromised and managed to persuade Ashley. He promised her that things

    wouldn''t change between them.

    Ashley did care deeply for him and didn''t want to give up such a good man. So she agreed to stay with

    him.

    Raymond''s mother wasn''t at all happy that they were together and asked Ashley to leave her son.

    However, when Ashley refused to, Raymond''s mother began to harass her. She made regr visits to

    her, only to torment her with threats and insults. She told her that she was unworthy of her son.

    But how could Ashley do what his mother asked of her at that time, when she cared so much about

    him? Ashley didn''t want to burden Raymond with what his mother was doing to her, so she didn''t even

    tell him about it.

    Until one day, when she saw Raymond was with Lena. She then realized, just what a fool she had

    been.

    Now they were engaged and Raymond''s mother was finally content because she liked Lena

    ...

    "Fizz!" Ashley sat up and pulled the covers aside. She kneaded her temples as her headache was

    getting worse and waited a moment for the searing pain to pass. She then reached for her cellphone

    and slowly got off the bed to go and look for Ellie.

    She didn''t care that Raymond was there. He could stand and stare as much as he wanted. It made no

    difference to her.

    "Ash..." murmured Raymond. Ashley was about to leave the ward, but Raymond grabbed her hand and

    held it hard.

    Ashley looked up at him and said,"Let go of my hand!"

    "No, Ash. I miss you so much. Please, don''t leave me." He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly

    against his chest.

    When Raymond didn''t see Ashley and Ellie at thepany, he was beside himself.

    He thought that they had left thepany altogether.

    He was insane with worry. But when he asked the manager where Ashley was, he was greatly relieved

    to find that

    she had not left thepany. Instead, she became ill and asked for a few days leave.

    But when Raymond heard that Ashley was sick, his heart was broken and he began to worry again.

    Today, he didn''t even go to thepany, he needed to know how Ashley was and to go and see her.

    So he found her at the hospital and felt great relief when he saw her.

    "Let go of me!" Ashley scolded. Struggling against him. The familiar embrace overwhelmed her, but she

    couldn''t free herself from him as she had been weakened by her fever and he was such a big man.

    When Ellie had returned to the ward. She saw Ashley struggling in Raymond''s embrace.

    She had only been gone for a short while to organize the discharge papers.

    Ellie rushed in and pushed Raymond away and pulled Ashley aside, checking to see if she was all

    right.

    Raymond was caught off guard when he was pushed by Ellie that he nearly lost his bnce and fell to

    the ground.

    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    "Ash, are you all right?" Ellie asked, looking at her anxiously.

 Chapter 8 The Conflict With Raymond

    Chapter 8 The Conflict With Raymond

    Ashley felt relieved when she heard Ellie''s voice. If Ellie took a bit longer toe back, Ashley might

    have been suffocated by Raymond''s hug.

    "I''m alright." Ashley smiled as she thanked Ellie.

    "We can leave now. I''ve already finished your discharge papers," Ellie said when she held Ashley''s arm

    as she tried to separate her from Raymond. They walked together towards the door.

    "Ashley!" Raymond called out to stop the twodies and ran towards them.

    Ashley stopped and turned around. She looked at Raymond with cold, indifferent eyes. With a nk

    expression on her face, she said to him,"Raymond, our rtionship is over. I do hope we can get past

    our history and be normal friends in the future, but you are now engaged to my sister Lena. What do

    you think she would feel if she sees you following me around like this? You need to stop."

    Ashley would have cried if she said this a month ago. She really loved Raymond and never imagined

    that she would say such words to him.

    However, she found the courage to say the words that Raymond needed to hear. Ashley felt relieved

    after saying what was on her mind.

    She realized that the connection she had with Raymond was simr to that of a brother and sister. She

    did admit that his kindness made him attractive. His gentle nature and how he understood her were

    part of his charms. However, it all disappeared the moment Ashley saw him and Lena sleep together.

    "Ellie, we should go."

    Raymond was stunned by what happened. He never imagined Ashley to be so cold to him. She even

    mentioned Lena''s name just to rub the fact that it was over between Ashley and him. His feet, like his

    heart, were reluctant to move on, so he just stared at Ashley''s back as they left.

    "I''m really happy to leave this ce. You can''t do much in the ward. Do you have any idea how bored I

    was in this hospital?" Ashleyined to Ellie who walked by her side. The bright smile on her face

    showed no signs of the fact that she was sicktely.

    "On the bright side, it seemed that you''ve learned your lesson. Hospitals are boring ces so you must

    avoid being sent here. You must take good care of your health especially when I''m not around. If you

    are ever brought here again, I''ll punish you." Ellie scolded Ashley sweetly. She pretended to threaten

    her with an angry stare.

    "Yes, my queen. I understand." Ashley mocked her with a childish smile. They felt relieved that they

    could joke around each other again.

    They continued to walk until Ashley pulled Ellie by her sleeve to get her attention. She said to her,"Ellie,

    I really crave for hot pot right now. How about we eat one outside?"

    "Ashley, have you forgotten that you have just got over your cold?" Ellie denied Ashley''s request.

    "It''s not that I''ve forgotten. I''ve been eating hospital food for such a long time. They are very nd and I

    think I lost my sense of taste during my stay there. I really want to eat something spicy now that I''m

    healthy. Ellie, please¡­" Ashley held Ellie''s hand while begging. She pleaded with a sweet voice like a

    child.

    After she heard Ashley''s words, Ellie also started to crave for hot pot.

    The two of them liked to eat hot pot. They wanted it to taste as spicy as possible. It was one of the

    many things they enjoyed doing together. However, they became so preupied with their jobs that

    they didn''t have the time to go to a restaurant together in quite some time.

    Ashley noticed that Ellie hesitated to agree with her. However, she knew it would only take a little push

    to have her change her mind. Ashley quickly talked about Ellie''s favorite delicacies which made Ellie

    hungrier.

    Finally, Ellie gave in to Ashley''s sweet talk. She decided for them to have hot pot together.

    Ellie felt disappointed on how she easily caved in. Other people would''ve thought Ashley was a

    modest, reserved woman. However, when the two of them were together, Ashley actually behaved like

    a spoiled little girl.

    Ellie preferred the lively Ashley. She didn''t want her to be gloomy nor quiet.

    The summer sun during noon scorched the streets. People were reluctant to leave thefort of their

    houses and offices. There were very few people in the hot pot restaurant.

    Ashley and Ellie entered and sat down at a table. They looked at the menu and called a waitress to

    order some food.

    The waitress rushed to the side of Ashley and Ellie''s table. She took out her notebook and asked for

    their order. However, the two of them couldn''t agree on which soup to eat.

    Ashley immediately replied the waitress,"Red spicy soup, please."

    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Ellie suddenly stopped the waitress and said,"No. Two-vor soup for the hot pot, please."

    "Ellie!" Ashleyined with a pout. They both wanted to eat a spicy hot pot but Ellie ordered a two-

    vor soup. Ellie still didn''t want Ashley to eat something spicy. Ashley stared at Ellie with her sad,

    beautiful eyes. She looked like a child who had just lost a beloved doll.

    In the end, Ellie felt bad for Ashley and changed her mind. She really had a soft spot for her. They

    decided to order a red spicy soup but less spicy than usual.

    They enjoyed their mild vored soup. They talked about thest time they ate together outside. It was

    still early when they had finished eating so they bought groceries on the way home.

    The sun just started toe down when Ellie and Ashley arrived at their apartment. They decided to

    clean their bedroom that afternoon. Afterwards, they helped each other to prepare dinner.

    ¡­

    In the Lu Group, Andrew satfortably in his office with a rather important document in his hand. He

    stared at the paper with a nk face. It looked like his eyes were focused on the document, but his

    attention was rather distracted by other things.

    Andrew''s preupied appearance confused Johnny, who stood by his side. Johnny tried to say

    something, but he was afraid to offend Andrew.

    ''Mr. Lu has stared at that document for half an hour. He hasn''t turned a page nor reacted about its

    contents. What''s going on in his mind?''

    "Mr. Lu, it''s time to get off work now. Shall we go to the hospital and visit Miss Mu?" Johnny finally

    spoke. His voice was clear but deep inside he feared on how Andrew would respond.

    Andrew finally reacted. It seemed like he wanted to hear those words all this time.

    "Okay. Let''s go!" Andrew said as he put down the document in his hand. His previously nk face was

    now filled with vigor. He stood up and fixed his tie ¨C clear signs that he was ready to leave.

    Johnny was surprised with the response Andrew gave. He just said that to get Andrew''s attention. He

    was worried about why Andrew acted so distractedly today so he said those words. He never imagined

    that it was exactly what Andrew wanted to do.

    Johnny rushed towards the parking lot. He started the car, drove towards the gate and waited for

    Andrew to enter.

    Johnny headed for the hospital. He was asked by Andrew to stop the car as they drove by Harkim

    Restaurant. They both got off and entered the restaurant.

    ''I thought Mr. Lu was excited to visit Miss Mu in the hospital. Did he decide to have dinner first before

    his visit?'' thought Johnny as he tried to understand Andrew''s unusual actions.

    He was confused but he followed Andrew towards the establishment. He stopped just before the

    entrance and let Andrew enter alone. Johnny waited for his boss at the door.

    After a few minutes, Andrew exited Harkim Restaurant with several boxes in his hand. Johnny

    immediately realized that Andrew wanted to buy food for Ashley.

    Johnny noticed that recently, he was constantly being surprised by Andrew''s actions. He knew that this

    started when Ashley appeared in Andrew''s life.

    Johnny''s curiosity towards Ashley continued to intensify as her influence on Andrew''s behavior became

    more apparent.

    Johnny wanted to befriend Ashley. He figured that Andrew would treat him better if he got close to the

    girl who changed him.

    No one ever thought that Johnny would be so shrewd!

    Andrew quickly got off the car as soon as they arrived at the hospital. He was in a hurry that he didn''t

    even wait for Johnny to open the door for him.

    Andrew wondered why he gave so much attention to that woman. ''Is it just because I don''t dislike her?''

    thought Andrew.

    Andrew rushed towards the ward but he was careful about the boxes of food he carried. He held the

    boxes tightly to be sure they wouldn''t spill as he wondered if they would satisfy Ashley''s pte.

    Andrew''s head was full of fantasies and doubts as he walked towards the ward. However, his mind

    went nk when he arrived at the door.

    The bedspread was already folded. The intravenous pole stood empty. The room was quiet and vacant.

    Andrew felt dested. His face turned dark as his eyes reflected rage. He looked like he wanted to

    break something to relieve his anger.

    Johnny immediately sensed the change in Andrew''s mood. He was behind Andrew when he noticed

    that the sickbed was empty.

    Johnny calmly called a nurse who happened to pass by them. He asked her,"Where is thedy who

    was in this ward this morning?"

    "Thedy being treated in this ward?" The nurse took out her notebook and checked the records.

    "Apparently she was able to recover via intravenous therapy. She was discharged around noon. Is

    there anything wrong?"

    "Nothing. Thank you. I''m sorry to bother your work." Johnny smiled politely at the nurse who

    immediately left.

    Actually, Johnnyined in his mind. ''What''s wrong with the staff in this hospital? They should

    know that Miss Mu was sent here by Mr. Lu personally. How could they allow Miss Mu to leave without

    Mr. Lu''s permission? They could''ve at least notified him when she was discharged.''

    "Mr. Lu¡­" Johnny felt bad for Andrew. This was the first time he had seen Andrew cared about a

    person so much. He wanted to console Andrew but he couldn''t think of what to say.

    ''Mr. Lu came here to show Miss Mu that he cares for her. Mr. Lu must be furious that she left without

    even a word, '' thought Johnny.

    Johnny walked towards Andrew''s side. He was handed the several boxes of food that Andrew bought

    for Ashley. Andrew immediately turned around and walked dejectedly to the exit.

    Johnny almost dropped the boxes that were given to him. His face became very pale as he trembled in

    fear. ''Mr. Lu is very frightening when he is angry!''

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, Ashley enjoyed her dinner at their apartment. She had no idea that Andrew bought food for

    her and tried to visit her. She never knew that Andrew thought about her all day.

 Chapter 9 The Mu Family

    Chapter 9 The Mu Family

    After dinner, Ashley received a call from the Mu family and she was asked toe over to the family

    house tomorrow.

    Ashley had moved out of the family house when she started college. She only ever came back when

    something happened in the family.

    She smiled coldly when she spoke on the phone. She was shocked that Peggy had the nerve to call

    her after what she had done to her and acted like nothing had happened.

    "Ashley, did you hear me? Come to the family house tomorrow. Answer me!" Peggy shouted angrily on

    the other end of the line because she had no response from Ashley, even though she had been talking

    for quite a while.

    Peggy thought Ashley was so defiant.

    She had nned to give Ashley to Michael Du as a gift earlier. But she didn''t expect that Ashley would

    run away. As a result, they had lost a lucrative business deal. Peggy decided to teach Ashley a lesson

    when she came back home.

    "Yes, I heard you," Ashley replied indifferently.

    Ashley''s reaction irritated Peggy and so she cursed her on the phone before she finally hung up on her.

    When Ellie saw Ashley hang up the phone she gave her a worried look. "What''s the matter? Why do

    they want you toe back home?"

    Ellie had reason to worry. Every time her family called her to visit, there was always some sort of

    trouble for Ashley, afterward.

    "Nothing serious. They just want me to visit. That''s all," Ashley reassured her because she could see

    the worried expression on her face.

    At least she was not alone with Ellie by her side.

    N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    "Do you need me to go there with you?"

    Ellie knew that she looked tough on the outside, but felt deeply vulnerable inside. She was afraid that

    Ashley would be bullied by her family, especially Lena. She never got along with Ashley since she was

    a child and always tried to take everything from her.

    What was more, Lena tended to y the victim in front of other people to getpassion.

    "No, It''s okay. I won''t let them bully me." She knew what Ellie was worried about and didn''t want to get

    her involved in this mess.

    "All right." Since Ashley had already made up her mind to go on her own, Ellie decided to listen to her.

    Then she spent a long time telling Ashley to take care of herself in case she was treated unfairly by her

    family members.

    ¡ª

    The next morning Ashley packed and prepared herself to go to her family''s house.

    The Mu family had its influence in the J city where they lived. Spencer, who was Ashley''s foster father,

    was the president of the Mu Group and Lena was his daughter. She often unted her luxury items in

    front of Ashley.

    However,pared to the real notable families, the Mu family paled into insignificance.

    The vi where the Mu family resided was located in the Splendor Gardens. Thend there was very

    expensive. The Mu family had been excited for a long time after they had bought a vi there. Ashley

    still remembered how long Lena had bragged about it in her ss.

    Ashley took her time and chose to take a bus which took her to a neighborhood close by the Splendor

    Gardens. People who lived there were rich and powerful, so they all had private cars and buses were

    rarely ever seen.

    Ashley got off at the closest bus stop and walked the rest of the way to the vi.

    It took her more than half an hour to walk from the bus stop to the Mu family vi. As she walked there,

    she enjoyed the beautiful flowers and trees along the way.

    She was in no rush to arrive, because every time she went to the family house, nothing good ever

    happened to her.

    At least, she could enjoy the pleasant scenery on the way, if not anything else.

    When Ashley was near the vi, a car sped past her, blowing a gust of wind and dust around forcing

    her to close her eyes. Ashley thought that it was lucky it hadn''t rained yesterday, otherwise, she would

    have been covered in water from the puddles, judging by the speed that car was traveling at.

    Ashley slowly opened her eyes when the gust of wind died down. And there, staring at her was Lena''s

    sweet face, and she looked a little surprised.

    Ashley swore under her breath, thinking how ironic it was to run into Lena this way. Ashley was

    completely shocked.

    "Ashley?" Lena pretended as if she had just noticed her. She opened the car door and got out, then

    walked happily toward her.

    "Ashley, fancy running into you here. I wasn''t sure that it was you." Lena held her hand warmly then

    turned to Raymond who was sitting in the driver''s seat and said,"Raymond, it''s Ashley. Let''s give her a

    ride."

    Raymond saw Ashley and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He pressed his lips together tightly

    and hummed a yes.

    "Good, Ashley, let''s go home together." Lena sped Ashley''s hand and pulled her towards the car.

    But there was no way known that Ashley was going to get into Lena''s car.

    Ashley pulled her hand out of her grip and forced a smile on her face. "Don''t bother. I''m almost there

    anyway. I''d like to walk home, I like walking."

    Ashley would by no means go together with Lena. She was afraid that Lena would set a trap for her on

    the way home. She was in no mood to deal with her right now.

    But Lena acted hurt and pretended to be sad with tears in her eyes and said,"Ashley, are you still mad

    at me? I''m sorry, but Raymond and I really love each other."

    Lena made it sound as if Ashley was the third wheel when in actual fact, it was Lena who was. Ashley

    sighed inside.

    She made a distance between Lena and herself, in case Lena fell over and med Ashley for it. Then

    she said,"You''re just over thinking it. I broke up with him a long time ago." Ashley couldn''t care less

    about what either Lena or Raymond thought as long as they didn''t involve her. They were of no interest

    to her.

    "I''ve got to go." Ashley bypassed Lena and walked to the other side.

    Raymond got out of the car at that moment and Ashley walked right past him. He watched her leave

    and said nothing.

    "Raymond." Lena flung herself into his arms with a sad expression the moment she saw him.

    "Ashley hasn''t forgiven us, am I right?" Lena raised her head and looked at Raymond with crocodile

    tears in her eyes, her expression looking so pained.

    But only Lena knew how disappointed she was for not getting the reaction she was hoping for from

    Ashley. She had expected that Ashley would be very upset at seeing them together.

    She thought, ''Ashley, I know you like Raymond. But he doesn''t belong to you anymore. He''s mine now!''

    "There''s no chance. So don''t think too much." Raymond gently wiped away the tears on Lena''s face.

    "Let''s go." He knew that Ashley didn''t care about him and wasn''t in love with him anymore.

 Chapter 10 Query

    Chapter 10 Query

    Leaving Lena and Raymond behind, Ashley headed towards the Mu family''s residence. But the

    engaged couple still managed to arrive before her. After all, they were in a car, while she was on foot.

    She arrived at the residence and rang the bell. A maid answered the door.

    The servant rolled her eyes at Ashley, turned around and walked away without even bothering with a

    greeting. It was evident that she had no respect for her.

    If even the maid of the house treated her like this, it was easy to believe that Ashley had had a hard

    time in this family.

    But she paid no heed to the maid''s offensive behaviour. She didn''t see any point in paying attention to

    people who meant nothing to her.

    As she entered the living room, she heard them talking andughing merrily.

    All of them wore a bright smile, and the room had a cheerful atmosphere.

    But with Ashley''s arrival the gay atmosphere instantly turned sombre. They stopped chatting and

    stared at the intruder. Clearly they were unhappy with her presence.

    ''They don''t want to see me, but they asked me to be here. They don''t like me, but they put on a fake

    smile and pretend as though they are pleased to see me. Can''t they just stop all this acting? I am sick

    of ying this stupid game with them, '' Ashley whined in her head.

    "Dad, Mom," Ashley greeted her foster parents who were sitting on the couch and took a seat far away

    from them.

    Aware that they disliked her, she chose to keep a safe distance from them.

    "Ashley, you''re finally here. Raymond told us a joke, and it was really funny," Lena broke the

    oppressive silence.

    Although Ashley detested Lena, she didn''t think it was a good idea to ignore her in the presence of her

    foster parents.

    "I see," she responded coolly.

    Right from the moment she walked into the room, Ashley had sensed that she was the cause of

    difort for everyone. But it wasn''t her fault. She was asked to be here, she told herself, in a bid to

    assuage the bad feelings rising within her.

    "I need a word with you, Ashley," Spencer began as he looked at her. He rose to his feet and headed

    upstairs. Peggy followed him knowing that her husband would question Ashley about her whereabouts

    that night.

    Ashley followed them obediently.

    Seeing Spencer Mu seated in the study, she entered the room timidly. Since her foster father didn''t

    invite her to sit, she had to remain standing there awkwardly.

    "Where were you that night, Ashley? Your mother and I were so worried when we didn''t find you

    anywhere," Spencer Mu inquired with fake care.

    Ashley gave Peggy a defiant look and replied,"Mom knew where I was that night. She saw that I got

    drunk and took me to a room so that I could rest."

    Peggy snapped angrily,"You''re lying. That night you were not..." But her voice trailed off when she met

    her husband''s warning gaze.

    Even though she loathed Ashley, she didn''t have the guts to defy her husband. After all, he was the

    head of the family.

    Biting her lower lip, Peggy cast a furious re towards her.

    Ashley acted nonchnt as if she hadn''t seen her foster mother''s angry gaze.

    "But you were not in the room that we had prepared for you," Spencer Mu inquired, pretending to be

    unaware of the fact that Ashley had been drugged by his own wife.

    "I don''t know. Mom sent me to that room and I dozed off. That''s all I remember," Ashley exined

    giving her foster father an innocent look.

    Spencer Mu fell for it and looked convinced about her story. Motioning her to leave the room, he

    commanded,"You can leave us now. Stay and join us for lunch. Your mother has something to tell you."

    "Umm. I will," Ashley replied meekly before letting herself out.

    "Don''t be fooled by Ashley, Spencer. I was taking her to Mr. Du''s room, but she ran away," Peggy said

    with a frown.

    ''Ashley has screwed up everything. Because of her, we have offended Michael and lost the chance to

    work with him. It''s a big loss and it''s all her fault!'' she seethed inwardly.

    "I see. You can leave now. Don''t forget to tell Ashley to go on that blind date," Spencer reminded her.

    "Rest assured, I will take care of it," Peggy promised confidently.

    ...

    Ashley was halfway down the stairs when she caught sight of Raymond and Lena making out. After a

    pause, she continued to walk downstairs as if she hadn''t seen the couple.

    Perhaps the engaged couple heard the footsteps, so they suddenly let go of each other and fixed their

    eyes on her.

    N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    Shaking her hand in the air, Ashley shrugged her shoulders andmented,"Please go ahead. I didn''t

    see anything."

    "Ashley!" Lena called out and buried her face in Raymond''s chest pretending to be embarrassed.

    Raymond sat motionless, fixing his eyes on Ashley.

    When Ashley heard Lena calling her in such a timid voice, she felt goosebumps all over her body.

    Oblivious of Lena''s angry stare, she went to the couch that was farthest from the couple and sat down

    on it.

    Soon Peggy returned downstairs and shifted her gaze from Lena, who was still nestled in Raymond''s

    arms, to Ashley, and drew a satisfied smile.

    She thought highly of her future son-inw. Raymond was not only from a wealthy family but also

    treated Lena well. However, she was irked by the fact that Raymond couldn''t get over Ashley.

    For the sake of her daughter''s happiness, she resolved to marry Ashley off as soon as possible.

    Peggy settled herself on the lounge and picked up a cup of tea from the table. Taking a sip, she turned

    to Lena and said,"I know you have lots of work to do in thepany, but you should visit Raymond''s

    mother more often. She only has Raymond. As his fiancee, you should spend more time with your

    future mother-inw."

    Her voice was filled with pride. She wanted everyone to know that Raymond was her daughter''s

    finance.

    "I will, Mom. I will go to visit auntie with Raymond when I am free," Lena replied softly as she leaned on

    Raymond''s shoulder and held his hand.

    Ashley watched them quietly, sitting alone as if she was an outsider.

    Technically speaking, she was not really a part of the Mu family, at least not by blood. She was an

    adopted child.

    That year Lena had had a high fever and couldn''t get cured. Someone told Spencer and Peggy that

    their daughter would recover if they adopted a child from an asylum. Although it was just a superstition,

    the Mus had given it a shot. They went to an orphanage and adopted Ashley.

    When they brought her home, Lena got better miraculously without taking medicines or going to a

    doctor. That was the only time Spencer and Peggy had been good to Ashley.

 Chapter 11 A Blind Date

    Chapter 11 A Blind Date

    Somehow, Lena and Ashley had always been rivals. Even in her childhood, Lena hated Ashley. She

    would always snatch Ashley''s favorite toys away from her --- it was irrelevant if they were expensive or

    not. She also spoke ill of Ashley and told lies about her in front of Spencer and Peggy. The point was to

    belittle her as much as possible. Lena felt threatened by her and wanted to remain their favorite

    daughter.

    It didn''t matter how much Ashley tried to exin or defend herself, Spencer and Peggy didn''t believe

    her. After all, Ashley was only their adopted daughter. And Lena was their biological one, so they were

    always biased towards her.

    As time went on, Spencer and Peggy misunderstood Ashley more and more.

    When Ashley was a child, she couldn''t understand why her parents disliked her. She wanted to be

    cuddled in her mom''s and dad''s arms. But she never knew such extravagance from them. That was

    only reserved for Lena.

    Many times she would think about the reason why her parents would always push her away. She

    wondered if it was because she was disobedient.

    But it didn''t make any sense because Ashley was a very obedient and considerate child. But it still

    wasn''t enough for her parents. When things didn''t go well in the business or there was something

    wrong with the family, they would take it out on Ashley. She would be beaten and scolded and med

    for everything.

    As she grew up, she finally understood why her parents disliked her and favored Lena instead. She

    also realized that it was of no use and silly to be so obedient and loyal to them.

    ¡ª

    It was only when the servant had called her to have lunch that Ashley had suddenly woken from her

    sad memories of her childhood.

    "It''s incredible. You''ve only been sitting here for a short while and you''re in a trance already," Peggy

    said impatiently.

    Ashley pretended not to hear what she said.

    "Are you all right, Ashley?" Lena asked with a worried look on her face as she approached her.

    "I''m fine." Ashley didn''t bother giving her any details.

    Spencer sat at the head of the table as usual. Lena and Raymond were on his left, while Peggy sat to

    his right and Ashley sat next to her.

    "Raymond, this is your favorite, Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs. I asked ire especially to cook the dish

    for you. Please, try some." She looked at Raymond with her beautiful eyes. Lena picked up some

    spare ribs with the chopsticks and put them on his te.

    Ashley found itical to watch Lena trying to please Raymond. ''Can''t you see the look of difort

    on his face?'' Ashley thought.

    In fact, Raymond didn''t like to eat Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs at all. He didn''t like the taste of the

    combination of sweet and sour. But Ashley liked the dish very much. So every time when they used to

    go out to dinner, he would order Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs for her.

    Ashley once asked him why he would always order that dish when he didn''t like it.

    Raymond replied that it was her favorite dish, so he would try and like it as well. Back then, Ashley felt

    special when he had said that to her.

    Lena then served her parents'' favorite dishes and put the dishes in each of their tes. The family

    members then dined in a happy and cheerful atmosphere, except for Ashley of course.

    Sitting in her ce, Ashley silently ate her meal. She thought if she spoke less she would make fewer

    mistakes and there wouldn''t be any reason for anyone to scold her.

    However, she was wrong.

    Peggy, who was sitting beside Ashley, snorted," How can you sit there and have your meal without

    talking to anyone else? Don''t you know that the family members should enjoy the joyful atmosphere

    during the meal? One would think that we have wronged you in some way and kept you from talking!"

    Ashley could hardly believe her ears.

    She remembered that once Peggy had scolded her for saying something when they were having

    dinner. Peggy was so angry that she said," Don''t you know that it''s reasonable to keep silent while

    eating!"

    Since then, whenever they sat together for a meal, Ashley never said a word to avoid Peggy''s fault

    finding with her.

    However, despite staying quiet, she still couldn''t avoid irritating Peggy. Whatever Ashley did, it seemed

    to be wrong in her mother''s eyes.

    The fact was that if a person didn''t like you anyway, he would find fault with you no matter how well you

    performed.

    "Raymond, why aren''t you eating? Don''t you like the dish?" Lena asked, puzzled.

    After hesitating for a moment, Raymond said sheepishly, "No, I just have a toothache these days. So I

    can''t eat this now."

    "Oh, really? I thought maybe you didn''t like it," Lena said, smiling sweetly. "If you can''t eat it, then just

    put it aside."

    "Okay."

    Raymond looked calm on the outside, but inside he felt awkward and uneasy.

    When Lena had invited him to have lunch at her house, Raymond thought that he was just going to

    meet her parents. He didn''t know that Ashley would be there as well.

    What was worse, out of habit, he almost put the spare rib into Ashley''s te.

    ¡ª

    While they dined, Lena had openly shown her affection for Raymond the whole time.

    After they had all finished their meals, they adjourned to the living room for a rest and chat. However,

    Ashley felt ufortable and embarrassed to stay with them.

    ''Did they call me to visit them, specifically just to see Lena show her love and affection to Raymond?''

    she wondered.

    Ashley stood to leave but Peggy immediately told her she wanted a talk with her in her room upstairs.

    "Ashley, you''re old enough now. Your father and I have chosen a boyfriend for you. He just got his

    doctor''s degree and hase back from abroad. He is a fine looking young man and is around your

    age. I''ve already made an appointment for you to meet him this Saturday. You had better make the

    time to see him then."

    Peggy told her straight because only the two of them were in the room.

    Realizing now what the purpose of the visit was, Ashley felt resentment in her heart for them.

    ''Are they afraid that I might steal Lena''s boyfriend from her?

    If that''s the case, then they really do despise me very much.

    Raymond has got a new girlfriend. And I have my dignity, '' she thought bitterly.

    "Mom, I don''t want to get married yet."

    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "Nonsense! You''re old enough to get married! Lena is two years younger than you and she is already

    engaged. As her older sister, do you want to wait until she gets married?" Peggy immediately got angry

    at what Ashley had said.

    "You will see the boy this Saturday! You have no right to refuse me. We''ve supported you for so many

    years, but you are so disobedient and ungrateful. I am asking if you would like to go on a blind date, but

    even that is too much to ask, it seems. Even a tamed dog would have been more loyal than you!

    Moreover, if you didn''t run away that night, would Michael do those things to the Mu Group? Not only

    did ourpany lose a big business deal, but Michael also had a bad impression of our family!"

    Ashley was speechless after hearing Peggy''s list ofints about her.

    ''How could they me so much on me?

    In order to get that big deal, they have nned to give me knockout drops and send me to Michael''s

    room. Michael is a real womanizer and would have had his way with me. How could they n to do

    such a despicable thing to me?'' Ashley wondered.

 Chapter 12 Threat

    Chapter 12 Threat

    Ashley didn''t think that she was obliged to sacrifice her happiness for the sake of the Mu family.

    These past few days, she had realized that her foster parents were the most selfish people she had

    ever met.

    Perhaps if they hadn''t drugged her in an attempt to use her to please Michael, they probably wouldn''t

    have messed with him.

    The Mu Group knew that they were strong, and took no effort in hiding that fact. Surely losing a stupid

    business would not be much of a problem for them, Ashley thought to herself.

    "Hey, are you even listening to me? You need to be there at 3:00 pm this Saturday. Don''t forget it. If

    you don''t show up, I''m really going to get upset with you and teach you a lesson," Peggy warned, her

    voice brimming with anger. Only then did she just notice that Ashley was not paying attention at all to

    her.

    "You''d better forget that stupid n. I''m not going there," Ashley said, casting a cold nce at Peggy.

    ''They wanted to take advantage of my marriage. Well, that''s not gonna happen, '' she thought. With a

    scoff, she stood up, and strode towards the door

    "Ashley Mu! Stop!"

    Peggy shouted after Ashley.

    "We raised you up. Don''t you think that you should do something in return? You must be on the date

    this Saturday and that''s final!" Peggy said in an adamant tone.

    In her head, however, she actually had some misgivings. ''What if Ashley doesn''t go on that date? What

    if she messes this up again?

    But she should have no say in this matter. She must go there, '' she thought.

    Ashley had stopped in her tracks, her hand already on the door. She sneered inside.

    N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    ''If they wanted to use me to marry a rich man just so that they can expand their business, maybe they

    should have adopted more girls.

    That way, they could have taught them skills about how to seduce wealthy men, '' she scoffed.

    With a quick turn, Ashley looked at Peggy square in the eyes,pletely devoid of any emotion. She

    asked, "Can you promise that I will have nothing to do with the Mu family as long as I go on this date?"

    Under Ashley''s cold gaze, Peggy felt slightly afraid and intimidated. But as the girl made the deal, her

    fear vanished almost immediately. With a calm expression, she replied, "I promise. As long as you go

    there, you will have nothing to do with us from then on."

    Ashley nodded in approval. Although she did not expect that Peggy would agree to her terms in a

    heartbeat, she managed not to look surprised.

    "Deal. I will be there this Saturday. I hope you can keep your promise."

    "Of course I will!" Peggy confirmed.

    She disliked the way Ashley behaved. ''She is just an orphan, a nobody, but she acts as if she is from a

    noble family.

    She was a homeless child who was deserted by her parents. If we hadn''t adopted her and given her a

    comfortable life, she might have been leading a miserable life.

    Once she gets married to the guy we arranged for her, she will be useless to us. Why would I break my

    promise?'' she thought.

    Little did Peggy know, however, that she was going to regret her decisionter on.

    "Hello, Ashley!" Lena greeted as Ashley came down the stairs. There was a cold aura surrounding her,

    making Lena a bit confused. Her eyes stayed glued on Ashley

    as she stormed towards the door.

    "It''s toote to let her leave alone. I''m going to give her a ride," Raymond said to his fiancee the minute

    he saw Ashley step out of the house.

    Without any hesitation, he headed straight for the door.

    Lena watched as Raymond rushed out of the house. Clenching her fist tightly at her side, she gritted

    her teeth. There was a zing look in her eyes as well. It was as if she looked like she wanted to tear

    Ashley into a million pieces.

    As Raymond left the house, he jogged up to Ashley and reached for her hand, "Hey, do you want a

    ride?" he offered with a smile.

    Ashley shook his hand and replied petntly, "No, thanks!"

    "Ashley! It''s difficult to call in a taxi here. And I don''t think you''d want to walk all the way home. Let me

    drop you off at your ce. I owe you. I just wanted to make up for my mistake," Raymond insisted in a

    soft tone.

    "Don''t act like this, Raymond. I told you this before- we are over. Besides, you have Lena. Please stop

    bugging me. Plus, you owe me nothing. Stop thinking that you have to do something for me,"

    Ashley declined as she turned around and walked away.

    Raymond stood there, staring at her retreating figure. He became more certain that he and Ashley

    would never get back together.

    In fact, he had always known that Ashley hated being betrayed. And that was exactly what he did to

    her.

    It was his own fault that he cheated on her, and that he still believed until now that Ashley was still in

    love with him...

    He had naively believed that Ashley would give him another chance.

    ...

    In the Mu family''s residence.

    "What did you say to Ashley, Mom? Why did she throw a fit like that?" Lena asked, her eyes shining

    with curiosity.

    She had seen Ashley get angry before. But this was the first time that she had witnessed her flying into

    a rage that way.

    "Nothing important. I arranged a match for her, and I asked her to be on a blind date this Saturday. I''m

    doing this to help you. I was afraid that she still covets Raymond. You should keep an eye on Raymond

    and don''t give him any chance to meet Ashley in private. You can''t let them get back together. You got

    it?" Peggy replied in an earnest tone.

    "I know that, Mom. But you saw earlier how Raymond followed Ashley out without even thinking about

    my feelings," Lena responded with a frown. She hated it every single time she had to hear or say

    Ashley''s name.

    ''I am a well-bred richdy and I''ve got the most premium education. I am beautiful. I was elected as the

    School beauty and I had good grades at college.

    Ashley is only really slightly prettier than me.

    But she looks like a seductress. Anyone who is going to marry her will feel insecure and be scared of

    losing her, '' she mulled angrily.

    "If you haven''t won his heart yet, you should find a way to make him love you. As the old saying goes,

    the key to a man''s heart is through his stomach. You can sometimes cook for him," Peggy suggested.

    "Come on, Mom, are you kidding me? We have servants. I don''t want to cook in the messy kitchen,"

    Lena retorted with a look of repulsion on her face.

    Born into an affluent family, she had led afortable life. Not once did she ever bother to earn money

    to support herself, let alone cook for others.

    "I am not asking you to cook for him every day. Even if you want to do that, I will not go along with you.

    You even haven''t made dinner for me. How could I bear to see my loving daughter suffer?"

    Peggy took hold of Lena''s hand and advised, "So you should start with Raymond''s mother. It seems

    that his mother is quite fond of you. You can spend more time with her and slowly get her to like you

    even more."

    Peggy gave her daughter several pieces of advice. Once Lena managed to marry Raymond, the Mu

    family and the Luo family would be inws. There was no doubt that Lena''s parents could benefit from

    Lena and Raymond''s marriage.

    Ashley and Ellie had only taken a few days off. Today, they went back to thepany.

    Although they worked for the Luo Group, they were in different departments. The moment they entered

    the building, they went on their own separate ways into their own offices.

    Ashley stepped into the office and found that a bunch of girls who had been gossiping were quick to

    stop speaking as soon as she went through the door. They gave her a quick nce before retreating to

    their own desks.

 Chapter 13 Rumor

    Chapter 13 Rumor

    Making her way through, Ashley sensed that there was something odd in the way some of her

    colleagues looked at her. They seemed to be eyeing her indifferently as if she was walking with a speck

    of dirt in the face.

    With a baffled look, she headed towards her desk. ''What''s going on in here? I just took a few days off.

    Why are they acting so weird?'' she thought, rubbing her chin pensively.

    But she didn''t give much thought about that. Ever since she had been hired, her colleagues had

    questioned her capability and had been hostile to her. Thus their unusual stares were not new to her,

    and she had been used to it somehow.

    "Is that her? I heard that she started harassing Mr. Luo since college. What a shameless girl!" a girl in

    herte twenties started as she cast Ashley a scornful nce.

    "But she doesn''t look like a bad person," another girl who was just new in thepany responded

    gingerly.

    "You''re too naive. You can''t judge a person by her appearance," the first girl returned with her head low

    and her voice in a whisper.

    "Don''t be fooled by her looks. You''re just saying that because you''re young and innocent. Sometimes,

    people pretend to be nice in front of you, but the truth is they are stabbing you in the back. Who

    knows?" she continued to gossip.

    "She is young and could have a good prospect. I don''t understand why she chose to be a third party,"

    the second girl remarked with a frown.

    "Exactly, if I were in her ce, I wouldn''t do that. But fortunately, Mr. Luo is engaged to Lena," the first

    girl responded with widened eyes.

    Getting excited with their gossip, the new girl was about to say something but she caught sight of

    Ashleying in.

    Pretending to be busy with something, the new girl coughed and nudged the first girl to stop her from

    speaking.

    "What are you doing? I still have something to say. Ashley tried to steal another woman''s boyfriend, but

    she doesn''t admit it," the girl snapped impatiently.

    Worried that Ashley might hear them, the second girl put on a worried look. ''Please stop talking. Ashley

    is behind you. You''re ying with fire, '' she murmured in her heart.

    "G... Good morning, Ashley," the girl greeted Ashley anxiously as she dropped her head.

    rmed by her greeting, the girl who had spoken ill of Ashley shut up immediately and her face turned

    pale with fear.

    Feeling guilty of talking behind her back, the girl let Ashley pass by her and rolled her eyes at the girl.

    "Why didn''t you tell me that Ashley was here?

    I said so many bad things about her. Did she hear everything I said? What if she speaks ill of me in

    front of Mr. Luo? I might lose my job," she expressed her frustrations silently with an exasperated

    expression.

    Being equally guilty as well, the second girl winked at her and speaked to her in an inaudible voice, "I

    reminded you. You ignored that and continued talking."

    At that point, the girl who had been caught by Ashley wore a dejected expression. With her head low in

    embarrassment, she turned around and walked away.

    The other gossip girl also found an excuse and retreated to her own desk.

    With a mocking smile forming on her lips, Ashley fluttered her heavy eyshes and held her head high

    up. She finally understood why they looked at her that way.

    For reasons unknown to her, she realized that she had been set up.

    She was certain that Lena had spread the rumors.

    Besides, she couldn''t think of any other aside from Lena who could do it. After all, she was known for

    framing others.

    As soon as Ashley went up to her desk and sat down, a lovely girl came rushing to her on her rolling

    chair.

    "Cheer up, Ashley. I don''t believe the rumors spreading around here. I know that you''re not that sort of

    person. They are lying," with her hands firmly ced on the desk, Fiona Xia said earnestly as she

    stared into Ashley''s eyes.

    "What makes you think I am not that kind of person they said? What if they are telling the truth?"

    Ashley countered tentatively with a slight smile.

    "I have faith in you. I know you. You would never do that," Fiona Xia replied firmly without a second

    thought, her voice a little louder this time.

    Far from everyone''s knowledge, Fiona Xia was an intern who had worked in thepany for only a

    month. And she was a junior student in a university.

    Her beauty was not the head-turner type nor the gorgeous one, still, she lookedfortable and had a

    pleasing temper. Around 165 cm tall, she had chubby cheeks. She was crazy about food, desserts, and

    sweets in particr. Each time she relished ptable food, she stuffed lots of things into her mouth like

    a cute hamster munching her food.

    Their personalities were really alike, and maybe that was the reason why they were close with each

    other. Ashley was also a foodie, and that was how the intern had gotten to know her.

    Since the two gourmets always had a meal together, Fiona Xia had be Ashley''s fan. She always

    followed Ashley acting like her protector and best friend.

    "Thank you for believing in me. I am innocent and I did nothing wrong. I don''t care what others are

    thinking about me," Ashley said, with her eyebrows rxed while stroking Fiona Xia''s head fondly.

    Somehow, she was satisfied to know that she had someone on her side and trust her in the office. After

    all, she was never alone.

    "Well, you should go back to your work," Ashley suggested.

    "Got it," Fiona Xia replied promptly. While she reluctantly got back to her desk, from time to time, she

    turned to look at Ashley.

    As her closestpanion, she didn''t want to see Ashley sad and bothered.

    Amused by her funny acts of concern, Ashley gave a chuckle.

    ''What a cutie pie she is!'' she eximed.

    Watching Fiona Xia retreat to her desk, Ashley turned around and opted to turn on theputer.

    Browsing the inte she visited thepany''s website and clicked on the forum page. Then to her

    surprise, her loyal fan came to her side again.

    With a troubled look, she blinked her big eyes at Ashley. As thetter wondered what was going on,

    she showed her a piece of cake ced on a cute transparent box.

    "Come on, Ashley, be strong. I will give you my favorite cake. Don''t be upset anymore. Sweets will help

    you feel better," Fiona Xia offered sweetly, thinking that Ashley was really upset.

    Grateful for her concern, Ashley reached for the cake hesitantly, looked her straight in the eye and

    sincerely said the words, "Thank you!"

    Upon hearing her thanks, Fiona Xia put on a disappointed face. Ashley was bothered and assumed

    that she would take the cake back. But to her surprise, Fiona Xia gave the cake a look and withdrew

    her gaze away from it, regretfully. "I hope you would love it," she said while slowly lowering her head.

    Realizing what had just happened, Ashley was somewhat bothered by Fiona Xia''s reaction. However,

    looking at the cake, she hade to understand her frown. Although they hadn''t gotten to know each

    other for a long time, she knew how much Fiona Xia loved desserts and cakes.

    As a matter of fact, Fiona Xia was an easygoing type of girl. Her only weakness was her obsession with

    food. If anyone dared to take desserts or cakes away from her, she would turn violent and hysterical

    just to have her food back.

    It was rare for her to offer or give the cake to others.

    Ashley was touched by her sweet and selfless actions. Taking the cake off the box, she grabbed her

    chin and made her look at her and stuffed a piece of cake in her mouth using a spoon. Pinching her

    chubby cheeks, she reassured her friend, "Don''t worry about me. I''m fine."

    Caught off guard, Fiona Xia didn''t realize what was going on until Ashley spooned some cake and

    stuffed it into her mouth. Gaping at Ashley with her pitiful eyes, she seemed to be slightly annoyed.

    ''But, I was giving it to you, '' she muffled.

    "You''re such a cute girl," Ashleymented with joy. The amusing expression on Fiona Xia''s face

    dispelled her negative feelings.

    N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    After sharing the cake, Ashley persuaded the young girl to go back to her work, and she started to scan

    the posts on the forum.

    Several characters caught her attention.

    "What a surprise! Aloof beauty is the third party! A homewrecker!"

    The post was pinned on the top.

    To Ashley''s surprise,ments flooded below the post. Some werementing in defense of her yet

    most were against her.

    Mixed emotions brewed inside of her as she scanned through the post andments. She was

    overwhelmed and hadn''t anticipated the reactions the news had elicited. Ashley couldn''t help but press

    her temples with her hands as her head throbbed in anger.

 Chapter 14 Home Wrecker

    Chapter 14 Home Wrecker

    Ashley continued scrolling down thement section and read everything. Almost all thements

    were abusing her. "What a bitch!" someone said. Others said, "You, a home wrecker and a shameless

    woman. You are not qualified to be a member of thispany and should quit!"

    Straightly speaking, a home wrecker refers to a woman who gets involved with a man who is engaged,

    be it with a wife or a girlfriend. This kind of a woman deserves no respect wherever she is for her

    behavior of seducing an already-engaged man is downright shameless.

    Nowadays, almost everybody of all ages--from young kids to octogenarians--knows exactly what a

    "home wrecker" means and they will simply look down upon such a woman if they meet one.

    That was why this post had been the top trending topic and attracted so much attention. Home

    wreckers are like the scampering rats in the street that everybody wants to beat up.

    Ashley''s mood kept undeterred. She stayed calm while reading thements.

    Primary Colors: "Eh, we can not judge a person by his or her look. Nor can the sea be measured by a

    bucket. Ashley, the famous beauty benchmark in ourpany turns out to be a home wrecker! It''s

    unexpected!"

    Crowned Beauty: "Yeah, I agree. I thought she was noble and honourable. She looked like a lotus

    blooming on the snow-covered summit. Now when I recall her expression, I find it disgusting and fake.

    She might always be pretending all along! It is highly possible that she is very promiscuous when it

    comes to sex!"

    Ignorant Fool: "I don''t think so. She is not like what you said. Although she isn''t easy-going and keeps

    a distance with others, she is willing to help others. She helped me solve a problem that I hadn''t solved

    for a long time."

    Night Flower: "Um, I agree. Ashley is definitely not that kind of person. Are you sure you''re referring to

    the right person?"

    Crowned Beauty: @Night Flower," How could I mistake her for another person! The post starter has

    uploaded several pictures and it''s obvious from there that she is the home wrecker!"

    Primary Colors: @Ignorant Fool: "Cats hide their ws. You may think she helped you, but who knows

    her real intention? She is Mr. Luo''s girl. If sheins to Mr. Luo about your performance, you may

    lose your job. Pillow talk matters."

    Single Hero: "Hum, she looks so reserved and noble like a saint. Who knows how she performs on

    bed? I am so excited only by imagining how wild she might actually be!"

    Crowned Beauty: @Single Hero, "Haha, you are right. Just seduce her and you will see."

    Primary Colors: "I feel sorry for Miss Mu. That home wrecker may seduce Mr. Luo whenever and

    wherever possible. Miss Mu must be worried about it."

    Single Hero: "You are right. Mr. Luo is a handsome jaunty man. No one is out of such a rich

    gentleman''s reach. In the outside, many gold-diggers have cast lusty eyes on Mr. Luo. But none of

    them can be mentioned in the same breath as Miss Mu.

    All Missing: "I heard Miss Mu and Mr. Luo just got engaged."

    Crowned Beauty: "That means no one can be Mrs. Luo except Miss Mu. They have held a ceremony

    and will get married soon. Those bitches are simply iparable to Miss Mu! I am with Miss Mu.

    Home wreckers must get out of the life of the Luo Group!"

    Primary Colors, "Miss Mu and that home wrecker have the same family name. Is it possible that they

    are sisters?"

    All Missing: "That''s impossible! Miss Mu is the only daughter of Mr. Mu. She will take over the Mu

    Group! That bitch is a home wrecker. There is no way we can evenpare her and Miss Mu. I

    absolutely think, she doesn''t deserve that family name. Miss Mu must surely be insulted by that bitch''s

    name."

    Crowned Beauty: "I agree. Miss Mu is so kind while that woman is a bitch. How could they even

    possibly be sisters? I am with Miss Mu. Home wrecker, get out of the Luo Group!"

    Single Hero: "I am with Miss Mu. Home wrecker, get out of the Luo Group!"

    Primary Colors: "I am with Miss Mu. Home wrecker, get out of the Luo Group!"

    ¡­

    The rest of thements below were the same. Everybody supported Lena and demanded Ashley''s

    leaving the Luo Group.

    Ashley kept reading thements and gave a brittleugh.

    N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    The post and thesements ndered her. She wanted to know which photos that had caused this

    mess.

    Besides, she was curious about the pictures. She didn''t think she looked like a home wrecker! Thanks

    to the numerousments, the post was a trending topic and Ashley found the original post easily.

    The ount wastely registered and had posted very few posts. The ID is "Willow Catkin". Ashley

    scrolled down and found the pictures that made people believe she was Raymond''s mistress.

    While looking at the pictures, Ashley burst outughing.

    These pictures were taken during the time when Ashley and Raymond were lovers. At university, they

    had been close, but Ashley didn''t want their rtionship to be publicly known. That was why few

    people knew Ashley was Raymond''s girlfriend.

    Ashley had never showed off her boyfriend. As long as they loved each other, there was no need to tell

    others about their rtionship. Every time she went out with Raymond for lunch, had a date with him or

    went to some interesting ces together, they avoided being seen by others. As a result, their

    behaviors looked weird and people would think they were carrying on a backstreet love affair.

    Below the pictures of her and Raymond, there were pictures of Lena and Raymond dating.

    They were in deep contrast. Ashley looked like Raymond''s mistress because of their serious

    expressions while Lena looked like Raymond''s girlfriend. Lena stared at Raymond with a convincing

    show of affection and Raymond behaved like a considerate gentleman. No one could deny the fact that

    they were lovers and got on well together. Their picture itself hinted their deep love for each other.

    No wonder her colleagues would think Lena was Raymond''s girlfriend and mistook Ashley for a home

    wrecker.

    ''Lena is crafty. She schemed this post and found the pictures to make me quit. Raymond won''t dismiss

    me, so she used another way.

    When Raymond asks about me, she can pass the buck. After all she has never asked me to quit. My

    resignation will make her happy. If I keep working here, she will be afraid of Raymond''s getting close to

    me, '' thought Ashley.

    In fact, Raymond still loved Ashley and Lena knew it. That was why Lena deliberately spread the rumor

    topel Ashley to quit.

    At Lena''s office.

    Lena was lying sprawled in an armchair and sipping at a ss of red wine.

    She wore a wine-red tight skirt, which showed her pleasing curves. Her blonde curly hair hung down

    loosely. Her careful make-up ented her good looks. But this stunning woman didn''t wear a faint

    elegant smile. She chuckled at her sister''s diposure.

    Herputer was powered on. She was reading the digest post that got manyments, all of which

    were insulting Ashley and demanded her to quit. There was an obvious happiness in Lena''s eyes.

    She couldn''t stop imagining Ashley''s being ostracized and fired by the Luo Group. Ashley must look

    miserable at that time, however she would kill to see that scene.

    ''Ashley, I bullied you as before. Even though Raymond loves you, does that matter? I am his fianc¨¦e.

    You have nothing to be proud of, do you?

    It joys me!

    Ashley, Ashley, what will you do?

    Raymond, your only helping hand, is not here, '' thought Lena happily.

    Raymond had gone abroad for business in the early morning. It might take him three to five days. He

    might evene back only after a week.

    Lena had been used to apanying him on business trips so as to tighten their rtionship.

    But this time, she didn''t go with Raymond. There was this important matter to handle. She had a good

    n to get Ashley out of the Luo Group.

    Raymond''s final word before his boarding was warning Lena to take care of Ashley. It made Lena grit

    her teeth. If possible, she wished Ashley to be murdered or simply disappear in her life.

    ''I am your fianc¨¦e. Is it fair for you to talk about Ashley all the time, '' thought Lena, clenching her fist.

    She was consumed by the jealousy of the fact that Ashley was the one winning Raymond''s

    heart.

 Chapter 15 Gossip

    Chapter 15 Gossip

    ''Ashley! Ashley! It''s always her! She''s not your everything! It is possible to still live without her!'' she

    screamed in her heart.

    Although Lena felt reluctant to go along with Raymond''s request, she had no choice but to pretend to

    be happy about it.

    ''Now that he''s on a business trip, I can do whatever I want to Ashley, '' she thought with an evil smile on

    her lips.

    Lena picked up her telephone and called her assistant. "Let Ritae to my office," she instructed

    after she got through.

    After she finished giving her instructions, she hung up the phone. She continued to read through the

    comments, which were, not in Ashley''s favor. This news had put her in a good mood.

    She basked in the pleasure of any negativity that went Ashley''s way. Shortly after, there was a light

    knock on her door.

    "Come in," she said in a cheerful tone. Lena was usually, aggressive and arrogant, but since she was

    in such high spirits, she was more pleasant and tolerable today.

    Rita Chen pushed the door open and asked gingerly, "You wanted to see me, Miss Mu?"

    N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    She was dressed in a tight fitting, ck, low cut, singlet top with a matching tight, ck, short wrap

    skirt.

    She was already 168 centimeters tall and she knew how to take advantage of her height. By adding a

    pair of three-inch ck high heels shoes, she entuated her long, straight thighs. It was a feast for

    the eyes of men.

    She had an oval face and had delicate makeup on. Rita gave off a sexy, morous air to everyone

    around her.

    In the past, Lena would be irritated and scoff at her for dressing like a slut.

    However, this time she only knitted her brows at the sight of her subordinate.

    She had seen through Rita Chen and knew what her motive was behind dressing like that. ''She wants

    to seduce my Raymond. Unfortunately for her, she has chosen the wrong person to mess with. I will

    never give her the chance to go near my fiance, '' she hissed in contempt under her breath.

    Lena fixed her eyes on the posts that deplored Ashley and people were actually rmending that

    she leave the Luo Group. After a moment she nced up and gave Rita, who was standing opposite

    her, an admiring nce. She praised, "You''ve done well."

    Rita Chen understood exactly what her superior was referring to. She had caught a glimpse of Lena''s

    computer screen. She smiled, pleased with herself and replied, "I''m ttered, Miss Mu."

    "Nonsense, you''re being too modest. You''re a smart girl and you did a good job," Lena said casually.

    "I really can''t take all the credit though. If it weren''t for you, my n wouldn''t be as sessful," Rita

    Chen replied with a fake coy smile.

    Lena read between the lines and caught on immediately with what she was getting at. ''She thinks that

    we''re a team. And if she gets in trouble because of this, she will drag my name through the mud as

    well.

    I must admit she is shrewd, '' Lena brooded to herself.

    "Well, that''s all. You can leave now. Once I get what I want, I will fulfill my promise to you," Lena

    concluded, gesturing for her to leave.

    "Thank you, Miss Mu," Rita Chen responded before heading straight for the door.

    Lena narrowed her eyes and stared at her back wondering if it was wise to have chosen Rita to do the

    dirty work for her.

    Rita Chen was an ambitious woman. She had proven that by proposing to work alongside Lena to kick

    Ashley out of the Luo Group.

    And that was the very reason why Lena had her reservations about her aplice.

    ''Hell will freeze over before I would ever let that woman take me down with her, ''

    thought Lena.

    The rumors about Ashley were already spreading around thepany like wildfire.

    When Ashley went to the break room to get some coffee, she could hear a couple of girls inside

    gossiping about her.

    "I didn''t expect that Ashley was such a bad person!" a girl eximed in a disappointed tone. She stood

    with a coffee mug in her hand, gossiping to the other girl.

    "It''s, not a surprise. It''s normal to see that sort of thing in apany, otherwise, how else would she

    have got her job here?" the other girl sneered.

    "You''ve got a point. She looks arrogant and aloof. It turns out that she tried to destroy the happiness of

    others. It''s so creepy. Lucky for me, I didn''t mess with her, otherwise, I may have lost my job," the first

    girl said with a touch of fear in her voice.

    Ashley stood outside and overheard their whole conversation.

    When they had finished talking, she entered the room.

    "Oh, Ash... Ashley, what a coincidence. Have youe here to get some coffee?" one of the girls

    asked nervously.

    The sight of Ashley suddenly appearing out of nowhere had freaked them out. They had no idea how

    long she had been standing there for or how much of their conversation she had heard.

    And even though Ashley had a poor reputation at the moment she still had the authority to fire the two

    girls.

    "Yup," Ashley replied, with a nk expression.

    The two girls quickly stood aside and looked at Ashley nervously. ''When did shee here? If she

    heard what we had said about her, then we are as good as dead, '' the thought ran through their worried

    minds.

    "Err... If there is nothing else, Ashley. May we be excused?" one of the girls dared to ask.

    "Sure, off you go," Ashley replied tly.

    The two bolted out of the room as if they were being chased by a ghost.

    Ashley nced at her own reflection in the mirror and let out a cold chuckle. ''I never saw thating.

    One minute they are stabbing me in the back and yet when they see me, they are meeker than mice.

    They did that because they fear me and not because they respect me.

    But what if the victim was a nobody and had no authority on them? How would they treat her then?'' she

    mused at their cruelty in her mind.

    Ashley poured herself some water and left the break room. On her way to the office, she received

    many discreet nces and whispers behind her back. However, she paid no attention to them.

    ''They''re all just snobs anyway. When I get a promotion, they wille running to me and try to butter

    me up. But when I''m in trouble, they will avoid me and gloat over my misfortune, '' she sighed.

    Once she reached the office, Fiona sprinted towards her and stopped in front of her. She turned and

    nced at the gossipers and in spite of them all, she stretched her arm out and linked it through

    Ashley''s as a chaperone. Fiona red at the busybodies and yelled, "What are you gawking at? Have

    you finished all of your work? I don''t think you have time to stand around and gossip."

    Once Fiona hade to Ashley''s rescue, the crowd dispersed immediately.

    "Ashley, don''t take any notice of what they say," Fiona saidforting her.

    "You''re right. I couldn''t give two hoots about what they say about me. Rest assured I have broad

    shoulders," Ashley reassured her. Fiona''s words seemed to have amused her and gave her courage.

    "I''m d to hear that. It''s lunchtime. Let''s go to the canteen and grab a bite to eat," Fiona said with a

    sparkle in her eyes. Without waiting for Ashley''s response, she grabbed her by the hand and led her to

    the dining hall.

    As Ashley went with Fiona, she nced at her with a fond smile. ''She is the only one who is leading a

    carefree life among all the people I know, '' she thought.

 Chapter 16 Leaving The Luo Group

    Chapter 16 Leaving The Luo Group

    Ashley went to the dining hall with Fiona. She sat waiting patiently at the table for her, because Fiona

    said that she would manage everything herself.

    Ashley couldn''t think of any reason to refuse her, so all she could do was sit and watch as Fiona ran

    around here and there in the dining hall getting food for them.

    It wasn''t the rush hour for lunch, so there weren''t too many people around. Ashley preferred to have

    her lunch when it was quieter rather than when the hall was full of noisy hungry workers.

    Ellie was looking for Ashley everywhere. She was relieved when she spotted her sitting at the table.

    Ellie first went to look for Ashley in her office. But when she didn''t find her there. She assumed that

    Fiona would have taken her to the dining hall since she was fond of delicious food.

    While looking at Ellie, Ashley asked, "What''s the matter, Ellie? Why are you so out of breath?"

    Ellie nced at her, looking a little bit sullen.

    Once Ellie had learned about what was on thepany''s forum, she began to worry about Ashley. As

    soon as she finished work, she came to see her straight away.

    "Are you okay? You shouldn''t pay any attention to the nonsense on the forum. They don''t know

    anything," Ellie said looking at her with concern.

    Ashley smiled. "Hey, it''s fine. I''m stronger than that. Don''t worry about me."

    Fiona had returned and greeted her, "Hi, Ellie. It''s nice to see you here. Would you like to join us? Just

    have a seat, I''ll be back in a minute."

    Fiona put the two boxes of food on the table and rushed off to get another one for Ellie.

    "She''s so sweet. She''s still like a child," Ellie said smiling as she watched Fiona darting off.

    "Yes, she''s always like that. Fiona''s motto is, ''Bread is the staff of life'', so let''s feed ourselves first,"

    Ashley saidughing.

    Shortly after, Fiona came back with another box of food.

    N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    "My dear sisters, let''s have our meals together, okay?" Fiona was hungry, so as soon as she sat down,

    she began to dig in.

    Ashley and Ellie just looked at each other and then at Fiona and smiled. They picked up their

    chopsticks and joined in.

    "Ashley, what do you think about the post on the forum?" Ellie asked, still worried about how Ashley

    was going to cope with it.

    "What I think, is that it''s so obvious that Lena was behind it all. And she wants me to leave the Luo

    Group," Ashley said tly as she nced at her.

    When Raymond and Ashley were dating, it was in college and only a few people actually knew about it,

    including her friend Ellie, several of Raymond''s friends, and Lena of course.

    Raymond''s friends and Ellie certainly wouldn''t have spread the rumor, but Lena would.

    She never liked Ashley from the very beginning, so it would be very likely that Lena was behind it all, to

    make her leave. Also, Raymond wasn''t around that day so it was easier for Lena to do it.

    As Ashley thought about it, she was sure that Lena would love nothing more than for Ashley to leave

    the Luo Group disgraced, while Raymond was away.

    But Ashley refused to give Lena that satisfaction.

    "Lena again? Why is she always in your life?" Ellie gritted her teeth when she mentioned the name

    Lena.

    Ashley was also puzzled as to what provoked Lena to do such a thing and drifted off, lost in her own

    thoughts. What could she have done to make her hate her so much?

    From when they were kids, Lena could have whatever she desired. But she took much more pleasure

    in taking Ashley''s things away from her. Why was she like that? She also liked to frame her and make

    others think lowly of Ashley.

    "Ashley, did you hear me?" Ellie waved her hand in front of Ashley''s face to bring her back to the

    present.

    "Err¡ª Sorry, what did you say?" Ashley asked when she was jolted out of her thoughts.

    Ellie felt helpless whenever she saw Ashley be distant and vague. She wondered what could

    make her be like that.

    "So, are we going to leave the Luo Group or not?" Ellie asked. Ashley had never intended to work in

    the Luo Group. But after graduation, Raymond insisted on getting her a good position in thepany,

    so he could be close to her.

    But Ashley didn''t want a good position until she earned it herself. She wanted to start from the bottom

    and work her way up. Raymond agreed but after just two months of her working in thepany, he

    had promoted her to the original position that he had intended from the beginning.

    Ashley was angry at him for doing that, she didn''t want any favors or shortcuts from him. But Raymond

    refused to let her go back to the beginning again and so she had no other choices but to stay. From

    then on, all the staff of thepany assumed that Ashley must be having some love affairs with

    Raymond.

    She didn''t want it known that she was dating the inheritor of the Luo Group and Raymond agreed with

    her. So their love affair had only been a rumor at that time.

    But they didn''t expect that the rumor would be used to nder her.

    "No, we''re not leaving. Not just yet, anyway. If we leave now, all the rumors that they posted on the

    forum will be the truth. That''s what Lena is hoping for and I am not going to give her that

    satisfaction," Ashley said with determination in her eyes.

    She had made her mind up that she would definitely leave the Luo Group soon. There were lots of

    otherpanies that she could work for. Any otherpany would be hassle-free and much easier to

    work for without all the drama associated with the Luo Group.

    It was more than clear that the Luo Group was no longer where they could stay and work.

    "Yes, you''re right. We can''t leave now." Ellie knew what Ashley meant and nodded agreeing with her.

    She knew they would both leave the Luo Group, but first, they had to clear their names before leaving.

    They had to set the rumors straight.

    "So what are you going to do about it?" Ellie asked, presuming that she had thought of a n.

    "I still haven''t figured out how to deal with it. But it''s easier for us now since we know who was behind it

    all."

    Ellie looked at her smiling but saying nothing.

    She believed that Ashley woulde up with a n to get them out of this awkward situation.

    Ashley had known that Lena was the one who was behind it. But she couldn''t possiblye out to

    rify what she posted on the forum. If she did do that, it would only prove that she was the third

    woman.

    She wasn''t that stupid, even though Lena had hoped that she was.

    Ellie shook her head, worried that she might not be cunning enough to think of a n to help clear

    Ashley''s name.

    "What? Ellie, Ashley, are you going to leave the Luo Group? Are you serious?" Fiona asked looking at

    both of them when she overheard their conversation.

 Chapter 17 Annoying Woman

    Chapter 17 Annoying Woman

    "Yes. I don''t want to continue to stay here. I don''t like my job. I want to open a bakery to sell all kinds of

    delicious cakes," Ellie replied.

    Ellie''s announcement was a great delight to Fiona. "Really? When you open the shop, you have to let

    me know. I will be your first customer!" she gushed, gaping at Ellie with her expectant eyes.

    "Of course I will. How could I forget you?" Ellie beamed as she pinched Fiona''s chubby cheeks.

    ''It feltfortable. I finally understood why Ashley always pinches her face, '' she thought.

    "But are you really going to leave the Luo Group?" Fiona''s lips curved downward as she remembered

    that was Ellie''s intention.

    The smile on her face faded off and her mood darkened.

    As Ashely detected Fiona was upset, she reached out and touched Fiona''s head fondly. "What''s up?"

    she nudged in a sisterly tone.

    "I don''t want you to leave. If you leave here, I will have to work here alone," Fiona blurted. Her thoughts

    escaped her mouth in a rush and her face still carried the weariness of her fear and frustration.

    "How about you take me with you?" she proposed. Her eyes lit up in expectation, staring at Ashley and

    Ellie.

    Then she lowered her head and fixed her eyes on the delectable food on her te. ''The food here is

    yummy, '' she thought.

    Ashley observed Fiona''s actions. ''She still acts like a child, '' Ashley chuckled to herself.

    "It has not been decided yet. You should do your job. You got the chance to work here because your

    school works with thispany. Unfortunately, you can''t just leave here any time you want," Ashley

    said.

    Fiona sighed. Ashley''s reminder that she was a mere intern caused her shoulders to slump even more

    and she thought to herself, ''Why me? I don''t want to continue to work in this stupidpany.

    I just became friends with Ashley and Ellie. Now they''re leaving.'' Tears began to form at the corners of

    her eyes.

    The three women noticed the lunch rush entering the canteen. Ashley, who was acutely aware of the

    other customers'' disrespectful remarks and scornful gazes, said, "Girls, I think it''s time to head back to

    the office."

    They stood up, pushed in their chairs, and let their eyes search through the crowd for a way to exit

    gracefully, but there was no easy way out.

    On the most direct route out of the canteen, Ashley looked up and saw Rita. This was not going to go

    well.

    Rita knew about Ashley''s rtionship with Raymond and was filled with envy. She raised a corner of

    her lips and said in her most derisive voice, "Are you leaving so soon? We just arrived. The lunch hour

    is far from over. What''s the rush?"

    Rita had learnt about Ashley''s rtionship with Raymond by ident, but she was still envious of her.

    She worked for Luo Group for many years and since she knew that Raymond''s father owned the

    company, she had tried every means to seduce him to be his girlfriend. But to her dismay, he

    wasn''t interested in her.

    Initially she thought that she wasn''t enchanting enough to make Raymond fall for her. But it turned out

    that her boss had a girlfriend - Ashley.

    And it wasn''t just Ashley''s rtionship with Raymond she envied. It was also her role in thepany.

    She had paid her dues and worked like mad in the Luo Group, but she was passed over for the

    promotion and now Ashley, a neer, was her superior.

    That was why she had teamed up with Lena to kick Ashley out of the Luo Group.

    Ashley looked around the hall, dismissed Rita''s snidementary and again began weaving her way

    through the crowd toward the exit. With knitted brows, Ashley squared her shoulders and pointed her

    eyes straight ahead.

    But when she walked past Rita, thetter grabbed her arm and whispered in her ear, "I bet you have

    seen the posts in the forum. When are you going to quit your job?"

    "When did I say that I was leaving the Luo Group?" Ashley countered, shaking her arm free from Rita''s

    ws.

    "I have never seen such a shameless mistress. Miss Mu didn''te to you because she didn''t want to

    embarrass you. You should be smart and quit," Rita quipped, as she looked at her fingernails, still

    grasping at Ashley''s arm. Obviously she didn''t take Ashley as her opponent.

    "You used me of stealing another woman''s fiance with several photos. It''s ridiculous! If I took

    several pictures of you at a hotel, can I say that you are a whore?" Ashley snapped back with an eerie

    calmness. However, her eyes threw daggers at Rita.

    "You..." Rita''s voice trailed off. A dash of fury shed across her face. "Don''t think too highly of yourself.

    If you are a wise woman, you''d better resign office. Otherwise, you will get yourslf into bigger trouble,"

    she warned.

    "Well, thank you for your warning. But that''s none of your business. You''d better take care of your own

    things," Ashley shot back. Then she took Ellie''s and Fiona''s hands and dragged them through the

    crowd to the exit.

    The onlookers, shocked by Ashley''s eloquence, parted the sea of people so that the three women

    could exit the canteen.

    As soon as Ashley was out of sight, they all fixed their eyes on Rita. Rita threw a steely look at the

    crowd and shouted, "Go away. What the heck are you looking at?"

    Upon hearing this, the onlookers dispersed. Rita thought to herself, ''Looks like I underestimated

    Ashley.'' Her cheeks started to burn with rage.

    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "Don''t get angry, Rita. Ashley was ying tough. She is in an awkward situation. It''s impossible for her

    to continue to stay here," a girl piped up. The girl noticed the animosity spreading on Rita''s face, so she

    tried to please her superior.

    "I agree with her. There is no need to be angry at a shameless girl. You gave her those warnings out of

    goodwill. However, she was ungrateful and refused your kindness. You should let it go," another girl

    followed.

    The anger on Rita''s face slightly faded as she heard their ttering words.

    ...

    Ashley let go of Ellie and Fiona when they came to a quiet ce.

    "That was very impressive, Ashley. You rendered her speechless," Fiona delivered the authentic praise,

    gazng at Ashley with admiring eyes.

    "Is that so?" Ashley took a resigned look at Fiona and let out a helpless smile.

    She didn''t particrly enjoy talking to others, but she also was not one to sit quietly by and let others

    bully her.

    When she felt threatened, she fought back. Generally, she was nice to others, but she did have a

    temper.

    She resolved to quit her job in the Luo Group, and it was only a matter of time. But before she

    resigned, she nned to give Lena a "gift" in return.

    Ashley hadn''t made up a story about Rita''s being at a hotel. She had once watched Rita who was not

    properly dressed get out of a hotel by ident, and she had some spection. Rita''s response

    confirmed her assumption.

    "You shouldn''t have acted rashly like that. Now all the people want you to leave the Luo Group. You''re

    putting yourself in a more embarrassed position," Ellie said, giving Ashley a worried look.

    "Don''t worry. They will not have the guts to do anything to me," Ashley assured her friend.

    "I agree with Ashley. Don''t think too much. It''s going to be fine. Look what I got, a candy," Fiona said to

    Ellie, taking out a candy out of nowhere and putting it on her palm.

    Amazement spreading over their faces, Ashley''s and Fiona''s jaws nearly hit the floor. ''What''s going on

    in there?'' they wondered.

    Under their keen gazes, Fiona was slightly embarrassed. ''As a foodie, I always bring some food with

    me. It''s not a big deal, '' she thought. Fiona fluttered her long eyshes at the

    two.

 Chapter 18 Do Me A Favor

    Chapter 18 Do Me A Favor

    As soon as they got home, Ashley dashed straight into her bedroom. Ellie didn''t call after her or follow

    her to her room. With a shrug, she went to the kitchen and prepared their dinner. Ashley did not leave

    her room until her bestie called her to eat.

    "What were you doing in your bedroom?" Ellie asked curiously.

    "You''ll know it tomorrow," Ashley replied. Without another word, she ate her meal quickly. In no time,

    she got up and put her dishes in the sink. Before leaving the kitchen, she shed Ellie a mysterious

    smile and disappeared into her bedroom again.

    Ellie shook her head, wondering whether the posts andments on the forum had irritated her best

    friend.

    As shey on her bed, Ashley opened the QQ app, her eyes glued on her phone screen.

    She started to text to one of her QQ friends.

    AAAAshley: "Hello?"

    Skyline: "Hi, little pretty. You finally contacted me." A crying face followed the sentence.

    AAAAshley: "Well, I have got my hands fulltely. So how are you?"

    Skyline: "Fine. I don''t have much work to do. What''s up, little pretty?"

    AAAAshley: "You said you''re one of the best hackers out there, right? I hope you can do me a favor."

    After she sent the message, she waited for a while but there was no reply.

    Resting her head on her hand, she wondered if she had been rude. Maybe her request was too

    straightforward.

    As she texted a new message, another message notification popped up.

    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    Skyline: "Sorry. I was getting takeout. So what is it, little pretty? Leave it to me and I will help you take

    care of it, I promise." At the end of his message was a blushing face.

    Wasting no time, she quickly shared him with what had happened to her at the office. And she asked

    him to help her pay back in kind.

    Skyline: "Little pretty, those people are too bad. How could they treat you that way? Don''t worry about it

    now. I know what to do. I will teach them a hard lesson for you."

    AAAAshley: "Thank you! I will treat you to a meal. Your choice!"

    ...

    His promise set her mind at rest. She had no idea what was waiting for her tomorrow in thepany.

    After taking a shower, she fell asleep quickly.

    Somewhere else in the city, in a high-end bar, four enchanting men sat in a luxurious booth, each

    having their own different appeal. They drank their wine leisurely once in a while.

    One had a rather innocent face, and he was around his early twenties. As he broke intoughter, he

    shed his two tiger teeth, which made him even more adorable.

    His hand held onto his ss of brandy, while the other held onto his phone. A beaming smile spread on

    his face as he looked over at the screen. He looked like ad in love for the first time.

    "Oh, man!" grumbled Francis Nan sitting next to him. There was an unease that overwhelmed him. He

    crossed his arms over his chest and started rubbing his hands against his limbs, trying to get rid of the

    goosebumps running across his body.

    Francis Nan stared at Greyson Yun, his charming eyes glittering under the dim lights. There was

    repulsion all over his face, and he instinctively moved far away from the giggling youngd.

    As soon as Greyson Yun put his cell phone aside, he met Francis'' resigned eyes. The dazzling smile

    on his face was soon reced with a disgruntled look as he took in Francis'' reaction.

    Suddenly, something amusing urred to him, and he broke intoughter again. Instead of throwing a

    tantrum, he only gave him an angry snort.

    Upon seeing this, Francis Nan shrugged his shoulders in relief. He tugged the sleeve of another man

    beside him and whispered, "What''s wrong with Greyson? Hisughter is kind of creepy and weird. Is he

    dating someone?"

    The man he asked emanated a gentle air. He cast a quick nce at Greyson. "Perhaps he is," the man

    replied.

    His voice was calm, and he treated others nicely. However, the distant look in his eyes implied that his

    heart was closed and he would never open up to anyone in his entire lifetime.

    "Don''t think that I didn''t hear what you said. But I am in a good good, so I will spare you today,"

    Greyson Yun snorted, turning to Francis Nan.

    He then rose from his seat and said to the rest, "My little pretty needs my help, so I have to take care of

    something. Have fun here. I got to go." He rolled his eyes at Francis Nan before exiting the room.

    "Who do you think the ''little pretty'' was referring to? What kind of girl could make him act that way?"

    Curiosity flooded Francis Nan as he watched Jeremy Gu intently.

    Andrew had been sitting in a corner, drinking in silence. He had not been engaged in their conversation

    earlier.

    As an answer to Francis''s questions, Jeremy mulled it over and simply shook his head.

    "It''s so boring here," Francis whined.

    "Why did you call us here, Andrew? You just sit there drinking wine. What''s wrong with you?" ''They are

    acting so weird today, '' he thought.

    There was a long pause. Francis twirled his ss in his hand. He put it against his lips, slowly downing

    its contents.

    "Do you have any idea how to win a girl''s heart?" Andrew, who was sitting at the corner, said in a low

    voice.

    There was a mixture of hesitance and helplessness in his voice.

    Francis did not expect to hear this question, making him slightly choke on the wine he was drinking.

    He patted his chest as he coughed vigorously. There were tears starting to form at the corners of his

    eyes.

    When he felt a bit better, he stared at Andrew in disbelief.

    ''I can''t believe what I''m hearing! The aloof single man wants to pursue someone?'' he screamed inside.

    Startled, he blinked his eyes and watched Andrew intently, wondering if his friend had lost his mind.

    Even Jeremy Gu, who had been keeping a low profile, rested his eyes on Andrew with an astonished

    look.

    Not until Francis Nan met Andrew''s menacing eyes did he regain hisposure and put away his

    dramatic expressions.

    "Are you kidding me? Your looks alone could make girls fall for you! Not to mention your identity,"

    Francis exasperated without a second thought.

    Jeremy Gu nodded his head in approval.

    ''Is that so?'' Andrew wondered.

    As he looked at the earnest look on the Francis'' face, he almost believed him.

    Andrew dropped his gaze and lightly bit on his lower lip. After a second of considering what his friend

    had just said, he simply said tly, "But those things don''t work for her."

    Francis Nan was ovee with confusion. ''What does he mean? Who is she?''

    Later he became aware that the girl Andrew wanted to date wasn''t that sort of girl who was after wealth

    or good looks.

    However, it was a piece of cake for someone like Francis. He shook his hand in the air, as if to wave off

    his friend''s problems.

    Soon enough, he shared all kinds of ways to win a girl''s affection with Andrew eloquently.

    ...

    The next morning, Ashley and Ellie went to thepany on foot as usual. As they entered the building,

    the way their colleagues looked at Ashley changed.

    It didn''t surprise Ashley. But as a matter of fact, she was still anxious. After all, she had only met him

    once.

    But since her instinct told her that he was a trustworthy friend, she had decided to turn to him for help.

    The minute Ashley took her seat in the office, Fiona ran to her with her cellphone.

    "Ashley, Ashley, big news! Look at this!" Fiona eximed with thrill as she showed her phone to Ashley.

    "What''s up?" Ashley asked with a puzzled look. ''Did he seed?'' she wondered.

    "Look here! Look here!" Fiona urged.

 Chapter 19 Pay Back In Kind

    Chapter 19 Pay Back In Kind

    Before Ashley could see the news, Fiona read it aloud, "A richdy stole a girl''s boyfriend and used

    that girl of being a third party!"

    The title was indeed eye-catching. On top of that, the scandalous way Fiona said it attracted the

    attention of nearly everyone inside the office. Those who were once busy at work soon took out their

    cellphones and looked for the post Fiona had just mentioned. ''There is a great deal of news about rich

    ladies. But now this is about a richdy who stole someone''s boyfriend. Interesting...'' Ashley thought.

    She continued to scroll through Fiona''s phone, only to find that all the posts on the forum were about

    how Lena had taken her boyfriend away from that girl.

    The most interesting part was that the one who had exposed that explosive news was the same as the

    last one.

    As all of them gaped at the content of the post, a new video had just been posted. Naturally, people

    clicked on it out of curiosity.

    As soon as the video was yed, those watching let out a shocked gasp, their eyes widening and their

    mouths agape. Curious as Fiona was, she clicked on the video. She merely had a glimpse of the video,

    and yet she loosened her grip on her cellphone from the overwhelming shock.

    Ashley responded swiftly and caught Fiona''s cellphone before it fell on the floor. Otherwise, Fiona

    might not be able to buy her favorite snacks in the next few days since she would have to buy a new

    phone.

    "Thank you, Ashley," Fiona said gratefully, patting the beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Still

    looking quite dazed, she took her phone from Ashley. The image of two naked bodies intertwined in

    zing passion lingered in her mind, making her even more confused.N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    As an innocent foodie who had never been in a rtionship, Fiona was ignorant of what was going on

    in the video.

    Ashley had caught a glimpse of the video as she returned Fiona''s phone. From what she had briefly

    seen, she realized immediately that it was Lena and her ex-boyfriend having sex in the video. She was

    certain of this because her foster sister had asked her to witness that very scene as it happened.

    What came as a surprise to Ashley was that Lena had even recorded it.

    ''No wonder they''re all in immense shock.

    They could see Raymond and Lena having sex clearly, '' Ashley thought in disdain.

    Ashleyforted the panic-stricken Fiona and escorted her to her seat. Upon returning to her desk,

    she opened herputer, and viewed the forum. Thements differed from the ones posted

    yesterday.

    There were still many negative posts but they were no longer about Ashley.

    A sardonic smile climbed up the corners of her lips. ''How would Lena react when she finds out about

    this?'' she wondered with a sneer.

    Her so-called hacker friend did give her a big surprise. ''He is really something. He was able to get his

    hands on this video. I''m impressed, '' she thought, nodding to herself approvingly.

    ...

    As soon as Lena entered the Luo Group''s building, she sensed that there was something different with

    the way her subordinates looked at her.

    In the past, she always received the gazes of admiration or jealousy from others.

    Today, they stared at her with dismissive and judging eyes- as if she had done something wrong or had

    walked into the building without clothes on.

    Lena was ufortable with the stares she had received. Rattled, she quickened her pace and

    entered her office.

    The first thing she did was get on herptop. She quickly opened thepany website and browsed

    through the forums. Upon reading the post and seeing the video, Lena was drivenpletely mad.

    With a loud grunt, she stood up and shove everything off her desk.

    Her chest heaved from the amount of anger she felt. With a trembling hand, she reached for her phone

    and called her assistant. "Tell Rita toe to my office right now!" she shouted furiously.

    Within moments, a woman in a red, sleeveless shirt came in. "Miss Mu, you were looking for me?" Rita

    inquired gingerly. The red hip wrap skirt she woreplimented her top nicely, entuating her

    hourss figure.

    The sight of Rita infuriated Lena. ''She is really a bitch, a seductress! She is always dressed this way.

    Who is she even trying to seduce?'' she seethed in contempt.

    Lena picked up a cup and threw it at Rita. Glowering at her, she bellowed, "You''re such a

    disappointment! How could you allow this to happen? Have you seen thements on the forum?"

    Rita dodged right in the nick of time, the cup shattering onto the floor with a loud smash.

    This made Lena even angrier. She went around her desk, grabbed whatever she could and threw it

    towards Rita.

    Anger red through Rita''s eyes.

    If she hadn''t acted quickly, she would have been hit right in the face with that cup! She could have

    been seriously hurt.

    Various objects kept flying towards Rita''s direction. In a heartbeat, she swiftly retreated to the door,

    shielding herself from the things Lena threw at her. Before she closed the door, Rita said in a cold tone,

    "You''d better check that post yourself, Miss Mu. I don''t know what''s going on. But the post author is

    you." With that, she closed the door behind her.

    Lena froze upon hearing her words.

    She returned to her seat, clicked the post and confirmed it for herself. It was in fact the ount that

    she had registered the other day.

    But she definitely did not post those stuff.

    She tried to log in, delete the video and post something to defend herself. But to her surprise, the

    password she created wasn''t working.

    Thinking that she might have failed to type the right password, she tried several other times but the

    results were the same.

    "Incorrect password!"

    "Incorrect password!"

    ...

    "Incorrect password! Damn it. What''s wrong with the stupid password?" Lena murmured, simmering

    with fury. As her rage devoured her, she lifted herptop over her head, attempting to throw it hard onto

    the ground.

    But eventuallymon sense got the better of her.

    After she calmed down, she registered several new ounts so that she could defend herself. "Those

    aren''t true. Ashley is the one to me. She is the third party!" shemented below the new post

    Fiona had shared with Ashley.

    She made somements to convince others that she hadn''t stolen anyone''s boyfriend, but soon

    someizens replied her with some harsh words.

    Since severalizens continued to speak ill of Ashley, some people in thepany started to suspect

    that those might be Lena''s new ounts.

    Some smart people dug out the truth and confirmed their suspicion. They started to attack Lena with

    scornful remarks on the forum.

    Facing the overwhelming negativements, Lena couldn''t stay in thepany any longer. She

    gathered her stuff and hurried out of her office. She headed straight for the Mu family''s residence in a

    bid to find her mother and snitch on Ashley.

    Whenever she was in trouble, she would turn to her mother for help.

    At noon, Ashley, Ellie and Fiona sat together as they ate their lunches.

    Settling her gaze on Ashley, Ellie praised her, "You''re amazing, Ashley! How did you do that?"

    Although the three had spected that the ount was Lena, Ellie couldn''t figure out why Lena would

    try to defend Ashley and even upload the video to prove Ashley''s innocence. In her eyes, it couldn''t be

    Lena''s doing since she hated Ashley with all her guts.

    Ellie was extremely curious to find out what was going on.

    "Well, it''s a secret!" Ashley gave Ellie a mysterious smile.

    "Is that so? Well done, Ashley Mu! Now you even keep things to yourself!" Ellie said in a menacing

    tone as she watched Ashley with a coy smile.

    "Well, Ellie, it''s my fault. But I can''t tell you here. There are so many people around here who could be

    listening in. I promise that I''ll fill you in at home, okay?" Ashley said with a smirk.

    It didn''t mean that Ashley was afraid of Ellie. The two shared everything with each other ever since

    they had gotten acquainted. Although they were not rted in anyway, they had bond thicker than

    blood.

    "So you did all of this, Ashley? I''m impressed," Fiona cut in, looking up at Ashley with her twinkling

    eyes, even raising her hand to give her a thumb-up.

    "Well, let''s eat. The food is getting cold. Cold food is not good for our health!" Ashley urged with a

    resigned expression as she saw Fiona stared at her with infinite admiration. The serious tone

    frightened Fiona slightly. Fiona let her eyes fall back to her food.

 Chapter 20 Snitch On Ashley

    Chapter 20 Snitch On Ashley

    ''This is the most efficient way to make Fiona shut up!'' Ashley thought with a victorious smile visible on

    her lips.

    Seeing the way Ashley treated Fiona, Ellie rolled her eyes at her disapprovingly.

    However, Ashley just grinned back mischievously. ''Got a problem with that?'' she thought.

    The trio ran into Rita, and she was looking a lot less confident and much less cocky than she had been

    yesterday.

    Ashley gave her a vague nce, thinking, ''It looks like the tides have turned, after just one day. But it''s

    wrong to gloat over other''s misfortune.''

    Sensing Ashley''s gaze on her, Rita looked at her with a nk expression on her face and then looked

    away.

    ''She must hate me very much.

    But it''s not my fault. She brought it all on herself!'' Ashley thought.

    The time had passed in the blink of an eye and it was already dusk. The three girls stood in front of the

    Luo Group''s building preparing to bid each other goodbye.

    "Ellie, Ashley, see you tomorrow," Fiona said cheerfully, waving to them.

    Her house was in the opposite direction to where Ashley and Ellie lived. But since the girls were all

    good friends, they would always walk out of thepany together and then go their separate ways.

    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    "Bye. See you!" Ellie and Ashley replied in unison.

    They watched Fiona for a brief moment as she walked down the street and then they too headed to

    their apartment.

    Ashley and Ellie rented an apartment in close proximity to thepany. It made it more convenient for

    them to walk to and from work every day. It would normally only take them around ten minutes to get

    home at strolling pace.

    On the way home, they chatted happily with each other.

    All of a sudden, Ellie stopped and asked, "Now, can you tell me how on earth you managed to pull that

    off?"

    She gave her best friend a stern look and an expression that implied, that she wasn''t going to give her

    any other choice but to answer her question.

    Ashley knew that look. She had seen it many times before, so she didn''t dare try to hide it from her any

    longer. Ashley heaved a heavy sigh.

    "Remember that day when I visited the Star Asylum?" she asked.

    "Yes, we agreed to go there together, but then I couldn''t go because I had something else that I had to

    do. And you went there by yourself, I remember," Ellie said nodding.

    "That''s right. Well, when I came back. I ran into someone- a beggar," Ashley said.

    "He had mud all over his clothes and he smelled terrible. But there was something about his eyes, they

    were so kind and shone so brightly and beautifully. I guessed that he would have been hungry, so I

    gave him something to eat. And then we exchanged contact information."

    "Are you serious? You exchanged contact information with a vagabond?" Ellie raised her voice and

    stopped on the spot, while she held Ashley by the arm. She gaped at her and then frowned and said,

    "Have you lost your mind?"

    "Could you keep your voice down, Ellie?" Ashley said through clenched teeth as she nced around

    embarrassed.

    Since it was rush hour, Ellie''s loud remark had drawn the attention of the many pedestrians.

    Even though Ashley didn''t care what other people thought of her, she felt self-conscious about being

    gawked at by passersby.

    Ellie let out a deep breath topose herself and after a few moments she said, "Okay, I''m ready now.

    Go ahead."

    "Calm down. I only gave him my QQ ount. Anyway, a long time has passed since that day that I ran

    into him and to be honest I even forgot about him. Then recently, he sent me a buddy request and I

    epted. It turns out that he isn''t a beggar after all.

    Apparently, he came to J City to visit his rtives but got mugged. He lost everything and that was why

    he was in such a bad way. Later on, he managed to contact his rtives and recover some of his

    things. He thanked me for helping him and we would chat through QQ sometimes.

    During one of our chats, he told me that he was really good withputers and offered his skills to me

    if I ever needed them. And that''s pretty much it,"

    Ashley said shrugging her shoulders.

    ''No wonder she locked herself in her room after work yesterday. And here I was thinking that she was

    upset because of the rumors, '' Ellie thought.

    "Even so, you''re still an idiot. What if he was a bad guy? Bah! He came to J City to visit his rtives

    and was mugged! Only you would believe a story like that," Ellie lectured, her face darkening with

    anger.

    ''What if that guy had ill intentions and hurt Ashley? She really put herself in unnecessary risk. Thank

    goodness that nothing bad happened to her, '' she thought irritated.

    "Well, I didn''t think so. He looked like a really nice guy. I bet he isn''t the evil person that you imagine

    him to be," Ashley responded in her own defense.

    "You can''t judge a book by its cover, just like you can''t judge a person by his appearance. If there were

    no bad people in the world, then we wouldn''t see policemen everywhere," Ellie snapped in a sulky

    tone.

    "Come on, Ellie. Don''t be mad at me. I''ve learnt my lesson," Ashley said in a pleading voice, as she

    shook Ellie''s arm. ''I didn''t have the heart to ignore him because he has the most beautiful eyes, '' she

    thought.

    It usually only took ten minutes to get home, but since they kept stopping to talk about Ashley''s new

    friend, it took them half an hour to finally reach their apartment.

    The instant Ashley walked into the house, her phone started buzzing.

    She wondered who could be calling her at this hour.

    As she pulled out her cell phone from her pocket and nced down at the caller ID on the screen, her

    good mood suddenly disappeared.

    Ellie washed her hands and made her way into the kitchen to start cooking dinner for them. Whereas,

    Ashley sat on the couch to take the call in the living room.

    "Hello?" she answered hesitantly. The instant she answered the phone, an irritated voice screeched

    back at her.

    "Ashley Mu! Come home right now!" Peggy yelled.

    Ashley pulled the phone away from her ear as Peggy barked at her on the other end of the line.

    ''Luckily I acted fast. Otherwise, I might have been deafened from all her shouting, '' she thought

    relieved.

    "What''s up? Can''t you tell me over the phone?" Ashley asked leisurely.

    Ashley knew that Peggy was angry with her and wanted her home because Lena had told her what had

    happened.

    It wasn''t something new to Ashley. Every time Lena tried to set her up and ended up backfiring in her

    face and getting her into trouble, she wouldin to her mother and then Peggy would take it out

    on Ashley.

    Ashley listened quietly while Peggy abused her and judged her unfairly.

    The call had finally ended when Peggy was done cursing her and then rudely hung up. Ashley plodded

    to the kitchen with a resigned expression on her face.

    She leaned her shoulder against the door frame and watched as Ellie cooked dinner. "Ellie, you only

    need to cook dinner for yourself," she said in a small, frustrated voice.

    "What? What''s up?" Ellie stopped what she was doing and turned around to face her with furrowed

    brows.

    "I got a call from the Mu family. I have to go over there," Ashley exined.

    "Are you serious? But, it''ste," Ellie grumbled.

    "They don''t care about if I''m in danger or tired. All they care about is avenging their baby girl," Ashley

    sighed, rubbing her temples to relieve her headache.

    "What? Lena snitched on you again?"

    "Yup. Why should she stop now? She always does," Ashley replied.

    "Well, then, good luck with that. I don''t think they''ll treat you to dinner, so I''ll prepare something for you.

    Remember to eat when youe back," Ellie said.

    "Okay, thanks. I''ve got to go. Bye!"

    "Bye. Take care of yourself on the way."

 Chapter 21 Family

    Chapter 21 Family

    Ashley arrived at the curb and immediately hailed a taxi. She boarded the cab and gave some

    instructions to the driver. They exited the heavily trafficked downtown and headed towards a tree-lined

    road. Ashley guided the driver until they had finally reached Splendor Gardens. The driver raised his

    eyebrow and looked at Ashley curiously when he saw their destination.

    The residents of this area were usually business tycoons and social elites. They were wealthy enough

    to afford their own car and a driver. This made the driver curious about Ashley''s status.

    Ashley dismissed the driver''s inquisitive look. They had arrived in front of the Mus'' vi. She got off the

    car and told the driver to wait for her at the curb. She let out a deep sigh topose herself and

    walked towards the vi.

    She had to make the driver wait or she wouldn''t have a ride backter. The people in the vi wouldn''t

    let her spend the night. It would take her all night just to walk back home.

    "Tinkle, tinkle." Ashley pressed the doorbell. She stood in front of the door and waited.

    Even though Ashley was an adopted daughter of the Mu family, she was never given a key to the vi.

    She only entered the vi when she ran errands for the family or when she was med for Lena''s

    misbehaviors. The Mu family didn''t really care for Ashley. They wouldn''t even be fazed if she was sick

    or even if she died.

    Ashley epted this fact about the Mu family. She was aware that they didn''t love her. The thought

    that she would leave the Mu family uplifted her spirits.

    A few seconds passed by and a servant opened the door. Ashley then walked towards the living room,

    but to her surprise, a cup almost hit her in the face.

    A loud sound echoed in the room as the cup hit the floor and broke into pieces.

    Ashley was shocked by what happened. Her furious eyes searched for who threw the cup. It was a few

    inches from her face and she was grateful that she dodged the assault.

    Ashley raised her head and saw Lena. Ashley felt creepy and confused by the pitiful look Lena gave

    her.

    ''Why does she look at me with pity?

    She is regretful because the cup didn''t hit my face?

    Or she feels sorry that I wasn''t disfigured?

    Ah!''

    Ashley sneered.

    "How dare you move away? Shame on you! Do you have any idea what you did in the Luo Group?"

    Peggy began her barrage of insults and abuse towards Ashley. Her rage and disgust with Ashley were

    felt in her words.

    She didn''t even feel guilty when she threw a cup to her adopted daughter. Peggy never actually treated

    her as her child in the first ce.

    Meanwhile, Spencer sat on the sofa with a nk face. It was hard to figure out whether he was happy

    or angry. He was silent and no one else in the room could tell what was on his mind. His dignified aura

    was developed from being the president of apany. He was noble as a knight while he sat

    impassively.

    However, Ashley wasn''t scared by Spencer''s look. She stared at him politely as she waited for his

    opinion regarding this event.

    Spencer didn''t pay attention to the maltreatments Ashley received from Peggy and Lena. He didn''t care

    for all the beatings, bruises and scars they had given Ashley. Spencer had ignored their behavior

    because it didn''t break his bottom line.

    Spencer''s bottom line was that no one could ruin hispany.

    Therefore, did Ashley ruin thepany when she sabotaged Lena''s reputation?

    Ashley blinked as she imagined what might happen to her.

    She was surprised when Spencer finally talked. He said with a deep calm voice, "Is what they''re saying

    true? Did you do it?"

    "No!" Ashley denied the ims against her. Her voice was adamant while her eyes were steady and

    committed. She tried her best to appear innocent.

    It didn''t matter if she was the one responsible for that.

    She couldn''t admit the truth to her family now.

    Furthermore, even if they doubted her and had her investigated, they wouldn''t be able to find out the

    truth.

    "No one else would dare to do it! You are the only one in thepany who doesn''t get along with

    Lena. You always try to take away the things Lena likes. Youpete with her for thepany

    positions she wants. You have always antagonized her ever since you were young." Peggy screamed

    as she med Ashley.

    She had already convinced herself that Ashley was the culprit.

    "It wasn''t me! My dear mother, could you please tell me how I could do this to Lena when I don''t know

    that person''s ount and password of the forum?" asked Ashley with an innocent smile on her face.

    Honestly, she really did it. However, the family wouldn''t be able to find out that it was her. They couldn''t

    do anything to her without any evidence.

    "I don''t know how you stole the ount and password. You must have bribed her or threatened her so

    that you could frame Lena! How dare you do this to her! You are so young but already so evil!" Peggy

    lashed out to Ashley. She was filled with disappointment because Ashley didn''t live up to her

    expectations.

    Peggy got more furious when she saw Ashley''s innocent smile. She rolled her eyes and turned her

    back on Ashley.

    "How could I do something like that? I am not aware of who that person is. Additionally, you guys know

    I don''t have enough money to bribe anyone. That person wouldn''t be interested in a small amount of

    cash that I possess," Ashley said politely. She still denied everything. She then nced at Lena who

    was distressed in Peggy''s arms.

    Lena grew anxious when she noticed Ashley''s gaze. Her heart trembled restlessly.

    ''Did she find out the truth? Did she know I sent the pictures? Did she figure out what I did?

    No! That''s impossible! She couldn''t have possibly known the truth!'' Lena grew scared. The doubts in

    her mind made her panic.

    Lena began to sob. Her eyes reddened as tears flowed down her cheeks. She cried, "Mom, how could

    I face the people outside! I would rather die than live with this kind of embarrassment!"

    Lena thought of the people in thepany who stared at her lewdly. It was as if she was naked as she

    walked in that corridor. Lena wanted to gouge their eyeballs out as punishment.

    Lena continued to cry helplessly. Her charming eyes grew red and moist. There were some moist parts

    in her blouse as the tears flowed down her rosy cheeks. She gasped in between sobs to catch her

    breath. She looked like a princess, delicate and charming. Any man would offer his life to save her from

    her current trepidation.

    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.

    "Hush now, my angel. Mom will find a way to fix this." Peggyforted her with a gentle voice. She

    stroked Lena''s hair to provide sce.

    Afterward, Peggy turned her attention to Ashley. She screamed at her, "Did you hear what your sister

    said? Look at what you did. Do you realize what kind of agony you''ve caused her? You should''ve

    supported her in thepany, but instead, you framed her and ruined her reputation! Is this how you

    show your gratitude to the people who gave you a home?" Peggy didn''t even give Ashley a nce.

    She was very furious with Ashley that she might throw something to her again!

    Ashley snickered at her mother''s words. She started tough as if to mock Peggy. Anyone could tell

    she was being sarcastic. She turned to her and asked, "Mom, are you deaf or something? I already told

    you I do not know the identity of that person, so how could I frame Lena? As for the posts, it must be a

    punishment for someone whomitted many wrong things or maybe it''s just God''s will."

    Lena was infuriated by Ashley''s mockery. She red at Ashley with eyes filled with rage and disgust.

    Both she and her mother hated Ashley from the bottom of their hearts.

    ''I''m going to make you confess, '' Lena thought.

    Of course, Lena knew that person. It was one of her ounts. She nned to discredit and humiliate

    Ashley with the use of this ount.

    However, she never imagined that things would go out of her control.

    Lena didn''t know who hacked into the ount and changed her password. She vowed to torment the

    person responsible if she ever learned who it was.

    "Enough! The three of you, shut up now! Take a look at yourselves! You act like noisy women in the

    street. Don''t forget your positions!" Spencer yelled at them. He was silent the whole time. This was only

    the second time he spoke ever since Ashley arrived.

    He looked at Ashley from head to toe, as if to investigate her. His wise eyes tried to search for the truth.

    No one could tell whether he trusted Ashley or not.

    However, Ashley didn''t care if Spencer trusted her words.

    She grew hungry during these arguments. Her mind started to think about home and food. All she

    wanted was to end this confrontation, go home and eat the dinner Ellie made.

 Chapter 22 Nice Job

    Chapter 22 Nice Job

    Ashley was deep in thought.

    ''I have been standing here ever since I entered the house. No one even had the decency to provide me

    a ce to sit on. Such unfriendly and disrespectful people.''

    "Well, you can go back to your apartment.

    You and Lena are sisters after all. You should support each other at the office, understand? Stop being

    mean towards Lena. You are her older sister, and you should be a good example," Spencer lectured in

    a low, stern voice.

    "I understand," Ashley responded dryly.

    ''I didn''t even do anything. Lena started it. How could he me me with that condescending tone?'' she

    whined inside.

    When she met his repulsive gaze, she felt anger and hurt rush through her veins.

    ''What do they take me for, an emotionless puppet that they can do whatever they like to me?

    Well, who cares anyway. After this Saturday, ties will be severed and I don''t have toe back to this

    annoying house anymore.

    And when that timees, I will never evere back even if they beg me on their knees to return, ''

    she furiously thought.

    Ashley then walked out of the house to get some air. She suddenly strode towards a tree and gave it

    an angry kick.

    She had no feelings for the Mu family anyway, especially that Peggy, who had always treated her as an

    enemy. Leaving them would truly be the best decision.

    She had always been indifferent to people. After being abandoned by her own birth parents at a young

    age, she had been a lone wolf.

    And besides, the Mu family never once treated her fairly.

    The only reason that she kept on following their orders all those years was because they kept

    mentioning to her that she must return their kindness for taking her into the family.

    However, there was one person in the Mu family who had been very nice to her.

    It was none other than Peggy''s son. Thinking about her kind foster brother brought sadness to her

    heart.

    She suddenly snapped out of her trance and pulled herself together.

    Quickening her pace, Ashley left the yard and found that taxi driver was still waiting for her as per her

    request.

    She took a deep breath andposed herself, pushing away all the negative thoughts.

    She opened the door and quickly slipped in the back seat. "Sir, let''s get going. Just take me out of

    here," she said to the driver who was ying with his phone.

    "Are you sure?" the driver asked, as he turned around and gave Ashley an inquisitive look.

    "Of course. Do you really think I live here? I don''t belong in this ce. I can''t afford to live inside,"

    Ashley replied, slightly miffed.

    "You little girls are way too naive. Do you have any idea how many bad people are roaming out there in

    the real world? If you had a fight with your parents, you should go back and apologize to them. They

    love you so much, so they''ll be able to forgive you. Why did you run away from home?" the driver said

    in a preaching manner.

    He was at histe fifties, stout, but he seemed to be amiable.

    Perhaps he was reminded of his own daughter which must be around her age, hence he gave her the

    fatherly advice.

    "You''re right. I should do that," Ashley nodded absently. Despite of the kind gesture, the driver

    obviously misunderstood her. Sadly, she was not in the mood to exin her predicament to a stranger.

    So she remained silent, not caring what he might think of her.

    The driver started the engine and drove away.

    It was a long drive from the Splendor Gardens to Ashley''s apartment. Boredom eventually kicked in as

    she watched the fleeting scenery through the window.

    But the thought of finally getting rid of the Mu family eventually perked her up.

    All of a sudden, Ashley''s phone rang.

    She withdrew her phone from her pocket and saw a QQ message.

    Skyline: "I did what you asked me of. Are you satisfied with my work? ? ?" And he added a cute face

    emoji.

    The emoji icon made her burst intoughter.

    AAAAshley: "Yes, I am. Nice job. You''re the best. Thank you."

    Skyline: "That''s good to hear, little pretty. I knew that you would be happy with my work. I am a man of

    word after all. And I will never let you down."

    It was followed by another message, "Little pretty, when are you going to treat me to a meal?" ending

    with a yikes emoji.

    AAAAshley: "Let''s schedule it thising Sunday. I will be free by then."

    Skyline gingerly replied. "How about we meet this Saturday? I can''t wait to see your pretty face." And

    he added a bashful emoji.

    "Haha," was all she could say.

    She was sincerely amused at the sight of the emoji icon.

    "I''m sorry. I am not avable this Saturday. Let''s meet this Sunday." Ashley then confirmed with finality.

    "Fine then. I won''t push you anymore since you are sincere this time." Skyline conceded.

    ...

    Ashley was suddenly curious about her funny friend. ''What does he look like?'' she wondered.

    The driver suddenly boomed, "Here you are, Missy!" His voice jolted Ashley from her thoughts

    "Thank you, sir!" Putting away her cell phone quickly, Ashley took out her purse and paid the driver.

    She opened the door and got out of the taxi.

    Ashley waited for the taxi to disappear before turning around and heading straight towards her

    apartment.

    Ashley and Ellie were very fussy about their living condition and food. But they didn''t care much about

    the clothes they wore. They were rather affable when it came to clothing brands.

    Therefore, both of them did their best in finding the perfect amodations.

    The apartment they found was located in the downtown area. Transportation was conveniently near

    their amodations. To top it off, the neighborhood provided a high security. It was definitely a safe

    ce for single girls like them.

    When Ashley reached the condo, it was past midnight and Ellie was already asleep. The ce was

    pitch dark as she opened the door. The lights had been turned off.

    To avoid waking Ellie, she quietly closed the door. She turned on the light in the living room and tiptoed

    towards the kitchen. After heating some dishes and cing them on the table, she hurriedly sat on the

    chair. She hungrily devoured her food while skimming through her Weibo ount.

    The weak light from her cell phone reflected on her fair face, creating a creepy sight.

    Ellie had left so much food for Ashley. She thankfully finished them all.

    Not long after, only a few leftovers remained on her te.

    Satisfied, Ashley slowly rubbed her full stomach. She stood up from her seat slowly and collected the

    dishes in an attempt to wash them before going to bed. But suddenly a voice resounded from behind.

    "You can do the dishester. It''s already veryte. Go get some rest."

    Caught off guard, Ashley was taken aback.

    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.

    "Ah!" Ashley screamed. She jumped to her feet and the tes in her hands almost dropped on the

    ground.

    Turning around instantly, she heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of Ellie. She patted her chest and tried

    to calm herself down. Glowering at her friend, she gasped, "Oh jeez, you scared the hell out of me."

    ''I know that she is a coward. But I didn''t expect her to be so timid, '' Ellie thought, rolling her eyes.

    With a resigned expression, she pouted her mouth and responded, "Is that so? I have been standing

    here for a long time already. But you were so focused on Weibo that you didn''t even notice me."

    "Well, fine, you''re right. Go back to sleep already," Ashley said annoyed at her bestie. She brought all

    the dishes to the sink before going straight to her bedroom.

    After taking a quick shower, Ashley threw herself onto her bed. She caught a glimpse of her phone and

    saw that it was 2:00 am already. She was so caught up with everything that she even didn''t realize how

    late it was.

    Although the events which had unfolded today were beyond her imagination, she was still pleased over

    all. At least Lena had failed to set her up.

    Defeated by Sleepiness, she was fast asleep. But then she suddenly had a dream. In her dream, there

    was a man whose face she couldn''t clearly see. A dangerous aura was emanating from his body. But

    she couldn''t help but get closer towards him.

 Chapter 23 Warning

    Chapter 23 Warning

    "Aaaaahh!" Ashley jerked up from the bed, screaming her lungs out.

    Beads of perspiration shone on her forehead and her saucer-like eyes were full of panicky terror.

    Rattled, she nced around to ascertain her surroundings. When the familiar sight of her bedroom

    greeted her, she sank back into her pillows and heaved a stunned sigh of relief.

    She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to collect herself, and when she opened them again, she

    stared at the ceiling, her shock still rampant in her mind.

    Never in her wildest imagination had she thought that she would dream of making love to a stranger.

    That excruciating post-coital pain still made her insides throb.

    ''That man was horrible!'' she thought shakily. The very memory of him made her tremble with fear.

    ...

    Not until she heard Ellie''s muffled voice call out her name from the other side of her bedroom door did

    she snap out of her daze. The rm on the bedside table told her that it was 8: 30 - just half an hour

    before she had to go to work.

    Although she had made up her mind to quit her job, she was still an employee in the Luo Group and

    she didn''t want to bete for work.

    Ashley yelled a quick assurance to Ellie that she would be ready soon and hurried to the bathroom.

    It only took her five minutes to fix herself up.

    "What happened? Why''d you wake up sote?" Ellie asked, frowning as she took in Ashley''s sleepy-

    eyed appearance.

    Ashley gulped nervously.

    ''Should I tell her the truth? It''s kind of hard to tell anyone about the dream, '' she thought.

    "Nothing," she said, deciding to keep the experience to herself. "I had a nightmarest night. Kind of

    made it difficult to sleep at night, so ended up oversleeping in the morning."

    Ellie studied her for a moment before handing Ashley her breakfast and sighing. She said, "Let''s go or

    we will bete."

    Ashley gratefully took the food and bit into it as she followed Ellie out of the house.

    It was 9 am when they arrived at the office.

    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    They sensed that something was different. Pausing a moment to quizzically look around, they raised

    their eyebrows and nced at each other.

    Shrugging, they made their way inside, only to be greeted by the sight of an elegantly dresseddy

    walking towards Lena.

    Graceful and elegant, she looked like a woman in her thirties, not like the forties woman that she

    actually was.

    She took Lena by the hand and said amiably, "You cane to my house anytime you want. If you

    have any problems in thepany, you can tell me. Don''t suffer alone. If your mother hadn''t told me

    what had happened to you, I wouldn''t have known that you''ve been having such a difficult time." Her

    fondness for Lena was evident in the way she stroked her hair.

    Ashley felt that the Lena that she was seeing now was apletely different person altogether. The

    Lena she knew was unreasonable and arrogant. But the Lena before her was putting up a show of

    being a timid girl. "I will, Auntie. I wille over to you whenever I have the time. I only hope you will

    not find me clingy," she said innocently.

    "How could I, dear? I would be overjoyed if you could keep mepany," thedy responded, shing

    Lena a warm smile.

    She nced at the employees who were standing around them, frozen to their ces, and turned to

    Lena. "If anyone gossips like this, you can fire them directly without asking for my or Raymond''s

    permission," she said, the sternness a whip to everyone listening but Lena.

    The words were intended for Ashley, she knew it. And this was confirmed when she saw thedy throw

    her a meaningful re.

    "Well, I''ve got to go. You can go back to your work."

    "Okay, Auntie. I will walk you to the exit." Lena held thedy''s arm intimately and they headed towards

    the entrance.

    When they walked past Ashley, the olderdy cast her a contemptuous nce and let out a low yet

    audible snort.

    And the repulsive, scornful look on her face was evident.

    The repulsion and scorn on the olddy''s face ensured that the crowd''s outlook towards Ashley had

    changed a little. But they had heard the warning and nobody wanted to be chucked out. So they held

    the gossip within themselves, not daring to voice their thoughts.

    No one dared to blurt out their own thoughts, because doing that could mean losing their jobs.

    Even an idiot could tell the difference in the olderdy''s attitudes towards the two girls. It was evident

    that the elegantdy favored Lena and despised Ashley.

    The onlookers scattered, everyone going back to work, but not before throwing Ashley strange looks.

    Ashley stood still, seething from within.

    ''She still looks down upon me.

    Still so arrogant, '' she thought.

    Ashley stared at the retreating backs of the olderdy and Lena, her eyes devoid of any emotion. Her

    rage was within and she wasn''t about to show it.

    Ashley knew that elegantdy all too well.

    She was Raymond''s mother.

    When Ashley and Raymond had been together, she had detested Ashley with a passion because she

    thought that Ashley wasn''t good enough for Raymond. So she often came up to Ashley and tried all

    means to make her leave her son, including offering her a big sum of money.

    The sight of thedy brought back all the memories of the scorn and repulsion that Ashley had borne

    the brunt of.

    When Ashley had dated Raymond back then, thedy had directed a lot of dismissive, harsh words

    towards her, making Ashley feel like a powerless nobody.

    It felt like Ashley was an ant and Raymond''s mother was an elephant, holding the immense power to

    walk all over Ashley and insult her as she liked.

    Ashley had no idea how she had had the courage to be with Raymond while facing his mother''s strong

    opposition.

    Perhaps she had considered Raymond the love of her life and couldn''t bear the thought of leaving him

    at the time.

    ...

    "Are you okay, Ashley?" Ellie asked, looking worriedly at her.

    Ellie knew everything about Raymond''s mother and how she had treated her best friend. It was one of

    the many reasons why she was so worried about Ashley.

    "I''m fine, Ellie. I am over it. Don''t worry!" Ashley reassured Ellie, a slight smile gracing her otherwise

    worried face.

    ''I have learnt something from Raymond''s cheating. A lot, actually. Love is not everything. I really don''t

    care if I don''t have a boyfriend.

    I should focus on earning money instead of wasting time and energy getting into a stupid rtionship, ''

    she mused grimly.

    "Hmm. Try not to think too much. Life goes on, you know," Ellie said, touching Ashley''s head gently to

    comfort her.

    That was the kind of supportive best friends they were to each other.

    They were a constant presence in each other''s lives, staying through the thick and thin,forting and

    encouraging the other every time one of them faced a problem.

    Once Ellie was sure that Ashley was alright, she headed straight to her department, relieved and

    slightly d.

    No sooner had Ashley settled into her seat than a low, familiar voice came calling her name. "Ashley!

    Ashley!"

    She turned around to see a round-headed girle into view.

    "Ashley, you know what? I saw a creepy old witch today. And she was so nice to Miss Mu!"

    Fiona whispered conspiratorially in Ashley''s ear.

    Now that the olddy had warned all the employees not to gossip in thepany, Fiona had seemed

    to take it personally. Although Fiona was a foodie and a simple human being, she was afraid of that

    woman, especially because she noticed that all herpanions feared her. Besides to be fair to Fiona,

    Raymond''s mother did look rather serious.

    Despite her fear, Fiona had stille to Ashley to share her thoughts.

    Upon hearing Fiona''s description of the woman, Ashley chuckled to herself. ''Fiona is so cute!

    If Raymond ever came to know that his mother is regarded as an old witch, he might get extremely

    upset.

    His mother isn''t serious, but she does look scary when she wears her poker face or when she holds

    someone in high contempt, '' she thought.

    "Ashley, I bet you saw that old witch too. Don''t you think she is scary?"

    Fiona asked, as if she could tell from Ashley''s expression what had just happened.

    "Yes. Yes, I saw her. She is scary, just like an old witch," Ashley whispered, mimicking Fiona''s

    tone.

 Chapter 24 Malicious Intentions

    Chapter 24 Malicious Intentions

    "I knew it. She looked scary, didn''t she?"

    Fiona said, winking at Ashley Mu.

    In an instant, Ashley remembered everything Raymond''s mother did to her. Without a doubt in her

    mind, she agreed.

    "Yes," she started, staring far into the distance. "That''s why we need to focus on doing our work instead

    of being here and gossiping like this. No one knows when she''d be back."

    The mere thought of Raymond''s mother sent shivers down her spine.

    "Alrighty then," Fiona replied, raising her hand as if she was surrendering. "I guess I''m going back to

    work now." Fear was written all over her face.

    "Okay. Bye."

    Ashley shortly replied, softly caressing Fiona''s head.

    After a few moments, Ashley logged in into thepany forum. It was the venue of a very heated

    discussion yesterday but since the post that started it already got taken down, the ce was already

    quiet.

    While Ashley knew that everyone in the office was curious as to what happened and wanted to ask

    questions, she understood why they stayed quiet. They didn''t want to risk losing their jobs.

    While the events of yesterday reyed in Ashley''s mind, she remembered Lena crying pathetically in

    Peggy''s armsst night. ''Well, she''s now back to being her old, arrogant self, '' she thought to herself.

    "Ashley, step into my office. Right now." It was a voice that Ashley would never not hate. Apparently,

    Lena had alreadye back. It took Ashley a bit of time to raise her head, and when she finally did,

    she saw Lena looking down at her condescendingly.

    After their eyes met, Ashley saw Lena smirk and enter her office, without a word.

    As annoyed as she was, Ashley had no other choice but to follow her inside.

    Slowly, she opened the office door and upon entering, she saw Lena slouching on her office chair, with

    pride and arrogance painted on her face.

    "Miss Mu, is there anything that you want me to do?" Ashley started, her eyes boring into Lena. The

    game Lena was trying to y was unknown to Ashley, but she wasn''t up for it. With a smile, she

    remained silent and put on her best poker face.

    This sparring session between the twodies had already caught the whole office''s attention.

    Everyone got distracted from their work. Curious eyes were meeting other curious eyes, all of them

    wondering if the sudden meeting was all about Mr. Luo.

    Then, the whispers started. ""Who do you think is the third person in the rtionship? Ashley or Miss

    Mu?"

    "Who do you think it is? Isn''t it clear enough?" "It seems like it''s Miss Mu!" said by someone who

    lowered the voice on purpose.

    "Well, she is very capable, isn''t she? She is not only the daughter of Mr. Mu, but also adored by Mrs.

    Luo."

    "Oh, she definitely will be the victor and get the guy!"

    "Alright, that''s enough!" Someone said, in a louder, hushed voice. "We have to stop, or we might get

    into trouble if Miss Mu gets Mrs. Luo back here again."

    The rest nodded in agreement.

    While the people were afraid of Lena, what she had done had fueled their discontent.

    Unfortunately, Lena didn''t know anything about it.

    ¡­

    Back inside Lena''s office.

    Ashley''s lips were still formed into a smile. She and Lena remained silent.

    ''What an annoying smile, '' Lenamented inwardly, trying hard not to show any other expression on

    her face.

    For her, she was already the winner of their duel for love. However, she couldn''t understand how

    Ashley could still be this happy. It was as if she wasn''t convinced of her triumph until she was faced

    with the grim reality.

    "Why won''t we catch up a bit?"

    Lena suggested, smiling.

    "Now that our father has already made his point, I think I do need to remind you that we are, after all, a

    family. Right? My dear sister?"

    Ashley kept her smile on.

    Deep in her heart, however, she felt very sick of Lena. ''God knows what she is up to!'' she thought, her

    heart racing.

    "We are having dinner with Mr. Chen from the Chen Group. Come join us tonight." Lena suggested. To

    Ashley, it didn''t feel like an invitation. It felt like a trap.

    ''Is that what Lena is up to?!'' she thought, trying to figure out her sister''s real motives. A few moments

    passed until Ashley finally decided to speak up.

    "Sorry," she started, a smile still stered on her face. "I can''t join you. I am nning to quit my job.

    Perhaps you can find another one."

    ''Quitting?'' Lena was surprised. If that decision had been made earlier, she would be ted. Now,

    however, such a decision would make things veryplicated.

    "Why do you want to quit your job? Are you unsatisfied with your current position in the Luo Group? Or

    is it because of the sry?"

    Lena asked.

    Ashley was so tempted to roll her eyes, but she tried her hardest not to. ''You''re really a good actress,

    aren''t you?'' she said inwardly.

    She widened her smile a bit more, just to taunt her sister, and answered. "Well, both."

    Lena froze up. She could feel her facade falling apart after hearing what Ashley just said.

    "Ashley, what do you think of the Luo Group, a ce where you could have a run?"

    "Oh wow," Ashley quickly remarked, her eyebrows raised. "Quitting your disguise?"

    The disgust Ashley was feeling was beyond anything she had ever felt before. "You really made your

    little character real. I almost believed that we really are a lovely, loving family."

    "I have no idea what you are talking about!" Lena shouted, standing up from her chair and mming

    her hands on her table.

    "You know what, sis," Ashley started, her tone pure mockery of her sister. "Don''t sweat it. If that was

    everything you were gonna say to me, I think I''d be better off going back to work."

    Once again, Ashley shed her sister her sweetest smile, and started towards the door. However,

    before she could even touch its handle, Lena spoke up.

    "Stop! Ashley!"

    The way Ashley had always been so calm had always pissed Lena off.

    It was like she could never get hurt no matter how hard she tried to ruin her.

    "Ashley," Lena started, her voice low and her tone sinister. "Isn''t it surprising how well Mrs. Luo treats

    me? She even invited me for dinner. You know, once Raymond is back from his business trip."

    Lena bobbed her head up arrogantly.

    "Oh really?" Ashley replied in a sweet voice. She turned around to face her sister once again.

    "Congrattions, sis."

    She looked Lena in the eyes. She wasn''t affected.

    Somehow sensing her sister''s indifference, Lena changed the subject. "Ashley, I will approve your

    resignation on one condition - you will join us in tonight''s dinner with Mr. Chen. I am your boss, and you

    have no choice but to follow my orders," she finished. Lena looked at Ashley. She was taking pride in

    making her sister''s life miserable.

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    Ashley raised her eyebrows, her face contorting to a cartoon-like expression of confusion. "Wait - so

    are you saying that I can quit my job if I promise you to join the dinner tonight?"

    "Yes!" Lena replied, throwing her hands up in the air.

    "What about Ellie?" Ashley asked, her expression not changing.

    "No problem!"

    Lena eximed, despite the fact that Ellie annoyed her so much.

    "Alright, then, I think I am going,"

    Ashley said, her tone mimicking defeat.

    Lena was so shocked. She couldn''t believe Ashley''s answer. ''What''s going on?'' she thought to herself,

    confused. ''I thought it would be a long talk.''

    "So, Miss Mu, can I leave now?" Ashley asked, disrupting Lena''s thoughts.

    "Sure," Lena said, still in disbelief. Ashley then opened the ss door and went out.

    Staring at her sister''s receding figure, Lena no longer needed to hide her malicious intentions. "You

    were so lucky that you could get rid of the troublesst time," she whispered to herself, smirking. "But

    this time, you won''t!"

    ...

    "Ashley! You''re back! What did Miss Mu do to you?" Fiona ran to Ashley in a hurry the moment she

    was back to her seat.

    "Nothing!"

    Ashley said, smiling and shaking her head.

    "Alright Fiona, go back to work or she will be here again!" Ashley added.

    Fiona went back to her seat, though unwillingly.

    ...

    During lunch time, Ashley told Ellie. "Clean up your stuffter. We don''t need toe back to work

    anymore."

    "Did Lena approve of the resignation?" Ellie asked, sounding excited.

    "Yes, she sure did," Ashley answered.

    "You also don''t need to wait for me after work. Lena and I have things to deal with tonight."

    "She definitely has some malicious intentions in mind," Ellie replied, now sounding concerned. "Are you

    sure you will be fine without me?"

    Ellie had cared for Ashley for forever now. She had always been like a big sister to her.

    "Don''t worry, Ellie," Ashley replied in a reassuring tone. "We will have nothing to do with the Luo Group

    after tonight. We can do whatever we want!"

    "That''s great!"

    Ellie said enthusiastically.

    Upon hearing the conversation, Fiona said with her mouth still full of rice, "You guys! Don''t forget to

    invite me to your ce!"

 Chapter 25 Lenaâ€™s Real Intention

    Chapter 25 Lena¡¯s Real Intention

    "Alright! It''s a promise I ought to keep. You are such a glutton!"

    "Haha." Fiona giggled with a bright smile.

    ¡­

    It was 8 o''clock in the evening. A chilly breeze filled the air as neon lights colored the streets. There

    were a lot of people gathered in Box 308 of the Harkim.

    Dozens of young women sat on arge sofa. Their beautiful faces were painted by either light or heavy

    make-up. All of them had slender bodies and were full of vigor. There were too many of them that no

    room was left for another person to sit. Among them, in the middle of the sofa, an old man sat with a

    vulgar grin on his face.

    The man looked at least forty years old. His head was almost bald, with a high hairline and thin hair.

    The shirt he wore didn''t hide his enormous stomach. His eyes were filled with lust as he indulged

    himself with the slender bodies in front of him. He was kept drunk and excited by the young women he

    was with.

    Any decent man would feel disgusted by such a sick scene.

    Ashley took a single nce at them and immediately felt nauseated. She pulled her eyes away from

    the distasteful scene. She noticed an orange juice on the table and walked towards it very discreetly.

    Ashley reached for the cold drink. It refreshed her and helped her to calm down.

    She never imagined that the dinner Lena had talked about was something like this!

    She was horrified in what she saw. However, this gave Ashley some clue about Lena''s real intentions.

    She couldn''t help but feel frustrated with her sister''s deviousness.

    Lena noticed Ashley who hid at the corner. She red at Ashley with hatred and then smirked because

    she knew Ashley fell for her trap again. Lena then cheerfully called out to Mr. Chen.

    "Mr. Chen, I''ve heard a lot about you. It''s my pleasure to finally meet you today. I want to propose a

    toast to you."

    Lena raised her ss after she greeted Mr. Chen. She held her ss towards the old man.

    "Thank you, Miss Mu. I''m really ttered. I heard that you work in the Luo Group, correct?" Mr. Chen

    raised his ss to reciprocate Lena''s toast. His eyes were glued to Lena as if to study her figure.

    He thought to himself, ''What a splendid body! Her face is beautiful and delicate. Girls like her, born

    from wealthy families, would obviously look specialpared to lowborn ones.''

    Lena''s snow-white skin seemed smooth and soft just like milk.

    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.

    Her face would lure any man. Every frown and every smile would look seductive on her delicate face.

    Lena wore a red short skirt tonight. Her figure was highlighted by the tightness of the skirt.

    Her soft white skin became more attractive whenplimented with a sexy skirt. She looked decent

    yet very seductive.

    Her hair was blond with big curls. It looked beautiful along with her delicate face. Men from both poor

    and wealthy backgrounds would fall for her upon sight.

    Mr. Chen really wanted to caress Lena''s plump body. However, he was aware that she not only came

    from the Mu group but was also the fianc¨¦e of Raymond from the Luo group. Obviously, Mr. Chen

    couldn''t fool around with someone like her. He was not allowed to have sex with a woman with such a

    high social status. However, even if he wasn''t allowed to touch her, his lustful eyes still lingered at

    Lena''s body.

    Mr. Chen was captivated by the curves of Lena''s body. He couldn''t resist the dirty thoughts that

    polluted his imagination.

    ''Wow! She has such a desirable body. Her face looks so proud like a queen. It must be very hard to

    impress her, much less to pleasure her in bed. What kind of man would be able to subjugate such a

    high-ss woman? How would one be able to satisfy her bodily needs?''

    Mr. Chen started to grope a young woman near him as he fantasized about Lena''s body. Every time a

    dirty thought entered his mind, he would squeeze the girl as if she was Lena.

    "Ahh, Mr. Chen! Please stop! Your big hands are so strong. It hurts when you touch me like that!" The

    youngdy screamed with a high pitched voice. She actually looked aroused by how Mr. Chen groped

    her.

    "Are you sure to ask me to stop? I thought you liked the way I vite you like this. You used to beg me

    to be rough with your body. Would you like me to remind you?" Mr. Chen replied to her with a

    repugnant grin. He continued to fondle the young woman. He grabbed her head and pulled it closer to

    his face. Then, he started to kiss her with vulgar lust. His tongue vited the young woman''s mouth.

    ¡­

    Lena finished the toast and drank the wine. She then looked at Mr. Chen and noticed his malicious leer.

    Her body felt vited by the gaze of the old man. In her mind, she snarled at how nasty he was.

    ''What a despicable pig! Who gave him the right to ogle at me like that? He should realize that there is

    no chance in hell that he would be able to touch someone like me!''

    Lena was furious but she tried to calm down. She needed Mr. Chen for her ns. It took all of her

    patience to resist the urge to throw wine at him.

    Lena was born in a wealthy household. She was spoiled and always thought she was better than

    anyone. She believed that no one would hurt or offend her because of her family''s power.

    Lena forced herself to calm down. She faked a smile for Mr. Chen and turned towards Ashley. Lena

    approached her silently and hoped that Ashley wouldn''t notice her.

    However, Ashley did notice Lena. Ashley had be alert ever since she felt that Lena schemed

    something for her in this party. Her eyes crossed paths with Lena''s gaze which was full of deceit.

    Ashley wanted to get up and leave such a filthy ce already.

    However, Lena made sure that Ashley would stay. She yelled at Ashley, "Ash, why are you just sitting

    there alone? Don''t you know Mr. Chen is here? You should meet him and have a drink with him."

    No one actually paid attention to Ashley. Lena was the only one who was aware that she was even at

    the party. Lena kept her eyes on Ashley to make sure she stayed in the party. She waited for the

    perfect opportunity to make her meet Mr. Chen.

    The Mu family were never proud that they had an adopted daughter. It wasn''t known to many that

    Ashley existed. However, Ashley didn''t care about her own existence kept as a secret. She was never

    cared for by anyone in that household nor did she feel it was her home anyway.

    Some of their neighbors might be aware that the Mu family had a foster daughter named Ashley Mu.

    However, no one really spread the news nor treated it as gossip. Of course, there was no one in this

    box that would know about her either.

    Additionally, Ashley was just an adopted daughter of the Mu family. Even if there were people here who

    knew who she was, they didn''t really need to treat her like a princess. They had to be respectful and

    humble towards Lena because she was a true born daughter in the wealthy Mu family, but Ashley was

    not.

    Lena''s voice echoed through the box. Everyone''s attention was gathered towards the corner where

    Ashley was seated.

    Ashley captivated everyone who had seen her beautiful face.

    She wore a white shirt and a dark pair of jeans. Even in such a in outfit, her figure mesmerized

    those around her. Her slender legs and voluptuous body curves stood out even among the young

    women in the box.

    Ashley''s beautiful ck hair was in its. Her delicate face was as white as snow. She wore no make-

    up yet her cheeks were as rosy as ever and her eyebrows were perfect. Any man would be charmed by

    her gorgeous dark eyes as if a love spell was cast on them. The redness of her lips would make even

    the most gant knight want to kiss her. Any man would feel lucky just to know her name. Every woman

    in the room felt jealous of the beauty she radiated.

    Mr. Chen was enchanted by Ashley''s beauty. He yearned to touch her body as he wiped his drool from

    his chin.

    "Miss Mu, who is this youngdy?" Mr. Chen was excited about Ashley.

    "This is the deputy manager of ourpany. She is so beautiful, isn''t she?"

    Lena replied to Mr. Chen. She praised Ashley with an evil grin on her face.

    "Yes! Indeed she is! She is more than beautiful. That voluptuous body of her is very sexy." Mr. Chen

    continued to voice out such filthypliments. His nasty eyes leered at Ashley''s body.

    "Ash, this is ourpany''s partner, Mr. Chen. He is a very important person for us. Ourpany has

    kept a strong partnership with him for a very long time. You shoulde up and propose a toast to our

    dear friend!"

    "Well, you don''t have to be so formal with me. You look so beautiful and fresh. You must be an

    excellentdy to be promoted as a deputy manager at such a young age."

    "Indeed she is. Our deputy manager is very hard-working and talented. She has made a lot of

    achievements to earn her position. Ourpany employees are all inspired by her."

    Ashley ignored Lena''s empty praises. She thought to herself, ''This man is a partner of ourpany?

    Why haven''t I heard of Mr. Chen at all? I was not aware that he was associated with us.''

    Ashley was horrified by how Mr. Chen looked a lot like Mr. Du. They were both nightmares to women!

    Lena''s scheme couldn''t be more obvious. Ashley felt stupid that she fell for such a dumb trap.

    However, she thought it wasn''t a good idea to offend Mr. Chen. She faked a smile and raised her ss.

    "Mr. Chen, it''s a pleasure to meet you!" said Ashley as she tried to tolerate Mr. Chen''s inappropriate

    stare.

    "The pleasure is mine!" Mr. Chen immediately raised his ss closer to Ashley''s and they both drank.

    Ashley had been asked toe to this ce immediately after work. She hadn''t eaten anything since

    lunch. Difort overwhelmed her as the wine flowed down her empty stomach.

    "Miss¡­ Ashley, you are really good at drinking!" Mr. Chen almost called Ashley Miss Mu, but he

    realized that he referred to Lena by that name. He quickly opted to call Ashley by her first name.

    He drew the attention of the youngdy beside him. His hands tapped the girl''s back as he winked. It

    was a signal for the youngdy to leave so that Ashley could sit beside Mr. Chen.

    The youngdy was reluctant to give her seat to Ashley. She tried to persuade Mr. Chen with her sweet

    and seductive voice. Her hands caressed his chest and her eyes flirted with him. Nheless, her

    actions didn''t convince Mr. Chen but instead made him impatient and annoyed.

    The youngdy stood up with a frown in her face. She looked at Ashley like she wanted to disfigure

    Ashley''s face.

    Ashley felt offended as she was med for what happened. Deep inside she thought, ''Don''t look at me

    like that was my intention. I didn''t want to stay in such a ludicrous ce. I shouldn''t take the me for

    something so inappropriate.''

    "How about youe here and sit with me, Ashley. We can have a lot of wine. Let us drink to our new

    friendship!" Mr. Chen grinned as Ashley sat by his side. He was clearly aroused from her figure and

    beauty. He poured wine into Ashley''s ss and raised his cup again to offer a toast. After they''d drunk

    their wine, Ashley began to stand up to leave. Mr. Chen''s lewd fingers touched Ashley''s hand in an

    attempt to urge her to stay, but it didn''t work.

    His eyes glimmered with lust. He pleasured himself with the view of Ashley''s behind. Her plump hips

    and skinny waist made him more aroused.

    Mr. Chen''s mind was filled with dirty thoughts. ''This smooth skin feels good. She is a very sexy woman

    indeed. Just a touch of her soft hand is enough to arouse me and make me crazy. How nice it is to take

    home such a lovely innocent girl.''

 Chapter 26 Meeting Again

    Chapter 26 Meeting Again

    Even though she couldn''t drink much, Mr. Chen was able to persuade Ashley to down a few sses of

    alcohol and she got slightly drunk.

    But when she noticed Mr. Chen staring at her with lustful eyes, she became intensely conscious. Then,

    when she saw the fat guy moving closer to her, she started feeling nauseous.

    "Excuse me," she said, covering her mouth as if preventing herself from barfing. "I need to go to the

    washroom." Before she could stand, she had to push Mr. Chen''s arm away, which was steadily finding

    its way around her.

    After Ashley stumbled out of the room they were in, Lena turned to Mr. Chen and smiled inquisitively.

    "Isn''t Ashley such a beauty, Mr. Chen? Do you like her?"

    "Definitely. You really know me well, Miss Mu." Lena could see the raging lust in Mr. Chen''s eyes.

    ''Wonderful, ''

    Lena said to herself, delighted.

    ---

    Ashley staggered into the washroom. What happened inside there stunned her. Holding on to the sink,

    she steadied herself. Immediately, she turned the faucet on and sshed her face with cold water. She

    kept on doing that until she felt slightly refreshed. Never in her life did she feel so dirty.

    In the mirror, Ashley could see her face. Since she was drunk, there was a certain rosy glow to her

    cheeks that made her more attractive and irresistible to men.

    The alcohol hit Ashley again and she started feeling dizzy. She had to hold on to the sink in order to not

    fall over. It was too much, however, so she decided to squat down and rest her head on her knees.

    There was no strength left in her but going back to the room wasn''t an option for her. She knew that if

    she did that, the consequences would be unimaginable.

    She thought that everything would go smoothly as long as she didn''t have anything to do with the Luo

    Group and the Mu family and avoided Lena.

    It turned out that she was too na?ve. Although she was trying her hardest not to be a troublemaker,

    others were always trying to make trouble for her.

    ---

    After what seemed like an eternity, Ashley breathed in and gathered all the remaining strength she had.

    Though wobbly, she stood up again, sshed her face with cold water onest time, and walked out of

    the washroom.

    Dizzy, Ashley staggered forward. Since her head was pounding, Ashley relied on her instinct as to

    where to go. With her arms stretched forward, she was feeling for the walls, hoping that they would

    help her get out of the establishment.

    Bang! Just as she thought she was getting somewhere, she walked into something. ''Did I hit a wall? It''s

    so hard!'' she thought, massaging her nose with her hands.

    Confused, she looked up to see what was in front of her. Her eyes couldn''t make anything out, partially

    because she was tipsy, and so she stretched out her hands to touch it. It really was a hard, solid wall.

    ''Wow, why is this wall so warm?'' Ashley wondered, feeling the object in front of her up and down. After

    somehow deciding that it was indeed a wall, she started to walk away. However, she came back to

    touch the "wall" repeatedly.

    Seeing Ashley touch his chest this casually got Andrew hot under the cor.N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    He seized her tiny hands with great strength. It seemed like he was about to break her wrists.

    At that moment, Johnny, who was standing behind Andrew, let out a soft gasp. Seeing Ashley touch

    their cold-hearted president made him nervous about what was gonna happen next.

    ''You''re in danger, girl, '' Johnny thought to himself, sighing silently for Ashley. ''I won''t really care if you

    offend someone else, but unluckily, the person you offended is our president. Don''t you know that he

    has been upset these days solely because of Miss Mu?''

    Just as he was quietlymenting Ashley''s fate, Andrew released his grip on the girl''s hands and then

    stood there, silent.

    "Eh?" The sound escaped Johnny''s lips involuntarily. Curiosity got the best of him.

    ---

    When Andrew seized Ashley by the hands, she looked up at him with irritation on her face and tears

    already welling in her eyes. Then, when their eyes met, her face contorted to the most heartbreaking

    frown Andrew had ever seen and she started crying, as if ming him. "It''s killing me!" she whispered,

    tears now flowing freely from her eyes.

    Andrew immediately released Ashley''s hands and then stood there in a daze. He couldn''t believe that

    the girl he had been missing was in front of him now.

    "Are you all right?" he stiffly asked Ashley. Showing her mercy wasn''t one of the things Andrew wanted

    to do. He thought that she was the woman who had osted him shamelessly in the past.

    However, while he knew he had a strong character, he was now at a loss.

    Staring at the man in front of her, Ashley wondered why he was in such a daze. After hearing what

    Andrew asked her, though, she showed her hands to him and said in a tender voice, "It''s really killing

    me!"

    Andrew stared at her nervously. Her hands had turned red, mainly due to him seizing them. The color

    created such a great contrast against her white skin.

    It had been a few minutes but Johnny was finally able to recognize who the girl was. Startled, he took a

    step back.

    ''Oh my God!

    Isn''t that Miss Mu, the girl our president has been missing so much?''

    Seeing that Ashley''s cheeks were flushed and she couldn''t even keep bnce when standing, Johnny

    concluded that she was drunk.

    "Mr. Lu, I think Miss Mu is drunk. Should we take her home?" Johnny asked Andrew, who was still in a

    daze.

    With that statement, Andrew began to realize that he couldn''t leave Ashley alone.

    "Well," Andrew started, steadying the woman in front of her by firmly gripping her shoulders. "I guess

    that''s the n." He then picked up Ashley, who nearly copsed in his arms, and started walking

    towards the exit.

    Johnny was about to follow him outside, but Andrew suddenly turned to him.

    The action confused Johnny. ''What''s the matter with Mr. Lu?'' he wondered.

    "You don''t have to follow me,"

    Andrew stated in an icy voice. "Find out why." After one final imposing stare at Johnny, he turned

    around and headed outside.

    Johnny was left alone, speechless and helpless.

    ''This is so frustrating...

    How can he treat me like this?''

    When Andrew ordered him not to follow, he definitely understood why. Andrew just did not want him to

    disturb he and Ashley''s private space. But he had no idea about what Andrew meant when he said,

    ''Find out why''.

    ''What was that?'' he silently asked himself.

    Did Andrew want him to find out why Miss Mu was here

    and why she drank so much?

    ''Well then, I guess I have no choice but to obey his order!''

    Staring at Andrew''s back, Johnny couldn''t help but feel a tinge of sadness.

    ''While he spends time with his sweetheart, I have to be out here doing overtime work!

    Oh, how hopeless my life is!'' Johnnymented, scratching his head.

    Though mildly annoyed and sad, Johnny took a deep breath, exhaled, went inside the establishment,

    and began to look into the matter just as Andrew told him.

    ---

    Drunk, Ashley was unusually obedient. While her arms were around Andrew''s neck, she watched him

    quietly.

    Being stared at and embraced by Ashley, Andrew became so embarrassed that his cheeks turned

    bright red.

    ''She is also missing me!'' Andrew silently eximed. ''Because if that''s not the case, she wouldn''t have

    gotten into my arms so obediently and snuggle like this.'' After seeing Ashley, he thought that his night

    couldn''t get any better. But with this thought in his mind, he definitely was in a happier ce.

    If Ashley was not drunk and knew what he was thinking, she would definitely sneer at him and consider

    him a great narcissist.

    Gathering all his courage, he decided to turn to Ashley.

    "What are you thinking about?" Andrew asked, his tone tender and theplete opposite of the tone

    he had for Johnny just a few minutes back. The girl next to him was staring at him with the gentlest

    eyes he had ever seen.

    Ashley shook her head and then moved closer to his chest.

    Afterwards, she raised her head and looked at Andrew with a puzzled expression. She pointed to his

    chest and asked, "Why is your heart beating so fast?"

    Andrew cleared his throat. He tried his hardest to divert Ashley''s attention. His ears were also turning

    bright red.

    Every time Andrew saw Ashley, he would feel very nervous and his heart would beat violently. It had

    always been a mystery to him.

    He turned his head and stared into Ashley''s questioning eyes. After clearing his throat again, Andrew

    answered sheepishly, "This is a normal reaction."

 Chapter 27 His Apartment

    Chapter 27 His Apartment

    Andrew knew the reaction well enough not to lie to himself. Any man faced with the same situation

    would have reacted simrly. While his response was somewhat expected, his heart told a different

    story.

    It could well be his first time and he was taken by surprise.

    He was always the one to turn the other cheek, especially when it came to women who tried to seduce

    him, who tried to get to him. He was always the one to take a step back and stop them. However, he

    never expected to meet a woman he could not resist.

    This was, after all, a new experience for Andrew. Would it hurt to y the curious cat every once in a

    while? He wanted to give in.

    After throwing herself into his arms, Ashley gave Andrew a nod and looked him in the eye. With a

    charming and alluring frown, Ashley railed at Andrew,"It''s noisy!"

    It just couldn''t be helped. Ashley''s soft, sexy, and tipsy voice seemed to seduce him all the more.

    Never had Andrew seen Ashley like this. She was so endearing it was turning him on. He felt his heart

    fall from his chest, the moment felt right and he bet it would also feel good.

    Her wet lips seemed to beckon for him, it was all Andrew could see. He longed to press his against her,

    to taste those sweet crevices he dearly longed for.

    Would they still feel the same, he wondered.

    Andrew wanted to have her again. After the moment they once shared in a hotel, Andrew knew he

    wanted more.

    He stroked Ashley''s face. He wanted to feel the curves that outlined her innocent but yful mien. He

    took a deep breath andposed himself. What was he thinking? He couldn''t let his feelings get the

    best of him.

    Restlessly, Ashley moved towards Andrew''s arms. She was lightheaded from the alcohol and the

    sound that seemed to drown her thoughts altogether.

    Ashley moved closer, pinning herself into Andrew''s body. She tried to stop the sound that loomed the

    evening - the sound that was his heartbeat.

    The alcohol and that deafening noise she fought all this while made her blush. The rosy hue of her

    cheeks and her beguiling eyes caught Andrew''s attention and shifted his focus from her lips to her

    face. Andrew realized just how cute Ashley was when she got drunk, how sexy she was when she was

    tipsy.

    Doing her best to fight off her emotions, Ashley moved closer to Andrew and thought she could stop

    the sound this way.

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    But it did not go away. It mored, it thundered, and it resounded. She felt her body reverberating,

    responding.

    He seemed to have felt the same. He quivered to the sensation of Ashley''s hands pressed so close

    against him. His body longed to reciprocate. His body and soul seemed to be under the spell of

    Ashley''s fingers.

    They both stepped out of Harkim, the cold summer breeze brought themfort from what would

    otherwise be a hot night of passion.

    Lifting her head, the feel of the cool air seemed to have lifted Ashley''s spirits.

    She seemed to have smiled without even noticing it. Her face couldn''t hide it. This smile again had

    caught Andrew''s attention.

    Although Andrew was fixated on Ashley all the while, this moment seemed to have been the most

    definitive.

    While Andrew wanted to make this momentst, he knew it was time to leave.

    Andrew took Ashley to the parking area, led her to his car and prepared to let her in. It had been a

    wonderful night, more than what Andrew could ever hope or ask for. It wasn''t everyday he got to be

    with a woman he wanted, a woman like Ashley. Suddenly, he felt resistance from his sleeve.

    Unconsciously, she seemed to have grabbed his shirt, her expression clearly showing she wasn''t ready

    for him to leave. Andrew was happy the night wasn''t over.

    Andrew patted her head and made his way to the driver''s seat and sat with Ashley.

    He didn''t mind driving with only one hand on the steering wheel, while his other hand held something

    very dear to him. With one hand on the wheel and the other wrapped around Ashley, he drove her out

    of the parking lot.

    Ashley looked at Andrew intently. She stared with purpose - with passion.

    It was an opportune moment, Johnny wasn''t here to witness this.

    Johnny would surely me his boss, if he knew that Andrew wouldn''t think twice about bringing Ashley

    to his own apartment.

    He only wanted for Andrew to take her home.

    He clearly misunderstood what he said.

    He meant that Andrew should send the girl to her own home.

    Now Andrew was so shameless that he took Ashley to his own home.

    Making his way to a familiar avenue, Andrew drove happily as he passed the usualnes and drove to

    a ce he knew well - the Golden Pce.

    The engine stopped, the lights dimmed, and all there was the pale moonlight that shone on Ashley''s

    face. She was fast asleep, peaceful and still was ever so beautiful. Andrew breathed an air of relief.

    He spent a few more minutes just staring at her face, then, he finally took her to his arms and took

    Ashley to his apartment.

    Now at the apartment, Andrew carefully and gently pushed the door open. The entrance gave way to a

    large and spacious area, straightforward, minimalist in design and was the quintessential example of a

    bachelor''s pad.

    With only a few articles here and there, Andrew''s apartment was rudimentary beautiful. A ssic

    European t that only had the indispensable articles.

    The living area had only few furniture and arge television at the center. Everything was either in ck

    or white, it showed Andrew''s obsession with things that were simple but sophisticated while the hues

    made the apartment look drab and dark.

    Andrew loved how his apartment looked like, how it felt living in it. But, in a sudden stroke of realization,

    it seemed that it had been missing something.

    He was unsure, maybe it all changed because of Ashley. There was always something about her, just

    being near her made him feel very happy.

    Finding himself deep in thought, he shook off the notion and took Ashley inside. They went upstairs to

    Andrew''s room where heid Ashley on his bed.

    The physiognomy that once resembled the colors and the features of his apartment now emanated

    peace and serenity. She was still fast asleep. Andrew just stared at her and felt himself at peace.

    Andrew''s friends would have been surprised to see the look on his face.

    Falling in love, that must have been something for Andrew.

    He totally forgot how much he became freakishly obsessive when he was with Ashley. He usually

    showed a great deal of attention to detail, cleanliness, and order, but he became different in the

    presence of her.

    He suddenly thought of Johnny and how he used to help him repel away women he didn''t like.

    Always the one to get bothered when other people changed the order of how his articles were so neatly

    arranged, Andrew seemed impossible to deal with. He hated the smell of strong perfume on women''s

    bodies, and he didn''t want anyone to touch his things.

    But Ashley, she was different. She was delicate and gentle, and she even wore the most subtle of

    scents.

    For Andrew, strong and suggestive scent was one he couldn''t bear and for such smell to stay in his bed

    was all the more insufferable. But with Ashley lying on her bed, it all seemed to be a thing of the past.

    Having been so obsessed with keeping himself and his room clean, even his family members had to

    ask permission before entering his room.

    Ashley, on the other hand, was an exception.

    He had been close to Ashley for a while now that the smell of wine slowly rubbed off on him.

    Andrew would normally have to immediately remove the smell from his shirt that he would rush to the

    bathroom and take a bath just to get the smell off of him.

    But Andrew just couldn''t bear to leave, let alone to move a muscle and risk waking Ashley.

    Not being able to take his eyes away from her, Andrew sat there frozen. The bathroom was just a few

    steps away from his bed, but to lose precious time away from Ashley would be unbearable.

    It seemed that he couldn''t tolerate the smell for too long. Andrew stepped away just to ease himself. He

    slipped into the bathroom to change.

    With only a towel strapped around his waist, Andrew stepped outside, water dripping from his hair.

    He had the body of an athlete, a physique to rival olden Greek statues. His face, chiseled to perfection,

    would make any woman at that moment easily give in and fall for the strapping Andrew.

    He had a matured and sculpted figure that represented the alpha male.

    Andrew loved to train. He frequently exercised and his legs showed it.

    Carefully, he approached Ashley and realized that the smell of wine on her clothes, on her body was

    not at all that bad. He remembered how Ashley was fine and subtle, and the disturbing scent was

    beginning to wane.

    As he stood there looking at her, he began again to sink into this captivating trance. Here aversion was

    not an option.

    Andrew saw Ashley''s clothes, smeared and dirtied. He wanted to change her into new ones and

    started towards his closet. It never urred to him what would happen after, after he saw what was

    underneath.

    He paid no heed. All he wanted was to make Ashleyfortable.

 Chapter 28 Incredible

    Chapter 28 Incredible

    With beads of sweat forming on his forehead, Andrew slowly reached to undress Ashley. But before he

    could even touch her clothes, he took his trembling hand back while thinking about the sexy body

    underneath the thin T-shirt. The silly thought made him blush with shame, which added to his

    masculine charm.

    Andrew was a handsome gentleman who always wore a poker face. Seeing him blush in such a

    situation, one would be surprised to see him so shy, so nk and confused, not knowing whether to do

    what he was about to do or not.

    Shifting his gaze at Ashley''s angelic face, Andrew took some deep breath and finally calmed down.

    With all his strength he managed to restrain his lust and changed Ashley''s clothes hastily.

    After the task was done and his ordeal subsided a little, Andrew''s face waspletely scarlet and

    resembled a ripe red apple. He was bothered by the unusual warmth that he felt and the difort of

    seeing a drunk, half-naked woman in front of him.

    With an effort to stop himself from imagining things, he looked around the bedroom and dared not to

    look at Ashley. A nce might make him lose control and be intimate with her.

    In fact, Andrew could have looked for a woman to do the task of changing Ashley''s clothes. But the

    thought of that made him annoyed and even mad. It would be impossible for him to allow Ashley''s body

    to be seen by others, even a woman in that case.

    ''I am the only one who can see her body. Even another woman is not allowed to do that, '' he thought.

    Unintentionally, he had been possessive of Ashley.

    He was lost in his thoughts and didn''t realize his gaze had fallen on Ashley. She was wearing his shirt,

    a thin and over-sized one. The way shey on the bed caused the shirt to cling tight on her body,

    exposing her curves and perfect shapes.

    Ashley''s hair hung on the pillow loosely. Her pretty face was crimson because of too much alcohol.

    Her long eyshes covered her shiny eyes and her cherry-like mouth looked rosy and moist, which

    was so enticing for Andrew.

    The shirt she wore was long enough to cover her backsides. Andrew looked down and saw her straight

    slim long legs. He was overwhelmed by her skin that was as white as snow, as smooth as milk.

    The longer he stared at her, the faster his heart beat. His mouth parched and his tongue scorched.

    When he swallowed his slobber, his breathing deepened. Confusion and temptation enveloped Andrew

    at the moment and his head throbbed at the thought of what would he do.

    Being a gentleman as he had been, he tried his best to look away.

    ''No!

    I can''t look at her again!''

    He told himself to calm down in case he would do something that would hurt Ashley.

    Andrew had been used to controlling himself and he was proud of that. It was out of his expectations to

    forget about self-control in front of Ashley. What she meant to him was a fish to a cat.

    ''I can''t be intimate with her, but I can sleep on the same bed with her, '' he assumed. Andrew liked this

    compromised n and put it into practice. After turning off the lights, he climbed onto the bed,y down

    and hugged Ashley with great satisfaction.

    Still awake in the dark, all his senses were heightened. Andrew could feel the faint smell from Ashley,

    which lingered from her head down to her toes. Ashley was snoring, but it was not annoying for

    Andrew. Instead, the low noise was like a feather poking him in the chest.

    Everything about this woman was seducing him in every way.

    Hugging her was affliction, Andrew was determined to stay calm and forced himself to get some sleep.

    Ashley had been sleeping quietly and peacefully before midnight. She didn''t mind Andrew''s warm and

    tight embrace.

    However, after some time, with Andrew hugging her and the quilt over them, she felt too hot or maybe

    she didn''t like the tight hug.

    She kept on tossing and turning, which was challenging Andrew. Time seemed to drag and the morning

    seemed like an eternity for him. He was afraid that the longer they stayed together, the longer would his

    torment be.

    ''Although the woman I want is in my arms, I can do nothing except look at her and hug her, '' thought

    Andrew. He was saddened by the idea but tried his best not to entertain the thought of taking

    advantage of her weakness.

    He went to the bathroom and took a cold shower to refresh his mind when he found it hard to control

    himself. It was not until dawn did he fall asleep. He had no idea that Ashley''s staying with him made

    Ellie worried.

    At Ellie''s home, with the clock striking two hours after midnight.

    She was like an ant on a hot pan, walking back and forth while looking out the window from time to

    time. Ashley had never spent the night outside. This was the first time and she was so worried.

    Ufortably, Ellie sat on the sofa in the living room watching the world that was enveloped by

    darkness slowly brightening up, as it was already dawn. Ashley didn''te home and Ellie called her

    several times but never got through.

    ''I know Lena and Ashley are not close since they were kids. Today, Lena allowed us to quit on condition

    that Ashley would meet her after work. She wanted to hurt Ashley.

    I am too stupid to believe Ashley''s words. If something bad happened to Ashley, I couldn''t forgive

    myself, '' thought Ellie.

    Afraid of the creepy idea, she dared not to think more about it.

    Meanwhile, at Andrew''s house everything was quiet.

    Ashley had a good sweet sleep. It felt so rewarding because she couldn''t remember when was thest

    time that she had a good sleep like this one.

    Warm sunshine flooded the room through the windows, making the whole bedroom brighter.

    The bed had a thick bouncy mattress and was highpared to ordinary beds. On ity two people.

    They were hugging each other with a tender smile. The scene was so lovely¡ªtwo hearts entwined,

    calm, contented and so inseparable.

    Opening her eyes to the blinding brightness, Ashley woke up. She had a headache.

    ''Yesterday I was with Mr. Chen. His stare was disgusting.''

    The first thought that came to her mind was thest thing she did the other night. That was what she

    could recall. Thinking of that, she sat up instantly.

    She wanted to get off the bed when she touched something warm.

    Being scared, she yelled, "Ah! Ah! Ah! Oh, my god!"

    Uncovering the quilt, she found that she was wearing a shirt. It was not her clothes because it must

    belong to a man. Her face paled.

    ''Last night, before I got drunk I left the box and was about to go home. I butted on the warm wall, then

    ¡­''

    Ashley didn''t remember what happened after that. She knocked her head to recall something but it

    didn''t work. She didn''t realize that she hadn''t figured out what the "warm wall" was.

    Andrew who had been sleeping beside her woke up.

    He was awakened by Ashley''s scream and the bouncing of the bed because of Ashley''s movements.

    With his head still heavy and eyes that were still sleepy, he turned and looked at Ashley. His deep eyes

    were not as indifferent and cold as they had been.

    He yawned and stretched himself while blinking his eyes, adjusting to the brightness of the room. Some

    of his hair was messed up.

    That was so cute and funny.

    Ashley stared at the handsome face and was mesmerized.

    Andrew sobered and was finally fully awake.

    Indifference and coldness shed across his face but was suddenly alerted when he realized that he

    was with Ashley.

    As he turned to Ashley, he couldn''t help but give her a faint smile.

    Andrew had been a poker-faced man. But when he smiled, it had an almost irresistible attraction for

    women. It was like when the snow melted away, and you were about to see the trees again.

    But for himself, Andrew had never cared about his appearance. Now, however, judging from the way

    how Ashley stared at him, he was grateful for his outstanding appearance.

    When Ashley came to her senses, she felt ashamed about her behavior. She looked down at what she

    was wearing and looked at Andrew repeatedly. She was too shocked to ask what had happened. "You,

    you, you ¡­ I¡­I¡­I¡­"

    She was eager to know what had happenedst night, but she couldn''t finish a single sentence.

    "Hhmm? What were you saying?"

    Confused, Andrew asked. He had a low, maic musical voice. Because he just woke up, his voice

    was kind of hoarse. For sure every woman would be moved by that.

    Ashley was not an expectation. She stared at Andrew and was totally stunned again. For a moment,

    she pondered her thoughts with her hand on her forehead. ''How can he be so good-looking? It is

    unfair!

    Why?

    Yes, he is good-looking and has a nice voice. But¡­¡­''

    Ashley was not worried because she was feeling well, except for a slight headache. Unexpectedly, she

    felt perfectly fine, not a sore or an ache anywhere in her body.

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    After she came to her mind, she swallowed saliva and hesitated to ask, "Last night, What has

    happened between us?"

 Chapter 29 I Want To Take Him Home

    Chapter 29 I Want To Take Him Home

    Ashley thought to herself that he seemed to be a gentleman.

    At the thought of this, she took a nce at the shirt she wore and then turned to the man who was

    sleeping next to her.

    ''Did I just sleep in bed with himst night?'' Ashley thought to herself. It sounded so absurd that they

    would sleep on the bed together for the whole night.

    Ashley tried her best to recall what happened, but could remember nothing. Shepletely cked

    out after she went to the toiletst night and couldn''t remember anything after that.

    Andrew stared at Ashley, his lips pressing into a thin line. "You were drunkst night and you kept

    clutching at me," he said slowly in a deep, husky voice.

    Johnny would be stricken dumb with amazement if he heard those words from Andrew.

    It was because Andrew acted so unusual.

    He was not the man as he used to be. Before, Andrew was a man who was cruel and always kept

    silent, but now he was patiently exining himself to this strange woman.

    It was unbelievable.

    Ashley blushed with shame as Andrew exined what happenedst night to her. She felt that she had

    no ce to hide herself.

    Although Ashley knew that she would sometimes behave out of her character when she was drunk,

    she still felt amazed when she heard those words from Andrew.

    She didn''t expect that she would pester him and stop him from going home alone. Moreover, she felt

    astonished that Andrew would even take her back to his house.

    Silence grew between them as Ashley did not know how to respond.

    ''What the hell did I dost night?

    This is so embarrassing!'' Ashley thought to herself.

    Ashley took a glimpse at Andrew''s face after a while, but soon she felt hesitant; now she began to

    wonder if she pestered this man just because he was handsome.

    It was very likely for her to do such a thing.

    A few secondster, Ashley''s stomach growled all of a sudden. It was terribly quiet, so without a doubt

    even Andrew had heard that. The air grew impossibly more awkward. Ashley touched her belly and

    showed an embarrassed smile when Andrew looked at her inquisitively.

    She ate nothingst night and drank a lot of wine, so it was natural for her to feel hungry.

    Stealing a nce at Ashley, Andrew got up and said nothing more.

    He took out his clothes from his wardrobe and walked to the bathroom.

    Ashley was at awe when Andrew walked out from the bathroom just momentster.

    The man''s tall figure caught her attention; he was thin, with ck, soft hair. His eyes looked deep,

    brimming with radiating vigor. But she could not tell his emotions from his eyes.

    He was dressed in a hand-cut ck suit, entuating his lean figure. There was a certain powerful

    aura around him that emanated across the room.

    "Your clothes are prepared on the bedstand. Hurry up ande downstairs to eat after you wash up."

    The man said nothing more and quickly walked out.

    Ashley was shocked. She was left speechless as she watched him go out the door. This man looked so

    familiar and she tried her best to recall where she had met this man before.

    Her eyebrows furrowed into a frown. After thinking about it again and again, she suddenly remembered

    that he was the one who had identally shared a night with her in a presidential suite.

    Ashley was enlightened by the truth. Although she didn''t see his face clearly at that night, his facial

    features were easily recognizable. With this, Ashley was sure that he was the man who she met

    several days ago.

    As she thought about it more, she gaped,pletely lost for words.

    Finally, she snapped out of it and turned to look at the clothes on the bed stand.

    Her face flushed a deep red when she saw that he had even put a set of clean underwear there.

    With one swift movement, she grabbed the clothes and rushed into the bathroom.

    After locking the door behind her, Ashley took a deep breath and looked at the pink, knee-length skirt.

    Although she had never heard of the brand before, the fabric was very soft and smooth to her touch.

    One thing was for sure: it must have been pretty expensive.

    Ashley was a pretty girl with fair skin, and her slim figure looked perfect in the pink skirt.

    Staring at herself in the mirror, Ashley found that her face was flushed. The bra fitted very well, too,

    leaving her confused as to how this man could possibly know her cup size.

    She quickly dressed and freshened up, trying to get rid of her flush as much as it was possible.

    Ashley walked out the bedroom once she was ready. Much to her surprise, she saw that she was

    actually in a very luxurious vi. With a deep breath, she tried to keep herself calm andposed.

    It was easy for her to tell that this man was not simple and he muste from a notable family.

    ''Jeez!

    I am in trouble now!'' Ashley wailed to herself.

    With her drunken stuporst night, she hadpletely forgotten that she promised Ellie she could

    come back.

    But everything was messed up by Lena.

    Ashley went straight to the kitchen. There, she was astonished to see that Andrew was cooking. It was

    surprising to see a wealthy man such as himself to cook.

    It was normally the work of the servants.

    Ever since, Ashley thought that the rich employed as many servants as they could to take care of their

    daily lives so that they could be free from those trifles.

    However, this man who looked so extraordinary refined just stood in the kitchen with his sleeves rolled

    up. On top of that, he really seemed to know what he was doing. The air wafted with a delicious aroma

    and everything appeared to be in perfect order. It made Ashley''s heart skip a beat as she felt herself

    getting slightly attracted to this man.

    He looked up, perhaps hearing Ashley''s footsteps, and gave her a coy smile. "What''s wrong? Why are

    you staring at me?" he said with his deep voice.

    "Well, I¡­I just want to ask you something. Do you know where my bag is?" asked Ashley in a shaky

    voice. Although she was drunkst night, she remembered that she had lost her bag.

    Her ID card, bank card and her phone were all in that bag.

    "On the couch in the living room," he replied curtly, pointing at the couch behind her.

    Ashley turned around in the direction he pointed and found her ck bag lying there.

    "Well... thanks," said Ashley softly. She walked to the living room and took out her phone from the bag.

    Much to her dismay, her phone had already run out of charge. With a grunt, she fished out her phone

    charger.

    After waiting for a few minutes, her phone still wouldn''t turn on. She then walked to the kitchen again

    hesitantly.

    "Do you need any help?" asked Ashley in a hushed voice.

    Andrew turned back and shed her a faint smile. "No, thanks. I''m almost finished cooking. Just wait

    for me for a moment in the living room," replied Andrew kindly.

    "Uh, okay," Ashley responded. She nodded her head and then walked away.

    As soon as she sat down, she had just realized that maybe she should have tried harder to offer her

    help. But instead, she just followed his words without even saying anything else. ''Jeez, what am I

    thinking just now?'' Ashley scolded in her thoughts.

    Although they just met twice, the man had a great influence on her, but she could not figure out the

    reason.

    At the thought of this, Ashley rubbed her temples helplessly.

    Obviously, she didn''t know that Andrew was a man who was used to giving orders to others, and

    perhaps that was why she followed his words as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

    The living room was just next to the kitchen, so she could still see Andrew cooking.

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    He took his time cooking. To her surprise, it seemed that he was used to preparing meals.

    Ashley had to admit that it was pleasant to look at a handsome man around the kitchen.

    Slumping back in her seat, she crossed her arms over her chest, deep in thought. "He''s good at

    cooking. It''s so rare to see. I think I want to take him home," Ashley mumbled to herself after a while.

    She was lost in her thoughts that she even didn''t notice that the man had been standing in front of her

    for a while now.

 Chapter 30 Misunderstanding

    Chapter 30 Misunderstanding

    Andrew was holding on to a tray filled with the food he had just cooked. He had just entered the living

    room, and heard what Ashley had said. "Then take me home!" he uttered, raising his eyebrows at her.

    At that moment, Ashley snapped out of it as she heard his deep, pleasant voice. She had not noticed

    that Andrew had already left the kitchen and was already standing beside her.

    Ashley turned to look at Andrew, who had his gaze glued on her, his eyes seeming to sparkle

    passionately.

    There was a feeling of doubt when she saw his expression. She blinked, trying to read more into

    Andrew, wondering if it was just in her head. However, when Ashley fixed her eyes on Andrew once

    more, Andrew was back to his usual, calm demeanor, as if his expectant expression never appeared in

    the first ce.

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    Although she felt a bit disappointed, she gave a sigh of relief.

    She guessed that such a rich, powerful and handsome man like Andrew would never fancy someone

    like her.

    "Okay, let''s have breakfast now." Andrew put the breakfast on the table, took a few pieces of tissue to

    wipe his hands and then threw them into the trash can nearby.

    Only he himself knew that he was very earnest when he said those words. He was also so nervous that

    his hands were covered with sweat.

    However, Ashley thought it was just a casual thing for him to say, nothing more but a light joke.

    She didn''t know that he really meant what he had just said.

    "Okay. Wow! It smells so good!" Ashley leaned forward, inhaling the inviting smell of the freshly cooked

    food.

    Her mouth watered at the sight and smell; there was french toast, omelets, thin slices of ham, and an

    array of fresh fruits.

    Right then, Ashley thought of Ellie who was also good at cooking food. When Ashley lived together with

    Ellie, Ellie always prepared their meals. Although Ashley knew how to cook food, she didn''t like to stay

    in the kitchen and seldom prepared meals. Ever since Ashley tasted the delicious dishes made by Ellie,

    she was particr about food now.

    The pleasant smell of food had given Ashley an appetite.

    As if on cue, her stomach grumbled in anticipation.

    Ashley picked up her chopsticks, itching to taste the fluffy eggs.

    Just then, the doorbell rang. With much disappointment, Ashley put down her chopsticks on the table.

    She rubbed her t stomach as it rumbled in protest.

    Andrew stood up. "It doesn''t matter. You can eat first. I''ll go to answer the door," he said softly, touching

    her head lightly.

    He touched her head so casually and gently, as if he had done such a thing many times before.

    During her stay, he had always talked to her in a gentle voice and with a friendly expression, not as

    aloof as he was in thepany.

    However, when he turned around to open the door, he began to glower a bit.

    He had noticed the disappointed look on Ashley''s face.

    At that moment, he was just about to have breakfast with the woman he liked. Now they had been

    disturbed by an unexpected guest. Of course he would naturally be ill-tempered now.

    Ashley shook her head. Although she was hungry, she wasn''t used to sitting at the table to have

    breakfast alone.

    With that, Ashley stood up and followed Andrew to the door.

    With long strides, Andrew walked up to the door and opened it, Ashley close to his heels, revealing a

    woman who was in her early twenties.

    Both Ashley and the woman looked surprised as they saw each other. They could not help but look at

    each other in stupefied amazement.

    The woman at the door was wearing an off-shoulder, light purple dress that was adorned with an

    elegant bow around the waist. Her long, loosely curled, ck hair hung at her shoulders.

    She had a pair of expressive dark brown eyes which were big and bright. Her fair and delicate skin was

    as white as snow. Right then she opened her attractive mouth slightly, perhaps in surprise at the sight

    of Ashley.

    There were no words that came out--she simply looked at Ashley, dumbfounded.

    ...

    The two women looked at each other carefully and with spection.

    The person who just arrived at the door was Susie Lu. She was really surprised to catch sight of Ashley

    who stood behind her brother, Andrew.

    Ashley wore a pink, knee-length dress which looked very in and simple.

    Her arched eyebrows were attractive and her pretty lips seemed red even if she wasn''t wearing any

    lipstick. With the delicate and smooth skin, she had a fair face on which no blemishes could be seen.

    Her two slender and fair legs made her look more charming.

    Her hair hung down to her waist. A slight smile spread across her small face, but a touch of

    disappointment could still be seen from her big, twinkling eyes.

    It was the first time that Susie Lu saw a woman as beautiful as Ashley appear at her brother''s ce.

    However, no matter how pretty Ashley was, Susie Lu disliked her instantly, thinking that Ashley was just

    here to seduce Andrew.

    "Who are you? Why are you here?" Susie Lu asked, arrogantly raising her chin to re at Ashley with

    disdain.

    In Susie''s eyes, even though Ashley was very beautiful, she was no match for Lesley Feng. Susie Lu

    thought that only Lesley Feng was worthy to be her sister-inw.

    Now that Lesley Feng wasn''t there, Susie Lu decided to help her teach Ashley a lesson. There was no

    way Susie Lu would let such a silly and reckless woman get any chance to be in a rtionship with her

    brother.

    Upon hearing Susie''s angry tone, Ashley could not help but get surprise. With what Susie Lu had said,

    Ashley quickly misunderstood, thinking that Susie Lu was Andrew''s girlfriend

    who came here to look for him.

    Ashley wondered if Susie Lu misunderstood her rtionship with Andrew. She cast a quick nce at

    Andrew, who was just standing there, staring at Susie Lu, with a straight face.

    There were a lot of things going in her mind. Right now, she thought that she should leave this ce,

    fearing that she would get into trouble if she just stayed there.

    However, the delicious breakfast was still on the table, and it was indeed a pity for her to leave without

    eating any of it. She felt regretful, thinking that she should have started eating it earlier.

    With a sigh, Andrew looked at Susie Lu. "Why are you here?" he said with a grave expression on his

    face.

    Upon hearing Andrew''s cold voice, Susie seemed to snap out of it. Her cockiness and anger

    disappeared as she looked at Andrew.

    Although her family members doted on her so much, she never acted wantonly or recklessly in front of

    Andrew.

    Before Susie Lu could reply, Ashley hurriedly said, "Well, it''s not what you think! Sorry. I have to go

    now!"

    It was obvious that the first sentence was for Susie Lu who stood at the door, and that the rest were for

    Andrew.

    After she finished speaking, Ashley ran to the living room as fast as possible, picked up her bag and

    then made her way to the door.

    Keeping a long face, Andrew realized that Ashley misunderstood his rtionship with Susie Lu. A

    distant and annoyed expression masked his face, and his morose look was so evident that no one

    could possibly deny it.

    Susie Lu was satisfied with Ashley''s sensible words and behavior that she gave a small scoff.

    She thought that such a silly woman like Ashley didn''t deserve to get close to her brother.

    In Susie''s eyes, Ashley was just a nobody. There was only one person fit to be with her brother, and

    that was Lesley Feng.

 Chapter 31 Getting Angry

    Chapter 31 Getting Angry

    Panic filled Andrew''s eyes when he saw that Ashley was intending to leave. With one swift motion, he

    was able to grab Ashley''s arm. "Where are you going?" he asked exasperatedly.

    When he saw Susie in his peripheral vision, he snapped his head towards her direction and shouted

    with his voice icy and imposing, "Get out of here!" Fire was burning in his eyes.

    Ashley was doing her best to get Andrew''s grip off her. ''Don''t you see that your little girlfriend is here?

    How dare you grab my arm?

    I have nothing to do with you and I don''t want to bebeled as your mistress, '' Ashley silently protested,

    her unmoving lips trembling.

    Suddenly, Andrew''s cold, emotionless voice boomed throughout the whole room. It made her shudder.

    While she knew that Andrew could be dangerous when he was angry, she didn''t expect it to be this

    terrible.

    At one point, she thought that she was the one Andrew ordering to leave.

    A feeling of uneasiness suddenly took over her chest. She didn''t understand why she would feel that

    way. Good thing was that she had already anticipated this scenario.

    As a matter of fact, she had already packed all her belongings. Everything was ready for her to leave.

    ''But was it really necessary for him to ask me to ''get out of here''?'', Ashley quietly thought, fighting the

    unpleasant feelings building up inside her.

    Theplex feelings Ashley was having weren''t helping her in any way. Her heart was starting to feel

    like it had been pricked by numerous needles.

    ''His girlfriend is here, you fool, '' she said to herself, biting her lower lip. ''What are you still doing here?''

    Susie was in a corner with her gaze totally fixed on Ashley. The icy-cold order that Andrew made also

    stunned her, but she didn''t realize that it was directed at her.

    Because of that, a smug look was still stered on her face. The embarrassed expression that was

    clear on Ashley''s face was making this whole thing more enjoyable for her.

    ''Yes, get out of here!'' she silently quipped, feeling happy that Andrew intended to get rid of Ashley.

    ''You are just an ordinary woman. A man like Andrew would never like you!'' she continued, a littleugh

    escaping from her mouth. ''You are no match for Lesley yet you still have the gall to try to be

    Andrew''s girlfriend. Pathetic! Utterly ridiculous!

    Lesley will be my sister-inw, '' her inward barrage continued. ''She is well-educated and probably one

    of the most beautiful women in the entire world. I don''t know anyone better than her, '' she finished,

    satisfied.

    "I''m asking you to get out of here!" Andrew shouted once again. This time he made it clear to Susie

    that he was asking her to leave, while Susie seemed to be enjoying the drama that was happening. His

    grip on Ashley''s arm was as tight as ever, in fear that she might get away and leave the ce. The

    satisfied expression on Susie''s face quickly vanished when she realized that Andrew was talking to her.

    Her face turned pale. She couldn''t believe what she heard.

    This was a rare opportunity for Andrew to have a good meal with Ashley, but now everything was

    ruined because of Susie. How could he hold back his anger?

    And besides, where in the world did Susie get all her courage that made her decide that it would be a

    good idea toe to his vi?

    ''What?'' Susie thought, stunned.

    Being Andrew''s younger sister, she hadn''t really been at the receiving end of Andrew''s wrath. And now

    that she was, she was in disbelief.

    It was the first time she had seen Andrew this angry. Fear was starting to eat her up.

    Andrew was staring at her directly, his eyes wide with rage. The stare felt like a knife that could shred

    her apart in seconds.

    She failed to do anything or say anything even if she wanted to. She was stuck in her ce, shaking. It

    took her a long time to finally gain herposure back, and when she did, all she could think of was

    how annoyed she was with her brother''s bad temper.

    "Come on, Andrew! I''m your younger sister! How can you treat me so rudely? Who is she? Did she

    seduce you?" she shouted with a loud voice, and her re directed at Ashley. "She asked you to bring

    her back, didn''t she? She''s nothing but a shameless woman. She dreams of marrying you, right?" Her

    voice was getting louder, and her stare was getting more deadly. "She''d better know her ce,

    Andrew!" she finished, now turning to Ashley. "Hey, you!" She nodded towards Ashley, who was now

    clearly stunned. "I''ll admit that you don''t look so bad. But let me warn you - you''d better stop fantasizing

    about marrying my brother. You are nothing but an ordinary womanpared to Lesley. Always

    remember that!"

    Susie finished with satisfaction prominent on her face.

    Ashley was shocked to hear all of those, but she was more shocked to hear that Susie was Andrew''s

    younger sister.

    ''What?

    What the hell?

    That girl is the man''s younger sister? Not his girlfriend?'' wondered Ashley.

    Suddenly, her face was drained of all expression.

    With a cold, indifferent look on her face, she turned to Susie. "What did you say just now?" she started,

    her voice quiet but searing.

    ''I am a shameless woman? I''m seducing him? Nonsense!'' thought Ashley. Ashley turned to Andrew

    and gave him a colder look.

    Feeling Ashley''s re, Andrew felt so awkward and numb that he just stood in his ce, stiff.

    Upon seeing the sudden indifference shown on Ashley''s face, Susie shook with fear. ''How could this

    woman be as terrible as Andrew?'' she silently told herself, afraid even to look at Ashley. ''Her re is so

    sharp and terrible.

    But I didn''t say anything wrong, '' she continued, defending herself. ''She is a shameless woman trying

    so hard to seduce Andrew. That''s an undeniable fact. How could she be such a prostitute yet pretend

    to be innocent?'' Susie was getting riled up.

    ''Moreover, I am from the Lu family, and that woman is just amoner. How dare she look at me like

    that? It''s so rude!''

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    Susie wasn''t afraid anymore. After clearing her throat, she looked at Ashley with renewed bravery. "Do

    you want me to repeat what I said? I said that you are a shameless bitch. Is it clear now?" she said,

    raising one of her eyebrows. "I''ve dealt with a lot of people like you. You know? You are a prostitute yet

    you''re here pretending to be innocent. Never! I will not allow you to get near Andrew. Stop fantasizing!"

    Susie said in a sharp, condescending tone.

    "Shut up!" Andrew shouted, now breathing heavily. Susie had gone too far. The anger that was

    bubbling inside Andrew''s chest was making him think of kicking Susie out of the room.

    Ashley was a woman he valued so much, so he would never dare belittle her like Susie just did. How

    could she!

    "Susie," Andrew started, his voice quiet and dangerous. "I don''t want to repeat myself for a third time.

    Get out of here," he ordered, ring at his sister. "Now!" Andrew shouted, directing all his annoyance

    towards Susie.

    "Andrew!" Susie shouted back, on the verge of tears. "I am your younger sister and she is nothing but a

    bitch! How can you defend her over me?" she continued, tears running along her cheeks. Her voice

    trailed off after she noticed Andrew ring at her.

    After no response came from Andrew, Susie decided that she had had enough and ran out of the room.

    She went straight to the parking lot and into her car.

    As soon as she was able to get inside, she started pounding on her steering wheel, shouting at the top

    of her lungs and crying her eyes out.

    "How dare you, Andrew!" she shouted through her tears.

    "Did you forget that I am your younger sister? How can you pick that bitch over me? And that bitch!"

    Susie gave her steering wheel another hard p. "What a shameless bitch! How does she stay so

    proud?" Shaking, she wiped away her tears with her arms.

    "There is no way I''m tolerating this!" she said, fishing her phone from her bag. "I''m going to tell Lesley

    about what happened today and I would ask her to ruin that bitch!"

    With tears still streaming from her eyes, she angrily punched Lesley''s number onto her phone and

    called it.

    After a few minutes of conversation, she ended the call, started her car, and drove away.

    At the gate of the vi, Andrew was still holding on to Ashley''s arm tightly.

    "Mr. Lu, your younger sister has already left. Could you please let go of me now?" Ashley requested in

    a cold voice.

    She was really pissed off. Anyone who would be belittled and regarded as a bitch would definitely feel

    bad, and Ashley was no exception.

    ''Why do I always get mistaken as a bitch? Do I really look like one?'' she thought, in utter disbelief.

    Also, considering Andrew''s strength and the length of time he had held her arm, it was no surprise that

    her arm was already sore.

    Andrew, however, did not let go of Ashley. A nk, expressionless facade donned his face.

    With strong, sure, and swift actions, Andrew was able to m the door and pull Ashley into the living

    room. It was not until he led her to a seat did he finally let go of her arm.

    "How about having breakfast first?" he asked, his face still betraying nothing. All themotion left

    Ashley hungry, and honestly, she had no energy to say no. They then got started on eating.

    Ashley looked at the delicious food on the table and then turned to Andrew.

    She had just suffered something unjust and traumatic. This peace was enoughpensation for it.

    ''Nothing is more important than enjoying delicious food, '' thought Ashley.

    Andrew breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ashley eating.

    ''Thank you for not leaving, '' Andrew said quietly to himself, having his first bite.

 Chapter 32 Driving Ashley Home

    Chapter 32 Driving Ashley Home

    It was obvious that Ashley was angry. Andrew was so worried that she would struggle out of his grasp

    and left anyway. He was also afraid that she might start to hate him after what had happened. At least

    she didn''t leave, and that offered enough relief for him despite the fact that Ashley didn''t seem too

    pleased.

    He watched her intently with kind eyes. His eyes full of tenderness which he himself wasn''t even aware

    of.

    If Johnny knew about Andrew''s fear and uncertainty that caused by Ashley, he would definitely be at a

    loss for words.

    Andrew was considered to be the king of business, always appearing confident and practically

    invincible. Challenges never made him flinch since he knew it in himself that he could easily ovee

    whatever difficulties he might face. It was hard to imagine that such a man could get this on edge over

    a woman.

    It would seem as if Andrew finally met his conqueror!

    On the other hand, he obviously had no brotherly affection for his sister. Actually, for over a decade

    now, he didn''t have any sort of affinity for his whole family.

    He hardly went back to his so-called home where all his family was. But that shouldn''t have given them

    the nerve to do things like this. He was the family''s decision-maker after all.

    Maybe it was time to go back there to give them some warning, especially to stop anyone from giving

    him any hard time.

    Ashley had no idea what was in Andrew''s mind now. She was totally distracted by the delicious food. It

    was so good--even better than the dishes Ellie made.

    The two were just enjoying their food quietly.

    The big dining hall was so silent that they could only hear each other''s chewing.

    All the while, Ashley was thinking about how she would never see this man again once she left. There

    was no need to make any further conversations with him at this point; eating quietly together was

    enough.

    She wouldn''t tter herself by thinking that the way Andrew defended her against Susie was a sign that

    he liked her. Plus, just like what Susie said, she was too ordinary to be Andrew''s girlfriend, let

    alone his wife. Ashley did not have a rich and powerful family like they did.

    It would be hard to live in such a family in the first ce. If they ever did get together, she would have

    to face a lot more trouble and evil agendas, which was really too much for her liking. Right now, all she

    wanted was to live a simple and harmonious life until the day she died. Big and extravagant goals did

    not interest her. As long as she could eat well, sleep well, and have fun, she would be happy. Anything

    else didn''t matter to her.

    As Ashley thought this through, she instantly felt less angry at Susie.

    It was best to let such a trivial thing slide. Besides, as the saying goes, you don''t bite back the dog that

    bit you, Ashley thought to herself.

    On the other hand, Andrew wanted to speak up and say something to Ashley. But, he had no idea

    where to begin.

    He used to live alone in this big house--he ate his meals by himself, slept beside no one, and

    practically did everything without anypany. He never really felt alone with his lifestyle, actually, he

    felt veryfortable. Now that there was someone sitting with him as he ate, he didn''t know what he

    should do in order to make his guest feel more wee.

    Andrew looked through his longshes, stealing a quick nce at Ashley. She seemed to be enjoying

    the food very much. Nevertheless, he still couldn''t tell whether she was still mad or not.

    Andrew thus detested Susie even more.

    He could forgive her unreasonable behaviors in the past. But today, she really crossed the line.

    Ashley was the woman he cared. Anyone else had no right to judge her. He would never let Susie hurt

    Ashley like this anymore.

    "Okay, I''m done. Thanks for breakfast, Mr. Lu. It was really great, but I should go now," Ashley said,

    wiping her mouth clean with a paper napkin.

    Upon seeing her stand up and ready to leave, Andrew immediately got out of his seat as well. "Wait!"

    he said hastily, "I''ll drive you home."

    "Oh, you don''t have to. I''ll take a cab. I don''t want to bother you," she declined with a polite smile.

    Yet, Andrew wasn''t ttered by her smile. It seemed that she was refusing a stranger. He didn''t want

    her to act so distant from him.

    This gave him more reason to believe that Ashley was still mad for what happened

    which fueled his anger towards Susie even more. It had taken him quite a long time to make Ashley

    feel a bit closer to him. Now all those efforts went down the drain.

    "It''s hard to hail a cab here," he reasoned out. "Just let me drive you. Hold on a second. I''ll get the car,"

    Andrew said in a determined voice.

    Before Ashley could respond, Andrew had already turned around and gone out the door.

    There was nothing that Ashley could do except watch him disappear through the door. After a moment,

    she justprehended what had just happened. ''What a bossy man!'' she thought to herself, gently

    kicking the foot of the chair.

    But he was right. It was really hard to take a cab here. Besides, she was not familiar with this block. It

    was the wisest choice to let him drive her.

    Without another second to lose, she grabbed her things and went after him.

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    The moment she opened the door, Andrew had just pulled over; he was sitting quietly in his silver

    Rolls-Royce, watching her intently. His handsome face was still expressionless. Perhaps it was

    because of his deep eyes and thick brows that made it easy for him to hide what he was feeling.

    "Rolls-Royce! Cool! He is really rich!" Ashley couldn''t help but utter in a low voice.

    She walked hurriedly towards the car and got on the passenger seat.

    After a few moments, Andrew still didn''t start the car.

    Ashley turned to watch him with a confused look.

    "You''re not wearing your seatbelt," he said, as if to answer her wordless question. His deep voice

    echoed in the closed narrow space, maic and full of charm, like a warm cello.

    With her cheeks slightly flushing from embarrassment, she bent over to buckle up. At that same

    moment, Andrew leaned across to assist her. However, Ashley wasn''t aware of his approach.

    When she put her hands on the buckle, she felt his hand cover hers.

    She was startled by his warm touch, hastily withdrawing her own hand and moving to sit upright. But

    the sudden, careless action made her identally hit her forehead on Andrew''s chin.

    She was momentarily enveloped by a pleasant, light tobo smell.

    However, her forehead hurt so much that tears started to form on the corners of her eyes. Andrew saw

    her beautiful ck eyes tear up. They twinkled like stars that were about to drop at any second.

    "Are you okay?" Andrew asked, his voice full of genuine concern.

    "Yeah, I''m okay. Don''t worry." Even so, she gently rubbed her hand on her forehead. ''Ouch! That really

    hurt. What is his body even made out of?'' she thought to herself.

    Perceiving that she was too close to Andrew, she pulled back instantly to keep a distance from him.

    However, it was such a narrow space between her and the backrest. Even though she almost got her

    back against the window behind her, she could still feel the warmth of his body.

    They were so close, close enough for Ashley to see Andrew''s every individual brow andsh. She

    could clearly see his fair skin. His pleasant tobo scent kept moving around her, which made her

    indulge it unthinkingly.

    Ashley blushed deeper. Her heart has pounding loudly in her chest. Andrew noticed, smiling quietly to

    himself.

    As his gaze shifted, however, he saw Ashley''s fair and slender neck. His heart skipped a beat. He

    almost couldn''t resist the impulse to kiss her.

    She smelled so good--the faint sweet scent constantly drew him to her.

    Andrew was moving closer and closer. There was barely any room for Ashley to move away, which

    made her even more nervous.

    "Eh... Mr. Lu, I can do it myself."

 Chapter 33 Call Him By His First Name

    Chapter 33 Call Him By His First Name

    Andrew blinked, and turned his attention back to the seat belt, helping Ashley buckle up nheless.

    After that, he slumped back into his seat.

    Ashley heaved a breath of relief.

    Andrew fastened his own seat belt. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked intently at Ashley. "Are you

    okay?" he asked deliberately, noticing that her cheeks werepletely flushed pink.

    "Yeah, I''m fine," she replied faintly, her voice slightly quivering.

    "But why are you blushing so much?" Andrew pressed.

    Ashley was speechless. ''What''s going on? I thought he was an aloof, bossy, difficult man of a few

    words, '' she thought, baffled.

    "It''s not a big deal," Ashley said with a nervousugh. "Perhaps it''s just the heat. I think it''s better to let

    some air in," she added as she rolled down the window.

    Andrew started the car and drove away. With a pensive look, Ashley stared out the car window,

    allowing the cool breeze to gently caress her rosy cheeks. Soon enough, the blush on her face faded

    slowly.

    She could imagine how worried Ellie was right now since she didn''t go homest night.

    Besides, she didn''t know how to exin to Ellie for her sleeping over without telling her.

    She didn''t think it was a good idea to tell the truth to her best friend. If she told her that she had been

    set up by Lena, got tipsy and slept over at a man''s house, her bestie might never let her leave the

    house alone.

    But she felt lucky that she had met a gentleman like Andrew. She couldn''t imagine the consequences if

    she had met someone with bad intentions the previous night.

    Ashley didn''t remember what had happened to her after she ran into Andrewst night. She had no

    idea that he had seen her naked since he had helped her change her clothes.

    Perhaps Ashley wouldn''t think so highly of Andrew if she found out what he had done to her.

    Although Andrew was driving, he stole Ashley nces every now and then.

    Noticing that Ashley was looking a bit troubled, he assumed that it was because of his sister''s rude

    behavior towards her earlier that day.

    He pressed his lips and looked at her at the corner of his eyes. "Are... Are you still angry?" Andrew

    asked hesitantly.

    "Pardon me? What did you say?" Ashley asked, turning to look at Andrew.

    She was so focused on how she would exin to Ellie that she wasn''t able to hear Andrew''s question.

    "Are you still mad about what Susie said to you? How about I ask her to make an apology to you in

    person?" Andrew offered as he held tightly onto the steering wheel.

    "What? You''ll ask her to apologize to me? Fine! I''d like to hear her apology," Ashley replied with a

    subtle smile.

    She was joking. After all, Susie was his sister. Although Susie had pissed her off, she was over it.

    The false usations of being a bitch had upset Ashley a lot. Butter she mulled it over, and thought

    that she should forgive Andrew''s sister. It was easy to jump to assumptions, especially with the scene

    earlier that morning. Anyone who had seen her in Andrew''s house would misunderstand her

    rtionship with him.

    And she assumed that Susie had made disrespectful remark to her because she felt sorry for the girl

    named Lesley.

    The moment Andrew heard her reply, he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

    Seeing that he was about to make a call, Ashley immediately snatched his phone from him. "What are

    you doing?" she asked.

    "I was about to call Susie and ask her to say sorry to you face-to-face," Andrew replied frankly. He

    wasn''t annoyed by Ashley''s sudden action; instead, his mood lit up.

    Ashley was at a loss for words. ''It was just a joke. Why would he take it seriously?'' she wondered.

    Out of the blue, an affection had started to swell inside her.

    It did take her by great surprise that Andrew would take her joke seriously.

    What she didn''t know was that Andrew would do anything to please her even if he had to risk his

    rtionship with his sister.

    Andrew had no idea what was wrong with him. When he met Ashley for the first time, he was

    convinced that she was the right person for him. It only took this woman to make him feelplete. He

    couldn''t bear to see her cry, hurt or live a hard life.

    "There is no need. I am not angry. I was just joking around," Ashley said shaking her hands defensively.

    She was a little embarrassed at Andrew''s actions.

    Andrew said nothing more and turned his attention back on the road.

    As the silence drew on, Ashley turned to Andrew. With a sullen face, he kept his eyes on the road and

    concentrated on driving.

    Ashley bit her lower lip, lost in thought. ''Did he get angry?

    I shouldn''t have joked about it. But I didn''t mean to upset him.''

    "Mr. Lu?

    Mr. Lu, are you mad at me? I was just joking. I''m not angry. After all, she is your sister. Besides, she

    said those harsh words because she misunderstood our rtionship. I''m over it," Ashley exined

    nervously.

    She didn''t know what was on his mind. ''Did he really get upset because of my joke?'' she wondered.

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    "Andrew," he said in an emotionless voice.

    "Huh?" Ashley responded, with a bewildered look at him.

    "My name is Andrew," Andrew said without sparing her a nce.

    Ashley was rendered speechless. ''Did he want me to call him by his first name?'' she wondered.

    "Andrew... Lu?" Ashley called out his name hesitantly.

    "Yup," Andrew responded tly.

    "Well, um, are you upset with me?" Ashley asked gingerly as she watched him intently.

    "No, I''m not.

    Susie is my half sister. We''re not close," Andrew expounded.

    "I see," Ashley nodded.

    An awkward silence followed. Andrew was not a talker. Besides, he seldom spent time with girls. As a

    result, he didn''t know what to say to her in the first ce.

    As for Ashley, she also didn''t know what to say. After all, Andrew was just a stranger to her.

    All of a sudden, Andrew''s phone rang, breaking the silence.

    Ashley gave Andrew''s cell phone back to him.

    He caught a glimpse of the screen and saw that it was Johnny calling.

    Ashley blinked her long eyshes, assuming that Johnny was Andrew''s assistant.

    Without saying a word, he took the phone and ended the call.

    However, Johnny didn''t give up. He made several calls.

    He called up several times, but Andrew refused to take his calls.

    In thepany, Johnny paced back and forth in Andrew''s office. He was so anxious that he wanted to

    cry. ''Why won''t Mr. Lu answer the phone?''

    It was the first time Andrew hadn''t shown up in thepany. What was worse, he needed to attend an

    important meeting in a few minutes.

    Since the meeting was quite important, Johnny called again.

    Inside the Rolls-Royce, Ashley stared at Andrew''s buzzing cell phone. After hesitating for a while, she

    suggested, "Please take it. What if he has something important to say?"

    With a frown and a sigh, Andrew took her advice and picked up the phone.

    "What''s up?" he asked nonchntly.

    Back in Andrew''spany, Johnny was so delighted when he heard Andrew''s voice through the

    receiver.

 Chapter 34 Nothing Else Is More Important Than You

    Chapter 34 Nothing Else Is More Important Than You

    Johnny felt miserable as he seemed to be always snowed under with work every day. His job was

    indeed a great torment for him.

    "Mr. Lu, you have finally answered the phone. Where are you now? Have you forgotten that you are

    going to have an important meeting in thepany today? The senior leaders of thepany are all

    here waiting for you. When can you get to thepany?"

    The moment he got through to Andrew, Johnny bombarded him with several questions.

    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    "Dy the meeting for half an hour. I will be there soon." After Andrew told him what to do, he

    immediately hung up the phone before Johnny had the chance to reply.

    He then calmly put his phone down and continued to drive, staring straight ahead as if nothing had

    happened at all.

    Ashley pursed her lips slightly and then asked hesitantly, "Do you have something urgent to deal with?

    It''s okay. You go ahead and do what you have to do. I can get out here and take a taxi home."

    Johnny had spoken so loudly on the phone to Andrew just now, that Ashley couldn''t help but overhear

    their conversation.

    Ashley felt a little guilty. After all, he was dyed getting back to thepany because of her.

    "Don''t worry about it. We''ll be at your house very soon, anyway," Andrew replied calmly ncing at her.

    But Ashley still felt uneasy and said, "But, I heard him speak in an urgent tone. It sounds like there is

    something important waiting for you to deal with."

    "Nothing else is more important than you,"

    Andrew replied in a pleasant carefree voice. Even though he said those words in a casual way, for

    some reason, Ashley''s heart fluttered upon hearing them.

    And his words lingered on, in her mind.

    "Nothing else is more important than you."

    ''Really? There is nothing more important than me?''

    She didn''t know why, but she was moved by his words and felt warm inside.

    However, she felt slightly morose when she remembered what Susie had said, which was that she

    couldn''tpare to Lesley and only Lesley could ever be her sister-inw.

    Even though Ashley had only met Andrew twice, she found herself wondering if Andrew might already

    have a fiancee.

    She suddenly became aware of where her thoughts had drifted off to and was surprised with herself

    that she was already thinking of such things.

    Ashley shook her head slightly to shake the thoughts away from her mind.

    "Okay," she replied tly and then leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes to have a little catnap.

    Andrew shot her a nce and admired her. She was leaning back in the seat with her beautiful eyes

    tightly shut, and her cheeks were slightly flushed pink.

    Ashley felt that she did have a crush on him, but now she closed her eyes and forced herself not to

    think about such a thing.

    Andrew might never know that she tried to distance herself from him only because of Lesley, the

    woman that Susie mentioned. She didn''t want to be the one toe between them.

    Whereas, Andrew, he wasn''t even aware of who Lesley was. And so he didn''t offer any exnation of

    his rtionship with her, because there wasn''t one. However, Ashley misunderstood and thought that

    Andrew and Lesley were a couple and she didn''t dare want to stand in between them.

    It took a long time for Andrew to finally work out why Ashley wasn''t willing to be in a rtionship with

    him. When he found out afterward, he was so angry at Susie for even mentioning Lesley in front of

    Ashley insinuating that they were a couple. He wanted to send her abroad and didn''t want to ever see

    her again for what she tried to do.

    Even though Ashley''s eyes were closed, she could still feel Andrew''s eyes on her. She knew that he

    desired her.

    So she turned her back to him and looked at the scenery outside of the window.

    Andrew had only ever been to Ashley''s house once before, but he remembered the address and soon

    he had reached her home without having to ask her for directions.

    Once he parked the car at the gate of the apartmentplex, Ashley opened the car door and got out.

    "Mr. Lu, thank you for driving me home. You can go and deal with your own work now," Ashley said

    before she closed the car door.

    And before Andrew had the chance to say anything, she already closed the door behind her and

    walked away.

    Andrew watched her leave and wondered why she was treating him so indifferently all of a sudden.

    He had already told her to call him by his first name, but she insisted on addressing him formally with,

    ''Mr. Lu.''

    He felt confused and disappointed at the change in her attitudes towards him.

    Andrew didn''t leave until he couldn''t see Ashley any longer and when she was finally out of his sight,

    he started the engine and drove to thepany.

    In the Lu Group

    "Good morning, Mr. Lu."

    "Good morning, Mr. Lu."

    ...

    The staff greeted Andrew as he entered the building and strode through the hall.

    Andrew just nodded without saying a word. He headed straight to the exclusive elevator and once

    inside pressed the button to the top floor of the building.

    On the 38th floor

    Johnny sat anxiously in his office staring at the office door every second hoping to see Andrew pass by.

    ''Mr. Lu told me to dy the meeting for another half an hour. It has almost been half an hour and he

    still isn''t here.'' Johnny muttered under his breath.

    He took his phone out of his pocket, about to dial Andrew''s number again. However, just before he

    punched the numbers in, something struck him and he put his phone away.

    He wondered if Andrew was on a date with Ashley at this moment and

    if that was the case, he was afraid that he might disturb them if he called Andrew again. If Johnny

    would ruin a tender moment between Ashley and Andrew, then he would be punished by him.

    At the thought of Andrew''s cruel punishment methods, Johnny trembled with fear.

    ''If Mr. Lu said that he would hold the meeting half an hourter, then surely he will keep his word. He

    might even be on his way now, ''

    Johnny thought to himself.

    Just as Johnny had raised his head, a figure was striding towards him.

    Johnny rubbed his eyes, pleased to see that Andrew had walked into his office. He heaved a heavy

    sigh of relief that Andrew made it back in time.

    Johnny stood up and went to greet him. "Mr. Lu, the relevant documents have all been prepared and

    the senior leaders are in the meeting room waiting for you to hold the meeting now."

    "Okay," Andrew replied tly. He then took the documents from Johnny and browsed through them as

    they headed to the meeting room.

    Once they reached the meeting room, Johnny pushed the door and held it open for Andrew to enter.

    There were about 20 people waiting inside the room. As soon as they saw Andrew enter the room, they

    stood up and greeted, "Good morning, Mr. Lu."

    Andrew nodded and said in an even tone, "All right, let''s start the meeting!"

    "Mr. Lu, I feel that this project

    ..."

    After the meeting was over, Andrew left the room, leaving the rest of the senior leaders stunned.

    "Hey, wait a minute, Johnny. Why does Mr. Lu seem to be in a good mood today?" A senior leader, who

    was about fifty years old, asked holding onto Johnny''s arm when he was about to leave.

    "That''s right. Mr. Lu looks very happy today. What''s going on?" Some more of them chimed in.

    Many senior leaders gathered around Johnny, trying to figure out what had happened to Andrew today.

    Whenever they had meetings with Andrew in the past, they were all anxious and fearful. It was as if

    they were going to an execution and not a meeting. They felt very intimidated by Andrew, with his

    strong aura of coldness and his aloof demeanor.

    However, today Andrew seemed to be different. During the meeting, one of the senior leaders got

    nervous at the sight of Andrew''s grave expression and began to make mistakes while giving a report to

    Andrew. But to everyone''s surprise, Andrew just frowned but didn''t scold and criticize the senior leader

    like he normally would. Normally, if things like that happened, then Andrew would take action against

    the senior leader and would punish him for his mistakes.

    Johnny secretly chuckled to himself, thinking, ''Of course, Mr. Lu would be in a good mood, since he

    has juste back from a date with the woman he has a crush on.''

    But, Johnny would never share that sort of information with anyone else.

    He wanted to be the only one to tter Andrew''s future wife and reap the benefits. So he would never

    let the others know anything about it.

    "It''s just ''because, '' Mr. Lu has finally changed his mind to be nice to us all." In saying that, Johnny

    wore a mysterious smile, pushed the senior leaders aside

    and trotted towards Andrew.

 Chapter 35 Go For Wool And Come Home Shorn

    Chapter 35 Go For Wool And Come Home Shorn

    ''What?

    What does that even mean?''

    Johnny''s words confused the senior leaders.

    ''Why is Johnny beating around the bush?'' they thought. Johnny had always been serious, and rarely

    joked around.

    Meanwhile, Ashley was on her way home.

    It was only a short distance. She could have arrived at home in less than five minutes, but it took her

    fifteen instead--she had deliberately slowed down her pace.

    While walking, she was already thinking about what excuse she could say to Ellie.

    They had been living in the same house for several years now. Ellie was like an older sister and took

    good care of her. Without a doubt, she cared about Ashley from every aspect and paid attention to all

    of her personal affairs. They were getting along well. Even sisters of the same blood couldn''tpare

    to them.

    Ashley and Ellie were close not only because of their simr family background, but also because they

    sympathized with each other. Ashley was an orphan, brought up by the Mu family. But never had they

    treated her like a daughter. Ellie''s parents got divorced when Ellie was young. She lived with her

    grandparents. Both of them hadn''t had a happy life.

    Ashley finally arrived at home. After taking a deep breath, she took out the key and opened the door.

    There, she saw Ellie sleeping on the sofa, still wearing the clothes she wore to work.

    Although it was getting warm, she could still catch a cold for sleeping on the couch without a nket.

    Ashley walked inside and closed the door behind, trying to make as less noise as possible. Although

    the door gave a slight creak and click, Ellie didn''t wake up. Maybe Ellie was really exhausted.

    When Ashley got close to Ellie, she noticed the dark circles around her eyes. ''Ellie looks tired. She

    must have been waiting for me on the sofa the whole night and fell asleep, '' thought Ashley.

    Ashley went into the bedroom and took a nket out. After covering Ellie with it, she went into the

    kitchen.

    Although she already had breakfast, it was obvious Ellie didn''t have anything to eat. Besides, Ashley

    felt she was still a bit hungry.

    Ashley made some millet congee and nned to make some dishes using the vegetables in the fridge.

    Once the dishes were done, she put them on the table in the living room. She had a talent for cooking.

    These dishes were in perfectbination of colors, smells and tastes.

    Ellie woke up because she smelled the dishes. She stirred, propping her body up from the couch with

    her hand. There was a throbbing sensation in her head--probably a headache from herck of sleep.

    She rubbed her forehead, trying to reduce the pain. Soon after, she noticed the dishes on the table.

    Excitement suddenly washed over her. She turned her gaze to the kitchen and was happy to see

    Ashley was there cooking.

    The warm sunshine fell on the floor through the window, making the house look brighter. Ellie didn''t call

    out to Ashley because her head was still aching terribly.

    When Ashley finished thest dish, she saw Ellie was already awake, rubbing her temples.

    Ashley carefully put the dish on the table and walked quickly to Ellie. "Ellie, are you okay?" Ashley

    asked. "Get up to wash yourself. Breakfast is ready," she added with a slight smile. She knew exactly

    why Ellie was having a headache, but she wished not to talk about it just yet.

    Ellie was not distracted by the good breakfast. Although Ashley put on a ttering smile, Ellie wouldn''t

    let her go easily. She said in a solemn voice, "Don''t distract me, Ashley. Why didn''t youe back?"

    Last night, Ellie had been really worried to death.

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    After work, she took her personal things and came home. ''Ashley said she would be backter. I

    believed her and waited the whole night, but she didn''te back.

    I called her so many times but my calls never got through, '' Ellie thought. She was so worried and

    helpless that she couldn''t stop walking up and down the living room all night.

    She had gone to the Luo Group but saw that the door had already been locked up. No one was there,

    let alone Ashley.

    ''I shouldn''t have believed Ashley. If only I went to meet Lena with her.'' Ellie had been freaked out at

    that time.

    ''She''s angry...'' Ashley thought to herself.

    In fact, Ellie was always kind and tender. Rarely did she speak loudly or angrily. Her voice was

    melodious. She was careful and good-tempered. Everything she did was with positivity.

    Ashley had lived with her for a long time--she knew it was really bad when Ellie got angry.

    She wouldn''t talk to you for a long time. It was like giving you the silent treatment. She would still help

    you like before, but she wouldn''t speak or answer for anything.

    Knowing this, Ashley became more worried and guilty.

    For Ashley, it was easier to get beaten or have harsh words thrown at her; Ellie''s silent protest made

    her feel a lot worse.

    Ellie didn''t mean to interfere with Ashley''s personal affairs. Although the city was sophisticated enough,

    there were still too many bad guys around. She was afraid that Ashley had gotten hurt.

    "I''ll tell youter. Let''s have breakfast first. It won''t taste as good if it gets cold," Ashley suggested. Ellie

    still didn''t get sidetracked by Ashley. With a frown, she turned around to face away from her roommate.

    Ashley sighed, ''If I don''t tell her what happened, she won''t speak another word to me.''

    Ashley sat beside Ellie and did her best to exin. "I went to a party with Lena and was asked to drink

    a lot of alcohol basically.

    Before I got too drunk, I left and went to a hotel. I had to spend the night outside because I wasn''t

    sober enough toe home," she said, trying to sound as pathetic as possible.

    Ashley was not telling the entire truth. ''Lena''s intention wasn''t that simple. She wanted to send me to

    that Mr. Chen.

    I was lucky to run away before I got drunk. Or I might have been assaulted by that old ugly man, ''

    thought Ashley.

    She didn''t mean to lie to Ellie. Besides, telling her what happened would only make her worry even

    more.

    It was hard to judge by Ellie''s expression whether or not she believed the made-up story.

    Ellie looked at Ashley''s dress. "What about this dress? I don''t remember you owning anything like that,"

    she said slowly.

    Ellie''s question made Ashley annoyed. She hadpletely forgotten the dress. There was no time now

    toe up with a perfect excuse.

    ''Ellie is observant. I was not expecting her to notice.

    I should have changed into my own clothes as soon as I got back, '' Ashley thought.

    All this time, she was so preupied on how to exin her whereabouts that she forgot what she was

    wearing.

    "Oh, my clothes were soiled, so I bought this dress on my way home," exined Ashley. It was ame

    excuse, but she hoped Ellie would stop asking after that.

    "By the way, I wasn''t able to answer your calls yesterday because it was too noisy. When I was about

    to call you, my phone had no battery," Ashley said as she poked Ellie''s shoulder like a child.

    "Stop. Don''t poking me. I feel giddy," said Ellie.

    Ashley replied with a smile, "Okay. Let''s have breakfast."

    After breakfast, Ashley washed the dishes and then slumped back on the sofa with Ellie. They were

    looking for amercial space to rent so that they could open their own bakery shop.

    In Harkim.

    When Lena woke up, she felt all her body was aching, especially her private parts. She was extremely

    upset.

    The pain reminded her of what had happened. She was exhausted and in immense pain because of

    the fierce sex.

    She threatened Ashley to meet Mr. Chen with her in order to finally end her. Ashley had been asked to

    drink so much alcohol so that afterwards she could be sent to Mr. Chen''s hotel room. ''Ashley will be

    ruined and she will be shamed for even trying to seduce Raymond, '' thought Lena.

    When Raymond came back, Lena would tell him Ashley quit and she got a project for the Luo Group. It

    was great to kill two birds with one stone. Lena had thought everything would happen as she nned.

    Ashley''s escape was out of her expectation.

 Chapter 36 The Consequences

    Chapter 36 The Consequences

    The fact that the n had back-fired on her made Lena really angry.

    And whenever she thought of the things that happened between her and that ugly old manst night, it

    made her stomach churn and her feel more irate.

    The man was fat and clumsy with stained yellow teeth and smelly breath. Lena felt like she was going

    to throw up when she realized that she had sex with a man like that the night before. She felt so

    disgusted by the whole ordeal.

    But that man was still by her side. So however repulsed she felt about it, she had to suppress her

    feelings and hide her repugnance with smiles. Lena greeted him happily and showered him with

    compliments for what he didst night. And, even though, Mr. Chen''spany was no match for the

    Mu Group, it was, however, an influentialpany, anyway.

    Lena did have her limits as to what she was prepared to do herself, for thepany.

    She thought if she were to attend the party along with Ashley, then Ashley wouldn''t suspect anything

    unusual, since she was there with her. And because she was so sure that her n would work to set

    Ashley up with Mr. Chen. She didn''t feel that it was necessary to bring any other girls with her.

    But to her shocking surprise, Ashley managed to escape, leaving Lena behind to deal with Mr. Chen.

    And because Lena had hinted to Mr. Chen so many times about giving him a ''gift'', she couldn''t pretend

    that she didn''t know what she was offering him.

    She was not only thedy from the Mu family, but also the general manager of the Luo Group. And

    from Mr. Chen''s point of view, when the general manager offered such a gift, it was needless to say

    that, she needed to put her money where her mouth was. Mr. Chen was a disgusting man. He would

    never give up the offer of a free ''gift''. Especially, if it was a beautiful young woman who was offering it.

    So Lena, the one who created the predicament had no other choice but to deal with it and sleep with

    this man.

    After hearing her praise, Mr. Chen wanted to kiss Lena''s lips. But Lena turned her face away on

    purpose and he missed her mouth, so he kissed her hand.

    Mr. Chen wasn''t at all angry at Lena''s gestures, instead, he kissed her hand in a very happy mood.

    Lena put him in such a good mood because she gave himpliments about his lovemaking. And

    what man didn''t like to be praised about that?

    Men, especially men in the middle ages who were in their forties or fifties, would be very pleased with

    receiving praising words from a young and beautiful woman.

    ''But the woman that Lena brought to me yesterday was even better. It''s a pity that I didn''t get to sleep

    with her, '' he thought to herself.

    ''But there is nothing to regret. Since I had another rich, youngdy, instead, '' he thought.

    There were hickeys all over her arms, which was a sign of their passionate sexst night. ''Lena is

    indeed ady. She was born into a rich family and brought up as ady. Her taste is very different from

    those who sell their bodies, '' Mr. Chen thought.

    "Mr. Chen, it''s gettingte. Why don''t we get dressed and go to ourpany?" Lena said as she

    smiled sweetly.

    But in her mind, she was cursing him in every worst possible way. ''I hope that he gets hit by a car as

    soon as he steps out on the street. And I hope the Chen Group to go bankrupt immediately.''

    Lena felt sick. All she wanted to do was to have a shower and scrub this disgusting man''s remnants

    from her body. Just lying in the same bed as him was gross enough to her.

    "There''s no need to hurry," Mr. Chen chuckled. "We can go another round," he said implying more sex.

    After hearing what he had suggested, Lena''s smile suddenly went rigid and yet again he was all over

    her.

    Even though he was totally disgusting and old, he was good at the skill of lovemaking. He was able to

    make Lena forget about how grotesque he was, at least, for a few minutes and made her feel like she

    was floating on a cloud in the sky.

    She closed her eyes and got lost in the wonderful feeling that overtook her body and was lost in lust.

    However, after a short while, when Lena had reached her climax and her body was relieved of the

    sexual tension, shey on her back staring up at the ceiling with anger and hate.

    ''Ashley!''

    ''Ashley!''

    ''Ashley! It''s all because of that bitch!'' Lena repeated her name in her head each time that Mr. Chen

    thrust into her and with each thrust, she hated her more and more.

    ''I wouldn''t be here if it wasn''t for her! It should be that bitch lying here getting fucked by this disgusting

    troll instead of me!'' Lena med everything on Ashley in her mind.

    ''I will torture her, destroy her and kill her a thousand times over! No matter what it costs!'' Lena was

    overwhelmed with hatred in her heart.

    It didn''t ur to her that if she hadn''t set the trap up for Ashley in the first ce, none of this would

    have happened at all.

    Just like the old saying goes, ''If you dig a grave for others, you might fall into it yourself.'' And so was

    the case with Lena, she was taking the consequence of her own dirty deeds.

    It was the afternoon when Lena had woken up again.

    The ce next to her in the bed was cold and empty, which meant that Mr. Chen had long gone.

    Lena sat up and surveyed the mess in the room. She could still smell the disgusting stench of sex in

    the room and it reminded her of what she had done. Her fists were so tightly clenched in a rage that her

    long nails dug into the soft flesh and pierced the skin causing her palm to bleed. But Lena was so numb

    that she didn''t feel the pain. She stared at the bed with daggers in her eyes.

    ''It''s all because of Ashley. It''s all her fault! If she hadn''t run away, she would have suffered all of this! It

    should have been her!'' Lena thought bitterly.

    Mr. Chen was better than Mr. Du, but the way he tortured Lena was as hard as that of Mr. Du.

    Mr. Chen even forced her to drink somethingst night. Something that would light her up inside. With

    this drug, she was conscious the whole time and aware of what she was doing. However, even though

    she wanted to refuse him and leave, she couldn''t. It was like the drug took over her body and made her

    want to be touched by him.

    She knew exactly what she was doing, but she couldn''t control herself. It was because the aphrodisiac

    that he made her drink was so powerful.

    ''I actively pleased him, catered to him, said those filthy words to him and even¡ª'' she thought to

    herself.

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    She tried to stop herself from thinking about everything that happened the night before. But the scenes

    kept reying in her mind and wouldn''t give her any peace.

    Each time she relived the scene in her head she med and hated Ashley even more.

    Lena sat dazed and numb on the bed for a long time. She didn''t realize how long until her phone rang.

    It was Raymond''s mother, Mrs. Luo who was calling.

    After Lena and Raymond got engaged, she began to work in the position as the general manager of

    the Luo Group. Raymond''s mother was nice to her.

    However, she knew in her heart, the only reason why Raymond''s mother was kind to her was because

    of her association with the Mu Group.

    Once Lena had started working in the Luo Group, she was always at work on time every day. However,

    this was the first day that she waste.

    In this case,te was a gross understatement. It would be more appropriate to say that she was absent

    for the whole day.

    ''She must be calling me to ask the reason why I didn''t go to thepany today, '' Lena thought to

    herself.

    Lena picked up the phone and cleared her throat. She made her voice sound so sweet. Judging by the

    tone of her voice, one certainly wouldn''t be able to tell that she felt so hostile and livid at the moment.

    "Hello, Auntie. This is Lena. I''m sorry I didn''t go to thepany today. Yes. I didn''t feel very good today

    and I didn''t have the chance to tell you. No, I''m fine. You don''t have to worry about me. I feel much

    better right now. I''ll go shopping with you next time when I get better. Okay. Thank you. Goodbye,

    Auntie." Lena spoke on the phone in a soft voice.

    After she hung up the phone to Mrs. Luo, she made another call. She needed someone to bring her a

    fresh suit to get changed into. Lena then threw the phone onto the bed.

    She felt that the smell of that man was still all over her body and frowned in disgust. Lena got up from

    the bed to go to the bathroom to have a shower.

    Even though the room wasn''t a presidential suite, it was still a high-level room in the hotel. And all the

    facilities that Lena needed were avable to her.

    However, when she began to walk to the bathroom the pain that she felt nearly made her faint.

    And once again she was painfully reminded of the things that happened the night before.

    The things that she never wanted to remember.

 Chapter 37 An Unexpected Visitor

    Chapter 37 An Unexpected Visitor

    That evening, Ellie was making dinner as Ashley helped her in the kitchen. All of a sudden, they heard

    someone ring the bell.

    "Ashley, you take this one."

    "Got it," Ashley said as she washed her hands.

    ''I didn''t expect we havepany, '' she thought, confounded.

    Confused as she was, she came out of the kitchen and opened the door.

    The moment she caught sight of her visitor, her face darkened with displeasure.

    Before she could close the door, Lena put her hands on the knob, her eyes staring at Ashley with

    zing hatred.

    The two girls glowered at each other, neither of them uttering a single word.

    "Who is it, Ashley?" Ellie called from the kitchen when she didn''t hear any voices speaking.

    When Ashley turned around, Lena hastily sneaked into the house. "Hello, Ellie," Lena greeted.

    Ashley closed the door, and walked to Lena''s side. "What are you doing here?" Ashley asked coldly.

    She was displeased to see Lena because of what had happenedst night.

    On top of that, they couldn''t stand each other ever since they were only little girls.

    "Nothing important," Lena replied leisurely as she stroked her long hair.

    "I came here to inform you that I disapprove your resignations. So you''ll have to continue to work in the

    Luo Group tomorrow. Although you didn''t go to work today, I won''t cut your sry. You can thank me

    But deep inside, she was seething with anger.

    The sight of Ashley reminded Lena of what had happened between her and Mr. Chen.

    In the past, she couldn''t wait to kick Ashley out of the Luo Group lest Raymond should keep his eyes

    on her.

    But now, she had changed her mind. As the old saying went, keep your friends close and your enemies

    closer.

    After mulling over it again and again, she decided to let Ashley work for the Luo group. That way, she

    wouldn''t have to worry about her so much.

    She swore to herself that, one day, she would ruin Ashley''s reputation and make her lose everything.

    Upon hearing this, Ashley let out a dismissiveugh.

    "Lena, you think too highly of yourself. Do you think we will do anything you ask us of? Oh, I almost

    forgot one thing. Did you have funst night?" She crossed her arms over her chest, gazing at Lena

    with a triumphant smile.

    Although she hadn''t debunked Lena''s trick on the spotst night, she knew what she was up to.

    ''Last night only she and I came to meet the client. She ingratiated herself with Mr. Chen and he flirted

    with her. It was obvious that she intended to get me drunk so that she could use me to please Mr.

    Chen. When I left, how would Mr. Chen let her go? No doubt they had sex.

    I am not a fool. How would I not know her little trick?'' she thought in disdain.

    "Ashley Mu, you..." Lena stammered, balling her hands tightly into fists, as if trying to stop herself from

    ripping Ashley into pieces.

    What had happened to herst night was a nightmare to her.

    It hurt her a lot. She would never be able to get over it.

    When Ellie stepped out of the kitchen, she heard what Lena had said. "We are not going back to the

    Luo Group. Besides, our contracts have already expired. So you have no right to ask us to go back to

    work," she reasoned with Lena in a determined tone.

    "If you don''t leave our house, I''ll call the security," she added, threatening Lena calmly as she took out

    her phone.

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    Lena frowned. ''My father is the president of the Mu Group. If I was kicked out by security, how am I

    going to face other people?'' she thought.

    With a snort, she snapped acidly, "Ashley, you''ll regret your decision one day." She gave Ashley and

    Ellie an irritated stare, turned around and stormed out of the house.

    When Lena stepped out, Ashley mmed the door immediately.

    Bang! A big noise reverberated, making Ashley smirk in satisfaction.

    Lena stopped, turned and stared at the door furiously.

    At the moment, she didn''t look like a graceful, well-bred richdy as her face twisted with fury.

    The dim light shone on her face, which made her look more creepy and unsettling.

    ...

    As soon as Lena left, Ashley''s mood lit up. She couldn''t stand being under the same roof with that

    woman.

    She shook her head, sinking deep into her thoughts.

    ''The Mus have always tried to take advantage of me for their own personal interests. Not once did I

    ever fight back. As a result, they think I am afraid of them, and think that they don''t need to pay me any

    respect.''

    She wasn''t worried that Lena would go home and snitch on her again. She was certain that Lena

    wouldn''t let her parents know that she had slept with another man.

    The thought that she was going to have nothing to do with the Mu family brought some relief to Ashley.

    The longer Ashley lived in the Mu family, the more disappointed she became at them and the more

    desperate she became to leave that house.

    When she was adopted by Peggy and Spencer, she had always wished that they would treat her the

    same way they treated Lena.

    However, reality was cruel. They broke her heart again and again. She was just the adopted daughter.

    It was inevitable that they would not show her any love and affection. Because of this, she had never

    seen them as her family.

    Technically speaking, Lena''s parents only gave Ashley a new name, a roof over her head, and several

    years-worth of schooling.

    Upon entering high school, she had to do several part-time jobs to pay for her own tuition fees.

    A terrible smell wafted through Ashley''s nose, breaking her train of thought.

    In an instant, she knew something was wrong. Without another second to waste, she grabbed Ellie''s

    hand and pulled her to the kitchen.

    "Oh no! The food is a total mess, Ellie," Ashley eximed, her eyes glued on the food on the pan. As

    they entered the kitchen, the putrid smell grew stronger. There was a tower of smokeing from the

    sizzling pan that was sitting on the stove.

    Ashley hurriedly turned off the heat, carefully eyeing the burnt food.

    Fortunately, the dish didn''t taste too bad. They were able to force themselves to finish their food.

    After dinner, the twoy down on the couch, browsing through their phones leisurely. Since they had

    quit their jobs, they didn''t have to get up early the next day.

    They had nned to go out and rent a ce to open a desert shop.

    Ashley and Ellie had dreamt of having their own shop and running it together. But Ashley had dated

    Raymond in college and she chose to work in his father''spany after she graduated from school. To

    avoid getting separated from her best friend, Ellie decided to work in the Luo Group as well. They had

    signed a one-year contract with the Luo Group, and now it had been a year since they had gotten

    employed.

    ...

    In Golden Pce.

    Andrew sat at the desk attentively, doing his office work on hisputer. There was a cup of coffee on

    the desk, and a thick pile of well-organized papers beside it.

    After he was done with his work, he picked up the coffee mug gracefully and took a sip. He ced the

    mug back on the desk, smacking his lips lightly.

    He then turned his attention to a set of documents- something that was not at all rted to his work.

    Soon enough, the stern look on his face was reced with a smile. Carefully, he picked up the

    documents and ced them in front of him, reading them intently.

    Even when he checked his business files, he had never been as focused as he was now.

    He had instructed Johnny to do some investigation, and his assistant had handed the papers to him

    promptly. The documents contained Ashley''s entire life, even up to the very day she was born.

 Chapter 38 Rent A Shop

    Chapter 38 Rent A Shop

    When Andrew learned that Ashley was just the adopted child of the Mu family, he frowned and couldn''t

    help but feel a little sorry for her.

    He continued to read through the documents that contained Ashley''s background information. Although

    he never had anything to do with Ashley in the past, he had made up his mind that he wanted to be in

    her life from now on and in the future.

    With this in mind, Andrew felt confident about being together with her and living a happy life together.

    When he further found out that Ashley was in a rtionship with Raymond in college, Andrew furrowed

    his eyebrows again.

    And when he came across photos of Ashley and Raymond together he felt even more miserable. Some

    of the photos showed them hand in hand walking on campus, and another one was of them enjoying a

    meal together in a restaurant with the happiness in to see on their faces.

    The photos really made Andrew jealous and unhappy.

    He also realized that Ashley had never smiled at him like that

    nor had she had a meal with him in a restaurant or taken a stroll hand in hand with him.

    If Ashley knew that Andrew had aplete file on her and what was on his mind at this moment. She

    would surely be speechless with surprise and perhaps even annoyed with him.

    After all, they had only known each other for a few days and just met twice. They weren''t familiar with

    each other at all.

    How could Andrew start to think about having a meal with Ashley and walking hand in hand with her?

    Moreover, he even wanted her to smile at him, the same way she did in the photos. It seemed thatCcontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Andrew started to indulge in his own wishful thinking now.

    It was obvious that Andrew had be silly and not sensible anymore, after meeting Ashley.

    However, he himself didn''t realize that.

    While browsing through the photos of Raymond, Andrew couldn''t help but fix his eyes on him for a

    while andpared himself with Raymond.

    Well, Andrew thought that Raymond wasn''t as handsome as he was, or as tall as him.

    Raymond also didn''t have a good figure like he did

    and was not as rich as him.

    In Andrew''s eyes, Raymond just looked like an idle young man who was good-for-nothing.

    Andrew really couldn''t see what Ashley saw in him at that time.

    After seeing Raymond''s photos and reading his background information, Andrew took an instant dislike

    to him.

    And, when he found out that Raymond even hooked up with Ashley''s sister, he was more and more

    disgusted with him.

    ''He''s not only ugly but he''s also a bastard. I have no idea why Ashley would have a crush on such a

    man, but perhaps most women might meet some yboys when they are young because ofck of

    judgment, '' Andrew thought in silence.

    At the same time, he felt more sorry for Ashley and swore that he would treat her very well after they

    got married.

    Not only was Andrew a kind man, but he was also very handsome.

    In addition to his handsome appearance, Andrew was also from a very wealthy family. Raymond was

    nothing inparison to Andrew''s looks, wealth and character. However, Andrew did feel biased

    against Raymond.

    It was said that rivals in love would always hate and be jealous of each other when they met. However,

    Andrew already harbored a grudge against Raymond before he had even had a chance to meet him.

    After he finished reading the information about Ashley and Raymond, Andrew put the file aside and

    then walked out of the study.

    ...

    The next day, Ashley and Ellie got up early. Yesterday, they had made an appointment with the owner

    of a shop and they were going to view the shop today. They finished their breakfast in a hurry and then

    went out.

    "Ashley, hurry up! We''re going to bete!" With her phone in her hand, Ellie looked at the map on the

    screen and told Ashley, who was dawdling behind, to pick up the pace.

    "Ellie, slow down. Why are you walking so fast? We''ve got plenty of time. There''s no need to rush."

    Ashley caught up to Ellie and took her phone out. She checked the time and found it was only 9:30 in

    the morning and the appointment was at 10 o''clock. They still had half an hour to get there. She didn''t

    know why Ellie was so anxious.

    Ellie had always had more energy and stamina than Ashley. As soon as the car was parked, Ellie had

    shot out like a rocket, eager to find the shop.

    "It doesn''t matter if we get there earlier. We can have more time to carefully view the shop until then."

    Even though Ashley was already out of breath, Ellie took her by the hand and dragged her along with

    her.

    "Well, here we are!" Ellie put her phone away, ncing around the busy street in front of her.

    It might have been the most bustling ce in J City, and the street was swarming with people.

    There were all kinds of shops around this area, such as a cake shop, milk tea shop, fruit store, coffee

    shop, fast food restaurant, and so on.

    In the past, Ashley and Ellie had to work during their college years and after they graduated, they both

    worked in the Luo Group. They never had time to go out and enjoy themselves and so they weren''t that

    familiar with J City even though they had been living there for many years.

    Spending all of their time trying to earn a living, they didn''t have any spare time to enjoy the city.

    After Ellie found the shop ording to the address on her phone, she drew Ashley towards it.

    The shop was at the end of the street and they found it wasn''t as bustling there when they walked

    towards the shop. Even so, there were still plenty of peopleing and going.

    The moment Ashley and Ellie reached the shop door, they saw a middle-aged man, who looked about

    40 years old, sitting inside the shop.

    The man was dressed in in clothes and even though his clothes seemed to be inexpensive, they

    were clean and neat. He nced out of the shop from time to time.

    When he caught sight of Ellie and Ashley, the man suddenly wore a friendly smile on his slightly pale

    face.

    He then came out of the shop and greeted them warmly with a delighted voice, "Good morning. You

    two are Miss Mu and Miss Su, right? Pleasee in."

    Both Ashley and Ellie smiled politely back at the man.

    "What kind of business are you going to rent the shop for?" the middle-aged man asked casually as he

    led the girls into the shop and observed them from time to time.

    "We want to set up a cake shop," Ashley replied.

    "It''s really a good idea to set up a cake shop. There are many children and young people living here.

    They all like eating those delicate and delicious small cakes, so I believe that your business will

    definitely be thriving.

    Oh, sorry, let me introduce myself. My name is Beck Chen. You can call me Beck," the middle-aged

    man said.

    "Okay, Beck."

    The shop was clean, neat and cozy. It was decorated in a simple style and the tables and chairs were

    beige in color.

    Although the shop was a little small, the interioryout and decoration were wonderful.

    Judging by theyout and decoration, the shop might have been a restaurant before.

    "Beck, I guess your business might have been very good before as there are a lot of people around

    here. But why do you want to rent out the shop?" Ashley asked him after briefly ncing around.

    She could tell that Beck Chen had put in a lot of time and energy into decorating the shop.

    "To tell the truth, I didn''t want to rent the shop out in the beginning. However, there has been a family

    emergency and I am in dire need of money. So I have no choice but to rent the shop out," Beck Chen

    exined, as he subconsciously fidgeted with his clothes.

    Ashley and Ellie nodded.

    "Miss Mu, Miss Su, what do you think of the shop?"

    "Well, on the whole, it''s not bad. The shop meets our requirements. By the way, how much is the rent

    for a month?" Ellie asked.

    "You might be aware that J City is a busy metropolitan city, where the price ofnd and housing prices

    are very high. The shop is located in a very busy street that attracts very high traffic, so the rent is a bit

    higher. But I believe that you are serious and have every intention of renting the shop, so I can reduce

    the rent to ten thousand a month," Beck Chen responded.

 Chapter 39 The Perfect Place

    Chapter 39 The Perfect ce

    "I really need to rent out this shop. If it''s too expensive for you, I can give you a discount. Does nine

    thousand sound good?" Beck offered, seeing that Ashley and Ellie were hesitating.

    The ce looked great and the rent Beck offered was within their budget. However, Ashley and Ellie

    did not n to set up their shop here.

    It was located at the end of the street; although there were many pedestrians, they seldom passed by

    here or stayed for a long while.

    On top of that, they had looked around the street when they came to this shop. Two busy cake shops

    were located at the center of this street.

    This was a disadvantage to Ashley and Ellie. Only a few people woulde by their shop. If they did

    decide to set up their own cake shop here, the best case scenario for them would be to earn back what

    they spent without any profit.

    Ashley turned to see what Ellie thought. With one look, she knew Ellie was thinking the same thing.

    "Thank you, Beck. But we have to think more about it carefully," Ashley said with an apologetic smile,

    "We''re sorry."

    "Okay. It doesn''t matter. People often think twice before making a decision. If you decide to rent my

    shop, call me.

    In fact, the location here is really good. I have done business here for several years. If I hadn''t had

    family financial difficulties, I wouldn''t rent it out in a hurry."

    "We understand what you mean. Everyone has their problems. I''m sorry that we have to leave now.

    We''ll call you when we''ve made a decision."

    "Okay," Beck said with a nod. And with that, he escorted the two girls out the door.

    "Thank you, Beck. We''re sorry to bother you."

    ¡­

    As soon as they got in the car, Ellie turned to Ashley to talk about the shop more.

    "Ashley, how do you feel about that shop?" she asked.

    "Do you honestly want to know what I think?" Ashley replied as she rolled her eyes.

    "I''m not that convinced by it," Ashley began to exin. "The location seems good butpared to

    other shops in that street, that shop is too remote. There are also two other cake shops on that street. If

    we set up our shop there, our only customers would be mostly pedestriansing home from work.

    Our business may not be that good."

    In the past two days, Ashley and Ellie had done a lot of research when it came to putting up a

    business.

    If they didn''t know any better, they might have rented the very firstmercial space that was avable

    without thinking twice.

    After all, the location of that shop seemed good and the rent was priced fairly.

    Moreover, it seemed that Beck couldn''t wait to rent out that shop to them.

    Ashley believed that Ellie must have noticed it.

    As Ashley expected, Ellie nodded in agreement.

    "That was just the first shop we have inspected. There are still many other shops. It doesn''t matter.

    We''ll find a shop that we both like eventually."

    Later, Ashley and Ellie spent the whole day in running around the city to find a suitable location for their

    shop.

    The Luo Group

    General Manager''s Office

    A man approached the general manager''s office, giving three quick knocks on the door.

    Lena was slumped on her swivel chair. Upon hearing the knock on the door, she quickly straightened

    up, and squared her shoulders. "Come in."

    "Miss Mu," the man said as he opened the door. He stepped inside the office, quickly closing the door

    behind him right after.

    N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    As he came into view, Lena slumped back on her chair once again.

    "Did you find anything?"

    "Yes,"

    the man replied as he walked over to her. In a low, hushed voice, he shared with her what he had

    found.

    As the man exined, the smile on Lena''s face grew wider and wider.

    ''I was worried that I wouldn''t be able to find anything. It seems to me that thest thing she wants to

    happen is to get into trouble, '' Lena thought.

    ''Now I''ve found out that she wants to own a cake shop apparently. There''s no way I''ll let her leave the

    Luo Group freely.''

    With a slight nod, Lena turned to the man, "Keep an eye on them. And make sure that they don''t

    sessfully find a ce to rent. See to it that you give them a hard time," she ordered.

    "Okay, Miss Mu," the man responded, walking out of the office thereafter.

    Lena stood up and paced across her office, her eyes full of excitement. ''Oh, Ashley. Did you really think

    you''ve seen thest of me when you leave the Luo Group?

    No matter what you do, you will fail. And I''llugh at your face when youe begging to me for help!

    You will pay for everything you''ve done to me!''

    ¡­

    Both Ashley and Ellie were exhausted. They had visited many shops, but still couldn''t find one that was

    perfect for them. It was either too expensive or was at a bad location altogether.

    It was already around five o''clock in the afternoon when they decided to take a break.

    They sat on a bench at the side of the street, sipping on the milk tea they had just bought. Ellie was on

    her phone, checking where else they could inquire. "There''s still onest ce that we haven''t

    checked," she said to Ashley, "Come on! It isn''t far away from here."

    Upon hearing this, Ashley let out a groan, and got up to go to onest location. They had spent almost

    the entire day going around the city. It was no wonder why Ashley felt so tired.

    Thest shop was next to Chaya Road. Behind the shop, there were several buildings where many

    people lived. There was also arge shopping mall next to the shop. And this shop was located in the

    center of this area. No matter where people came and went, they could immediately notice this shop.

    Moreover, there was only a small cake shop in the area, which wasn''t even doing so good.

    When they entered the shop at Chaya Road, they instantly fell in love with it. It was very spacious, and

    was even well-decorated in a European style.

    The owner of this shop was a middle-aged woman who looked very kind.

    She said she originally wanted to run her own cake shop here, and had already done the decorations.

    But her son''s wife was pregnant--he had called her, asking if she coulde over and take care of his

    pregnant wife. It was a pity to let the decorations go to waste, so she thought of renting it out to others

    instead. The new shop owner just needed to tidy it up before starting business.

    "Congrattions! You''ll be a great grandmother!" Ashley and Ellie sincerely sent their blessings to the

    woman.

    "Thank you," The woman smiled gently.

    "Let me give you a look around.

    This way, please. Here is the kitchen. All the equipment here is fairly new. There''s also a lot of space

    and storage so cooking will be very convenient.

    You can also put your tables and cake disys over here.

    And here¡­"

    Ashley and Ellie listened intently as the woman gave them a careful exnation of the shop, all the

    while giving them suggestions on what they could do with the space.

    This was the first time that they were going to own their very own shop. Although they read a lot of

    articles on the Inte, they still hadn''t put it to practice. It was a good opportunity now that they were

    learning from someone with experience.

    With that, Ashley and Ellie decided to rent this shop. After a few more inquiries, they made an

    appointment with her the following day so they could sign the contract. They bade the woman goodbye,

    the smiles on Ashley''s and Ellie''s faces bright with the promise of their new shop.

 Chapter 40 Raymond Was Back

    Chapter 40 Raymond Was Back

    The minute the nended, Raymond felt a sense of urgency to check out and head to thepany.

    All this time, while traveling he was bothered by something. Unable to put himself with the odd feeling,

    he himself couldn''t exin why he was feeling that way.

    Upon checking out, Raymond walked out of the airport with a suitcase.

    His assistant who was there to pick him up took his suitcase and greeted him, "Mr. Luo."

    Recently, Raymond always felt like something was going to happen. The unfamiliar hunch was way

    lesser when he was away on official business. But now that he was home, the gut feeling grew even

    stronger.

    "Has anything happened in thepany while I was away?"

    In the car, Raymond asked his assistant who was sitting in the front seat.

    The assistant had been loyal to him from the start. Raymond knew he could be trusted, even with

    confidential personal matters. So this time, he deliberately left the assistant in the Luo Group so that

    someone could report to him in case Ashley would be bullied.

    Despite knowing his boss for a long time, the assistant was only vaguely aware of what was between

    Raymond and Ashley. That was the reason why when Raymond asked him to look after Ashley, he

    thought it was a difficult task.

    Turning back and facing his boss, the assistant didn''t know how to spill the beans to Raymond. He tried

    to open his mouth but no words came out. Then he just wiped cold sweats from his forehead and

    coughed to distract Raymond for a while.

    After thinking for a moment, he said with a shaky voice, "Thepany has no big problems. There''s

    only one thing... Miss Mu... Miss Mu resigned." He thought that was the news Raymond wanted to

    hear. Unfortunately, he couldn''t give more details of Miss Mu''s resignation because he just knew it

    lately, too.

    Although Raymond left him at thepany to take care of Ashley Mu, he still had a lot of work to do

    and couldn''t follow her for 24 hours. After all, he couldn''t possibly know everything that happened in the

    company.

    "You mean Lena Mu resigned?" Raymond shifted his gaze from the car windows and looked at his

    assistant, confused.

    Ashley''s and Lena''s positions in the Luo Group were almost the same. Lena was the daughter of the

    Mus and Raymond''s fianc¨¦e as well. So when she wanted to enter thepany at that time, Raymond

    couldn''t refuse. Worst was, it was his mother who let Lena enter thepany. Raymond was left with

    no other choice but to agree with their decisions.

    Raymond had always thought Ashley would not resign, knowing her determined spirit. So he just felt

    that the "Miss Mu" in the assistant''s words referred to Lena.

    ''However, didn''t Lena desperately want to enter the Luo Group? Why would she resign now?''

    Raymond thought.

    The assistant realized Raymond had got it wrong. He swallowed a lump and exined, "No, not Lena

    Mu, but Ashley Mu."

    "What? You mean Ashley resigned?" gasped Raymond in disbelief just after the assistant stopped

    talking. He looked at him incredulously and his voice increased to a roar.

    "Ye... Yes, sir." Although the assistant did not understand why Raymond was so furious, he still nodded

    honestly.

    Personally, he thought the rtionship between Raymond and Ashley was strange. But Ashley didn''t

    want to let anyone know about her rtionship with Raymond before, so she hid it very well. The

    assistant thought they were good friends and didn''t think much about it at all.

    "Drive to thepany now!"

    While the assistant was still confused, he just followed Raymond''s anxiousmand.

    "But Mr. Luo, you are just back. Don''t you want to take a rest first?"

    the assistant suggested out of kindness. Because Raymond had been on a business trip for so long

    and hadn''t got over his jetg yet. In addition, he had just negotiated arge deal. So he must be

    exhausted now.

    But Raymond didn''t seem to hear it. He took out his cell phone and dialed the same number again and

    again.

    "Sorry, the subscriber you dialed is power off. Please redialter...

    Sorry, the subscriber you dialed is power off...

    Sorry..."

    After that annoying incident, Ashley had cklisted Raymond''s phone number.

    Anyway, they had broken up. Ashley decided that they could no longer be friends. It would never be

    possible for them to get along after such a devastating incident.

    Moreover, there were so many things that stood in the way between them. Lena, their parents, and

    Raymond''s parents too, they were too much for Ashley.

    They soon arrived at thepany, Raymond got out of the car the moment it stopped. The assistant

    had to follow him closely.

    "Mr. Luo."

    "Mr. Luo."

    As soon as Raymond entered thepany, some employees who were working stood up and greeted

    him.

    But he ignored them and went straight to Ashley''s office.

    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    Panting, the assistant followed him.

    The employees who stood up and greeted him looked at each other in bewilderment.

    Raymond had always been a gentleman in their eyes and always responded to their greetings. Today

    was the first time he had ignored them. He acted so unusually, his eyes were way different, and they

    seemed to be full of rage.

    Naturally, he was always calm. They had never seen him so infuriated before.

    "Does Mr. Luo have something important to do?" one of the employees asked, confused.

    "I''m not sure. But he seems to have gone to Miss Mu''s office," another employee looked at Raymond''s

    figure and concluded.

    "Oh, I see. But didn''t Miss Mu already resign? And are those posts andments on thepany

    forum the other day true?"

    "Who cares? Anyway, it has nothing to do with us.

    If you still want to work here, stop talking about it."

    They still remembered what Mr. Luo''s mother had said in thepany the other day. She was

    absolutely not kidding!

    Suddenly, the group of people who were discussing hotly seemed to be instantly poured with cold

    water and was in perfect silence.

    Although the Luo Group couldn''t bepared with thoserge listed groups, it still upied a certain

    position in J City. Employees working here were carefully selected. Plus the work here was not tiring

    and the sry was high. So no one dared to disobey Mr. Luo''s mother''s orders. They were all afraid of

    being fired.

    If they were fired in the Luo Group, for sure no one could find a better job in otherpanies.

    What was worse, if they were fired for spreading rumors in the Luo Group, manypanies might not

    hire them as well.

    They had a clear idea of what would happen to them if they did anything wrong about this matter.

    For now, they knew what was the most important. Thus with their heads low, they kept silent and went

    back to their respective works.

    Meanwhile, Raymond was standing in Ashley''s office. He found her desk very tidy and Ashley''s things

    were gone.

    Looking at the scene, he felt that all his strength was drained away.

    Scene after scene of his past with Ashley reappeared in his mind. A fit of dizziness came over him and

    he had blurred vision.

    Realizing that Ashley was really gone, he muttered, ''She really left. She really broke off all ties with

    me.''

    Raymond could not help but approach Ashley''s desk as if he could see her working here as before.

    But no matter what he did, she was already not here. It was just in vain.

    In the general manager''s office.

    When Lena heard that Raymond was back, the joy on her face was obvious.

    But when she heard that he hade back in a hurry and then went directly to Ashley''s office, her

    gorgeous face instantly grew gloomy.

    Just as she was deep in her thoughts, Raymond pushed the door open and entered.

    Lena quickly put away her gloomy expression and reced it with her usual gorgeous smile. She

    greeted him, "You''re back, Raymond! You must be exhausted after a long journey! Please sit down. Let

    me massage your shoulders."

    Lena stood up and led Raymond to sit on the sofa. She gently massaged his shoulders with her

    slender hands.

 Chapter 41 Things Changed

    Chapter 41 Things Changed

    Raymond''s eyes grew heavy with exhaustion. The flight was tiresome but Raymond felt that something

    was wrong. He rushed towards thepany the moment he got off the ne.

    Raymond arrived at thepany post haste. He was greeted with the terrible news that Ashley had

    already resigned. The exhaustion overwhelmed his body while he tried to process the news. His legs

    were wobbly and his shoulders felt sore. He sat in the chair as the fatigue took over his body.

    Raymond was apanied by Lena, who massaged his shoulders to help him rx. His stress

    seemed to diminish from every stroke of Lena''s delicate hands.

    His eyelids grew heavy as his tense body loosened up. He felt really sleepy with Lena''s massage.

    However, his drowsiness flew away when Lena spoke.

    "Raymond, I''m sorry that I didn''t take good care of Ashley. She quitted. I wasn''t able to convince her to

    stay." Lena''s voice was soft and apologetic. Her bright eyes were full of sadness and pity. Anyone

    would be convinced that she felt sorry when Ashley left thepany.

    Raymond''s heart raced when he heard Ashley''s name. He felt like something pulled him out of a dream

    and pped him with reality.

    Raymond hesitated at first but then he asked Lena, "Do you have any idea why she resigned?"

    N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    He was anxious while he waited for Lena''s answer. He feared that Ashley resigned because of the

    reason he had in his mind.

    "I''m sorry, but no. I didn''t want her to leave, so I tried to persuade her to stay. I asked her about her

    reasons. However, you''re aware that Ashley and I aren''t close. She has always hated me ever since

    we were young girls. She wouldn''t talk to me about such things.

    In fact, she snarled at me when I asked her to stay. She told me to leave her alone, and that it wasn''t

    my business,"

    Lena replied to Raymond. Her eyes were moist and ready to cry. She looked sorrowful as if she was a

    victim. People wouldn''t dare to me her for anything.

    Raymond wanted to ask more about Ashley''s abrupt resignation. He opened his mouth but decided to

    say nothing when he saw Lena''s depressed face.

    Any man would feel the need tofort such ady in tears. Their hearts would melt and they would

    want to embrace the beautifuldy in tears.

    "Hush now Lena. I understand that it''s not your fault," Raymond wiped Lena''s tears as heforted

    her with his deep, warm voice. He wrapped his arms around her to calm her down.

    He understood Ashley well enough to know how hard-headed she could be. She wouldn''t let anyone

    change her decision once she already made up her mind. Not even Raymond could persuade her.

    "Raymond, do you think Ashley resigned because of me? She was perfectly fine before I was

    employed here. Everybody thought she enjoyed being in thispany. Did I do something wrong?

    Why did she have to leave right after I started to work here?" Lena''s voice quivered when she asked

    Raymond. Her eyes were filled with regret and confusion.

    Raymond didn''t know what to say to make Lena feel better. He wanted to deny Lena''s worries and tell

    her that Ashley left because of another reason. However, it seemed like it was the truth ¨C Ashley did

    leave because of Lena.

    Ashley was a devoted and diligent employee before Lena showed up. She achieved remarkable results

    in the tasks given to her and never once showed any sign that she wanted to leave thepany.

    However, she began to act differently when Lena entered thepany.

    Raymond started to reminisce Ashley''s stay in thepany. His face showed a homesick expression.

    This made Lena feel gloomy.

    Lena told Raymond that she considered it was her fault that Ashley left just to test Raymond. She had

    always wondered who Raymond felt more important to him, herself or Ashley. However, when she saw

    that Raymond actually believed that it really was her fault, she couldn''t help but feel angry.

    Lena feared that Raymond might ask her to quit the Luo group just so Ashley could work there again.

    Raymond did consider such a thought. He just found it difficult to express himself. He didn''t know how

    to tell Lena to leave so that Ashley coulde back. Ashley might act cold towards Raymond but he

    believed that deep inside Ashley''s heart, she still cared about him.

    "If she really did leave because of me, then I should be the one to go. Ashley can still work here and I

    will be back at the Mu group." Lena suggested with tears in her eyes.

    Raymond''s spirits were lifted with what Lena said. This would make Ashleye back and Lena

    seemed fine with it. However, just as soon as Raymond''s mind was filled with hope, Lena said with an

    awkward face, "But what about your mother? It was because of her that I started to work here. Won''t I

    disappoint her when I leave so suddenly?"

    Raymond''s hopes were crushed with Lena''s words. The sudden realization from what Lena said made

    him stiff and confused. He looked like someone sshed cold water in his face.

    Raymond was stunned. His mind pondered with how her mother would react in such an event. It was

    his mother''s idea for Lena to work in hispany. If he did ask Lena to leave just so that Ashley could

    come back, his mother would loathe Ashley even more!

    Raymond had never once disobeyed his mother. He epted every arrangement she made in the

    past. He was a good and devoted child. He wouldn''t do anything that would upset his beloved mother.

    Raymond became reluctant to ept Lena''s offer to leave. His face that was previously full of hope

    now became disheartened.

    He remembered all his sacrifices to manage hispany. Raymond was able to develop the potential

    of thepany. It was only a small subsidiary of the Luo Group but it progressed well in the past few

    years.

    Of course, Ashley was also responsible for the developments in thepany. She made great

    contributions to improve the business.

    Lena noticed that Raymond started to hesitate. She became happy at how reluctant he became about

    Ashley''s return. There was no way that Lena would allow Ashley toe back to the Luo group.

    Lena waspletely aware of how to manipte Raymond. He loved his mother very much and would

    always obey her everymand. Raymond would treat his mother''s words as if they were from God.

    Lena understood that she needed to develop a close rtionship with Raymond''s mother. An evil grin

    streaked across Lena''s face as she perfected her schemes to marry into the Luo Group.

    "Lena, I can''t let you do that. You are just over thinking things. Ashley has her own reasons for leaving.

    It''s not your fault that she resigned." Raymond lied about what he thought was Ashley''s reason. He

    decided not to ask Lena to quit thepany. He had already given up on the idea that Ashley would

    come back.

    Raymond wrapped his hands around Lena to calm her down. He tried tofort her before he left her

    office.

    The posts on the forum had been deleted. No one was allowed to mention it. The employees were

    ordered not to gossip about the event. Raymond, who was away, had no idea of the catastrophe that

    made Ashley leave.

    ¡­

    Ashley and Ellie got up early in the morning. They had breakfast together and walked to the bus stop.

    The sunlight was warm on their early trip. They were headed towards the store they had inquired

    yesterday, along with everything they needed to sign the contract.

    They nned to rent the store. They would decorate it so that they could have their own shop.

    However, they felt ominous as they entered the front door. A middle-aged woman sat in the middle of

    the store and stared absent-mindedly at the walls. She was the shop owner but she wasn''t aware that

    Ashley and Ellie had already arrived.

    Ashley cautiously walked towards the shop owner. She lightly tapped the shop owner''s shoulder and

    said, "How are you, Lily? Are you okay?"

    "Oh Ashley, I haven''t noticed youing in! It''s nothing. I''m fine." Lily looked startled, but she replied

    with a smile on her face. However, Lily''s smile seemed forced.

    "Lily, where is the contract? We brought everything we need for signing," Ashley asked as she noticed

    that Lily had nothing on her hands. A wave of confusion struck Ashley.

    "I''m sorry! I do not have the contract! The shop has actually been rented out by my son two days ago.

    He has already received a deposit from the renters. They wille tomorrow to sign the contract. I''m

    so sorry. I should have called you and told you about it ahead of time."

 Chapter 42 A Blind Date

    Chapter 42 A Blind Date

    "I only found out about this today. I''m really sorry," the middle-aged woman apologized sincerely.

    Ashley and Ellie were displeased with the result, but they had no intention of putting her in an awkward

    position. After all, the woman was nice to them.

    "It''s okay. Now that you are going to sign a contract with someone else, we''re fine with that," Ellie

    replied.

    "I''m really sorry for wasting your time," the woman continued apologizing, with guilt written all over her

    face.

    Ashley and Ellie bid her farewell and walked out. There was no point in crying over spilled milk.

    ...

    They hade there to sign the contract in good spirits, but neither of them expected this to happen.

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    "It''s so annoying! We have to go somewhere else now to rent a shop. What''s going on? We agreed to

    sign the contract," Ashley whined in frustration as they left the shop.

    "Things change, you know. Never mind. We''ll find a good ce," Ellieforted. But there was a tinge

    of displeasure in her voice.

    The two girls perked up again and started to look around for another suitable shop to rent.

    For some reason, they were having a really hard time finding a suitable shop to rent. Even though they

    had found a few perfect shops, each time they were about to sign the contract, something would

    happen and the owners would suddenly back out of the deal.

    The owners of the shops would have a different reason for doing so.

    One of them said that they suddenly realized that the shop had already been reserved and that she

    had received the deposit for it.

    Another said, that he changed his mind and didn''t want to lease his shop anymore.

    And one even said that he didn''t have time to sign the contract since he was going to his hometown

    because his wife was due to have a baby.

    ...

    Ashley and Ellie got an array of different excuses and reasons but the end result was always the same.

    They had settled everything, but when it came to signing the contract, something would always crop up

    and the owner would give them a reason why they couldn''t sign it.

    After so many refusals and reasons as to why the owners couldn''t or wouldn''t sign the contracts to

    lease their shops out to the two girls, Ashley and Ellie were beginning to be suspicious that something

    was going on. After all, it was too much of a coincidence that they couldn''t find one single shop to

    lease, even though everything was discussed beforehand between the owners and the girls.

    After a hectic day of looking for a storefront, Ashley and Ellie dragged their tired bodies back to their

    apartment. They trudged towards the couch and copsed on it. Just then Ashley''s phone rang.

    She pulled her cell phone out and when she saw the caller ID was, Peggy on the screen, she got

    upset.

    Ashley''s foster mother always felt the need to call Ashley and pester her with instructions.

    She was unhappy with Peggy''s attitude and behavior towards her. After all, she was an adopted child,

    not a servant. The Mus instructed her to do things all the time as if she was their servant.

    Reluctantly, Ashley picked up the phone. She had already assumed the reason for Peggy''s call.

    "Hello," she said acidly.

    "What took you so long to answer the phone? You didn''t want to take my call, did you? Why did we

    adopt an ungrateful child like you? You..." Peggy''s shrill voice resounded from the other end of the line.

    Ashley had be used to her insults and degradation. Each time she received a call from her foster

    mother, thetter would always remind Ashley how ungrateful she was and how she owed them so

    much for adopting her.

    She remained silent for she knew Peggy would just say even more harsh words if she back-chatted.

    Peggy cursed and insulted like she usually did when she would call her. But since Ashley didn''t say a

    word back, Peggy became bored and cleared her throat finally getting to the point.

    "Don''t forget the date. You must be there at 3 o''clock tomorrow afternoon. Do you hear me?" Peggy

    said in amanding tone.

    "Hmm," Ashley replied tly.

    "Is this how you are taught to speak to your elders? Where are your manners? Your date has a doctoral

    degree and he has studied abroad. He is older than you, but he is a promising man. He is also the vice

    president of apany," Peggy said.

    Ashley was left speechless. ''Why don''t you go on that date if he is such an excellent man? You made it

    sound like he is the best man in the world, '' she retorted silently.

    "Well, I see. I will be there on time. But don''t forget your promise to me. After I meet that man

    tomorrow, I will have nothing more to do with the Mu family. It doesn''t matter if you refuse to admit it. I

    recorded our conversation. So you can''t back out even if you want to," Ashley returned.

    "You wicked girl, you have even learned to threaten me. Rest assured, I wouldn''t break my word. You''d

    better be on the date on time and behave yourself!" Peggy warned.

    In fact, Peggy wasn''t certain whether her husband would agree with her. After all, Spencer had only

    asked her to talk Ashley into going on the blind date, but he never mentioned disowning Ashley.

    She hadn''t thought it through too much when she agreed to Ashley''s condition. At that time, she

    expected that Ashley would marry to the man she introduced once the two met and fell in love. She

    was hoping Ashley would forget the promise she made to her when she got married to the man.

    Peggy never in her wildest dreams suspected that Ashley would record their conversation.

    The more she thought about it, the angrier Peggy got. She started to lecture Ashley. She told her that it

    was time for her to return their kindness since she and her husband had adopted her, provided her with

    a good life and raised her like their own daughter.

    Ashley scoffed inwardly.

    ''It''s time for me to pay them back?

    So I should watch Lena steal my boyfriend? I should whore myself out to that old man for their

    company? So I should blindly listen to them and do whatever they ask of me? She is being ridiculous.''

    Ashley put her phone on speaker, put it on the tea table and settled herself on the couch.

    ''She has repeated those same words to me over and over again for so many years, ever since I lived

    with the Mu family. Isn''t she tired of the same old cliche? I have already memorized those words, '' she

    sighed inside.

    Ashley let Peggy rattle on without cutting in. When she had finally finished with her lecturing, she rudely

    hung up the phone. But not before reminding Ashley to be on the date tomorrow.

    Ashleyy on the couch, staring nkly at the ceiling.

    Since Ellie was with Ashley, she had heard their conversation. With her mouth agape in shock, she

    asked in disbelief, "They even arranged a date for you? Are they afraid that you and Raymond would

    get back together?"

    Ashley nodded, "I guess so. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have arranged the date at this point."

    "They are so mean to you. Lena stole your boyfriend and now they want to marry you off to some

    man," Elliemented with an indignant look on her face.

    "It doesn''t matter. It''s a win-win. After the date, I will have nothing more to do with the Mu family. No

    matter what happens to them, it is none of my business," Ashley replied casually. Ashley didn''t think it

    was a bad thing. As long as she went on the date, she could get rid of her foster family. But what made

    her foster parents think that she would fall for the guy she was going to meet? she wondered.

 Chapter 43 How Can That Be Me

    Chapter 43 How Can That Be Me

    "By the way, Ashley, have you noticed that every time we chose the shop and wanted to sign the

    contract, the owners would change their minds after getting a phone call?" It had suddenly urred to

    Ellie and she asked Ashley if she found that strange as well.

    "Yes, you''re right," Ashley replied after thinking about it for a moment.

    For the past two days, they had scoured the city to find a shop to lease for their new cake business.

    Each owner that they met was nice to them and everything went smoothly. But whenever it came to

    signing the contract they all had different excuses as to why they had changed their minds and didn''t

    want to lease the shop out to them.

    It could be a coincidence if it happened once or twice. But they were rejected every time they nned

    to sign the contract. It was so strange.

    Ashley didn''t know why Lena had suddenly popped into her mind.

    When Lena first came to the Luo Group, she was anxious to see Ashley leave thepany, but before

    Ashley left thepany, Lena seemed to have a change of heart and didn''t want her to leave.

    Also, both Ashley and Ellie had lived in J City for a long time and hadn''t offended anybody. Even if

    some people didn''t like the two, how could they get involved just when the contract was about to be

    signed? Could they have spied on the twodies?

    After thinking it over for a while, Ashley came to the conclusion that only Lena would be capable of

    sabotaging anything that they wanted to do. Lena was also the only person who the girls didn''t have a

    good rtionship with.

    "It must be Lena who is behind it," Ashley suddenly blurted out.

    "It doesn''t matter. Anyway, Lena can''t control everything. J City is so big. Surely we can lease a ce

    to open a shop, somewhere?" Ellie said tofort her.

    "Hmm, forget it. I don''t want to think about it any more. I am so tired after these past two days and I

    have to go on a blind date tomorrow. I need to go to sleep now," Ashley expressed helplessly.

    "Do you still dare go to a blind date arranged by the Mu family? Aren''t you afraid that they might try and

    trick you again and then make you marry someone for their own interest?" Ellie asked as she stopped

    Ashley who was walking to the bedroom.

    "What else can I do? I have no choice. I can''t disobey them. Otherwise, they will say that I am

    ungrateful and don''t want to repay the Mu family for their kindness."

    "The Mus didn''t do anything for you except adopt you. They haven''t done you any favors. How dare

    they say that?" Ellie hated the Mu family to the very core.

    She had never seen such a stingy wealthy family. They adopted Ashley but didn''t care about her when

    she was growing up. But now that she had grown into a beautiful woman, they wanted to take

    advantage of her for their own interests and expected her to repay them.

    It was only one more mouth to feed and a wealthy family could afford all sorts of luxuries. They made

    such a big deal out of adopting Ashley.

    "All right, Ellie. That''s enough. Anyhow, I will go on the blind date tomorrow as Mrs. Mu requested. And

    she has promised that as long as I go on this date, I can end the rtionship with the Mu family. It''s a

    good deal," Ashley spoke indifferently.

    After Ashley had started high school, she never addressed Peggy, as her mother in public.

    Firstly, it was Peggy''s demand because she felt embarrassed if others knew she had such a daughter.

    She thought Ashley was not graceful enough to be her daughter. Secondly, they thought there should

    only be one princess, in the family and it should be their biological daughter, Lena. The adopted

    daughter couldn''t possibly be the second one.

    Ashley was actually happy with that arrangement. She didn''t like Peggy at all and it would only make

    her feel awkward and ufortable if she had to call her ''mom, '' in public.

    Ellie nodded and

    asked, "Need me to go with you?"

    Ashley replied, "No need. It''s no big deal, only a blind date. I''ll be fine. I''ll probably only ever see him

    once. Besides, the guy may not take a fancy to me, anyway," Peggy had assured her that a man like

    him was rare to find in the world.

    At three o''clock in the afternoon on Saturday, Ashley went out on time. She found the coffee shop as

    Peggy told her the address before hand.

    Ashley dressed in an unusual style today.

    She let her ck hair down around her shoulders randomly and wore a pair of ugly big ck-framed

    sses that covered arge part of her face.

    She wore an old-fashioned and eye-catching dress with designs of small flowers on it and had an

    antique bag on her back.

    When Ashley entered the coffee shop, everyone stopped to look her up and down as she had expected

    they would.

    The people sitting in this particr coffee shop were all sessful men or the top managers of

    sessfulpanies. Everyone did well in themercial field. They were all certainly dressed well

    and formally.

    Suddenly they noticed a girl dressed in a ridiculous outfit and it was unusual. She stood out among

    them all but not in a positive way.

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    Ashley didn''t care about them because she did this on purpose. Instead she checked the note in her

    hand to find the reserved seat.

    She saw the guy sitting with his back to her. He was dressed in a decent suit. Judging from his back,

    she thought he looked nice.

    Ashley walked around to his front and was startled when she saw his face.

    She thought the guy wouldn''t be ugly because even Peggy praised him as a rare gem. She had never

    expected that the man would look so grotesque.

    He had a square face and beady little eyes with thick brows, which reminded her of an ant. His nose

    was t and his mouth was too big.

    In brief, anybody else wouldn''t be able to bear to look at his ugly face.

    Ashley was silent. She knew she shouldn''t have believed anything that Peggy said.

    She thought, after seeing this disgusting face she wouldn''t even want to eat anything for several days

    afterward.

    After recovering from the shock, Ashley put on a smile which she thought was beautiful and asked,

    "Excuse me, you must be Mr. Su, right?"

    "Yes, I am. May I ask who I am talking to?" Leo Su, who was sitting red at her with doubt and

    disdain.

    No wonder he had such a reaction to her.

    The fact was that his aunt told him the girl was a beauty and had even sent him a picture of her.

    For the sake of meeting that beauty in the photo, he had finally agreed toe here on the blind date.

    Otherwise, given his economic condition, why would hee to such a ce for a blind date?

    Leo looked at Ashley and disliked her even more and he rudely said, "Lady, this seat is taken. You

    must have the wrong table?"

    Ashley pretended to be ignorant. She nced at Leo and replied, "No, it''s not wrong. This is the table

    number Mrs. Mu told me toe to."

    "Mrs. Mu? Do you mean Peggy Su?"

    Ashley nodded, "Right."

    Leo raised his bushy eyebrows in surprise and asked, "Are you Ashley Mu?"

    Ashley was honest and nodded.

    "Wait a minute," Leo stated as he reached into his wallet, took out a photo and held it up to her. "Is this

    you?"

    Ashley nced at the familiar photo and had to bite her tongue not tough. She squinted at the photo

    and pretended to be surprised. "Isn''t she the daughter of the Mu family? She is so beautiful. How can

    that be me?"

 Chapter 44 They Looked Like A Good Match

    Chapter 44 They Looked Like A Good Match

    "What? The woman in the photo isn''t you?" he said abruptly.

    Ashley nodded while she gave him a nk look.

    Leo just came back from abroad and Peggy was his aunt.

    Peggy had promised him earlier that she would introduce him to a beautiful woman. But the one he

    saw standing before him was far from beautiful. She was even dressed in embarrassingly ugly clothes.

    Obviously, she had very poor taste in clothing.

    Even though Peggy was Leo''s aunt, they weren''t rted by blood. Peggy was an orphan who had

    been adopted and brought up by Leo''s family members.

    She didn''t have a high status while she lived in the Su family but despite that, the Su family never

    treated her badly.

    However, when Peggy met Spencer and became his wife, she became a noble and wealthy woman.

    She enjoyed the high status and was envied by many people.

    The Su family had always been kind to Peggy and never treated her badly. So when the time came,

    one of their family members was in need of help, and Peggy stepped in. She didn''t forget the Su family

    and helped Leo have the chance to study abroad and receive his doctor''s degree.

    When Ashley waltzed into the coffee shop dressed the way she was, everyone gawked at her.

    However, now that Leo had raised his voice he had be the focus of the people''s attention as well

    as Ashley.

    In fact, since Ashley was dressed so badly and Leo was so ugly, they looked like a good match for

    each other.

    Leo began to sulk and pulled a long face.

    Peggy assured him that he would be going on a blind date with a very attractive and beautiful woman

    today and he was really looking forward to it. However, to his surprise, the woman standing before him

    wasn''t pretty nor charming at all.

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    She reminded him of an unsophisticated and uneducated country bumpkin. The clothes that she was

    wearing indeed made her look so ugly. And therge pair of ck framed sses that nearly covered

    her whole face, made her look ridiculous. He wondered if she might be half blind as well as ugly.

    Leo was so angry, that he was about to stand up and leave.

    However, before he got the chance to, Ashley said, "Hey, are you Mr. Su? Hi. I''m Ashley Mu."

    Ashley then deliberately paused for a moment, pretending to be bashful, and then added in a softer

    voice, "My name is Ashley Mu. I''m your blind date.

    Mrs. Mu told me that you have juste back from studying abroad and that you received your

    doctor''s degree. Now you''re working as the vice president of a hospital. You are really amazing!"

    Ashley fluttered her long eyshes and looked at Leo with admiration when she spoke.

    Leo was about to leave. But he stopped when he heard what Ashley had said.

    He was such an egotistical man that he just couldn''t resist staying on to feed his ego some more. In

    general, every vainglorious man would be smug after he heard someone make suchplimentary

    remarks.

    And Leo was such a vain man. So once Ashley had finished speaking, he started to be a little friendlier

    to her even if he was disgusted by her appearance.

    Ashley knew what kind of man she was dealing with and when she noticed that he was being nicer to

    her and less annoyed with her, she couldn''t help but feel amused and sneer inside at him.

    She couldn''t let Leo go so soon. Otherwise, if Peggy found out, she would know that Ashley did

    something to sabotage the blind date.

    "Err... I indeed just came back from abroad after graduation, having the doctor''s degree," Leo said in an

    arrogant voice, raising his chin a bit.

    "Mr. Su, please have a seat. We can stay here and have a chat. After all, we have plenty of time,"

    Ashley remarked.

    Leo stared at Ashley with disgust. His narrowed eyes were almost closed. In addition, his expression of

    complete disdain made his face even uglier.

    Leo finally sat back down, and he thought at least she was good at givingpliments even if she

    didn''t look beautiful, and he was satisfied with that.

    Ashley knew that if she came dressed like she normally would he would most likely want to start a

    rtionship with her. That was the reason why Ashley dressed the way she did. She didn''t want to get

    married yet and wanted to put him off with her appearance.

    It was fortunate, for Leo, that Ashley had no idea what he was thinking. Otherwise, if she did, she

    would probably have spat the coffee out into his face.

    She would never allow such an ugly man to treat her with disdain.

    Actually, instead of being that kind of refined gentleman, Leo was just a yboy who liked chasing

    women. After he sat there for a short while, he began to nce around.

    Ashley deliberately kept ttering Leo to prolong their time together. That way Peggy couldn''t criticize

    and me her for anything. She came to the blind date on time and she had been chatting with Leo for

    a long time.

    "Mr. Su, what are the requirements for the woman that you would want to be in a rtionship with or to

    marry?" Ashley asked, pretending to look at Leo affectionately with her big eyes underneath therge

    sses.

    Leo''s eyes were glued to a pretty woman who sat nearby, so he wasn''t paying too much attention to

    Ashley.

    "Well, my demand isn''t very high. I hope the one who will be my better half is beautiful, with fair

    skin and a charming figure. I would be satisfied if she looks as attractive as that woman..."

    Ashley followed the direction of Leo''s gaze and noticed the woman that was sitting at a table close by.

    The woman was dressed in a sexy red sheath dress which showed off her curvaceous figure. She wore

    heavy makeup, with a curly perm.

    Her beauty and charm was undeniable. Otherwise, Leo would never let his lustful nces linger on her

    for so long.

    "Oh, I see. By the way, Mr. Su, what do you think of me?" Ashley asked coyly.

    Just then the woman who was sitting near Leo stood up and left, and Leo''s gaze followed her all the

    way out the door. Once she was gone, Leo unwillingly averted his eyes from her. He felt a little

    disappointed that she didn''t stay longer.

    Leo then turned his head to Ashley and responded to her question.

    "You?" Leo looked at Ashley with disgust.

    He would not be willing to sit here with her if she didn''t say those nice words to praise him and gratify

    his vanity.

    Now he began to wonder if Ashley had fallen in love with him.

    After all in his eyes, he thought himself as an elegant young man with a charming and handsome

    appearance. So it was understandable for many women to have a crush on him.

    He thought that he was so good-looking that a lot of women were infatuated with him, which made him

    even prouder and smugger.

    Leo kept thinking about that with confidence.

    After casting a nce at Leo''s expression, Ashley quickly guessed what was on Leo''s mind.

    She believed that he might surely think that she took a fancy to him.

    As expected, Leo immediately spoke, "Although you might like me as I''m handsome, you''re not my

    type really. I won''t start a rtionship with you, so don''t think about that anymore," Leo said arrogantly.

    Ashley was speechless with surprise upon hearing him. She hadn''t even shown him any sign of being

    attracted to him or said that she liked him.

    How could he be so narcissistic that he even thought that she had a crush on him? His excessive

    vanity really disgusted Ashley.

    ...

    Ashley didn''t know that when she was chatting with Leo, someone had been watching their every move

    and expression that they made.

    A man on the second floor stared straight at them and his nces at Leo, who sat opposite Ashley,

    were sullen and cold. If the man''s gaze could kill, Leo might surely be killed by it many times over.

    Leo somehow felt a bit uneasy and trembled, seeming to realize something all of a sudden.

    After looking at his watch, he was surprised to find that he had been talking with Ashley for almost an

    hour.

    As far as Leo was concerned, sitting together with such a woman like Ashley was just an insult to him.

    With this in mind, Leo adjusted his clothes, about to leave.

 Chapter 45 Misunderstanding

    Chapter 45 Misunderstanding

    The cafe was quite famous in J City, and tourists never failed to visit the renowned ce and have their

    sip of hot brewed coffees or coldttes. With a rational architecturalyout, the building with three floors

    was altogether grandiose and ssy. Guests on the second and the third floors could clearly see what

    other people on the first floor were doing.

    "Andrew, what are you looking at? Did you hear what I just said?" Bothered by his absent-mindedness,

    Francis looked at Andrew and shouted at him with a loud voice to catch his attention. However, Andrew

    kept looking down to the first floor as if searching for someone.

    Francis, who had a delicate face with his skin as wless as a shiny jade and a pair of charming eyes,

    looked at Andrew helplessly. Curious at what Andrew was looking at, Francis looked down in the

    direction which Andrew was looking now.

    Unfortunately, he didn''t find anything unusual happening on the first floor.

    Taking a second look and studying the bustling crowd on the first floor more intently this time, Francis

    noticed the man and woman sitting near the center table on the first floor.

    The man was wearing a neat suit with ck pants, but his appearance was somewhat beyond

    description.

    Wearing an odd colored dress, the woman also looked weird.

    Seeing that Andrew was intently eyeing the couple, Francis was somewhat bothered. He couldn''t

    understand why Andrew was so curious about the couple that he kept staring at them all the time.

    N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    Just as Francis was about to say something, Andrew suddenly stood up and said, "Let''s just meet

    again tomorrow!" Without looking back, he hastily left Francis and went downstairs alone.

    Surprised and taken aback, Francis sat there and stared at Andrew''s receding figure.

    He was held speechless and nk at being left alone, and he didn''t know what to say at that moment.

    ''What''s the matter with him?'' Francis was confused.

    On the other hand, Andrew quickened his pace to the first floor. Just as Leo was about to leave the

    cafe, he noticed a tall man with a handsome faceing to their table.

    Leo sensed the man''s noble temperament, making it difficult for people to ignore him, so Leo couldn''t

    help but fix his eyes on him.

    Dressed in a ck well-cut handmade suit and with a towering height that appeared to be 1.88 meters,

    Leo was overwhelmed by the appearance of the man approaching. He was wearing a cold face, and

    when he looked at Leo, a strong chill crept through Leo''s bones.

    Approaching the table, Andrew went straight to Ashley and put his arm around Ashley''s shoulders

    possessively. What he said then shocked Leo.

    "Ash? Why are you here?" Then with his eyebrows crossed he turned to Leo and asked, "Who is he?"

    Detecting that Andrew was quite crossed, Leo felt the man was so frightening that his blood was frozen

    stiff.

    ''Jesus Christ! His look is so threatening, '' thought Leo.

    "Ah?" Astonished, Ashley didn''t expect to meet Andrew here.

    Besides, she didn''t expect that he could still manage to recognize her even if she was dressed like this.

    She had spent two hours dressing up today, and she had all the confidence that even her best friend,

    Ellie, might not be able to recognize her. ''How could Andrew recognize me so easily? It is so

    unbelievable!'' Ashley thought.

    bbergasted, Ashley didn''t answer Andrew''s question. She was staring at Andrew and wondered why

    he recognized her so easily.

    Upstairs, Francis who had been watching Andrew, opened his mouth wide when he saw the scene.

    ''What... What the hell? Andrew knew the woman?

    Besides, how would he like that woman in such weird clothes?'' Francis thought.

    He rememberedst time when Andrew invited them out for dinner, he asked them how to make a girl

    love him. ''Does he like the woman downstairs? No way!

    Or is it because Andrew often deals with boys that he has a different view about women?

    Has he developed a special taste?'' Francis continued.

    "Ashley?" Noticing that Ashley was lost in her thoughts without saying anything, Andrew looked at her

    passionately and rubbed Ashley''s head gently.

    "Well... He is just a friend of mine," Ashley came to herself and exined with a sudden jerk.

    "Really? A friend?" Teasingly, Andrew entuated the word "friend" on purpose as if he wanted to

    make sure if the man was truly Ashley''s friend.

    "Yes!" Caught in an awkward situation, Ashley nodded and answered with a firm voice. Strangely, there

    aroused a sense of guilt in her heart at this moment.

    Hearing Ashley''s words, Leo was now eyeing her in disgust.

    He couldn''t understand why such an ugly woman like Ashley would be chased after by men. Worst

    was, the man was quite handsome and judging from the way he stood, obviously he did not belong to a

    meager family. He must be a prominent figure in society. ''What''s wrong with him? Why did he choose

    this woman?'' Leo couldn''t help wondering.

    Overwhelmed by what had just happened, Leo was left speechless and decided to leave the caf¨¦.

    Before leaving, he couldn''t help looking up and down at Andrew with incredible expression.

    Left alone with Andrew, Ashley fixed her eyes at Leo''s receding figure, suddenly she wanted him to

    stay there and not leave at all.

    She wanted Leo to stay for the reason that she felt Andrew was going to be mad at her the next

    moment he was gone.

    "What''s wrong? You don''t want him to leave?" Moving to block Ashley''s view, Andrew walked up to

    Ashley, making her unable to see Leo anymore. He was acting so cold and possessive that Ashley felt

    shivers running down her spine.

    Andrew''s indifferent tone and behavior made Ashley assume that an unpreventable ''disaster'' was

    going to take ce.

    "No¡­ It''s not what you think.," replied Ashley in a low voice while lowering her head.

    "All right then. Let''s go." Grabbing her hand, Andrew naturally took Ashley and led her to walk out of

    the cafe.

    Obediently, Ashley followed Andrew out, intending not to make a scene.

    "Hey! Wait for me!" Francis on the second floor suddenly regained his consciousness as he watched

    Andrew walking out. He rushed down in a hurry and tried to stop them.

    However, Andrew went straight to the door dragging Ashley along without any hesitation as if he didn''t

    hear Francis'' words.

    When Francis saw this, he was mad and infuriated. ''How could he abandon me just because of a

    woman!'' thought Francis.

    "Andrew!"

    Hearing Francis'' call this time, Andrew paused for a second and hesitated whether to turn around or

    not. However, he soon went on stepping forward as if he hadn''t heard Francis at all.

    At the same time, Ashley also heard someone calling Andrew''s name. She pressed her lips and

    reminded him cautiously, "The man behind is calling you. Didn''t you hear?"

    "Leave him alone," Walking briskly, Andrew answered Ashley indifferently.

    Looking at Andrew''s back, Francis suddenly took out his mobile phone and took a photo of Andrew and

    Ashley when they were walking out of the cafe together.

    Out of his anger, he sent the photo to their group chat with four members. The members of the group

    chat were Andrew, Francis and two other good friends of them.

    A catchy caption was typed by Francis below the photo, ''See? Andrew with a woman. Unbelievable!''

    Captured in the photo was Andrew, wearing a decent ck suit with his usual straight posture. Walking

    side by side with him was Ashley, dressed in a floral dress with her soft ck hair draped over her

    head. They resembled a sweet couple.

    Zooming in the photo and examining the woman closely, Francis suddenly realized that the woman''s

    figure looked not so bad at all.

    ''If it hadn''t been for the fact that I have just seen the real face of the woman, I would have been

    deceived by her figure.

    I may assume that she is of great beauty.'' Francis had a sarcastic smile on his lips.

    Meanwhile in the Gu Grouppany, Jeremy Gu was sitting in his office chair reviewing some

    important businesses documents when his cell phone vibrated. There was a notification from their

    group chat.

    Unlocking his cell phone, he saw the photo Francis posted and the caption tagged below it.

    Jeremy clicked the photo and looked at the couple walking side by side with their hands locked with

    each other. Dazzled, the creases on his forehead deepened whichplimented the shallow smile on

    his handsome face.

    However, after studying the photo earnestly, the smile on Jeremy''s face gradually grew bitter.

    If only his sister hadn''t been lost, she should be as happy as the girl in the photo. Probably, she could

    be happily engaged by now.

    With a gloomy expression, Jeremy opened a drawer in the bottom right corner and pulled out a

    yellowed photo from it. He gently blew the specks of dust away and wiped the photo clear with his

    hands.

    The old memorabilia was quite worn and the edges had been ruined. But it was very well preserved by

    Jeremy. Obviously, the owner treasured it very much.

    There were two beaming children in the photo, and the boy was a little older than the girl. The cute boy

    seemed to be about seven or eight years old, while the girl was almost half his age. Looking at the

    photo, one could say that the kids were extremely happy as they posed while holding their

    toys.

 Chapter 46 His Mood Lightened

    Chapter 46 His Mood Lightened

    The photo was old and faded but you could still see the beautiful face of the little girl. Her face was

    tender and her cheeks were rose colored. She wore a princess skirt whichplimented her beautiful

    ck hair.

    She had a bright smile on her face as she intimately held the arm of the boy beside her.

    Jeremy recalled her sister while he stared at the photo. He remembered how sweet she was when she

    called him brother.

    His eyes reflected too much agony. He thought that if he hadn''t taken his little sister outside to y

    then left her alone, she might have been with him right now. He was overwhelmed with regret.

    He had no one to me but himself. His sister wouldn''t have been lost if he had been more

    responsible back then.

    Jeremy pondered about what happened to her after the tragic event. He hoped that someone adopted

    her. He was anxious about how she would''ve been treated if she did be part of a new family. He

    always thought that his sister was cute so she must''ve been cared for and loved by others too.

    Jeremy was determined to find her sister. He would stop at nothing for them to be together again.

    His eyes swelled with love and tenderness as he stared at the little girl in the photo.

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, Andrew and Ashley left the caf¨¦.

    Andrew grabbed Ashley''s hand and walked out with her. He didn''t say anything as he dragged her out

    of the ce.

    Ashley was startled by Andrew''s actions. She was confused about why she felt somewhat scared and

    guilty.

    She had no rtionship with Andrew. He had no right to meddle about her blind date.

    Ashley finally had the courage to react to Andrew''s actions.

    Ashley looked at Andrew with determined eyes. She then tried her best to get her hand out of his grip,

    but she failed. Andrew held her so tightly that she wasn''t able to break free.

    Actually, she felt that Andrew''s grip got tighter every time she tried to break loose.

    "Where are you taking me? Release me! Let go of my hand! I have to go back!" Ashley realized that

    she couldn''t break free of Andrew''s grip. She just suddenly stopped and stood still.

    Her hair that had been supposedly arranged in a fabulous manner was already loose and free. Her big

    ck-rimmed sses were nowhere to be seen.

    She wore an ugly skirt with a floral design but she was still amazing. Her beautiful face became

    apparent when she removed all the ugly essories. Ashley had no idea how amazing she looked.

    She proved that true beauty would remain pretty no matter what she wore.

    Ashley only thought of Andrew as just a man with whom she shared a bed once and who saved her

    before.

    They had really met each other for only three times.

    She was bewildered about why Andrew treated her this way.

    Ashley was fully aware of her social status and she wouldn''t think that Andrew liked her. She also knew

    that he had a fianc¨¦e.

    However, Andrew was convinced that Ashley was the girl he would spend the rest of his life with.

    Ashley felt Andrew''s rage grow even though he was silent.

    She was confused about why Andrew was the one who was angry. She was the one who should be

    furious because he meddled in her private life. She couldn''t break free from his grip. She was also still

    unaware of what he was furious about.

    Andrew dragged Ashley to his car. He released her hand and positioned her between him and the car.

    He then cornered her with his two arms ced on the car.

    Ashley was stunned by the sudden events. She didn''t realize what happened until Andrew bent over

    and trapped her.

    Their faces were so close to each other. Andrew''s lips were about to be pressed onto Ashley''s but she

    closed her eyes and tried to push him away. "Andrew, what are you doing?!"

    Andrew looked at Ashley''s terrified face. He realized that Ashley didn''t want to be kissed.

    He pressed his lips together and stopped inches away from Ashley''s face which was already red. He

    asked, "What is your rtionship with that man?"

    His voice was deep and low as well as a little husky which made him sound like he wanted to flirt.

    Ashley opened her eyes when she heard Andrew''s question. She let out a deep sigh and looked at

    Andrew directly. Then, she answered, "I''ve told you before, we are just friends."

    In fact, Ashley and that man could hardly be called friends. They were only on a date because the Mu

    family had arranged it.

    Ashley had no affection for that man. She only dated him to satisfy her family. She actually grew weary

    of that man''s face. She just nced at him at the start, then she would talk to him with her head

    bowed. She didn''t want to look at him directly.

    However, Andrew actually thought that Ashley was just being shy when she didn''t want to look at the

    man''s eyes.

    This was the reason he was infuriated.

    Ashley would burst intoughter if she ever heard about Andrew''s wrong conclusion.

    She only acted like that because it would upset her appetite if she stared too much at that man''s face.

    She really hadn''t enjoyed her time with that man.

    "You are just friends?" Andrew asked with a husky voice. He leaned a little bit closer towards Ashley.

    He felt jealous when he saw Ashley together with that man. His envy and anger overwhelmed him.

    Andrew was afraid that his wild emotions would repel Ashley and make her hate him. He had decided

    to sit on the second floor of the caf¨¦ and watched silently.

    However, he hadn''t expected that Ashley would talk with that man for a very long time. This convinced

    Andrew to stand up and separate the girl of his dreams from that man.

    Andrew knew he was handsome. Most girls would immediately be enticed by his good looks. However,

    he always thought of Ashley as an exception to most girls.

    He understood from Ashley''s expression that she had no amount of affection for that man. However, he

    was still furious about the fact that Ashley could sit with that man for more than an hour.

    Andrew felt really possessive with Ashley. He couldn''t tolerate the fact that she was on a date with

    some other guy. He dragged Ashley towards his car.

    Andrew and Ashley stood together at the parking lot. Ashley noticed that Andrew started to lean toward

    her. She quickly added, "No! Actually, we are not friends. My family just put me on a blind date with

    him.

    N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    He''s very ugly and repulsive. It''s impossible for me to like him." Ashley confessed with a soft, barely

    audible tone. However, Andrew was very close to her so he clearly heard everything she said.

    Andrew''s face suddenly rxed and his mood lightened.

    He was correct to assume that Ashley had no affection for that man.

    He kissed the corner of Ashley''s lip quickly.

    "That''s your reward for telling the truth."

    Ashley was surprised by Andrew''s actions. Her face reddened like a rose.

    Actually, Andrew was afraid that Ashley wouldn''t like to be kissed and be furious at him. He just wanted

    to apply what he had learned from Francis.

    Andrew was taught by Francis about many ways to court a girl that night. A kiss as a reward was one

    of those ways.

    Andrew wasn''t sure whether Ashley was fine with the kiss or not. He hoped Francis hadn''t fooled him

    with that advice. Andrew was determined to punish Francis if the kiss didn''t work. He would marry

    Francis to the daughter of the Li family in J city.

    Andrew was serious about Francis punishment. Francis better prayed that his advice to Andrew would

    work.

    The daughter of the Li family in J City had been in love with Francis for a very long time. She courted

    Francis to show her affection, but he dismissed her because he didn''t want to be bound by a

    rtionship.

    Additionally, Miss Li was chubby. Francis was interested in sexy women. Miss Li wasn''t his type so it

    was impossible for him to marry her.

    Francis''s hospital was currently in trouble and he required arge amount of money to solve the

    problems. Francis approached Andrew to ask for his help.

 Chapter 47 Dinner Time

    Chapter 47 Dinner Time

    It looked like he had no choice but to marry that fat Miss Li. Unfortunately, he didn''t even get a chance

    to ask Andrew for help due to this unexpected "situation".

    After lost in thought for a second, Ashley had finally snapped out of her reverie. She pushed Andrew

    aside and walked away in a huff, wiping her mouth furiously.

    How dare he kiss her!

    How dare he!

    Besides, he had a fiancee, didn''t he? Why was he still after her?

    Just as Ashley was about to leave, Andrew immediately dragged her back by her hand.

    "Let go of me!" She demanded. Staring at him coldly, Ashley tried to fathom why he did that to her.

    Andrew silently gazed at her, and set his mouth in a hard line.

    Looking deep into his brooding eyes, Ashley sensed a certain sadness in them.

    ''Sadness? How could that be? That is impossible. After all, I am the one who was offended by his

    actions, '' she thought.

    "You''re mad at me, aren''t you?" Andrew asked softly, already knowing what her answer would be.

    "No, I''m not." Ashley answered, rolling her eyes unwittingly.

    "Why?" Andrew persisted not believing her.

    Ashley knew he wasn''t convinced with her reply and wanted to know why she was angry with him.

    ''Wasn''t it obvious to him? Everyone else could figure it out, '' she thought to herself.

    "Stop asking me why! What exactly do you want from me? Just let me go!" Ashley was getting more

    pissed off, looking at his incredibly handsome face.

    Choosing not to respond, Andrew stubbornly continued to gaze at her, refusing to let her go.

    "Anybody would be annoyed if someone kissed them without their consent, don''t you think?" She had

    no choice but to answer him.

    But she had no idea why he insisted on getting an answer.

    "I thought you would like it."

    Andrew replied in a barely audible voice, but Ashley heard it clearly, and it stunned her. ''Why would he

    think that I like the kiss?! Why did he assume that it was all right for him to act on his own judgement

    without considering the other person''s feelings?'' Ashley wondered.

    Andrew was baffled. He didn''t know what was wrong. He had only done exactly what Francis had

    advised him to do.

    However, what he didn''t know was that the reason women dated Francis was not for love but for

    prestige and fortune. Their rtionships were all about material pursuits notpatibility, love or

    affection. That was why they were always one-night stands. So Francis was no expert on matters of the

    heart, and obviously Ashley was not like those gold-diggers.

    What was more, as far as Ashley was concerned, she and Andrew were just strangers.

    Realizing she was upset about what he did, Andrew swore to himself to get even with Francis someday

    for his stupid suggestions.

    ...

    After what seemed like an eternity in each other''s arms, Ashley was reluctantly dragged into Andrew''s

    car. He was taking her to dinner whether she wanted it or not.

    By now Ashley knew how stubborn Andrew could get and how eager he was to spend time with her.

    Despite knowing this, she really wanted to escape from him.

    But realizing that it was no use, she decided to give in.

    ''We will just be having dinner together, and it''s free, so why not enjoy it?''

    Ashley thought, trying to reassure herself.

    Everything seemed to be the same as thest time they were in the car together. Andrew was in the

    driver''s seat with Ashley seated next to him looking out of the window. A dead silence hung in the car.

    Andrew drove steadily at a proper speed, and soon they arrived at the Vineyard Restaurant.

    Ashley knew this ce. It was one of the five-star restaurants in J City. All its guests came from

    prestigious and wealthy families from all over J City.

    Ashley didn''t expect to be one of them tonight.

    Had she known earlier that this was the ce that Andrew was taking her, she would definitely reject

    his invitation.

    It was not surprising that he came here from time to time, considering who he was.

    Andrew parked his car at the reception and handed over the keys to the valet who drove the car to the

    basement parking.

    He turned to Ashley to find her staring at the restaurant in a daze. Walking over to her, he caressed her

    hair, "Something wrong?"N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    "No, nothing."

    Ashley answered, trying to dodge his hand without being caught.

    But Andrew understood what she was trying to do. He cast a gloomy look at Ashley -- his expression

    frozen, and his hand still attempting to reach her.

    Brought up as the heir to the Lu Group, Andrew received more advanced education than others, and

    because of his name, he could get anything he wanted without exception.

    Moreover, since he became the CEO of the Lu Group and the head of his family, no one dared to

    disobey his orders.

    But that changed ever since he had met Ashley. With her, everything was a new experience.

    It bothered him so much every time she pushed him away as he was so used to having his way.

    Deep down he desperately wanted to lock her up in a world where only the two of them existed. This

    was the only way for him to own her flesh and soul.

    While Andrew was lost in thought, Ashley realized that her actions must have hurt him. Looking deep

    into his eyes, her heart skipped a beat.

    Without thinking about what she was about to do, she reached out and held his hand, saying, "Come

    on, let''s go have dinner."

    All the negative thoughts in Andrew''s mind vanished the second Ashley held his hand.

    ''Her hand is so soft and warm. Her fingers are so slender and her nails are so beautiful, '' he thought

    feverishly. Worried that he might hurt her delicate hand identally, he didn''t dare to hold it too tight.

    Instead, he held it gently like it was the most precious treasure.

    Ashley, on the other hand, regretted the moment she held his hand. ''What on earth did I do that for?''

    She admonished herself inwardly.

    When she tried to withdraw her hand, she noticed how small it looked in his big hand. Clearly there was

    no subtle way to withdraw her hand from such a big one.

    As Andrew hadn''t nned toe to this ce for dinner before he met Ashley, and didn''t want her to

    get overwhelmed, he didn''t inform anyone at the restaurant that he wasing. Otherwise, the staff

    would provide the best service for them without a doubt.

    Although Andrew was the CEO of the Lu Group and the head of his family, only a few from the senior

    management had ess to him.

    Ashley and Ellie didn''t pay much attention to this, but even if they did, they would have never expected

    to encounter one of the personages of J City.

 Chapter 48 Ran Into Lena and Raymond

    Chapter 48 Ran Into Lena and Raymond

    That was the reason why Ashley was unable to recognize Andrew''s identity immediately.

    Although she had an idea that Andrew was a rich kid, she never bothered knowing then just how

    wealthy he was.

    When they entered Vineyard Hotel, a waitress with decent smile on her face weed them.

    Amazement flitted in her eyes when she saw Andrew.

    But luckily, she was unlike those other women whose eyes would remain glued at Andrew, ignoring his

    companionpletely as if she never existed. The waitress was courteous enough to greet her

    properly as well.

    Ashley finally understood why this hotel was the best among the best. The level of service which they

    provided was evident enough from the waitress'' attitude.

    They only employed the best after all. The waiters and waitresses were said to be products of the most

    famous universities in J City.

    Despite of the level of education they had attained, these men and women chose to serve in this hotel.

    That alone was proof of how amazing the hotel was, and the great opportunities which they could

    provide for their employees.

    The waitress smiled at the both of them and politely said, "Wee to Vineyard Hotel. Please follow

    me to your box."

    It was said that when people reserved a box, the servers would usher them from the moment they

    arrived in the hotel straight towards their reserved box.

    Although it was Ashley''s first time in the famous Vineyard Hotel, rumors had already reached her ears

    about the ce through her gossiping colleagues.

    Instead of focusing on their jobs and working hard, these people were more adept in catching thetest

    buzz about the wealthy and the influential. They had high hopes of catching themselves one of those

    wealthy bachelors just so they could experience the meals in the Vineyard Hotel.

    Ashley and Andrew followed the waitress.

    They were about to enter their box when two people suddenly appeared before them.

    Seeing them emerging from the shadows, Ashley felt a chill run down her spine when she recognized

    who they were.

    ''Damn'', she couldn''t help but pity herself. Bad luck was definitely on her side, to think that she would

    bump with them of all people.

    They were none other than Lena and Raymond.

    Her little sister and ex-boyfriend together. Bumping into them when she was with Andrew of all people

    really made the atmosphere awkward.

    Raymond held Lena''s hand. While her sister whispered something in his ear, casually leaning her body

    on his. It was the perfect picture of a couple who were madly in love with each other.

    But the moment that Raymond caught sight of Ashley, he subconsciously wanted to withdraw his hand

    from Lena''s grasp.

    Lena already caught up with the situation, and smoothly left Raymond''s side before he could even

    react to greet her elder sister.

    She feigned surprise and said, "Ashley, is that you? Are you here to have dinner too? Do you know

    how much I''ve missed you since west saw each other? By the way, who is the gentleman beside

    you?" Lena paused as she inquired about Ashley''s malepanion.

    Although she was talking to Ashley, but her eyes were fixed on Andrew.

    ''This man is simply mesmerizing! Look at that handsome face etched with sternness and grace. He has

    an aura akin to a noble prince who can easily catch any woman''s attention.'' Lena couldn''t help but

    admire him.

    She had thought that Raymond was already the most handsome guy she could ever find but she was

    sadly wrong. There was actually someone more attractive than him.

    He simply outshined Raymond in every way. Raymond faded away into the backgroundpared with

    this man.

    However, looking good didn''t guarantee sess, nor did it make a living.

    Besides, Ashley couldn''t possibly be friends with someone of high status. She had investigated

    Ashley''s social circle already and there was no mention of this man. This fueled Lena''s curiosity as to

    the man''s identity and his rtionship with her sister.

    A sudden sh of envy and contempt flitted in Lena''s eyes.

    Andrew saw this and immediately gazed upon her with hostility.

    Ashley casually pushed Lena''s hands, and retreated to a morefortable distance. "Hmm..," she said

    indifferently.

    In contrast to Lena''s enthusiasm, Ashley stood aloof and disinterested.

    However, Lena chose to ignore Ashley''s indifference. She trotted towards Raymond and said happily,

    "Raymond dear, look it''s Ashley. It seems like they have also decided to dine here. How about we join

    them?

    But I''m not sure how Ashley could afford it. I mean, you know, it''s very expensive to dine in Vineyard

    Hotel. I onlye here asionally despite of my status, let alone Ashley, if you know what I mean."

    With her eyes on Raymond, Lena acted perfectly. She pouted at him and expressed her curiosity.

    She could actually be a world ss actress with the way she behaved right now. Acting all cute and

    obedient, and being the loving sister who was joyful to meet her elder sister here.

    However, her acting was all for show. She truly wanted to embarrass Ashley by nonchntly

    questioning her status and morality. She was really fuming in the inside with the fact that someone like

    Ashley, who was poor, could actually afford to dine in this exclusive hotel. While she, the heiress of the

    Mu Group, could onlye here once in a while. So she tried to innocently ask everyone about

    Ashley''s means in order to doubt her status.

    Ashley stayed indifferent towards Lena''s usations. She could ruin her reputation as much as she

    wanted, she would simply act as if Lena''s words were directed to someone else.

    Well, it wasn''t the first time that something like this happened. Before, she would try her utmost best to

    prove that Lena''s usations were wrong because she valued her image then.

    But, instead of saving her ass, her exnations would usually backfire. Fueling Lena''s words made her

    usations more convincing rather than refuting them. Ever since then she learned her lesson. So

    now she would simply let Lena rant as much as as she wanted, not caring anymore what other people

    might say or think about her.

    But Andrew took it in a different way. He cared too much about Ashley.

    This Lena dared to embarrass the only woman he loved and spoilt. He would not tolerate such petty

    actions towards his one and only soulmate.

    He stared at Lena coldly. If looks could kill, Lena should be dead by now.

    Lena suddenly felt ufortable with Andrew''s gaze. She went chilling numb as if a freezing breeze

    suddenly swept through her entire body.

    She stuck closer to Raymond as if shielding herself from the cold breeze.

    Ashley also felt Andrew''s coldness, but she didn''t understand the reason behind it.

    When she saw that Andrew was staring at Lena coldly, she realized something was afoot. So she held

    Andrew''s hand and shook her head, motioning for him to stop.

    She was aware that Lena''s target was her, and she knew that Andrew was the only person who could

    help her in her predicament. But she didn''t want him to be involved, just because she didn''t want to be

    indebted to him.

    With Ashley''sforting hand and gaze, Andrew reverted back to being the modest gentleman. He

    then gave Ashley a gentle and loving look.

    The sweet exchange did not go unnoticed. Raymond suddenly felt jealous and awkward. He felt as if

    he was an unwanted spectator of the exchange going on between the two.

    ''It should have been me on her side right now. I alone am the perfect match for Ashley, '' Raymond

    thought longingly.

    But he immediatelyposed himself, throwing away the unnecessary sentiment he felt.

    After hearing Lena''s performance, he calmly passed by her and went straight to Ashley.

    He began interrogating Ashley without notice, "Why are you here? Are you not aware that you don''t

    belong in this ce? You should leave immediately before you further embarrass yourself."

    Ashley looked at him as if she was staring at an idiot.

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    Ah?

    She was indeed not suited in this ce. She wasn''t naive enough not to realize that. It was her first

    time here after all. This was not exactly the type of ce she would frequently visit.

    But he was in no position to tell her whether she belonged in that ce or not.

    He didn''t have the right to judge her.

 Chapter 49 Girlfriend

    Chapter 49 Girlfriend

    Ashley calmly looked at Raymond and spoke indifferently, "Leave? Why should I leave? How do you

    know whether I can afford to dine here or not? Besides, it''s none of your business." Ashley refused to

    ept Raymond''s suggestion. Instead, she thought Raymond''s words were rude and degrading.

    "Ashley, don''t be so stubborn. Do as what I said and go back. You really shouldn''t havee to this

    restaurant. If you really want to have food at this restaurant, I will bring you here next time."

    Raymond was hurt by Ashley''s words. ''It seems that Ashley still hasn''t forgiven me.''

    Raymond then tried to persuade Ashley to leave in a soft tone.

    Ashley couldn''t believe that Raymond would say such things to her in that tone. After all, his fiancee,

    Lena, was standing by his side.

    Even though Ashley would like nothing more than to see Lena upset, this was not the time nor the

    ce to create a scene.

    Ashley couldn''t understand why Raymond was treating her so kindly and tenderly, when they had

    broken up a while ago and he was now engaged to Lena.

    Just as Raymond was about to hold Ashley''s hand, Andrew had quietly approached them. And before

    Ashley had time to react, he held her in his arms.

    He gave Raymond a cold stare and said in a low threatening voice, "Ash is my girlfriend now. Please,

    keep your hands to yourself. By the way, haven''t you noticed that you are offending Ash? So, stop

    talking to her!"

    When they stood side by side, theparison between Andrew and Raymond was obvious.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Raymond was a tall man, however, he was dwarfed in size when he stood next to Andrew, who was

    much taller than him.

    And, the temperament of Raymond couldn''t bepared to that of Andrew.

    If Raymond was seen as a man born into a rich family. Then Andrew could be seen as an aristocrat

    from a noble western family. His temperament and behavior showed his majesty, nobility, elegance and

    indifference.

    If Johnny were here at this moment, he would have been surprised by Andrew''s words. He would

    definitely wonder whether this man was an impostor, since he had never heard Mr. Lu say so many

    words to another.

    Everyone was stunned by what Andrew had said.

    Lena quickly came to her sense and gloated over the conflict between them. But when she leaned

    across to re at them, she found the man holding Ashley in his arms very handsome. And Lena

    immediately became jealous.

    ''Although this man''s family background isn''t as good as Raymond''s, he is so handsome. Why would he

    be in love with Ashley?'' thought Lena.

    Raymond couldn''t believe what he had heard.

    He felt devastated when he heard what that man had just said and when he looked at Ashley snug in

    that man''s embrace, he had a lump in his throat.

    He was so heartbroken that he could hardly breathe.

    ''No!

    It can''t be true!

    How could she be in love with him?'' thought Raymond.

    Ashley, who was being held in Andrew''s arms, was also shocked by his words.

    ''When did I be his girlfriend? Why don''t I know about this? How can he hug me in front of so

    many people?''

    With that thought in mind, Ashley slightly wriggled and wanted to get free from Andrew''s embrace.

    Andrew felt her trying to free herself and tightened his embrace. He leaned down and gently whispered

    in her ear, "If you want to leave here quickly, then you have to stay in my arms without saying

    anything."

    Ashley really didn''t want to see Raymond and Lena anymore. So, after hearing Andrew''s suggestion,

    she immediately became quiet and stayed in his arms obediently.

    When Raymond saw the tall handsome man whisper in her ear as he hugged her tightly to him, he felt

    like he was stabbed through the heart with a dagger. They seemed to be flirting with each other just like

    all other intimate couples that were in love.

    When Andrew felt Ashley rx in his arms, he felt satisfied. He then turned to look at Raymond and

    spoke in a cold voice which waspletely different from the tone he spoke to Ashley in. "Excuse me,

    Mr. Luo. Ash is hungry. Please, don''t get in the way."

    Raymond looked up at Andrew and didn''t have any intention of stepping aside.

    However, when he saw Andrew''s deep cold stare, Raymond felt as if he was being strangled by a

    powerful hand and he couldn''t move his stiff body even if he wanted to.

    Before Raymond regained hisposure, Andrew had walked past him with his arm around Ashley''s

    waist.

    Since Andrew had aplete background check done on Ashley, he knew everything about her,

    including her friends she had since she was a child and everything that happened to her.

    When he saw Raymond, he recognized him from the file as Ashley''s ex-boyfriend. And he was the only

    boyfriend that she ever had.

    Andrew knew that Raymond and Ashley had broken up after Raymond fell in love with Ashley''s sister

    and there wasn''t a close rtionship between them now. But he was worried that Ashley might still love

    Raymond.

    Only after hearing Ashley''s words and seeing how she behaved in front of Raymond did Andrew feel

    relieved. He finally made sure that Ashley just treated Raymond like a stranger.

    But it was obvious that Raymond still loved Ashley. Either way, Andrew wouldn''t allow him to get close

    to Ashley ever again.

    ¡­

    Andrew kept his arm around her, up until they had entered the private room and then he reluctantly let

    her go.

    He slowly rubbed his slender hands against each other, as if to absorb Ashley''s essence into his skin.

    While he held Ashley in his arms, he could smell Ashley''s delightful fresh light floral aroma. At that

    moment, Andrew felt so happy that he wanted to hold Ashley in his arms forever and never let her go.

    He really wanted to embed her into his arms and melt into one with her.

    After Andrew had let her go, Ashley pretended to smooth her hair down and straighten her clothes,

    however, she couldn''t hide her blushing cheeks.

    When she heard Andrew say that she was his girlfriend, her heart beat faster. Although she knew that

    he was just saying that to help her out of an awkward situation, Ashley still couldn''t help but feel shy

    about them.

    After calming herself down, Ashley began to look around the private room.

    It was arge space and was decorated in a simple andfortable style. The crystal chandelier on

    the ceiling was giving off specks of light to every corner of the private room.

    The antique tables and chairs were made of superior sandalwood and were hand-carved with various

    patterns. They looked a bitplicated, but anybination looked beautiful.

    Ashley looked around for a while and sat at a table. Andrew then joined her and sat down next to her.

    Andrew quietly looked at the menu in his hand. The suit jacket he had taken off was casually ced

    over a chair.

    It was a simple action but it waspletely different from the way others did it. When Andrew would do

    a task as simply as putting his jacket over a chair, he made it look dignified and charming like a true

    gentleman.

    The warm light fell on Andrew''s hard but handsome face, making him look more tender and gentle.

 Chapter 50 Thank You For Earlier

    Chapter 50 Thank You For Earlier

    It is said that seriousness adds charm to a man. While Andrew was checking the menu, Ashley allowed

    herself to stare at him. It was hard for her to take her eyes off him.

    Andrew read the menu with his eyes downcast. His longshes cast shadows over his eyes, effectively

    covering any emotions he might have had.

    Normally, as a frequent visitor at this restaurant, Andrew did not need to check the menu. The manager

    would reserve the room and his assistant would arrange all for him.

    He knew Andrew''s taste for food.

    But today it was different. He wanted to make sure that the food met Ashley''s taste. Fortunately, there

    was information on her profile regarding her food preferences. She had a very different taste from him.

    While Andrew like nd and light food, Ashley preferred those heavy with spices and had a kick of

    heat.

    When he had picked up the menu, he pretty much already knew what he was going to order.

    Soon he met Ashley''s eyes staring at him seriously, which made him both excited and nervous.

    Andrew''s fingers twitched unconsciously. Discreetly, he raised his menu slowly to hide his face.

    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    ''Why is she staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?'' he thought.

    All of a sudden, his confidence faltered. He did not think that it was his charm that attracted her.

    After a while, the waitress finally broke the silence. "Excuse me, Madame, Sir. Are you ready to order?"

    she asked, looking at them intently. Her voice pierced through the awkward atmosphere

    which seemed to stretch on forever.

    Ashley jerked her eyes back and lowered her head embarrassingly.

    She felt a little annoyed with herself for unknowingly staring at Andrew this whole time.

    Without Ashley staring at him anymore, Andrew gave out a deep breath of relief. He then called the

    attention of the waitress and said his order in a low voice. The waitress nodded, took his orders and left

    the room. Ashley did not hear what they said.

    The ingredients of the restaurant came by air in the morning. They were very fresh, but, consequently,

    took longer to cook.

    When the waitress left, Ashley looked at Andrew and said, "Thank you for earlier,"

    If it wasn''t for him, she would be stuck in the tangle, and Lena would definitely get her into trouble. It

    wouldn''t be easy for her to get rid of them.

    Without a doubt, Lena was by no means fond of Ashley. She constantly tried to find fault with her. But,

    when she was in front of other people, she pretended to be a behaved, good-mannered sister.

    "How do you n to pay me back for my help?" he asked lightly. He watched her, waiting for her reply.

    His eyes were intense and deep, like a hole drawing everything in its path.

    She found herself lost in his eyes once more, and was suddenly lost for words. ''What?'' she thought to

    herself. She was expecting him to say "You''re wee", and had thought about what she was going to

    say afterwards if he had said that. But his answer took her by surprise.

    Ashley was taken off guard and was left speechless.

    Meanwhile, he just sat there looking at her with his intense eyes, still expecting an answer.

    After a moment''s hesitation she answered, "Maybe I''ll take you out for a meal some other day?"

    "Okay," he said lightly, although sounding a bit disappointed. Ashley had no idea how much Andrew

    wanted to be together with her.

    However, he did not want to appear too eager and frighten her off -- so he said nothing more about it.

    This woman sitting across from him was all that he desired. It was his utmost intention to win her heart,

    no matter how long it would take.

    ''Someday, she would be mine, '' he thought to himself. Under his cool and calm demeanor, there was a

    possessiveness for her that made him go crazy.

    As it was gettingte, Ashley decided to send a message to Ellie and tell her that she was eating

    outside and would be back home very soon.

    Seconds after she sent the text, Ellie replied, as if she had been expecting Ashley''s message.

    After reading Ellie''s reply, Ashley checked her WeChat moments.

    She sat there, giving an asional smile or frown at what she saw or read on her phone.

    Little did she know that Andrew was quietly watching her all along. His heart swelled at the mere sight

    of her.

    She was so absorbed by the newly-posted WeChat moments that she almost forgot that Andrew was

    sitting across the table.

    When she realized this, she felt a little ashamed.

    She put away the phone and wondered whether she could pick up a topic to break the silence.

    She raised her head to look around, her eyes resting on the French window beside their table. She

    gently parted the curtains with her hand and peered outside.

    It was getting dark, and the evening lights were already lit.

    A soft smile appeared on her face as she admired the bustling night.

    ¡­

    As Raymond watched Ashley leave with Andrew, he couldn''t help but feel depressed. It was evident

    from the expression on his face that he was terribly heartbroken.

    Obviously, Lena had heard their conversation. But she pretended that she didn''t know anything about

    it. "Why are they leaving¡­together?" she asked. "Didn''t we say we''d join them? Is he her boyfriend?

    They look very close, don''t they?" she added, pretending to be innocent anddy-like in front of

    Raymond. Her words, however, hurt him deeply.

    She was too caught up with what she was saying that she did not notice the change in his expression.

    Andrew''s grim and cold eyes were still lingering in Raymond''s thoughts.

    Unfortunately, Lena''s continuous babble annoyed him and made things worse. "Shut up!" he shouted

    unthinkingly.

    Lena''s eyes were wide with shock -- she had done everything she could possibly think of to drive him

    away from Ashley. Instead, it looked as if all her efforts had backfired on her.

    "Did I say something wrong?" she murmured in a hurt voice, even managing to bring up tears to her

    eyes. That was a technique she had used numerous times, and of course it worked.

    Raymond immediately felt sorry for her. He couldn''t bear to put the me on her.

    However, her words fueled his jealousy. He remembered vividly seeing Ashley together with that man,

    and his anger almost drove him mad.

    Lena''s grief did nothing but make him more upset.

    "Aren''t we going to have dinner?" he said through his teeth. With that, he went straight into the room,

    leaving Lena all by herself. She stood there motionless, and her face twisted with fury.

    She had been working so hard to make him fall for her, but still did not win his heart. After all, she was

    his fiancee.

    Watching him leaving, she clenched her fists tight with indignation.

 Chapter 51 Pestered

    Chapter 51 Pestered

    Ashley stood up to get a better view outside the window, her big eyes shining brightly as she looked

    down into the street. Andrew was right behind her. His gaze was tender when itnded on Ashley.

    "Do you like this street scene?" he broke the silence and asked in a low voice.

    "Yes. To be honest, Ellie and I have been thinking about buying a big house near the sea, with big

    windows just like this one. Every morning we can open the windows to enjoy the beautiful view and the

    soft ocean wind.

    I can just imagine how beautiful it would be when the sun rises there," she replied softly.

    She didn''t know why she was pouring her heart out here. Maybe she just feltfortable around

    Andrew.

    Andrew said nothing, but couldn''t help but let out a wide smile.

    Before his smile faded, Ashley had already turned around to look at him.

    Andrew had never smiled like this since he was a child. As the heir of his family''s business, he had to

    look stern and serious, and couldn''t let his emotions betray him.

    It was natural for him to act and look cold all the time.

    But he looked actually so dashing when he smiled. When Ashley saw him smiling, warmth flooded

    through her body.

    His eyes and his warm smile made her heart drop to her stomach.

    She gently shook her head, trying to keep her cool. Just then there was a knock on the door.

    "Come in," Andrew said.

    Then the waiters came in with trays filled with food, filling the room with a delicious aroma.

    Ashley''s eyes lighted up when she smelled the dishes.

    "Please enjoy yourselves," a waiter said. Shortly after, they all left the room.

    Ashley sat down at the table. Her mouth was watering. ''Wow, all dishes look delicious! I''m so excited to

    eat!'' she thought.

    Andrew ordered many spicy foods, including Mapo beancurd, spicy crawfish, spicy beef, chicken with

    chilies, peppery steamed fish and fish-vored pork¡ªall of these were Ashley''s favorites.

    Sichuan cuisine was characterized by its spicy and pungent vor. It was also emphasized by using

    different chilies. But Andrew was not good with spicy things. The sight of these dishes made him furrow

    his brows. However, his worries seemed to go away when he saw how happy Ashley was.

    Ashley loved spicy food. The hotter the better. At first, she was a bit embarrassed to gobble up the

    feast in front of Andrew.

    So she ate in small and dainty bites, looking at how Andrew would react.

    She was relieved when she saw Andrew was not looking at her. With that, she figured that she could

    eat morefortably.

    Curious about the taste of Mapo beancurd, Andrew picked up a small piece of tofu and put it in his

    mouth. He thought that it was not too spicy, but he was wrong.

    When the tofu touched his tongue, the taste spread through his palette like wildfire. He quickly

    swallowed it, trying to decrease the heat with some rice. He wanted to cry out but he did his best to

    stay cool and acted like nothing happened.

    After recovering from the scorching heat, he sat there and watched Ashley instead.

    She had good table manners. Although she was eating fast, she still behaved with ss.

    Andrew looked at Ashley with loving eyes and remembered what her favorite dishes were.

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Ashleyid down her chopsticks and then leaned back in her chair, looking replete and rxed, but felt

    a little embarrassed as soon as she made eye contact with Andrew.

    She saw that Andrew''s bowl was empty, that he didn''t even get to eat. "Um, I''m sorry. I''m eating too

    much. But I swear it was an ident! I didn''t mean for it to happen! These dishes are really tasty. I

    cannot believe how much I ate," she exined, her cheeks flushing.

    "It''s okay. You don''t need to apologize," Andrew replied. He couldn''t help butugh to himself. ''It''s okay,

    dear Ashley. I really don''t mind. I''ll buy anything you want, '' he thought.

    "But why aren''t you eating anything? These dishes are going to get cold. Come on, they are delicious!"

    Ashley said as she put food in Andrew''s bowl.

    But she happened to pick the spiciest one among the dishes. There were so many peppers wrapped in

    the meat.

    She put the meat in his bowl but she immediately regretted it.

    ''Oh, God! I used my own chopsticks!

    That''s so rude, '' she thought, blushing even deeper.

    But Andrew didn''t seem to get upset about that. Ashley breathed a sigh of relief.

    The peppers made Andrew furrow his eyebrows. He wanted to reject the food she offered.

    But Ashley looked at him with such wistful eyes. With a sigh, he calmly put the food in his mouth.

    It came as a surprise to Ashley that Andrew could eat this so calmly. She had never thought that

    Andrew was a person who loved spicy food like her.

    "It''s delicious, isn''t it? Taste that one. It''s delicious too!" Ashley said as she put more spicy food in

    Andrew''s bowl.

    She thought that Andrew hadn''t eaten enough during their dinner, so she wanted him to eat more.

    Andrew was in a dilemma because he didn''t like spicy things but he also didn''t want to reject Ashley.

    Right now, his world only revolved around her. It was the first time that she had offered him food. How

    could he possibly say no?

    Gradually, he could no longer feel his mouth through the scorching chilies. On top of that, his body was

    getting itchy. ''Maybe my allergies are acting up again, '' he thought.

    "Hey, I''ll be back. I just need to use thedies'' room," Ashley stood up and said to Andrew.

    Andrew nodded. He wanted to say something but he couldn''t open his mouth.

    After Ashley left, Andrew quicklyid down his chopsticks and took a swig of water.

    His mouth had no feeling except numbness and burning.

    The moment felt exceptionally bittersweet¡ªjust like chocte candies covered with paprika.

    Andrew took out a small bottle from his pocket and drew an allergy pill from the bottle. He took the

    medicine and continued to eat the food that Ashley put in his bowl.

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, Ashley washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror. She fixed her hair and wiped

    her mouth with a piece of tissue. Those dishes were so spicy that her mouth was as red as a rose.

    As she made her way back to the room, she saw a familiar face. It was Raymond.

    Ashley pretended not to see him and kept her head down low, but Raymond grabbed hold of her hand

    when she passed him by.

    "Ashley, I just came here to have a little talk to you. Please give me a chance!" Raymond said as he

    held Ashley''s hand tightly.

    His hand squeezed her fingers tightly, hurting Ashley quite a bit. She wanted to cry out but she forced

    herself to stay calm.

 Chapter 52 Severed Connections

    Chapter 52 Severed Connections

    Ashley turned around and looked at Raymond in his eyes. The air of peacefulness about her and the

    unfeeling look in her eyes worsened the whole situation. "What else can we talk about?" she started in

    a t tone. "I believe I have nothing to do with you anymore."

    Raymond felt his heart break into pieces.

    Cheating on Ashley was something that Raymond never intended to do. He was drunk that night, and

    he truly mistook Lena for Ashley. The feeling of regret was overwhelming him, but he knew that there

    was nothing else he could do to right what he had done wrong.

    "Ashley, it was all my fault. Please forgive me," Raymond begged, with his eyes being already red. "I

    know you still love me. Please, Ashley, give me another chance to love you and take care of you. I

    promise this won''t even happen again." With every word he said, Raymond felt his gut twist.

    "Shut up," Ashley replied, her eyes still devoid of emotion. "What? You still love me? So what now?

    You''re just gonna forget what happened?" Ashley''s tone was bing more pointed. Hurt was starting

    to color her eyes.

    For some reason, seeing Ashley react like this and hearing the words that came out of her mouth

    relieved the grief-stricken Raymond. For him, Ashley being angry was a testament that she still loved

    him. ''If she wasn''t affected like this, that''s when I''d really be worried, '' he said to himself, sighing

    silently.

    Whatever punishment Ashley had in store for him, he was ready for it. Having her back was the only

    thing that he wanted at that very moment.

    Raymond took a deep breath, looked Ashley in the eyes, and said, "Lena is a good girl, but she isn''t

    the one I love. You know that it''s you who I love. Lena will find someone else, and she will give us her

    blessing once she finds out we''re together," Raymond said firmly. He thought that saying that would

    appease the girl in front of him, but it seemed like it elicited a reaction opposite of what he was

    expecting.

    From anger, Ashley''s face contorted into a look of disbelief and disgust. ''Did this guy really say that

    Lena is a good girl?'' she thought to herself, torn between wanting tough and wanting to p

    Raymond.

    ''And how could he expect Lena to give us her blessing after what happened between them? That isn''t

    what a boss of a big firm would do.''

    There was nothing else Ashley could do at that moment but look at Raymond like he was some kind of

    a freak.

    ''Has he lost all his judgement about women, especially Lena?'' she said to herself, now disappointed.

    Everyone was fully aware of the things Lena had done, and not one of those things could be

    considered good or kind.

    Like the marriage of the Mu family and the Luo family. The engagement was made with little to no

    concern about its consequences. Then, if ever they called it off, they also wouldn''t care about its

    implications. The impact it would make to the families andpanies concerned literally didn''t bother

    them at all.

    Raymond''s mother wouldn''t allow his son to see her any longer if they canceled the engagement. She

    was sure of it. ''A good horse will never return to graze on grass that it has already passed by, '' Ashley

    silently thought. ''Hasn''t he heard of that before?''

    What Raymond had done could be regarded as a betrayal. And from the moment that Raymond

    betrayed her, she decided to cut all the connections with him.

    But she knew that what happened wasn''t all on Raymond. ''I mean, how could he even recognize a

    woman who is so good at acting? How would he be able to see how double-faced she is?'' she thought

    to herself.

    "Hahaha..." A sarcasticugh escaped Ashley''s mouth.

    "Raymond, could you be more foolish?" she started, her tone condescending. "You''re already engaged

    to Lena," she said firmly. "If you think that that''s a game, let me tell you - it''s not. It won''t be easy for

    you to cancel that. Please don''t be naive."

    Upon hearing what Ashley said, Raymond froze. He didn''t know what affected him more, being called

    foolish or naive.

    "No, Ashley, it''s not like that," he started, gripping Ashley tight by the shoulders. "Believe me, Lena''s

    going to let go and I can make everything okay. Give me another chance, please." Ashley couldn''t help

    but roll her eyes.

    How and why would Lena ever do that? Getting engaged to Raymond took a lot of work on her part.

    What made Raymond think that she would give that up that easily?

    ''I could see Lena ending her engagement with Raymond, '' Ashley admitted in her mind. ''As a strategy

    though." That was the Lena she knew. Getting connected to the Luo family was hard. There was no

    way Lena was going to give up like it was nothing.

    ncing at Raymond, Ashley saw him looking dispirited. ''Still handsome though, '' she noted in her

    mind. Taking a deep breath, she decided to shut out Raymond''s proposal. "Your engagement with Lena

    doesn''t only concern both of you, but also both your families," she started. "Stop asking me to give you

    another chance. I don''t want to have any connections with you any longer." She took another deep

    breath. "I have loved you, missed you, dreamt about you. All of that is in the past now. You''re nothing

    but a stranger to me now."

    Saying that hurt her, but she gritted her teeth and swallowed whatever she was feeling.

    With a final nce at Raymond, she turned around, and left.

    Raymond was in a daze, and only when he felt the warmth of Ashley slowly fading away in his hand

    was he jolted back into reality. His love was already paces in front of him before he was able to blurt

    out, "What are you doing here?" A man was with Ashley. With his blood running cold, he shouted

    again, "Why did youe here with a man?" His breath was bing fast and shallow. "You wouldn''t

    make me see it if you didn''t want to! That proves to me that you still love me! You''re just using him to

    make me jealous!"

    As much as he wanted to believe whatever he was saying, Raymond somehow couldn''t. But still, he

    continued. "Being with another man is your revenge to me for my stupidity, I get it. I''m in pain right now,

    so we''re even. Forgive me!"

    Ashley stopped but didn''t look back. She said tly, "Revenge? Do you really think that this is my

    revenge? Don''t get me wrong, Raymond. Do you really think that I was going to avenge myself for your

    faults by pretending to be with another man?"

    He couldn''t believe Ashley could be so harsh towards him.

    Stranger!

    That word just kept repeating in Raymond''s mind.

    Then, he saw the face of the man Ashley was with. Cunning, dangerous, and evil were the only words

    that came into his mind. Exasperated, he shouted at Ashley, "Get away from that man, Ashley! Trust

    me, he''s different from how he looks!" But Ashley didn''t allow him to continue.

    "Enough!" Ashley shouted with all her might. "I don''t need you to tell me what kind of man he is. Mind

    your own business!" Raymond saw how angry she looked. It broke his heart.

    Then, like nothing happened, she left.

    Feeling numb, Raymond just looked on as Ashley was walking away. He wanted to break down, but he

    suddenly noticed that someone was hiding in the corner, watching them. That person had undoubtedly

    seen what happened, and heard what they talked about.

    It was Lena.

    After Raymond excused himself for the bathroom, she started looking for him after he failed toe

    back within a reasonable time. She just happened to stumble at what was happening.

    What she witnessed agitated her. ''When would Ashley leave me - us - alone!'' she angrily thought, her

    heart beating fast.

    In her mind, Ashley was still seducing her man in every way she could. It couldn''t be farther from the

    truth though. Raymond started everything.

    Still, she failed to see the difference. Only Ashley was to me.

    Well, it was ssic Lena.

    She wouldn''t find out why she lost her own fiance. What she wanted to do was just find someone to

    me.

    Poor girl!

    When Ashley got to the room they booked, the room had been cleaned. Andrew was sitting by the side

    of the table quietly, looking at his phone.

    He obviously was waiting for her.

    He looked up at Ashley when she entered the room. It was as if he knew when she woulde in.

    ''Like a little boy waiting for his mom, '' Ashley thought, somewhat amused.

    "Are you okay?" Ashley asked, gesturing towards Andrew. "I''ll leave if you''re okay." Andrew stood up

    and stared at her for a second, then he turned around and walked out of the room.

    Surprised, Ashley ran after him.

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    The ce was big. Thest thing she wanted was for the both of them to get lost in

    there.

 Chapter 53 Francis

    Chapter 53 Francis

    When Ashley and Andrew exited Vineyard Restaurant, it was already dark. But there were bright neon

    lights and headlights that zed in the streets. Ashley walked slowly, and Andrew followed her at a

    polite distance.

    All of a sudden, a cool breeze blew.

    Ashley was only wearing a dress, and the cold air sent shivers up and down her body. Instinctively, she

    crossed her hands over her chest and rubbed her arms to keep herself warm.

    Suddenly, the smell of sweet tobo wafted through her senses.

    A coat had been draped over her shoulders.

    Surprised and baffled, she quickly turned around and saw Andrew''s handsome face very close to hers.

    He had a well-sculpted and enchanting face, which easily made him stand out from a crowd.

    He did not expect Ashley''s sudden movement and was caught off guard. He froze, his hands still

    resting on Ashley''s shoulders after cing his jacket over them. His longshes fluttered, making his

    deep, inky eyes, glimmer against the neon lights. With a straight face, he clenched his jaw slightly.

    At that moment, their faces were so close that they could feel each other''s warm breath.

    With that distance, Ashley saw that Andrew had such wless skin that could put Adonis to shame.

    As Ashley was lost in her thoughts, Andrew turned away and straightened himself up.

    As a result, Ashley''s lips gently touched his cheek.

    The unexpected "kiss" brought her back to her senses. Eyes wide open in shock, her hands flew up to

    her mouth in disbelief.

    ''She looks like a little, panic-stricken hamster.

    She looks so cute, '' Andrew thought inside, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

    There were so many emotions going through him right now, but he did his best not to show it. Instead,

    he furrowed his brows and bit on his lower lip slightly, looking more like he was angry.

    But the truth was, he was savoring that wonderful moment when Ashley nted a soft kiss on his

    cheek by ident.

    ''Her lips were so soft and smooth like jelly, '' he thought.

    "Wait here. I''ll be right back," he said to the rattled girl in a low, husky voice.

    With her hands still on her mouth, she met his gaze and gave a prompt nod.

    As Andrew disappeared into the distance, Ashley unfroze and gasped for air.

    She had no idea what was going on with her. After that incident, she was so nervous that she didn''t

    realize she was holding her breath all the while.

    ncing at the suit jacket that was now over her shoulder, she hugged it closer to her body and tried to

    compose herself.

    ''It was just an ident. Andrew noticed that I was cold. As a gentleman, it was natural that he would

    take off his jacket and put it on me. I was just caught off guard, that''s all.

    I shouldn''t make it a big deal. It was just an ident..

    Besides, it was my fault. He''s the victim here, ''

    she thought, trying to convince herself.

    Meanwhile, Andrew was walking to where he had parked his car. His hand went up to his cheek, his

    finger lightly brushing where Ashley had identally kissed him. The memory of her warm lips flooded

    Andrew''s thoughts.

    His eyes, which were usually devoid of any emotion, swelled with a softness that had never been there

    before.

    He got inside his car and started the engine, driving towards where he had left Ashley. When she came

    into his view, Andrew couldn''t help but smile to himself.

    Ashley was busy looking at her phone as she waited for Andrew. She had already put the previous

    events behind her.

    The sudden honk attracted her attention. Stunned, she raised her head slowly and saw Andrew waving

    to her in the car.

    Ashley pursed her lips slightly in disapproval. ''What is he doing? He is acting as if I''m his pet, '' she

    thought.

    Unwillingly, she made her way to his car and got inside the passenger seat.

    The moment she buckled up, she caught a glimpse of Andrew''s arm- it was red with rashes. "What''s

    wrong with your arm?" she asked worriedly. ''What''s going on with his arm? When we came here, he

    looked all right.

    Is he suffering from an allergy?'' she mused, staring at the red spots.

    His lips pressed together as he looked over his arm.

    When he was on his way to get his car, he was still feeling itchy from all the spicy food he ate. He had

    already noticed that there were red spots on his arm, and tugged on his sleeves to hide them. But, his

    attempts were futile.

    "I''m fine. It just got itchy, that''s all," Andrew replied as he tugged on his sleeves further to cover the red

    spots.

    "I see. I thought you had an allergy," Ashley said with a skeptical look. ''Come on, Ashley, he has no

    reason to lie to you. If he said he''s fine, then he''s fine, '' she said to herself. With that, she turned her

    head and looked out the window instead.

    As the suspicion on Ashley''s face disappeared, Andrew inwardly let out a sigh of relief.

    He didn''t want her to pry too much and find out that he was actually allergic to spicy food.

    ''She put so much spicy food in my bowl. If she knew that I am allergic to spicy food, she would feel

    guilty. I don''t want to see her guilty, '' he thought, frowning to himself.

    ...

    The two drove back to Ashley''s condo in silence. Although they did not talk much, they were

    comfortable, and enjoyed each other''spany.

    It was as if they were long-time friends.

    Soon enough, they arrived in Ashley''s neighborhood. When Andrew stopped the car, Ashley

    unfastened her seat belt so she could get out of the car. But when she tried to open the door, it wouldn''t

    open.

    She turned to look at Andrew.

    "Why can''t I open it?" she asked.

    Instead of answering her question, he said curtly, "Give me your phone?"

    "Why is that?" Ashley asked, staring at him with confused eyes. Without receiving any response from

    him, she drew her cell phone out of her handbag, swiped the screen to unlock it, and handed it to him.

    In one swift movement, he took the phone and made a call. Soon a melodious ringtone broke the

    silence.

    He gave it back to Ashley and rested his eyes on her. "It''s my number. You can call me any time," he

    said softly in his husky voice.

    "Okay..." Ashley nodded. Andrew reached for a switch at his side, unlocking the car door with a quiet

    click.

    Ashley looked at the number on her phone screen and got out of the car.

    ...

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    When Ashley''s figure disappeared in the distance, Andrew pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

    It took him a long while to get through. And then, he heard the seductive giggles of a woman in the

    background at the end of the line.

    In a five-star hotel, Francisy on the bed naked with a gorgeous woman. It looked like she was still

    indulging in the crazy sex they just had before the call had interrupted. With a displeased look, she

    ogled Francis, extending her slender hand to draw small circles on his sturdy chest.

    Miffed slightly, Francis checked the phone number. When he saw Andrew''s name on the screen, he

    pushed the girl away and got out of bed. In three long strides, he walked over to the French doors and

    answered the call. "Hello? Mr. Lu, you finally thought of me," he said in a yful tone.

    The moment Andrew had heard the woman in the background, he had a good idea what his friend was

    doing. Andrew''s brows furrowed. "Come to Golden Pce," he demanded coldly.

 Chapter 54 Teaching Him A Lesson

    Chapter 54 Teaching Him A Lesson

    "What, at this hour? What do you n to do with me? You know, if you''re asking me to sleep with you, I

    have to say that, although I''m ttered, I''m only interested in women..."

    But before he had finished speaking, Andrew had already hung up.

    Francis frowned.

    "Why do I have to go there? He stood me up this afternoon! I don''t have to follow everything he says to

    me. Who does he think I am? I won''t go there even if he begs me to!"

    But, even as Francis said this out loud, he was already getting inside the bathroom to take a shower,

    getting to leave for the Golden Pce. After a few minutes, he came out with a towel tied around his

    waist, his thick hair and sculpted body dripping wet.

    Upon seeing Francise out, the pretty woman who was still waiting for him on the bed, walked up to

    him and leaned towards him. "Mr. Nan..."

    However, Francis dodged her.

    "Mr. Nan." That woman looked at Francis morosely, with tears forming in her eyes.

    It took Francis some time to get rid of the woman''s strong perfume, so there was no way he was going

    to let her touch him again when he just got out of the shower.

    What happened the previous time was still fresh in his memory.

    There was a time Andrew asked Francis toe over at his ce, right after he had just had sex with

    another woman. Unthinkingly, he went over there without taking a shower. The smell of strong perfume

    and all other sorts of odors lingered on his body.

    Before he could even get close to Andrew, he was driven out by Andrew''s bodyguards.

    Besides, Andrew had already told Francis off that he should take a bath before he got there.

    At that time, Francis didn''t understand why Andrew would treat him like that. He sniffed the perfume

    smell on his body, and thought that it was actually pleasant and arousing.

    It wasn''t until the bodyguard reminded him that he realized that Andrew was disgusted by the smell.

    Since then, Francis remembered to always take a shower before meeting Andrew so that he wouldn''t

    be driven out again.

    After Francis quickly put on his clothes, he walked up to the woman and kissed her unhappy face. "I

    have something to deal with tonight, so I have to go now. I''m sorry for leaving you alone out of the

    blue." With that, Francis took a cheque out of his pocket and put it in the woman''s hand. He still even

    leered at her before he left.

    The woman looked at the cheque in her hand with a satisfied smile. "It doesn''t matter. Now that you

    have something to do now, you can just go ahead."

    She was obviously the kind of woman who had sex for money. Of course she would not feel sad when

    Francis was going to leave her as long as she got her pay.

    Besides, many women were willing to sleep with such a handsome rich man like Francis, so the

    woman might surely be very pleased with such a good chance tonight anyway.

    ...

    Without any dy, Francis immediately drove towards the Golden Pce where Andrew lived.

    Upon arriving, he found that the vi''s doors were wide open, as if Andrew had expected that he would

    go there no matter what.

    Francis pursed his lips in annoyance.

    ''Tch! What if I didn''t n toe here? Thieves would surely rob this prick!'' he thought to himself.

    On the other hand, however, it would be impossible for any thief to get inside the Golden Pce.

    And even if thieves could get inside, Andrew would not let them take away any stuff in his vi easily,

    especially since he had a lot of bodyguards around.

    Francis entered the vi. When he saw that Andrew wasn''t around at the living room or kitchen, he

    made his way into Andrew''s bedroom andy down on the bed.

    As soon as he plopped down on the mattress, Andrew came out of the bathroom. His hair was still wet,

    little droplets rolling down his bare, masculine chest.

    He reached down and grabbed another towel, drying off his robust body.

    With long strides, he went up to Francis.

    He stared at Francis, his brows slightly twitching and his hands balling up into fists; it was obvious that

    he was starting to lose his temper.

    "Get out of my bed right now," Andrew eximed in a cold voice. Those who knew him well enough

    could see that he was angry now.

    Francis, who was still lying on the bed, was starting to feel a bit sleepy. Andrew''s bed was so

    comfortable that the drowsiness seemed toe out of nowhere.

    But the moment he heard Andrew''s cold voice, Francis jumped out of the bed immediately.

    Andrew''s friends all knew that Andrew was a neat freak, so they didn''t dare touch any of his personal

    belongings, let alone lie on Andrew''s bed as Francis had just done right in front of him.

    Although Francis knew this, he deliberatelyy there just to displease Andrew, still indignant at the fact

    that Andrew stood him up this afternoon and left with a woman.

    However, when he saw Andrew''s livid face now, he began to be scared.

    Now he was worried that Andrew might actuallye at him.

    He knew clearly that Andrew would do something cruel and fearful when he was in a towering rage, so

    far as to kill anyone who might offend him.

    When Francis just got out of bed, he saw the red marks, scratches and even slight injuries on Andrew''s

    skin. Without hesitation, Francis walked up to Andrew.

    Being not as casual as just now, he became serious and felt sorry for Andrew as he saw the red marks

    on Andrew''s body. He asked in a low, worried voice, "Have you eaten something hot and spicy?"

    "Yes," Andrew replied tly, not denying it. Although his body itched terribly and he felt very

    ufortable, Andrew didn''t look miserable at all. It seemed that he had the remarkable endurance.

    "Oh my God. You really ate spicy food?" Francis said in shock.

    "Have you forgotten that you can''t eat spicy food ever since you were a kid? Besides, you are allergic

    to peppers, and you have never eaten any peppers ever! How could you still even dare to eat it?

    Did you eat peppery food just because of that woman? Did she ask you to eat spicy food? No wonder

    you would ask me for medicine to control allergic reactions the other day. Did you really anticipate to

    eat peppery food today?"

    Francis got even more annoyed and then added, "I''ve taught you how to deal with a woman properly

    last time, but why didn''t you follow my advice? How could you even eat something spicy? You are

    really so silly. Even if you want to attract her attention, you don''t have to do that."

    Francis knew, however, that a man would not be so sensible anymore and would even act like an idiot

    once he had indulged himself in someone he really liked.

    And such a wise, clever person like Andrew would definitely be foolish when he waspletely

    infatuated with a woman.

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    Francis babbled on and on about Andrew''s matter and kept on ming Andrew for his stupid behavior.

    He was really very good at making such remarks on Andrew.

    After Andrew cast a cold nce at him, he finally realized that he was talking too much, and finally shut

    his mouth.

 Chapter 55 Are You Kidding Me

    Chapter 55 Are You Kidding Me

    Even though Francis stopped babbling, he still thought that he hadn''t said enough. Andrew shouldn''t

    eat anything spicy even if he had taken the pills.

    ''How stupid is that?'' Francis wondered. ''What Andrew will do next just in order to win that woman''s

    heart?''

    He was thrilled already when he thought about the idea that Andrew might do something more stupid.

    "It''s lucky that you took the pills I gave to you in time, or you can be in the hospital now!" scolded

    Francis.

    Francis observed Andrew''s skin, trying to search for a spot that wasn''t screaming with red bumps.

    Andrew''s whole body, however, was covered with the reaction.

    If Ashley were here now, she would definitely notice the allergic reaction. What she had seen on his

    arm in the car was just merely the tip of the iceberg.

    Ashley did learn about itter.

    Ashley felt terrible when she found out. When she realized Andrew couldn''t eat spicy food without

    having a reaction, she felt guilty. She felt so guilty that Andrew even managed to get what he wanted.

    That was ater story.

    Taking a first aid kit out of the medicine cab, Francis picked up a bottle of liquid medicine. He

    examined it and noted the uses, then he approached Andrew. He dipped the cotton ball into the bottle,

    grabbed Andrew''s arm, and swabbed the soaked piece of cotton from Andrew''s fingers to shoulders.

    The moment Andrew felt the liquid applying on his skin, he felt much better. His skin had been burning

    since he ate the spicy food in the restaurant.

    Sitting quietly on the bed, Andrew didn''t say anything. He just let Francis put the liquid on his skin. It

    seemed that Andrew''s attention was wandering.

    He didn''t even notice when Francis had finished his job.

    Francis noticed Andrew''s eyes were not focused. He lifted his arm to wave in front of Andrew''s face.

    ''Nothing?''

    He waved again with more aggression, his arms iling in a hurried pattern.

    ''Still nothing?'' Francis wondered.

    Again, he waved his arms, trying to break Andrew''s gaze. "Hey, Andrew, I finished taking care of you,

    now I want to know what are you thinking?" Francis moved his hands closer to Andrew''s face and

    continued, "I''m not here to watch you be in a trance.

    My time is very precious. Women, lots of women, want me for sex." Francis raised his voice with each

    sentence and by the time he said thest word, he was shouting.

    In order to draw Andrew''s attention, he shouted really hard.

    As expected, Andrew came back to earth when he heard the shouting. He turned to Francis and looked

    at him with empty eyes.

    "Did you hear me? Or are you a fool?" muttered Francis.

    He had been told when you broke someone''s fixed trance, the way he just had done to Andrew, it was

    likely that the person would be a fool.

    He knew that was something absurd. But if it was true, he would feel so guilty for shouting at Andrew

    all of a sudden.

    "Hey, Andrew, are you okay? You don''t need to worry if you really be a fool.

    I will handle your family business for you and take good care of you. You can count on me," he said

    seriously. Francis began to think that there might be something wrong about Andrew. He didn''t say

    anything so far.

    Suddenly, the thought of taking over Andrew''s family business scared Francis.

    If he took over the Lu Group, he would be so busy dealing with the business that he wouldn''t have any

    time to pick up girls.

    Francis realized he didn''t think it through before he made that promise. That was something he found

    hard to ept.

    Andrew was a little amused by Francis''s remark. A faint smile crossed his lips.

    Lifting his leg, he kicked Francis in the shins.

    Francis, worried about his friend''sck of enthusiasm for his earlierment, was not prepared for the

    swift fall to the ground. He sat up and began to breathe heavily to catch his breath.

    "Oh shit!

    Now you''re a fool and a violent maniac. What do I do?!" Francis panted the words at Andrew while he

    choked on the air around him.

    "Francis!" Andrew growled. "Get up. Right now. One...two...three!"

    He looked at the Francis who was lying on the ground, muttering nonsense.

    In fact, Andrew had something to ask Francis. If he didn''t, Francis would have been thrown out by him

    already.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    "I''m up!" Francis announced, hauling himself to his feet. Then Francis raised his head, looked into

    Andrew''s eyes and continued, "Good. You seem to be okay."

    Andrew sneered, "Are you disappointed that I am not a fool?"

    "No, of course not." Francis stood near Andrew, and yelped, "My ass! My ass!" Francis shouted as he

    began to feel the pain.

    Andrew watched Francis dancing and yelling around the room, and couldn''t help but spit at him. "Shut

    up!" Andrew hated yelling, screaming, and hollering. All of those made his head ache, but Francis

    droned on and on about the pain radiating from the fall on his rear.

    Francis didn''t stop until he noticed the cold stare Andrew was shooting him.

    He tried to recall what had happened just now. How had he ended up lying on the ground? Just

    because of a kick from Andrew?

    Now his whole body, especially his bottom ached with pain.

    "Tell me how to cure my allergy to spicy food?" Andrew''s tone was frigid and Francis thought therge

    bedroom grew colder as he continued to speak.

    ''What?!'' Francis thought. ''Andrew wants to treat his allergy to spicy food?''

    Francis was stumped. Even though he was a doctor, he did not specialize in curing spicy food allergies.

    Besides, Andrew had been allergic to spicy food since he was a little child. It was not going to be an

    easy thing to cure.

    Francis bit back angry words and in a calm, t tone, asked, "Cure it? How? You have been allergic to

    spicy food since you were a little child." Now his eyes were icy steel. He knew that Andrew''s obsession

    with finding a cure for his allergies was due to a woman - Ashley. No longer calm, he red at Andrew

    and said, "You tell me how to cure it. I''m listening."

    Andrew said nothing. He looked straight into Francis''s eyes, as if to say, ''Aren''t you a doctor? Don''t you

    know how to cure allergies?''

    Francis understood, all too well what Andrew was saying with his eyes. He understood that Andrew

    was mocking him for not knowing how to cure his allergy.

    ''What is the point of treating a patient who doesn''t even trust his medical opinion?'' he mused. ''Worse,

    he is thinking of me as an idiot.'' Again, Andrew demanded an answer, "Just tell me how to cure my

    allergies."

    Francis sucked in a breath and began, "You have allergic skin. That''s why you can''t eat spicy food.

    There isn''t an effective way to treat your allergy right now. You''re lucky that you took the pills during

    dinner earlier today. The reaction you had wasn''t that strong. But you might not be so lucky next time.

    You should never think that you can eat spicy food as long as you take the pills. The pills are only

    something used to battle your allergy. They might fail to do so sometimes. It can''t help treat your allergy

    at all," he continued.

    "What I am telling you is that you can''t count on the pills every time. You''re lucky that you''re okay this

    time, but not every single time will you be so lucky. Don''t me me when you end up in the hospital

    next time," warned Francis.

    He knew what Andrew was thinking. If he didn''t warn Andrew now, Andrew might ask him for more pills

    and take them every time he had spicy food.

    Francis considered the facts around Andrew''s hunt for the pills. Had he known the reason, the real

    reason, for Andrew needing the pills, he never would have given them to him in the first ce.

    Andrew''s face went void again. Francis couldn''t tell if he was listening or not.

    Shortly after Francis finished speaking, Andrew dismissed him. The words were curt and short, "You

    can go now." "Andrew!"

    Francis shook his head. "I can''t go. It''s reallyte. Where do you think I can go at this hour?!" Again,

    when he looked at Andrew''s face, there was no expression. ''I wish I could p some sense into him, ''

    he thought.

    ''How did I make friends with this type of man? I wish I had nevere.''

    Francis was furious. He turned around and was about to leave.

    Just before he left, he noticed the pillows on Andrew''s bed. Woven in the threads of the pillowcase

    were some long hairs.

    ''Long hairs, '' Francis eximed in his mind.

    ''Andrew Lu, you dog. You seem not to be interested in any woman. But in fact, you have been picking

    up girls behind our back!'' Francis said to himself.

 Chapter 56 Throw Him Out

    Chapter 56 Throw Him Out

    ''Uh, oh.

    It might have sounded weird that I said he hooked up with some girl behind our back.

    Whatever...''

    Francis shook his head, trying to get rid of those thoughts in his mind.

    Before Andrew could react, something else caught his attention. Francis jumped onto the bed and

    picked up a long strand of hair. After examining it for a split second, he went over to Andrew at once.

    He showed the evidence to him and grilled,"How are you going to exin this, Andrew?

    It''s a woman''s hair. You slept with someone earlier, didn''t you?"

    Francis said, spitting out every word with anger.

    It was as if he was an angry wife who had just caught a cheating husband.

    However, Andrew''s face had darkened with fury the moment Francis threw himself onto the bed.

    Upon seeing his sharp gaze, Francis felt a little intimidated. ''It''s obvious Andrew has a girlfriend that he

    doesn''t want anyone to know about. It''s his fault for keeping secrets. I have proof now, and besides, I

    did nothing wrong.'' At the thought of this, Francis stood up straight.

    He had no idea, or perhaps didn''t even think, that he was acting like an over dramatic wife demanding

    for an exnation.

    Without any intentions of wasting another word on Francis, Andrew whipped out his cellphone and

    made a quick call.

    A couple of tall, hefty men in ck suits appeared outside the room within seconds.

    Francis saw iting, and already had a bad vibe the moment Andrew took out his phone.

    An increasing trepidation seized him at the sight of the bulky men.

    "Throw him out!" Andrew''s detached, emotionless voice reverberated in the room.

    The men in ck who were standing outside the room bowed to Andrew in unison. With their nk,

    cold faces, they strode towards Francis and dragged him out before he got over his shock.

    "Is this how you return my kindness, Andrew? Let me go! Don''t forget that I have proof of your little

    girlfriend!

    Andrew, you''d better ask them to stop. How could you treat me this way?" Francis shouted at Andrew.

    As he was dragged away, his voice trailed off. Francis had his eyes glued on Andrew until he was out

    of sight.

    When he was finally left alone, Andrew looked at the ce where Francis hadin, with his eyes full of

    aversion.

    He walked up to the king-sized bed, preparing to change his sheets. But a couple long strands of hair

    caught his attention. Memories of Ashley came flooding in his mind, the very first night she slept in his

    bed. He changed his mind about changing his sheets because he thought Ashley''s scent might still be

    lingering there.

    He went up to lie on the side of the bed where she had slept. A faint, pleasant smell filled his senses.

    With a deep sigh, he let himself sink into the mattress.

    ...

    Meanwhile, Francis was dragged out of the mansion by the bodyguards.

    Since his yelling and threats didn''t work, he decided to change his strategy. Putting on his most

    charming smile, he looked at each of the guards.

    "Hey, okay. I''m your boss'' best friend. He was just joking. Don''t take his words seriously.

    You can let me go now. I can go home myself. You don''t have to take me home," he negotiated.

    He made it sound that he was telling the truth.

    Upon hearing this, one of the men in ck threw a sidelong nce at Francis. "We only follow Mr. Lu''s

    instructions. He told us to throw you out and we must carry out his orders," one said, his face and tone

    devoid of any emotion.

    "Oh, wait. I told you that he was joking. We''re best friends. He wouldn''t be so mean to me," Francis

    exined as he tugged the guard''s sleeve.

    The man in ck pressed his lips slightly. Francis felt slightly relieved and guessed that they would let

    him go, but instead, another guard said sternly,"Mr. Lu never jokes around."

    ''Oh, yeah, you''re right. Your boss never cracks a joke.

    I feel like aughingstock!'' Francis sighed inwardly.

    Without a moment''s notice, Francis was suddenly thrown into the air. Consumed by great terror, he felt

    as if his heart was stuck in his throat.

    Andrew''s bodyguards were well-trained elites who were skilled in martial arts. Otherwise, they couldn''t

    have been hired by the most powerful, affluent man in the city.

    m!

    A big noise resounded as Francis fell onto the ground.

    He sprawled on the road on his back. They had thrown him at quite a distance since he was now about

    thirty feet away from Andrew''s house.

    With leaves and mud all over his clothes and body, he looked like a total mess. It was impossible to

    recognize him as the dashing and attractive Francis.

    As he struggled to get up on his feet, a sharp pain shot up his body. "Ouch!

    Damn it, Andrew!" he shouted through gritted teeth.

    ''Ouch... It hurts.

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    I feel like my bones broke, '' he thought.

    As he limped towards his car, he couldn''t stop cursing Andrew in his head.

    With a snort, he seethed,"Andrew, you''re such a crabby, mean man. No woman can stand your bad

    temper. How would she fall in love with you? You''re doomed to be single in your lifetime!"

    "Ouch, ouch. My butt is killing me.. I think I might have sprained my ankles as well. I can''t let him go so

    easily. I''lle over to the Lu Group tomorrow and ask Andrew to pay for my medical fees and

    emotional damage!

    I could have had fun with that hot girl tonight, but he asked me to drop by to see him. I didn''t expect

    that he would treat me that way. I''ll nevere over to see him again no matter what happens to him!"

    he whined as he got inside his car.

    Without a doubt, Francis looked different before he had arrived at the Golden Pce.

    In Ashley''s apartment.

    Upon leaving her bedroom, Ashley noticed that Ellie was hanging out in the living room. "Have you

    seen my green jade pendant, Ellie?" she asked anxiously.

    Ellie, who was curling up on the couch, was fiddling with her cellphone. She turned around to look back

    at Ashley. "What''s up? Did you miss something? I''ll help you," Ellie replied as she stood up from her

    seat.

    "It''s a thumb-sized green jade pendant. It''s drop-shaped. I remember I put it in the drawer. But I

    couldn''t find it," Ashley said with a rattled expression. She was so sad that she almost burst into tears.

    "Come on, Ashley, cool down. If you saw it here, it must be somewhere in our condo. Don''t worry. We''ll

    find it," Ellieforted her friend.

    "Hmm," Ashley responded with a nod. The two started scouring the living room for the pendant.

    Several minutester, Ellie found an aquamarine drop-shaped pendant under the tea table. ''It looks

    simr to the one Ashley lost, '' she thought. "Ashley, is this the one you''re looking for?" she asked as

    she showed the pendant to her bestie.

    "Oh, yes, it is. I finally found it!" Ashley eximed in joy. She went up to Ellie, took the jade pendant

    from her and held it in her palm tightly.

    "It looks expensive. Did you get it from Raymond?" Ellie asked, staring at Ashley.

    ''It looks good and has exquisite craftsmanship. Although I know nothing about jade, I bet it is costly, ''

    she analyzed.

    Ashley shook her head and replied,"No. I gave all his gifts back to him. Now that we''re over, there''s no

    way I''m keeping his stuff."

 Chapter 57 Surprised

    Chapter 57 Surprised

    "Actually, I don''t know how I got this jade pendant. But I remember that I used to wear it around my

    neck when I was younger.

    And I always knew that this jade pendant was very important to me!

    When I was a child, Lena saw me wearing it and wanted to grab it. After fighting with her, I finally got it

    back. Since then, I never risked wearing it again, instead I kept it in the box, well hidden," Ashley said

    in a broken voice as she stroked the pendant while she reminisced about her childhood days.

    She didn''t know how she got the jade pendant. But she had been wearing it around her neck since she

    was a child. It meant a lot to her.

    "You were adopted by the Mu family when you were five years old. Think about it. Could this pendant

    have been given to you by your real family?" Ellie asked.

    "I don''t know. I was seriously ill when I was five years old. When I recovered from the illness, I lost all of

    my memory from the past. And even if I hadn''t lost my memory, I don''t think I would have remembered

    anything because I was only a small child and it was such a long time ago," Ashley said helplessly.

    "It seems that you may have been born in a rich family!" Ellie suddenly looked at Ashley and said with

    excitement.

    Ashley was taken aback by her words. But a few secondster, she rolled her eyes and smiled. "It''s

    impossible."

    "Why do you think it''s impossible? Just look at this jade pendant! Even Lena wouldn''t be able to afford

    such a beautiful and expensive pendant!" Ellie couldn''t help raising her voice out of excitement.

    "Since this pendant is so important to you, you should wear it all the time. Otherwise, what if you lose

    it?

    You may not be so lucky to find it again.

    When you were a child, it was difficult for you to protect it and anyone could have taken it from you. But

    now, you have grown up and you can look after it. I really think you should wear it. If you evere

    across your real family and they see the jade pendant, they may recognize it and know that you are

    their daughter."

    "I guess that sounds reasonable enough." Ashley nodded in agreement.

    Later, she wore the pendant around her neck.

    Not every woman could pull off wearing a beautiful aquamarine jade pendant. If thedy that wore such

    a pendant didn''t have a certain air about her or skin tone, the pendant would be dull and

    insignificant.

    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    However, Ashley had a good temperament and fair skin. Wearing the jade pendant made her look

    more elegant. It was truly made for her. With a little essory, she looked like a well-educateddy

    born into a wealthy family.

    "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you something. Ellie, do you remember the boy who came to J City to visit

    his rtives and got mugged?

    You know the one, he did a favor for me a few days ago. Well, I have organized to meet up with him

    tomorrow. Do you want toe with me?"

    "Definitely. I''m so curious to see what this mystery man looks like since you were so fascinated by him

    that you stopped in your tracks to help him," Ellie replied with a cheeky grin.

    "I wasn''t fascinated by him. At that time, he was so poor and wretched that I couldn''t help but buy some

    food for him. I felt sorry for him. That''s all," Ashley exined.

    "Really? On the way home, we often see many poor and wretched beggars. Why don''t you feel sorry

    for them and buy them food then?" Ellie wasn''t buying her story for one minute.

    "Fine! He has beautiful eyes!" Ashley rolled her eyes and replied defiantly.

    "Humph! I can''t believe that you helped him for that reason! Be honest, did you fall in love with him at

    first sight?" asked Ellie while she giggled.

    Hearing that, Ashley jumped up and covered Ellie''s mouth with her hands to stop her from speaking.

    "You''re overthinking it! How could I fall in love with him? I don''t even know what he is like. Last time I

    saw him, he was tired and disheveled. Do you think that I could fall in love with a man that looked like

    that?"

    After chatting for hours, Ashley and Ellie became tired and each of them went to their own bedrooms to

    sleep.

    Ashley turned the light off andy on her bed. So many thoughts were churning inside of her head that

    she found it impossible to fall asleep.

    Andrew''s handsome and cold face kept shing through her mind. Ashley couldn''t help thinking of the

    time she identally kissed his cheek that night.

    She rolled over to the side of her bed and reached for her cellphone. Ashley turned it on and gazed at

    Andrew''s phone number on the screen. It was as if she was looking at Andrew''s face. She

    remembered his features so vividly.

    She wondered curiously, ''Why did Andrew give me his phone number?

    Why would he do that? What was the meaning behind it? I don''t know where exactly I stand with him.

    It''s soplicated to define the rtionship that we have. We seem like friends, but we aren''t.

    Because we have had sex together, ''

    After thinking about it a lot, Ashley felt annoyed and frustrated. ''Why do I think so much about it?

    Anyway, it''s none of my business. I won''t contact him anymore.''

    ¡­

    In the Yun family residence, Greyson got up early in the morning. His parents stared wide-eyed at him

    because of the sudden change in his usual routine.

    What happened to him today? Greyson rarely got up before noon. Why did he get up so early?

    His charming and beautiful mother gazed at him lovingly, as hebed his hair. After a long while,

    Greyson stopped and asked helplessly, "Dear mother, when do you n to stop looking at me?"

    Roxie Ling tittered with embarrassment without saying anything. At that moment, the man sitting next to

    Roxie spoke in an angry tone, "Is there anything wrong with your mother looking at you? You are her

    son. Can''t she look at you when she wants to?"

    Greyson looked just like his father. But obviously, his chiseled face looked more mature and prudent

    than Greyson''s.

    Compared with him, Greyson looked younger and gentler.

    "I didn''t say anything. Why did you scold my dear son?" Roxie said ring at her husband who was

    about to wrap his arm around her waist.

    Heinz Yun felt wronged for being scolded unfairly by Roxie. ''I only said a few words in your defense.

    Roxie, I was helping you. Why did you have to scold me, instead?'' thought Heinz.

    It could be proof that Heinz Yun, who was alwaysmanding in front of others, had a low status at

    home.

    Greyson couldn''t help but chuckle.

    "Okay. I''m sorry for reprimanding him. You can ask whatever you want to ask," Heinz said as he looked

    at Roxie affectionately. When Roxie turned her head to look at Greyson, Heinz immediately shot

    Greyson an angry re.

    It seemed as if he was saying, "Talk to your mom nicely. Otherwise, I will punish you heavily!"

    Heinz cared mostly for his beloved wife, Roxie. In the Yun family, there was no need for a woman to

    worry about her husband straying and having affairs with other women. Because in the Yun family,

    everyone was very loyal to their lovers and cared very much for them, especially Heinz.

    Roxie had the highest status in their family. Greyson was their youngest son. So, Roxie favored him the

    most. She loved him so much, that even his father, Heinz wasn''t allowed to raise his voice at him, let

    alone do anything else.

    As far as Roxie was concerned, Heinz should treat Greyson more like his son and not one of his

    soldiers that he needed to train and be harsh with. She couldn''t understand why he had to treat

    Greyson so strictly.

    "Mother, I know what you want to ask. Don''t ask me now, please. I''m going out on a date. Maybe you''ll

    be a grandmother next year." He seemed to know what was on his mother''s mind and so Greyson

    blurted out too much information all at once.

    He then gave himself another quick check in the mirror, stood up and left the house. Roxie was

    stunned by what he said and it took her a moment toe to her senses. Then she asked in surprise,

    "Heinz, what did Greyson say? Did he say that he is going out on a date?" Roxie looked at Heinz and

    asked with excitement in her voice.

    "Yes. You heard correctly. He is going out on a date," replied Heinz.

 Chapter 58 Greyson Was So Cute

    Chapter 58 Greyson Was So Cute

    Heinz repeated the words to his wife because he saw the surprised expression on her face.

    "Really? I didn''t mishear him, right?" Roxie still looked as though it hadn''t sunk in yet that her son was

    going out on a date.

    Then she turned to look at Heinz and pinched him as hard as she could. She then innocently blinked

    her eyes up at him and red at him. "Does it hurt?"

    Heinz was still in the military and trained regrly. So he had a strong physique, and he was also

    hardened against pain, so no matter how hard Roxie pinched him, it had no effect on him. He didn''t feel

    the pain at all.

    However, when he noticed that Roxie was ring at him expectantly, he immediately pretended to be

    in pain. "Ouch! That really hurts. You didn''t mishear Greyson. He has indeed gone out on a date with

    someone."

    Though he was pinched by Roxie, that didn''t hurt him at all. What did hurt him was the fact that Roxie

    wanted to inflict pain on him as a sort of confirmation way because of their son, Greyson. Sometimes

    Heinz wished that Greyson had never been born, and at least that way, his life with Roxie wouldn''t

    have been disrupted by him.

    When Roxie heard Heinz''s words and saw that she had hurt Heinz, she felt pleased and then let go of

    his arms and ignored him.

    "Well, I have to prepare a gift for my future daughter-inw now."

    Greyson wasn''t aware that his casual words gave Roxie so much hope and such a wonderful surprise.

    ...

    Ashley and Greyson had agreed to meet each other at the coffee shop

    which happened to be close to where the girls lived.

    She preferred this coffee shop as opposed to the one where Peggy arranged for her to go on the blind

    date yesterday.

    Even though this one wasn''t as luxurious as the one Peggy chose, it was, however, quaint and elegant.

    And the coffee and food were reasonably priced.

    They were nning to meet at the coffee shop at 10 o''clock in the morning. And since Ashley and Ellie

    lived nearby, they arrived earlier than Greyson.

    When Greyson arrived there, he could see Ashley and Ellie through the shop window, sitting at a table

    and chatting.

    One of them wore her hair in a bun, dressed in a simple white T-shirt and a pair of ck jeans, which

    made her look young, vivacious and pretty.

    The other one wore a knee-length faint yellow dress, with her ck hair hanging down to her waist.

    She looked beautiful, gentle and attractive.

    "Ashley, Ellie, I''m notte, am I?" Greyson said as he approached their table interrupting them. A sweet

    smile spread across his adorable face. When he smiled, his whole face lit up and two canine teeth and

    two slight dimples on his cheeks could be seen, which made him look very cute.

    Ashley and Ellie couldn''t help but stare at him with admiration.

    Ashley noticed how stunning Greyson''s eyes were when she first saw him, and even when he was

    disheveled they still stood out. Otherwise, she would not have been so nice to him and bought him food

    back then. Now that he was all cleaned up and dressed well, Ashley was surprised that not only did he

    have attractive eyes but his whole appearance was adorable as well. Ashley and Ellie were both

    attracted to him.

    The girls quickly recovered from their surprise at how attractive Greyson was and smiled back at him.

    And then Ashley spoke up, "No, you aren''tte. We just came earlier."

    Greyson joined them and sat opposite the two girls.

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    "What would you like to drink?" Ashley asked.

    Greyson replied in a gentle voice, "I''ll have a cappino."

    Ashley nodded, beckoned the waiter over and then ordered a cup of cappino.

    Ashley always thought that cappino was more of adies'' favorite drink. She didn''t expect that an

    attractive young man like Greyson would also like it.

    "I''ve been drinking cappino ever since I was a child. And I also like sweet food." Greyson felt a little

    embarrassed and had a slight flush of pink to his cheeks.

    His cute appearance really appealed to Ashley and Ellie.

    Ashley and Ellie gave each other a knowing look and smiled. Both of the girls would love to caress

    Greyson''s face.

    "Well, it''s okay. I also think that cappino is great," Ashley remarked.

    Another thing that surprised Ashley, was how such a likable, charming young man could be a hacker.

    She had a vision in her head of what the cliche hacker would look like. She thought that he would be a

    homebody, who looked scruffy and unkempt. That was the sort of person she visualized when she

    thought of aputer hacker.

    Ashley found that many of the people that she had met ofte, were not what she had expected. And

    she couldn''t treat them as ordinary people in the usual way.

    "He looks so cute and young. Is he an adult or still a boy? I really want to touch his face. It might be

    very smooth to touch."

    "The two girls sitting with him might be his sisters. They are really beautiful. They must have inherited

    their parents'' good looks."

    "I want to have that handsome man''s WeChat. Can youe with me?"

    "Okay. I also want to have his WeChat."

    "Then let''s go."

    Two girls who were sitting nearby kept on talking about Greyson in hushed voices and ncing at him

    from time to time. Atst, they decided to approach Greyson and boldly ask for his WeChat.

    Ashley and Ellie were both speechless and surprised that they could be so presumptuous.

    They also happened to notice that the two girls seemed to be gawking at Greyson.

    And they also heard the two girls giving them praises about how beautiful they were, which seemed to

    please them.

    They silently fixed their eyes on Greyson''s young, charming baby face. If they didn''t know him and just

    happened to have seen him today, they would probably also have been bold ande over to ask him

    for his WeChat, because he was really very attractive.

    Then the two girls walked up to Greyson. "Hi! My name is Jennifer Li... Could I have your WeChat?"

    one of the girls stuttered, looking at Greyson and blushing.

    After she finished asking, the girl''s face became even redder, almost as red as an apple.

    "I''m sorry. I don''t have a WeChat ount," Greyson replied in a gentle voice, looking at the girl who

    went bright red. At the same time, he wore a sympathetic smile on his face.

    "It doesn''t matter if you don''t have one. Sorry. We..." Before the girl finished speaking, the other girl

    beside her patted her on the shoulder and winked at her.

    Then the girl bit her lips and asked, "Then, do you have a QQ ount?"

    "QQ ount? I don''t have it either, because my sisters make me focus on my study and not spend my

    time on an instant messaging application like QQ." Greyson tilted his adorable face and looked towards

    Ashley and Ellie innocently.

    Ashley was amused by his words. ''How could you say that you don''t have a QQ ount? You chatted

    with me via QQ a few days ago. Have you lost your memory?'' she thought in mind.

    Ellie totally admired Greyson. She thought that he was so cute that she even wanted to take him back

    home.

    "Oh, well. Sorry for disturbing you," the girl said, with disappointment and moroseness written on her

    face. Since Greyson showed a friendly attitude towards her, she didn''t say anything else except make

    an apology.

    Then she drew her friend to leave them.

    They argued in a low voice while leaving and their voice could be heard by Ashley, Ellie and Greyson.

    "You are so foolish. Now that he doesn''t have a WeChat or QQ ount, you could have asked his

    sisters for their WeChat or QQ ount numbers. You could have tried to make friends with his sisters

    first, so you can have a chance to get close to him."

    "Well, since you came up with such a brilliant idea, why didn''t you ask them personally just now? How

    could you just me me for that?"

    ...

    "Ashley, I didn''t mean to lie to them earlier. If I didn''t do that, there might be a lot of people asking me

    for my QQ number." Greyson stared at Ashley, wearing a winning smile on his face.

    Ashley chuckled, knowing that Greyson said those words just to hint that he was really popr among

    girls.

    Then Ashley asked curiously, "Oh right, are you an adult?"

    Greyson answered, "Yes. I''m turning twenty-four this year!"

 Chapter 59 Hot Pot

    Chapter 59 Hot Pot

    Ashley was astonished at what Greyson had just said.

    He was already 24 -

    one year older than her!

    But age had been kind to him and he looked younger than he actually was.

    Ashley was silent, not wanting to say anything.

    "Ellie, did I say something wrong? Ashley looks unhappy," Greyson asked Ellie, confused.

    "Oh, it''s nothing!" Ellie said. "She''s just a little surprised by your age. Can you guess how old she is?"

    "22 or 23?" Greyson said tentatively.

    "Correct! She''s 23. And you know how much girls are bothered by looking older. Ashley''s one year

    younger than you are, but people think she''s your older sister. Could she be more upset?" Ellie said,

    her face a picture of concern. But at the look on Greyson''s face, she couldn''t help but burst out

    laughing.

    "I guess you could take Ashley to be your elder sister, only she''s younger than you," Ellie joked,

    handing Ashley another cruel blow.

    "Okay, shut up, Ellie!" Ashley rasped, ring at Ellie.

    "I''m sorry if that bothers you. I do look younger than my own age, so every time I go out and people

    see me, they think I am still a juvenile," Greyson said gloomily.

    "It''s okay. You look cute," Ashley said.

    "Yeah, I know. I love the way I look," Greyson smiled.

    Gazing at Greyson, Ashley became speechless again. He was cute, but so much cuter when he

    smiled.

    "Where do you work?" he asked. And then as an afterthought, he said excitedly,"Maybe we work in the

    samepany but we don''t know that we do!"

    "Ha ha, Little Greyson, you are so cute!"

    Greyson stiffened at the nickname.

    He had never thought that Ashley would call him that.

    Greyson hated being called ''Little Greyson'' and lost his temper every time someone called him that.

    But strangely enough, he kind of liked it when Ashley used it on him.

    If Francis were here, he would definitely have taken Greyson to task for bending the rules for Ashley. ''It

    would have been a hell of a fight, '' Greyson mused.

    "We used to work for the Luo Group at one of their small branchpanies. We''ve quit now, though,"

    Ashley said.

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    "Why did you quit? Did anyone bully you there?" Greyson asked, genuinely curious.

    He wasn''t like Andrew, who had dug up all of Ashley''s personal information. Greyson had just done

    some superficial investigation about what had happened to Ashley and Ellie at the Luo Group.

    "No, we weren''t bullied. We were just tired of staying there. We thought that after resigning, we could

    do what we really enjoy doing and never have to answer to anyone. Does that make sense?" Ashley

    said, rather sheepishly.

    "Absolutely," Greyson nodded.

    "So, have you figured out what you really want to do?"

    "Yes, we have. It''s just a matter of finding the right ce to start off,"

    Ellie said. The memory of what had happened while looking for a good ce angered her instantly.

    ''What is the matter with Lena? Why does she have to go against Ashley and me?'' Ellie thought to

    herself.

    Lena had tried so hard to make them leave the Luo Group. And now that they had finally left, she

    wanted them back?

    She thwarted their efforts to rent an avable store every single time. Lena obviously did that on

    purpose and only wanted them to go back to her and grovel at her feet, begging her to go easy on

    them.

    However, Ashley and Ellie had different ns. They had decided to never go back to Lena. Ever.

    Greyson sensed that something was fishy from Ellie''s tone.

    And being the nosy guy that he was, he rolled his eyes and asked,"What happened, Ellie? Why didn''t

    you get the ce?"

    "It is all because of Le...?" Greyson''s innocent face made Ellie want to spill everything for him. But

    Ashley raised a finger to her lips and shook her head slightly.

    Ellie wasn''t stupid. Ashley''s gestures were enough to make her understand and shut her mouth.

    Puzzled, Greyson looked at Ashley.

    Ashley smiled at him,"It''s nothing, Greyson. We can handle it ourselves. Didn''t you say that you were

    hungry? Let''s go have lunch. It''s almost noon."

    Ashley pinched Ellie''s arm surreptitiously.

    There was a sharp intake of breath before Ellie echoed rather too eagerly,"Yes! Yes, let''s go have lunch

    now."

    Ashley didn''t want Greyson to get involved. It would be better to keep it from him, for his own sake.

    ''After all, he can''t afford to go up against the Luo Group, '' thought Ashley.

    Yet, what she didn''t know was that the Luo Group was no match for Greyson. He could remove the

    Luos from J City with just a word if he wanted to.

    "Greyson, do you eat spicy food?" Ashley turned to Greyson and asked.

    Greyson nodded in response.

    "Great then! Let''s go have hot pot!" Ashley said excitedly.

    "Do you like hot pot?" Ellie asked Greyson, looking sideways at him.

    He smiled and nodded at her.

    Inside, he was terrified.

    ''Hot pot?'' he thought to himself.

    ''What is this hot pot?''

    He had never even heard of hot pot, let alone tried it.

    Upper ss people like Greyson nitpicked about food and only ate precious, delicate food.

    And hot pot was only popr among civilians like Ellie and Ashley.

    So it was reasonable that Greyson had never eaten it before.

    They arrived at the hot pot restaurant. Although it was noon, there were only a few people there,

    enjoying their lunch.

    Ashley and Ellie often came to this restaurant. The food here was fresh and the soup in the hot pot was

    pungent and spicy. And this was the authentic Sichuan hot pot that they absolutely loved.

    The three of them settled down at a table by the window.

    Greyson quickly adapted to the new environment without any difort. No matter what questions

    Ashley and Ellie threw at him, he answered quite charmingly.

    When asked what he''d like to eat, he smiled every single time and said that he was fine with anything

    and everything. His answers charmed Ashley and Ellie even more and his amiability further appealed

    him to them.

    Although Ashley knew that Greyson was older than her, she saw him as the younger brother she never

    had. He looked so young and adorable.

    Not until the waiter brought the pot onto their table along with the other dishes they had ordered, did

    Greyson feel astonished, but he recovered his calm quickly enough.

    This was the first time he was seeing someone eat food like this.

    All three of them being a fan of spicy food, Ashley took the liberty of ordering a spicy, glowing red, hot

    pot soup that had peppers floating in it.

    After the soup in the pot had boiled, the two girls began dropping the food into the pot. Most of the food

    they had ordered was meat, but there were also a few vegetables in there.

 Chapter 60 Having A Good Time

    Chapter 60 Having A Good Time

    They added fish slices and shrimps into the simmering pot of soup. People who were crazy about hot

    pot would always put those in.

    Greyson was a foodie but it was his first time trying hot pot.

    Discretely, he observed what Ashley and Ellie were doing and he was able to learn the ways of eating

    hot pot quickly. ''You put the food in the pot and then you can eat it, '' he said to himself.

    ''But time is important. Some ingredients need to be cooked a little longer and some don''t.''

    "Try this, Greyson. It''s really good," the two foodies rmended as they kept adding food to his

    te.

    They hadn''t known him for a long time, but they had already thought of Greyson as their friend. They

    were at ease with him.

    Although the two girls ordered plenty of food, the three didn''t waste any. When they finished the meal,

    they were so full that they could barely button their pants.

    As a sign of gratitude, Greyson wanted to pay their bill. However, since it was Ashley''s treat, she

    refused his proposal adamantly.

    She then went to the counter to pay the bill, leaving Ellie and Greyson in their seats.

    While alone in each other''spany, Greyson and Ellie started to chat.

    "Ellie, may I know your WeChat ount?" Greyson asked. "I only have an older brother. Since you and

    Ashley have been so nice to me, I feel like you are my sisters," he admitted shyly. "I really would like to

    be friends with the both of you. How about we exchange WeChat ounts so we can keep in touch?"

    His cheeks were turning bright red.

    Ellie had no heart to refuse his request.

    The two not only exchanged their WeChat ounts but also phone numbers.

    When Ashley made her way back to their table from the counter, she found the two talking and

    laughing.

    The whole scene rendered her speechless. ''She said that she was afraid that I might be fooled, and

    she even suspected Greyson was a bad person.

    So what''s going on in there?'' she said to herself in disbelief.

    ''It looks like she''s having a good time with him.'' Despite her surprise, she couldn''t help but be amused.

    ''Oh, forget it. Perhaps she has already forgotten what she said to me, '' she thought with a resigned

    expression.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    After lunch, the three hung out in the shopping mall. They also had dinner together.

    When it started gettingte, the two girls decided to bid goodbye to Greyson. They could see

    reluctance in his eyes, and it somehow amused them. The three of them really had a good time.

    After that, Ashley and Ellie headed straight for their apartment.

    "I didn''t expect him to be such a cute and funny guy," Ellie remarked with a beaming smile as she

    looked at the picture they took together.

    Rolling her eyes at her friend, Ashley quipped, "If he wasn''t good-looking, you might not be so fond of

    him."

    Ellie gave her a disgruntled stare and snapped, "Come on, Ash, don''t be so mean."

    After all, girls weren''t immune to cute and easygoing boys like Greyson but despite that, they only

    thought of Greyson as their brother.

    ...

    In the Mu family''s residence.

    Leo was sitting on the couch. Peggy was on the other side of the room, staring at him as if she was

    looking at a stranger. tly, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

    She had juste home. Her initial n was to go to a hair salon with her friends from wealthy

    families before doing some shopping. But when they had their hair done, she received a call from her

    maid and she was told that she had a visitor.

    Since she had to go home earlier than she had anticipated, she had to apologize to her rich friends and

    promised to hang out with them another day. It didn''t ur to her that her guest was Leo. The sight of

    Leo annoyed him.

    She actually wasn''t close to the Su family. But her foster parents raised her and treated her well, and

    so she sometimes would give them a hand when she was in a good mood.

    One thing she didn''t want was the Su family using her of being ungrateful or speaking ill of her to

    others behind her back.

    "You''re back, Auntie," Leo greeted with a ttering smile as he watched the elegantdy enter the

    house.

    Instead of being aggressive and arrogant like he acted on his date with Ashley, he acted in a humble

    manner in front of Peggy.

    Aware that Peggy had helped his family a lot, he couldn''t afford to displease her.

    "Hmm," Peggy replied nonchntly, settling herself on the sofa far from Leo. She studied the young

    man from head to toe and raised her eyebrows with a defiant look on her face.

    Leo was draped in the same unfitting business suit he wore on his date with Ashleyst time.

    Neither was he tall nor handsome, but he preferred to wear business suits to pretend to be a

    sessful businessman.

    Some people looked good in their business suits, but unfortunately he looked terrible.

    When he met Peggy''s gaze, he fidgeted in his seat.

    He had always been nervous in front of Peggy for he thought that he was inferior to the Mu family.

    "Oh, I almost forgot," Peggy said, breaking the silence. A thought came into her head.

    "What do you think of the date I arranged for you?" she asked.

    "Did you refer to Ashley Mu?" Leo countered, furrowing his brows.

    "Oh, yeah," Peggy replied.

    "Lena is much prettier than her," Leomented, a smile creeping up his lips.

    Little did he know, he mistook the girl on the picture that Peggy had shown to him for Lena. Ashley

    disguised herself as a country bumpkin to hide her beauty, and because of that, he had a bad

    impression of her.

    The purpose of his visit was to figure out why Peggy had asked him to be on a date with such an ugly

    woman.

    But the luxurious interior of Peggy''s vi and her unreachable aura were causing his brain to

    malfunction.

    Thanks to Peggy, his family was able to lead afortable life. He even studied abroad. Believing his

    rich aunt would help him find a job, he didn''t focus on studying while he was out of the country and

    instead, he spent time and money dating girls. His aunt even helped him get his diploma by bribing

    people in the university.

    And now, she just asked him to go on a date with a repulsive girl. The bad thing was, if she asked him

    to marry that girl, no one in his family would oppose the marriage.

    After all, she was a richdy.

    Peggy intended to ask Leo how his date went but his words had already pleased her.

    A satisfied look appeared on her face. Lena was her daughter. Hearing Leo praise Lena delighted her.

    However, she didn''t realize that Leo never met her daughter. When Leo came back from abroad, he

    was asked to go on a blind date.

    The pleasure on Peggy''s face confirmed his assumption that the girl on the photo was Lena.

    ''My date was Ashley. Why did she give me Lena''s photo and said she was the girl I was going to

    meet?'' he wondered.

    Since he couldn''t understand why his aunt would do such a thing, he wanted to ask questions. He,

    however, didn''t blurt out his doubts for he didn''t want to bug Peggy. ''She has her own reasons, '' he

    thought.

 Chapter 61 Everything Stagnated Between Lena And Raymond

    Chapter 61 Everything Stagnated Between Lena And Raymond

    Leo felt like it was the most awkward afternoon he had ever had. Time just went by as Leo and Peggy

    were chatting, or so it seemed. That afternoon passed so quickly with no important topic arising in their

    supposed ''conversation''.

    Peggy took a look at her watch and found out that it was already five o''clock. As it should always be,

    Spencer, her husband, would be back soon.

    Having been together for years, Peggy knew exactly Spencer''s tempers and habits. One that was

    particrly bizarre was he always hated her association with anyone of the Su family, because he

    simply... hated them. It was even more perplexing, considering that Peggy herself once lived with the

    Su family! Spencer simply overlooked that fact and pretended that it never was the case to begin with.

    "Alright, it''s gettingte now. You should probably go back. And never look for me if you have nothing

    important to say, please," said Peggy apathetically as she half-nced at Leo.

    Although Leo wished to stay a little longer, to wait and see his uncle and, most importantly, his

    seemingly pretty cousin, he had no other choices but to get ready to leave since Peggy had, rather

    forcefully, bid him farewell. But he had been yearning to see his cousin Lena for a long time, especially

    after thest unsessful blind date with Ashley.

    After Peggy''s words, Leo could only stand up obediently and said, "Well, Aunt Peggy, I''m leaving now.

    I''lle and see you next time."

    With a faint smile on her face, Peggy then pronounced, "Terri, take my guest to the door, please!"

    Though she nodded at Leo, she did not actually pay much attention to what he was saying.

    "Oh, yes, ma''am," responded Terri Chen as she walked out quickly of the kitchen and approached Leo.

    She looked at him and said politely, "Mr. Su, this way, please."

    "Mother, I''m home!" Right before Leo and Terri Chen could reach the door, there came this sudden but

    pleasant sound from the other side of the door and then the door of the vi was pushed open.

    Almost at the same time, Peggy and Leo turned their heads to look at the direction where the voice

    came from.

    When the door was widely opened, what they saw was Lena in a whitece dress with high-heeled

    white shoes. Under thece dress, her skin looked as white as snow and the white dress made her

    skin look even fairer and more delicate. With the high-heeled shoes, her legs looked even slenderer

    and sexier.

    Her ck straight hair was waist-length, with a bit curl at the end of the hair. There was thetest

    Chanel bag in her hand, and her fingers looked very slim while they rested on the bag. With a touch of

    makeup on her delicate oval face, she looked so youthful and gorgeous. Leo gazed at Lena ever since

    the moment she popped into his eyes, unable to look away or even blink.

    Meanwhile, Lena took only a brief look at Leo, who was standing in front of her, after she opened the

    door and she was kind of taken aback at the sight of Leo. For one, she knew nothing about him.

    Another reason was his look disgusted her. She then turned and looked at Peggy, and she uttered,

    "Mother, we have a guest at home?"

    "Lena, you came earlier today, didn''t you? And, oh, he''s nobody and he''s going to leave anyway. So

    you don''t need to think about him. It''s all right, dear,e here," replied Peggy as she stepped toward

    Lena and embraced her, distracting her focus on him, quickly. Peggy''s tone was so dry when she

    mentioned the "nobody" part. It sounded like she really meant what she said, and it seemed like it.

    A few paces away from them, Leo was still standing at the same ce as he could barely take his eyes

    off Lena. He was so enticed by her perfectly-shaped body that he didn''t notice the conversation

    between Peggy and Lena at all.

    For information, he always loved chasing girls around. He was simply a yboy. To him, every girl was

    a goddess deserving of worship, Lena was not excluded. However, out of the ordinary, this time, he just

    thought, other girls could notpare with the pretty Lena in front of him, at all, in any way. Besides,

    other girls he deemed gorgeous simply didn''t notice his existence! No wonder that he was thrilled to

    see Lena for the first time.

    He now could barely blink at this moment. He seemed to be totally immersed in his own imagination of

    Lena.

    ''Look at her curve, snow-white skin and little, chiseled oval face, what a morous beauty!'' eximed

    Leo in his heart, with a look of a romantically ''drunk'' boy depicted on his face.

    As a yboy as he was, Leo found it surprisingly even remotely possible to take his sight off Lena. He

    barely noticed the difference between her and the person in the photo he once held.

    Besides, he had thrown the photo when he was too angry after leaving the coffee shopst time.

    Meanwhile, Lena nodded at Peggy''s words and she hastily withdrew her gaze from Leo after only a

    quick glint at him. She assumed that the person in front of her was too ugly to have anything to do with

    her family.

    "You must be my cousin Lena, aren''t you? You look just as pretty as you look in the photo. Oh no, I

    misspoke, you''re even prettier in reality. Nice to meet you! I, I am Leo," uttered Leo as he rubbed his

    hands and walked quickly toward Lena. Then, he gave her what he thought was his most charming

    smile, with his hand held out, intended to reach her.

    Quite contrary to his excitement when he saw her, Lena suddenly stepped back several steps as if she

    had found something dirty and horrible in front of her. She gave him a look of disgust and turned to her

    mother and asked, "Mother, who is he? Since when I have such a cousin? Why did I know nothing

    about him before?"

    Peggy had actually been restraining herself for long ever since she found out that Leo approached

    Lena. However, with Leo''s eyes glued to Lena''s body all this time, her face just paled out of great fury.

    ''How dare he be this presumptuous! How can he not realize that he''s not even remotely below my

    daughter''s level? Anyway, someone like him is never going to be a match of my daughter, not even a

    single chance!'' screamed Peggy in her mind while she was still trying her best to hold herself back from

    losing control.

    Right before Peggy could reply her daughter''s question as she was still deep in thoughts, Leo began,

    "Well, your mother, is my aunt, that makes me your cousin. I just came back from abroad after finishing

    my study there. It''s totally normal that you don''t know me before." As he was speaking, he kept his

    eyes fixated on Lena. With his hand back from the air after quite a moment, he didn''t seem to feel even

    the slightest embarrassment that no one was shaking his hand.

    Without any trace of awkwardness on his face, he still smiled at Lena. In his opinion, every beauty

    deserved recognition and praise. He thought she could do anything she wanted because she simply

    was too gorgeous to have an argument with. No one would love to have an argument with such a

    goddess when you could observe her grace from a near view instead, right? He didn''t even find it

    offensive when she did not shake his hand and when she looked at him in disgust. Though he felt it a

    bit pitiful that he could not touch her hand this time, he had made up his mind to manage to get close to

    her in the future since he now knew for sure that she was his cousin.

    Lena became even more confused at Leo''s words, and shepletely lost for words at this moment.

    ''What did he say? My mother is his aunt? So he is my cousin? Wait, didn''t mother tell me before that

    her families were all gone and she was all alone while she married father?'' Struck with a contradiction

    of what she just heard and what she knew all along, she could not find what was the right response to

    give at this moment and could only wait and see what would happen next.

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    "Well, Leo, you should go. Terri, see my guest off right now!" Peggy gave the order stringently.

    Upon noticing that Peggy was getting angry, Terri Chen rushed over right after her master''s order and

    said to Leo, "Mr. Su, this way, please."

    This time, Leo could only retreat his sight from Lena. After another brief farewell, he then followed Terri

    Chen out of the door.

    As soon as he left the room and the door of the vi was shut, Lena felt rxed and tossed her bag on

    the sofa. She then sat on it to rx even more and enjoy the moment.

    "Mother, who on earth is he? Is he really my cousin?" asked Lena as she looked at Peggy, waiting for

    the truth.

    Peggy did not answer Lena''s question immediately for she was still pondering what had just happened

    a moment ago. She was always tired of her rtionship with the Su family from the very beginning. In

    her point of view, to stand with anyone of the Su family was to degrade herself.

    That was why she never paid the Su family a visit ever since she had gotten married years ago. Neither

    had she mentioned her original family in front of her daughter. Moreover, she even told Lena that

    everyone of her original family had passed away, with only herself left.

    However, she did not expect that Leo Su woulde to her house today. And even worse, that he met

    Lena here.

    She knew very clearly that he was a yboy from long ago. Otherwise, she would not have tried to

    arrange the blind date between him and Ashley, trying to get rid of these two troubles in one time.

    "I meant to conceal it from you because it is of no use for you to know it at all. But now that you''ve seen

    someone of the Su family, I won''t hide it from you any longer. Leo is indeed your cousin," confirmed

    Peggy in a calm tone.

    Lena''s expression dramatically changed at Peggy''s words as if she just saw a monster. She found it

    hard to believe that she had such a rtive.

    "He''s not your biological cousin though, since I was adopted by the Su family. Your father doesn''t like

    me to have too much association with them, that''s why I didn''t tell you anything about them before.

    Even now that you''ve known about them, you should still keep your distance from them. It won''t do you

    any favor to get close to them," added Peggy with a serious look on her face.

    Lena was so relieved at Peggy''s speech and her facial expression softened a lot. ''Thank god he''s not

    my biological cousin!'' she mumbled to herself. She couldn''t help feeling sick at the slightest thought of

    Leo being her cousin even for a second.

    "All right, I got it, Mother," replied Lena, with a peace of mind, knowing that she obviously had nothing

    to do with Leo, at least biologically.

    She always thought that she was born as the daughter of the Mu family as well as a richdy. She also

    felt that she was superior to others all this time. There was no way for her to stay any closer to the Su

    family for it meant a degradation to her lifestyle.

    What a coincidence that Lena thought very simrly as her mother! No wonder they were the mother

    and daughter. They just possessed the same attitude on how to treat the Su family without prior

    discussion between them.

    "Well, tell me how''s everything going between you and Raymond." Peggy slipped the topic of their

    conversation to shift her attention.

    "What did you mean by that?" echoed Lena in a faint voice.

    "Come on, you know what I meant. How does he treat youtely? Does he have feelings for you now?"

    grumbled Peggy. She felt exasperated at her daughter''s negligence on her rtionship with Raymond

    at this moment.

    "Nothing special. I don''t even think we have a progress. Ashley is all he thinks about. He''s obsessed to

    her like a drunk man. He''s just not into me," uttered Lena as she became angry at the thought of

    Ashley.

    ''Why the hell am I not better than Ashley in Raymond''s mind?!

    I''m the biological daughter of the Mu family while she''s just an adopted daughter. She''s not a match to

    me, no matter what.

    Even under every other possible circumstance, she is remotely as good as me. It doesn''t matter what

    her education is or her appearance looks like!'' thought Lena in great rage.

 Chapter 62 Peggys Trick

    Chapter 62 Peggy''s Trick

    Dazed and lost in her own thoughts, Peggy thought even harder when she heard what Lena said, ''The

    only way to make Raymond forget Ashley is to make her leave the city or get married.''

    If she had to choose between the two alternatives, Ashley getting married would be more dependable.

    Knowing Raymond''s determined behavior, for sure he would move heaven and earth just to find Ashley

    if she would move to another ce. Peggy grew more frustrated at the thought of her daughter''s fate.

    How pathetic she was in waiting and asking for the love of somebody who was in love with someone

    else. Moreover, knowing Raymond''s power and influence, it would be a piece of cake for him to look for

    Ashley if she went missing.

    However, if Ashley would get married things would be different and Raymond would be left with no

    choice but to keep his distance away from her. Furthermore, Ashley''s marriage would give Raymond

    no excuse to contact her anymore, nor be intimate with her in any way. Worst was, he had to protect

    the reputation of the Luo Group and as much as possible avoid arousing suspicion among prospects

    and investors. That wouldn''t be good for business.

    For a long time, Peggy thought that Lena loved Raymond so much, otherwise, she wouldn''t win over

    Raymond from Ashley by all means.

    After all, the union of the two would benefit the Mu family by far. If they would get married, the Mu

    family would be endowed with great business opportunities and huge business ventures. Thus Peggy

    was determined to prune every hindrance that came along the way for the marriage to be fulfilled.

    Thinking of this, Peggy consoled Lena, "That''s ok, sweetheart. Let mommy handle this. What you

    should do is to continue to be sweet and care about Mrs. Luo like you always do and believe that you

    can be a qualified daughter-inw. Do everything to get along well with Raymond. I''m sure that he will

    fall in love with you as the days go by."

    With such willingness, Lena nodded her head abstractedly. Actually, she didn''t care whether Raymond

    would love her or not, because she didn''t have a strong feeling of affection for him at all.

    The reason why she seduced Raymond on the first ce was, he was so fond of Ashley and seemed

    to be so passionate towards her. That made Lena so jealous and furious, thinking that Ashley had no

    right to be loved by a prominent man like Raymond. Thus with all her slutty skills, she seduced

    Raymond and made him shift his affection from Ashley to her. Now, they were engaged and if things

    would turn out favorable to her, they would get married soon.

    Lena herself couldn''t understand why she had a lot of suitors, but none of them was like Raymond. He

    remembered everything when it came to Ashley and cared about every little detail of her life. Seeing

    Ashley was so happy was torture for Lena.

    All this time, Lena thought that Ashley didn''t deserve an exceptional man like Raymond. Instead, this

    kind of man should match her. Everything she thought was good for Ashley, she would find ways to

    grab it and own it for herself, let alone such an outstanding man.

    Driven by her extreme jealousy for Ashley, Lena took some mean measures even up to the point of

    forcing Raymond to have sex with her and then asking him to be responsible for her.

    Indeed, her strategy worked and she won. Raymond was obliged to be ountable for her.

    "Mrs. Mu, Mr. Mu said he would work overtime tonight, so he wille homete. He wants me to tell

    you not to wait for him," with a soft voice, Terri reported to Peggy when she sent Leo away and

    returned to the living room.

    "Ok, I see. You can just cook a simple meal since he won''t be back for dinner," without lifting her head,

    Peggy answered unconsciously.

    It had been two decades since they got married, and Spencer treated Peggy very well. All these years,

    he didn''t have an affair or cheat on her, so Peggy trusted him, and it didn''t bother her if he stayedte

    or worked overtime.

    "By the way, do you know that Ashley has a gorgeous male friend, Mom?" With a sudden excited jerk,

    Lena suddenly remembered something and asked Peggy.

    Memories of the man''s face shed back in her mind, and she couldn''t forget the man since she had

    met him and Ashley at the Vineyard Restaurant.

    With her eyebrows raised, Lena thought, ''The man, for God''s sake, was a minion of fortune, perfect in

    everything.'' Lena didn''t know his real identity, but she already was obsessed with his handsome face.

    But thinking that Ashley was his friend, Lena couldn''t control her envy and fury. ''Why did Ashley who is

    poor and ugly always meet fancy guys?''

    "Ashley? I am too busy to care about her or her friends. Why did you ask?" Curiously, Peggy looked at

    Lena and asked in a resentful tone.

    Since they were kids, Lena and Ashley hadn''t got on well, and no one could tell why. It was rare for

    Lena to ask about Ashley out of her own initiative, so Peggy was confused.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    "Nothing. I just asked casually, because the day when Raymond and I had dinner at the Vineyard, we

    met Ashley and she was with a man. That''s why I''d like to know if you know the man."

    "Oh dear, you know your mother doesn''t care about Ashley''s businesses, right? Things like that make

    me upset," waving her hand, Peggyined and let out a heavy sigh.

    "You shouldn''t care about any other things by now. The most important thing for you to do is to win

    Raymond''s heart and Mrs. Luo''s trust. Mrs. Luo is the key. Keep it in mind." Peggy continued. This time

    her words were more emphasized.

    "Fine, dear mom, I know! I guess I should be going upstairs,"

    annoyed by Peggy''s untimely preach, Lena retorted. She stood up and made her way upstairs for she

    was bored by her mother''s repeated reminders.

    Meanwhile, Ashley was spending her early evening munching crisp potato chips while surfing the

    inte for some news.

    Unexpectedly, her phone rang and Ashley didn''t expect that Peggy would call her. Her rxed mood

    was quite ruined for Peggy asked her to go out.

    Knowing her mother, she figured the only reason for Peggy to ask her out again was to me her

    misbehavior on that first blind date she arranged for her. She went to the blind date and made herself

    ugly on purpose to make the man lose his interest in her, and luckily she seeded. Ashley couldn''t

    help herself fromughing at that incident. However, technically speaking, it was not sabotaged.

    Before she met Peggy, Ashley had thought of many things that she would talk to her, but she actually

    threatened her with something she had never expected.

    Sitting on a cozy sofa in the Coffee shop, Ashley stirred the coffee in the cup and looked at the elegant

    Peggy. With a foxy smile on her face, she asked calmly, "Should I call you Mrs. Su now?"

    It was funny that Ashley visited coffee shops often recently. She went to the coffee shop almost every

    day. She had no idea whether she could still fall asleep after having so many cups of coffee.

    To her surprise, Peggy was nicer today, and she said more politely, "It''s up to you. Any title would be

    fine with me."

    Like a close friend showing her great concern, Peggy asked Ashley solicitously, "What do you think of

    the man who had a blind date with youst time? Do you think you two are a great match?"

    "That Leo? Thanks to Mrs. Su, the man you described as an outstanding and unrivaled talent really has

    broadened my outlook. I mean, this must be the only chance in my life to meet such a special man. I

    truly appreciate your kindness," forcing herself not to let out a horribleugh, Ashley weighed her words

    and said slowly.

    Upon hearing this, Peggy was stiff for a while. The way she described him was clear enough as to what

    kind of person Leo was, otherwise, she wouldn''t introduce him to Ashley.

    But it didn''t matter. She would be satisfied as long as she reached her goal. Ashley should get married

    as soon as possible.

    "Since you don''t think he''s not that bad, why not try to be his girlfriend? I think it will be good for both of

    you," without any hint of exaggeration, Peggy suggested, which made Ashley dumb as she was struck

    with astonishment.

    Trying hard to believe her ears, Ashley was bewildered and stared at Peggy imusibly. ''Did Peggy

    actually ask her to be Leo''s girlfriend?

    Does she really think she has the right to make the decision for her? Or is she so sure that she would

    agree with her decision?'' Ashley asked herself in bewilderment.

    Observing Peggy''s expressions, Ashley said ironically, "Mrs. Su, if I remember right, I think we made a

    dealst time. I agreed to have a blind date with Leo, and you promised that I wouldn''t have anything to

    do with the Mu family anymore. Now I''m not sure whether your great wit has short memories, or I didn''t

    make it clear at that moment.

    Well, it doesn''t matter. I don''t mind my unclear rifications or your short memories, because I will

    willingly help Mrs. Su review it. After all, I recorded our conversation."

    Surprised by Ashley''s burst of words, Peggy took a sip of coffee and said leisurely, "I know you''ve

    recorded our conversation and I don''t mean that you will connect with the Mu family again.

    My point is, I''m not sure whether you still remember this." Rummaging through her purse, Peggy took

    out an aquamarine jade pendant from her purse. The pendant was exactly the same as the one on

    Ashley''s neck.

    Fixing her eyes toward the pendant on Peggy''s hand, Ashley''s face darkened. Hatred and frustration

    brewed inside of her that her face slowly grew gloomy and grim. No one could tell what she was feeling

    or even what she was thinking. Worst was what she was going to do. Her silence terrified

    Peggy.

 Chapter 63 The Boss Weird Behavior

    Chapter 63 The Boss'' Weird Behavior

    Ever since she was a kid, Ashley always wore the shiny jade pendant. As far as she could remember,

    she had the ne with her even before she was adopted by the Mu family. It must be given to her

    by her own family. Although she didn''t know what the jade pendant meant for, she instinctively believed

    that it must be very important to her.

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    When she first came to live with the Mu family, Lena who was two years younger, saw the jade pendant

    and cried for it. Ashley was a child then but despite her young age, she knew the importance of the

    jade pendant.

    With all her meager strength, she protected the jade pendant and refused to give it to Lena. Taking

    Lena as the apple of their eyes, Spencer and Peggy shunned the idea off and thought it was just a jade

    pendant and was no big deal.

    Helpless and vulnerable as she was, Ashley was only a kid at that time and couldn''t win over Peggy in

    strength.

    Thus when Peggy forcibly grabbed the pendant on her neck, Ashley could not fight back and had to let

    go of the pendant.

    Thankfully, without expecting it, the pendant was returned to Ashley after a few days. However,

    because of the innocence of her youth, Ashley didn''t know whether the jade pendant was fake or not

    during that time. Nevertheless, she had worn it for more than ten years.

    Now that she was more matured and could weigh things rationally, she thought things over. How could

    Peggy be so kind as to return her something she had robbed out of her? How selfish the woman was.

    "What the hell do you want me to do?" Enraged, Ashley scorned at Peggy and thought why the Mu

    family could be so harsh with her.

    With her eyebrows raised a little, Peggy answered,"It''s easy. You just need to do one thing."

    "What would that be?" This time, Ashley stared at Peggy inquisitively sensing that something wrong

    was about to happen.

    Seeing Ashley so shaken, Peggy was certain that she had won the bet this time.

    Indeed, she had ced a bet, a very personal bet that Ashley had no idea of. Ever since she took the

    pendant away from Ashley when she was a child, Peggy had known that the jade pendant was

    important to Ashley. It must bear sentimental values for her. Making the jade pendant as a bait, Ashley

    for sure would ept her request. She wouldn''t dare say no, lest she would lose a valuable piece that

    might be the key for her to know her real parents.

    Peggy secured the jade pendant happily in her hand. "I have only one request. I just want you to get

    married, either to Leo or to anybody else. It doesn''t matter who you will marry as long as you get

    married. I''ll give you one week to do that."

    Astounded at what she had heard, Ashley asked,"What? What if I can''t make it in one week?"

    With an air of a confident arrogance, Peggy waved the jade pendant in her hand,"If you can''t, then you

    don''t need to take the pendant back."

    Seeing the jade pendant, Ashley was filled with hatred and wanted to curse her mother with all the toxic

    words she knew. However, Ashley being raised to be a respectful daughter just managed to sneer her

    frustrations. All her life, she really wanted to know why she was the object of the Mu family''s hatred and

    why everyone in the family seemed to push her away.

    From that moment when the Mu family had adopted her, she learned how to control herself and behave

    properly, and she hadn''t brought any trouble to the family.

    Despite all of these, there was Peggy who would always tell Ashley to do things for Lena''s benefits.

    Worst was Lena, who seemed to dislike her innately, would grab away everything she owned whenever

    she fancied it.

    Ashley could endure all that, but unexpectedly, they wanted her to get married in one week''s time to

    secure Lena''s marriage with Raymond.

    Although she had made things clear with them that she didn''t have any rtionship with Raymond and

    swore that she would never contact him again. They still forced her in such an indecent way. Ashley

    was confused as to what they really wanted to happen.

    "Hee!" Sarcastically, Ashleyughed with a scornful expression.

    Peggy on the other hand, surprised by her reaction, raised her brows and asked,"Why are you

    laughing?"

    "I am just afraid that someone can''t keep promises."

    Hearing what Ashley said, Peggy got cloudy,"When did I break my promise?"

    Wanting to annoy her mother, even more, Ashley curled her lips and didn''t answer.

    "Don''t y games with me, Ashley. What would you say then? Will you do it or not? It''s just a simple

    request and then you can have your jade pendant back. Isn''t it a good deal?"

    Cutting her short, Ashley responded,"That jade pendant is mine." She was eyeing the pendant in

    Peggy''s hand with a determined look.

    Sensing that Ashley was eager to put up an argument, Peggy frowned and looked at Ashley. "The Mu

    family has raised you for so many years. We have treated you well even if you haven''t done anything

    for the family. Now, how dare you raise your voice against me and even make a bargain for nothing but

    just a cheap jade pendant."

    With a throbbing head and a confused mind, Ashley closed her eyes for a while and slowly

    said,"Alright, I agree. But I hope you would really live up to your words. If you can''t keep your promise, I

    will make every effort to get the Mu family into trouble."

    Determined to escape from her mother''s presence, Ashley nced at Peggy coldly and then took her

    stuff so she could leave.

    A feeling of insult crept over Peggy, at the same time she couldn''t understand why she was suddenly

    terrified by Ashley''s stare.

    An assumption formed on her mind that if she couldn''t return the jade pendant to Ashley in due time,

    perhaps the little bitch would do something beyond her expectation.

    Dazed by what had just happened, Peggy hadn''te to her senses until Ashley disappeared. The

    idea that she was rmed by Ashley''s stare just now, made her even vexed. Why was Ashley so

    arrogant? In fact, she was just an orphan adopted by the Mu family. ''What trouble could she make?''

    Peggy asked herself.

    ...

    Meanwhile, inside Andrew''s office in the Lu Group, Andrew sat straight in his office chair while

    examining a document in his hand. He was reading carefully and made many notes on it.

    The neat handwriting portrayed that the writer was a calm and reserved person, resolute and well

    versed.

    The serious atmosphere was disturbed by a loud knock on the heavily carved wooden door. The one

    knocking must have known that the person inside was busy and didn''t need an interruption at the

    moment for the knock on the door was rhythmical.

    "Come in," Without looking up, Andrew spoke without even moving his thin lips.

    A serious looking man came in and greeted Andrew,"Mr. Lu." Johnny walked towards Andrew''s desk

    with a lot of files held in his hands.

    "Sir, I have found out what you asked me to investigatest time. We met Miss Mu at that ce was

    because of Lena Mu..." Johnny didn''t finish his sentence and doubted if he would continue or not. He

    thought that if the bad news came from him, he would be torn to pieces by his boss. Thus he deemed it

    wise to let the boss check it by himself.

    Sensing that Johnny''s report was unnecessary, Andrew didn''t even lift his head or shift his eyes away

    from the document. He read the document on his hand and remained unaffected.

    However, when he heard Ashley''s name mentioned, Andrew put down what he was reading and hastily

    picked up the stuff Johnny ced on his desk, starting to read it.

    Confused as to what made his boss so busy, Johnny looked at what Andrew had put aside. He knew

    Andrew could read ten lines with one nce. It was Johnny''s first time to see that his boss was so

    immersed in reading something with great care.

    However, the next moment, Johnny was astonished as he had seen somethingpletely contrary to

    what he had expected.

    At first, Johnny didn''t dare to check the document, lest Andrew caught him and fired him out of his job.

    identally, however, some pieces of paper went visible as a slight air from the window blew on them,

    on which some sentences were highlighted,"The Bossy President Has Fallen in Love with Me","How to

    Pursue a Beauty". What was more, there were many remarks and notes written on them.

    Surprised at what he just saw, Johnny was amused to realize that it was the first time for his boss to do

    a job so carefully, but not for the business.

    With his eyebrows creased in a furrow, Johnny looked away silently and thought the man sitting in his

    chair right now was not his boss.

    As the president of the Lu Group and the decision-maker of the Lu family, Andrew''s hands should be

    used to sign contracts worth millions of dors, and his eyes were supposed to read contracts and

    business proposals.

    When did he start to read romantic novels which were popr among young girls? Johnny was

    confused. ...

    Not until Andrew looked at him coldly that Johnny stopped reading the document and looked away

    calmly as if nothing had happened. Struggling to stay calm as he appeared to be, Johnny went weak by

    the knees and was bothered by the cold sweats that were trickling down his face.

    Without any idea of what was happening with Johnny, Andrew continued reading the files handed by

    Johnny. The more he read, the colder he looked.

 Chapter 64 The CEO Of The Lu Group

    Chapter 64 The CEO Of The Lu Group

    What Johnny saw stunned him to his core. ''What is this?'' he said to himself, in utter disbelief.

    With his preconceived notions of what Andrew was as a person, he didn''t understand why such things

    were in Andrew''s office.

    They were romantic novels.

    ''Normally, '' he thought to himself, ''only young women like reading these kinds of things. How did this

    appear in the CEO''s office?''

    In his peripheral vision, he suddenly saw Andrew cast him a cold nce. It made him realize that he

    might have acted a little too excited and surprised at his discovery.

    Being Andrew''s personal assistant for a long time now, he knew he shouldn''t show any kind of

    astonishment on his face whenever he came across things like this.

    ''You better calm down!'' he reprimanded himself.

    Balling his fist, he took a deep breath and tried to move on.

    But he just couldn''t help but be astounded by the fact that Andrew was reading romantic novels in his

    office.

    It was something so revtory that he couldn''t stay calm.

    Laughing silently at himself, he began to wonder whether the CEO sitting in front of him was a fake one

    or whether Andrew was possessed and controlled by another person''s spirit.

    He of course didn''t dare tell Andrew what was in his mind at that moment.

    Andrew couldn''t understand what was happening with Johnny.

    After he was given the investigation results, he quickly pulled a long face and started studying them,

    giving off a strong aura of coldness.

    Johnny was beside him, and he could definitely feel his uneasiness due to the aura he was giving off.

    While looking at the report, Andrew couldn''t help but be impressed. The work Johnny gave him was

    solid. Working with Johnny for a long time now, he knew that he would surely carry out a thorough

    investigation and get real and detailed information without making a mistake.

    When Andrew reached the part of the document that revealed that Lena asked Ashley and Mr. Chen to

    go to the Harkim on the same day with the intention of letting Mr. Chen sexually assault Ashley, his

    hands shook.

    He was livid. ''So if I didn''t stay at the Harkim and didn''t meet Ashley, Lena could have been sessful,

    ''

    he thought, anger burning in his chest. Although nothing unpleasant happened to Ashley in the end,

    Andrew couldn''t help but be indignant.

    He couldn''t imagine what would have happened to Ashley if he wasn''t there that evening.

    With resentment simmering in his insides, he started to hold a grudge against the Mu Group, the Mu

    family and Lena, who was so cruel to Ashley.

    ''Well, since the Mu family had the audacity to try and harm Ashley, I guess it''s just to get back at them.''

    The anger in him was approaching its limit.

    "Two days, Johnny. I want the Mu Group destroyed in two days. I want them gone, without any trace

    that they even exist."

    Johnny was still in disbelief over finding romantic novels in Andrew''s office when Andrew''s cold, angry

    voice snapped him back to reality.

    Stunned, he turned to Andrew. It was the first time that he had heard his boss sound like this. It was

    also the first time that Andrew had decided to destroy apany because of a woman.

    But then, considering the things that the Mu family did to Ashley, he understood what Andrew was

    feeling and sympathized with his decision.

    "Okay, Mr. Lu," he said, his eyes averting Andrew''s stare. He started getting ready to get out of the

    office and take the Mu Group down. While that was what he was really intending to do, he was also in a

    rush to get out of the office because he was afraid that if he stayed there longer after finding out

    Andrew''s secret, he would be at the receiving end of Andrew''s fury.

    ''And no one wants that, '' he said to himself.

    After gathering all his things, Johnny started to shuffle towards the door until he again heard Andrew''s

    voice.

    "Wait a second,"

    Andrew muttered.

    Johnny turned around and said, "Mr. Lu, is there anything else I could do for you?" Confusion was all

    over his face.

    Andrew didn''t respond for a few moments. When he did, Johnny saw that he was smiling, albeit slyly.

    "Don''t punish the Mu Group just yet," he said, leaning back on his chair. "Work with them, for the time

    being."

    Erasing the Mu Group in J City''s history was an easy job. Andrew could just give an order, sit back, and

    enjoy whatever would unfold.

    But it struck him that it just wasn''t enjoyable if the Mu Group disappeared just like that. He wanted to let

    Ashley do it, in whatever way she liked, in the future.

    So for now, he''d let the Mu family live in peace. ''I would give them a chance to enjoy their lives and

    better their reputation, and then I''d make them notorious. That''s when they''d disappear, '' he thought to

    himself. ''It''s gonna be all up to my mood. Sadistic, but it must be done.''

    As far as he was concerned, it would be better to put the Mu family in utter despair while they were

    getting their hopes up.

    He was never a kind person after all. If he was, he wouldn''t be the CEO of the Lu Group.

    Besides, he coulde up with a lot of cruel methods to punish others.

    While the sudden change in Andrew''s n surprised Johnny, he didn''t ask any question and went on to

    follow what he was tasked to do. After all, Andrew was his CEO.

    The n was simple and even an ordinary person could easily figure out Andrew''s intentions. Johnny

    guessed that Andrew would help Ashley take revenge against the Mu family, and he believed that

    Ashley would appreciate that if she knew about it.

    Once Johnny got out of Andrew''s office, he was met by several senior leaders.

    They all gathered around him, and asked if Andrew had signed the urgent documents they sent in.

    ''They were pushed to the side, neglected, because your CEO is now reading romantic novels only girls

    are interested in, '' he answered in his mind.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    In Johnny''s mind, he was sure that Andrew had read the novels more carefully than any of the other

    important documents he had to sign.

    But no matter how much Johnny found the fact that Andrew was reading romantic novels fascinating,

    he would never disclose that to anyone. If he decided to share it, he was sure that not one soul would

    believe him. Even he wouldn''t if he hadn''t seen it in person. So why would the senior leaders?

    In everyone''s eyes, Andrew, the Lu Group''s CEO, was a man who was aloof and decisive all the time.

    Anyone would easily get frightened by him and would want to get away from him after being around

    him for some time.

    Moreover, he only stayed with men all these years. He hadn''t had any woman beside him.

    Some people had even wondered whether he only had interest in men. Johnny couldn''t help butugh

    at that thought.

    "Not yet," Johnny started, addressing everyone around him. "Mr. Lu has something more important to

    deal with right now, so don''t go to disturb him. Otherwise, you might get into trouble." His tone was

    threatening.

    Upon hearing what he said, the senior leaders became very anxious and upset, not knowing what to do

    now as they could not have the urgent documents signed. They all wondered what was happening to

    Andrew these past few days and what was taking him so long to sign the documents. Despite their

    frustration, no one dared push Andrew to do anything quickly.

    Even if it annoyed them, they knew that only Johnny would get a chance to get close to Andrew to

    remind him to do something. Because of that, they all pinned their hopes on him.

    Johnny noticed all of them staring at him with such eagerness, and all he could feel was stress. "Don''t

    look at me like that," he said, his tone defensive. "You all know that I can''t do anything about it. Mr. Lu

    seems to be in a bad mood now, so I won''t go to him at this moment. You can go inside and talk to him

    personally if you really want him to sign those documents." ''Mr. Lu would be in no mood to deal with

    anything

    after he just learned the kind of atrocities the Mu family have done to Ashley, '' he silently added.

    "Johnny, could you please go inside and help us remind Mr. Lu? Those documents are really very

    important to us," one of the senior leaders begged.

    Even though these senior leaders were older than Andrew, enjoyed a high status in thepany, and

    no one dared offend them, they were all afraid of Andrew. They got nervous if they met or talked to him.

    "That''s right, Johnny. Please. Only you can help us now," another senior leader begged.

 Chapter 65 Pride Dripped From Lenas Voice

    Chapter 65 Pride Dripped From Lena''s Voice

    No matter what the senior staff had to say, Johnny refused to enter that office again.

    ''They are talkingplete nonsense! And I don''t want to take the risk of bothering Mr. Lu.

    I just walked out of that scary office and I don''t have courage to enter it again so soon!'' thought Johnny.

    ¡­

    Ashley held up the jade pendant and examined it. She had taken care of this pendant for more than ten

    years. But she hadn''t expected to be told that this wasn''t what she thought it was.

    The fake one looked so simr to the original that she wouldn''t have realized it if Peggy hadn''t told her

    the truth.

    And now Peggy had used the original one to threaten Ashley and wrangle what she wanted out of her.

    Ashley somehow knew that the jade pendant was a crucial clue towards finding her real family. And to

    see that Peggy had the one thing that was bound to shed light on her family irritated her to no end.

    She wanted to find her real family and this jade pendant might be crucial.

    ¡­

    "What happened to you? Why are you so absent-minded? And what''s this? Why have you taken off

    your pendant? I told you to keep it on!" Ellie rattled off a series of curious, well-intentioned questions

    when she saw Ashley sitting on the sofa and gazing at the jade pendant absent-mindedly.

    "Nothing has happened," Ashley said, putting the pendant back on and smiling at Ellie. "I was just

    checking if it would help me remember anything about the past." Ashley put away the jade pendant and

    smiled at Ellie.

    She didn''t want to tell Ellie what Peggy said to her that morning because she knew Ellie. And Ellie was

    the kind of girl who would lose sleep over anything that was troubling Ashley.

    "Have you recollected anything from the past?"

    Ashley shook her head. "No. It isn''t easy. Moreover, I was just a little child at that time. Those might as

    well be things that I never can remember."

    "Don''t be disappointed. What if your memory returns one day? Maybe your family is also making every

    effort to look for you. So don''t give up," Ellieforted Ashley.

    Ashley nodded, trying to quell that sadness and disappointment in her heart. Ellie''s words were like a

    balm to her sore heart, gradually relieving the constant pain.

    "By the way," Ellie said, diverting the topic, "I found some shops on the Inte this morning. How

    about we go visit them tomorrow?"

    "Lena isn''t someone who will allow us to sessfully rent a shop. Always a spanner in the works. And I

    really think we should stop spending our time doing something like this. It all looks to be in vain. We

    should rather go out and look for other jobs," Ashley said glumly.

    Ashley had practically grown up watching Lena and knew her well. Lena always got everything she

    wanted, by hook or by crook.

    Now that she had tried to stop them, there was no way they would be able to rent a shop.

    "Lena is an annoying little witch!" Ellie said acidly, hugging a bolster andunching herself across the

    sofa.

    Ashley nced over at Ellie. "Sorry, Ellie. I''m so sorry for troubling you." Lena had always targeted

    Ashley, looking to cause her trouble at every turn. And by getting involved in the matter, Ellie had

    ced herself in the line of fire, which, ording to Ashley, she shouldn''t have done.

    Ellie smiled softly at Ashley and patted her head. "Don''t talk like that. We''re supposed to be best

    friends. And the next time you repeat that apology, I''m going to explode of anger," she added cheekily.

    Mushily grinning at her best friend and rather moved, Ashley hugged Ellie and said, "Okay. I won''t

    apologize." As she pulled away, Ashley paused, looking at Ellie. "You really are my best friend, Ellie,"

    she said affectionately.

    "Of course!"

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    ¡­

    In the house of the Mu family, Lena was losing her temper. Learning about how Peggy had agreed to

    give the jade pendant back to Ashley had slightly unhinged her. She red at her mother as she sat up

    on the sofa. "Mother, you know I love this pendant a lot. Why did you agree to give it back to Ashley?"

    When Lena had been a little girl, she had taken a fancy to this jade pendant, almost loved it at first

    sight. She then asked Peggy and Spencer for help and grabbed the jade pendant from Ashley''s neck.

    Like all children, she gradually lost interest in it and it got lost in the numerous trinkets in her bedroom.

    Terri had discovered the pendant buried underneath Lena''s stuff when she was cleaning up her

    bedroom. Seeing that Lena wasn''t at home, Terri had handed it to Peggy. Now, yearster, she was

    unwilling to return it to Ashley even though she knew she didn''t like it anymore.

    Peggy turned reproachful eyes at Lena, silently berating her for her misced anger. "Why are you

    being so stubborn? It''s just a little jade pendant. When you marry Raymond, the heir of the Luo Group,

    you can buy as many jade pendants as you want. Why do you want this one so much?"

    These questions came despite Peggy''s knowledge of Lena''s behavior. She knew that Lena didn''t like

    the pendant. If she had, she would have taken care of it and not left it unused and unloved. Besides,

    Lena liked topare herself with Ashley and tell herself that she was superior.

    Peggy often ignored these things. She thought them as children''s games and she never thought of

    scolding Lena.

    ording to her, Ashley was just a child adopted by the Mu family. And she had always felt that it was

    Ashley''s honor that Lena liked topare herself with her and demand for things that belonged to

    Ashley.

    Lena''s lips curled with disdain at Peggy''s words. "I''d rather throw the pendant in the trash than give it

    back to Ashley!" she sneered.

    "Which would you choose, Raymond or the pendant?" Peggy asked.

    The sudden change of subject threw Lena for a second. "What do you mean?"

    Peggy proceeded to enlighten Lena about the deal that she had made with Ashley.

    "Really?" Lena said, looking at Peggy in amazement.

    "It''s true. After marrying the other guy, Ashley can''t seduce Raymond anymore, which leaves you to be

    free to love Raymond all you like."

    But Lena''s line of thinking was taking a different track.

    ''Is Ashley going to marry aplete stranger?'' she thought. ''If she marries Leo, Raymond will only

    belong to me. Moreover, I can taunt her for the rest of her life!''

    Lena was ecstatic at the thought of Ashley marrying aplete stranger who was nowhere close to

    even beingpared to Raymond in any aspect. And she felt, after all this, she would emerge the

    absolute winner soon. After this, she found she didn''t care much about the jade pendant anymore.

    "You''re right, Mother," Lena said obediently, convinced.

    "How are you getting along with Mrs. Luo?" Peggy asked.

    "She likes me very much. I''ve been doing what you''ve been telling me. I visited her at her house,

    invited her to go shopping whenever my time permitted, and paid attention to her likes and dislikes so

    that we''re on the same frequency," Lena said, pride dripping from her voice.

    Mrs. Luo was very happy with Lena and saw her as Raymond''s wife, treating her well.

    Satisfied with what Lena told her, Peggy said, "That''s good. That''s very good. There''s a project for

    which we need the Luo family''s help. You know that piece ofnd in the south of the city? So, the most

    important thing for you now is to maintain a close rtionship with the Luos. Because when the time

    comes and we bid for thatnd, we might need the Luo family''s help."

    While the Mu family had its hands in the tourism industry, the Luos were a part of the real estate

    industry.

    And while that piece ofnd in the south of the city wasn''t suitable for building houses, it was a prime

    location in which to develop a tourist attraction. This was what the Mu family''s interests came

    in.

 Chapter 66 A Mu Family

    Chapter 66 A Mu Family

    There was some primend in the south of the city that was going to be auctioned off and the Mu

    family wanted it. The auction was about to begin and Peggy felt anxious.

    "All right, Mom. I know. I will handle it," Lena reassured her mother with confidence.

    Peggy looked proudly upon her confident daughter and nodded with satisfaction

    Peggy had been so fortunate in life and luck seemed to be always on her side. Firstly she met Spencer

    and then gave birth to two beautiful children, Ron and Lena. Both her son and daughter had made her

    proud and they were outstanding.

    ...

    Ever since Greyson had told his mother that he was going on a date, Roxie would always nce

    behind him expectantly whenever he came home, with the hope that his new girlfriend woulde with

    him.

    It made Greyson feel guilty. He shouldn''t have given Roxie the false hope and lied to her just to make

    her feel happy.

    The Yun family had two sons, Greyson and his older brother, Troy. Troy was a man of stable character

    and had been greatly influenced by their father. He joined the army when he was quite young.

    However, Roxie had always liked girls more and wanted a daughter. When she was pregnant with

    Greyson, she was so sure that the baby was going to be a girl, that she even bought everything for a

    baby girl.

    But when the baby was finally born and Roxie found that it was yet another boy, she felt quite

    disappointed at that time. And since she had bought everything for a baby girl, she raised and treated

    Greyson more like a girl when he was just a baby.

    Perhaps that was why Greyson was, the way he was. Because Roxie had mothered him too much and

    was too lenient with him.

    Greyson always liked to y withputers ever since his childhood. And over the years he had

    honed hisputer skills so well, that he became a first-ss hacker. If he needed to find out some

    information, all he needed to do was punch in a few keys on the keyboard and invade anyone''s

    computer orwork equipment.

    Yesterday, when he had dinner with Ashley and Ellie, he sensed that they were hiding something from

    him. Normally he wouldn''t care or take any notice, but, his curiosity was piqued as to what it could be.

    So Greyson decided to figure it out by himself.

    In the Starlight Club, the loud sound of energetic music that was pumping out from the massive

    speakers, was deafening.

    The dance floor was filled with hyped up men and women, whose bodies seemed to be overtaken by

    the rhythm and beat of the music that pounded off the walls. Each of them swayed and moved in their

    own unique way,pletely, uninhibited.

    Here they had the license to act freely and release what they felt deep in their very soul and express it

    through dance.

    Nobody really knew who the owner of the Starlight Club was. But they did know that whoever it was,

    they were very powerful. Even the big shots in J City couldn''t cause trouble here.

    Only the ''who''s who'' of J City could afford to attend this club and have the Starlight Club as theirte

    night yground, but even they didn''t dare stir up any problems at the club.

    Earlier, when the club had just newly opened, an owner of apany had attended the club. He was

    arrogant and didn''t want to follow the rules and tried to use his power and influence to cause a

    disturbance there.

    However, the very next day he became bankrupt, as a direct consequence of his actions that he made

    at the Starlight Club, and he had to repay a lot of debts that he had owed.

    Since then, everyone that attended the Starlight Club took it as a valuable lesson and never dared to

    rock the boat when they were there.

    In a room, on the third floor of the Starlight Club, several young men with different colored hair, wearing

    hoodies and unusually styled clothes, lounged on the couch.

    Greyson sat in the middle of them on the same couch. With his neat clothes, natural ck hair and

    cute baby face, he lookedpletely different in appearance and style from the rest of them. However,

    he seemed to be in sync with the group.

    The room that they were in had been soundproofed. It blocked out the thunderous noise from the first

    and second floors.

    Each of the young men that were sitting on the couch with Greyson had a woman in theirps and

    were necking with them without any moral sense.

    Greyson looked at them and frowned disdainfully, and then suddenly he yelled, "All of you. Just get

    out!"

    Right! The only normal person sitting on the couch with the group of boys, was, Greyson.

    His cute baby face, that Ashley and Ellie found adorable, was reced with a cold re. He wasn''t shy

    at all, his face wasposed and his eyescked any feeling of friendliness.

    His tone was irritated.

    The young men suddenly stopped canoodling and sat up.

    One of them, who seemed to be the leader of the group, suddenly spoke up, "All right everyone, the

    party''s over. It''s time to go,dies."

    Even though the women moaned in protest and didn''t want to leave. They knew that it wasn''t wise to

    disobey. So they began to tidy their clothes up and collect their purses and quickly left the boys alone.

    As the women left, they all gave Greyson a smoldering look, hoping that he would nce up and

    perhaps take a fancy to one of them to be his girlfriend. If that happened, the woman would live a better

    life.

    However, Greyson didn''t give them so much as a nce, and he was repulsed by women like that. He

    remained on the couch concentrating on something that was on his cell phone.

    "Greyson, why did you tell us toe here? What do you want us to do?"

    The leader asked with uncertainty in his voice.

    "Let''s cut the crap. I told you toe, because I have something to ask," said Greyson irritated as he

    looked up at the man from his cell phone.

    He spoke in a harsh and rude tone. He actedpletely different from the boy that Ashley and Ellie

    had met that day in the coffee shop.

    And if Ashley and Ellie were here to see Greyson now, they would certainly be shocked by his

    behavior. They would wonder, ''Is this the same cute, considerate and shy little Greyson that we know?''

    Of course it was. However, this was a side of Greyson that the girls hadn''t seen.

    Because this was Greyson''s usual style.

    But Greyson''s cute baby face and appearance were very deceptive to those who didn''t know him.

    "Greyson, if you have something for us to do, why don''t you just call us. You shouldn''t have bothered

    yourself toe here in person." A young man with dyed yellow hair that was sitting next to him spoke

    up.

    If they didn''t dye their hair or wear unusual styled clothes, they would all be attractive young men.

    Most people who saw them felt intimidated by the way they dressed and wondered why they would

    want to look like that.

    And it wasn''t as though they couldn''t afford nice clothes, because each of the young men came from a

    very wealthy family that lived in J City.

    Their families were also much more powerful and wealthier than Lena''s family, but they were only

    Greyson''s followers.

    The Mu family was so insignificant in J City that Greyson hadn''t even heard of them.

    "It''s fine. You don''t need to tter me I just want to ask you, is there a Mu family in J City?" Greyson

    questioned.

    Ashley and Ellie didn''t tell him the whole story, but it was enough information for Greyson to put two

    and two together and work it out.

    "Mu family?" The group of men looked at each other in confusion and were speechless as to why

    Greyson would ask a question like that.

    These men were only casual acquaintances, Greyson didn''t consider them as his friends.

    However, the group were all keen to have a good rapport with Greyson because of his identity. But

    Greyson didn''t care about that. In the end, everyone used their advantage in exchange for what they

    needed from each other. And at times these young men from wealthy families could be of some use to

    him.

    Like in this particr instance, he was not disappointed.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

 Chapter 67 I Might Know Something

    Chapter 67 I Might Know Something

    The young men mentally scanned through all the information in their minds about the prestigious

    families of J City but nobody could recollect the Mu family.

    If the Mus found out that their reputation in society was so dismal, they would be chagrined.

    But in reality, the wealth and position of the Mu family could only be categorized as third-ss, which

    meant it was inferior even to the second-ss families to which these young men belonged. Naturally,

    this group didn''t know this family at all.

    "The Mu family? It seems that this family doesn''t exist in J City," replied Beck Chen, who seemed to be

    the leader of this gang.

    His confused expression told Greyson he had never heard of this family.

    The others also nodded in affirmation, "Yes, Greyson. There is no family whosest name is Mu in J

    City. Have you got the name wrong?"

    Greyson had enlisted the help of these young prodigal men to learn about the Mus. Although they had

    never worked a day in their lives, their family business would be handed to them on a tter by their

    parents.

    As they belonged to the same strata, they knew more inside secrets and gossip than those working

    within the organizations.

    They seemed to be carefree about everything, except their inheritance. They would not stand to be

    substituted by other sessors, not even those from their own family.

    Most of these spoiled brats were not as innocent as they seemed. Nobody knew what was going on in

    their heads.

    When Greyson found out that they knew nothing about the Mu family, his face fell.

    Greyson was disappointed because he assumed that these people would know more about J City''s

    prestigious families thanmon people. He was certain he would get a satisfying answer from them.

    But he was wrong. Surprisingly, nobody here knew anything about that family. What infuriated him the

    most was that these impudent upstarts suspected that he got the name wrong! He was not a fool. The

    name was right! So how could this happen?

    Just then, a man in the corner raised his hand slowly while the others were trying to solve this mystery.

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Everyone immediately turned to him.

    Being under the scrutiny of so many people made him nervous and his body let out an involuntary

    shudder. Finally mustering up the courage, he said, "I might know something about the Mu family."

    Everyone looked at him with curious eyes. This man had the lowest position in this group and was

    seldom noticed by others, so when he suddenly spoke up, they were stunned.

    Greyson didn''t pay heed to the group''s hostile vibe and walked up to the man. "Do you know the Mu

    family?" he enquired.

    Standing before the young man, Greyson, a big built man, shadowed the meek, young man. He red

    down at him in an attempt to browbeat the youngd.

    Alvin knew this was his only chance, so despite feeling intimidated, he seized the opportunity.

    His fellow group members were scowling at him. This loser got Greyson''s attention and they were

    jealous of him.

    The group ignored him due to his family''s inferior background. They only kowtowed to those who hailed

    from prestigious families. It had always been like this. Although he was with them everyday, he was

    always the one to be bullied.

    All of them were vying for Greyson''s attention due to his unusual position. If they could be friends with

    this influential man, their family andpanies would gain more respect from the others.

    However, this opportunity had been snatched by Alvin, who was a nobody. This made all of them angry.

    "Don''t believe him! None of us know the Mu family. How can he know them? He is just a scum of the

    Luo family!" Beck spoke up now. He was trying to terrorise Alvin and make him back off.

    "Yes, Greyson. Don''t believe him. He must be lying," the others chimed in hoping to discourage

    Greyson from associating with Alvin.

    The Luo family''spany used to be famous at one time. However, many years ago, its sess

    waned gradually for unknown reasons and now it couldn''tpare with the other firms. That was the

    reason why these maniptive men from prestigious firms began to look down on Alvin and even

    mocked him.

    Alvin didn''t defend himself. Instead, he looked squarely in Greyson''s eyes without being distracted by

    the antagonistic group.

    He, too, used to be one of those people to whom these leeches tried to get close when his family firm

    was flourishing. But after the downfall of hispany, their attitude towards him changed drastically.

    He had never treated them badly when his family was prosperous. Instead, he was friendly to all of

    them. So he was hurt and confused by their unfair behaviour.

    Greyson arched a brow as he heard their words. Admittedly, this was not the only way he could get

    information on the Mu Family. Asking these people for help was actually degrading himself.

    However, he was curious about the handsome young man in the corner whose earnest eyes were

    glued to him.

    So Greyson turned back and shot a warning look at the rest of them. Suddenly, they all went quiet and

    held their collective breaths.

    Greyson then turned his eyes to Alvin and said, "You can speak now."

    But Alvin didn''t say anything. Instead, he stared behind Greyson at the group.

    He knew he had annoyed them, so they might get violent with him henceforth.

    He needed Greyson to protect him.

    How this young man assumed that he would agree to this deal was a mystery to Greyson. ''Do I look so

    eager to find information about the Mu family?'' he thought to himself.

    "All of you leave now, and don''t make any trouble for him from now on," he ordered. He looked at them

    sternly.

    They were dejected by this turn of events but were unable to disobey Greyson''smand, so they had

    no choice but to leave the room as instructed by him.

    When they were out of earshot, they couldn''t help but discuss what just happened. Thanks to the good

    sound instion in the room, they knew that they wouldn''t be overheard by Greyson.

    "Beck, how can we just let Alvin win? What if Greyson is happy with the information he provides and

    the Luo family gets a new start because of it?"

    A yellow-hair man was the first to inquire as soon as they left the room.

    "Do we have a choice? No, we don''t. He is the only one who knows about the Mu family. So how can

    we stop him?" Beck questioned gloomily as he couldn''t think of a way to change this situation.

    What was more, Greyson had warned them about causing trouble to Alvin, so they couldn''t even take

    revenge!

    Since the copse of the Luo family business, bullying Alvin had be one of their hobbies. He had

    done nothing bad to them when his family was prosperous.

    But they would never appreciate him for that!

 Chapter 68 What Can You Do For Me

    Chapter 68 What Can You Do For Me

    It was the nature of human beings. People shouldn''t be too nice to others, or else they would be preyed

    on by the ruthless.

    "What shall we do?" one guy asked anxiously. He was standing there, fidgeting with his feet.

    "We couldn''t do anything right now," the man in charge replied, looking into the distance. "We have to

    wait and see if anything else happens." His voice sounded very cold and his face was serious.

    Alvin didn''t get up until the group of people left the room.

    He was dressed in a shabby ck-and-white sportswear, but he looked young and sharp-featured.

    His face was as beautiful as a girl''s, but his eyebrows were thick and masculine.

    Before, Greyson had heard some things about the Luo family. Since he had nothing to do with those

    murmurs, he gradually forgot about them as time passed.

    When Alvin got up from the couch, Greyson realized how much taller he was than him.

    After a few moments, Greyson walked to where Alvin was and sat next to him.

    Indeed, Alvin didn''t know much about the Mu family. Basic information was only what he had.

    He knew that Spencer married Peggy and that they had a son and a daughter. His son was abroad and

    his daughter was now working for the Luo Group. A different Luo.

    Although Alvin''s family wasn''t as powerful as it used to be, Alvin made sure that he paid close attention

    to the noble families.

    Slowly, Alvin turned to Greyson, staring at his face. A hint of astonishment was stamped on his face.

    Alvin couldn''t see Greyson''s face clearly in the dark, but he could tell that Greyson wasn''t a simple

    man. ''He definitely has a strong man aura, '' he said silently, staring at Greyson. ''Or else those men

    wouldn''t maintain such a respectful attitude in front of him.''

    Somehow, Alvin was caught off guard by Greyson''s innocent face. ''Adorable, '' he said to himself, a

    small smile creeping up his lips.

    Aware of Alvin''s surprise, Greyson quipped, "Hey, what the hell are you looking at? Mind your

    manners!" His lips curled into a pout and his brows became furrowed. "Answer my question!" he

    continued, difort still evident on his face.

    "What do you want to know?" asked Alvin, his lips pressed into a thin line.

    His voice was deep but sweet and soothing, like a girl''s. It surprised Greyson.

    ''Jeez!'' he thought to himself. ''I almost forgot that he''s a man! He looks like a girl and he also sounds

    like a girl!''

    The thought of that amused Greyson, but generally speaking, he was in no position tough at Alvin.

    After pausing for a few moments, he took a deep breath, as if readying himself.

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    "I want to know something about Lena and Ashley," he said firmly.

    After a small pause, Alvin began to tell the story. "Ashley is two years older than Lena. She was

    adopted by the Mu family. Lena is a true Mu. Naturally, Spencer and Peggy showered her with love and

    affection. However, she just couldn''t get along with Ashley very well ever since they were young. She

    also has been hard at work to get Ashley into trouble."

    Alvin paused. His voice was silky, and it echoed through the entire room.

    Greyson put his hands on the edge of the couch and tried his best to focus on what Alvin was saying.

    Alvin''s cadence was making him sleepy.

    ''His voice is like magic, '' he thought to himself.

    But he was able to get the important points in what Alvin just said.

    One, Ashley was adopted and two, Lena had always made troubles for her.

    Though Greyson did not take the Mu family seriously, he knew that they could prevent Ashley from

    renting a shop.

    ''No wonder that Ellie looked so irritated that day, '' he thought to himself.

    "I have told you everything I know," Alvin said, staring at Greyson.

    "Thank you, Alvin," Greyson replied. At that point, he just wanted to go and get some rest. It had been

    a tiring day.

    Slowly, he stood up from his seat. He looked Alvin in the eye, and said, "Well, you can go home now.

    No one will stop you. I have informed the guys earlier."

    Greyson yawned. A normal person would find this disrespectful, but with a face as handsome as his, it

    would be forgivable. People would even consider him adorable, with his ruffled, soft ck hair.

    Greyson thought that Alvin had already left the room, but when he looked up, he found that he was still

    there, staring at him quietly, motionless.

    "Why are you still here?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "Do you have anything else to say?"

    "I..." Alvin began, hesitating. After a few seconds, he continued, "Can I stay? I will do anything for you."

    Alvin balled his hands to a fist. It took all his courage but he was finally able to say what he wanted to

    say.

    Shocked, Greyson looked up and looked Alvin in the eyes.

    "What did you say just now?" asked Greyson, his eyes wide open.

    Looking at Greyson, Alvin repeated what he said. "Can I stay?"

    "No. No way," responded Greyson instantly. There was no hesitation in his voice.

    He knew what Alvin meant.

    Although the Yun family was engaged in business, they also had a military-political background and

    Greyson had to pay attention to his behavior.

    ''He can''t be that naive. Why would he want to stay with me?'' Greyson thought to himself.

    As soon as Alvin sensed the subtle emotional change in Greyson''s eyes, he hastily exined himself.

    "Please don''t misunderstand me. It is not what you thought," he started. "I just want to follow you and I

    promise it has nothing to do with the rtionship between your family and my family."

    "No," replied Greyson firmly. It was his final decision.

    Alvin, as a sign of defeat, lowered his head. When Greyson saw this, he felt a sudden urge tofort

    the guy.

    Now he was not sure if he was right in declining Alvin''s request. ''What shall I do?'' Greyson thought,

    close to panicking.

    After a few moments, Greyson gave up and changed his stance. ''It isn''t bad having him around. He

    could be a little brother to me, '' he said to himself.

    Greyson was the youngest in the family and among his friends, he was also the youngest. It made him

    feel helpless.

    ''But if I take him in, then things would be different!'' thought Greyson.

    At the thought of this, he examined Alvin, looking at him up and down. ''Handsome with the perfect

    figure, '' he thought, impressed. "What can you do for me?" he asked Alvin.

    After being declined by Greyson twice, Alvin felt so frustrated. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that

    Greyson''s question didn''t really register in his brain. But once his mind was able to process it, he was

    stunned. He looked up and stared at Greyson with a puzzled look.

    Greyson asked again, "Didn''t you say that you want to follow me? So tell me - what you could do for

    me? I don''t want to have a subordinate who is good for nothing."

    ''Subordinate? What does he mean?'' Alvin asked inwardly, shocked and confused. Greyson had

    misunderstood Alvin.

 Chapter 69 Greysons Arrangement

    Chapter 69 Greyson''s Arrangement

    Considering Alvin''s character, Greyson thought that it might be good for him to let Alvin be his man and

    follow him around to work for him.

    Even though Alvin had no idea why Greyson would ask him what he could do, he still managed to

    make a reply. With all honesty, he answered, "I can cook food, wash clothes, useputer, design..."

    Upon hearing Alvin say that he could cook food and wash clothes, Greyson suddenly felt that he

    seemed to find a man who could help him do household chores.

    He was surprised that such a handsome young man with a delicate face could even cook food and

    wash clothes.

    However, Greyson didn''t need him to do any housework, as there was already someone responsible

    for doing housework in his house.

    But when he learned that Alvin was interested inputer, Greyson felt a bit more satisfied. He

    thought his qualifications would really serve him best.

    Since Alvin at least had his own professional skill, Greyson decided to let him stay by his side to do

    things for him. If Alvin could only do housework like cooking meals and washing clothes, without being

    good at doing other things, Greyson might surely be disappointed in him and make him leave right

    away.

    Noticing that Alvin seemed to go on saying, Greyson immediately interrupted him, "Okay. I see. You

    don''t need to exin further."

    Inside him, he thought that if Alvin would keep on speaking, his words might make him so drowsy that

    he would even fall asleep right there and then.

    "Okay. You can go for now. I will contact you in case I''ll need your services. You don''t have to be afraid

    of them now. They won''t dare bully you again," With an encouraging expression, Greyson consoled

    Alvin.

    Prepared to leave, Alvin nodded in return grateful for Greyson''s show of concern.

    After Alvin left, Greyson slowly made his way out of the Starlight Club.

    Taking out his phone, he made a call to someone, telling him to look and prepare a shop for him. He

    would go visit and check it tomorrow.

    The person on the other end of the line who received Greyson''s phone call got stunned at the sudden

    order, but after hearing Greyson''s words, he promised that he would try his best to find the best shop

    which would satisfy Greyson.

    After hanging up the phone, Greyson opened his WeChat ount and chatted with Ellie.

    Luckily, he had also asked Ellie for her contact informationst time as he knew that Ashley would not

    share anything to him.

    It seemed that Ellie could be more easily persuaded than Ashley, and Ellie couldn''t resist the lure of

    Greyson''s charm. Thus in a matter of just minutes, she would tell Greyson about anything as long as

    Greyson said something to please or tter her in some way.

    When her phone lit up, Ellie was watching the hit TV series with Ashley after having dinner.

    While all their attention was focused on the TV screen, Ellie and Ashley sat on the sofa together, with

    some potato chips ced on a nearby table.

    They had quit their jobs and hadn''t found any suitable shop to start their new business at present, so

    they nned to spend some time rxing and having some fun for the meantime.

    Upon seeing Greyson''s message, Ellie averted her eyes from the TV towards her phone.

    She began to indulge herself in the chat with Greyson via WeChat, even neglecting her favorite TV

    series.

    After they talked for a while, Greyson suddenly asked Ellie whether Ashley was beside her at this

    moment, as he wanted to tell her a secret.

    Instinctively, Ellie took a nce at Ashley who was gluing her gaze to the TV, after which she walked

    into her bedroom silently and replied to Greyson via WeChat, "She''s not with me now. What do you

    want to say?"

    All this time, Greyson had already known the reason why Ashley couldn''t rent a shop from other people

    and why she wasn''t telling him.

    Now he had figured out a way to help Ashley and made some arrangements, but he couldn''t exin to

    Ashley and Ellie how he came up with the whole thing. Thus he could only try to contact Ellie first and

    find a chance to carry out his n.

    Without knowing the reasons, Greyson himself couldn''t even exin why he was so eager to help

    Ashley and Ellie.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    He just felt that Ashley was an easy-going and friendly person. He couldn''t help but get close to her

    and try to be on familiar terms with her. After all, Greyson thought that she deserved to be happy. Thus,

    Greyson with all his influence and resources was willing to help them in any way he could.

    Otherwise, such a naughty person like Greyson would never do other people a favor, and he was

    known for messing things up instead of helping others.

    At first, Greyson tried his best to praise Ellie to make her exuberant with joy. After that, he started to

    talk about the matter.

    Greyson asked Ellie why they were unable to rent a shop and why Ashley didn''t tell him about that.

    Reading those questions on WeChat, Ellie could imagine that Greyson was anxious for answers.

    However, with a morose and innocent expression on her face, Ellie doubted whether to answer the

    questions or not.

    After all, Ashley had once told her not to talk about this matter with others. Ashley deemed it wise to

    keep the matter confidential as she was afraid that others would get into trouble because of the matter.

    With this in mind, Ellie didn''t give any direct answer to Greyson''s questions. Instead, she tried to

    change the topic.

    Yet, Greyson kept on chatting with Ellie in a cute and interactive way and managed to please Ellie with

    some ttery remarks. He even sent some voice messages to her, making Ellie so euphoric.

    In the end, Ellie couldn''t help but tell Greyson about the matter and she also warned him not to let

    Ashley know that it was she who told him the whole thing.

    Sensing that he would triumph in his ns, Greyson happily promised that he wouldn''t let Ashley know.

    In fact, he had already figured out this matter clearly before. He was just pretending not to know

    anything about it and asked Ellie about that just to pave the way for what he was going to do tomorrow.

    With everything settled, Greyson told Ellie that he wanted to invite them to go out for fun tomorrow.

    Ellie, of course, epted his invitation willingly.

    The next morning, Ashley, who was still asleep, was drawn out of bed by Ellie.

    Excitedly, Ellie told her that Greyson had nned something fun for them today.

    Still drowsy and with her eyes half-opened, Ashley nodded in a calm way.

    Looking at Ellie who seemed so enthusiastic, she got a little confused. "We will just go out and have fun

    with Greyson, but why are you so excited?" she asked.

    Now that Ellie was totally attracted to Greyson and only thought about him day and night, she didn''t

    pay attention to what Ashley had said and just went on her way to prepare for an exciting day.

    With Ellie outside and busy choosing which dress to wear, Ashley still yawned, her eyelid still drooping

    a little.

    Last night, her mind was upied on thinking about the matter that Peggy asked her to find a man to

    get married. Furthermore, the threat that Peggy made against her bothered her even more. She also

    spent a long time considering who would be the lucky man she would choose to get married within a

    week. With all these weird thoughts running on her mind, she fell asleep veryte. To her dismay, she

    was woken up by Ellie so early today, which made her a little glum.

    She stared at Ellie who was just outside her room with a hint of annoyance on her face. "There is still

    an hour before the scheduled time. Why do we have to get up so early?" Ashley shouted at Ellie.

    "It is better to get to meet him early thante, right?" Ellie responded teasingly.

    Greyson was a native of J City and was very familiar with the city. However, even though Ashley and

    Ellie also grew up in J City, they only knew a few ces within the city and were not that familiar with

    some of the beautiful ces.

    They both focused on their studies when they were students and were only busy with their work after

    graduation, so they didn''t have any time to go out for fun.

    This time, Greyson took Ashley and Ellie to a zoo.

    The zoo was filled with many kinds of animals, and a variety of nt species too. Attractions and

    interactive spots could also be enjoyed in the zoo.

    Since the three of them, especially Greyson who had a delicate baby face, were good-looking, they

    attracted a lot of people''s attention wherever they went.

    Looking at them as they enjoyed their stroll across the zoo, onlookers guessed that the two big sisters

    took their younger brother to the zoo for fun. Some might say they were really close.

    They had no idea that in fact, it was Greyson who took Ashley and Ellie there to have fun.

    They spent the whole morning there feeding and watching all of the animals including snakes, parrots,

    peafowl, camels and many more.

    Of course, their feet ached after they walked so long inside the zoo. While having a good time in the

    zoo, they also took a lot of photos. They evenughed hard whenever they captured an awkward pose

    in the photo. Ellie even thought of funny captions she would tag when she would upload the pictures on

    social media.

    After they enjoyed watching all of the animals at the zoo, they grabbed something to eat before leaving.

    After the meal, with a mysterious grin on his face, Greyson asked Ashley and Ellie to follow him to a

    ce.

 Chapter 70 Acting Charming

    Chapter 70 Acting Charming

    Ashley and Ellie were both exhausted. After they had spent the whole morning walking around and

    looking at all of the animals in the zoo, they copsed in a heap at the table and after they had some

    lunch and a nice long rest they felt much better. Greyson then stood up and led the girls to another

    destination.

    As the girls plodded along beside him, they found that the street they were in had be busier and

    was bustling with people everywhere. They wondered why Greyson had brought them here.

    Suddenly he smiled and stopped in front of a vacant shop and the girls looked at each other confused.

    "Why have you brought us here?" Ashley asked as she looked at the shop. The shop front was much

    better than any of the ones that they had looked at, and the location couldn''t have been better.

    Ellie had roughly mentioned that they wanted to rent a ce to start a bakery shop to Greyson

    yesterday, but she didn''t share any more details. So she stood gaping in surprise at the shop front.

    "Ashley, have you forgotten what I am capable of?" Greyson said giving her a wink when he noticed the

    surprised look on Ashley''s face.

    Ellie felt so relieved that Greyson didn''t mention the conversation they had to Ashley.

    Ashley knew exactly what Greyson was capable of. It was easy for him to find out whatever he wanted

    to know.

    Ashley crossed her arms and looked at Greyson and said, "Of course I know what you are capable of.

    But I just don''t understand why you have brought us here."

    Greyson''s cheeks blushed and he answered shyly, "I''m just trying to repay you for what you did for me.

    If it hadn''t been for your kindness, I would have been starved to death and wouldn''t have been able to

    find my rtives in such a short time."

    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    When Ashley heard what he said, she rubbed her forehead awkwardly and replied, "It wasn''t a big

    deal. There''s no need for you to repay me for that."

    Greyson was silent and stared at her expectantly.

    It seemed as if he wasn''t going to stop staring at her until Ashley had epted his offer.

    Ellie nced at Greyson and then at Ashley. She knew what Greyson did was out of good intentions.

    But she also knew her friend was having trouble epting the offer because she was afraid of getting

    him into trouble.

    She couldn''t bear to look at Greyson''s pleading adorable eyes any longer, so she quickly approached

    Ashley. "Ashley, what Greyson is doing is out of the goodwill of his heart and since we are already

    here, why don''t we have a look inside?"

    After hearing what she had said, Ashley turned around and red at her and said in a hushed voice,

    "Greyson doesn''t know the rtionship that I have with my family, so I don''t me him for what he has

    done. But you are well aware of the situation, so why would you still try to persuade me?"

    Ellie didn''t dare say anything else after that.

    Ashley looked up at Greyson again and saw the disappointed look on his face and decided that it

    wouldn''t hurt to go inside and have a look.

    Once they went inside, a man came to greet them. The man was in his forties and looked a little

    anxious. He scuttled over to them the moment he saw Greyson and gave him a submissive look.

    "Good afternoon, Mr..."

    The man began to greet Greyson, but he stopped immediately when he saw Greyson ring at him.

    Greyson had called this manst night and asked him to find a nice vacant shop for a bakery business.

    The middle-aged man had searched all night long to find a suitable ce and was waiting at the shop

    for them to arrive since early this morning.

    "Ashley, Ellie, this is the ce that I found for you. What do you think of it?"

    Greyson couldn''t wait to brag about how he found the shop for them, taking all the credit for himself.

    After making eyecontact with Greyson, the middle-aged man gave him a slight nod and turned his

    attention to the two girls.

    Although he had no idea of the background of the two girls, he assumed that they must be highborn

    since they were friends of Greyson and he was treating them so well.

    "Hello, Miss Mu and Miss Su. I am the owner of the shop, please feel free to have a look around and if

    there is anything that you dislike, I can make any necessary changes for you," the man said to both the

    girls.

    Ashley and Ellie looked at each other and furrowed their brows confused. They both wondered, ''Why is

    this shop owner being so courteous to us?

    Forget it. Maybe we''re just overthinking it.''

    Without giving it much more thought, they began to look around the shop. There was no doubt that

    Greyson did have great taste. Theyout, the arrangement, the lighting and even the location of the

    shop were much better than the shops they found before.

    This shop couldn''t possibly bepared to all the other shops that Ashley and Ellie had looked at.

    Because this shop was in a prime location, right in the heart of J City. It couldn''t be more perfect, the

    shop interior was the right size with the lovely ssy decor and the location had heavy foot traffic.

    ''How on earth could Greyson find such a ce?'' they wondered. However, even though everything was

    perfect, it didn''t look like a ce that the girls could afford.

    "So, Ashley and Ellie. What do you think?"

    Greyson asked, with curiosity.

    Ashley looked at Greyson and nodded her head approvingly. "It''s great! All right, now that we''ve had a

    good look, let''s go."

    Ashley had no intention of renting the shop from the very beginning. All that she promised was to have

    a look inside and nothing more.

    The man turned pale when he heard that Ashley was about to leave. Greyson had entrusted him to find

    the best possible ce for the girls and this was the one that he came up with after hours of

    painstakingly trying. But now that one of the girls had seemed dissatisfied with the shop, that also

    reflected on his inability to find the best shop avable.

    The man firmly believed that these two girls must be highborn since they were Greyson''s friends. So he

    had to try harder to please them.

    "Miss Mu and Miss Su, please wait, could you please tell me what it is that you are unsatisfied with. I

    promise you that I will make the necessary corrections as soon as possible." The man said, trying to

    convince them not to leave.

    Ashley waved her hand as if to brush him off. "No, there''s nothing wrong with the shop at all. It''s just

    that we didn''t n on renting it right away."

    She became even more confused when she saw the reaction of this man. ''Why is he so determined to

    lease this shop to us?'' she wondered.

    When he realized that he couldn''t convince them to stay, the man had no choice but to turn to Greyson

    for help.

    However, Greyson avoided his eye contact and gazed at Ashley instead.

    "Ashley, why don''t you lease this shop? If it''s not good enough for you, I could find you another one."

    Greyson asked, pathetically.

    "No, this shop is great." Ashley replied, helplessly. She couldn''t mention the real reason why she didn''t

    want to rent the shop. How could she tell him that she had a terrible rtionship with her family and

    they were feuding at the moment? If she epted his help, it would only cause him trouble from her

    family.

    "All right, let''s go now." Ashley said to Ellie and Greyson. Then Ashley turned to the man and said, "I

    am sorry for wasting your time."

    Ellie watched Ashley leave the shop and gave Greyson a helpless shrug of her shoulders. She then

    followed her out.

    After they left, the middle-aged man turned to Greyson with a worried look and whispered, "Sir..."

    Greyson frowned and impatiently interrupted, "Just hold the shop, for now, I''ll persuade them to rent it."

    He was about to leave but suddenly thought of something and turned back to the man saying, "Draw

    up a contract and make the monthly rental fee about five thousand."

    Greyson then left without giving the man a chance to say anything, instead, he stood in the doorway

    with a confused expression on his face.

    He watched as Greyson and the girls walked off into the distance and wondered why Greyson had

    asked him to do that.

 Chapter 71 Please Accept It

    Chapter 71 Please ept It

    If Greyson wanted this shop, he could have just told the owner. The middle-aged man wondered why

    he went through so much trouble?

    Suddenly Ashley and Ellie popped up in his head. Was Greyson doing all this for those two women?

    "If so, I had better remember this so that I don''t displease them in the future," he made a mental note.

    Thinking about what Greyson said to him before leaving, the mid-aged man snapped out of his

    musings and ordered his people to draw up a contract.

    ...

    "Ashley, why are you looking so worried?" Ellie nced at Ashley sitting there looking miserable and

    felt helpless.

    She never expected Ashley to get so mad about this. Greyson had only done this out of goodwill.

    "It''s nothing. I just don''t want him to be involved in this," Ashley stated.

    Lena didn''t like her and was always trying to sabotage her ns. She did not want other people to

    be coteral damage in this sibling war.

    "But Greyson doesn''t know that, so don''t be mad at him, alright? Your grumpy face stinks!" Ellie

    comined.

    Ashley shot her a warning look.

    "Ashley, did I do anything wrong?" asked Greyson looking sad.

    Ellie looked at Greyson''s face and then at Ashley''s annoyed face. Greyson looked like he was close to

    tears. She dragged him to her side, "No, you did nothing wrong. It''s just that we don''t want to trouble

    you with this. Don''t overthink it."

    Ellie was fond of him and hated to see him look so deste.

    If Francis was here and saw everything that Greyson had done, he would be so pissed. He would be

    calling him a little devil.

    Francis recognised Greyson for the wolf in sheep skin that he was.

    Though he had an outrageously adorable baby face, his actions were the exact opposite of that. The

    little devil of J City.

    Yes, that was right. Everyone in J City knew him by his nickname --the Little Devil Greyson!

    In fact, all the love Greyson received from people was only because of his deceiving face. He was

    totally different in front of Francis and theirmon friends!

    On hearing Ellie''sforting words, he turned to Ellie with a gloomy look on his face, "Really? But

    Ashley still looks really mad at me."

    Technically Ashley was younger than Greyson, but he looked younger. So they treated him like their

    younger brother.

    "No, of course not, don''t think about it too much." Ellie rubbed his head. She had wanted to do so for a

    long time but hadn''t found an opportunity, until now.

    The minute Ellie''s hands touched Greyson''s head, his expression changed but he quickly corrected

    himself and pretended as if it didn''t bother him.

    The one thing Greyson loathed was being touched on his head! But nobody knew this about him.

    "Ashley." Greyson spoke her name pitifully.

    She sighed, "I don''t mean to me you and I''m not mad. It''s just that, I think you''d better stay out of

    this. I don''t want you to get into any trouble because of me."

    "Ashley, is this about Lena Mu? Is it because of her that you can''t rent a shop?" he asked.

    "How do you know about that?" Ashley looked at him in surprise.

    "I found out about it myself. With the help of myputer, of course." Greyson answered with a hint of

    pride in his voice.

    Ashley was speechless. She forgot that this innocent-looking boy was a hacker, and a good one at that.

    She had wanted to hold back some things from him but it was so easy for him to find out these things

    thanks to his skills.

    "But don''t worry, Ashley, she will not get what she wants."

    "Why is that?" Ellie asked out of curiosity.

    "Because this shop is under Harkim''s name and its boss is very protective toward his belongings. No

    one dares to mess with him.

    And my uncle works for Harkim, so girls, please don''t worry about this." Greyson said graciously.

    "Ashley, please just ept this. Think of it as me returning your favour," he added, afraid that Ashley

    would still decline his offer. Greyson looked at Ashley with hope shining in his innocent eyes.

    "No!" Ashley refused without so much as a moment''s consideration.

    She had helped him back then because she was drawn by his beautiful eyes. And honestly, what she

    had done for him was not a big deal. So how could she ept such a generous reward?

    Ellie stood there looking at Ashley and sighed. It was amazing how a random act of kindness could

    bind two people together forever.

    "Ashley, Ellie, do you take me as your friend?" Greyson asked suddenly.

    "Of course we do!" They answered immediately, almost in chorus.

    If they didn''t take Greyson as a friend, a brother, why would they be so close to him?

    Greyson expected exactly this response and seized the chance to persuade them harder.

    "Then it all works out! Friends are supposed to help each other," he proimed.

    Greyson was serious and Ashley almost believed it.

    "And, Ashley, this is not a gift. It''s a reward for the bread and water you offered mest time," he

    added.

    Now there would be no reason for Ashley to say no.

    "No, I did that as a simple gesture. We can''t ept such a generous offer." Besides, Harkim was

    involved in this and Greyson would surely get into trouble if they epted his offer.

    And Ashley feared those people the most.

    "You obviously don''t consider me your friend. Why else would you not ept this?" Greyson looked at

    Ashley sadly as though he was hurt, and Ashley had bullied him.

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Ashley felt helpless. On one hand, she knew that Greyson was doing this out of goodwill, but she just

    couldn''t ept his generosity.

    No matter how hard he tried to convince her, she would not ept this shop from Greyson.

    But he did everything he could, including begging, which finally made Ashley change her mind.

    Then he stopped grovelling and dragged Ashley and Ellie back to the shop.

 Chapter 72 Signed The Contract

    Chapter 72 Signed The Contract

    Ashley and Ellie followed Greyson. They noticed the sudden change in his facial expression and

    couldn''t help but have a feeling of being cheated.

    However, since they had promised Greyson, then it didn''t seem a good idea to go back on their word.

    Greyson walked into the store again with Ashley and Ellie in tow. The same middle-aged man came to

    greet them. Greyson gave him a questioning look as if to ask, ''Is the contract ready?'' The man nodded

    discreetly to Greyson.

    Ashley and Ellie didn''t feel the need to say anything because they had already seen this storefront

    before and they were both satisfied with everything the way it was. The man handed the contract over

    to the girls and they read through it carefully.

    While Ashley and Ellie read through the details of the contract, the man wiped the sweat from his brow.

    He was d that he drew up the contract promptly after Greyson''s instructions and now he sat back

    feeling relieved.

    However, the more Ashley and Ellie read through the contract, the more surprised they were.

    They had rented stores in the past and also read some tenancy contracts, so they were familiar with

    the usual requirements. But this contract was different from the usual ones that they had read before.

    And given the location of this storefront, it was definitely worth anywhere between ten thousand and

    twenty thousand dors in rent of which the girls were prepared to pay.

    However, the rent amount that was written in this contract was only five thousand per month. Ashley

    and Ellie couldn''t believe that he was asking for such a small amount.

    What was more, the contract was supposed to be very strict and more in favor of the owner. However,

    all of the terms in the contract were written up to be all in their benefit.

    Ashley looked up at the owner and couldn''t help but ask, "I''m sorry. I wonder if you may have made a

    mistake when you drew up this contract?" When she read through all of the terms and conditions of the

    contract it was obvious that the owner would suffer losses. And if that was the case, then what would

    be the purpose of him leasing the store out in the first ce?

    The middle-aged man''s eyes twinkled and he gave Ashley a friendly smile. He said, "You are funny,

    Miss Mu. I am sure that there are no mistakes in this contract. It was specifically written up for you."

    He drew the contract up under Greyson''s instructions. However, the man personally thought that the

    contract was a bit sloppy. He wanted to modify it again, but he ran out of time. And now there was no

    way to modify it further.

    If Greyson and the girls had arrived just a little bitter, the contract would have been slightly different,

    and Ashley would have been even more surprised.

    A thought had suddenly urred to Ashley and she gave Greyson a suspicious look. She asked, "Is

    this your idea?"

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    Greyson''s uncle had strong ties with Harkim. The only person that Ashley could think of to be

    responsible for this sort of contract was Greyson.

    When Greyson noticed that Ashley was staring at him questionably, he gave her an innocent look and

    nodded.

    "Ashley, you have promised me that you would rent this shop. You can''t go back on your promise now,"

    Greyson said in haste. He was afraid that Ashley would change her mind and not sign the contract.

    So before she had a chance to say something that he didn''t want to hear, he quickly reminded her not

    to go back on her word.

    Ellie felt humored by the conversation between Ashley and Greyson. She then looked at her friend and

    said, "Ash, it''s okay. Just sign it."

    "But, this contract..." What Ashley wanted to say was that? the owner was being way too generous.

    How could she ept such a small rental amount? Let alone all of the terms that followed in the

    contract. It was just too much. It was almost like a big gift to them.

    Ashley was finding it really hard to ept and sign her name on it.

    "Yes, Miss Mu. You can sign it," said the man, gently trying to persuade her to sign the contract, since

    he knew that she was the one who would make the decision.

    Ashley furrowed her brows and slowly looked at them from one face to another. They each had the

    same expression written on their faces, and that was for her to sign the contract. She felt so guilty to

    sign it.

    And it felt strange that the owner of the shopplied with all of the conditions that were all in her

    favor.

    However, the man didn''t know what Ashley was thinking. And he was under Greyson''s instructions

    about this contract and wouldn''tin at all. After all, his first thought was to give them the shop

    free.

    Ashley could feel all of their eager gazes on her. She couldn''t bear it any longer and gave in to their will

    by signing the contract.

    Then both?Ashley and Ellie signed their names.

    The deal was done. As they were leaving the storefront, Greyson handed the man a drawing with a

    design and told the man to decorate the store as soon as possible with that design.

    The man took the drawing and nodded.

    ...

    This store would be Ashley and Ellie''s from now on.

    Their dream shop was on the way and the girls were very happy about it. They had rented a great store

    in a fantastic location, but they also needed to hire some staffs. They still needed bakers and waiters.

    Ashley and Ellie couldn''t wait to start their business.

    "Greyson, thank you so much for helping us out. We owe you a favor, big time! Come and have dinner

    with us," Ashley said, smiling at him.

    When he saw how happy Ashley was with him, Greyson''s eyes sparkled with joy and he said with

    excitement, "I''d love to. How about that hot pot restaurant that we went tost time? I think the food is

    really good there."

    Ever since Greyson had the Hot Pot meal, he couldn''t get it out of his head. And when Ashley invited

    him to dinner, he couldn''t help but mention that ce again.

    Greyson loved the spicy taste and the great atmosphere at that restaurant.

    When Ashley and Ellie saw the excitement in his eyes, they couldn''t help but chuckle.

    They had Greyson hooked on Hot Pot.

    Then Ashley suddenly had an idea.

    "We only go to the Hot Pot restaurant once in a while. If you want to eat Hot Pot, then let''s go to the

    supermarket. Let''s buy the ingredients and make it ourselves at home, I bet it will taste even better,"

    said Ashley.

    The girls liked to eat Hot Pot as well. They had made it a few times at home. So, all they had to do was

    go to the supermarket and buy the necessary ingredients for it.

    And to Greyson, he seemed to know one more ce, that was "supermarket".

    "Cool. Let''s go to the supermarket," he said after hearing that Ashley was going to cook Hot Pot for

    them.

    Ashley checked the time on her phone, which was 4 o''clock in the afternoon. It wasn''t toote to shop

    for the ingredients and then begin to make the Hot Pot.

    Soon they all left and went to the supermarket closest to their home.

    Once the trio entered the supermarket, they attracted a lot of attention from the other shoppers.

    Watching thebination of a handsome boy and two pretty girls, people found themselves drawn to

    admire them, especially Greyson.

    When Greyson entered the supermarket, his eyes scanned everything around him like a radar. He was

    so full of curiosity.

    Ashley nced at him and noticed that he was interested and curious in everything and asked, "Dear

    Greyson, haven''t you ever been to a supermarket before?"

    Otherwise, why would he be looking at everything with so much interest?

 Chapter 73 The Curious Boy

    Chapter 73 The Curious Boy

    Shopping in the supermarket was amon thing for Ashley and Ellie. But Greyson had never

    shopped like this before. It was his first time at a supermarket

    and he looked around in wonder and curiosity.

    Ashley''s question brought him back. Averting his eyes from the rows and rows of shelves, he replied

    innocently, blinking to take everything in, "Yes. This is my first time here." His reaction elicited giggles

    from Ashley and Ellie.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    A couple passed by, pushing their shopping cart forward. To Greyson''s immense surprise, he found a

    little boy sitting in the cart beside the vegetables they were shopping. "Ashley, what''s that? It''s so

    practical! I can''t believe it is big enough to contain vegetables and a little boy!" Greyson eximed,

    pointing excitedly at the cart.

    Ashley looked up at the couple with the shopping cart. The little boy, nestledfortably in the cart,

    was only two or three years old. And as he spotted Ashley looking at him, he giggled and waved his

    tiny hands at her.

    Amused at Greyson''s excitement, Ellie smiled and pulled a shopping cart towards them.

    "This is called shopping cart. You usually choose one when you shop in the supermarket. And the

    reason why it''s so convenient is that you can put snacks, vegetables or anything you want in it, even a

    little kid. Is that clear?" Ashley exined patiently.

    Greyson nodded. "But only little kids? What a pity! I''d have loved to be able to sit in it too," he

    murmured and looked almost wistfully at the shopping cart.

    Then he whirled around towards Ellie and asked with the most innocent and puppy-dog eyes, "Ellie,

    can I push this cart? Please! Come on, let me try it!"

    This supermarket was his world right now; a world full of curiosities waiting to be explored.

    "Of course. Here you go. But be careful and don''t push it too fast," Ellie exined, showing him how to

    push the cart.

    Greyson excitedly took it from Ellie and pushed the cart through the aisles, looking around in wonder.

    Ashley and Ellie followed him. This trio of very good-looking ones captured the attention of people who

    passed by.

    It wasn''t a surprise when they turned heads wherever they went.

    Greyson came to a halt in front of the snack shelves and the girls skidded to a stop just behind him. His

    eyes lit up as he took in the rows of snacks. The beautifully designed and the brightly colored packets

    of food made Greyson fall for them, hook, line, and sinker.

    "Ashley, Ellie, I found some chips! What vor of chips do you like?" Greyson asked, holding up a bag

    of chips in each hand.

    "Uhmm tomato. Tomato-voured chips are the best," Ashley said.

    "I like them both. You can buy both if you like," Ellie pointed out.

    "Really? That''s great!" Greyson said and almost threw the packets into the cart.

    "Can I have some spicy food? I want to have a taste.

    Wow, there are so many drinks! Can I get you something to drink? Which one do you like?

    Oh, that cake looks delicious!" Greyson simply couldn''t stop talking.

    ¡¤¡¤¡¤

    Their shopping cart had filled up even before they had arrived at the vegetable aisle. The cart was

    heavy, full of snacks and drinks that Greyson had kept adding to it.

    Ashley and Ellie didn''t stop him from buying all of these snacks, considering that this was the first time

    that Greyson had set foot in a supermarket. They just wanted him to have a good time.

    Greyson turned around with another snack bag in his hand. He made to put it in the cart but it was so

    full, he flushed with embarrassment when he made eye contact with the two girls.

    Ashley and Ellie couldn''t help but smile. They had never imagined Greyson to be a shopaholic. He was

    enjoying himself a lot, so much that Ashley felt bad to be asking him to stop.

    "Oh Greyson, you''ve picked too many snacks.

    There is no space for our hot pot ingredients," Ashley pretended toin.

    "Oh gosh, I''m so sorry! I didn''t mean for it to happen! Should I put them back?" he asked, feeling a little

    sad.

    Ashley looked at his expression in amusement and thought, ''He''s so cute! Will he cry if I say yes?''

    Deciding not to do so, she touched his hair andforted him, "It''s okay. You don''t need to apologize.

    We can take another shopping cart for our hot pot ingredients." "Really?

    We can take ANOTHER shopping cart? Now I can''t wait to push two carts!" Greyson said gleefully.

    "No, that''s too dangerous," Ashley stopped Greyson before he could take his imagination any further.

    On one hand, she didn''t want Greyson to get hurt. On the other hand, she was afraid that Greyson

    might put more snacks in this cart.

    "Okay, okay, I know," Greyson replied, pouting.

    "Just take care of your snacks and follow us, okay?" Ashley told him.

    When they stopped at the vegetable shelves, Ashley and Ellie quickly and expertly picked out what

    they wanted and put them into the shopping cart.

    "Little Greyson, what do you want for hot pot?" they asked together after they were done picking their

    favorite ingredients. But Greyson didn''t answer them.

    They turned to find Greyson watching the fish in a fish tank in rapt attention.

    Ashley and Ellie looked at each other and smiled.

    ''Such a curious boy! Has he never seen live fish before?''

    Ellie thought.

    "Ashley, I want to have fish. But why does this fish look different?" Greyson asked, looking adorably

    incredulous.

    Ashley was stunned. "What kind of fish have you seen before?" she asked incredulously.

    "Wait, let me think. I have seen pan fried fish, pickled fish, sweet and sour fish, and fish in chilli sauce,"

    Greyson replied earnestly.

    Ashley didn''t know what to say to him. She turned to look at Ellie.

    Ellie shrugged and said nothing.

    Ashley thought for a minute, then answered softly, "Fish can be cooked in many different ways. But

    before you cook it, you must kill it and remove its internal organs. Do you get it?"

    "What? Really?" said Greyson in a shocked voice. It had never urred to him that the fish could have

    once been alive before being served to him on a te.

    The term "internal organs" filled him with disgust. Now, he didn''t want to eat fish anymore.

    Poor little Greyson! It looked like Ashley''s words had scared him.

    Ashley opened her mouth to say more but Greyson quickly interrupted her, "I changed my mind about

    that. I don''t want to eat fish. It''s too much of a hassle." He looked away from the fish as he said these

    words.

    Ashley was confused. ''Why did he change his mind? Did I say something wrong?'' she thought

    worriedly.

    Cooking fish wasn''t difficult ording to Ashley.

    But Greyson clearly didn''t think so.

 Chapter 74 Unexpected Meeting

    Chapter 74 Unexpected Meeting

    Greyson pushed the shopping cart, full of snacks, and followed Ashley and Ellie.

    Greyson watched as they loaded more and more food into the carts. When they were overflowing, they

    went to the cash register.

    "Girls, can we finish so much food?" Greyson said, looking at the mound of groceries.

    Ashley knew Greyson was worried. She, however, wasn''t. If they bought too many ingredients, they

    had a refrigerator to store them until the next time they ate.

    "Don''t worry. We can finish them all. Besides, even if we don''t eat them today, we will have enough to

    make other meals."

    Greyson nodded, but still didn''t understand. He simply shook his head and stood quietly behind the

    girls.

    He knew all three of them liked eating. They didn''t need to worry if they would be able to consume

    them all.

    Greyson pushed a shopping cart, and Ashley and Ellie pushed another one.

    On the way to the cash register, they saw two people in the corner of the store, walking and talking,

    hand in hand.

    Ashley pretended not to see them and swiveled around, diverting her attention away from the familiar

    outline.

    In a whisper, the female silhouette nudged the male, and said, "Is that Ashley?" pointing across the

    store. "With Ellie?"

    The man''s ears perked up at the sound of the name Ashley. "Ashley? Where?" He stammered. Lena

    held onto Raymond''s arm in desperation.

    "Over there," she sighed. Raymond''s heart beat faster and his eyes twinkled, just at the mention of her

    name and he wanted to see her.

    Lena sucked air through her teeth. She did not intend to split Raymond''s attention with anyone,

    especially not Ashley.

    She pointed to the direction where Ashley passed. "I am not sure if it is Ashley, but judging from the

    back, it looks like her, with Ellie beside her."

    He wanted to see her but, he recalled how he and Ashley parted ways in the Vineyard Restaurant.

    Clearly, he was cklisted from speaking with her, but he really wanted to find out about the man she

    was with. He seemed powerful. Raymond was not allowed to speak, text, contact, ormunicate with

    her in any way.

    As much as he wanted to interact with Ashley, he heeded the advice of his mother and took care of the

    girl he brought to the store.

    He grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the group. His head was pounding. He pulled Lena

    toward the aisle.

    "I think you''re mistaken, that''s not Ashley," he said as they headed for another direction.

    Lena opened her mouth, trying to speak, but she closed it. Then she opened it again to try. The

    surprised expression on her face was noticeable.

    This was the first time Raymond didn''t rush to Ashley at the sound of her name - and she was certain,

    despite what he said, that she was in this supermarket.

    Lena felt giddy. Was Raymond changing?

    ...

    The three were next to the checkout counter, when Greyson cried out, "Ashley! I need to go back. I lost

    something. It''s important!" ring at Greyson, Ashley hissed, "What?! We''ve just got to check out and

    now you need to go back into the store?"

    She exchanged an aggravated expression with Ellie.

    They had been shopping for two hours!

    Two hours!

    Now they had to retrace all their steps, and push two shopping carts.

    The thought of pushing two full carts to wander the store again was almost unbearable for Ashley and

    Ellie. Their eyes shot daggers at Greyson. Their feet hurt. Their bodies ached. They had no strength

    left.

    Greyson felt bad, but he pleaded with the girls, "Ashley. Ellie. It is very important to me." His eyes said

    it all.

    The girls looked at each other again, shrugged, and pushed two full and heavy shopping carts.

    This object, whatever it was, was quite important to Greyson.

    Ashley said, "Hurry. Let''s go. We''ll retrace our footsteps and see if we can find it." The supermarket

    was swarming with people. Whatever this was could easily have been picked up by someone else.

    Passing through the mass of people, they returned to the aisle they left just now.

    "So what are we looking for, Greyson?" Ellie asked.

    "It''s this thing..." Greyson began. "What kind of thing?" Ashley inquired.

    Obviously, Greyson couldn''t describe the thing to them in detail, so they had to follow behind him, with

    the heavy carts and their sore legs.

    Then suddenly, Greyson stopped in his tracks

    "I''ll just go look for it. Wait here," Greyson instructed. The girls dismissed him with a nod. As Greyson

    left, Ashley and Ellie nearly bumped into the couple, rounding the corner as they passed by.

    Ashley saw the man, but was not able to produce any words with her mouth. She was tongue-tied.

    Was that Raymond? With Lena? ***

    Lena was equally surprised to see Ashley. Hadn''t she just seen Ashley on the way to the checkout

    counter? Why was she here?

    Instead of avoiding the subject, Lena purred, "I wasn''t mistaken just now. It was Ashley." Holding

    Raymond''s hand, iming her prize, Lena looked at Ashley.

    Meanwhile, Raymond gazed up at Ashley. He longed to stare into her eyes and have her return the

    favor.

    In his imagination, he saw everything in the world gone and only he and Ashley remained.

    Ashley''s dismissive nce pulled him back to reality.

    Ashley saw the man, with Lena on his arm, and drew back her gaze immediately. That man had

    nothing to do with her already.

    "Ashley?" Lena called out her sister''s name.. "Fancy meeting you here."

    ''There''s nothing fancy about this meeting, but I suppose we will have unexpected meetings from time

    to time, '' Ashley thought. She wanted nothing more than for Greyson to return so they could finally pay

    for their food and go home. "Yeah, what a coincidence," Ashley said dryly. She wanted to avoid being

    anywhere near these people. Seriously, where was Greyson?

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Lena grabbed Raymond''s hand and said, "Should we make the new dish tonight?" Pivoting toward the

    girls, Lena said, "I want to show off my new cooking skills for this fine man."

    She smirked at Ashley with her voice proud. "Judging by your carts, you and Ellie may want to invest in

    cooking sses too."

    Her eyes darted towards the second cart.

    "Hmm, Ellie, I see you have a lot of food. What are you going to do? Why are you buying so many

    things?" Ellie''s patience was also wearing thin.

    Her words clipped, she answered, "Nothing. We just needed groceries."

    At this time, Greyson rushed to them. "Ashley, Ellie, I found it. Let''s go checkout and go home."

    "Hallelujah!" The girls said in unison.

    "Hold up. I need an introduction to your friends," Greyson said, spotting Lena and Raymond

    nearby.

 Chapter 75 My Sister And Her Boyfriend

    Chapter 75 My Sister And Her Boyfriend

    Ashley really didn''t want to introduce Lena and Raymond to Greyson. So when Greyson asked about

    them, she mumbled to him, "Oh, they''re just some unimportant people. Since you''ve found what you

    lost, let''s go."

    She then turned to Lena and Raymond and said quickly, "We have something else that we have to do,

    so we''ve got to go now."

    She didn''t like them and would prefer to avoid Lena and Raymond as much as possible. However,

    since she had run into them, Ashley couldn''t ignore them. Ashley knew how good Lena was at acting

    so she decided to pretend as well.

    "But Ashley, we haven''t seen each other for such a long time. Could you please stay a little longer so

    we can catch up?" Lena said with a pretend sad face and pouted lips. Lena saw that Ashley was going

    to leave, so she tried to stop her by sounding sincere, yet she had mischief in her eyes. Her voice was

    so honeyed that anyone''s heart would have melted if they heard it.

    The mischief in Lena''s eyes disappeared quickly, but Greyson noticed it.

    Greyson furrowed his brows slightly and thought, ''Alvin was right about Lena. She enjoys provoking

    Ashley.

    Even though Ashley made it clear that she didn''t want to stay any longer, probably to avoid any conflict

    with Lena, Lena ignored her and acted like she really wanted to see her.''

    Greyson gave Ashley a surprised look. His adorable eyes were wide open and his baby face looked so

    sweet and innocent, and he asked, "Ashley, is she your sister? But you don''t look anything like each

    other."

    Ashley gave Greyson a frustrated look and exined, "We aren''t biological sisters. It doesn''t matter,

    just forget about it. You said you want to eat hotpot. So let''s go."

    There was no way that Lena was going to let Ashley get away so easily without causing her some

    mischief.

    Lena then looked at Greyson and asked, "Ashley, who is he? If I''m not mistaken, he''s not the same guy

    that went to the restaurant with you that day... Oh my, is he your new...?" Lena deliberately didn''t finish

    her sentence. She noticed that people around were listening in on their conversation. So she used that

    to her advantage and insinuated that Ashley had changed boyfriends, just to make more mischief for

    Ashley.

    Raymond gave Greyson a cold stare. He too noticed that Greyson wasn''t the same man they had met

    at the Vineyard Restaurant.

    He then moved his eyes to Ashley. His eyes were full of usation andint. He gave Ashley the

    same look a husband would give to his cheating wife and asked in an angry tone, "Ashley, who is he?"

    Ashley''s face darkened when she heard what Lena had said, which implied she was a shameless

    woman.

    Ashley didn''t care what Lena and Raymond thought of her. But she wouldn''t tolerate the way they

    spoke to Greyson. They had no right to criticize and speak to him in that tone.

    Even though she was dating Greyson, it was none of their business.

    The supermarket was swarming with people. Some of them were even standing around and listening to

    their whole conversation, while Lena and Raymond were making the situation even worse.

    The five of them became the focus of the crowd and soon usatory voices could be heard among

    them.

    "That girl looks so decent. Who would have thought that she could do such shameful things?"

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    "Don''t judge people by their appearance alone. I''ve told you looks could be deceiving."

    "Look at that young boy that she''s with. He hasn''t evene of age. How could she do such a thing!"

    "There are all kinds of people in this world and some dare to do horrible things that we couldn''t even

    imagine. It''s so shameful!"

    ...

    Before long many people gathered around them and whispered to one another. They talked in a low

    voice, but so many low voices made a loud voice. And soon Ashley and Ellie heard what they were

    saying.

    Ellie looked around at the crowd that was judging Ashley harshly and became irritated. She red

    angrily at Lena. "Lena, what are you talking about? You have really gone too far!"

    Lena made a look as if she was intimidated by Ellie and buried herself into Raymond''s arms. She

    peeked up at her and said in a meek voice, "Ellie, I... I''m telling the truth. Raymond can prove it for

    me."

    Lena yed the innocent victim and gotpassion from the onlookers, whereas Ashley and Ellie

    were aggressive and left a bad impression on them. However, what made things even worse, was

    when Ellie tried to defend her friend to Lena, she had just made the people even more certain that

    Ashley was, in fact, guilty of doing those shameful things that Lena used her of.

    Ellie turned to look at Raymond.

    Raymond just nodded his head with great disappointment. "We ran into Ashley at the Vineyard and she

    was with another man." Raymond also wanted an exnation as to who that man was.

    When Ellie heard what Raymond had said she felt even more anger well in the pit of her stomach. Ellie

    gave Lena and Raymond a cold re. She was so furious that she was left speechless. ''How can they

    nder Ashley like that?''

    After hearing what Raymond had said, Greyson shot them a vicious look for a second. If Ashley had

    seen his face she would have been shocked. He had never acted like that in front of Ashley or Ellie. He

    always looked cute and innocent. However, that face was Greyson''s true side and character.

    Ashley looked at Lena and Raymond with resentment. She was about to say something when Greyson

    stepped out.

    Greyson opened his arms and stood in front of Ashley as if to protect her. His cute face took on an

    angry re. "You two are so evil! What''s wrong with my sister and her boyfriend going out for dinner?

    Did that harm you in any way? How could you speak like that about my sister?"

    Greyson said without pausing. What he said made the people who had judged Ashley unfairly feel

    embarrassed.

    They didn''t know whether it was true that Ashley had gone out with one man and now with another.

    And now that they had heard Greyson call Ashley his sister, they felt ashamed that they were so quick

    to pass judgment and had assumed the worst without considering all the facts.

    They had immediately believed Lena and taken her side because she looked so sincere and sweet.

    Most of the people who had gathered around were elderly.

    They were hoping to pick up a bit of gossip so they could spread the word around.

    Although Greyson looked cute and harmless, what he said was usible and made sense.

    Even Ashley and Ellie stood still and looked at Greyson in shock.

    After Greyson managed to contradict what Raymond and Lena had said, he then looked at Lena.

    Lena had been so shocked by what Greyson had said. She could feel his intimidating eyes on her and

    she cowered at being put in a disadvantaged position. But she couldn''t stop him.

    Greyson then continued looking Lena straight in the eyes. "I heard you are Ashley''s sister. I thought

    you would genuinely care for her. However, I see now that you deliberately tried to nder Ashley in

    front of all of these people just to cause trouble for her."

 Chapter 76 Her Ugly Face

    Chapter 76 Her Ugly Face

    Shivers ran down her spine as Lena felt embarrassed after hearing what Greyson had said. Her ever

    morous face grew scarlet red as it flushed with shame. She couldn''t help but give Greyson a sharp

    look.

    At first, Lena, who at the instant set her eyes on Greyson, felt a surge of infatuation rising from deep

    within her heart. She presumed him to be a clever and charming man, and usually, her presumptions

    never failed her.

    Moreover, when Greyson spoke to Ashley, his voice was too soft and inaudible to be heard by Lena.

    Therefore, Lena had done her silly trick again this time to make people misunderstand the rtionship

    between Greyson and Ashley. Every time they were together in a crowd such as parties or gatherings,

    Lena wanted so much that everyone would misunderstand Ashley, and look at her as the viin in the

    story. She hated Ashley so much up to the extent that she would throw mud at her in front of so many

    people.

    However, nobody would have expected that Greyson would give such a remark and turned things

    around greatly. Everyone was surprised at what he had done.

    Those people shopping in the supermarket heard Greyson''s words and believed most of what he said.

    When they turned to see the fierce look on Lena''s face, they found neither gentleness nor delicacy on

    that beautiful face anymore.

    So they all came to realize that they were fooled by Lena''s act. This time, the way they looked at her

    was no longer kind and sympathetic.

    Meanwhile, Raymond was totally astounded after hearing Greyson''s words. The idea that Greyson

    called that man his sister''s boyfriend kept ying on his mind. However, he was not aware of the

    deeper meaning behind Greyson''s words.

    Letting the words sync in through him, Raymond calmed down and thought about it carefully. He would

    investigate the matter and find answers to his questions. ''Since when did Ashley have such a brother?''

    Raymond couldn''t help asking himself.

    With her eyebrows crossed, Ashley was also a little puzzled by Greyson''s words. She thought to

    herself, ''Boyfriend?

    Did the two meet? Then when did he see Andrew? What''s more, how could Andrew be my boyfriend?''

    Despite thinking hard, Ashley found no way to get answers to her questions. As she came to herself

    from deep thinking and raised her head, she noticed the anger and unwillingness on Lena''s face and

    the ironical amazement on Raymond''s face.

    Likewise, she found those who had med her were all turning their heads to condemn Lena. So

    Ashley just kept her silence and swallowed back all the words she had intended to say. There were

    noises rising from the crowd. One voice was heard saying, "See? What did I tell you? That girl is not

    that kind of person. You were just judging her from the scene. You just didn''t believe me, then now here

    comes the truth."

    Another person cut in by saying, "When the two girls met each other, that girl was quite pleased and

    called the other girl affectionately? However, what she said earlier was all against the girl. She seemed

    to be acting to mislead us to misunderstand the girl on purpose by saying those words.

    If she really takes the girl as her sister, how could she say such words?" Then a voice corresponded, "I

    agree with you. That seems to be the truth."

    People around nodded their heads as they tried to remember what had just happened minutes ago.

    Some people began to look at Lena with aversion and contempt. They just hated and dreaded such

    kind of person who was a hypocrite and vicious. She was so ruthless even to frame other innocent

    people.

    "Miss, Sir, we are so sorry to misunderstand you.

    We didn''t mean that. We just took what thatdy said and assumed they were all true. We are sorry if

    we have misunderstood your rtionship," Somebody walked towards Ashley and Greyson and uttered

    an apology. Then more and more people were ushered by their conscience for such behavior and one

    by one they went on to say sorry to Ashley and Greyson. They echoed, "Ma''am, Sir, we''re very sorry."

    Both Ashley and Greyson were overwhelmed to hear the apologies from those people.

    "This is not your fault,"

    Greyson said. Then he gave a long sigh before saying, "These things happened from time to time.

    Misunderstanding such as this is inevitable. Every time, as long as this aunt sees my sister, she tends

    to tell stories leading people to misunderstand my sister..." Lena clearly heard what Greyson said and

    her face was all distorted out of anger. Her eyes were focused on Greyson, seeming to burn a hole on

    his body.

    While gnashing her teeth, Lena thought, ''Aunt?

    How could he call me aunt? Absurd!

    I am two years younger than Ashley. How dare him to call me aunt?

    While what did he just call Ashley? Sister? How ridiculous!'' With a great gloom in her eyes, Lena

    turned to re at Greyson. She had no idea that Ashley had such an annoying brother.

    She doubted, ''There must be something strange going on here!'' "Oh, auntie, why do you look at me

    with that kind of awful look?

    It makes me really scared. But, I didn''t say anything wrong, did I?" asked Greyson with a loud and

    booming voice. He seemed to have noticed Lena''s unfriendly look. As he finished his words, he let out

    an odd scream as if to be frightened by Lena. Hurriedly, he walked to hide behind Ashley like a child

    afraid of ghosts. Ashley kept Greyson behind her back and gave Lena a cold stare.

    People hearing Greyson''s scream could not resist turning their heads to see what Lena had done. Just

    as they had expected, her distorted face and eyes full of hatred came into their sight.

    There were no longer grievance and weakness on her face. She had totally lost all control and showed

    to the public the real her.

    Sensing that everyone''s eyes were fixed on her, Lena then became sober and remembered that they

    were in a supermarket with so many people around. She was rather disturbed when she realized what

    her facial expressions were and how bad did she look. Within seconds, the expressions on her face

    vanished totally. The feigned kindness and innocence were soon portrayed in her face. She looked at

    Ashley with grief and called her sister.

    Her expression showed that she had something to say, but she kept her silence for some reason.

    Secondster, she seemed to make up her mind and again looked at Ashley before saying, "Sister, we

    have lived together since we were kids. But I don''t know that you have a brother. What happened to

    us?

    And just now he called me aunt! How could that be? How could he be so impolite?" What Lena said

    happened to remind Raymond that Ashley had no brother at all.

    He pondered confusedly, ''So who is the boy next to Ashley? Is it possible that what Lena has said was

    true?'' Raymond found no ways to help himself solve his puzzlement, so he set his sight on Ashley,

    hoping to find something helpful. People around them all heard Lena''s words that she had been living

    with Ashley since their childhood and she hadn''t known that Ashley had a brother.

    Also, they figured out why she said that Greyson was impolite. She was implying that Greyson and

    Ashley were working together to put her into such humiliation.

    However, those people had already seen Lena''s true colors. No matter what she said, they would not

    believe in her anymore.

    "Sister?

    Lived together?" Ashley asked with a sneer. "I am thest person who would want you to be a sister.

    How could you be a sister to me if all your life what you have been doing is framing me? Treating me

    bad at any time in any ce you want? Is that what a sister supposed to do?" she added with a

    trembled voice.

    "Lena, do you think you know whether I have a brother or not? More than that, you said that we had

    grown up together. Why is it that I can''t remember that we used to grow up together?" Ashley was so

    infuriated that she couldn''t help herself from cussing.

    Lena''s following words were all stopped by Ashley''s response. She stared at Ashley and twisted her

    hands in her skirt without saying a word.

    As people in the crowd had heard Greyson''s words and seen Lena''s wrongdoings, now what Ashley

    had said helped them to have a clear picture of how cruel Lena was in their minds.

    They got to conclude that Lena must have always spoken ill of Ashley on purpose to make other

    people judge Ashley as the nasty one. However, they also observed that Ashley was not good at

    exining and defending herself so she must have been mistreated not just once but for many times.

    After realizing that almost everyone cast sight on Lena with great resentment and disdain. Lena was

    taken aback. People were showing their anger and discontentment.

    Receiving all the negative looks, Lena was extremely infuriated as she nearly couldn''t find her breath.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    She shouted in her heart, ''All this resentment and disdain should have been received by Ashley! I don''t

    deserve these. This is not what I have expected! It''s not fair.''

    Greyson desired to stir up the trouble, he was more like a little monster than a man in this condition. He

    added, "Aunt, please stop looking at me with this kind of look. I might have a nightmare tonight."

    "Lena," called Raymond angrily. The expression on Raymond''s face was not good either. Now that

    Lena was his fianc¨¦e, she thought she would have someone at her back. However, what she had done

    also made Raymond lose his face.

    "Raymond, I... I didn''t..." Lena said in a low voice as if she was about to shed tears the next second.

    Sessfully, she did squeeze out a tear or two, looked at Raymond with grievance and seized the best

    time to throw herself into Raymond''s hug.

    Raymond felt sorry for the humiliation his fianc¨¦e had to deal. His heart ached when he saw that Lena

    was crying so heavily. Considering her grief, he didn''t say anything and just consoled her by returning

    her embrace. What he could do was hold Lena''s shoulders tightly. Before he led Lena to leave the

    supermarket, he looked deeply into Ashley''s eyes as if to read her mind.

    When their figures were out of sight, Greyson turned to the crowd and said with his sweet voice, "I want

    to thank all of you. Without your help, my sister and I would have been made to be misunderstood

    again by that malicious aunt. Thank you for your time, we really appreciate it."

    The crowd apuded seeing that Greyson was so sweet and clever. They all felt quite pleased with

    him. Although they were a little shy to be praised by such a gentleman they just waved their hands and

    dispersed one by one. They were all beaming as they left.

 Chapter 77 Going Back Home

    Chapter 77 Going Back Home

    After almost everyone around them went away, Ashley and Ellie slowly pushed their shopping carts

    towards the checkout counter.

    Greyson walked beside Ashley, staring at the expression on her face. However, no matter how carefully

    he observed her, he couldn''t figure out whether Ashley was angry or not.

    Not knowing whether Ashley was pleased or vexed with what happened, Greyson felt a bit dejected.

    The idea that he had to reveal his own character and temper in front of others by ident sent chills

    down his spine, but despite that, he was quite satisfied with what he had done.

    Finally reaching the checkout counter, the three lined up silently. The cashier working at the checkout

    was a young woman. Although she looked short and small, she worked quickly, her hand moving fast.

    Thus after Ashley, Ellie and Greyson waited for a short while, it was their turn to pay for the goods they

    picked at the supermarket.

    However, for reasons unknown to them the cashier seemed to slow down at the sight of Greyson.

    Admittedly he was good-looking and full of charm, so the cashier''s face grew red and she couldn''t take

    her eyes away from Greyson. Considering that they had bought a lot of things and if the cashier kept

    acting so slowly, they might have to wait for a long time before they could leave the supermarket.

    A bit impatient, Ashley cast a nce at the innocent Greyson who couldn''t seem to understand why

    being handsome could sometimes cause him hassles.

    Feeling a little awkward and noticing Ashley''s sullen gaze, Greyson said to the cashier, "Could you

    please be a little quicker? We''re a bit pressed for time." With these, Greyson shed the young woman

    a smile, revealing his milky white teeth.

    The young woman was stunned, not expecting that Greyson would talk to her. After hearing his sweet

    voice and seeing his killer smile, she bowed her head and speeded up, her face getting extremely red.

    Ashley and Ellie got a bit amused watching what was going on.

    The two of them tried to hold on to theirughter and kept their silence. They left the supermarket

    without saying anything after the incident.

    They just gave each other awkward stares and cold expressions.

    The moment they walked out of the supermarket, each of them carried tworge shopping bags with

    goods. They indeed had bought a great load of goods this time.

    Luckily, they just bought things in the nearest supermarket to the apartment where Ashley lived.

    Otherwise, it might exhaust them if they took so much stuff back from a ce far away from Ashley''s

    house.

    The residential district where Ashley and Ellie rented an apartment was called Jade Garden. The ce

    was secured, with a good friendly and safe environment. Besides, all of the nearby buildings were

    installed with elevators.

    Ashley and Ellie had been living there for quite a long time since they were still high school students.

    Thus they were familiar and were well acquainted with the owner of the house.

    The three of them got inside the elevator and pressed the button to the 12th floor where Ashley and

    Ellie''s apartment was located. They were eager to get rid of the heavy loads they were carrying.

    After opening the door, Ashley entered the house, put down the shopping bags in the living room and

    then sat on the sofa with Ellie. They felt so tired and exhausted as if drained out of all their energy.

    Perhaps the shopping experience this time was worsened by what happened in the supermarket, which

    made them even more tired than before.

    As soon as Greyson entered Ashley''s apartment, his eyes lit up with surprise and happiness.

    ncing around the house, he thought that this ce was so amiable andfortable.

    Although the apartment was not sorge and covered an area of only about 90 square meters, it

    looked cozy after the decorations made by Ashley and Ellie. The ce resembled afortable home,

    with a pleasant atmosphere.

    Remembering that they agreed to prepare a hotpot for Greyson, Ashley and Ellie decided to go to the

    kitchen after a short break even though they still felt worn-out. Then they told Greyson to make himself

    at home and stay alone in the living room first.

    "Okay," Greyson meekly replied.

    "You''re so adorable." Ellie walked up to him and touched his head.

    "We''re in the kitchen, and if there is anything you need, you can call us out," Ashley uttered, putting on

    her apron.

    "Ashley, Ellie, I want to help you prepare the food."

    Surprised, Ashley smiled and responded, "Well, I believe that such a young man like you might not

    have to do any housework at home. Are you sure that you know how to prepare food?"

    Noticing that Ashley looked down upon him, Greyson pouted his lips and retorted, "I''m very smart and

    I''m a quick learner."

    A bit annoyed, Ashley spoke, "Why are you such a narcissist?"

    Raising her eyebrows, Ellie also felt amused.

    Then Ashley added, "All right. You can do whatever you like. You can stay in the living room first and

    you cane over to help us if you get bored. You can have some snacks that we bought in the

    supermarket, but you can''t eat too much. We will have dinnerter."

    Like an obedient child, Greyson nodded.

    After Ashley and Ellie got into the kitchen, Greyson took out his phone, took some photos of the living

    room andcently shared them in his WeChat Group.

    He also made some captions for those photos.

    After thinking for several minutes of what would be the best caption, he typed, "I''m in little pretty''s

    house now. I''m so happy." A smiling emoji was attached at the end of the sentence. After reviewing the

    draft and editing the pictures a little, Greyson shared them in the chat group.

    Today his friends seemed to be not so busy and had time to chat via WeChat. After Greyson posted

    several photos, Francis made a reply in the group, "Hey, Little Greyson. You''re so great. Have you

    really managed to chase your ''little pretty'' and won her heart so quickly? When will you take her to

    meet us?"

    Greyson was dissatisfied with the first few sentences and frowned. He replied with the following words,

    "Francis, could you just talk to me in a polite way? Don''t make such annoyingments!"

    However, when he saw thest sentence, he chuckled and typed the rude response, "You? Do you

    want to meet little pretty? It is just wishful thinking! You''re not a handsome man at all. You even don''t

    deserve to meet her!"

    Upon seeing these words, Francis got displeased. "What are you talking about? How could you say

    that I''m not handsome?

    I''m good-looking, with a tall height and a charming figure. Many young women are attracted to me.

    Don''t you know that I have so many admirers around the city? I''m more attractive than you, who has a

    baby face!"

    While typing these words, Francis clenched his teeth.

    Greyson hated it when someone teased him about his face, so he retorted, "I indeed have a baby face.

    So what? I seem much younger than you, an old poor guy!"

    Francis got even more indignant and replied, "Oh my God, Little Greyson. I look so young and

    handsome, but why do you call me ''old poor guy''? Are you afraid that your ''little pretty'' will have a crush

    on me and abandon you after she meets me?"

    "Bah!" Greyson uttered morosely. Then he sent an emoji standing for disdain and typed, "She will never

    take even a fancy look on you. You''re such a yboy!

    Humph! I don''t want to talk to you anymore. I have to go inside the kitchen to help my little pretty

    prepare food now."

    After he finished sending thest message, Greyson logged out of WeChat and put his phone aside.

    Otherwise, he might surely have to spend even a few more days on the argument with Francis if he

    kept on talking back to Francis like that.

    After entering the kitchen, Greyson rolled up his sleeves and saw Ashley and Ellie who were busy

    preparing the hotpot. "Hmm, that smells great, Ashley. Ellie let me help you."

    Right then, Ellie was staying beside the pot where many red peppers were floating on the soup. As for

    Ashley, she was washing vegetables. She had already washed clean most of the vegetables and

    ced them in several tes. After they took those vegetables and the pot with soup to the living

    room, they could start having their hotpot.

    Ashley took a nce at Greyson and said, "Greyson, take these tes to the table first. We can enjoy

    delicious food soon."

    "Okay," Greyson replied. Then he picked up the tes with vegetables next to Ashley and took them to

    the table.

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    After a while, they sat at the table and enjoyed the hotpot.

    After the meal, Ashley and Ellie took Greyson downstairs so he could rest for a while after a sumptuous

    meal, after which they went on walking to the nearby park to burn out some calories they had just

    taken. They enjoyed telling stories and cracking jokes along the way. Before Greyson left to go home,

    Ashley and Ellie reminded him to be careful on the way home and he should send them a message

    after he got home.

 Chapter 78 Thoughts

    Chapter 78 Thoughts

    Ashley and Ellie began to prepare for their cake shop after they rented the storefront Greyson found for

    them.

    For the whole day that day, they were on their feet, running to and from different ces to take care of

    things. And, as if knowing that they''d be very busy, Greyson didn''t show up.

    The next day, Ashley and Ellie went to check the storefront. The middle-aged man was still there and

    astonishingly, he decorated the store ording to the design Greyson showed him. The two were very

    thankful about that.

    After a few days, Ashley and Ellie were able to get everything ready, except for a baker.

    Greyson then showed up, and brought two cake bakers and two servers with him.

    The two couldn''t help but be amazed by Greyson''s timing. "It''s as if he knew what we needed," Ellie

    whispered to Ashley, unable to hide her excitement.

    Despite deeply appreciating Greyson''s help, they just couldn''t ept what he was giving them

    anymore.

    They were already able to rent the ce at such a low price because of him!

    After hearing what the two girls had to say, Greyson chuckled and said, "Guys, hear me out before you

    say no!" He sat them down and his expression became serious.

    "Actually," he started, "I''ve always wanted to have a cake shop, but I don''t know how to operate one."

    He leaned on the table and lowered his voice. "I want to be partners with you two. I will be responsible

    for the recruitment of employees, and then I would receive dividends by the end of the year," he said,

    looking Ashley and Ellie in the eyes, one at a time.

    "So," he said, pping his hands once and leaning back on his chair. "What do you girls say?" His

    voice was back to being bubbly. "Would you let me join the management of your cake shop?" The two

    girls were visibly taken aback.

    Ashley was the one who broke the silence, and asked, "Are you serious about that?" It was something

    she never expected would happen. "Do you really want to be in our business? Because Ellie and I are

    just taking a shot, and if this doesn''t go well..."

    "I 100% trust you guys!" Greyson eximed loudly, interrupting whatever she was going to say.

    ''He''s not lying, I could see it in his eyes, '' Ashley said to herself, breathing deeply. She wanted to think

    about it longer, but Greyson''s enthusiasm really reeled her in.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    "You know what, okay!" Ashley said, raising her hands as if surrendering. "Wee to thepany,

    Greyson!"

    Greyson let out a loud "yes" and hugged Ashley and Ellie. Being a new partner of the business,

    Greyson turned to the people he brought and congratted them for being hired. "Ashley," he said,

    turning to Ashley, his voice once again serious. "No taking this back!" Not knowing what to reply, she

    just shook her head andughed. But somehow, things didn''t feel right to her. She felt like it was a trap.

    And she was right. Greyson knew that Ashley wouldn''t ept his help, so he quickly made up the story

    about wanting to have a cake shop and wanting to be the girls'' business partner.

    But his father had enough money for him to squander, so even if investing in Ashley and Ellie''s cake

    shop was just for fun, it wouldn''t make any difference for him.

    Now, everything was ready. Ashley and Ellie''s, and now Greyson''s cake shop was ready to open.

    ...

    Compared to how Ashley had to face so many challenges to develop her knack for business, Lena had

    developed smoothly by working for the Luo Group.

    Though many people had considered her as someone ipetent, she had learned a few things over

    the years.

    She had pushed herself to surpass Ashley in every way she could.

    When they were in college, she worked extra hard to be able to have better grades than her adopted

    sister.

    She knew that Ashley was one of the reasons she became who she was today.

    In the Luo Group, everyone knew she was a person of high status with a prestigious background. No

    one would dare reprimand her even if she did nothing. Everyone knew that she was engaged to the

    president of thepany, and that they should get out of her way.

    A lowly clerk was sitting quietly in his desk. He took a deep breath, and looked around. ''No one here, ''

    he said to himself. He stood up, and walked up to Lena''s door.

    With another deep breath, he knocked on the door. "Come in," Lena answered from the inside.

    Since Raymond returned to the Luo Group, she had to be polite to the people around her. After all, she

    was his fianc¨¦e.

    Everything she did would impact her chance of marrying into the Luo family.

    When the door opened, she saw that it was Benjamin Chen. She rxed and asked, "Why are you

    here? What happened this time?"

    Before Benjamin could answer any of her questions, she gestured for him toe to her. "Massage

    my shoulders," shemanded, "I''ve been so exhausted these days." She had kept her straight

    posture for the whole day because she had no idea when Raymond woulde to her office. The only

    time she could rx was during lunch.

    ''I shouldn''t have promised mom that I''d work in the Luo group, '' Lena began toin in her head.

    Peggy told her that since she would be wife of the president of the Luo Group, she should start being

    acquainted with their business. "Most importantly," Peggy told her, "You could keep an eye on

    Raymond."

    Lena rolled her eyes at the memory. Her mom told her that since Raymond was at his peak age, he

    would be very impulsive. Moreover, there were a lot of women working for the Luo Group. "They would

    definitely want to have an affair with him in order to get wealthy," Peggy said.

    Lena understood all of those. Also, she nned on winning Mrs. Luo''s affection by asking her for her

    advice on different things.

    Without saying anything, Benjamin followed Lena''s orders and walked behind her, put his hands on her

    shoulders and massaged her.

    Just within a few minutes of doing that, Lena''s body aches were relieved.

    Despite having mediocre looks, Benjamin had a warm personality and it made him very attractive.

    Enjoying Benjamin''s massage, Lena saidzily, "You wouldn''te to my office if nothing happened.

    So tell me what happened?"

    "You ordered me to prevent Ashley from renting a store, right?" Benjamin started, his voice shaky.

    "Well, it worked in the beginning. Ashley was ready to give up, but then a man whom I don''t know

    suddenly appeared and helped her rent a storefront." He was massaging Lena''s back a little too hard

    now. "Also..."

    Benjamin''s voice trailed off.

    Lena''s intuition told her that Benjamin wouldn''t bring her any good news.

    As impatient as she was, she frowned and asked in a threatening manner, "What? Just say it!"

    ncing at Lena, Benjamin continued, "The man may be of high status, because the store they rented

    belongs to Harkim." Benjamin''s heart was beating so fast. "I didn''t dare act harshly."

 Chapter 79 Memory Bakery

    Chapter 79 Memory Bakery

    However, Lena didn''t pay attention to his mention of Harkim.

    "Are you saying that Ashley has rented a ce to open her own shop?" Lena asked in a cold, irritated

    voice.

    Benjamin slowly met Lena''s eyes and nodded silently.

    "Crap!" Lena red furiously at Benjamin. She stood up with a frown on her face and pushed him down

    to the floor.

    Benjamin was shocked by Lena''s actions. He was caught off-guard and was knocked down to the

    ground.

    Benjamin didn''t get mad with Lena''s rude behaviour. He kept silent even after she shoved him. He just

    lay on the floor and didn''t even bother to get up.

    Lena was infuriated when she saw that Benjamin was calm and unmoved. She hated how he acted

    very much like Ashley.

    She gawked at Benjamin with enraged eyes and yelled at him angrily, "Stand up right now! What are

    you doing on the floor? Do you feelfortable lying on the floor?"

    Lena held her chest and sighed deeply. She walked around in the office as she tried to analyze the

    current situation. Finally, she asked, "You said that somebody is helping Ashley. Who is it? What is this

    person''s rtionship with Ashley?"

    Benjamin answered with a low, apologetic voice, "I don''t know who he is. That person is very good at

    keeping his identity a secret. I can''t investigate it well. Additionally, Ashley leased a shop managed by

    the Harkim."

    "What? Ashley rented a shop owned by the Harkim?" Ashley reconfirmed Benjamin''s information. Her

    eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

    Benjamin nodded in response to Lena''s query.

    "No! It''s not possible! How could she have convinced the management of Harkim to rent her a shop?

    She is just a lowly orphan! She was a nobody until my family adopted her! How could she obtain

    connections with the people from the Harkim?" Lena was furious at what she just heard. She refused to

    believe that Ashley was connected with such a bigpany. How could someone like Ashley be

    connected with the people of the Harkim?

    A man entered Lena''s mind.

    Lena and Raymond saw that man with Ashley thest time they were in the Vineyard Restaurant. He

    had a handsome face and stood beside Ashley.

    Lena didn''t care for his attractive looks or the fact that he could afford toe to the Vineyard. She had

    been part of the Vineyard circle but that was her first time to encounter him. Lena dismissed his

    existence and thought of him as just somemon man. He couldn''t possibly have any influential

    background.

    Lena thought that he was someone insignificant but the recent events might have happened because

    of that person! However, Lena wouldn''t care about Greyson or his background. His cute baby face

    made him look harmless. She remembered the first time she met him in the supermarket.

    Greyson embarrassed Lena that day at the supermarket. She was mad at him but she ignored him

    because she thought he was just a kid. She decided that he couldn''tpete with someone of her

    status.

    Benjamin stood in silence as he stared at Lena who was in a daze.

    It was quite a while before Lena noticed that Benjamin was still with her at the office. She realized that

    although he made some mistakes, he couldn''t be med for everything that had happened. Lena was

    furious. However, she couldn''t find a way to express her rage. She sighed deeply as the

    disappointment overwhelmed her.

    Lena was envious of how Ashley had so many reliable connections. She had always thought of Ashley

    as the orphan who would be helpless without her family''s support. Now, she would feel furious every

    time she met Ashley. Lena was the princess of the Mu family. She should be the one being served by

    these people. How could Ashley have convinced them to be loyal to her and do anything for her?

    Lena felt a hideous mix of jealousy and hatred towards Ashley. Her anger made her yell at Benjamin

    and tell him to leave. She ordered him to spy on Ashley and to report back everything about Ashley''s

    actions.

    Benjamin wanted to say something, but he decided not to voice it out. He just nced at Lena and left

    the office.

    ''Let it pass.'' Benjamin muttered to himself. He remembered that Lena saved his life. He didn''t even

    know where he would be right now if it wasn''t for her. He would do anything he could for his savior.

    ¡­

    Ashley and Ellie worked hard these past few days. They had received tremendous help from Greyson,

    who was happy to provide assistance. All their hard work paid off as their very own cake shop finally

    opened.

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    The beautiful sign just outside the shop disyed its name ¨C Memory Bakery.

    Everyone had their own memories. They wanted their customers to remember the time they''d spent

    here in this shop.

    The shop was located in the middle of the business district. It was the most desirable ce for them

    since it had a lot of potential customers. Many people passed by and were curious enough to take a

    look.

    The moment they entered the shop, a st of sweet fragrance hypnotized their noses and appetites.

    The customers'' eyes were delighted with the assorted choices of small cakes. They had all sorts of

    different colours and styles. Any girl would be fascinated by the cuteness and sweetness of these

    yummy treats. Everyone would be enticed to buy one after they saw the cakes.

    Greyson stood by the door to wee the guests. His cute baby face made him look like the shop''s

    mascot. The gentle look on his face was enough to invite nearby people to enter the shop.

    The customers would then be charmed by the sweet, delicious cakes.

    Greyson hired two pastry chefs to help the shop. Customers praised the tasty treats the two chefs had

    baked. The cakes did not only taste delicious but also looked wonderful. The customers'' mouths

    watered as theyid sights at the cakes. They would just suddenly realize that they had already taken a

    bite.

    Greyson also provided two waitresses to help the Memory Bakery. They were very warm and

    considerate towards the guests. They gave a detailed introduction about whichever cake a customer

    would look interested in. Additionally, they had also provided free tastes for the cakes!

    Memory Bakery had just opened but it was already swarmed by a lot of guests. The customers flowed

    continuously that even Ashley and Ellie needed to help the waitresses cater to everyone.

    Ashley walked over someone who seemed interested in a sponge cake. She greeted the female

    customer with a smile and cheerfully introduced the product.

    "This is a sponge cake. It''s an egg foam type. It received its name from how the dozens of small round

    holes in it make it look like a sponge. It has a sweet taste and a crispy crust. It is very delicious! Here,

    have a taste."

    The customer was allured by Ashley''s voursome introduction and inspected the cake even more.

    Actually, the cake piqued her interest because it looked a lot like SpongeBob. Her eyes were fixated on

    the cute cake when Ashley came by and introduced it to her. The customer became delighted when

    Ashley mentioned that they had some free tastes.

    The customer grabbed a piece and ced it in her mouth. The cake was soft and sweet yet not oily.

    The vour melted in the customer''s mouth. The female customer had always enjoyed sweet food and

    the sponge cake matched her pte. She definitely wanted to eat some more!

    However, the customer hesitated before she decided to buy the cake. She turned to Ashley and asked,

    "Will this cake make me fat?" The customer was fond of sweet cakes but she was afraid that she would

    gain weight, so she had always eaten in moderation. However, the free taste had captivated her taste

    buds that she wanted to eat dozens of these cakes without a care for her weight.

    Ashley answered, "No, it won''t. The cakes in this shop wouldn''t make you gain weight. Take a look at

    me. I eat the cakes here every day but I am able to maintain the same weight."

    Ashley told the truth. She instructed the chefs to cook the cakes with only raw ingredients. They weren''t

    allowed to add artificial sweeteners or vours. If they needed to adjust the taste, they could use basic

    ingredients but not anything that might contain harmful substances.

 Chapter 80 Trouble Was Coming

    Chapter 80 Trouble Was Coming

    The two pastry chefs, who had previously worked for Harkim, were hired by Greyson with high pay. The

    cakes they baked were much better, and lighter, than those made by ordinary chefs.

    After all, Harkim only catered to high-born people from the upper ss of society. Anyone working here

    had to possess extraordinary skills, otherwise they would never be allowed to work here.

    Unsurprisingly, looking at Ashley''s fine figure, that customer had no doubt that she was telling the truth.

    Moreover, no one could resist such a delicious cake.

    ¡­

    Although running a bakery was a first for Ashley and Ellie and they didn''t know much about the trade,

    they were smart enough to pick up on the job. They managed the bakery pretty well and even improved

    business.

    Ashley enjoyed her new life so much. Although ordinary, she felt so fulfilled at the end of the day.

    However, God knew that she would never lead an ordinary life.

    While Ashley was in seventh heaven, Andrew was suffering on his business trip far away from home.

    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Even Johnny could see that he was in a terrible mood on this trip, as he had ordered his staff to finish a

    task, which would have ordinarily taken seven days, within three days.

    A seven-day task to bepleted in three days!

    Three days!

    Not four days or five days but three days. How could that even happen?!

    This was not the first time that Andrew had worked crazy hours, but Johnny could not figure out what

    had happened to him on this trip. It was clearly not necessary for him to work so hard right now.

    "Sir, these are the materials for tomorrow''s contract meeting." Johnny knocked on the door and

    stepped into Andrew''s hotel room with a pile of folders in his hands. Johnny''s dark circles were proof

    that he must have stayed uptest night.

    However, Andrew was more exhausted than his staff. His weariness was evident in his haggard

    appearance.

    "Just put them on the desk," hemanded. Staring straight at theputer screen in front of him,

    Andrew spoke in a low but harsh tone.

    Johnny did as he was told and stopped to take a look at his boss who was still busy working. Before he

    could stop himself, he said, "Sir, you have already been working day and night, please get some rest.

    We have plenty of time for that anyway."

    Andrew ignored Johnny''s suggestion, and instead focused at theputer screen. Thinking he was

    not going to respond, Johnny turned to leave, but Andrew looked at him and said, "Book a flight ticket

    back to J City for tomorrow as soon as possible. I am heading back when everything is done here."

    Johnny was stunned by Andrew''s request. ''It''s not good for you to work this hard.'' Johnny thought to

    himself, but he didn''t dare to say it out loud. He simply nodded his head and exited the room.

    After Johnny left, Andrew switched back to the previous screen.

    All theplicated official documents and files vanished, and hundreds of pictures popped up, almost

    filling up the entireputer screen. All the pictures were of just one smilingdy with two attractive

    dimples.

    Some of the pictures were taken when thedy was snoozing, with her hands holding her little head,

    while others were taken when she was fully absorbed in the task of making cakes, and a few more

    were taken when she was secretly eating those cakes like a little hamster.

    Thedy shown in the pictures was no other than Ashley, the woman with whom Andrew had fallen so

    deeply in love.

    Looking at her, Andrew''s harsh demeanor melted and he softened a bit. But the big smile on her face

    made him just a little upset.

    It looked like she didn''t miss him at all.

    He, however, couldn''t wait to fly back to her and hold her tight. A few days without her seemed like an

    eternity to him.

    The prospect of getting back to her pushed him to wind up his one-week business trip in just three

    days.

    The thought of being with her tomorrow filled him with renewed energy, and he got back to work

    immediately.

    Meanwhile, back home Ashley had no idea that trouble was brewing.

    The bakery was running very well, so Ashley and Ellie would sometimes hang out at the shop to help

    out. They couldn''t believe that they had already earned back all their investment in just a few days.

    However, the owners of the bakery next door were jealous of their sessful venture.

    Apparently, if it hadn''t been for Greyson, the middle-aged man would have opened a coffee shop in this

    ce, which wouldn''t be a threat to the bakery next door.

    But now because of Greyson''s request, the man had to rent out this shop to Ashley, who started a

    bakery instead, which created seriouspetition for the bakery next door.

    Before Ashley and Ellie came along, the bakery next door was the only one in this area, and therefore,

    also very popr.

    The owners of that bakery were a young couple. Looking at them, it was in to see that they had

    earned good money here. Otherwise, they wouldn''t wear such expensive clothes.

    But ever since Ashley and Ellie arrived on the scene and opened their new bakery, customers had a

    second option. They would naturallypare the two bakeries before purchasing the goodies.

    Once theypared the offerings from both establishments, the decision was simple.

    It was obvious that the pastries at "Memory Bakery" were so delicate and delicious that people would

    choose them over the other bakery. More importantly, there was no risk of putting on weight even if

    they indulged in the sweet treats a lot. This was why people chose their bakery over the one next door.

    Moreover, the pastry chefs that Greyson had hired for them were iparable to themon chefs

    working at theirpetitor''s shop.

    The young couple envied Ashley and Ellie and taunted them every time they saw the girls. But it didn''t

    bother them too much, as they knew this was inevitable in business.

    However, the more tolerant they were, the worse the couple''s behaviour became towards them as they

    regarded them as nothing but pushovers. Things got even worse.

    One day, while Ashley and Ellie were heading to work, they found arge crowd gathered in front of

    their bakery. There was a lot of hubbub among the crowd, and the chefs and the waitresses were

    standing outside too.

    Looking at each other in confusion, Ashley and Ellie immediately rushed towards the crowd.

    Seeing theming, someone in the crowd started to yell, "Look, theree the owners of the

    bakery. Finally they are here."

    Ashley and Ellie frowned as they sensed some hostility.

    Ashley ran to the crowd quickly and said, "Please move aside."

    People stepped backwards as they saw Ashleying.

    "Cheryl, what happened?"

    When Ashley finally cleaved her way through the crowd, she saw someone lying on the floor with two

    people squatting down beside the person and weeping.

    A baffled Ashley found Cheryl standing in the crowd and asked her what was the matter.

 Chapter 81 Trick

    Chapter 81 Trick

    Cheryl was a waitress that Greyson had rmended to Ashley. She was a pretty young girl who

    worked hard. Ashley thought highly of her.

    "Ashley, you''re finally here," Cheryl said in a shaky voice. The young girl had never been in such a

    situation before and was visually shaken by it. Her eyes were wide with fear and red from crying.

    Ashley approached her, patted the girl reassuringly on the back and asked, "What happened?"

    "I am not sure. When I came here, I saw a girl lying in front of our shop and her parents said that their

    daughter had cked out after she ate one of our cakes,"

    Cheryl said with a worried tone in her voice.

    When the father of the girl saw Ashley, he stopped crying and stood up immediately. He pointed at

    Ashley and shouted angrily, "You''re the boss here, right?

    I heard that the cakes in your shop were delicious, so I bought some vani cream puffs. My wife and I

    didn''t have a chance to try them because we had something to do.

    But when our daughter Jenny came home from school, she saw the cream puffs and had some and

    now she has passed out."

    The man then turned around and looked at the crowd as he squeezed out a few tears. "I didn''t expect

    that my daughter would get sick after eating a cake from this shop.

    You''d better not buy anything from this bakery. The food here isn''t safe to eat," he said indignantly.

    He then turned to his daughter and bent down stroking her hair. "Oh, my poor girl. She is so young and

    now she is lying unconscious because she ate a cream puff from this bakery."

    The girl''s mother who was squatting down beside the unconscious girl shook her body and cried,

    "Wake up, Jenny. Please open your eyes. I can''t lose you, sweetie."

    The onlookers started whispering to one another.

    "I ate food from that shop, it was really good and I didn''t get sick from it. Perhaps something else has

    made his daughter sick," a man said.

    "Oh that poor little girl. It doesn''t look like her parents are acting. Who would use their own daughter to

    pretend something as terrible as this?" said a woman.

    Upon hearing this, the man let out a deep sigh and shut up.

    "Is that man telling the truth? The food in that shop isn''t safe to eat?"

    "Oh, isn''t that man the owner of Teddy Bear Bakery? Why would hee here to buy a cake, when he

    has his own cakes?" a man asked curiously when he recognized the sulking father to be the owner of

    the Teddy Bear Bakery.

    The expression on the father''s face froze and he looked rattled for a moment. However, he quickly

    composed himself and said, "Yes, I am the owner of that bakery. But I noticed that this shop was very

    popr so I came here to try some of the cakes. I never expected something like this to happen..."

    The father''s words had made sense and his daughter was still lying on the ground in aa. The

    bystanders took pity on him and began to believe his story. They started to side with the weeping

    parents.

    ...

    Ashley looked at the forming crowd in front of her shop. She wasn''t fazed by their remarks and

    skeptical nces.

    She narrowed her eyes at the couple who were crouching beside the unconscious girl and recognized

    that they were the owners of the bakery nearby.

    They always made scornful remarks about Ashley''s bakery and she wasn''t stupid. She didn''t buy that

    man''s story for one minute.

    The two shops were in stiffpetition with each other and Ashley was convinced that this was all just

    a ploy from the owners of the other bakery to defame hers.

    If she didn''t settle this properly, she knew that her bakery''s reputation would be ruined and she and

    Ellie would have to close the shop. That way, there would be only one bakery left in the street and the

    treacherous couple would get their old customers back again.

    What Ashley wasn''t aware of, was this trick had been used by the couple before to deal with their

    competitors. Each time a new bakery opened, they would y the same trick and make the owners

    close their shop.

    That was the reason why there was only one bakery in the whole busy street before Ashley and Ellie

    opened theirs.

    But the man didn''t expect that his trick wouldn''t work on Ashley and Ellie.

    Ashley went to check on the little girl and called out to Ellie, who was standing in the entrance of their

    bakery. "Call 120, Ellie, tell them that someone has copsed."

    When the man saw Ashleying his way, he flew into a panic. Noticing that Ellie took out her phone,

    he immediately jumped to his feet and pped the phone out of Ellie''s hand causing it to fall and break

    on the ground.

    "What are you doing? Stay away from my daughter. Are you trying to hurt her? She is unconscious

    because of you. Why are you so mean?" the man chided, pointing at Ashley.

    Ellie''s face darkened as she stared at her broken phone on the ground. Seething, she glowered at the

    man who pped the phone from her hand and hollered at him, "When the hell did you see us hurt

    her? Your daughter has fainted, but you don''t want to take her to a hospital. Instead, you leave her

    lying on the cold ground.

    I was going to call 120 but you stopped me and pped the phone out of my hand. Are you really even

    her father?"

    "She has a point. They tried to help your little girl out of goodwill. Can''t you see that?" said someone

    from the crowd.

    "Besides, thatdy was going to call 120, but you just pped it out of her hand and now it''s broken on

    the ground. Why would you do that?" asked another.

    The onlookers began to question and criticize the father''s behavior.

    Everyone had been so caught up in the man''s usations against the bakery that they ignored the fact

    that the parents didn''t do anything to help their own daughter and take her to a hospital.

    "Call 120. The kid needs immediate treatment," some bystander called out.

    Ashley pulled her phone out with the intention of calling 120. The girl''s father saw what she was going

    to do and made a quick move towards her to try and stop her.

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Ashley frowned at him and managed to dodge his advances, protecting her phone so it didn''t end up

    like Ellie''s one which was broken on the ground.

    She red at him and asked acidly, "What are you doing?"

    "No! You can''t call 120!" the man yelled and shot Ashley a threatening look.

    Frowning, Ashley red at him and snapped, "Why not? Didn''t you say that our shop''s food made your

    daughter get sick and copse? I am trying to save your daughter''s life. If she doesn''t get to a hospital,

    she could be in grave danger!"

 Chapter 82 Explanation

    Chapter 82 Exnation

    Seeing that the man was so agitated, the seed of doubt in Ashley''s mind grew to be solid

    conviction in her heart in the blink of an eye.

    Their cakes never had any quality issues all these days, so how could a girl faint when she consumed

    them?

    Avoiding the perturbed man, Ashley called the ambnce. "Hello, we are now at No. 389, Chaya Road,

    Bridge Street. There is a girl who fainted after eating a cake..."

    She tried to exin the situation to the man on the other end of the line.

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    But before she could finish, the father of the child rammed into her, knocking her cell phone to the

    ground.

    By now Ashley''s patience was wearing thin with this man''s repeated interruption.

    Shooting a stern look at the man, she decided to give him a piece of her mind. "You im that your

    daughter fainted because she ate the cake from my shop. We won''t brush off our responsibility in this

    matter. But we need to call the ambnce to see exactly what is wrong with your daughter.

    Why are you repeatedly stopping me from calling the ambnce? Do you really want your daughter to

    be lying here like this?

    You have broken two of our cell phones. We aren''t sure whether your daughter''s condition is caused by

    the cake in our shop. If you really think that is the reason, why are you stopping me from calling the

    ambnce? We aren''t avoiding our responsibility for this nor are we denying it. So what are you so

    agitated about?

    And if that is not the case, then my guess is that you have hidden intentions."

    Now even the onlookers started questioning the man''s actions.

    ''If the little girl has really fainted only because of Memory Bakery''s cake, why don''t they call the

    ambnce first? Don''t they care about their daughter''s well being?

    Moreover, the shop manager clearly wants to shoulder her responsibility, but he isn''t allowing her to do

    so. Why does he keep hurling their cell phones to the ground indiscriminately?

    Even if his daughter fell ill because of their cake, why is the man refusing to call the ambnce?''

    Onlookers began to whisper among themselves.

    "They just want to call the ambnce so that the doctor can diagnosis the problem. Let the doctor

    come for the little girl. Why does the man get so flustered whenever they try to call an ambnce?"

    "There seems to be something fishy."

    "Fishy?" The group couldn''t help but ask.

    A passerby''s analysis of the situation seemed to be the most logical and reasonable.

    "The man said that he bought the cake yesterday. Then he took it back home and his daughter ate it. If

    something went wrong, the first thing they would do is take the little girl to the hospital immediately.

    Why would they bring her to Memory Bakery early in the morning?"

    "It sounds like a reasonable exnation. But why would this man want to do this?

    Can''t you see? This man is the owner of a cake shop beside Memory Bakery. But before the new

    bakery opened here, his shop was the best on this street. He will not keep quiet if his business is being

    stolen away by them.

    So this was just an excuse for them to buy something from Memory Bakery so that they could defame

    them."

    As it was the rush hour, people from different walks of life had gathered here driven by curiosity, and

    the man''s usations caught their attention.

    The obnoxious father could have never anticipated that the onlookers would be insightful enough to

    see through his entire n. It was just like the old saying, ''as you make your bed so you must lie on it.''

    Not unexpectedly, hearing these words, his face turned pale.

    This was an old trick he would use to drive away those who opened shops in this area. Those who

    learned that the cakes made people ill would be put off and unable to think clearly.

    Back in the day, this man had enjoyed many benefits.

    He thought that his n would work once again.

    But it was a pity that the person he tried to mess with was Ashley.

    After graduating from school, Ashley and Ellie entered the real world directly and became street smart.

    How could they not see through his devious n?

    The woman sitting beside the little girl heard these words and her face stiffened for a moment. Then

    she cried even louder, "Jenny, my poor girl, why are you so greedy? It is because you ate the cake that

    this happened to you."

    When the man heard the woman wailing, an idea shed in his mind. "I''m sorry for what just happened.

    I am so distressed. Jenny does not like hospitals. It''s been like this ever since she was a child. That is

    why I refused to call the ambnce," he exined with fake concern in his eyes.

    The man''s exnation seemed usible and the crowd stopped talking about the issue.

    Ashley looked at the man with her hands folded over chest. "You don''t want to go to the hospital, nor

    do you want to know what''s wrong with your girl. What do you want to do?" she demanded angrily.

    ''I want you to move out of here of course! Then there will be only one cake shop in this street and the

    business of my shop will boom again.'' He almost blurted out his inner thoughts but fortunately, he held

    his tongue at thest minute.

    The man said, "My girl fainted after eating the cake in your shop. Shouldn''t you be responsible for

    her?"

    "I never said that I am not responsible for her! The ambnce wille here at once. When the doctor

    checks her, everything will be clear. If our cake is really the reason for your daughter''s condition, I will

    shoulder all the responsibilities. If not..." Ashley paused to let her words sink in.

    "I am not a good bully but if something is really fishy, I will not let it pass easily!"

    The man''s mind nked out for a moment, and was reced by fear when he saw Ashley''s calm face.

    At the same time he couldn''t help but chuckle. He told himself that he had nothing to fear as she was

    just a silly little girl.

    However, things don''t often go as per one''s wishes.

    "Mom? Dad? Where are we now? I''m feeling so cold." The girl lying on the floor opened her eyes and

    looked around with a puzzled expression.

    Although the little girl spoke softly, people heard her properly.

    Everything became crystal clear when they saw the perplexed look on the little girl''s face as well as the

    panic on her parent''s faces.

 Chapter 83 Hospital

    Chapter 83 Hospital

    Instead of feeling relieved, the woman was now somewhat annoyed when she saw that her daughter

    was waking up. ''How could she be waking up so soon? If I had known this would happen, I would have

    given her more sleeping pillsst night, '' the woman thought with irritation.

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    "Jenny? Oh, thank goodness you''re awake. How do you feel now? Do you feel ill?" The woman asked

    putting on an expression of concern on her face.

    "Jenny? Thank goodness, you''re awake. I was so worried about you. Are you all right?" When the little

    girl''s father noticed that his daughter was waking up, he hurried to her side. He also pretended to be

    anxious and spoke to her with concern in his voice.

    The little girl woke up feeling anxious and confused. However, when she saw clearly that there were so

    many strangers around staring at her, she hid behind her mother in fear. "Mommy, where am I? I want

    to go home. Can we go home now?"

    "Jenny, my baby. It''s all right. Don''t be afraid. Do you remember the little cake you atest night? You

    suddenly passed out after eating that cake for no apparent reason. I was so worried about you." The

    woman held the little girl tightly in her arms and spoke to her in a gentle voice.

    The little girl nodded her head innocently and said, "Yes. I remember that, Mommy. That cake was

    really delicious. It tastes better than any cake I''ve ever eaten before. Mommy, can I have another one,

    please?" The little girl was only about four or five years old. She looked at her mother with an innocent

    expression.

    "Jenny, listen to me. You can''t eat those cakes anymore. Do you know that you fainted after eating that

    cakest night? There must be something wrong with that cake. Fortunately, you''re okay. Otherwise, I

    don''t know what I would have done." The woman held the little girl in her arms again and cried

    crocodile tears.

    The man embraced the woman and the little girl and began to cry as well. The couple were putting on a

    real show for the people around. Only the little girl was the true victim in all of this.

    "Ashley, what should we do now? Do you think it''s really because she ate one of our cakes that she

    fainted?" Ellie looked at the family of three hugging each other, then she walked over to Ashley and

    asked with an anxious tone.

    Ashley patted Ellie gently on the shoulder andforted her, "Don''t worry, Ellie. It will be okay. I don''t

    believe there is anything wrong with our cakes."

    Ashley approached the little girl and asked in a gentle voice, "Hello, little cutie. Did you faintst night

    after you ate the cake?"

    Ashley had a sweet and tender face, and everyone felt at ease andfortable speaking to her.

    Ashley was wearing a soft smile on her face and her voice was particrly gentle. All of this made her

    look so charming.

    The little girl stared up at Ashley. ''She is so beautiful, '' the little girl thought.

    And then she opened her mouth to say something, but her mother quickly covered the little girl''s

    mouth. "Jenny, don''t talk to strangers. Have you forgotten what I have told you?" The woman warned

    the little girl and her words sounded slightly threatening. Ashley felt ufortable when she heard how

    the woman spoke to her daughter.

    The little girl looked away from Ashley and then turned to her mother. She was obviously frightened by

    her mother''s scolding expression. Therefore, she pressed her lips timidly and didn''t dare speak

    anymore.

    The young people among the onlookers around the cake shop had almost all left. It was Monday and

    most of them were actually in a hurry to get to work. Although they were curious to see how this whole

    incident would eventually work out, they didn''t want to risk their boss firing them because of it.

    The onlookers that were left behind were mainly some older men, who had nothing better to do than

    hang around and collect gossip.

    Just then, the siren of an ambnce could be hearding down the street. Once the man heard the

    siren, he was in an obvious panic.

    Ashley looked at the panicked man and sensed that there was something wrong because he was

    behaving very strangely. It didn''t make sense that he would be so anxious when the ambnce

    came. In fact, he should be more relieved than worried.

    As soon as the ambnce arrived at the entrance of the cake shop, two nurses and a doctor on the

    ambnce got out quickly. Soon they came to the little girl.

    The little girl did not show any trace of fear. Instead, she just looked at them curiously.

    The doctor asked, "Who made the phone call?"

    Ashley answered the doctor and exined the whole incident to him, then she looked at the little girl

    next to the woman.

    No matter how reluctant the man was, he still had to go to the hospital. After a short period of inquiry,

    they got in the ambnce and left for the hospital. After all, there shouldn''t be any reason for him to

    refuse going to the hospital. Ashley said a few words to Ellie and then got in the ambnce with them.

    The ambnce was equipped with only some basic equipment. The doctor gave the little girl a simple

    medical check-up and found nothing wrong with her.

    "Little girl, do you feel anything wrong with you?" The doctor who was wearing a white coat asked

    kindly after conducting the medical check-up on the little girl.

    Children were very sensitive to how a stranger approached them, and they could sense if there were

    any ill intentions.

    The little girl knew that the doctor was a good man, so she shook her head obediently.

    Then the doctor touched the little girl''s head gently and then turned to Ashley and the couple and

    asked, "Which one of you is rted to the little girl?"

    "Me. I''m her father and she''s her mother." The man answered the doctor quickly and gestured to

    himself and his wife.

    "We just gave her a simple medical check-up and found nothing wrong with her. Now that you insist

    that she fainted after eating their cake, could you exin the whole thing in detail to me?" The doctor

    looked at the examination report in his hand and then raised his head to look at the couple.

    The man and the woman nced nervously at each other. Then the father began, "Doctor, the whole

    thing was like this. We bought some cake when we passed their cake shop yesterday. Later we got

    home and had something to do, so we put the cake on the table. Unexpectedly, Jenny was greedy

    when she saw the cake on the table, so she ate it all. And then she didn''t wake up this morning..."

    Although the man was somewhat uneasy, he was obviously relieved to be told that there was nothing

    wrong with his daughter. So he repeated the same story as he said earlier.

    When he said that the little girl fainted all of a sudden, the couple deliberately squeezed out a few

    tears, pretending that they were extremely upset by the whole incident.

    "After a simple examination, we affirm that she shows no signs of poisoning and she doesn''t have any

    difort now. It might be because of the limited medical equipment that we have on board that we

    failed to find anything wrong with her. However, it doesn''t matter. We''ll have a detailed examination

    once we get to the hospital," the doctor said reassuring the couple.

    The little girl was very sweet and obedient and she just sat there quietly without saying a word.

    Soon, they arrived at the hospital.

    The doctor quickly got out of the ambnce and the nurses took the little girl into the examining room.

    When the couple wanted to follow the doctor into the examining room, they were stopped by a nurse.

    The nurse looked at them and said apologetically, "I''m sorry. But you can''t go in. Please wait here for a

    moment." Then the nurse turned and followed the doctor into the examining room and closed the door

    behind her.

    The man turned to Ashley and warned her with a menacing voice, "Jenny fell ill after eating your cake.

    If anything happens to her, I won''t let you get off so easily!"

    Although the man felt guilty, he knew that if he was going to win the battle, he must speak with great

    confidence. The whole point was to intimidate Ashley. So instead of looking half-distracted, he

    straightened up and looked directly at Ashley with threatening eyes.

    Ashley, on the other hand, didn''t feel threatened by him at all. She returned a cold re back at him

    and said, "As I said, our cakes are hand-made and safe to eat. Besides, there has never been any

    other case where one of my customers has fallen ill after eating any of our cakes. I''m not that easy to

    bully. If it turns out that you are fabricating evidence to nder me, then I will make you pay dearly for

    it!"

 Chapter 84 Andrew Came Back

    Chapter 84 Andrew Came Back

    Facing the man''s threat, Ashley didn''t show any sign of fear on her face. When the man was about to

    say something, the woman beside him tugged his sleeve.

    Left with no choice, the man snorted at Ashley and followed his wife to the other side.

    The woman didn''t say a word until they walked to a quiet corner far away from Ashley. "What are we

    going to do? Will they discover what we did to Jenny?" she whispered anxiously after she nced

    around and made sure no one could hear them.

    With a serious look on his face, the man gave the woman an uneasy nce. Then he said in a low

    voice, "Don''t worry. It''s not a big deal even if they find out what we did to Jenny. All we need to do is

    insist that Jenny cked out because she ate that cake I bought from the Memory Bakery. They can''t

    do anything to us."

    Although the woman agreed with him, she was still apprehensive.

    Frowning, she blurted out her concern, "I don''t think things will go on as expected. I have a bad vibe

    that something bad will happen."

    Casting the woman a disgruntled nce, the man said peremptorily, "That''s enough. You''re worrying

    over nothing. Even if anything happens, I will take full responsibility. You will be safe and

    upromised."

    The woman wanted to say something but swallowed her words at the sight of the displeased look on

    his face.

    With different thoughts running on their heads, the three waited outside the ward.

    Worried as she was, Ellie called up Ashley and asked her whether she needed someone to be with her

    at the hospital. However, Ashley refused immediately and asked her to just stay in the bakery and take

    care of business.

    Ellie was worried sick that Ashley couldn''t handle the couple, but thetter reassured her that she

    would settle this properly.

    The couple together with Ashley had waited about one hour before the doctor walked out. He took off

    his mask and looked stern.

    Stopping in front of them, he swept his gaze through the three. In a harsh voice, he asked, "Who is the

    little girl''s family?"

    "I''m her father. How is she? Is she okay?" the man replied.

    Oblivious of his questions, the physician asked, "You said that she cked out because she ate some

    cakes, right?"

    Jittery inside, the woman nodded in confirmation and replied, "Yes, doctor. Jenny lost consciousness

    because she ate the cake we bought from her bakery."

    Doubtfully, the doctor looked at the couple and said, "There is nothing wrong with the cake she ate.

    She cked out because she took some sleeping pills. Besides, there are many bruises on her body.

    The scars are creepy. Why would she get so many scars? Moreover, there is a lot of sleeping pill

    residue within her body. It can be inferred that she took sleeping pills more than once."

    With the doctor''s statements, he stressed out that the little girl''s cking out had nothing to do with the

    cakes from Ashley''s bakery. What was more, Ashley even got some unexpected information.

    That girl had taken sleeping pills and been abused frequently.

    "Doctor, are you sure about the results? My daughter did faint after eating their cakes. Besides, we

    have no idea about the sleeping pill." Annoyingly, the man insisted on trying desperately to fool others.

    The physician threw him a cold nce and responded, "Are you doubting my capability? If you don''t

    believe me, you can take her to another hospital. I''m sure you''ll get the same results."

    At the thought of the sleeping pill residue within the little girl''s body and the bruises all over her, the

    doctor was angry at the man and treated him in an unfriendly manner.

    A little vexed at what she had heard, Ashley nced at the couple with her dismissive eyes before

    drawing nearer to the doctor.

    "Doctor, could you please give me the little girl''s test result? The couple came to my shop and said that

    their daughter got sick because of our cakes. So I hope you could do me the favor so I can prove that

    our food has nothing to do with the little girl''s getting ill," Ashley requested politely.

    ''She is about at her twenties. Behaving and speaking in a graceful, confident manner. She is a brave

    girl, '' the doctor presumed after studying Ashley from head to foot. Putting aside his grave expression

    he responded, "Sure. Please follow me."

    "Thank you, sir," Ashley said gratefully. She followed the doctor into his office after casting the man an

    angry look.

    The moment she came out of the office with the little girl''s test result, she was surprised that the little

    girl''s parents were no longer in the hospital. She didn''t bother herself with the couple anymore, knowing

    that she was free from any liabilities. But after this event, Ashley and the couple became instant

    enemies.

    Reaching the hospital exit, Ashley called in a taxi and headed straight to her bakery. The instant Ellie

    caught sight of Ashley at the entrance, she sprinted towards her and asked nervously, "What

    happened, Ashley? Does our cake have something to do with that girl''s getting sick?"

    "Don''t worry. The girl''s fainting out has nothing to do with our food. Such things would never happen in

    our bakery. The doctor has found a lot of sleeping pill residue inside the girl''s body. So I guess they let

    the little girl take sleeping pills and tried to put the me on us," replied Ashley.

    Indignantly, Ellie seethed, "They have gone too far. This is between them and us. Why did they get that

    little girl involved in it? How could they treat her that way? She is so young and taking sleeping pills in

    large doses will be bad for her. What if she doesn''t wake up after taking so many sleeping pills?"

    "This is over. And the girl isn''t in danger anymore," Ashley tried tofort her best friend.

    "Cheryl, please post this on the door. I asked the doctor to give me the girl''s test result. This way, I''m

    sure the couple will not dare to get us in trouble with their daughter''s getting sick again. And people will

    know that all of this was the couple''s trick," Ashley said to her employee, taking out the report.

    Trying to get over the shock, Cheryl moved closer to her boss with a scowling face. Ashley was

    amused by her expressions. To dispel her misgiving, Ashley joked, "Are you all right? You''re still scared

    because of what happened? There is nothing to worry about. Rest assured."

    With a nod, Cheryl stared at her and said, "I was freaked out when I saw the unconscious girl."

    While tapping her back, Ashleyforted the terrified Cheryl and gave the report to her. Thetter took

    it and went out to post it in the shop window.

    The report drew the attention of many pedestrians. Some smart people realized what was going on at

    the sight of it. Apparently, the owner of Teddy Bear Bakery had gotten envious of Ashley''s bakery for

    they attracted many customers and stole some of his regrs. That was why the couple framed Ashley

    up. However, they were not sessful and didn''t get what they wanted. Luckily, more and more

    costumers went to Ashley and Ellie''s bakery.

    On the contrary, the Teddy Bear Bakery lost lots of its clients after that event. People were smart

    enough to judge who was guilty and who was meless. Despite that, the couple could do nothing to

    win their customers back.

    As Ashley and Ellie''s shop acquired more clients, the two girls got their hands full. But they enjoyed

    being busy and loved their craft.

    Today, Ashley and Ellie were exceptionally thankful for the smooth flow of the business operations.

    Except for that hup in the morning, nothing bad had happened that day.

    After a hectic day, Ashley and Ellie got home. After a sumptuous meal and a quick shower, they fell

    asleep quickly.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    The night seemed to fly by so fast as Ashley and Ellie snorted on a deep slumber.

    At 11:00 pm, a call woke up Ashley just as she tossed up on the bed to straighten her stiff back.

    Slightly miffed, she reached out and hung up the call. However, she was bothered when her phone

    rang again, and the ring was longer this time.

    Irritated, Ashley turned on the bedsidemp and fumbled for her phone on the bedside table. Without

    bothering to open her eyes, she picked up the phone and answered the call.

 Chapter 85 I Miss You

    Chapter 85 I Miss You

    "Hello¡­" Ashley answered with a sleepy raspy voice. She was still half asleep and her voice sounded

    different than she would normally sound. However, her smoky nasal tone still had a seductive sound to

    his ears.

    Andrew was still sitting in his car when he heard the voice on the other end of the line. He froze on the

    spot, just from hearing that, one single word. He sat dumbstruck and speechless with the cellphone still

    held against his ear.

    Andrew was extremely tired after days spent solving a business emergency in another city. He rushed

    back to J City, driving all the way from the airport without a break. Feeling greatly fatigued, both

    physically and mentally, Andrew sat silently in his car. He had dark ck circles under his bloodshot

    eyes fromck of sleep.

    Even though it would have been wiser for Andrew to have driven straight home to rest, he couldn''t help

    himself. He had to drive straight to Ashley''s apartment. Andrew knew that it waste and that she

    would most likely be in bed sleeping. But he thought it might ease the deep longing that he felt for her,

    by sitting outside her window for a little while.

    However, after a short while of gazing up at her apartment window. He pulled out his cell phone and

    scrolled down the contact list until he came to Ashley''s name. He stared at the name on the screen and

    absentmindedly stroked the name gently with his thumb as if he was caressing her. The very first time

    that he entered Ashley''s phone number into his cell phone, he had set it on speed dial. That way he

    could reach her within seconds. Andrew had gazed upon those string of numbers so many times

    before, that he knew them by heart.

    After he stared at the screen and contemted about it for quite a while, his thumb finally pressed on

    her name and the phone began to dial out the number. As soon as he pressed the button, his heart didCcontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    a little flip in his chest. His feelings were mixed with both excitement and uneasiness. He sat anxiously

    waiting the phone to be put through.

    And when Ashley had finally answered the phone, Andrew was surprised to find that he was too

    nervous to say anything. He had never been like this before, with anyone.

    The longer the silence between them on the phone remained the more nervous Andrew seemed to

    feel. However, Ashley''s patience was beginning to run thin.

    "Hello?" she answered once again. But a little louder this time, just in case the person on the other end

    didn''t hear her the first time. Yet, there was still no response at all.

    Ashley was already annoyed that she had been woken up sote in the night. However, the fact that

    whoever it was that called her, wasn''t even answering, was starting to make her feel angry. ''Who the

    hell is calling me in the middle of the night and won''t even answer, '' she thought furiously.

    "Who is that? I''m going to hang up if you don''t start talking," she said frustrated. Ashley thought her

    voice sounded threatening and angry. But on the other end of the line, to Andrew, it sounded thick,

    raspy and slightly nasal with an almost flirtatious undertone. His cheeks even flushed a little when he

    heard her voice.

    Ashley waited for a few seconds longer and was about to hang up when she heard a voice,"It''s me..."

    His voice was low and husky. When Ashley heard the familiar voice on the other end, she sat up and

    suddenly became wide awake.

    She blinked her eyes a few times and then focused on the screen of her cellphone and read the name,

    Andrew Lu.

    Ashley brought her hand up to her mouth to stifle a gasp. She had nearly forgotten about him

    completely since she hadn''t seen or heard from him in quite a while.

    In fact, thest time she had anything to do with him was when she had dinner with him at that

    restaurant. Since then she had been so immersed in her cake shop that she hardly thought about him

    at all. She had been too busy to think about anything else, but the cake shop.

    And it wasn''t until he called her just now that she remembered the conversation they had from that day.

    "Andrew?" murmured Ashley in a low voice.

    When Andrew heard his name being called by Ashley, his heart melted.

    The sound of his name had never sounded so pleasant to his ears as it did just now. The tone of her

    voice was like warm honey and his heart was filled with joy just to hear it.

    Andrew''s heart was raising just knowing that she was so near. But he contained his emotions and only

    spoke to her in a low and neutral tone. "Yes."

    Again, they both fell silent.

    After a few awkward seconds of silence, Ashley asked,"So, why are you calling me sote at night?"

    Andrew trailed his long fingers along the top of the steering wheel and bit his lip. He nced up at the

    window of her apartment again and said in a low husky voice,"I''m downstairs, outside your apartment."

    "What!" Ashley called out when she heard what he said.

    And then she realized that it was veryte and Ellie would probably be in bed sleeping. She covered

    her mouth to stop herself from making any more noise and waking Ellie up.

    With eyes as wide as saucers she asked,"Wait, what did you say? You''re downstairs, right now?" Her

    voice was much lower this time.

    "Yes," Andrew replied instantly.

    Ashley still couldn''t believe that Andrew was outside her apartment. So she quickly scrambled out of

    her bed, turned the lights on in her bedroom and then rushed over to the window and pulled the

    curtains apart. When she looked outside of the window she could see a car with its lights on, parked

    outside. Although it was very dark outside, the dim light that wasing from his car was enough for

    her to see Andrew standing next to his car. She could see his tall strong silhouette leaning against it.

    Then suddenly, unexpectedly he looked up at the window where Ashley was standing.

    She was so rmed that she abruptly closed the curtains and turned her body away. With her back

    against the window, she could still feel his gaze on her. She felt so anxious it was as if he was in the

    room with her now.

    She bit her lip nervously and asked,"Why are you here at this hour?"

    ''It''s sote, what does he want?'' she wondered.

    "Come down right now," he said in a low tone.

    Ashley wasn''t pleased by the way he ordered her what to do and the annoyance was clearly evident on

    her face.

    ''How dare youmand me like that, Andrew Lu! You have called me on the phone in the middle of

    the night, waking me up from my sleep. And now you expect me toe to your beck and call, ''

    thought Ashley fuming.

    Then she marched angrily back to her bed, crawled in and covered herself with the quilt. "No, it''ste,

    you should go home now," she saidzily as she yawned and closed her eyes snuggling in.

    There was a long silence on the other end of the line. And just as she thought that Andrew had given

    up and decided to go, she heard a lowmanding voice,"I''lle to you if you don''te down. Do

    you want me to do that?"

    As Andrew drove here from the airport, he thought that it would be enough for him, to just sit outside of

    her apartment. But then being so close to her, he had to hear her voice, so he called her.

    However, now that he had heard her voice and seen her contour standing by the window, he couldn''t

    control himself any longer. He needed to see her, to touch her. His whole body was on fire, consumed

    by his longing for her. He had to have her.

    He missed her more than he would allow himself to admit.

    When Ashley heard his serious voice and what he was suggesting, her heart skipped a beat and her

    eyes shot wide open in shock.

    She immediately sat up in her bed and thought to herself in a panic, ''If I don''t go to him, I know, that he

    will do what he said. He wille up here.

    What am I supposed to do? Ellie''s still sleeping, I can''t let him in now.'' Ashley furrowed her brows

    feeling annoyed and thought, ''This man is so infuriating. What the hell is he up to?

    Why does he want me to go outside in the middle of the night? Why can''t he just let me be and let me

    go back to sleep? But wait a minute...

    Why do I suddenly feel like I am having a midnight rendezvous with a lover?''

    She couldn''t ignore the feeling. That was exactly what she felt like at this moment.

    After going through the options in her mind, Ashley quickly realized that she didn''t have any. She

    agreed to his demand and hung up the phone. Ashley threw the covers aside and crawled out of bed

    once again and put a coat on over her pajamas.

    Slowly, she opened her bedroom door and quietly crept out. Once she reached Ellie''s door, she

    stopped and put her ear against it, listening for any sound. When she was satisfied that Ellie was deep

    in sleep, she continued to creep softly across the hall to the front door.

    Standing in the hallway outside of the apartment she quietly closed the door behind her and breathed a

    sigh of relief that she didn''t wake Ellie up.

    She then casually went down the stairs without having to worry about waking anyone and soon was

    outside of the building. As she walked to the gate she could see Andrew standing next to his car

    waiting expectantly. His eyes were firmly on her, watching as she approached him.

    Ashley felt self-conscious and uneasy under Andrew''s steady gaze. ''Why is he looking at me like that?''

    she wondered.

    She breathed in deeply to give herself courage as she slowly walked towards him. Once she reached

    Andrew, she couldn''t wait to give him a piece of her mind,"What was so important that we couldn''t talk

    about it over the phone? Why did you insist on meing out¡­" All of a sudden, before she had time

    to finish what she was going to say, Andrew took a step forward and she felt two strong arms wrap

    around her. Andrew couldn''t wait any longer, so as soon as he saw Ashley was close he virtually

    pounced on her. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her close to his body.

    He held her tightly in his arms as he buried his head near her neck and breathed her in. She was

    intoxicating. His breath on her neck tickled her.

 Chapter 86 Marry You

    Chapter 86 Marry You

    Being held by Andrew was a different feeling for Ashley. She was enveloped in his warm breath and

    her heart was racing. Uneasy about these feelings arising within her, she struggled against him and

    tried to disentangle herself from his embrace. But she was too weak to push away this big, strong man.

    Andrew, on the other hand, was lost in his thoughts. When she tried to break free from his strong grip,

    he tightened the hug instinctively. If it had been possible, he would have glued her to his body, as he

    was so desperate to be with her every second of the day.

    When he came to his senses, he said in a hoarse voice, "Don''t move. I want to hug you." She didn''t

    know what happened to him but his voice told her that he was exhausted.

    She felt sorry for him. ''If my hug helps you to rx, I don''t mind you hugging me, '' thought a generous

    Ashley.

    One minute passed, then another. After a long time, when she was almost sleepy, he finally loosened

    his grip and let her go.

    As soon as the cool wind hit her, she snapped out of the daze.

    Although he let her go, his hand remained on her shoulder. He was staring at her affectionately.

    His unflinching gaze made her nervous and her heart raced uncontrobly. She looked away to avoid

    making eye contact with him.

    "What ¡­ what''s the matter?" she stuttered.

    He shook his head in reply.

    Looking at his hand on her shoulder, she said, "Could you take your hand off?"

    She felt awkward talking to him while his hand was on her shoulder.

    "Did you miss me?" He asked, choosing to answer her question with another question. His eyes told

    her that he was looking for a positive answer.

    She didn''t notice his expression but his ears were so red that they looked like they might bleed if you

    twisted them. His fists were clenched and he stared unblinkingly at her.

    "Huh?" Ashley looked up at Andrew with a confused look.

    ''Miss him?

    Why would I miss him? We are not even friends, '' she thought.

    Judging by her expression, he knew what her answer was. His face darkened and there was sadness

    written in his eyes at this disappointing answer.

    But she hadn''t figured out what was going on. She even mistakenly thought he was angry. ''What''s

    wrong with him? He called me toe down and hugged me. Now he is angry because I didn''t answer

    his weird question. We are not friends, let alone lovers. Why does he want me to miss him?'' thought

    her.

    When she nced at him again, she noticed the sadness in his eyes.

    ''How could it be possible?''

    She blinked in astonishment. It was hard to believe that he would be so deeply affected by her

    response. After all, he was the president of a prestigiouspany.

    When her eyes fell on the dark circles under his eyes, she was shocked. His face looked weary ¡ª but

    not enough to take away the charm of his handsome face. ''We just met a few days ago. Why does he

    look so tired?''

    Pondering this, she asked him directly, "What were you busy doing? You look tired."

    She couldn''t see him clearly in the dim streetlight. He had been standing in the dark, but when they

    separated, he happened to stand under the light. Her words made him realise that.

    He didn''t look at himself in the mirror, but he knew he must look terrible. He had been working for two

    days and two nights without getting any sleep.

    A voice inside him told him to retreat to the darkness. However, her worried face made him change his

    mind. "I was gone on a business trip. Just came back today."

    "So you came here as soon as you stepped off the ne?" she asked in surprise.

    ''I hope it is not true, '' she prayed silently.

    But her appeal was in vain.

    He nodded and looked deep into her eyes.

    She looked at him. His eyes were like whirlpools that sucked out her soul andid it bare before him.

    So strong was the pull of his maic eyes that it took her a while to regain control of herself.

    She looked away and stammered, "Oh, well, why are you ¡­ why are you here then? You''d better go

    home for a rest."

    When she finished speaking, she thought, ''Why did I stammer?

    I was not moved. There was no need to be shy. How shameful!''

    She lowered her head to hide her blushing face.

    Her reaction pleased him. He knew she felt shy.

    He could see her clearly in the streetlight. She had casually thrown a coat over her flowy, white

    nightgown, which skimmed her knees and showed off her slender legs.

    Maybe she was in bed when he called. Her hair was messy. She didn''t look energetic like she usually

    did in the day. Instead, she looked sleepy like an elegant cat enjoying a leisurely life.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Her head was still lowered and her cheeks were red. Her long, thick eyshes fanned out on her

    cheeks. Her lips seemed to be coated in honey. He wanted to kiss her.

    She had no idea how attractive she was and he was on the edge of losing control.

    "Because I wanted to see you." Thesest few days his heart had felt empty but when he saw her, he

    felt a contentment like never before.

    Although, he didn''tplete the rest of his sentence, she could feel his affection and knew what he

    was about to say.

    She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

    He sighed, hugged her, and kissed her hard before she knew what he was doing.

    Her lips were soft and sweet. Kissing her was an amazing experience.

    He wanted to continue, but he stopped himself because he didn''t want to scare her.

    Instead, he leaned close to her ears, his hot breath caressing her, and whispered, "Are you clear now?

    I am chasing you," he dered.

    If he had not been chasing her, why would he bother driving her home that day? Why would he invite

    her to dinner? Why would he care about everything rted to her?

    When he saw her talking to her ex-boyfriend, he was jealous and angry. When he happened to see her

    having a blind date, he was mad.

    He was the president of the Lu Group. His time was precious. Yet, he wanted to fit two days into 24

    hours so that he could finish his work to be with her.

    Hearing his words, she backed away from him, with one hand covering her mouth and the other

    pointed at him. It was too dark to judge her expression now. Was she surprised? Or she was frightened

    by his rude behavior?

    ''He kissed me!

    Wow, he actually kissed me!

    I can''t believe it!

    And what did he say?

    That he was chasing me?

    Chasing me? Could it be true?''

    She couldn''t believe what had happened. Her mind went nk, as she tried to figure out his intentions.

    She was in aplete mess. It was impossible for her to deal with the situation rationally.

    Suddenly she remembered that Peggy had said she would return her jade pendant on the condition

    that she got married within a week.

    Ashley looked up at the handsome man before her and asked, "Will you marry me?" The words were

    out of her mouth before she could realize what she said. She admitted to herself that it was better to

    marry him rather than aplete stranger.

 Chapter 87 That Really Was My First Time

    Chapter 87 That Really Was My First Time

    ''Marry you?'' Andrew repeated the words in his head feeling mixed emotions.

    He looked at Ashley with furrowed brows and confusion behind his eyes. Ashley smiled nervously back

    at him and was about to open her mouth to tell him that she was only joking around. Then, after staring

    at Ashley intensely for a few moments he nodded his head and said in a determined voice,"Fine. Let''s

    get the marriage license tomorrow."

    Now it was Ashley''s turn to be stunned. She gaped at him in shock. It hadn''t crossed her mind for one

    second that Andrew would agree to her proposal of marriage in such a short time. She expected that

    he would at least give it some time and thought. After all, marriage wasn''t something to be taken lightly

    and it was a bigmitment.

    "So, what now? Do you want to back out?" Andrew asked in his maic voice. Ashley was still in a

    daze when Andrew came close to her and whispered in her ear,"You were the first woman that I made

    love to, so you should be responsible for me now."

    Ashley''s cheeks immediately turned crimson when she heard what Andrew had whispered to her. She

    pushed him away and blurted out,"You must be kidding. You didn''t act like an inexperienced virgin, that

    night."

    When Andrew confessed that she was his first, his ears turned red with embarrassment and his heart

    raced.

    But when he heard what Ashley had said, his anxiety had eased, and he felt content that he must have

    performed well.

    Ashley reacted like that because she felt tenser than he was.

    The second she spat those words out she regretted it. Feeling abashed, she resisted the strong urge to

    p herself. ''What was I thinking by saying something like that?'' she screamed in her head.

    Ashley was so embarrassed that she didn''t even notice Andrew watching her. He saw her sweet rosy

    cheeks and how she averted her eyes from him and fidgeted awkwardly with her beautiful hair. And at

    that moment, he thought to himself, that she was the most adorable girl in the world.

    With lips pressed, he stared at Ashley and said in earnest,"That really was my first time."

    Ashley was in no mood to discuss the topic further with him.

    She shifted from side to side and smiled awkwardly at him and then, she gathered all of her strength

    and bolted towards her apartment building.

    Once she was inside her apartment she leaned her back against the door puffing out of breath. Her

    mind was a total mess and her heart was racing, and she didn''t even know how she managed to get

    home.

    That night, Ashleyy in her bed tossing and turning not able to sleep. Andrew''s words kept swirling

    around in her head and echoing in her ears, giving her no peace, at all.

    The next morning when Ashley got up, she had dark bags under her eyes. And no matter how much

    she tried to hide them with face powder, the dark bags were still evident.

    When Ellie saw Ashley trudged out of her bedroom, she was taken aback by the sight of her. She

    asked in a surprised tone,"What happened to your eyes, Ashley? Didn''t you sleep well?"

    Ashley blushed when she recalled the reason why she didn''t sleep well. She mumbled back to her,"I

    had a nightmare, but it''s okay. I''ll have a napter."

    Ellie didn''t notice the anxious look in Ashley''s eyes and epted the reason without any doubts.

    Ashley and Ellie got ready and headed off to their bakery. Once they got there Cheryl greeted them

    warmly.

    The two smiled back with the same enthusiasm.

    Cheryl and Nina Ye were the two employees at the Memory Bakery. Cheryl was extroverted and

    outgoing whereas, Nina Ye was more conservative andposed.

    "Ashley, Ellie, I have great news. Ever since we posted the little girl''s test results in the shop window,

    more and more customers areing to our shop.

    And many of them havemented on how much they love our cakes. Whereas, hardly anyone went

    to the other bakery, especially when they found out how deceitful the owner was," Cheryl beamed

    happily, looking at Ashley and Ellie.

    Nina Ye smiled slightly as she silently listened to Cheryl talking with great enthusiasm.

    Initially, both Cheryl and Nina were annoyed that Greyson had arranged for both of them to work at the

    bakery.

    They used to be waitresses at Harkim where only the well-educated elite could work here. Their wages

    were high and they earned good tips from the customers.

    That was the reason why they were upset to have to leave Harkim. However, after settling into the

    Memory Bakery, they found that they both enjoyed working here and that waitressing here wasn''t bad

    after all.

    Besides, working for Ashley and Ellie at the Memory Bakery was a lot more rxed with fewer rules. It

    was nowhere near as stressful as working at Harkim.

    Ashley smiled and felt satisfied with Cheryl''s news. She had expected this sort of results.

    Cheryl chatted a little longer with her bosses before she left them and continued with her work.

    Once Cheryl left, Ellie gave Ashley a concerned look and advised her to go to the break room and have

    some rest for she looked really tired. Ashley agreed since she felt sleepy and plodded off to the break

    room.

    Shey on the couch and closed her drowsy eyes. Just as she started to drift off to sleep her phone

    began to vibrate.

    Ashley rolled over trying to ignore it, but it just kept on vibrating. Finally, she couldn''t ignore it any

    longer and rolled back over and pulled it out. With heavy eyes, she looked at the screen and when she

    saw that it was Andrew calling her, she quickly sat up. ''Why would he be calling me?'' she wondered

    wide-eyed.

    After some hesitation, she finally answered,"Hello?"

    "We agreed to go and get the marriage certificate today, do you remember? Did you get your identity

    card and residence booklet with you? Would you like me to pick you up?" a low, maic voice

    bombarded her with questions.

    "What?" Ashley responded with a stunned expression. She had trouble following him.

    ''What did he say? Get a marriage certificate? Bring identity card and residence booklet? Pick me up?''

    A barrage of questions flooded her.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Ashley checked the ID caller to make sure that it was Andrew on the other end of the line.

    ''It''s him all right. Has he called the wrong person and mistaken me for someone else?'' she thought.

    She was just about to tell him that he had dialed the wrong number, when a shback of their

    conversation from the previous night entered her mind.

    "Are you clear now?? I am chasing you."

    "Will you marry me?"

    "Fine. Let''s get the marriage license tomorrow."

    "So what now? Do you want to back out?" "You were the first girl I made love to, so you should be

    responsible for me now!"

    ...

    Andrew''s enchanting voice fromst night kept resounding in her ears. Ashley felt like she had just

    been struck by lightening.

    ''Oh, my goodness!

    Why would I propose to himst night?'' she shrieked silently, as she scratched her head.

    "I... I''m on my way home. You, you can pick me upter," Ashley faltered. She didn''t know why she just

    stammered.

    When she realized that she had stammered a reply to Andrew she felt so foolish and embarrassed.

    She wished that he hadn''t heard her.

    ''What''s wrong with me? I''m making a fool of myself.

    I have never stammered before when I spoke to him. Why was that?'' she wondered.

    Andrew was at hispany, the Lu Group, in his office sitting at the desk when he called Ashley. When

    he heard Ashley stammering nervously he couldn''t help but burst outughing.

    Ashley heard his loudughter through the phone and it made her whole face turn red.

    She was certain that he wasughing at her.

    But the fact was that Andrew was just amused by her dopey reply.

    When Ashley hung up the phone, she tried to fan her red hot cheeks. She didn''t leave the break room

    until the redness on her face was gone.

    She found Ellie and said,"I''ve got something that I have to do. I need to go out for a while."

    "What''s up? Did something happen to you?" Ellie asked with a concerned look.

    "Oh, nothing important. I''ll tell youter. I have to go," Ashley replied before leaving the bakery.

    ''What happened? Why is she in such a hurry?'' Ellie muttered to herself as she stared at Ashley''s

    retreating figure.

 Chapter 88 Get The Marriage Certificate

    Chapter 88 Get The Marriage Certificate

    When Ashley came out of the shop, she hailed a taxi. Once home, she began changing clothes.

    She didn''t regret asking Andrew to marry her, even though she sprung it on him in the spur of the

    moment.

    She changed clothes many times. She wanted the perfect outfit, and the perfect face. She dabbed

    skin-toned makeup on her face, but had a heavier hand around her tired eyes.

    When Ashley was almost ready, her cell phone rang.

    "Hello. OK. I aming."

    Her mind wandered when she stepped into the elevator.

    ''Will he like this style of me?''

    Then she patted her face. Why did she care what he thought?

    That man''s charm was like that of the glorious mountains. He was attractive and heads turned

    involuntarily to look at him.

    It didn''t matter why she was marrying him.

    Looking out the ss-paneled elevator, Ashley spotted Andrew''s car, a Rolls-Royce. It was parked in

    the distance and the sparkling hood glistened, causing Andrew to look more radiant than ever. He

    leaned against the car and looked at his cell phone.

    Ashley''s heart beat quickly, stunned by his charm. She saw him many times before, but this time he

    was even more dazzling.

    He seemed so charismatic and fascinating.

    Andrew turned his head, put his phone in his pocket, and strode toward her. "Here you are."

    Ashley nodded.

    Andrew tugged at her hand and guided her to the car. "After you," he whispered, holding his hand out

    so she could climb in. He followed. Johnny was waiting in the front.

    When Johnny saw Ashley, he put on a big smile and introduced himself. "Miss Mu, nice to meet you. I

    am Johnny Cheng, Mr. Lu''s special assistant. We met before. Do you remember me?"

    Ashley returned a smile and said, "Yes, I do. Mr. Cheng. Nice to see you again."

    While Ashley got situated, she thought it was fortunate there was the third person so she wouldn''t feel

    awkward to be with Andrew alone. Johnny started telling her how stunning she looked.

    "Miss Mu, you are more and more beautiful than I remember."

    Johnny thought of her as the president''s future wife. His boss really liked her a lot. Johnny wanted to

    tter her so she would protect him if he made mistakes in the future.

    He continued saying something to make her happy, until he saw his boss''s stern face in the rear-view

    mirror.

    Ashley was ttered, but did not understand why someone she had met, perhaps once before, was

    behaving like this before her. She just knew his name today.

    To be polite, she answered, "Thanks, Mr. Cheng," with each rendition of how beautiful she was looking

    today.

    Johnny continued expressing hispliments to the bride-to-be. He had been working in the

    commercial field for many years and was moremunicative than Andrew.

    Then he noticed Andrew''s cold eyes. They were filled with killing intent. Finally, he shut up.

    He thought he was done. He was so focused on ttering Miss Mu that he forgot his boss was also

    there.

    Johnny was miserable.

    The rest of the trip was silent. Then they arrived at their destination.

    Johnny''s heart was restless, like the sea with violent waves, though he didn''t dare to show the

    astonishment.

    Miss Mu met his boss just less than a month ago, but they were getting married so unexpectedly.

    Looking up at the "Civil Affairs Bureau" printed on the outside of the building, Ashley felt jittery. She was

    marrying a man she didn''t know very well. She was going to be his wife.

    Andrew got off the car and watched Ashley standing in front of the building. He wrinkled his brows.

    ''What if she decides to run away?'' He didn''t want that to happen, so he walked to her and held her

    hand. His eyes gentle, he pulled her chin up to meet his gaze and said, "Let''s go."

    When Ashley suggested they get married, Andrew was surprised. But he was also excited that she was

    going to be his wife. ''All mine, forever, '' he thought.

    Ashley didn''t notice the possessiveness in his eyes, but she did feel his tight grip.

    Andrew''s cold, tight grasp scared Ashley a little. His palm held tightly to her small, delicate fingers.

    She felt the calluses on his palm. ''Perhaps it''s from the pen he holds so often, '' she thought and felt

    assured.

    upied with his hands, she envisioned his slender fingers melodiously ying the ivory keys of a

    piano.

    Ashley didn''t know why such a thought shed in her mind.

    She saw their hands intertwined, muttering, "Hmm," and entered the building with her groom.

    ...

    To get the marriage certificate, they posed for a photo. It was also inevitable to touch each other for the

    couple.

    Both Ashley and Andrew were extremely beautiful, and everyone would watch the exquisite couple.

    "OK. Miss, show a natural expression and get closer to your man. Right, have a bigger smile."

    "Sir, you can hug yourdy..."

    Ashley had a blush and moved closer to Andrew.

    Andrew hugged Ashley''s waist. He imed her as his.

    "Right. That''s it. Perfect." Click. The photo of the two was taken.

    "Sir, Miss,e see if it is OK."

    The couple moved, in unison, to see the perfect pose documenting their matrimony.Original from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 89 Married

    Chapter 89 Married

    But Ashley stood frozen as soon as she saw the picture.

    In the photo, she was leaning over Andrew''s shoulder with a shining smile and a subtle hint of shyness.

    Ashley felt embarrassed and was rendered speechless when she saw the expression on her face in the

    photo. She couldn''t believe that it was her in the picture.

    Andrew, however, was very satisfied with the way the photo of them had turned out. His expression

    could not hide how ted he felt at this moment.

    ¡­

    Finally, they emerged from the government office with two marriage certificates, one in each of their

    hands.

    Ashley walked out in a daze holding the certificate in her hand, she was still trying to process the whole

    marriage thing. It all happened so fast and she hadn''t had time to absorb it all.

    ''So that''s it? Did I just marry this man who is standing next to me right now?''

    she thought as she gazed at Andrew.

    ''Look at this man, 1.87 meters tall, handsome and perfect in every way as if he is blessed by the gods

    themselves, and look at those brooding eyes, so deep and full of mystery. It seems like every one

    would get lost by just looking into them.

    How can a woman not be attracted to this impably groomed man, in that tailored ck suit which

    entuates his strong masculine body. His whole demeanor is suave, sophisticated and gentlemanly

    with a hint of mystery, '' thought Ashley as she admired her newlywed husband.

    The thought of all that, helped Ashley easily ept the fact that she was now married to Andrew.

    While Ashley was lost in her own thoughts, Andrew took the marriage certificate from her hand.

    Ashley snapped out of her daydream and looked up at Andrew with confusion written on her pretty

    face.

    Andrew gave her a dry smile and put the certificates in his pocket and said, "I''ll look after that for you."

    Ashley was going to nod her head to agree, however, she had thought of something and changed her

    mind. "Could you please let me have it for a while, because..."

    Andrew''s brows furrowed while he listened to her and he began to feel more and more doubtful about

    her intentions.

    However, despite his frown, Ashley still continued, "Because I need that certificate for something and I

    promise that I will bring it back to you once I''m done."

    Andrew didn''t answer her, instead he stayed silent and stared at her trying to figure out whether she

    was telling him the truth or had some other ulterior motive behind it.

    Ashley felt intimidated by his scrutinizing gaze and her heart skipped a beat.

    But she was still determined to get that marriage certificate from him, so that she could take back her

    jade pendant.

    Ashley took a step closer to Andrew and pulled gently on his sleeves. She looked directly into his eyes

    with innocence written all over her face and asked in a soft voice, "Andrew please, just let me have it

    for today. I will give it back to you tomorrow, I promise. Is that okay?"

    Ashley wasn''t even aware of how charming she appeared at that moment.

    This was the first time for Andrew to see such an attractive side to Ashley. His heart melted when he

    saw her beautiful innocent face staring up at him with so much sincerity in her eyes. He felt himself

    surrender and agreed to her request. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out one of the

    certificates and handed it to her.

    Johnny, who was waiting by the car, could clearly see the happiness on his boss''s face. He watched

    curiously at the obvious gentleness and affection that Andrew showed Ashley. The sometimes cruel

    and very demanding man that Johnny was used to seeing in thepany was nowhere to be found at

    this moment.

    If any of the senior office managers could see Andrew now, they could be knocked down by a feather.

    They would never believe that before them was the very same Andrew as the one they knew and were

    fearful of. They had only ever known Andrew as a cold and cruel man.

    "You can leave now!"

    Andrew said as he approached the car.

    Johnny looked at him with confusion. ''What does he mean by that?'' he wondered.

    However, it suddenly became very clear to him when he saw Andrew''s intense re with his hand held

    out. Johnny handed him the car keys.

    ''It''s obvious that he wants to get rid of me so he can enjoy time alone with Ashley, ''

    Johnny murmured in his mind.

    As expected, Andrew was really a ''dates before mates'' kind of guy. He had no problem ditching his

    most loyal staff member as soon as Mrs. Right was by his side.

    Poor Johnny, scratched his head while he watched as the two love birds got into the car and drove

    away.

    He was left stranded and standing all alone after being given the cold shoulder.

    Ashley nced at Andrew in surprise and hesitated to ask, "So we just leave Johnny there alone?"

    "Yes! Why? Are you worried about him?" Andrew said frowning, as he turned to nce at her.

    Ashley was too scared to answer his question honestly. She didn''t dare say, yes.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    "No, I''m not, I''m just wondering, maybe it''s not nice to just leave him there,"

    she replied, with hesitation.

    "He''ll find his way back."

    Andrew didn''t seem to care too much about Johnny''s predicament.

    However, neither of them knew that poor Johnny, who was left high and dry there alone, was

    desperately trying to call somebody toe and pick him up.

    "When do you n to move to my ce?" Andrew suddenly asked.

    "What?" Ashley blurted out, full of confusion. The thought hadn''t even crossed her mind.

    Andrew smiled when he saw the confused look on her face. He reached across and gently caressed

    her hair. "A married couple, usually live together, right? Besides, it will be our wedding night tonight."

    Andrew''s low sexy voice made Ashley blush instantly.

    ''Living together?

    I guess that''s what''s to be expected. After all, I''m no longer single, I''m a married woman now, '' Ashley

    began to think.

    But, when she thought of her dear friend Ellie, she realized that she hadn''t had time to tell her anything

    about the wedding today. She felt that she needed some time to exin everything to her. Ashley

    wondered how her friend was going to take it.

    She sensed that Andrew was eager for an answer. "I have something that I have to deal with first. I''ll

    call you when I have finished it,"

    Ashley mumbled as she fidgeted nervously with her hands. She knew clearly, what she had requested

    was too much to ask of him.

    But she did need some time to tell Ellie about everything, it was the right thing to do. After all, they had

    been best friends for as long as she could remember and had been living together for many years.

    Ashley was so worried that she wouldn''t have the opportunity to exin everything to Ellie and she

    assumed that Andrew wouldn''t allow her that extra time to do it. However, Andrew nodded his head

    and agreed. "Okay, call me when you have dealt with everything. But don''t make me wait for too long."

    Ashley blinked up at him through her long eyshes. She didn''t think that he would allow it and was so

    surprised that he had agreed so easily.

    When Andrew saw the look on her face, he let out a small chuckle and said, "What? Do I look like a

    man who can''t be reasoned with?"

    Andrew feltpletely at ease with his decision to give her the extra time, because he knew everything

    about Ashley. He got his people to collect all the information that was avable on her when he first met

    her. He knew about her good friend, Ellie and that she needed to have some time alone with her.

    Ashley shook her head, thinking, ''No, you don''t.''

    They soon arrived at the front of Ashley''s apartment. She was so eager to sort her things out, as soon

    as Andrew had stopped the car, she opened the door about to get out. However, Andrew grabbed hold

    of her arm before she left.

    Ashley turned back and stared at him, wondering what he wanted. Ashley suddenly realized that she

    really didn''t know this man at all, but he did have an effect on her. She didn''t know what he was

    thinking or what he wanted.

    But the moment when Ashley turned towards him, Andrew unfastened his seat belt and leaned over

    and kissed her on the lips. He then gently brushed the hair away from her cheek with his thumb and

    said in a soft voice, "Do what you need to do. I''ll be here to pick you up tomorrow."

    Looking deep into his eyes, Ashley gaped at him in shock. She covered her mouth with her hands and

    fumbled to get out of the car quickly.

    He watched as she scurried away into her apartment

    and smiled unconsciously. He touched his lips with his long fingers and could still feel the warmth from

    hers.

    At that moment, he was certain that Ashley had feelings for him, otherwise, she wouldn''t have fled that

    way.

    Never!

 Chapter 90 She Has Agreed To Do As What I Said

    Chapter 90 She Has Agreed To Do As What I Said

    With her heart beating at a quickened pace, Ashley quickly ran away from Andrew''s car.

    After a while, noticing that she had made a safe distance away from the car, she stopped at a ce

    where no one was around. Ashley panted at the thought of the scene that Andrew was kissing her

    passionately, which kept on shing her mind.

    She and Andrew had just met each other a few times. Except for that night when they slept together in

    the hotel, Ashley had never looked at Andrew so closely when he kissed her. She had to close her

    eyes because of the overwhelming sensation.

    Being intimate with somebody wasn''t new to Ashley, when she was in love with Raymond, they had

    intimate moments too.

    But never did she feel so shy with her face burning red and her heart beating fast as horses racing on

    her heart.

    ''Maybe it''s because Andrew is more handsome than Raymond, '' thought Ashley. She was trying hard

    to find an excuse to persuade herself into ignoring the strange feeling in her heart.

    After a while, with the help of the chilly wind and the quiet ce, Ashley calmed herself down and took

    a taxi to the cake shop. On her way there, Ashley suddenly thought of something and asked the driver

    to turn around.

    Then, she called someone whom she dreaded to be acquainted with.

    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    When the call was answered on the other end, it seemed that Peggy was busy doing something. It

    sounded a bit noisy and erratic.

    Hearing her mother''s voice, Ashley came straight to her purpose why she called Peggy. "Mrs. Mu, I

    have thought carefully about the thing you said. I want to talk to youter. By the way, remember to

    bring the jade pendant. I will wait for you in the coffee shop where we metst time."

    After saying that, Ashley hung up the phone before Peggy could say anything.

    ''I don''t have anything to do with the Mu family now. Why do I bother myself to listen to Peggy? After all,

    they haven''t taken any responsibility for me except for adopting me, '' thought Ashley.

    Lena and Peggy were shopping in arge-scale brand clothing store. When Peggy''s mobile phone

    rang and she noticed Ashley''s name on the screen, she grew impatient and was determined to not

    answer the phone. But momentster, thinking of the possibility that Ashley might want to talk about the

    deal they had made, Peggy changed her mind and finally answered the phone.

    As she expected, Ashley mentioned that thing as soon as their lines connected. Hearing Ashley''s

    words and sensing her eagerness over the phone, Peggy wasn''t so happy for being bothered by

    Ashley while shopping.

    And she didn''t expect that Ashley would quickly hang up the phone before she could even respond.

    Staring at her phone in disdain, Peggy''s face turned gloomy. ''Ashley is really annoying!''

    Noticing the change of Peggy''s facial expression, Lena looked at the angry Peggy and asked, "Mother,

    what happened? Who called you?"

    Looking at Lena, Peggy turned to be tender and spoke in a sarcastic tone, "Who called me? No one

    would bother me now except the little bitch, Ashley. She has agreed to do as what I said. I gave her a

    week to do it.

    It seems that the jade pendant is really important to her." Peggy responded happily thinking that she

    would seed in her n. ''Otherwise, why did she agree to do as what I said?'' thought Peggy.

    "Mother, aren''t you kidding me? Did Ashley really agree to get married to someone in one week time?"

    Hearing Peggy''s words, Lena couldn''t help looking at her in disbelief.

    "Yes, of course. Otherwise, she won''t call me now. Well, would you like to go with me? I''m going to

    meet her at the caf¨¦."

    No amiable with the idea, Lena curled her lips and frowned her lovely face. "No, I won''t. You know I feel

    sick every time I see her."

    Knowing that she couldn''t do anything to change her mind, Peggy didn''t say anything more to persuade

    Lena.

    "Then you should continue shopping here. Raymond''s father will be celebrating his birthday this

    coming week. You''d better choose a surprising gift for him," With a whispered voice, Peggy reminded

    Lena before getting ready to leave.

    "Okay, I''ll do that, Have your way now, Mother. Make sure that woman gets married as soon as

    possible so she can''t bother us again," Excited to be not bothered by Ashley, Lena couldn''t help urging

    her to meet with her right away.

    However, when Peggy turned around and was about to leave, Lena stopped her.

    Pondering for a while, Lena finally decided to go with Peggy. She assumed it would be fun to see for

    herself how would Ashley look as she epted her demise. Lena really wanted to witness Ashley''s

    misfortune.

    It was hard for every woman to ept the fact of getting married to a strange man, especially with the

    one you didn''t love at all. Lena wanted to see how upset Ashley would be.

    Ashley was always calm in front of others, showing that she cared about nothing. That was the most

    annoying thing for Lena.

    ''I have to witness how she takes off her mask and bes sad, '' thought Lena.

    Walking their way out of the store, Lena and Peggy went back home first to take the jade pendant and

    then went to the ce where they would meet Ashley.

    "Mother, do you really have to give the jade pendant back to Ashley?" Looking at the glittering and

    translucent aquamarine jade pendant, Lena was unwilling to give it back to Ashley.

    Knowing what Lena was thinking, Peggy spoke, "Don''t upset the n. I have agreed to give it back to

    that little bitch. Besides, think about it, honey. When you marry Raymond, the heir of the Luo Group,

    you can buy as many jade pendants as you want. Moreover, this jade pendant is of cheap quality.

    Giving it to her won''t cause us any loss."

    Having been married to Spencer for so many years, Peggy had a thorough understanding of the best

    brands around the country. Judging from her expertise, although the jade pendant looked beautiful, its

    gem was cheap without any special luster and therefore would not cost that much.

    Spencer had no idea about the jade pendant. If he had known about it, he would have never treated

    Ashley like how he did now.

    That was why Peggy would regret allowing Ashley to sever her rtionship with the Mu family in the

    future.

    Anyway, no one could expect what would happen next and at present, Peggy, for all sake, would never

    allow anyone to hurt her dear daughter.

    Inside the coffee shop, there were only a few customers and the ambiance was warm and cozy. The air

    was filled with the strong aroma of brewed coffee and sweet pastries.

    Ashley was absent-mindedly looking at the marriage license on the table. With a spoon in her hand

    slowly stirring the coffee in the cup, Ashley was lost in her thoughts. She hadn''t noticed that Lena and

    Peggy had entered the coffee shop.

    Only when they had sat down, facing her on the table did shee to her sense.

    Seeing Ashley''s facial expression and the marriage license on the table, Lena thought Ashley must

    have married a strange man casually as she expected. For sure, her husband couldn''t beparable

    to Raymond in any aspect, seeing that she was very sad now.

    At the thought of it all, Lena couldn''t help but be d. ''Oh, Ashley, even if Raymond still loves you and

    you used to be in love, you are married to another man now. And your husband couldn''t bepared

    to Raymond, in any way!'' thought Lena.

    Looking down, Peggy also saw the marriage license on the table. She couldn''t help feeling happy for

    having a sessful deal with Ashley. She beamed with pride for her brilliant idea.

    Maintaining herposure, Peggy pretended to know nothing and sat calmly down, trying to behave

    like a noble and elegantdy. "Well, why did you call me and invite me toe here?"

    Eager to hear what she assumed to be a piece of good news for her, Lena sat down beside Peggy. At

    normal days, Lena used to look at Ashley with disdain even if she hadn''t done her any wrong. Today,

    however, Lena''s smile was from ear to ear and she eyed Ashley like she was her best friend.

    Putting the spoon aside, Ashley stopped stirring her coffee. With furrowed eyebrows, she picked up the

    marriage license on the table and put it in front of Peggy. "I have done what you wanted. Now, give the

    jade pendant back to me."

    Before Peggy could speak, Lena couldn''t help yelling, "Ashley, how can you talk to my mother in such a

    rude manner?" Seeing that Ashley wasn''t as sad as she expected, Lena lost her temper. Ashley''s

    calmness and confidence irritated her.

    ''I am the heir of the Mu Group. I have a better family background and I''m definitely more excellent than

    Ashley. I should be the most eye-catching, the attention-getter. Ashley couldn''t be leveled to me, ''

    thought Lena silently.

 Chapter 91 Having A Husband

    Chapter 91 Having A Husband

    Looking at Lena, who was giving her a cold look, Ashley asked, "Miss Mu, please tell me how I should

    talk to Mrs. Mu."

    Of course, Ashley didn''t expect Lena to answer her. She then turned to Peggy.

    Anger was simmering in Lena''s chest, but she was helpless.

    What she hated most was Ashley''s air of indifference.

    Surprise was evident in Peggy''s face. Never in her wildest dream did she expect Ashley to get things

    done so soon. Looking down at Ashley''s marriage certificate, she asked, "Is this fake?" Her attention

    was then averted by the photo of the man Ashley married.

    He was so handsome that it made her more skeptical of the whole thing.

    Lena moved closer to Peggy so that she could see clearly. After seeing the handsome man on the

    photo, she immediately became dumbfounded. ''Isn''t this the man we met in the Vineyard Restaurant

    last time?

    Who is this man?

    How did Ashley end up with him?'' Lena wondered.

    With a sneer, Ashley addressed Peggy. "If you don''t believe it," she started, ring at the twodies,

    "You''re wee to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to investigate at any time."

    Peggy gave her a haughty look and snorted, "You don''t have the nerve to deceive me!" ''There''s just no

    way this can happen, '' she said inwardly, trying very hard to convince herself. After taking a deep

    breath, she looked at Ashley and threw the certificate to her face.

    Ashley was able to dodge the attack, but it made her blood boil.

    "Where''s the jade pendant?" she asked, anger shining through the tone of her voice.

    Feeling Ashley''s aura, Peggy immediately took the jade pendant out of her bag to give it to her.

    However, she was stopped by Lena.

    Looking Ashley in the eyes, Lena started to speak, "Tell us who the guy is first." She needed to know

    who that was.

    Ashley quickly snatched the jade pendant from Peggy''s hand and then looked at Lena. "That doesn''t

    have anything to do with you."

    Shaking with anger, Lena just stared at Ashley.

    Upon holding the jade pendant, Ashley felt peace run through her veins. Never in her life had she

    experienced anything like that before.

    Upon seeing peace on Ashley''s face, a wild idea came to Lena''s mind. "Ashley!" she blurted out,

    "You''ve be someone''s mistress, haven''t you?"

    The more she thought about it, the more she felt that she was right. ''Yes! How else could she afford to

    go to the Vineyard?

    Even a person of my status would have to make an appointment a month in advance just to go there!''

    she thought.

    Lena thought she finally cracked down on Ashley''s scam. In an arrogant tone, she gloated, "Ashley,

    you''ve really be someone''s mistress, huh?

    Even if you''re just an adopted daughter, you are still a member of our family. How could you do such a

    shameful thing?" Lena was looking at Ashley furiously.

    Upon seeing that all the customers in the coffee shop had turned to look at them, Lena''s anger

    vanished. Embarrassing Ashley in such a public ce made her happy.

    In today''s society, being a mistress is unforgivable, no matter who you are or how distinguished you

    are.

    Everyone would hate you.

    Ashley slowly turned her re to Lena, disdain very clear on her face. "You know what, Lena? I really

    thought you had a brain. Apparently, all you have up there is air," sneered Ashley. She then put the

    jade pendant inside her bag and took her marriage certificate. With one final look at Lena and Peggy,

    Ashley left the coffee shop.

    "How dare you insult me, Ashley? How dare you!" Lena shouted after Ashley. Shaking, she suddenly

    understood what Ashley meant by saying that.

    After seeing that everyone in the coffee shop was looking at them, Peggy persuaded Lena to calm

    down. "Keep your voice down, we''re in public!"

    With tears in her eyes, Lena turned to Peggy and said, "But that insolent bitch..."

    "Well, you don''t need to lose your temper," Peggy replied in a hushed tone. "When you marry

    Raymond, you can do whatever you want to her." Since Ashley had already married, Peggy''s fear of

    her stealing Raymond from Lena disappeared. When Lena managed to win Raymond''s favor, she

    would be the daughter-inw of the Luo family.

    Lena couldn''t do anything else. She turned around, and cursed Ashley viciously in her heart.

    ---

    With nothing else to do in the bakery, Ashley and Ellie went home early.

    Ashley didn''t know how to tell Ellie that she was already married. To her surprise though, Ellie told her

    that she had something urgent to do and that she needed to go home at once.

    Ellie''s parents had a divorce when she was a child. Her grandparents raised her. Because she was

    really good at school, she was able to ace her university entrance exam and she was given the

    opportunity toe to J City. In that strange city, she met Ashley and ever since then, they had

    be very good friends. They had looked after and helped each other for several years.

    Ashley had already met Ellie''s grandparents, and they were very kind to her. So when she heard Ellie''s

    grandpa had an ident, she couldn''t help but feel nervous.

    "How''s your grandpa? Was he badly hurt?" Ashley asked anxiously.

    Seeing Ashley''s worried look, Ellieforted her with a soft voice, "Don''t worry. I will be back soon.

    You just need to run our bakery here."

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    "Maybe I can go back with you," Ashley said immediately.

    "In that case, who will keep an eye on our bakery? We have started our business not too long ago.

    There are still many maliciouspetitors. So just stay here. I will be back in a few days."

    No matter how Ellie tried tofort her, Ashley felt uneasy.

    Aside from really wanting to apany Ellie back to her home, she really had no idea how to tell her

    she was already married.

    Finally, Ashley decided to keep silent. Seeing Ellie''s tired look, she thought that it would be better if she

    told her about it after she came back.

    "When are you leaving?" Ashley asked.

    "I''m leaving tomorrow. I''ve already bought the ticket online," answered Ellie.

    Ashley immediately asked, "That fast?"

    Ellie nodded. Her grandparents were her only rtives now. After hearing that her grandpa was injured,

    she became very worried and couldn''t wait to return home.

    "Okay then, I''ll help you pack your things up," Ashley saidfortingly.

    After packing up some clothes for Ellie, Ashley talked to her for a while and then she went back to her

    bedroom.

    She sat by the window. Seeing the bright red cover of her marriage certificate on the table, she felt

    confused and conflicted.

    The marriage felt like a dream.

    Not one ounce of her person could believe that she had be a wife to a man.

    Moreover, her husband was a man she had met only a few times.

    A frown crept on her forehead. Everything that was happening to her life had been unexpected.

    After a few minutes, she got up, and got ready to pack her things.

 Chapter 92 Cheryls Admiration

    Chapter 92 Cheryl''s Admiration

    Since Andrew didn''t mention what time he was going to pick her up tomorrow, Ashley decided that it

    was best to pack her things that night.

    Assuming that she woulde back here often, she only chose a few items of clothing and toiletries to

    pack. Once she had finished packing, she had a nice warm bath and put her pajamas on.

    As soon as she stepped out of the bathroom, her phone rang.

    It was none other than, Andrew, the man she married today. Even the sight of his name on her cell

    phone screen made her heart do little flips.

    ''Why is he calling me at this hour? Does he have something important to tell me?'' she wondered.

    Ashley went into her room to answer the call. "Hello?"

    There was a soft tone in her voice that she wasn''t even aware of.

    Andrew was calling her from his vi. He was sitting leisurely by the French windows with a goblet filled

    with wine in his hand. On the desk beside him was an expensive bottle of 1982 Chateau Lafitte

    Rothschild.

    He swirled the wine in the goblet slowly. The saffron light shining from themp made his hand look

    fairer and svelte. His fair skin was in stark contrast with the color of the blood-red wine.

    Andrew''s facial features were hidden in the shadow of the darkened room, however, the finely chiseled

    outline of his face could be seen clearly and his deep dark mysterious eyes glistened in the dim light.

    Although his handsome face was cold and hard, many girls seemed to be fascinated by it.

    His face softened when he heard Ashley''s voice on the line.

    "Are you ready to move in with me?" he asked in his low husky voice.

    Ashley felt weak at the knees and her heart melted when she heard his enchanting voice murmuring

    seductively in her ear.

    Ashley had no intention of letting Andrew detect that she felt dizzy just by the sound of his insanely

    sexy voice.

    She sat on her bed and cleared her voice while she fidgeted nervously with a teddy bear. "Ahem... Oh,

    yeah," she replied casually.

    "I''lle over to your house and pick you up tomorrow," Andrew said.

    "Fine," Ashley responded in a quiet voice.

    Although they had be husband and wife, she felt like they were just strangers. She didn''t know

    how or what to talk to him about.

    Silently, she sat and could hear him breathing softly on the other end of the line.

    After a long awkward silence, Ashley took a deep breath and said softly,"It''s gettingte. Go to bed.

    Good night."

    "I will. Good night," he replied.

    When she ended the call, her cheeks were flushed pink and her whole body felt warm and tingly.

    Ashley stared nkly off into nothingness and after a few moments, she shook her head trying to get

    him out of her mind. To avoid ending up with dark circles under her eyes again likest time, shey

    down and closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    Both Ashley and Ellie got up early in the morning. The two left their apartment and Ellie carried her

    small suitcase and several bags filled with various herbal tonics which were beneficial for older people.

    They arrived at the station and Ashley said affectionately,"If anything happens, call me any time. Don''t

    suffer alone. I will always be there for you." The girls hugged tightly before Ellie got into the bus.

    Ashley knew Ellie very well. If she ever had any problems, she would always try to face them alone

    without telling anyone. That was why she felt the need to remind her friend that she didn''t have to deal

    with them alone.

    "Okay, I will. You should go back. I have to board the bus," Ellie said after she had hugged Ashley.

    Ashley gave her a stern look and said,"I know you. Don''t ever try to keep anything bottled up inside

    yourself. I will always back you up no matter what is going on with you. So no secrets. Can you

    promise me that?"

    Ellie gave her a resigned look and heaved a sigh. "Fine, I promise you. I will never keep things from

    you like I didst time, okay?" she yielded.

    "That''s good to hear," Ashley said smiling approvingly.

    Once Ellie was on the bus and it began to leave, she waved goodbye and headed to the bakery.

    Ashley didn''t find the right moment to tell her about her marrying Andrew, and she also didn''t know how

    to tell her.

    But the thought that she might divorce Andrew one day brought her much relief.

    When Ashley had arrived at the bakery, several customers were inside buying their favorite pastries.

    Since it was early in the morning, it wasn''t very busy. But once people finished work in the afternoon,

    the bakery would be swarming with customers.

    "Good morning, Ashley," Cheryl greeted her with a bright, cheerful smile. She nced behind her and

    didn''t see Ellie. Out of curiosity, she asked,"Where''s Ellie?"

    Ashley and Ellie always came to the bakery together and since Ashley was alone, Cheryl wondered if

    something might have happened to her.

    "Something is going on at her family home, so she won''t be here for a few days," Ashley replied.

    "Oh, I''m sorry to hear that. Is she all right?" Cheryl asked with a worried look.

    "She''s fine. Nothing serious. She''ll be back soon. Focus on your job," Ashley reassured the girl.

    Cheryl nodded and dropped the topic.

    She was about to go but then turned back to Ashley excited. "Oh, I''ve got some good news to tell you,

    Ashley. Guess what it is?" she said with a cheeky grin.

    When there weren''t any customers in the shop, Cheryl and Nina would get together and gossip for they

    didn''t have much work to do.

    Ashley didn''t mind them taking a break. As long as they did all of their jobs, she had no problem with

    them rxing when they didn''t have any customers to deal with.

    "Well, let me guess," Ashley responded, resting her head on her hand and putting on a fake pensive

    look on her face.

    "Does it have something to do with the bakery nearby?" she asked after a few seconds.

    With surprise all over her face, Cheryl praised her with admiration,"How did you know, Ashley? You''re

    really amazing!"

    Ashley smiled, and she had foreseen what Cheryl was going to say. ''The Teddy Bear Bakery was

    finding it hard to survive after the stunt.

    They had put their daughter''s life in danger just to bring down theirpetitors. What they did was

    unforgivable. They are such bad people and I doubt their employees are good either.

    No one wants to buy anything from their bakery anymore. Perhaps their pastries aren''t even safe to

    eat, '' Ashley mused.

    "Do you know what happened to that bakery, Ashley?" Cheryl continued.

    "I have no clue, but I''d like to know," Ashley said casually. She really didn''t have any clue what was

    going on with that bakery. She had been busy dealing with the Mu family and Andrew these past days.

    And she just didn''t have the time or energy to pay attention to that bakery.

    "Ashley, please have a guess," Cheryl insisted as she stared expectantly at Ashley.

    Ashley sighed inside, ''How could I possibly know? I''m not a fortune teller.''

 Chapter 93 Back To That Room

    Chapter 93 Back To That Room

    "It seems that after that event happened, nobody went to their bakery any more. Perhaps that''s why

    they decided to close up their shop and leave yesterday," Cheryl exined while looking at Ashley with

    great admiration.

    In Cheryl''s eyes, if she was faced with a problem like that, she wouldn''t have known how to handle it

    properly and would probably have ended up having to close the bakery as a result. However, she was

    awestruck by the way Ashley had managed to efficiently sort it all out by clearing the bakery''s name

    and proving that the other bakery''s owners were the deceitful ones.

    But in reality, even though the owners had done a terrible thing, they had been running their bakery

    business there for a very long time and quite sessfully. Surely, they would have lost some

    customers to Ashley''s bakery, but they would still have their own regr customers. It just didn''t make

    sense to Ashley, that they would just close up and leave.

    The more Ashley had thought about it, the less it made sense. Since the day she had left the hospital,

    all of her attention had been on her marriage to Andrew.

    So it was quite a shock and surprise to her to learn that the bakery had closed.

    Even so, if anyone tried to deface her bakery and ruin her business Ashley wouldn''t sit idly back and let

    it happen, nor would she let them get away with it that easily.

    Nina stood in the background with her own thoughts on what was really behind it all. Although Ashley

    did handle it well, Nina knew that Ashley wasn''t the only one involved.

    Both Nina and Cheryl were chosen by Greyson to work in Ashley''s cake shop. However, Nina had

    worked at Harkim for much longer than Cheryl had and she had much more insight and could see

    things deeper than just the surface.

    When Cheryl was told to work for Ashley, she was still fairly new at Harkim and didn''t even have the

    chance to get to know about Greyson.

    Whereas, Nina, on the other hand, knew very well who Greyson was and what he was capable of

    doing. Nina had some sort of idea as to why the other bakery would have closed. She was almost sure

    that Greyson would have had something to do with it.

    Earlier she had heard through the grapevine that Greyson had invested in the cake shop yet that he

    didn''t have much regard for the shop.

    Sometimes, to check that everything was in order, Greyson would asionally pay a visit to the

    bakery. Nina didn''t hide anything from Greyson and filled him in with all of the details about what had

    happened that day. Shortly after that, the bakery closed down and the owners moved out. So it would

    be fair to assume that Greyson was behind it all.

    Ashley didn''t give it much more thought. As far as she was concerned, those guys had got what they

    deserved. She was just relieved and happy that her cake shop pulled through and now with the other

    one gone, she just had one less thing that she had to worry about.

    Ashley''s hands were covered in flour in preparation for a cake, when her cellphone rang. She quickly

    wiped her hands onto her apron and pulled her phone out from her pocket. At the sight of the name on

    the screen, she went into the break room for some privacy to answer the call.

    "Hello, Johnny," Ashley greeted on the phone.

    "Hello, Miss Mu. Are you at your apartment now? I am waiting for you downstairs," Johnny replied, in a

    gentle voice.

    Hearing this, Ashley silently face-palmed and was at a loss for what to say. ''Oh, shit! I havepletely

    forgotten that I was supposed to be picked up, '' she murmured to herself.

    Then she had a shback of Andrew''s call that he would pick her up at her apartment today. She

    couldn''t believe that she had totally forgotten about this.

    "Err...No. I''m not at my apartment. I''m out at the moment. Please wait there, I''ll be there soon."

    Ashley tried to calm herself down. She felt embarrassed that she had forgotten and now Johnny was

    waiting for her. Ashley was a very courteous and polite woman. She didn''t like to keep others waiting

    for her.

    "That''s fine, Miss Mu. You don''t have to hurry. You can take as much time as you want. I will stay here

    and wait for you."

    Ashley finished her conversation and hung up the phone, feeling awkward. Though Johnny''s politeness

    sounded genuine, she still didn''t want to keep him waiting for too long. She rushed back into the shop

    to tell Nina that she had to leave and to finish for her.

    Nina''s calm demeanor made her a very reliable employee. Ashley trusted Nina with the whole shop

    and would even share some of her own personal items with her. So before she left, she felt obliged to

    let her know that she was going to go.

    Ashley quickly pulled her apron off, grabbed her bag and stood in the street to hail a taxi. Once one

    pulled up, she got in and drove straight to her apartment. After she arrived, she quickly paid the driver,

    ran to the building block and got into the elevator. Ashley was so quick, that Johnny didn''t even see her

    rush past his car that he was waiting in. Since she had already packed everything that she needed into

    the suitcase before, she only had to get it from her apartment. Once she got the suitcase, she stepped

    back into the elevator. As she reached the bottom floor, she lugged the heavy suitcase outside and

    began to drag it to the waiting car.

    At that moment, Johnny spotted her through the car window. He immediately got out of the car and

    quickly approached her, smiling, "Miss Mu, please, let me take that for you."

    "No...no problem. I can do it myself," Ashley said almost out of breath, but she tried not to show it. She

    kept on trying to do it herself.

    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    "I have to follow what the boss has told me. He told me to take care of you in his ce and give you as

    much help as you need. Please, let me take your suitcase. It looks too heavy for you,"

    Johnny insisted.

    "Okay then." Johnny''s sincerity made it hard for her to refuse. Besides, if she prevented him from doing

    his duty, Ashley thought he might be judged by Andrew. Atst, Ashley handed the suitcase over to

    Johnny.

    He took it from her with care and put it in the boot of the car. He then turned to her and asked, "Miss

    Mu, is there anything else that you might need from your apartment? If there is, I can wait. It''s not a

    problem."

    Ashley shook her head, still trying to catch her breath; she looked exhausted. "Nothing, thanks," she

    answered firmly.

    Johnny nodded slightly and then stood still by the car looking at Ashley with a big smile on his face.

    Ashley smiled back at him and they both stood in awkward silence for a few seconds. Johnny was

    waiting for Ashley to get into the car first before he sat behind the wheel. Ashley then realized what he

    was waiting for. "Oh, right," she said as she quickly got into the car. She found his pedantryical but

    was too tired to react.

    While Johnny was driving, he asionally nced at the rearview mirror to look at Ashley. The vague

    expression on her face made him a little nervous. He guessed that she must be angry at Andrew for

    not picking her up personally.

    So he offered her an exnation, "Miss Mu, the boss intended to pick you up in person, but something

    important in thepany suddenly came up and he couldn''t make it. So he asked me to pick you up

    instead. He gave me specific instructions to make sure that you feelfortable and arrive safely."

    From Johnny''s perspective, he used to think Ashley must have been captivated by his boss''s charisma,

    and that was why she agreed to marry him. After all, how could his boss possibly fail to attract the

    woman that he desired?

    However, at this moment, Johnny was wrong. Ashley was the exception who had not been captivated

    by his boss''s charm and the only woman who had been so unpredictable to his boss.

    "What?" Ashley was a little confused as to why Johnny felt the need to exin that to her.

    Ashley had a vague expression on her face because she had been living in that apartment with her

    best friend for so many years. And now she was leaving and didn''t even have the opportunity to tell her

    friend all about it. She felt heavy-hearted and tired as she stared out of the car window.

    However, Johnny had misread Ashley''s expression as displeasure. She soon realized what he must

    have thought when he nced at her. She wanted to exin how she felt to him but decided against it.

    In the end, it was really unnecessary to exin it to Johnny. And even if she was displeased with her

    husband, it should be Andrew who she should speak with, not Johnny.

    "Okay, I understand," replied Ashley.

    She then thought of something and added, "Johnny, please just call me Ashley. Don''t call me Miss Mu."

    She felt ufortable to be addressed with that title.

    When Johnny heard what she was requesting of him, he began to stammer, "Don''t. Please, don''t make

    me call you by your first name. I can''t do that."

    Johnny had suddenly be very anxious. If Andrew had ever heard him address Ashley by just her

    first name, he would be very angry. Andrew was a jealous man and who would know what sort of

    punishment he would give to Johnny for offending him by doing that.

    He wouldn''t dare dream of doing that. Even picking Ashley up today, happened only by chance.

    Andrew had thought long and hard before allowing Johnny toe and pick her up. If he wasn''t called

    away for an urgent business matter at thepany, he wouldn''t have let Johnny pick her up at all.

    Johnny was a fastidious and smart secretary. Having been by Andrew''s side for such a long time, he

    got to know his boss very well.

    Ashley was speechless by his dramatic reaction.

    "Then you choose another way to call me. I feel really weird hearing you call me, Miss Mu," Ashley

    said, giving him another option.

    "How about¡­Mrs. CEO? Or Mrs. Lu?"

    Ashley shook her head and buried her face in her hands. ''What is this guy thinking? Did he bump his

    head into a wall? Is everyone that works for Andrew like this guy? I hope not.

    How could hee up with a name like that? Mrs. CEO?! and Mrs. Lu?! ¡­''

    She rubbed her temples with her hands and giggled at the ridiculous suggestion. Then she said, "Okay,

    just call me, Miss Mu. That''s okay."

    However, she could see his eyes in the rearview mirror. He seemed to be frowning and disappointed.

    Ashley was at a loss to why he would be like that.

    ''What''s he upset for? Is it because I didn''t agree with him to call me Mrs. CEO or Mrs. Lu? Surely that''s

    not the reason why. You''ve got to be kidding me!'' she thought to herself.

    Actually, Ashley had hit the nail right on the head with her assumption. Johnny really did want to call

    her, Mrs. CEO.

    He thought it sounded awesome.

    But, Johnny had to respect her wishes, and atst he just said, "As you wish, Miss Mu."

    Once they had arrived at Andrew''s mansion, he helped Ashley with her luggage, chatted only for a brief

    moment and then left.

    If it weren''t for Andrew''s jealousy, Johnny would have probably chatted with Ashley for a little longer.

    However, he understood the importance of not overstaying his wee and making a good andsting

    impression on his new superior. Besides, he also had other work that he needed to tend to.

    Once Johnny had left, Ashley began to study her new home.

    Her attention was focused on the room that she was standing in. It struck her as being a little familiar,

    but she didn''t know why that was.

    Suddenly, she remembered and tapped her forehead. ''This is the room that Andrew brought me to after

    I got drunk that night.''

 Chapter 94 Fiona Xia

    Chapter 94 Fiona Xia

    Entering therge living room, Ashley looked around silently. When she visited the vist time, her

    mind was upied with something else, so she didn''t pay that much attention to the house and just put

    the idea on the back of her mind.

    However, this time, Ashley thought she might live here for quite a long period, so she checked on

    everything carefully.

    The decorations were modern and simple. The house itself was dignified but not restrained, luxurious

    but not extravagant. All kinds of furniture were disyed in the living room, but the way they sparkled

    with light made Ashley assume that almost all the pieces of stuff were brand new and had never been

    used before. She wasn''t sure though if she had guessed it wrong.

    A gloomy atmosphere was cast upon the walls as they were painted ck and white with heavy

    draperies hung by the window. A surge of nostalgia crept through Ashley, for she was used to her small

    warm room. Being at the vast and lonely vi made her think that it was such a monotonous and huge

    ce to live.

    When she reached the bedroom, she lookedzily at the empty room and thought something was not

    right here and there, and everywhere in the house. All of a sudden, she felt ufortable.

    Looking around, she hade to realize that the style of the bedroom was simr to that of the living

    room.

    Arge white floppy bed was in the middle of the room, but it didn''t look strange because the room was

    spacious.

    On the right of the bed was a desk, which was just the right size to hold the bedsidemp. Maybe

    Andrew put it there on purpose because he needed to check some files asionally.

    Letting out a heavy sigh, Ashley put her suitcase beside the desk. Johnny sent her to the vi, but the

    host hadn''te back yet, so she thought it would be impolite to use anything without his consent.

    With an absent mind, Ashley seemed to have forgotten that she was married to Andrew, and as the

    hostess of the house, she had no reason to think it was impolite after all.

    On the left of the bed was a big French window. Through the window, she could see clearly what was

    happening outside the house. Peeking through, Ashley noticed arge flower nursery just under the

    window.

    The camellias were in full bloom inside the nursery. The big white flowers and green leaves were very

    attractive and pleasant to the eye.

    In an instant, at the look of the flowers, Ashley had fallen in love with the house. Gone was her feeling

    of remorse earlier.

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    Observing the ce further, Ashley saw that there was also a huge swimming pool beside the flower

    nursery. The deck chairs and tables were arranged around the swimming pool. Everything was

    prepared, clean and neat. One could enjoy the sunshine while lying on the deck chair or do anything as

    he liked in therge pool. From the amenities and the annexes, it could be reckoned that the owner of

    the house knew how to enjoy life.

    With the view so enticing, Ashley prepared to go out, but when she passed by the wardrobe

    identally, the door flopped open. The different brightly colored suits and dresses came into her

    eyes. She stopped and gaped in awe.

    Curiously, she opened the wardrobe door wide, but she was shocked at what she had seen.

    Inside, there were many clothes for both men and women neatly hung. The men''s clothes were on one

    side, and the women''s were on the other side. The underwear was neatly folded at the bottom.

    Most of the men''s clothes were ck and grey suits and white shirts, and a variety of neckties were

    hung by the hook in the corner.

    On one side, there were many kinds of women''s clothes, with dresses of different styles and colors-

    white, yellow, pink and so on. Ashley was dazzled at the sight of the extravagant raiment.

    Dazed in awe, Ashley couldn''t prevent herself from touching the fabric of one purple dress. Judging

    from the fabric alone, ''These clothes are expensive, '' Ashley thought. In fact, they were even much

    more expensive than Lena''s branded clothes.

    If Johnny knew what Ashley was thinking now, he would scream sadly. For sure he would drool over

    these kinds of stuff.

    What was more, they were not only much more expensive but also unique in the world. Most people

    had never seen such quality and design even in designers'' shops. He bet nobody could find another

    one which was the same as any dress in here, and outfit sh would never happen in case she would

    wear one to a party. Each and every dress was well-designed and exquisitely-made by an expert.

    Johnny assumed that aside from his boss, only Ashley could have deserved such treatment.

    After being shocked for a short while, Ashley became suddenly puzzled. ''Why are there so many

    women''s clothes in Andrew''s wardrobe?

    Did he prepare them for me in advance because he knew that I would move in?'' Ashley asked herself.

    But next second, Ashley gave up her narcissistic theory. ''What am I thinking? Am I too conceited to

    think that the reason why there are so many women''s clothes is that they were prepared for me?'' she

    thought again. Ashley just couldn''t shut off the idea.

    Meanwhile, Johnny went back to thepany immediately after driving Ashley to the vi.

    Although he didn''t have as many responsibilities as Andrew, he was also a very busy man.

    As soon as Johnny came back, Andrew instructed him to go to his office immediately.

    Knowing Andrew, Johnny could easily guess that he would ask about his wife.

    As expected, when Johnny came into the office and before he could face him steadily, Andrew who

    was sitting behind his desk spoke, his voice cold and deep, with a little anxiety. "Did you drive her

    home?"

    The question made Johnny want to roll his eyes. Mr. Lu saw Miss Mu only a short time ago, but now he

    missed her so much. The thought made Johnny unable to bear their intimacy.

    But he still managed to reply respectfully, "Yes. I drove her to the vi."

    "Did she say anything?"

    ''Say what?'' Confused, Johnny looked at Andrew. What could Miss Mu say?

    "Miss Mu didn''t say anything." Honestly, Ashley was quiet all the way.

    Andrew frowned secretly and then said, "You can leave now."

    "Okay, sir." With a sigh of relief, Johnny walked out of the office.

    Alone inside his office, Andrew checked the files on his table, but nobody knew what he was thinking.

    Yesterday he said he would pick her up in person, but he didn''t make it today. ''Would she be angry?'' he

    questioned himself.

    But after hearing Johnny''s words, Andrew could answer his own question. Ashley didn''t have a hint to

    be angry.

    For the time being, as customers came and went in the Memory Bakery, Greyson came.

    His arrival was just minutes after Ashley had left.

    Annoyed, he decided to pass by the bakery as he was staying at home these past days. His mother

    kept on asking him about his girlfriend, and it made him really vexed. He was still young. Why did his

    mother worry about his marriage at such an early age? In fact, his older brother hadn''t found a

    girlfriend yet, but all this time, his mother just worried about the younger son.

    After Greyson entered the shop, he was surprised that it was full of customers, though he got the news

    that the business went on very well. Besides, it had opened for only a few days. The ce was just too

    busy and bustling, which was a good thing for the bakery.

    Greyson thought that the staff deserved a favor for working hard.

    "Nina, where is Ashley?" He waited till there were not so many clients. Then he pushed through the

    crowd and walked to Nina, asking.

    "Mr. Yun, Miss Mu left earlier because she had something to do." Stopping for a while, Nina looked at

    Greyson and added with hesitation, "Why Mr. Yun, what do you want with Miss Mu? Is it something

    important?"

    Disappointed at the fact that Ashley was not here, Greyson replied, "Nothing. Just continue to do your

    jobs. I gotta go."

    With an awkward smile, Nina nodded.

    Just as Greyson walked out of the shop, he identally dashed to a girl who was entering the shop.

    "Ouch, it hurts." Then a soft female voice was heard. It sounded like she was about to cry, and she

    seemed to be hurt badly.

    Being hurt at the same time, Greyson wanted to curse but stopped after hearing the voice. He raised

    his head and looked at the girl.

    "Apologize to me!" The girl demanded. With his eyebrows raised a little, Greyson saw the girl. She had

    a cute hairstyle and a baby face. She was staring at him, with an usation in her wet eyes.

 Chapter 95 You Little Fatty

    Chapter 95 You Little Fatty

    Who was Greyson? He was the Little Devil who never apologized to anyone ever since the day he was

    born.

    Greyson looked at the cute little face in front of him and answered like a rascal, "No."

    Fiona red at the man with a beautiful baby face, with anger in her eyes. He was good-looking, but so

    unexpectedly unreasonable.

    Greyson stared at the cute girl. She was about 20 years old and had fair skin. She looked naive and

    adorable. She was cute even when she was angry.

    Fiona looked like she was about to cry after hearing what he said. Greyson bit his lip and thought he

    should apologize to her.

    Because he didn''t bully girls. She stared at him with her mouth open and the next second marched

    past him, but not before stomping on his foot.

    Greyson was speechless. ''Damn! It hurts so bad. What''s the matter with this woman? She looks

    adorable, but she is so ruthless, '' he thought.

    "Hey, wait a moment!" Greyson stopped Fiona.

    Fiona turned her head haughtily, and shot him a murderous look. "What''s up?" she asked impatiently.

    "You just stomped on my foot. Don''t you think you owe me an apology?" Greyson asked.

    "Ah? Did I do that just now?" Fiona asked, her eyes wide in astonishment. She covered her mouth and

    for a second she looked guilty.

    Seeing this, Greyson thought that Fiona would apologize to him but her reply floored him. "So what?

    You deserve it!" she dered

    with a wry look, but to Greyson she looked so cute that he couldn''t stay mad at her anymore.

    "You..." It was the first time that Greyson was defeated, and he red at Fiona.

    "What? Bite me!" Fiona red back at him crossly.

    They made such a ruckus that Nina and Cheryl also heard them.

    Nina saw that Greyson didn''t look well. "Mr. Yun, what happened?" she walked up to him.

    "Nothing!" he replied, still scowling at Fiona.

    Fiona snorted at Greyson and entered the shop to pick the cakes.

    Nina turned her eyes from Greyson to Fiona. She always kept calm, but she was confused now.

    Greyson was nning to leave but suddenly changed his mind. He ignored Nina and followed Fiona.

    Fiona got excited seeing the cute and delicious cakes and didn''tment on Greyson. She was totally

    distracted by the cakes.

    She had heard the news from her ssmate. It seemed that there was a newly-opened cake shop, and

    the cakes were yummy and cute and wouldn''t make people fat, so Fiona made time toe here.

    However, before she entered the shop, something unpleasant had happened, but for the sake of the

    cakes, she didn''t lower herself to the same level as Greyson.

    Fiona stared at the cakes and hesitated. All the cakes looked delicious and she wanted to buy every

    single one of them. But she hadn''t carried enough money, so she couldn''t buy so many.

    Fiona focused her eyes on the cakes that drew her in and smelled good. She felt embarrassed that she

    was drooling as her eyes were glued to the cakes.

    "Shall I buy this one? What about that one? I think this cake looks yummy. It is golden and must be

    crisp and tasty. But that one is also nice. It is white and tender. It looks soft and adorable..." Fiona

    couldn''t help but whisper.

    "Haha!" Greyson had followed Fiona and seen her hesitation, and even heard what she whispered.

    He found itughable that it was such a difficult task for Fiona to decide which cake to buy.

    Hearing hisughter, Fiona turned to Greyson and confronted him, "What are youughing at? And

    why are you following me?"

    "I am not following you. You cane here to buy a cake, but I can''t?" he asked. "By the way, please

    be quick. I also want to buy a cake."

    "Huh! No, I can''t!" Fiona red at Greyson and turned aroundcently, and then she looked at the

    cakes again.

    After a long time, Fiona finally chose some. She spoke to Nina who was standing on the side, "Miss,

    can you please pack these cakes for me?"

    Nina nodded, walking over to Fiona, and then packed the cakes for the customer.

    When Greyson noticed that Fiona had bought so many cakes, he nced at her figure and couldn''t

    helpughing again.

    He joked, "Hey, little fatty, you are so fat now. Aren''t you afraid that you will be fatter and fatter after

    eating so many cakes and then nobody will dare marry you?"

    Fiona was not one to be bullied easily. She turned to him and replied boldly, "It''s none of your business!

    I use my own money, not yours."

    She paused to look him up and down and continued, "You need to worry about yourself. You have a

    cute, baby face. Does any girl like you? I hear that women prefer mature men nowadays."

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    Fiona''s words had the desired effect. She had managed to get back at Greyson, who appeared very

    annoyed. He hated it when peoplemented on his face.

    "Nobody will like you, you little fatty! Nothing is wrong with my face. I am cute and that''s why lots of

    people like me." Greyson raised his head proudly.

    Fiona took the cakes from the cashier and rolled her eyes at Greyson. Then she left. She didn''t want to

    talk to this idiot.

    Greyson looked at Fiona''s back and gritted his teeth. He hoped not to see her again. Otherwise, he

    would get even with her.

    It was the first time that Nina had seen Greyson so enraged. She was curious about the girl, who

    wasn''t afraid of this Little Devil.

    Although Nina had a crush on Greyson in the past, after a certain incident, she stopped herself from

    pursuing him.

    Meanwhile at the Golden Pce, Ashley thought it was a boring ce to stay. This vi was more

    sophisticated than the Mu''s house. Most people living here had their own drivers, and there were no

    cabs here, let alone buses.

    Ashley stayed in the house for the entire afternoon. She fiddled with her cell phone and checked the

    tweets asionally.

 Chapter 96 Give Me Your Hand

    Chapter 96 Give Me Your Hand

    Ashley was worried about whether she needed to wake up early everyday from now on so that she

    could have enough time to walk to the bakery shop, but it was quite far away from where she was

    staying.

    Upon thinking about that, she couldn''t help but feel helpless.

    But luckily, though this vi was a little bit isted, she could find all she wanted here, such as fresh

    vegetables and fruits in the fridge.

    When night fell, Ashley still didn''t know if Andrew would be back or not. Although she didn''t know who

    Andrew really was, she was able to guess that he was in charge of apany, as he was always busy

    dealing with business-rted things.

    Being bored out of her wits, Ashley decided to make dinner despite not knowing if Andrew would even

    come home.

    Upon entering the kitchen, she became very impressed. It was very clean and everything was new. All

    the essentials were also there.

    Ashley prepared the rice first. She added some rice to the cooking pot, rinsed it, poured some water

    into the pot and let it simmer in the rice cooker.

    Since there were lots of meat and vegetables in the fridge, Ashley took out some pork ribs and Chinese

    yams. "I''m gonna make a pork rib soup," Ashley happily whispered to herself.

    In all fairness, she was enjoying herself.

    After she finished cooking the soup, she took out some tomatoes, eggs and vegetables from the fridge

    and got ready to make more dishes.

    First, she washed the tomatoes and cut them into pieces. After that, she cracked the eggs into a bowl

    and stirred them.

    Patiently, she rinsed the vegetables to make sure they were clean.

    Ashley was so concentrated on what she was doing that she didn''t realize that Andrew was home

    already.

    It was said that when men were busy doing something, they were very charming, the same as women,

    when they were concentrated on doing something, they seemed very attractive as well.

    In order to be with his wife, Andrew drove at the highest speed allowable straight home from work. He

    even ran a few red lights to lessen his travel time.

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    When he opened the door, though, silence weed him. For some weird reason, he thought that

    Ashley had already left. But he still looked for her around the house and was so surprised when he

    found her in the kitchen, cooking dinner.

    Leaning by the kitchen door, Andrew couldn''t keep his eyes off her. At that moment, he got a strange

    feeling that he had never felt before.

    He suddenly felt anxious, fearing that this thing might be out of his control one day. Such a feeling

    worried him a lot, as he was so used to having everything under his control.

    However, he wasn''t antipathetic towards this feeling. Instead, he felt curious.

    Before, he felt so alone every time he came back to this vi. He even preferred to stay in the office

    rather than go home. But now, with Ashley in the house waiting for him and cooking him dinner, he

    started looking forward to going home.

    The home which belonged to the two of them. Oh, how much Andrew wished that he could freeze time

    and make the momentst forever.

    As Ashley was too focused on what she was doing, she unconsciously spilled some of the soup she

    had in herdle as she was taking a sip out of it.

    The soup was very hot, and it immediately became apparent in Ashley''s expression.

    "Jesus!" Ashley screamed. She dropped thedle, and her hand turned red and became swollen

    immediately.

    When Andrew saw what happened, he scurried to Ashley''s side.

    Quickly, he held her burned hand and put it under cold running water until the pain subsided.

    Ashley was surprised. ''When did this guye home?'' she thought to herself.

    Staring at her red and swollen hand, Andrew''s face turned sullen.

    "Andrew?"

    Andrew looked at her, reproaching. "What is wrong with you? You''re just making a simple meal, how

    could you get yourself hurt!"

    The reaction baffled Ashley.

    ''I am the one who got burned. Not him. Why is he the one so irritated?''

    Feeling wronged, Ashley turned to Andrew with a re.

    "This is all on you! I felt you staring at me and it startled me!" she said in a pointed tone, tugging her

    hand away from Andrew''s grip. However, it was too strong. As much as she was annoyed at how

    Andrew approached her, she became less angry when she saw his reprimanding look.

    After some time under running water, Ashley''s hand felt a lot better. It was still slightly swollen, but it

    was alreadying down. After making sure Ashley''s hand was better, Andrew finally decided to let go

    of her hand.

    He then said to her, "Just stay out of here, I will handle the rest."

    Ashley was astonished. She blurted out, "Do you know how to cook?"

    At that, Andrew''s expression suddenly became angrier.

    After noticing that, Ashley couldn''t help but just pout. ''But it''s really hard to believe that he can cook!''

    Ashley protested in her head. ''He looks like he was born in a wealthy family and everything has been

    arranged and prepared for him all his life.''

    Despite the visible disapproval in Andrew''s face, Ashley was still in disbelief that he could cook.

    "There''s no need to bother you," she started. "I could take care of everything. Just go and rest."

    If Ashley said this before Andrew saw her get hurt, he would be thrilled to oblige. But since she had

    already been hurt, he could never agree.

    "No, go and stay away from the kitchen," hemanded coldly.

    The voice made Ashley tremble. As much as she didn''t want to go, she felt like she had no choice but

    to leave asmanded.

    What happened wasn''t a very nice encounter, but Ashley believed that Andrew reacted that way

    because he cared about her.

    Taking a deep breath, she headed towards the living room and sat on the couch. She took a look at her

    burned hand and realized how red and badly swollen it was.

    Her gaze examined the room for anything that she could put on it, but she couldn''t see anything.

    Though a bit nervous, she walked into the kitchen again and asked Andrew where the first aid kit was.

    Andrew turned off the stove. Upon seeing Ashley''s hand again, he frowned. Determination suddenly

    colored his eyes and he dragged Ashley upstairs.

    Somehow, Ashley felt his nervousness.

    Upon reaching the bedroom, Andrew sat Ashley down on the bed. He then took out the first aid kit from

    a bedside cupboard.

    Andrew opened the kit. It was full andplete - antiseptics, bandages, thermometers, and such.

    Everything necessary could be found in it.

    Andrew rummaged through the kit and fished out the antiseptic and some bandages. After that, he

    turned to Ashley and knelt in front of her. "Give me your hand."

 Chapter 97 Injury

    Chapter 97 Injury

    Andrew walked towards Ashley with the antiseptic and some bandages. He told Ashley to raise her

    hand which she immediately obeyed.

    Andrew rolled some cotton and dampened it with alcohol. He then dabbed it on Ashley''s wounds

    gently.

    "Hiss." Ashley let out a sound of distress as her wound bubbled. The pain surged from her hand as the

    alcohol disinfected it. Ashley shivered as she tried to tolerate the agony.

    Andrew was stunned by Ashley''s painful reaction. He frowned and stared at Ashley''s hand. He felt

    sorry about the pain she felt.

    "Hang in there. It will be over soon." Andrew lowered his head and whispered to Ashley''s ear. It was

    out of character for him to say such words but he really wanted Ashley to calm down.

    The awkwardness in his voice must be because of the fact that he had never said such warm words to

    anyone.

    Ashley was surprised by Andrew''s heartfelt attempt tofort her. Her eyes widened because she

    never expected Andrew to use such tender gestures.

    Ashley stared at Andrew as he wiped her wounds. She noticed that his ears reddened and his hands

    slightly shook as he tended Ashley''s wounds.

    Ashley was dazed when she realized how Andrew cared for her. She felt conflicted about her emotions

    as she looked at Andrew''s face. Ashley saw the pain in Andrew''s face. She was the one who had a

    wound but Andrew looked to be more in agony as he stared at Ashley''s hand.

    She felt relieved when she saw how Andrew watched out for her safety. Andrew had already sterilized

    her wounds so he grabbed an ointment from the medical kit.

    Andrew spread the white medical cream around Ashley''s wound. The coolness from the cream

    lessened her pain and made her morefortable.

    Andrew reached for the bandage to wrap Ashley''s wounds. However, when Ashley saw what he was

    about to do, she stopped him and said,"I don''t think a bandage would be necessary. The wound cannot

    be covered by it."

    Ashley thought that her hand was ugly enough without a bandage. It would look even worse and

    inconvenient if he put a bandage on her hand.

    Andrew was frozen because he didn''t know how to put a bandage to the wound. He then decided to

    follow Ashley''s request and return the bandage to the medical box.

    "Andrew, tell me, will my hand be scarred?" Ashley inquired with a sorry face. She frowned as she

    stared at the back of her hand which was inmed. She then raised her head and looked at Andrew.

    Her eyes were filled with misery and pain.

    Ashley felt really terrible about the wound in the back of her hand. She feared that it would be hard for it

    to heal especially in summer. Girls always cared about their physical appearances. Ashley was no

    exception. She was scared that the wound might leave a horrible scar in the back of her hand.

    Andrew saw the sorrow in Ashley''s eyes. He realized the anxiety that Ashley had. He felt sorry and

    looked away from her. His voice was soft and gentle when he assured her. "Don''t worry. It won''t leave a

    scar."

    Andrew was determined to make sure a scar wouldn''t be left.

    He would provide the best doctor along with the best medicine just for her. He would dedicate all of his

    assets just to ensure that no scar would be left on Ashley''s delicate hand.

    "But what if there is a scar?" Ashley worried. She looked at her slender, delicate fingers. It would be a

    great disappointment for a pretty hand like hers to be scarred. Even her beauty would be negatively

    affected.

    Andrew also became worried. His eyes fixated on Ashley and her hand. He then looked into Ashley''s

    eyes and said dearly,"I will still treat you the same, even if there is a scar."

    Andrew''s warm words made Ashley stand up in shock and amazement. Ashley was overwhelmed by

    Andrew''s sudden confession.

    Ashley''s face blushed with shyness. Her cheeks became rosy red.

    She then sat down again in her chair and shifted her gaze towards the four dishes and soup on their

    table. She was amazed at how the food looked so delicious. Ashley raised her head and looked at

    Andrew with eyes filled with joy and excitement.

    ''It is near impossible to find a man who can cook delicious meals and more importantly, earn a lot of

    money. It''s hard to believe that someone like Andrew would be with me right now.

    Destiny sure is unfair. Andrew is very lucky to be born with not only a handsome face and decent status

    but also great skills in the kitchen.

    ''Hmm.'' Ashley still couldn''t believe that a perfect man like Andrew would be together with her. A smile

    escaped her lips as she felt incredibly pleased about their rtionship.

    Andrew noticed that Ashley was no longer gloomy. His face became lively when he saw Ashley''s smile.

    "The food is getting cold. You should eat something," he chuckled.

    "Okay," answered Ashley. She was delighted with how the food looked delectable. She picked up a

    dish and put it into Andrew''s bowl. "We should eat together!" said Ashley with a wide smile.

    She took a bite of the dish and partnered it with rice. The vor melted in her mouth. She

    mumbled,"Andrew, this is very delicious!"

    Andrew couldn''t help but smile when Ashley praised him. He looked at her with romantic excitement.

    His hands reached out to her head, rubbed it sweetly and said with a warm voice,"Eat as much as you

    can."

    Ashley nodded her head as she took another bite. Andrew made this delicious meal just for her. She

    would definitely finish it delightfully.

    Ashley was very delighted with the food that she was able to finish three bowls of rice. They were able

    to eat all of the food that Andrew cooked.

    Azy burp came out of Ashley''s mouth when she finished. She rubbed her stomach with both hands

    and muttered drowsily,"I''m so full."

    Ashley suddenly realized that Andrew was with her all this time. She covered her mouth and

    straightened herself as she blushed due to embarrassment. ''Oh no, will he think that I''m an improper

    lady because I ate too much? He must think that I''m a glutton!'' Ashley thought in panic.

    Ashley gave a fake cough and tried to defend her recent actions to Andrew. "I don''t usually eat this

    much. It is just that you troubled yourself to cook this amazing meal and it would be a waste not to

    finish it,"

    Andrew smirked upon Ashley''s excuses. He said sweetly,"Yeah, I understand. By the way, even if you

    are a foodie, I can afford all the food you want."

    ''This guy is such a sweet talker. Hepliments a woman so naturally. Am I really the first girl he has

    ever had a rtionship with?''

    thought Ashley. She stared at Andrew with questions in her mind.

    "What''s wrong?" Andrew noticed Ashley''s confused look so he asked her.

    Ashley stared at Andrew''s eyes and said,"Can I ask you a question?"

    Andrew nodded so that Ashley could proceed with her query.

    "Am I really the first girl you''ve ever had?"

    "Yes, you are. What''s the matter?" Andrew answered Ashley but he was confused about why she

    asked such a question.

    "Oh, it''s nothing. I was just curious." Ashley replied as she waved her hand to dismiss Andrew''s

    worries.

    After a short rest, Ashley said,"I''ll clear this up first." She stood up from her seat and tried to get some

    dirty tes. She wanted to clean up the table since Andrew cooked the meal.

    However, Andrew immediately grabbed the tes and instructed Ashley to sit back down.

    Ashley looked at Andrew with confused eyes and asked,"What''s wrong?"

    "Your hand is still hurt. I''ll clear up the table while you take some rest."

    Andrew replied with care in his tone. Ashley had almost forgotten about the wound in the back of her

    hand. It was only after Andrew reminded her that she realized that her hand was hurt.

    Andrew grabbed the dirty dishes and put them away in the kitchen sink. He cleaned the table while

    Ashley rested in the couch. Ashley''s mind wandered as she stared at Andrew''s figure in the kitchen.

    She suddenly felt that the rtionship between the two of them could work out.

    However, Andrew was at the kitchen with a frown on his face. He felt disgusted at the dirty task that

    awaited him.

    Andrew had never imagined that he would do something like this. He would usually just grab his pen,

    sign a document and then earn millions of bills every minute. This menial task was way below his social

    status.

    Andrew paused for a while and calmed down. He then reached for a te and tried to wash it in the

    sink.

    Ashley satfortably on the sofa. Her attention from the television was suddenly shifted to the

    kitchen as a loud "bang" echoed in her ears. Her surprise made her quiver and fearful of what might

    have happened to Andrew.

    ''I hope he''s alright.'' Ashley prayed in her mind.

    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Ashley immediately turned the television off and rushed towards the kitchen. She then saw Andrew

    beside the sink. He stood there silently as Ashley noticed the shattered pieces of a broken dish around

    Andrew''s feet.

    "Andrew, what ..." Ashley was about to ask Andrew what had happened but she held her voice

    instead.

 Chapter 98 Feeling Embarrassed

    Chapter 98 Feeling Embarrassed

    Giving an awkward look to Ashley, Andrew said calmly, "I wasn''t able to hold the te firmly."

    Looking down at the shattered pieces of te on the floor, Ashley said quickly, "Well, it''s okay. I know

    you''re not good at doing housework.

    Are you all right?"

    "I''m okay. I''ll just finish washing the dishes. Just wait for me in the living room," Andrew replied in a low

    voice.

    Although Andrew had said that he was fine, Ashley was still worried about him and wanted to stay with

    him in the kitchen.

    On the contrary, Andrew didn''t want Ashley to see him washing the dishes so clumsily. So he found an

    excuse and asked her to leave.

    Ashley was left with no choice and felt awkward to insist on staying at the kitchen. She slowly made her

    way to the living room. But hardly had Ashley entered the living room when she heard a loud "bang"

    again.

    ''What a stubborn man! I don''t know how to help you, '' she thought.

    A little annoyed this time, Andrew looked at the dishes in the sink angrily, as if he was ring at his

    enemies.

    A weak smile shed across Ashley''s face when she saw the expression on Andrew''s face. Then with

    a low and soothing voice, she said emphatically, "Let me help you." Then she rolled up her sleeves and

    went straight to the sink.

    However, Andrew stopped her and said, "You don''t need to do that. I''ll just have the servante

    tomorrow."

    Astounded at Andrew''s actions, Ashley was held speechless. Seized by Andrew by the hand, she didn''t

    argue anymore and had to follow him upstairs.

    When they reached the bedroom, Andrew immediately shut the door and secured it with a lock. Ashley

    nced at her watch and was surprised to see that it was already nine o''clock. No wonder she felt so

    tired and began to yawn.

    Rummaging through her suitcase, she took her nightgown out. Ashley was about to enter the bathroom

    for a shower when Andrew stopped her.

    "Wait a minute," Andrew said suddenly. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked at her seriously with

    furrowed brows.

    "What''s wrong?" Ashley asked.

    "Where are you going?" Andrew pursed his lips and frowned.

    "I''m going to take a shower." Thinking about what was so unusual with taking a shower before going to

    bed, Ashley was a bit confused.

    After keeping silent for a while, Andrew came to Ashley and said, "Let''s go."

    Staring at Andrew with puzzled eyes, Ashley asked, "Where are we going? Where do you want to take

    me?"

    Looking at Ashley''s hands, Andrew said tly, "You can''t touch water now.

    So,e on, I''ll help you to take a shower."

    Taken aback, Ashley was surprised by what he said. ''Is he really such a lewd man?'' she thought.

    Frightened, Ashley stammered, "No, no, thank you. I can do that by myself. I''ll be careful enough to

    keep my hand away from water."

    Her cheeks flushed red. Ashley felt very embarrassed at the moment. If Andrew helped her to take a

    shower, it would be an incredible thing for her.

    Without saying a word, Andrew looked at Ashley quietly.

    Seeing that Andrew was staring at her fixedly, Ashley felt really uneasy and didn''t know how to act

    properly under his gaze.

    Despite the summer heat, the room was conditioned enough not to be so warm. Even if she didn''t

    perspire a lot, she had the habit of taking a shower before going to bed. Otherwise, her skin would

    be greasy and this would make her ufortable.

    ''How could I hurt my hand at this critical moment?'' she thought.

    The both of them were held in a standoff for a while, but she finally conceded and said, "Uhmm, I''ve

    decided not to take a shower tonight."

    She slowly walked away from Andrew and put her nightgown back in the suitcase. Ashley then seated

    herself on the bed with her back towards Andrew.

    Looking at Ashley''s back, Andrew felt a bit disappointed. A silly smile shed on his face. He thought

    all the while that he could help her to take a shower.

    A bit nervous and uneasy, Ashley sat on the edge of the bed. Her mind was upied with things she

    imagined would have happened if they entered the bathroom together. However, her reverie was

    interrupted when she heard drops of water from inside the bathroom. Andrew was now taking a

    shower.

    Although the bed wasrge enough, Ashley still felt uneasy. Thinking that she would share the bed with

    Andrew, she blushed at once.

    Suddenly, an idea came across her mind. As she knew, the vi was veryrge, and there must be

    several guest rooms inside. In that case, she could ask Andrew to let her upy another room to

    sleep.

    ''It''s really a wonderful idea!'' thought Ashley.

    Musing herself, Ashley was cheering her intelligence when Andrew came out of the bathroom. Curious

    at what he would look like after a bath, she turned to look at him. She couldn''t help staring at the

    handsome man standing in front of her with drops of water still dripping down his damp hair. A towel

    was wrapped around half of his body and the scent of his bath cream lingered through the room.

    Perhaps because of the moisture, Andrew''s habitual cold expression seemed to soften, and there was

    an amiable air in his dark eyes.

    With the fresh aura emanating from him, there was a touch of mour on his handsome face.

    The way Andrew wrapped himself in a bath towel revealed his attractive corbone and muscr arms.

    He had long straight legs, and his wheat-colored skin looked healthy. His skin was not as smooth and

    white as that of a girl.

    Closing the bathroom door behind him, Andrew seemed to realize that Ashley was staring at him.

    Raising his head, Andrew stared back at her and Ashley was held in a daze. They looked straight at

    each other for a moment. Ashley could even see her figure in Andrew''s dark eyes.

    "Ahem!"

    Pretending to give a cough, Ashley moved her eyes away from Andrew and bowed her head

    awkwardly. She felt so ashamed of looking at him just now. But he was so handsome that she couldn''t

    help fixing her eyes at him.

    Momentster, Andrew went to blow dry his hair. After Andrew blow-dried his hair, Ashley came over to

    him.

    "You must have a guest room here, don''t you?" Ashley asked.

    Baffled at why Ashley would ask such a question, Andrew nodded.

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Feeling relieved, Ashley said with great pleasure, "Then I guess I''ll go there to sleep tonight."

    When Andrew heard what she said, his face darkened. He stared straight at Ashley with his ck eyes,

    which made her feel frightened.

    ''Why?

    Why are you trying to keep away from me? Am I not a good man?'' he wondered.

    Remembering how Ashley proposed to him, Andrew grew more annoyed. Perhaps she did that

    casually, or for some other reasons. Although he knew that she didn''t love him, Andrew didn''t want to

    end their marriage. Since Ashley had be his wife, he wouldn''t let her leave him so easily.

    Andrew stared greedily at Ashley''s charming and delicate face.

    ''My darling, you''ll stay with me forever!'' he thought.

    However, when Ashley told Andrew that she wanted to sleep in the guest room tonight, she felt very

    uneasy because he had said nothing in response. She was held frozen and couldn''t help but look up at

    him.

    At that instant, Ashley was frightened by his look.

    With his back behind a full body mirror, Andrew stared at her with his dark eyes. Ashley couldn''t

    discern his mood from his eyes but was scared by his expression.

    Ashley couldn''t help but ask, "What''s wrong with you?"

    "You want to sleep in the guest room?" With furrowed brows, Andrew asked coldly. Although his voice

    was so maic, Ashley felt it was somehow a threat to her.

    Moving her head up and down, Ashley nodded. Coming up with an idea, she said immediately, "I didn''t

    take a shower, so I''m afraid you can''t stand the smell of my sweat..."

    Ashley was about to continue, but she was interrupted by Andrew.

    Hearing her exnation, Andrew said in a mild tone, "It doesn''t matter. I don''t mind that." Now his

    expression was not as frightening as before. After a pause, Andrew continued, "Since we''re husband

    and wife now, isn''t it proper that we share a bed?"

    Entertaining the idea on her mind, Ashley suddenly flushed. ''You think it doesn''t matter, but I mind that!''

    Ashleyined in silence.

    Andrew got up and quipped, "It''s gettingte. Let''s go to bed."

    Seeing that Andrew wrapped himself only in a towel and was about to go to bed, Ashley couldn''t help

    but ask, "Aren''t you going to put on some clothes?"

 Chapter 99 Good Night

    Chapter 99 Good Night

    Looking at Ashley''s nervous expression, Andrew couldn''t help but smile.

    How could his sweetheart be so lovable?

    "Why?" he asked.

    Ashley couldn''t reply. ''Damn it. Wait. Will... will he sleep in the raw?''

    Ashley felt dizzy.

    Andrew''s big bed was soft andfortable. Ashley was clinging to the bedside, with her back to her

    husband.

    While Andrew found the whole thing to beughable, he couldn''t help but feel offended. Did Ashley

    think he was a dreadful monster? He wouldn''t eat her!

    So, in Ashley and Andrew''s spacious bedroom, such a scene could be seen: A couple was lying on a

    large white bed.

    The woman was lying close to the bedside and could fall down at any time. The man was lying on the

    other side of the bed, staring at hisdy who had her back on him, with helplessness and love in his

    eyes.

    "Come here," Andrew said in a deep, rich voice as he looked at Ashley''s back. He was earnestly

    hoping Ashley woulde and lie close to him.

    "No. I feelfortable this way," she whispered, her shyness evident in her tone. "Well, it''ste. I am

    going to sleep. Good night." With that, she pulled her nket tighter around her and curled into a ball

    on her side of the bed.

    Andrew frowned and pulled her over his side impatiently.

    "Hey," he started softly. "We''ve already slept together before. Why are you being so shy now?" Never in

    his life did he think he''d ever put an effort to sound cute, but that was all he could do right now.

    Ashley closed her eyes tightly, but her long eyshes still trembled. She was afraid to see Andrew''s

    naked body.

    Due to her injured hand, she wasn''t able to have a shower and just changed her clothes.

    Despite that, she still smelled fresh, fragrant even.

    Moreover, because she was nervous, she had a rose glow on her fair-skinned face.

    ''Please, Andrew, just go to sleep!'' she begged in her head, her eyes still shut tight.

    The nightgown she was wearing was very conservative, and she was sure that it wouldn''t give Andrew

    any kind of sexual thoughts.

    But one button on it was unbuckled after Andrew pulled her over with strength. And Andrew could

    clearly see her skin underneath the nightgown.

    Suddenly, he was overwhelmed with a strong feeling of desire.

    "Come here, Ashley," he said, pulling the girl closer to him. This time he was sessful.

    They were now lying face to face. Ashley''s eyes were still closed, but her heart was beating fast.

    Slowly, Andrew moved his mouth close to hers.

    With her eyes closed, Ashley suddenly felt something soft touch her lips. Surprised, she opened her

    eyes. The first thing she saw was Andrew''s handsome face.

    Being so close, she was able to see his long, thickshes and perfect skin.

    After being stunned for a short while, Ashley realized what Andrew was doing. As if a knee-jerk

    reaction, she suddenly stretched out her hands to push him away.

    Andrew was caught off-guard.

    When Ashley raised her eyes, she saw Andrew''s ck eyes staring at her.

    Both had stayed celibate for more than twenty years, and when they had sex for the first time, it was

    because of the medicine. Although Andrew was more sober than Ashley that day, everything still

    happened as a result of the medicine.

    Today was the first time he ever became this impulsive.

    Seeing Andrew''s expression, Ashley knew what it meant. ''Damn it, '' she thought to herself.

    After being with Andrew for such a long time now, she certainly understood what his expression meant.

    Ashley wanted to cry but she had no tears.

    A man who had remained sexually abstinent for over twenty years could hardly restrain himself once

    he had his first sexual experience. Moreover, the woman he loved was in his arms. Andrew felt he was

    happy but it was hard to bear.

    "An... Andrew, stop. My hand is injured." Ashley was scared.

    Remembering how she felt when they first did it, she realized she still wasn''t ready to feel that again.

    Seeing the expression on Ashley''s face, Andrew wanted tough. ''She can use her hands, '' he

    thought. ''She even dared to push me away. Now her hand is injured?''

    Andrew patted Ashley''s back tofort her. "It''s fine. Go to sleep."

    Ever since Andrew could remember, he had always been proud of his self-control. That, though, was

    non-existent when it came to Ashley. Helplessness was all he was feeling.

    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Andrew just hugged her quietly and didn''t do anything excessive. His reaction relieved Ashley and she

    started to loosen up.

    She thought that it would be difficult for her to fall asleep because it had been hard for her to adjust to a

    new bed if she was sleeping in it for the first time, but surprisingly, she had a good night''s sleep.

    Throughout the night, they moved closer and closer to each other that they ended up cuddling. Lying in

    Andrew''s arms and listening to his heartbeat, Ashley felt secure.

    Andrew looked at the beautiful girl next to him.

    All he could think was how he was suffering at that moment, while Ashley was sleeping peacefully.

    "When would you ept me?" he whispered.

    The next day, Ashley was in high spirits when she woke up. She had a really good sleepst night.

    She was stretching her arms when she touched something warm. It frightened her.

    But then she saw Andrew''s extremely handsome face.

    ''Not looking as cold as when you are awake, huh, '' she thought to herself. Leaning closer, she began to

    study Andrew''s face.

    ''If he doesn''t frown all the time, maybe more girls will like him, '' she thought.

    ''Also, how can his eyshes be so long! They are longer than a girl''s! I don''t know what he ate when

    he was growing up, but he ends up being so beautiful even girls would definitely be jealous of him.''

 Chapter 100 Are You Angry

    Chapter 100 Are You Angry

    ''How could you be so beautiful?''

    It had been a few minutes since she woke up and saw Andrew next to him, but she still was in awe of

    his god-given looks.

    Ashley was in still in the middle of admiring Andrew''s looks when she saw his finger move.

    Slowly, Andrew opened his eyes. Rattled, Ashley decided to pretend she was still sleeping.

    Despite her efforts, Andrew quickly uncovered what she was trying to do and let out a soft chuckle. He

    then proceeded to turn over and took Ashley in his arms.

    Thinking Andrew was still asleep, Ashley opened her eyes. It was then she realized how close they

    were to each other.

    She felt her cheeks turn red.

    ''This kind of intimacy is something that could only be done on purpose!'' she said to herself, checking if

    Andrew was really still asleep. Seeing that the guy was truly asleep, she concluded that it wasn''t a

    deliberate act.

    ''Well, it''s a good thing he was able to avoid my hand, '' she thought. Slowly and silently, Ashley lifted

    Andrew''s arm that was wrapped around her body so that she could sit up.

    She didn''t wake the sleeping angel. When she was about to get out of bed, Andrew''s leg suddenly

    moved andnded on hers.

    With the gentlest nudges, Ashley tried to free herself but she was unsessful.

    ''Is this man asleep or not!'' she thought to herself.

    As much as it was annoying her, she didn''t want to know the answer to that because the only thing she

    wanted to do was to get up and leave the bedroom. Bending over, she dragged his leg and moved it to

    the other side, and then she got off the bed as quickly as she could.

    As soon as she was able to stand up from the bed, she went over to the window and opened the

    curtain slightly. She lifted her injured hand and observed it. The swelling was almost gone, and it wasn''t

    hurting as much as it did yesterday.

    "Oh wow, the medicine definitely worked," she murmured, "No wonder so many people want to be rich.

    The benefits are wonderful." When such things happened to her, it would take three days before the

    injury got better.

    But the ointment Andrew gave her made everything better overnight.

    Silently, she moved to the bathroom, showered and changed into fresh clothes.

    Thinking that Andrew was still fast asleep, she did everything in total silence.

    Unbeknownst to her, the man she left on the bed had awoken much, much earlier than she did and

    spent his time watching her sleep.

    And when she woke up, he pretended to be asleep.

    ---

    The moment she was able to get out of the room, Ashley let out a big sigh of relief. Seeing that it was a

    good day, she took a deep breath and headed towards the kitchen, intending to prepare breakfast.

    The moment Ashley left the bedroom, Andrew opened his eyes and got up.

    After she washed the dishes, Ashley went ahead and made porridge.

    While cooking, she couldn''t help but feel excited. ''Andrew will be surprised to see that I''ve already

    made breakfast, '' she thought to herself.

    As she was setting the table up, she saw Andrew standing on the second floor, looking at her. It

    surprised her as she thought he was still asleep. ''I was even nning on waking him up after I finish

    this!'' she thought to herself.

    Her surprise almost made her spill one bowl of porridge, but she quickly regained bnce of it.

    "Morning!" she greeted Andrew, shing him her sweetest smile. She wanted the whole thing to be a

    surprise, but she wasn''t disappointed that it didn''t end up like that.

    Seeing his lovely wife preparing breakfast, Andrew felt at home for the first time in forever. He went

    downstairs and smiled, "Morning!"

    When Ashley saw a smile grace Andrew''s handsome face, she couldn''t help but blush. ''Dear Lord, ''

    she thought to herself, calming herself down. ''Is he trying to seduce me?''

    She did her best not to show what she was feeling deep inside and sat down. Andrew sat opposite her

    and they enjoyed the breakfast in silence.

    "I''m full. I''m going to work," Ashley said, breaking the silence.

    Since Andrew was also finished with eating, he suggested that he drive Ashley to work.

    "No, I''ll take a taxi. But thank you," Ashley said, her cheeks once again heating up.

    Andrew looked at her quizzically and asked, "Are you sure? You really can''t hail a taxi here."

    Ashley couldn''t say anything. Somehow, she forgot that this ce wasn''t her old neighborhood and that

    people living here didn''t need to take a taxi as they had their own luxury cars and drivers.

    "What about your hand? Do you feel better today?" Andrew asked.

    Though hesitant, Ashley showed him her hand that was healing really well.

    "It''s nothing," she started, "I think in 2 or 3 days it would be fully healed." Chuckling, she retracted her

    hand.

    However, Andrew suddenly pulled it towards him. "Did you wash the dishes?" Andrew asked in a low

    voice.

    Confused, Ashley nodded her head.

    "Uhhh.. Yeah..." she stuttered. Andrew began yelling at her, "Why did you do that?"

    Ashley was confused and frightened. She couldn''t understand why he was so angry so suddenly. But

    for Andrew, he had already tried so hard to control himself not to be furious with her.

    Liquid detergent was harmful to her hand, which was injured badly. Andrew was angry with her

    because she wasn''t taking care of herself.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    The way Andrew was standing made Ashley realize how angry Andrew was. But why? ''Was it because

    I washed dishes?'' Ashley tried to figure out.

    Without waiting for Ashley''s reply, Andrew dragged her to the bedroom, and washed her hand carefully.

    Taking out disinfectant fluid, cotton swabs, and ointment, he began to apply medicine to her hand.

    There was nothing Ashley could do but watch Andrew with bated breath. Her heart was pounding.

    When Andrew saw that the hand got better, he rxed a bit.

    Ashley puckered up her lips, and whispered, "Are you angry?"

    Putting away the medical kit, Andrew sat there and didn''t answer her question.

    Since Andrew didn''t respond, she held his hand and in a begging tone, said, "Please don''t be angry."

    She had no idea Andrew would be so angry about what she did!

    ''What an iprehensible person! I am the person whose hand got injured, but why does it seem like

    he''s suffering more!'' Ashley just couldn''t understand.

    Then something urred to her, and she opened her eyes widely.

    ---

    The person Andrew was angry with was himself. He med himself for what happened and how he

    wasn''t able to take care of Ashley well. If he had stopped her washing the dishes, her hand would have

    got much better faster.

    Andrew couldn''t bear to be angry at his wife.

    Taking a deep breath, he said, "No, I''m not angry."

 Chapter 101 Stubborn Ashley

    Chapter 101 Stubborn Ashley

    Ashley secretly rolled her eyes and let out a silent sigh. She didn''t want Andrew to notice her resigned

    expression. ''He''s obviously angry. Why won''t he just admit it?'' Ashleyined silently in her head.

    "Well, I''m gettingte for work. Can you give me a ride?" Ashley inquired in a very careful way.

    ''He actually has a point. It would be difficult to hail a taxi in this neighborhood. It''s better if he could

    drive me to work, '' Ashley thought as she feared the long waiting that she would experience if she

    opted to go to work by herself.

    "No! I will not give you a ride." Andrew declined Ashley''s request with a stern voice. His handsome face

    reflected a very serious look.

    Ashley narrowed her eyes and leered at Andrew. She asked him with a confused voice,"Why not?" ''I''ve

    only asked him for a ride to work. Why did he react that way? Why is he being so dramatic?'' thought

    Ashley as her confusion grew.

    Andrew met Ashley''s baffled stare. He realized how puzzled Ashley was with his response and that she

    wanted an exnation.

    He tapped her forehead in a sweet reprimand. He said with a low, stern voice,"Why are you thinking

    about getting to work?"

    Andrew then shifted his considerate gaze towards Ashley''s injured hand. "You hurt your handst

    night. You should wait for it to fully recover before you return to your work."

    Ashley then realized that she misunderstood Andrew. She looked down while her guilt consumed her.

    Her face reddened with embarrassment. However, Ashley still wanted to go to work.

    She looked at Andrew and spoke with a soft tone,"I''ll be fine. I don''t really have much work to do there.

    I won''t strain myself."

    Ashley told the truth as she assured Andrew. She was the owner of Memory Bakery. All she needed to

    do was supervise her employees and make sure that everything was fine in the shop. She would help

    to deal with clients if ever they were swarmed with customers.

    "You heard me. I won''t drive you there. You need to rest." Andrew''s determined expression showed

    that his decision was final.

    He felt annoyed that Ashley was too carefree and reckless about her injured hand. ''Why is she so

    irresponsible when ites to her health? She still wants to go to work even when her hand is already

    badly injured, '' Andrew fumed in his mind.

    "Please don''t make too much of a big deal out of this. I''m fine, really. Just let me go to work," Ashley

    pleaded with a pout on her face. Her eyes were full of anticipation as she stared at Andrew''s stern face.

    ''Ellie can''t supervise because she went to her hometown. I must be at the bakery to make sure

    everything is fine, '' thought Ashley.

    Ashley begged a lot and even yed cute just to convince Andrew but he still refused to drop her off at

    her bakery.

    She was really annoyed about how stubborn Andrew could be.

    She was fully aware that Andrew was just concerned about her but she was convinced that her injury

    wasn''t serious enough to affect her job at the bakery. Ashley exined wholeheartedly and reassured

    Andrew many times that she was fine. However, Andrew still refused to drive her to the bakery.

    "It''s not your decision. Why should I listen to you? I will go to the shop even if I have to walk there!"

    Ashley''s patience had reached its limits. She scowled at Andrew with a pout in her cute face.

    Andrew nced at Ashley and let out a deep sigh. He ignored Ashley''s annoyed look and reached his

    hand towards her head. He caressed her head as he tried to calm her down. He said in a sweet gentle

    voice,"Don''t be too stubborn. You should stay at home today and rest a lot. I promise that you can go

    wherever you want once you get better."

    Andrew looked like a father who just appeased his rebellious daughter.

    Ashley was at a loss for words. She just stared at Andrew as her face reddened with romantic

    embarrassment.

    Andrew had never been in a romantic rtionship before. He didn''t know how to treat girls romantically.

    However, he met Ashley and realized how he felt about her. He convinced himself to improve on how

    he interacted with girls, especially Ashley.

    He researched about a lot of romantic fictions just to improve his social skills with women.

    Andrew learned a lot from those books. He discovered how to deal with girls properly. He was such a

    fast learner that he was able to utilize what he learned immediately.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Andrew was quite satisfied after he saw Ashley''s confused face. She wasn''t able to refute Andrew''s

    demands. ''Those books really are effective, '' Andrew thought as he was impressed by the results of his

    research.

    Ashley leered at Andrew and went upstairs. Her steps were heavy as she walked towards their

    bedroom. She then entered and mmed the door loudly. Ashley closed the door so loud that even

    Andrew heard it from the first floor. She seemed like she wanted to vent out because she was upset.

    Andrew then shifted his gaze towards the tes on the table. There were a lot of dirty dishes to clean

    that Andrew considered hiring a household maid.

    He never wanted a maid before, nor did he need one. Andrew was a neat freak. He was clean and

    orderly just by himself. He was also afraid to let women touch his stuff or go near him.

    Therefore, he had always lived alone. He had to cook delicious meals by himself. It was very simple for

    an intelligent guy like Andrew to follow the recipe. He found it easy to follow the instructions in the

    book.

    However, it was hard for him to wash those dirty greasy tes.

    Andrew frowned while he stared at the sink. He then walked towards the front door and left the

    mansion.

    Ashley was in their bedroom alone with an agitated face. She was still quite annoyed that she wasn''t

    allowed to leave. She sulked as she stared at her injured hand. ''Why did I hurt my hand at that time? I

    can''t even go to work because of this stupid injury, '' she vented with a pout.

    Ashley was startled by the sound of a car at the driveway. She was reluctant at first, but after a few

    seconds, she walked over the window and looked down. She then saw Andrew''s car which drove out

    towards the gates of the vi.

    Andrew then stared back at Ashley as if he knew that she was at the window.

    Ashley was surprised by Andrew''s gaze so she immediately hid at a corner.

    She listened carefully and when she was sure that the car already left, she returned to the window.

    Ashley''s face was full of shock. She patted her chest to calm herself down. ''That was really surprising.

    How did that guy know that I was staring at him through the window?'' she thought with bewilderment.

    Ashley felt very frustrated as she sat on the bed. She really didn''t mean the words she said before. It

    was just because Andrew annoyed her when he didn''t allow her to go to work. She never actually

    nned to walk towards the bakery.

    Ashley had just moved into this neighborhood. She actually didn''t know how to get to Memory Bakery.

    She would probably get lost on the way to work. Moreover, even if she managed to find her way, it

    would take her more than an hour to walk towards the shop.

    Ashley let out a sigh and decided to follow Andrew''s advice. She contacted one of her employees at

    Memory Bakery and told her that she wouldn''t be there today. Ashley said that they should continue

    with their work and just contact her if anything were to happen.

    Ashley then hung up the phone and threw it to the bed in her frustration. Shey down on the huge bed

    as her boredom overwhelmed her. She was alone in a spacious vi with nothing to do.

    Ashley rolled over on the bed. She then smelled a faint scent of vani.

    ''It''s not mine. This scent must be from Andrew, '' Ashley thought.

    Ashley''s cheeks reddened as she sat up in a panic. She suddenly realized that she had been at the

    side of the bed where Andrew usually slept.

    Andrew had arrived at thepany. He immediately instructed his assistant Johnny to meet him at his

    office.

    "I need you to find a household who can do the chores at home. She needs to be responsible and can''t

    be chatty. She also can''t have any criminal record," Andrew said with a low voice and in only one

    breath.

    Johnny was rendered speechless by Andrew''s sudden order. It was the first time Johnny had heard

    Andrew speak out so many words without any pause.

    Johnny came to his senses and reconfirmed Andrew''s order. "Pardon me?

    So you need a maid to work in the Golden Pce, right?"

    Andrew nodded in confirmation. His stern face then softened when a certain woman suddenly entered

    his mind. "She must be so bored at the house alone," Andrew muttered. He didn''t even realize that

    Johnny heard him.

    Johnny just stared silently at his love-struck boss. He glued his eyes on Andrew and sighed. He never

    thought that his boss would fall in love with a girl and even showed his affection to her so openly to his

    assistant.

    Johnny exited the office silently. He closed the door and immediately started to do his task. He felt that

    he would probably get used to Andrew''s romantic actions soon enough.

    Johnny immediately found the perfect household helper for Andrew. Ashley satfortably in the living

    room and browsed the posts on Weibo. She was startled when someone rang the doorbell. Ashley

    wasn''t aware that there would be a visitor at that moment.

    She rushed towards the front door and opened it. She then saw a woman in herte forties. The

    stranger looked uneasy and stood at the front door quietly.

    Ashley felt confused about the person in their door. ''Andrew is from a rich family. I don''t think she is his

    rtive though, '' Ashley thought as she wondered who the stranger was.

    Ashley then asked politely,"Hello, what can I do for you?"

 Chapter 102 The Housekeeper

    Chapter 102 The Housekeeper

    The woman looked at Ashley, who was still stunned even in pajamas, a glimmer of surprise shing in

    her eyes. "Well, are you Mrs. Lu? I''m the housekeeper of this family. My family name is Zhang."

    ''The housekeeper?'' Ashley looked at the woman suspiciously. She gave her a slight smile and said,

    "Just one second, please. I need to make a call."

    Ashley turned around and the smile on her face disappeared immediately. She picked up her phone

    and called Andrew.

    At the Lu Group Office

    In the meeting room, only the one on the tform was speaking into the otherwise silent air.

    It wasn''t long before the silence was broken by the shrill ringing of a phone.

    Everything came to a dead halt; even the person who was giving a speech stopped talking and

    swallowed.

    They exchanged confused looks with one another, wondering whose phone it was and worried about

    the consequences of the disruption.

    They still remembered how furious the president had been when this had happened before. It had been

    aplete nightmare.

    They had since taken utmost care to make sure their phones were turned off during meetings.

    But obviously, someone had forgotten that unspoken rule.

    While everyone was in fear of how the president would respond, Andrew looked around calmly before

    picking up his phone.

    His employees were surprised to see a tender expression cross their boss''s face when he saw who

    was calling.

    The shock on their faces could be seen clearly. They wondered whether they were mistaken.

    But they gave a sigh of relief at the same time. It was lucky that it was Andrew''s phone. So they

    wouldn''t take his anger.

    "Are you missing me?"

    Andrew asked softly, rendering not only Ashley, but also the other people in the meeting room

    speechless.

    They had never heard their boss talk like that, and the way he was talking only fueled their curiosity as

    to who was calling him.

    It was almost impossible that their boss could talk in such a gentle tone.

    What was more, what he had said was full of love.

    Johnny watched the people''s surprised reactions andughed inwardly. He looked around at them

    calmly, not knowing what all the fuss was about.

    He would have burst intoughter at their expressions if they hadn''t been at such an important

    meeting.

    He thought, ''If you are already surprised by what you see now, you will be overwhelmed with shock in

    the future.''

    On the other hand, Ashley hadn''t expected Andrew to say that the moment he answered the call.

    Her face darkened, not wanting to be rendered speechless.

    So she got down to business and asked him, "Someone came. She said she''s the housekeeper hired

    by you. Is that true?"

    Andrew was not surprised. "Yes," he said.

    Ashley hung up.

    She thought, ''God knows what he''d have said if I hadn''t ended the call.''

    Andrew smiled bitterly as the busy tone rang in his ears.

    He knew that he had angered Ashley somehow.

    His heart swelled as he recollected the image of Ashley staring at him with her wide, glittering eyes.

    This shocked the people in the room again. If they were not mistaken, the caller had ended the call

    first.

    And what surprised them more was that their boss didn''t seem angry at all. On the contrary, he looked

    delightful, for some strange reason and his eyes were full of love.

    They rubbed their eyes to make sure whether their eyes deceived them.

    They couldn''t believe that there was someone who dared to hang up on Andrew first.

    Feeling the eyes of his employees on him, Andrew stopped smiling. He arranged his expression into

    one of coolness and looked around.

    "Go on."

    The surprise broke. Now that was the president they were familiar with.

    At the vi, Ashley walked up to the woman. "Come in." Ashley went to help the woman with her

    luggage.

    "Mrs. Lu, just leave it to me," ire Zhang said as she saw what Ashley was about to do.

    Ashley smiled and said, "It''s okay. It''s only you and me at home now."

    ire knew that she wouldn''t be able to stop Ashley, and let it be.

    There were two bedrooms on the first floor. On the second floor were Andrew''s bedroom and study.

    The gym was on the third floor.

    One room on the first floor was arranged for ire. Once they had cleaned it up, Ashley and ire

    headed to the living room.

    Andrew had surmised correctly that Ashley was getting extremely bored living alone.

    To rectify the situation, he decided to hire a housekeeper to keep Ashleypany when he was not

    home.

    "Madam, you are not like the hostesses I''ve worked for before," ire said to Ashley, snuggling into the

    sofa.

    ire had received professional training and had been hired by many wealthy families beforeing

    here.

    People she had served before had always looked down upon her. But Ashley was different. She had

    been gentle and made her feel warm. That meant ire took an instant liking to Ashley.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Ashleyughed and asked, "How am I different?"

    "Madam, you are a kind person. You don''t show contempt towards people like me."

    "People like you? Are you any different from me? We are the same people. There''s no difference

    between you and me, ire. And just call me Ashley. It''s weird to hear you call me madam," Ashley

    said with a smile.

    "No, no, I can''t. I can''t call you by your name! How can I?" ire said, almost horrified. Ashley was

    kind to her, but that didn''t mean ire could dare break the rule.

    "I feel old when I hear you call me madam. I think ''madam'' works better for elder women."

    "That does make sense. Then I''ll call you Miss Mu. How about that?" ire suggested.

    Why was it ''Miss Mu'' again?

    But it sounded a lot better than Mrs. Lu. So Ashley gave a nod of consent.

    ire cooked up a simple supper and Ashley settled down to enjoy it.

    Ashley applied potion to the wound on her hand and she thought it looked better. Not as horrible as it

    had been in the morning.

    Ashley had assumed that it would be boring to live here. But to her surprise, it wasn''t all that bad. Time

    passed without her realizing it.

    ire was cooking in the kitchen and Ashley was on the phone in the living room when the sound of

    the front door opening reached their ears.

    At the sound of door shutting, Ashley turned around to find herself looking directly into Andrew''s eyes.

    Surprised at the unexpected eye contact, Ashley whipped back her head to look at her mobile phone.

    Andrew hung his coat on the cloth hanger and walked up to Ashley. "Is everything alright?" he asked

    cautiously.

    Ashley continued to y on her phone, choosing to ignore his question. She was still mad at him. Just

    because he had arranged a housekeeper for her didn''t mean she was going to forgive him.

 Chapter 103 Ashleys Refusal

    Chapter 103 Ashley''s Refusal

    Seeing Ashley didn''t respond, Andrew knew she was still mad at him. Quietly, he approached her and

    caressed her forehead. However, Ashley still didn''t take a single look back at him; instead, she fixed

    her eyes on her phone. Her face looked indifferent. Andrew felt a little embarrassed and shook his

    head helplessly. He then turned to go upstairs.

    "Miss Mu, is Mr. Lu home?" ire poked her head out from the kitchen and asked. She heard the

    sound of footsteps on the stairs.

    Ashley replied, "Yes, he''s home."

    "Great! I''m almost finished with cooking. You should go and tell him that the dinner will be ready soon,"

    ire said cheerfully.

    Ashley just said yes to ire, but she still was lying on the sofa, her lips pursed.

    Several minutester, ire carried the first dish out of the kitchen and walked past Ashley. She was

    surprised to see Ashley still lying on the sofa. So she stopped and reminded her again.

    Ashley didn''t want to show her displeasure towards Andrew in front of ire, so she sat up with a

    giggle and then rushed upstairs. As soon as she got upstairs, she immediately slowed down, and her

    expression changed. She couldn''t forgive Andrew so quickly and so easily, so she had to look tough

    and indifferent in front of him.

    Almost begrudgingly, Ashley knocked on the door and said coldly, "Andrew, dinner is ready." Hearing

    no answer from the inside, she began to open the door as she repeated again, "Dinner - "

    Before she could even finish her words, Ashley''s face became red as she looked into the room. She

    immediately turned around and almost let out a scream. With an exasperated tone, she asked,

    "Andrew, what are you doing?"

    Andrew looked back at her with a smile. Noticing that Ashley was embarrassed, he became amused.

    He took his time to put on his pants, and then he replied joyfully, "Don''t you see? I am changing my

    clothes."

    Ashley didn''t turn to look back. Sheined, "Can''t you do that in the bathroom?"

    "Does it matter? Is there any difference between those two?" Andrew suddenly felt wronged.

    "Fine,e down to have dinner once you get it done!" Ashley said. She just wanted to leave as soon

    as possible.

    Unexpectedly, she felt a grasp on her arm. Andrew reached out his hand to stop Ashley, and then he

    quickly took her by her wrist. He said with a big smile, "I am finished. Let''s go now!"

    With a reluctant look, Ashley started to shake his hand off of her. However, the more she tried, the

    tighter Andrew held her.

    "Stop it! You are hurting me!" Ashley red at him.

    Finally, Andrew loosened his grasp. At once, Ashley pulled her hand back. A red stripe showed up on

    Ashley''s wrist. Andrew suddenly felt sorry.

    Since he took a shower just now, the light smell of the lotion remained on his body and it was now filling

    the air.

    He donned a grey indoor suit, and he looked more handsome and taller than he really was.

    "Well, Mr. Lu, Miss Mu. Here youe! The dinner -" ire greeted with a big smile when she saw

    Ashley and Andrew finally came down.

    But when she wanted to say more, Andrew interrupted, "What did you call her?"

    Andrew''s look turned chilly. His gaze made ire''s legs turn to jelly.

    Helpless and trembling, ire shifted her eyes towards Ashley to search for help. By holding Andrew''s

    arm, Ashley tried her best to stop him from torturing ire using his chilly gaze. Quickly exining,

    Ashley said, "Calm down, Andrew, I asked her to call me that. I don''t like being called Mrs. Lu. That

    sounds too old to me."

    She was afraid that Andrew might snap at ire.

    To her surprise, Andrew calmed down and diverted his gaze after Ashley exined it to him. He rustled

    Ashley''s hair and said, with a happy smile, "Good! As long as you are pleased with it, I will be pleased,

    too."

    Looking at Andrew, Ashley thought to herself, ''Why does he always like to get his hands on my head

    lately?''

    After dinner, they went outside for a walk, as a way to help digestion.

    At dusk, it was not hot at all outside. The breeze was soft and cool. Both feltfortable and were in a

    good mood now.

    The fragrance of the flowers around filled the air.

    Ashley was so enchanted by what was around her. Standing still, she slowly closed her eyes.

    Andrew quietly followed behind her, trying not to break her peace.

    At such a wonderful time, it was a great opportunity for a man to propose to the woman he loved.

    Finally, he stood closely behind Ashley. He buried his nose into her hair, and asked, "What kind of

    wedding do you want?"

    Coming back to her senses, Ashley was surprised. She couldn''t believe what she had heard. She

    turned to look Andrew in the eye.

    With her eyes wide open, she said, "What? What did you say?

    Wedding?"

    In fact, Ashley never wished for a wedding ceremony, even if they were husband and wife to each other

    lawfully for they had already got the marriage license.

    However, Andrew had thought about this ever since they went to the marriage registration office that

    day.

    Supposing that Ashley''s surprise was out of over-happiness, he thought Ashley agreed, but he was still

    in disbelief when he looked into her eyes.

    Since he wanted to discuss more about the wedding n, he continued, "Which kind of wedding do

    you prefer, eastern or western style? Do you like it to be held by the sea or somewhere else?"

    Eagerly, he awaited Ashley''s answer. He had been nning about what it would look like if he decided

    to hold a wedding ceremony.

    To him, Ashley had upied a very important part in his heart that he wanted to let the whole world

    know that he would marry her, and that he would take her as his only wife!

    Still, he wouldn''t think about carrying a wedding out only by himself. He valued and wanted his wife''s

    opinion as well.

    "Well, as far as I am concerned, it''s really not necessary to have a wedding ceremony," Ashley started.

    "I mean, we''ve already got our marriage certificate, haven''t we? A wedding ceremony is just a

    formality¡­" As she stated her opinions, Andrew''s chilly gaze made her unable to speak in a calm and

    rational way. As her courage was broken down, her voice became lower and lower, until she couldn''t

    even clearly hear what she was talking about.

    Also, she kept her eyes on the ground to avoid Andrew''s re.

    Actually, she felt guilty. It seemed that she had let down Andrew just now, the man who cared for her so

    dearly and cared for her more than any man did.

    Yes, she proposed to him. But when Andrew suggested a wedding ceremony to her, all she did was

    refuse it with all her heart.

    With a wry smile, Andrew kept gazing at her. Inside his mind, though, a wave of anger was boiling. At

    that moment, he was almost about to lose his mind at the sight of her silence.

    ''I am holding this wedding not for myself, but also for your own good!

    Wedding is such an important thing that no women would refuse it. How could you not even care, even

    im it is just for formality?

    Do you still not forget him? Do you still love that man, even more than me?''

    Jealousy suddenly crossed his mind and upied his chest.

    "Not necessary?" Andrew asked, emotionless, his dark cold eyes still fixed on Ashley.

    "No - well. I mean yes." Ashley was stressed and didn''t know how to pick her words and speak her

    mind correctly. With Andrew ring down at her, she felt her scalp burning.

    "You''d better make yourself clear!" Andrew said, pressing her. He was not giving her a moment to

    breathe.

    Ashley felt at a loss, so she stepped back in an attempt to get rid of Andrew''s spell. She had to lighten

    the tension, otherwise, it would be impossible for her to talk back and exin herself well.

    However, a wall behind her blocked her way backward. To make it worse, Andrew didn''t stop

    approaching her. Atst, she stopped withdrawing. She picked herself up and looked Andrew directly in

    his eyes, and demanded, "Andrew Lu, listen to me!"

    Taken aback, he held his feet. He observed the slightest anxiety on Ashley''s face that betrayed her.

    Then he suddenly sped up to finally approach her. With his breath on Ashley''s face, she couldn''t help

    but tremble.

    "What did you say?" Andrew asked, as if he was ready for a fight.

    Ashley failed to hold her ground. She was trapped in his aggression again. "Andrew Lu..." she

    stammered.

    Andrew watched Ashley''s quivering lips and panicked eyes. Acting on instinct, he held his face very

    close to hers that his lips almost touched hers. Thedy was too scared to move.

    All she could do now was to close her eyes in despair.

    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    "Wrong!" The low but heavy voice echoed in her ears.

    She tried hard to open her eyes slightly. The sight of Andrew''s stern face made her heart beat faster.

    Her hands reached for the hem of her dress, and itforted her a little.

    Then she thought to herself, ''I don''t think I called him wrong. Am I too nervous? Why he said that? Is

    Andrew Lu not his real name? Does he have another one?''

    Suddenly, something hit her, so she gathered herself up and said again, "Andrew?"

    "Yes."

    Finally, she felt at ease. Then she asked, "Can you just take a step back and leave me some space to

    breathe? I feel breathless right now."

    "I refuse." Andrew pulled her closer and held her waist tightly.

    His hands held her so tight that she couldn''t make herself a little morefortable. She was really

    struggling to move her body.

    "Why don''t you want a wedding ceremony?" he asked.

    His face still looked cold and emotionless. His eyes looked as dark as ck holes, as if they would

    swallow Ashley in an instant. They made Ashley tremble again.

    "Because I... I... I don''t think I deserve this. If the wedding ceremony is going to be held, it will draw a

    lot of people''s attention on me. I am a nobody. Anyone would think that I married you to get your

    money, not because I love you truly. That would not only be bad for yourpany, but also affect our

    private life. That''s why I''m refusing¡­"

 Chapter 104 Sleep With Andrew

    Chapter 104 Sleep With Andrew

    "Besides, I don''t think there is any need to hold a big wedding. After all, the concept of marriage is

    between you and me. Perhaps, we can just treat our rtives and friends to a meal to inform them of

    our wedding," Ashley added.

    Taking notice of the self-mockery on her face, Andrew felt a pang of difort in his heart. ''Oh, it

    breaks my heart to see her act this way, '' he thought.

    Pulling Ashley into his arms, he assured her in a low voice, "Don''t worry. I promise that from now on,

    nobody would give you a hard time." ''No one would dare look down on you or put you down as long as

    I am alive. If anyone has the nerve to hurt you, I will not spare him or her, '' he swore to himself. With

    ferocity shing through his eyes, Andrew was determined to protect Ashley with all his life.

    Being held so tight and pulled very close to his chest, Ashley could hear Andrew''s heartbeat.

    Enveloped in his strong arms and warmed by his body, Ashley felt her heart palpitate fast. Rattled and

    confused at the same time, she gave Andrew a slight push.

    Caught off guard, Andrew stepped back and released his grip on Ashley.

    Watching his lovely wife run away hurriedly, Andrew drew an enchanting smile which made girls difficult

    to resist his charm.

    ''She has some feelings for me after all. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have acted that way, '' he thought with

    a sly smile.

    Andrew didn''t confess his love to her. His flirting behaviors, however, took her breath away. As her

    mind was in a total mess, Ashley couldn''t think straight. Thus, she just ran away from Andrew after

    pushing him away. She couldn''t understand why she acted that way. She thought running was the best

    way to hide her red cheeks that betrayed her real feeling for Andrew.

    Seeing Ashley rush to her, ire assumed that there was something going on between the couple.

    "What''s up, Miss Mu? Why are you in such a hurry?" she asked with her eyebrows slightly raised.

    Realizing that the housekeeper was in the vi, Ashley was slightly relieved. Squeezing a smile, she

    replied, "I''m fine. I''m a little tired. I''m going to bed. Good night."

    Ashley dashed upstairs as fast as she could as if she had been chased by a bunch of money lenders.

    The next second Ashley retired to their bedroom. With her back against the door, she bent down,

    rested her hands on her knees and gasped for air. After she calmed down, she walked into the

    bathroom and took a quick bath.

    After the refreshing bath, she walked towards the medicine cab. Taking the ointment out, she

    applied an ample amount to the wound on her hand. Staring at the almost invisible scar, she assumed

    that she could go to work tomorrow for she didn''t feel any pain from her hand.

    Her reverie was interrupted, however when she heard someone walking to the door. Upon hearing the

    door open, she took off her slippers, got into bed and hid under the covers. She pretended to be

    asleep. After the intimate embrace by Andrew, she was so shy that she didn''t know how to face him.

    When Andrew entered the room, the figure lying on the bed under the quilt caught his attention. He

    stared at the quilt, and a cunning smile climbed up the corner of his lips.

    Without speaking to Ashley, he went straight to the bathroom.

    When Andrew closed the door, Ashley stuck her head out of the quilt gasping for air greedily.

    Due tock of oxygen, her face turned red, and her hair was a mess, she looked extremely adorable.

    Since she had no idea when Andrew would step out of the bathroom, she fixed her eyes on the

    bathroom door. ''Once he opens the door, I will bury my head inside the quilt again, '' she decided.

    Yet, several minutes had passed but the sound of water was still dripping on the floor. Ashley felt

    slightly sleepy and let down her alert.

    The next moment, Andrew''s voice reached her ears.

    "Honey, I forgot to get my pajamas. Can you help me with that?"

    His voice was somehow hoarse,zy and sexy.

    When she heard him call her ''Honey'', her cheeks were blushed.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Grabbing the quilt, she wrapped herself tighter. Without saying a word, she pretended as if she heard

    nothing.

    Ashley closed her eyes, ignoring his request. ''I''m asleep, '' she reminded herself.

    Teasingly, Andrew seemed to have read her mind. "Sweetie, if I can''t get my pajamas, I have to get it

    myself," he said.

    ''What?

    He is going to get his own pajamas?

    That way, he would get out naked, '' she thought in a panic.

    With the silly idea on mind, Ashley suddenly thought that he was a shameless rascal.

    She yanked the quilt and sat up immediately. Giving the ss door of the bathroom an angry stare, she

    yelled, "Wait up. I''m on it."

    With much reluctance, Ashley came over to the wardrobe and grabbed his pajamas. She made her

    way to the bathroom and knocked at the door.

    Later, the door slightly opened. A pair of slender, long hands with some beads of water on them were

    reaching out through the crack.

    Ashley gazed at his hands, her mind starting to wander off. A few secondster, she shook off her head

    and snapped out of her trance. With one quick shove, she handed the pajamas to Andrew.

    As she turned around, Andrew called again, "Honey, where are my boxers?"

    Veins creased out on her forehead. She whined furiously, ''He is such a troublesome man!''

    Unwilling as she was, she walked up to the closet and pulled the boxers without giving them a nce.

    She strode towards the door of the bathroom and stretched out her hand into it.

    With her arms on the hips, she asked in a sulky tone, "You don''t need anything else, right?"

    With pleasure all over his face, Andrew put on his pajamas in the bathroom. He imagined the look on

    Ashley''s face at that moment.

    ''She must be glowering at the door. She is mad at me, but she can''t do anything to me, '' he thought

    with an amused face.

    Andrew didn''t bring his pajamas on purpose so that he could ask Ashley to get them for him.

    He had been certain that Ashley wouldn''t refuse to do him the favor, and he was right all along.

    When Andrew had put on his boxers and pajamas, he came out and found that Ashley was hiding

    under the covers again.

    Letting out augh, he walked up to the side of the bed where he usually slept.

    When Ashley sensed that the other side of the bed sank slightly, she held on to the quilt and her body

    turned stiff. She was still ufortable sleeping with her husband.

    "Aren''t you feeling hot?" With his usual tone, Andrew''s low voice reverberated in the room.

    However, Ashley didn''t respond. She pretended to be sleeping.

    "Are you asleep?" Andrew whispered, leaning towards her.

    Sensing that Andrew was closer, Ashley had a bad feeling upon hearing his question.

    Determined to catch her in her silly act, Andrew drew nearer to Ashley and held the quilt where she hid.

    He removed the quilt so that Ashley''s head could be seen. Resting his chin on her head, he heaved a

    sigh.

    Ashley felt sorry for him when he heard him sigh.

    She started to reflect on herself. She thought that perhaps she had been too mean to him.

    After all, she had proposed to him personally to get her jade pendant back. The thing was, Andrew had

    been nice to her since they got married. He even wanted to hold a wedding ceremony to tell everyone

    that she was his wife.

    But she kept refusing his goodwill. She always shut him up no matter how well he treated her.

    Considering that they were husband and wife now, plus she had some feelings for him too, she started

    to consider the idea of falling in love with him From now on she would try and open her heart to him.

    The thought delighted her, and she was determined to pay back Andrew''s kindness and generosity

    towards her.

    ''Andrew is an enchanting man from a prominent family. There is no doubt that he is popr among

    women, and he is the ideal perfect husband for them. Besides, he knows how to cook and he is a

    considerate man. Now that I''m married to him, I will try to ept him, '' she thought.

    If Johnny had learned about Ashley''s opinion of Andrew, he would be taken by great surprise.

    In his eyes, his boss was handsome and good at cooking. However, he never regarded him as a

    thoughtful person. Maybe because he hadn''t lived with him and had no chance to get to know him

    deeply. But in Ashley''s case, her impression of Andrew had changed over time.

    As far as he was concerned, Andrew always emanated an indifferent, powerful aura which could scare

    people away. He didn''t think his boss was a considerate man.

 Chapter 105 Going To Work Together

    Chapter 105 Going To Work Together

    Maybe Ashley was the only one who thought that Andrew was gentle and considerate.

    He actually was an impatient person. It was only for Ashley that he brought out his gentleness and

    patience.

    Ashley had thought it through and decided to ept Andrew. So she wrapped her arms around

    Andrew and nestled into his embrace.

    Andrew''s embrace was warm andfortable. Ashley could smell the minty scent on his body and felt

    his steady breath.

    Ashley gradually rxed and fell asleep in Andrew''s arms.

    A happy smile took its ce on Andrew''s face as he stared at Ashley, who was sleeping like a baby in

    his arms.

    It was the first time that Ashley had hugged him willingly and the first time that she hade so close

    to him. Andrew was actually jumping for joy from within.

    He kissed Ashley''s forehead gently and whispered," Good night, sweetie."

    The next morning, Ashley and Andrew sat at the table to have breakfast.

    The food that ire had cooked was delicious, but couldn''t bepared to Andrew''s cooking.

    Ashley stared at Andrew, wondering if he would let her go back to work. She was already feeling better

    and her hands didn''t hurt anymore.

    She thought about asking him the question, but she didn''t know what to call him.

    Should she call him by his full name? Andrew Lu?

    She could have called him that in the past, but now that they were in a rtionship, calling him by his

    full name might put a distance between them.

    How about she called him Andrew?

    But all his friends called him Andrew.

    ''Maybe I should call him honey! Many couples call each other honey, '' Ashley pondered.

    On second thought, she scratched the idea of calling Andrew ''honey''. It sounded too mushy.

    Andrew, who was eating with his head down, felt Ashley''s gaze. He looked up and asked," What''s

    wrong?"

    Andrew was elegant and noble, and whatever he did, he exuded dignity. He was Prince Charming in

    real life.

    "I think my hand is better now. Can I go back to work today?" Ashley asked carefully. She reached out

    her hand and showed it to Andrew.

    She gazed hopefully at Andrew as she waited for his answer. She was tired of staying at home.

    Andrew looked at her hand, and then up at her. It did seem better than yesterday but it wasn''t

    completely healed. Andrew believed that Ashley still needed to rest at home for a few more days.

    But he softened as he saw the expectant look in her pretty eyes, and just couldn''t say no to her.

    "Great! I''ll get dressed up in a minute!" Ashley said, cheered by Andrew''s approval.

    She ran upstairs hurriedly and Andrew couldn''t help but chuckle as he watched her run.

    "I''m done. Let''s go!" Ashley trilled as she came back with her purse. She had nipped up just for that

    and hade back downstairs as fast as she could.

    Andrew got up from where he was sitting and headed towards the door. Ashley followed him, a spring

    in her step.

    When they were in the car, Ashley said to Andrew as she buckled up," Drive me to the bus station, and

    I''ll take a bus to work."

    "Where do you work?" Andrew asked, fully intending to reject her suggestion.

    "You don''t have to drive me to work. Just drop me off at a bus station," Ashley said, waving a hand.

    As she spoke, Andrew turned to look quite seriously into her eyes. Ashley trailed off, ovee with

    tension.

    Ashley was scared to see Andrew stare at her like that. Out of fear, she gave the address to him.

    But the address that she gave him wasn''t the exact address of her cake store but a couple of streets

    away from her store.

    "Won''t you have to go out of your way to give me a lift? I thought it''s quite far away from where you

    work," Ashley said hesitantly.

    "No, it''s on the way," Andrew lied, avoiding Ashley''s gaze.

    If Johnny could hear what Andrew had just said, he would have fallen off his chair.

    How could Andrew say that without batting an eye?

    Ashley''s store was to the east of the city, while Andrew''spany was in the west. They were located

    in opposite directions. To top it off, they were quite far away from each other. And now Andrew was

    saying that they fell in the same path? How was that possible?

    Andrew usually had drivers pick him up for work. But ofte, he had called it off.

    Johnny had been confused but he canceled the pick up service as Andrew had asked.

    How amazed Johnny would be if he knew that Andrew had sent everyone away on purpose so that he

    could be alone with Ashley on the way to work.

    Ashley sighed in relief as she heard Andrew''s answer.

    "So, what do you do right now?" Andrew asked with a smile.

    Andrew didn''t know that Ashley owned a bakery because he hadn''t intended to interfere with her work.

    So he had skimmed over the part about her work when he had read her information.

    "I run a store with Ellie. We opened it not long ago," Ashley beamed.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Seeing the happy smile on her face, Andrew somehow became jealous of Ellie because during the time

    that he had missed with Ashley, Ellie had been the one inseparable constant in Ashley''s life.

    Sensing that Andrew was annoyed, Ashley turned and looked at him, puzzled.

    Feeling her gaze on him, Andrew rearranged his features and asked," Really? What kind of store are

    you running?"

    "It''s a bakery where we sell cupcakes. Do you like eating cupcakes? I can bring you some when Ie

    back," Ashley said.

    Andrew wanted to say no because he had hated sweet food since his childhood.

    But he couldn''t reject her when he saw her expectant, excited face. "Yes, I''d like that," he ended up

    saying.

    "I''m telling you, the cupcakes Ellie and I sell are the best in the world, and you are definitely going to

    love them!" Ashley couldn''t stop talking when it came to cakes.

    She kept twittering on the way to the store, and Andrew just listened quietly, nodding along from time to

    time.

    As he looked at Ashley, Andrew thought of all the times he had hated people twittering away like

    sparrows as he drove. How strange it was that he now loved Ashley talking by his side.

    "Okay, here we are," Ashley said as the car turned into a street.

    Andrew stopped the car and asked, "When do you get off work? I''ll pick you up."

    "Oh, you don''t need to. I can take a taxi home." Ashley said, not wanting to trouble him too much.

    Andrew said nothing but just stared at her, waiting for her to change her answer. Atst, Ashley gave in

    and said, " I get off at 5 pm."

    Andrew nodded and said, "Be right here waiting for me then. Do not wander around by yourself."

    "Okay," Ashley said, wondering why she couldn''t wander around. She wasn''t a three-year-old kid. She

    wouldn''t get lost.

 Chapter 106 It Has Nothing To Do With You!

    Chapter 106 It Has Nothing To Do With You!

    After Ashley got off from the car and disappeared from his sight, Andrew looked away and turned the

    steering wheel to make his way to his office.

    Ashley walked to the cake shop in a great mood. Suddenly she was blocked by someone. The man

    looked at her with a sad face, very unlike his usual peppy self.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Ashley raised her head and nced at him, preparing to walk around him.

    But the man suddenly grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him. "Who is he?"

    Oh, right! The man who had stopped Ashley was none other than Raymond.

    He had overheard a rumor from Lena about Ashley and he couldn''t wait to see his ex-girlfriend.

    When he saw her getting out of a luxury car, he believed Lena.

    Raymond didn''t act rationally. He grabbed Ashley''s arm tightly with both hands, exerting more force

    than necessary. He went crazy when he saw her getting down from that pricey car.

    He never thought that Ashley would change so much in less than a month.

    Ashley saw Raymond and her expression soured. His grip on her arm was so painful that she had to

    bite her lip to stop herself from crying out, "Whoever he is, it has nothing to do with you. Let me go"

    Instead of loosening his grip, Raymond tightened it. ring at her, he asked sarcastically, "Is he the

    guy who you got married to? You married him, right?"

    Ashley''s expression changed. "I don''t know what you are talking about," she replied.

    But she wondered how Raymond knew that she was married. ''Only Peggy and Lena knew. Did they tell

    him?'' she thought to herself.

    Raymond saw Ashley''s baffled expression and although it disappeared in a sh, he caught it. "What?"

    he sneered, "You don''t want to admit it? Ashley Mu, was it because you felt lonely?" Raymond asked,

    moving closer to her.

    Startled, Ashley asked warily, "Raymond, what do you want to do?"

    "What do I want to do? I want to satisfy you, of course." Raymond had a sardonic grin and tried to lean

    close to her red lips. At that moment, she turned her head and his lips brushed her face.

    Raymond was momentarily distracted. Using this opportunity, Ashley managed to wrench herself free

    from his grip. She raised her hand and pped him.

    "Thwack!" The sound was loud. Raymond''s neck twisted the other way, and there was blood on his

    lips. Ashley looked at him, feeling no sympathy at all.

    But he seemed to be jolted by this p. He exined to Ashley who was looking at him coldly, "Ashley,

    I am sorry. I didn''t mean it."

    She red at him angrily and prepared to leave.

    A nervous Raymond hurried to chase her. "Ashley, I didn''t mean to do that just now. Let me exin..."

    "I don''t need your exnation. Just don''t bother me in the future," Ashley stated.

    "Is it because of that man?" Raymond questioned.

    Ashley frowned and stared at him.

    "I already know everything, Ashley." There was a bitter smile on his face.

    "Lena told me that you got married, but I didn''t believe her. However, I have to believe it now. Anyway, I

    never thought that you were this kind of woman. I thought Lena made it up, but..." Raymond looked

    sadly at Ashley.

    He had heard from Lena that Ashley was looking for a shop after leaving the Luo Group, and then she

    had hooked up with a rich man for some unknown reason. Finally, she had got married to the same

    man.

    Of course, these were not Lena''s words. She might have twisted the truth, but whether or not she did it

    intentionally, he naturally believed it. That was the reason why he hade to Ashley today.

    However, he hadn''t thought that he would see Ashleying out of a luxury car as soon as he arrived.

    With Lena''s words still ringing his head, he was certain that Ashley had made some deal with that man

    before marrying him.

    Ashley raised her eyebrows. It was Lena again.

    This woman was everywhere and tried to cause trouble to her all the time.

    Ashley suddenlyughed and asked Raymond, "Are you brainless? You actually believe that woman?

    And, what I do is none of your business. You just need to care about your fiancee. Do you understand?

    My brother-inw!"

    Raymond was heartbroken. "This is not about Lena...

    Ashley, you don''t need to take revenge on me this way. You will hurt yourself. And that man doesn''t

    love you. Why did you marry him?

    Get a divorce. It is not toote."

    Raymond couldn''t help but try and talk her out of this marriage. Even though Ashley was rude to him

    right now, he didn''t want her to get hurt.

    "Raymond, I have already told you clearly that I am no longer part of your life!"

    Seeing that Raymond was frustrated, Ashley tried to leave.

    "Ashley..." He wanted to grasp her hand as she walked past him, but he failed.

    "Bang!" Raymond punched the wall beside him. There was blood on his hand, but he didn''t care. He

    looked at Ashley''s back with a dim expression in his eyes. Nobody knew what he was thinking.

    Ashley went into the shop. She didn''t look well. Nobody would be happy if they were bitten by a crazy

    dog.

    Ashley rolled up her sleeve. As expected, there was an ugly blue mark on her arm where Raymond

    had held her. Ashley felt the pain even if she just looked at the injury. She didn''t know how she resisted

    it.

    Why was she having so much bad luck these days? First her hand got burnt, and now her arm was

    injured by Raymond.

    Before Ashley could put her sleeve down and conceal the wound, Cheryl jogged over to her. Seeing

    the injury on her arm, Cheryl''s eyes widened. "Ashley, what''s wrong with your arm?" she asked.

    Ashley put down her sleeve and smiled at Cheryl who was concerned about her. "I am fine. It''s nothing

    serious. I fell because I was walking too fast this morning."

    Cheryl pursed her lips and looked closely. "How can it be caused by a fall? And even if you fell on the

    floor, you would hurt your hand not your arm."

    Ashley couldn''t reply. This little girl was smart today.

    "Ashley, I am going to go and buy some medicine for you."

    Ashley looked around the shop. It was early in the morning, and there were not many customers.

    Moreover, her arm hurt her a lot, so she simply nodded.

 Chapter 107 Scheming

    Chapter 107 Scheming

    Cheryl rushed out when Ashley said yes.

    "Are you okay? That wound on your hand doesn''t look good," Nina walked up to Ashley and asked her,

    frowning a little. Ashley could see that Nina was worried about her, even though she was mostly

    expressionless.

    Ashley smiled and said, "I''m okay. Watch this for me. I''ll be back in a minute."

    During the renovation of the shop, Greyson had suggested that a small room be added so that people

    could take rest. Ashley considered Greyson to be a genius for havinge up with such a good idea.

    It was a good thing that Greyson didn''t hear Ashley calling him a genius, or he would be

    awkward. His intention behind suggesting the building of the room was selfish. He had thought that he

    could use that room to y whenever he came.

    But Ashley seemed to have misunderstood.

    Cheryl soon returned with a bottle of Ibuprofen. "Here, Ashley. This will help with your wound," she

    said.

    "Thanks a lot, Cheryl," Ashley said, taking the medication from her.

    "Well, you need some rest. So I''m off," Cheryl said.

    Ashley smiled and nodded.

    After Cheryl left, Ashley squeezed a little ointment on to her fingers and applied it to the wound.

    She rubbed on it lightly, which caused a pricking on it that made her cry out. "Ouch!" Ashley thought

    wistfully, ''How could Raymond be so ruthless to me? It fucking hurts.''

    At the same time, she somehow felt pity for him, for being cheated and controlled by that bitch Lena.

    Thinking over and over again about all that had happened, Ashley decided that she could never let

    Andrew know about her wound, or he would be mad at her.

    She could remember how Andrew was thest time she had burned herself. She didn''t want to see him

    like that again.

    It had only been a month since she had gotten to know Andrew, but she didn''t want him to be worried,

    no matter what.

    The Mu Family

    Raymond had left Ashley there ande to the Mu family. He had the suspicion that Ashley hadn''t told

    him the whole story because he could guess her thoughts, having known her for a long, long time.

    He didn''t really believe that she had done all that.

    Lena was now curled up on the sofa, surrounded by snacks and fruits, watching TV.

    Lena was a clever woman and could have chosen any workces, but she chose to work with the Luo

    Group. Why? Because she knew that Ashley and Raymond were both working in thispany. So she

    joined thepany, seeking to watch their moves. But of course, she had seeded in getting

    together with him.

    Now that she had gotten what she wanted, she had made Ashley leave thepany, made Raymond

    her fiance, and got along well with Raymond''s family. She didn''t have to stay in thatpany anymore.

    So why not leave thepany and do whatever she wanted?

    Thinking that she heard the doorbell, and she asked the servant to open the door, wanting to know who

    it was at this time of the night.

    "Raymond, honey, what are you doing here? It''s veryte." Lena had morphed into a different woman,

    including her voice, when she saw who was standing by the door.

    She threw the half-eaten apple into the dustbin and sat up on the sofa. She acted like she was the

    epitome of elegance and stepped towards Raymond.

    Lena wanted to take his hand but Raymond waved her away. He looked her in the eye and asked, "Is it

    true? Did Ashley marry that man?"

    Lena felt her heart jolt at his question, fearing that he had found out the truth.

    ''No, it isn''t possible, '' she thought frantically. ''Only Mom and I know about Ashley getting married. It''s

    impossible for him to know about what I did."

    Analyzing the situation, she came to a conclusion about what she had to do. She pretended to be

    ignorant and confused. "What happened, Raymond? It''s true that my sister got married several days

    ago. My mom agreed and Ashley showed us the marriage certificate. She wanted us to tell you that

    she hoped you would leave her alone and not see her again, because she doesn''t want her husband to

    misunderstand anything."

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Raymond gritted his teeth.

    "You told me that she married that man just so she could rent the storefront. Is that true?" he asked.

    Lena nodded and said, "Yes, it''s true. When she nned to leave Luo Group, I tried to convince her to

    stay. I told her not to leave. I told her that it was better for her to work there than to manage a cake

    shop all by herself.

    But she wouldn''t listen to me. I''ve done all I could to keep her there. And she..." Lena paused and

    nced at Raymond.

    "And she what?" Raymond urged her.

    "The storefront my sister rented has something to do with Harkim, and the man, my brother-inw is

    the one we met at Vineyard Restaurantst time, can you remember that?"

    Vineyard Restaurant?

    Raymond remembered that he had met a man at the Vineyard Hotel thest time he was there. That

    man had insisted that he was Ashley''s boyfriend and told Raymond to keep away from her.

    Raymond couldn''t recall anything about the man but his cold, horrible eyes.

    After that, Raymond had gotten someone to investigate him, but they had found nothing.

    It was weird indeed. Raymond was one of the most powerful men in J City. It was pretty easy for him to

    root someone out, but he had failed to dig the man up this time. The man probably didn''t belong to their

    circle. Raymond didn''t believe that. He desperately wanted to know who that man was.

    Going by Raymond''s sullen behavior, Lena suspected that he had already seen Ashley. And Ashley

    had definitely told him something that had made him question her.

    Lena narrowed her eyes and looked at Raymond, "Honey, I''m telling you the truth. Did Ashley tell you

    anything about me? You know, Ashley was adopted, so she never liked me much. But I treated her like

    my own sister..." Lena said tearfully.

    Hearing everything that Lena was telling him, Raymond faltered. He began to suspect what Ashley had

    told him.

    He thought, ''Lena is such a kind girl. How could she have done such things? How could she have

    deceived me?''

    In the end, Raymond was like all other men who couldn''t resist women who acted weak. They thought

    all women were supposed to be like this, but they didn''t know that it was their stupidity that made the

    women strong.

    Raymond sighed and walked up to Lena. He held her shoulders and said, "I trust you."

    Lena leaned against Raymond, sighed, and asked, "Honey, so you''ve seen my sister, right? What did

    she tell you? She wouldn''te back to the Luo Group, would she?"

    Raymond felt a pang of regret when he heard Lena''s words. He thought, ''Lena didn''t say anything bad

    about Ashley, so I was wrong about her. She''s a kind girl and she''s not lying to me.''

    Thinking thus, Raymond said, "It''s all right. It''s okay if she doesn''t want toe

    back."

 Chapter 108 Pick You Up Every Day

    Chapter 108 Pick You Up Every Day

    The joy was evident in Lena''s eyes. ''Now that Ashley is married, Raymond is mine. Ashley, you are no

    match for me. You''re doomed to be a loser and will always be inferior to me, '' she snickered from

    within.

    "Raymond, what happened to your hand?" Lena asked as she gaped at his hand.

    There were several stains of dried blood on his hand that Raymond had clenched into a fist.

    He had headed straight to the Mu family''s house after meeting Ashley. Preupied with his ex-

    girlfriend''s marriage on the way, he had paid no attention to his injured hand.

    Raymond followed her gaze to the wound on his hand. Since Ashley had refused to divorce her

    husband, he had been so furious that he hadn''t even felt the pain. But as Lena brought it up, he felt a

    stab of pain in his hand.

    "Don''t worry. It''s not a big deal," he replied.

    "You should be more careful," Lena said with a frown. There was a trace of reproach in her voice.

    She turned to a maid and instructed, "Kathy, go get the first aid box."

    "Please let me take care of your wound, Raymond," Lena said, a pleading note to her voice.

    Raymond nodded.

    A few minutester, Kathy came back with the first aid box. She walked up to Lena and politely said,

    "Miss Mu, here it is."

    Lena grabbed Raymond''s arm and pulled him so that both of them were seated on the couch. She

    carefully took his injured hand and started cleaning the wound.

    As Lena lowered her head, a wisp of smooth hair fell over her face, blocking her sight. She tucked the

    hair behind her ear and continued to clean the wound. Raymond sat quietly, observing her. She had a

    pair of big eyes and rosy lips on her small, fair face.

    Lena was pretty, but Ashley was stunning. That was one of the reasons why Lena detested Ashley so

    much.

    As Raymond stared at Lena, the anger and displeasure in his eyes faded slightly. For him, having sex

    with Lena had been a pure ident. Since then, he had spent more time with her and discovered that

    Lena and Ashley were ofpletely different dispositions.

    Ashley was an independent, strong, and steady girl, while Lena was clingy, gentle and considerate.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Raymond preferred thetter type of girls like Lena. But since he and Ashley had been together for

    three years, he found it difficult to get over her.

    Feeling his gaze on her, Lena stole a nce at him and noticed the way he was looking at her. She

    continued to treat his wound, as her lips curved into a satisfied smile that he couldn''t see.

    Over at the Lu Group, Johnny discovered that his boss was acting strange. Andrew grabbed his cell

    phone to check the time, furrowed his brows, and dropped it on the table. Several minutester, he

    picked up his cell phone again and fixed his gaze on the screen. He had repeated this action many

    times, but it looked like he would never get sick of it.

    Johnny looked uneasily at Andrew, not knowing what was going on with his boss.

    "I need to know what she has been doing. And who she has mettely," Andrew demanded abruptly.

    It didn''t take long for Johnny to realize who his boss was referring to.

    Andrew had learnt about Ashley''s background, but he hadn''t hired a detective to keep a close eye on

    her to stay up-to-date with her daily life, because he feared that Ashley would be mad at him if she

    found out what he had done.

    He didn''t think Ashley would like being followed.

    But he had now changed his mind. He wanted to know everything about Ashley''s private life.

    "Yes, boss," Johnny replied, and then added, "You have an appointment with Mr. Liu, the president of

    the Ace Group. He wanted to discuss a project with you. So..." "Call it off," Andrew said sternly before

    Johnny could even finish his sentence.

    Andrew''s face softened as a thought urred to him. "I have something to do," he said.

    If Johnny somehow figured out that Andrew was calling off the appointment to pick Ashley up, he would

    be dumbfounded.

    After all, Andrew had now called off a project which was worth more than ten million dors. Johnny

    would never understand Andrew''s decision of giving up such a big deal.

    At present, nothing was more important to Andrew than Ashley.

    It was about 5 in the afternoon when Ashley bid farewell to Nina and Cheryl and left the bakery. She

    walked up to the spot where she had gotten off the car that morning.

    Ashley looked at her watch and found that there were two minutes to 5 o''clock. She had left her shop

    early because she hadn''t wanted to keep Andrew waiting.

    As Ashley looked up, a silver Rolls-Royce stopped in front of her. The window rolled down to reveal

    Andrew''s face.

    Ashley nced at her watch and then at Andrew. ''It''s five o''clock. He is so punctual! It was a wise

    decision to leave the bakery ahead of time, '' she thought.

    As Ashley came to her senses, she opened the car, settled down in the passenger seat, and buckled

    up. A thought dawned on her when Andrew started the engine.

    Her bakery was quite far from the vi they lived in. And she had to go to the bakery every day, which

    meant that Andrew had to pick her up every day.

    Ashley looked at Andrew, who was focusing on driving. "I must have put you to much trouble. You had

    to drop me off in the morning and now had to pick me up. Besides, it is a long drive from the vi to my

    shop," she said to him.

    Andrew shot her a nce and returned his eyes to the road. "No, not at all. I think it''s good," he

    responded curtly.

    He had asked his chauffeur to take a couple of days off so that he could pick Ashley up every day. He

    even wished for Ashley to work in the Lu Group if possible, so that he could spend more time with her.

    Ashley was left speechless. She couldn''t believe that Andrew was so oblivious to the underlying

    meaning behind her words.

    She bit her lower lip as she pursued the matter further, "How about I move back to my former

    apartment? That ce is closer to my workce. That way, you don''t have to pick me up every day."

    Andrew chuckled, bringing the car to a halt at the red light. "We just got married, and now you want to

    separate from me?"

    Ashley hadn''t thought about this. She had only thought about how inconvenient it was for her to go to

    the bakery. Besides, she didn''t want Andrew to drive long hours just to pick her up.

    But on hearing what Andrew had said, she realized that her proposal to move out had been

    inappropriate. The truth was that Andrew had misinterpreted her words.

    Ashley shook her head, and fixing her eyes on him, she exined anxiously, "Please don''t get me

    wrong. I just think that you would feel tired picking me up all the time. After all, my workce is far from

    the vi."

    He smiled as he noticed the rattled look on her face. "I know," he said.

    "Are you sure you want to pick me up every day?"

    "Yes, I am."

    Ashley was at a loss for words. ''Seriously? He is going to drop me off every day? Oh jeez!'' she

    thought, panicking a little.

    "Have you ever thought of working in apany?" Andrew asked abruptly.

    Ashley had no idea why he was bringing this up.

    She looked out of the window, settling her chin on her hand, and said, "No. I like running the bakery."

    Ashley had an aversion to the conspiracies that took ce in apany. In costume dramas, such

    concubines would go to great lengths to win the emperor''s affection. ording to her, those office

    workers were no better than such concubines. They would do anything to get

    promoted.

 Chapter 109 Andrew Found Out

    Chapter 109 Andrew Found Out

    Ashley was an adopted child. But she wasn''t treated well. The family she had lived with had their own

    agendas, and she had seen her family members plotting against her many times. She no longer

    wanted to see the evil side in people.

    Working in a bigpany full of devious colleagues and cutthroatpetition felt a lot like living with

    her family. She didn''t want that anymore. She preferred to be content with her small venture ¡ª Memory

    Bakery. It was her happy space and she felt free here. Besides, the bakery was doing well now. There

    was no need for her to work at a bigpany to make a living.

    Someday, if she couldn''t keep Memory Bakery running, she might consider going back to apany,

    but, at present, that option was, thankfully, off the table.

    Listening to what she said, Andrew''s grip on the steering wheel momentarily tightened. He anticipated

    a definite rejection to his suggestion of working with him. So instead of voicing his thoughts, he held his

    peace.

    The car was moving steadily. Ashley started to feel drowsy. Her head moved slightly from side to side

    involuntarily.

    Andrew had kept ncing at her from time to time while driving. But this time when he looked at her, he

    couldn''t take his eyes off of her.

    He saw Ashley holding up her head with one hand, which was resting against the car window, while

    she kept nodding off like a cute chicken that was pecking.

    Her fresh rosy lips were slightly parted. Her long shadowy eyshes encircled her beautiful closed

    eyes. She was asleep like a quiet angel.

    Her skin was fair like the finest white jade, but at that moment it was covered in ayer of rosy pink,

    which made her face look like a ripe, juicy peach enticing him to have a bite.

    He couldn''t tear his eyes away from Ashley. After observing this beautiful woman for a while, Andrew

    found his heartbeat quickening and his throat getting itchy. It was embarrassing but he had to admit

    that he was somehow turned on.

    However, he tried to control himself with all his strength. He kept telling himself that he was driving.

    Although he was pretty confident about his driving skills, with Ashley in the car, he wanted to ensure

    that she was 100 percent safe. He reminded himself to stay focused on the road.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Andrew turned his attention back to his driving. It took him a lot of effort to get the image of Ashley

    sleeping angelically out of his mind. If she were awake right now, she would have found that Andrew

    had sped up the car considerably. It was as if he wanted to make it back home as soon as possible.

    He drove fast but smooth in order to not wake up Ashley.

    Andrew stopped the car when they arrived home. However, instead of waking her up, he unfastened

    his seat belt and leaned toward her.

    Ashley was still asleep. Andrew reached out and gently put her head against his shoulder. Her face

    was now right under his. He intently watched her irresistible red lips. Right before he lowered head to

    kiss her, Ashley stirred and slowly opened her eyes.

    She was confused as she saw the face of Andrew was zoomed in. Then the familiar bushes of camellia

    out of the window came into sight, which reminded her that they were already at home. She rubbed her

    eyes and said in a hoarse,zy voice, "Oh, we''re back."

    Andrew could now see clearly her long curly eyshes. They blinked like a morning star, which made

    her look even cuter. He could also feel her warm, sweet breath when she spoke.

    But her beauty and charm now made him feel disappointed.

    He could have kissed her if she hadn''t woken up.

    Although a little upset, Andrew could do nothing but sit tight. He noticed that Ashley was still watching

    him in confusion. He exined, trying to sound nonchnt, "You fell asleep just now. I was going to

    wake you up, but you woke up before I could."

    Ashley bought what he said and nodded. She was about to unfasten the seat belt and get off the car,

    but Andrew jumped out of the car ahead of her and rushed to the door of the vi.

    Ashley watched him dash off and was puzzled again. She had no idea why he was being so hasty.

    ire was making dinner when Ashley stepped into the house, so she walked into the kitchen to help

    her. They chatted merrily while cooking and the kitchen was filled withughter.

    In the meantime, Andrew was taking a cold shower upstairs. He stayed in the bathroom for about an

    hour until ire came to get him for dinner.

    At the dining table, Andrew watched as Ashley happily enjoyed her food, while he reflected on their

    current situation. He had to get Ashley to fall in love with him as soon as possible. It was killing him that

    he could see her every day but couldn''t hold her in his arms. Plus, shameful as it was, he had to admit

    that she could easily turn him on. He didn''t want to take cold showers every day.

    Meanwhile Ashley felt that Andrew was watching her in a weird way, but when she looked up to meet

    his eyes, everything seemed normal. She brushed off the thought telling herself that maybe she was

    just overthinking.

    Thanks to the nap in the car, Ashley wasn''t feeling sleepy just yet. So after dinner and a shower, she

    chose to watch TV in the living room.

    She noticed that Andrew headed to his study for some reason.

    Andrew had his people investigating the episode that happened on the night they first met in the hotel.

    He already knew that Ashley hade into his room by ident. Nobody had sent her with a hidden

    agenda.

    People who wanted to harm him would have sent a calcting and scheming woman to do the job.

    Ashley was obviously not that kind of a woman.

    On the other hand, even if she was part of some conspiracy against him, he would make her give up

    her agenda, because they were meant to fall in love with each other. He would never let her go.

    Aptop was put on the desk in front of Andrew for a video call with someone.

    The man on the screen was a strong foreigner whose face was big and skin was a little dark. His facial

    features were menacing enough to give you an idea of how tough and fierce he might be.

    Yet this tough guy was obviously shocked as he red at Andrew in astonishment. After a brief pause,

    he firmly rejected Andrew, "No, no way! An additional seven percent is already way too much. Ten

    percent would never do! You are being impossible."

    A seven percent increase was the biggestpromise he could make. Ten percent was definitely off

    the table.

    Seeing that he was getting angry, Andrew sneered and responded in an impatient tone, "Well, I insist

    10 percent. If you can''t ept it, maybe we shouldn''t work together. I think we are done here. Bye." He

    obviously didn''t want to waste time with him.

    Seeing that Andrew was about to hang up, the man was afraid he might lose the partnership, so he

    stopped him immediately, "Wait, just give me a minute."

    Then he turned around and consulted with his other senior executives.

    "Ding!"

    Suddenly Andrew heard a sound of his email reminder on his phone. It was from Johnny.

    Johnny had probably got something about Ashley that he wanted to know. He couldn''t wait to check the

    email, so he once again turned to the screen impatiently, "I''m sorry, but you only have three seconds

    left. Please be quick!"

    Seeing Andrew''s impatient look, the man knew if he didn''t make apromise here, he would lose the

    business opportunity with Andrew. So with his teeth set, he finally conceded, "All right. Ten percent

    increase. You got it."

    Pleased that he got what he wanted, Andrew hung up without hesitation. At once he turned to his

    phone to check Johnny''s email.

    Although he had inquired about Ashley''s background and known the main events that happened during

    her growing years, he didn''t know what she did while he was away on business.

    Clearly, Johnny had done a great job. The information he had collected was very thorough. Andrew

    learned how Ashley had quit her job at the Luo Group, and how Lena kept causing difficulties for

    Ashley and Ellie when they wanted to rent a ce for Memory Bakery.

    However, when he saw photos of Ashley having hotpot and going shopping with Greyson, his face

    instantly became hard. He didn''t even know when they got to know each other.

    Then the pictures of Ashley being pestered by Raymond came into sight. It had happened just after he

    left her this morning, which made him furious. Andrew red at Raymond in the image, thinking if only

    his zing eyes could kill him through this screen!

 Chapter 110 A Fight

    Chapter 110 A Fight

    When Andrew saw the pictures of Raymond almost kissing Ashley, he gripped the expensive pen in his

    hand so hard that he broke it. Anyone in his vicinity would suffocate in the cold aura he was giving off.

    ''The Luo family. Raymond Luo! He is so good. How dare he covet my wife?'' he sneered inwardly.

    The Luo family had no idea how badly they had messed with Andrew because of Raymond constantly

    bugging Ashley.

    But it was toote. It wasn''t difficult for Andrew to take down the Luo family.

    But when he saw the pictures of Ashley dodging and pping Raymond, he was slightly appeased. In

    spite of that, he was still upset.

    After Andrew had looked at all the documents rted to his wife that Johnny had turned in, he left his

    study, phone in hand. When he spotted Ashley sitting downstairs, a mixed look crossed his eyes.

    The picture on his phone screen was of Greyson and Ashley eating hot pot, in which Ashley had burst

    into merryughter and added food to his te. ''She doesn''tugh like that or add food to my te

    when she dines with me, '' Andrew thought, jealousy fermenting within him.

    Andrew had no idea when Ashley had gotten involved with Greyson, or that she had leased the bakery

    with Greyson''s help.

    As he thought of this, anger zed in his heart and a smoldering frustration took hold of him. ''Why

    didn''t she ask me for help?

    I have more resources than Greyson has, and I could have found her the best shops.

    I know Greyson''s type very well. He''s into ying tricks on people and causing trouble. The bigger the

    trouble he stirs, the happier he gets. A real troublemaker. But why would he agree to give her a hand?''

    he brooded. What bothered him most was the rtionship between Ashley and Greyson.

    He started to suspect whether the pretty woman Greyson often mentioned was his wife.

    A great number of assumptions ran through his mind. Defeated by fury and jealousy, he stormed down

    the stairs. He wordlessly grabbed Ashley''s hand, pulled her upstairs, and as they entered their

    bedroom, he threw her onto the soft bed.

    What Andrew didn''t know was that Ashley and Greyson were just friends.

    Ashley had no idea what was going on with Andrew. They did seem to have gotten on well this

    afternoon.

    Besides, she felt a sharp pain in her hand. ''Why do they like pinching my hand?'' she wondered.

    "What are you doing, Andrew Lu?" Ashley shouted at him as she sat up. ''He pulled me in here without

    asking for my permission and just threw me on the bed!

    What''s wrong with him?'' she thought furiously.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Andrew showed her his cellphone screen and hissed, "What is going on between you and him?"

    Ashley''s face darkened the second she saw the picture. Eyes simmering with anger, she stared at him

    and asked angrily, "You are spying on me, aren''t you?"

    The sight of her angry face calmed his rage a little. In the past, Andrew wouldn''t have treated Ashley

    this way. But this time, he had flown into a rage and had nearly lost his mind.

    Andrew pursed his lips but said nothing. After a pause, he grabbed her chin and raised it so that he

    could look her in the eye. "Who is he?" he asked.

    Although the pain of him holding her chin tightly was tormenting her, she didn''t make a noise. She

    red at him and said harshly, "That''s none of your business!"

    His fury returned in full force and it showed on his face. He involuntarily tightened his grip on her chin.

    Ashley bit her lower lip, trying to endure the pain. She red at her husband in silence.

    The two glowered at each other. After a long, tense silence, Andrew gave in but said, "Cancel your

    lease agreement. I''ll find you a better one. Or you can work in mypany," he tried negotiating

    impassively as he let go of Ashley.

    Andrew was regretting his action at the sight of her now red chin. But he was still miffed.

    Ashley smiled a little coldly and snorted, "Who do you think you are, Andrew Lu? You have no say in

    my business. I''m telling you that I will not cancel my lease agreement, or work for you."

    She narrowed her eyes at Andrew, waiting for his reaction yet ranting furiously at him in her head.

    ''What does he take me for? Work for him? I don''t want to repeat my mistakes again. I went to work in

    the Luo Group because of Raymond, and we ended up breaking up, '' she seethed.

    After spending some time with him, she had thought him to be a good guy and tried epting him as

    her husband.

    But to her dismay, Andrew had sent people to follow her.

    Under Ashley''s cold stare, Andrew began to panic, but managed to conceal it before she realized it. It

    was the first time that she had looked at him that way.

    It looked like she was staring at a stranger and locked herself in her own world without letting anyone

    enter her life.

    Andrew didn''t know how to handle the situation. There was no way that he would swallow his pride and

    apologize to Ashley, asking for her forgiveness.

    Born in the most influential, eminent Lu family and as the only rightful heir, he could be called the most

    powerful man in J City. No one dared defy or displease him. And here Ashley was, the first person with

    the nerve to challenge him. Yet, he couldn''t do anything to her.

    He would never forgive himself if he hurt her or made her cry in any way.

    Andrew threw her an angry nce, walked out of the room, and mmed the door shut.

    Ashley sat on the edge of the bed, trembling with fear at the sound.

    She rolled her eyes and drew in a deep breath. The way Andrew had looked at her before leaving had

    hurt her deeply, making it difficult for her to breathe.

    Ashley let out a wryugh.

    ''Perhaps this is who he is. Turns out I know little about him. He was able to learn about my past too

    easily. He even hired people to keep an eye on me!''

    Ashleyy on the bed, staring at the dazzling crystal chandelier on the ceiling. She started to doubt

    whether it had been a good idea to marry Andrew.

    She felt exhausted. She was dying to find someone to talk to face to face. But Ellie had gone to her

    hometown and there wasn''t anybody else who fit the bill.

    Right now, she was regretting getting married. Before Andrew had entered her life, she had Ellie by her

    side. Back then, she led a happy life and was satisfied with herpany.

    Since their argument that night, Ashley and Andrew had gotten into a cold war.

    They lived under the same roof and ate together, but didn''t talk to each other. They were like two

    strangers living together.

    Andrew finished his breakfast in a hurry and left the house alone. And Ashley remained in her seat,

    having her porridge unhurriedly. She didn''t leave the house until Andrew was out of sight.

    She had nothing to worry about even though Andrew wasn''t giving her a ride. She walked to the bus

    station and went to the bakery by bus. After all, she already knew the route from Andrew''s vi to

    Memory Bakery. But she didn''t know that every day, a car followed her from the time she left the vi.

    Several days passed, but Ashley and Andrew didn''t make peace with each other. Even ire noticed

    that there was something going on with the couple.

    One day when Andrew left the house after breakfast, ire came over to Ashley. She asked worriedly,

    "Miss Mu, did you have a fight with Mr. Lu?"

    Since Ashley had been nice to her, ire had already thought of the kind, sensible girl as her own

    daughter.

 Chapter 111 In L City

    Chapter 111 In L City

    ire could clearly see that Andrew was really nice to Ashley and that Ashley also cared about him.

    She just didn''t know what had happened to the couple to make them act like this.

    "No, ire. Why do you ask?" Ashley asked as she ate, surprised that ire had noticed.

    "It is obvious. I can see that. You haven''t talked to Mr. Lu once these past few days. And didn''t you use

    to go to work together before? So why do you go separately now?"

    Ashley hadn''t thought that ire would be so observant. She still wanted to keep the truth under wraps

    and said, "It isn''t proper to speak while eating, so we don''t talk at such times.

    We don''t go to work together because we don''t go to the same ce. Hispany is in the opposite

    direction to the ce where I work. So I think it''s not appropriate to bother him and I don''t ask him to

    drive me."

    It could be said that Ashley was good at giving random excuses.

    But ire was clever. She was older and had lived longer than them, with a variety of life experiences.

    She could see through everything about them and was even clearer about the situation than the

    couple.

    She knew that what Ashley had said was partly true and partly false.

    "Miss Mu, to be frank, Mr. Lu does care about you. No matter what has happened between you two, he

    is still concerned about you.

    He did something for your own good, but he didn''t know how to express his feelings. Maybe he talked

    tough, but he meant only good for you.

    I can see that Mr. Lu is not good at expressing his feelings, but in front of you, he talks more, so please

    try to understand him when he doesn''t.

    If there is something wrong, just talk to him and exin things to him clearly. I believe Mr. Lu is easy to

    get along with." Ashley hadn''t noticed this, but ire had.

    Every time they had dinner, Andrew would look at Ashley, with obvious love in his eyes.

    Sometimes he wanted to say something, but he didn''t know where to start, so he would close his

    mouth and go back to whatever he was doing. ire had seen that and had gotten anxious.

    "We really didn''t have a fight," Ashley said, staring at ire hopelessly.

    "ire, whose side are you on? You''re actually helping him." Ashley felt rather depressed.

    "Of course I am on your side, Miss Mu. A couple may quarrel but will make up soon after. It''s no big

    deal."

    Ashley blushed. It was not a matter that could be solved through exnation. Andrew had such a

    strong possessive desire and would tell anybody to do what he asked for. She was not an employee in

    hispany. Why should she listen to him?

    And he had even sent someone to spy on her!

    "Alright, ire. I am going to work."

    Ashley didn''t want to talk about this any more. She stood up, preparing to leave.

    "Miss Mu, think about what I said just now. You know I only have your best interests at heart."

    "I know, ire. I just need to leave."

    Ashley took her bag and turned around to see Andrew standing at the door.

    Ashley wanted to say hello to him, but she remembered that they were not on speaking terms. So she

    shut up and walked past him.

    ire shook her head. It was still not working.

    Andrew''s eyes were fixed on Ashley even after she had walked out.

    "Sir, have you forgotten anything?"

    Andrew shook his head casually. He now thought that ire was agreeable, after having heard what

    she had just said to Ashley.

    However, he wouldn''t admit that he had returned because he had waited for Ashley in the car for a long

    time but didn''t see here out. He was afraid that something had gone wrong. So he had returned to

    have a look.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Ashley had called Ellie several times, but her calls went unanswered. And so many days had passed.

    Ellie was supposed to be back by now. But why hadn''t shee back? Was there something wrong?

    Ashley took out her cellphone and called Ellie again.

    "Sorry, the subscriber you are calling cannot be reached. Please redialter."

    "Sorry, the subscriber..."

    Ashley furrowed her brows. Had something happened to Ellie?

    Ashley didn''t care about anything else. So she told a worker in the shop that she was leaving. She then

    called a cab and headed to the bus station.

    She bought a ticket for 4 o''clock in the afternoon and got on the bus. It would take two hours to reach L

    City. In the meantime, she kept calling Ellie with the same result. She just couldn''t connect to her.

    In L City

    In a small hospital in a town

    An old man was lying on the bed. He was about seventy years old, with a wrinkled face. He looked like

    he had experienced many vicissitudes in life.

    A youngdy who was in her early twenties sat at the bedside. She was dressed simply but her eyes

    and brows were beautiful, like a sculpture. Ellie said, "Grandpa, eat some food."

    As she tried to coax him, she blew on the food in the spoon to cool it down, and then fed the old man.

    The old man closed his mouth tightly and didn''t eat. He looked at Ellie, "Ellie, I''m feeling much better

    now. You just go back to work. Don''t waste your time here." The old man''s voice was hoarse, like a dry

    branch.

    "Grandpa, eat it now. I will go back after you recover. Ashley is there, and she can handle everything.

    It''s fine. Just rx."

    "I am so old and don''t really need to be in hospital. What''s more, I don''t feel like staying here. I want to

    stay at home. Ellie, ask the doctor to let us leave. Let''s go home," the old man pleaded.

    "Grandpa!" Ellie said calmly, "I have money. I''ve made a lot of money these past years. And nothing is

    more important to me than your health. You are old and need to take care of your health. You need to

    see me getting married and to look after my child. Right?

    So please eat something now. I made it. Please give it a try and see if it is delicious."

    The old man was stubborn and turned his head, unwilling to eat.

    Ellie sighed. She knew why she was stubborn. It looked like she had learnt all of it from her grandpa.

    Ellie softened. She had topromise one way or another, so she said gently, "Grandpa, eat now. We

    will leave hospital tomorrow if you eat this now, OK? You know you have stayed here for a long time,

    and it takes time to apply to leave hospital, right? You have to eat first."

    As he heard Ellie''s words, the old man turned back and stared at her. "Really?"

    Ellie nodded. "Yes, Grandpa. When have I ever lied to you?"

 Chapter 112 Plan

    Chapter 112 n

    After finally persuading her grandpa to have some food, Ellie got out of the ward.

    "Doctor, how''s my grandpa doing?" Ellie asked as she entered the doctor''s office, worried.

    The doctor recognized Ellie. He had seen her rush to the hospital when that old man was sent here.

    And since then, she had stayed in the hospital to take care of him. This devotion was rare in this time

    and age.

    "To be frank, his illness can''t be cured in our hospital given our current capability. All we can do now is

    use medicine to prevent his condition from getting worse.

    But all medicines have side effects. Even though the medicines we are giving him will allow him to live

    for months or, at most, a year, his health is going to inevitably get worse. Besides, he''s at such an old

    age that his organs are weak and his ability to absorb medicine is not as good as younger people."

    Ellie felt a crushing weight of sorrow as she heard what the doctor had said.

    She had deep love for her grandpa, and she hadn''t yet gotten the chance to show her respect for him.

    She didn''t expect such a thing to happen to her and didn''t know what to do.

    But Ellie saw a silver lining in what the doctor had said. She looked up at the doctor in anticipation and

    said, "You said my grandpa couldn''t be cured in your hospital. Do you mean he has a chance of

    surviving in other hospitals?" Ellie had never been as desperate as she was now.

    "Yes. You can see for yourself. The devices we have here are creaky. Maybe your grandpa can be

    healed if you manage to send him to the more reputed hospitals in J City. They have medical facilities

    that are way better than ours.

    But remember one thing: your grandpa is old and can''t afford a long, tiring journey. You may have to

    think it over if you decide to take him to J City. Also, the cost of treatment in J City is much higher than

    what you spend here. I''m afraid it''s beyond your budget." Watching Ellie take care of her grandpa had

    told the doctor that she was a kind girl. He liked her, so he wanted to alert her about the problems she

    might run into.

    "Yes. Yes, I know. Thank you so much." After seeing the doctor, Ellie wanted to go home and tell her

    grandma of her grandpa''s condition in the hope that she could talk him into epting her decision. Her

    grandma was the only one who could change his mind.

    She would do anything to save her grandpa, no matter the cost.

    L City was not as prosperous as J City, but it boasted fresh air and a good environment with green

    mountains and clear waters. There was no hustle and bustle here, and people tended to like it the

    moment they set foot in here.

    Ellie''s home was along a narrow street in L City. Trees lined both sides of the street and along it was a

    creek, by which locals did theirundry. The water was crystal clear, enabling one to easily see through

    to the bottom of the creek.

    Ellie pushed open the gate of her house and saw her grandma sitting under a tall big pagoda tree

    immersed in needlework.

    "Grandma, your eyes are not good. Don''t do needlework!" Ellie said as she walked in. Her grandma

    looked younger and was in better health than her grandpa. She had taken care of her grandpa day and

    night and had almost fainted from exhaustion. So Ellie had decided to send her home and attend to her

    grandpa by herself in the hospital.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Her grandma, Laura, had epted her decision and went back home. But she insisted on sending

    three meals every day.

    When she was young, Laura had loved doing embroidery. She was good at Hunan embroidery. But her

    once-agile fingers were old now. Whenever she reminisced her youth and the days she had spent

    doing embroidery, she would take out a needle and thread as a pastime.

    "Ellie, d to see you home. How''s your grandpa? Can he be discharged?" Laura said as she put

    down her needlework and walked to Ellie.

    Ellie shook her head and replied, "Grandpa wants to leave the hospital, but he hasn''t recovered

    completely yet. I can''t let him leave the hospital."

    "Now that he wants to leave the hospital, I guess he has almost recovered. It''s notfortable for him

    to stay there. Soplete the discharge formalities. I can take care of him at home.

    You have spent so many days here. It''s time for you to go. Or you will be fired."

    Ellie knew that everything her grandparents were saying was out of worry that her work in J City might

    be dyed. But she couldn''t go back to work while these problems remained unresolved.

    "Grandma, it''s alright. Ashley can handle it for me. Don''t worry. I won''t be fired." She was the boss now.

    No one could fire her.

    But Ellie was not nning to tell this to her grandparents now. It was not the right time yet.

    "Grandma, I have something to discuss with you. It''s about grandpa''s illness. He-"

    Her grandma interrupted her. "Your grandpa doesn''t have any illness. His health is good. He just fell

    over a few days ago. And now he has almost recovered."

    "I know he is about to recover. But grandma, just hear me out.

    I want to take you to the home I have in J City. So it''s convenient for me to take care of you. What do

    you think?"

    Ellie didn''t mention her decision to transfer her grandpa to the hospital in J City, because she knew that

    her grandma wouldn''t agree with her.

    They had smothered her with love ever since she was a child. Though her family had never been rich,

    her grandparents had worked hard to earn money so they could afford her tuition fee. She lived up to

    their expectations and had been admitted to a famous college in J City where she had met Ashley.

    It was impossible for Ellie to return to J City after what had happened to her grandparents. She had

    worked for the Luo Group for a few years. Because of Ashley''s rtionship with Raymond, she had

    saved arge amount of money. So now, she had the financial ability to afford the cost of the treatment.

    The only wish she had now was for her grandparents to be in good health.

    "Grandma, please say yes. Come to J City with me, so that Ashley and I can take care of you."

    Hearing Ellie talk about Ashley, Laura smiled and asked, "How''s Ashley doing?"

    Ashley hade here before with Ellie. Ellie''s grandparents had treated Ashley kindly, like she were

    their own granddaughter, which made Ashley feel the warmth of family. She liked them a lot and was

    very fond of them.

    Ellie was happy to hear her grandma mention Ashley because that was exactly what she wanted to

    see. It proved that her grandma liked Ashley.

    Ashley didn''t have biological parents to love her since she was a child, so Ellie treated her like a

    sister.

 Chapter 113 Worry

    Chapter 113 Worry

    Ellie pursed her lips and replied, "She isn''t doing well."

    "What''s going on with Ashley? Did something happen to her?" Laura asked her granddaughter with a

    worried look. An anxious expression settled on her wrinkled face.

    "It is yours and Grandpa''s fault. She misses you dearly, but you and Grandpa refused toe to J City

    and move in with us. Of course she isn''t doing well," Ellie replied.

    Laura was relieved. She poked Ellie''s forehead and said, "You naughty kid."

    "Grandma, pleasee to J City with me. That way, I and Ashley can take care of you and Grandpa,"

    Ellie proposed sweetly, as she took a seat next to her grandma and leaned her head on her shoulder.

    "You need to go to work. If we live there, we would disturb your daily life. Besides, your grandpa and I

    have lived here for most of our lives. We''re not young and we might die any time. All we want is to

    spend the rest of our lives here," Laura responded with a sigh.

    She knew why Ellie had invited her and her husband to move in with her, but she was old and she

    didn''t want to be her granddaughter''s burden. Besides, she knew her own health. Knowing that she

    might only have a couple of years left, she refused Ellie''s invitation for she didn''t want to cause her any

    trouble.

    "Please don''t say that, Grandma. You and Grandpa will live to be a hundred. Promise me that you will

    never say that again," Ellie replied in earnest, as she turned her head upwards to look at her grandma.

    Laura was amused by her expression. With a cordial smile, she replied indulgently, "Fine, my little Ellie.

    I promise that I will never say that again. All right?"

    Ellie nodded her head approvingly.

    "Ellie, when you went to the hospital, you left your phone at home. It vibrated many times. Someone

    must have some urgent work with you," Laura added, as she grabbed Ellie''s cell phone from the table

    and gave it to her.

    "I see," Ellie replied.

    She swiped the screen to unlock the phone and found that she had missed dozens of calls from

    Ashley.

    "It was Ashley. Perhaps she has something to tell me," Ellie exined before calling her best friend

    back.

    No sooner had she dialed Ashley''s number than she answered the phone.

    "Hello? Are you still in L City, Ellie? Why didn''t you answer the phone? Did you get into any trouble

    there?" Ashley''s voice, full of anxiety, resounded from the other end of the line.

    "I''m all right. Where are you? Why is there so much noise?" Ellie inquired. Since the connection was

    poor in the house, Ellie couldn''t hear Ashley clearly. She told Laura that she needed to answer the

    phone in the yard and strode out.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    "I''m at the L City train station," Ashley raised her voice. Ellie could hear the sounds of the trains and

    people in the background.

    "Why did youe here? I told you not toe, and I said that I woulde back after I''ve handled

    things here," Ellie said with a stunned expression, as she rubbed her forehead.

    Although Ashley had followed her here several times, she didn''t think the former could find her way to

    her house. After all, her best friend had a poor sense of direction.

    "Stay where you are. I''m on my way," Elliemanded before disconnecting the call.

    "Grandma, Ashley is in L City but she doesn''t know how to get here. I''m going to pick her up. Grandpa

    is asleep in the hospital. Please go to bed early," Ellie said to Laura as she returned to the living room.

    "Ashley is here? I''m going with you," Laura offered immediately. She couldn''t conceal her delight that

    Ashley wasing to her house. She stood up from her seat and walked up to her granddaughter.

    Ellie was left speechless.

    "Grandma, it''s dark outside and the roads are bad. Please stay home and go to sleep. You can see

    Ashley tomorrow," she persisted.

    As Laura nodded in agreement, Ellie wasted no time in heading to the train station.

    Afraid that Ashley might feel scared or bored there, Ellie called her en route. She filled her best friend in

    on her grandpa''s medical situation and exined why she hadn''t answered her phone.

    After knowing what was going on with Ellie, Ashley was a little upset. "Are you ming me foring

    to you?" she asked sadly. ''I came here because I was worried about her, '' she whined mentally with a

    hurt look on her face.

    "I grew up in this ce. Did you think I would get lost or something? I saw the missed calls, so I called

    you back immediately. How would I know you are here already?" Ellie spoke into the microphone of her

    hands-free earphones, as she was on the bus, still unable to digest the fact that Ashley was here.

    "I was worried about you," Ashley whispered. She realized that she had overreacted this time.

    "Ah-choo!" All of a sudden Ashley sneezed. She had caught a chill while waiting at the station.

    Shivering due to the cold, she hugged herself to keep warm.

    "Ellie, it''s colder here than J City, isn''t it?" Ashley asked.

    "You''re really an idiot, you know that? I have brought you here several times, how do you still not know

    that? You didn''t wear a coat, did you?" Ellie asked already knowing the answer.

    Ashley looked down at her T-shirt and ck jeans and remained silent.

    ''Ellie told me that the temperature here would be lower than that in J City when we were herest time.

    But I was so worried about her that I forgot to bring a coat, '' she mused.

    As Ellie didn''t receive any response from the other end of the line, she knew that her assumption was

    right. ''She must be sitting somewhere, '' she thought.

    The instant Ellie arrived at the train station, she nced around to look for Ashley. "Well, I am at the

    train station. Where are you?" she asked as she couldn''t see her pal anywhere.

    "I am at exit B!" Ashley gushed, as she jumped to her feet and waved at Ellie who was standing at the

    entrance of the station.

    Ellie trotted over to her, took off her coat and put it on her. "You''re not a total idiot. You knew to stay

    here and wait for me," she joked.

    Ashley simply rolled her eyes. ''Is sheplimenting me or insulting me?'' she wondered. Ashley stared

    at Ellie, feeling a little irked.

    She was about to snap back but another sneeze stopped her. Taking note of the displeasure on Ellie''s

    face, Ashley swallowed her words.

    Ellie grabbed her hand and they walked towards the exit.

    As an undeveloped city, there were few cabs in L City. It was hard to hail a taxi here.

    It was just after seven o''clock, so they could still take bus. Ellie pulled Ashley towards the bus stop and

    they waited for the bus.

    Seeing that Ellie was wearing just a T-shirt now, Ashley said, "You can take your coat back. I''m fine. I''m

    not feeling cold."

    Ellie cast an exasperated look at Ashley.

    Ashley was speechless when she met her gaze. ''Why is she looking at me like this? She makes me

    feel like an idiot, '' she grumbled to herself.

 Chapter 114 Crazy Andrew

    Chapter 114 Crazy Andrew

    Ashley didn''t give the coat back to Ellie in the end. After all, she had started trembling now due to the

    cold.

    Although it was summer, the temperature here varied greatly in a day. Ashley, however, forgot about

    that when she left for L City in the afternoon. It was indeed cold for her especially since she only wore a

    light T-shirt.

    After about 10 minutes, the bus that the girls had been waiting for finally arrived. Only a few people

    were waiting for the bus, so there were many empty seats to choose from. Ashley and Ellie picked the

    two seats by the window.

    "Ellie, what happened? Normally you would havee back by now. What took you so long this time?"

    Ashley asked.

    Ellie told her the truth. "Well, my grandpa fell and broke his ankle a few days ago. And you know about

    his heart disease. How could I leave him alone in the hospital? I needed to stay here to look after my

    grandpa. That''s why I have stayed for a few more days than I usually did."

    "But why didn''t you answer my calls? Do you know how worried I was about you because you didn''t

    return my calls?"

    "Come on! Do you know how busy I am? I need to take care of my grandpa in the hospital and my

    grandma at home. I have little time to check my phone. Plus, I usually keep my phone at home. I was in

    the hospital when you called me.

    But why did you rush here all of a sudden? What about our shop? Did you take care of everything?"

    Ashley nodded and answered, "Of course I did." She already took care of everything when she left.

    "Oh no!" Ashley shrieked all of a sudden.

    Her cry made all the other passengers turn and look at them.

    Ellie turned and was greeted with a distressed look on Ashley''s face. "What''s wrong?" she asked.

    Ashley looked at her best friend for a few seconds, and then shook her head. She decided not to tell

    Ellie that she was married, because it didn''t feel like it was the right time.

    Ashley was perturbed.

    She suddenly remembered that she had not told Andrew that she went to L City. She was worried that

    Andrew might be angry at her even though the ice hadn''t broken yet after the fight between them.

    But sheforted herself saying it was impossible that Andrew would care about her whereabouts.

    After all, they''d had a big fightst time.

    ''He must be thinking how to get rid of me now. That must be it! He doesn''t want to see me at all, ''

    Ashley told herself.

    She gradually convinced herself, but still felt a little uneasy somehow.

    "Ellie, shall we go to the hospital or head home now?" Ashley asked.

    "Let''s go to the hospital first. I want to see my grandpa. I''m still worried about him.

    Ashley, I also want to discuss something with you," Ellie said awkwardly.

    "What?" Ashley asked. Sensing Ellie''s hesitation, she urged, "Come on, Ellie! We are best friends. You

    can just tell me," Ashley stated with a bright smile.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    "I want to bring my grandparents to J City. They need my care at their age. If I hadn''t called them, I

    would have never known about his injury. There was a slip of tongue when I spoke to them on the

    phone; that''s how I found out that my grandpa fell and broke his ankle.

    The doctor told me that I should take my grandpa to J City. The hospitals in J City are better than the

    ones here. So I want to take both of them to J City, and let them live with us," Ellie exined looking

    depressed.

    After all, Brown and Laura were the only family she had in the world. It was her grandparents who had

    raised Ellie. And now, she wanted to take care of them well. Especially, now that her grandpa was

    unwell.

    "That''s great! They can live with us in J City. We don''t need to go to office now. Both of us have the

    time to look after them. Honestly, I miss them. I haven''t seen them in such a long time." Ashley agreed

    to Ellie''s n one hundred percent without even the slightest hesitation.

    She had moved out of the apartment, so Brown and Laura could live in her room when they arrived in J

    City. Ashley and Ellie could share her room.

    Ashley sneaked a look at Ellie, wondering how she would tell her that she was married.

    This question burned inside Ashley.

    Meanwhile, in J City

    Ashley believed that her absence wouldn''t mean anything to Andrew. After all, they hadn''t talked to

    each other in so long. Plus, they were not in love.

    But Ashley didn''t know Andrew almost lost his mind when he didn''t see Ashley at home.

    Usually, he woulde home to find her watching TV or ying on her phone on the sofa. Or, she

    would be in the kitchen helping ire.

    But today, he didn''t see her when he came home.

    He could not find Ashley in the kitchen, living room or their room.

    It was like Ashley had never lived in this house.

    ''Did she leave? Is it because she can''t stand me anymore? She can''t stand my selfishness anymore?

    Is it because she hates me? She must be sick of me, right?''

    Countless thoughts shed in Andrew''s mind instantly. Hurt, anger and resentment filled Andrew''s

    hollow chest.

    Just one thought filled his mind: Ashley had left him.

    "Mr. Lu, you''re back! Where is Miss Mu? Didn''t shee back with you?" ire came out of the

    kitchen and asked Andrew, seeing him home alone.

    After having a serious conversation with Ashley this morning, ire had thought that she would take

    her advice. She assumed that Ashley broke the ice and made it up with Andrew.

    However, she saw Andrewe back home without her.

    ire''s words crushed hisst shred of hope.

    ''So she did leave this time? She has decided to leave me.''

    Ignoring ire''s question, he rushed out at once.

    They were married now and no matter what happened, it was an undisputed fact that she was his wife.

    Andrew got into his car and sped off. En route he called Johnny, "Find out where she is now!"

    Johnny knew that his ns for the evening were ruined when he got Andrew''s order on the phone.

    Originally, Johnny had nned to rx after work, but this sudden turn of events meant that it was no

    longer possible.

    When Andrew hung up, Johnny suddenly realized something strange.

    Although Andrew''s voice was cold as usual, Johnny could sense something different in his tone this

    time.

    Andrew reached the neighborhood where Ashley was living before moving in with him. When he

    arrived at her apartment, he began knocking urgently on the door, and yelling her name.

    "Ashley! Ashley! Open the door!"

    The neighbors were woken up by the racket he created. When they came out and saw Andrew

    pounding on the door like a lunatic, a womanined, "Stop that! Neither of them is at home."

    Andrew stopped when he heard her voice. He turned to her and asked, "Have you seen a woman,

    around 20 years old,e back today?"

    When she saw Andrew''s face, she was utterly infatuated with him. ''Oh my! What a cute guy!'' she

    gushed to herself.

    But in the next instant she got scared of his stern expression. She didn''t dare to even look at him while

    replying, "No. Nobody came back today."

 Chapter 115 Andrew Came To L City

    Chapter 115 Andrew Came To L City

    Once Andrew was out of sight, the middle-aged woman let out a deep breath. She mumbled, "What a

    pity! That man is incredibly handsome, but he looks so creepy!"

    The minute Andrew reached the first floor, his phone rang. He whipped it out, and when he saw it was

    Johnny calling, he answered it instantly. "Where is she?" he demanded, striding to his car.

    Johnny swallowed nervously. He finally understood what was going on with his boss. ''Turns out Miss

    Mu is off to L City without telling him, '' he thought worriedly.

    "Boss, Miss Mu went to L City by train at four o''clock this afternoon," Johnny reported.

    Andrew was already in his car. He narrowed his eyes, lost in thought. ''L City? I''ve never heard about it.''

    "Address!"

    "Are you going to L City, boss?" Johnny asked in disbelief. He was so shocked that he almost dropped

    his cell phone on the ground.

    Andrew ignored his chatty assistant''s question. Wasting no time, he disconnected the call and opened

    the navigation.

    And on the other hand, Johnny paced back and forth with a scowl on his face.

    ''Boss is heading to L City?

    Oh, what the heck is going on with him and Miss Mu? Miss Mu, why did you go to L City suddenly?'' he

    pondered.

    After Andrew hung up the phone, Johnny called Ashley several times but she didn''t answer the phone.

    Johnny slid into his car and called Andrew. When he picked up the phone, Johnny suggested, "Boss, I

    don''t think it''s a good idea for you to drive there alone. After all, you''ve never been to L City before.

    How about I drive you there? Where are you?"

    Andrew considered his assistant''s proposition. ''He has a point. I know nothing about that city. Even if I

    get there, I can''t find Ashley, '' he brooded.

    Andrew gave Johnny his location. It took his assistant several minutes to meet him.

    Johnny took the driver''s seat, while Andrew settled himself in the backseat. Staring at Ashley''s phone

    number, he hesitated for a moment before dialing her number.

    "Sorry, the number you have dialed is busy. Please try againter..." came the automated reply from a

    sweet female voice on the other end of the line. Angry as he was, Andrew controlled the impulse to

    throw his phone out of the window.

    He held on to his cell phone tightly, and blue veins stood out on his hand; he wanted to destroy

    everything to quell his immeasurable wrath.

    ''Now that I know that she wants to run away from me, I will lock her up at home once I find her. That

    way, she can''t go anywhere or meet anyone but me.

    She is mine, '' he thought angrily.

    If Ashley found out about his n, she would curse him and use him of being a psycho.

    She just went out and forgot to tell him. It wasn''t such a big mistake that she deserved to be locked up.

    It was easy for Johnny to trace people. He was an excellent driver, and he chose the shortest route and

    drove quickly, and, as a result, they arrived in L City in no time.

    Ashley and Ellie got off in front of the hospital and headed straight for Brown Su''s ward. They opened

    the room, and sneaked into it without making noise. After checking on the sleeping old man, they exited

    the room.

    "I hope you can do me a favor, Ashley," Ellie requested her best friend with a somber expression, as

    she paused in the hallway.

    "Huh? What is it?" Ashley responded absentmindedly. Her heart was racing for some reason, as if

    something was going to happen.

    "Grandma and Grandpa don''t want to go to J City and live with us because they don''t want to cause us

    any trouble. I tried to talk them into moving to J City but they refused. I hope you can help me change

    their mind," Ellie exined.

    "Oh, that''s it? No problem. You can count on me," Ashley immediately assured her.

    The next second a sound followed.

    Ashley''s stomach growled.

    Embarrassed, she held her stomach and grinned at Ellie.

    Afraid that Ellie might be in trouble, she had bought the ticket and got on the train at four o''clock. She

    hadn''t grabbed anything to eat yet, and that was why her stomach was demanding food.

    "Let''s go grab dinner. But I am afraid we can only buy instant noodles and bread as it iste," Ellie said,

    looking at an awkward Ashley.

    She took the lead and Ashley followed.

    Ashley had kept her head down, so she didn''t know that Ellie had stopped in her tracks. As a result,

    she bumped into Ellie''s back.

    "Thud!"

    "Ouch, what are you doing, Ellie?" Ashley rubbed her forehead and looked up at her.

    Ellie turned sideways giving Ashley a chance to see the two people in front of her clearly.

    Ashley''s eyes widened in astonishment.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    ''A... Andrew?

    Shouldn''t he be in J City? Why is he here?

    It''s an illusion. It must be!''

    Ashley prayed mentally.

    But God didn''t answer her prayer.

    A faint smile curled on Andrew''s lips, which scared Ashley a bit. "You''re being naughty, Ash. What are

    you doing here?" he said in an emotionless voice.

    Ashley almost choked on her own saliva as he called her "Ash". She coughed nervously. She gaped at

    Andrew as if he was a ghost. ''W... What''s wrong with him?'' she wondered.

    Johnny who was right behind Andrew stared at him in disbelief. ''Is he really my usually aloof boss?'' he

    thought to himself.

    Ellie was the only one who remained calm.

    She observed Andrew discreetly, and recognized him as the man who had sent Ashley to the hospital

    that day.

    It was impossible for her to forget such an enchanting man.

    "Who is he, Ashley?" Ellie asked, grasping her best friend''s arm.

    "Ellie, I...," Ashley hesitated once she stopped coughing. Before she couldplete her sentence,

    Andrew interrupted her.

    "I''m her husband," Andrew introduced himself.

    Ashley buried her face in her hands. ''This is not good, '' she thought.

    "I will exin to youter, Ellie. Stay here and wait for me. I''ll be right back," she said,posing

    herself. She sprinted towards Andrew and pulled him aside into a corner.

    Regardless of the fact that she and Andrew were still in a cold war, she arched her eyebrows and

    asked, "What are you doing here, Andrew?"

    He hadn''t taken his eyes off Ashley since he caught sight of her. He took pleasure in the frown on her

    pretty face and the surprise in her voice. The corners of his mouth lifted.

    On his way to L City, he had imagined a thousand scenarios in which Ashley had reacted differently

    once he found Ashley. But this was unexpected.

    ''It turns out that she came to L City for Ellie not because she wanted to leave me, '' he thought feeling

    somewhat cated.

    "I''vee for you," he replied, taking her in his arms. He and Ashley had been in a cold war for days.

    In fact, he had wanted to talk to her and hug her like this.

    But scared that it might infuriate her further, he had given up this idea. He didn''t want to do anything

    that would make her detest him, fear him or even run away from him. As a result, he had a long face

    when she was around and pretended as if he didn''t care about her.

 Chapter 116 The Truth Is Revealed

    Chapter 116 The Truth Is Revealed

    However, Andrew was suffering in his heart.

    Every day when they had dinner, he silently looked at Ashley''s lovely face. He wanted to talk to her to

    ease the tension between them, but he didn''t know what to say.

    Every morning when they went to work, he left before Ashley and waited in his car until she came out

    of the house. Then, he would quietly watch her walk to catch the bus, and he would drive slowly to

    follow her.

    Every night, he was unable to sleep peacefully if Ashley was not sleeping by his side. Only when she

    was asleep did he go into the bedroom and lie down next to her. And the next morning, he left when

    she was about to wake up.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Andrew''s sudden disy of affection startled Ashley. She pushed him away and said, "What do you

    want to do?" She cast a quick nce at Ellie uneasily. After making sure that Ellie hadn''t noticed her

    closeness with Andrew, she breathed a sigh of relief.

    Not expecting Ashley to thrust him away, Andrew felt frustrated and angry. However, he remained silent

    because he didn''t want to provoke her. He just red at her.

    Ashley was embarrassed by Andrew''s unwavering gaze, but she didn''t know what to say because they

    were still in a stand-off. She pressed her lips together and didn''t say a word.

    She was surprised that Andrew was able to find her so quickly this time. She suspected that he was

    spying on her again.

    Reading her expression, Andrew guessed what she was thinking. He said earnestly, "I''m not spying on

    you, and I didn''t do it thest time either. I just wanted to know what you had been doingtely, so I

    sent Johnny to investigate that. I didn''t mean to spy on you.

    By the way, when I saw the pictures of you and Greyson having dinner and going to the supermarket

    together thest time, Ished out at you just because I was jealous of him. I didn''t do it deliberately.

    I''m sorry, Ash."

    Andrew sincerely apologized, looking at her with innocent eyes.

    Although he seemed calm on the surface, Andrew was very upset. His hands were clenched and he

    could feel his palms sweating.

    That morning, Andrew had overheard what ire had said to Ashley. He thought she was right.

    If two people were in a stand-off, one of them must give in first. One of the two must take the initiative

    topromise with the other.

    Anyway, he fell in love with Ashley first. After some contemtion about what had happened that night,

    he felt that he was indeed wrong.

    He had asked Ashley, rather indiscreetly, about the nature of her rtionship with Greyson. He knew

    that Greyson was a hard nut to crack despite his innocent baby face. Andrew feared that she would be

    deceived by the young man''s appearance.

    But there was one thing he didn''t want to admit ¡ª he was afraid that Ashley might fall in love with

    Greyson.

    Upon hearing Andrew''s apology, Ashley looked at him incredulously.

    Although she hadn''t spent much time with Andrew, she knew him to some extent.

    He didn''t seem like the kind of person who apologized easily to others.

    ''Has he gone mad today?'' she wondered.

    Ashley couldn''t help but touch Andrew''s forehead.

    ''He doesn''t have a fever. In that case, he must be sane, '' she thought.

    With a straight face, Andrew grabbed her hand tightly and tried to get close to her. He snorted in an

    arrogant tone, "I will break your legs if you leave me again without saying a word!"

    If she had heard him say that before, Ashley would have got frightened. But now, she felt that Andrew

    was merely a paper tiger.

    Reasoning that they were already married and that Andrew was a good guy in every way, Ashley''s

    anger dissipated. He was a good husband in her eyes.

    Although she didn''t lose her temper, she warned him, "You can''t send someone to spy on me anymore.

    If you want to know something, just ask me."

    Then she couldn''t help but exin, "Ellie''s grandpa is sick. I called her but couldn''t get through. I

    thought she was in trouble and that''s why I came to L City. I forgot to tell you about it before I left."

    "Well, I know that." Andrew embraced Ashley tightly, not wanting to let her go.

    At this moment, Ellie and Johnny looked at each other.

    Frowning, Ellie asked, "What did your boss mean by what he said just now?" Ellie had guessed that

    they might be in a romantic rtionship, but she couldn''t believe it.

    Johnny had been trying to please Ashley because she was now the wife of his boss. Since Ellie was

    Ashley''s best friend, he certainly wanted to take good care of her too.

    With a broad smile, Johnny replied in a friendly way, "Our boss meant that Miss Mu is his wife now."

    "What? When did they get married?" Ellie asked curiously.

    "They married not long ago, on the 20th of April," answered Johnny.

    Ellie felt that there was something wrong with Ashley several days ago. It seemed that she was hiding

    something from her. However, when she asked her about it, Ashley told her not to worry, as if nothing

    had happened.

    But she had sensed something was wrong; Ashley hid the truth every time.

    ''How could she marry a man she had only met a few times?'' she thought.

    Thinking that she had done a ridiculous thing, Ellie felt sorry for Ashley.

    ''As her best friend, I didn''t find out what had happened to her!'' she thought to herself. She felt very

    guilty.

    Ashley felt a bit ufortable in Andrew''s tight embrace. But she didn''t pull herself out of his arms

    immediately.

    "Let me go." After a while, she pushed him away.

    "Ellie is still waiting for me there." Not paying attention to Andrew''s discontent, Ashley left him. Feeling

    embarrassed, Andrew followed her.

    Ashley came to Ellie hurriedly and found her waiting sullenly. At that moment, she felt it was not a good

    time to exin the whole thing to her.

    "Ellie, it''s all a bitplicated. Can I exin it to youter?" Ashley asked in a low voice.

    Ellie looked at her, and remained quiet.

    Ashley was convinced that she was mad at her.

    Ashley felt disappointed. She had nned to exin the whole thing to Ellie at some point. But now,

    Andrew had got her into trouble. How could she exin that?

    Ashley couldn''t help but shoot a stern look at Andrew. She did me him for revealing their marriage

    boldly to her best friend without thinking.

    Coincidentally, Andrew was staring right back at her, his eyes full of innocence.

    Ashley felt confused and helpless.

    "Boss, can we go back now? You have an important meeting tomorrow..."

    Seeing that the tension between Andrew and Ashley began to abate, Johnny couldn''t help but remind

    Andrew of tomorrow''s meeting.

    Besides, it was sote now, and it was time to go back. There would be so many things to deal with at

    work tomorrow.

    Andrew just stared at Ashley quietly without saying a word.

 Chapter 117 Happy

    Chapter 117 Happy

    Ashley was speechless. Was it as she had thought?

    Johnny looked over at Ashley.

    Judging by how his boss was looking right now, he thought that the decision-maker must definitely be

    his wife. If the boss''s wife agreed to go back, the boss would go back. If thedy refused, the boss

    would stay here and wouldn''t budge an inch.

    Johnny couldn''t say anything. What kind of a boss was he working for?

    Johnny couldn''t help but fix his eyes on Ashley and say rather firmly, "Miss Mu, pleasee back to J

    City with us. You were worried about Miss Su. Now you''ve seen that she is fine here, and there is

    nothing wrong."

    Ashley looked at Ellie''s tired face and then at Johnny. She had a headache.

    She had just arrived in L City and hadn''t yet met Ellie''s grandpa and grandma. How could she leave

    like this?

    Ashley turned to Andrew and said, "You go back first, OK? I have something to talk with Ellie and will

    come back tomorrow."

    Andrew pursed his lips and replied, "Come back to J City with me."

    Ashley pulled Andrew aside and said in a low voice, "Please go back first. You need to go to work

    tomorrow. I promise I will be back as soon as I can. OK?"

    Ashley felt like she wasforting a child.

    Andrew didn''t answer, merely staring stubbornly at her.

    "Andrew Lu, what the hell do you want me to do?" Ashley pleaded helplessly.

    "Go back to J City with me."

    Ashley had said everything to make him happy, but all in vain. It angered her to no end.

    "Andrew Lu, don''t get fresh with me! I have something to do here," she said, not bothering to conceal

    her irritation.

    Andrew obviously didn''t buy her exnation.

    Ashley had had enough. She was fuming and at the moment, didn''t care what Andrew wanted to do.

    She turned to Ellie and said, "Ellie, let''s go. Leave them alone."

    Ashley pulled Ellie by the arm and made to walk around Andrew and Johnny towards the exit.

    Andrew nced coldly at the spot where Ashley was gripping Ellie''s arm. Ellie was finding it difficult to

    ignore the coldness in his eyes.

    Ellie hesitated and shrugged off Ashley''s hand. "Go back with them."

    "Ellie?" Ashley said, looking at Ellie in surprise.

    "You can figure out how you want to exin it to me."

    A stab of guilt shot through Ashley at Ellie''s words.

    "What about grandpa and grandma?"

    "I will exin to them."

    Ashley finally got into the car and went back to J City with Andrew and Johnny.

    The car was filled with bags and bags of snacks Ashley had bought. She had just visited a supermarket

    as she felt hungry. It looked like she had brought the supermarket with her.

    Ashley opened a bag of crisps and gorged on them. She hadn''t eaten such snacks for a long time and

    rather enjoyed their taste.

    Andrew frowned from beside her, his eyes narrowing disdainfully.

    Andrew had never eaten such food, even as a child. If he wanted to eat some snacks, he would eat

    expensive ones imported from abroad, which were much different from these.

    But seeing that Ashley liked them, Andrew didn''t say anything.

    "Would you like to eat some?" Ashley finally asked, realizing that there was another person beside her,

    and deigned to offer the crisp bag to him.

    As he watched Ashley enjoying the food, Andrew had been ovee with the urge to give it a try. He

    took a piece from the bag in her hand and popped it into his mouth.

    Ashley looked at him expectantly. "Well? How is it? Do you like it?"

    Andrew chewed on the crisp, sensing a strange smell that made him ufortable.

    It was sour and a little sweet and salty.

    But when he saw Ashley''s face, he nodded.

    "I told you it''s yummy. You can have this bag. Eat them," Ashley said, generously offering the bag to

    him since Andrew had now admitted that the crisps were delicious. She then ruffled through the snacks

    and brought out several bags of spicy meat.

    Andrew speechlessly looked at the bag in his hand. Could this stuff actually be eaten?

    But since Ashley had given it to him, he would eat it. He would eat anything that she offered him, even

    poison. A crisp was no big deal.

    Andrew believed that he was poisoned.

    He was poisoned by something named Ashley.

    If he didn''t see Ashley for even one day, he would feel ufortable, as if a void had opened up in his

    heart.

    He nced at her enjoying the food and realized that he was done for. He always wanted to be where

    she was.

    Original from N?velDrama.Org.

    Now that Andrew had tasted it, he thought that the crisp didn''t taste that bad. It was different and it felt

    good.

    Johnny drove the car without taking his eyes off the road. But he still observed the couple in the rear-

    view mirror as he overheard their conversation, all with a stoic face.

    Johnny was astonished to see Andrew eating the crisps.

    Although his boss ate everything except spicy food and wasn''t what was called a picky eater, he had a

    high standard when it came to food. But Miss Mu had actually managed to satisfy him with a bag of

    crisps.

    Johnny was sure that this was the first time that his boss had eaten such snacks.

    And he was eating them with such gusto!

    Johnny couldn''t help but touch his forehead to check if he was alright. It seemed that his boss would

    never be above his wife in the future.

    Johnny believed that it was wise to try and get Ashley''s favor.

    There was a strange smell in the car because of Ashley''s snack-eating. Before, Andrew would have

    gotten mad at any smell. But today, he didn''t say anything.

    As expected, other people couldn''t bepared with Miss Mu.

    It was just before dawn when they reached J City. Andrew didn''t go back to the vi, but instructed

    Johnny to drive to thepany.

    Ashley became sleepy after eating the snacks and soon fell asleep.

    Andrew cautiously moved close to Ashley and put her head on his shoulder to let her sleep more

    comfortably.

    Andrew stared at Ashley''s sleeping form and thought that he couldn''t see her enough. He wouldn''t ever

    be tired of looking at her and could fix his eyes on her for a lifetime.

    Looking at Ashley''s lips that had turned red after she had eaten the spicy food, Andrew couldn''t help

    but kiss her on the lips.

    Johnny was surprised to see his boss taking such gentle care of his wife.

    Was this gentle and considerate man his boss? Or was he a fake? Would he leave them alone? He

    didn''t think he could bear to see that.

    But right now, he realized how he looked, watching a couple in love, and caught himself in

    time.

 Chapter 118 An Unusually Sweet Day

    Chapter 118 An Unusually Sweet Day

    Now Johnny''s only wish was to drive the car to thepany so that he could drop Andrew and Ashley

    off as soon as possible.

    As Johnny parked the car at thepany gate, Andrew carefully encircled Ashley with his arms and

    took her inside, without sparing a nce at Johnny.

    Security for the Lu Group was always tight, be it day or night. But since Andrew was present, getting in

    wasn''t a problem. The security guard was amazed to see Andrew and immediately drew himself up.

    He was confused as to why Mr. Lu hade to thepany this early, but it was none of his business

    anyway. So he just allowed him in.

    Johnny followed Andrew through the gate. As Andrew''s special assistant, Johnny enjoyed a high

    position in thepany.

    He had his own office and a lounge room which were quite luxurious.

    There were only a few hours to go before work hours officially started, so it was impossible to go home.

    So Johnny decided to spend this time in thepany.

    "Hi, Mr. Cheng!" the guard called out. The guard obviously knew him and greeted him in a friendly

    manner.

    Johnny nodded shortly to the guard and hurried after Andrew.

    The guard was confused as he looked at Andrew''s and Johnny''s retreating figures. ''Why have they

    come so early?'' he wondered.

    Andrew took Ashley to the lounge in his office. There was arge white bed in this room and the decor

    was simr to that in his vi.

    Andrew carefully lowered Ashley to the bed. As he looked at her peaceful sleeping face, Andrew''s

    heart couldn''t help but beat violently.

    Andrew was exhausted and sleepy after a long day. He took a quick bath andy down on the bed

    beside Ashley. He embraced her and fell asleep quickly.

    The next morning, Ashley woke to a body wrapped around her, almost squeezing the breath out of her.

    Ashley slowly opened her eyes and was stunned to see Andrew''s face inches from hers.

    She remembered the events of thest day.

    Ellie had asked her to go home with Andrewst night and then she had gone and eaten a ton of

    snacks in Andrew''s car before getting drowsy because of all the food and falling asleep in the car.

    How did she end up here?

    Ashley tried to recollect everything that had happenedst night, making sure that she had everything

    clear.

    "Andrew? Andrew Lu?" Ashley nudged Andrew''s head gently.

    She realized that she was feeling suffocated because he had put his head on her chest.

    Ashley called Andrew''s name several times but was in vain. He was sound asleep. She knew she had

    to do something drastic. So she raised her voice and yelled, "Wake up, Andrew Lu!"

    "Yes?" Andrew slowly opened his eyes. But unlike Ashley, his eyes were stern and clear. He had

    obviously just been pretending to be asleep just now.

    He gently touched the side of Ashley''s neck and said, "It is still early. Let''s sleep for some more time."

    Ashley felt ufortable at his touch and twisted away a little, trying to avoid him. But he only scooted

    closer and embraced her tightly.

    Ashley arched a brow at Andrew''s words.

    Still early?

    The sun was about to shine through the windows and it wasn''t early by a long stretch.

    "What is this ce?" Ashley asked, looking around. Everything about this ce was unfamiliar to her.

    "Thepany,"

    Andrew said indifferently.

    "What?" Ashley let out a scream as she stared at him disbelievingly.

    ''This is hispany?

    He brought me herest night?'' The questions pelted into her mind one after the other.

    "Yes," he said mildly, looking at her warily.

    Ashley''s uneasiness increased in Andrew''s embrace and she tried to move away from him again.

    He pressed her back into his arms again and said, "Don''t move." Andrew''s voice turned husky, his

    desire for her pretty evident at the moment.

    At first, Ashley was unaware of the change that hade over him. But when she did realize it, she

    blushed and stilled obediently.

    ''It''s said that men crave morning sex more than any other time. Looks like it is true!'' Ashley thought.

    Andrew smiled softly as he noticed Ashley''s sudden obedience and quietness.

    Ashley''s face looked like it was on fire.

    So they stayed in bed for another half an hour.

    Ashley felt a little dizzy and even forgot what had happened in that room when she finally left, red-

    faced. She was too unnerved to walk properly.

    Andrew, however, was very happy and satisfied as he stepped out of the room. His cold seriousness

    was much milder than usual.

    Their breakfast arrived the moment they came out. Johnny brought the breakfast he had prepared for

    them, wearing a suit and a tie and looking like a typical sessful businessman.

    Johnny saw that his boss was in a good mood, a smile ying at his lips.

    Ashley was sitting on the sofa, embarrassed and shy.

    Johnny considered the situation for a moment. Looking at their expressions, it wasn''t difficult to discern

    what had taken cest night.

    "Mr. Lu, here is the breakfast you ordered. I don''t know what Miss Mu likes, so I just brought her the

    same as yours," he said to Andrew. He put the breakfast on the table for them.

    Andrew nodded and gestured with his eyes to Johnny, indicating for him to leave as soon as possible.

    Ashley was embarrassed to be alone with Andrew. So she was actually happy to see Johnny and

    wanted to hold his hand to ask him to stay.

    Just as Johnny was about to leave, Ashley, desperate to make him stay, said, "Johnny, you must have

    had no time for breakfast, since you had to buy it for us. There is too much food for us anyway. Why

    not join us?"

    Ashley was about to pull on Johnny''s sleeve to ask him to stay. ording to her, Johnny was one of

    Andrew''s most trusted helpers at work and was at a high position in thepany. Andrew also thought

    highly of him, so Ashley naturally thought it was okay for Johnny to have breakfast with them.

    Moreover, Johnny was the only one that she knew in thispany, apart from Andrew.

    And because of what had just happened, she didn''t want to stay in the room alone with Andrew any

    longer. That was why she had made up her mind to ask Johnny to be in theirpany.

    But before her outstretched hands could touch Johnny''s arm, Andrew had stared coldly at Johnny,

    looking like he wanted to kill Johnny with just his eyes.

    Johnny shuddered as he met his boss''s eyes.

    Then he carefully avoided Ashley''s hands. ''Oh, Miss Mu! Don''t you see my boss''s eyes? He wants to

    kill me now!'' he berated her in his mind. Johnny could tell that if he allowed Ashley to touch his arms,

    his boss would cut his hands off.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

 Chapter 119 Keeping Him Company

    Chapter 119 Keeping Him Company

    Johnny dodged Ashley''s hand politely, so Ashley wasn''t embarrassed. Ashley was the person his boss

    cherished the most, after all.

    Johnny smiled in a friendly manner and replied, "No, thanks, Miss Mu. I had breakfast beforeing

    here."

    He then turned to Andrew and said, "Boss, if there isn''t anything else, I think I''d better get back to

    work."

    Saying thus, Johnny rushed out of the office like a gust of wind, not giving Ashley a chance to react.

    Andrew was satisfied with how Johnny had behaved.

    "Wait, Johnny!" Ashley''s voice trailed off, as she found that Johnny had already disappeared.

    Hearing footsteps approaching from behind her, Ashley tensed a little. She felt like she was trapped

    and was desperate to run out of the office like Andrew''s assistant just had. But she knew she couldn''t.

    She didn''t have the nerve to displease Andrew.

    Andrew walked to Ashley''s side and found that she was still staring at the door. "He is gone. What are

    you looking at?" he asked, his voice dripping with jealousy.

    He knew that Ashley wasn''t interested in his assistant, but he couldn''t help but feel upset. He hated

    watching his wife look at other men.

    ''She can''t look at any other men but me. I''m so much more handsome than all of them. She won''t get

    sick of looking at me, ''

    the narcissist in Andrew thought.

    Luckily, Ashley had no idea what was on his mind. Or she would make fun of him.

    And she would tease him for thinking so highly of himself.

    Ashley turned around without looking at him, made her way to couch, sat down and said, "Let''s have

    breakfast. I''m starving."

    Andrew pursed his lips but didn''t say anything.

    He went up to Ashley, took out the breakfast and ced it in front of her.

    Johnny had brought them all kinds of food. There were several types of porridge, including Pork and

    Preserved Egg Congee, Pumpkin Porridge, Eight Grain Porridge, Mung Bean Porridge, Chinese

    Cabbage Porridge, and Pork Liver Congee.

    Besides, there were steamed buns with pork stuffing, dumplings with pork, steamed Chinese buns,

    dumplings with Chinese chives, fried bread stick, and hard-boiled eggs.

    Ashley was stunned at the sight of the feast before her. ''Oh jeez! The rich do lead avish life that a

    civilian like me could never imagine, '' she thought, exasperated.

    But she had forgotten that she was now a part of the affluent since she was married to a wealthy man.

    "What would you like to eat?" Andrew asked as he took notice of her sparkling eyes.

    "Umm, Pork and Preserved Egg Congee, please," Ashley replied after some hesitation.

    Andrew handed the bowl of porridge to her.

    Ashley picked up a spoon, and just as she was about to dip it into the bowl and enjoy her meal, the

    spoon slipped from her hand and fell into the bowl with a ssh.

    She felt her hand be sore.

    She was somehow slightly ashamed when she met Andrew''s gaze.

    He nced at an embarrassed Ashley and then at the spoon in the bowl. His eyes shed with mirth.

    Andrew put down his breakfast, took the bowl from Ashley''s hand and said, "Let me feed you." The

    mirth in his eyes had now transformed into gentle love.

    He scooped a spoonful of porridge and brought it to her lips.

    Watching his smiling face, she turned her head, her appetite suddenly lost. ''What a fool I am! I couldn''t

    even hold a spoon. How embarrassing!'' she thought bitterly.

    "You don''t want it?" Andrew asked, trying to tempt her to eat by bringing the spoon closer to her lips.

    Her stomach growled, announcing her hunger. To top it off, the pleasant smell of the porridge filled her

    nose, and she finally gave in to the temptation. She lowered her head and ate the porridge Andrew fed

    her.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    And suddenly, she wasn''t ufortable with Andrew feeding her.

    A few minutester, she was at ease eating with her husband alone. She asked Andrew to feed her

    whatever she wanted to eat.

    It was his first time feeding anyone. As a result, Ashley burnt her tongue with hot food several times.

    Each time that happened, she gave Andrew a disgruntled re, stuck out her tongue, and gulped down

    some water.

    Her behavior was turning Andrew on. He fought the impulse to press her against the couch and make

    out with her.

    Ashley hadn''t expected Andrew to feed her and enjoy it at that. And in the future, he would often

    volunteer to do this for her.

    Andrew didn''t have his breakfast until Ashley had finished hers. Feeling full, Ashleyy on the couch

    leisurely, unwilling to move. She felt a little guilty as she watched Andrew eat.

    Once Andrew had finished his meal, Ashley sat up.

    "I know you work here. And I have to go to work. I''ll see you around," she began.

    "Wait," Andrew said as Ashley rose from her seat and walked to the door.

    Since her back was to him, he didn''t see the frozen expression on her face. She turned around, smiled,

    and asked, "Is there anything else?"

    "I know you are one of the owners of that bakery, and your job is to supervise the employees, right?"

    Andrew asked.

    Although Ashley didn''t know what he was getting at, she nodded in confirmation.

    She had a bad feeling about this.

    Her suspicion was confirmed as Andrew said the very thing she was dreading hearing. "If that is the

    case, then you can stay here today. There is no need to go over there every day."

    Ashley retorted, "I don''t agree with you. I''d like to go over there every day. It is a new bakery, after all.

    So like it or not, I''ve got to go."

    Andrew gave her an evil smile.

    Ashley eventually didn''t go to the bakery.

    And Andrew took credit for that. He kissed Ashley fervently on her lips and pushed her onto the couch.

    She tried to push him away and make an escape but to no avail. He was a strong man, after all. She

    eventually stopped struggling and resigned herself to her fate.

    Pressing up against her, Andrew nted a soft kiss on her lips and asked in his sexy voice, "Are you

    still going to the bakery?"

    Only a fool would say yes. Ashley shook her head and said, "N... No, I''m going to stay here." Even

    though he got the reply he wanted, Andrew still stared at Ashley possessively, the desire in his eyes

    only multiplying. Ashley was so annoyed with him that she wanted to kick his ass.

    As Andrew lowered his head in a bid to kiss her again, she covered her mouth with her hands and

    narrowed her eyes at him. Her eyes were full of anger and usation.

    She was certain that her lips were swollen for her lips were numb and she could feel the puffiness of

    her lips.

    But little did she know that her re could do nothing to hinder Andrew right now.

    The sight of her annoyed eyes and pink, blushing cheeks endeared her to Andrew even more, turning

    him on in the process.

    His eyes betrayed the lust he was feeling as he stared at her. His voice was husky as he said, "Don''t

    look at me like that." ''Or I might lose control of myself, '' he finished the sentence in his mind.

    His remark baffled Ashley. As something urred to her, she rolled her eyes at Andrew and turned her

    face away.

 Chapter 120 Francis Nan

    Chapter 120 Francis Nan

    Andrew thought he had gone too far. ''Just pamper her, in case I never get this chance again.''

    Just as Andrew let Ashley go, there was a knock on his door.

    Ashley got startled. She quickly sat up on the couch and covered her face with a book. She was too

    embarrassed to let anyone see her.

    Andrew couldn''t help butugh softly at Ashley''s adorable antics.

    ''His voice is pleasant but hisugh is even more attractive.''

    Ashley thought, covering her face shyly.

    "I am going for a meeting. You just stay in the office for a while. If you need anything, tell Johnny."

    Andrew told her in a deep voice and then opened the office door to leave.

    "B...boss?" It was an assistant who had knocked on the door earlier. It was almost time for the meeting,

    so he hade to inform Andrew. But Andrew had unexpectedly opened the door ande out

    without asking him.

    "Hmm, Let''s go." Andrew nced at the assistant casually.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    He had barely walked two steps when he thought of something and suddenly stopped. The little

    assistant, who was following him, almost bumped into him. Fortunately, he reacted quickly.

    "Boss?" the little assistant asked in fear.

    Andrew was a terror in hispany.

    Andrew was thinking of Ashley and didn''t notice the assistant''s trembling voice. He thought for a while.

    "Take some snacks that girls like to my office," he ordered.

    The assistant was in doubt, but he said yes obediently.

    Andrew resumed walking, and the assistant continued to follow him. He suddenly stopped again. He

    turned around and frowned at his follower.

    The assistant was scared by his boss''s angry gaze. He had not done anything wrong. Then why was

    the boss staring at him this way? And what was wrong with the boss today? He had abruptly stopped

    twice in a short time.

    "Go now!" He shouted, seeing that the assistant didn''t do as he was told and followed him instead.

    "Ah?" The little assistant looked at Andrew nkly.

    Seeing his boss'' terrifying eyes, he was suddenly enlightened and replied, "OK, boss. I will prepare the

    snacks right away." Saying this, the little assistant ran off instantly, as if something was chasing him.

    The assistant was confused. He didn''t know why the boss had asked him to prepare snacks that girls

    would like to eat.

    ''Is there a woman in the boss''s office?''

    The assistant was shocked by this possibility. It was impossible, so he brushed away this thought.

    Who was Andrew? He had been working in thepany for so many years, but there was never any

    woman beside him. And it was rumored that Andrew hated women, so there was no way that a woman

    would be in his office.

    The assistant didn''t know that his spection was, in fact, the truth.

    But he didn''t dwell on it too much, and took the snacks to Andrew''s office. He didn''t see anybody in the

    office. Puzzled, he scratched his head and walked out.

    Just as the assistant left, the door to the lounge area in the office was opened and Ashley stepped out.

    She had gone in for a wash and had just walked out. She lookedposed now and not as awkward

    as before.

    There was nobody else in the office. Ashley sighed with relief and felt much morefortable.

    She didn''t know why but subconsciously she felt that her rtionship with Andrew had changed after

    coming back from L City.

    ''We seem to be closer? And we are in harmony?'' Ashley pondered as she sat on the couch and

    supported her head with her hand. But when she caught a glimpse of the snacks on the tea table, she

    left her thoughts behind.

    Nothing was more important than eating.

    Andrew had thoughtfully arranged some snacks for her.

    However, she was full after eating just a little bit. Andrew had made her eat too much at breakfast this

    morning.

    ...

    In the meeting room, as Andrew''s brows knitted tighter, the interpreter standing in front of him started

    sweating more and more. And he spoke with a pronounced stutter.

    "In the end, this project... We should adopt..."

    Fortunately, the person making the presentation finally reached the end and finished it with a flourish.

    He wiped the sweat on his forehead cautiously and went back to his seat.

    Andrew drummed his fingers on the table every now and then. Everyone seated around the table was

    confused.

    The top managers looked at each other. They were looking for information and for answers from the

    other. But they were all at a loss for words and simply shook their heads.

    In such arge meeting room, the only sound was that of Andrew''s fingers drumming on the table.

    "Has everyone finished?" His cold voice filled the quiet meeting room.

    All the top managers nodded.

    "OK. That''s all for today''s meeting. Dismiss." Andrew stood up without much ado and started to leave.

    "Please wait a moment, boss." Someone who clearly wasn''t so afraid of him spoke up.

    Andrew turned around and looked at the man indifferently.

    When he saw Andrew''s menacing eyes, his legs turned to jelly and he wished he could back off, but he

    thought of something and straightened his back.

    Andrew appeared to be absent-minded at the meeting, and everyone present in the room could see

    that clearly, but nobody dared to say anything. Because Andrew had a long-standing reputation in the

    Lu Group.

    This man drew his attention when he stood up.

    "Boss, don''t you think there is something improper in the project Mr. Liu showed us just now?"

    Upon hearing his name, the director, Mr. Liu, got scared and broke into a cold sweat.

    ''If this guy doesn''t want to live, it is not a problem, but why does he want to pull me down with him?''

    That man encouraged himself. Andrew didn''t listen carefully just now, so he thought the boss couldn''t

    answer the question.

    Andrew narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you questioning me?"

    The man was under a lot of pressure. He clenched his hand and replied, "No, I don''t dare to."

    "It needs too much money for investment, and the construction period is too long. The proposal was full

    of crap earlier and this project is getting nowhere,"

    Andrew stated and turned to stare at Mr. Liu, "That project n must be redone."

    Mr. Liu nodded in awe.

    "Is there any objection?" Andrew looked around and everyone lowered their heads under his

    challenging gaze.

    In Andrew''s office

    A coquettish man dressed in a pink suit pushed the door open and walked in, as if he had walked into

    his own home.

 Chapter 121 Poker-faced Man

    Chapter 121 Poker-faced Man

    It was obvious that he was a frequent visitor.

    The man in the pink suit looked more coquettish than women, with his peachy cheeks and almond-

    shaped eyes. He cast flirtatious nces at every woman passing him by.

    What was surprising was that the pink suit didn''t feel awkward or feminine on him. Instead, it suited

    him. He had been like this since birth.

    Francis walked straight to Andrew''s office and sat down casually on the sofa.

    "Ah, it''s unexpected that Andrew would have snacks, which are girls'' favorite. What a surprise! I''ll enjoy

    myself first," Francis said, raising his eyebrows when he saw snacks on the table.

    Francis was a yboy so he knew what kind of snacks were favored by girls.

    He had bought them himself on many asions.

    Technically speaking, Francis was a dutiful lover. When he was in a rtionship, he would treat his girl

    pretty well. Whether it was reasonable or not, as long as she wanted it, he would satisfy her demands.

    However, he also was the most ruthless lover. Once the rtionship ended, he would get away from

    her as soon as possible, and treat the girl like aplete stranger.

    Feeling bored, Francis picked up some snacks and began to eat them. Soon he found himself addicted

    to them.

    "Wow, they''re delicious. Eh, famous brands. Good. Looks like Andrew is fond of these," Francis

    commented while he was eating.

    He didn''t notice Ashley because shey on the secluded sofa on the other side and yed with her

    cellphone, wearing earphones.

    But Ashley had noticed himing in because Francis made a lot of noise, which couldn''t be ignored.

    She poked her head sneakily, casting a furtive nce at him, and then cowered quickly.

    She couldn''t help wondering, ''Andrew said no one woulde to his office. But who is this guy? How

    did hee in?''

    She sunk lower on the sofa, trying not to be found.

    Luckily, the sofa she was lying on was in line with the one on which Francis was sitting, so if she didn''t

    make any noise, Francis would never find her.

    Thanking her lucky stars for not being found, she felt relieved. But the next moment she turned round,

    she found that arge shining face appeared in front of her.

    Staring at him dumbfounded for several seconds, Ashley cried out.

    This made Francis cry out too.

    Both their cries reverberated through the entire office.

    Secondster, Ashley realized she shouldn''t have shouted.

    So she punched him on his eye, and stood up, watching his movements warily, "Who the hell are you?"

    Seeing that it was a woman, Francis didn''t try to defend himself, so he was unprepared and ended up

    with a shiner on his eye. Now he didn''t even care about her watchful gaze.

    Putting on his most charming smile, Francis began to introduce himself, "Don''t panic, sweetheart. I''m

    Francis Nan and I''m a gentleman. Could you please tell me why you are here? I don''t think you realize

    that you can''t visit this ce randomly. You''ll be thrown out, trust me."

    Francis was always chivalrous towards women. Besides, he was right. This was Andrew''s office and

    nobody could be in here without his permission. Otherwise, he would throw them out.

    Francis thought Ashley was like the other women who wanted to seduce Andrew, so he tried to give

    her a heads up about his friend.

    "Wow, look at you, such a beautiful woman, but I don''t think Andrew will be attracted to you. How about

    this? You can be my girlfriend, and I promise I will pay attention to you. What do you say?" Looking

    Ashley up and down, Francis couldn''t be more satisfied.

    As a womanizer who devoted himself to many rtionships, Francis met a lot of beautiful women who

    were pure, enchanting, sexy or coquettish. But none of them couldpare with Ashley. She had a

    sweet temperament, but she looked enchanting, which made it hard for Francis to resist flirting with her.

    ''Look at her big and intelligent eyes, her jade-like elegant face, and her crystal clear lips. What a sexy

    stunner!'' Francis praised in his mind.

    Ashley didn''t say anything. It seemed that the man knew Andrew, and that they got along well. She was

    wondering how to respond to his advances.

    She sized him up carefully. The man wore a pink suit, and had smooth, white skin and a beautiful face.

    Yes, he was so beautiful that people might think "Wow" when they saw him for the first time. Ashley

    would have almost thought he was a woman if she hadn''t seen his t chest and Adam''s apple.

    "So dear, what do you think? I suggest you''d better make a decision now. Otherwise, when the poker-

    faced bosses back, you''ll be so dead," Francis said shamelessly.

    Noticing Ashley sizing him up, he shed his most charming smile and looked at her seductively.

    But to Ashley it looked hrious with the shiner on his eye.

    "Haw-haw," Ashley couldn''t stop herself fromughing out loud. ''Poker-faced? Did he mean Andrew?''

    Ashley mused.

    Indeed, Andrew seldom smiled, which made the nickname apt.

    Francis began tough when he saw Ashley cracking up. He said, "I told you. If you say yes to be my

    girl, I promise he won''t dare to hurt you," he began to brag.

    "Really?" an intimidating voice said behind him, making Francis nervous.

    His smile froze when he heard the familiar voice. Turning away slowly, he looked at Andrew and

    straightened up. "Well, you''re back? Eh, I was joking just now. I know you won''t take it seriously, dude.

    And, this beauty didn''t mean to interrupt you. She came here by mistake, so don''t throw her out."

    Francis still remembered to appeal on behalf of Ashley even though he was unable to fend for himself.

    This made Ashley dislike him less. She watched him a little longer.

    But suddenly her eyes were covered by Andrew. "Don''t look at him!" he ordered.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    No one knew that Andrew wanted to throw his friend out to the wolves when he heard what he said to

    Ashley. What a jerk! He dared to flirt with his wife. He even asked Ashley to be his girlfriend! How

    shameless!

    ring at Francis who was still in shock, Andrew said severely, "Poker-faced man? Is that what you

    called me? Huh? Be your girlfriend? Are you serious?"

    Francis didn''te to his sense when he found out the truth about Ashley and Andrew''s rtionship.

    He felt Andrew''s anger. Feeling remorseful, he exined, "Hold on, Andrew. Listen to me. I didn''t know

    she is your girlfriend. Otherwise, I would never say that, you know me, pal.

    I will never steal your girl. I swear. By the way, who is she? Is she..." Ogling at Ashley, Francis was

    stunned.

    ording to rumors Andrew wasn''t interested in women, so who was the girl beside him?

 Chapter 122 Walking Around The Company

    Chapter 122 Walking Around The Company

    And hadn''t he seen Andrew go out with a woman from the coffee shopst time? Why was there

    another one here?

    Francis couldn''t understand it all. He was dizzy with confusion.

    "Get out. Now." Andrew said mercilessly.

    "Ah, don''t be like this, Andrew Lu. I came here to have a business talk with you." Francis said, thinking

    that he was done anyway.

    "Johnny," Andrew called out to his special assistant.

    "Boss," Johnny responded and walked into the office.

    "See this guest off!" Andrew said firmly, waving a hand at Francis without looking at him.

    "Mr. Nan, this way, please," Johnny said to Francis, a tight smile on his face. It looked like it was not the

    first time this had happened.

    Francis rolled his eyes and turned to Ashley. "Andrew''s girl, help me. He is kicking me out." Francis

    came up behind Ashley, asking for her help.

    Ashley finally took Andrew''s big hand off her eyes and saw Francis hiding behind her.

    This man was so different from the handsome and unrestrained guy who had entered the office just

    now. Ashley wanted tough.

    Why was this guy so funny?

    And Francis called her "Andrew''s girl", which made Ashley blush. She didn''t know what to say.

    Andrew''s face was impassive. Francis had made Andrew happy by calling Ashley "Andrew''s girl", but

    he couldn''t escape being thrown out.

    Andrew looked at Johnny, his intention obvious.

    When he met Andrew''s eyes, Johnny knew what he had to do. Without caring about anything Francis

    would say, Johnny dragged out Francis by the hand.

    "Aaahh! Andrew Lu, how can you do this? Believe it or not, I will tell your girl what you have done.

    I will tell her about thest time you hugged a woman in a coffee shop!"

    Ashley had beenughing when Francis was being dragged out.

    But hisst words had wiped the humor off her face.

    Andrew had hugged a woman at a coffee shop? Wasn''t it her who was hugged by him in the coffee

    shop?

    Andrew''s face had be deathly pale. If Ashley hadn''t been here, Francis would have suffered more

    than just being kicked out.

    ''Ashley is still staring at Francis''s back. Does he look nice to her?'' Andrew thought, jealousy rearing its

    head again.

    It appeared that he couldn''t indulge them. Andrew looked at Francis''s back, lost in thought.

    Francis didn''t know that just because he had gone to Andrew''s office and made a fuss, he would, in the

    future, never be allowed to enter the boss''s office randomly or even be seen in the vicinity of the office

    door without permission.

    He was masochistically fearless. How dare he flirt with Andrew''s wife? It was his luck that Andrew

    didn''t beat him to a pulp.

    "Is it proper to kick him out like this? He seemed to have something important to tell you," Ashley asked

    hesitantly after making sure that Francis had left.

    Andrew''s face darkened as he looked at her. "Are you worried about him?" he asked jealously.

    At the receiving end of Andrew''s stares, Ashley felt guilty and said, "No."

    Satisfied, Andrew said, "Ignore him. How can he have something important?"

    "Okay," Ashley acquiesced, nodding.

    Andrew asked, "What did he say to you just now?"

    "Didn''t you hear what he said?" Ashley countered awkwardly.

    Andrew stared at Ashley, but finally let her go.

    Afterwards, Andrew sat at his desk, busy working, while Ashley sat on the couch, ying on her

    cellphone.

    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Andrew was busy all day. He didn''t have time to talk to her while in office but would asionally check

    in on her.

    Seeing Ashley sitting on the couch, staring at the ceiling in boredom, he put down the file he was

    perusing and asked, "Are you bored?"

    Ashley rolled her eyes, taking some time to realize that Andrew was talking to her. She nodded

    immediately because

    she was bored. Andrew had been working, and she had been sitting on the couch for so long. She had

    be tired of ying on her cellphone.

    "I''ll ask Johnny toe in," he said.

    Ashley was confused. She wanted to ask him why but refrained from any questions. Why would he tell

    Johnny toe in?

    Andrew was about to call Johnny, but Ashley stopped him. "No need," she said.

    Ashley looked at Andrew who was working diligently and prepared to go out for a walk. As soon as she

    stood up, Andrew asked, "Where are you going?"

    Ashley hadn''t thought that Andrew could be distracted from his work enough to pay attention to her.

    "I want to take a walk. I will be back soon."

    "Okay. Come back soon."

    Ashley opened the door and went out.

    The moment Ashley stepped out, she could feel quite a few pairs of eyes on her.

    Ashley was puzzled. Had she opened the door in a wrong way?

    Ashley smiled, facing them awkwardly.

    But right now, she hated Andrew so much. Why hadn''t he told her that he had so many assistants in

    the office outside?

    This was arge office, Ashley thought, and these people must be Andrew''s assistants or secretaries.

    But why were they all male? Why was there no woman here?

    While Ashley stood there, confused, a man she was familiar with came over.

    Ashley smiled. "Hi, Johnny."

    Ashley froze the moment she blurted out Johnny''s name. She looked around to see the reactions of the

    people who were staring, but she found that they weren''t staring at her anymore. She was relieved.

    "Miss Mu," Johnny said, walking up to Ashley. "Why did youe out?"

    Ashley wasn''t afraid of losing face in front of an acquaintance. She rolled her eyes andined, "I

    was bored sitting there, so I came out to get some fresh air."

    Johnnyughed. His boss was a workaholic and was always busy working, before he had known

    Ashley. He had changed a lot after being in a rtionship with Ashley. But the scenario hadn''t changed

    much, because when he was working, she had still been truly bored sitting in the office.

    "By the way," Ashley said, discreetly pointing to the suited men sitting in front ofputers, "Are they

    all Andrew''s assistants and secretaries?"

    Johnny nodded and replied, "Yes."

    "What kind of a person is your boss? Why does he have so many assistants and secretaries?" Ashley

    was surprised to hear Johnny''s answer.

 Chapter 123 Love Rival

    Chapter 123 Love Rival

    Johnny had his gaze fixed on her face. He could tell by her expression that she wasn''t pretending to be

    surprised. Narrowing his eyes, he wondered whether his boss had told her who he really was.

    But it wasn''t his business to worry about that. So he shook off his doubt,ing to his senses.

    When he saw the other staff staring at them, he became more serious than Ashley had ever seen him

    be. "Mind your own business," he told the prying staff. "You know what they say. Curiosity kills the cat.

    So just be aware of your ce and don''t cross the line." His tone reminded one of the way Andrew

    handled such situations.

    And since Johnny was Andrew''s assistant and his position was higher than anyone else''s there, his

    word was almost as effective as Andrew''s. His words had the effect he was looking for. Those who

    were staring at Ashley quickly withdrew their gazes and went back to their work. They didn''t dare mess

    with their superior after all.

    "Miss Mu, please don''t go too far from here. This ce is kind of big. I have to take care of my work, so

    I''ve got to go," Johnny suggested politely.

    "I''ll keep that in mind. You please go ahead with your work. I''ll be fine," Ashley said with a nod.

    Once Johnny had walked away, Ashley strolled across the floor.

    She decided to take Johnny''s advice since she didn''t know this ce or anyone here.

    Thispany was several times bigger than Raymond''s when it came to its carpet area.

    It had a simple, high-endyout. Ashley went up to the French doors, overlooking the scenery of half of

    J City.

    She had nned to spend just minutes taking a tour of the floor. But as she walked around, she

    gradually forgot her n. She had a poor sense of direction, and since each room here shared a

    simryout, she got lost.

    She stuck her hand into her pocket to pull out her cell phone, but to her dismay, she realized that she

    hadn''t brought it with her.

    Ashley was desperate as she remembered with a sinking feeling that she had left her cellphone on the

    couch in Andrew''s office.

    She was out of options now and had to follow her instinct to make her way back to Andrew''s office. But

    it looked like luck wasn''t on her side. It felt like she was walking in circles and what was worse, she was

    exhausted and hungry.

    Regret seized her. ''Had I known this would happen, I would have stayed in his office. It was boring

    there but I could have yed on my phone and had snacks. And now I''m lost.''

    Ashley leaned against a wall behind her. Just as she was about to lose all hope, a figure came into her

    sight.

    ''Turns out I haven''t run out of luck, '' she thought, as her eyes lit up with joy.

    She pulled herself together and walked up to that person. But suddenly, her legs cramped; she lost her

    bnce, and tilted forward.

    The woman, who was three feet away from her at the moment, was caught off guard and froze,

    stunned. It looked like Ashley was pouncing on her.

    Just before Ashley made contact with the woman, her wide eyes went to the steaming coffee in her

    hand.

    Ashley felt her heartbeat go out of control and her breath be short. ''Ohe on! It can''t be! I''m

    definitely dead! What should I do? What if I burn my face?'' she thought frantically.

    Ashley instinctively stretched out her hand and knocked over the mug of coffee. The liquid went

    sshing in all directions.

    "Aahhh!" The woman let out a shrill scream as the hot coffee sshed on her clothes, and looked

    daggers at Ashley.

    Meanwhile, Ashley fell to the ground with a thud, most of the liquid having sploshed on her thighs,

    which she suspected were turning red right now. Excruciating pain took over her. "Ouch!" Ashley

    moaned, her brows knitted in pain.

    ''It hurts so much!'' she thought to herself, almost in tears.

    Considering it was her fault, she ignored the sharp pain, and looked up at the woman. "I''m so sorry!"

    she apologized sincerely. "Are you alright? I really didn''t mean it!"

    The woman, who was in her twenties, was wearing a V-neck id shirt that showed her cleavage. Her

    hot pants and ck silk stockings only added to how her attire showed off her attractive figure.

    She was wearing a bright make-up, and her blond way hair and fairplexion added charisma to her

    persona. However, the twisted expression on her face ruined her beauty.

    Carol Ai narrowed her eyes at the coffee stains on her shirt and then at Ashley who was still on the

    ground. "Did you go blind? Do you really think you saying sorry will make me forgive you? I was going

    to bring coffee to my boss, and now I need to make a new one for him. What if he gets angry because I

    keep him waiting for so long? How are you going to help me with that?

    Besides, do you know how expensive my shirt is? This one is a brand new Chanel! I don''t think you

    can afford to get me a new one!"

    Carol shouted in a disgruntled and arrogant tone, looking disdainfully down at Ashley.

    Ashley bit her lip. ''It was my fault to spill coffee on her, but she didn''t get hurt. Besides, I said sorry.

    Why is she being so mean to me?'' she thought.

    She was slightly frustrated and sad.

    Ashley apologized to her again, and despite her injured leg, she managed to lift herself off the ground.

    This was when Carol realized the extent of Ashley''s beauty.

    Ashley was in her white knee-length skirt, her smooth ck hair cascading down her shoulders. Even

    without make-up, she was white as snow and stunning. And she boasted of a pair of slender, long legs.

    But a patch on her leg was red and swollen, making it look creepy.

    ''I am pretty, and I am apetent woman. Otherwise I couldn''t have be Andrew Lu''s only female

    secretary, '' Carol thought.

    But when she saw Ashley, she became envious of her beauty.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Noticing that Ashley was about to turn and leave, she cried out, "Stop!"

    "I said sorry. What else do you want?" Ashley said, stopping in her tracks. She didn''t like this woman at

    all.

    Even though she was reluctant to argue with the stranger, she still paused because it was her fault

    after all.

    Carol walked up to Ashley, studying her from head to toe. The longer she stared at her, the more

    jealous she got.

    ''Alluring eyes, sexy lips, fair. Any man would fall for her, '' Carol thought.

    And as Ashley was petite and delicate, Carol assumed that she hade here to seduce her boss.

    She looked at Ashley with contempt in her eyes. ''She is good looking, but Andrew isn''t a shallow

    person. He will not be interested in her just because of her pretty face, '' she thought.

    Carol leaned in to Ashley, grabbed her chin, and examined her. With a sneer, she said, "I''ll admit that

    you''re hot." After a pause, she leered at Ashley dismissively and continued, "But don''t you dare seduce

    my boss. He will not spare you a look." She tightened her grip on Ashley''s chin, turned her head to one

    side, and released her grip abruptly. As a result, Ashley lost her bnce again and stumbled

    backwards.

 Chapter 124 The Scald

    Chapter 124 The Scald

    Ashley held on to the wall beside her to keep her bnce and not to fall to the ground again.

    Ashley had no idea why this woman was acting like this. She wondered about the reason this woman

    was so angry. ''Is it because of my face? She thinks a girl with such a face is here to seduce her boss?''

    she thought in wonder.

    "Well, let''s talk about reparations. I can forgive you for spilling coffee on me, but you need to pay for

    what you did to my clothes. Fifty thousand. I''m giving you a discount, so you''d better give me the

    money!" Carol said, crossing her arms over her chest. She stood before Ashley and looked down at

    her.

    Ashley frowned. The pain from her leg was killing her. She answered weakly, "I have offered you my

    sincere apology. I''m really sorry. It''s just a little coffee stain on your clothes. How about this? I can wash

    it off."

    Carol smirked and said, "What? You can wash it off? Ha ha! You think this is cheap like the rags you

    are wearing right now? Ridiculous! What I''m wearing is the real deal!"

    "So what do you want?" Ashley said, sitting down against the wall.

    "What I want is simple. All you have to do is cut your face," Carol said, whipping out an eyebrow razor

    out of nowhere and throwing it to Ashley.

    Ashley could tell what Carol wanted from this incident.

    "Don''t push it!" she warned.

    "Why do you say that? You can''t afford my clothes. So you have to pay it in some way," Carol said,

    raising an eyebrow at Ashley.

    "Well? You don''t want to do it yourself? That''s okay. I can help you," Carol continued. She crouched

    down and picked up the razor, her eyes shing wickedly.

    When Ashley saw the razor get closer and closer to her, she frowned, her heart thumping in fear.

    ''Damn it! I''m so screwed this time! The hot coffee didn''t get on my face, but the razor is going to do it, ''

    Ashley thought frantically.

    Ashley was physically and mentally exhausted. She was worn out when she had got lost, and had

    almost passed out because of the pain from the scalding coffee. And now, Ashley had no strength to

    stop Carol.

    The razor in Carol''s hand was about to touch Ashley''s face.

    But Johnny''s voice echoed suddenly from behind them, stopping Carol from doing anything.

    "Carol, what the hell are you doing?"

    Johnny could only see Carol. Ashley was on the ground, hidden by her.

    Carol froze at Johnny''s voice. She abruptly stood up, turned to Johnny, and she answered calmly,

    "Nothing! I was just picking up something I dropped."

    "Have you seen ady in a white dress?" Johnny asked anxiously.

    Andrew wasn''t worried about Ashley at first, because she was in his office building. He thought she

    was just wandering around because she was getting bored in his office but woulde back soon.

    It was lunchtime now and Ashley had still not returned. Andrew obviously began worrying about her.

    He ordered Johnny to find Ashley. And Johnny in turn wasbing the building anxiously to find her.

    ''Ady in a white dress?''

    Carol frowned. A sense of foreboding overcame her as she thought, ''Is she thedy Johnny is looking

    for?

    No! No way!

    She just happens to be wearing a white dress like thedy Johnny is looking for, ''

    Carolforted herself.

    "Who''s thedy? Why do you look for her?" Carol asked, as she moved in front of Ashley so that

    Johnny couldn''t see her.

    "She''s Mr. Lu''s wife," Johnny said. He knew what Carol felt for Andrew. But Carol didn''t give anything

    away. Besides, she was a good secretary. So Johnny usually turned a blind eye to her personal

    feelings.

    "What?" Carol blurted out as she looked at Johnny in disbelief.

    "You must be kidding, right? Mr. Lu isn''t married. Since when does he have a wife?"

    "I have no time to discuss this with you right now. I need to find Miss Mu. Are you free now? Can you

    help me find her?"

    "Johnny?" Ashley called Johnny''s name when she vaguely heard his voice.

    But her voice was too weak to be heard. What was worse, Carol''s voice was louder than hers.

    Carol told Johnny she had seen thedy earlier and directed him in the opposite direction. After Johnny

    left, Carol crouched down and looked at Ashley.

    Johnny was too anxious to notice that there was someone behind Carol. So he followed her direction

    and walked away briskly, eager to find Ashley.

    Carol was still reeling from the news after Johnny had left. ''Mr. Lu has been married? He has a wife?

    Why has everything changed while I was on my business trip? Why?'' Carol wondered as she stared at

    Ashley.

    "You are the Miss Mu Johnny was talking about, right?" Carol asked.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Ashley looked at Carol but didn''t answer her. Somehow, Ashley thought that this Carol was different

    from the one she had first encountered.

    The reason why Carol wanted to ruin Ashley''s face was because she was jealous of Ashley''s beauty.

    And now Carol seemed to have another reason.

    "If I cut your face, will Mr. Lu still like you?" Carol asked Ashley calmly. But her words were caustic

    enough that they frightened Ashley to the core.

    "Why would he marry such a poor girl like you? You seduced him first, didn''t you? I knew it! He even

    ordered Johnny to find you because he is really infatuated with you. You shameless bitch!" Carol said,

    as the t part of the razor touched Ashley''s face.

    She moved the razor along Ashley''s face, causing goosebumps on her hands.

    Ashley could tell that this woman had a crush on Andrew, which was why she was so jealous of Ashley

    when she heard from Johnny that Andrew had married her.

    When Ashley looked at Carol again, she saw the fire of jealousy and rage burning in her eyes. A

    woman like her was most terrifying. Ashley saw that the hand of death was hovering over her, ready to

    take her away.

    "Why are you so quiet? I was right, wasn''t I?" Carol thought that Ashley''s speechlessness was because

    she had guessed right and started snickering.

    She then held up the razor and brought it back to Ashley''s face, ready to cut into the smooth flesh.

    Ashley was so scared that she closed her eyes. She thought regretfully, ''I shouldn''t havee out. I

    should have stayed in Andrew''s office no matter how boring it was. Now my face is about to be

    scarred. Damn it! It''s all Andrew''s fault!

    Why are so many women attracted to him?''

    Ashley didn''t feel the pain, but surprisingly, felt herself being enveloped in familiar arms.

    She heard Carol''s scream, which made her open her eyes.

    Andrew''s arms were wrapped around her and Carol was some distance away.

    The cold aura emanating from Andrew frightened everyone, including Ashley.

    Ashley held on to Andrew''s neck and cautiously called his name.

    Andrew looked at her but said nothing.

 Chapter 125 Fire Her

    Chapter 125 Fire Her

    "Andrew, my body aches." Ashley was rxed as Andrew held her, but her thighs hurt as if they were

    burnt.

    Andrew''s expressionless face changed as he heard that. There were panic, worry, and regret on his

    face.

    When Andrew told Johnny to look for Ashley, he felt his heart beating fast, as if something bad would

    happen, and that made him restless.

    He left his work behind and came out to look for Ashley.

    The moment he turned that particr corner, he saw that Carol had something in her hand and was

    about to touch it to Ashley''s face.

    Andrew''s heartbeat had sped up at the sight. His feet were on autopilot as he ran to stop what was

    happening to Ashley and kicked Carol away.

    And now that he heard Ashley saying that her body ached, he was obviously worried, and feared that

    she had gotten injured in multiple ces.

    "Which part aches?" Andrew asked, his voiceing out stiff and strangled.

    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Ashley moved her thigh. Andrew looked down and found that the bottom of Ashley''s white dress was

    stained with coffee and her fair-skinned thighs were red.

    Andrew looked at the injury and wanted to touch it, but he was afraid it would hurt Ashley. He pursed

    his lips, power and fury radiating off of him.

    He carried Ashley to his office, flipping out his cellphone and making a call on the way.

    Ashley was quiet andy obediently in Andrew''s arms.

    Carol looked up as Andrew took Ashley in his arms and was about to leave.

    As she took in the sight of Andrew''s arms around Ashley, her eyes red with jealousy. She was so

    close to destroying this woman''s face. Why did the boss have toe here at this time?

    Andrew kicked at Carol mercilessly and her face twisted with the pain.

    Carol moved to Andrew pitifully and said, "Boss, it was her. You told me to get some coffee for you, but

    she ran into me and spilled the coffee all over the floor!" Carol pointed at Ashley and continued, "I didn''t

    me her, just asked her to apologize, but she didn''t. What''s more, she abused and cursed me!" Carol

    pointed again at Ashley.

    "Andrew, I didn''t..." Ashley said, her voice trembling. Carol''s false im was making her emotional. She

    raised her head, wanting to exin to Andrew, but he just drew her back.

    "What did she say?" Andrew suddenly asked.

    Hearing this, Carol was pleasantly surprised. She knew it. How could her boss be seduced so easily?

    And that too, this woman? Carol was Andrew''s only female secretary and in her opinion, this made her

    special to Andrew, even if it wasn''t actually the case.

    She knew what kind of women men liked, so she pretended to be weak and miserable in front of

    Andrew. "She cursed me. She has said that you are hers, and that people like me don''t deserve to

    think of you. And she also said that you wouldn''t drink the coffee I gave you, and that you would only

    drink the coffee she offered." Any other man would believe Carol, given her expression and the tears

    forming in her eyes.

    Ashley couldn''t stay peacefully in Andrew''s arms after hearing what Carol had just said. When had

    Ashley said that? Ashley struggled, trying to get out of his grasp and wanting to make an exnation to

    save her dignity. But she didn''t dare move after Andrew shot her a nce.

    Andrew cast a cold re at Carol and asked, "Are you done?"

    Carol couldn''t understand why Andrew was asking her such a question, but looking at his furious face,

    she thought he would punish Ashley for her.

    After all, she had been the only woman among Andrew''s secretaries for so many years.

    And she had always thought that Andrew saw something special in her. Or why would she be the only

    female secretary in the wholepany?

    In fact, Carol was overthinking. Andrew had kept her in thepany only because she was capable

    and not because of any ulterior motive.

    But right now, Carol had never thought that she would be chucked out of thepany because of her

    conflict with Ashley today. What was worse, if that happened, no otherpany would dare hire her.

    "She is my woman. She can do anything she likes. You are not qualified to question her orment on

    her!" Andrew said coldly, his re boring into Carol.

    Carol stared at Andrew nkly, disbelieving of what she was hearing from her boss. This was the

    longest sentence Andrew had ever spoken to her, but these words were crueler than anything else.

    Carol had been joyfully expectant just moments ago. But now, she was disappointed and embarrassed.

    "Boss?" After Johnny answered Andrew''s phone, he ran back as fast as he could. He saw Carol sitting

    on the floor and looking at Andrew in disbelief, while the boss held Ashley in his arms.

    He was startled. He was clever and could guess what had happened from the scene before his eyes.

    "You deal with this woman. Remember, I don''t want to see her in the future. And I hope nopany

    will employ her," Andrew said indifferently to Johnny, holding Ashley close to him.

    Johnny was stunned at Andrew''s emotionlessmand. "Yes, boss," he said.

    This was the first time Johnny had seen his boss be this furious in all the years he had worked for

    him.

    Andrew would not only fire Carol but also tell otherpanies not to hire her. He was obviously driving

    Carol to desperation.

    If the Lu Group fired Carol, no otherpany would dare go against the decision and employ her. It

    meant that even if she wanted to, she couldn''t work in this field in the future.

    "No! No! Mr. Lu, You can''t do this to me! You can''t be so cruel to me!" Carol said,ing to her senses

    and moving to hold Andrew''s leg tightly.

    "Mr. Lu, it was her. It was all this woman''s fault. She dashed to me first. Why don''t you punish her?"

    Carol wasn''t as arrogant as before. Now her hair was messy, and the makeup on her face was ruined.

    She looked ferocious but desperate.

    "Get out!" Andrew wrinkled his brows when Carol had rushed to him. A strong perfume smell had

    assaulted his senses.

 Chapter 126 Crazy Secretary

    Chapter 126 Crazy Secretary

    Andrew had been worried that he would hurt Ashley, who he was carrying in his arms, if he kicked

    Carol off, which gave Carol the opportunity to hold his legs tightly.

    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Andrew frowned. Ashley could feel the fury radiating off of him.

    Johnny watched Carol''s behavior nervously, cold sweat running down his temple. ''Does Carol even

    know what she is doing?'' he thought worriedly.

    But he didn''t have the time to consider anything else and he ran forward to draw Carol away from

    Andrew.

    Carol was an arrogant woman who thought that she was different and special to Andrew because she

    was the only female secretary. And since she seldom was approachable, Johnny didn''t like her at all.

    But now, she had displeased the CEO. If she left now, Andrew would get angry at him. So he had to

    ask Andrew and Ashley to leave first. He could then deal with Carol.

    "Mr. Lu and Miss Mu, you go on. I''ll take care of things here," Johnny said politely. Drawing Carol back,

    Johnny covered her mouth with one hand and trapped her with his other hand so she couldn''t move.

    Andrew walked Ashley to his office anxiously but briskly, without sparing Carol another nce.

    Carol couldn''t make a sound, her mouth having been covered. She couldn''t move an inch but she still

    squirmed in Johnny''s grasp, letting out a humming sound.

    She stared at Andrew''s retreating back and couldn''t hide her hatred for Ashley from her eyes.

    ''Why? I''ve worked in the Lu Group, been his secretary for 5 years, and dedicated myself to working.

    Although I have a crush on him, I never do anything improper. I should be given some credit for hard

    work.

    Why did he fire me just because of this? And even more merciless was when he said that no other

    company should hire me! What a cruel person! I can''t bear it anymore!'' Carol thought indignantly.

    Johnny didn''t let go of Carol until he couldn''t see Andrew. He didn''t show Carol any sympathy because

    he had warned her that Ashley was the person Andrew cared the most about. But she had dared

    challenge Andrew''s authority by hurting Ashley and brought this situation upon herself. It was her own

    doing and no one could help her now.

    "Are you leaving the Lu Group by yourself or should I send you away?" Johnny asked, frowning, as he

    saw Carol''s embarrassment.

    His words irritated Carol. She raised her head, glowered at him, and shouted, "No! I''ll never leave the

    Lu Group! If there''s anyone who should be leaving, it''s her. Not me. I''m Mr. Lu''s only female secretary.

    No one can rece me! I''m special to him. And how dare you treat me like this! Mr. Lu will not let you

    off that easily!"

    Johnny didn''t take her words seriously.

    "It''s my business whether Mr. Lu lets me off or not. You please just take care of yourself," he said.

    Saying thus, he picked up the phone and called security. Several security personnel made their way to

    where they were standing.

    Carol didn''t realize that Johnny really meant what he said until she saw them. Stepping back, she

    pointed to Johnny and screeched, "Johnny, for the love of God, we have worked together for so many

    years, why are you being so heartless?"

    "Heartless? Me? Carol, why do you say that? I''m following Mr. Lu''s orders. It''s my job," Johnny said, an

    impable smile on his face.

    "She isn''t a Lu Group employee any more. So just do your job," Johnny told the security personnel.

    They nodded and prepared to haul Carol out of the building.

    "How dare you! I''m Mr. Lu''s secretary. Do you have a death wish?" Carol said sharply, as they loomed

    over her.

    Although she was in a lower position than Johnny in the Lu Group, she was still capable of intimidating

    these security guards.

    It worked. They looked helplessly at each other and didn''t know what to do.

    Johnny sneered at her words. He had to admire her for her desperate persistence. Hemanded

    them, "Get her out of thepany right now. Don''t be fooled by her babbling, because she isn''t an

    employee or secretary anymore. She has just been fired. You guys follow my order and I will be

    responsible for anything you do."

    "Johnny!" Carol said viciously, as if she wished she could kill him.

    "Your sry will be paid to your ountter. Enjoy it," Johnny said, turned, and left.

    No matter how much Carol screamed, she was still dragged out of the building. Some bystanders saw

    this and began to gossip.

    "Is that Carol? Why is she being dragged out of thepany?" an employee asked curiously as she

    passed by.

    Some female employeesughed, taking pleasure in Carol''s misfortune, and said, "She was apparently

    fired by Mr. Lu for offending someone she shouldn''t have. But I think it makes the Lu Group better,

    because we all know what kind of a person she is."

    Relying on her special identity as Andrew''s only female secretary, Carol had often taken advantage of

    her power to bully people in thepany. Moreover, she had abused those who she thought were

    beautiful.

    Because she had a crush on Andrew, she thought that every beautiful female employee had a crush on

    Andrew too. And because of that, she tried her best to bully them.

    70% of the female employees in thepany had been teased and scolded. They were very happy to

    see her go now.

    "A person like Carol deserves to be fired. Thank God she''s finally gone! What a horrible woman! I can''t

    believe she really thinks that Mr. Lu would be interested in her," another employee said.

    Soon, the news that Carol had been fired, spread through thepany. There were different versions

    that were doing the rounds.

    Someone said that Carol had wanted to seduce Andrew but failed, which was why she was fired.

    Some others said that Carol had offended Andrew''s wife, which had made Andrew furious, and

    resulted in Andrew firing her.

    There were many gossip-mongers in the Lu Group who could make up a lot of stories about this. So

    this became a hot topic during their leisure time.

    In Andrew''s office

    Andrew took Ashley to his office, andid her gently on the sofa. He looked sullen. Ashley tried holding

    her breath as she huddled into a ball on the sofa.

    "Does it still hurt?" Andrew asked her softly. He knew that ethanol would disinfect her wound and

    brought it out.

    Ashley nodded, looking at her scalded thigh. She groaned in pain when Andrew dabbed her thigh with

    ethanol.

    Andrew saw this and said with a frown, "It really hurts, right? Then be careful next time." He was more

    cautious in treating the wound after that.

 Chapter 127 Furious Francis

    Chapter 127 Furious Francis

    "It was just an incident. I didn''t expect this ce to be this big. I nned to walk around, but got lost.

    And then I met that woman," Ashley retorted with a pout.

    Since she often got hurt these days, she was really convinced that she had a case of bad luck.

    "How about I change my clothes first?" Ashley asked, looking down at the coffee stains on the hem of

    her dress.

    "Don''t move," Andrew said imperiously.

    Ashley opened her mouth to say something to break the intensity of the situation, but at the stern look

    on Andrew''s face, she changed her mind and decided to shut up.

    "Bang!" Someone had kicked the office door pretty hard. Momentster, Francis''s furious voice

    resounded. "You''d better have something serious to talk to me about or I will teach you a lesson!"

    He was still upset with Andrew for having had him thrown out earlier. After he was kicked out of the Lu

    Group, he had hung out with a hot girl to ease his bad mood. While Francis and the girl were having a

    good time, Andrew called him for business, and now he was here.

    Francis sounded furious. ''No one can stop me. I must even the score, '' he swore to himself.

    "Johnny, let me in. I want to know why I am wanted here!" Francis said to Johnny rather aggressively.

    Johnny was lost for words. He smiled wryly. ''Mr. Nan, are you kidding me? I''m not stopping you. And

    why are you grabbing my hand?'' Johnny thought, amused but helpless.

    Francis had challenged Andrew, but his actions betrayed his cowardice.

    He held on to the handle of the door and he hid behind Johnny, grasping his hand tightly. He pressed

    his body against the door. People who had no idea what was going on would think him mad.

    Ashley was taken aback at the sound of Francis''s yelling. Lifting her head, she caught sight of Francis,

    who was ttened against the door. She raised her eyebrows and recognized him to be the good-

    looking man who had flirted with her this morning.

    ''Didn''t Andrew kick him out of here? How did he get in here again?'' she wondered, baffled.

    Francis''s appearance had drawn Ashley''s attention. Although aware that she was merely curious about

    him, Andrew couldn''t help but feel a little jealous.

    But he couldn''t bear to give his lovely wife a hard time. So he transferred his re to Francis instead.

    Francis''s body froze as he met Andrew''s threatening gaze. Terrified, he tightened his grip on the

    doorknob, now fearing entering the office. But he had to maintain a good impression in front of the

    pretty Ashley. So he mustered up some courage and straightened his clothes.

    After he loosened his hold on the doorknob, he entered the office gracefully.

    The eye that had taken Ashley''s punch was now a little less puffed, except for the bruise at one corner.

    Francis looked like a yboy in his white and pink suit. He was handsome, and had a pair of alluring

    eyes after all.

    Every time Francis went to make out with a hot girl, he would receive Andrew''s call or Andrew would

    come over to see him at the wrong time. This time was no exception. Francis was, without a doubt,

    furious and in low spirits.

    "Check her," Andrew said, moving aside.

    "What do you take me for, Andrew? I''m telling you that I''m a famous doctor. Do you think I will do as

    you ask after what you did to me this morning? The answer is no. Anyone who makes an appointment

    with me needs to pay at least ten thousand dors," Francis said, ring at Andrew.

    Ashley was speechless. ''What is he talking about?

    What''s going on between them?'' she wondered.

    Andrew''s face darkened at Francis''s words. Taking notice of the anger on his face, Francis gave in.

    "What happened to her?" he asked as he knelt down before Ashley and checked the wound.

    "She was burnt by coffee," Andrew replied stoically.

    Francis tried to control his anger but to no avail. Jumping to his feet, he focused his disgruntled eyes on

    Andrew and said angrily, "Seriously? That''s why you asked me here?"

    ''I am a famous surgeon. Does he think I have nothing to do?

    I have a full schedule, '' he grumbled to himself.

    "You don''t want to try my patience, Francis Nan,"

    Andrew said menacingly, looking at Francis with calm eyes.

    Francis lost his courage again.

    ''Fine. You''re the boss. I will do whatever you ask me to, '' he thought sullenly.

    "Sweetie, what''s going on with you?" Since he liked Ashley, he softened his voice when he spoke to

    her.

    ''He would have a crush on any beautiful woman, '' Johnny thought as he watched Francis.

    "I was burnt by coffee," Ashley replied.

    "What? You got burnt? Can you show me your injury?" Francis responded dramatically.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Ashley showed him her injured thigh. There was arge red area that looked painful.

    Francis knew that the red, swollen part must hurt a lot. ''How did she end up like this?'' he wondered.

    Francis opened his medical kit and started to treat Ashley''s wound.

    "You were good when I left here. What happened to you? Did Andrew abuse you? I told you he isn''t a

    gentleman. So you''d better..."

    Faced with a gorgeous Ashley, Francis couldn''t stop chatting with her.

    Andrew''s hands balled into fists, his tendons straining against his fair skin.

    Ashley pretended to cough deliberately, interrupting Francis''s relentless chatting. She went red as she

    exined, "No, it has nothing to do with him. It was an ident."

    ''I ran into that woman and got injured. She is Andrew''s secretary and she has a thing for him. It seems

    it was Andrew''s fault anyway, '' she thought.

    As Ashley spoke for Andrew, Francis was about to say something. Johnny shook his head, signaling

    him to stop. ''Mr. Nan, didn''t you notice that boss is angry? How dare you continue to speak to Miss Mu

    and speak ill of him?'' he thought nervously.

    Francis understood what Johnny was getting at and stopped talking. He took an ointment out of his

    medical kit, and as he was applying it to the injured part on Ashley''s thigh, Andrew snatched it out of

    his hand.

    "You can leave now," Andrew said coldly.

    ''How ungrateful he is!''

    Francis stood there, burning with anger.

    Andrew had apetent assistant. Before Francis could recover from his anger, Johnny grabbed his

    arm and dragged him towards the door.

    When Francis came to his senses, he was already outside the office. Displeasure writtenrge on his

    face, he squirmed out of Johnny''s grip. He said slowly, "Tell your boss not to bother me if anyone he

    cares gets injured next time."

 Chapter 128 A Funny Thing

    Chapter 128 A Funny Thing

    Johnny nodded calmly, watching Francis leave.

    Even though he was Andrew''s close friend and private doctor, Francis always spoke rudely to him.

    Despite this, he cared deeply about Andrew. When Andrew got into trouble, he was more worried than

    anyone else.

    Ashley and Andrew were alone in the office after Francis left.

    Andrew applied the ointment on Ashley''s thigh. She couldn''t help but pull back at his touch.

    Andrew''s hand was cool, like a piece of jade, and his fingers were fair and slender. However, there

    were some calluses on his fingers, which might be a result of his frequent use of pens.

    As he applied the ointment on Ashley''s thigh, he inevitably touched her smooth and white skin. The

    calluses on his fingers lightly pricked her skin.

    Only a small area of her skin was scalded. Ashley thought he would finish applying the ointment quickly

    so she just waited quietly.

    But Andrew did it so slowly and carefully. Half squatting, he gently rubbed her scalded skin, as if it was

    a very precious, delicate thing.

    Ashley was little nervous and could feel her heart thumping in her chest.

    Her face was flushed in embarrassment. She looked away quickly.

    She even ignored the slight itching on her thigh.

    "It''s okay." It was a long time before Andrew stood up.

    His suit looked a bit rumpled; perhaps from carrying her in his arms earlier.

    Ashley looked at her dress and frowned. She felt embarrassed about her appearance, especially when

    she saw the stain on the hem of her dress.

    She struggled to stand up by supporting her hands on the sofa. She wanted to go into the lounge to

    change into a clean dress, but no sooner had she stood up than Andrew held her.

    "Where are you going?" he demanded, pursing his lips.

    Ashley replied a little awkwardly, "I just want to get changed."

    Andrew simply stared at her nkly without saying a word.

    Finally, Ashley went to the lounge and got changed. She wore a pink dress, the style of which was

    simr to the previous one. The dressplemented her white skin.

    Ashley had juste out of the lounge when Johnny brought them lunch.

    She realized she was a little hungry. ncing at the clock on the wall, she saw that it was already

    noon.

    Ashley stared in disbelief when she saw that Andrew intended to feed her. ''My leg is hurt, but my hands

    are fine, '' she thought.

    She stopped him immediately, saying, "I can eat by myself. My hands are not hurt."

    Paying no heed to what she said, Andrew just stared at her quietly. Unable to dissuade him, Ashley

    finally relented.

    As he fed her, Ashley experienced a warm, fuzzy feeling again.

    After lunch, Andrew began to pack up his things. At first, Ashley thought he was busy with his work, so

    she watched him quietly without saying anything.

    To her surprise, after packing up, Andrew came to her and suddenly picked her up in his arms.

    Subconsciously, Ashley put her arms around his neck.

    It seemed like he was taking her outside. Ashley was a bit confused. Looking up at him in puzzlement,

    she asked, "Where are we going?"

    Andrew was amused at her funny expression. "Let''s go home," he said loudly.

    She retorted, "Why should we go home now? It''s only noon. Don''t you need to continue working this

    afternoon?"

    ncing at her scalded thigh, Andrew said, "You''re hurt. Do you think I''m still in the mood to work

    anymore?"

    Ashley was speechless. He didn''t want to continue working just for her sake.

    "I''m all right. You can have someone take me back. You''d better finish your work!" Ashley didn''t want

    Andrew to put off work because of her.

    She struggled in his arms but he held her tighter. "Don''t move!" Andrew admonished her.

    Holding her in his arms, he got into the special lift. Within the metal walls of the lift, Ashley could sense

    that even now Andrew held her tightly ¡ª in a very intimate way.

    She felt her face burn. It wasn''t until they reached the first floor did she realize what kind of a stir she

    had created among the employees of hispany.

    As Andrew walked out of the lift with Ashley in his arms, all the employees turned to look at him.

    They were all stunned at the sight of their boss holding a woman in his arms.

    Nobody could believe that their president was interested in women let alone carried one in his arms.

    Seeing Ashley''s beautiful figure, they were very surprised.

    She was really beautiful with her ck hair and a pink dress.

    Ashley was unable to look directly at them with her head nestled close to Andrew''s chest, but she could

    still hear them talking about him.

    "Am I seeing this correctly? Is our president really holding a woman in his arms?" A man looked at

    Ashley carefully, with a suspicious look on his face.

    "Yes, that''s our president. He really does have a woman in his arms!"

    "In that case, our president is not gay, right?"

    Since Andrew was always surrounded by men and never allowed women to get close to him, all the

    employees of the Lu Group thought he was gay. Naturally, seeing Andrew holding a woman in his

    arms, they couldn''t help but get excited.

    Carol was Andrew''s only female secretary and they thought their president didn''t like her because she

    was an arrogant and sharp-tongued woman.

    "Really? Where is he?" a handsome young man asked in surprise, elbowing other employees.

    Seeing that Andrew was holding a woman in his arms, the young guy breathed a sigh of relief and said,

    "Well, since our president likes women, I''m safe."

    All the employees looked at him in disdain, as if they were looking at a fool.

    ''Even if our president liked men, he wouldn''t like someone like you, '' they thought.

    "Don''t look at me like that! Have you ever seen anyone as handsome as me? It seems that you really

    don''t have an eye for beauty. In that case, take a close look at me now!" said the narcissistic young

    man.

    Other employees found him absurd. ''He has a lot of nerve saying that!'' they thought.

    Although they kept their voices low, Ashley could hear them clearly.

    When she heard that they thought Andrew was gay, Ashley couldn''t help but burst outughing.

    Andrew looked around with a stern face. Everyone instantly became silent.

    Seeing Ashleyughing wildly in his arms, Andrew felt helpless.

    She was stillughing when he put her into the car.

    Andrew frowned. "Can you stopughing?" he said with a serious look.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Ashley wanted to do as he told her. But seeing his gloomy face and remembering that his employees

    thought he was gay, she couldn''t helpughing.

 Chapter 129 Poor Francis

    Chapter 129 Poor Francis

    The driver looked at Ashley in astonishment. He had been driving for Andrew for many years now. The

    boss always wore a straight face and had never been so lively.

    But what surprised the driver most was Ashley. The boss was a neat freak and all of them knew that he

    had never allowed anybody else except Johnny into this car, let alone a woman.

    When Ashley stoppedughing, Andrew became serious again and spoke to the driver, "Go back to

    Golden Pce!"

    In the S Hospital

    Aftering back from Andrew''s office, Francis stayed at his office and didn''t go out as usual.

    A knock sounded at the door.

    "Come in," Francis said in barely concealed annoyance.

    "Mr. Nan." A middle-aged man, about forty to fifty years of age, walked in. He was the director of the

    hospital.

    "What''s the matter?" Francis asked.

    The director was wearing an expression that was a mix of surprise and joy on his face. "Mr. Nan, Mr. Lu

    has suddenly transferred a huge amount of money to us just now."

    "I see," Francis said indifferently. With what the director sunk in, Francis raised a startled eyebrow and

    asked, "What? He has transferred a lot of money?" Francis sprang up from his chair.

    The director nodded and said, "Yes, he has just sent in the money. But he has sent a patient here and

    has told us to use the best medicine and doctor to make sure to cure the patient."

    "You deal with it. You don''t need to tell me all this," Francis waved his hand and said.

    "You can go now," he said to the Director.

    Francis had started this hospital when he had had nothing to do and now, it had be famous

    across J City. But nobody except a few of Francis''s friends knew that Francis owned this hospital.

    The money had arrived. Francis should continue to do what he wanted to. He had forgotten that

    Andrew had walked all over him today.

    Francis opened the door to his office and stretchedzily, looking around. Sure, he was now a doctor in

    this hospital, but he was still the boss. He was different from other doctors in this hospital.

    As soon as Francis came out of his office, he heard a sweet voice call his name. "Francis."

    His ears perked up, hoping that it was someone beautiful calling him. Francis turned, his spirit aroused,

    and his lips curved in a charming smile.

    The next moment, his expression had changed.

    Just a few steps away from him stood a fat woman, her eyes full of tender affection, looking at him

    shyly. The eyes stared at him, as if she wanted to talk to him about the world. She even blinked coyly at

    him.

    Francis stiffened and felt nauseous. He turned and bolted like a ghost was on his tail.

    "Francis, wait for me!" The woman shouted as she chased him. The fat on her body jiggled, as if it

    could fall at any time.

    Although she was fat, she had a flexible body. She turned several corners and almost caught up with

    Francis. Suddenly, a nurse appeared before her, pushing a patient in a wheelchair. The woman was

    afraid of running into them, so she stopped and waited for them to pass.

    After the nurse had left, the woman looked around but couldn''t find Francis.

    "Damn it!" The woman stomped her foot in annoyance. She had finally found Francis, only for him to

    slip away from her again.

    "All of you, be quick and find him!" The woman ordered to her bodyguards who stood like a hulking

    presence behind her.

    The bodyguards looked at each other but thought it smart to obey her. Atst, several of them left.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    The others followed the woman protectively.

    To be frank, the woman was not ugly. Only the fat on her body and face was a little distracting.

    She looked well-rounded, with the baby fat on her face not having gone away yet.

    Francis liked women with hourss figures and could never cultivate an interest in a woman like her.

    He rushed into a random ward and shut the door, his back against it. He was still shocked, a hand on

    his chest to calm his racing heart.

    Dangerous! That woman had almost caught up with him.

    He was fortunately nimble on his feet and ran fast.

    The sound of Francis opening and closing the door naturally caught the attention of the people in the

    ward.

    "Ellie, who''s there?" Ellie''s grandpay on the bed as Ellie took care of him.

    Now that they hade to J City and had stayed in hospital for a while, Brown looked much better

    now.

    "Grandpa, don''t worry. Just lie down. I am going out to have a look."

    Ellie covered her grandpa with the quilt, then opened the door, and walked out to check on what was

    going on.

    This was a luxurious ward with every necessary and unnecessary requirement having been taken care

    of. So it was not strange that there were two doors.

    Ellie came out and saw a man with his back against the door. Francis lowered his head, so she couldn''t

    see his face clearly.

    Nobody was supposed toe here. Ellie frowned and asked, "Who are you?"

    Since Francis coulde to the hospital as he liked, he didn''t usually wear the doctor''s uniform or his

    eye-catching pink suit. He was dressed in casual clothes.

    He wore a white T-shirt and a pair of ck trousers. He looked young.

    Francis lowered his head and thought about how to exin his breaking in. Unexpectedly, he heard an

    agreeable female voice.

    Francis wanted to raise his head but a thought suddenly crossed his mind. He believed he shouldn''t

    look up. All female voices were deceptive. He had just been deceived by that woman he was running

    away from.

    If he went outside, she might catch him. So he wanted to hide here and wait until that woman went

    away.

    "Can I stay here for a while? Some people are chasing me. I will leave once I know they''re gone," he

    pleaded. He was worried that Ellie wouldn''t allow him to stay here.

    Ellie frowned and looked at this man. Francis was dressed like a teenager, so Ellie thought he was

    quite young and looked uneasy.

    Ellie nodded and replied, "Whatever."

    Francis still hadn''t raised his head. He was afraid that an ugly face would greet him again.

 Chapter 130 My Next Girlfriend

    Chapter 130 My Next Girlfriend

    But Ellie thought that he acted this way because he was uneasy.

    Ellie didn''t mind his presence in such a big ward. Besides, there was nothing expensive or important

    outside the bedroom. After another look at him, she came back to her grandpa.

    "Ellie, who''s there?"

    "No one. It''s just a cat. Grandpa, I need to go out for a while. I''lle back soon. You just stay here

    and have a good rest," Ellie said gently.

    "Okay! Don''t worry about me. I can take care of myself," Brown said, as he waved Ellie away.

    Assured, Ellie came out of the room.

    Andrew had arranged two nurses for Brown, but Ellie refused the offer. She wanted to look after her

    grandpa herself now that he was in J City with her. Of course it would be moreborious for Ellie to do

    so, but she didn''t care.

    When Ellie came out, she saw the man sitting on a chair, his back to her. He was ying on his phone.

    Ellie went up to him and asked, "How long are you going to be here?"

    Francis looked at the time on his phone. He guessed, or rather hoped, that thedy who had been

    chasing him had left. So he put his phone in his pocket and rose. "I''ll leave now." Francis didn''t look at

    Ellie even now.

    Because he didn''t want to have that horrible experience again. The picture of that fatdy chasing after

    him was still vivid in his mind, which was like psychological trauma for him. If he experienced that

    again, he thought he would definitely pass out. He decided to wash his face to refresh himself.

    "All right," Ellie said, as she left the room first.

    As Francis passed by Ellie, he smelled a familiar fragrance. His nose subconsciously followed the

    fragrance.

    The moment he raised his head, he was greeted with the sight of Ellie who lowered her head and was

    closing the door. Her soft ck hair was up in a messy bun, a few strands of hair dancing in the

    breeze.

    Her ivory skin was wonderfully beautiful, and her long eyshes trembled as her eyes blinked. Francis

    could hear his heartbeat.

    The aura around her was gentle, mellow, and peaceful.

    When Ellie noticed that he was looking at her, she turned to him and asked, "What''s wrong?"

    Ellie froze as she saw Francis''s face. Francis had had his head lowered so Ellie hadn''t been able to

    see his face until now. His clothes had made her think that he was a cute college student.

    She had never expected him to have such a beautiful face.

    That was right. Beautiful! He was more beautiful than most girls. His soft white skin and charming eyes

    were so attractive that one look at him would make anyone fall for him.

    Ellie was amazed. She had never seen such a beautiful boy. No! A beautiful man.

    Ellie and Francis were looking at each other, stunned.

    Ellie was in a loose, casual white T-shirt and an azure blue skirt that fell to her knees.

    Ellie was not breathtakingly beautiful. She was like red wine that needed time to taste the beauty in it.

    Her big, round eyes and fair skin only added to her attraction.

    Francis felt that he didn''t need to wash his face now, because her beauty had refreshed him.

    "No! Nothing! You are going out? What a coincidence! Me too! Maybe we are going in the same

    direction. Do you need a lift?" Francis asked fervently, not taking his eyes off her.

    Ellie had no idea where his sudden enthusiasm stemmed from.

    She smiled politely and said, "No, thanks." She walked past him, and Francis shamelessly followed her.

    The more Francis looked at Ellie, the more obsessed he became with her. ''She is my next girlfriend, ''

    he thought to himself.

    Ellie walked faster when she noticed that he was following her, but Francis sped up as well.

    Ellie stopped suddenly and turned around to confront Francis. "Why are you following me?" she asked,

    as her eyes were like the size of saucers.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    ''Oh my god! She is so pretty even when she''s angry!'' Francis thought at the sight of her widened eyes.

    Francis looked at her innocently and said, "No, I''m not! I''m going out of the hospital as well. It''s just a

    coincidence."

    Ellie found herself at a loss for words.

    ''All right! Coincidence!'' she thought, trying tofort herself.

    It was hot as Ellie waited for a taxi outside the hospital. What was worse, it was hard to get a taxi in

    such weather.

    Almost every taxi that passed by Ellie was upied.

    Her face turned red after she had waited for a while under the sun.

    Francis slowly drove his car up to Ellie, and he said, "Hey! Beautifuldy! It''s hard to get a taxi now.

    Where are you going? I can drive you there."

    Ellie ignored Francis. She could tell that he was a yboy from the way he acted. She didn''t want to

    have anything to do with a man like him.

    Ellie and Ashley were simr in some aspects. Both of them only wanted a normal life.

    Neither of them wanted to be involved with anybody significant, but destiny always yed out against

    their wishes. The ones they didn''t want to get involved with somehow always seemed to find them.

    ''She is really special, '' Francis thought as he raised his eyebrows.

    Unfortunately, God wasughing at his expense. Just as he finished talking, an empty taxi pulled up in

    front of Ellie.

    Ellie opened the taxi door and was about to get in. But Francis was faster. He got out of his car and

    closed the taxi door that Ellie had just opened. He said to the driver, "I''m sorry, sir. We don''t need a taxi

    now. My wife and I are in a little fight."

    Ellie was furious at his words and she interrupted angrily, "What the hell are you talking about? Don''t

    listen to him, sir. I don''t even know him. Of course I need this taxi."

    "Honey, I''m so sorry! It''s all my fault! Please forgive me! Please!" Francis pleaded, as he held Ellie''s

    hand.

    "Let me go!" Ellie went scarlet with anger and stared at him, her eyes wide.

    "No! I won''t let you go this time," Francis said, suddenly getting dramatic.

    "Hey! Do you still need this taxi?" the taxi driver yelled at them. He had be annoyed by them.

    "Yes!"

    "No!"

    The driver scowled at them, shook his head, and drove away.

    Ellie had been waiting for a long time and when a taxi had arrived, she had missed it because of this

    strange man. It was only natural that Ellie got mad at him.

    "Come on, beautifuldy! No matter how long you stare at the taxi, the driver will note back. He''s

    gone. Get in the car! Tell me where you are going! I can drive you there." Francis was in a good mood,

    unlike Ellie. He even had the gall to put his hand on Ellie''s shoulder.

 Chapter 131 Caring About Andrew

    Chapter 131 Caring About Andrew

    Rage was radiating off of Ellie as she shrugged Francis''s hand off her shoulder.

    She was kicking herself for thinking that this man was shy, pretty, and sensible. She had guessed

    wrong. This guy was not good. Not at all.

    But Francis grasped Ellie''s hand so that she couldn''t get away from him.

    Ellie thought this guy was a yboy.

    Ellie red at Francis and asked, "What the hell are you trying to do?"

    Francis replied, "I just want to give you a ride." He blinked charmingly at Ellie as he spoke.

    His eyes were full of tenderness and affection. And right now, they looked like a couple who were

    passionately in love. It looked like the girl was angry, and her boyfriend was trying his best to make her

    happy.

    Ellie was speechless.

    Ellie managed to stop several other cabs, but Francis shooed every single one off.

    And Ellie could do nothing to him. She had seen how shameless this guy was.

    After being exposed to the sun and annoyed by Francis for such a long time, Ellie finally got into his

    car.

    Like a gentleman, Francis opened the door for Ellie and walked to the other side to get in the car once

    Ellie was seated.

    In the car, Ellie told him the address and then didn''t speak.

    On the other hand, Francis was way too excited, and kept chattering all the way, throwing questions at

    her.

    "Beauty, what''s your name?"

    "Can I have your phone number?"

    "Beauty..."

    Ellie didn''t answer Francis. Her impatience resulted in her taking her earplugs out of her bag and

    putting them in her ears.

    However, Francis was itching to find out more about her instead of bing frustrated.

    In the past, when any woman saw him, he didn''t need to do anything but stand there and wink, and the

    woman would be happy toe talk to him.

    Now that he had met a girl who was hell bent on ignoring him, he thought it was an interesting

    challenge for him.

    He didn''t get any answer till he drove Ellie to her destination.

    Francis sat in the car and looked at Ellie''s retreating back, touching his jaw.

    He took out a small mirror from somewhere and looked at his attractive face. He murmured doubtfully,

    "Am I less attractive now? Is that why she gave me the cold shoulder?"

    "It can''t be true though! This face is still so handsome. Not a pore can be seen. And my skin is fair and

    smooth..."

    If someone passed by his car now, they would see

    a man, who was better looking than a woman, sitting in the car, looking into a mirror, and whispering to

    himself endlessly.

    Was this man insane?

    Francis put away the mirror. Recently, he had been as busy as a bee in the hospital and hadn''t had the

    chance to go out and have fun for a long time.

    Now that the business problem was solved, he thought he should loosen up and go out to enjoy life.

    At the same time, in the Golden Pce

    After driving Ashley back home, Andrew went to the study room to work.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    If there was something important in thepany and a meeting was required, he would make a video

    call. And he had told Johnny to send all the important documents by email. Although he was not in

    office, he was too busy to take a rest.

    Ashley watched TV as shey on the couch, resting, and felt guilty to see Andrew working so much.

    If only she hadn''t gone out of the office to walk around, she wouldn''t have met Carol or been burnt. And

    Andrew wouldn''t have had toe back and work at home because of her.

    Ashley''s thigh looked much better now after applying the ointment. At least she didn''t feel

    ufortable when walking. She didn''t know what kind of ointment Francis had applied to her burnt

    thigh. But it had been really effective.

    ire was cleaning the house. Ashley looked around and decided to go to the kitchen to prepare

    something for Andrew to drink.

    "Miss Mu, please sit down. Don''t move. If you need anything, tell me." As soon as Ashley stood up,

    ire stopped working and walked up to her.

    Mr. Lu had told her to look after Ashley. How could she even let Ashley stand up, let alone do anything

    else?

    Ashley looked helpless as she responded, "ire, I am fine. I just want to go to the kitchen."

    "Do you want to eat something? Just sit here. I will bring it for you."

    Ashley was speechless. They had had dinner just now. Even if she was able to eat much, she couldn''t

    eat like this.

    Atst, Ashley exined to ire what she was intending to do and went to the kitchen. ire looked

    at Ashley, an unusual sparkle in her eyes.

    But Ashley was thinking of Andrew, so she didn''t notice ire''s expression.

    Ashley entered the kitchen, wanting to make coffee for Andrew. But she suddenly remembered that

    coffee was all he drank all day in thepany. It wasn''t good for his health to drink so much coffee. So

    she heated some milk instead.

    Ashley held the ss of milk with both hands and cautiously went upstairs to the study room, where

    she knocked on the door. There was no response.

    Ashley pushed at the door lightly and walked in. She saw that Andrew was serious as he sat at the

    computer, different from what he looked like when he was with her.

    Andrew appeared indifferent, as if nobody was allowed to get close to him right now. And he spoke a

    foreignnguage Ashley didn''t know.

    Ashley felt like she was transported somewhere else as she saw such an unfamiliar side of Andrew,

    and she couldn''te back to Earth.

    She only came back to her senses when Andrew fixed his eyes on her. She walked up to him, her heart

    beating fast.

    ''This might be Andrew''s true face, '' Ashley thought.

    Andrew frowned slightly as he saw Ashley in the study. He said something in that unknownnguage

    on the phone and then hung up.

    "What brings you here?" he asked reproachfully, but as he saw Ashley walking with difficulty, he shot

    off his chair and came up to hold her.

    Ashley put what she had brought with her on the desk but couldn''t answer his question.

    Watching him being so nice to her, she felt a little guilty. So she had nned to do something for him.

    Ashley didn''t know why she suddenly got nervous under his gaze. She became restless. Was he mad

    because she had entered his study room without permission?

    She had knocked, but she didn''t think he had heard.

    Most people didn''t allow others to randomly enter their study rooms. So it was reasonable of Ashley to

    think like that.

 Chapter 132 Making An Explanation

    Chapter 132 Making An Exnation

    "I just wanted to bring you something to eat," Ashley said hesitantly. Feeling awkward, she suddenly

    didn''t know what to say to Andrew.

    Looking at the small te on the desk, Andrew frowned. There was a delicate dessert and a ss of

    milk on it.

    Both of these were his least favorite foods. He hated the sweetness of desserts and the taste of milk,

    so he drank coffee all the time.

    Ashley stood before him, looking embarrassed. He looked up at her and said in a low voice, "You don''t

    have to do this. You just need to have a good rest now."

    Ashley nodded, feeling more puzzled than ever.

    At the S Hospital

    Ellie emerged from the ward and was amazed at the tall figure standing in front of her.

    It was Andrew, the one she had met once in L City.

    Ellie hadn''t expected him toe here to see her.

    "You must have something to tell me, right?" Ellie asked.

    Andrew nodded.

    They found a rtively quiet ce in which to have a conversation.

    "Thank you for helping me. I will return the money to youter," Ellie promised earnestly.

    It was mostly due to Andrew''s aid that Brown and Laura were able toe to J City. Moreover, it was

    Andrew who had arranged to get Brown admitted in this hospital. So, although Ellie had a bad

    impression of the man because he had secretly married Ashley, she knew that he clearly had done

    nothing wrong.

    "Don''t mention it." Andrew said with a gentle expression, "Since you''re Ashley''s friend, you''re mine

    too."

    Obviously, he had known everything before he came here.

    Ellie was a bit stunned to see Andrew behave differently when he spoke about Ashley. She had only

    seen Andrew twice.

    When Andrew hade to her home, Ellie was impressed by his air of nobility.

    At that time, his image in her mind was that of a cold-hearted man who was indifferent to emotion. So

    when she found out that Ashley had married him, she was worried about her. She believed that her

    friend had been forced by Andrew to marry him. But now, she realized that they must have married for

    other reasons.

    Andrew suddenly asked her, "Could you spare some time to spend with her?"

    "Huh?" Ellie looked at him, confused.

    Frowning, Andrew briefly exined to her what had happened that day. Being a straightforward man,

    he didn''t like to talk in a roundabout way.

    "Okay, I see. I''ll go to see her whenever I have the time."

    Andrew nodded and then left.

    Looking at Andrew''s back, Ellie suddenly realized that her friend had married a good man.

    ''He must love her. Otherwise, he wouldn''te here and tell me about it. He did it simply because he

    was worried that Ashley would be bored alone at home, '' Ellie thought.

    However, it was a different story for someone else.

    Francis had returned to the hospital for some business. To his surprise, he saw Andrew who was

    always very busy. He was about to greet him when he suddenly saw Ellie walking beside him. Although

    he was unable to hear what they spoke, it looked like they were friendly with each other.

    Francis was startled. He had never seen Andrew get along with a woman like this.

    ''Didn''t he like that girl named Ashley? Then what is his rtionship with this girl beside him now?'' he

    wondered.

    At first, he could only see her back, so he didn''t know what she looked like.

    Only when Ellie turned around did Francis see her clearly.

    ''Isn''t that the girl I met yesterday? I tried to ost her, but she ignored me.

    Does she also like Andrew?'' Francis felt a bit depressed. He wondered why all the girls he mettely

    liked his arrogant, cold-hearted friend.

    Francis came over to Ellie and said in a taunting tone, "You''re so close to him! Are you in love with

    him? Don''t you know that he has already got a girlfriend? He loves her with all his heart. So how could

    he fall in love with you?"

    Ellie looked at Francis with exasperation, as if he were a fool. Of course, she knew that Andrew had a

    girlfriend. Moreover, it was not right to call Ashley his girlfriend now because they were already married.

    Ellie was about to turn away. Francis simmered with rage when he saw that she despised him. ''I was

    kind enough to inform her of Andrew''s girlfriend, but she gave me a cold shoulder!'' Francisined

    in his mind.

    Ellie''s indifferent attitude wounded his pride. Pouting, he touched his face carefully. ''I specially dressed

    up beforeing here today. How could she be indifferent to a handsome young man like me?'' he

    wondered.

    Just then, a young nurse passed him by. He gave her a flirtatious look, and her face flushed red. She

    quickly turned away shyly.

    Francis was satisfied because he had proved that he was still attractive to girls.

    Since her leg was hurt, Ashley had been carefully tended to at home by Andrew. This was the second

    time she experienced his pampering.

    Having stayed home for several days, Ashley was bored. She had almost recovered now and she

    wanted to go out for some fresh air. Every night before they went to bed, Andrew would apply the

    ointment, which he had managed to procure from somewhere, to her scalded skin. It was really

    effective. Now the wound on her thigh was almost healed, and there were no scars left on her skin.

    Ellie hade to see her once while she was recovering. Ashley was obviously very surprised by her

    visit.

    "Ellie? What brings you here?" Ashley asked curiously. She held her hand and they sat together on the

    sofa.

    Andrew had gone to work and ire had gone to the market to buy vegetables. Ashley and Ellie were

    alone in the vi.

    Ellie looked at her best friend with a mix of emotions clouding her face.

    Ashley was confused. She wondered why Ellie was looking at her like that.

    Ellie asked, "How''s your leg?"

    "It''s almost healed," Ashley replied.

    "Ellie, I really didn''t mean to hide my marriage from you. I was going to tell you about it when you told

    me you had to go back home because of some emergency. Then you left for L City. So I didn''t have the

    chance to tell you until now."

    Ellie nodded and then asked, "Can you tell me about your marriage now?"

    Ellie was angry because Ashley didn''t tell her such an important thing. If Andrew hadn''te to L City

    to see her, she wouldn''t know how long Ashley would have hidden it from her.

    So, the first thing Ellie wanted to know was when the wedding took ce and how they had developed

    a romantic rtionship.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Ellie stared at her expectantly, making Ashley a little nervous. After organizing her thoughts, Ashley

    began her exnation.

 Chapter 133 Love At First Sight

    Chapter 133 Love At First Sight

    "He is that man. I told you that I had sex with him once. I thought we would never have any

    rtionship, but we somehow met each other again.

    It was a love at first sight kind of thing. And then I wanted to get married. By then, we were naturally in

    a rtionship," Ashley said under pressure.

    She didn''t want Ellie to know what the Mu family had done to her. It was not that she didn''t want to tell

    Ellie. She just thought it was better not to let Ellie know about such things.

    Everything was anyway in the past. If Ellie knew all that, she would do nothing but worry about Ashley.

    "Really?" Ellie looked at Ashley in doubt.

    Ashley was calm and collected, not awkward at having told the lie, because they had lived together for

    a long time and had known each other long enough.

    "Of course it is true. When I broke up with Raymond, I pretended to be calm, but it still affected me.

    After all, we had been together for three years," Ashley said, lowering her voice.

    Ashley looked away before Ellie could see the expression on her face. But whatever she had said, Ellie

    believed her.

    Ellie grasped Ashley''s hand in both of hers and said, "Alright. I know. It is OK if he treats you well. And I

    was worried if you had been tricked, but now, it looks like you are a perfect match."

    Ashley was relieved that Ellie believed her. She was afraid that Ellie would ask more questions.

    "By the way, Ashley, I need to tell you something."

    Ashley raised her head and stared at Ellie, "What''s wrong?"

    Ellie told Ashley that Andrew brought Brown and Laura to J City and found a good hospital for Brown to

    stay in.

    Ashley looked at Ellie in surprise. Why hadn''t Andrew mentioned that to her?

    "That''s great! It will be convenient for us to take care of Grandpa and Grandma here," Ashley said

    joyfully, once she had gotten over her surprise.

    Ashley and Ellie chatted for a long time till Andrew returned.

    Andrew and Ashley hadn''t talked yet, but they were telepathically connected.

    Although they could see and feel the change after returning from L City, they hadn''t spoken about it or

    expressed their feelings to each other.

    Ellie prepared to leave once Andrew had returned, but Ashley stopped her and said, "Ellie, it''ste.

    Stay here tonight. Stay with me."

    Andrew was expressionless, but his unhappiness could be felt.

    After returning from L City, he had gotten used to hugging Ashley as they slept every night. He could

    only fall asleep with Ashley beside him, but it hadn''tsted for long. Now someone hade to snatch

    her away.

    Ashley didn''t notice Andrew''s expression since she was still looking at Ellie.

    But Ellie clearly felt Andrew''s gaze on her. She hesitated and then refused.

    "Grandma is still at home. She is new to J City and I''ll be worried about her if she stays at home alone.

    I can''t stay here tonight."

    Ashley answered, "Then you can leave after dinner."

    Ellie refused that too.

    It was not because of Andrew''s threatening eyes. She really had something to do.

    Nobody knew if Andrew had already thought of the matter earlier. He had told the driver to wait outside

    when he arrived at the vi.

    Ashley looked at Andrew, confused, and thought, ''Didn''t he drive home himself in the past?''

    Andrew appeared calm.

    Ellie hadn''t thought that Andrew was so possessive of Ashley. Ashley just wanted Ellie to stay one

    night, but he wasn''t having any of it. Ellie wasn''t sure if it was a good thing.

    After dinner, the couple went out for a walk. Andter, Ashley went back to the bedroom. As shey on

    the bed, she thought about what Ellie had told her today. She was lost in thought.

    She was now confused about the rtionship between her and Andrew. They were uncertain around

    each other, but neither of them expressed anything to the other. It was like a taboo topic between the

    two. They were afraid that something they wouldn''t like would happen after they made everything clear.

    In the past, Ashley had thought Andrew would meet someone he liked after they got married, and she

    would then choose to leave with an easy conscience. But now, she realized it might be difficult for her

    to quit. Because she found that she was beginning to have a crush on Andrew.

    Andrew came out of the washroom to find Ashley lying on the big, white bed, her eyes fixed on the

    ceiling. He didn''t know what she was thinking.

    Andrew blinked, but didn''t say anything. He sat down beside Ashley and asked, "What are you

    thinking?"

    The low, maic voice sounded suddenly, scaring Ashley. "Why do you walk like a cat?"

    "You were absorbed in your thoughts," Andrew answered.

    Ashley couldn''t reply. She had actually been absorbed.

    "Thank you," Ashley said suddenly.

    "Hmm?" Andrew raised his brows.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    "Thank you for what you have done for Ellie. You brought Grandpa to J City and found a hospital for

    him," Ashley said to Andrew, her countenance serious.

    Andrew had never seen Ashley be so serious. He couldn''t help but tease her.

    "What are you going to do to thank me?" Andrew said softly, moving closer to her and his warm breath

    on her neck making her squirm. Ashley moved restlessly.

    She was dumbstruck at Andrew''s question.

    Why was this situation so different from what she had imagined?

    Andrew was supposed to have said, "You are wee. It''s no big deal." Why wasn''t it like that?

    Looking at his handsome face from up close, Ashley was rendered speechless yet again. She blinked

    as she tried to focus on him. "What do you want me to do to thank you?"

    "Why not-" he began, but before Ashley could react, Andrew got on top of her and pressed against her.

    Ashley closed her eyes abruptly and shouted, "What are you doing? I am still a patient. I have wounds

    on my body!"

    Seeing Ashley blinking in fear, Andrewughed and let her go. "What''s on your mind? I just found

    something behind you."

    Ashley opened her eyes cautiously and saw Andrew holding something. He stared at her with a faint

    smile. "What did you think I was going to do?"

 Chapter 134 Embarrassing

    Chapter 134 Embarrassing

    Ashley''s face turned red. She pushed Andrew''s hand away and asked crossly, "How can I know what

    you want to do?"

    She couldn''t admit to him that she had evil thoughts swirling about in her head.

    Andrew''s words and actions had misled her.

    "Really?" Andrewughed in a low voice. He didn''t say anything, but Ashley''s face turned redder.

    "Of course. Or what?" Ashley didn''t admit defeat and countered him instead.

    "I have recovered. I will go to work tomorrow," she stated firmly.

    "Didn''t you just say that you have wounds on your body?'''' Andrew looked at the fully-recovered wound

    on her thigh, which had no scars left.

    Ashley covered her legs with the quilt and replied, "I did, but now they are healed."

    She had to inform him before going out because of what had happened in the past.

    The day after she was injured, Ashley thought that since he was at work, Andrew wouldn''t know if she

    went out.

    However, just before she walked out, he had called to check on her. He warned her not to go out

    because of her wound.

    But Ashley didn''t listen to him. She mulled over her decision and eventually went out.

    However, Andrew caught her on the way and took her back home.

    She thought he had sent someone to spy on her again, but he proved it to her that he didn''t do that.

    She had to go back home. Before this incident, she could walk around in the vi, but from then on, she

    was only allowed to stay in the bedroom.

    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Looking into Ashley''s bright eyes, Andrew''s heart melted and he relented. "Permitted."

    "Great!" Ashley was thrilled that she got the approval.

    "Alright. Go to sleep."

    "OK."

    Lately, they had started sleeping together and Andrew had never once done anything to her, so she

    naturally wasn''t worried.

    At midnight, however, Ashley was awakened by the scorching body beside her.

    At first, Ashley thought he had a fever, and so she called out to him anxiously. She put her hand on his

    forehead.

    But he grasped her hand and hugged her tightly.

    "Andrew, what''s wrong with you? Why is your body so hot? Are you sick?" Being held by Andrew felt

    like she was sleeping next to a burner.

    "Nothing. Just let me hug you." Andrew''s voice was hoarser than usual and he sounded miserable, as

    though something bad had happened.

    Suddenly it dawned on Ashley. She went stiff and her face turned red. She had thought something

    happened to him and was worried about him, but...

    "Andrew, let me go," Ashley struggled and shouted.

    "If you move, I can''t promise that I won''t do something," Andrew said softly in Ashley''s ear.

    As expected, Ashley instantly became quiet and stayed still. But inwardly she cursed Andrew. He was a

    dressed-up beast.

    It was very hot in the summer, and being held this way was making her ufortable. She thought

    she would lie awake all night, but she fell asleep in his arms and even slept soundly.

    The next morning, Ashley was cold to him and spoke to him only in monotones, with "Hmm", "Oh, ''''

    "OK," and so on.

    Andrew was helpless. After they got into the car, he called out to her, but she continued to answer in

    one word and looked out of the window instead of looking at him.

    "Ash, you should know I am a normal man."

    Now that their rtionship was more stable, Andrew didn''t drive as before. His driver was in the front.

    Ashley sat looking out of the window and enjoying the view outside. She was startled to hear what

    Andrew said suddenly.

    When the initial shock passed, the car suddenly stopped, and she lost her bnce. Her head bumped

    against the window. She was a mess today. Andrew''s words resounded in her mind.

    "Ash, you should know I am a normal man."

    A normal man...

    Josef Cheng was driving the car when he heard what his boss said. His hand almost left the steering

    wheel by ident and he nearly hit the car in the front.

    Coming from his boss, this statement was unwonted.

    It so happened that the traffic lights had turned red in front, so when Andrew looked at him coldly, Josef

    exined, "Traffic lights."

    When Andrew looked away, Josef breathed a sigh of relief, but he still couldn''t stop himself from

    peeping in the rear view mirror at the couple sitting at the back.

    He saw that his boss gently held Miss Mu in his arms and rubbed her head. Mr. Lu admonished her yet

    he was worried about her.

    Seeing what his boss was doing, Josef trembled. This boss was more terrifying than the usually

    expressionless boss.

    "I am fine." Ashley got out of Andrew''s arms and then sat on the other side, with an empty seat in the

    middle.

    She looked calm but in fact she wasn''t. Her heart was beating fast and almost jumped out of her chest.

    Her face was burning up.

    She didn''t dare look at Andrew. The driver was in the front; why was he talking so boldly?

    The car happened to stop on the street near the cake shop. Ashley hurried to get down the car without

    telling Andrew.

    Looking at her fleeing, Andrew asked himself, ''Is it too soon?'' But he couldn''t wait any longer.

    Ashley was blushing when she quickly walked into the shop, almost bumping into the personing

    out.

    She stopped immediately and shouted, "Ellie?"

    Ellie answered, "Hmm, why are you in such a hurry?" She nced at Ashley perplexed.

    "Nothing. I am afraid that I will bete..." Ashley''s voice became lower. Only she could find such ame

    excuse.

    Ellie didn''t pursue it further but instead asked an unrted question, "Did he drive you here?"

    "Ah?" Ashley stared at Ellie confusedly and then understood. She nodded.

 Chapter 135 Take You Home

    Chapter 135 Take You Home

    After staying in the bakery for a few hours, Ashley and Ellie went to the hospital to see Brown.

    Brown looked much better now. Maybe it was because the medicines and medical equipment in J City

    were much better than those in L City.

    Seeing that Ashley and Ellie hade together to see him, Brown beamed with evident happiness.

    To Ashley, Brown and Laura were like her own grandparents. So it was obvious that she always hoped

    and prayed for their good health.

    Laura was looking after Brown in the hospital. After Ashley and Ellie had chatted with them for a while,

    the old couple asked them to leave. Brown and Laura were afraid that the two girls would dy their

    work if they spent a lot of time with them in the hospital.

    Ashley and Ellie had no choice but to do as they asked.

    The two girls then went to their bakery. After work, they went back together to the house where Ashley

    had lived with Ellie before her marriage.

    Ellie asked, "Aren''t you going back?"

    Shaking her head, Ashley said, "I don''t want to go back just now. We haven''t seen each other in so

    long. Don''t you miss me?" She gave Ellie a mean look.

    The truth, however, was that Ashley was embarrassed to face Andrew.

    Ashley now felt differently whenever she saw Andrew.

    They were getting closer, and looked more and more like a loving couple with every passing day.

    This made Ashley feel awkward for no reason. She felt that she might have a real crush on Andrew

    now.

    Ellie took the ingredients for the meal out of the refrigerator and prepared to cook. Seeing that Ashley

    was staring off into the distance, Ellie imagined that this must have something to do with Andrew,

    especially after Ashley''s strange behavior today.

    Ellie actually didn''t have a bad impression of Andrew. On the contrary, she was grateful to him for

    helping her with her grandparents.

    "What do you think of him?" Ellie asked.

    Ashley didn''t need to be told who Ellie was referring to, and she didn''t find the need to hide anything

    from her. Looking up at Ellie, she replied, "I think he is very good. He cares about me a lot.

    He is always considerate to me in every way. When I was hurt, he was even more flustered than I was.

    It''s just that he sometimes goes too far with certain things."

    Ashley remembered that Andrew had been very angry when he heard they had rented the bakery with

    Greyson''s help. He even wanted her to return the bakery and told her that he could find another one for

    her or that she could work in hispany.

    At the time, Ashley hadn''t known why Andrew had behaved like that. Now, after thinking things over

    carefully, she figured out a possible reason. But she didn''t want to believe it.

    "Then what are you afraid of?" Ellie nced at Ashley. Without waiting for Ashley''s answer, she

    collected the ingredients and went into the kitchen.

    Ashley suddenly became very nervous. She followed Ellie into the kitchen. "Why would I be afraid?"

    She was obviously trying to hide her true feelings.

    "What am I afraid of? I''m not a coward!" she shouted. She did care about Andrew.

    ''Then why don''t you ept Andrew as your husband?'' Ellie thought. Although she wanted to say it

    directly to Ashley, she refrained from voicing her thoughts. Ashley was straight out denying that she

    had feelings for Andrew.

    But as Ashley''s best friend, Ellie knew exactly what she was thinking.

    "Ok," Ellie said helplessly. "Ok. Forget what I just said. I was wrong, okay?

    By the way, when are you going back?" Ellie tried to divert the topic.

    She felt that if Ashley didn''t go back at once, Andrew would likelye here to find her.

    Ashley became uneasy at Ellie''s words. "Why are you always trying to get me out of here? This is also

    my home. Where do you want me to go?" she asked.

    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    ''I stay here to avoiding face to face with Andrew, but I mostly want to stay here to apany you.

    Do you understand?'' Ashley thought, wanting Ellie to understand.

    Ellie raised an eyebrow at Ashley. She didn''t believe for one second that Ashley came here just for her.

    Ashley stayed and the two girls chatted as Ellie cooked.

    "By the way, how is your grandpa? Talking to them made me forget everything else," Ashley said

    sheepishly.

    Ellie smiled slightly and replied, "He has almost recovered and has been asking to leave the hospital."

    "Well, you can ask them to stay in J City from now on. We can take care of them at any time, and

    things will be more convenient here than they are in L City. If something happens to them, we''ll know

    sooner," Ashley said earnestly.

    Ellie nodded.

    "After your grandpa leaves the hospital, let your grandparents live in my room. I anyway don''te

    here often. I''ll clean it upter so they can use it," Ashley continued.

    Ellie looked at Ashley and said, "It may be very inconvenient for you."

    "It doesn''t matter. If they live here, it''ll be convenient for you to take care of them. Moreover, I live in

    Andrew''s vi now and seldome back here. If I doe back sometimes, I can always sleep in

    your room," Ashley said.

    They put the dishes on the table and just as they were about to start eating, the doorbell rang.

    "Who is it at this time?" Ashley muttered. She reluctantly got up and went to open the door.

    Ashley was startled when she saw who was standing outside. Her hand had begun to tremble slightly

    and she even nearly shut the door in their face.

    She suddenly felt very guilty as she looked at the tall figure standing in front of her.

    She remembered that she hade here without telling Andrew.

    On second thought, however, she didn''t think she had to feel guilty at all.

    Ellie realized that Ashley hadn''te back after checking the door. She didn''t hear her say anything,

    either. Thinking that Ashley was in trouble, she went over to where she could see Ashley. "What''s

    wrong?" Ellie called out.

    "It''s nothing," Ashley replied. She stood in front of Andrew, blocking Ellie''s view. So Ellie couldn''t see

    who was at the door.

    Looking at Andrew, Ashley whispered, "Why are you here?"

    Ashley hadn''t said goodbye to Andrew when she had got off his car that morning. And then she had

    come here without telling him about it. So she didn''t know how he had found her here.

    Ashley was standing there, looking at him awkwardly as if she''d been caught doing something she

    shouldn''t have been doing.

    Andrew was frowning, disappointment etched on his face, his bright eyes shining against his gloomy

    face. "I came to take you home," he said.

    "No, thank you. I''ll go back by myself tomorrow. Ellie is back, and we haven''t seen each other in a long

    time. So I want to stay here with her..." As Andrew''s face became gloomier, her voice trailed off.

    Andrew felt depressed and angry at that moment. If he had known that Ashley woulde here

    without telling him, he wouldn''t have asked Ellie to meet her.

    After work, he had gone to Ashley''s bakery to wait for her, but she hadn''te out. She was also not

    answering his calls. She wasn''t home either. Andrew remembered the house that she had lived in

    before her marriage, and decided to go there.

 Chapter 136 A Slap In Andrews Face

    Chapter 136 A p In Andrew''s Face

    Ashley was right where he had expected her to be.

    "I''ve called you so many times! Why didn''t you answer the phone?" Andrew said with some feeling. It

    was obvious that Andrew cared about it a lot.

    Andrew hadn''t found Ashley and then called her, but she hadn''t answered the phone. And atst, her

    phone had also died.

    "What? I didn''t ignore the call," Ashley said, picking up her cellphone and pressing it. It didn''t light up.

    Ashley smiled sheepishly at him. "I think it''s out of power."

    "Ashley, why are you whispering? Is anybody there?" Ellie asked, confused. The door was in a corner

    and Ashley was hiding Andrew on purpose. Ellie knew now that there was someone in front of Ashley,

    but didn''t know who.

    "Nobody," Ashley instinctively said. She didn''t want Ellie to know that Andrew hade looking for her.

    She gestured for him to leave and even prepared to push him out of the house. Andrew seemed not to

    notice Ashley''s signal and squeezed in.

    Andrew walked in, and as he saw Ellie, he said calmly, "I''vee to take her home."

    Ellie thought that Andrew had a steely glint in his eyes as he looked at her. She didn''t know if it was

    actually that, or she was imagining it. She couldn''t describe in detail how weird it was.

    It would be wrong if she said that Andrew didn''t like her. And it didn''t mean anything bad. As she looked

    at Ashley, Ellie suddenly figured out what Andrew''s expression meant.

    Ellie was startled. Oh, God, no. She was a girl and Ashley''s best friend. Would Andrew really be

    jealous of her?

    But it was obvious that Andrew truly loved Ashley.

    Ellie was not surprised that Andrew hade here.

    She nodded at him and he nodded back.

    Ashley couldn''t understand these two. Why wasn''t Ellie angry when she found out that Ashley was

    married? Theoretically, Ellie was supposed to dislike Andrew.

    Then, Ashley would have had a reason to kick Andrew out. But why was Ellie acting like this?

    Andrew looked at Ashley and took her hand. "Let''s go."

    Ashley recovered herposure, wanting to get rid of Andrew''s grip. "We should have dinner first. We

    just finished cooking."

    Andrew gripped her hand firmly but didn''t hurt her. And Ashley knew she couldn''t get rid of him.

    Ashley goggled at Andrew and hissed, "Let me go. You''re hurting me."

    Andrew didn''t flinch. "I know my strength. I won''t hurt you."

    Ashley was speechless.

    Ashley turned to Ellie, pleading with her eyes. ''Ellie, help me!'' they seemed to say.

    Ellie shook her head helplessly. She could do nothing.

    Noticing what Ashley was trying to do, Andrew looked back and turned her so that she was facing him.

    "What would you like to eat? I will cook it for you after we go back home."

    Ashley was incensed by now. "I don''t want to eat what you cook. I want to have dinner here."

    "I will take you to dinner outside," he said.

    Ashley didn''t reply.

    Ellie smiled as she looked at their turned backs and listened to their conversation.

    Ashley didn''t know it but she had subconsciously let Andrew enter her world, slowly but steadily.

    After Ashley left with Andrew, Ellie looked at her room and felt a pang of loneliness. When Ashley had

    lived here, the two girls would often have dinner, y with their cellphones, and watch TV together.

    Now that Ashley was gone and Ellie was left here alone, she felt a void in her heart.

    But Ellie still wanted Ashley to find her happiness.

    Andrew all but dragged Ashley away

    and made her sit in the car. Ashley struggled against him all the way and Andrew had no choice but to

    carry her on his shoulder.

    Ashley blushed as she was unceremoniously ced in the car. She red at Andrew and decided to

    give him the silent treatment.

    Ashley would remember what Andrew had done to her now. It was rtively forgivable that he had

    carried her over his shoulder.

    But how dare he beat her hips?

    And more than once at that!

    How could Ashley not be angry?Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Although Ashley tried her best to stay away from Andrew, the car was not spacious enough for her to

    be far away from him.

    Moreover, he had just found his wife. So it was impossible for him to stay away from her.

    Although Ashley sat on one side and watched the view out of the window, Andrew moved closer to her

    once the car had started.

    Ashley could feel the heat of his bodye closer to her. But seeing that Andrew wasn''t doing

    anything, she ignored him.

    The thought shed in her mind but before she could think any further, she discarded it.

    Andrew pulled Ashley into his arms. Looking at her angry, blushing face, he couldn''t help but caress

    her.

    "Are you mad?"

    Her cheek was soft.

    Andrew wanted to apologize to his beautiful wife, but her cheek made him want to caress it over and

    over again.

    And it felt nice.

    He kept doing it but he knew that

    he would feel better if he kissed her.

    Lost in gazing at her gorgeous face, Andrew forgot that he was supposed to be apologizing.

    Ashley stared at Andrew in disbelief. When Andrew stretched his finger again to poke her cheek,

    Ashley pped him on the face. The sound was loud and clear.

    Josef, who was driving the car, almost lost his bnce as his hand slid off the wheel. But he had learnt

    his lesson and also how to behave. His hand trembled for a while, but he came to his senses soon

    enough.

    Andrew was stunned.

    Josef looked furtively at Ashley, not knowing whether to p for her courage or feel sorry for

    her.

 Chapter 137 Is It A Date

    Chapter 137 Is It A Date

    ''Did she... Did she just hit my boss?'' thought Josef.

    He was dumbstruck for a moment. This clearly stunned Andrew too. He just sat there, rooted to the

    spot, staring unblinkingly at Ashley.

    As for Ashley, she remained perfectly still, but in her mind, her thoughts were running wild. She

    regretted it the second she hit Andrew. ''Oh my god! What did I do? Why did I do this? Did I hurt him? It

    sounded bad. Ouch! My hand hurts. Yup! It definitely hurts. I used all of my strength to p him. God!

    Why did I do this?''

    Ashley was panicking. She couldn''t figure out what to do next.

    Her hand was already swelling up. Her beautiful, white fingers turned red.

    ''Calm down, Ashley. He asked for this. You just tried to protect yourself!'' Ashley was trying to calm

    herself down.

    ''He brought this all on himself. No man would poke a girl''s face like that! I was just trying to protect

    myself. If you really want to poke a face, poke yours!''

    Although loud, the p didn''t hurt Andrew much. It really was not a big deal inparison to what he

    had suffered in the past.

    Andrew recovered from the shock and saw Ashley staring at him in embarrassment. He wasn''t upset at

    all. Her cheeks were puffed out in anger. The only thing on Andrew''s mind right now was how cute she

    looked. He just wanted to poke those cheeks.

    But he didn''t. He knew his limits. If he crossed the line, she would just p him again.

    "My apologies. I didn''t mean to offend you but I just couldn''t help it," said Andrew. He looked at Ashley

    earnestly.

    Ashley had mentally prepared a whole bunch of excuses for her actions, but Andrew didn''t give her a

    chance to say a word. She gulped uneasily.

    Andrew had apologized in all sincerity, so she decided to let it go.

    "Alright, just this once!" she said.

    Andrew didn''t respond. He loved teasing her. How could he promise it would be thest time?

    Ashley took his silence as agreement. She didn''t say another word either.

    Josef who was driving couldn''t believe what he had just seen in the car.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    He thought he was delusional.

    It was just too hard for him to believe that the guy in the backseat apologizing to thedy was his

    normally cold and ruthless boss.

    His boss was not the kind to apologize to a girl, especially one who had just pped him.

    He suddenly remembered Johnny''s words. He had told him to be careful about what he saw in the car,

    keep his eyes on the road and his mouth shut.

    It seemed like Johnny had preempted this sort of situations.

    Josef appreciated the fact that he had told him beforehand what he should do in these scenarios.

    Josef and Johnny were not rted. They just happened to have the samest name.

    Josef was formal and exact but tactless too. He was a bit of slowpared to Johnny. Johnny was a

    smart man. He could be as flexible as the situation demanded. That was why Andrew absorbed him

    into the business, and kept Josef as his driver.

    "What do you want for dinner?" Andrew asked, moving closer to Ashley.

    Ashley''s mind was not on food, but when Andrew mentioned it, she felt her stomach rumbling. She

    thought about the dinner that she and Ellie had made. She didn''t even get a chance to taste it. She just

    wanted to tear this man apart.

    But Ashley would not waste her energy on anger right now.

    Ellie had rmended a new restaurant, which was very popr and had really good food too.

    She googled it on her phone and showed it to Andrew.

    Andrew took a look and asked Josef to drive them there.

    Josef made a turn and got on the road to the restaurant.

    It was around six or seven o''clock. There was a lot of traffic as it was the rush hour.

    Fortunately, the restaurant was nearby, else it would have taken them hours to get there.

    The restaurant had a beautiful name ¡ª The Time Shore. The decor was very nice and not too opulent.

    It was simple, but the owner had put a lot of thought into it.

    It was quite busy. When Andrew and Ashley walked in, no one came to attend to them. The ce was

    packed.

    All the tables were set for two persons. Ashley suddenly realized it was a restaurant just for couples

    and she felt a little awkward. Ellie didn''t tell her this was a date ce! ! !

    Ashley blushed when she saw couples sitting close, holding hands and sharing their food. She lowered

    her eyes.

    The decor didn''t seem so nice to Ashley anymore. Not good at all! ! For her, this ce had turned to a

    pink pce full of red hearts flying in the air.

    It was her first time in such a restaurant. She hadn''t nned this. Andrew was really smart. Surely, he

    knew that she didn''t mean to bring him here. Right? Ashley guessed and peeked at him to see his

    reaction.

    Andrew felt her eyes on him when he looked away. He, too, had figured out that this was a romantic

    restaurant.

    In fact, he had known it when he saw the outside of the restaurant itself. He had been frowning ever

    since.

    It was a nice cepared to a lot of restaurants, but it was not in Andrew''s taste. He was obsessive

    about cleanliness and very particr about the ambience.

    But this was Ashley''s choice, so he decided to go along with it.

    He got the hint and rxed instantly, and broke into a smile.

    Ashley took a stealthy nce at Andrew while fake coughing. "Let''s go to another ce. What do you

    think?" She suggested.

    "Since we are already here, let''s just take it easy," said Andrew politely rejecting her suggestion. He

    nced at Ashley

    Just then a waiter arrived. "I am sorry, Miss and Sir, to keep you waiting here. We are really busy right

    now. Please forgive us!"

    Ashley smiled and replied, "No worries, we are fine. Do you have a table right now?" Andrew hadn''t

    agreed to change the ce, but the waiter''s apology just gave Ashley an idea.

    This ce was crowded. If there was no table and sheined that she was really hungry, Andrew

    would have to take her somewhere else. Ashley was so proud of herself foring up with such a

    brilliant idea. She just couldn''t hide her smile.

    She quickly looked around to double check that the ce was indeed packed.

    Andrew figured out her sneaky little n. He, too, smiled and looked at Ashley without saying a word.

    Observing his smug expression, Ashley wondered if he had seen through her little trick.

    God seemed to like to y with Ashley. Her n didn''t work.

    The waiter responded with a smile, "Usually we wouldn''t have a table at this hour without a reservation,

    but today is your lucky day! We just have one table. Come with me, I will take you to your table."

    Ashley''s smile froze on her lips. She could feel her heart sink.

    ''What the hell?'' That was the only thing on Ashley''s mind.

 Chapter 138 My Husband

    Chapter 138 My Husband

    Ashley quietly tugged on Andrew''s sleeve as they walked behind the waiter.

    Andrew turned around to look at the girl behind him. With an expressionless face, he asked, "What''s

    wrong, Ashley?"

    "Look, Andrew," Ashley started, her eyes cast downwards as if she was avoiding Andrew''s gaze. "I''m

    not familiar with this restaurant. It''s my first time here, believe me. I really didn''t know it is a restaurant

    for lovers. I hope you don''t take all of this the wrong way." Ashley exined, her voice low and shining

    with embarrassment.

    However, instead of appeasing him, Ashley''s exnation just made Andrew be angrier.

    With a deep breath, Andrew turned away. The way Andrew acted puzzled Ashley a little bit. ''Why is he

    so angry?'' she asked herself in silence, furrowing her brows. ''I don''t think I said anything wrong.''

    After a few moments, the waiter led them to the only ce vacant in the whole restaurant.

    The table was by an open window. As a cool breeze blew in, Andrew and Ashley felt relieved, and soon

    enough, they began to feel veryfortable.

    "Sir, Ma''am, here is our menu. Please take a look at it first," suggested a waitress, who was about thirty

    to forty years old. When she saw Andrew, a glimmer of surprise shed in her eyes.

    She had been married and had been living a happy life with her husband and their children. Therefore,

    when she saw Andrew''s handsome face, she didn''t exim with excitement like the girls who were still

    in their twenties. Her reaction was purely based on the fact that Andrew was a good-looking man.

    With a smile, Ashley took the menu from the waitress and started to go through it. There were different

    kinds of dishes on the menu and they looked delicate and delicious. The more Ashley looked at the

    food on the menu, the more she wanted to taste everything the restaurant had to offer.

    After a short while, Ashley finally stopped on one page. Looking at the dishes on that page, her eyes

    started sparkling. Every food there looked divine.

    "Ma''am, our best seller is this Lovers Set. Why don''t you try it? We have a special offer today. If you

    are a couple, you can have it at half price. Also, you would have free snack fruits and drinks!" the

    waitress said excitedly. It seemed that she sensed that it was the first time that Ashley would be eating

    at their restaurant, so she stood in front of Ashley and exined everything patiently.

    Hearing the waitress mention the word lover, Ashley started blushing again.

    As soon as that happened, she hid her face behind the menu and after a few moments, she was finally

    able to decide what to order. In a quiet voice, she said, "We''ll get that set, then."

    A smile graced the waitress'' lips and she wrote down Ashley''s order. Then, with a nod, she took off and

    went to the kitchen.

    At that time, Ashley and Andrew were sitting face to face, only a small table in between the two of

    them. Because of that, it felt that it only seemed natural for them to reach out and touch each other.

    ''Wow, this ce was really made with couples in mind, huh?'' Ashley thought to herself, starting to

    sweat.

    With a deep breath, Ashley sat in her seat in silence, trying her hardest to ignore Andrew''s eyes. But

    she failed.

    "Why are you looking at me like that?" she blurted out, ncing at Andrew. "Is there anything on my

    face?" Hurriedly, she wiped her face down, as if trying to get rid of any dirt that might be on it.

    Andrew silently shook his head.

    "Are you finally going to tell me that you love me today?"

    Andrew quietly asked just as Ashley was about to take a sip of water to try and calm herself down.

    Right as she heard Andrew''s question, Ashley spit the water she was drinking right on Andrew''s

    handsome face.

    "Ahem!" Ashley started to cough violently, her eyes watering and her nose running.

    Andrew was obviously not expecting Ashley to spit out the water she was drinking, moreover spit it in

    his direction. So, he failed to avoid it.

    With his hair and face all wet, Andrew got more annoyed.

    It wasn''t the first time Ashley saw Andrew like that, but the expression the man had on his face still

    gave Ashley a shudder in her heart.

    "Oh my god - I''m so sorry, Andrew. I just - I just suddenly choked on the water," Ashley exined,

    stammering.

    Without saying anything else, she hastily took some napkins on the table to try and wipe Andrew''s

    face.

    Carefully, she started patting the water off Andrew. After she felt that she was able to get everything off

    his face, she started checking for spots she might have missed. Finally, she was fully satisfied with the

    job and she went back to seat.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Before she was able to sit, however, Andrew was able to grab her wrists. Obviously not letting her go,

    he said, "That''s all?"

    As much as she didn''t want to admit it, Ashley had always felt scared of Andrew. She wanted to be

    brave, but just seeing Andrew''s expression, she couldn''t help but chicken out.

    "What... what else do you want me to do?" Ashley said in a low voice, barely ncing at Andrew.

    Andrew''s eyes narrowed but he let go of Ashley''s wrist. "I''m not sure yet. But as soon I decide on it, I''ll

    definitely tell you."

    Furrowing her eyebrows, Ashley opened her mouth to protest. "But it was an ident!" ''If you hadn''t

    asked that question, then I wouldn''t have spat out the water directly on your face, '' Ashley thought.

    By the time Ashley went back to her seat, their dishes were ready.

    A youngdy who was in her early twenties walked towards them with their dishes. She was wearing a

    uniform of The Time Shore. Although the uniform was verymon, she looked better in it than any

    other waitresses working in the restaurant. She really was a beautiful woman.

    That didn''t make Ashley feel any resentment towards her - she was actually amazed at how pretty she

    was. What made Ashley really ufortable and borderline angry was that it seemed like she couldn''t

    take her eyes off Andrew, and no matter how much she looked, stared, and red at her, she wouldn''t

    quit doing it!

    "Sir, this is your order," said the waitress sweetly as she slowly ced the dishes on the table. At the

    same time, she tilted her whole body towards Andrew as if she didn''t notice a girl - his girlfriend - was

    sitting across from him.

    Ashley got extremely irate. ''Is she seducing my husband in front of me?'' Ashley thought to herself.

    Although at that moment she still was not very sure about her feelings for Andrew, he was still her

    lawfully wedded husband. ''How dare this waitress try to seduce Andrew in front of me? Does she really

    think I am just a pushover?'' Ashley thought.

    When the waitress was about to touch Andrew, he furrowed his eyebrows and was ready to kick her

    away. But he stopped when he saw Ashley''s angry face out of the corner of his eyes.

    Obviously, what Ashley did next made Andrew very happy. Just as the woman was about to touch

    Andrew, Ashley suddenly stood up, moved next to him and pulled the waitress off of him. Then she

    nced at the waitress and said, in threatening voice, "Why are you getting that close to my husband?

    What are you doing?"

    Ashley''s voice wasn''t that loud, but since the restaurant was designed with the tables being close to

    each other, the customers who were sitting next to them heard everything that Ashley said.

    Simultaneously, they started turning their heads to look at them.

    The waitress felt so stunned that she just stood in her ce, stiff and unbreathing. Judging from the

    expression on the waitress'' face, everyone believed that Ashley was telling the truth.

    All the customers were couples. The women hated girls who liked to seduce someone else''s husband.

    All of a sudden, the way they looked at the waitress was not as friendly as before.

    "I, I didn''t get close to your husband. When the hell did you see that?" Being stared at by so many

    people, the waitress retorted with a pout.

    "I saw it with my own eyes. I advise you to stay away from that guy. He''s married," Ashley looked at

    her, with her serious face. "To me!"

    The chaos that was ensuing didn''t bother Andrew one bit. He was busy seeing Ashley be

    protective of him, and he couldn''t help but feel happy. Also, it was the first time she addressed him as

    her husband.

 Chapter 139 Shopping For Clothes

    Chapter 139 Shopping For Clothes

    This was the first time that Ashley had called Andrew "my husband", and it started a surge of desire for

    her inside him. As the drama unfolded in front of him, he suddenly had an urge to put his arms around

    Ashley and give her a hearty, tight embrace while having a nice, long snog with her.

    "I couldn''t agree more. I also think that woman is kind of bitchy. Did you see that she just so

    affectionately leaned towards my boyfriend when she served our special?"

    "The same thing happened to me just now! I thought that she didn''t do that on purpose! Who would

    have known she is such a bitch!"

    Taking a nce at that waitress''s face, everyone at the restaurant, especially the women, began to

    discuss her immediately, almost simultaneously.

    And suddenly everyone turned hostile against her, showing obvious dislike for her on their faces.

    Staring at Andrew who was just sitting across Ashley so peacefully as if nothing out of the ordinary was

    happening, the waitress became uncharacteristically flushed and visibly annoyed. For the life of her,

    she couldn''t understand how the man could remain so totally unaffected by her mour or the

    discussions going on about her.

    But despite the irritation she was feeling towards Andrew, she couldn''t help but fall deeper and deeper

    for his handsome face and charismatic aura.

    However, Ashley being right in front of her, blocking her total view of Andrew was ruining things.

    Eventually getting quite annoyed, the woman pouted and left. Before she fully could, however, she shot

    Ashley the nastiest re she could.

    That did nothing to Ashley except making her look more protective of Andrew. Only when the waitress

    had fully gone did Ashley start to move back to her seat. For a few minutes, she sat in silence.

    She was deciding whether the behavior she exhibited just then was a little over-reactive or not.

    Stealthily, she took a peek at Andrew, and she found that he was still expressionless, visibly not

    influenced at all by the drama that was started by her. This irritated Ashley as she imagined that

    Andrew would just allow that woman to fall on him had she not intervened earlier.

    This thought caused great difort to her. Suddenly, she felt like she shouldn''t have stopped the

    waitress from flirting with him. Perhaps by doing what she did earlier, she had destroyed an opportunity

    for him to finally have a fling with such a beauty.

    With a deep breath, she fixed her eyes on the table.

    ''Oh, how ironic is it that we got the Lovers Set.'' she thought to herself, silently gritting her teeth. She

    saw two trays that had dishes, drinks and fruits ced in front of them.

    The drinks were in dainty and cute couple cups, one pink and the other blue. The fruits were also

    shaped as a heart, which was outlined with cherry tomatoes and filled in with other delicious-looking

    fruits.

    Also, all the tes, spoons and chopsticks were designed for couples.

    Ashley would have enjoyed everything had it not been for what happened earlier. Now, she just

    detested everything. With all of the things happening, she started to wonder whether she got up on the

    wrong side of the bed this morning.

    As she sat there staring nkly, a sound suddenly came from the table next to them.

    The sugary and soft voice was from a woman flirting with her boyfriend in a pettish manner. She

    begged, "Baby, I want that. Put it in my mouth."

    Then her boyfriend''s deeper voice filled with affection and fondness for her filled the space. He said, "I

    will do whatever you say, baby. Here, open your mouth. Ah..."

    They affectionately fed each other with spoon after spoon of delicacies, and their lips got closer and

    closer. Soon enough, they started passionately devouring each other''s lips.

    Seeing that, Ashley immediately steered her eyesight away from them. The scene came as a mental

    shock for her, and all of her being was startled.

    Well, to her surprise, she saw a spoonful of rice right in front of her eyes. It was so near that she could

    have it if she craned her neck only a little bit.

    The hand holding that spoon was fair and slender, and the man who owned the hand was still

    expressionless, though his gaze upon her was very soft. His eyes were focused on her as if there

    existed nothing else in the restaurant.

    Ashley, though taken aback, was able to say in an embarrassed tone, "Thank you, but I prefer eating

    on my own."

    While saying that, she drew her hand to get hold of the spoon but somehow Andrew managed to

    escape her attempt.

    "Take it!" he muttered. Only two words, but they were enough to make anyone feel that he could not be

    disobeyed.

    Upon hearing that, Ashley felt that her cheeks flushed, but she didn''t know why.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Looking around, she found that almost every couple in the restaurant were feeding each other in a

    very, very intimate manner.

    Unable to reject Andrew''s request, she took a deep breath, put on a wide, fake smile, and eventually let

    the spoon get into her mouth.

    This went on for a few minutes, but when Andrew saw that Ashley had almost finished his dishes, he

    looked at hers and stared at her with clear expectations in his eyes.

    Ashley was able to understand what he was trying to say immediately, so she quickly slid hers towards

    him and said, "Yeah, feel free to have it. I''m already full."

    However, Andrew''s eyes were still firmly fixed on her, unblinking.

    Somehow, she couldn''t understand what was happening. Then, another possibility emerged in her

    mind, and she hesitantly asked, "You... you want me to feed you?"

    As she asked, Andrew''s expression softened at once, and he lightly nodded in response to her

    question.

    And because of that, Ashley did it.

    After a long meal, the two of them finally stepped out of the restaurant. Ashley, for some unknown

    reason, felt so tired like she just had fought a war.

    Since Andrew parked his car at a grand shopping mall, he had Ashley apany him and together

    they started towards the mall.

    Ashley didn''t know what they were doing at the moment, and she kept wondering why they hadn''t

    returned home. And also, she had no idea why they were at a shopping mall.

    "Andrew, what are we going to do here?" she asked exasperatedly, really wanting to go home. But

    Andrew did not mind her and instead led her to one high fashion boutique after another. After a few

    shops, they finally entered one that was the most luxurious of all the ces they had visited.

    Having not answered her question, he directly picked a dress from the clothes stand and handed it to

    Ashley, sternly saying, "Try it on."

    Catching sight of the dress'' price by ident, Ashley was so astonished that she almost didn''t catch

    the dress when Andrew was handing it to her. ''This piece of clothing costs as much as 8 years of all my

    expenses, '' she silently thought, gulping a huge amount of saliva.

    While she knew Andrew was rich, she really didn''t think it was necessary for him to just waste his

    money on a dress like what he was giving her then.

    "Andrew, I still have good clothes at home. Why are we buying stuff here? Let''s just go home, please."

    Ashley hurriedly put the dress back and went to take Andrew''s hand to drag him out of the boutique

    and force him to go home. However, she got pulled back instead.

    "Ashley, try it on," Andrew said, trying to persuade her in a charmingly low voice. His gaze was also

    very sweet.

    Ashley did not know what to say in response.

    "Yeah, Miss. Just try this one. This dress looks like it was designed especially for you." The shop

    assistant said, her smile bright. She brought the dress to Ashley and started leading her towards the

    fitting room.

    Although she did not know who Andrew was, her years of work experience told her that he must have

    either wealth or prominence to afford the luxuries being sold in their store.

    She was also deeply impressed by Andrew''s handsome looks. Never in her life had she seen someone

    more handsome than him.

    "Thanks, but I guess I won''t be needing these types of dresses for the time being." Ashley smiled at the

    shop assistant and then went to take Andrew out of the boutique. However, her strength was too weak

    compared with Andrew''s to do that.

    Ashley could not understand why Andrew suddenly brought her here to buy clothes.

    "Miss, just try this on first before you make a decision. I''m sure that this dress would fit you wonderfully.

    If you aren''t satisfied with it after trying it on, you can try the others, too."

 Chapter 140 A Date At Movie Theater

    Chapter 140 A Date At Movie Theater

    While Ashley was trying on the clothes, Andrew started picking up more clothes for her. He did that

    without even checking the price tag in any of them. After doing so, he asked the shop assistant to pack

    everything up.

    Then, Andrew walked to the check-out counter and said, "I''m ready to check out. Please include the

    one she''s trying on."

    "Yes, Sir! Your total is nine hundred and eighty four thousand dors..." said the clerk.

    Nonchntly, Andrew gave the clerk his ck card. After the woman swiped it and the transaction

    cleared, she put the numerous bags on the couch right next to Andrew.

    Andrew couldn''t help but look at his watch while he waited impatiently for Ashley. Soon enough, he

    started frowning as he kept ncing at the dressing room.

    Fortunately, Ashley walked out as Andrew was about to run out of patience.

    The long ssic A-line navy dress was perfect on her. The dress exaggerated her small waist and

    emphasized her bosom. It also showed her beautiful corbone and long neck, and they were stunning.

    Her long hair was let down, and itplemented the look very well. She didn''t reallyb so her hair

    looked a little unkempt but it didn''t get in the way of how beautiful she was.

    There was no denying that Ashley was a naturally stunning girl. Her eyes were as fierce and inviting as

    a cat''s, and they took her beauty to a whole new level.

    Also, her eyshes were long and naturally curved upwards. She also had a high-bridged nose and

    tiny mouth.

    Ashley''s skin was white, but its undertone was pink, and it made her look very healthy. Well, she

    actually was very healthy. The whole thing just came together and made Ashley look like a living

    goddess.

    Andrew was stunned for a fleeting moment when he saw Ashley in that dress, but he quickly recovered

    from it.

    "Miss, mirror is here!" The assistant happily said to Ashley, also seemingly enchanted by how good she

    looked. She led Ashley to the mirror and continued, "See, I told you! This dress would look perfect on

    you! The size is just so perfect. It really fits you like a glove! It looks like this dress was tailor-made for

    you!" she eximed, her happiness overflowing. "By the way," she continued. "I forgot to tell you about

    this earlier. This is the only one we have." The assistant didn''t lie. She was really amazed by Ashley''s

    radiant looks. That dress really looked like it was something they actually made just for her.

    With everything the assistant said, Ashley carefully approached the mirror to take a look at herself. The

    moment she did, her jaw dropped. What she was seeing was someone so beautiful that she didn''t think

    it was her at first. Gradually she realized that it was really her, and so she started turning left and right

    to see her other angles.

    The blue dress made her look elegant and so eye-catching, she was sure she couldmand a room

    full of people.

    It made Ashley really happy. After looking at herself, she walked to Andrew with eyes full of pride,

    turned, and asked, "Well, how do I look?"

    Every woman in the world would do the same thing if she felt that the dress she was wearing fit her

    perfectly and made her beautiful.

    Andrew responded with a very simple word, "Okay."

    His answer honestly surprised her, and her confidence crashed hard. Andrew totally ruined her

    moment.

    "I will go and change it back then," said Ashley, her eyes downcast and her breathing heavy. She

    turned and started walking to the dressing room.

    "Sure, go take it off," said Andrew nonchntly.

    The whole exchange made Ashley feel very weird. One part of her felt relieved that Andrew was not

    happy about the dress, but then another part of her couldn''t help but feel down and defeated. After

    shaking her head as if to shake all of her conflicting thoughts off, Ashley took a deep breath in the

    dressing room and put her own clothes back on.

    After a while, Ashley came out of the dressing room and walked to Andrew, who was still sitting on the

    couch, and said, "Let''s go!"

    Andrew grabbed the bags from the shop assistant and merely said, "Hum."

    It was only then that Ashley realized how many bags Andrew was holding and was taking with him.

    Once again, her jaw dropped. After a while, she was able to manage to close it and ask Andrew, "Wait!

    Did you buy all of those?"

    "Uhhh... Yeah. Obviously," answered Andrew.

    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    "Oh, wow. For whom, though?" questioned Ashley.

    "For you," answered Andrew.

    Ashley didn''t know how to react to what Andrew just said. "Andrew... I think... I think those are too

    much if they''re just for me..." she mumbled.

    "Put them in the closet then," said Andrew, once again nonchntly.

    Again, Ashley didn''t know how to politely decline his offer so she just nodded and followed him a step

    behind when he walked out of the store.

    She thought about helping him with carrying the bags, but he didn''t give her the chance. Andrew

    insisted that he would carry all the bags by himself.

    In silence, the two of them walked out the mall. "Would you like to see a movie?" Andrew asked

    suddenly.

    "What?" Ashley blurted out, fully not expecting Andrew to ask such a question. With furrowed

    eyebrows, she looked at Andrew and sternly said, "It''ste. Let''s go home. We can do it another time."

    But it was not even nine yet. Also, nine o''clock was not ate time for a movie. Everything that Andrew

    was doing that day was making Ashley feel really weird.

    He took her out for a dinner first. Then they went shopping. Now, Andrew was asking her to see a

    movie together.

    Ashley didn''t know what he wanted to do, and honestly, she didn''t care. She just wanted to find an

    excuse to end the day.

    Andrew lifted his left brow and didn''t say a word as he put all the bags in his car.

    Clearly, Andrew didn''t buy her excuse. He imed that watching a movie was the best choice to let

    their bodies digest the food they just ate hours ago.

    Therefore, he dragged her to the movie theater.

    Ashley actually had no choice and was just speechless. In silence, however, she admired how crazy he

    was that day. Did he forget that they had already walked around the mall for some time? She thought

    that was enough to digest the food they ate. His excuse was even worse than Ashley''s.

    But Ashley didn''t say anything to contradict Andrew. By the time they got to the movie theater, only a

    horror movie had two tickets left.

    Ashley was not a fan of it, so she pulled on Andrew''s shirt and said, "Andrew, all the seats for the good

    movies are sold out. Let''s go home. We can watch a movie next time..."

    Andrew frowned. To be honest, he didn''t really like horror movies too. Spending the evening with

    Ashley was a spur of the moment for him so he didn''t really n anything in advance. He was actually

    nning toe back for the next time, but Ashley''s reaction made him change his mind.

    While Ashley looked just like how she looked usually, Andrew knew better. He could feel that Ashley

    was afraid of the horror movie.

    And there was no way for him to let the chance of holding scared Ashley in his arms get away.

    Without paying any mind to Ashley''s protests, Andrew gave the money to the guy at the ticketing booth

    and took the two tickets.

    He grabbed the tickets, turned to Ashley and said, "We already got here, and I already bought the

    tickets. Let''s go see a movie before we head back home."

    Andrew didn''t forget to wave the tickets in front of Ashley''s eyes, as if it was going to change Ashley''s

    mind. On the ticket was an image of a ghostly girl, her eyes all ck, reaching out.

    At a nce, Ashley almost scared herself to death. She used all her strength to hold on to Andrew to

    keep her scream in.

    "An-Andrew, can we please go home? I really don''t want to see this movie!" she said in a wobbly voice.

    The image on the tickets already scared her. Ashley couldn''t imagine how terrifying the movie would

    be.

    Andrew raised his left brow again. Most of the time, he didn''t show much emotion. But somehow a

    trace of happiness quickly shed on his face. Ashley was totally falling in his trap.

    He held her in his arms, patted her on the back,forting her, and said, "It will be alright. I am here!"

    Ashley got the hint that Andrew was not going to leave the ce. Unfortunately, she was afraid to go

    anywhere by herself right now. Because of that, she had no option but to go with him.

    Ashley would never tell Andrew she was afraid of ghosts, so she tried her best to calm herself down

    and said, "How could we not have popcorn while we watch the movie? I will go and get some for us!"

    Andrew was right next to Ashley, so even though she did try her best to seem okay, Andrew saw her

    right through her cover. Her body was shaking and her voice was also trembling.

    "Sounds good! Let me go with you!" Andrew seized Ashley round the waist and bought two buckets of

    popcorn.

    One thing Andrew knew for sure was that more was better. Since Ashley said she wanted popcorn,

    buying more popcorn would never go wrong.

 Chapter 141 The Destiny

    Chapter 141 The Destiny

    This was Andrew''s first time in a movie theater. He didn''t really know much about it. But he was

    confident that he could handle any situation.

    Ashley forgot her fears when she saw that Andrew was about to buy more snacks. She stopped him

    and said. "Hey Andrew! That''s enough! We already have two buckets of popcorn. No need to buy other

    snacks. Let''s go! The movie is about to start!"

    Ashley said, pulling on Andrew''s sleeve.

    Andrew walked into the theater with Ashley, a bucket of popcorn each in their hands.

    Their seats were at the back. Andrew thought that they weren''t great, but they weren''t bad either. What

    made Andrew happy was that the room had just enough people to make it a decent show, but not

    exactly a crowd. And that was enough.

    The movie hadn''t started yet. Ashley looked around to look at the people while the lights were on. She

    saw that most people came here as couples, and she concluded that maybe girls neededpany

    while watching this movie.

    Every couple were almost glued to each other. Ashley wrinkled her nose. ''Why not take just one seat?''

    she thought sneeringly. Nothing interested Ashley anymore, so she focused on eating her popcorn.

    If she was honest to herself, she really didn''t see the fun in watching a horror movie and didn''t

    understand why so many people liked it. But for her, it was scary.

    And that fear had been with her since she had been a child.

    She decided to bury her head in the bucket and focus on the popcorn during the movie. There was

    plenty of popcorn for her to enjoy. So much that the movie would be over by the time she finished it all.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    But reality butted in again and ruined Ashley''s n.

    The lights went off and the movie started. Ashley shook in fear, goosebumps erupting all over as the

    sound effects echoed through the hall.

    After a short pause, Ashley resumed eating her popcorn. She stared into the bucket of popcorn and

    kept telling herself that all was well and that she should focus on how delicious the popcorn was.

    Andrew didn''t really care about the movie. His eyes were fixed on Ashley, ever since they had walked

    into the theater and he was satisfied to see Ashley''s pause at the beginning of the movie. His n was

    going well.

    "Aaaah!" A girl sitting in front of Ashley suddenly screamed, causing Ashley''s popcorn bucket to almost

    topple over in her fright.

    Ashley collected herself and raised a trembling hand to bring the popcorn to her mouth. The girl''s

    scream had somehow piqued Ashley''s curiosity.

    So she looked up and took a peek at the screen.

    The horror movie was just starting, but it was always the beginning that was the scariest part.

    Ashley''s eyes widened as she saw a ghost staring out the screen, her hair covering most of her face

    and one blood-red eye fixed on the audience.

    "Ah!" Ashley''s popcorn tumbled out of her grip this time. She buried her head in Andrew''s arms, her

    body shaking with fear. She was too terrified to look up.

    "Andrew! Can we please just go?" She begged him, not looking up from her position in Andrew''s arms.

    Her eyes were brimming with tears.

    Andrew patted her back, trying tofort her. But his eyes were calm. A little amused perhaps, but

    calm. He nced at the screen and then at Ashley, who had now buried her head into his chest.

    He didn''t really see how terrifying Ashley found the movie to be.

    "Andrew?" Ashley didn''t hear Andrew''s response. She called his name again, a little louder this time.

    Andrew had already got what he had wanted. So he held her and said, "Okay. Let''s go." He took her in

    his arms and started to pick his way out.

    "Wait! My popcorn!" Ashley eximed, her head still bowed.

    Andrew raised his eyebrows, but took the buckets and handed them to her. Then they walked out of the

    theater.

    Although Ashley''s head was in Andrew''s chest and it was dark, her fingers never stopped. Nothing

    coulde between her and her popcorn. It was probably her way of coping with the fear.

    Andrew could hear her crunch on the popcorn, like the noise a hamster would make as it ate. He

    smiled.

    As the light shone on Ashley again, she raised her head to look around, blinking.

    Her face turned red, probably because of the time she had spent snuggling fearfully in Andrew''s chest.

    Her face was just few inches from Andrew''s. The thoughts that went through Andrew''s mind as he

    looked at her blink were all variations of how cute she was.

    When Ashley became sure that she was not in the theater anymore, she sighed in relief.

    "Thank you so much! You can put me down now!" Ashley said to Andrew shyly.

    "It''s alright," Andrew said but didn''t put her down. Instead, he held her even tighter to himself.

    Ashley realized that Andrew had no intention of putting her down. She wriggled in his arms, feeling

    ufortable being held by Andrew like this in public.

    She was about to give him a piece of her mind when a familiar voice got her attention.

    She turned around and saw Lena walking out of the theater with Raymond. Ashley noticed that they

    were holding hands. It looked like they had just finished watching a movie because Ashley and Andrew

    weren''t far from the theater.

    "Ashley?" Lena called out uncertainly.

    Ashley didn''t respond. She was already feeling annoyed just by seeing Lena''s face.

    Ashley really didn''t want to deal with Lena right now. She stopped struggling, buried her head again in

    Andrew''s chest and said, "Let''s just go."

    Andrew obviously didn''t want to see them either. Without a word, he turned and walked off in the

    opposite direction.

    Lena was now sure that it was Ashley.

    Lena ran up to Andrew and forced him to stop. "Ashley? It''s so nice to see you! Are you here for the

    movie too?" Lena asked rather brightly.

    Her mind became numb for a second as she saw Andrew''s face. On one hand, Lena had to admit that

    Andrew was really handsome and had an amazing physique.

    Andrew, on the other hand, was not happy that someone had blocked his way. He looked at the

    intruder with cold ck eyes. Not used to such cold reception, Lena shifted on her feet nervously.

    Ashley had known that Lena would do such a thing. Every time she saw her in public, Lena would

    come up to Ashley and ''shower'' her with love.

    Ashley raised her head and looked at Lena, her face betraying no emotion. She tapped on Andrew''s

    shoulder and whispered, "Please put me down."

    Andrew pursed his lips but put her down anyway.

    Ashley''s feet had numbed and she hadn''t realized it, which was why the moment she stepped onto the

    ground, she stumbled and teetered sideways.

 Chapter 142 Nightmare

    Chapter 142 Nightmare

    Ashleypletely lost her bnce. ''What''s happening! Why do my legs feel like jelly?

    Is it because of the scary movie that I just watched? How could that be?''

    Her mind wandered off as Ashley struggled to stop herself from falling but to no avail.

    Luckily, Andrew swiftly reached out his arms and was able to cushion Ashley''s fall.

    Lena and Raymond were looking at them.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    An obvious distaste flicked over Lena''s face. She lost in thought, ''Look at her! How can they do that in

    a cinema? Ashley agreed to that?

    Look, she''s so weak! She''s even in that man''s arms like she can''t even stand properly. Look, how weak

    she is now! Wow, what were they doing?''

    Raymond looked mncholic as he watched Ashley. His stomach twisted and turned with all sorts of

    emotions but he didn''t know how to let it all out.

    Seeing Andrew wrap Ashley into the arms, he knew she wasn''t his anymore. He forced himself from

    approaching forward.

    "Are you okay?" Andrew asked. Andrew gazed at Ashley, concerned. His brows furrowed tightly

    together.

    "I''ll be fine. I just need some rest," Ashley said, her face reddening.

    She felt so awkward. ''You''re so stupid, Ashley! How could you get that scared of a movie? You couldn''t

    even stand on your own!''

    When they glimpsed the look on Ashley''s face, Raymond and Lena were assured of what they

    assumed.

    If Ashley ever found out about that, she would get mad at them.

    Shame on them! What the hell was going on in their mind? Why couldn''t they just focus on their work?

    Instead, they put their attention on those malicious things like that!

    Luckily, Ashley didn''t know what they were thinking.

    "Ashley, are you okay?" Lena asked as if she was worried about Ashley. Her look shifted between

    Ashley and Andrew as if she was hesitating to say something.

    At that moment, the movie had just finished and a crowd of people were suddenlying out of the

    same movie house that Lena and Raymond had just been in.

    Everyone would notice there were four people standing on their way out. A lot of the people were

    staring at them especially at Ashley and Andrew.

    Ashley frowned when she noticed the crowd. She really didn''t want to have this conversation with Lena

    in public.

    "Excuse me, we have an emergency and we have to go now," Ashley blurted out in a t voice as she

    looked at Lena, then she grabbed Andrew''s hand and left.

    She even didn''t nce at Raymond before she left, as if she didn''t see Raymond.

    "Wait, Ashley..." Lena called, startled by Ashley''s sudden departure.

    "Raymond, why does Ashley..." Lena said as she looked at Raymond, pretending to be sad.

    "Oh, Lena, maybe they are really busy," Raymondforted. He gently stroked the back of Lena''s

    head as his gaze was following the retreating figures of Ashley and Andrew as if he was thinking about

    something.

    Lena felt her insides boil with anger and hatred as she caught the sight of Raymond''s gaze at Ashley.

    She said to herself, ''Why does Raymond still love her even though she''s already married? Ashley, you

    dirty bitch! What the hell you have done to Raymond? Why can''t he let you go?''

    "But... Raymond, do you feel that Ashley''s acting so strange? I''m just worried about her. Do you know

    what happened to her?" Lena asked, feigning concern.

    Raymond froze and his stomach twisted in knots as he heard what Lena asked. ''I just can''t convince

    myself that nothing happened between them. Ashley looked in a way too guilty for nothing to have

    happened.

    Things aren''t always what they seem to be though. I can be stubborn that way sometimes. But I never

    thought Lena would even mention it again, ''

    Raymond thought, as he gazed back at Lena. His face softened as he looked at Lena.

    "Oh, it''s nothing. Maybe she''s just not feeling well. Well, it''s gettingte now. Let me take you home,"

    Raymond said, trying to end the conversation. Obviously, he didn''t want to talk about it.

    "Okay, Raymond." Lena nodded. Cleverly, she didn''t say anything else as she knew she got what she

    wanted.

    After leaving the cinema, Ashley tried to walk on her own and found out that she was feeling much

    better. ''Luckily, I feel much better now and I can walk on my own, '' Ashley was ecstatic. She really

    didn''t like public disys of affection.

    "Can we go home now?" Ashley asked.

    "Okay," Andrew responded tly, then they got into the car and headed home.

    Ashley was worn out after going shopping with Andrew the whole afternoon not to mention she was still

    a bit freaked out from the scary movie that they had watched earlier. She was feeling sleepy and her

    eyelids were heavy when she got into the car.

    She tried to shake off sleepiness but she failed. Eventually, she fell asleep, her head lolling to one side.

    Andrew slowly leaned towards her and carefully ced her head on his shoulder where she could

    sleepfortably.

    He began to study Ashley''s beautiful sleeping face after he told Josef to drive slowly.

    Ashley was sleeping quietly and peacefully, like a baby. Andrew was gazing at Ashley as if the whole

    world was in his eyes. Deep inside, he hoped that he could stay here forever. He indulged in this

    moment with Ashley even though she wasn''t awake.

    "Hmm..." All of a sudden, Ashley furrowed her brows tightly together and her body began shaking

    uncontrobly as if she was suffering from a nightmare.

    "Ash, wake up, wake up..." Andrew scooped Ashley into his arms and whispered to her, trying to wake

    her up. His voice was so gentle.

    Josef, who was driving, was a bit startled. He''d never seen this side of Andrew before. He thought to

    himself, ''This is the first time that I''ve seen Mr. Lu like this.

    Oh, dear me! If he spoke to me in the way he spoke to Miss Mu, wow, I''d be...''

    Josef immediately shook the thought away. He liked Andrew the way he knew him - aloof, decisive,

    stoic.

    Andrew might have been acting differently today by being nice and gentle but he still preferred the

    regr Andrew who was strict and cold.

    "Hmm..." Ashley slowly opened her eyes. She began cooling off as she felt Andrew''s warmth.

    She just had a nightmare. She was being chased by some scary figure.

    She screamed for help but Andrew just ignored her as if he didn''t hear her.

    But the real Andrew was here - she reached out to wrap her arms around him, feeling safe.

    "Did you have a nightmare?" Andrew asked in a low voice as he wrapped her in his arms, trying to

    comfort her by rubbing her back.

    Ashley nodded, holding Andrew tightly.

    Andrew liked the feeling that Ashley trusted him and relied on him.

 Chapter 143 The Banquet

    Chapter 143 The Banquet

    "Don''t worry. Everything is ok." Andrew soothed Ashley in a low and gentle voice while holding her.

    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    They arrived at the vi, and Josef parked the car outside. Andrew then carefully carried Ashley out of

    the vehicle.

    Turning around, Josef happened to catch a glimpse of Ashley''s lovely and adorable face.

    However, before he got the chance to have a proper look, his view had been blocked by Andrew. When

    Josef looked up, he saw the angry cold re from Andrew.

    Josef froze with fear, "B...boss, I will leave now..."

    Andrew then withdrew his eyes with satisfaction and carried Ashley into the vi.

    When ire noticed Andrew entering, she immediately came to greet them warmly. "Mr. Lu..."

    She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the cold nce and frown on Andrew''s face. He didn''t want

    Ashley to be woken up, and he continued to carry her upstairs.

    Once he reached the bedroom, he gentlyid Ashley onto the bed. Andrew was about to go to the

    bathroom to have a shower when he noticed Ashley had clenched her fists. Then she reached out her

    hands, grabbed hold of his clothes tightly and

    huddled beside him with a frown on her sweet face.

    Andrew felt a pang of remorse when he saw her cowering in fear even in her sleep.

    He didn''t expect that she would be so afraid of seeing that film. Had he known that it would affect her

    so much, he would have chosen another movie for her to watch. He med himself for being so

    inconsiderate.

    Perhaps it was out of fear that Ashley was particrly clingy tonight. But Andrew could not leave her

    alone.

    Andrew could have removed her hands and gone about his own business. However, he felt responsible

    for her fear and didn''t have the heart to leave her alone in that state.

    The next morning when the sun shone brightly into the bedroom, Ashley slowly opened her eyes. The

    first thing that came into her view was a broad, tanned chest.

    At first, she didn''t realize that her head was resting on Andrew''s chest, and she blinked in confusion.

    Her long eyshes were just like two small fans sweeping across Andrew''s skin, which tickled him

    terribly.

    In the morning, men are generally sexually impulsive... Andrew however, became stiff because of her

    unconscious acts.

    Suddenly Ashley had be wide awake and quickly moved away from him. She pulled the sheet up

    to cover herself and looked at his handsome well-sculpted face.

    Andrew''s staring and affectionate eyes met her gaze.

    "Morning," Ashley greeted him, feeling embarrassed.

    "Morning," Andrew responded with a quiet and gentle voice. His voice was low, attractive, and

    maic with a trace ofziness at this hour in the early morning.

    Ashley slid out of bed and went to the bathroom. Once inside, she thought about her reaction to the

    ghost filmst night, and how she had been so frightened that she made her way into Andrew''s arms.

    Ashley blushed scarlet with embarrassment.

    She ran the water and cupped her hands, sshing the cold refreshing water onto her face.

    ''My gosh! How humiliating!

    How could I get into such an awkward and embarrassing situation in front of Andrew!'' Ashley thought,

    feeling chagrined.

    After they had breakfast, Andrew drove to Ashley''s cake shop to drop her off, and then he would

    proceed to his office as usual.

    "There''s a party tonight. Be ready. I''ll pick you up after work," Andrew said to her before she got out of

    the car.

    "Me?" Ashley asked with a puzzled look on her face, while pointing to herself. "You want me to go with

    you?"

    Andrew nodded.

    "I''d rather not go. You can attend these banquets by yourself. What can I do there?" Ashley didn''t see

    the purpose of why she needed to participate and tried to eschew such an asion.

    In all honesty, Ashley wasn''t interested in the luxurious life of the wealthy, which involved socializing at

    dinner parties and going to all kinds of banquets as such. To some extent, she was averse to such

    parties.

    "Be ready. You are going with me." Andrew''s voice was firm and final. There was no room for an

    objection.

    Out of reluctance, she remained silent.

    If she had known that there would be so much hassle marrying Andrew, she would have married a

    person with a in background.

    "What time will we go?"

    "It''s at seven in the evening, and I''ll pick you up at five," Andrew replied.

    Ashley nodded. "Okay, I''ll be ready."

    When Andrew noticed the discontent look on Ashley''s face, he lifted his brows and was going to say

    something. However, in the end, he said nothing.

    Ashley entered the cake shop, and Ellie could tell that something was wrong when she saw the

    unhappy look on Ashley''s face.

    "What happened?" Ellie asked with concern.

    Ashley breathed a heavy sigh. "He said there''s a party tonight and he asked me to go with him," she

    said with a tone of disappointment in her voice.

    "You should have thought about those problems before you two got married. They''re unavoidable, you

    know?"

    Ashley could only keep silent for she couldn''t tell Ellie the truth.

    In the beginning, it was Ashley''s suggestion that they got married. But her approval of the match was

    under the duress of her family. Ashley kept that part concealed from Ellie.

    So now Ashley had no other choice but to suffer in silence.

    "By the way, you two are married. When is the wedding ceremony going to be?" Suddenly it dawned on

    Ellie that they hadn''t had a wedding ceremony. So she asked Ashley about it. At the thought of a

    wedding ceremony, Ashley''s face suddenly looked ashen and drawn.

    ''Wedding ceremony?'' Ellie''s question came as a great shock to Ashley.

    The thought of a wedding ceremony never crossed her mind. Neither Andrew nor Ashley had a deep

    affection for each other, and it would be awkward to hold a wedding in front of so many people.

    Naturally, Ashley didn''t want to do that.

    No one had mentioned a marriage ceremony for such a long time, so Ashley didn''t think about it.

    Theplicated expression on her face made Ellie misunderstand her.

    "Is it because he doesn''t want a ceremony?" Ellie looked at Ashley wide-eyed and she was shocked

    that that might be the reason.

    The customers in the shop began to eavesdrop on their conversation, and

    Ashley looked around, smiling awkwardly. She pulled Ellie aside. "What are you doing? Keep your

    voice down."

    Ellie realized that she might have gone a little too far, but the thought of Andrew not holding a wedding

    for her beloved friend made her annoyed.

    She always believed that Andrew was a reliable and generous man. However, now she had a different

    opinion of him. Ellie was surprised to find that Andrew could be so ungentlemanly and stingy.

    A wedding ceremony was something most women regarded as an important and meaningful event in

    their lives. Ellie was irritated by his cavalier attitude towards this.

    Ashley could tell that Ellie had misunderstood the whole thing by the vexed expression she had on her

    face. "Ellie, it''s not what you think. Let me exin it to you."

    "There''s nothing to exin! Why do you have to be so stubborn and even cover for him? You, of

    course, know what a wedding ceremony means to women like you and me. How could you get married

    without one?

    Is it because of what he said to you? Did he make any threats against you?"

    Ellie''s suggestions became even more outrageous as she went on. Ashley could only stare at her in

    shock.

    She hadn''t known Ellie to be such a chatterbox before.

    Ashley stared at Ellie dumbfounded with a nk expression on her face.

    She waited for Ellie to finish speaking. "Ellie, it''s not what you think. You''re blowing everything out of

    proportion. Listen to me, okay?"

    Ellie tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms. Staring intently at Ashley, she said, "Fine, then

    you exin it to me, and it better be a good reason, or I will ask him myself!"

 Chapter 144 The Embarrassment

    Chapter 144 The Embarrassment

    Most of the time Ellie was very easy going, but sometimes, she could be very stubborn. This was one

    of those times.

    She had a serious conversation with Ashley, because she was really worried about her best friend! Her

    words might be a little harsh, but she meant well. She was just angry with Ashley for not thinking about

    her future.

    "It was my decision to not have the wedding," said Ashley.

    Admitting this to Ellie made her feel really shitty. The bad person that Ellie had just spoken about was

    actually her.

    Ellie stared at Ashley in disbelief.

    She still couldn''t believe what she just heard. "What did you say? Can you please repeat that for me?"

    Ellie asked in surprise.

    Ashley opened her mouth lightly and said, "I said I was the one who didn''t want to have the wedding."

    "ASHLEY! Are you out of your mind? What''s wrong with you, girl? Do you think this is some kind of

    video game that you can y with anytime you turn on your TV? This is your marriage! How could you

    behave in this way? What''s wrong with you?"

    Ellie was so upset with her, she delivered the entire monologue in one breath. The whole time she

    thought Andrew was the bad guy, but it turned out to be her best friend instead. She was ready to tell

    Andrew off for his terrible behavior towards Ashley. Never in her wildest dreams would she have

    thought that it was Ashley who didn''t want the wedding.

    The one redeeming factor was that Ellie hadn''t confronted Andrew or she would have just died of

    embarrassment.

    "Alright! Calm down, Ellie! I just think now is not a good time to have the wedding. I know he loves me!

    But it happened so fast! It was love at first sight for both of us, and quickly after that we just got

    married. I am an orphan. I don''t have a family. Who cares? Am I right?

    But the truth is that his parents don''t even know me! I can''t just let him send an invitation to his parents

    and say, ''Hey, Mom and Dad! Surprise! I am going to get married! Please just show up!'' Anyway, I just

    want to give his parents some time to process this. I don''t think that is such a bad idea or an

    irresponsible decision. And Andrew and I have talked about this! We are working on it. It will just take

    some time. We will figure it out soon," said Ashley.

    An old saying came to her mind. "Don''t lie. You might end up living with your lies, or getting killed by

    them."

    That was the exact situation she was in. Either keep lying or ept the consequences, which was

    something she didn''t really want.

    Ashley wouldn''t have done what she did if she had known then what was going to happen.

    Ashley''s exnation calmed Ellie down. As long as they were going to get married, Ellie wouldn''t have

    to worry too much about her.

    "When will you go to meet his parents?" Ellie asked.

    "Soon. I am not sure about the exact time yet," answered Ashley.

    "Okay then. This is very important for you. Just promise me that you will keep this in the back of your

    mind. Okay?" urged Ellie.

    Ashley nodded. "Okay, okay! I promise! I will keep it in mind!"

    Ellie finally smiled.

    "All right! Let''s go inside, Ellie!" said Ashley. "Hmm," she agreed.

    All Ellie was trying to do was to protect Ashley. Ashley was too young and too naive.

    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Meanwhile, at the Lu Group

    In Andrew''s office, he was sitting on the chair and looking carefully at the documents. Something

    suddenly popped up in his mind. He asked Johnny for the invitation letter sent by the Luo Group.

    "The invitation letter?" Johnny asked, unsure of the one he was talking about.

    He looked up waiting for more details but realization struck when he looked at Andrew.

    "Sir, are you looking for the invitation letter that the Luo Group sent us a few days ago?" Johnny asked.

    Andrew responded, "Hmm."

    Johnny walked out the office and started looking for the invitation letter on his desk.

    Like the Luo Group, manypanies invited Andrew to their parties and events. But most of the times,

    Andrew would decline. He didn''t really care about the small businesses. So Johnny would throw away

    the invites.

    Although the Luo Group was not as big a corporation as the Lu Group, it had expanded very well in

    recent years.

    Johnny had put their invitation letter at the bottom of his drawer. He couldn''t make the decision on

    Andrew''s behalf so he just stored it away.

    After rummaging through his drawer for a few minutes, Johnny finally found the invitation letter.

    He was really d he had saved this particr invitation. He wiped the sweat off his forehead. He

    couldn''t imagine what would happen if Andrew found out that he had already put it away.

    He couldn''t understand why Andrew would want the invitation letter. Everyone knew about the CEO of

    the Lu Group. All thepanies would be d to have him epting their invite.

    Johnny didn''t really understand why, but he didn''t want to question Andrew about it.

    "Sir, here is the invitation letter," said Johnny. He put it on Andrew''s desk.

    That letter was very fancy. The borders and the word "Invitation" were covered in gold. The Luo Group

    had worked hard on this.

    Andrew took a quick look at the letter. It was the 50th birthday party of the CEO of the Luo Group.

    ''It''s today, '' Andrew thought about it. His eyes suddenly turned dark and menacing.

    This sent shivers down Johnny''s spine. He didn''t know what made Andrew angry, but he was smart

    enough to not ask about it.

    Ashley said goodbye to Ellie around five o''clock. Ellie didn''t detain her. She just reminded her to be

    careful.

    Andrew picked her up and took her to a ce called The Silver Moon. Johnny stopped the car, walked

    out and opened the door for Andrew. "Sir, we have arrived," he announced.

    Andrew nodded and walked out the car with Ashley.

    Ashley couldn''t figure out what was going on. She didn''t know what Andrew was nning to do. He

    had told her they were going to a party, but The Silver Moon didn''t look like a party venue.

    "Where are we going?" she asked as her curiosity got the best of her.

    "Just follow me," replied Andrew. He didn''t exin further. He just held her hand and walked in.

    The outside of the store didn''t look special. But once Ashley walked in, it was like apletely new

    world.

    There were rows upon rows of elegant, beautiful dresses. Just by looking at them, Ashley knew that the

    price was off the charts. She couldn''t imagine affording even one of them.

    Andrew didn''t look too surprised. He just took Ashley to the back of the store.

    A woman, who looked to be in herte 40s, was working on a dress on her sewing machine.

    "Hey, Jade," greeted Andrew. She was too busy to see them approaching until he called out her name.

    His tone was unusually gentle.

    "Andrew?" Jade looked up and saw Andrew. Her beautiful face lit up, and she smiled.

    She put the fabric down and walked towards him. "I thought you totally forgot about this old woman!

    Come here and give me a hug," she gently reprimanded him.

    Andrew hugged her and said, "I would never forget you, Jade, and you are not old at all! You always

    look like a 20-year-old girl to me!"

    Ashley couldn''t believe what she was seeing. She had never seen Andrew talking so sweetly to

    anybody. This was the first time she saw a gentler side of him.

    "Oh, you sweet little thing," gushed thedy. Jade was really pleased with Andrew''s sweet talk. No

    woman could stay angry with anyone who gave such apliment. Not to mention Jade, who wasn''t

    angry at all.

    "Rosaline has been talking about you every day. You might want to spend some time with her

    whenever you have some time," said Jade.

 Chapter 145 Who Was Jade

    Chapter 145 Who Was Jade

    "She is not a kid. Why does she need somebody to keep herpany?" Andrew''s tone was as mild as

    before but Ashley detected a hint of acrimony in it.

    However Jade didn''t seem to notice anything, "How could you say that? Of course you have to spend

    time with Rosaline when you have the chance," she said with a smile.

    Ashley found that Jade kept mentioning Rosaline in front of Andrew. The way she talked it sounded like

    Andrew and Rosaline were very close or even intimate. Ashley couldn''t help feeling puzzled. Who was

    Rosaline?

    She observed the woman in front of her. She looked like a warm, gentle person, who made people

    around her feelfortable and at ease.

    Her eyebrows were shaped beautifully like willow leaves while her eyes were almond-shaped. Her skin

    was creamy and firm and she wore a pale green long dress. Her hair was held up in a simple low bun.

    She was elegant and graceful, and looked like she hailed from a distinguished family.

    Andrew was getting impatient and was unable to hide it. He interrupted her, "Jade, I need something

    from you."

    Jade immediately stopped saying what she still wanted to say.

    "What is it?" she inquired.

    Andrew brought Ashley up from behind him and said, "Ashley, this is Jade."

    Ashley stared at her, not knowing who she was and why Andrew introduced her so formally, but she put

    on a broad smile and said, "Hi, Jade."

    Maybe she imagined it but she thought she saw Jade''s face stiffen for a fraction of a second and she

    suddenly seemed ill at ease all of a sudden.

    Ashley blinked her eyes in puzzlement.

    Her instinct told her that Andrew had something to do with it.

    "Jade, this is my wife, Ashley."

    Seeing Jade looking at Ashley that way, Andrew''s tone turned a little harsher and he stressed on the

    word ''wife''.

    "What?" Jade looked from Andrew to Ashley. She gasped and stared at Andrew again.

    "Are you joking with me? You wife? When did you get married?" It sounded a little bit like Jade was

    cross-examining Andrew.

    Her gentle demeanor had vanished and now she was a little scary.

    "Jade, it is my personal matter." Andrew said dismissively.

    Jade surely knew about Andrew''s temper, because it looked like she was bursting with questions and

    yet held her tongue.

    "Jade, Ashley said hello to you," he added abruptly.

    Jade forced a smile and greeted Ashley, "Hello."

    "Help her pick an evening dress and then help her do her hair."

    "Her?" Jade looked at Ashley and asked with uncertainty.

    Andrew nodded firmly.

    Jade watched Ashley carefully. She wore a simple white T-shirt and a pair of dark jeans. Her dark hair

    was pulled back into a casual bun. She looked like a youthful college student.

    She wore no makeup and her skin looked shiny, pale and firm with a brush of pink on the cheeks. Her

    large cat-like eyes gave her a cute look. She had an oval face, very long and thick eyshes. A pretty

    girl.

    However, someone of Andrew''s social status could get any kind of woman. Why did he pick such a

    simple girl?

    Andrew was taciturn but anyone who knew him well knew that he was always protective to the ones he

    cared about. So Jade didn''t reveal her true feelings towards Ashley even if she held a grudge against

    her.

    "Please follow me,"

    Jade said to Ashley and headed to another room.

    Ashley turned to look at Andrew.

    Andrew was pleased with her reaction.

    He touched Ashley''s head gently and said, "Go on."

    Ashley said nothing. She didn''t want to go at all. ''Didn''t he see her eyes? What if she kills me or does

    something bad to me?

    Well, probably I am exaggerating.''

    Ashley followed Jade hurriedly.

    There were a lot of clothes in here too.

    There were clothes in all sorts of styles and colors. Without exception, every piece was beautiful and

    eye-catching.

    "Here, try something." Without Andrew''s presence, Jade''s attitude could hardly be regarded as nice.

    She pulled out a dress carelessly from the shelf and tossed it to Ashley without even bothering to look

    at her.

    "Be careful. Don''t damage the clothes. The cost of one dress here is enough for you to live for a couple

    of years. And you would need to work for a few months to pay for even one rhinestone on the dress."

    Ashley pursed her lips. Her original impression of Jade was totally destroyed.

    How could a person with such a soft face speak so harshly?

    Ashley took the outfit from her hand without saying a word and walked into the fitting room.

    The outfit looked great on her. It entuated her hour-ss figure.

    It was a red dress with a deep V cut in the front to showcase her cleavage and her back was also

    exposed. The dress was knee-length and tight. She had to walk very carefully if she didn''t want to

    show her underpants.

    Ashley stared at herself in the mirror and felt very conscious. She didn''t want to go out. She put her

    arms on her breasts trying, in vain, to cover herself up.

    Jade yelled impatiently, "What''s taking so long? How can it take so much time to try one outfit? What

    are you doing?"

    ''Keep pushing and pushing. Where are you pushing me to? To hell?'' Ashley muttered angrily to herself

    inside.

    When she finally stepped out, Jade''s eyes widened in surprise. Every piece of clothing here was her

    blood and sweat. She designed and made them, every single one, with all her heart. She didn''t think

    that her dress would have such a gorgeous effect on Ashley.

    Not many people could carry off this dress well. It was like the dress itself was picky in choosing its

    owner.

    The red color required the wearer to have fair and clean skin. And many of the details like the cut and

    design required a certain body shape in order for it to look good.

    After the initial looks of surprise and wonder, disgust and jealousy followed on Jade''s face.

    Ashley had been watching her and so she caught the change of expression from admiration to

    jealousy.

    Why did she feel jealous? Jealous for her good physique?

    "No time for dillydallying. What took you so long?" Jade looked ugly when she spoke to Ashley.

    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Ashley didn''t say a word through all this. She knew if she talked back, more nasty words would

    follow.

 Chapter 146 The Worries

    Chapter 146 The Worries

    Jade hid the nasty side of her in front of Andrew.

    When Ashley walked out the room, Andrew was stunned for a short moment, but he quickly recovered.

    Ashley never really liked to show too much skin. Her fashion sense was not bad; it was just a little

    boring. Andrew had never seen Ashley in a dress like that before and he was blown away.

    It looked really good on her. He wanted to get a few more of these kinds of clothes for her. His thoughts

    were running wild, and he was having a hard time managing his bodily reaction to her.

    But once more, his incredible self-control repressed it. He quickly recovered and acted like nothing

    happened. His brows furrowed.

    Ashley noticed this, and she frowned too. She couldn''t help but think that the dress was a bad idea.

    "Andrew, what do you think of the dress? I think it looks really good on her. It shows the right amount of

    skin and leaves the rest for imagination. It fits her so well..." Jadeplimented.

    "I don''t really like it. Try another one," interrupted Andrew. He shook his head, frowning. His forehead

    was wrinkled with worry ever since Ashley had walked out.

    "Really? But it looks really good on her. Why don''t you like it?" Jade asked, looking puzzled.

    Andrew didn''t answer. He stood up and pulled Ashley into the other room. He insisted on selecting a

    dress for her. After walking back and forth for a while, he handed her a dress and asked her to try it on.

    Jade was waiting outside. When Ashley walked out, she just realized why Andrew was not satisfied

    with the first dress.

    It was a light purple dress, which covered every inch of her. It had long sleeves and a hemline that

    reached her ankles. It was a little loose on her but covered her fully.

    Compared to the red dress she had on earlier, this was a totally different style. The red dress brought

    out her assets. She would turn heads when she walked into a room full of people. However, the dress

    she had on just took all of that away.

    One good thing was that Ashley had a long, beautiful hair and a pretty face. Her sensitivity and

    charming vulnerability gave her a distinguished appearance and nobody would ever think that she was

    an orphan.

    The dress was well designed too. It somehow naturallyplemented her personality. It was distinctive

    and attractive.

    Everything looked good on a pretty and charming girl.

    Andrew did not seempletely satisfied with this dress either. But it was the best one he could find. It

    basically covered every part of her.

    "Alright, we will take this one," he said. He seemed to be running out of options, so he finally gave up.

    Ashley still didn''t say a word, but she surely liked this dress more than thest one.

    Now that they had picked the dress, it was time for makeup.

    Ashley sat in front of the mirror while Andrew took a seat on the couch nearby. Jade got her cosmetic

    kit out and started working.

    Although Jade was not a fan of Ashley, she was a really good makeup artist. She did a good job.

    Ashley was already very pretty without makeup. Jade just added some color on her eyebrows. She

    padded a little blush on her cheeks and put some lipstick on her. With just three simple steps Ashley

    looked outstanding.

    "Here we go! It''s done!" Jade said, as she added the finishing touches on Ashley.

    Ashley looked at herself in the mirror and then walked to Andrew.

    She now understood why Andrew hade to pick up her early this afternoon. He wanted to leave

    time for her to prepare for the party.

    "That looks great, Jade! Thank you! I think it''s time for us to go," said Andrew. He held Ashley''s hand

    and started to walk out.

    "Hey! Don''t rush out. Andrew, there is something very important I have to tell you..." Jade quickly

    stopped Andrew.

    She had called up Rosaline a while ago. Rosaline should be on her way right now. Jade knew how she

    felt about him. And she really liked him too! She just wanted to try her best to help Rosaline win his

    heart. Jade never thought Andrew would get married at such a young age.

    But, nobody would be surprised if he got divorced or remarried. Thanks to his status.

    Up until now, Jade hadn''t heard anything about Andrew''s marriage. She was quite certain that his

    family didn''t know about it either. This meant that Rosaline still had a chance. Jade had to do

    something!

    "Okay, what is it?" Andrew replied.

    Jade took a quick look at Ashley and said, "Can we talk in private?"

    Andrew wrinkled his brows impatiently. He was about to turn down her request. But Ashley squeezed

    his hand and shook her head slightly.

    Andrew changed his mind and whispered to Ashley, "Just give me a minute. I will be back very soon."

    Ashley knew that Jade meant a lot to him. She didn''t want toe between them. That was why she

    stopped him from storming out. Andrew walked with Jade to one corner of the store.

    "Andrew? Are you really married to that girl?" Jade couldn''t help but ask.

    "I am. And she is going to be the one and only woman in my life," said Andrew. Jade could see the

    resolve in his eyes.

    It was the first time she had heard him expressing his feelings. Jade was very surprised.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Andrew never paid much attention to women nor did he mess around with girls. He had great willpower

    and led a disciplined life. People around him were trying their best to have their daughters betrothed to

    him.

    Rosaline was close to Andrew, so she should have had the chance to be with him. Jade never

    expected Andrew to get married to some random girl.

    She winced, "Do your parents know about this?"

    Andrew shook his head.

    "You are the CEO of the Lu Group! You represent the corporation. How could you just get married to a

    random girl without talking to your family about it?" she asked.

    Andrew was not happy with what she was saying. He looked at Jade angrily and warned, "You just

    need to manage your business. I will take care of mine."

    Jade realized she crossed the line the second she did it. Andrew respected her and treated her nicely.

    But he was a gentleman with power and money. She shouldn''t poke her nose into his personal matters.

    Even if she wanted to, she didn''t have the ce to do so.

    "Andrew, I''m just a little worried about you. I never hear you are seeing anyone. You suddenly told me

    you already got married. I''m just afraid you might get hurt. Nowadays, girls will do anything for money. I

    just think maybe you should run a background check on the girls you date. You are the backbone of the

    entire Lu Group after all," said Jade.

    Andrew calmed down a bit.

    But he looked distant. "She is different," he said softly.

    Jade responded, "How can you be sure? Pretty girls like her are very good at using their beauty to get

    what they want from people like you..."

 Chapter 147 Ashley Didnt Want To Go To The Party

    Chapter 147 Ashley Didn''t Want To Go To The Party

    Andrew suddenly interrupted Jade, "Well, we have to go now because we have something important to

    do."

    Saying that Andrew went out before Jade got a chance to say something more. He turned back so

    abruptly as if he was in a hurry to go. Seeing this, Jade was left speechless as she didn''t know what to

    say or how to react.

    "Have you finished with what you are talking about?" Seeing Andrewe out, Ashley moved towards

    them and asked.

    "Yeah!" Affirming to Ashley''s question, Andrew nodded his head and intended to head out with her

    while holding her hand.

    Not wanting them to leave all of a sudden, Jade wanted to say something to dy them even for a

    minute. However, when she saw the expression on Andrew''s face, she was halted with what she was

    about to do and shut the idea off her mind. ''Where''s Rosaline? If she doesn''t show up soon, Andrew

    will get out of here, '' Jade thought.

    When she was just fretting on Rosaline''s arrival, she heard a sweet voice from outside.

    "Andrew!" Rosaline called with her sweet and surprised voice with an equally bright face. She looked

    so stunning in her casual shirt and skirt attire while wearing a light make-up.

    Seeing her, Jade stopped frowning at once. ''Thank goodness. Rosaline shows up just in time, '' she

    thought to herself.

    With a smile on her charming and delicate face, Rosaline appeared right across Andrew''s path.

    Subsequently, Andrew looked at Rosaline and nodded his head to greet her with a cold face.

    "Andrew, are you leaving?" Looking at the pissed-off expression on his face, and the way he acted as if

    he was impatient, Rosaline frowned and asked, being slightly frustrated and sad.

    Rosaline was wearing a knee-length white pleated skirt with whitece. From her ruffled three-quarter

    sleeves, you could see a small part of her fine snow-white arms. She was wearing her white high heels.

    She was simply charming and irresistible.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Her ck hair was shoulder-length, with a bit curl at the ends. And her eyes were big that

    complimented the features of her smart face, and her skin was white, which made her look beautiful

    and lovely.

    Intending to persuade him to stay a little longer, Rosaline stretched out her hand to hold Andrew''s arm.

    To her surprise, however, Andrew pulled away. He was determined to leave and no one could stop him,

    not even Rosaline.

    At that moment, both Ashley and Rosaline looked at each other and both were surprised by Andrew''s

    actions.

    As Rosaline saw that Ashley and Andrew were quite close to each other, Rosaline was stunned.

    ''Who is that woman? How dare she stand so close to Andrew? I can even sense that they are close to

    each other!'' Rosaline thought to herself, jealous of Ashley being close to Andrew.

    As far as Rosaline was concerned, Andrew didn''t have a girlfriend. All this time, she had never seen

    any women by his side. After all, she had all the time in the world to get to know Andrew better. She

    was grateful to Jade for it was because of her that she was able to meet Andrew. Gradually, she took it

    for granted that she was different and special to him in certain ways.

    This time Andrew grabbed hold of Ashley''s hand as they were about to leave. Thus, when she saw

    Ashley and Andrew stand there hand in hand, Rosaline felt very angry and jealous at the same time. At

    that moment, the only thing she wanted to do was separate them at once. She wished that it was her

    hand that Andrew was holding. She was so pissed that if she wasn''t able to control herself she could

    even grab all the hairs away from that woman''s head.

    With resentment shimmering in her eyes, Rosaline thought, ''Who does she think she is? Who gave her

    the right to hold Andrew''s hand?

    What a shameless bitch!''

    Obviously, Rosaline didn''t take Ashley as her opponent and thought that she was just nobody. She

    thought that she would be easy to handle and was nothingpared to her. In her head, she just

    thought that Andrew was a rich and charming man. Naturally, most of the girls around him would be

    attracted to him. She just thought that to console herself so as not to be totally vexed by the situation.

    Although Rosaline was frustrated, for she failed to hold Andrew''s arm, she managed to look at him with

    a happy face, when in fact she was about to cry.

    "Andrew, who is she?" Moving forward towards them, Rosaline stomped her foot and asked with her

    eyes on Andrew''s face.

    "None of your business. Why? Anything wrong?" Sarcastically, Andrew frowned and impatiently

    questioned with his brows slightly raised a bit against Rosaline.

    "Andrew, it''s been a long time since we saw each other thest time. Do you miss me?" With a sad

    expression on her face, Rosaline asked again. She hoped that he would change his mind and would

    incline to her this time.

    "Rosaline, Andrew has plenty of things to deal with in hispany. Of course, he doesn''t get much

    free time as you have," Interrupting her, Jade also went out as she heard her pathetic voice. It seemed

    that she med Rosaline for being so insensitive. But for Rosaline, however, that was not the reason

    why she asked such a question. She actually wanted Ashley to hear her words, and implied to her that

    Andrew belonged to her alone.

    "Mom!" Rosaline stomped her foot with a blushing face.

    "You haven''t seen Andrew for such a long time. I''m sure you must have a lot to talk to him," Jade

    responded.

    "Of course," Hastily, Rosaline answered as she took a look at Andrew.

    The way they talked to each other was so impervious that they didn''t think about whether Andrew

    wanted to talk to Rosaline or not.

    When Rosaline was about to get closer to Andrew, he suddenly opened his mouth, "We have to go now

    because I''ve got something to do."

    After that, he held Ashley''s hand and left, without paying any more attention to Rosaline and her

    mother.

    "Well, Andrew..." Being cut short from what she was about to say, Rosaline could do nothing but to

    watch Andrew leave with Ashley. She stood there, sad, surprised, angry and disheartened.

    "Wait, wait! Slow down!" Being dragged away by Andrew, Ashley cried out. At that time, she wore a

    dress and a stiletto, causing her to walk slowly. Not heading to her pleas, however, Andrew walked very

    quickly. As a result, Ashley lost her bnce and stumbled backward.

    Insensitive to what he had caused, Andrew didn''t say anything but slowed down to wait for Ashley.

    After Ashley and Andrew left the store, Rosaline changed her innocent face into a grumpy one.

    "Mom, who the hell is that woman? Why did she get so close to Andrew?" Looking at their backs,

    Rosaline asked her mother.

    "I don''t know. But Andrew told me that she is his wife," Frankly and shortly, Jade responded while

    looking at her daughter''s face which was suddenly flushed out of color.

    "What? That''s impossible," With her mouth in aghast, Rosaline shouted in disbelief.

    Then she continued, "It''s impossible. There''s no way Andrew''s married. Moreover, if he''s married, why

    don''t we have any information about it? Why are we not invited to his wedding?" After being surprised

    and shocked for a short while, Rosalinepletely denied it.

    "I''m not sure. But Andrew seemed to be telling the truth. I can''t find any reason why he would lie on

    such matters. Besides, it looked like he hasn''t told his family about it too," Jade added.

    Hearing that, Rosaline lowered her eyes and seemed to be deep in thought.

    After getting out of the store with Andrew, Ashley suddenly found that he was depressed. Although she

    didn''t know why thus she braced herself up and asked him why he was acting so indifferent.

    Thus with the softest and most soothing voice she had, Ashley asked, "What''s the matter with you? Are

    you okay?"

    Facing her this time, Andrew caressed Ashley''s hair and replied, "Nothing. I suddenly remembered that

    I still have some important work to take care of. I have the invitation with me, and you just go ahead

    with Johnny." With that, he escorted Ashley towards the car where Johnny was waiting. After they got

    into the car, Andrew gave Ashley the invitation.

    "Will you be joining us after you take care of what it is that you need to deal with?" With a puzzled look

    on her face, Ashley asked as she looked at the invitation.

    "Don''t worry. I''ll be there soon," Andrew answered shortly.

    All of a sudden, Ashley saw a familiar name on the invitation, which made herpletely stunned.

    Clyde Luo, CEO of the Luo Group, would celebrate his 50th birthday on May 12. The invitation was

    from him.

    All this time, Ashley knew that Clyde had a son and his name was Raymond. Coincidentally, Ashley

    dated him for three years. When she was his girlfriend, he once asked her to meet his parents. But she

    refused, for she thought that was not the right time. Moreover, she felt that Raymond''s parents didn''t

    like her at all and what they had during that time was nothing but just a teenage love affair. So, before

    they ended their rtionship, Ashley wasn''t able to meet his parents.

    Today, however, she was totally taken aback and she didn''t expect that the birthday invitation was from

    Raymond''s father.

    At that moment, Ashley felt that the invitation was like a hot potato, that holding it in her hands made

    her sense a burning sensation that pierced through her skin. She wanted to throw it away and just

    dismiss the idea of attending the party, but she couldn''t.

    Maybe she should have seen thating. These things were inevitable and had high probabilities of

    happening. Both Raymond and Andrew were considered high members of society. Therefore, it was

    normal for Andrew to receive invitations from Raymond''s father considering that they were from the

    same circle.

    If the invitation was from another high member of the society, Ashley would go without hesitation.

    However, today''s invitation was from her former boyfriend Raymond''s father. How would she react to

    this? She didn''t know.

 Chapter 148 Just Cant Escape

    Chapter 148 Just Can''t Escape

    Raymond and Lena ware going to be there too. Ashley didn''t want to see them.

    She gripped her hands together and looked at Andrew. "I don''t feel very well. Can I go home?"

    Andrew didn''t say anything, but his stare had already made her nervous. She felt like his handsome

    eyes could see right into her mind. Ashley lowered her head to avoid eye contact with him.

    "What''s wrong? Do you need to see a doctor?" Andrew asked as he pressed his hand against her

    forehead to see if she had a temperature.

    "Oh, no!" Ashley said quickly. She then realized her obtrusiveness, and continued, "I''m just a little tired.

    It''s not a big deal. I don''t need to see a doctor. I just need to go home and have some rest." Andrew

    closed his lips lightly and looked at her with concern in his eyes.

    He ordered Johnny to drive to the hospital.

    Ashley was hoping that Andrew would agree to let her go back home, but when she realized he was

    going to take her to the hospital. She quickly interrupted Andrew by saying, "There''s no need to go to

    the hospital. I''m feeling much better now. Let''s go to the party."

    "Don''t push yourself! If you don''t feel well, we can go to see a doctor," said Andrew seriously.

    Ashley forced a smile on her face and looked at Andrew. "Really! I feel much better now. I remember

    you said that you have something very important to take care of. I''ll be fine. Go take care of your

    business."

    Andrew had a vague expression on his face. After telling her to take care of herself and instructing

    Johnny to take her to the hospital if she didn''t feel well. He got out of the car and left.

    Ashley watched Andrew leave and slumped back into the seat, breathing out a heavy sigh. It felt like

    the whole conversation with Andrew used up thest bit of her energy.

    Johnny nced at her from the rear view mirror then turned to look at Ashley with concern on his face.

    He said, "Miss Mu, forgive me for saying this. You don''t look well. May I take you to the hospital?"

    Ashley replied in a tired voice, "I''m fine. Just take me to the party."

    Then she closed her eyes.

    Johnny nodded and said no more. Now he understood why Andrew asked him to find the invitation

    letter that the Luo Group had sent. The CEO of the Luo Group was the father of Ashley''s ex-boyfriend.

    No wonder Andrew was acting strange. He had something nned out.

    Closing her eyes didn''t help to soothe her. If anything, it only made matters worse. In her mind churned

    a cauldron of thoughts. All the memories about Raymond hade flooding back as did the

    comints his family had with her. It was like a movie ying in her head.

    Ashley opened her eyes and stared nkly at the interior roof of the car, trying to clear her mind.

    A sparkle caught her attention, and she remembered that she was already married. Raymond had

    nothing to do with her life now, and neither did his family. It was they who sent the invitation letter to her

    husband. She shouldn''t be afraid of them at all. Her thoughts were clearer in her mind now, and Ashley

    had cheered herself up. There was nothing to be fearful of. Ashley had prepared herself to deal with

    any possible situation.

    Ashley was unaware that Andrew didn''t leave her to go to the party by herself. Josef had picked him up

    in another car, and they followed behind Ashley''s car a short distance away.

    Josef glimpsed at Andrew in the mirror. Andrew was looking down, and his longshes cast a shadow

    under his eyes. No one knew what was on his mind. He was deadly silent.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    However, Josef could feel the rage in him. Andrew''s mood could not have been more forbidding. Josef

    wished that he could switch ces with Johnny. He would much rather drive Ashley around.

    When Ashley was in the car, his boss restrained his temper and emotions. He would talk more and

    even smile. However, without Ashley in the car with him, his boss was scary and intimidating, and at

    this moment, he had never looked more terrifying.

    Josef''s mind had wandered off and was jolted back when his boss spoke. "What do you think of me?"

    Josef almost choked on his own spit. He couldn''t believe what he just heard.

    ''Oh my gosh! I can''t believe this!

    Is he my real boss?

    I can''t believe he just asked me such a question!

    He never cares about how people look at him.

    What am I missing? What happened to him? Did someone do anything to him?'' thought Josef.

    Someone must have done something to his boss. That was the only exnation Josef could think of.

    While all of those thoughts rambled through Josef''s mind, it took him a while to give Andrew a reply.

    Andrew raised his head and looked at him.

    Josef swallowed hard and responded, "Sir, please don''t mind me asking. What is it to make you ask

    such a question? You''re the most sessful person in J City without a doubt. No one can match your

    power and money. You are young and handsome. Ladies in J City dream about going out to dinner with

    you..."

    While Josef was continuing his monologue, Andrew looked down and didn''t say a word. Josef couldn''t

    tell what he was thinking.

    Andrew didn''t know why Ashley still wasn''t interested in him if he was so perfect.

    ...

    It didn''t take long for them to arrive at the party the Luo Group hosted for their CEO.

    Those types of parties were usually hosted at a vi or arge house. It offered a bigger space and

    made things more convenient for the people to mingle. That was why the Luo Group hosted their party

    at a big house.

    Johnny parked the car at the Luo residence and

    opened the door for Ashley.

    Security guards were everywhere. Ashley walked out of the car and noticed a lot of rich people had

    come to Clyde'' birthday party.

    The Luo Group was a big corporation in J City. It was expected to see many wealthy people here.

    Ashley looked at Johnny and asked, "When will he be here?"

    That was a question that Johnny didn''t know how to answer. "Mr. Lu didn''t tell me. I''m sorry, I can''t give

    you an answer."

    Johnny did actually have an idea of what Andrew was going to do, but he knew that he shouldn''t share

    it with Ashley.

    Ashley nodded to show her understanding, then looked at the invitation letter in her hand. She took a

    deep breath to encourage herself and walked towards the door with Johnny following behind.

    The waiter by the door politely asked for the invitation letter when Ashley entered. "Miss, may I see

    your invitation letter?"

    Wealthy people always sent their invitation letter out a few days before the event. To avoid any possible

    situations, they would check the invitation on entry as well.

    Ashley took the invitation letter out of her purse and handed it to the waiter.

    The waiter had already been doing this many times over. Normally he would open the letter, have a

    quick look and let the person pass through. However, on this asion, when he read the letter, his

    attitude became reverent.

    He smiled and said, "Miss, please follow me."

    Ashley had never been to such a big fancy party before, and she assumed what the waiter did was just

    standard practice. She didn''t give it a second thought and followed him in.

    ''This is a beautiful house, '' Ashley thought, giving credit to the Luo family.

    Ashley followed the waiter through the many hallways all the way to the back of the house. They finally

    came to a magnificent yard.

    It was huge and even had a smallke inside it. Ashley looked around. She saw men toasting each

    other, and women in small cluster groups chatting andughing.

 Chapter 149 Being Under The Spotlight

    Chapter 149 Being Under The Spotlight

    Tables covered by nice tablecloths were arranged in a line on both sides of the room. On them,

    beautiful cakes and pastries were ced in fancy tes and expensive wines were poured in crystal

    sses that wereid up like a pyramid. Everything looked perfect.

    The waiter was still trying to lead the way, but Ashley suddenly stopped. She saw an old friend.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Lena was chatting with several girls who were around her age.

    "Oh my god! Lena, is that the ring he gave you? It''s so pretty!" A girl in a short light yellow dress took

    Lena''s hand and looked at the ring that was on one of her fingers.

    "That is so pretty! And the way it shines... Oh my god! That at least weighs five carats, I bet! It shouldn''t

    be a big deal for Raymond though. He is the son of the Luo Group''s CEO after all. I''m sure he is

    generous!" said the girl in pink dress. The dress was knee-length and covered with pearls. Because of

    that, every time she moved, light reflected off of them and it made her look like she was sparkling.

    The girl also had beautiful, long, blonde hair, and with her features being so delicate, she was very

    stunning.

    Her tone sounded very jealous as she looked at Lena, who was obviously enjoying thepliments

    she was getting.

    "Oh yes, you should all be jealous of Madame Lena. Raymond is not only generous to her but also

    adoring, and he is willing to do anything for her. No one else would have such luck as her in finding

    such an amazing fiance!"

    Lena''s little helper said, further ttering her. The helper wore a long light green dress. Her hair was in

    a great updo, which reallyplemented her overall style. While she looked cute, it didn''t look nice

    when she kept trying to cozy up to Lena''s good side.

    She immediately spoke for Lena when she smelled the oing showdown.

    It was not unusual for rich girls to get jealous or be someone that other girls got jealous of.

    Some of them would fight for it, and the rest would take sides.

    A girl sneered, "It''s just a ring. I don''t really know why you are making a big deal out of it." The girl who

    just spoke wore a body-tight ck dress that was slightly above her knees.

    It showed her perfect figure. She used a hairpin made by white jade to lock all of her hair up on the

    back of her head.

    Her face looked impable. Her eyeliner was perfectly ck, identical on both eyes, and the way it

    went up made her eyes so cat-like. Her skin was tight but it looked so soft. Truly, she was the mix of an

    angel and a devil. Because of this, she easily stood out of all of the girls around her. However, it

    seemed like that she didn''t want to fit in with the girls around her. A smile was gracing her plump lips as

    she looked at Lena, who was in turn, looking so scornfully at her.

    "It''s just a five-carat ring. If you really like it, I will pick one for you next time," she said.

    "Really? Thank you Caroline!" said the girl in the pink dress. Her face turned red because of rage when

    she heard what the girl in the light green dress said. But when Caroline opened her mouth, she

    immediately smiled and scurried on her side.

    Then, she swaggered forward, towering over the girl in light green dress, and sneered, "Who do you

    think you are? You''re just someone else''s dog. A dog is a dog. Without a leash, it just gets excited

    about every little thing and barks at everyone it sees!"

    Now it was the girl in the light green dress to feel angry. Lena felt humiliated too.

    "Caroline! What are you doing?" With an exasperated expression on her face, Lena questioned

    Caroline who justmpooned her as her face got redder and redder by the second.

    "What am I doing? I just simply said what I thought. Can''t you understand English?" No one dared to

    start a fight with Lena, but Caroline was a different kind of being.

    Ever since she met her, she hadn''t liked Lena. Her father was the CEO of the Ji Group, the closest and

    arguably the fiercestpetitor of the Mu Group. Once, there was a rumor that went around that

    Caroline was rejected by Raymond. No one knew if it was true though.

    But Caroline might still have feelings for Raymond, and she could just be resenting Lena for "stealing"

    what was supposed to be hers.

    But from an outsider''s perspective, it just seemed like that Caroline just wanted to pick a fight with

    Lena. And it was hard to me them, because Caroline was, indeed, a unique person. She wasn''t like

    anyone around her.

    The looming fight had suddenly made the air so tense that everyone felt so ufortable. No one was

    smiling anymore.

    "Caroline, let''s go. Today is Uncle Clyde''s birthday. Don''t get in any trouble!" A girl suddenly said while

    pulling Caroline''s arm.

    "I really don''t know what Raymond was thinking. He must be out of his mind to get engaged with a girl

    like that!" Caroline sneered. With more urging from the girl, however, she slowly backed up and walked

    away.

    Caroline''s friends quickly said goodbye to Lena and left.

    The rest of girls looked at each other, feeling awkward, and went without saying a word to each other. It

    was not the first time Lena and Caroline were so close to fighting each other so no one really felt

    surprised at what happened.

    However, the situation had already changed. Lena was engaged to Raymond. She now had two big

    corporations standing behind her, and she had earned herself a higher social status. Girls had to think

    well about the side they were going to take.

    "Lena, don''t think about what Caroline said. You know how she is. She only cares about herself," said a

    random girl.

    "That''s truth. Lena, don''t waste your energy on someone like that!" another girl added.

    "I totally agree! She probably just wants to hurt you, because she was super jealous," said one girl.

    Girls who stayed by her side started paying herpliments. Lena finally cracked a smile.

    However, it was fake. She hid her anger and pretended to be a kind innocent girl. With a deep breath,

    she said, "I know. Caroline probably just felt a little ufortable with me engaged to Raymond. But

    you know, I would never make a fuss about the trifles with her. Anyway, the party is about to start. You

    guys enjoy yourselves. I have to go walk around and make sure everything is ready. You all have to

    excuse me,"

    Lena said, a sweet smile on her lips. She acted so well that no one really knew how she truly felt

    inside.

    Thest statement she said to them was clearly to show off her importance to the Luo family.

    Lena was the one who nned the whole party on the behalf of them. As she was already engaged to

    Raymond, the Luo family had already epted her as their family. In the future, Lena would face and

    n those kind of parties a lot. But that was neither here nor there - right now, she was yet to marry

    into the Luo family. But seeing that they already let her help in nning such an important party, it was

    clear how much the Luo family already favored her.

    Girls like Lena who came from the family like Mu would usually marry for the business. They didn''t

    really have a chance to refuse. It was their destiny. That was why some of them would feel jealous of

    her engagement.

    "Wow! Lena, is that true? You nned the whole party? No wonder I felt this party was different from

    the ones I used to go to! I really like it! I bet you worked hard on this!" A girl said, admiring Lena.

 Chapter 150 Avoiding

    Chapter 150 Avoiding

    Raymond''s parents were satisfied with Lena and had already treated her as their daughter-inw.

    Otherwise, they wouldn''t have asked her to take care of this important birthday party. All thedies

    envied Lena, and they thought she was very lucky.

    Lena smiled and said graciously, "It''s my first time to organize a party of this magnitude. I still have

    much to learn. Please, feel free to let me know where I can improve." Although Lena had been

    reserved with her words, she couldn''t hide the smile on her face.

    "Well, Lena, don''t be modest. You''ve earned it. You''re such a fortunatedy. You''re beautiful, youe

    from a prominent family, you have a handsome fiance, and your kind mother-inw treats you so well.

    We all envy you," a youngdy ttered her as she gazed at Lena.

    "None of us are as lucky as you," another girl said.

    A group of rich girls surrounded Lena. They paid her all kinds ofpliments, which made her feel

    special.

    Teresa Li felt a little irritated because she had been shunted aside by those wealthy girls.

    So she interrupted, "Well, girls, off you go. Lena has something to do now." Teresa Li was Lena''s

    sidekick.

    The girls exchanged confused looks with one another and then left. After all, they didn''t know Lena

    well, and it was Teresa Li who had a good rtionship with her and not them.

    Once the girls had left, Teresa Li rolled her eyes and sneered with disdain written on her face.

    "Who the hell does she think she is? How dare she talk to us like that?

    What''s her problem? Just because she''s friends with Lena. If Lena doesn''t keep her as her best friend

    in the future, she won''t act so arrogantly like that anymore," one girl muttered furiously.

    They disliked the way Teresa Li behaved.

    "Hey, shh, shh! Lower your voices. You never know who could be lurking," one girl gestured at the

    angry girls and reminded them in a low voice.

    After venting their anger, the girls felt better and didn''t mention it anymore.

    Teresa Li was satisfied when she saw that it was just Lena and her. However, she hadn''t noticed the

    gloomy look on Lena''s face.

    As far as Teresa was concerned, she was Lena''s best friend, and Lena didn''t need anyone else. Those

    other girls were nothing to her.

    Once the girls were out of sight, Teresa Li looked at Lena and spoke, "Lena, Caroline waspletely

    out of line! Who the hell does she think she is? How dare she say something like that to you? I''m sure

    she came to you because she''s jealous. You know that she has a thing for Raymond, but he turned her

    down.

    So, you must be careful, in case she tries to make any trouble for you again,"

    Teresa Li nced at Lena and reminded her.

    Lena got a bit impatient. The main reason why Lena made friends with Teresa Li was that Lena thought

    she was superior to her. Teresa''s family wasn''t as wealthy as Lena''s, and Lena knew that she was

    more beautiful than Teresa Li.

    Lena nodded her head and interrupted, "Okay, okay. I know that."

    "Well, Lena, what else are you going to do? Let''s do it together," Teresa Li suggested as she linked her

    arm through Lena''s.

    Lena carefully pulled her arm out of Teresa''s and responded gently, "I''d like to have a private

    conversation with Raymond''s mother. You can have some fun here alone for a while, and I''ll find you

    later."

    "What? Are you going to leave me alone?" Teresa Li looked at Lena and asked with a sulky face.

    Teresa Li always had low self-esteem being next to Lena. She felt inferior to her and knew that Lena''s

    family was wealthier than hers and that Lena was more beautiful than she was. However, Lena treated

    her very well and considered her a friend. Therefore at a party such as this one Teresa Li needed Lena

    because she was the only good friend she had.

    "Yeah. Just enjoy yourself. I''ll be back very soon. You can find a ce to have some snacks," Lena

    reassured her, trying to be patient.

    "Okay," Teresa Li replied as she reluctantly let go of Lena''s arm.

    ''Teresa''s such a gullible girl. It''s so easy to make her believe me, '' Lena thought to herself with disdain

    as she rubbed her arm where Teresa Li had just held her.

    At that moment, Ashley had been standing some distance away from Lena and Teresa Li. She was too

    far to hear what they were talking about. When she saw Lena heading her way, Ashley looked around

    to see where she could hide to avoid her.

    Ashley lifted the hem of her dress and quickly hid behind the bushes.

    The waiter saw Ashley, and he was wondering why she suddenly hid behind the bushes.

    Johnny also saw Ashley hide behind the bushes. He knew what had happened between Ashley and

    Lena before.

    ''But...

    why did Miss Mu want to hide from Lena?'' Johnny wondered.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    "Miss Mu," the waiter greeted Lena politely when he saw her.

    Lena organized the whole party. Therefore, it was natural that all the waiters knew her. Besides, she

    visited the Luo family house a lot recently. It seemed that she would marry Raymond very soon.

    "Hi!" Lena nced at the waiter and responded kindly, trying not to behave like a snob.

    Lena always pretended to be courteous and friendly in public. In this way, all the people liked her. That

    was why she could get Raymond''s parents'' approval within such a short time.

    Johnny lowered his head a little when he noticed Lena looking at him. She had never met him before,

    so she didn''t recognize him and assumed that he was a servant as well.

    Ashley remained hidden behind the bushes until Lena was out of sight. She narrowed her eyes as she

    looked at Lena''s back.

    She acted on pure impulse when she hid behind the bushes. Ashley couldn''t put her finger on it, but

    she just couldn''t bring herself to meet Lena. Ashley wouldn''t be able to stand it if Lena saw her and

    pretended that she cared about her and then Ashley would have to do the same back. She was sick of

    the pretentious act between the two of them.

    The waiter led Ashley inside the mansion, and she frowned, stopping the waiter, "Where are you taking

    me?"

    The waiter answered, "I''m taking you to see Mr. Luo."

    Ashley had shown the waiter Andrew''s invitation, so the waiter thought he should take it seriously and

    thought it was better to inform Clyde Luo about it. That was the reason why he decided to take her

    inside the mansion.

    Ashley thought to herself, ''If Raymond''s father sees me, maybe he will kick me out.''

    "Don''t bother. I think I should stay here in the hall. Just go about your own thing," Ashley stated.

    The waiter looked surprised and continued, "But..."

    "Um?" Ashley looked at the waiter and questioned with a cold stare.

    Ashley was nearly as intimidating as Andrew when she wore a cold face.

    Being rmed by Ashley''s question, the waiter nodded and went back to work obediently.

    Ashley looked around and found everyone was talking about their own affairs, not paying any attention

    to others around them.

 Chapter 151 Bad Idea

    Chapter 151 Bad Idea

    Not knowing when Andrew would arrive, Ashley found herself a secluded seat and sat down while she

    waited for him.

    "Do you know if Caroline still has feelings for Raymond? I just heard that she almost quarreled with

    Lena," said a woman who was gossiping.

    "Who knows. Caroline made it known to everyone that she was chasing Raymond back then. She

    almost has dered it to the whole world. However, she was refused by Raymond, and you know, hell

    hath no fury like a woman scorned. Let alone a woman as arrogant as Caroline."

    "That''s right. Now that Raymond and Lena are engaged, she is probably feeling even worse. It adds

    jealousy to the fury when you see a love rival. Surely they are graceful enough to refrain from fighting?

    It''s nothing just to quarrel." What the woman said sounded usible, and it was as if she had firsthand

    information.

    "Is it possible that she just hates Lena? After all, it''s no secret that Lena is at odds with Caroline."

    "I think that''s probably the reason."

    "I can''t say for sure. It''s probably abination of both."

    It was said that "Three women are enough for a drama." Yet here, several women were gossiping, and

    one could only imagine how many dramas they could make.

    Ashley hadn''t expected to overhear the piece of gossip since she chose a reclusive spot on purpose.

    Evidently, the women thought they had chosen a private ce to tittle-tattle as well.

    She knew the Caroline they spoke about. When Ashley was with Raymond, Caroline had taken a fancy

    to him way back then and would always hang around him.

    Ashley and Raymond were very discreet with their rtionship, so Caroline had no idea that they were

    a couple. Eventually, Raymond must have said something to Caroline because after that she never

    hung around him anymore.

    Now that Ashley found out what Raymond was like, she felt grateful that she had broken up with him.

    Otherwise, she didn''t know what she would have done with Raymond being such a womanizer.

    Ironically, little did Ashley know that Andrew would attract even more women than Raymond in the

    future.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please? I want to wee you all to my birthday

    party. I trust that you will enjoy the entertainment provided. If not, please forgive us."

    Everyone''s attention was to the front of the stage

    where a forty-something-year-old man dressed in a suit spoke with a microphone in his hand.

    Raymond did have a resemnce to him in some ways. It was, of course, his father Clyde, the CEO of

    the Luo Group. He held the microphone to his mouth and said, "I have something to dere. It''s about

    the Luo family and the Mu family. I believe everyone present knows that Lena of the Mu Group and my

    son are engaged. Now Lena is going to be my daughter-inw and a member of our Luo family.

    This birthday party was nned and arranged in my honor, all by Lena."

    Clyde''s rich and mellow voice echoed through the hall.

    Ashley raised her head slightly and noticed members from the two families all standing together on the

    stage now. Lena and Raymond stood closely, and Lena clung to Raymond''s arm, smiling sweetly.

    Raymond''s father and mother, who stood beside them, watched the sweet couple with a satisfied

    smile.

    "Okay, Lena, I will hand the microphone over to you." Clyde passed the microphone to Lena.

    Lena gracefully held the microphone in her hand and spoke in a pleasant soft tone while she wore a

    gentle smile on her face.

    "Please ept my sincere thanks for adding to the joyfulness of this special day with your attendance

    to Mr. Luo''s birthday party. I am so honored that Mrs. Luo gave such an important task to me.

    I am grateful for her trust and appreciate everyone''s support. If there is anything you don''t like or feel

    unsatisfied with the party, or our entertaining needs to be improved, please do let me know so that I

    can improve next time."

    She got thunderous apuse when she hardly finished her speech.

    The guests began to murmur among themselves.

    "The girl came from the Mu family. No wonder she spoke artictely and naturally. Really well-bred and

    highly educated."

    "She certainly is. They really make a lovely couple. Beauty and genius. They were made for each

    other."

    "Definitely. Now the Mu family and Luo family will be even more powerful with this union."

    ¡­

    Ashley wasn''t touched at all. Either by Lena''s speech or by the guests''ments on how Raymond

    and Lena made a perfect couple. Her expression revealed nothing of how she felt inside.

    Ashley couldn''t care less about anything that happened to Lena or Raymond anymore. She wiped

    them both from her heart and her mind. So how could she let two strangers affect her or have any

    expectation of either of them?

    However, Johnny wasn''t thinking the same way.

    He was watching Ashley and getting anxious inside. Johnny wondered, ''How can she react this way?

    She''s probably trying hard to look undisturbed.

    After all, she had been with this Raymond guy for three years. Now to see him end up with her sister,

    how can she be so calm?

    Either she has been wounded too deeply, or she is plotting something. This kind of poise is a sure sign

    of a dreadful hidden agenda.

    Why hasn''t the boss shown up yet?''

    Johnny''s anxiety showed on his face, and Ashley noticed it. She assumed he had some other urgent

    matter that he needed to attend to. "If you have something else that you need to do, you can leave. I

    will be okay here alone."

    "No, no, it''s okay, Miss Mu. I can stay. The boss asked me to stay with you, so I have to stay with you,"

    Johnny said, shaking his head hastily after he heard Ashley''s suggestion.

    Johnny didn''t have a death wish, and that would undoubtedly face him if he were to leave Ashley alone

    here. Who knew what his boss would do to him if he went against his boss''s orders and left her.

    Ashley didn''t mention anything further to him. She nced at the delicate desserts on the table and

    took one and elegantly put it in her mouth.

    Johnny stayed close behind Ashley all the time, like a bodyguard.

    It was either because the seat Ashley chose was secluded enough or it was because of other reasons

    that nobody came to bother her. Ashley was d to be left out of the socializing buzz.

    On the other side of the hall, after Lena got off the stage, she searched the room with her eyes.

    Raymond noticed that she was looking for something or someone and asked curiously, "What are you

    looking for Lena? Is there anything wrong?"

    Lena drew her attention back to him and said, "Oh, no, nothing. I was just looking around." She then

    smiled at Raymond.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    However, when Raymond looked away, Lena still searched the room.

    Lena had deliberately sent an invitation to Clyde''s birthday party to Ashley. Actually, more than just

    one, she wanted to make sure she received an invitation. It was such an excellent opportunity to

    provoke and trample on her. Of course, she wouldn''t let a chance like that slip away.

    However, after searching the crowd for a while, she found no sign of Ashley. ''Didn''t Ashleye? It''s

    not possible. How could she note to the party?''

 Chapter 152 A Stupid Girl

    Chapter 152 A Stupid Girl

    In life, sometimes, things didn''t turn out the way we expected. Right this time, Ashley didn''t want to see

    Lena, but due to some twist of fate, they still ran into each other.

    Ashley drank some juice and ate a lot at the party. Thus she slowly rubbed her full stomach and

    decided to take a walk to relieve herself from indigestion.

    Before she stood up, she especially took a nce at Lena and then walked in the opposite direction.

    Unfortunately, no matter what she would do to avoid her, she still met Lena along the way. It seemed

    that their paths were destined to cross today no matter what she did.

    Facing her this time, and looking at her beaming yet sarcastic face, Ashley thought, ''How ironic it is to

    run into Lena this way!''

    On the other hand, Lena, when she saw Ashley, was very happy and hurriedly held her arm. But

    Ashley nced at her with a poker face. Not intending to insult her in any way, she carefully pulled her

    hand out of Lena''s grip while giving her a sheepish smile.

    For the asion, Lena wore a white flowing dress, whose edges were ced with a lot of small

    diamonds. Under the bright lights, the sparkly diamonds attracted almost everyone''s attention.

    With a tiara on her head, Lena wore her hair up and some were hung down next to her ear, which

    made her look like a princess. With the 10-centimeter high-heeled shoes, her legs looked even more

    slender and sexier.

    Perfecting her look was her snow-white skin and she was wearing delicate makeup.

    If other women would dress up like that, they would look strange and ugly. But Lena, however, being

    the elegant and morous as she was, carried the attire with some elite finesse. Ashley knew that

    Lena was different and she always wanted to stand out and be the center of attention. At that moment,

    Lena really looked like a princess. Without a doubt, she was a beautiful and attractive girl.

    While Ashley wore an ankle-deep mauve long dress. She let her smooth ck hair down around her

    shoulders randomly. With a touch of powder on her delicate face, she looked so youthful and gorgeous.

    She put on a little lipstick and wore a pair of white ts.

    Without any decorations on her simple dress, it looked very in and simple. But Ashley was born with

    confidence and grace. Therefore, though she just wore a in dress, she still looked beautiful.

    Putting it more urately, Ashley looked more beautiful than Lena.

    As she stood beside her, Ashley stared at Lena quietly with an expressionless face, which made Lena

    feel a little bit awkward.

    Every time Lena took notice of Ashley''s eyes, she always had the feeling that Ashley knew what she

    was thinking.

    Thus to break on the chills that she was feeling towards Ashley, with a shining smile on her face, Lena

    said, "Ashley, I can''t believe you''re here! When I failed to find you just now, I thought you couldn''t make

    it." Just now Lena wanted to hold her arm but Ashley waved her away. Lena didn''t get angry with

    Ashley at all for her doing that. Thankfully not everyone''s attention was with them, or else they would

    stir gossips. Looking around and observing the guests around them, she nced at Ashley warmly. Her

    behavior would make the people who didn''t know what had happened between them think that they

    were best friends.

    However, Ashley was familiar with her and she knew that Lena just pretended to be nice to her.

    "Yeah, I''m here," short with her words, Ashley replied indifferently.

    Then she looked up at Lena and asked, "Anything else?" Her voice sounded very calm yet deep inside

    she just wanted to get rid of the insinuating woman in front of her and just be out of her presence.

    Seeing that Ashley didn''t want to talk with her, an embarrassed look appeared on Lena''s face. But she

    quickly changed it into a happy one.

    Then she continued gently, "Ashley, both our father and mother are here. Let''s meet them together."

    After these words, Lena stretched out to hold Ashley''s arm.

    But Ashley took a step back. She looked at Lena and said with a coy smile, "Well, if I remember it right,

    I have already separated myself from the Mu family. I don''t have anything to do with your parents now."

    At the far corner, looking at the scene, Johnny felt relieved. He was worried about Ashley the whole

    night. But from what had happened just now, he knew that she barely even cared about Lena and

    Raymond now. Furthermore, by the way, she was acting right now, Johnny was confident that she

    could handle herself right in case anything would happen.

    Lena looked at Ashley in surprise, saying, "Ashley, what are you talking about? How is that possible?

    You''re my elder sister. You''re family. You will always be a member of the Mu family!

    Ashley, what makes you say that? Did I do something wrong?" With the corners of her mouth twitched

    a little, Lena looked at Ashley with tears in her eyes.

    Judging from the expression on Lena''s face, Ashley sensed that she didn''t pretend to be surprised. So

    Ashley thought, ''Didn''t Peggy tell her about it?''

    Before Ashley figured it out, her thoughts were interrupted by a derisive voice.

    "Are you Lena''s elder sister?"

    Ashley tilted her head a little and saw a pretty young girl, who was wearing a light green dress. With

    her chin raised a little, she moved in front of Lena and looked at Ashley with disdain.

    Before Ashley could say something, Lena looked at the girl in front of her and stated, "Teresa, what are

    you doing? She is my sister. You can''t be rude to her."

    "Lena, you consider her as your sister. But do you notice her attitude towards you? She is such an

    ungrateful woman. Right now she even wants to separate herself from the Mu family. Your parents

    raised her but she''s never thought about repaying them. What an ungrateful girl she is! Why are you

    still treating her so well?

    Lena, I think you''re too soft on her. You''re such a kind girl," Teresa stated. With the words

    spontaneouslying out of the girl''s mouth, Ashley was taken aback. Teresa looked at Lena and

    consoled her with her hands.

    It seemed that Teresa had said everything that was on Lena''s head. So she stood there with an

    awkward face. She fixed her eyes on Ashley and then moved on to Teresa. It looked like she was about

    to say something but finally didn''t continue.

    After taking a look at Lena''s face, Teresa couldn''t help but say, "Lena, don''t worry about it anymore.

    Don''t bother to have more talks with her. Anyway, she won''t appreciate it. Or even worse, maybe she is

    ming you in her heart."

    As the future daughter-inw of the Luo family, everyone in the party knew Lena. Although everyone

    that attended the party was all wealthy and powerful, they also liked gossips. Seeing that Lena was in

    between sobs right now, all of a sudden, they looked in Lena''s direction.

    When they saw Ashley, a glimmer of surprise shed in their eyes.

    "Who is that girl? How beautiful! I''ve never seen her before," one person said.

    "You mean the girl in the long dress? I heard that she is the adopted daughter of the Mu family. Lena

    said that she is her elder sister. But just now that girl mentioned that she has nothing to do with the

    family now. I don''t know why," in a low, whispered voice, another person responded.

    "Well, maybe she has met someone wealthier than the Mu family," just inches away from them, a

    woman, whose eyes red with jealousy, looked at Ashley and said.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    "Don''t be so sure. Maybe you guessed wrong," another person frowned and denied what the woman

    had said just now.

    "I think I didn''t get her wrong. Just take a look at her dress. It looks in and simple. But do you know

    the brand of it?" that woman argued.

    "Then tell us what brand it is," the person dared her. A group of people looked at the woman when they

    heard that she mentioned the brand of Ashley''s dress. All were in awe hearing what she had just said.

    In fact, Ashley''s dress looked in and simple, but it was really beautiful. Thus every woman in the

    room was interested in it.

 Chapter 153 Envy And Jealousy

    Chapter 153 Envy And Jealousy

    Those people just loved spying on other people''s privacy. It was in their nature to start gossip at any

    ce, using any circumstance, about anyone. And it was especially true when it came to those rich

    men''s wives.

    A satisfied look appeared on the woman''s face as she realized that she became the center of attention.

    Actually, she just saw the brand by chance and identally knew Ashley''s dress was from that famous

    boutique.

    "The dress that she is wearing is from The Silver Moon."

    As the others heard this, their jaws dropped. Suddenly, they all turned to Ashley in surprise.

    The woman didn''t need to exin anything, she knew that everyone understood what she was

    implying.

    The Silver Moon was famous in J City, and almost everyone here knew it.

    It was just an ordinary dressing shop but it had powerful backing.

    Its boss was a daughter of the Feng family. Her designs were simple but very unique, and she had won

    many famous international dressing design awards.

    Because of that, her works had been popr amongst the rich patron of the arts and had been sold like

    hot cakes in J City.

    All of sudden, the way they looked at Ashley totally changed. "The money bag she leans on must be

    very, very full. If not so, how could she be able to afford anything from The Silver Moon?"

    onedy said. No one in the group nned on avoiding being heard by Lena or Ashley and so they

    didn''t bother lowering their voice.

    As expected, Lena heard exactly what they were talking about.

    With that, she clenched her fists tightly and stared fiercely at Ashley and her dress. It looked ''humble''

    but it wasn''t ''humble'' at all.

    But after a while, her look of anger suddenly changed into a malicious smile, as if she was nning

    something.

    Ashley, on the other hand, jumped when she heard what thedies were talking about.

    ''I didn''t know that the shop where this dress came from has powerful backing! I just thought that the

    owner was a friend of Andrew so he brought me there to try dresses!''

    While thinking of this, she could clearly remember the way Andrew had talked to the owner, whose

    name was Jade. It really seemed like they were very close.

    A defiant smile crept on Teresa''s lips when she heard what thedies had said. She turned to face

    Lena and said, her tone strong, "See! You''ve heard it yourself! Save it, Lena. She has a sugar daddy to

    lean on and will not thank you for what you have done for her. As ungrateful as she is, your father and

    mother shouldn''t have adopted her." Teresa rolled her eyes.

    After hearing what Teresa said, Johnny, who was standing behind Ashley, took a step forward. His duty

    was to protect Ashley so he couldn''t let her be bullied like this. However, before he could do or say

    anything, Ashley stopped him in his tracks.

    Johnny looked at her confusedly and said, "Miss Mu..."

    ''Who do they think they are! Mr. Lu loves Miss Mu the most. How dare you bully her like this?'' Johnny

    thought to himself.

    "I''m fine," Ashley said as she furrowed her eyebrows, lost in thought.

    ''First, I don''t know much about Andrew and whether he truly has powerful backing or not. Andrew may

    need to do business with them, so I have to be considerate, regardless of my personal gains and

    losses.''

    "Hey! Are you going to beat a woman?" Teresa yelled at Johnny after she noticed Johnny stepping

    forward, trying to protect Ashley.

    Even though Ashley had stopped Johnny from doing anything as retaliation, she still didn''t want to let

    the whole thing go easily. In her opinion, if anything else happened in there, Lena would help her out.

    Later, Teresa would understand that what was on her mind at that time was totally wrong.

    Johnny stared at Teresa icily, thinking inwardly, ''You are so dead.

    Miss Mu is Mr. Lu''s most special one. If he learns that someone is bullying his love - God forbid - it''s

    hard for me to even imagine how aggressively he would react.''

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    "Teresa, you can''t treat her this way. She''s my sister after all. If she is truly that terrible, my mother and

    father would be really sad," Lena said, pretending to be considerate. Slowly, she turned to look at

    Ashley with a hesitated look as if she was struggling for words to say. But with a deep breath, she

    finally was able to blurt out, "Ash, go to talk to mother and father, okay? I know that you''re going

    through something but listen - my parents will understand you. Trust me!" Lena was gazing at Ashley

    as if she truly cared about her.

    Ashley stared at Lena but didn''t say anything. Lena''s whole agenda today was to frame her as a bad

    girl covertly, as if to further convince everyone how good she was. On the other hand, Ashley really

    disliked her but she didn''t show it in public.

    She said to herself, ''I know Peggy doesn''t want the others to know that I''m her adopted daughter. But

    at the same time, she wants everyone to know that her daughter is better than me so she often

    With what Lena said just now, everyone here knows that I''m an adopted daughter of their family.

    Lena''s ying tricks, eh? As if I wouldn''t notice. Laughable, truly. Then what? Everyone in here would

    believe that she cares about me?''

    Thinking of this, Ashley couldn''t help but sneer. ''Who will understand me? Who will think that I have

    struggles of my own? No one! In their eyes, I''m a bad girl. A girl who will call anyone daddy if he could

    give me money.

    And that''s only because I''m wearing a dress that most of them can''t afford. I guess everyone here

    thinks that I''m a mistress of an old, dying, rich man. How ridiculous - judging people only from their

    appearance!'' Ashley concluded inwardly atst.

    "What are you doing here, Lena?" A familiar gentle voice came from behind Lena.

    Lena immediately perked up, and suddenly a sweet smile appeared on her lips. Then she turned to

    face Raymond, and said, "Just guess who I''m talking to, Raymond?"

    Teresa was standing in front of Ashley, and so her face was barely visible. Because of that, Raymond

    only saw that someone was there, but he didn''t know who it was.

    Raymond then asked with curiosity, "Who are you talking to?"

    Lena''s smile widened and she said in a sweeter voice, "Just guess, Raymond, pleeease!"

    Raymond pondered for a while and then proceeded to say several names. None of them was correct,

    obviously.

    Then Lena said, "Well... I''m with Ashley! Look, she is there."

    "Ashley?" The moment he heard her name, he felt like his soul left his body. Raymond raised his head

    and stared at Ashley affectionately. At that moment, he totally forgot that his fiancee was standing by

    his side.

    The onlookers started whispering to one another as they noticed that Raymond was looking at

    someone else with so much intensity despite that someone not being his fiancee.

    "Look, I think their rtionship isn''t that simple. You could see that, right?" One of them whispered with

    her eyebrows furrowed after she saw how Raymond lovingly gazed at Ashley.

    "Is there anything wrong?"

    "Look! Raymond''s looking so tenderly at that girl! It''s as if he''s looking at someone that he loves the

    most. Did you notice that?"

    "What? How could that be?" The other one loudly said, a dumbfounded look on her small face.

    "Well, girl, look again! Look again, but carefully."

    "Oh my god, you''re right! It is indeed like what you said! Hmm... Do you know what happened between

    them?"

    "Only God knows, sis!"

    Then, they put their heads together to try and figure out the rtionship between Raymond and Ashley.

    Lena heard everything and because of that, the sweet smile on her face faded suddenly. A second

    later, however, the smile was back, though this time, she looked crazed instead of happy. With a swift

    motion, Lena reached out to Raymond and grabbed him by his torso, effectively hugging him. With a

    loud, sweet tone, she eximed, "See, Raymond! It''s Ashley, my dear sister!"

 Chapter 154 The Disgusting Acting

    Chapter 154 The Disgusting Acting

    Lena gained strength on her hands. She whispered, "Raymond, don''t forget where you are! You don''t

    want everyone to know about what happened between you and Ashley in the past, do you?"

    Raymond didn''t reply. He just looked away from Ashley suddenly.

    However, that didn''t stop him ncing at Ashley again.

    Raymond couldn''t believe that was Ashley. When he saw her for the first time at the party, he could

    barely recognize her. Ashley looked elegant and sophisticated today, and Raymond had never seen

    her dressed this way before.

    "Lena and Raymond, why are you here? I was looking all over for you!" said Raymond''s mother.

    "Why are you all here?" she asked again.

    "Nothing, mother. What''s the matter? Let''s go. You can tell me about it on the way," said Raymond.

    Subconsciously, Raymond didn''t want his mother to see Ashley.

    Raymond cast a contemptuous nce at Lena and hinted for her toe with him.

    However, Lena ignored his stare. She dug her nails into her hand and smiled as though nothing had

    happened. Then she held Mrs. Luo''s hand gently and interrupted, "Auntie, my sister came, and we

    were just chatting with her."

    Mrs. Luo seemed to adore Lena, and she was delighted for Lena to be her daughter-inw. She smiled

    warmly at her.

    Raymond''s mother had always wanted a daughter. The birth of Raymond had taken every bit of her

    strength away, and she couldn''t have any more children after that. Lena was the ideal image of what

    sort of daughter she would have liked. That was why she cherished Lena so much and treated her as if

    she were her own.

    "Oh? I didn''t know that you had a sister. Why haven''t you ever mentioned her before?" questioned Mrs.

    Luo.

    Lena replied apologetically, "My parents adopted her when she was young. She''s not my real sister, but

    she is part of the family. She''s very busy with her work, and she doesn''t really enjoy going to parties. I

    don''t like to bother her, and many people aren''t aware that I have a sister."

    Mrs. Luo patted Lena''s hand and said, "You''re such a kind girl!"

    Lena gave her a shy smile.

    Then she walked up to Ashley and tried to pull her to Mrs. Luo. She said to Ashley in a loud voice, "Sis,

    this is Raymond''s mother. You can call her Auntie. She looks a bit serious, but she is a lovelydy!"

    Raymond''s mother couldn''t help but smile when she heard how Lena introduced her. She started to get

    curious about her sister.

    ''Although she was adopted, she grew up in the Mu family. The Mu family has brought up a lovely

    daughter like Lena. Her sister shouldn''t be bad, '' thought Mrs. Luo.

    However, she never expected that the girl she was getting introduced to was thest person that she

    ever wanted to see for the rest of her life.

    When Mrs. Luo raised her head and saw who it was, she was dumbstruck.

    Lena had made it hard for Ashley to refuse. She virtually dragged her to Mrs. Luo''s face. As Ashley had

    expected, Mrs. Luo looked at her with a stiff face.

    Even though Ashley didn''t express too much on her face, deep inside, she just wanted to tear Lena

    apart. ''What the hell''s going on? What do you want, Lena? Why are you pushing your fiance''s ex-

    girlfriend in front of your future mother-inw''s face? That''s just weird. What do you want, Lena?'' All

    the questions ran through Ashley''s mind.

    "Auntie, this is my sister, Ashley!" Lena pretended like nothing was wrong and introduced Ashley to her.

    "Ashley, this is Raymond''s mother!" introduced Lena.

    Ashley nced at Lena and then at Mrs. Luo.

    Even though the situation was extremely awkward, she was polite enough to not make it any worse for

    Mrs. Luo or herself.

    "Good evening, Mrs. Luo. I''m Ashley. It''s nice to meet you."

    Mrs. Luo was ady who had to weather the storm many times during her life, so she quickly recovered

    from the shock of seeing Ashley. It happened so quickly that Lena didn''t notice anything out of ce.

    Having realized that Ashley had pretended they didn''t know each other, Mrs. Luo decided to go with it.

    She replied, "Hello, Ashley!"

    "Auntie, isn''t she pretty? She''s not just a pretty girl. She is very smart too! Her grades used to be

    excellent in school. Every year, she would earn a schrship," said Lena. She was trying her best to

    compliment Ashley, but Ashley didn''t respond with a single word to Lena. She wasn''t thrilled with the

    compliments that Lena was feigning to give her. Instead, she just felt very disgusted.

    Lena knew how much Mrs. Luo disliked Ashley. She acted so innocently and pretended like she knew

    nothing. Lena was behaving like a little sister who was so proud of her amazing older sister.

    The more sheplimented Ashley, the more Mrs. Luo disliked Ashley. Lena had performed so well,

    pretending that she knew nothing about the rtionship that Raymond had with Ashley.

    "Miss Mu, you sound like a great girl! You''re not only pretty but brilliant as well," said Mrs. Luo. She

    didn''t show too much emotion.

    Ashley gave her a fake smile and said, "Mrs. Luo, I am ttered."

    Lena could feel the awkwardness between them. She said to Mrs. Luo as she swung her hand like a

    child, "Auntie, I know my sister is amazing but don''t just admire her and ignore me!" Lena said it

    yfully.

    Mrs. Luo smiled. She gazed at Lena and said with a smile, "How could I do such a thing? In my eyes,

    Lena is the best, and no one canpare. You''re not only beautiful. You can also handle every

    situation.

    I hope that you and Raymond get married as soon as possible. I would love to have a grandchild!"

    Lena''s giggled and couldn''t stop herself from blushing. Her eyes were filled with shyness. She then

    begged her to stop teasing her.

    Raymond couldn''t help but feel ufortable by their conversation. He looked at Ashley and

    wondered if she thought the same. However, when he nced at Ashley, he was disappointed to find

    that her expression was calm. He couldn''t tell if she was hurt by what they said or not.

    Although he felt somewhat relieved, another thought entered his head.

    It was very obvious to Ashley what Lena was trying to do. She wanted to make Ashley embarrassed.

    She yed her role well and dragged Mrs. Luo in to help. The two of them just wanted Ashley to stay

    away from Raymond.

    However, their efforts were a waste of their time

    because Ashley didn''t have feelings towards Raymond anymore. They used Raymond to attack Ashley.

    They gave him way too much credit.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    The two women put on a pretentious show of a good rtionship between mother-inw and daughter-

    inw. Ashley felt sick to the stomach and quite disgusted by their fulsome acting.

    Ashley had always been direct with whom she liked or disliked. She didn''t have the stomach to watch

    this nonsense any longer.

    "Since you''re all very busy, I''ll leave you to it. If you''ll excuse me," said Ashley as she prepared to

    leave.

    "Ashley..." said Raymond. His eyes were fixed on her the whole time. Raymond just couldn''t take his

    eyes off her. Knowing she was about to leave, he quickly grabbed her arm without thinking.

 Chapter 155 Cause Troubles

    Chapter 155 Cause Troubles

    Feeling anxious, Johnny looked at Ashley with worry.

    ''This is getting bad, Miss Mu has bumped into her ex-boyfriend. Would he get his rtionship with her

    back?'' Johnny thought in his head. He felt more worried as he continued to think about that. ''Oh my

    god! What about Mr. Lu?

    Miss. Mu is his first girlfriend. It can''t just be over right now!'' Johnny worried, but his thoughts weren''t

    over yet.

    ''Oh, wait!

    What an idiot I am. They have been married already, '' thought Johnny with an excited look evident on

    his face. However, he started to worry that Ashley might have an affair.

    Overhearing all those thoughts in his head, Johnny felt like a mother hovering over her son and

    worrying about his marriage.

    With all the fuss, Johnny sighed deeply and had set himself to ept his fate of worrying about

    Andrew''s personal life.

    Although Andrew paid him very well, there were too many things to worry. Needless to say, aside from

    his work as his assistant in thepany, Johnny had been so faithful to him that he even trusted him

    with matters of his personal affairs, and that included Ashley.

    This time, when Raymond stopped Ashley from leaving the venue, Lena looked down with an

    aggrieved and innocent look.

    Mrs. Luo saw everything in her eyes, and the way Raymond looked at her. She hated Ashley even

    more, seeing that there was still something between the two of them regardless of the circumstances.

    On her mind, she thought that Ashley was an ungrateful evil woman. The Mu family took her as their

    own, and Lena treated her as her sister. But now, she was shamelessly seducing her younger sister''s

    fiance!

    Clearly, Mrs. Luo totally forgot Raymond was with Ashley first. All she wanted was for her to keep a

    safe distance away from her son knowing that he was with Lena now. She must show some decency

    some time. Even though Lena was the one who stepped into their rtionship and took Raymond away

    from Ashley, still it didn''t look good for Raymond to be seen closer to Ashley than to Lena knowing that

    they were now engaged to be married.

    "Raymond, why are you holding Miss Mu''s arm? That is not how a gentleman asks a girl to stay for a

    bit longer," with a peevish look and an inquisitive expression on her face, Mrs. Luo said coldly.

    Hearing that, Raymond realized his reckless behavior and loosened his hand. Ashley nced him,

    pulled her arm out, turned and readied to walk away.

    She just wanted to leave this ce as soon as possible.

    However, some people just didn''t let her out of the situation easily. A familiar, angry voice piped in and

    stopped her again.

    "Ashley, stop!"

    Hearing the familiar sarcastic tone, Ashley recognized the voice and gulped. It was Peggy without a

    doubt. All her life she knew that Peggy didn''t like her to be her own child though they adopted her as a

    kid.

    Preparing herself to face the woman she dreaded, Ashley sighed deeply. ''What''s wrong with today?

    Why would all the things have conspired against me together?'' Ashley thought silently while cursing

    deep inside.

    If she had known that this was how things would be, she would not have agreed to Andrew toe to

    the party in the first ce.

    The voice of Peggy stopping her just made Ashley pause for a short moment. Ashley already had

    nothing to do with the Mu family as she had cut all ties with them. She didn''t n to give Peggy a

    chance to walk all over her again. Thus without looking back or heading to Peggy''s call, Ashley ignored

    her and kept walking.

    Out of Ashley''s expectation, however, Peggy walked towards her and stopped her by grabbing her arm.

    She said in rage, "Ashley! I asked you to stop! Didn''t you hear me? How dare you ignore me?" Without

    considering Ashley''s feelings like a mother would do, Peggy immediately scolded her despite the

    awkward stares from the other guests.

    Facing her this time, Ashley red at Peggy sharply as her red fingertips dug into her arms so tightly

    that they nearly started to bleed. "Let me go!" said Ashley without any expression shoving Peggy away

    from her.

    Shocked by the sudden rejection, Peggy couldn''t believe what she just heard from Ashley. Her rage

    was going wild. "Ashley, how dare you! How dare you talk to me like that! I raised you as my own child!

    Is that how you show your appreciation to your mother?"

    "Mrs. Mu. Let me remind you of something. I did what you asked me to do and now, you have nothing

    to do with me!"

    Letting out all her fits of anger towards her, Ashley replied furiously.

    If Peggy did not care about her reputation at all, Ashley wouldn''t mind putting more gasoline on her fire.

    That would mean she would be the center of everyone''s gossips.

    Reminded by Ashley''s statement, Peggy was stunned. She stopped what she was doing and loosened

    her fingers on Ashley''s arm intending to let her go before she could create further havoc. But before

    she could even let go of her, Ashley pulled her arm out of Peggy''s grasp, which made her lose her

    bnce a little.

    Because of the sudden pull, Ashley''s skin was scratched a little making her rub on her arm. Peggy had

    grabbed her arm really hard just now. Bruises and scratches appeared on Ashley''s arm and a vexed

    expression was drawn on her innocent face.

    Meanwhile, Spencer Mu who was not far away from them walked closer and saw that Peggy was

    causing Ashley some troubles. Seeing that, however, he just wrinkled his brows and thought for a

    while.

    In the past, he never really cared when Peggy did something like that to Ashley at home. However,

    here was not their home and there were many prominent individuals around. Any wrong move would

    cause him a lot especially in business. ''She really shouldn''t cause any troubles right now!'' he thought

    silently. Considering the consequences it would make, Spencer clearly didn''t want to see them picking

    up a fight in public.

    Thus, Spencer signaled Lena with a look. Seeing her father''s signal, Lena immediately got what he

    wanted.

    Consequently, Lena walked up and held Peggy''s hand. Then, looking at Peggy, she said gently,

    "Mother, it''s noisy here. Ashley might just not have heard you. She has been a dutiful daughter since

    she was young, and I''m sure she won''t ignore you purposely this time."

    As a matter of fact, Lena definitely had a way with words. The moment she opened her mouth, one

    would be convinced that what she was telling was true.

    With Lena beside her, Peggy calmed down. Lena''s actions had given her the opportunity to save

    herself from embarrassment. Thus Peggy was left with no choice but to take this chance before things

    turned more serious and awkward. She nodded and replied, "You are right. I might have overreacted."

    "Ashley, mother just hasn''t seen you for so long. She is a little excited. You won''t be mad with mother,

    will you?" Looking at Ashley this time, Lena said to Ashley and asked with pleading eyes.

    "Won''t be mad at her?" Totally vexed, Ashley repeated as she raised her eyebrows. "I don''t dare to be

    mad at Mrs. Mu. I just want her to remember what she has promised," remarked Ashley.

    "Ashley!" With a harsh voice, Ashley''s name slipped out of Peggy''s clenched teeth. Her face depicted

    her shame and disappointment over what she just heard from Ashley.

    "Mother, don''t!" Stopping her, Lena squeezed Peggy''s hand and shook her head slightly.

    With Lena restraining her on the side, Peggy cast a stern nce at Ashley and said nothing. Then, she

    turned her head and realized that Mrs. Luo was there. She imminently cracked a big smile and said,

    "Hello, Mrs. Luo. I didn''t know you are here too!"

    epting her greetings, Mrs. Luo smiled at her politely. To be honest, Mrs. Luo didn''t really like the

    rash personality Peggy had. In fact, she quite hated it. But, she was Lena''s mother. Mrs. Luo really

    liked Lena. She had no choice but to deal with Peggy casually.

    Knowing her reputation, she treated Peggy like everyone else, polite but distant.

    Having her sophisticated air, she was polite enough to be nice to Peggy, but she kept just the right

    amount of distance to not get too close to her.

    "Yo! Beautifuldies! What''s up?" An absurd voice came in between, making them turn their heads to

    the person who was speaking.

    Mr. Chen teased them as he crept in without anyone noticing him.

    Judging from the way he looked, he was in his forties or fifties. The ck suit and tie he wore with his

    rather bald head made him look rather dull and queer.

    However, nothing could stop him from fixing his eyes on Lena. Obviously, he had a thing towards Lena.

    However, there was a woman in her thirties that stood right next to Mr. Chen. She had a very attractive

    figure and a pretty face, needless to say.

    The corner of her eyes was lifted slightly up, which seemed to be able to charm any man. The sexy red

    sheath dress which showed off her curvaceous figure made her look like she was a twenty years old

    girl.

    She looked around and locked her eyes on Spencer who was just inches away from where they were

    standing.

    Being interrupted by Mr. Chen''s appearance, Ashley was about to leave. However, when she noticed

    what thedy in the red dress was doing, she was shocked and she stopped walking all of a sudden.

    Ufortably, she felt like being hit by a wedge in her heart. Although it was none of Ashley''s

    business, she just felt disgusted by seeing it.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Thedy in red dress must be blind to pick up Spencer as the target.

    With her figure and looks, she would easily get a better sugar daddy than Spencer.

    With these thoughts in mind, Ashley really doubted about her taste and questioned her decision.

    ''Stop! Ashley! Stay out of Spencer''s way. Ah! What am I thinking?'' Ashley was trying to scream those

    thoughts out of her head.

    Bracing herself up, Ashley stopped herself from thinking those useless things. They could do whatever

    they wanted. It was really not her business.

    She reminded herself that she was not that kind of person who liked to gossip. She wouldn''t stoop

    down at the level of those cheap women who liked to mess with other people''s lives.

 Chapter 156 The Incident

    Chapter 156 The Incident

    "Mr. Luo and Mr. Mu. What a pleasure to see you!" Mr. Chen greeted Spencer and Clyde while he held

    a pretty girl around the waist.

    Spencer and Clyde nodded their heads lightly and greeted back, "Nice to see you here, Mr. Chen."

    The three of them were all sessful businessmen and partners as well. They had built arge

    number of contracts together.

    Although both Mr. Mu and Mr. Luo were not fans of people like Mr. Chen, they wouldn''t ruin their

    business partnership with him because of it. Their corporations had the same amount of power in the

    city. It wasn''t wise to give anyone a hard time and rock the rtionship.

    "Is she the daughter from the Mu family who got engaged to Raymond? She does look gorgeous. No

    wonder Raymond would fall for her," said Mr. Chen. He looked at Lena from head to toe without

    restraining his lechery. It was as if he was undressing her with his eyes.

    Lena''s face froze and became ashen when she saw Mr. Chen. Seeing him reminded her of what had

    happened that night, and she couldn''t help but feel disgusted.

    Hispliment sounded provocative. Everyone there was intelligent enough to figure it out, and they

    frowned at his boldness.

    Raymond came and stood beside Lena holding her hand. He looked at Mr. Chen and said in a gentle

    but firm tone, "Lena must be ttered. I''m sure she appreciates yourpliment very much."

    Raymond didn''t love Lena, but she was his fiancee and future wife. He couldn''t just sit idly by and

    watch her being taken advantage of by anyone.

    Lena nodded her agreement with Raymond and mumbled her appreciation to Mr. Chen in a low voice.

    She couldn''t bring herself to make eye contact with Mr. Chen, so she looked anywhere but at him.

    Everyone assumed that Lena must be scared of Mr. Chen. They felt pity for her and didn''t think any

    more of it.

    Mr. Chen nced at Raymond''s hand, which he put on Lena''s shoulder, then he cracked a sleazy

    smile. "Oh, really? You''re a lucky guy to have such a beautiful fiancee."

    Raymond smiled back and responded, "Mr. Chen, you''re not bad, either."

    "Raymond!" scolded Mrs. Luo with an unhappy look on her face, "How can you talk to Mr. Chen like

    that?"

    "Ha, it''s okay! I don''t mind. Raymond has a way with words, and I don''t mind an oddpliment now

    and then." Mr. Chenughed cheerfully.

    Lena didn''t expect that Raymond would stand up for her. She murmured his name and buried her head

    into his chest.

    Mrs. Luo stepped forward and stood in front of Lena and Raymond. She looked at Mr. Chen and said,

    "Today is Clyde''s birthday. Mr. Chen, if there is anything we don''t do well, I apologize. Please forgive us

    for not being a good host."

    "Mrs. Luo, there''s no need to apologize. I am enjoying the party," said Mr. Chen.

    Mrs. Luo built up the Luo Group with Mr. Luo. She was a strong woman. At this moment, Mrs. Luo

    stepped up for Lena.

    Mr. Chen realized his ce and restrained his eyes. However, his eyes would still wonder over to Lena

    from time to time.

    Ashley stood aside and regarded Mr. Chen with her eyes narrowed. If she remembered correctly, he

    was the one Lena brought with her to have dinner with on thest day that Ashley worked for the LuoConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Group.

    However, this guy was acting very strangely towards Lena.

    If Andrew hadn''t appeared that day, Ashley would have fallen into Lena''s trap. She might have ended

    up being taken advantage of by Mr. Chen.

    Ashley''s eyes turned cold and sharp. She stared at Lena and sneered in herself, ''Lena, now is your

    time to pay for the consequence of your own mischief.''

    Ashley discreetly left the crowd when everyone was distracted with their eyes on Lena.

    It proved to be quite an effort for Johnny to follow Ashley around. For some unknown reason, Ashley

    was in a fret and just wanted to be alone.

    Ashley held her temper and said to Johnny, "Could you just give me a bit of space, please?"

    Johnny was in a dilemma with what to do. "But, Mr. Lu told me..."

    Ashley''s patience had finally run out. She interrupted, "Oh, please! Do I look like I care what he told you

    to do? For goodness sake, he''s not here! So I''m telling you that I want you to leave me alone! Right

    now! Do you understand?" Ashley didn''t know why she was so mean to Johnny. Her anger zed in

    her heart, and a smoldering frustration took hold of her. She couldn''t help her outburst.

    Johnny felt very aggrieved. He lowered his head and replied, "But... Mr. Lu told me to keep you safe..."

    Ashley looked at him and was rendered speechless. ''Idiot!

    If you want to follow me around like a puppy, then go ahead, '' thought Ashley. She knew Johnny was

    stubborn enough to only listen to Andrew.

    There was nothing Ashley could do to stop Johnny following her. She crossed her arms and turned in a

    huff, so she didn''t have to look at him. However, when she turned around, a waitress came out of

    nowhere and identally bumped into her, spilling wine all over Ashley''s dress.

    "Oh my gosh! I''m so sorry, Miss! I didn''t mean to do that! I just..." the waitress apologized. She put

    everything down and took out a pack of tissues, trying to dab the wine from the dress, and nced

    nervously at Ashley.

    She was just a waitress and wouldn''t dare offend anyone at the party on purpose.

    There was a great chance that she would be fired after such an incident. The young waitress couldn''t

    help but burst into tears.

    "What''s wrong with you? Didn''t you see her in front of you?" Johnny scolded the waitress in a loud

    voice. Johnny was rmed to see that Ashley had been bumped into and was afraid she might get

    hurt.

    He quickly stepped forward and asked, "Miss Mu, are you all right? Are you hurt?"

    Ashley didn''t know how to respond to Johnny. Johnny was a bundle of nerves and fretting. Anyone

    would have thought that he was the one who had been bumped by the waitress and not Ashley.

    Ashley sighed, "I''m all right. She didn''t mean to do it. Don''t give her a hard time."

    Ashley felt pity for the young girl in front of her.

    Johnny was about to give the waitress a piece of his mind for her clumsiness. However, since Ashley

    spoke for her, Johnny could only keep his mouth shut.

    The young waitress was filled with sadness and embarrassment, and the tears streamed down her

    face.

    Ashley sighed helplessly. She hadn''t med the waitress for anything, yet the waitress was already in

    tears.

    Ashley rolled her eyes at Johnny and med him for making the waitress cry.

    Her tears hade so suddenly. It was totally out of Johnny''s expectation too. He didn''t think what he

    said would have affected her so much. ''Is it really necessary to cry that much?'' thought Ashley.

    "Hey, stop crying. I''m okay. You''ll be fine too! It''s okay. Go and take care of your own business! Don''t

    waste your time here. Go on," Ashley said to the teary waitress in a low and warm tone.

    "Really? Thank you so much! Please don''t report this to my manager. I worked so hard to get this job. I

    really want to stay here!" The young waitress looked at Ashley with pleading teary eyes and begged.

    "You''ll be fine. I won''t tell your manager. Only you and I know about this. You''ll be okay. I promise!"

    comforted Ashley.

    If her manager or Lena knew about this, they would only cheer about it. They would be more than

    happy to see how humiliated Ashley was.

    Today was an unlucky day for Ashley. The waitress was the one who bumped into her and yet, Ashley

    was the one tofort the person who was responsible for it.

 Chapter 157 Spencers Secret

    Chapter 157 Spencer''s Secret

    Ashley already had enough of the party, but she couldn''t just leave. She took a deep breath and asked

    Johnny, "Is there another dress in the car?" Ashley knew it was unlikely that there would be a spare

    dress in the car, but she just wanted to try her luck. She knew people usually brought an extra dress.

    She didn''t bring one, but that didn''t mean Andrew wouldn''t either.

    Johnny quickly responded, "Yes, Madam."

    He was really impressed with his boss right now. It seemed that he had nned for every scenario,

    including this one.

    Andrew had asked him to put a couple more dresses in the trunk before they left The Silver Moon.

    That exined why there were spare dresses in the car.

    Ashley looked at Johnny and said, "Can you please bring one for me? Meanwhile I will go to the

    restroom to clean up."

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Johnny hesitated. Ashley could tell from his expression that he wanted to say something. "Are you

    going to ask me to walk to the car with you looking like this?" She asked gesturing at her stained dress.

    He was about to nod, but Ashley continued, "Because that''s not going to happen. I will be fine here. It''s

    just for a little while. No one is going to hurt me. Just hurry up, get the dress!"

    Johnny didn''t know how to respond so he hurried to go get the dress for her. Andrew was afraid that

    people might take advantage of her. That was why he had instructed Johnny to be around her no

    matter what happened.

    But in this situation Johnny couldn''t refuse Ashley''s request. He quickly walked to the car.

    Ashley looked around and found the restroom. She picked up her long dress a bit so she could walk

    faster, and she made her way to the restroom.

    She looked at the wine stain on her dress and smiled wryly. She had really liked this dress.

    She rinsed off the stain with water and it faded a little, but it was still very obvious.

    Ashley felt really helpless. Andrew would definitely be mad at her for ruining the dress.

    Ashley quickly came out of the restroom as she was worried that Johnny might be looking for her.

    ...

    When she walked out, a familiar voice from the bushes nearby stopped her. Ashley recognized the

    voice. It belonged to Spencer.

    "Why are you here?" Spencer asked someone in the bushes. He was talking in hushed tones as if he

    was afraid that people might find out who he was. For a minute Ashley thought she was mistaken. But

    in truth, there was no fooling her, especially when it came to Spencer. She had lived with him for so

    many years. Ashley was sure it was him.

    "Yo! What do you mean? Is this your house? Oh, no, it isn''t. So why shouldn''t I be here?"

    A woman''s voice responded, which was a seductive one!

    She continued, "Are you afraid that your ugly wife might find out about me?"

    "What nonsense are you talking?" Spencer replied, clearly annoyed at her.

    "I just saw you there with Mr. Chen. So, tell me! Are you hooking up with other men behind my back?"

    He was taunting the mysterydy.

    Ashley suddenly realized who she was when she heard about Mr. Chen. She had noticed the beautiful

    woman who hade with Mr. Chen earlier. Only, in this case, it seemed that her real sugar daddy

    was Spencer.

    The woman tittered and whispered something but Ashley couldn''t hear it clearly.

    She didn''t really care about their conversation. After all, it was just one of the many scandals that took

    ce in rich families such as this one.

    Word got around and it wasn''t hard for people to find out about the various affairs of rich people like

    Spencer.

    Peggy might be the only one naive enough to believe that Spencer only loved her.

    Ashley was ready to leave, but what the woman said next stopped her in her tracks. She stood there

    quietly and listened.

    She heard the woman talked about Ron. Ashley was close to him but she hadn''t heard from him in so

    long. So her interest was piqued.

    "Is Ron going toe back soon?" The woman pretended to ask casually. Ashley peered through the

    gap between the bushes, and she saw that Spencer''s hands were all over the woman.

    "What do you care?" Spencer stopped what he was doing.

    The woman gave him a shy smile and replied, "Why are you overacting? I am not going to hurt him."

    She put her arm around Spencer''s neck and asked, "Will you let him manage the business for you?"

    Spencer frowned. He replied coldly, "That is none of your business."

    "Not my business? Then, please tell me what my business is? What about me and baby Jim? Are you

    going to leave us all alone and pretend that we don''t exist in your life?"

    The woman raised her voice.

    Spencer was startled. He quickly covered her mouth and looked around, hoping no one had heard

    what she said. "Can you be quieter? Do you really want everyone to know we are here?" Spencer

    asked through gritted teeth.

    Ashley was so shocked that she almost gasped aloud.

    But she put her hand on her mouth to stop herself. Fortunately, Spencer and his lover didn''t hear her.

    Ashley''s eyes widened in shock. There was one thing on her mind. Spencer had a secret child with this

    lady. And the child''s name was Jim.

    It sounded like a boy''s name. Since the woman called him "baby Jim", Ashley guessed it was a young

    boy.

    She couldn''t help but wonder what Ron would do if he found out. He would be furious, she guessed.

    She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She looked around and made sure no one else was

    around. She leaned a little closer to the bushes and tried to get more information. However, she didn''t

    hear any conversation anymore. She just heard a weird sound.

    Ashley was confused. Soon she heard gasps and moans, and her cheeks turned pink! She now

    realized what they were doing.

    She nced at them and sneaked out.

    Once Ashley was away from them, she finally felt relieved. Honestly, she was still in shock.

    She had never thought that Spencer was the cheating kind. What was most unbelievable was that he

    even had a child with that woman!

    Ashley couldn''t help but sigh as she thought how ironic it was that she discovered Spencer''s big secret.

    Poor Peggy used to brag about how wonderful Spencer was and how he was a loving father and a

    loyal husband. She didn''t have a clue that all this while he was unfaithful to her. Thankfully, there was

    no way for her to know that they called her "ugly" behind her back.

    When Ashley walked into the room, she noticed there was amotion going on.

    Lena was surrounded by several rich women, all looking very anxious.

    "Lena, how did that happen? Maybe you just forgot where you put it?" one girl asked.

    Lena looked very worried. She had tears in her eyes. "No, It''s impossible. I had it on my finger the

    whole time. I only put it down few minutes ago on this table... Only for a minute! I clearly remember that

    this is the exact spot where I put it!" She cried.

    Teresa tried tofort her, "Lena, just calm down. Don''t worry, we will help you find it. It''s definitely at

    somewhere in this room."

 Chapter 158 The Frame

    Chapter 158 The Frame

    "I can''t calm down. It''s my engagement ring. I can''t believe I lost it..." It looked like Lena was about to

    burst into tears.

    She seemed to hardly be able to keep the tears from flowing down the corners of her eyes.

    "Don''t worry. It might have just dropped on the ground," said someone.

    "No, no, no! I looked everywhere. It''s not on the table or the floor," said Lena.

    "Wait, is it possible that someone might have picked it up? Perhaps someone has taken it?" one of the

    girls suggested.

    Immediately, a few of them started to agree with her. One echoed, "That''s very possible! One of the

    service staff might have picked it up and given it to the manager. We can check with the manager to

    see if someone handed a ring in."

    A girl sneered, "Who would be silly enough to hand an expensive ring from the ground to someone

    else?"

    The girls around looked at each other and agreed with her. It was an expensive ring. It was probably

    worth millions of dors. No one would be able to resist the temptation of keeping it. It was highly

    unlikely that anyone would return it to its owner or hand it to the manager.

    Caroline red at Lena who was very distressed and sneered, "I think you might have lost it yourself.

    Why don''t you check the surveince videos rather than make such a big deal right now."

    Lena was worrying about her ring. She didn''t have the spirit of starting a fight with Caroline, so she

    ignored her.

    However, Teresa couldn''t stand her taunting. She wasn''t pleased with Caroline''s attitude toward Lena.

    "Caroline, can you just shut up for a minute? For goodness sake, can''t you see that Lena is worrying

    herself half to death over losing her engagement ring? We don''t expect you to have the heart to help.

    But, can you at least just shut up and leave us alone?" said Teresa.

    "This is a free country. I can do whatever I want. What I do is none of your business. Oh, and for your

    information, I was trying to help! Staring aimlessly at the ground and crying isn''t going to make your

    ring magically appear. So quit weeping. For crying out loud, go and check the surveince videos!"

    argued Caroline.

    "Checking the surveince videos will make it into a big deal. Lena is trying to solve the problem

    efficiently! Why do you care or worry? It''s not your ring. You can at least respect others and keep your

    suggestions to yourself?" bickered Teresa.

    "Teresa, just who do you think you are? How dare you talk back to me! Let me remind you! You are

    nothing but Lena''s little bitch," barked Caroline. She red at Teresa with extreme hatred in her eyes.

    Caroline couldn''t stand Lena''s pitiful expression. She knew it was Lena''s way of drawing sympathy and

    attention to herself in particr from men. In Caroline''s eyes, Lena would barely live through the day

    without having a man''s attention.

    Lena and Caroline had twopletely different personalities. Caroline was stronger in character and

    way more independent than Lena. It wasn''t hard to understand why they didn''t get along with each

    other.

    Teresa didn''t expect that Caroline would be so blunt. She sat rigidly and was rendered speechless.

    It was true that she came from a middle-ss family and followed Lena everywhere. However, what

    Caroline said was just awful and had hurt her deeply.

    "Her little bitch? What the hell are you talking about? Lena and I are best friends! You think everyone

    treats their friends as you do. Don''t you? Look at the girls behind you! They''re your little bitches, aren''t

    they?" Teresa pointed her finger at the girls behind Caroline and fought back.

    The girls that Teresa was rudely pointing her finger at didn''t appreciate herment. They red at

    her with daggers in their eyes.

    Lena cursed how stupid Teresa could be under her breath. She was d that she never told Teresa

    anything important, otherwise Teresa might have ruined everything for her.

    "All right, everyone! Just calm down! The most important thing right now is to help Lena to look for her

    ring!" a girl spoke up and made a point. The tense atmosphere had gradually eased off.

    "Lena, who did youst see before your ring went missing?" one of the girls asked.

    Lena pretended to contemte. After thinking for a moment, she pursed her lips and said, "I think the

    last person I saw was my sister. We were chatting over there. However, I just looked away for a

    moment, and then she was gone. I looked around for her, and I realized my sister had already left. My

    ring went missing then as well," Lena recalled.

    Suddenly, something had urred to Lena, which seemed to frighten her. She covered her mouth

    dramatically with both of her hands, and her eyes were as wide as saucers. "You can''t suspect my

    sister!" gasped Lena.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    "I didn''t. I just thought she might know something about your ring because she left at the same time

    when the ring was lost," exined the girl.

    "No! It can''t be my sister who took my ring. She told me she didn''t like Raymond anymore..." Lena

    stopped mid-sentence while she was expressing her strong belief in Ashley. Then, suddenly she took a

    deep breath and said uncertainly, "I believe my sister, she wouldn''t do such a thing..."

    Lena had put on such a good act, and with the way she spoke, the other girls couldn''t help but feel

    sorry for her. They were now even more convinced that Ashley was the one who took the ring.

    "Lena, you should stop trying to cover for your sister. Do you believe that she would be as considerate

    as you are? And treat you as well as you have been treating her? She''s probably jealous of you. That''s

    why she stole it," scoffed Teresa.

    "But..." Lena wanted to speak for Ashley, but someone had interrupted her.

    "All right! There''s no point in our guessing. Let''s just find Lena''s sister and ask her! Lena, do you know

    where your sister is?" asked a girl.

    "Right, Lena! Give her a call and ask her directly!" another girl said.

    "Okay," Lena nodded and agreed. Lena took her phone out and dialed Ashley''s number.

    Ashley wasn''t that far away from them. She could see that they were all discussing something.

    Though she wasn''t close enough to hear what the conversation was about, her hunch told her that

    something terrible was heading her way. In which case, it would definitely be associated with Lena.

    Ashley didn''t know why she felt that way. She credited it to her strong sixth sense.

    Shortly after, Ashley''s cell phone rang, which dragged her thoughts back to reality. She looked at the

    screen and raised her brows.

    "Hello? Ashley, is that you?" When Ashley picked up the call, Lena''s unique feeble voice came through

    the phone.

    "Hum," responded Ashley.

    Lena didn''t rush to say anything. It seemed like she was preparing herself for a serious conversation.

    Ashley didn''t have much patience towards Lena. She didn''t want to waste her time with her, so she

    asked, "What do you want? If you have something to say, spit it out. If you don''t, I''m hanging up."

    "Lena, why don''t you ask her? If it''s too hard for you, I will do it for you then. Give me the phone..."

    Ashley heard another girl''s voice on the other end of the line. Then she heard a hissing noise. Finally,

    an unfamiliar female voice spoke on the phone.

    "Hello? Are you Lena''s sister? Can you please tell us where you are? Lena has something very

    important to discuss with you. Would you minding over?" The woman on the phone asked politely.

    "You can just tell me on the phone what it''s about," responded Ashley.

    "I understand that you might be busy, but this is very important for Lena. It''s hard to exin it on the

    phone. Can you pleasee over? We will wait for you at...." Ashley was not in the least bit interested

    in Lena''s little games. She interrupted the girl and didn''t wait for her to say where they were.

    "Sorry I can''t. I don''t have the time."

    There was no way that Ashley was going to go there. Lena had most certainly set up a trap for her to

    walk into!

 Chapter 159 The Most Ridiculous Joke

    Chapter 159 The Most Ridiculous Joke

    Ashley didn''t want to interact with the wealthydies, so she decided to leave the party after she got

    the clothes from Johnny.

    "What did she say? Will shee here?" asked the girls, who were standing next to Lena.

    The girl who had talked to Ashley on the phone shook her head and said, "She said she doesn''t have

    time and then got off the phone."

    "Lena, do you really have an elder sister? I don''t remember you told me that!" one girl questioned,

    staring directly at Lena.

    Lena felt a little embarrassed and responded with a smile, "She was adopted by my parents when she

    was a child. Since she has always kept a low profile, it is natural that you''ve never seen or heard of her

    before."

    "Oh wow! She was just adopted? But why do you still treat her so well?"

    "Well, you know - we have spent more than a decade together. I''ve already thought of her as my own

    sister, flesh and blood."

    "Then what should we do? Since she refused toe here, I''m sure that she''s the one who has Lena''s

    ring. I really think she stole it from you!" Teresa said, her eyes widening as she connected all the dots.

    "But what if she''s just really busy?" one girl said, her face doubtful of what Teresa just said.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    "Hey, look, look. Is that your sister?" Another girl suddenly asked Lena, pointing at Ashley.

    As they were all talking earlier, Lena had told them what Ashley looked like and what she was wearing

    that day. Also, since most of them had seen Lena and Ashley talk to each other a while ago, they could

    already recognize Ashley.

    Lena turned around and saw Ashley in her long dress, sitting in the corner. "Yes, that''s right. That is my

    sister," she said, her voice trailing off.

    "You know what?" one girl said, malice obvious in her voice. "Since she''s here, let''s go up to her and

    ask her if she took your ring." Everyone in the group agreed.

    "I agree with Teresa. If she hadn''t stolen Lena''s ring, she wouldn''t have lied to us! She outright told us

    that she was busy, but look at her! She''s just sitting there!" one girl expounded, her tone rising with

    every word she was saying.

    "You are so right," one girl said, nodding her head. "She must have felt guilty! How could she do

    something like that to Lena, when all Lena has been to her is kind!"

    It was obvious that Lena misled thedies on purpose to make them think that Ashley had stolen her

    ring.

    Ashley was looking at her phone when Lena and otherdies walked up to her.

    Confused, Ashley looked up at them with furrowed eyebrows. But in no time, she sensed that they

    came to her to make a scene.

    Ashley took her time to put away her cellphone. After a few moments, she calmly looked at them and

    asked, "How can I help you,dies?"

    It wasn''t long until Ashley was surrounded by so many people.

    With an embarrassed face, Lena seemed like she was preparing herself to say something

    unspeakable. It looked like she wanted to say something but didn''t know where to begin.

    Seeing Lena''s expression, Teresa caressed her back, as if tofort her. Then, she turned to Ashley,

    her eyes narrowed, and opened her mouth. "Lena, let me do it for you."

    Lena nodded her head, her face still looking like she had been struck by bad luck.

    Ashley raised her eyebrows, for she had no idea what they were about to do. At that moment, her right

    eye started twitching. ''I''m not liking any of these, '' she started thinking, annoyance slowly creeping into

    her.

    "You''re Lena''s elder sister, aren''t you?" Teresa started, her voice harsh and already usatory. She

    continued, "Did you see her engagement ring when you were with her just now? It has been missing

    since then," Teresa questioned, as she walked up to Ashley, her stare shockingly rude.

    Ashley furrowed her brows and asked, "What kind of ring?"

    Teresa let out a small chuckle and answered, "Ohe on. Don''t you even try and pretend you didn''t

    see her ring. Just now, we saw that you talked with Lena. The moment you left, her ring went missing!

    Since you''re so jealous of Lena, we all think you took her engagement ring!" Teresa replied, now

    ring at Ashley.

    "So? Did you alle here to ask me for Lena''s ring?" Ashley asked.

    None of the people around answered, but the look on their faces showed that they were sure that

    Ashley had stolen Lena''s ring.

    "No, no. Ashley, we didn''t say that you have taken the ring. We just want to ask you to help us search

    for it. And I''d like to check whether it''s on you," Lena exined, panic audible in her voice.

    Then she continued, "That ring''s very important to me. So, if you know where it is, could you please

    give it back to me?"

    Lena was such a smart girl. She didn''t say Ashley took her ring, but she misled the others into thinking

    that Ashley had stolen her ring.

    Teresa looked at Lena and said, "Lena, you can just stay here and let me help you. Don''t say anything

    more. You consider her as your elder sister. But I think that she doesn''t consider you as her younger

    sister."

    "I agree with you. Lena''s sister, you''d better give it back to Lena. That''s her engagement ring, so

    obviously, it''s very important to her," another girl added.

    "If you want a ring, you can buy one. After all, your parents are very wealthy. Why do you want to take

    Lena''s ring?" someone said.

    "Because she''s just an adopted daughter of the Mu family. Lena''s much more excellent than her.

    Obviously, she became so jealous of Lena and finally, she decided to steal her ring," another girl

    responded.

    "Oh, my god. I didn''t expect that she''s such a bad woman. But Lena still treats her like her own sister.

    She not only became jealous of Lena, but also stole her ring. Lena, if I were you, I would kick her out of

    the Mu family. Now seems like a really good time. Your parents might get disappointed when they find

    out that she''s an ungrateful girl, but it''s for the better!"

    one girl advised.

    The wealthy girls surrounding Ashley gave their opinions one by one, and no one had paid any

    attention to her.

    Very soon, almost everyone in the party was gathering around the girls. Obviously, they knew Lena, but

    they were not familiar with the woman who was wearing a long dress.

    All the people present were smart and they knew how to read people. They easily figured out who

    Ashley was just from the conversation that was going on around her.

    Ashley was an adopted daughter of the Mu family. Despite that, Lena was so kind to her that she truly

    considered Ashley as her own sister. Maybe just because of that, Ashley became jealous of Lena.

    When Lena got engaged to Raymond, it made Ashley feel that it was very unfair to her. Therefore, she

    decided to steal Lena''s ring.

    Or perhaps both Ashley and Lena fell in love with Raymond, but the girl Raymond had feelings for was

    Lena, not Ashley.

    After all, Lena was the heir of the Mu Group. She was also very beautiful and definitely excellent in

    whatever she did. Even if Ashley was legally a member of the Mu family, she was just adopted.

    Anybody who hadmon sense would choose Lena over Ashley, let alone Raymond, who was such

    a smart man.

    After a short while, almost everyone in the party believed that Ashley was jealous of Lena and stole her

    ring because she also loved Raymond.

    Upon hearing people''s discussion, Lena''s lips curved into a satisfied smile that she didn''t let the others

    see.

    Facing people''s doubts, Ashley slowly got up and looked at Lena with a nk expression on her face.

    "You said that I stole your ring, didn''t you?"

    Teresa moved in front of Lena and said, "Ashley, don''t even think about threatening Lena. She''s so kind

    that she doesn''t want everyone to know about it. But are you really not ashamed of it? She treats you

    so well, how could you have the heart to steal her ring and hurt her?"

 Chapter 160 The Trap

    Chapter 160 The Trap

    Ashley didn''t respond. Anything she would say at this point would just sound like she purposely did it to

    hurt Lena.

    Ashley narrowed her eyes as she looked at Lena. She was right¡ªLena had set up a trap for her.

    However, Ashley never touched her ring. There was no way for Lena to frame her for the missing ring.

    Ashley didn''t react like a thief who got caught in public. She remained calm and said in a stern tone, "I

    never saw your ring, nor did I take it.

    I don''t know why you think I took it. There were a lot of people around. When I left, you were still

    chatting with the others. How would I be able to take your ring off your finger without anyone noticing?

    If you think I am the one, show me some proof!

    Just because I was adopted by the Mu family, it doesn''t mean you can defame me. You are the host

    and the daughter of the Mu family. Do you think it''s okay to me me for the things I have never

    done?"

    Ashley looked Lena straight in the eye. She wasn''t afraid at all. Her eyes were so fearless and honest

    that people started to give her the benefit of the doubt.

    None of these people knew Ashley well. They were just misled by the information Lena nted in their

    heads.

    Now, Ashley had revealed the facts, and people started to look at the situation objectively. After they

    heard both sides of the story, it was easy to see that Lena''s version was filled with loopholes.

    Lena had told everyone that thest time she had her ring was when she was with her sister. After she

    turned around, her sister and her ring were gone.

    However, Ashley told apletely different story. In her version, there were a lot of people around

    when she left Lena.

    But none of those people was present right now to corroborate her story. People couldn''t tell who was

    telling the truth.

    Lena''s friends, who had promised to get her ring back, kept quiet. Lena stared at Ashley gloomily.

    ''Enjoy yourst moment! I will watch you fall very soon, '' thought Lena.

    "Ashley, I didn''t mean to offend you. I just want my ring back. Since you asked, I will give you the

    evidence you want," said Lena with hesitation. There was a bitter smile on her face. It seemed like she

    had just made the hardest decision of her life.

    "Come here, Judy. You can tell everyone what you saw. You are safe here!" Lena said to a girl standing

    at the back of the group.

    "Lena, what are you talking about? Who is Judy?" asked Teresa.

    Lena didn''t answer her questions.

    Everyone followed Lena''s voice and looked at the back of the crowd.

    A young girl in her 20s, wearing a waitress uniform, walked up. She looked average. Aware of

    everyone''s eyes on her, she shivered nervously.

    She lowered her head and moved slowly towards Lena.

    The waitress looked very familiar to Ashley, but she wasn''t sure where she had seen her. She stared at

    the waitress and tried to remember who she was.

    Ashley gave up trying to recall the girl and looked at Lena in confusion, waiting to see what she was up

    to.

    Lena smiled at the waitress and said to her gently. "Judy, don''t be afraid. You just need to tell everyone

    what you saw earlier. You will be fine, I promise."

    Lena could easily win people''s favor with her warm, soothing voice.

    It made her appear friendlier and more humble than other rich girls.

    The waitress nced at Ashley, then she looked at Lena who was holding her hands. She pressed his

    lips and whispered, "I identally saw thedy over there put Miss Mu''s ring in her purse and leave."

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    After she finished, Judy hid behind Lena and lowered her head again. She looked frightened.

    It was hard to read Ashley''s expression. Her purse was small and soft. She could easily press it and

    find out what was in it. Just a second ago, Ashley had secretly checked it and found the ring in it.

    Ashley took a close look at the waitress. She suddenly recognized her.

    The only thing she felt was irony. The final realization was so absurd.

    Judy was the same waitress who had bumped into her and ruined her dress earlier.

    Not long ago, she was crying and begging Ashley to forgive her for the sake of her job. Ashley had

    evenforted her and promised her that she would not report her to her manager. She never thought

    she would be framed by the same girl.

    Lena didn''t say anything for a moment, nning her next move. Before long, she shook her head and

    said, "Ashley would never..."

    "Lena! Stop talking on her behalf. The waitress already saw her taking your ring. The evidence is

    conclusive. Don''t try to cover up for her. The of heaven hasrge meshes, but it lets nothing

    through!" a girl interrupted Lena.

    "Exactly! She unflinchingly faced the questioning. I almost believed her! Nobody would think she is

    actually the thief! She yed it so well! It''s impressive that she denied it with a straight face, isn''t it?" A

    girl spoke up.

    "Lena is so kind. Ashley is not even her real sister! And yet, Lena wants to protect her! If it was me, I

    wouldn''t care who the thief was. I would totally tear her to pieces!" another girlmented.

    "Me too! Lena is so good to her!"

    added someone else.

    People who came with Lena stared at Ashley with extreme hatred.

    People always believed what they wanted.

    Ashley ignored the terrible words they said. She walked to Lena.

    Lena enjoyed seeing Ashley so vulnerable and helpless. But the show was going to continue. Lena

    pretended that she was the one being truly vulnerable, and said, "Ashley, can you please give my ring

    back? It''s the engagement ring Raymond gave me. It''s very important to me. If you really like it, I will

    buy you another one. Can you please give my ring back to me?"

    Lena purposely mentioned Raymond and her engagement to piss off Ashley. She took pleasure in her

    suffering. The more Ashley suffered, the more pleasure she gained.

    However, things didn''t go quite as Lena ned. Ashley was very calm. She didn''t look sad or angry.

    Lena couldn''t read her emotions. It almost looked like she didn''t care about what Lena was doing and

    how it made her look.

    Ashley kept walking towards Lena. Once she got close enough, Lena realized Ashley was not looking

    at her at all. In fact, she looked right through her as she didn''t exist. The only reflection in her eyes was

    the waitress who had cooked up the false story.

    Ashley stared at the waitress who was hiding behind Lena. Judy seemed to notice that Ashley was

    getting closer. She couldn''t help but tighten her grip on Lena''s sleeve.

    Ashley''s grim face was exceptionally frightening.

    Maybe Ashley learned this from Andrew after all the time they spent together. Or she was born with it

    but she never used it until now. When she put her poker face on, everyone in the room could feel the

    intensity.

 Chapter 161 Got You

    Chapter 161 Got You

    Ashley fixed her gaze on Judy for a long time without uttering a single word. Even Lena couldn''t help

    but be scared of her right now, not to mention Judy who was cowering behind her.

    Finally, Ashley opened her mouth and asked, "You said you had seen me putting her ring in my purse,

    didn''t you?" She was watching Judy closely. Her voice was so calm that no one could tell what was on

    her mind. It almost felt like she just asked a simple question in a friendly way.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    But for Judy, it was not friendly at all. On the contrary, her calm and emotionless tone was chilling.

    Meanwhile, Lena, who was stunned this whole time, had quickly snapped out of it. One part of her was

    still stressed while the other part of her just felt angry.

    She couldn''t believe she was scared of Ashley. Lena, a real rich, spoilt brat, always believed she was

    better than Ashley who was adopted by her parents. Without the Mu family, Ashley was nothing.

    However, everyone thought they were the same, and no one realized the difference between the two

    sisters. Lena loathed Ashley! Whenever they were together, Ashley would steal the spotlight from her!

    Even right now, when she was the target of public criticism, Lena was the one who felt like the loser.

    Lena calmed herself. She hadn''t lost yet. She still had a chance. "I think Judy has already made herself

    clear. Ashley, she saw you take it. What else do you want her to say now?

    I didn''t intend to bring Judy in, but you refused to give the ring back to me. That ring is very important to

    me, so I had no choice but to ask Judy for help," Lena said tying to y the helpless victim.

    Then, she turned to the waitress and said, "Judy, don''t be afraid. I won''t let anyone harm you." Lena

    turned her attention back to Ashley.

    "Ashley, I understand you are quite displeased with Raymond and me but we are already engaged.

    And soon, we will be married. There is no point in creating all this drama.

    Raymond loves me. I really wish you could find a way to be happy for us," she pretended to plead.

    Lena''s little diatribe revealed a lot of information to the guests.

    Everyone was shocked!

    They never expected Lena to confirm their suspicions.

    There was a rumor in the party that Ashley had stolen Lena''s ring out of jealousy, as Raymond had

    chosen Lena instead of her.

    If the situation allowed, Ashley wanted to apud her almost believable performance.

    However, Ashley was not going to give Lena the chance to ruin her reputation.

    Ashley flipped her hair and said, "What a good story! A woman took her younger sister''s engagement

    ring because she was in love with the fiance!" Ashley couldn''t help butugh at this point. Everyone

    held their collective breath. The only sound in the room was Ashley''sughter. When she hadughed

    her fill, she continued, "But there is a big loophole in your story. I''m married."

    Lena''s face fell when she heard this. ''Married? So what? Your husband is just a normal guy with a

    pretty face. You are asking for trouble, unting him like that. He''s nothingpared to Raymond!''

    thought Lena.

    Ashley had broken the silence. People started to talk.

    Everyone was discussing this new, and vital, piece of information.

    People''s eyes would wander over to her from time to time.

    "Ha, married? Are you really married? You don''t even have a ring on your finger! You are either married

    to a guy who can''t afford a ring or you''re lying to us," mocked Teresa.

    "I agree! Who would marry a poor guy? She''s lying! We can''t trust her! She just imed that she was

    innocent and had nothing to do with Lena''s ring. But Judy saw her stealing it! If it hadn''t been for Judy,

    she would have fooled all of us!" a girl said loudly.

    "They are raised by the same parents. How could she turn out to be such a bad person? Look at Lena!

    She is so sweet and kind!" a girl in the back of the crowd said.

    Another girl answered, "Hey, they are raised by the same parents, but they didn''te from the same

    parents. She is adopted. Lena isn''t. That''s why they are so different!"

    These harsh words fell on Ashley''s ears, and, this time, they hit her where it hurt the most. Her self-

    esteem was shattered. Embarrassed, she hid her hand behind her back as she didn''t want anyone to

    notice her bare finger anymore.

    Indeed, she didn''t have a ring. Her marriage with Andrew was a secret. She had never cared about the

    ring. But now that she was under public scrutiny, she felt very low.

    "Oh my goodness! Can you people just stop talking and guessing? Why don''t we just open her purse

    and find out whether she has the ring or not. The waitress said she saw her taking Lena''s ring and

    putting it in her purse," someone suggested.

    "Right! Lena! Why don''t you just check her purse?" another girl suggested.

    Lena looked awkward and said with hesitation, "I don''t think that''s a very good idea..."

    "Girl! She stole your ring! You''re just taking it back. Why is that a bad idea?"

    asked one girl and tried to grab Ashley''s purse.

    Ashley acted quickly and didn''t allow her to seed.

    "You don''t have any right to search me or my purse. I told you I didn''t take her ring. If you don''t believe

    me, you can call the cops. Let them handle it!" said Ashley, looking at the crowd cautiously.

    "That girl already saw you stealing it! Why are you continuing to lie? We are not going to call the police

    and give you a chance to escape!"mented someone in the crowd.

    Johnny walked in with the spare dress and saw Ashley surrounded by a group of people. They were

    talking and pointing at her. Johnny didn''t know what they were saying, but he was sure they weren''t

    complimenting her.

    Johnny called his boss on the phone as he pushed through the crowd to get to Ashley.

    "Excuse me, Sir..." said Johnny to a man who was in his way.

    "Excuse me, Madam..." he requested a short woman who was standing on tiptoe and peeking through

    a gap in the crowds.

    Finally, Johnny managed to make his way to Ashley. He looked around her worriedly and let out a deep

    breath when he saw that she was okay.

    "Miss Mu, are you alright? What''s going on?" he asked.

    Ashley shook her head and didn''t say a word.

    "Wait! Who is this guy? He looks so familiar! I think I have met him," someonemented. People had

    noticed how Johnny had made his way to Ashley and was now standing right next to her.

    Most of them didn''t really have the chance to meet Andrew in person. Johnny was his personal

    assistant, so he went to many events with Andrew or on his behalf. People had fawned over him. So it

    wasn''t difficult for them to recognize Johnny.

    However, only a few people knew who Johnny was. Not everyone had the social status to attend the

    events Johnny went to on behalf of his boss.

    "That''s impossible. I don''t recognize him at all. Is he the man Ashley is married to? What do you think?"

    one person asked.

    The person right next to her shook her head and answered, "I don''t think so. That man addresses her

    respectfully and maintains a distance. He is more like a servant rather than a husband."

    Johnny''s arrival gave Teresa the chance she had been looking for. She quickly snatched Ashley''s

    purse when she wasn''t looking and opened it. She emptied it out and dumped everything on the floor.

    Everyone held their breaths. It was so quiet that when the phone dropped on the ground, it sounded

    extremely loud.

    It was toote for Ashley to stop Teresa. Everything was already on the floor.

    There was not much in it save for her phone, a packet of tissues and the ring that was nted in there

    by someone else.

    "Ha! Ashley, what is this?" Teresa asked as she picked up the ring and held it in front of Ashley''s face.

    She smiled proudly like a winner would and continued, "It was in your purse. I got you! What now?

    What''s your exnation now?"

    Teresa showed the ring to the crowd and smiled triumphantly at Ashley.

 Chapter 162 The Show

    Chapter 162 The Show

    The look on Ashley''s face, which was a mix of the number of emotions she was feeling in the moment,

    suddenly dissolved, and it was reced by a serious look as she gazed intently at Teresa. She said

    softly but firmly, "Give me my stuff back."

    Teresa raised her eyebrows slightly at Ashley and responded, "Your stuff? Why would I? And look!

    What''s this? Oh, I know! It''s Lena''s ring! The ring she said she didn''t take. But it''s here. So what does

    that mean?"

    She had a lot of evidence now. There was no way for Ashley to deny it, because no one would believe

    her.

    All the girls looked contemptuously at her, and people around her kept their distance.

    "Ah! That''s my ring! You found it! Thank you so much Teresa!" Lena eximed, walking up to her and

    taking the ring from Teresa. Between the ecstasy of getting her ring back and the remorse she felt at

    losing it in the first ce, her expression was like a wild roller coaster ride.

    "Ashley, why did you take my ring? You know it''s very important to me. Anyway, I am d I have it

    back, or I don''t know what I would have done," said Lena. She look at Ashley tearfully, looking like she

    would burst out in tears at any moment.

    As Lena approached Ashley, Johnny walked up to stand in front of Ashley and spoke stiffly to Lena.

    "Miss, I think you might be mistaken. I have been with Miss Mu the whole time. How could she take

    your ring? Also, the ring on your hand is the one my boss gave to his wife. Why are you saying that''s

    yours?"

    Johnny obviously wasn''t holding back, and it looked like he didn''t care to do so. He looked straight into

    Lena''s eyes and made up these lies. He had been warned by his boss to not let anyone stigmatize

    Ashley. Andrew would kill him if Ashley was hurt.

    Johnny knew Lena was not as innocent as she looked. She was known for making trouble for Ashley.

    Johnny had already gleaned from the gossiping an idea of what was going on. He had a good memory

    for faces, and when he saw the waitress in the crowd, he was sure who she was.

    Johnny''s exnation brought panic to Ashley''s insides. She couldn''t help but think, ''What are you

    talking about Johnny? That''s definitely not my ring!''

    Ashley was about to intervene, but Johnny stopped her. He looked at Ashley and shook his head just

    enough for her to get the message.

    The sound of a door opening made sure that Lena didn''t talk any further.

    Clyde and his wife, Cora, walked in, followed by Spencer and Peggy. They tried to remain calm but the

    furrowed brows and pursed lips didn''t help the matter.

    Questions began to gue the people in the room. Everyone was wondering why they were here.

    Some of them assumed that they were here for Lena.

    They looked furtively at Lena, starting to think that she might not be as innocent as she looked if she

    could let Clyde and Cora leave a room full of guests for such a tiny matter.

    Lena noticed the neers too, and her eyes lightened up. No one had noticed the change in her

    expression, but that was probably because of how quickly it had faded away.

    "Father! Mother! Mr. and Mrs. Luo! Why are you here?" Lena walked up to them and asked smilingly.

    Clyde had to stop as he replied, "Lena, here you are! You need toe with us! Quick!"

    Lena suddenly realized that they were not here for her. Nevertheless, she joined them and asked with

    confusion, "What''s going on? Why are you rushing to the front door?"

    Peggy pulled Lena over and whispered something into her ears. For the second time that evening,

    Lena''s face lit up and she beamed.

    "Mother, is that true?" she asked.

    "Definitely. I heard from Mr. Luo," replied Peggy.

    Peggy looked at Ashley as if it was the first time she was seeing her at the party and asked disdainfully,

    "What are you doing here? Why is Ashley here?"

    Lena scrambled for a coherent thought. When she couldn''te up with an exnation, she looked at

    Ashley for a few seconds and then looked back at Peggy.

    "Mrs. Luo, Ashley took Lena''s ring and lied about it. We found the ring in her purse, but she said it was

    hers. That is so unbelievable!" Teresa piped up. The moment she saw that Lena was dumbstruck, she

    spoke up. There was no way she would let go of the chance to stand up for Lena in front of everyone.

    Lena was happy with what Teresa had said.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    "How is that possible?" Peggy asked, frowning and looking up at Teresa.

    "It''s true, Mrs. Luo. The ring that Lena is holding is the one we found in Ashley''s purse. She kept saying

    it was hers," Teresa said earnestly.

    "Clyde, you go ahead. I will stay here with Peggy to look through this. A ring isn''t worth much, but we

    can''t allow a thief in our house. We have to be responsible for our guests.

    No one will want to attend parties at our house otherwise!" Cora said to Clyde.

    There was a collective sharp intake of breath.

    What Cora was saying that the ring wasn''t worth much was an eyebrow-raising statement.

    It was not so expensive that the people in the room would never be able to have it, but it was expensive

    enough. Cora made it sound like it was nothing. Yet, no one dared to disagree with her. Compared to

    the other people in the room, the Luo family was very powerful.

    Apanied by Spencer, Clyde nodded and kept walking. He was excited, but was also nervous.

    Once they had left, Cora turned to look at Ashley, but she frowned and looked away quickly, as if

    sparing Ashley another look would be a waste of her time.

    Peggy acted differently. She never liked Ashley in the first ce. She could barely conceal the hate in

    her eyes when she heard that Ashley had stolen Lena''s ring and refused to give it back.

    She would regret it to the end of her days that she took such an ungrateful girl into her home.

    Peggy was ready to teach Ashley a lesson, but Lena pulled at her hand and stopped her. She said,

    "Mother, let it go. I don''t think Ashley meant to do any of this. I''ve got my ring now."

    Peggy shook off Lena''s hand and looked at her angrily. "You are too soft and too kind!" she hissed at

    her. "People keep walking all over you, but you still try to take their side and speak for them."

    Lena was about to stop Peggy again, but Teresa walked in and said, "Lena, she is not worth your

    kindness."

    Peggy walked up to Ashley and sneered, "I am ashamed for having considered you as my daughter.

    How could you do such a thing? You shamed not only yourself but our entire family! Today is Mr. Luo''s

    birthday party. How could you steal from your own sister at such an event? How do you think the Luo

    family will look at us? And what do you think the guests will feel about us?"

 Chapter 163 Lenas Backup

    Chapter 163 Lena''s Backup

    At the front door, Clyde and Spencer were smoothing their suits and preparing for their important guest.

    Although they were sessful businessmen, it felt like their first time. They were excited but also

    nervous and fidgety.

    "Clyde, why is heing to today''s party?" Spencer asked feeling confused.

    Clyde couldn''t answer him. He was wondering the same thing. He had sent dozens of invitations to

    him, but he had never showed up. He really didn''t know what made him ept this particr invite.

    Clyde shook his head and replied, "I don''t know, but we will find out soon."

    Spencer nodded and responded, "Anyway, his presence is going to be good for us. I hear he barely

    attends any parties or events. If he has decided to show up to ours, then it means he has noticed the

    Luo Group. It''s an honor that the most of corporations don''t have."

    The two of them were making small talk in a bit to kill time. They were waiting patiently for the arrival of

    their important guest.

    Finally, a silver Rolls-Royce stopped in front the gate. Clyde and Spencer looked at each other,

    checked their suits one more time and hurried to wee him.

    A handsome man stepped out of the car from the driver''s side, walked around the car and opened the

    passenger door, keeping his head down the entire time.

    The first thing one could see was a pair of shiny, expensive shoes descending from the car. A man

    stepped out. It was dark outside. Spencer and Clyde couldn''t see him clearly, but they couldn''t help but

    shiver when they saw the man. It was their natural fear of powerful people.

    The man was Andrew. He nced at Spencer and Clyde, and another shiver went up their spines.

    "Good evening, Mr. Lu," said Clyde.

    "Good evening, Mr. Lu," echoed Spencer.

    They walked to either side of Andrew and bowed slightly. Even though they were older than him,

    Andrew''s wealth and power surpassed theirs.

    Andrew walked in directly without uttering a word to them.

    Clyde and Spencer were left standing there awkwardly. Josef, the driver, walked over to them and said,

    "Mr. Luo and Mr. Mu, sorry for beingte for the party."

    Clyde shook his hand and replied, "You''re never toote for the party! It''s my pleasure to have Mr. Lu!

    We are really ttered that you and Mr. Lu could make the time toe to my party! It''s notte at all!"

    Josef quickly followed Andrew, while talking to Clyde and Spencer.

    Andrew reviewed a message just as he was about to walk into the house. He looked at it, frowned just

    for a split second before returning to his hard expression.

    Andrew walked fast, but he was not in a rush. This is just how he walked. His strides were always quick

    and long and with purpose. Spencer and Clyde still had a hard time keeping up with him. They had to

    admit that they were getting old.

    The warm yellow lights shined on Andrew, and the crowds were finally able to see his handsome face.

    He had a perfect face with amazingly beautiful, clean-cut features. His nose was sharp and brows were

    thick. He pursed his thin lips without any expression.

    Andrew''s ck eyes were like bottomless ck pools, devoid of any emotions. When he looked at

    someone, he could easily draw them in with his intense gaze.

    The ck, handmade suit fit perfectly on his nearly perfect figure. He moved like a panther with ease

    and grace, and oozed great pride and elegance.

    Andrew looked like a British royal.

    Spencer and Clyde followed behind him. Everyone was wondering who he was. All the women in the

    room were attracted to his handsome face and his royal persona.

    "Whoa! Who is this man? He is so good looking! He looks like a movie star! Oh no! Even a movie star

    can''tpare with him! He is so handsome. He has already won my heart with his icy looks! He is my

    dream man!"

    said a girl, who was holding her cheek and staring at Andrew.

    "Oh my God! He is so gorgeous! I am already in love with him! How can he be so perfect and

    handsome?"

    But they couldn''te up with any criticism. He was indeed a handsome and perfect man.

    They realized he was too big apetition for them.

    But not every man had the guts to admit they were imperfect. One guy sneered, "So what? Just having

    good looks is not enough."

    "Hey, look! Are those men following him Mr. Luo and Mr. Mu?" asked an observant girl who was not

    completely enthralled by Andrew''s beauty.

    Another girl managed to tear her eyes away from Andrew and look at the people behind him. She

    replied, "They are! They are the CEOs of the Luo Group and the Mu Group. Why are they walking

    behind that young man?"

    "I heard that some big guy wasing to the party. Mr. Luo and Mr. Mu walked out to wee him. Is

    he that guy?" someone asked in the crowd.

    "It can''t be. He looks so young. How could he be in such a high position?" a young man questioned.

    "I don''t think any of that matters. I really don''t care. He is so handsome! I''m happy with just looking at

    him!" gushed a girl with a big satisfied smile on her face.

    Clyde and Spencer were trying to start a conversation with Andrew. However, he didn''t respond to

    them.

    Clyde noticed that Andrew was looking around the room, so he asked, "Mr. Lu, are you looking for

    someone?"

    Andrew finally met his eyes and nodded curtly.

    Clyde smiled, "Mr. Lu, I''m the host of the party. I think I would be able to help you with that!"

    Clyde was curious to know who Andrew was looking for. He couldn''t help but wonder whether he or

    she was the reason Andrew came to the party.

    He quickly ran through the guest list in his mind and tried to figure out who it might be.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    He guessed a name, but quickly dismissed it.

    Andrew didn''t waste time with Clyde. He looked at his phone and walked straight to the front. This time,

    he was clearly in a rush.

    "Ashley, what now? We already have all the evidence. What more do you want to say?" asked Peggy

    sternly. She crossed her arms and raised her head as if to show her arrogance and superiority.

    Ashley, on the other hand, looked very calm. She responded coldly, "I didn''t take it. That''s all."

    Peggy sneered, "You didn''t? Then, Lena''s ring just magically appeared in your purse, didn''t

    it?"

 Chapter 164 Unexpected Situation

    Chapter 164 Unexpected Situation

    Ashley''s lips moved slightly, but she didn''t reply. Her face was a nk te, and there was no trace of

    guilt or anxiety on her. Peggy found Ashley''s silence as defiance and that she didn''t intend to admit that

    she had stolen Lena''s engagement ring. This kind of indifferent attitude irritated Peggy to a high

    degree. Slowly, she began raising her hand, readying herself to p Ashley. "Since you refuse to admit

    your crime, I am here to teach you a lesson. Let me show you how thieves are treated in this society!"

    What Peggy did was so abrupt that it stunned Ashley so much. She had no time to dodge. When

    Peggy''s palm was about to hit her face, Ashley closed her eyes tightly. Knowing the woman, she knew

    that Peggy would p her with all her strength.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    "Ouch!"

    Upon hearing Peggy screech in agony, Ashley became very confused. If the p didn''tnd on her

    face, what happened?

    Still cautious, Ashley opened her eyes slowly and found a familiar figure in front of her. A tall man was

    shielding from Peggy''s wrath.

    Peering from behind the man, Ashley saw that the man was tightly grasping Peggy''s hand, making it

    unable to move.

    "Are you hurt?" the man asked Ashley in a low voice. Stunned, Ashley shook her head slightly.

    Not one bone in her body expected Andrew toe and protect her.

    Seeing Ashley okay and not hurt in any way, Andrew heaved a sigh of relief and turned his eyes to

    Peggy, the woman who had intended to p Ashley.

    When her hand was about tond on Ashley''s face, he felt his heart stop beating. Ashley was the only

    woman he loved and spoiled. He even couldn''t bear to talk to her loudly. But just now she was almost

    beaten by this barbaric woman!

    Fortunately, he arrived in time. Otherwise, he couldn''t imagine what would have happened.

    "Damn it! Who are you? Mind your own business! Don''t you know who I am? Let me go!" Peggy''s wrist

    was starting to turn red, and she had started writhing in pain. Andrew''s grasp on her was so tight that

    she felt that her wrist was going to break. Her face was already twisted and she red at Andrew

    fiercely. "I''m the matriarch of the Mu Group. How dare you, a mere nobody, treat me this way! I won''t let

    you off easily! I will make your life a living hell!"

    Peggy threatened with great contempt, trying to shake off Andrew''s hand.

    After hearing Peggy''s harsh words, Cora frowned but said nothing.

    Since she really didn''t like Ashley, the filthy girl who had the audacity to seduce her son, she decided to

    not stop Peggy from teaching her a lesson.

    Amidst everything Peggy was saying, Andrew didn''t flinch. Instead, he stared at Peggy calmly, his eyes

    ck and without any emotion. Peggy''s blood ran cold and she couldn''t help but shiver. It felt like she

    was being stared at by a venomous snake.

    Johnny was relieved to see Andrew arrive. ''Fortunately, Mr. Lu arrived in time.''

    A sigh of relief escaped his mouth. However, he was shocked when he heard what Peggy said to

    Andrew. ''What a foolishdy!'' he thought to himself as he looked on at what was happening.

    ''She won''t let Mr. Lu off? She will make his life a living hell? How dare she say that? What made her

    think that she could do those things?'' No one dared to talk to Andrew like that since he became the

    president of the Lu Group, and a nobody from the Mu Group would not be able to change that.

    Truth be told, Ashley had no idea about Andrew''s true identity. She just thought he was a president of a

    really smallpany. The Mu Group already had a strong presence, and the marriage of the Mu family

    and the Luo family would only make the Mu Group stronger. If Andrew offended the Mu Group just to

    help her out, she would feel very guilty of it. The Mu Group was likely to get hispany into lots of

    trouble.

    With this in mind, Ashley gently tugged on Andrew''s sleeve and shook her head. "I''m okay. Forget it.

    Let''s go."

    Andrew seemed to be aware of her worries, and his mood improved considerably. With a smile, he

    began caressing her head. "Don''t worry," he said in a soft voice. "I can handle this." Although his voice

    was still cold, there was a little warmth in it. A warmth that was only for Ashley.

    Afterforting Ashley, Andrew let go of Peggy''s hand. Because of his great strength, Peggy fell on

    the floor. With a disgusted face, he looked at Peggy, who was still surprised that this was happening.

    After a few moments, he started to speak, and his voice was as cold as ice. "I''m very excited about

    what you can do to me."

    Johnny took out a clean handkerchief immediately and handed it to Andrew.

    Andrew lowered his head and wiped the hand that touched Peggy carefully and meticulously, as if she

    was some kind of filthy creature. As he did it, he frowned slightly, a look of repulsion evident on his

    face.

    After he wiped his hand, he threw the handkerchief on Peggy. Maybe it happened too suddenly, or

    maybe it was because Andrew''s aura was too strong that everyone became silent. All of them were

    stunned that no one was able to respond to what was going on. They just watched Andrew literally

    mock Peggy at her own party.

    As soon as Spencer and Clyde arrived, they heard Peggy''s long, hateful speech against Andrew.

    Spencer felt dizzy and almost fell to the floor. Why did he marry such a stupid woman? How dare she

    insult Mr. Lu like that?

    "Shit! How dare you treat me like that!" Peggy screamed, tears already forming in her eyes. She

    couldn''t believe that someone would treat her this way. After she married Spencer, no one dared do

    that to her.

    Lena was the first to react and hurried over to help her mother up. "Mom, are you all right? Are you

    hurt?"

    Confirming that Peggy was okay, she turned to use Ashley. "Ashley, how could you treat Mom like

    that? Even if she did something wrong, she is your mother!" Lena''s face turned red with anger. Rage

    was in her eyes, but she kept it under wraps.

    Ashley just rolled her eyes and said nothing. Well, she wasn''t the one who pushed Peggy to the floor.

    They always put the me on her.

    Cora''s frown got deeper and she wanted to step forward to help Peggy. After all, the Mu family and the

    Luo family were going to be inws soon. Judging from that man''s behavior, it seemed like he was also

    looking down upon the Luo family.

    But as soon as she was about to act, Clyde stopped her and hinted her not to go. They had been

    married for many years and had already reached a tacit understanding. Clyde gave his wife a look, and

    she understood it immediately.

    It took a moment for everything to dawn on her, but when it did, she looked at Clyde in shock and

    disbelief. "This man is Mr. Lu?"

    Clyde nodded sheepishly in response.

    When Peggy saw Spencering, she limped to him with Lena''s help and squeezed out a few tears

    from her eyes. "Spencer, thankfully you''re here. You must help me out. I was just trying to teach Ashley

    a lesson, but this man grabbed my hand and threw me to the floor. I''m in a lot of pain..."

    However, her act was interrupted by a loud snap. Before she could finish, Spencer pped her hard.

    The p was so hard that Peggy''s face immediately turned red and swollen. After all, Andrew was

    there, and he obviously seen how Peggy treated Ashley. Peggy offended Ashley, who was a person of

    great importance to Andrew. Spencer had no choice but to do so. Otherwise, the Mu Group would be

    single-handedly destroyed by Peggy!

 Chapter 165 My Wifes Ring

    Chapter 165 My Wife''s Ring

    Peggy''s hands came up to the cheek that Spencer had just pped. Her eyes were fixed on him in

    confusion, and she was too shocked to move.

    She tasted blood, which was something that made her realize what was going on. The rage built up

    within her, and her eyes were spitting fire. She shouted at him, "Spencer! You pped me! How could

    you do that to me?"

    "Father!" Lena called out. She couldn''t believe what had just happened either. She looked at Spencer,

    trying to understand why he had done it.

    Spencer ignored them. He walked up to Andrew and nced at Ashley, who was in Andrew''s arms. He

    then lowered his head and said, "Mr. Lu. I am sorry about what has just happened. My wife didn''t mean

    to hurt Ashley. She was just a little overwhelmed by the situation. We treat Ashley like our own and will

    never hit her. My wife might just try to scare her a little so that she would not make such a mistake

    again." Spencer turned to Ashley and continued, "Ashley knew it too, right?"

    Spencer could never have thought that Ashley was the person Andrew was looking for. But he didn''t

    really care about how that had happened. The only thing that was going through his head was that his

    daughter was the wife of the CEO of the Lu Group. His corporation, the Mu Group, would soon have all

    the resources and contracts that anypany could dream of.

    The Luo family would soon be nothingparing to his family. Ashley had be a shining golden

    treasure in Spencer''s eyes.

    He could hardly conceal his excitement, and a big smile took a ce on his face. He suddenly felt that

    adopting Ashley was the best decision he had ever made.

    Ashley sneered from within. Spencer''s attitude was radically different from how he had been a while

    earlier. She knew that it was because of Andrew.

    "Father, what are you talking about?" said Lena. She was unable to believe what her father was saying.

    To Lena, the man who was holding Ashley was just another good-looking man without any money or

    power. She didn''t know why her father was acting so strange.

    Ashley never had the chance to meet anyone powerful. Lena hadn''t considered the possibility that

    Andrew might be a rich, powerful man.

    Ashley was just an orphan. The Mu family was her only chance to meet rich people. But no one in her

    family would give her the chance.

    Her bias had already blinded her. She would normally have known that the person who could easily go

    to the fancy restaurant was definitely not a nobody. She just didn''t want to admit that Ashley had been

    married to a wealthy and handsome gentleman. So that meant that no matter how many clues she had,

    she just didn''t want to look objectively at them and believe them.

    Lena''s question hade before Ashley could respond. Spencer looked sharply at Lena and pulled

    her over so that she was standing in front of Andrew. He introduced her by saying, "Mr. Lu, this is

    Ashley''s sister and my younger daughter. They grew up together and loved joking around with each

    other."

    Spencer was talking utter nonsense, and Ashley didn''t want to deal with him anymore. The more she

    looked at him, the more disgusted she felt. So she looked away.

    But Ashley was not the only one who didn''t like what Spencer was doing. Clyde and Cora were not

    happy that Spencer was making every effort to please Andrew, even pulling Lena to stand in front of

    him. Lena was already engaged to their son, and they felt that Spencer should not have done that.

    Johnny walked up to Andrew and whispered to him everything that had happened so far. The more

    Andrew became aware of the goings on, the scarier he became. The atmosphere changed quickly, and

    everyone could feel Andrew''s rage now.

    "You guys said that Ash took her ring?" Andrew asked, pointing his finger at Lena, and looked around

    at the crowd. He said it calmly, his face devoid of any expression.

    But Clyde could feel his anger. To be honest, he didn''t really know what was going on. But it was very

    obvious that Andrew was going to fight for Ashley.

    The second Andrew had walked in, Teresa''s eyes had stuck to him. She was incapable of looking away

    from his gorgeous face. She now wanted no one but Andrew. Raymond couldn''t hold a candle to

    Andrew.

    Teresapletely ignored the fact that Andrew was holding Ashley in his arms. She just wanted him to

    look at her.

    She thought Andrew was about to give Ashley a hard time. Her face turned pink as she walked out of

    the crowd, her eyes fixed on Andrew. She said, "It''s true! Ashley took Lena''s ring and imed it was

    hers. She is a liar and a thief! Here is her purse. We found the ring in it."

    As Teresa spoke, she handed Ashley''s purse to Andrew. It was the one that she had grabbed from

    Ashley not long ago.

    Johnny walked up, took the purse from Teresa and gave it back to Ashley. Johnny knew it was

    Ashley''s, and anything that belonged to her belonged to Andrew too. So he knew that he needed to

    take it back.

    Teresa''s words made Ashley feel a little nervous even though she hadn''t stolen anything. Ashley

    looked at Andrew anxiously.

    She hadn''t taken the ring and she didn''t care what those people used her of or thought of her. But

    she didn''t want Andrew to doubt her. Somehow, he had be different from all of those people. She

    actually cared about what he thought of her.

    So, she tried to exin, "Andrew..." She held his hand tighter. She really wanted to exin herself to

    Andrew, but she suddenly didn''t know what to say when she opened her mouth.

    "Hmmm?" Hearing Ashley call his name, Andrew lowered his head and looked gently at her. Her

    anxious expression further fueled his rage.

    If giving his word to Ashley would make sure that she would never cry again, Andrew would do it

    without hesitation. But everyone in that party was using and taunting Ashley like it was nothing.

    Andrew''s rage was expanding like wild fire, and soon, it would envelop the Luo family.

    "Don''t worry. I trust you," Andrew whispered in Ashley''s ear.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    Johnny had already told him everything. He never could understand how these people could dare to

    shamelessly use someone like that, especially when the wrongly used person was his wife.

    Andrew sneered and said to Clyde, "I really don''t know how the ring I gave my wife became your son''s

    engagement ring. I would like an exnation."

    Andrew''s voice was cold, but Clyde could feel his rage enveloping the room.

    Clyde had heard that Andrew was a strategic man. He would, without hesitation, do anything for what

    he wanted. It had only taken him two years for him to build the Lu Group into a business empire that

    every corporation in the city could never dream of bing.

    "It has to be a mistake! Lena! Give your sister''s ring back!" Clyde said to Lena.

    Lena couldn''t believe what Clyde had just asked her to do. She refused and said, "Mr. Luo, this is my

    engagement ring. Look! It has Raymond''s and my name on the side!"

    Clyde obviously knew that it was their engagement ring. But if Andrew said that it was his, it had

    be his. The Lu Group was not a small business that they could deal with. Andrew could easily turn

    their family into nothing if he wanted.

 Chapter 166 The Gift For Your Engagement

    Chapter 166 The Gift For Your Engagement

    The situation was very clear. Clyde had already made his decision. To his surprise, however, Lena

    actually refused him. He started to wonder why she had be so slow with this.

    Lena still held onto the ring and refused to give it to Ashley. However, she loosened her grip on it after

    Cora sighed and whispered something in her ear. Lena''s eyes widened at what Cora told her, and then

    she looked at Andrew with unconcealed shock. She could feel her face getting hotter, and her breath

    was bing more and morebored.

    It was obvious that she was having a hard time in believing that Andrew was a man with a great

    influence on all the rich people she knew. It never urred to her that Andrew would be a man who her

    parents and her parents-inw only dreamt of having a chance to talk to.

    The shocksted for just a while, though. Soon, her jealousy swallowed her up once again. Her eyes

    started getting red with evil. Slowly, she nced at Ashley, who was being protected by Andrew.

    She couldn''t ept the fact that an orphan who had nothing would end up with such an amazing man.

    To her, Ashley was nothing. A nobody. To her, Ashley didn''t deserve a man like Andrew. A man like him

    should be hers. And with that, Lena decided to do everything in her power to seduce Andrew.

    Because of that, she quickly put her evil thoughts and expression away. After that, she took a deep

    breath and put on her best, cutest, beautiful and innocent smile on her face. Shyly, she walked towards

    Ashley and tried to hold her hand. However, Johnny was having none of it and stopped her.

    Towering over Lena, he said, "Miss, I''m sorry but you can''t get closer. My boss likes to keep a distance

    with others. You can say whatever you need to say right here."

    That made Lena almost lose her temper, but she managed to hold herself together. However, she

    couldn''t let go of what happened. She just nced at Johnny with mockery in her eyes. She thought

    there was no point for her to be angry with an assistant that could be reced easily.

    In her head, she truly believed that she would be the wife of the Lu Group''s CEO, and then, the

    assistant in front of her would pay for what he had done. ''I would fire you immediately, and you would

    regret the day you met me, '' she thought, smirking.

    It was a good thing for Lena that Johnny didn''t know what was going on in her mind. If he did, he would

    definitely burst outughing. Everything that she was thinking was moronic.

    And even a moron wouldn''t have the guts to think of such things!

    Lena would be considered a joke if she ever verbalized what she was thinking.

    Johnny, for one, knew for sure that Lena would never have the slightest chance of being Andrew''s wife,

    and everything she was nning in her head would not happen.

    Even Andrew''s father didn''t even have the power to fire Johnny; there was no way that someone like

    Lena would be able to do so.

    "Ash, I think I was mistaken. This is not the ring that Raymond gave me. I am sorry!" Lena looked at

    Ashley apologetically. Her face turned slightly red to show how sorry she really was. Seeing her like

    this, people could hardly me her for anything.

    Everyone thought she was just an innocent, little girl who made a tiny, forgivable mistake.

    Clyde and Cora finally rxed after Lena did what they wanted.

    Andrew didn''t even bother to look up at her. His eyes were still fixed on Ashley, and he was mindlessly

    ying with her soft hair. Lena''s apology merely earned her a mocking sneer from Andrew.

    Lena''s expression froze. She couldn''t believe what Andrew just did to her. He sneered at her without

    even giving her a nce!

    Andrew waited for a while before responding, and it made the whole scenario really awkward. Slowly,

    he continued, "It looks like you really like this ring. It''s yours then. Just think it''s my engagement gift to

    you." Andrew still wasn''t looking at Lena.

    Rage roared inside Lena, and she couldn''t help but tighten her grip on the ring that she was holding.

    The strength made her fingers be pale. ''A gift for my engagement? It is my engagement ring!''

    Lena shouted in her head.

    However, knowing who Andrew was, Lena didn''t dare offend him.

    So, she had to swallow her pride.

    "Oh my! Is he the CEO of the Lu Group named Andrew Lu?" a rich girl asked loudly after the moment

    she realized who Andrew was.

    As everyone heard what she said, the silence in the room was once again broken.

    They then quickly turned their heads to look at the girl who broke the news.

    As soon as she said it out, she realized that maybe she should have lowered her voice. As a result, she

    covered her mouth and started looking terrified.

    But after a while, the eyes moved on from her, and she finally rxed.

    "Hey, Lilly. What do you mean? Are you sure it''s him? Are you sure he is the CEO of Lu Group?" a

    friend of the girl asked.

    Lilly responded to her friend, now more conscious of the volume of her voice, "I said that man standing

    right next to Lena''s sister earlier looked very familiar. He is the special assistant of the CEO of the Lu

    Group. Although he is just an assistant, his boss trusts him very much. He definitely has a high position

    in thepany."

    Her friend, however, was still confused. She continued to ask, "The CEO of the Lu Group? Who is it? Is

    that the man holding Lena''s sister right now?"

    Lilly nodded. She was very certain. "Trust me! It''s him! I have seen him once from a very far distance.

    But I would never forget him!"

    With a face as gorgeous as Andrew''s, no one would ever forget him.

    "Oh my God!" one woman said, as she heard what the two were talking about. Her surprise was so

    great that she had to cover her mouth to avoid herself from gasping audibly. With her eyes as big as

    saucers, she truly was in shock of what she had discovered at that moment.

    "Mr. Lu and Miss Mu, pleasee with me," Clyde said respectfully, as he walked up to Andrew and

    Ashley.

    Ashley tightened her grip on Andrew''s hand, watching Clyde''s movements warily.

    Andrew firmly squeezed Ashley''s hand, as if to assure her that he was there. That greatly calmed her

    down.

    Turning to Clyde, he replied, "Thank you. But the Luo family doesn''t seem to wee us."

    With that, Clyde felt that his legs were about to fail to support his body. Cold sweat started dripping

    down his forehead. In a trembling voice, he responded, "Mr. Lu, that''s really funny for you to say. You

    and Miss Mu are most wee to our party! Anything you need, just let me know. I will try my best to

    be a good host to the both of you."

    Clyde still didn''t know what was going on, but he decided it was the best for him and the whole Luo

    family to be polite to them.

    Without a word, Andrew just looked at Clyde, then he walked out of the hall with Ashley. Johnny and

    Josef followed them closely behind.

    Johnny seemed to remember something very important, so he stopped suddenly. He turned, looked at

    the crowd and said, "Mr. Lu wants to keep everything that happened in this room, in the room. If

    anythinges out, he will not be thrilled. His anger is not something any of you could take. So, I

    suggest that every one of you keep everything in."

    Johnny sounded so matter-of-factly that it seemed like he was just reminding everyone to bring an

    umbre since it might rain.

    Everyone in the room got and understood the message. Johnny was working for Andrew, the CEO of

    the Lu Group, and that meant he meant what he said.

    Every person in the room silently nodded in agreement.

    Seeing that, Johnny smiled and went on his way.

    Josef was about to catch up with Andrew and Ashley when Johnny stopped him.

    Josef quickly turned around and looked at Johnny. With confusion in his eyes, he asked "What''s up?

    Spill it. I still need to get the car!"

    Johnny gave Josef a hopeless look, and replied, "What? Do you have nothing else in your brain

    besides that car? Can''t you see? Mr. Lu and Miss Mu need some personal time together! Do you really

    want to ruin their moment?"

    Josef looked at Johnny and stammered, "But...but...but Mr. Lu didn''t tell me that he wanted to spend

    some time with Miss. Mu alone..."

    Johnny pped his forehead and rolled his eyes. "You hopeless dumbass!" he whispered, shaking his

    head.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Upon hearing this, Josef got offended. He replied, "Hey, watch out, man! There''s literally no need to call

    me names!"

    "I just did. What do you want to do about it? Dumbass," Johnny replied, annoyed.

    And with that, Josef started to clench his fists. With narrowed eyes, he threatened Johnny, "Don''t you

    dare speak to me like that!"

    However, Johnny was not afraid of his threat nor did he back down. So they started to fight.

    They had found their way of leaving Andrew and Ashley alone.

    Ashley was still in shock of what was going on. Andrew put one of his arms around her shoulders as

    they walked in silence. When they got to the car, he opened the door for her and led her inside. Inside,

    she was finally able to gather her thoughts as she looked into his passionate

    eyes.

 Chapter 167 Lesley

    Chapter 167 Lesley

    Ashley had known that Andrew owned apany. But she had thought that hispany was at most,

    as big as the Luo or the Mu Groups.

    She didn''t want to create a situation for Andrew. After all, they were businessmen, and these

    companies would have some connection. Ashley didn''t want to be the reason behind Andrew''s

    business facing a tough time from hispetitors. But it looked like all her concern seemed

    unnecessary. Andrew wasn''t afraid of them at all. Instead, the Luo family looked terrified of Andrew.

    Andrew''s reaction caused Ashley''s face to darken a little since she now knew that she''d been worrying

    unnecessarily all this while.

    Ashley had heard about the Lu Group before. There were rumors about the CEO of the Lu Group too.

    However, never in her wildest dreams had it urred to her that Andrew could be that person. She

    obviously knew that Andrew''sst name was Lu, but she didn''t think that Andrew was the CEO of the

    very Lu Group that was so powerful in the city.

    "What''s on your mind?" asked Andrew.

    His low, sexy voice dragged her out of her reverie.

    As Ashley turned to look at Andrew, she found that his handsome face was so close to hers that she

    could see her own reflection in his eyes.

    "Nothing...nothing important," Ashley stammered, flustered, and quickly looked away.

    She didn''t really know how to face Andrew, now that she had all the extra knowledge. She had

    surmised that he might be rich and powerful, but just how rich and powerful, she hadn''t known.

    What surprised her the most was the fact that the random man she had picked on the street to get

    married to was from such a high-ss family.

    Andrew''s eyes locked on Ashley, as if he understood what Ashley was thinking. He took Ashley into his

    arms and whispered, "No matter who I am or what position I hold, I am still your husband."

    Andrew had a beautiful, sexy, manly voice. When he spoke like that, Ashley felt like she could melt in

    his arms and in the warmth of his voice. In that moment, he was like a god whispering words of love to

    the love of his life.

    Ashley could feel his warm breath on her ear. It tickled and turned her ears red, causing her body to

    shiver.

    Ashley''s expression and the flush on her face stirred something within Andrew, his eyes shing.

    He narrowed his eyes fondly at her and held her even tighter.

    Andrew lowered his head to Ashley''s shoulder, making sure that she waspletely ensconced in his

    arms.

    He held himself such that his weight didn''t burden Ashley, and she didn''t feel ufortable.

    She was enjoying the feeling of Andrew holding her, sitting still and allowing herself to sink into his

    arms.

    Both of them were lost in the moment, until, after a while, Ashley shifted. She didn''t know how long

    they had stayed like this. She just knew that her limbs had fallen asleep. She would have loved to

    continue sitting in Andrew''s arms but it was gettingte. She shook him gently and said, "It''s getting

    late. Let''s go home, shall we?"

    "Okay," answered Andrew in a throaty voice. He raised his head and looked at Ashley, his dark eyes

    bottomless pits.

    He let go of her slowly, as if he was afraid that she might disappear. And she released a breath,

    rxing yet she could feel her muscles tighten at the loss of contact.

    Andrew had already whisked Ashley away by the time Johnny and Josef had finished their fight. But

    this time, Andrew had left a car for them so that they didn''t have to call for a taxi like thest time.

    Josef looked around. When he didn''t find Andrew and Ashley, he nudged Johnny and asked, "Where

    are Mr. Lu and Miss. Mu?"

    Johnny looked at Josef, as if he was stupid for asking such a dumb question. "They''ve obviously

    already left. You don''t really expect them to wait for you to drive, do you?" he said.

    Johnny sidled into the driver''s seat and called out to Josef, "Hurry up and get into the car! Or do you

    want to take a taxi home?" Josef glowered at Johnny but he got into the car.

    Andrew''s phone rang just as they got back home. He nced at it, but he didn''t answer the call, merely

    silencing it.

    It rang again a momentter. But this time, he didn''t even look at it. Ashley could feel his mood begin to

    sour.

    She looked cautiously at Andrew and at the vibrating phone. She asked, "Aren''t you going to get that?"

    "No," Andrew said, looking intently at her.

    "It might be very important. That''s the second time now," Ashley suggested.

    Now that she knew who Andrew was, she didn''t really know how to deal with him anymore.

    Andrew pursed his lips and answered the phone.

    "Hello?" Andrew barked into it.

    Ashley couldn''t hear what the person at the other end was saying, but she could feel Andrew''s rage

    burgeon.

    "No, I''m not going!" said Andrew sharply. And without another word, he hung up.

    Andrew got out of the car, walked over to Ashley''s side, gently took her hand and helped her get out.

    His pace was quicker than Ashley''s, and she felt like he was pulling her. A few stepster, she tugged

    at his hand to stop him. He turned around and looked at her quizzically. She couldn''t help but avert her

    eyes, but she pulled herself together and asked, "Was that from your family? I think you should go

    there. It might be something very important."

    Andrew took a step forward and tried to make her look at him, his hand on her chin. But Ashley

    wouldn''t cooperate. He sighed and asked, "Do you really want me to go there?"

    Ashley wasn''t looking at Andrew but she felt that he knew everything that was going through her mind.

    She nodded.

    "What if I told you that they want me to go on a blind date? Would you still want me to go?" he asked

    softly.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Ashley''s head snapped up, her eyes searching his. She couldn''t tell from his expression if he was

    joking or not.

    She continued looking at him, not knowing what to say.

    A long moment stretched between them. Finally Andrew cracked and smiled. He stretched his hand

    again to touch her hair and said, "Just kidding."

    Andrew gave her a long, fond look before turning and getting into the car. As Ashley watched the car

    pull away, she let out a long breath.

    The reason why she had asked Andrew to go there was that she was frightened by Andrew''s identity.

    She needed some time to figure out how she was going to cope with all the new information and as to

    how she was going to behave with him.

    It was possible that Andrew knew all of her thoughts and that was probably why he had left without

    hesitation. He wanted Ashley to have some time and space to figure it all out for herself. He couldn''t

    help with this, and he knew it.

    Andrew drove up to the Lu family''s house. It was a huge house that was located in the mountains at

    the east of the city. The scenery surrounding the house was immensely charming. Andrew''s father had

    moved there after handing over the business to his son.

    It would take about ten minutes for Andrew to get to the house after passing through the gate.

    Two row of servants were waiting at the front door. They bowed low as they saw Andrew get out of the

    car and greeted him, "Good evening, Mr. Lu."

    Andrew ignored them and walked in.

    The living room was huge. A plush white carpet covered the expensive floor.

    Two ancient white porcin vases stood on either side of arge LCD TV.

    Everything in the living room was expensive, and the ambiance was stylish and gorgeous.

    Waves ofughter reached Andrew''s ears as he walked into the house.

    "Lesley, you are so smart! This was really hard!" Susie said admiringly. Susie was sitting next to Lesley,

    and she was looking at her like she was the light of her life.

    Lesley smiled shyly and responded, "I can show you how. It''s really not so hard once you understand

    it."

 Chapter 168 To Lock Andrew in Political Marriage

    Chapter 168 To Lock Andrew in Political Marriage

    "Andrew! You''ve finallye back!" Susie cried out cheerfully when she saw Andrewing in. She

    hurriedly got up from the sofa in the living room and ran to him.

    However, even to his younger sister, Andrew remained sort of indifferent and uttered "hmm" as a

    response to her excitement.

    Two other people appeared on the second floor when they heard Susie''s excited voice.

    "Is Andrew back?"

    An amiable woman in her thirties, hand in hand with a middle-aged man in his fifties, showed on the

    second floor, looking at Andrew with a warm and gentle smile. The woman was Arya, and the man was

    Ethan.

    "We both miss you a lot. Although you might be upied with a lot of business at thepany at the

    moment, you need to take some rest. You should also pay attention to your health,"

    Arya said softly, as she gave Andrew a fond gaze filled with so much love and care.

    "He''s already a grown-up. You don''t need to have so many unnecessary worries," Ethan next to her

    muttered. For some reason, he seemed to be very annoyed.

    "Dad, Mom!" Susie eximed, turning around and looking at them.

    With no time to spare, she hurried up the stairs to Ethan, took his hand and said like a child, "Dad,

    Andrew''s finally back!"

    Susie was spoiled rotten by Ethan as he had her in hister years.

    Ethan gently caressed her head, and as he fondly looked at her with his eyes full of love and affection,

    he said, "Yes, I see him, darling."

    With that, Susie replied, "Then let''s go downstairs now!"

    With the help of Susie and Arya, Ethan was able to descend the stairs.

    Upon getting down, Ethan fixed his eyes on Andrew, who was around 8 centimeters taller than him,

    and said without much emotion, "What brings you back? You''ve been gone for so long that I started

    thinking I don''t have a son. Were it not for this call, would you evere back home? You would forget

    all about this home, wouldn''t you?"

    Andrew raised his head and looked at his father indifferently. They looked like they wereplete

    strangers. With a deep breath, he said, "No, I wouldn''t."

    Ethan sniffed in response. "Well, that''d be good enough for you."

    Andrew cast his eyes down again as mixed feelings seized him.

    "Why did you ask me toe back? Is there anything wrong?"

    "What? Must something go wrong for me to call you back here?" Ethan coldly replied as he once again

    stared at him devoid of any emotions.

    Andrew responded, "If there''s nothing wrong, I''d be on my way."

    He didn''t even cast a single nce at Lesley all this time.

    Seeing that Andrew was really on his way out, Ethan called out to him, anger evident in his voice.

    "Stop!"

    He was so outraged that he was almost out of breath. Slowly, he put his two hands on his chest and

    said, "You rascal! You are really trying to get me killed, huh!"

    Andrew stopped in his tracks, but he didn''t turn around.

    Feeling that father and son were bing so hostile to each other, Lesley went beside Ethan and

    gentlyforted him, "Uncle, take it easy. Andrew never means it. He must really have urgent matters

    at hand that he needs to deal with, as he is in charge of such a big enterprise now."

    Arya immediately approached her husband and whispered in an angry tone, "What are you doing?

    Only once in a blue moon does Andrewe back home and you''re choosing to quarrel with him! You

    know that he has taken over the Lu Group, so it''s natural for him to be very busy!"

    "That is very true, Uncle. You don''t have to be angry at Andrew about it."

    Upon seeing the concerned look on Arya''s face, Susie held the hands of her father and said in a gentle

    tone, "I agree with them. Dad, Andrew rarelyes back home. Why do you have to turn it into such a

    scene?"

    The expression on Ethan''s face softened a lot. Although he was still sort of upset and angry, it was

    easy to note how his mood became so much better, and how he became so much calmer. Arya helped

    Ethan sit on the sofa next to them, while Lesley and Susie were left on the spot.

    "Lesley,e over please." Susie pulled Lesley over to Andrew.

    "Andrew, you see, Lesley just came back from abroad today, and she came here just to see you!"

    Susie drawled as she stared at Lesley with her eyes full of meaning.

    "Susie!" Lesley cried out, bing embarrassed and blushing wildly.

    Susie grinned and pushed Lesley closer to Andrew before leaving them alone.

    "So...Andrew. I''m d you''re finally back," Lesley said as she fondly yet shyly gazed at him.

    Lesley was wearing a light green off-shoulder knee-length dress and four-inch high-heeled shoes. Her

    skin was snow-white and silky, like that of a baby''s, and her delicate face was further made exquisite by

    a light application of make-up. Her soft, ck hair was slightly wavy and itplemented her face

    shape. Lesley looked gorgeous and confident.

    The way she carried herself was also something to be praised. She had always been graceful, never

    made anyone feel offended, and always respected other people''s personal space.

    But despite all of those good qualities, Andrew couldn''t help but frown at the way she talked to him¡ª

    unnecessarily affectionate. But since she had always been nice to him and to the people that mattered

    to him, he kept his cool and said nothing.

    They talked on and off for some time, but Lesley basically dominated the whole conversation. Andrew

    only responded when there was a necessity to do so. Nheless, that was enough to satisfy her.

    Susie told her that Andrew had never gotten too close to any girl or had an intimate rtionship with

    any woman.

    Days ago, the only female secretary in his firm was dismissed.

    As that decision coincided with her telling Susie that she wasing back, she couldn''t help but feel

    gleeful at the news of his firing the woman, which she thought must suggest that there was a ce for

    her in Andrew''s heart.

    Because if that wasn''t the case, why would Andrew fire the woman?

    "Dad, Mom, look at Andrew and Lesley! They look a perfect match! It looks like they were made for

    each other,"

    Susie said, looking at Andrew and Lesley dreamily as she sat on the sofa with her parents.

    Taking a nce at them, Ethan agreed, "Yes, they suit each other perfectly. You know what? Since

    Andrew is ready for marriage considering his age, Lesley would be suitable to be his wife. Both our

    families would be happy to see them get married."

    The families of Andrew and Lesley had been close for generations, and Lesley had loveding over

    to visit Andrew since their childhood. She once even said that she wanted to marry Andrew when she

    grew up. Therefore, it would be of best interest to both sides if they strengthen their already strong

    connection through marriage.

    "Ah, how time flies! They are all grown up now. Before long, Susie will be married too."

    "Susie, do you already have someone that you want to marry? Tell Dad. I will help you," Ethan said, as

    he lovingly gazed at Susie.

    "What? No! I have no one, Dad! Also, aren''t we talking about Andrew and Lesley? How is it about me

    now? I am still too young to fall in love! And I want to stay home to keep you and Mompany."

    However, the way her eyes sparkled and face flushed gave something away. It seemed like she

    already had someone in her heart.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Arya used her finger to fondly tap on Susie''s forehead while saying, "No, you are not too young. When I

    was at your age I already had a crush on someone. I think you are ready for a romantic rtionship."

    Arya was Andrew''s father second wife, the first one being Andrew''s mother. Their divorce happened

    when Andrew was still very, very young, and Ethan married soon afterwards.

    As Ethan and his first wife were bounded by marriage out of the need for political advancement, their

    marriage was not founded on happiness and love, especially on the side of Ethan, who literally had no

    affection for self-asserting business women like his first wife. He had found true love with his second

    wife, and he intended to keep her for life.

 Chapter 169 Already Married

    Chapter 169 Already Married

    It was known from the start that Andrew''s mother never tried to force the marriage because she

    thought it was good for both of them. However as the going went tough for them, she agreed to end the

    marriage.

    Due to some unknown reasons, after the divorce, Andrew''s mother left the country and never came

    back. She never visited Andrew from that day on. Thus everyone assumed that she might have already

    forgotten that she had a son.

    On the contrary, Ethan married Arya right after he got divorced. Soon, they had a child together, whose

    name was Susie. Although she was a girl, Ethan loved her way more than he loved Andrew.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    All his life, as far as Andrew could remember, Ethan never cared about him at all. That was the reason

    why there was a distance between them. Nevertheless, Andrew was the only son in the family. He was

    raised and disciplined to be the sessor of both the business and the entire family. Yet, when he was

    still young, he had seen a lot of his kin scheming against each other for many different reasons. Thus,

    growing up, he didn''t build too much bond towards his family.

    "I do have an intimate feeling towards a man, but I don''t know if he feels the same. So, I am not sure

    yet," said Susie with a sheepish smile. She felt a little blue. Confiding her feelings towards her father

    was rather an awkward topic for such a youngdy like her.

    She was surprised, however, when Ethan responded, "My daughter is the best. How could any man

    refuse such a beautiful girl like you? He has to be a fool to do so."

    "Dad! Stop! I will figure it out myself! Just leave it to me! Okay?" Susie responded, looking like a spoiled

    child as she battered her eyshes at Ethan.

    "Okay, okay! I will take my hands off it. But, you have to promise me to keep me in the loop. If he hurts

    you, you have to let me know. I will make him pay for it," reckoned Ethan with a slight warning in his

    voice.

    Hearing that, Susie cracked a big smile and nodded. She was thankful that Ethan didn''t get mad at her

    for knowing that his precious child was starting to be infatuated to a man.

    "Dinner is ready!" said a servant motioning them to go to the dining hall.

    "Alright, let''s eat!" Ethan said to everyone.

    The five of them sat together and enjoyed the meal. Though the meal was sumptuous and the

    atmosphere was light and hearty, Andrew seemed like an outsider. Not even a slightest affection was

    felt in his heart for them; he wasn''t even considering them as family at the slightest sense.

    Where they shared the meal was a square dining table. Ethan and Arya sat on one side, while Susie

    and Lesley sat on their left side. Knowing his position in the family, Andrew sat alone by himself.

    Provided that his schedule for today was quite unupied, Andrew didn''t have anything important to

    do for the whole evening after he went to the Luo family''s party. Considering that he hadn''t eaten much

    during lunchtime, he was quite hungry, so he ate a few.

    "Andrew, try some of this," said Lesley while offering him a tter with an enticing dish. Voluntarily, she

    picked up a sweet and sour rib with her chopsticks and put it into Andrew''s bowl.

    Looking at him, Lesley knew what Andrew liked to eat, and yed along with him.

    Although the information she had about Andrew was a little out of date, she believed it would not

    change too much. It was understandable that Andrew might change what he liked over the years, but

    most of his hobbies and tastes should be the same.

    Surprised at Lesley''s actions, Andrew looked at the rib in his bowl and then lifted his head to look at

    Lesley, who was waiting for him to say something. Without showing any expression, he just simply put

    his chopsticks down and said, "You enjoy the meal. I am full."

    Lesley''s smile froze at his response. It was very awkward for her. She just picked up the rib for Andrew.

    The next second, he put down his chopsticks and stopped eating. She didn''t know if she had ruined his

    appetite for dinner.

    "Lesley, Andrew eats fast. He always gets full before any of us. Don''t worry about him. Just enjoy the

    meal with us," suggested Susie as she saw the worried frown on Lesley''s face.

    Shifting her attention towards Susie, Lesley gave her an appreciative look for saving her from the

    awkward situation. She smiled and nodded at her.

    In fact, Andrew really didn''t want to stay with his family for any longer. The thought that Ashley was

    alone at home waiting for him was killing him.

    All the while he thought that it was enough that he already came and had dinner. ncing at his

    wristwatch, he supposed it was about time for him to leave.

    Looking at the almost empty bowls, he assumed that the dinner was about to end. Thus, HE decided to

    say goodbye to his family. But before he could do so, Ethan opened his mouth and said, "Andrew, It''s

    late. I think you can give Lesley a ride home."

    Lifting her head at the mention of her name, Lesley was very happy to hear that. It meant she had a

    chance to have some alone time with Andrew. With her pale face, she looked at Andrew expecting that

    he would agree with his father. However, her exuberance didn''tst for too long as Andrew said

    expressionlessly, "The driver could do that."

    Hearing the rude response, Ethan was not pleased with Andrew''s answer. With his dark eyes, he eyed

    at him and said in dissatisfaction, "He could, but I asked you to do so."

    Determined to stand by his decision, Andrew resisted him by looking back at him in silence.

    Still seated at the dining table, Lesley was a little disappointed, but she didn''t give up. She knew that it

    would take some time for Andrew to like her. With the help of Ethan, she would have plenty of time to

    do so.

    Thus, grabbing the opportunity, Lesley walked over to Ethan and said considerately, "Mr. Lu, it''s okay

    for me to have the driver drive me home. We all know that Andrew worked for the whole day. He should

    get some rest."

    Simrly, Arya was not so thrilled at Andrew''s refusal to Ethan''s request. She found it so disrespectful

    that she disagreed and said, "It''ste. We can''t just let the driver send you back."

    Looking rather pathetic and helpless, Lesley responded, "I will be fine, Mrs. Lu. I believe he will bring

    me home safe and sound. Besides, I have learned Taekwondo. I can protect myself. No worries."

    "Okay, just be careful!" said Arya giving up on the idea of convincing Andrew.

    "Alright! Mr. and Mrs. Lu, thank you for the dinner. Sorry, I have to leave. I will see you next time!"

    Lesley said. She bade them goodbye.

    "Okay, I will see you soon," replied Arya waving her hand.

    "I will walk her out!" Putting her table napkin aside, Susie stood up, held Lesley''s arm and nced at

    her mother.

    "Sure. I know you want to spend more time with Lesley. Go ahead," said Arya with a sweet smile on

    her face.

    Hand in hand, Susie walked Lesley out of the living room. With the three of them left at the dining table,

    Ethan looked at Andrew and asked, "What do you think of Lesley?"

    With a confused expression on his face, Andrew lifted one of his brows and said, "What do you mean?"

    "I just want to know how you feel about being with her," exined Ethan, looking Andrew in the eye.

    Andrew''s eyes turned cold, and then he responded, "I don''t feel anything for her. It''s my life. I want to

    make the decision myself."

    "To be honest, I don''t care about your decision. She is going to be your wife. We''ve already made the

    decision. You just need to wait for it to happen!" Ethan said to Andrew without giving him a chance to

    argue.

    Yet, Andrew just sneered and said, "If you really think she is good, you should just marry her yourself. I

    won''t marry her anyway. By the way, I forgot to tell you, I''m already married."

    Andrew didn''t give Ethan a chance to ask another question. He just walked out the door after he

    finished speaking.

    Just as he was at some distance away from the house, he heard a loud noise came from the living

    room. At the living room, Ethan smashed a vase out of anger. With his trembling hands, he stared at

    Andrew''s retreating figure. The look he gave Andrew was not a look that a father would give to his son.

    It was rather a look an enemy used to give to his foe, fearless and indignant.

    "Did you hear what he just said? He said he was married, didn''t he?" Ethan turned his head and asked

    Arya.

    On the other hand, Arya was too afraid to say a word. Thus, she just looked at him and nodded.

    "He is the CEO of the Lu Group and the head of the Lu family. Doesn''t he know how many people are

    watching him and trying to take his position? How could he just marry a random girl? Any man would

    not give up his future for just a girl. He will realize it soon orter. Once he does, he will divorce her,"

    said Ethan with his hands waving angrily on the air.

    "Andrew?" By this time, Lesley had left with the driver. On her way back, Susie saw Andrew walking out

    the door with rage. She was terrified by how he looked and how he walked briskly towards his car.

    "Mom, Dad, do you know what happened to Andrew? Why is he so angry?" Susie asked as she

    entered the living room.

    Intending to stop her from asking further questions, Arya quickly walked to her and held her arm. She

    didn''t want Susie to know what was going on. Thus, she just said, "Nothing that really matters. You are

    still young. When you get older, you will understand. It''s gettingte now. Go to your room and get

    some sleep."

    Realizing that Arya was not telling her the truth, Susie curled up her lips with disapproval. It appeared

    that Arya just told her that she was already a big girl earlier in the dinner, yet now she somewhat

    contradicted her own statement. ording to her, she was still young when earlier she said that she

    was just at the right age. Susie was confused and didn''t know what was wrong with Arya. Yet she didn''t

    dare to argue seeing that Ethan was annoyed. Instead, she just went upstairs to her bedroom.

    Meanwhile, it was reallyte when Andrew arrived home. He sneaked into the bedroom. When he saw

    Ashley curl up calmly in the bed, a great satisfaction rose to his heart.

    As quiet as he could, Andrew took a shower and stealthily crept into the bed lying beside Ashley. As he

    seeded on not waking her up, a sinister smile was drawn on his face as he gazed at her angelic

    face. Smelling her sweet scent, he couldn''t resist touching her milky white skin that glistened with the

    moonlight which sneaked through the curtains by the window.

    As a gentle breeze swept over him, Andrew felt hotter. Though the servants already put the thick

    comforters away and the pajamas he was wearing was the thin types too, he was confused as what

    caused the sudden warming of the temperature.

    With one more person under the cover, Ashley felt a little hot too. Feeling a little ufortable now,

    she tossed and turned her body and lifted her left arm and leg on the top of the cover.

    Her face turned a little red because of the warm temperature, and she looked peaceful when she was

    sleeping. Her longshes wereying on her closed eyes, and her lips were like roses in full bloom. In

    the dim light, she looked like Sleeping Beauty and Andrew couldn''t help but hold his breath at the sight

    of such a lovely maiden.

 Chapter 170 Unconcealed Love

    Chapter 170 Unconcealed Love

    Ashley''s sleeping position was a big turn-on for Andrew. His eyes turned darker as he looked at her

    bare skin. However, he didn''t want to force himself on Ashley. He promised himself that he would just

    kiss her once and that would be all.

    Andrew quietly leaned over and kissed a sleeping Ashley. She tasted so wonderful. He couldn''t stop

    himself. He had to have more of her.

    He kissed her on her lips and her cheeks. As a result, one kiss turned to many. He couldn''t keep count

    anymore. He kept ncing at her furtively to make sure she was asleep. Thankfully, shey still. It

    seemed that she was having a good dream, as there was a sweet smile on her face. Andrew couldn''t

    stop himself from nipping the smooth skin on her neck gently.

    He didn''t expect to leave a mark, but when he saw it, his breath got heavier.

    Ashley stirred a bit. She could feel something on her. It was so heavy that she could barely breath. She

    turned a little and tried to shake the thing off, but it wouldn''t budge. Then it bit her. She frowned and

    opened her eyes slowly and reluctantly.

    It was dark, and all she could make out was that the thing on her was a man. She was unable to see

    his face clearly. She felt her ear being licked by him. Her first reaction was fear.

    Ashley swallowed hard. Suddenly she smelled the vani perfume that Andrew used all the time.

    Knowing it was him and not an intruder, she rxed.

    Anything unfamiliar at this hour in a dark room could be very scary.

    Ashley rubbed her eyes to see Andrew''s face clearly. "You are home," she mumbled sleepily.

    Her voice was still a little croaky.

    Andrew froze at the sound of her voice. He didn''t move for a while, then he let go of her. He replied

    with a simple "Hmm."

    Earlier, Ashley had been tossing and turning in bed. She had been thinking of him. She fell asleep not

    long ago. Now, she was awake. She was wildly awake.

    Both of themy in the bed. Nobody said a word. For a while, the only thing they could hear was the

    sound of crickets.

    "Can''t sleep?" Andrew asked.

    After a little hesitation, Ashley nodded. It was really hard for her to act like nothing had happened after

    knowing his true identity.

    "Let''s do something fun then," said Andrew. Before she could ask, Andrew grabbed her hand and put it

    between his legs. Ashley suddenly realized what he was talking about.

    Her face turned red. She could feel how hard and hot it had be. She really wanted to take her

    hand away, but Andrew wasn''t going to let her.

    "I think we should just go to sleep," Ashley suggested. Her voice was shaking, but it sounded like an

    invitation to Andrew.

    "Okay. We will..ter," Andrew responded. He didn''t give her any room to back off.

    He had waited for so long. He just couldn''t control himself anymore.

    Ashley had never seen Andrew like this. He was always so calm and in control of his emotions; his

    expression barely changed. But right now, he was looking and acting like a normal red-blooded man,

    full of passion.

    Finally, Ashley gave in. She cried when it happened the first time but that didn''t stop Andrew.

    The pain didn''tst long, and soon she started to moan. Their lovemaking was wild, and their passion

    was endless. Ashley thought she would pass out in ecstasy, but Andrew didn''t stop. Ashley matched

    his rhythm. With every orgasm, she couldn''t help but hold him tighter, her nails digging into his back.

    His back was now marked with scratches.

    They made love until dawn. When Andrew finished, he kissed the tears on the corners of her eyes.

    Then he put his lips against her forehead and fell asleep with her in his arms.

    The next morning, Ashley was awakened by her rumbling stomach. She had barely eaten at the party.

    She had been too worried about facing Andrew to bother eating. Andst night, every bit of her energy

    was used up. She had built up a voracious appetite.

    Every part of her body, including the ce down there, felt sore.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    She had managed to take the covers off with one hand. There was quite a bit of bruising from the love

    bites that Andrew had given her. She tried to get out of the bed, but she was too sore to move.

    So she justy there and thought about what happenedst night. She had a hard time believing what

    had happened.

    She didn''t feel guilty. Maybe because they were already married, and it was normal for a couple to

    make love to each other. Or, maybe there was another reason. Ashley didn''t have the time or energy to

    dig deeper into her emotions at this point.

    Andrew''s side of the bed was cold. Ashley didn''t know where he was. She looked outside; it was about

    noon. She guessed that he probably went to work.

    She was d that he was not home. She still didn''t know how to face him.

    Shey in the bed a little longer. Finally, her hungry stomach gave her the strength to get out of bed.

    She pushed back the covers thinking that she was ready to take a shower now.

    When she tried to stand, her legs gave way. She felt a sharp pain and was about to fall. She cried out.

    But the next moment she fell into a warm embrace. She heard Andrew''s low, sexy voice. "Are you

    alright?" he asked anxiously.

    Ashley was shocked! ''What the hell? What is happening? Where did youe from? Aren''t you

    supposed to be at work? Why are you here?'' A series of questions buzzed in her mind.

    She wanted to jump right back onto bed and hide under the covers.

    She felt very shy because of their hot encounterst night.

    Her thoughts were running wild, but she kept her expression calm.

    "Hey, you can put me down now," she said softly.

    "Are you sure?" Andrew asked with a wicked smile.

    Ashley didn''t understand why he asked her that, but he put her down anyway. Her legs were obviously

    still weak, so she fell back into his arms.

    Now she understood why he asked her that question. He was teasing her!

    ''Oh crap!'' Ashley cursed internally.

    She decided to y dumb. She closed her eyes and pretended she didn''t hear it.

    With Andrew''s help, Ashley finally managed to go to the bathroom. He helped her brush her teeth and

    wash her face, and he carried her back to the bedroom.

    Of course, Ashley kept her eyes down and didn''t say a word the entire time. She really didn''t know

    what to say.

    The only sound came from her stomach. When Andrew put her onto bed, her stomach started to

    protest louder.

    Ashley''s face turned red again. She held her stomach, trying to keep it quiet, and avoided eye contact

    with Andrew. She had never felt more embarrassed. She wished she had a magic pen, like the one

    Agent Jay had, so she could erase this horrid memory from Andrew''s mind.

    Maybe she imagined it but she thought she heard himugh at her. "Wait a second," he said. Then, he

    left the room.

    Ashley let out a sigh of relief. She buried her head deep in the pillow and screamed, "Great job, Ash!

    You totally embarrassed yourself today. Oh my God! That was so awful! I think heughed at me. Yup,

    he definitely did. He definitelyughed at me!" She felt so helpless.

    "What''s wrong?" Andrew asked. Hearing his voice, Ashley froze, her head still buried in the

    pillow.

 Chapter 171 A Wonderful Day

    Chapter 171 A Wonderful Day

    Time had stopped. Ashley hadn''t expected Andrew to return so soon.

    It felt like just a few seconds for her! She hadn''t even had enough time to vent all her feelings.

    Ashley put on a poker face, lifted her head like nothing had happened and coolly responded, "Nothing."

    A delicious smell found its way to Ashley''s nose. She traced it to the bowl in Andrew''s hand. Her eyes

    lit up when she saw what was in his hand.

    It was her favorite¡ªcongee with minced preserved eggs and pork.

    Andrew broke into a smile when he saw her eyeing the food hungrily. "Have some of this. It will hold

    you up until I finish cooking," he said.

    Ashley nodded and reached out to take the bowl from him. But he didn''t let go of the bowl. "Let me help

    you," he offered instead.

    Ashley thought about it. She didn''t want to embarrass herself further by spilling it on the bed, so she

    didn''t resist.

    Andrew was pleased by her good behavior. He looked at her dreamily. His usually cold, unreadable,

    emotionless expression was gone.

    "Are you feeling better?" he asked.

    Ashley looked up from the bowl with her mouth full of food. She looked just like a little hamster.

    She looked puzzled. ''Why is he interrupting me when I am famished?'' she thought.

    Andrew couldn''t help but poke her bulging cheeks.

    Ashley frowned. She red at him to show her dissatisfaction.

    She chewed faster. After she had swallowed thest bit of food in her mouth, she spoke. "What did you

    say?" she asked.

    "Are you feeling better?" Andrew repeated. He looked at Ashley like she was his whole world.

    She nodded. But Andrew''s eyes were still on her. She suddenly realized he was asking if she was

    feeling better down there. She blushed and quickly shook her head.

    Andrew couldn''t hold it any longer. He burst outughing and said, "I really couldn''t tell if you''re feeling

    better or not. I am going to ask you again. Are you feeling better?"

    Ashley looked him with puppy dog eyes. "No. It hurts," she mumbled.

    Andrew rubbed her head and pursed his lips. "I promise it won''t happen again. I will be very careful

    next time."

    Their first time had happened under the influence of drugs. Andrew vaguely knew what was going on,

    but he med his indiscretion on the drugs. It had been a long time since that night. Andrew really

    thought he had better controlst night. If he had unleashed himself on her, she would barely be able to

    stand.

    If Ashley found out what was on his mind, she would probably pass out.

    Ashley suddenly coughed. Andrew''s words had made her choke. Tears were pooling in her eyes. She

    shot him a warning look. There was no way she was going to let him do this next time.

    Andrewpletely understood her, even though she didn''t say a single word.

    Ignoring her warning, he wiped the food on the corner of her mouth and said, "Slow down. It''s all

    yours."

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    He made it sound like she choked because she was eating too fast. This was absolutely untrue.

    "Oh my God! I forgot to tell Ellie that I am taking the day off," she said suddenly. She started to look for

    her phone on the bed.

    Andrew put the spoon in the bowl and held her hand. "Calm down. I already told her," he said.

    "Oh, okay. Thank you," replied Ashley. "You are wee," said Andrew. He picked up the spoon and

    went back to feed her the congee. She tried to avoid eye contact with him, and looked around like it

    was her first time be in the room.

    The bowl of congee was emptied very quickly. Ashley finally focused on him. She asked, "Are you not

    going to work today?"

    "Hmm. I took the day off to spend time with you," he answered.

    It was very sweet of him. Ashley was very happy to hear that.

    But she said, "You work is very important. I will be fine. You can go to your office."

    Although it was very nice of him to take the day off to keep herpany, she didn''t really want to be

    alone with him.

    "It''s alright. I can work from home," he assured her. He rubbed her head and continued, "I will leave

    you alone. Get some more rest."

    Ashley nodded, watching him leave. She finally felt like herself again.

    Every part of her body was aching. It felt like she would die.

    After lying down for a while, Ashley felt much better. Once again, her stomach gave her the strength to

    walk out of the room to go look for some nourishment.

    The congee that Andrew fed her didn''t hold her for too long.

    She made her way to the kitchen, but she didn''t see ire. She wondered where her housekeeper

    might be.

    Ashley called out her name. ire didn''t hear her, but Andrew did.

    He walked out of his study, which was on the second floor. He smiled when he saw Ashley on the first

    floor looking for ire.

    "ire had some family issues to take care of, so I gave her the day off. What do you need?" he

    asked.

    Ashley felt bad about disturbing Andrew. She really didn''t want to be a burden on him.

    "Oh, it''s nothing important. I just didn''t see her, so I was wondering where she might be. Sorry for

    bothering you! I am fine. You can get back to your work," she said.

    "Okay, let me know if you need me!" he said and walked back to his study.

    Ashley took out a bag of chips from her hiding spot. She made herselffortable on the couch and

    turned on the TV.

    These chips were precious. They were unhealthy. Andrew didn''t want her to eat them, so it was really

    hard for her to sneak them into the house.

    The chips were yummy, and the show was great. Ashley enjoyed the experience very much, but

    somehow another wave of exhaustion hit her. Ashley closed her drowsy eyes and fell asleep.

    Andrew didn''t hear any noise from Ashley anymore. He walked out and tried to check on her. He saw

    that Ashley fell asleep on the couch with a big of opened chips and the TV was on.

    He walked over to her and tried to take the bag of chips from her hand. However, she held it tightly and

    frowned. ''She won''t let her chips go even in her sleep, '' thought Andrew and smiled at her cute

    retaliation.

    "Let it go. I will give it back to youter," he pleaded gently. He tugged at the bag of chips softly and

    finally managed to remove it from her grasp. Andrew took her to bed and gazed at her beautiful face.

    He never thought he would find a woman whom he would love to spend every single day with. They

    shared every moment together. The first thing he saw every morning when he opened his eyes was her

    pretty face.

    It was really wonderful. If he could, he would stop the time, so that he could enjoy this moment longer.

    "Hmm..." Ashley stretched and opened her eyes slowly. The room looked different. She suddenly sat

    up straight.

    Thest thing she remembered was eating chips on the couch and watching TV. She didn''t know how

    she ended up in the bedroom.

    Ashley had no idea what happened. She wondered if she had a ckout.

 Chapter 172 The Fight

    Chapter 172 The Fight

    "Are you awake?" said Andrew in a soft voice like talking to a child. When Ashley was trying to

    remember what had happened, Andrew''s voice interrupted her, making her jerk a little in surprise.

    Hearing his voice, she turned and saw Andrew walking into the room.

    Ashley nodded her head and asked, "Why I am here?"

    "You fell asleep on the couch. I was afraid that you might catch a cold, so I took you here," answered

    Andrew with a sly expression on his face.

    Realizing that she was caught in the act, Ashley couldn''t utter a word. Since Andrew had transferred

    her from the couch to the bed, he must have found out that she was eating chips. That meant a

    disaster for Ashley. She peeked at him and tried to see if he was angry.

    "Are you hungry? Let''s go downstairs and eat," Andrew suggested. From the sound of his voice,

    Ashley was relieved that he didn''t get mad at her, making her draw a deep sigh of relief.

    The moment she woke up, she felt quite okay. But when Andrew mentioned something about eating,

    she rubbed her belly and realized that she was hungry at the moment, so she walked down with

    Andrew.

    At the dining table, the food was wonderful. The dishes prepared looked tasty and smelled great. The

    sight and aroma immediately caught Ashley''s eyes. She couldn''t help but wonder who had prepared all

    these. ire was not working today, so it was not her. Only the two of them were at the house since

    yesterday. Moreover, Ashley was asleep most of the time. Thus, Andrew had be the one who was

    responsible for preparing all the delicious dishes.

    With the mystery solved that Andrew had made the food, a satisfied and grateful smile was drawn on

    Ashley''s face. She looked at his direction, and was thankful for him for everything he had done for her.

    Staring at the food, Ashley sat still. Andrew put the chopsticks in her hand and asked, "What''s the

    matter? Just give them a try, and see if they taste good."

    "Did you cook all of them?" Ashley looked at Andrew and asked. She was still surprised at the feast

    prepared in front of her. All this time, living with him, Ashley remembered correctly that Andrew only

    knew how to make some easy breakfast. She didn''t expect all those delicious dishes were cooked by

    him.

    With a confident smile, Andrew nodded and exined, "I learned how to cook at my spare time."

    Without Ashley''s knowledge, the truth was that Andrew took a ss for it. When they first had a meal

    together at home, Ashley joked that he should learn how to cook a real meal, so he took some cooking

    lessons just to meet her request. From that moment on, he said to himself that he wanted to cook for

    Ashley and enjoy them all together with her for the rest of their lives.

    Culinary arts and cooking lessons were not hard for him at all. People with high IQ like him could learn

    anything very quickly and be good at it in a blink of an eye.

    Craving for the mouth-watering meal, Ashley tried a piece of green pepper. The moment it touched her

    mouth, her eyes lit up immediately. She looked at Andrew andplimented, "Great job! It tastes

    yummy!"

    Seeing the expression on her face, Andrew smiled, "I am d that you like it!"

    Being a serious person as he was, Andrew had no habit of smiling that often. But when he did so, it

    would be considered rare and special. Thus, looking at his smile now, Ashley felt she could drown into

    it. However, she quickly realized she made a faux pas indulging into him. With a little embarrassment,

    she moved her eyes away from Andrew and looked down.

    To shun the awkwardness off, she turned her attention on the food and continued eating. Later, she

    was full, happy and satisfied. She couldn''t ask for more.

    When Andrew finished cleaning up the table, Ashley was still sitting on the chair, rubbing her belly.

    It seemed that Ashley liked the food Andrew made for her. With the way she ate, one would say that

    she might stuff herself to death.

    Joining her at the table, Andrew frowned and looked at Ashley. He was concerned about her health that

    she might be sick because of eating too much. "Should I call a doctor over?"

    Hearing that, Ashley waved her hand and responded, "No, there is no need for a doctor. I''ll be fine if I

    just sit for a while or maybe take a walk."

    There was no way that Ashley would let Andrew call a doctor to check on her on the count of

    overeating. The idea would be too embarrassing for her. She would be humiliated if the doctor found

    out that she just simply ate too much.

    Holding her hands to assist her, Andrew took Ashley to the living room and put her on the couch. He

    sat right next to her and rubbed her belly gently.

    Thankful for the gentle rub, Ashley felt a little drowsy as Andrew''s hand was big and warm. When he

    put it over Ashley''s belly, it almost covered her whole belly. Considering that it was a little bulgy and full,

    Ashley was a little shy at the first, and her face blushed.

    However, Andrew''s warm hand felt good on her tummy. And he rubbed it very gently. Ashley enjoyed it,

    so she didn''t resist anymore.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    From the way it felt on her tummy, Andrew''s hand had a very thinyer of callus. Ashley could felt it

    through her shirt as he continued giving her a gentle rub.

    While enjoying the treat from Andrew, she started wondering how he got those thin calluses. He was

    the CEO of the Lu Group after all. He shouldn''t have to pick up anything heavy or do tasks that

    required his hands. He usually just used his hand to hold a pen. Ashley didn''t know why he had

    calluses on his hands.

    Time gradually passed. Andrew had rubbed her belly for about half an hour, and Ashley couldn''t feel

    any better.

    It waste, but Ashley didn''t want to go to sleep. She already slept a lot. Thus, she headed to the

    bathroom to wash up. Then, she started to ying with her phone on the bed.

    Not long after when she had justid on the bed after a fresh shower, Andrew joined her. She felt the

    bed sunk with his weight, which made her slow her movement.

    "Come over here!" Andrew said to Ashley.

    Ashley was still ying with her phone at this time. Andrew waved his hand to just get her attention

    and tried to call her over as she was so busy with the game.

    She didn''t like the way he called her over. She felt that he treated her like a puppy.

    However, Ashley moved closer and asked, "What do you need?"

    Leaning over to her, Andrew whispered to her ears. Ashley blushed immediately. She jumped inches

    away from him, and she was instantly on alert. She nodded in approval of what Andrew had whispered

    to her.

    Though Ashley didn''t want to feel the pain she suffered fromst night, still, she was touched by

    Andrew''s show of concern.

    The sight of the alerted Ashley was really cute in Andrew''s eyes. A sheepish smile was drawn on his

    face when he looked at her. He took a ster out from the bedside table and called her over. "Come

    over. I promise I won''t hurt you. I just want to put some medicine for you."

    "Why? I''m not hurt! I don''t have any wounds," said Ashley. With her eyebrows raised a little, she was

    still on alert, and she was confused too.

    With a big smile on his face, Andrew nced at Ashley''s thighs. He winked at her and teased her by

    saying, "Are you sure?"

    Ashley followed his eyes and looked down on her bare thighs. Her face blushed again. Blurting the

    words out, she said, "I will do it myself." Then, she quickly snapped the ster from his hand.

    However, Andrew easily took it back from her and said, "Let me help you. You can''t see clearly from

    there."

    "Nope! I think I am fine without it. It doesn''t hurt anymore," responded Ashley. Flushed and ashamed,

    she suddenlyid on the bed, covered herself and turned her back at Andrew to show her resistance.

    From her reaction, Andrew knew he had already annoyed her, so he hunched over and hugged her.

    "Are you mad?" he asked.

    Hearing that, Ashley hid her head deeper under the covers. It blocked her voice when she said angrily,

    "No! I am not!"

    "That''s great! If you are okay, let''s pick up from where we have leftst night then. I am sure..." Andrew

    wasn''t able to finish his sentence as Ashley threw back the covers and covered him. She punched the

    covers lightly to vent her frustration.

    As she was attacking Andrew, she yelled angrily, "I refuse!"

    Under the covers, Andrew couldn''t see her expression, but he knew perfectly well that she was very

    angry. If given a chance, she would kick him with all her strength and he would be tumbling out of the

    bed in no time.

    They started a fight under the covers like little kids on a pillow fight. The battle ended with Andrew

    gaining full control. Pinning her down, he was able to put some medicine on Ashley''s thighs. After he

    finished, Ashley ducked back into the covers and went silent.

    Andrew held Ashley in his arms. No matter how she resisted, he wouldn''t let her go. Thus Ashley was

    quickly worn out.

    "Andrew! Let me go! It feels hot to hold me like that! Don''t you feel it?"

    Ashley was worn out. She couldn''t deal with him anymore, so she put her face out of the covers, faced

    Andrew and yelled.

    Andrew was amused by her temper, but he gave her an innocent look and asked, "Do you feel hot? I

    will turn the air conditioner on for you then." On the bedside table, he grabbed the controller and

    pretended to click the button.

    "God! You are... You are so annoying!" said Ashley who was still locked in Andrew''s arms. By this time,

    she was too annoyed to utter anything else to Andrew. Ashley was desperate to free herself from his

    grasps. She looked at him trying to find the cool Andrew from his eyes. She was trying to persuade him

    to let her go to have her rest. However, looking at him, she couldn''t believe this annoying and merciless

    person who was holding her was Andrew.

    "What''s wrong? You said you were hot! I am just trying to help," said Andrew teasingly. With a sly smile

    on his face, he looked at her innocently. From the way he looked at her, Ashley could feel the passion

    and warmth that he desperately wanted to share with her.

 Chapter 173 Lena Plots To Get Andrew

    Chapter 173 Lena Plots To Get Andrew

    At Spencer and Peggy''s home

    Peggy was sitting on the sofa, nursing her swollen face and ring furiously at Spencer. She gritted

    her teeth as she said, "Why did you do this to me, Spencer Mu? How could you side with Ashley and

    p me in front of so many people? You are supposed to stand up for me!"

    Peggy''s sharp, dramatic voice brought a frown to Spencer''s face and he lost his patience. "Do you

    have any idea what you''re talking about?" he barked. "Do you know who the man standing next to

    Ashley was? He has enough money to finish our family in the blink of an eye! How dare you act against

    him! You''d be happy to see our family go to dust, wouldn''t you?"

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    Peggy couldn''t believe her ears. "But Ashley shouldn''t be able to know someone like that!" she said

    petntly. "Just be honest and tell me whether you''ve been wanting to hit me for a while and used this

    as the perfect asion to shame me. Are you tired of me?" Peggy kept up with her questions. She was

    now making a scene, which further irritated Spencer.

    He pointed at Peggy and roared, "Why can''t you just understand? Why do you have to be so

    annoying? I have exined clearly that we can''t afford to be that man''s enemy. You were there and you

    saw how much he cared for Ashley. Did you stop to even think of what disastrous consequences would

    have awaited us if you had continued treating Ashley like you did? There would be no room in J City for

    our family if the man had truly be enraged!

    Even Clyde spoke deferentially to that man. Or didn''t you notice that? You are way too insensitive, and

    you only care about how you can squander money every day with your richdy friends. And you don''t

    even think of trying and getting to know more about the circle!"

    Peggy sneered. "Hah, Spencer Mu, you are now bing dissatisfied with me, aren''t you? You dislike

    me for using your money. And you hate me for never earning any back. You''ve started to loathe me

    because of the money, haven''t you?

    But guess what? I have so many appointments with those richdies¡ªjust for you! I keep trying to

    break into their circle and know more about them, but it looks like you think of me as just another

    woman addicted to vanity!"

    Spencer frowned again as he looked at the woman he had been married to for more than twenty years.

    He sighed and tried to mollify her. "I didn''t mean it like that. Don''t take it seriously."

    "Mom? Dad? What are you doing? Mom, are you okay? Why are you sitting on the floor?" Lena''s voice

    sounded from the door of the parlor. Surprised at the scene in front of her, she hurried in to help her

    mother up.

    As Raymond''s fiancee, Lena had to entertain the guests at the party with him. She didn''t leave the Luo

    family until all the guests had left.

    Spencer, on the other hand, had taken Peggy home early to avoid more embarrassment, considering

    that Peggy was already in such a mood.

    When Lena saw her mother''s swollen face, her voice wasced with worry as she said, "Mom, your

    face must hurt. Let me call a doctor to get it treated."

    Peggy jerked her head away as she looked at Spencer usingly. "You know who did this to me."

    Lena turned to look at her father. "Dad, I know that Mom made a mistake, but you didn''t have to fly into

    such a temper and hit her so hard," she said, clearly unhappy with her father''s behavior.

    Spencer opened his mouth to defend himself, but Lena threw him a look that silenced him. She turned

    around tofort her mother. "Mom, let''s go upstairs and get some rest."

    After making sure that her mother had settled into bed upstairs, Lena walked down and saw her father

    sitting on the sofa, smoking. She frowned and said, concerned, "Dad, perhaps you should cut down on

    your smoking. You know it''s not good for health."

    Hearing his daughter''s concern, Spencer smiled slightly and put his cigarette away. Spencer was fond

    of Lena. He appreciated her perfect manner and her excellent school record. And now, she was

    Raymond''s fiancee, something that could improve the connections between the two families.

    "How is Peggy?" he asked.

    Lena sat down next to her father and responded, "You know what Mom is like when she works up a

    temper. You pped her in front of everyone at the party, so it''s natural for her to get upset and angry

    right now."

    "If I hadn''t hit her, our family would have been at the risk of copsing," Spencer said, sighing.

    Lena rolled her eyes. But she brightened as thought struck her. She asked, "Dad, is the man really so

    powerful? Is he truly the CEO of the Lu Group?" Lena gazed at her father in curiosity and confusion.

    Spencer nodded and said, "It''s true. Although I didn''t see for myself to confirm his identity, Clyde said

    he was and treated him with so much respect. How could this be false?"

    Lena grew more confident of her idea and asked Spencer, "Dad, what do you think I''m really like?"

    Spencer looked at Lena, confused at where she was going with this. She had been given the best of

    everything in her life so far. She was cultured and educated, and had grown into an elegantdy.

    Everything that he and Peggy did well, Lena excelled in. There was no doubt in his mind that she was

    an amazing woman.

    He smiled and said confidently, "My daughter is the best in this world."

    She heard her father loud and clear, following which she asked a question that was surprising and

    shocking. "Then if a man has to choose between me and Ashley, who do you think he will pick?"

    Spencer frowned. "Lena, what are you nning?" he asked worriedly. "I need to warn you that this man

    cannot be yed with. A tiny mistake can put the whole family at risk. The fate of this family is at that

    man''s mercy. Don''t underestimate him. Besides, you are now Raymond''s fiancee."

    Lena became upset about her father''sst sentence. She thought, ''Fiancee? That''s not a big deal. I''m

    not yet married to Raymond. Anything is possible even now and if Raymond falls for Ashley, I can give

    them an opportunity to make their marriage happen while I have my Andrew.''

    Lena became excited at the mere thought of that man. She regretted not knowing about this man who

    was from J City''s most prominent family, one that could bring her fame and money.

    She plotted her next moves. ''Ashley is but an orphan whose life depended on my kind family. Were it

    not for us, she would never have gotten a chance to meet that man.

    If I could steal Raymond from Ashley, then I can make Andrew love me better than he loves Ashley as

    well. After all, I am superior to her in all aspects!''

    mes of ambition burned like fire and danced in Lena''s eyes as she made up her mind to win Andrew

    from Ashley.

    "Thank you for your advice, Dad. I know what I''m doing. I will never do anything to harm the Mu Group.

    Just wait and watch, Dad. I will make our family prosper and flourish, and make it stronger than every

    family in the city!" Lena said determinedly.

    Spencer gazed at his daughter with fondness and pride. He knew that she would never stray from the

    right path. He didn''t say anything in response but he could feel his concerns disappear. His Lena

    always got things done and never disappointed him.

    "Alright, Dad. It''ste. I need to go to sleep now. You should get some rest too," Lena said, waved at

    her father, and went upstairs. The prospect of owning that man exhrated her. She must now add

    flesh to the bones of her n to approach the man and let him fall in love with her. She had to make

    sure that that n was perfect.

    Lena went back to her bedroom, sankfortable into her big-sized bed, and immersed herself in

    thoughts of Andrew''s gorgeous and extremely attractive face, which made her heartbeat quicken.

    She never felt like this with Raymond. She thought, ''I guess this is natural. Raymond is nothing but a

    second-hand man that I got from Ashley. Andrew''s charm dwarfs Raymond!''

    A memory shot through her mind that caused her to jump out of her bed.

    She vaguely remembered Peggy threatening to get Ashley married off to some other man so that

    Ashley could break up with Raymond. The man that Ashley had been forced to marry was

    Andrew!

 Chapter 174 The Visit

    Chapter 174 The Visit

    Lena berated her mother Peggy in her head. ''If it weren''t for your arrogance and ignorance, we

    wouldn''t be in this position!'' Lena believed that if Peggy didn''t make the decision by herself, Andrew

    would not marry Ashley in the first ce!

    To Lena, marriage was just a contract printed on a piece of paper¡ªnothing more, nothing less. Since it

    didn''t mean much to her, she didn''t mind being the third person in their marriage. As long as she tried

    hard, Andrew would divorce Ashley. After all, Ashley had, and was, nothing.

    It was obvious that Andrew was only interested in her for the time being because of how she looked.

    The next day, Andrew drove Ashley to her bakery, as usual.

    "I will pick you at five this afternoon," Andrew said.

    Ashley was busy unbuckling her seat belt. Because of that, she didn''t bother to lift her head to look at

    him, and instead, she mindlessly responded, "I think I will go home by myself today. After work, Ellie

    and I are going to visit her grandparents."

    Actually, Ashley was a little afraid of telling him that. Narrowing his eyes, Andrew took a deep breath

    and said, "Okay." Ashely was about to let out a sigh of relief when Andrew suddenly added, "But it

    might be hard for you to get a taxi there. I will ask Johnny to pick you up."

    With that, Ashley just nodded as she tried to avoid any eye contact with Andrew. After she gathered all

    her things, she bid goodbye to Andrew. "Okay then, I''ll be leaving now. Bye!"

    As she tried to open the car door, she discovered that it was locked. Confused, she turned and looked

    at Andrew. He looked at her, lifted one of his brows and smiled at her teasingly. She pursed her lips,

    looked outside and looked back at him again. She quickly kissed him on the cheek, unlocked the door

    and left.

    Then, she ran as fast as she could into the store.

    Andrew was not fully satisfied with the kiss, but he was d that they had started to act like a couple.

    Seeing Andrew''s car leave, Ashley was about to get into the store when a familiar figure came out of a

    beautiful Ferrari.

    Ashley saw this out of the corner of her eyes, and was immediately intrigued as to who it might be. She

    then hid behind a sign and tried to see who it was. A person stepped out of the driver''s side. The guy

    slowly walked to the passenger side and opened the door. Then, Ellie walked out. ''What''s happening?''

    Ashley thought to herself as she looked on.

    Ellie continued on her way to the store, so Ashley quickly walked in so that Ellie wouldn''t find her.

    "Hey, I think I at least earned myself a ''thank you'' from you for getting up so early to drive you here!

    Hey!" Francis started protesting. He was wearing a red t-shirt, which suited his gorgeous face very well.

    As he said that, he was leaning against the car, with his brows slightly raised and a cynical smile on his

    face. Truly, he was such a beautiful man that many girls would love to date.

    But as it turned out, Ellie was an exception. Upon hearing Francis'' sentiments, she stopped in her

    tracks, slowly turned around, and calmly said, "You volunteered yourself. I didn''t ask you to do any of

    this."

    Well, she was right. She never asked. Francis became obviously flustered. He stood in silence as if he

    didn''t know how to respond her.

    For the past few days, he had followed her pretty much everywhere. This particr morning, something

    weird came over him, and he didn''t know what it was, but he somehow got up, came to Ellie''s door and

    was more than ready to drive her to work.

    Ellie obviously refused him at the first. However, Francis insisted so much. Within half an hour, he tried

    his best to persuade Ellie to let him take her to work. Since Ellie was about to bete because of him,

    so she had no choice but to agree and get into his car.

    As he was realizing all of these, Francis became stunned. Then, he started to think about why he was

    so shamelessly trying to drive Ellie to work.

    As Francis pondered on what his real intentions were, Ellie let out a huge sigh, turned around and

    entered the bakery.

    The second she walked through the door, Ashley pulled her to the side. With her eyes squinted and a

    smart look on her face, she asked, "Hey sis. You''d better catch me up with what''s going on. I already

    saw everything!"

    "What are you talking about? What did you see?" Ellie asked in confusion.

    "Oh wow. So you''re really going to y dumb, huh? Just tell who he is. Who is that guy who drove you

    here? When did you start seeing him? How old is he? Where does he live? How could you not tell

    anything to me?"

    Since it was a little far, Ashely didn''t have a chance to take a good look at the face of Ellie''s man.

    Despite that, Ashley thought that he looked very familiar, as if he was someone she had already met

    before, but she really couldn''t remember.

    Ellie steadied the giddy Ashley and said calmly, "He is nobody but a stranger."

    Clearly, Ashley didn''t buy the answer. Pouting her lips as if in deep thought, she questioned Ellie

    further, "A stranger? No stranger would pick up a girl at her house and drive her to work! He is clearly

    into you and I know you know it!"

    Ashley was totally excited about Ellie''s love life. Stars were already in her eyes. She looked at her best

    friend, and started begging, "Please tell me! Please! I am just so curious! I also want to meet him!"

    There was already a resigned look on Ellie''s face. Soon enough, her lips curved into a helpless smile.

    Rolling her eyes yfully, she responded, "There is nothing going on between us, Ashley. And there is

    nothing for you to be curious about."

    "No way! It was my first time seeing you to be so close to a man! You have to tell me something!"

    insisted Ashley.

    But Ellie didn''t want to continue the topic any longer so she just walked away from Ashley with the

    intent of preparing herself for work. However, Ashley didn''t give up. Silently, she followed her and said,

    "You know you don''t have to hide from me. You are an adult, and I think it''s time for you to think about

    your future. Seeing a man is a good start! If you two get along well, you can go ahead and get married

    with him and have few kids with him. Then it''s happy every after! How does that sound?"

    Ellie nced at Ashley, her face devoid of any feelings. In a t tone, she responded, "We are different,

    and we want different things in our lives. I don''t believe happily ever after. I also don''t want to waste my

    time and energy on a stranger."

    When Ellie was young, her parents divorced. For someone so young to experience that was horrible.

    From what she remembered, her father was a notorious gambler and a raging alcoholic. Every time he

    lost in the casino, he would get drunk and physically abuse her and her mother. Even if she was

    extremely young then, he would already call her a bitch.

    The first few times that that happened, Ellie''s mother would try to protect her. She would fight back

    against her husband. But her resistance brought out a more dangerous devil from her husband. They

    would be beaten up more, so she finally gave up and just put up with it. She stopped fighting and

    protecting Ellie.

    Ellie''s mother hated her life, but she couldn''t escape from it. Thus, she took her anger out on Ellie.

    Before long, she would also abuse her mentally and physically.

    Before her parents'' divorce, Ellie''s mother found a way to avoid her father. She would dress herself up

    and leave the house in the morning. Then, she woulde backte at night.

    Finally, when she found another man, she left their house. When she left, she didn''t even look at Ellie.

    Fortunately, Ellie''s grandparents knew about everything that was happening. And because of that,

    instead of leaving Ellie to her father, they decided to take her in and let her stay with them. If it wasn''t

    for her grandparents, Ellie didn''t know what would happen to her. She didn''t know whether she would

    still be alive.

    Jean sighed, "People are different. You should try to see how other people are. If you don''t try, how

    would know for sure? Give other people a chance to prove that they''re not like your parents.

    I think your grandparents would love to see you being with someone you love. They might really enjoy

    having a grandchild."

    And with that, once again, Ashley''s eyes lit up. She found the best way to pressure Ellie getting in a

    rtionship. She could tell Brown and Laura everything, and if they personally asked Ellie to go out

    with the guy she saw, Ellie would not have the heart to refuse.

    With just a nce, Ellie already knew what was on Ashley''s mind. Her patience was starting to get

    tested, and so she threatened Ashley, "Don''t you dare to tell this to my grandparents! I will destroy

    you!"

    Ashley rolled her eyes and replied, "Okay, okay! I understand, geez! I am not going to tell them. I

    swear! Anyway, are you going to consider that man though? Because I really think he''s into you!"

    As a response to that, Ellie shrugged her shoulders and didn''t say a word. As Ellie understood, it was

    impossible for him to be into her. Just like the other men, he probably just wanted to get into her pants.

    Once again, Ellie decided to change the topic by saying, "We are going back to the old house after

    work. Did you tell Andrew about our ns for today?"

    Ashley was too busy worrying about Ellie''s future to hear what Ellie was saying. Snapping back to

    reality, she responded, "What?"

    Ellie put her face a few inches away from Ashley''s and raised her voice, saying, "Please don''t tell me

    you forgot to tell him!"

    Ellie just didn''t want to experience Andrew''s rage ever again.

    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    Thest time Ashley didn''t tell Andrew where she would be, he searched her for hours and even broke

    into Ellie''s door to make sure she was okay.

    Ashley finally heard what Ellie was asking. She rolled her eyes and replied, "Don''t worry! I already told

    him."

    Ashley didn''t know why she had to report everything to Andrew. ''He''s not the boss of me!'' she thought

    angrily.

    Brown felt better after he moved to J City. He wasn''tpletely cured, but his condition got under the

    control. As long as he took the right medicines on time, he would be fine.

 Chapter 175 Back To L City

    Chapter 175 Back To L City

    After work, Ashley and Ellie went to visit Laura and Brown. The moment they entered the house, the

    odor of food assaulted their senses. Mesmerized, Ashley took a deep breath, and asked, "Ellie, do you

    know who''s cooking? It smells so good!"

    Ellie didn''t respond. Instead, she walked straight to the kitchen where she was not surprised to find

    Laura cooking and tinkering in there. She sighed and said, "Grandma, I told you to let me do the

    cooking! You and Grandpa just need to rx and wait for dinnertime."

    Laura''s wrinkled face brightened as she cracked a warm smile. When she saw how upset Ellie was,

    she said softly, "You get tired enough after your work, and I don''t really have anything to do the whole

    day. I knew you''d be home soon, so I decided to cook you something. I just wanted you to have a nice,

    warm dinner when you came home." Laura turned back to the pan and got busy with flipping the meat.

    "Sweetheart, you don''t have to worry about us. Your grandma and I are okay! We really don''t like sitting

    around and doing nothing. Just let us do something for you. Okay?" said Brown as he helped Laura

    with the cooking.

    Ashley pulled on Ellie''s sleeve and said, "Ellie, your grandparents are just trying to help. They don''t

    want you to overwhelm yourself by trying to handle everything. They just want to do whatever they can

    to make your life easier. They are getting used to the busy life back home. Cooking for you is the least

    they can do. Just let them do it."

    Ellie pursed her lips and without uttering a word, she left the kitchen.

    Ashley frowned as she watched Ellie leave. But she decided to say hi to Brown and Laura before

    talking to Ellie. Entering the kitchen, she wore a big smile as she greeted Ellie''s grandparents. "Hello,

    Brown! Hey, Laura! How are you? I''ve really missed you!" She hugged them tightly.

    "Ash, I haven''t see you in forever! I am good. How have you been? You look prettier than thest time I

    saw you," Laura said, looking Ashley up and down.

    "Thank you, Laura. I''m ttered. You look amazing! You are so full of energy, just like a twenty-year-old

    girl! And Brown, you look much better now!" Ashleyplimented them.

    "Oh, you are such a sweet girl!" said Laura, beaming.

    Brown smiled at Ashley, but his eyebrows were still bunched in confusion. He looked in the direction

    that Ellie had stormed off in and asked, "Did we say anything wrong that upset Ellie?"

    Ashley responded hurriedly, "Oh, no! I am sure she is not upset. You treat her so well. She was

    probably touched by what you do for her, and didn''t want to burst into tears in front of you."

    They looked apprehensive and sad, which sort of broke Ashley''s heart a little. So she decided to

    change the topic. "What are you making, Laura? It smells so good! May I try it?"

    "It doesn''t really have a name. It''s just a dish from my vige. Ellie used to enjoy it a lot as a kid. I''d

    love for you to try but it''s not done yet. You might have to wait a little," Laura said, smiling.

    "Really? I can''t wait to try it!" Ashley responded enthusiastically.

    Ashley made small talk with Laura and Brown as she helped them in the kitchen.

    Once dinner was ready, Ashley set up the table. She nced around for Ellie but she wasn''t in the

    living room. She said to Laura, "Ellie is probably in the bedroom. Let me call her."

    Ashley walked up to the bedroom and knocked on the door.

    "Come in," Ellie''s voice sounded.

    Ellie was standing in front of the window and looking out when Ashley walked in. Ashley couldn''t tell

    what was on her mind.

    "What''s wrong? Are you crying?" Ashley asked in muted surprise.

    Ellie mumbled, "No, I am okay."

    Ashley could tell that Ellie wasn''t okay and didn''t take her answer. "I don''t believe you. Your voice is

    husky and your eyes are red."

    Ellie immediately turned to the mirror and examined her eyes which looked sore and inmed.

    But she hated to admit that she had been crying. So she made up an excuse that soundedme even

    to her own ears.

    "It was the wind. It blew too hard, and my eyes started watering."

    Ashley rolled her eyes and said, "Your grandparents are outside waiting for you toe to dinner.

    Don''t make them wait too long and worry. Pull yourself together."

    Ashley began to leave but Ellie''s voice stopped her.

    "Thank you, Ash," Ellie said.

    Ashley was a little taken aback for a short moment. But she walked up to Ellie and hugged her, as if to

    reassure her. "We are best friends, Ellie. There''s no need for you to thank me. As long as you are

    happy, your grandparents will be happy. They had such a hard time these past years. Don''t make them

    worry about you. Okay?" Ashley said, her voiceforting.

    Ellie nodded in agreement as she held Ashley tighter.

    The four of them enjoyed their meal together. Once Ashley and Ellie had finished cleaning up, they sat

    on the couch, watching TV.

    Ashley noticed that Brown and Laura were trying to say something to Ellie, but they didn''t know how to

    do so.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Ashley decided to help them. She said, "Brown? Laura? Is there something you want to tell Ellie?"

    They both nodded, relieved.

    "Ellie, Brown feels much better now. We want to go back to L City. We think it''s better for us there."

    Laura''s words came out in a rush.

    "Why is that?" Ashley asked, surprised. "Don''t you like it here? We are here! We can keep you

    company. If you go back to L City, you won''t be able to see us often. You will be by yourselves."

    "I can''t agree with you on that. L city is very far from here. I would feel handicapped for not being able

    to take care of you. If Grandpa hadn''t identally had a slip of tongue, I wouldn''t even have known

    that he had been hurt that bad.

    I think you should stay here with me so I can take good care of you. And I will know what''s going on

    with you too,"

    Ellie said, her voice brooking no disagreement.

    "I agree with Ellie and I think she has a point. You are not as young as before. I can help Ellie take care

    of you. Please don''t worry too much," Ashley echoed.

    "It was an ident. Brown will be very careful in the future. It won''t happen again. The most important

    thing is that we can''t take Ash''s room forever. We already feel bad about her having to stay with her

    friends. That''s unfair to her," Laura said.

    Ashley felt guilty about not telling Laura the truth. She smiled and said, "I am okay, Laura. My friend

    lives close to where I work. Don''t worry about me. I don''t mind sharing a room with Ellie. And I stay with

    my friend half the time. You can stay here as long as you like."

    Brown and Laura tried to persuade Ellie to let them go. But no matter what they said, Ellie was firm in

    her decision. She did not like the idea of letting them go back to L City.

    They were Ellie''s only family, and they were old. Ellie couldn''t help but worry about them, and if they

    moved back to L City, that was all she would do.

    "Ellie, you have to understand that we would love to stay with you! But we are really not used to life

    here. The night here is almost as bright as the day. The cars on the roads never seem to stop. We can

    hardly sleep at nights.

    We can only walk around in theplex during the day. We have nothing to do here. In L City, we can

    take care of the garden and the fowls. We have a lot of things to keep us upied there. We have

    stayed here long enough. Those fowls need us," Laura said desperately.

    Ellie suddenly didn''t know how to respond. She lowered her head and didn''t say anything. She knew

    that Laura had just made a very good point.

 Chapter 176 Feeling Anxious

    Chapter 176 Feeling Anxious

    Brown and Laura had lived in L City most of their lives. Living there was totally different than living in J

    City. Understandably, they were not used to the lifestyle here.

    They had developed dark circles under their eyes, obviously fromcking of sleep.

    Ashley knew Ellie was struggling. So, she said, "Brown, Laura, it''s gettingte now. Why not go to

    sleep? Give Ellie sometime to think about it. She has her own concerns. I will talk to her."

    "Okay! We will go to sleep," agreed Laura. "But don''t stay up talking toote. It''s not good for your

    health."

    "We won''t. Goodnight Laura!" said Ashley.

    Laura and Brown walked to their room. Ashley looked at Ellie and asked, "What do you think, Ellie?

    Should we keep them here or let them go back?"

    Ellie looked confused. "I don''t know. I want to keep them here so that I can take good care of them,"

    she replied. "But they are not used to the life here. I really don''t know what to do."

    Ashley thought for a moment, and said, "I think it''s the best to let them go back to L City.

    They have a life there, and they love it. But they will not leave this ce if you don''t agree because

    they love you.

    At the same, it''s tough for them to adjust to their life here, too. We can''t stay with them all the time. We

    have to go to work, which means they would have to navigate the city by themselves, and J City is

    huge! They don''t know where to go and how to get around.

    Of course, you can run all the errands for them. But they are still healthy and wouldn''t want to be fully

    dependent on you. They care about you and don''t want to burden you. I think they will be happier in L

    City.

    If you want, we can go visit them more often."

    Ellie agreed, "I guess I don''t have much of a choice."

    Ashley was d that Ellie finally agreed. She asked, "When do you n to send them home?"

    Ellie responded, "Maybe in a couple of days. I want to spend a little more time with them."

    Ashley hugged her and said, "Okay! Don''t think about it too much. All good things muste to an

    end."

    All of the sudden, Ashley''s phone rang. She answered it quickly as she didn''t want to wake up Brown

    and Laura. She walked to the kitchen.

    "Hello?" she said in a low voice.

    "Come down," Andrewmanded in his usual stern voice.

    Ashley was surprised to hear from him. "I already told you! I am going to stay here with Ellie tonight,"

    she hissed.

    She heard him sneering on the other end. "You only said that you would not need me to pick you up

    after work," he argued.

    Confused, Ashley questioned, "Really? I''m pretty sure I told you I would be staying here tonight."

    "I''m giving you one minute toe out," he said calmly but firmly.

    He didn''t want to sleep without Ashley in his arms. He had a hard time falling asleep without her by his

    side.

    "Hey! You can''t be so¡ª" Andrew hung up. She didn''t even have the chance to finish berating him.

    She wanted to tell him off for being bossy!

    She stomped her foot. ''A minute? Screw it! It will take at least three minutes to get to the first floor!'' she

    thought to herself.

    Ashley was frustrated. She walked back into the living room. "Ellie, I have to go. Let me know when

    you are taking Brown and Laura back. I will go with you," she told her friend.

    Seeing Ashley''s glum face, Ellie guessed what had happened. She teased her, "You are leaving,

    because your friend is here to pick you up. Am I right? You are going to stay at your friend''s house

    again, aren''t you?"

    "Ellie!" Ashley cried a little loudly and ran to grab her friend to teach her a lesson.

    But her phone rang again before she could get to Ellie.

    Ashley didn''t answer it this time. She grabbed her purse and said, "I will let you off the hook this time!"

    Ashley walked out and got into the car. She realized Andrew was in the driver''s seat. She nce at

    him. "Why are you here? You told me you would ask Johnny to pick me up," she asked.

    His face was hard, revealing no emotion whatsoever. "So what? Do you prefer Johnny to drive you

    instead of me?" he asked.

    There was no expression on Andrew''s face. However, he already made a decision.

    His subsidiaries in Africa still needed someone to help manage the business.

    Johnny was a good choice.

    Meanwhile, Johnny, who was still at work, sneezed. He rubbed his nose wondering who was thinking

    about him at that moment.

    He didn''t have an inkling that it was his boss, who was currently nning to transfer him to Africa.

    Johnny would start wailing if he knew his boss was jealous of him because of a simple question posed

    by Ashley.

    Ashley could read Andrew very well by now even though his face was expressionless. She could tell

    something was off with him.

    But she wasn''t entirely sure.

    So, she turned to him and asked, "Are you jealous?"

    Andrew snorted arrogantly. He stared outside and responded, "No. I don''t even know what jealousy is.

    So how could I feel that emotion?"

    Ashley was trying really hard not tough out loud. "Alright, you are not!" she replied with a smirk.

    She suddenly found him really cute at that moment!

    But she just realized something. Ashley sighed.

    It was quite loud and drew Andrew''s attention. "What''s wrong?" he asked.

    "Ellie''s grandparents are going to leave, and she is a little upset. She needs me! I want to spend more

    time with her," she exined.

    Andrew sneered and thought to himself, ''No, she doesn''t. You just want to stay with her!''

    He frowned. "Are you sure she really needs you?" he asked.

    Ashley responded, "I am telling you. Before I met you, Ellie and I would spend every day together.

    Brown and Laura are going to leave soon, and she is going to be all by herself. Of course, she needs

    me!"

    Andrew pursed his lips and didn''t say anything.

    She kept trying to exin herself and was talking for a long time. Suddenly, she realized Andrew hadn''t

    respond to any of it. So she turned to look at him.

    She was shocked! Beads of sweat had collected on his forehead, and his face was pale. He was

    clearly not okay. He was biting his lips to hold himself together.

    Ashley panicked. "Andrew, are you okay?" she asked.

    He looked at her casually. "I am okay. No worries," he assured her.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Ashley bit her lower lip. She was really worried about him. "How can you be okay? You don''t look good

    at all," she said looking concerned.

 Chapter 177 Feeling Sorry For Andrew

    Chapter 177 Feeling Sorry For Andrew

    Ashley''s face was clouded with worry. Andrew tried to say something tofort her, but he was in too

    much pain to be able to speak. He couldn''t help but curl up into a ball due to the unbearable pain.

    With great difficulty, he pointed to a little box ced next to the car window.

    Thankfully they had already reached the vi and he could finally rest.

    "Is there medicine inside the box?" Ashley asked as she hurried to open the box. She found a small

    bottle and quickly scanned the note on it to ensure it was safe. She removed two pills from the bottle,

    grabbed some water, and went closer to Andrew to help him take the medicine.

    Andrew took the pills with a small mouthful of water while holding her hand and slyly taking the chance

    to lick it, but Ashley was too anxious to feel that.

    "How do you feel now? Better?" Ashley asked, her eyes fixed on him.

    She panicked because she had never seen Andrew like this. In her mind, he was always a calm and

    elegant gentleman who behaved in a dignified manner no matter what the circumstances. She could

    barely believe her eyes when she saw him curl up like a helpless child.

    Ashley nced at medicine bottlebeled "Antacid" and asked Andrew, "You have stomach trouble?"

    He could just nod in response.

    The pain wouldn''t subside despite the medicine he had just taken.

    This problem had haunted him for so long. From the time he had taken over the Lu Group, he had had

    to attend numerous business parties. He had to ept all his clients'' toasts to maintain a good

    rtionship. He couldn''t refuse for fear of offending them even if it took a toll on his health.

    Now it was a different scenario. Few people, if any, could force him to drink as the Lu Group had grown

    into a vast business empire. But it was toote for his body. The damage that the alcohol had done to

    his body in those early years was now a lifelong curse. This sacrifice wasn''t in vain. Without all this

    networking, the Lu Group would not have reached the heights it did.

    Even today, skipping meals on busy days wasmon for him and this affected his health, but he

    never paid much attention to it.

    He knew that Ashley had an appointment with Ellie today, so he had drowned himself in piles of work,

    which he would have normally left behind at the office if Ashley was home. Consequently, he forgot to

    eat, which was the cause of his stomachache.

    After Andrew''s pain subsided, Ashley helped him settle down on the sofa. "You can rest here. Let me

    go and check in the kitchen if there''s something you can eat," she told him.

    Before Andrew could protest, Ashley went straight into the kitchen.

    She opened the fridge and found that it was almost empty, because everything, from vegetable, fruits

    to meat, was reced daily to make space for fresh food. Andrew was rich and this was a way of life

    for him.

    Ashley rummaged through the fridge for some time and finally found some eggs, vegetables and

    noodles.

    Ashley decided to make a bowl of noodles for Andrew. It waste at night, so she didn''t want to wake

    up ire. She made her way around the kitchen as quietly as possible.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    She cracked the eggs in a bowl before pouring them into the heated pan with some oil. She then fried

    them until the edges looked crispy. After cing them on a te, she boiled some water in a wok for

    the noodles and vegetables.

    She washed some vegetables and condiments like scallions, ginger and garlic before boiling them with

    noodles. She didn''t put too much salt or soy sauce in the dish as Andrew had a stomachache.

    She topped the boiled noodles with the fried eggs and finished it with some scallions and vegetables.

    Her special bowl of noodles lookedforting.

    Then she wrapped the bowl with a piece of cloth to ensure it remained hot before serving it to Andrew.

    "I hope that you will enjoy this. There''s not much in the kitchen, so this is the best I can do for now.

    Please make do with it for today. Tomorrow morning we will have better food," she exined.

    Ashley ced the bowl of noodles in front of Andrew and hurried him to have it to ease his pain.

    Andrew froze at her words, so Ashley anxiously repeated what she had said.

    But all of a sudden, he pulled her into his embrace and locked her in his arms. He couldn''t help but

    softly caress her mouth with his lips to make her stop talking.

    He kissed her so passionately as if she were a delicacy that he longed for. His kisses were so fervent,

    so stormy, so...rude!

    "Hmm..." Ashley was dumbstruck for a moment. Then she clenched her fists and thumped Andrew''s

    back to stop him.

    Ashley was flummoxed! She had no idea how they ended up like this. All she did was ask him to have

    the noodles.

    The surge of passion inside him calmed down. Now he just wanted to cuddle her gently and kiss her

    lovely lips from time to time. It was only when Ashley was almost out of her breath that he let go of her.

    She pulled away from his hug and sat face to face with him. She touched her lips gingerly and, and as

    expected, found that they were swollen after that impassioned kiss.

    ''Why on earth did he do this to me?'' she yelled inside.

    Meanwhile, Andrew was gazing at her affectionately, unwilling to take his eyes off her. He whispered in

    a barely audible voice, "Never has anyone been so nice to me."

    Ashley was astonished. She started to imagine how bad his childhood must have been. He might have

    been deprived of food, or maybe he was isted by other children. Ashley couldn''t help but tremble.

    This realization shocked her because she had never seen Andrew like this¡ªvulnerable and weak. He

    had always been elegant, reserved and characterized by an air of nobility and majesty. No one dared to

    offend him or pick on him.

    Ashley couldn''t stop herself from asking, "What about your mom and dad? They must love you."

    "They divorced when I was little. They were bound by a political marriage, and naturally were indifferent

    to each other. They didn''t care about their family."

    They both soon remarried after the divorce. His stepmother didn''t give him food, made him do the

    housework, and would regrly beat him and scold him.

    Ashley pictured Andrew huddling in a corner trembling and sobbing, and she felt so sorry for him.

    She moved close to him and gave him a quick but gentle hug.

    "Alright, all this was in the past. Don''t let it trouble you anymore. Have this warming bowl of noodles. It

    won''t taste good if it gets cold," she cooed.

    Andrew obediently picked up his chopsticks and started to sip the noodle soup slowly. True, lightly-

    vored noodles and soup aren''t much of a delicacy, but for Andrew it was the most delicious bowl of

    noodles he had ever had.

    Ashley had made these noodles to be eaten only by Andrew, but as he so sweetly asked her to share

    every bite, the scene had be quite different.

    This made her feel embarrassed, but judging from the smile on his face, he was delighted!.

    Ashley looked at him and wondered what he was thinking.

    After two more shared bites, Ashley covered her mouth with her hands and said, "I''m full now. Enjoy

    the rest. I shall go upstairs, and you cane up after you''re done."

    After Ashley left, Andrew ate the noodles as if they were a treasure, enjoying every bite until nothing

    was left.

    He watched Ashley''s silhouette with passion and desire in his eyes.

 Chapter 178 Rings

    Chapter 178 Rings

    The next day was Saturday, so Andrew didn''t have to work, but Ashley had to go to the bakery because

    it was open seven days a week. There was no weekend break for her.

    She was going to the bakery in Andrew''s car as usual but suddenly, she noticed that they were going

    the wrong way.

    She was an idiot when it came to directions, but, as she had been taking the same route to the bakery

    every day, she was able to catch the change in direction.

    "Andrew, are we going the wrong way? This doesn''t seem to be the way I go every day," she inquired.

    "You are right. We are not going to the bakery today," Andrew, who was in the driver''s seat, replied.

    "Andrew, why didn''t you ask for my consent before making ns for the day?" She stared at him

    indignantly. "Drive me to the bakery," she protested.

    He didn''t reply but instead sped up the car.

    Ashley clutched the seat belt. She was a little worried now.

    Finally, the car stopped at arge mall.

    Andrew got out of the car, pulled the door open and dragged her out.

    Ashley was still protesting. "Why do you drag me here?" sheined.

    "To buy rings," he responded.

    Ashley didn''t trust her ears and opened her eyes widely. "What? What are you talking about?"

    Andrew stared at Ashley and repeated, "You heard me. I brought you here to buy rings."

    Ashley flinched subconsciously. "Forget about the rings, please. We have already got married. A ring is

    just a shy ornament," she exined.

    Andrew twisted his lips without saying anything. He just watched Ashley with his deep dark eyes

    steadily. Ashley felt great pressure in her heart immediately.

    Ashley couldn''t understand why Andrew suddenly had the idea of buying rings. He had never

    mentioned it before and it had been all right without the rings.

    Obviously her protests didn''t work. She was dragged into the mall.

    The mall belonged to the Lu Group but he had never visited it. Andrew had heard that the mall had a

    good reputation among customers.

    He strode directly to the jewelry counter, dragging Ashley behind him. They must have appeared

    strange, but, as a good looking couple, they still attracted a lot of attention.

    "What can I help you? Are you looking for rings?"

    As soon as they reached the counter, a girl with perfect makeup and a professional outfit immediately

    walked towards them.

    "Yes," Andrew replied in a soft voice.

    "Andrew, maybe we buy them next time?" she pleaded him, tugging at his sleeve like a little girl.

    It didn''t have any effect on Andrew. Instead he went closer to the counter to peer at the rings in the

    counter, holding Ashley''s hand tightly the whole time. He scanned the rings quickly and was not

    impressed by a single one.

    He turned to the shop assistant and said, "Show me yourtest styles."

    The assistant smiled awkwardly and politely replied, "I am sorry. I have to ask our manager¡ª" Before

    she could finished the sentence, a middle-aged man interrupted her.

    "That is not necessary. I have already brought them here."

    Ashley raised her head and saw a rather plump middle-aged man walking fast towards them, followed

    by three shop assistants, each of them holding a te covered with a piece of red velvet cloth.

    The assistant who was helping Andrew and Ashley earlier was somewhat surprised to see this man. It

    made her wonder who Andrew was and whether he was an important man as the manager came

    personally to assist him.

    She had never seen the manager offer to personally aid customers even when big shot CEOs had

    come to shop.

    The girl snapped out of her musings and went up to greet the manager.

    The manager went directly to Andrew. "Mr. Lu, here are the newest style in our shop. These are also

    limited edition pieces worldwide," he said with a differential smile.

    The manager gave a signal to three assistants toe forward and then he lifted the red velvet cloths

    off the tes. Rings of various styles were revealed to them.

    He wiped off the non-existent sweat from his forehead. He felt lucky that Andrew''s assistant Johnny

    had given him a heads up about the CEO''s shopping trip beforehand. It was Johnny who had asked

    him to keep these rings ready for his consideration.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    He didn''t take Johnny''s instructions very seriously as he thought Johnny was joking. Now it turned out

    that Johnny wasn''t lying.

    Not willing to risk offending Andrew, he had prepared for his visit despite his initial doubts.

    Ashley had got used to this kind of scenes after she learned about Andrew''s social status. However,

    she still had butterflies in her tummy. She had be the wife of a rich CEO overnight and she had to

    admit, it did feel good!

    She looked at the tes casually, but her eyes were attracted to the items on the tes. They say no

    woman could resist bling. It seemed true enough at that moment.

    Noticing Ashley''s change of expression, Andrew asked, "Do you like any?"

    It took great effort for Ashley to tear her eyes away from the tes. She rolled her eyes at him. Gosh,

    they were diamond rings. What kind of woman wouldn''t like them?

    However, Andrew didn''t look very satisfied with them. He frowned and said, "So these are all you have

    got? Not very impressive. But we will have to pick out a pair from these at the moment."

    Ashley''s jaw dropped when she heard hisment. ''How could he not be impressed by these? What

    kind of rings are impressive in his eyes?''

    And to her surprise, the manager didn''t seem displeased. Instead, he seemed to agree with what

    Andrew said.

    "How about these?" Andrew scanned the three tes and picked out a pair of rings with a diamond cut

    in a water drop shape, surrounded by a circle of smaller diamonds. It looked cute, simple, elegant and

    it matched Ashley''s style.

    "Give me your hand," he said to Ashley.

    Knowing fully well that she couldn''t avoid this, she held her hand out obediently. The ring fit in her

    finger perfectly, as if it was custom made.

    She liked the ring too. She touched it gently after Andrew put it on.

    He looked satisfied too.

    Then he gave the other ring to Ashley and said, "Help me put it on."

    Ashley took the ring from his hand and inserted it onto his finger. It felt a lot like they were exchanging

    rings at a wedding ceremony.

    The manager was stunned to see Andrew being so intimate with a woman.

    He didn''t know who Ashley was, but going by the CEO''s affectionate attitude towards her, she must be

    somebody important. As they ced the rings on their third fingers, it was obvious that they were either

    engaged or married.

 Chapter 179 Lena Everywhere

    Chapter 179 Lena Everywhere

    "Miss, please feel free to pick anything you like. It''s an honor to serve you." the manager offered with a

    smile.

    Ashley shook her head and said, "Thanks, but I don''t need these."

    The manager randomly picked up a ssy ne and asked a shopping assistant to pack it. "Miss,

    please ept this small wee gift from our brand. This ne suits you perfectly," he said

    graciously.

    The manager had every reason to please Ashley as she was with Andrew.

    Giving away a ne like this was not a big deal for him. It was merely a drop in his sea of jewelry.

    As an experienced marketer, the manager certainly knew what he was doing.

    As soon as the ne was nicely wrapped, he gently ced it in Ashley''s hand and said, "Miss, it''s

    just a small present. We''d be so happy to see you ept it."

    Ashley smiled in embarrassment. She wondered why the manager wanted her so desperately to

    ept something from him.

    She politely turned him down, and killed time browsing on her cellphone while she waited for Andrew.

    She wondered why his call was taking so long.

    She was engrossed in a game on her phone when suddenly a sharp, surprised voice startled her. She

    was about to me this person for almost making her lose the game.

    Ashley frowned and looked up to find that it was Lena, who was standing there smirking happily. Ashley

    was starting to doubt whether Lena was following her and Andrew, given that they bumped into Lena

    every time they were out.

    Lena beamed at her, but Ashley couldn''t even put on a fake smile for this woman who was constantly

    scheming against her. She calmly put her phone away and threw a nce at her sister. "What''s

    wrong?" she asked nonchntly.

    Lena saw Andrew nearby and stered a fake smiled on her face. "Nothing at all. I was just happy to

    bump into you here, so I came by to say hello."

    Her eyes immediately went to the ring on Ashley''s hand. "My dear sister, did Andrew buy you a ring?"

    she asked in surprise. "Oh, and excuse me, who are you please?"

    Lena asked the middle-aged man next to Ashley.

    "I serve as the manager of this boutique," he replied.

    "Oh, nice to meet you. I''m her younger sister." Lena grinned at the manager and introduced herself.

    He didn''t care to respond to her, regarding her as someone of low status.

    He had never needed to have a conversation with anyone except for Andrew and a few other famous

    businessmen. Lena was a nobody to him.

    He could tell from Ashley''s expression that she didn''t wee this woman who just popped up out of

    nowhere. He thought Lena was being impolite by troubling Ashley.

    Lena took Ashley''s hand affectionately ignoring her sister''s obvious hostility towards her. She said

    softly, "Look at this ring, my dear sister. It is so pretty! It must have cost thousands!"

    Ashley pulled her hand away and took a step back. "I don''t know. And I should inform you that I have

    severed all ties with the Mu family and that I was never your sister. So don''t call me that anymore," she

    stated curtly.

    Lena looked down at her hand, which was shoved away so cruelly by Ashley. Pure malice filled inside

    her at that moment. Nheless, she looked up at Ashley pretending to be hurt by her. "Why are you

    saying this? I''m so hurt. Have I unintentionally done something wrong?" she cried.

    Ashley was tired of Lena''s theatrics. She noticed a faint sneer on her face before her so-called

    breakdown. "Why don''t you ask Peggy? Then you will know everything," she suggested sarcastically.

    Seeing that Andrew had finished his phone call and wasing back, Lena quickly plotted a scheme.

    She hurriedly grabbed Ashley while yelling in pain, "Aargh!"

    Lena knew that from Andrew''s point of view, it would look like Ashley had pushed her on purpose and

    caused her to fall down on the floor.

    Ashley watched Lena''s disgusting drama and stepped back. She stared at Lena without any emotion,

    not bothering to help her up.

    Andrew heard the loud sound and panicked. He thought that Ashley got hurt. He rushed over to her.

    "I don''t know why Ashley pushed me, but I don''t me her. She didn''t mean it,"

    Lena said weakly as if she was hurt badly.

    Her exquisite face showed a lot of pain and she frowned with enormous difficulty. Basically she was

    trying every trick in the book to gain Andrew''s sympathy.

    She made it look as though despite her suffering she was shielding her sister.

    Frowning angrily, Andrew walked right past Lena and went straight to Ashley. Lena thought that he

    would me Ashley because it might seem like that she had viciously knocked Lena down.

    But what Andrew said next astonished her.

    "Are you okay? You are fine, right? Don''t make me worry so much about you. I was away for just some

    moments, and you''ve gone and hurt yourself. How can I ever leave you alone for even a second? I will

    have to be near you all the time."

    Still in shock, Ashley gazed at her beloved Andrew, who was so worried about her well-being. She

    nkly shook her head.

    "Lena? Are you okay?" Raymond said, concern in his voice. He hade there almost at the same

    time as Andrew did.

    Lena and Raymond had arrived at the shop at the same time as Andrew and Ashley did. Lena had

    caught sight of them and sent Raymond away with an excuse. She only texted him to return now so

    that he could see her drama. She hoped Raymond would also see the horrible act Ashley had

    committed and sympathize with her.

    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    "Raymond, I...I''m okay. Ashley didn''t do anything to me. It''s my fault. I fell down by ident. Ah! It

    hurts," she stuttered, pretending to be upset. Lena gazed at him, tears welling up in her eyes as though

    she was struggling to keep her emotions in check¡ªanother one of her tricks to win sympathy from

    men.

    The floor was built with prime-quality ceramic tiles, so Raymond couldn''t believe that she would

    identally stumble and fall.

    He naturally targeted Ashley. "Ashley, whatever have happened between you and Lena, she''s your

    sister! No matter how much you dislike her, you shouldn''t have done this to her! How can you be so

    malicious! You didn''t used to be like this," he roared. Raymond was sad that Ashley had been reduced

    to such shameless acts.

    He was mad at her as though she hadmitted the most heinous crime in the world.

    "Raymond, don''t be so furious. It''s not Ashley''s fault. You shouldn''t me her for this." Lena continued

    her act. But inside she was thrilled that Raymond was condemning Ashley. Now she could continue to

    y the victim card.

    "Honey, don''t stand up for her any more. Let me take you to the hospital right away," Raymond said

    anxiously.

    Ashley rolled her eyes and responded coolly, "Yeah, I am a malicious woman. I knocked Lena down, so

    what? Please guard your fiancee carefully next time, or she will make a mess again by iming kinship

    with anyone on the street. When she fails, she will even frame others. I''m amazed at how she can

    make up so many fake sisters."

    Raymond was disappointed with this new Ashley, whose frigid demeanor and emotionless tone broke

    his heart. "Ashley, you have changed," he observed.

    Ashley didn''t bother to respond to this fool who was brainwashed by Lena. His razor-sharp tongue

    confirmed that he was blindly following his wicked fiancee and believing every lie that came out of her

    mouth.

    Raymond gave Ashley a final look of disappointment and started to leave with Lena in his arms.

    However, now Andrew spoke after being silent for a long time.

    He fixed his eyes on Raymond, who was leaving, and said, "Wait!"

 Chapter 180 Pretend To Get Hurt

    Chapter 180 Pretend To Get Hurt

    ''He thinks he can bully my woman in front of me and get away with it? How dare he make that

    assumption!'' Andrew thought to himself.

    Hatred filled Lena''s heart when she saw Andrew running over and showing great concern for Ashley

    andpletely ignoring her.

    She had made it seem like she was the victim and Ashley was the perpetrator, and yet he went to

    check on her first.

    When Andrew stopped them from leaving, she didn''t know why but she panicked. Something inside her

    told her that if she didn''t leave as soon as possible, something would happen. Something bad.

    So she cried out, "Raymond, I''m hurt. My leg hurts so much. Is it broken?"

    "Honey, don''t worry. It will be okay. I will take you to the hospital now." Raymond tried to soothe Lena

    and was about to proceed towards the exit.

    Andrew gave him a cold stare. "Who said you could go? Stop them. Detain them here," hemanded

    the manager.

    The manager summoned some guards and they immediately blocked Raymond''s and Lena''s path.

    Ashley couldn''t understand Andrew''s intention behind this. "What is this for?"

    Andrew didn''t look at Ashley. Instead he kept his eyes on the manager and said, "Pull up footage of this

    incident from the surveince system."

    Andrew stroked Ashley''s hair gently and exined, "I am trying to get you justice. Being my woman,

    you are not someone they can bully without facing the consequences. Just wait and see."

    Ashley nodded and said, "Okay." She didn''t know why, but when he said "my woman," her heart

    pounded wildly in her chest.

    Raymond turned around and stared at Andrew furiously. "What do you mean? If you do have

    something to prove, can''t you wait until I take Lena to the hospital first?"

    Andrew didn''t even bother to look at Raymond before replying, "No."

    "What kind of person are you? You can''t obstruct my way and keep me here just because you are the

    boss. Besides, Lena is injured."

    "What''s happening there? Sounds like some people are fighting." A couple of well-dresseddies were

    watching the scene unfold.

    "I don''t know. It seems somebody pushed that girl and now they aren''t allowing her to go to the

    hospital."

    "Well, why don''t we go over there to take a look? We won''t be able to figure it out by just talking about it

    here," suggested onedy.

    "Okay, let''s go take a look for fun."

    The threedies squeezed in to get to the front of the circle of onlookers. As Andrew didn''t do anything

    to stop the bystanders from gathering, the ce was soon crowded with curious customers.

    The manager nced at the specting crowd and went close to Andrew. "Mr. Lu, should I get the

    crowd dispersed?" he asked.

    He knew Andrew didn''t like a noisy crowd.

    This time, he was wrong.

    Andrew replied, "Not necessary."

    "Manager, we have the footage," said a man carrying aptop. He went to the manager and passed it

    to him.

    The manager in turn took it to Andrew.

    Seeing that theputer with the footage was brought out, Lena was suddenly seized with terror.

    She started sobbing loudly and said, "Raymond, my leg hurts so much. Raymond, I think I am dying¡­"

    "It is okay. Lena, just hold on for a few more minutes. I will get you to the hospital," he said softly.

    "Raymond, we should go now. We should go to the hospital without further dy. I am scared¡­" Lena

    urged.

    Raymond, too, wanted to leave desperately, but with so many people surrounding them and the big,

    tough guards who appeared to be professional and trained, how could they leave?

    He looked at Andrew and asked, "What else do you want to do?"

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Andrew clicked a few keys on theputer and in a few seconds, the screen was ying the scene

    when Ashley just arrived.

    Therge mall was a subsidiary of the Lu Group, so the entire ce was equipped with surveince

    cameras. The number of cameras and their location were designed very carefully and scientifically so

    as not to leave any blind spots for thieves or people who nned illegal activities. The rity of the

    video was good. It was very clear that Ashley didn''t touch Lena at all, and even when Lena reached out

    to pull Ashley''s arm, she took one step back. The fact was Lena fell down herself.

    "Show them this," Andrew said coldly, his voice sounding dangerous.

    The manager asked the guard to ce theputer in front of Raymond and Lena and rey the

    footage to them.

    They also reyed it to the bystanders.

    Ashley finally understood the reason why Andrew did this and warmth surged in her heart.

    She had got used to these kinds of things. Lena did this often when she wanted to ruin her reputation in

    front of others. And Ashley was tired of exining herself anymore. Some people would believe her

    while others wouldn''t. Her exnation wouldn''t make any difference.

    "Look, how could that girl be so mean? Nobody pushed her or even touched her. She fell down by

    herself. However, she tried to frame the other girl."

    "I think she is just jealous of her. That girl appeared to be sweet and kept referring to the other one as

    her ''sister'' all the time. It is hard to believe that she has such a malicious heart."

    "Let''s get out of here. Nothing to watch. The truth hase to light."

    After seeing the footage and making thements, the crowd lost interest and gradually dispersed.

    Lena who was still in Raymond''s arms felt her blood boil. Hell! How could she have forgotten that there

    were surveince cameras here?

    ''I''m dead. I''m in big trouble now.''

    Lena wished she could dig a hole right there and jump in.

    "Raymond¡­" she cried, trying to think of an exnation.

    Raymond watched her in astonishment. "Ashley didn''t push you? You yed this out by yourself?"

    "Raymond, I didn''t act. Probably I lost bnce myself. I didn''t say Ashley pushed me. I kept saying that

    it wasn''t her who¡­" Lena tried to save face.

    Raymond watched her, his expression not revealing whether he believed her or not.

    It was true that Lena didn''t me Ashley. As soon as he ran over, he saw Lena lying on the floor and

    she kept insisting that it wasn''t Ashley who pushed her.

    But the way the scene was yed out, anyone would assume it was Ashley who pushed her.

 Chapter 181 Lesley at Andrews Company

    Chapter 181 Lesley at Andrew''s Company

    At Mu family''s house

    Bang! Bang! Bang! Loud crashing sounds could be heard from Lena''s bedroom. She had raged

    around, flinging everything she couldy hands on and breaking everything into pieces. Only when her

    anger calmed a little did she flop down on the bed, exhausted.

    She looked around at the mess she had made and that worsened her mood.

    Her resentment against Ashley grew. She thought furiously, ''Ashley! You will pay for what you have

    done! You will be reduced to nothing, and your name will turn to dust!''

    Peggy heard the frightening noise from upstairs and couldn''t help but wonder, ''What''s wrong? Lena

    has been in her bedroom for so long. What''s she doing? Why doesn''t shee downstairs?''

    Peggy went up the stairs, worrying about Lena. She walked up to Lena''s bedroom, knocked on the

    door, and asked concernedly, "Lena, are you okay? You can talk to me if you''re worried or disturbed."

    Peggy waited for a long time, but she got no reply and began to think that Lena wasn''t in the room. But

    just as Peggy turned to leave, Lena''s voice came from behind the door, "Mom, I''m alright."

    Peggy heaved a sigh of relief at Lena''s words. She smiled and said, "Come downstairs. It''s time for

    lunch."

    Lena answered that she would, and Peggy went down, reassured.

    Lena had never allowed anyone, not even her parents, to enter her bedroom, which she considered to

    be an offense to her personal space. Peggy respected her daughter''s privacy and didn''t think that

    staying away would be a problem. So they almost never went into Lena''s bedroom except when it was

    absolutely necessary.

    But if Peggy had be too worried to remember this unwritten rule, she would definitely have

    jumped out of her skin at how messed up the room had be. She wouldn''t even have found

    anywhere to stand.

    Lena walked out of the room and came across a housemaid who was about to do some cleaning. She

    stopped her and ordered, "Go to my room and clean it. Don''t let my mom or dad know, or you know

    what you will be up against." She stared viciously at the maid to make sure she did as she was told.

    "Yes, Miss Mu," she said obediently.

    This happened often.

    When she went downstairs, Lena saw her mother settledfortably on the sofa watching TV. Peggy''s

    swelling had subsided and her anger had calmed down. As she saw this, Lena thought that her parents

    must have made peace with each other.

    As soon as Peggy caught sight of Lena, she called her toe over. "Lena,e here. Why do you

    lock yourself in the bedroom all day long? Didn''t you hang out with Raymond today? Why did youe

    back alone?"

    Lena was infuriated by thest question. Anger swelled within her as she thought, ''Why did Ie

    back alone?

    That''s all thanks to Ashley! It''s her fault, thetlesome Ashley!''

    Her eyes turned cold and venomous for a moment.

    She recalled how Raymond had refused to fully trust her after the scene. She had tried to clear her

    name and thought that she had convinced him. But she knew that deep down in his heart, he didn''t

    give any credit to her exnation. And proof of it became clear when he didn''t apany her back

    home.

    She couldn''t exin all of this to her mother so she said glumly, "Nothing really. It''s just that the

    weather isn''t agreeable so I stayed in my room to avoid the heat. And Raymond was talking to his

    parents when we were about to start for home. It looked like something had happened, so I let him

    attend to matters at home first."

    Peggy seemed to believe her daughter and said, "Oh, I see."

    "What about you and Dad? Are you getting along better? You have made peace, right?" Lena asked

    with some concern, though she knew that her parents must have made up already.

    "We have been married for so long that the quarrel was nothing, really," Peggy responded as if it wasn''t

    a big deal.

    "Oh, your brother''sing back! Let''s pick a nice restaurant and have a big feast to celebrate our

    reunion. Think about it. Your brother has been abroad for so many years, and he''s finallying home

    now!" Peggy said excitedly.

    Lena nodded in fake surprise and joy and spoke as if she were looking forward to her brother''s return.

    "Really? Is my dear brother finallying back?"

    Peggy replied, "Yeah, Spencer told me about this. It couldn''t be truer. Your brother must have told him

    directly and now, our family will soon have a reunion!"

    Lena mumbled incoherently in response.

    Lena had no affection for her brother, who had always shown more fondness towards Ashley. He had

    always backed Ashley when Lena had yed tricks on her.

    She resented the fact that her brother treated Ashley as his sister more than her. He always sided with

    Ashley and ignored her.

    In fact, this exined arge part of her hate towards Ashley, who she thought had taken away her

    brother''s love that was supposed to be solely for her. She hated Ashley for stealing everything from

    her.

    At Andrew''spany

    Andrew had just arrived at his office. Johnny followed him while briefing him about his business points

    with a huge pile of documents in his hands waiting to be reviewed and approved. They had almost

    reached the office when Johnny was about to say something else.

    He hesitated for a few seconds but finally decided to say nothing.

    He thought it might be better for Andrew to find out for himself.

    Andrew frowned as he smelled a faint, unfamiliar perfume while stepping into the room. The sight of

    Lesley sitting on the sofa told him that she was the source of the disgusting fragrance, and he red

    coldly at Johnny.

    Johnny''s face drained of color. He was so scared, he almost stumbled on the floor and began to

    exin to Andrew, "Mr. Lu, Miss Feng has been waiting here for hours. She said that she had

    something important to talk to you." Johnny thought, ''She just dered that she would wait in the office

    and as she has certain prestige as the future CEO of the Feng Group, I couldn''t possibly decline her.''

    Lesley was wearing a pure white dress, her hair fashioned into natural-looking curls. Her face was

    exquisitely made up, showing how much she cared for this meeting. She smiled and said softly,

    "Andrew. I''m d to meet you."

    She looked at Johnny and then back at Andrew, a bright smile spreading on her face, and then

    exined why she hade. "It''s not Johnny''s fault. I insisted that I shoulde in. I now serve as

    the representative of the Feng Group to negotiate all ties between you and our family. Father has let

    me take over this project." She spoke carefully, her words measured, as if she cared much about how

    Andrew would react.

    She also tried to please Johnny, fathoming that he must be close to Andrew and a trusted confidant.

    Establishing a friendly rtionship with those around him would probably help bring her closer to

    Andrew.

    "You can leave now," Andrew said to Johnny.

    "Yes," Johnny said and did as told. He ced all the files on the desk, threw a nce at Lesley, and

    left.

    Andrew sat on his chair, fixed his eyes on Lesley and asked, "Are you in charge of the project now?"

    She beamed and said, "Yes, I am, dear Andrew."

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    Andrew frowned and said coldly, "Don''t address me that way."

    Lesley looked a little upset and said, "But I have always talked to you like this."

    Andrew didn''t care what Lesley said in response. He picked a file from the mountain of documents and

    threw them before her.

    Knowing that Andrew hated disturbances at work, Lesley turned to page one of the file and started to

    read through it, marking down highlights from time to time.

    Lesley majored in the same areas as Andrew and was excellent at what she did. She had been

    determined to marry him since she was a child, so she deliberately learned everything rted to

    Andrew''s work, hoping that that would make her a better partner for him.

 Chapter 182 Lesleys Suspicion

    Chapter 182 Lesley''s Suspicion

    Lesley had always believed that Andrew was the only person good enough to be with her, because he

    was both intelligent and powerful.

    The two of them were busy doing their own work in silentpany. The atmosphere was serene and

    harmonious

    until Andrew''s cell phone broke the silence.

    He frowned as he didn''t like being interrupted in the middle of his work. He pursed his lips, looking very

    displeased.

    As soon as he saw the caller ID on the screen, his frown disappeared.

    "Hello?" The lines on his brows smoothed out and his voice became warmerpared to when he

    spoke to his staff at work.

    "Hello. Andrew, have you had lunch?" Ashley was having lunch with Ellie in the bakery.

    She had finally given in and decided to start epting Andrew. Since they had already had sex, she no

    longer found him unpleasant and decided to give the rtionship a real shot.

    When she sat down to eat, it suddenly urred to her that Andrew had a stomach problem. She was

    worried that he might forget to have lunch again and aggravate his condition. So she called to check on

    him.

    "Not yet," Andrew replied in a low voice and nced at his watch. It showed that it was twelve at noon.

    He was surprised that time had passed so fast. He rubbed his forehead tiredly.

    "Then go eat now. Do you want to suffer stomachache likest time?"

    she reprimanded him softly.

    Ellie, who sat opposite Ashley, nced at her silently and continued eating.

    Andrew could picture Ashley''s cat-like eyes widening and her cheeks puffing up like a hamster.

    She was probably eating while talking to him as her words were a little garbled. He found her so cute.

    His expression softened. He touched the ring Ashley put on his finger yesterday and felt warm inside.

    "You aren''t with me."

    "What did you say?" Ashley was busy swallowing the food in her mouth down and thus didn''t hear what

    Andrew said.

    Andrew repeated again softly.

    He had a mellow and thick voice, and when he spoke softly like that, she melted into a puddle.

    It felt like he was whispering in her ear. She couldn''t help but blush instantly.

    She didn''t really understand the hidden meaning, but at the same time she sort of guessed what he

    was trying to say.

    She hesitated and stammered, "You''d better go to have lunch right now. I have to go."

    She hung up quickly before he could say anything else.

    Andrew looked at the cell phone after she hung up, imagining her all flushed and embarrassed. He

    chuckled in a low voice.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he caught someone watching him.

    Andrew turned serious again and looked at Lesley. "Why are you still here?" he asked expressionlessly.

    He tended to ignore everything around him when he was absorbed in his work. And he had already

    handed over the files to Lesley. He thought she had left. He didn''t realize she had been sitting there the

    whole time.

    A moment ago, Lesley was thinking of asking Andrew to lunch. However, when his cell phone rang, she

    swallowed her words.

    To her surprise, she saw a distinctive change in his tone when he spoke on the phone. His expression

    was so soft and tender and his voice wasn''t as cold and distant as it was when he spoke to her. She

    was dumbfounded.

    His question added insult to injury. Her face froze when he rudely asked her why she was still there, as

    though she wasn''t wee in his office. However, Lesley was from the Feng family. It took her only a

    few seconds to regainposure. "I have been here the whole time.

    Let''s go to eat together. Anyway, it is time for lunch now," Lesley said as casually as she could.

    She stood up gracefully, looking like a fairy in her snow-white dress.

    Andrew ignored her. He picked up his cell phone and swiftly walked out of his office. He was quick, but

    Lesley was sharp enough to catch a glimpse of something shining on his hand.

    He was wearing something silver on his finger.

    Her heart skipped a beat. What was that?

    It was not possible! She immediately repressed the thought that popped into her head.

    Andrew walked so fast that even if Lesley ran, she wouldn''t be able to catch him up.

    Watching him disappear out of sight, Lesley was left frustrated.

    "Mr. Lu?" Johnny was stunned to see Andrew in the canteen. ''The CEO usually didn''t have lunch, did

    he?'' And even on those rare asions that he had lunch, he would have the food sent to his office.

    Why had hee to the canteen himself?

    "Get the person inside my office out," Andrew ordered Johnny with a frown when he saw him.

    Johnny was baffled. He stared at the CEO and asked, "Who?"

    Andrew watched Johnny woodenly.

    Andrew''s demeanor had always been icy. He hardly had any attachment towards his own father, let

    alone other people, or even his childhood friends. So many years had passed and Andrew never

    bothered to remember anyone''s name.

    So it was natural that he forgot Lesley''s name. She, on the other hand, said his name with so much

    affection.

    If she found out that he didn''t even remember her name, she would feel so humiliated.

    Lesley reached home and threw her bag on the couch angrily.

    "What happened, baby? Who has pissed you off?" Rae asked concernedly when she saw her

    daughter.

    "Mom, please tell me the truth. Did Andrew have any woman around him when I was away?" she

    asked Rae with uncertainty.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    Though she didn''t catch a good enough look, her instinct told her that the silver thing on Andrew''s

    finger was a ring.

    "Right. Didn''t Susie tell you?" Rae looked at her with a puzzled expression.

    Lesley''s face twisted with contempt when she heard Susie''s name.

    If it wasn''t for Andrew, she would have never considered being friends with Susie.

    "Didn''t you go to the Lu Group to discuss business with Andrew today? Howe you''re back so

    early? What about Andrew? Did he send you back?" Rae quizzed her.

    "He is busy. Mom, don''t ask so many questions. I''m going to my room now," she fumed.

    Lesley felt annoyed with Rae''s intrusive questions. Apart from the time she spent with Andrew in his

    office this morning, she didn''t see him at all for the rest of the day.

 Chapter 183 A Business Trip

    Chapter 183 A Business Trip

    Every day at five o''clock sharp, Ashley would collect her belongings and wait for Andrew toe and

    pick her up.

    Cheryl had been observing this for many days. Today, her curiosity got the better of her. She supported

    her chin in her hands and inquired cheekily, "Ashley, do you have a boyfriend? Is that why you leave

    exactly at the same time every day? Do you go to see him? When will you introduce him to us?"

    Even Nina, who was not as nosy as Cheryl, turned to watch Ashley.

    Ashley, who already had her bag in her hand, paused and gave them a mysterious smile. "Keep

    guessing."

    Then she turned to her friend. "Ellie, I have to go now. You take care of the shop."

    Ellie nodded.

    After she left, Cheryl looked at Ellie expectantly and said, "Ellie, please tell us. Does Ashley really have

    a boyfriend? I''ll keep it a secret. I promise!"

    Ellie smiled and opened her mouth.

    Just as Cheryl thought Ellie would tell her, Ellie gave her the same answer as Ashley did.

    The suspense was killing her. ''Well, I will ask her again when shees tomorrow. I''m sure I can get

    her to spill the beans.''

    "You don''t have toe to pick me up every day," Ashley told Andrew when she got into the car.

    "Then who would you like toe to pick you up?" Andrew asked in his usual nd way.

    "I can take a cab home. You are so busy with your work and you have argepany to run. Don''t

    you feel tired of picking me up daily?"

    "No."

    Ashley turned silent. ''Then forget what I said.''

    After they got back home and had dinner, they went to the bedroom. Ashleyy on the bed and chatted

    with Ellie on her cell phone.

    She had decided to introduce someone to Ellie. She couldn''t let her best friend stay single anymore.

    "Just wait and watch. I will gather a group of boys for you to pick from."

    Just as she hit send, she felt some movement beside her. Andrew''s cold voice was in her ear. "A group

    of boys? For whom to pick?" he inquired.

    She had been with Andrew long enough to know that this was a forewarning. It meant he was about to

    lose his cool. If she hadn''t learned to read these signs, she wouldn''t be here for a long time.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Ashley put away her cell phone and said to himughingly, "I was just joking. I was talking to Ellie. I

    want to set her up with a nice boy. She should have a serious rtionship now. She is very lonely."

    Earlier, she used to hang out with Ellie most of the time. And now they could only see each other at the

    shop.

    Andrew nced at her sideways. "This is her private matter," he said lightly.

    Ashley gave him a dissatisfied look and said, "Ellie''s business is my business."

    "So, do you have any male friends who are affectionate and loyal?" Ashley added.

    "None."

    Francis was a yboy, always messing around with different women. Greyson was almost a child, so

    of course Andrew couldn''t consider him. The only one left was Jeremy. He was nice to everyone

    indiscriminately. No one knew him better than Andrew. Basically, none of his friends was a suitable

    match for Ellie.

    "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot your social status," she muttered.

    Everyone in his social circle would be rich second generation or belonging to influential families. Ellie

    wouldn''t like such people.

    "I am going out of the country tomorrow on business," he said suddenly, his deep dark eyes holding an

    ambiguous expression.

    Ashley, who was still concentrating on her cell phone, was astonished. She turned to look at him and

    stated, "Mmm."

    She suddenly felt a void inside. She wouldn''t be able to see Andrew for a few days.

    Andrew obviously wasn''t satisfied with her reaction. He lifted her chin. "You have to think of me every

    day, call me every day¡­" he urged.

    Ashley rolled her eyes at him rudely. ''Who do you think you are, Mr. Money? Why do I have to think of

    you every day?''

    But she didn''t dare to vocalize her thoughts. She just nodded obediently. "How long will your trip be?"

    "One week," he replied.

    It was too long for him. He felt uneasy if he didn''t see Ashley for one day, how would he survive an

    entire week?

    He narrowed his eyes and asked, "How about you go with me?"

    Ashley panicked. "No, no. I won''t go. You''d better go by yourself. I promise I will miss you here," she

    said hurriedly.

    Crap. She could have got a break if Andrew was away. Why would she want to go with him on a

    business trip?

    Andrew was not pleased with her reply. "Why?"

    "I have never been so far away from home. Besides, you are meeting somebody to negotiate business,

    not to have fun. I know nothing about your business. You will lose face in front of your client if I go with

    you. It''s better if I stay home and wait for you toe back."

    This exnation soothed Andrew a bit and he was pleased to hear that she would wait for him at

    home.

    His voice turned cheerful. "Do you have anything to say to me before I go?"

    Andrew had read those romantic novels Johnny brought to office. And he remembered the plot very

    well.

    There was one scene in which the hero told the heroine that he was going to go on a business trip.

    Then the heroine told the hero that

    she would miss him and would call him every day, and remind him to eat at meal time. She also put her

    photo in his cell phone so that the hero could see her face whenever he missed her.

    Ashley noticed that his mood had improved. "Come back soon? Have a nice trip? Good luck with your

    negotiation?"

    She tried a few things but Andrew''s face became darker and darker.

    She almost wanted to cry in frustration. She couldn''t read his mind. What did he want her to say?

    "Andrew..." She opened her mouth but before she could finish her sentence, Andrew threw himself on

    top of her.

    Her face was reflected in his dark eyes and she could read his expression very clearly. She had

    experienced this outburst of emotion not too long ago.

    She gulped and said, "Andrew, what..." ''What do you want to do?'' Shepleted the sentence in her

    mind.

    She took what he gave her tearfully.

    The next day, Andrew woke up very early.

    He watched the little exhausted girl sleeping in his arms and kissed her affectionately. Then he jumped

    out of bed to pack for the trip.

 Chapter 184 Feeling Sweet

    Chapter 184 Feeling Sweet

    Andrew put Ashley''s cell phone on the mute mode and watched her sleep for a while. He left only after

    Johnny called him the third time.

    At the international airport, he naturally attracted a lot of attention due to his looks and his dashing

    ck suit.

    Johnny followed him closely, dragging a suitcase and, at the same time, updating him about the

    itinerary for the day.

    "Mr. Lu, you will arrive in A country by four o''clock this afternoon. And then you will have dinner with the

    CEO of the Flourish Group..."

    Johnny stopped mid-sentence, because there was a woman standing in front of them. And it was none

    other than Lesley, who came to see Andrew in his office yesterday.

    She greeted them as soon as she saw them. "Hi, Andrew. Hi, Johnny."

    She was carrying a small suitcase. Obviously she, too, was going abroad.

    Johnny nced briefly at Andrew and then turned to Lesley. "Miss Feng, where are you going?"

    "Oh, I am going to A country with Andrew, because now I''m in charge of our family''s business there,"

    she exined.

    Johnny''s heart lurched. ''So she is going with us?''

    "Miss Feng is a truly remarkable businesswoman," heplimented.

    Lesley responded with a catty smile.

    What she didn''t tell them was that when she found out that Andrew was going to A country yesterday,

    she checked which flight he had booked and booked the same one. She even seeded in getting the

    seat next to his.

    At Golden Pce

    Ashley sat up on the bed, rubbing her sore waist. Bright sunlight flooded the room. She raised her arm

    to cover her eyes. Then she took the cell phone from the night stand and saw that there were a few

    missed calls from Ellie.

    Ashley was about to return her calls when a new text came in. It was from Andrew.

    "I''m boarding."

    She had just woken up and he was already boarding. They slept at the same time and how could he be

    so energetic?

    She quickly texted back, "Take care. Waiting for you toe back soon."

    Shey back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Then suddenly she thought of something and sat up

    abruptly. The muscles in her body ached with the sudden motion and she cried out in pain.

    Andrew wasn''t here, which meant that she was free. He could no longer control her and she could do

    whatever she wanted.

    He kept a close eye on hertely and didn''t allow her to do many things. She was taken home by him

    immediately after work every day.

    At the airport

    Lesley stole a nce at Andrew''s hand from time to time in order to find out if she had made a mistake

    yesterday about the ring. However, his hands were in his pockets all the time and she couldn''t see.

    Suddenly his cell phone beeped. Lesley caught a glimpse of a faint smile on his lips.

    She was taken aback. Since the time she had known Andrew, there was only one expression on his

    face. She had never seen this kind of a soft smile.

    She started to wonder who had sent the text to Andrew.

    Aware of Lesley''s eyes on him, Andrew gave her a brief nce and then resumed his usual stoic

    expression.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    Johnny was observing all this and muttering to himself, ''Now Mr. Lu''s heart is totally upied by Miss

    Mu. Whatever you do, however hard you try, you can''t get Mr. Lu''s attention.

    Besides, Mr. Lu is always so sullen.

    Why are you so attracted to him?''

    As the vi was quite far away from the bakery, Andrew arranged one person to stay there in order to

    help Ashley.

    Ashley was physically exhausted but it wasn''t as bad as theirst time having sex. Or else she would

    be in bed all day.

    Ashley returned Ellie''s call. "Hi, Ellie. Why did you call me?" she asked.

    "I''m taking Grandpa and Grandma back. Are youing?"

    "Oh, now? Okay, sure. You''ll have to wait for me until I get ready."

    Ashley hopped out of bed and rushed to get ready in the bathroom. Then she sprinted down the steps.

    "Miss Mu, where are you hurrying off to?" ire asked. She saw Ashley running out and came to talk

    to her.

    "I have to go out, ire. I won''t have breakfast. Talk to youter." Ashley grabbed a few slices of bread

    from the table and headed out.

    She asked Josef to take her to the housing estate where she used to live before, and told him to wait

    downstairs while she went up.

    "Ellie, so you will take Brown and Laura back today?" Ashley asked.

    Ellie nodded.

    "Okay, I have a car downstairs. We''ll take them back together."

    Josef didn''t expect Ashley to return with three people. He thought it was a good thing that he had taken

    the big car today. Otherwise it would be embarrassing.

    Ashley sat in the passenger seat and let Ellie and her grandparents sit in the back. She knew that Ellie

    hated to part with them, so she wanted to give them some more time together.

    "Ellie, Ashley, you two go back, please," requested Brown.

    Ashley said, "Don''t worry, Brown. We have taken a leave today anyway. We can be with you for some

    more time."

    They took Brown and Laura to the bus station and helped them board the bus. Both girls stood

    watching the bus disappear in the distance, and then they turned around to go back.

    "Don''t you worry. We can go to see them often if you want," said Ashley trying to cheer up her best

    friend, who looked glum.

    Ellie nodded and said, "Okay."

    Suddenly, something urred to Ashley. "Ellie, I can stay with you at your ce today," she said

    excitedly.

    Ellie looked at her with uncertainty and asked, "Will he agree?"

    Ashley held her head up. "He has to even if he doesn''t want to. He is on a business trip," she replied

    smugly.

    "Wow, looks like you are very happy about it," Ellie remarked.

    "Of course," Ashley nodded happily.

    "Josef, you can go back. You don''t have toe to pick me up this week. I will stay with Ellie," she

    instructed.

    "Okay, Miss Mu."

    As it was the end of a month, Ellie let all the staff of the bakery take a day off. They didn''t have to work

    today.

    Ashley and Ellie tended to the shop and after closing for the day, they went back home by cab. When

    they were home, Ashley opened her arms, took a deep breath and said, "It is so wonderful to be here!"

    Ellie looked at her and said, "Well,e here."

    The bakery was owned by the two of them. They had invested all their money in the shop. So at the

    end of each month, they settled the ounts to see how much they earned.

 Chapter 185 An Uninvited Guest

    Chapter 185 An Uninvited Guest

    Ellie had written every single detail of their ie and expenses in the notebook.

    As it was the end of the month, they were carefully reviewing the ounts.

    "Money for flour..."

    "Wait, Ellie. How did we get this money?" Ashley asked.

    Ellie nced at the notebook and said, "It is the profit on April 10th. I went to L City and asked you to

    write it down. Did you forget?"

    "Well, it looks like my handwriting. There are too many items, so I think I mixed up," Ashley murmured

    to herself.

    They finished checking the ounts within an hour as Ellie was always thorough and urate in her

    work.

    "Uh, Ellie. I guess we are rich women now," Ashley said suddenly.

    "Why?"

    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    "Look." Ashley showed Ellie the figure she just calcted. "After subtracting the money for the

    ingredients and employees'' sries, we still have twenty thousand left."

    "Well done! We have earned more money than we did in the Luo Group."

    "Yes." Ashley nodded in agreement.

    She stood up and stretched. Suddenly she realized it was already afternoon and she was hungry.

    "Ellie, what are we having tonight?"

    "You can check in the refrigerator if there is anything to eat. Otherwise we''ll need to go to

    supermarket," replied Ellie while she gathered her things.

    "Okay," said Ashley and ambled off to the kitchen.

    She opened the refrigerator and found that there was nothing they could have for dinner. "It looks like

    we''ll have to go shopping as there''s nothing left in the fridge," she said.

    "Ding-dong," went the doorbell.

    Ellie was in the bedroom, so Ashley went to answer the door.

    She wondered who it could be.

    When she opened the door, she saw a man in a pink business suit. The man was about 1.80 meters

    tall. He supported his head with one hand, and Ashley couldn''t see his face because his head was

    lowered.

    But despite this, he looked familiar to her.

    "May I ask who you are looking for?" Ashley asked.

    Francis was trying to strike a cool pose when he heard the door open, but he was puzzled when he

    heard the voice. ''Why does she sound like Andrew''s girlfriend?'' he thought to himself before raising his

    head.

    Their eyes met and they stood there staring at each other for a minute.

    "Ashley?" he asked in surprise.

    "Aren''t you Andrew''s friend? Ah, what''s your name? Fran..." Ashley faintly recognized him. He was the

    same man who had applied medicine to her in Andrew''s office.

    "Francis," hepleted.

    "Oh, right, Francis. What can I do for you?" she asked.

    "Do you live here?" he inquired.

    "Yes." Ashley nodded and continued, "Is something wrong?"

    "No." His mind was working fast trying to put the pieces of this puzzle together.

    ''I''m sure I have the right address. This is Ellie''s home, but Ashley is here too. Do they know each

    other?''

    "Ashley, who is there?" Ellie called out as she came out of the bedroom and saw Ashley talking to

    someone at the door.

    "It''s Francis, a friend of Andrew''s. But I don''t know why he''s here," she replied as Ellie walked towards

    her. Ashley was very confused.

    "Hi, Ellie," Francis greeted her enthusiastically. He looked deep into Ellie''s eyes and secretly checked

    her out.

    "Do you know each other?" Ashley asked as she saw their reactions.

    "No."

    "Yes."

    They answered almost simultaneously.

    Ashley looked Francis up and down and recalled something.

    She had seen him before they met in Andrew''s office, but Francis hadn''t noticed her back then.

    She squinted at him. "You are the man who drove Ellie to the bakery. Am I right?" Ashley quizzed him.

    Now Francis was confused. "How do you know?" he asked.

    "Guess!" Ashley replied in monotone.

    She had assumed that the man who had driven Ellie to work was one of her pursuers. She never

    thought it was Francis!

    Her impression of Francis was that of a yboy as he had flirted with her at the office. ''What if Ellie

    gets along with him? No, I won''t let that happen.''

    "Is there anything I can help you with? Because otherwise you should leave. I''m going to close the

    door," Ashley said haughtily.

    Francis had no idea why she was treating him so badly all of a sudden. ''She was so kind a minute ago.

    What happened to her?'' he wondered.

    "No, Ashley, please. I havee here to see you and Ellie." Seeing that Ashley was about to close the

    door, Francis obstructed it in a bid to stop her.

    "You havee here for us?" Ashley''s eyebrows shot up, as she stressed on the word "us."

    "How do you both know each other?"

    Francis looked from Ashley to Ellie. ''They are close. Ashley is trying to protect Ellie.

    So Ellie is Andrew''s friend too. It looks like I misunderstood them at the hospital. I thought Andrew had

    passed his affection to Ellie. How ridiculous I was!''

    he reflected.

    "Ashley, I''m trying to woo Ellie. Please help me," he pleaded meekly.

    "You are interested in Ellie?" Ashley still didn''t believe him.

    "Yes!" He nodded his head eagerly.

    "Ashley, don''t listen to him. I have never met him before." Ellie, who was standing beside her, exposed

    his lies without mercy.

    "How can you say that? I drove you to the bakeryst time," he said in an attempt to defend himself.

    "You were just as bold as crass that time, and I didn''t ask you to do that," said Ellie curtly.

    "Irrespective of that, I did drive you to workst time, so we do know each other," he replied.

    "It''s irrational," Ellie still tried to counter him.

    Looking at them, Ashley thought they might suit each other. ''They can get along with each other for a

    short period. I will ask Andrew about Francis when hees back. It''s important to ascertain whether

    Francis deserves Ellie or not.''

    It was the first time Ashley saw Ellie arguing with a man like this.

    "Well, Ellie. You can let him in." He was Andrew''s friend after all, and it would be impolite to drive him

    away.

 Chapter 186 Shopping For Groceries

    Chapter 186 Shopping For Groceries

    "Okay, do whatever you want. I''m going grocery shopping now." Ellie was ready to get out.

    "Wait, Ellie. I will go with you," said Ashley.

    It had only been a few minutes since Francis hade in and parked himself on the couch. He jumped

    up hastily and said, "Ashley, I will go with you two."

    When they were downstairs, Francis tried to please both girls. "Where are you going? I will drive you

    there," he offered.

    Ashley looked at him as if he was an idiot. "No, thanks. The supermarket is just a short walk from

    here."

    Francis felt hurt. He had never done grocery shopping and so it was natural for him not to know where

    to go.

    There was arge supermarket just outside the housing estate, and the fruits and vegetables there

    were very fresh. Ashley and Ellie used to shop there often.

    The three of them arrived at the supermarket. The good-looking trio attracted much attention,

    especially Francis, whose features were even more delicate than a girl''s.

    Although he was wearing a shy pink suit, he was able to carry it off with n. Surprisingly, such

    clothes didn''t look weird on him. Instead, he looked stylish and people couldn''t take their eyes off him.

    Ashley realized that thanks to Francis, they were the most eye-catching group in the supermarket.

    Even an elderlydy, who looked about sixty or seventy years old, was staring at Francis greedily, not

    to mention the youngdies.

    And Francis was ying the crowd¡ªhe was smiling charmingly at everyone.

    Ashley was so mad at his behavior. Just a moment ago he said he wanted to woo Ellie, but as soon as

    they left the house, he started preening like a peacock for all the girls in the store.

    She pushed the shopping cart towards Francis and said, "You push the cart." She was as rude as she

    could be.

    "No problem, Ashley." Francis followed her instructions obediently.

    "Look, that girl is so mean. She ordered him to push the cart. He has such nice, delicate hands and fair

    skin. Obviously he isn''t used to such heavy jobs."

    "I really want to go to help him."

    "Do you think he has a girlfriend? Can I go and ask for his WeChat ount? Do you think he''ll tell

    me?"

    "Maybe... Go and try your luck!"

    "Oh, forget it. You see that girl beside him. She looks angry now."

    "Never mind. What if she is not his girlfriend? I think you''d better try."

    The girls intentionally spoke loudly, so Ashley and Ellie could hear everything. And, of course, so did

    Francis.

    Ellie acted cool like nothing had happened, but Ashley was different. She had taken great efforts to find

    a boyfriend for Ellie and he turned out to be a womanizer.

    The girl who was most charming walked over to Francis. "Hello. Can I add you as a friend on

    WeChat?" she asked somewhat shyly.

    Francis ogled at the girl and said, "Sorry. I have a girlfriend. She will be jealous if I agree." Saying this,

    he dragged Ellie, who was still looking indifferent, to his side.

    Ellie was dumbstruck. Then she tried to wriggle out of his arms and raised her hand to p him. But

    Francis caught it. "Okay, don''t be mad at me. Didn''t you see I''ve ignored them?"

    Then he whispered in her ear, "If you struggle harder, I will kiss you in front of everyone. Do you believe

    me?" Francis'' voice was so low that only the two of them could hear, but it had an amazing effect. Ellie

    was too frightened to move. He was so mean!

    "Well, okay." Seeing Francis and Ellie whispering to each other, the girl got frustrated and left.

    "How did it go? Have you befriended with him?" asked the girls friend when she got back.

    "Forget it. He said he already had a girlfriend. And they look deeply in love with each other," replied the

    girl sourly.

    "Hey, don''t be so upset. There are plenty of fish in the sea. You don''t have to be his girlfriend," her

    friend tried tofort her.

    After the girl left, Ellie acted fast.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    She quickly pushed Francis away and stared at him resentfully.

    Her fragrance was still lingering in Francis''s nose after she moved away. He missed the feeling of

    holding her in his arms.

    Despite Ellie''s angry stares, he was itching to pull her back to his arms.

    She was so cute.

    However, he knew that he couldn''t force her or it would have an adverse effect. Haste makes waste.

    "Francis, behave yourself. Ellie isn''t your girlfriend yet," Ashley reprimanded him because he bullied

    her best friend.

    "Ashley, you have to help me," Francis said cheekily.

    Ashley wanted tough at him. He deserved it. He was used to flirting with every woman he met.

    How could she help him? He should just be grateful that she didn''t speak ill of him in front of Ellie.

    It was the same experience for Francis when he went shopping with Greysonst time. He knew

    nothing about grocery shopping. He just walked around and found everything interesting.

    When he saw Ashley and Ellie putting food into the cart, he, too, picked up some stuff randomly and

    threw it into the cart, but Ashley stopped him.

    "We already have enough of this. We can''t eat so much and it will go bad." She picked out the food he

    had tossed into the cart and returned it to the shelf.

    Francis leaned on the cart and supported himself on his elbows as he pushed the cart. "Ashley, why do

    you have to go through so much trouble to cook? Let''s go to a restaurant. My treat."

    "Great. Then we have to go to the most expensive ce in J city. And we will order the most expensive

    food in the restaurant. What do you think? Do you still want to give us a treat?" Ashley watched

    Francis'' reaction in amusement.

    Francis replied without hesitation, "Sure. But you have to be considerate to me too. Don''t order too

    much. I have to save some money so that I can support Ellieter."

    Francis made sure that Ellie heard what he said, but she showed no interest and continued with what

    she was doing.

    Ashley nced at Francis disapprovingly and said, "Do you still want to chase Ellie? You have to get

    me to back you if you do. Why are you asking me not to order too much? Do I eat a lot?"

    Francis waved his hands in panic. "No, no, Ashley. I was just joking."

    Though Ellie was the topic of discussion, she herself paid no attention to Francis at all.

    When they reached the cash counter, Francis offered to pay. The cashier girl saw him and blushed

    immediately. She started fumbling and her hands couldn''t find the right ce to put the bill. "Thank you.

    The total is USD135.60, please," the girl stammered in a low voice.

    Francis took out a ck bank card from his wallet and gave it to the cashier. "I will pay by card."

    The cashier girl swiped it on the POS machine the way she would for any other bank card. However, it

    turned out that it didn''t work.

 Chapter 187 Francis Washed Vegetables

    Chapter 187 Francis Washed Vegetables

    The cashier girl then took a close look at the card, and to her surprise, it was a ck card.

    This ck card was a limited edition, and there were only five of this in the world! She didn''t expect to

    see this legendary card at work.

    At that moment, the girl felt that the card was like a hot potato, and hastily gave it back to Francis.

    Though astonished, she didn''t show it on her face. She instead nonchntly asked, "Do you have

    cash? I am afraid the card can''t be used here¡­"

    Francis took the card back and mumbled, "Howe this card can''t be used?"

    Ashley was greatly surprised as well when she saw Francis take the ck card out. However, she

    thought of Andrew''s social status and that Francis was his friend. With this in mind, she regained her

    composure shortly after.

    She took out some cash and gave it to the girl. The girl took the money and gave her back the changes

    and receipt. The three of them then left the supermarket.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    As usual, it was Francis'' job to do all the heavy work¡ªcarrying the groceries to the car, driving home,

    and carrying the groceries upstairs.

    After they got back, Ellie brought the groceries and went into the kitchen.

    Francis watched her as she strode into the kitchen and asked Ashley, "So Ellie is good at cooking?"

    Ashley rolled her eyes at Francis. "Never call Ellie by her name. You aren''t even close to her. There is

    only one person here who can call her like that and that''s me. Of course, she is good at cooking. Do

    you think we go out every time we have a meal?"

    Francis was upset. "How should I call her then if not by her name?"

    "It''s up to you. Just, don''t call her Ellie."

    After saying that, Ashley left Francis alone in the sitting room and went to the kitchen to help Ellie.

    Since he got nothing to do, Francis then sat on the couch, rubbing his chin and examining the whole

    ce.

    Upon observation, Francis estimated that the entirety of this house was even smaller than his bedroom.

    However, it was cozily decorated and was very clean and tidy.

    The kitchen had a transparent ss door and so the people in the living room can see what the people

    inside the kitchen were doing.

    Francis'' interest in Ellie might be a whim at first, but the more time he spent with her, the more graceful

    and amazing he found her to be.

    And also what surprised him was that Ellie and Ashley were best friends.

    In the kitchen, Ashley assisted Ellie. She was thinking of the rtionship between Ellie and Francis

    while washing the vegetables. She was curious and couldn''t help asking, "Ellie, how did you and

    Francis get to know each other?"

    Ellie didn''t want to talk about it and so she evaded the point by saying, "We just got to know each other

    like anyone else."

    Ashley looked at her rather annoyed. "You know what I asked. You''d better tell me how it is. How did

    you get to know Francis? Tell me the truth or else, you know what I''m saying."

    She knew Ellie''s personality. She might look soft and easy-going, but behind that it was most difficult to

    persuade her. And she was stubborn if she made decisions. Nobody could change her mind.

    Ashley had never seen Ellie being close with any man, except Greyson. To Ashley and Ellie, Greyson

    was a mere little brother. To them, he wasn''t even a candidate for a romantic rtionship.

    Ashley fixed her eyes on Ellie, showing that she wouldn''t give in until Ellie confessed.

    "I got to know him at the hospital. He said that somebody was chasing him, and he ran into Grandpa''s

    ward to hide. That was how I met him,"

    Ellie said, without adding more details.

    Ashley smirked. She didn''t expect it to be so dramatic.

    Ashley said, "But I have a feeling that he has a crush on you. And he said he wanted to chase you too.

    Why don''t you give it a shot?"

    "I don''t think he meant it."

    Ashley wanted to ask more questions, but the talk was interjected by Ellie. "Please let me mind my own

    business."

    "If I let you mind your own business without my intervention, you would be alone and miserable. And

    what would you do by then? You want me to support you?" replied Ashley irritated.

    "I won''t let you support me."

    "Don''t be kidding me."

    As they started to bicker, Francis barged in.

    The kitchen wasn''t spacious enough for two people, and now it became even more crowded with

    Francis here.

    "What are youing here for?" Ashley asked Francis.

    "Ie to see what I can do to help."

    Unnoticed by Ashley and Ellie, who were in the middle of an argument, Francis was merely bored

    being left alone in the living room. So, upon seeing Ashley and Ellie miming behind the soundproof

    ss door, he decided toe in.

    Ashley, still with her negative impression about Francis, didn''t expect him to help anything. Judging by

    the look of him, she knew that he probably never lifted a single finger to do any chores in his life.

    She said with contempt, "Well, we don''t need you. You''d better stay in the living room." He would only

    get in the way staying here.

    However, Francis was cheeky enough so he wouldn''t go out.

    He saw Ashley washing the vegetable and so he said, "Ashley, let me do it. You can just stand there

    and see."

    Ashley said with doubt, "Do you know how to wash them?"

    Francis nodded with confidence. "Sure."

    Ashley then made a space for him and said, "Okay, you do it."

    Francis wasn''t even convincing for the job, but he got the look and that basically was why it was hard

    for anyone to refuse him. Such a handsome man would probably be loyal to the person he truly fell in

    love with, she wished.

    The kitchen was mini-sized and as Ellie was cooking there, she got no choice but to stand close to

    Francis, who had taken Ashley''s ce to wash the vegetables. They stood very close to each other.

    His hands were soaked in water in the sink, but his heart was all on Ellie.

    "Ellie, I never knew you were so good at this. What are you going to cook for dinner? I am so lucky. It is

    a great pleasure for me toe here at the right moment to enjoy your food."

    "Ellie¡­" He kept talking ceaselessly and it was obvious that he tried very hard to strike up a

    conversation, but Ellie didn''t even seem to bother.

    Francis felt like his mouth waspletely dried up after speaking for a long time, but to no avail. Ellie

    stood still with her poker face all the time.

    Every woman would run to him ecstatically when they saw him. He didn''t even need to say a single

    word. s, he met his Waterloo in Ellie''s case.

    However, he didn''t feel frustrated. It was probably because all those women before were too cheap and

    this different kind of experience appealed more to his great interest rather than disappointment.

    "What vegetable are you washing?" asked Ellie, just as Francis thought that Ellie would never ever talk

    to him. She stared at the vegetable in his hand and putting on a weird expression.

 Chapter 188 Slap In The Face

    Chapter 188 p In The Face

    Francis looked down at the vegetable in his hands. ''Did I do something wrong?''

    "What''s wrong?" he asked innocently.

    Looking at his handsome face, Ellie couldn''t find the words.

    "Ellie, what''s the matter?" Ashley came in from the living room. When her eyes fell on the vegetable in

    Francis''s hands, her mouth twisted. She had been away to fetch something just for less than a minute.

    How could he mess up a simple job of washing vegetable?

    Only the stems remained in his hands and the leaves were torn into pieces and scattered all around.

    "Can you tell me what kind of vegetable you are washing?" Ashley came over and looked at the stems

    in the basket. She stared at his innocent face resisting the urge to punch it.

    "Isn''t this how you''re supposed to wash it?"

    "Then what is it?"

    Francis looked at the pile of leaves in another basket and said, "Oh, you meant these? These can''t be

    eaten, right? I have removed all the leaves. I will throw them away."

    "Who told you those can''t be eaten?" asked Ashley.

    "But I have never eaten those. Can they really be eaten?"

    Judging from Ashley''s and Ellie''s expressions, Francis could tell that he must have goofed up.

    Ashley pped her forehead. "Okay, I will take it from here. You go rest in the living room," she said in

    resignation.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    And this time she didn''t listen to Francis'' exnations. She just pushed him out of the kitchen. If she

    allowed him to stay in the kitchen any longer, there wouldn''t be any dinner today.

    Francis was puzzled at being pushed out of the kitchen. He asked Ashley for the name of the vegetable

    and searched it online.

    "Water spinach, also called water convolvulus, angiosperm, known to have hollow stems¡­"

    There were many recipes too on the Inte. You could cook the leaves, or you could also remove the

    leaves and cook the stems.

    Francis mumbled, "So what''s the problem?"

    After a short while, the food was ready. It was arranged beautifully on the dinner table and looked

    delicious. Francis got a whiff of the aroma, and he took a deep breath. As it was all homemade food, he

    had never seen these kinds of dishes before.

    He picked up a small piece and tried it. His eyes lit up. He turned to Ellie and said, "Ellie, this is really

    yummy."

    Ellie nced at him briefly but didn''t say anything.

    Ashley interjected, "Eat more if you like. We have work for you to do after dinner."

    But Francis didn''t hear her. He was totally immersed in the food.

    After stuffing himself to the gills, he spread out on the couch in the living room feelingzy and

    satisfied. He had tasted all kinds of delicacies but for some reason, he still felt that the food he ate

    today was the most tasteful.

    "So you have eaten so much for free. Are you going to do something to repay us?" asked Ashley.

    Francis sat up and replied immediately, "I''m always at your disposal."

    Ashley looked at the dishes on the dinner table and shed an irresistible smile. "Do the dishes."

    Francis went into the kitchen to wash the dishes, while Ashley and Ellie sat on the couchfortably

    and started watching TV. Ashley stroked her stomach and said, "I think I ate too much. My stomach is

    feeling ufortable."

    Ellie curved her lips and said, "You deserve it. Why did youpete with him at the dinner table?"

    Nevertheless, she started rummaging through the drawer trying to find medicine for Ashley.

    When Ashley had seen Francis eating so much and so fast, she, too, was infected by his zest. She

    ended up eating more than she usually would and it became a bit too much for her tiny stomach.

    Ashley noticed that Ellie kept looking in the direction of the kitchen from time to time. She was amused.

    "Why? Are you worried about him?"

    Ellie rolled her eyes at Ashley and said, "Why would I worry about him? I''m just worried about my

    kitchen and my dishes."

    "What could happen? He''s just washing the dishes. He won''t create any trouble."

    No sooner did she say this than there was a loud crash from the kitchen. Ashley said, "Maybe it slipped

    from his hand."

    But before she could finish her sentence, there was another loud smash in the kitchen. And another.

    It was almost a p in her face.

    Ashley and Ellie ran to the kitchen and found Francis standing in front of the sink with a pile of broken

    dishes on the floor.

    Seeing Ashley and Ellie, Francis moved away from the broken dishes and said, "Ashley, your dishes

    are poor in quality. They break as soon as they are dropped to the floor. Next time I will buy something

    better for you."

    Ashley shook her head. Francis was a genius ining up with excuses.

    The quality was not good enough? They broke when they were dropped to the floor? What the hell kind

    of excuse was that?

    After they cleaned up the kitchen, Francis left. Before leaving, he asked Ellie to think of him.

    Ashley was so angry that she mmed the door after he exited.

    How could he make such a brazen request to Ellie when she hadn''t even agreed to be his girlfriend

    yet?

    In the Luo family''s house

    Clyde sat on the couch, supporting his head in both hands, looking extremely worried.

    Cora, who was sitting beside him, wore a simr expression.

    "Has hee back?" Clyde asked Cora in a low voice.

    "I just called Raymond. He is probably on the way. He should arrive soon," she replied.

    Cora looked at Clyde and asked, "Is it really him who is responsible for this? Why does he have to be

    hostile to our family? Does it have anything to do with Ashley?"

    After the birthday party, the stock price of the Luo Group kept dropping drastically and even those

    companies who had agreements with them wanted to terminate the contracts.

    Somepanies'' projects were already halfwayplete. They would lose a lot of money for

    terminating the agreements. But it seemed that they didn''t care about that as even thosepanies

    insisted on ending the business rtionship. Who could afford to do that? There was only one person

    who could do this.

    "Mom, Dad, what''s wrong? Why did you ask me toe back in such a hurry?" Raymond walked into

    the house and a servant took the coat from his hand.

    "How dare you ask me what''s wrong! Look at what you have done!" Clyde flew into a rage when he

    saw Raymond and thought of the dilemma faced by the Luo Group.

    When Raymond came close, he pped him! Thwack! The sound was extremely loud in the quiet

    room.

    It looked shocking but it wasn''t that hard. After all, he was his own son. He didn''t have the heart to hurt

    him.

    Raymond was flummoxed. He couldn''t understand what was going on. Why was he pped by his

    father the moment he stepped into the house?

 Chapter 189 Clydes Mind

    Chapter 189 Clyde''s Mind

    When Clyde pped Raymond, Cora rushed to Raymond and pushed Clyde away. "What are you

    doing? It''s not all his fault. He wouldn''t have done this if Ashley hadn''t seduced him. We wouldn''t have

    lost face!"

    Although Raymond''s actions had upset her, Cora still intended to protect him because he was her child

    and she always spoiled him.

    Raymond was startled when he heard Ashley''s name. ''Has something happened?''

    Looking at Cora, Clyde said, "How dare you say that! It''s true what they say, ''a kind mother makes a

    wastrel.''"

    "A wastrel? He is my son. Who will dote on him if not me? Isn''t he your son? If not, you can drive him

    way right now. Let me see what you are capable of!"

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Clyde pointed at Cora. "You and your son are really going to give me a heart attack, huh! Look at the

    state of our Luo Group! You want to argue with me instead of doing something to help."

    Cora calmed down when she remembered theirpany''s situation. "But you shouldn''t me

    Raymond like that."

    "Dad, what happened?" Raymond inquired.

    All he knew was that something bad had happened, and it was rted to Ashley.

    Raymond was absent from the partyst time, but even he had been there, he wouldn''t have known

    that Andrew was going to strike such a blow to theirpany.

    Clyde nced at Raymond, snorted derisively and walked to the sofa. Obviously, he was still mad at

    his son.

    "Mom, can you please just tell me? What happened? What''s wrong with ourpany? Is it anything

    rted to Ashley?" Raymond turned to his mother when he failed to get an answer from his father.

    Instead of answering the question, Cora said, "It must be Ashley. She has married a better man. Now

    she detests us and intends to make trouble for us."

    Although Raymond had broken up with Ashley and decided to give his heart to Lena, he still got upset

    when Cora used her.

    Raymond wrinkled his brows. "Mom, Ashley is not that kind of woman."

    "She is not that kind of woman? Do you know that ourpany will go bankrupt because of her? Our

    partners have cancelled all contracts, our stocks are dropping day by day, and most of our senior

    managers intend to quit."

    Cora''s reply came as a great shock to Raymond. "Mom, please tell me exactly what happened. What''s

    wrong with the Luo Group? And why do I know nothing about it?"

    "Do you know the man beside Ashley?" she quizzed him, instead of answering directly.

    Andrew''s cold face and menacing eyes shed in Raymond''s mind when he heard Cora''s question.

    He nodded. "I remember him. Is this to do with him?"

    "Do you know who he is?" Cora continued.

    "No." Raymond shook his head. Raymond knew he was not an ordinary man when he saw him the first

    time. He had tried to investigate as to who Andrew was, but despite his strong socialwork, he

    wasn''t able to get any information on him.

    Raymond had a bad feeling when Cora asked him about the man.

    He asked in a hoarse voice, "Mom, who is he?"

    Looking at Raymond''s expression, Cora realized he knew nothing about Andrew. So she began to tell

    him the whole story.

    In her view, Ashley had trapped Andrew. She had yed tricks on him and won his heart. It was

    common knowledge now that Andrew was madly in love with her.

    Ashley had been insulted in front of everyone at the party held by Cora, and this had irked Andrew.

    This was why he had gone against the Luo Group.

    But Cora also believed that Ashley bore a grudge against them because Raymond had dumped her.

    She had seduced Andrew to get him to help her to take revenge.

    Basically, Cora believed that it was Ashley who was responsible for everything.

    Raymond''s brows knitted tighter.

    Suddenly, he interrupted Cora, "No! That''s impossible! Ashley would never do that!"

    It was the first time Raymond had interrupted or contradicted his mother, and he was doing it to defend

    Ashley.

    Cora was livid. ''It''s all Ashley''s fault. She seduced my son before, and he''s still taking up for her!''

    "Why do you think it''s impossible? We have never stirred up trouble, but after the party, ourpany is

    drowning. Who else could be the culprit except Ashley?

    I told you not to go out with her, but you didn''t listen to me. Now look what she has gotten us into!"

    Raymond felt sad when their past popped into his mind. "It was my fault. I feel sorry for her."

    "What are you talking about? You hired her as the deputy manager of our branchpany. Wasn''t that

    enough?"

    "Shut up! We can''t solve our crisis by arguing. We have toe up with a solution," Clyde interrupted

    them as the argument between mother and son started heating up.

    Raymond held his tongue.

    "Raymond, go visit Lena''s parents tomorrow. We are close now, so maybe they will help us,"

    Cora instructed.

    He frowned. "I''m afraid their ability will fall short of our wishes," he replied.

    The Mu Group was not in a better position than the Luo Group, so they wouldn''t be able to do what

    Cora hoped they would.

    Besides, Raymond had only met Lena a few times since the incident at the shopping mall. He was

    upset with her because he knew how she had misunderstood and set up Ashley.

    At the time, he had thought Ashley purposely hurt Lena, and he had been so worried about her. But it

    was just Lena''s sick trick. She only wanted to frame Ashley. He was ufortable because he couldn''t

    believe Lena could do something so mean.

    Even after Lena had exined to him that it was a mistake, he couldn''t behave as if nothing had

    happened.

    "They will be able to help. They still have a ce in the J City..." Cora stopped mid-sentence.

    Something urred to her.

    ''They have a ce in J City, so what? The man who is plotting against us is at the top of the city. Even

    if ten Mu Groupse together to support us, it''s no use.''

    "Wait, I just remembered that Ashley is the adopted one in the Mu family. Am I right? Lena is her sister,

    and since you are Lena''s fiance, you are family. I believe she will never hurt her family members."

    Clyde, who was sitting on the sofa, looked defeated. "Are you still in touch with her?" he asked, his

    weak voice trembling.

 Chapter 190 Meeting

    Chapter 190 Meeting

    Raymond pressed his lips into a line when he realized what his father was implying. Sincest time''s

    incident, Ashley had cut all contact with him. She had blocked him on all her social media.

    Naturally, he couldn''t contact her in any way.

    Raymond remained silent.

    Clyde continued, "If possible, go talk to her. She is the key person in this matter."

    As a man, Clyde knew how men''s brains worked. Andrew''s animosity against the Luo family could only

    be due to one out of two possibilities. The first was to take revenge for Ashley who was treated unjustly

    when she attended their party.

    And the second possibility was that he had found out that Raymond and Ashley were ex-lovers. These

    were the only two reasons why he was after the Luo family.

    He didn''t expect the legendary aloof and cruel Andrew to end up with Ashley and adore her so much.

    Maybe they should reconsider their opinion about that woman.

    Raymond''s jaw dropped in astonishment. "Dad, what do you mean?" he asked.

    When he was with Ashley, his mother was strongly against their rtionship. He knew that his father

    didn''t approve of their rtionship either, but he hadn''t done anything to stop them.

    However, now that their rtionship had deteriorated, his father wanted him to go to see Ashley. How

    would he do that?

    Raymond didn''t say anything and Cora, who was standing on the side, frowned. She knew what Clyde

    meant but she really didn''t like the idea of Raymond going to see Ashley again.

    To be honest, even she herself didn''t know why she disliked Ashley so much.

    Clyde nodded at Raymond and said, "You go to talk to her. She can tell us if she has a grudge against

    us, and we will make it up to her if she does." It might be possible that even if they tried to make it up to

    her, she wouldn''t be appeased. However, at this point, the Luo family couldn''t do anything else.

    Raymond had never seen his father looking so demoralized. However tough the situation had been, he

    had always handled it with ease. He had never been so tired and worried.

    Raymond had heard a few rumors about Andrew and had already met him twice.

    This man''s social background seemed soplicated. Didn''t Ashley want a simple and peaceful life?

    Why did she choose to be with him then?

    How did she get involved with him? Coming from an influential family himself, Raymond knew all about

    rich people''s mindsets. They simply wanted a marriage with an equally wealthy and powerful family.

    His own family thought this way, not to mention the people in the Lu family.

    The Lu family might have even moreplicated and tricky personal rtions than other families. How

    would she survive there?

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    The Lu family wouldn''t possibly ept the adopted daughter of a family who owned nothing at all.

    Various thoughts surfaced in his head and he let out a long breath. He looked at his father and nodded.

    "Okay, Dad. I will go talk to Ashley. Don''t worry about it." He was going to do it either for personal

    reason or for anything else anyway.

    Clyde nodded. He was quite satisfied with Raymond. He had always been obedient even as a child and

    everything he did, he did it well.

    Clyde left the room and went upstairs. He had been very busy as the Luo Group was in so much

    trouble. He asked Raymond toe back just to rify things.

    After Clyde left, Cora spoke with Raymond at length. It was about Ashley.

    She said a lot of bad things about Ashley, and that since he and Lena were going to get married, he

    should treat her well, and not think of anything inappropriate.

    It wouldn''t happen even in his wildest dreams.

    Raymond seeded in getting Ashley''s phone number through his contacts.

    He used a different cell phone number to call her.

    Ashley was at the bakery with Ellie when her phone rang. The cell phone screen showed that the

    iing call was from a strange number.

    Ashley frowned and answered the call. "Hello?"

    Raymond didn''t speak and the silencested for quite a while.

    Ashley thought the call disconnected, so she moved the phone away from her ear and looked at the

    screen. But she found that the line was still connected, and the person on the other end wasn''t

    speaking.

    Ashley became impatient. Who was it? Why wouldn''t he or she speak? Did he or she want to donate

    money to the phonepany?

    "Hello? If you don''t speak, I will hang up."

    Just as Ashley was about to hang up, a voice came through the line.

    It was Raymond''s husky voice. "Ashley, it''s me."

    This voice had been so familiar to her for three years. How could she forget it?

    However, on second thoughts, she had nothing to do with him now. "What''s the matter?" she asked

    quietly.

    "Ashley, I need to talk with you," he replied. After a pause, he added, "About Andrew."

    Ashley frowned slightly. "I think I have made it clear to you that there is nothing between us. There is

    nothing else to talk about. As for Andrew, I don''t think he has anything to do with you. If there''s nothing

    else, I will hang up."

    Fearing she would hang up, Raymond became anxious and said hurriedly, "Ashley, this is for thest

    time. I really need to talk to you. It is something important about you. Can we meet somewhere?"

    Ellie could tell something was wrong when she saw Ashley''s expression. She couldn''t help asking,

    "What happened? Who is it?"

    Ashley put the cell phone a little away and said, "It is Raymond. He wants to talk to me. And he''s

    saying it''s important for me."

    "What do you think? Are you going to meet him?" Ellie asked.

    Ashley furrowed her brows and said, "I don''t want to go. I don''t want to get involved with him anymore."

    Ellie thought for a moment and said, "I think maybe you should hear him out. What if he really has

    something important to tell you?"

    Ashley muttered irritably, "What important thing can he possibly have to say to me?"

    However, she did agree to meet him and fixed an appointment. It was at a milk tea shop they used to

    frequent.

    The shop was close to the college they went to and so they used to have a drink there from time to

    time. Ashley used to like their milk tea.

    So Ashley asked Ellie to take care of the shop and headed for the meeting.

    Raymond had said it was important and that he had to talk to her immediately. She had her doubts but

    agreed to meet him nheless, so she had to get it over with sooner orter. She might as well do it

    now.

 Chapter 191 Meet Again

    Chapter 191 Meet Again

    At the Babyblue Tea Shop, Raymond sat quietly at a secluded table. He ordered two cups of milk tea.

    He was wearing a crisp white shirt and ck suit pants. A mild yet friendly smile yed on his lips,

    making him look like your average neighborhood boy-warm, youthful and neat.

    He gave you the feeling of looking at a clear stream in summer, one that you couldn''t help but halt in

    your tracks to look at.

    He looked at his watch frequently as if he was waiting for somebody, but showing no sign of

    impatience.

    There was a college not far from here, which exined the huge number of girl students who came

    here for a drink or two.

    Raymond was over six feet tall, had a handsome face, a faint smile, graceful manners, and all these

    made him an untainted big boy.

    The milk tea shop''s business wasn''t bad, and now with Raymond sitting at the shop like a walking

    advertisement, the shop was soon packed with customers.

    The age around 20 is when desire for the opposite sex explodes. Raymond''s simply sitting there

    caused hormones to rage within the girls. And some of them, who were bold enough, couldn''t control

    their urge to hit on him.

    A coquettish-looking girl with a luscious figure said something to her friend and her friend promptly

    flushed to her roots.

    She replied in a low voice, "Will that be all right?"

    She was in sharp contrast to her friend. Her features were pure and innocent, her face rtively round

    and plump, which made people feelfortable and want to be close to her.

    The coquettish girl casually brushed her hair and said in her husky voice, "Well, what''s the big deal?

    Just go over there and ask for his number!"

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    "But what if he already has a girlfriend?" said her friend hesitantly.

    "Not a big deal either. What a shame not to go talk to him! You don''t get to meet such an awesome

    man every day. You just wait here and watch me."

    Saying thus, she fixed her hair, pulled her clothes straight, stood up, and walked over to Raymond.

    "Hi. Is this seat taken?" Angelina Li smiled gently and asked in a sweet voice, which made her

    approach sound less abrupt.

    Raymond raised his eyes from his phone and beheld the girl before him. She was in a tight red dress

    that outlined her figure, and was smiling to him.

    Unlike everybody else, no surprise shed through his eyes at the sight of her beauty, and no

    lascivious thoughts took over his heart.

    His tone was mild and polite as always as he said, "Sorry. The seat is taken."

    She froze at Raymond''s direct refusal, but her expressionsted just for a second. She rearranged her

    features immediately.

    "Oh I''m sorry! I saw you sitting here alone for a long time. So I thought you were alone.

    The shop is so crowded and there are no empty seats now," she said in a way ofint as she

    looked around.

    Raymond turned to look at the entrance and saw a crowd waiting outside the shop. He frowned.

    He was delighted that Ashley had agreed to meet him. So he had made an appointment with her to

    meet at this ce, where they had always met up when they''d been in college. This ce was home to

    many of their memories together.

    But he had forgotten that this ce would be insanely crowded at this hour. He started to worry,

    wondering if Ashley could get in.

    Angelina Li watched Raymond and saw him frown. She thought that he would finally let her sit there

    after he saw how crowded the shop had be.

    However, Raymond nced briefly at her and said, "Right. Too many people and too hot outside. So if

    you don''t have anything else to do here, you''d better buy your drink and take it back."

    How could he be so unromantic and not get the hint? She had already made it so clear to him.

    Angelina Li looked at him again and bit her lip as she told him why she had actually approached him.

    Raymond shook his head and said, "Sorry. I already have a girlfriend."

    It was the first time a man had refused her after looking at her face thoroughly.

    But she didn''t know that Raymond wasn''t any man. There was only Ashley in his heart. And even

    without Ashley, he wouldn''t make Angelina Li''s wishe true.

    He had seen a lot of pretty women, which was a side effect given his social status.

    Seeing her still lingering around him, Raymond raised his eyebrows at her and asked, "What else do

    you need?"

    Angelina Li couldn''t find any excuse to stay anymore. So she shook her head and left, her lip raw from

    biting down on it so hard.

    When she got back to her table, the other girl asked her, "How did it go? Did you get his number?"

    The scene yed out in her mind¡ªhim telling her that he already had a girlfriend and that the seat was

    obviously saved for her.

    Angelina Li was feeling sore at the refusal and said irritably, "No. He said he already had a girlfriend."

    "Forget it then. It''s okay. It''s unnecessary to get mad for such a trivial thing," her friend said soothingly.

    Angelina Li stared at Raymond''s face from across the cafe, lost in her thoughts. But she regained her

    composure and said, "Okay, let''s get out of here."

    Outside the shop, Ashley watched the crowd waiting to get into the shop and frowned. She knew that

    the shop was in good business, but this was really too much.

    She looked at the text Raymond had just sent her and tried to squeeze into the shop.

    "Excuse me please. I need to get in there."

    Ashley''s voice rang out, clear and refreshing. And people gave way to her voluntarily, allowing her to

    finally enter the shop.

    Angelina Li, who was leaving, heard her and turned to the source of the voice.

    Ashley wore a simple white dress that fell to her knees. Her smooth shining ck hair was pulled back

    into a bun at the nape of her neck.

    Her skin was fair and firm and had very light makeup on it. A lightyer of lipstick perfectly matched her

    delicate features. She was cute.

    She frowned as she looked around through cat-like eyes, unconscious of all the attention she was

    attracting.

    People had fallen into a daze as they stared at her. The shop was small enough that she caught sight

    of the person she was looking for moments after she started looking around. And so she walked

    towards the man in white who was sitting by the window.

    Angelina Li stood there, her hands sped together and mouth hanging open slightly. She had thought

    that the man was lying to her when he said he had a girlfriend. To her surprise, he did have a girlfriend

    and she wasn''t bad-looking.

    "Wow, is that his girlfriend? She is really pretty," her friendmented as she watched Ashley make

    her way to Raymond.

 Chapter 192 Dont You Understand

    Chapter 192 Don''t You Understand

    Dressed in formal pants with a crisp, white shirt as usual, Raymond looked clean and handsome.

    Ashley, who was sitting opposite him, came to the point immediately, ignoring the milk tea on the table.

    "Tell me what happened."

    Raymond''s lips curved in a charming smile when he looked at her. "Ashley, you are finally here. This is

    your favorite milk tea. Come on, take a sip and tell me if it is still as tasty."

    Ashley lowered her head and saw the milk tea with ice and lemon¡ªher all-time favorite summer drink.

    She used to indulge in a cup every time she came here. Milk, lemon tea and ice were mixed together in

    this refreshing. Her face rxed when she sipped it.

    ''Well, he hasn''t forgotten my taste.''

    Instead of taking a sip, Ashley said, "No, thanks. I''m not thirsty now. Please tell me what you want."

    Raymond''s face fell.

    "Ashley, I''m sorry for what happened in the shopping mall. I thought it was you who pushed Lena, but

    when I found out that she wasn''t hurt at all, I knew it wasn''t your fault. I shouldn''t have med you for

    that." Looking into Ashley''s eyes, Raymond had the urge to hold her hand. But Ashley dodged him.

    She looked at him indifferently, She did love him before, but now everything had changed. He caught a

    glimpse of a faint smile on her lips as he apologized to her. "Um," she simply responded.

    "Ashley, are you still mad at me? I didn''t mean to hurt you. I didn''t know Lena had done such things..."

    Ashley interrupted him mid-sentence. "If this is what you want to tell me, I''m sorry I have no interest. I

    have to go now,"

    she said dismissively and started to leave.

    She had no time to chitchat over the milk tea with Raymond. They were neither lovers nor friends

    anymore.

    Seeing that Ashley was about to leave, Raymond stood up in haste to stop her. "Ashley, wait..."

    Thankfully she sat down again. He asked, "Ashley, do you know Andrew''s identity? He is not the

    ordinary man he looks like. You told me once that you wanted a simple life. But now you are in a

    rtionship with him. You have ended up in the opposite direction of the life you want. Do you really

    know him? Do you know how powerful his family is? You have got close to him in sheer ignorance.

    Have you ever given a thought to your future?"

    Ashley pressed her lips and didn''t react to Raymond''s tirade.

    Those questions had troubled her too when she found out who Andrew really was.

    She didn''t know why she made that request to Andrew back then. Maybe it was out of fear for Peggy''s

    threat or because of what Andrew had said that night. She was not sure what was the exact reason.

    Irrespective of that and the fact he was bossy sometimes, they were both happy in the rtionship. ''His

    status dictates that he must not marry a woman as per his desire, and his family will never let that

    happen.''

    Although Ashley had worried about this, she put on a calm and indifferent expression in front of

    Raymond.

    "This is my private matter. Thanks for your concern," she replied firmly.

    Under the table, Raymond''s hands were clenched. ''What does she mean? She doesn''t care about their

    status gap or she doesn''t believe that Andrew will divorce her one day?''

    Looking defeated, Raymond replied, "Something has happened in the Luo Group."

    Ashley was confused. She had no idea why he was telling her this because they were already out of

    touch.

    "But I have nothing to do with yourpany. I think you should go back and help instead of telling me

    this story."

    Raymond shrugged his shoulders. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

    He sounded upset. Ashley was confused, but she still showed no emotion. "That is your problem."

    "Don''t you want to know who did this to the Luo Group?"

    A sense of foreboding overcame her, but she didn''t ask him the reason. "I have nothing to do with your

    company, and I''m not interested in your story. I have to take care of something. Have fun. I''ve got to

    go."

    Just as Ashley was about to leave, Raymond said in a low voice, "It is Andrew. He has done this to us."

    Ashley stopped when she heard Andrew''s name. Looking at Raymond, she asked, "What? Do you

    have any evidence? For all I know, he and the Luo Group are not rted."

    She was subconsciously absolving Andrew from this when Raymond tried to malign him. She didn''t

    believe Raymond at all.

    The interesting thing was that she didn''t realize she was protecting Andrew.

    Ashley''s words struck Raymond''s heart like a knife. He looked sad and disappointed. ''She has never

    denied me before.

    Why? Did she fall in love with that man? She trusts him instead of me now.''

    Raymond shrugged his shoulders and lowered his head. He couldn''t help but be jealous of Andrew

    when he saw Ashley''s face.

    "Who would be the culprit except him?"

    Ashleyughed scornfully. "Maybe someone in your family has offended some big shot. Business is

    unpredictable. What makes you believe that he is the culprit?"

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Although she sounded confident, she was not sure if Andrew was really innocent.

    Looking into her eyes, Raymond replied, "Our business has gone downhill after that party. Do you

    believe it is just a coincidence?

    Ashley, don''t you know why he went against us?"

    Raymond looked at Ashley with a mix of emotions.

    "Stop!" Ashley interrupted Raymond as he was about to continue. "Stop talking. This is your problem.

    Please don''t bother me.

    You should talk to him instead of me. I can''t do anything to help."

    Instead of waiting for Raymond''s reply, Ashley took her bag and left in haste.

    Raymond watched as she fled.

    He clenched his hands and lowered his head. No one knew what was going on in his head.

    After leaving the milk tea shop, Ashley called Ellie to tell her that she had to deal with something, and

    then she went home directly.

    Raymond''s words still echoed in her mind.

    "Our business has gone downhill after that party. Do you believe it is just a coincidence?"

    Raymond''s worried face also shed in her mind. "Ashley, don''t you know why he went against

    us?"

 Chapter 193 Discovery

    Chapter 193 Discovery

    Actually Ashley had sort of figured it out and was secretly delighted, but she wouldn''t admit it to herself.

    She was afraid it was her own narcissism and Andrew had done it just for the sake of the Lu family.

    So she subconsciously chose to avoid the topic.

    Meanwhile Andrew and Lesley had arrived in A country. They had gone there for business

    negotiations. Andrew had to go personally as the discussions would cover various issues.

    As for Lesley, the Feng family knew that she was interested in Andrew and so they let her handle this

    part of business so that she would have an opportunity to be close to him.

    Lesley had studied this subject in college and she had been hearing and seeing things at her family

    company since she was young. So even though she hadn''t really done the job before, she was capable

    of handling it pretty well.

    Besides, the Feng family had arranged two people, both of who were seniors, to help her. So basically

    it was impossible for anything to go wrong.

    Everything was scheduled well in advance, so when they got out of the airport, a car was waiting to

    pick them up.

    They were taken to the hotel booked for them. Andrew headed to his room immediately. Johnny

    nodded to Lesley slightly and left with him too.

    In the evening, when they were well rested, somebody came to see them. They were told there would

    be a banquet to wee them.

    Andrew changed his clothes and went out of the hotel. He saw Lesley alsoing out at the same

    time. She smiled at Andrew when she saw him.

    The person they traveled here to meet was called Mr. Xu, a man over fifty years old. He looked very

    kind and friendly.

    If one didn''t know who he was, he would absolutely think he was just an ordinary nice old man.

    However, the people who knew him would tell you that he was a tough, ruthless big shot respected and

    feared by both legal and illegal business sectors when he was younger.

    People would shudder when they simply heard his name.

    Now that he was getting old, he showed some restraint in the way he handled things.

    They went to a famous restaurant called m Pce. It was a highly exclusive ce and ordinary

    people couldn''t afford to eat there even if they gained entry inside.

    A meal would cost at least ten thousand dors¡ªenough for ordinary people to happily run their

    households for a few months.

    This fancy restaurant was the venue chosen by Mr. Xu for the wee dinner. Andrew and Lesley

    were led to the private room where they saw Mr. Xu seated in the host seat.

    Mr. Xu saw them and smiled amiably.

    He greeted them as if they were old friends who he hadn''t seen for years. "Hi, you are finally here."

    Andrew returned the greeting and nodded at him.

    Mr. Xu''s eyes fell on Lesley and he asked, "And who is this prettydy?"

    Lesley raised her head and smiled gracefully. "Hello, Mr. Xu. I''m Lesley from the Feng Group. I''m in

    charge of the business of this sector now. I hope you will help me and give me some good advice."

    She remained calm and kept her expression neutral as Mr. Xu scanned her. She held his gaze without

    blinking her eyes.

    Mr. Xu nodded approvingly.

    The three of them sat down to have the meal and started with some small talk.

    "You two make quite a pair," remarked Mr. Xu.

    Lesley smiled shyly. She looked at Mr. Xu neither denying nor admitting anything.

    In contrast, Andrew''s brows furrowed slightly. He remained calm but was obviously displeased.

    "I''m married," he responded.

    Mr. Xu was surprised. He said, "Oh, really? Sorry, but howe I''ve heard nothing about it?"

    Andrew''s expression turned softer now. "She likes to keep a low profile."

    Lesley''s face froze when she heard this. She turned to look at his hand subconsciously.

    Andrew''s hands were on his knees, one on top of the other. His fingers were long and shapely and his

    skin was fair and firm. The ring on his left hand was so stunning that one couldn''t ignore it even if they

    tried.

    Lesley stared at the ring and her mind went nk. How could this happen? How could he be possibly

    married?

    Andrew noticed Lesley''s looking at his ring. His deep, dark and steady eyes turned to her and he

    pressed his lips tight.

    There wasn''t any emotion in his eyes except for coldness. Lesley was shocked and averted her eyes.

    She took a deep breath and readjusted her expression.

    She nodded to Mr. Xu slightly and said, "We have to go now."

    Mr. Xu nodded too.

    They got back to the hotel, and the moment Andrew was going to step into his room, Lesley called him

    suddenly, "Dear Andrew¡­" She suddenly remembered Andrew didn''t like her to address him in that

    way, so she immediately corrected herself. "Andrew, I have a few questions about the project. Could

    you please rify some things?"

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    She looked at him expectantly and also warily. Any other man wouldn''t refuse her, but Andrew wasn''t

    just any other man and so Lesley''s desire wouldn''t be fulfilled.

    Andrew looked at her impatiently. "I have something to do," he replied with a frown.

    He turned to leave but stopped as he thought of something. "Johnny, you exin to her," he instructed.

    And then he strode away.

    Lesley''s heart, which was full of hope, was crushed.

    She clenched her hands tightly in order to stop herself from freaking out.

    She looked at Andrew''s back as he went into his room, and reminded herself to calm down and be

    patient. She would take one step at a time.

    Taking a deep breath, she turned to his assistant and smiled. "Looks like I have to trouble you, Johnny,"

    she said sweetly.

    Johnny smiled and said, "No trouble at all, Miss Feng. I will try to rify your doubts as best I can."

    He was seething inside and cursing his boss mentally. ''How could he push this on me when he himself

    doesn''t like to talk to Miss Feng?'' He was feeling sore. He had no intentions of enjoying any time alone

    with thisdy either. Nevertheless, his face didn''t reveal his real thoughts.

    On the surface, Lesley appeared very attentive when Johnny was exining the project to her. And she

    asked questions and madements on all the right points. She was the precious daughter of the

    Feng family and had been raised to inherit the family business, so she was smart and quick to

    understand.

    Johnny had spent about half an hour filling her in on all the necessary details of the project. As he was

    leaving, Lesley asked him to wait.

    "Is there anything else you need, Miss Feng?" asked Johnny.

    Lesley was still smiling lightly. "Yes. Can I ask you a personal question?"

 Chapter 194 Suspicion

    Chapter 194 Suspicion

    Johnny''s heart jolted when he heard her words. He instantly knew it was about his CEO.

    "Sure," he replied.

    Lesley was feeling uneasy. She watched Johnny closely. "Andrew said he was married. Is that true?"

    she asked.

    ''Of course it is true. I witnessed it with my own eyes.''

    However, he couldn''t say that to Lesley.

    He didn''t falter and answered, "We know nothing about the CEO''s personal business. You can ask him

    yourself, Miss Feng."

    "Really? You are Andrew''s personal assistant. How could you not know about this?" Lesley said.

    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

    "I''m sorry, Miss Feng. But the private business of the CEO isn''t something we know."

    Lesley knew Andrew. If he didn''t want others to know, then nobody could know.

    So she nodded and said, "Okay, thank you anyway, Johnny."

    After he left, Lesley felt glum. A few scenes shed through her brain, the ring on his finger, his gentle

    smile when they had boarded the ne and his promation "I''m married."

    She was getting agitated. Andrew was married? How could that be possible?

    She picked up her cell phone and made a call back home.

    "Hello? Mom? Is Dad at home?" Lesley stood by the French window and gazed at the scenery outside.

    She held the cell phone to her ear with one hand while clenching her other hand in anticipation. She

    wanted to know the truth but at the same time she was nervous about what she would find out.

    "Please let me talk to Dad," Lesley said.

    Rae pouted. Every time Lesley called, she was to talk to her father; she never missed her.

    After a moment, a mellow baritone voice came through the line.

    "Hello, Lesley. How are you doing? Are you okay? Should I send somebody to bring you back home?"

    he asked affectionately.

    Aaron adored his daughter and always gave her whatever she wanted. Basically he never failed to

    fulfill her wish.

    Lesley pressed her lips and said, "No, I''m good here."

    Aaron chuckled softly. "You feel good whenever Andrew is by your side," he teased.

    Lesley was a little embarrassed when her dad called out her feelings so directly. She blushed.

    "Dad! I have a serious question to ask you. Stop making fun of me," she said in mock anger.

    "Okay, okay. I won''t make fun of my baby girl. What do you want to know? I''ll tell you everything I

    know."

    Lesley took a while to word her question appropriately. "Dad, have you ever seen any woman around

    him?" she asked.

    Aaron replied, "No. You know Andrew''s personality. What''s going on? What has happened?"

    Lesley paused a short while and then told her father, "He said he was married. And he is wearing a

    ring. So, I''m afraid¡­"

    Aaron knew how his daughter felt about Andrew. He knew she had a crush on Andrew since she was a

    kid. And when she grew up, she gave up her career and chose the same profession as Andrew''s. She

    did all this because of him. She hoped she could help him with his career in the future.

    "It''s not possible," Aaron said affirmatively.

    "How can you be so sure?" Lesley asked.

    "You know what kind of person he is. How can it be possible that he''s married and nobody knows about

    it? Besides, you have been to the Lu family''s home. They didn''t say anything about it. So Andrew can''t

    be married."

    Indeed, based on Andrew''s social status, if he got married, it would cause a sensation in the whole J

    City.

    However, no such news had got around in the city. This was proof that Andrew couldn''t possibly be

    married.

    What they didn''t realize was that not everyone wanted to be under the spotlight and expose their life to

    the whole world.

    Besides, the person he married was Ashley.

    Despite her father''s conviction, Lesley was still doubtful.

    "All right, Lesley, don''t worry about it. Aren''t you staying with Andrew now? Why not take the

    opportunity to build your rtionship?" Aaron tried to soothe her.

    ''Build the rtionship? Not a chance.'' She thought of what had happened between them. She said she

    had some questions for him, and he didn''t even bother to look at her and instead ordered Johnny to

    help her.

    "Dad, I feel¡­" said Lesley, still deeply worried.

    "Okay. If you''re still worried about it, I''ll go to visit Ethan at his house tomorrow and see if I can get

    some information. What do you think? So you can sleep easy tonight, okay?" said Aaron.

    "Great. Thank you, Dad."

    "Don''t be silly. No thank you to Dad," said Aaron disapprovingly.

    After some more small talk, they hung up the phone.

    Lesley held the cell phone in her hand. Her hand grasped it tighter and tighter until her knuckles went

    white. She desperately hoped that he wasn''t married!

    At the Feng family''s house in J City

    After Aaron hung up, Rae asked, "What did Lesley say?"

    Aaron replied, "She said that she heard Andrew was married. She was worried about it, so she called

    to ask if it is true."

    "Andrew is married? How could that be possible? He has had no woman around him all these years

    since Lesley left. How could he get married so suddenly?"

    Aaron was suspicious too. "I have no idea. But since Lesley said so, why don''t we pay a visit to the Lu

    family tomorrow and try to find out the truth?"

    "Okay," Rae agreed.

    "Well," said Aaron, thinking of something, "where is he? What has he been doingtely?"

    It was obvious that Rae loathed the person Aaron just mentioned. She looked miserable. "He is a

    grown-up now. How would I know where he is? Probably with some woman,"

    Rae said with a hint of annoyance.

    Aaron put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Okay. I just thought about him suddenly, so I asked. I

    won''t mention him anymore. We have Lesley."

    Rae looked at Aaron and said, "Aaron, do you regret that we don''t have a son?"

    Aaron''s hand, which was on Rae, trembled a little but he regainedposure quickly. "That''s

    nonsense. We have Lesley. That''s enough."

    "It is different. Who will you give the Feng Group to in the future? Francis? Lesley is a woman. We can''t

    give the Feng Group to Lesley, can we?" she said agitated.

    In contrast, Aaron was much calmer. "Why can''t we? Lesley is so brilliant."

 Chapter 195 Sound Ethan Out

    Chapter 195 Sound Ethan Out

    No matter what Aaron said, Rae was still worried because they didn''t have a son. ording to her,

    Lesley should enjoy her life rather than taking on the business. Although Aaron had never mentioned it,

    she had made up her mind to get pregnant again and this time, hopefully, she would give birth to a boy

    who would take over the family business in the future.

    "Aaron, let''s try for another baby," Rae suggested.

    Aaron watched her in astonishment. "Are you crazy? You are in bad health! Did you forget that?"

    "That was several years ago. Now I have recovered. We can do this. Trust me."

    They had been married for many years. Rae knew that Aaron was in love with her, and he had never

    comined about the fact that she only birthed a girl. But Rae was not satisfied. She wanted to have a

    baby boy, another symbol of their love.

    Aaron knew that Rae was stubborn, so he gave up trying to dissuade her. He wanted a baby boy too.

    "Let''s go to the hospital tomorrow. If the doctor gives you the go-ahead, we can give it a thought."

    Aaron and Rae went to visit Ethan the second day as they wanted to put Lesley''s mind at ease.

    Ethan and Arya were talking in the living room when the steward came in followed by Aaron and Rae.

    Aaronughed cheerfully. "Ethan! You won''t feel bad about our uninvited visit, will you?"

    Ethan stood up and walked over to Aaron with a smile. "Aaron, you know I won''t. We are so happy to

    see you."

    They were good friends in their youth, and the friendship between their families had spanned two or

    more generations. Unlike other families, they were closely acquainted. And it would please both sides if

    Andrew married Lesley.

    Aaron and Ethan were chitchatting over the tea while Rae and Arya were talking jovially.

    After a bit of conversation, Aaron wished to ask the question on his mind but stopped on second

    thoughts.

    Ethan noticed his hesitation and asked, "Aaron, you can tell me whatever you want. You know that we

    are best friends."

    Aaronughed and responded, "Yes, you are right.

    Actually, it is something about Lesley. She went to A Country on business with Andrew yesterday. And

    he told her that he was married.

    You know that Lesley has had feelings for Andrew for a long time. She called us when she heard the

    news.

    Andrew hasn''t been with any woman recently. In fact, he has never got close to other women. The

    news is much too sudden, and Lesley is upset. So I came to you to learn the truth." Aaron looked

    expectantly at Ethan, waiting for his reply.

    "Ha-ha, I understand.

    I promise you that Andrew is still single. We will ept only Lesley as our daughter-inw. You can tell

    her that she can breathe easy," Ethan assured him.

    "I feel reassured now.

    I have watched him grow up. How could he get married without telling me?"

    Rae and Arya was sitting on the sofa across the men.

    "Where is Susie? Why I didn''t see her?" Rae asked.

    "She went out early in the morning. You know her, a naughty girl. She likes wandering around rather

    than helping her brother," Arya answered.

    A smile appeared on Rae''s face. "She is young. Give her some time, she will grow up."

    "She is in her twenties. Look at Lesley, what a thoughtful girl she is. She is able to work in your

    company now. Uh, you don''t know, loafing is the only thing Susie good at.

    I am certain she will never be as thoughtful as Lesley," remarked Arya.

    "What are you talking about? I think Susie is just as smart and thoughtful. You can ask here to our

    home. Lesley will be happy to talk to her."

    "Well, that''s great! Lesley is her favorite person. She has adored her since she was a child," Arya

    responded with a bright smile.

    Time gradually passed, and their meeting wasing to a close when Aaron said, "Lesley must be

    waiting for my reply. We have to go home now. Let''s discuss this furtherter."

    Ethan walked Rae and Aaron out. "Okay. Take care."

    "Good bye, Ethan."

    On the drive back home, Rae asked, "How did it go? What did they say about the marriage?"

    Aaron narrowed his eyes and replied, "They said Andrew was not married yet. He is not seeing

    anyone, so he can''t be married so soon. It would be impossible for him to keep his parents in the dark if

    he had ns to marry someone."

    "But Lesley has never lied to us. She said it was Andrew who told her that he was married."

    Aaron thought for a moment and replied, "Maybe this is his way to drive Lesley sway. We all know that

    nobody can get close to him. His willpower is strong, and that''s why he deserves our Lesley."

    Rae nodded. "I think you are right."

    Ashley was wrought with anxiety after meeting Raymond and because of that she was constantly

    distracted at work too.

    "Ashley." This was the umpteenth time Ellie had called her. Fortunately, Ashley finally heard her.

    Looking at Ellie confusedly, Ashley asked, "Ah, Ellie, I didn''t hear you just now. Can you say that

    again?"

    Ellie''s eyebrows shot up. "What has Raymond told you? You are so absent-minded."

    Ashley shook her head and started to fiddle with her phone. "Nothing."

    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    "Liar. How are you so distracted if he hasn''t told you anything?"

    Suddenly, Ashley raised her head and looked at Ellie seriously. "There is a story. A girl was insulted by

    someone in front of everyone. A man took up for her by plotting against the one who insulted her. Tell

    me, why did the man help this girl?"

    "Why are you asking me this?" Ellie was puzzled.

    "Nothing, it just came to my mind..."

    "I think he might help her out of love. Anyway, no one would do such things for no reason..." Ellie

    stopped mid-sentence. She looked at Ashley in disbelief. "You are the girl!"

    "Ahem!" Ashley looked away. "How is that possible? I just saw this on the phone some days ago, so I

    wondered what''s your thought of it."

    Ellie cocked her head and looked at Ashley doubtfully. "Really?"

    Ashley nodded firmly. "Of course. Ellie, I will never lie to you."

 Chapter 196 Ashleys Brother

    Chapter 196 Ashley''s Brother

    Ashley was ying on her mobile phone in the bedroom when Andrew''s words suddenly popped into

    her mind.

    "Remember to miss me and call me every day," Andrew had said before leaving.

    She searched her contact list for Andrew''s number. Looking at his name on the screen, she

    contemted for a while before deciding to call him.

    The phone rang for a long time, then automatically disconnected as there was no answer. Ashley tried

    two more times, but there was still no answer.

    ''Maybe he is busy with his work, ''

    she thought.

    She stopped calling him. ''Anyway, I have called him thrice now. It was he who didn''t answer the phone,

    '' she told herself.

    After browsing Weibo for a while, Ashley started feeling drowsy. She put her mobile phone aside and

    lay down on the bed.

    She was about to fall asleep when her mobile phone rang. She woke up with a start.

    "Hello?" Ashley answered the phone, her voice sounding hoarse andnguorous.

    She nced at the clock; it was already midnight. She wondered what kept Andrew so busy that he

    could only return her call sote at night.

    "Have you gone to bed?" Normally, Andrew''s tone was cold but at that moment, there was a hint of

    tenderness in his voice.

    Ashley clenched the phone tight. She didn''t know why she was feeling nervous. Maybe it was because

    she took the initiative to call him for the first time just now.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    "Yes," Ashley replied in a low voice.

    "Were you very busy just now?" she asked out of concern.

    Andrew gently rubbed his temples with his hand. He didn''t look like the sharp, ruthless businessman

    that he was. This intimate moment between him and Ashley brought out his softer side. "Yes. I have

    just finished some work," he replied wearily.

    "Well, it''ste. You should get some rest now," she said.

    Andrew didn''t say anything for a long time. Ashley wondered why he went silent and called out his

    name a few times.

    "Okay," he responded.

    Ashley was about to hang up but suddenly thought of what Raymond had said to her. She paused and

    licked her lips hesitantly. Finally, she decided to ask Andrew about it.

    "Did you¡­ Did you mess with the Luo family''s business?"

    Andrew, who was sitting on the bed, was stunned for a second.

    Although there wasn''t any emotion on his face, anyone who knew him well could see clearly that he

    was livid.

    The vibe between them suddenly changed. It became cold.

    Even though she couldn''t see his facial expression, Ashley could tell he was angry.

    She suddenly thought of something. She opened her mouth to exin, but Andrew asked coldly, "Are

    you worried now?"

    Ashley frowned. She was lost in thought, trying to decipher his question.

    ''What does he mean?

    Why did he ask if I was worried? Whom would I be worried about? Raymond? Or the Luo family?

    But I have nothing to do with Raymond now!''

    Moreover, Ashley didn''t know if she was overthinking. She thought Andrew''s question loaded and not

    as simple as he made it sound. He seemed irritated.

    Something urred to Ashley.

    ''Is he feeling jealous?''

    She wasn''t so anxious to offer him an exnation anymore.

    "Yes. I am a little worried," she said, trying to goad him.

    Now Andrew was very jealous. His face was sullen and his eyes reflected his anger.

    He clenched his mobile phone with so much force that it could have lost shape.

    It would be proof of just how angry and jealous he was in that moment.

    Despite being annoyed, Andrew retained a poker face. There was no change in his tone either.

    "Do you want me to stop going after the Luo family?" Ashley couldn''t help but be nervous on hearing

    his icy tone. A small shiver went down her spine.

    Somehow, Ashley felt certain that if she said yes, something bad would happen.

    She could tell from his tone that he was incredibly jealous at that moment.

    No matter how hard Andrew tried to keep his tone normal, Ashley could read him like a book.

    "No. The Luo family has nothing to do with me. Moreover, there must be a reasonable exnation for

    what you have done.

    Today, someone from the Luo family told me that they were in trouble. So, I wanted to tell you about it,"

    Ashley exined. For some reason she didn''t want him to misunderstand her.

    The Luo family had nothing to do with her. Moreover, they had treated her badly. So, she had no

    intentions of helping them.

    But Ashley was wrong. It was true that Andrew had logical reasons for doing anything but this time it

    was purely emotional. He was bent on destroying the Luo family''s business only because of how badly

    they behaved with his beloved.

    "Well, it''ste now. You''d better rest. I have to go to bed now. Good night."

    With that, Ashley immediately hung up.

    Ashley would probably never know how big an influence she had on Andrew. He had fallen into the

    ugly trap of jealousy and risen from it victoriously within a short span of time. He was annoyed at first

    but quickly became very happy.

    He continued sitting there motionless even after she hung up the phone.

    Her words kept shing in his mind.

    ''She has nothing to do with the Luo family.''

    Now that he was a hundred percent sure that Ashley didn''t love Raymond. He was feeling relieved.

    Meanwhile, Ashley wasn''t sleepy any more. The phone call had driven away her sleep.

    She began to browse the moments on WeChat.

    Seeing the food photos put up by some people, she couldn''t help but feel hungry.

    ''They are tempting me to eat at night!''

    She was engrossed in the delicious food photos when her mobile phone rang suddenly. There was a

    message on WeChat.

    At first, she didn''t think much of it.

    But when she noticed the name above the message, she quickly stopped browsing and opened the

    message.

    "I will arrive at the airport at 10 o''clock tomorrow morning.

    Are you going toe to pick me up?"

    It was a message form Ron.

    She was pleasantly surprised with this news.

    She quickly sent a reply to Ron.

    "Ron, are youing back to J City tomorrow?"

    It seemed as if Ron was waiting for her reply. As soon as she sent him the message, he replied

    instantly with a few more messages.

    "Yes."

    "Why haven''t you gone to bed yet?"

    "Are you ying on your mobile phone as usual?"

    Ashley smiled happily and couldn''t help rolling on the bed with joy. She was about to reply when Ron

    sent a video call invitation on WeChat.

    She immediately sat up and checked her appearance before tapping "ept" on the screen.

    Ron was smiling at her affectionately. "Ash," he said gently.

    Ashley gazed at Ron happily and responded sweetly, "Ron!"

 Chapter 197 Meeting At The Airport

    Chapter 197 Meeting At The Airport

    If Lena was the one Ashley disliked most in the Mu family, then Ron was the one who brought some

    warmth to her in that family.

    Lena didn''t dare bully Ashley whenever Ron was at home. He always protected Ashley and treated her

    well.

    And because of that, Lena would escte her bullying against Ashley when he wasn''t around.

    But Ashley had never med him for that.

    She didn''t know what Lena would have done to her if he hadn''t protected her.

    Ashley considered Ron as her own brother, as a sibling she shared blood with.

    "Why are you still up at this hour?"

    Ron smiled gently, his eyes full of affection as he stared at Ashley.

    Handsome, gentle, graceful, modest. This world was better because he was in it; a unique man,

    unparalleled.

    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    People were easily enchanted by his smile.

    Ron had just intended to send Ashley a message and then go to bed because he knew that she was

    usually asleep at this hour.

    But to his surprise, he found that Ashley was still up.

    So he couldn''t help but make a video call to see how his girl was doing.

    "I''d just finished doing something and was about to go to bed when I received your message,"

    Ashley said.

    "What about you? Why are you still up?" she asked.

    "Same as you," Ron said, smiling.

    He had decided to go back the next day, and he wanted to tell Ashley immediately. But since it was

    quitete, he thought that it was perhaps better to tell her when he went back there.

    But he had overestimated himself and found himself unable to resist from sending her a message.

    He tossed and turned in the bed, unable to fall asleep as he thought of meeting her tomorrow.

    Now, as he looked at Ashley, he felt that there was so much he wanted to say to her, but he suddenly

    didn''t know where to start.

    Just looking at her made him feel satisfied.

    They hadn''t seen each other for years, but they had never felt alienated from each other, their

    rtionship never deteriorating.

    He watched her babble on and on, and responded with one or two words from time to time.

    The air between them hummed harmoniously.

    A whileter, Ashley yawned, and as Ron watched her struggle to keep her eyes open, he said

    concernedly, "You''d better go to bed now. We can catch up tomorrow when I get back."

    Ashley''s head was heavy now and she nodded drowsily at Ron before hanging up. She fell onto the

    bed and before she knew it, was fast asleep.

    On the other hand, Ron stayed awake for a long time.

    The thought of meeting Ashley excited and perturbed him.

    He was uncertain about how she had been doing these past few years. Did she miss him?

    And had Lena bullied her when he was away?

    Thinking of her smile, her frown, and her different expressions, he started to feel good and soon fell

    asleep.

    The next morning, Ellie shook Ashley awake.

    Ashley looked at Ellie, her eyes unfocused and her arms hugging the quilt, unwilling to part with it.

    She had chatted with Ron for a long time into the early hours of the morning, which meant she hadn''t

    had enough sleep.

    "What time is it, Ellie?"

    Ellie looked at her sleepy friend and said, "Didn''t you go to bed earlyst night? Why are you still so

    sleepy? It is already 8 o''clock now."

    Ashley nodded dazedly but didn''t get up.

    Ellie watched her resignedly and then tucked the quilt around her and said, "You sleep for some more

    time. I''ll go to the shop first. Breakfast is in the kitchen. Don''t forget to eat when you get up."

    "Okay." Ashley nodded and gave her a grateful nce before closing her eyes again.

    She didn''t know when Ellie left.

    She remembered vaguely that she had promised Ron to go to the airport to meet him.

    She reached for her cell phone to check the time, and almost jumped off the bed and out of her skin.

    "Good God, it''s beyond nine!"

    she shrieked as she hurried to clean herself up and change clothes.

    She checked the conversation records on Wechat. It wasn''t a dream. It was true that Ron wasing

    back. And she had promised to meet him at the airport.

    There was no sign of Ellie in the house. She recalled that Ellie had woken her up this morning, but she

    was so tired at the time that she hadn''t paid much attention to her.

    She didn''t have the time to eat the breakfast Ellie had prepared for her and merely grabbed her bag

    before rushing out of the house.

    It was already half past ten when she got to the airport. Ron had told her that he would be arriving at

    ten o''clock.

    Ashley''s eyes swept around Arrivals but didn''t see any sign of Ron.

    She muttered, "It''s already half past ten. He probably has already left."

    She took out her cell phone to call him, but suddenly, a low, clear voice apanied by a pat on her

    shoulder said, "Ashley!"

    She turned around abruptly. In front of her was a warm, gentle, smiling face. The eyes that were

    looking at Ashley were brimming with affection.

    Ron was wearing white casual wear and dragging a suitcase. His 6-foot height and charming face were

    attracting a lot of attention.

    They had been separated for years but Ashley recognized him at first sight.

    Ron and Lena were biological siblings and their features bore some resemnce, though not much. If

    one didn''t look closely, they wouldn''t see that they were brother and sister.

    Ashley loathed Lena but she liked Ron.

    Ron was like her brother who always protected her. And she did regard him as her own blood brother.

    Ashley threw herself into Ron''s arms once she had ovee her surprise, and shrieked, exhrated,

    "Ron! You are finally here!"

    Ron dropped the suitcase to hold her and couldn''t help butugh as he stroked her head.

    After a moment, Ashley extracted herself from Ron''s arms and looked a little uneasy. But Ron, who

    was still caught up in the happiness of meeting Ashley again, noticed nothing.

 Chapter 198 Francis Finds Out The Secret

    Chapter 198 Francis Finds Out The Secret

    "Ron, let me help you with that," Ashley said as she pointed at the suitcase beside Ron.

    Ron moved the said suitcase behind him to notion that he was refusing her offer. "Let''s go. My luggage

    is not that heavy."

    "My dear brother, you must have waited for a long time. Are you tired?" Ashley inquired, concern in her

    eyes.

    "Not at all! I actually just got here because the flight got dyed. I saw you as soon as I got off the

    ne!" Ron replied enthusiastically.

    "Well, that''s great," Ashley said, smiling softly.

    "Well then,e on! You haven''t gone home for several years, right? I think that J City is no longer the

    same city you remember. If you''re curious about anything at all, please feel free to ask me," she

    continued with a bright smile.

    As Ashley talked to Ron, his smile became prominent on his lips, and his eyes were full of tenderness

    and affection.

    Being a handsome man and an attractive woman, they caught everyone''s attention.

    "Wow, look at them! The man is so nice to his sister!"

    Her partner scornfully looked at her, amazed at her unawareness. He said, "There is no way they are

    siblings! Have you seen his eyes? They are full of love and affection for her! Do you know someone

    who would look at his sister like that?"

    "But I heard the woman called the guy ''brother!''"

    "Oh my! You literally know nothing about modern dating, don''t you? That''s their special term of

    endearment! Also, if I remember it correctly, you also called your boyfriend brother before.

    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    So you really don''t have any excuse to be this ignorant."

    Since the airport was a little noisy and Ashley had her mind fully on Ron, she didn''t hear that they were

    talking about them at all.

    Ron, on the other hand, was different. He heard every word clearly. ''Even a stranger could tell how I''m

    truly feeling. Ashley, why couldn''t you do that? Why couldn''t you understand how I truly feel for you?''

    he thought, suddenly a little upset.

    Noticing that Ashley had attracted a lot of attention, Ron turned his eyes on her, who was still smiling

    brightly.

    She was no longer the girl in need of his protection. She had already grown up, more beautiful and

    attractive than he had ever imagined.

    Soon, they went on their way and he walked after her. One would think they were a couple from the

    atmosphere and tension they exuded. However, the fact was, they didn''t even touch each other at all.

    At one point, Ashley stopped in her tracks and raised her head to look at Ron. With a very confused

    look on her face, she asked, "Ron, what''s up?"

    Ron smiled gently and replied, "Nothing. Let''s go home."

    Ashley would have stared at Ron''s handsome face for a long time if she was still the girl under his

    protection. Peggy and Spencer had given their best genes to him. But aside from his superior looks, he

    acted like a cultured knight with the way he treated people with tenderness and kindness. No matter

    where he went, everyone loved him.

    Suddenly, Andrew''s face came into her mind. Since she was with him now, Ashley couldn''t help but

    compare him with Ron. After a few moments of contemtion, she arrived at a conclusion¡ªthey were

    as different as night and day.

    Andrew was elegant, reserved and bossy. He was scary when he wore a poker face, especially his

    eyes. People would immediately feel highly intimidated if he looked at them with his deep, dark eyes.

    Ron, on the other hand, had apletely different personality.

    If Andrew was as cold as ice, Ron was a man as warm as the April sun. Making people feel warm and

    comfortable was his specialty.

    Besides, his gentle smile worked like a medicine on people¡ªit was able to give someone a boost and

    make them feel good.

    Noticing that Ashley was distracted, Ron became curious and asked, his tone teasing, "Ash, are you

    okay? Is there something on my face?"

    Ashley suddenly came back to her senses the moment she heard Ron''s words. She looked away in

    haste and answered, "What? Your face? Nothing. I...I just haven''t seen you in a long time. It made me

    kind of absent-minded."

    ''What''s wrong with me? Why did Ipare Ron with Andrew?

    They arepletely different!'' Ashley thought, thoroughly annoyed with herself. ''Ah, here is the thing.''

    Ashley suddenly remembered something. She looked at Ron and asked, "Ron, have you told Lena and

    others that you came back today?"

    Somehow, she automatically thought that everyone in the Mu family would have known that Ron was

    coming home today. However, she didn''t see anyone of them at the airport.

    ''Didn''t Ron tell them? What''s happening? What is this guy nning?''

    Ashley looked around to make sure that indeed, there was no one from the Mu family at the airport

    right then.

    A naughty smile broke on Ron''s lips. "Would you stille to see me if I told them and they were

    here?"

    "I don''t think..." Ashley stopped mid-sentence. After a few seconds, she continued, "Yes, definitely! Yes,

    I would! You are my brother, the best brother in the world!"

    Although Ashley highly disliked Peggy and Lena, they were Ron''s family. Ashley woulde to meet

    him, and it wouldn''t matter if they were there or not.

    Ron chuckled at Ashley''s reaction. Then, he said, "Ashley, please stop looking around. I didn''t tell them

    I wasing home today. I guess that you wouldn''t be here if they came to pick me up." Ron rubbed

    Ashley''s nose slightly.

    "Oh." Ashley was surprised by what Ron just did. It made her conscious of how she was staring at him,

    so she shifted her gaze elsewhere.

    She really didn''t want to put Ron in any kind of dilemma with his family. Peggy and Lena were his

    mother and sister, and even they had done something bad to her, Ron was innocent. He was the one

    who protected her all the time.

    And because of that, Ashley had a clear-cut stand on who to love and who to hate.

    "You know what, let''s just go home," Ron said, a warm smile still on his lips.

    Ashley just nodded in agreement and together, they left the airport.

    The Mu family didn''t send anyone to pick Ron up since he didn''t tell them he woulde back today.

    Because of that, they decided to go home by taxi.

    In a ce not far from Ashley and Ron, Francis, who was in a casual suit, was talking to a sexy

    woman. The woman held his arm, but he pushed it away the next moment without even thinking about

    it.

    He was about to leave with the woman when he saw Ashley out of the corner of his eye. Surprised, he

    stopped and wondered if it really was Ashley.

    Thedy beside him asked with concern, "What''s wrong?"

    Francis turned his eyes on her and replied, "Nothing. Look, I think you have to go home alone. There is

    something urgent I need to deal with. I''m sorry."

    Noticing that Francis was bing more and more impatient by the minute, the woman left without

    saying much to him.

    Francis nced at the direction where he thought he saw Ashley as soon as the woman left.

    "That girl looks like Ashley. But why would shee here? Also, who is the guy beside her?"

    Francis murmured as he stared at the backs of Ashley and Ron.

    He then decided to get closer to have a better look. At that moment, Ashley suddenly turned around.

    "Well, that really is Ashley," he said to himself. A sly smile appeared on his lips.

 Chapter 199 A Small Dispute

    Chapter 199 A Small Dispute

    Francis almost cried out and he hid himself among the crowd hastily.

    It was Ashley. She was talking andughing with a man!

    ''Did she finally give up on Andrew? Maybe she couldn''t bear his terrible temper anymore, '' he thought

    to himself.

    Francis dared not to think more about it. He had just seen something beyond his understanding!

    Not even in his wildest imagination would he have thought he would be a witness to this scene at the

    airport. It was breaking news.

    He took a picture of them walking side by side with his cell phone.

    They were just getting into a cab.

    It was toote to move closer to take more photos, so Francis drew his attention back to his phone to

    look at the photo more carefully. It was a little blurred because he had taken it hurriedly and secretly.

    But you could still tell that Ashley and that man were intimate and happy together.

    He had thought of sending the picture to Andrew through Wechat earlier, but now he was hesitant.

    What if Ashley and that man were just friends? And he knew Andrew''s personality. Francis knew he

    was serious about this rtionship.

    Andrew was the kind of guy who would get jealous and sulk for half a day even if Francis and Ashley

    talked for a while. He couldn''t imagine what his face would be like if he saw this photo.

    Eventually he decided not to send the photo to him. What if it was just a simple misunderstanding?

    He''d better check with Ellie first.

    Ashley and Ron were in the taxi. She looked out of the window at the scenery shing by for a while.

    Then she turned to look at Ron. "Ron, how have you been all these years?"

    Ron was sitting straight with his hands on his knees. He nodded, "Good." ''But without you by my side.''

    "How about you? Have you been doing all right in the Mu family? Do they bully you?"

    Sheughed and replied, "How could they bully me? I''m not the old Ashley that I used to be¡­"

    Ron''s eyes turned gentle and brimmed with affection.

    He was the only son of the Mu family and was meant to be the sole heir of the Mu Group. So he had

    been sent abroad for further study years ago. And now finally, he was back.

    Ashley looked out of the window again and realized something. "Ron, where are we going?"

    "To the Mu family''s house. What is it?"

    He was right. This was the way to the Mu family''s house.

    Ashley instructed the driver to pull over immediately. "Ron, you have to go back alone. I won''t go with

    you," she said solemnly.

    There wasn''t any change in her tone and she didn''t show any displeasure or anger, but Ron knew that

    she was definitely angry.

    She quickly got out of the cab.

    She didn''t med Ron for the family''s behavior but she had proimed that she had nothing to do with

    the Mu family anymore. So she would never agree go back there, even if it was with Ron. No reason

    was good enough to make her step inside that horrible ce.

    Ron jumped out of the car after Ashley and followed her hastily trying to stop her. "What''s wrong?"

    It was the first time he had frowned since he got off the ne. His tone was cold and sharp. "Did they

    do something to you?"

    He knew Lena wasn''t a nice person and she always harassed Ashley. In fact, apart from him, the entire

    family didn''t like Ashley much. She was the adopted daughter of the family after all.

    Ron thought they would never do anything very bad to her. Now it looked like it wasn''t as simple as he

    thought.

    Ashley had never seen such a dangerous expression on Ron before. His eyes were cold and his voice

    wasn''t as gentle as earlier, instead it sounded menacing.

    Ron had always been warm and nice, and it seemed that nothing could bother him.

    When Ron noticed that Ashley was staring at him dazedly, he realized he was overreacting.

    He calmed himself down before opening his mouth again. "Why don''t you want to go back to the Mu

    family? With me being around, they won''t do anything to you."

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    The cold and dangerous Ron disappeared, as if he never existed.

    Ashley looked down and said, "No. It is just I don''t feel like going back to the Mu family. That''s all."

    He forced her to look up at him. "Why? You have to have a reason for feeling this way," he inquired

    softly.

    He looked at her warmly, making her feel uneasy and she averted her eyes again. She pressed her lips

    and remained silent.

    And so they ended up in a stalemate.

    "Hey, you two! Are youing or not? I have work to do. I can''t waste time on you here,"

    barked the taxi driver.

    "If your girl is upset, buy something for her. What is the use of doing this? You young people are

    really¡­"

    The driver, a plump man in his forties, was amiable a moment ago but now he was grumpy and gruff.

    He was yelling at them loudly.

    When she heard this, the first thing Ashley thought of was Andrew.

    She thought of the expressionless poker face of Andrew and his deep, dark, sometimes sad and

    sometimes angry eyes.

    Ron turned around to nce at the taxi driver and then grabbed Ashley''s arm and walked to the cab.

    Ashley thought he was going to drag her into the cab and take her back to the Mu family against her

    wishes. She struggled and protested, "Ron, I don''t want to go back to the Mu family. Please don''t force

    me."

    Ron watched her as she resisted so strongly. Now he was convinced that something had happened

    when he was away, something very big.

    He tried tofort her by saying, "I won''t ask you to go to the Mu family."

    Ashley sort of believed him but continued struggling. Of course she was weaker than Ron.

    So she was dragged to the side of the cab but he didn''t make her get in. Instead, he took out quite a lot

    of money and gave it to the driver. "Please wait for us here for a while. We will be back soon."

    The driver looked at the money that had just been dropped on the seat next to him and pretended to

    consider it.

 Chapter 200 Lenaâ€™s Jealousy

    Chapter 200 Lena¡¯s Jealousy

    "Okay. I''ll wait here for half an hour. If you both still can''t reach an agreement, then I''m going to leave.

    "Okay. Thank you," replied Ron.

    Ron pulled Ashley aside, released her hand, and gently asked, "Now, can you tell me why you don''t

    want to go back to the Mu family''s house?"

    Ashley quickly withdrew her hand once Ron let go of her. She kneaded her wrist, lowered her head to

    avoid looking at Ron, and spoke up, her voice indifferent. "I don''t want to go back there because they

    don''t like me. And I really don''t want to invite any trouble for myself."

    Ron knew that Ashley hadn''t gotten along with other members of the Mu family for a long time.

    But he had never seen her act like this before.

    Ron rubbed Ashley''s head and said softly, "Don''t worry. They won''t dare treat you badly now that I''m

    back. Are you worried that I can''t protect you?"

    ''I won''t allow anyone to bully you anymore; nor will I allow anyone to be condescending towards you.

    You are my beloved. I must protect you well from now on, '' thought Ron.

    Ashley had severed her rtionship with the Mu family. She knew that she would lose her temper and

    do something bad to them if she fixated on the trouble that Lena and Peggy had caused her. Ashley

    took a deep breath and turned to Ron to exin. "No. I know that you will protect me. But the key

    problem is¡ª"

    "As long as you believe in me, everything will be fine," Ron said earnestly, cutting off whatever she was

    about to say.

    Ashley turned around and fixed her gaze on the leaves that swayed with the breeze. She said slowly

    and carefully, "I''ve severed all ties with the Mu family. So I won''t go back with you."

    At this, Ron looked worriedly over at her and asked, "What happened? Did they do anything bad to

    you? Or did they force you to do anything that you didn''t want to do?"

    Ron knew Peggy and Lena well. They didn''t dare treat Ashley badly when he was at home because of

    the protection he extended. But they began making trouble for Ashley the moment he left home.

    Ron suspected that they had done something to Ashley but didn''t even think that Ashley could have

    done to Lena and Peggy.

    Ashley looked at Ron in amazement. She hadn''t expected Ron to ask her such a question.

    "Don''t you want to ask me why I cut off ties with the Mu family?" Ashley looked at Ron, an array of

    emotions crossing her face.

    ''Do I look like some irrational guy who stands by his family even if they have done something wrong?''

    Ron thought, a little put out by this. He then gently rubbed Ashley''s head and looked helplessly at her.

    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    "I know you well. You wouldn''t have severed your rtionship with them if they hadn''t done anything

    bad to you. You are always tolerant and never treat others heartlessly unless they irritate you. I believe

    that you did that for a good reason," Ron said.

    "What if the truth is not what you think? What if it''spletely different from what you''ve guessed?"

    Ashley asked.

    Ron smiled but didn''t say anything.

    Ashley also knew Ron well enough. If he didn''t get an answer from her, he would make every effort to

    find out the truth.

    They were both simr to each other, both very stubborn in character.

    Ashley didn''t want to tell Ron how and why she had severed her rtionship with the Mu family. And

    she didn''t tell him about the troubles that Lena and Peggy had brought on her.

    Those things were in the past and she didn''t want to talk about it anymore.

    So she just gave him a brief run-through about what had happened and then stopped talking.

    Ron listened to her silently and once she had finished, worryced his voice as he said, "You must

    have lived an unhappy life in the Mu vi all these years."

    Ashley shook her head. "No," she said.

    She had really not suffered a lot since she had moved out a long time ago to live with Ellie. She had

    gone back only if and when she was asked to deal with something, and she''d leave as soon as she

    finished. So it didn''t bother her as much.

    Ashley ended up sticking to her opinion and didn''t go back to the Mu vi with Ron. Instead, she saw

    him off at the gates and asked the driver to take her back.

    Sitting in the car, Ashley cupped her face with her hands and looked outside, taking in the scenery that

    whipped by.

    She seemed to be lost in thought, her eyes empty of emotion.

    Meanwhile, Ron walked up to the door of the Mu family''s house.

    Although Ron had been abroad for many years, he still had a key to the house. There were two

    reasons why he hadn''t told his family about hising back. One was to surprise them, and the other

    was for reasons that were too personal to reveal.

    Ron used his key to open the door. Everything was what it had been before. There were very few

    changes.

    Ron was about to step into the living room when he heard a familiar voice.

    "Mom, didn''t you say that Raymond wouldn''t contact Ashley once she got married? But Raymond met

    Ashley again yesterday!" Lena shouted at Peggy.

    Her voice trembled with anger.

    Peggy frowned at Lena from the sofa. "They just met, Lena. They didn''t do anything intimate! It doesn''t

    matter. Ashley isn''t someone that we can bully at will. Have you forgotten what your dad said? Her

    husband isn''t someone we can offend. If we do, the consequences will be disastrous."

    "But¡­" Lena wanted to say something but her rage didn''t allowed her to talk.

    She wondered how Ashley knew Andrew. Ashley had, like Cindere, not only married such a man, but

    also improved her own social status. This upset Lena more than she cared to admit.

    Lena tried to calm herself down and went to say something more scathing, but the realization that

    someone had walked into the living room shut her up.

    Lena looked up at the man standing before her, her eyes wide with amazement. "Ron?" she said

    disbelievingly.

    "What?" Peggy started, but looked up at Lena with a frown since Lena hadn''t finished her words.

    Seeing that Lena was looking towards the living room in disbelief, Peggy followed her gaze.

    She shot off the sofa in surprise and before she knew it, she was walking quickly over to Ron, smiling

    widely. "Ron! You''re back!"

    Ron looked at Peggy and said, "Mom."

    Peggy''s smile widened, if that was even possible.

    She took Ron''s hand and showed him around.

    "You have be thinner than before. But you look more handsome now. How are you? Have you

    adapted to life over there? Will you leave again in a few days?" Peggy asked Ron concernedly, not

    realizing that she was shooting out a lot of questions.

    "Come here and sit down. You must be very tired after a long flight. Why didn''t you tell us beforehand?

    We would have picked you up!" Peggy sat down on the sofa, still holding his hand, and Ron sat down

    beside her. She asked the servant to bring him a ss of cold water.

    Seeing that Peggy waspletely ignoring her now that Ron was here, Lena stared quietly at them,

    jealousy shing in her eyes.

    ''Ron appears and Peggy''s attention involuntarily shifts to him and shepletely ignores me!'' Lena

    thought rather angrily.

 Chapter 201 Dream Girl

    Chapter 201 Dream Girl

    Ron sat down and took the drink from Peggy''s hand. Although he already had an inkling about

    something from Ashley, he acted as if nothing had happened.

    He cast a quick nce around the room and asked, "Where is Ashley? I didn''t see her."

    Peggy, who had been smiling delightfully before, immediately frowned upon hearing Ashley''s name.

    Given that Ron just returned and didn''t know anything, she kept her anger in check and replied coolly,

    "Come on, she is not a kid. Do we have to be by her side all the time? I don''t know where she is!

    I wonder why you care about someone so insignificant instead of your own sister."

    Peggy was upset because she felt that Ron valued Ashley more than his own sister.

    Ron furrowed his brows.

    If just a casual question caused his mother to overreact this way, he couldn''t imagine how Ashley must

    have been treated when he was not home. He understood why Ashley chose to sever ties with this

    family.

    Lena looked at the two of them sitting on the sofa and decided to leave, since she had nothing to do

    and was getting bored sitting around. Ron had liked Ashley since childhood, while he was indifferent

    towards Lena. In turn, Lena had a negative impression of Ron.

    Although he was her brother, they were not close. This wasrgely because of Ashley.

    Lena was just about to leave. Perhaps it was because she made a noise that Peggy stopped talking

    with Ron and looked at her.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    "Hey. Where are you going? Your brother is here. Don''t you see him? Oh, girl. Come over here. Say

    hello to him," Peggy said to Lena.

    Lena had no inclination to do that. Actually, she hated Ron, so she rejected her mother. "Sorry, I have

    something to deal with. You guys continue chatting. I''m off," she replied shortly and went upstairs.

    Watching Lena''s back as she walked away, Peggy frowned and muttered, "God knows what''s going

    on."

    Anyway, she was happy that Ron was back. So she turned her attention to her son.

    "So when did youe back?" she asked.

    Ron turned his gaze away from Lena, and replied, "Well, this morning. I wanted to give you a surprise,

    so I didn''t tell you."

    "Whatever. As long as you''re back. There''s nothing better than this. Oh, does your father know that you

    are back?" she asked.

    "I haven''t told him so far. But I n to go to his officeter."

    "You just take a break. I''ll tell him."

    So Ron chatted with Peggy for a while. Seeing his tired eyes with dark circles, Peggy asked him to go

    upstairs for a rest before dinner time.

    Ron''s arrival pleased Peggy. She, obviously, had been always satisfied with her son.

    After Ron went upstairs, she couldn''t wait to go out.

    She nned to buy some food and make a big meal for him.

    Ron went back to his room and put away his suitcase. Then he went to Ashley''s room.

    Her room was the same as it was when he left. It was still empty. When Ashley was a child, Ron''s

    family was good to her. But as she grew older, their attitude towards her became worse and worse. So

    they hardly ever bought her anything.

    Ashley didn''t take anything with her the day she left.

    On the desk, there was a photo.

    In it, there was a boy and a girl whose faces were still puerile and youthful. Although the photo was a

    little dusty, the people in it were still clear. It was Ashley and Ron from a few years ago.

    The photo was taken five years ago before Ron went abroad.

    Back then, they stood shoulder to shoulder, with big smiles on their faces.

    He was about to take the precious photo when there was a sound outside the door.

    "Who''s there?" Ron asked, turning towards the door.

    "It''s me," a voice came from the doorway.

    It was Lena. She hesitated for a moment before entering the room.

    She was actually nning to go out and look for Ashley. She didn''t expect to see Ron in Ashley''s room.

    Seeing him in there, she stood at the door for a while.

    But Ron had discovered her.

    Seeing that Lena was wearing makeup and carrying a bag, Ron asked, "Going out?"

    "Yeah," she nodded.

    "Are you in a hurry?" he asked, "I want to ask you something."

    "Humph," Lena snorted contemptuously. "It''s about Ashley, right?"

    Ron frowned and replied angrily, "She is your sister."

    Lena walked in slowly and folded her arms across her chest. "I have no sister.

    What do you want to know. I tell you. All right?"

    "Did she cut ties with us?" he asked.

    Lena nodded. She wasn''t surprised by his question. On the contrary, she had expected it from him. "So

    you have met her."

    Ron looked at her with disappointment. "Why can''t you just talk nicely like other polite girls?" he asked

    irritably.

    Lena turned her head. "It''s none of your business," she replied haughtily.

    She resented her brother. She couldn''t understand why he treated Ashley well when he was her

    brother¡ªher biological elder brother! She hated that he always criticized her behavior; it made her feel

    like she had nothing but shorings and that there were no good qualities in her.

    "What else do you want to know? Be quick. I have no time to waste with you," she said curtly. Lena felt

    ufortable under Ron''s piercing gaze. So she turned sideways so that she didn''t have to look into

    his eyes.

    In the living room, Ron had overheard some discussion on the topic of marriage. So he wanted to

    confirm whether he misheard it or not.

    "You were talking about someone''s marriage, right? Who got married?" he asked.

    Lena looked at Ron and smiled wickedly. "You really want to know?"

    When Lena was a child, she didn''t know why Ron was so good to Ashley. As time went by, she began

    to understand why.

    Ron had fallen for Ashley and he didn''t know that himself. But as an onlooker, Lena knew everything.

    In a manner of speaking, Lena was the first one to read Ron''s mind. So she used to violently dislike

    Ashley at the time. She med Ashley for taking her brother''s heart away.

    It was for this reason that she used to pick on Ashley all the time. Ron, on the other hand, never dared

    to tell Ashley that he had a crush on her.

 Chapter 202 Something Is Wrong

    Chapter 202 Something Is Wrong

    Ron''s eyebrows furrowed as he saw Lena''s expression.

    "Do you want to know who is married? Let me tell you the truth. It''s Ashley, the woman you''ve been

    missing so much. She looks down on us now that she''s married to a better man. And she has cut off

    rtions with us already.

    How do you feel now? Is that news astounding enough?

    Oh, you must have no idea who her husband is!" Lena said with a sneer.

    Ron''s mind went nk when he heard that Ashley was married. The news had almost driven him out of

    his mind.

    ''Ashley is married?

    She got married?''

    Ron didn''t want to ept it and retorted immediately, "It can''t be true!"

    Lena was a little upset as she noticed that his face had turned pale. She hid her emotions well as she

    laughed and replied, "It can''t be true? Why can''t it be true? Do you think she is still the same girl who

    was constantly under your protection?

    She belongs to the upper ss now. We can''t see her casually. Do you think she still respects us?

    You can ask her if you don''t believe me. Let her tell you the truth."

    Ron clenched his fists, tendons straining against his fair skin. "Shut up!" he yelled at her without

    thinking.

    She still had something to say, but his reaction frightened her to the point where her body shook and

    she swallowed nervously.

    "You asked me this! You asked me about Ashley! And now, you''re asking me to shut up? What do you

    want? Fine, don''t ever ask me anything about her. I won''t tell you anything even if I know it!"

    Lena yelled back once she had regained her senses. She turned around and left, mming the door

    loudly.

    Ron looked at her retreating figure, wanting to say something, but refrained from doing so.

    He copsed on the sofa, a sudden headache taking over him.

    Lena''s words lingered in his mind.

    He looked at the photo that sat on the table, then took out his phone and unlocked it. He looked at his

    wallpaper¡ªa photo of Ashley.

    She was sitting on thewn, looking at the camera lens and smiling brightly. Her ck hair fell over her

    shoulders and her dimples made her natural charm stand out even more.

    Ron still couldn''t believe that Ashley was married. His phone started ringing just as he was about to call

    Ashley.

    Ron frowned as he looked at the caller''s name and answered the call. "Hello?"

    "Mr. Mu, something is wrong with ourpany."

    It was Ron''s assistant, and Ron could gauge his hurry and confusion on the phone.

    A sense of foreboding overcame him. "What happened?" he asked.

    "Mr. Mu, you''d bettere right away. It''s difficult to exin on the phone."

    Ron had established thepany, the RA Group, when he was in J City several years ago. He had

    named it after his and Ashley''s initials. Although he had been abroad for several years, he was in

    charge of thepany all the time. He had returned ahead of schedule to further develop the

    business.

    "Okay, I''ll be there soon," Ron said.

    After hanging up, he stared at Ashley''s photo for a few minutes, and then left her room.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    "Mr. Mu, where are you going?"

    Terri asked. Lena and Peggy were not at home, so Ron thought it was best to leave a message for

    them.

    "I have something to deal with but I''ll be back soon. Tell Lena and my mom when theye back,"

    Ron replied.

    "Okay," Terri nodded as Ron rushed to the front door.

    Looking at his retreating figure, Terri murmured, "Not even an hour passed since you returned, yet you

    are rushing off."

    Ron saw a crowd waiting outside thepany as he got out of the car. He couldn''t hear clear

    sentences because of how noisy it was. The security was trying to keep them out.

    "Mr. Mu, you are finally here!" His assistant wriggled out of the crowd as he saw Ron.

    Ron frowned at the crowd and asked, "What''s going on? Why are there so many people outside our

    company?"

    The assistant looked around and hesitantly said, "Mr. Mu, let''s go inside. It''s noisy here."

    Ron nodded. He didn''t know what to do in such a situation.

    "Please follow me," the assistant said as he led him to another door.

    The front door had been blocked, making it inessible.

    "Mr. Mu," the employees said respectfully as Ron walked into thepany.

    Ron nodded at them.

    They headed to his office and as he sat down on his chair. He looked at his assistant and asked, "What

    happened?"

    The assistant set a file down on the table before Ron. "It''s a long story. Please read this first."

    "Okay." Ron took up the file and began to read. The assistant looked closely at him, observing that his

    face was bing gloomier by the minute.

    Ron had set up thispany four years ago before his graduation, and had run it well at the time.

    He had chosen every senior leader after deep consideration and had never expected this to happen.

    He closed the file and looked at his assistant. "When did this happen?"

    "Several days ago. He did it secretly, so we didn''t know about it. I did a survey when the crowd came to

    make trouble, and I found that he escaped with our money a month ago.

    He borrowed money from others in the name of the RA Group, and¡ª" The assistant stopped talking,

    looking hesitant to talk any further.

    "And what?" Ron asked sharply.

    The assistant closed his eyes and continued, "And it''s all money gotten from extortion."

    They would have been unable to pay it back even in their heyday. And now, the senior leader had

    stolen all their money.

    They were at the end of their tether now.

    Although Ron had been abroad for four years, he always managed thepany remotely, and the

    company ran smoothly all the time.

    He had built thepany from scratch and after four years of hard work, it had be sessful.

    He had set thispany up without his family''s knowledge, because he wanted to prove that he could

    seed without their help.

 Chapter 303 The Beginning Of Lenas Plan

    Chapter 303 The Beginning Of Lena''s n

    Seeing that Ashley was about to get really angry due to embarrassment, Andrew stopped teasing her.

    "All right! All right! You are not jealous. I''m the one who is jealous," he conceded.

    She sneered at him, and didn''t say anything further.

    She knew in her heart that he was right. A man like Andrew, despite his social status, was able to

    attract many women just with his pretty face.

    It was not so surprising for a woman to develop feelings for him. He was such an amazing man.

    However, no matter how normal it was, Ashley still felt ufortable knowing that Lena had her eyes

    on Andrew.

    "If you don''t want to see her, you don''t have to. You do know that, don''t you?" he said softly.

    "I do. I just want to see what she wants. Will youe with me tomorrow? Let''s see what kind of show

    she is going to put on for us," she replied.

    "Will do."

    It was Saturday afternoon, and Raymond and Lena were waiting for Ashley and Andrew to arrive.

    Lena said softly, "Raymond, my sister should be here very soon. I already realized my mistake. I

    shouldn''t put me on Ashley. I am going to apologize to herter and ask for her forgiveness."

    Raymond just looked at Lena, and didn''t say anything.

    He was not as naive as before. He had learned a lot from his father in the business world.

    Framing Ashley for pushing her down was not a big deal, but Raymond still couldn''t get over the fact

    that his future wife could have done such an evil thing.

    Without getting any response from Raymond, Lena panicked and said, "Raymond, I know I shouldn''t

    have done that. I didn''t know what was wrong with me at that day. I was afraid that you still had feelings

    for her. I just didn''t want to lose you. I...I..." Looking at Raymond with her big innocent eyes, Lena was

    trying to hold back her tears. It seemed that they would roll down her cheeks any second.

    She had light make-up on and her hair was loose on her shoulders. A pair of white jade earrings were

    hanging on her ears. They shimmered with every breath and her white dress made her look even more

    innocent. Any man would be sympathetic towards her pitiful appearance.

    Raymond didn''t have the heart to be mad at Lena for anything at this point.

    He didn''t know if he was mistaken but he somehow felt that Lena was not keeping well. She looked

    very gaunt. The way she looked at him almost melted his heart.

    Lena was rather beautiful. She had arched eyebrows and an oval face. Her lips were lush and full.

    Many girls would die to have what she had. But she was just not as charming as Ashley.

    Due to his business, Raymond couldn''t spend much time with Lena.

    Although Andrew didn''t ruin the Luo Group, it was in serious trouble. As the next sessor of the

    business, Raymond had to go back and help. He had been run off his feet. Seeing Lena was thest

    thing on his mind.

    Telling himself that he was already engaged to her and that he had no chance with Ashley anymore,

    Raymond decided to spend more time with Lena. He would try his best to fall in love with her and be a

    good husband.

    He closed his eyes to erase all his struggles. When he opened his eyes, something became very clear

    to him.

    He said, "When things slow down, let''s get married. Lena, let''s have a good life and future together."

    He didn''t really have any strong feelings for Lena. He didn''t hate her or like her. However, they were

    already engaged so he felt that he should promise her a good future.

    Lena refused immediately. "No!" Her voice sounded determined and a bit panicky.

    Clearly, Raymond didn''t expect this reaction from Lena. He looked at her in confusion and asked,

    "What do you mean?"

    Lena realized that she sounded a bit too shocked and rmed.

    She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She made up a good exnation. She said weakly,

    "Raymond, I mean it is a bit too early for us to get married right now. Don''t you think? We are still

    young. There is no need for us to rush into a marriage. We''re already engaged. We are going to get

    married eventually."

    She paused to take another look at Raymond. Then, she continued, "I think the most important thing

    for you is to learn as much as you can from Mr. Luo and try your best to help him manage the business.

    I have faith in you! You will be very sessful in the future. You will be even more sessful than your

    father!"

    Lena''s words reminded Raymond of Andrew.

    With just one word from Andrew, the entire Luo Group almost copsed.

    Raymond agreed with her. His biggest priority right now should be expanding the Luo Group''s

    business. Even it couldn''t be as powerful as the Lu Group, it would be strong enough to withstand

    pressure from them.

    He replied, "Good thinking, Lena. You are right! We should help my father grow the Luo Group first!"

    Caressing her head, Raymond continued, "I am sorry you have to wait for the wedding."

    Lena was relieved, but she didn''t show it. Instead, she looked even sweeter and more innocent. "It''s

    okay, Raymond. I understand."

    He had no idea that Lena didn''t mean a word of what she said. In her heart, no matter how hard he

    tried, he would never be able topare to Andrew, nor would hispany ever be able topete

    with the Lu Group. These two corporations were on totally different levels. They had noparison

    whatsoever. The Luo Group would never be as big as the Lu Group.

    Lena didn''t know what made Raymond agree to her idea.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    But she didn''t care. She was only concerned whether or not she got what she wanted.

    Holding her stomach, Lena was ready to start her n.

    She was going to ruin Ashley''s life once and for all.

    When Ashley and Andrew walked in, they saw Lena and Raymond looking sheepishly at each other.

    Ashley didn''t know why but she suddenly felt repulsed.

    Andrew coughed to draw the lovebirds'' attentions to them.

    As expected, they looked in their direction.

    Andrew was standing right next to Ashley. Suddenly, he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her

    very close. They looked like a loving couple.

    Looking at Ashley in Andrew''s arms, Lena couldn''t help but feel jealous. She felt it should be her in his

    arms.

    She believed that Ashley was unworthy of being married to such an attractive man.

    If Ashley could read Lena''s mind, she wouldugh at her. Whether Ashley was worthy or not of being

    married to Andrew was not up to Lena. Ashley met Andrew first and he chose her. They loved each

    other. She was worthy of every bit of his love and affection.

    Lena meant nothing to them.

    Andrew didn''t even give a second look to Lesley, who was the prettiest woman in J City. So there was

    no way he was going to be interested in Lena.

    Ashley was going to crush her dream of being with Andrew.

    Andrew''s sudden disy of affection was just to show Raymond that Ashley was his wife.

    Standing up, Lena walked over to Ashley and said, "Hello, sis and Andrew. You are finally here! Please

    take a seat. What would you like to have for dinner?" Lena was acting like a good little sister. Throwing

    a loving look at Andrew, she tried to hold Ashley''s arm.

    Ashley saw what was going on.

    She avoided her hand, and she was stunned by Lena''s rash act.

    Ashley looked at Raymond. She was even more surprised that he would allow Lena to flirt with another

    man right in front of him.

    However, Ashley quickly shook the thought out of her mind. Andrew didn''t flirt back with Lena despite

    her attempt to throw herself at him. So she was just surprised that Raymond would allow Lena to flirt

    with another man with him watching.

 Chapter 304 Lenas Show Started

    Chapter 304 Lena''s Show Started

    Andrew had no one but Ashley in his heart.

    Ashley pulled Andrew back a step to put a distance between them and Lena. She knew very well that

    Lena was pregnant. It was better for them to stay away from her.

    Lena had already fallen on the ground once when she wasn''t pregnant and framed Ashley for it. She

    could do it again with a baby in her stomach.

    Ashley wasn''t going to fall into the same trap twice.

    Staying away from Lena was her guide for life.

    Ashley immediately stopped Lena from getting any closer.

    "Stop! You can talk to me from over there. Don''te any closer and don''t touch me! If you fall again,

    I''m not going to be responsible for anything!"

    Lena''s hand froze in the air. Her face turned red with embarrassment. However, Ashley didn''t stop, and

    continued, "Can you see that my Andy was notfortable about you getting too close to him? Oh, my

    bad. I forgot to warn you that Andy doesn''t like anyone but me touching him. So, for your baby''s safety,

    please stay away from him."

    Ashley''s sharp put-down had sessfully kept Lena from approaching them.

    Ashley was busy keeping Lena at a safe distance from her. So, she didn''t notice the excitement in

    Andrew''s eyes.

    Andrew felt pleased about the way Ashley had referred to him.

    He liked how Ashley had called him, "My Andy."

    As far as Andrew was concerned, she was absolutely right. Andrew was hers.

    It was hard for Andrew to pretend that he didn''t like how Ashley showed her ownership of him.

    Lena was red-faced. However, she recovered from it quickly. After a little awkward cough, she put her

    hand back down and hid the hate in her eyes.

    If it weren''t for her n, Lena wouldn''t put up with Ashley at all.

    However, she put on her innocent mask and replied to Ashley, "Sis, are you still mad at me? I''m really

    sorry! I didn''t mean to do it. I somehow slipped, and you were the only one next to me. I just assumed

    that..."

    Lena stopped to cry some crocodile tears, and then she continued, "Sis, I''m so sorry. It''s all my fault.

    Can you forgive me? I really want to make it up to you. Can we be good sisters once again just

    like we were before?"

    Lena looked at Ashley pleadingly, while the fake tears rolled down her cheeks.

    "Sis? Why are you calling me that? Did you forget that Mrs. Mu already kicked me out of the Mu

    family? I''m not your sister! Besides, I was always just the kid that was adopted by the Mu family. I''m not

    worthy of being your older sister!"

    Every time Lena called her "Sister," the hairs bristled on the back of Ashley''s neck. She knew that Lena

    was about to cause her trouble.

    However, if she wanted to put on a show, Ashley wasn''t afraid to take the stage with her.

    Ashley sneered and continued, "You should really think twice before youe up to some pretty girl on

    the street and call her your sister. It gives me goose bumps every time you call me that. Since we kind

    of know each other, I thought I''d give you some advice. Take it or leave it. It''s totally up to you."

    Lena bit her lips and stared at Ashley. She could hardly keep her body straight, but she was trying to

    keep her bnce. It looked as if Ashley''s words had hurt her to the point that she could barely

    compose herself.

    Her eyes were still fixed on Ashley and Andrew. The sight of Lena with teary eyes could fool anyone to

    feel sorry for her and be softhearted.

    However, Ashley knew Lena all too well. She couldn''t fool her, and she felt no sympathy towards her at

    all. Her dramatic look only irritated Ashley, and she knew that Lena was only bluffing.

    Lena knew that Ashley wouldn''t fall for her act. So Lena ignored Ashley and kept her eyes on Andrew.

    Ashley watched her every move and immediately noticed her intention. Even though Ashley knew that

    Andrew disliked Lena, she still wouldn''t just watch it happen.

    ''Oh no, you don''t! Andrew is my man!'' Ashley thought to herself.

    Ashley took a step forward and blocked Lena''s view of Andrew and said, "Miss Mu, why do you keep

    staring at my husband? I know my husband is very handsome and attractive. But, don''t you think it''s

    very rude for you to keep staring at him?"

    Ashley didn''t care about hiding her rtionship with Andrew from them anymore. They already knew

    anyway.

    However, Lena was still feeling bitter about it.

    She bit her lips again and looked at Ashley poorly. She said, "Sis..." Before continuing, she swallowed

    her words back. She seemed to remember what Ashley just suggested, so she corrected herself. "Ash,

    I wasn''t."

    Ashley felt speechless at this moment. The new way that Lena addressed her was weird.

    Ashley was already used to hearing her puffed-up tone and looking at her fake act.

    "Don''t give yourself a hard time. Call me whatever you want," said Ashley. After all, it was just a name.

    Ashley couldn''t care less about it. In all honesty, she would prefer Lena to call her "Sis" rather than

    "Ash." Being called "Ash" by Lena just sounded too weird for her.

    Lena seemed relieved and happy about having Ashley''s permission to call her "Sis" again, and said,

    "Sis, Mom would never kick you out of the family. You know how much she loves you. If she said such

    a thing, it must have been on a whim and out of anger. You''ll be fine if you juste home and

    apologize to her."

    Lena''s voice was soft. She sounded as though she really cared about Ashley.

    Ashley narrowed her eyes slightly and replied, "Is that so? But I don''t want to apologize."

    Raymond finally stood up and walked to Lena. Looking at Ashley, he put Lena behind him and warned,

    "Ashley, don''t cross the line. Lena just wants to help. If you don''t care, that''s fine. You don''t have to hurt

    her like that. She already apologized. What else do you want?"

    Ashley was rendered speechless when she heard what Raymond said. It was her first time to see a

    guilty person speaking with such confidence.

    Ashley looked back at him and asked, "How exactly did I cross the line? What did I say? Did I insult her

    in any way? Do I have to forgive her just because she has apologized? I''m so sorry that I can''t do that.

    I don''t want to forgive her. What she had done to me was real. The damage that she had done to me

    was also real."

    Ashley looked at Lena over Raymond''s shoulder and said, "Lena, if you just wanted to talk about that

    matter, then I think we''re already done here. We have some other important things to take care of. I

    don''t have the time to deal with this. I wish I could say that I''m sorry for having to leave you, but I can''t.

    Because I''m not sorry at all."

    Holding Andrew''s arm, Ashley was ready to leave.

    Lena was surprised to see how things turned out. She finally saw the real Ashley in person. There was

    no way that she was going to let Ashley walk away like that.

    If Ashley left, her n would totally be ruined.

    Lena had to make Ashley stay somehow.

    She walked around Raymond, blocked Ashley''s way and said, "Sis, please have a seat. I still owe you

    a good apology. We''re trying to let go of the past today. We haven''t done anything yet. Can you please

    stay a little longer for me?" She looked at Ashley morosely with tears forming in her eyes.

    Ashley finally agreed to stay. She wanted to see what it was that Lena wanted from her.

    Holding Andrew''s hand, Ashley walked to the other side of the table and sat done. However, Andrew

    remained there. He didn''t like the stool. He just looked at Ashley with his big puppy eyes.

    Ashley didn''t know what to say to him. She knew that her husband was obsessively tidy.

    Even though the stool looked clean to her, it didn''t mean that it was clean in Andrew''s eyes.

    Ashley grabbed a few tissues from the table and carefully wiped the stool several times. Finally, she

    tried to persuade Andrew to sit down on the stool. "Can you please deal with it for me?"

    Andrew looked at Ashley unconvinced and he remained standing on the same spot.

    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    Ashley had run out of ideas. She wondered, ''How dirty could this stool be?''

    Ashley started to really consider Andrew''s germophobic issues.

 Chapter 305 Jealousy Makes People Ugly

    Chapter 305 Jealousy Makes People Ugly

    Ashley leaned over to Andrew and whispered in his ear, "Please try to put up with it, okay? I''ll make it

    up to you when we get back home."

    Andrew''s eyes lit up at her words. He nced at the seat and then sat down without batting an eye.

    Ashley shook her head helplessly and sighed.

    ''I''d better be more careful the next time that I ept an invitation from someone. I need to make sure

    that Andrew feelsfortable with it, as well.''

    Lena watched as Andrew and Ashley whispered intimately in each other''s ear. She clenched her teeth

    with hatred and jealousy.

    But she swore to herself that it would all change. She would soon be the one standing in Ashley''s

    ce. She would be the heroine of this story.

    Ashley would lose her reputation, and Lena would rece her.

    With that thought in mind, she felt much better. Lena said gently, "The love between you two is very

    touching."

    Ashley smiled and said nothing.

    "Ashley, please order whatever you like, and you don''t have to be modest."

    Ashley picked up the menu and nced at the prices. It was a high-end Chinese restaurant, and the

    food on the menu was quite expensive.

    The waiter stood patiently on the side, waiting to take their orders.

    As Ashley read the menu, she had a glimpse of Lena. She noticed that Lena couldn''t take her eyes off

    Andrew the whole time. Ashley gave a little snort and thought, ''Well, since the Mu family didn''tck

    money, then I''ll order the most expensive dishes.''

    So she flipped through the menu and picked the dishes with a three-digit price tag. "Well, I''ll have the

    Thai vor fish with lotus fragrance, ribbon fish with soy sauce and garlic, crispy skin pepper gadus,

    chicken with treme in cucumber..."

    Ashley wasn''t paying much attention to the food. She was just ordering the dishes that had the highest

    prices.

    ''Since she was the one that asked us out, I''ll make her pay dearly for it. I''m not going to make things

    too easy for her.''

    After she finished ordering, she closed the big and borate menu. Smiling sweetly, she said, "All right.

    That''s all." Then she handed the menu back to the waiter.

    But she suddenly thought of something and turned to Lena and asked, "Oh, I''m sorry, do you want to

    order anything from the menu?"

    "No, it''s okay. I''m sure we''ll like what you ordered," said Lena sweetly.

    However, in her heart, she was cursing Ashley and wishing her to go to hell.

    This meal was going to cost her an arm and a leg, and she wasn''t looking forward to paying the bill.

    Then she remembered that she wouldn''t have to pay for the meal since Raymond was here. That

    made her feel much better.

    The waiter took the menu and left. While they were waiting for the food to arrive, Lena tried to strike up

    a conversation with Ashley. Though Ashley didn''t have much interest in her and she responded coldly

    and briefly.

    It seemed as if nothing was wrong. Even though Ashley''s tone was cold, she still responded to Lena

    every time that she said something to her.

    Andrew was starting to feel peeved because Ashley was neglecting him. Once they had arrived, he felt

    like Ashley had abandoned himpletely. He couldn''t understand what on earth Ashley had anything

    to talk about with that woman.

    ''Isn''t she supposed to hate her? Why is she having this small talk with her?

    Luckily, she hasn''tid her eyes on Raymond once, since we got here.''

    After a short while, the waiter returned with the food that Ashley had ordered. Lena wanted to say

    something more but was interrupted by Ashley. "Let''s eat first. We can talkter."

    So Lena could do nothing, other than shut up.

    Ashley tasted the food and thought, ''Yeah, it''s pretty darn good. It deserves the steep price.''

    While Ashley was enjoying the food, Andrew, who was sitting next to her, didn''t touch it.

    Lena noticed Ashley enjoying the food while Andrew just sat there watching her eat. Her eyes sparkled.

    She said gently with deep concern, "What''s wrong? Don''t you like the food?"

    She didn''t address Andrew when she spoke to him. Subconsciously, she wanted to show her intimacy

    with him.

    Andrew frowned and didn''t even bother to nce at her. He remained silent.

    Instead, Ashley said with a faint smile, "Lena, why do you care so much about my husband? Your

    fiance hasn''t eaten much either. Why don''t you show him the same concern?

    Oh, and another thing. Stop staring at my husband all the time. I don''t like it. We''ll leave this ce if

    you keep doing something that I don''t like.

    Lastly, I can take care of my husband. He just doesn''t like the food here."

    After she said that, Ashley didn''t bother to see what expression Lena had. Instead, she went back to

    eating her food, ignoring Lena. She reached one of her hands under the table for Andrew''s hand.

    Lena''s face froze after Ashley finished her words. She turned to look at Raymond, who was sitting

    beside her. He wasn''t pleased with her at all.

    She was in a panic. Although she nned on breaking the engagement off with Raymond, they were

    still an engaged couple. Lena might have been too obvious with her intentions and her behavior. She

    was feeling guilty now.

    Putting on an innocent face, Lena looked at Raymond and said sincerely, "Raymond, I wasn''t doing

    that. It''s just that Ashley and Andrew are our guests. So I have to show some concern for them. You

    aren''t angry at me, are you?"

    When Lena saw Raymond still fix his eyes on her, her eyes became tearful. "Raymond, don''t you

    believe me? I didn''t. I really didn''t."

    Raymond sighed after seeing her act this way. "I believe you."

    Lena sighed with relief.

    When she turned her head back, she found Ashley was watching her with an invisible smile. Her heart

    lurched with terror. ''Has she detected anything? But even if she does suspect something, what could

    she do? I''ll win in the end.''

    Guests? Lena''s intention was so obvious with what she wanted. Raymond said that he believed her,

    but who knew what he was really thinking.

    Either way, she had already nted the seed of suspicion in Raymond''s heart. She couldn''t do

    anything about it for the time being. She would deal with itter.

    For a moment, their table became awkwardly silent, until Ashley broke the silence by saying, "I have to

    go to the bathroom."

    After she left, Lena gave the same excuse and followed her.

    Once the twodies left the room, Andrew nced casually at Raymond.

    ''Well, a pretty little face. Not as tall as me, and his physique isn''t as good as mine. He doesn''t know

    how to take care of his girl as well as I do...'' Andrew thought to himself while he regarded Raymond.

    Andrew couldn''t understand why Ashley fell in love with Raymond in the past. Now that he knew that

    Ashley loved only him, his dislike of Raymond had changed into contempt.

    Ashley washed her hands and fixed her hair. She was about to leave the bathroom when somebody

    stopped her.

    Ashley raised her head and saw the person who stopped her.

    It was Lena who was standing in front of her.

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    They stared at each other for a few seconds in silence. Atst, Ashley broke the silence.

    "Lena, step aside, let me pass."

    Lena didn''t move. Instead, she took a step forward toward Ashley.

    Ashley took a few steps back.

 Chapter 306 The Innocent Baby

    Chapter 306 The Innocent Baby

    Ashley didn''t forget that Lena was pregnant. She had been reminding herself to keep a distance from

    her. She secretly moved her hand, which was behind her, to press a button on her cell phone.

    Lena hadn''t noticed Ashley''s little trick. She was too excited aboutpleting her n. ''Just one more

    step and Ashley''s life will be ruined. I will be Mrs. Lu.''

    The thought of recing Ashley and bing Andrew''s wife already made her too worked up to think

    about anything else.

    Sheughed in her mind as she imagined Ashley bing the murderer, who killed her sister''s unborn

    baby out of jealousy.

    Ashley would have to deal with being called a murderer for the rest of her life.

    It thrilled Lena so much to think about Ashley''s miserable future that she could hardly conceal her

    excitement.

    Without Lena''s noticing, Ashley brought her hand back very quickly.

    Looking at Lena, Ashley asked, "Miss Mu, can you please tell me why you have blocked my way?"

    Ashley''s voice had brought Lena''s thoughts back to the present. Lena dropped her guard and removed

    the fake mask that she wore in front of Andrew and Raymond. She red arrogantly at Ashley and

    said, "Do you really want to know why? Don''t worry. You''ll know why very soon. I have prepared a big

    present for you. It''s a present that you''ll never forget for the rest of your life."

    Lena was in an exceptionally good mood. She nced at the door to make sure that no one was

    coming and continued, "To be honest with you, I''m carrying Raymond''s baby." While speaking to her,

    she gave Ashley a triumphant look.

    She was hoping to see the pain in Ashley''s eyes. However, she found nothing. Ashley''s expression

    remained calm, and there was no hint of jealousy or hurt in her eyes at all.

    Ashley had even casually congratted her.

    "Oh, congrattions."

    Her tone was so untroubled that it sounded like she was talking about the weather.

    Lena smirked, assuming that Ashley was just pretending to be unaffected by the news. She knew how

    much Ashley loved and cared about Raymond in the past.

    Knowing that Lena was going to have Raymond''s baby, she thought that Ashley must be feeling

    heartbroken inside.

    Lena cracked a winning smile and said, "The doctor told me it was a boy. He''s ten weeks old now.

    Hmm...I don''t know if Raymond would prefer a boy or a girl. But he told me that he would love our baby

    no matter what." Smiling, Lena caressed her stomach.

    Ashley just looked at her and didn''t say a word. She backpedaled a few more steps away from Lena.

    Ashley already knew that Lena was pregnant with Raymond''s baby. So, hearing it from Lena, Ashley

    wasn''t surprised at all.

    She just wondered why Lena was telling her about the baby right now.

    Lena was getting frustrated that Ashley wasn''t giving her the reaction that she was expecting. She

    raised her voice. "I know you still have feelings for Raymond. But it''s too bad. He''s with me now, and

    we''re going to have a baby together soon. Before you came, we were discussing the wedding ns.

    When the timees, I''ll make sure to send you an invitation," said Lena rubbing her stomach. She

    was trying to provoke Ashley to attack her.

    Lena had no intention of keeping the baby. She was using her pregnancy to hurt Ashley''s feelings.

    "Oh, are you done? Can I go now?" replied Ashley.

    Hearing the few words that Ashley just said, Lena realized that she had failed to hurt Ashley''s feelings,

    even though she was trying so hard. Her face turned gloomy, and it was hideously diabolic. "Ashley, tell

    me why! How can you be so calm? Tell me! Isn''t he the one whom you have loved so much? How can

    you be soposed after knowing that I am having his baby?" she barked hysterically.

    Ashley frowned and replied, "What exactly is it that you want? If you don''t have anything important to

    say, I have to go."

    Keeping her eyes on Lena, Ashley tried to pass her and leave. However, Lena wasn''t done with her

    yet. She still hadn''t finished what she was nning to do.

    Grabbing Ashley by the arm, Lena yelled, "Stop! You can''t leave just yet!"

    Ashley looked down at her hand and said, "Let go of me!"

    While Ashley was struggling to free herself, Lena pushed her hard to the side. She didn''t even know

    where she got the strength from to do it. However, it didn''t matter.

    With a thump, Ashley hit her head on the wall, and she felt a bit dizzy and disoriented.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    When Ashley''s head had cleared a little, her eyes widened in shock when she saw what Lena was

    doing.

    "Lena! What are you doing? That''s your baby!" Ashley yelled.

    Lena was a few feet away from her. She was hitting her stomach with her fists over and over as hard

    as she could, without any hesitation.

    Ashley had just bumped her head and she still felt dizzy. But she couldn''t just sit back and watch Lena

    killing her unborn baby in front of her.

    She reached out her hands to steady herself against the wall. Ashley staggered to Lena''s side,

    grabbed hold of her fists and asked, "Do you know what you''re doing? You''re killing your baby! It''s your

    baby, Lena!"

    Even though Ashley despised Lena, the baby in her stomach was innocent. Ashley could never do

    anything to harm the baby.

    "Let me go!" shrieked Lena. She managed to push Ashley to the side.

    Then she looked at Ashley with wild, crazy eyes. "I know it''s my baby! So what? I never fancied

    Raymond. I just couldn''t stand seeing how much he cared about you. So I took him away from you!

    You''re nothing more than just a girl that my parents adopted. You don''t deserve him! You don''t deserve

    his care and his heart. Initially, I just wanted to see how much he cared about you. I never thought that

    he would mistakenly sleep with me, thinking that it was you.

    Do you know what had surprised me the most? That is, in the whole three years that you two dated,

    you never spent a night with him. So it was much easier than I had expected to take him away from

    you.

    But I''m sick of him now. I want to be the wife of the Lu Group''s CEO. I want to be Andrew''s wife! I am

    going to rece you!"

    Lena didn''t hide her evil ideas at all from Ashley and spoke candidly. Perhaps she thought that Ashley

    wouldn''t tell anyone. Even if Ashley did say something, no one would believe her, anyway.

    Seeing Ashley lying on the ground, Lena looked down on her.

    She sneered in her head, ''You''re prettier than me. But I''ll still win your man over!''

    Ashley said, "What about Raymond? Aren''t you afraid that he''lle after you when he finds out what

    you have done to his baby?"

    "Raymond?" scoffed Lena. Smiling cynically, she continued, "He won''t find out. Do you seriously think

    that he would believe anything you say? Do you think that he would trust you instead of me?"

    While Lena spoke, she kept hitting her stomach. Before they had dinner, she had taken a drug that

    would cause an abortion. Hitting her stomach was her way of making the scene more horrifying.

    Lena frowned due to the pains and cramps that brought on by the abortion drug. Blood began to seep

    through her clothes and onto the floor. She could feel sharp pains in her stomach.

    Ashley was horrified when she saw the blood. She dragged herself close to Lena and yelled, "That''s

    enough! Stop it! The baby is innocent! Let him live to see this world!"

 Chapter 307 Lenaâ€™s Scheme

    Chapter 307 Lena¡¯s Scheme

    Strangely, Lena didn''t reply but smiled at Ashley. Then she changed her facial expression instantly and

    said, "Ashley, you''re still as stupid as before!"

    Before Ashley figured out what Lena meant, Lena suddenly pressed hard on her belly. She looked at

    Ashley in horror, took a few steps back from her and cried, "Ashley, I beg you, don''t do it. This is the

    baby of Raymond and me. Ashley, please. I beg you, don''t hurt my baby! Oh, no, my baby..."

    Lena red at Ashley in absolute terror and kept retreating. She kept pushing painfully hard on her

    belly.

    Ashley didn''t realize that Lena was trying to frame her for the loss of her baby. She never believed that

    Lena could be evil and cruel enough to harm her own child.

    She quickly went to Lena and said, "Lena, calm down. Please, let me help you call the hospital. Your

    baby will be fine¡­"

    But before Ashley could finish her words, the door to thedies'' room was suddenly pushed open, and

    Raymond barged in. Seeing the scene before him, Raymond stood stunned for a few seconds. Then

    he said in a trembling voice, "Lena!"

    He quickly went to Lena''s side, pushing Ashley away. Carefully he held Lena up and said softly, "Lena,

    are you okay?"

    With too much blood on her clothes and her hair messy, Lena looked particrly embarrassed. As for

    Ashley, there seemed to be nothing wrong with her except for her messy clothes.

    Ashley was already dizzy after being pushed by Lena twice, and she could hardly stand. When

    Raymond shoved her to the side, Ashley lost her bnce and fell.

    When Lena saw Raymond, she held onto his hand firmly as if she had found her support. "Raymond,

    save our baby. My belly hurts. Hospital...Please take me to the hospital."

    Raymond was shocked by what he heard. Not caring about anything else, he quickly picked Lena up in

    his arms and ran outside. "Lena, hold on! Hold on, please!"

    He was so worried about Lena that he didn''t notice that Lena smiled proudly at Ashley as he carried

    her out of the bathroom.

    Ashley was shocked when she saw Lena smiling at her. It sent shivers down her spine.

    ''How could she be so cruel?

    That is her own baby. It has already started to form, '' thought Ashley.

    She felt as though her head was continually shaking. When she looked again, she could see many

    figures of Andrew in front of her.

    Ashley wanted to ask him to stop moving, but she couldn''t make a sound.

    She also wanted to exin that she hadn''t caused Lena to suffer a miscarriage.

    While Andrew stood in the doorway, Ashley tried to focus on him. But it was no use. She finally lost

    consciousness. Fortunately, Andrew noticed and rushed over in time to catch her before she fell.

    Raymond parked his car at the hospital. Then he quickly rushed out with Lena in his arms. "Lena, hold

    on. You''ll be fine. Don''t worry."

    Upon entering the hospital, Raymond shouted in the hall, "Doctor,e here quickly!"

    Lena was ced on the gurney and then wheeled into the operating room. Raymond tried to follow

    after her but was told to wait outside. He paced the room anxiously, staring at the red light above the

    door of the operating room. Then he covered his face with his hands worriedly.

    The scene of Lena holding her stomach while looking at Ashley in horror and backing away kept

    reying in his mind. Ashley was trying to get close to Lena while she was saying something.

    There was arge amount of blood on Raymond''s clothes, which made him feel embarrassed and

    uneasy.

    Raymond had only waited for a few minutes, but he felt as if he had waited for a century.

    ''Lena''s pregnant? When did she get pregnant? Why didn''t I know anything about it?'' thought Raymond.

    Finally, the doctor came out of the operating room. Raymond rushed over to him and asked, "Are they

    all right?"

    The doctor looked at Raymond sympathetically and said slowly, "The patient is fine now. As for the

    baby, I''m sorry. We tried our best. You''re still young. I''m sure you will have another baby sooner or

    later."

    ''Our baby? Is our baby gone?'' thought Raymond.

    The doctor''s words had shocked Raymond as if a bolt of lightning hit him.

    He just learned that he was going to be a father a few minutes ago. But now, the doctor told him that

    their baby was gone.

    It had been less than an hour after he found out that Lena was pregnant with his child.

    Seeing Raymond so upset, the doctor couldn''t help but pat him on the shoulder. He didn''t say anything

    more about the baby but advised, "The patient is grieving now. You may go to the ward andfort

    her."

    The doctor was about to go when he thought of something and added, "The patient wouldn''t have lost

    her baby if it wasn''t for something hitting her stomach with great force."

    "Her belly was beaten by something with great force?" Raymond asked in amazement.

    "Yes, I''m afraid so. It puzzles me as well. What could have hit the patient''s belly with such a force?"

    said the doctor.

    The doctor didn''t expect that the patient would beat her own belly cruelly, which led to her miscarriage.

    After saying that, the doctor left. Raymond stood silent, trying to make sense of everything that had just

    happened. He suddenly clenched his fists tightly. ''Who could have done that to Lena?

    At that time, only Ashley and Lena were in the bathroom. When I opened the door, Ashley was trying to

    get closer to Lena, but Lena was trying to back away from her.

    Was Ashley threatening Lena?

    Was it Ashley who hit Lena in the belly and killed our baby?''

    Raymond didn''t dare to think more about it. He knew that Ashley wouldn''t possibly do such a thing.

    However, after hearing what the doctor said, Raymond began to feel suspicious of Ashley.

    He walked sadly into the ward. Lena was lying in the bed with a pale face, looking fragile and helpless.

    When he saw her like that, he couldn''t help feeling sorry and guilty for not protecting her better.

    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    ''Lena is my fiancee and she has lost our baby just now, '' thought Raymond.

    Lena tried to sit up when she saw Raymond but failed. The miscarriage that she suffered a few minutes

    ago had weakened her, and she was on an intravenous drip.

    Raymond quickly walked over to Lena and said gently, "Lena¡­"

    She fell into Raymond''s arms and began crying out, "Raymond, we were going to have a baby. But our

    baby was taken away from us. I''m sorry. I didn''t think that such a horrible thing would happen to me. I

    wanted to surprise you. But before I had the chance to tell you, I ran into Ashley. I told her about the

    good news since we have made up with each other. But I didn''t expect that Ashley would react like

    that." Lena burst into tears and buried her face into Raymond''s shoulder.

    He held her tightly in his arms without saying anything. Raymond was overwhelmed with emotions. It

    was just an hour ago that he discovered that he was going to be a father. Only to find out a few minutes

    later that his baby didn''t make it. It was a tough pill for him to swallow.

    Between sobs, Lena said, "Why would Ashley do this to me? I have already apologized to her. I have

    done everything I could to make up with her. Even if she hated me, our baby was innocent.

    How could she do such a horrible thing? Why did she have to kill my sweet baby?"

 Chapter 308 The Baby Was Gone

    Chapter 308 The Baby Was Gone

    Raymond tried to say something, but his throat went dry. He paused and then asked, "Are you sure it

    was Ashley who did this to you?"

    Upon hearing this, Lena suddenly pushed him away with all her strength. She looked at him like he was

    a stranger. What Lena said next really made Raymond feel ashamed of himself.

    She looked at him with a smile that was both bitter and sad. "Raymond, you still don''t believe me. I

    know you always have a ce for Ashley in your heart. I neverined about it. But, how could you

    doubt me on this? Do you really think I would use the death of my baby to frame her?"

    Tears were rolling down her cheeks, but she didn''t wipe them. It was not difficult for Raymond to detect

    the note of bitterness in her voice. She continued, "There were only two of us in the bathroom. If it was

    not Ashley, who else do you think did it? Me?"

    She closed her eyes, and the tears in her eyes spilled out. Clutching her chest, she said, "Raymond,

    how could you do this to me?"

    Raymond panicked. He quickly said, "No, no, that''s not what I meant. Lena, please hear me out! I can

    exin."

    She opened her eyes and looked at him. Then she slowly closed them and said, "Raymond, I knew you

    never liked me. I also knew you loved my sister all along. But I really believed what you said in the

    restaurant. I really believed that you would give me a future. I wanted to give you a surprise too! But I

    never thought...I never thought..."

    Lena couldn''t continue her sentence. She burst into tears and her face turned pale.

    Seeing her pale face, he suddenly remembered what the doctor had told him. He advised Raymond to

    keep her calm and allow her to rest.

    Raymond''s guilt was ingrained in his soul. He hated himself for thinking she would kill her own baby.

    He should have known better, given how much Lena loved him.

    He held her in his arms and tried tofort her.

    Meanwhile, Andrew carried Ashley to the hospital. He got terrified when she passed out in front of him.

    "How is she?" he inquired.

    "Mr. Lu, she is fine. She just has had a slight concussion. Don''t let her do any strenuous exercise. She

    will be fine; she just needs some rest," the doctor advised.

    "Okay. Thank you! Please give us some time alone," Andrew requested.

    Ashley was lying in the hospital bed. Seeing her pale face and closed eyes, he clenched his fists. A

    dangerous expression took over his face.

    Earlier in the restaurant, he was really worried about Ashley when she went to the bathroom with Lena.

    Just as he was about to go look for her, a man stopped him.

    The man had done business with the Lu Group once. Seeing Andrew, he hade over for a quick

    chat. Even though he wrapped up the conversation very quickly, he was still toote.

    When he finally got to Ashley, she was lying unconscious on the bloody floor.

    "No! It wasn''t me! I didn''t do it!" Ashley was screaming and her body was thrashing in her sleep.

    Suddenly her eyes shot open.

    But, the bright light made her squint. Her head felt heavy and ached.

    A familiar voice came to her ears. "Ash, how are you feeling? Are you okay?"

    Ashley traced the source of the voice to one side of the room. She found Andrew staring at her

    anxiously.

    "I am okay I guess. Where am I? Why am I here?" she asked weakly.

    "Don''t you remember anything at all? When I found you, you were lying unconscious on the floor. Not

    too far from you, there was blood all over. Do you know how worried I was? You almost scared me to

    death," said Andrew.

    He held her tightly in his arms.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    He thought his heart was about to stop when he saw that scene.

    "How do you feel now? Do you feel any pain?"

    Ashley shook her head slightly and said, "No, I am okay."

    Then, she sat up and asked, "How is Lena? Is she okay? How is her baby?"

    Andrew replied, "I don''t know." Then, he gazed at her and continued, "Look at what happened to you!

    Why are you still bothered about her?" He was a bit annoyed.

    She exined, "It''s not like that."

    She took a deep breath and told him everything.

    "Do you know how she was so cruel? It was her own baby! How could she kill her own baby?" she

    whimpered.

    Andrew hugged her and held her even tighter. A faint sneer hung on his lips. He knew why, but he

    didn''t want to tell her at that moment.

    His heart had hardened over the years with all the cruelty that people were capable of. There was not

    much kindness left in people from rich families. All they cared about was themselves.

    He didn''t care how Lena ended up being a cruel mother. All he cared about was why she did it and why

    she wanted to frame Ashley for her sins.

    "There were only the two of you in the bathroom, and Lena killed her own child. Am I getting the story

    right?" he asked to be doubly sure.

    She nodded and replied, "That''s right. Do you know why she did it? Was she trying to frame me for

    killing her baby?"

    He rubbed her head and replied, "Don''t worry about it too much. Just stay away from her. If it isn''t

    necessary, don''t meet her in the future." Young as Lena was, she had a mind of her own and an evil

    one at that. Andrew didn''t want Ashley to get any closer to her.

    No matter what n her devious mind had hatched, Andrew was not going to let her harm his woman.

    She nodded in agreement.

    "Oh, where is my phone?"

    Ashley remembered that she had recorded her conversation with Lena in the bathroom. Lena was too

    self-obsessed to notice it. She falsely used Ashley many times in the past. So this time around,

    Ashley decided to outwit her.

    If Lena tried to trap her, this record would help Ashley clear her name.

    When Andrew handed the phone to her, she checked it and found to her relief that it was still recording.

    She stopped it and saved the recording.

    Then she cracked a triumphant smile. "Don''t worry! I recorded everything that she said in the

    bathroom. If she tries to me me for anything, I will y this for everyone to hear."

    "My Ash is so smart!" he said, beaming with pride.

    He gently tousled her hair. Hearing hispliment, Ashley became a bit shy.

    Meanwhile, Raymond''s and Lena''s parents found out that she was in the hospital and all four of them

    had rushed there.

    Raymond frowned. Their sudden appearance meant trouble for him. However, he let them visit Lena.

    He hadn''t decided how to tell both families about the whole thing. He really was not ready to face them

    yet.

    Peggy walked in first. Seeing Lena''s pale face, she couldn''t help but feel sad for her little girl. Ron

    might be her favorite child, but she did love Lena too. It was her first time seeing her daughter like this.

    She walked over to her bedside and asked, "Lena, what''s going on? Why is your face so pale?"

    Cora wasn''t very happy about seeing Lena in the hospital either. Lena was her future daughter-inw

    and she really liked her. Cora was confused about why she was so sick that she had to be admitted to

    a hospital.

    "Lena, what''s wrong?" she asked.

    It was not surprising that Raymond didn''t know who had informed both sets of parents. He would never

    think that the culprit was Lena herself.

    But this was all part of her master n. Lena was ready to ruin Ashley''s life for good this time.

    Lena looked at Peggy and Cora who were fussing over her. She faked more tears and started sobbing,

    "Mom, Mrs. Luo, I am so sorry! It''s all my fault. I didn''t protect my baby well."

 Chapter 309 The Emotional Roller Coaster

    Chapter 309 The Emotional Roller Coaster

    They were shocked. Nobody knew anything about Lena''s pregnancy. And now, all of a sudden, they

    were told that the baby was gone. They werepletely dumbstruck.

    Peggy asked incredulously, "Lena, what''s this about a baby? Tell me what is going on!"

    Cora was just as confused. She thought about it, but she couldn''t figure it out. She just looked at Lena

    and waited for her to exin.

    Lena felt everyone''s eyes on her. Putting her hands on her stomach, she started to sob. Tears rolled

    down her cheeks. She looked like she was in great pain.

    Cora could guess what was going on based on Lena''s reaction. However, she was not so sure about it.

    Feeling excited, she just ignored what Lena had said earlier.

    "Lena, is this true? Are you having Raymond''s baby?" Cora asked Lena excitedly.

    Families like the Mu family and the Luo family used marriage to build bonds with each other and grow

    their businesses.

    Lena was Raymond''s fiancee. Cora definitely was ted about Lena''s pregnancy.

    Peggy looked at Lena in surprise. She was also excited about this news. Lena''s pregnancy meant that

    the rtionship between the Mu and Luo families was going to get even better.

    Now, no one could challenge Lena''s ce in the Luo family!

    Seeing the excited expression on their faces, Lena didn''t say a word. Instead, she lowered her head

    and let her tears fall on the sheets.

    Raymond said nothing either. Finally, Cora and Peggy realized that there was something wrong.

    Cora asked, "Lena, why are you crying? And Raymond, why don''t you say anything? Shouldn''t you be

    happy about Lena''s pregnancy? Don''t you want the baby?"

    Lena and Raymond remained silent.

    They really didn''t know what to say and how to say it.

    Today was a tough day for Raymond. One moment, he found out he was going to be a father. And the

    next moment, the doctor told him that his baby was gone.

    He was on an emotional roller coaster. He could barely deal with it himself. There was no way he could

    help his parents cope with it at this point.

    Cora asked again, "What''s going on? Can someone exin to me? Raymond, start talking."

    Their silence finally wore out Cora''s patience. She forced her son to talk.

    Cora had been involved in the family business with Clyde. She was an aggressive woman. It was hard

    for Raymond to resist her interrogation.

    He answered, "Mother, the baby is gone."

    Cora felt a bit dizzy. "It''s gone? What the hell do you mean by that? Tell me! How did this happen?" she

    demanded.

    Peggy was bbergasted. She asked, "How? How did you lose the baby?"

    Lena suddenly burst into tears. She wailed, "Mrs. Luo...Mom...I am so sorry! It''s all my fault. I didn''t

    protect my baby. Please don''t me my sister for it. It''s my fault. She didn''t do anything. It''s me who

    didn''t protect the baby..."

    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    Lena sobbed her heart out. Both women smelled something fishy in this story.

    Peggy was the first to catch it. She asked, "What do you mean by that? What did Ashley have to do

    with your baby?"

    Cora didn''t have a good impression of Ashley. In her opinion, she was just someone who had tried to

    seduce her son. She was nothing but a gold digger.

    However, Cora didn''t know how much she would regret separating her and Raymondter on.

    There was no cure for regret. What had been done was done.

    A nurse walked in. Seeing the patient crying and the grim expressions of the people in the room, she

    assumed that they were ming the patient for losing the child.

    The nurse frowned. She was of the opinion that no one should me the mother for anything. Losing a

    baby was the hardest thing for a mother.

    She addressed the people in the room, "All right. Visiting hours are up. For the patient''s health, I

    suggest you all talk outside. Can''t you see how weak she is? She needs to rest. She has been through

    a traumatic experience. You''d better not upset her."

    She walked to Lena and put a new bottle of medicine next to her bed. After a final reproachful nce at

    the people in the room, she walked away.

    Cora walked to Lena. Seeing her pale face, Cora caressed her hair softly and said, "It''s okay, Lena.

    Don''t cry. Don''t think about it too much. Get better soon! We will find out what really happened to you.

    And I will make the murderer pay for this! I will not let her get away with the murder of my unborn

    grandchild!"

    Lena raised her head to look at Cora. She looked rather fragile and even more pitiful thanks to her pale

    face. She bleated, "Thank you, Mrs. Luo."

    Cora wiped the tears off Lena''s cheeks and replied, "You poor thing."

    Cora was convinced now that this forced miscarriage was not as simple as it looked and Ashley

    definitely had something to do with it.

    Cora''s hatred towards Ashley was bing intense.

    Cora signaled to Raymond toe out of the room with her.

    Before stepping out, he cast a nce at Lena. Feeling hopeless, he walked out.

    Peggy, who was still in the room, asked Lena, "They are gone. Now tell me what Ashley had to do with

    your baby?"

    Lena started to talk. "A few days ago, I felt very ufortable, so I went to see a doctor. The doctor

    told me that I was pregnant. I knew it was Raymond''s. I was nning to tell himter as a surprise. I

    don''t know how Ashley found out about it. I don''t even know why she did that to me. Perhaps she still

    loves Raymond. But the baby was innocent. How could she kill it so heartlessly?"

    Peggy was livid. She said. "Ashley...Ashley...It''s her again! Why is she still in your life? She is not part

    of our family anymore! This time, I will make sure she pays for it! I am not going to let her off so easy!"

    Lena looked at her in surprise and asked, "Mother, did you really kick Ashley out the family?"

    Every time Lena referred to Ashley as her sister, she would tell her that she was not her sister

    anymore. Lena thought Ashley just didn''t like the way she called her. She never thought that Peggy

    had really kicked Ashley out the family.

    Lena asked, "Mother, does father know about this?"

    Even though Spencer never cared about Ashley, he never wanted to kick her out the family.

    Now that the CEO of the Lu Group was Ashley''s husband, Spencer preferred to maintain a good

    rtionship with her.

    Not anyone could get the opportunity to have a word with the CEO of the Lu Group. The Mu Group had

    noparison with the Lu Group.

    Confronted by Lena, Peggy was contrite. She said, "I haven''t told him yet and I won''t dare to do so

    either. Your father originally just wanted to arrange her marriage. He asked me to talk to her. I didn''t

    think she would use it as a trump card in exchange for leaving the family. Since no one was there to

    witness it at the time, I agreed. However, she recorded it on the phone. It''s a done deal now. I can''t do

    anything about it anymore."

 Chapter 310 Things Were Getting Worse

    Chapter 310 Things Were Getting Worse

    Just thinking about it, Peggy furrowed her brows, feeling annoyed.

    Lena frowned and said, "Mom, I think it might be a good idea for you to talk about it with Dad. If he

    finds out on his own, he will be very upset. It might not be very good for you."

    Peggy didn''t take Lena''s suggestion too seriously. "Okay, fine. I''ll find the time to tell your father. Don''t

    worry about me. Right now, you need to concentrate on getting better. I''m going to be okay."

    Seeing Peggy''s attitude, Lena couldn''t do anything about it. It was evident that Peggy didn''t n on

    listening to her.

    However, if Lena''s n worked, everyone would think that Ashley was a cruel and jealous woman who

    had heartlessly killed her sister''s baby. Then Lena''s father would kick Ashley out of the family, and

    Andrew would leave her too. In such a case, Peggy would be fine.

    When the time came, Ashley would lose everything. Then, Lena would finally rece her as the wife of

    the Lu Group''s CEO.

    After Peggy left, Lena dropped the act of faking a weak and poor person. The audience had gone. So

    there was no need for her to act in such a way.

    Outside the room, Raymond was alone with Cora.

    Cora asked, "Raymond, can you tell me what is going on? How did Lena lose the baby? And what

    does Ashley have to do with it? Please don''t tell me that you''re still seeing her."

    Even though Cora loved and cared about Raymond, she wasn''t going to spoil him. Cora wouldn''t allow

    Raymond to have anything to do with Ashley.

    Raymond looked at Cora hopelessly and said, "Mother! I''m not! I haven''t talked to her for a while now. I

    let her go a long time ago, and I''ve already decided to be with Lena."

    "Okay, I believe you. So, what happened today?" said Cora.

    Raymond had no choice but to tell his mother what he knew. When he spoke about how Lena lost the

    baby, he hesitated.

    Although he believed what Lena said, he still found it hard to believe that Ashley could do such a thing

    to Lena.

    He knew Ashley very well. Raymond believed that Ashley was a woman of the highest integrity. But he

    also believed that Lena wouldn''t make up such a story.

    Raymond was perplexed and didn''t know what to say.

    Raymond''s suddenly pausing on the most important information of what happened, made Cora

    suspicious. She saw theplex expression on his face and knew immediately what was on his mind.

    No one knew a son better than his mother.

    Cora decided to light a direction for him. "Lena is your fiancee now! She just lost her baby and she is

    lying in a hospital bed. What are you thinking about right now? Are you still thinking about Ashley?"

    Cora stopped and regarded her son. Seeing that he was still struggling, she continued, "You still don''t

    know your position! You are Lena''s fiance! Your fiancee is in the hospital, but you''re still thinking about

    another woman!"

    Raymond closed his eyes. A series of horrifying images came to him.

    It started with the image of Lena lying on the floor and holding her stomach, feeling hopeless and

    scared. Her legs were covered in blood. Then, Ashley was walking towards her step by step. She was

    saying something, but Raymond couldn''t hear it.

    Raymond finally replied to Cora, "The doctor said that the reason why Lena lost the baby was mainly

    due to an external force. At that time, there were only Ashley and Lena in the bathroom."

    Cora gasped and conducted, "So, was Ashley the one who caused Lena''s miscarriage?"

    She thought for a moment. Then, Cora nodded and sneered, "Humph! I knew she was evil like a

    snake. I''m d that you left her, or she might have already eaten you alive!

    The Mu family even graciously adopted her. Lena always treated her as a sister. Poor Lena always

    thought about Ashley''s well-being, but Ashley never did the same for her. She couldn''t even leave her

    unborn child alone."

    The more Cora talked about it, the angrier she got. "This isn''t over yet! I can''t just let it go! She

    murdered my grandchild. There is no way for me to let her live as though nothing happened. She

    needs to pay for what she did!"

    Raymond was shocked to see the rage in his mother''s eyes. He asked, "Mother! What are you going to

    do?"

    Cora nced at him and said, "I am going to sue her!"

    Peggy had just stepped out of Lena''s ward at that moment, and she overheard Cora''sst words. She

    walked over to her immediately and agreed. "That''s right, Mrs. Luo. Thew should punish evil people

    like Ashley. We should take her to court. How could shey a hand on a pregnant woman? What a

    monster!"

    Hearing what they said, Raymond wanted to speak for Ashley. However, he couldn''te up with a

    reasonable exnation, and it was his baby that they had lost.

    Eventually, Raymond didn''t say a word.

    Ashley had a slight concussion. So Andrew decided that it was best for her to stay in the hospital for a

    little longer. Just in case something unexpected urred.

    However, Ashley wasn''t very happy about his decision. She hated hospitals and didn''t want to stay.

    The strong smell of disinfectant bothered her. This was the second time that she had to stay in the

    hospital within a short period. Ashley couldn''t believe her rotten luck.

    She pleaded, "Can we please go home? I''m really okay now. Please let me go home!" Apart from the

    slight headache, Ashley didn''t feel bad at all. She could deal with the headache.

    It was just a slight concussion. As long as she didn''t over-exert herself, Ashley believed that she would

    be fine.

    She thought, ''I can go to work and do some paperwork until I recover. Then after that, I''ll just go home.''

    Although, Andrew''s decision was firm. He replied, "No. It''s not going to happen. You have to wait for

    the doctor to be sure that you are going to be okay."

    Ashley gave Andrew a pitiful look.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    The way Ashley looked at Andrew almost melted his heart.

    He nearly gave in to the temptation and agreed to let her go home. But he stopped himself.

    Logic had prevailed, and he abandoned the idea.

    At this moment, Johnny came back with the information that Andrew wanted.

    Coincidentally, the hospital Lena was in was the same one that Ashley was confined to.

    Johnny knocked on the door and walked in. He greeted, "Boss, Miss Mu."

    When Ashley saw Johnny, she couldn''t help but ask, "So, what did you get? Is Lena''s baby, okay?"

    Even though Ashley knew deep in her heart that the baby probably didn''t make it, she still hoped that it

    might have survived.

    ''It was just a baby. It was so young and innocent.''

    Johnny could feel that the care Ashley had towards the baby was real. He was aware that Ashley and

    Lena didn''t get along, but he believed Ashley. He knew Ashley would never be able to do such a cruel

    thing.

    However, his opinion and belief didn''t count for much in this world.

    Seeing the weird expression on Johnny''s face, Ashley was a bit confused. "What''s wrong?"

    After breathing a heavy sigh, Johnny told her the news. "Miss Mu, Lena''s baby is gone."

 Chapter 311 Became The Most Searched

    Chapter 311 Became The Most Searched

    Ashley was startled. ''Did she really lose the baby?''

    Johnny continued, "Lena is also insisting that you are the reason that she lost the baby. Now both the

    Mu family and the Luo family know about it and said that they were going to press charges against

    you."

    When he finished, he nced at Andrew. The look that Andrew gave him sent a shiver down his spine,

    and he held his breath in fear.

    Ashley was astonished when she saw Andrew''s reaction and stiffened.

    She was processing internally what Johnny had just said.

    ''Lena lost her baby, and she''s ming me for it.''''

    Ashley had finally understood Lena''s scheme. ''Lena wants to frame me and destroy my name. She

    wants people to believe that I''m such an evil and spiteful person, that I would even attack her unborn

    baby.''

    Johnny interpreted Ashley''s astonished expression as freaking out after hearing the shocking news. He

    felt sorry for her and tried tofort her, "Miss Mu, don''t worry too much. I don''t believe that you would

    have done that. And Mr. Lu won''t just sit back and watch something bad happen to you. He''ll hire a

    team of professionalwyers to defend you."

    By speaking his mind, Johnny had shown where his loyalty stood. He also buttered the CEO up at the

    same time by defending his wife.

    He stole a nce at Andrew, who had been sitting on the side listening.

    The Lu Group had the mostpetentwyer team. As long as they took the case, failure was

    impossible.

    But only the CEO could ask thewyers to take on the case.

    Given the CEO''s love for Miss Mu, he wouldn''t allow anyone to ruin her life.

    Ashley drew back her attention, and his encouraging words had warmed her heart. It was a surprise

    that some people did believe her.

    "Thank you very much for believing me, Johnny," said Ashley.

    "Sure. We haven''t known each other for long, but I do believe you. I don''t think you would have done

    that to Lena and her baby," said Johnny sincerely.

    Johnny soon felt the atmosphere in the room getting colder by the minute, and he almost got goose

    bumps. He sensed the coldness wasing from the CEO, and Andrew''s expression confirmed that

    Johnny was right.

    He cleared his dry throat and said, "I have to go and poke around for more information. You can call me

    if you need anything, Miss Mu."

    With that, he swiftly left the room without waiting for anyone''s response.

    ''Argh...the CEO''s eyes were horrible.

    All I said was that I believed in Miss Mu. Did he need to be so jealous because of that?'' thought

    Johnny, as he made a quick exit from the room.

    Ashley smiled with amusement as she watched Johnny hastily leave.

    "For what reason did you have to scare Johnny?"

    Andrew pursed his lips and replied honestly, "Did you hear the way he spoke to you and what he said?"

    "Just because of that?"

    "What else could it be?"

    Ashley gasped and remained silent. ''He''s ridiculously possessive!'' thought Ashley to herself.

    Neither Andrew nor Ashley was concerned about the threat that Johnny had told them.

    She had some damning evidence against Lena. Ashley couldn''t wait to see Lena''s reaction when she

    saw the evidence that Ashley had in her possession.

    Ashley''s rule in life was tit for tat. She would never hurt anybody on purpose. If somebody deliberately

    tried to hurt her, then she wouldn''t be soft on them.

    Andrew stroked her soft and smooth ck hair. His expression was gentle and affectionate, but anyone

    who saw his eyes would be startled.

    His eyes were cold and malicious, just like the ice at the North Pole.

    But it wasn''t because of Ashley. It was because of the person who was trying to frame Ashley, and that

    person was Lena.

    Ashley didn''t want to stay in the hospital any longer, and she had already taken two days off from work.

    Now she couldn''t ask for a leave again.

    After badgering Andrew for a long time, he finally agreed that she could go back to work. Ashley had to

    stay in the hospital for a few more days until she hadpletely recovered.

    This wasn''t what she wanted, but it was the best that she could get.

    However, Ashley was quick to forget what Lena was capable of. The day she returned to work, she

    found the people in thepany were staring at her with contempt in their eyes.

    As soon as Ashley made eye contact with them, they would avert their gaze.

    Ashley was speechless and wondered, ''What''s going on?''

    She saw Amaia and was about to greet her. But when she saw Amaia''s expression, she was shocked.

    Amaia wasn''t smiling as she usually did. She looked serious and stiff, which made people nervous.

    "What''s wrong, Amaia?" asked Ashley.

    Amaia pulled her aside as soon as she saw her. Instead of answering her question, she asked hastily

    in a hushed tone, "Ashley, what has happened? Everyone is saying that you''re in love with your sister''s

    fiance. And that you are so jealous of her that you caused her to lose her baby."

    Ashley phased out and couldn''tpletely take in what she said. She stared at Amaia''s mouth moving

    in a trance as if she heard something by mistake.

    "What did you say?" Ashley asked.

    Amaia looked at her as if she was ming her for not knowing. ''Why are you still in the dark about

    this?''

    "Don''t you know? Check your cell phone. Your name has be the most searched now." ''Why aren''t

    you worried about it?''

    Ashley pulled her cell phone out and searched online. There was breaking news about her, and nobody

    said anything in her favor.

    The media described Ashley as being, "a wicked and heartless woman", "as vicious as a viper". "She

    coveted her sister''s fiance and schemed to make her lose her baby".

    "She was so merciless and cruel that she even got her ws into her own sister," said the press.

    This seemed so familiar to Ashley. She just recalled another scene that was the same as what just

    happened.

    When she was working for the Luo Group, a simr thing happened to her.

    Everything was schemed out and executed by no one else but Lena.

    She was still the same kind of person who liked to y mean tricks and got what she desired, by hook

    or by crook.

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    However, this time, Ashley was wrong about Lena. In fact, when Lena found out about the whole

    matter, she was furious.

    She even broke everything in her ward.

    What the heck was going on this time?

    Ashley read thements online andughed.

    Amaia watched her and was shocked by her behavior. She felt like opening her head up to see what

    was inside.

    ''How could she possiblyugh at a time like this?''

    "Ashley! Why are youughing? How can youugh? Look at what they''re saying about you! Are you

    nuts?" asked Amaia.

    Ashley stoppedughing and looked at Amaia, who was staring at her disapprovingly and obviously

    worried. She knew that she was the only one in thepany who treated her as a real friend. Her

    heart melted inside at her loyalty.

    She looked at Amaia and asked seriously, "Do you believe me, Amaia?"

 Chapter 312 The Truth

    Chapter 312 The Truth

    Amaia responded to Ashley without hesitation, "Of course I believe you! Didn''t you hear what I just

    said? Do you really think I am just talking crap?"

    She rolled her eyes.

    Ashley replied, "Of course not! But no matter what anyone says, I didn''t do it. A clean head needs no

    washing. I am not afraid of anyone."

    In fact, she was secretly hoping that they would blow it out of proportion. In the end, it would not harm

    her as she had proof.

    Lena would be the one who would have to face the consequences. Ashley wasn''t sure if Lena could

    handle it.

    Not that she cared about Lena, as she had brought this on herself, but it was her problem to worry.

    If she hadn''t tried to make it such a big deal, the consequence might be as bad. However, it had

    be toote for damage control.

    Looking at Ashley, Amaia frowned. "That''s good. I believe you. If you didn''t do it, then you don''t have to

    be afraid of anyone."

    Amaia''s brows were knitted tighter. She continued, "But it''s not just that. Things are moreplicated

    than you think. It looks like they are pointing their fingers at you. But if you think about it, you are an

    employee of the Lu Group. They want to hurt not just you but the Lu Group as well."

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Although Amaia often gave people a fickle impression of herself, she really could see things through if

    she wanted to.

    Upon hearing what Amaia said, Ashley fell silent.

    She had to agree with Amaia. Of what she knew about Lena, she definitely would ruin her life in every

    possible way. There was no chance that she would let Ashley stay in the Lu Group as though nothing

    had happened.

    As an employee of the Lu Group, her problem was no longer just herself. It could directly affect the

    company she was working for. There were no two ways about it.

    Ashley''s silence made Amaia''s heart lurch. She felt really bad about the way she had put it to Ashley.

    She should have been more subtle about it.

    Amaia could imagine how bad Ashley must be feeling inside.

    She med herself for hurting Ashley''s feelings.

    ''How could I be so dumb to say such things to poor Ashely?'' she thought.

    Amaia took a deep breath and tried to do some damage control. "Umm...Ash, you don''t have to worry

    about it too much. It''s not as serious as I made it out to be. You know how overly dramatic I can be

    sometimes. And you are totally right. You don''t have to feel responsible for the things you didn''t do.

    And you don''t have to be afraid of anything. Okay?"

    Amaia''s words really warmed Ashley''s heart. Amaia was trying really hard to make her feel better.

    Ashley was d to have her around. "Amaia, you don''t have to worry about me. I will be fine. And I

    think you are absolutely right! I do have to think about my job and the Lu Group. I am an employee

    here after all."

    She gave her work friend a big smile and said, "Amaia, I will end it very soon."

    Amaia could see the determination in her eyes. "Ash, I believe you!"

    "Amaia, your trust won''t mean anything in the court. She might have really done it and you just don''t

    know about it. I really don''t understand why you are trying so hard to take her side. Aren''t you afraid

    that she might try to steal your boyfriend?" asked someone.

    "Oh please! She already looks evil. I just didn''t expect that she would make a pass at her brother-inw

    and kill her sister''s unborn baby," said another.

    The people who were gossiping were Sylvia and her minions. She had never been a fan of Ashley.

    Seeing her in a tough spot, she jumped at the opportunity to embarrass Ashley without mercy.

    Ashley stared at Sylvia and said, "It doesn''t matter what you say, the truth is that I didn''t do it."

    Amaia looked at Sylvia angrily and said, "She didn''t do it! I just can''t wait to see you to shove your feet

    into your mouth. Oh, I have a word of advice for you. Make sure to wash them, or they won''t taste so

    good."

    Sylvia''s face reddened in anger. "Hmm...Alright, let''s wait and see whose feet will be in their mouths."

    The situation was getting intense. Kelly''s assistant walked over. She was a woman in her 40s. It was

    known in thepany that she had this position since the beginning of her career in the Lu Group.

    She looked at them and locked her eyes on Ashley. "Miss Mo wants to see you."

    Ashley replied, "Okay."

    Amaia held her hand and offered her words of encouragement. "Ash, don''t worry! Believe in yourself!"

    The assistant nced at Amaia, who smiled back at her sarcastically.

    Looking at Ashley''s retreating figure, Sylvia gave Amaia a scornful look. She said, "Can''t you see? Your

    best friend is going to be fired. I can''t wait to see how you are going to go against me all by yourself

    from now on."

    Amaia simply rolled her eyes at her. It wasn''t worth wasting time, arguing with Sylvia.

    Amaia typed a message out on her phone and sent it.

    The assistant walked out after she led Ashley into Kelly''s office. Just as Ashley entered the office,

    Kelly''s personal phone beeped.

    Kelly looked at it. She lifted her eyebrow in surprise. Taking a significant look at Ashley, she didn''t say

    anything.

    Ashley had caught her interest. Kelly was surprised that Amaia would speak for her.

    Kelly smiled and wanted to see if Ashley was worth it or not.

    Even though Kelly called Ashley into her office, she didn''t say a word to her. She just continued

    working. Since she didn''t give any task to Ashley, Ashley stood there in silence.

    Ashley looked quiet and calm on the surface. But deep in her heart, she was panicking. She could hear

    her heart beating wildly.

    It hadn''t been long for Ashley to work in this department, but she really liked it here.

    This wasrgely due to Amaia. They had be good friends in a short time while working together.

    If she was fired, Ashley would feel really sad.

    After half an hour of standing around in silence, Ashley shifted and said, "Miss Mo, I can exin."

    Kelly stopped to look at Ashley.

    Feeling nervous under her sharp gaze, Ashley fought to keep herself calm. She told herself that she

    should talk to Kelly just like what she told Amaia.

    "I didn''t do it. They are just trying to frame me. I will handle it as soon as possible. Please give me a

    chance and the benefit of the doubt."

    Ashley finished talking anxiously and looked at Kelly in anticipation.

    "Why should I believe you?" Kelly asked. She smiled and continued, "And even if I do believe you,

    does it prove anything?"

    Ashley''s face turned pale and she bit her lips. She knew Kelly was right. There was no reason for Kelly

    to believe her. She didn''t have a good enough reason to convince Kelly to believe her either. And as

    Kelly rightly pointed out, even if she believed her, it wouldn''t change anything.

    However, Ashley looked at Kelly and pressed on, "Miss Mo, I really hope you can give me a chance to

    prove myself. There is always just one truth! And it will be brought to light very soon! I will handle it!

    And if I can''t, I will ept your punishment without anyins."

 Chapter 313 Leave The Rumor Be

    Chapter 313 Leave The Rumor Be

    Ashley''s eyes were fixed on Kelly. "What do you think, Miss Mo?"

    Seeing Ashley''s pale face and her inability to articte earlier, Kelly didn''t think highly of her. She

    doubted Amaia''s taste in friends.

    However, what Ashley saidter really impressed her.

    Kelly looked at her for a while. Ashley was about to give up when she suddenly said, "Okay, I will

    believe you just this once. I hope you don''t let me down."

    Ashley replied, "Thank you Miss Mo! You will not regret this!"

    "All right, you may go."

    With Kelly''s permission, Ashley nodded and walked out.

    As Kelly watched her go, she remembered that Ashley was brought into the business by Johnny. He

    had said that Ashley had a friend in a high position in thepany. He told Kelly to take special care of

    her.

    Kelly disliked people who took shortcuts in life. And everyone knew this about her. She was already

    irked about hiring Ashley under such conditions. There was no way that Kelly was going out of her way

    to help Ashley out.

    If Kelly was being honest, she liked Ashley''s attitude. Even though Ashley had taken a shortcut, unlike

    Sylvia, she worked diligently.

    Kelly hoped Johnny didn''t lie about Ashley''s background. Or, she would fire her no matter what.

    The second Ashley walked back to her desk, Amaia came over. Grabbing Ashley''s hand, she asked,

    "So, what happened? Are you going to be okay, Ash?"

    Ashley replied, "I am fine!"

    Amaia nodded. "I knew you would be. Kelly is a good boss and we have a pretty good rtionship with

    her. She would not fire you just like that!"

    Ashley smiled back at her and nodded.

    Sylvia heard their conversation. She clenched her fist and bit her lip in frustration.

    She couldn''t understand how Ashley could be okay. After everything that happened, Sylvia couldn''t

    come up with an exnation why Kelly hadn''t fired Ashley yet.

    Of what she knew about Kelly, her boss would have fired her immediately.

    Sylvia suspected that someone in thepany was protecting Ashley. However, she had no clue that

    that person would be in such a high position that even Kelly was afraid to challenge him or her.

    "Ash...Ashley, I believe you too! I know you are not that kind of a girl. Don''t worry about what they say,"

    said a male co-worker.

    When Ashley was about to get back to her work, another cute male co-worker who had a desk next to

    hers started a conversation with her.

    Ashley recalled that he had doubted her abilities when she had just joined this department. However,

    his views seemed to have changed.

    His name was Evan Li. He wore sses and was about six feet tall. He was quite handsome.

    Ashley was surprised to hear thisment from him. She took a moment to recover from the shock

    before replying, "Thank you!"

    "You...you are wee," he said shyly. It seemed that Ashley''s appreciation embarrassed him. His

    face turned a tinge of red instantly. After muttering something awkwardly, he turned away.

    Amaia looked at Evan Li first and then at Ashley. She stifled a giggle.

    The Luo Group couldn''tpete with such a big corporation. The Lu Group definitely had better office

    management. Even though everyone had heard what happened to Ashley, nobody dared to discuss it

    in public.

    Outside the CEO''s office, Johnny knocked on the door and waited. A stern voice came from inside, and

    he walked in.

    Andrew was seated on his chair, looking at some papers. He was too absorbed to look at his assistant.

    Johnny wondered if Andrew would be able to keep his cool when he heard the rumor about Ashley.

    "Mr. Lu, I have news for you. It''s about Miss Mu," Johnny started tentatively.

    Andrew was not happy about the interruption. He was about to reprimand Johnny, but he stopped when

    he heard Ashley''s name.

    Johnny sneered inside, ''I already saw the impatience in your eyes. Don''t think I don''t know what you

    were about to say.''

    "Is she okay? What happened to her?" Andrew asked.

    Johnny responded, "I didn''t know how Lena and her family did it but everyone in thepany knows

    what happened that day. There is a rumor going on in thepany that Miss Mu caused her sister''s

    miscarriage because she was into her sister''s boyfriend. This rumor is not good for Miss Mu''s

    reputation or the Lu Group''s, for that matter."

    Johnny took a deep breath and continued, "Mr. Lu, should we squash it?"

    Johnny looked at Andrew with uncertainty as his boss was still reading the paper.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Andrew finally raised his head to look at Johnny and asked, "Does Raymond look better than me?"

    Johnny was a bit confused with this question. However, he replied, "I don''t think so." He thought, ''Mr.

    Lu, you are the most handsome man in J City. Even a man could fall for you. I don''t think there ever

    was a doubt about that.

    Why are you asking this? Come on! That has nothing to do with Miss Mu. Could we please talk about

    Miss Mu instead?''

    Andrew threw another question at him, "Is he richer than me?"

    Johnny was baffled but replied obediently, "No, he isn''t." Johnny didn''t know why he even asked such a

    question. Andrew was the CEO of the Lu Group. He was the next sessor of the Lu family. No one

    had more money than him.

    "OK. Since he is not better than me in any way, why did Ashley like him?"

    Andrew mumbled.

    Johnny didn''t know what to say to him. But he finally understood why Andrew was asking all these

    weird questions.

    He coughed to draw his boss''s attention. "Mr. Lu, should we stop the rumor? Right now, the situation is

    not very good for Miss Mu."

    In the past, Andrew would have taken immediate action to solve the problem for Ashley. However,

    Johnny was not so sure now.

    He didn''t know what happened.

    Andrew replied, "Leave it be."

    Johnny was shocked to hear this from Andrew. He couldn''t believe his boss had just instructed him to

    leave the rumor be.

    His eyes widened. He was gaping at Andrew in disbelief.

    Andrew nced at him and asked, "Anything else? Do you have anything else to report?"

    Johnny replied, "No, sir."

    Then, he walked out of the office. Johnny still didn''t know why he was acting so strange. He didn''t

    understand why Andrew suddenly changed his attitude towards Ashley.

    In the hospital, Lena had also heard about the rumor. She was furious. If she could, she would rip the

    rumor-monger to pieces.

    Her goal was to be Andrew''s wife. She didn''t want the public to know about her past. Being with

    Raymond and having his baby was thest thing Lena wanted others to know.

    In a fit of rage, she broke everything she could in the room. However, her anger didn''t subside.

    She had a very beautiful albeit unrealistic dream. On one hand, she wanted to sue Ashley and destroy

    her life. And on the other hand, she wanted hide from everyone, the fact that she had lost her virginity

    to Raymond.

    She was greedy. But it was nearly impossible to have it all.

    Lena''s dream was too good to be true.

    Raymond walked in and saw the mess in the room. He looked over at Lena, who was lying in the bed

    with a nk expression.

    After her miscarriage, Cora had asked Raymond to take care of her in the hospital and he readily

    agreed.

    He felt that it was his fault for not being able to take care of Lena and their baby.

    He put down the te of food in his hand and walked to her. He asked in a soft voice, "Lena, what''s

    going on? Are you feeling okay? Are you in pain? I will go get the doctor for

    you."

 Chapter 314 Already Married

    Chapter 314 Already Married

    Seeing Raymond, Lena controlled her facial expression.

    She put on a pitiful look and looked at him with eyes full of tears. Raymond couldn''t help but feel sorry

    for her

    and asked, "Lena, what''s wrong?"

    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    He reached out his hand and gently moved her hair to the side. Lena took the chance and held him by

    the waist. "Raymond, I saw the news on the Inte."

    Raymond had just found out about it as well and frowned at the thought. He wasn''t at all happy with the

    way Peggy was handling the situation.

    He couldn''t understand why she had to make such a show out of it to the public.

    Truth be told, he was quite disgusted with what she did.

    Lena cried, "Raymond, I didn''t want the public to know about it. What about Ashley? Although what she

    did to me was terrible, I would never want to ruin her reputation..."

    Then Lena cried some more.

    Between sobs, Lena continued, "I knew it was unfair for me to say such a thing. It was unfair to our

    baby. But Ashley is my sister. I can''t watch her life be ruined, and this will ruin her life... This isn''t good

    for Ashley..."

    She begged, "Raymond, please make it stop."

    Lena looked at him with a face flooded with tears.

    He couldn''t resist her sad face and didn''t have the heart to do so.

    After what Ashley had done to her, Lena still cared about her reputation.

    He kissed Lena''s forehead and said, "Lena, you are too kind."

    She clutched his hand and sobbed, "Raymond, please..."

    "Okay, I''ll try. I''ll talk to my mother and Mrs. Mu. I will try my best to convince them to control the

    damage," said Raymond trying to soothe her.

    Raymond just promised Lena he would try. He didn''t promise anything else.

    He knew Peggy and Cora very well. Once they set their minds on doing something, there was no

    stopping them.

    "Thank you, Raymond," said Lena. Snuggling into his arms, Lena closed her eyes.

    Raymond stayed with her untilte in the afternoon.

    Before he left, he told Lena to take good care of herself. If there was anything that she needed, he told

    Lena to call him immediately.

    Lena nodded. As soon as Raymond left, she dropped the pitiful act and rxed.

    She couldn''t care less about Ashley or her reputation. She wanted to hide from the public, any history

    that she had with Raymond and the fact that she had been pregnant.

    After all, her goal was to be Andrew''s wife.

    What Lena didn''t know was that the better she dreamed now, the worse she was going to feelter on.

    At the Lu Group, it was nearly time to go home. Everyone was watching the clock on their phones.

    They all hoped for the time to go faster.

    Finally, it was five o''clock, and everyone left in a hurry.

    Ashley frowned while she was packing up her things. Usually, she would get a message from Andrew

    at this time. He would then pick her up from the usual spot. Then they would go home together.

    However, she hadn''t heard anything from him yet.

    While Ashley was wondering where he could be, her phone rang. It was Andrew.

    When she saw his name showing on her phone screen, a sweet smile crept to Ashley''s lips. She didn''t

    even notice that she was smiling.

    It was the kind of smile

    that a woman would have when she was in love.

    Ashley didn''t notice it. However, it didn''t mean that Amaia didn''t notice it.

    Seeing the happy expression on Ashley''s face, Amaia knew that she was talking to a man.

    However, she didn''t say anything about it.

    Ashley answered the phone. "Hello?"

    "Miss Mu, it''s Johnny. Mr. Lu said he was busy. He had to workte and asked me to give you a ride to

    the hospital."

    It was a familiar voiceing from a familiar person. However, it wasn''t the person Ashley wanted to

    hear from.

    She bit her lips and hid her disappointment. "Okay, I understand. Don''t worry about me. I''ll take a taxi.

    You can stay with him."

    "Miss Mu, I can''t let you do that. Mr. Lu had specifically instructed me to drive you there," Johnny

    replied.

    Andrew had such a panicked fear after Ashley''s kidnapping. He didn''t want to let Ashley go anywhere

    on her own again.

    But Ashley insisted, "I can go back by myself. You stay with him!" She paused for a second and then

    added, "Don''t let him work too hard. You can tell him that I insisted on going home myself. I''ll talk to him

    when he gets home."

    Johnny tried to change Ashley''s mind. "But, Miss Mu..." However, he didn''t know what to say. Ashley

    wasn''t afraid of Andrew''s anger, but he was.

    Ashley could be very stubborn. It was hard for Johnny to change her mind once she had already

    decided.

    "Okay, that''s it. I have to go. Bye." Ashley didn''t give Johnny the chance to say anything more. She just

    hung up.

    Johnny nced at Andrew. In his head, he thought, ''Mr. Lu, I tried my best. Miss Mu didn''t want me to

    give her a ride. I didn''t have much of a choice.''

    After Ashley finished her call, Amaia looked at Ashley curiously.

    Ashley felt a bit embarrassed. She didn''t know why she felt that way, but she did.

    The way Amaia looked at her made her feel like a thief caught in the act.

    Avoiding eye contact, Ashley asked, "Amaia, why are you looking at me like that?"

    Amaia''s eyes sparkled mischievously. She cracked a big smile and said, "All right, it''s time to confess.

    Who is he? Huh? Liar, liar, pants on fire!"

    Amaia fondly teased Ashley.

    "Do you really want to know?" Ashley asked. She was afraid that Amaia would be shocked to know

    who he was.

    Amaia nodded with curious excitement in her eyes. "Of course, I do! Come on, spill the beans!"

    Ashley pursed her lips a little and said, "It''s my husband."

    Amaia''s eyes widened, and she gaped in shock this time. She shook her head and wondered if she

    had heard Ashley right.

    It was hard for her to believe that Ashley was already married.

    ''Ashley has a husband!''

    The news was echoing in her head.

    She was too shocked to say a single word.

    It took a while for her to recover. Then she asked, "I''m sorry I didn''t hear you well. What did you say?"

    Ashely repeated, "I said the person who just called me was my husband. Are you surprised?"

    "Oh my gosh! Yes!"

    Suddenly, Amaia held Ashley and started to scream.

    Ashley quickly covered her mouth. She sighed and asked, "What are you doing?"

    Fortunately, the majority of the employees in their department had already left. Or, they would think

    Amaia was going nuts.

    Ashley didn''t know why she was screaming.

    Ashley''s hand still covered Amaia''s mouth. She was making a noise, but Ashley couldn''t understand

    what she was trying to say. She stared at her,ining with her eyes to Ashley for covering her

    mouth.

    Ashley got the message and said to her, "Let''s be clear. I''ll let you go if you promise not to scream like

    you just did. Okay?"

    Amaia nodded.

    Ashley removed her hands from her mouth.

    Finally, Amaia was free. She walked around Ashley and looked her up and down.

    Ashley was speechless and felt awkward. However, she didn''t know what was on Amaia''s mind.

    When she stopped scrutinizing her, she tapped Ashley on her shoulder and said, "Ash, well done! You

    are actually a married woman."

    Ashley could sense the trap behind her words. She watched Amaia''s movements warily. "What do you

    want?"

    "Rx. Don''t be so nervous. I don''t want anything from you. I''m just curious who the guy is. I was just

    wondering how he tricked you into marriage so voluntarily. Why don''t you take him out? We''re besties!

    You should bring him out to dinner with us!"

 Chapter 315 Raymonds Accusing

    Chapter 315 Raymond''s using

    Upon hearing Amaia''s suggestion, Ashley heaved a heavy sigh. "Okay. Perhaps next time I''ll introduce

    you to him. He''s been swamped with worktely. So you''ll have to wait."

    Ashley''s heart was racing.

    She didn''t know how Amaia would react if she knew her husband was Andrew.

    Amaia agreed.

    "Oh, by the way, why are you still here? Usually, you would have already left in a hurry by now. Is he

    going to bete to pick you up?"

    Knowing now that Ashley was married, Amaia figured that it was her husband who woulde to pick

    her up after work.

    Ashley replied, "No, he has to finish some work tonight. He can''te and pick me up."

    "Oh, I understand. Now I know why you''re still here chatting with me," said Amaia.

    Ashley held her arm and said, "All right, Amaia, let''s go."

    They walked out of the building. Right before Ashley said goodbye to Amaia, she saw a person whom

    she would prefer not to see for the rest of her life.

    It was Raymond. He saw Ashley too.

    Ashley was in a loose, casual white T-shirt and a pair of dark blue shorts. She had her hair pulled into a

    ponytail. Ashley looked young and pretty, like a college student.

    It was hard for Raymond to move his eyes away from Ashley. He watched as she smiled and chatted

    with her friend.

    The image in front of him reminded Raymond of the old times when he was with Ashley. When they

    used to study and hang out together, he would wait for Ashley to finish her ss, and they would go on

    a date.

    Raymond really missed those days. There was a sh of longing in his eyes. However, when he closed

    his eyes and opened them again, the expression in his eyes was gone.

    Raymond walked straight to Ashley and called, "Ash..."

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    At that moment, Amaia was saying goodbye to Ashley. They were about to go their separate ways

    because their houses were in opposite directions. Suddenly, a handsome gentleman showed up.

    Raymond was quite good looking. Compared to many guys, he was very handsome. He always wore a

    smile. It made people feel warm andfortable.

    Ashley didn''t want to see Raymond. The smile she had with Amaia was gone. She gave Raymond a

    slightly annoyed look as he approached them.

    "Why are you here?" she asked.

    He nced at Amaia and replied, "I have to talk to you."

    Ashley didn''t know that Raymond had been looking for her. He went to the bakery first, but Ashley

    wasn''t there.

    He only saw Ellie. Before he could get any information from her, Ellie sneered at him and kicked him

    out of the store.

    It took him a while to finally find Ashley here.

    Raymond was surprised to see her walking out of the Lu Group building.

    He didn''t know how she managed to get a position with them.

    Even with his degree and experience, Raymond had a hard time getting an offer from them.

    However, he quickly realized that it was because of Andrew. It wasn''t a big deal for the CEO of the Lu

    Group to give a pretty girl a position in his business. He just didn''t expect that Andrew would do such a

    thing for Ashley. He might have underestimated how much Andrew liked Ashley.

    Many thoughts went through his head. But Raymond didn''t say anything else.

    He nced at Amaia again and hinted for her to leave them alone.

    However, Amaia ignored his signal. She asked Ashley curiously, "Ash, who is he? Is he your...?" Amaia

    purposely stopped mid-sentence. But Ashley knew what she wanted to ask.

    Ashley rubbed her forehead and wondered what was on Amaia''s mind every day.

    She replied, "He''s just a friend."

    "Oh, okay."

    Amaia was a bit disappointed that he wasn''t Ashley''s husband.

    Ashley saw the disappointment on her face. If Raymond weren''t here, she would have asked her why

    she felt disappointed.

    Ashley wasn''t feeling upset that her husband didn''t show up to pick her up.

    She sighed and said to Amaia, "All right, it''ste. Amaia, you should go. I have to deal with something."

    "Okay, I''ll go. But, Ash, are you sure this cute guy is just a friend?" Amaia couldn''t help but mumble into

    Ashley''s ear.

    Ashley rolled her eyes and replied, "Yes! I am very sure! I already have a husband. He''s much better

    looking than him. Don''t worry! Okay?"

    Amaia covered her mouth and nodded.

    She felt a little jealous of Ashley''s luck with cute guys. But she wasn''t truly envious of her.

    What Amaia didn''t know was that Ashley''s husband wasn''t only more attractive than Raymond.

    Her husband was also better than him in every possible way.

    Amaia was too young and too naive to understand some things, right now.

    Even though Amaia was whispering to Ashley, Raymond knew that they were talking about him,

    because Amaia kept ncing at him.

    He slipped his hand in his pockets and didn''t say anything while he waited for Amaia to go.

    When Amaia finally left, Ashley looked at Raymond and asked, "What do you want? Let''s talk over

    there."

    Many employees were stilling in and out of thepany building while preparing to leave for

    home. Ashley didn''t want anyone to notice them even though she didn''t do anything wrong.

    Raymond agreed and followed her.

    They walked to a corner under the shade of a tree. Then Ashley asked, "Okay, go ahead. I am very

    busy. Please make it quick."

    Ashley''s attitude somehow irritated Raymond. He could feel the anger building up inside of him. "Don''t

    you think that you should go to see Lena in the hospital after what you have done to her?"

    She stared at him and her eyes were really sharp. "What have I done?"

    Her eyes were so pure that Raymond even doubted himself.

    Thinking about Lena, pale and weak, and the words that she said to him earlier. Raymond shook his

    doubts away. When Lena heard about the news, the first thing she thought about was Ashley''s

    reputation.

    She never thought about herself. She only worried about Ashley.

    Comparing poor Lena with the expressionless Ashley, Raymond''s heart favored Lena.

    Lena even asked him to talk to their mothers to keep the case low. Seeing how heartless Ashley was,

    Raymond couldn''t help but feel sorry for Lena.

    He felt terrible for Lena to have such an ungrateful sister.

    His heart and his mind were on Lena''s side.

    The bit of doubt and sympathy that he had for Ashley was slowly fading away.

    Raymond sneered, "Don''t you know what you have done? I think you know very well! Ashley, how

    could you? How could you be so cruel? It was a baby! It was my decision to be with Lena. Why were

    you taking it out on her?"

 Chapter 316 Guilty

    Chapter 316 Guilty

    When Raymond found out that Ashley tried to harm Lena, he assumed that she was still in love with

    him. He never expected her to do something like this to Lena, who was pregnant.

    Studying Ashley''s face, he thought to himself, ''She was a kind and virtuous girl before. What turned her

    into a cold-blooded bitch?''

    Seeing that Ashley treated Lena so badly, he imagined that she was in love with him.

    As far as he was concerned, Ashley treated Lena poorly out of jealousy. She was green with envy that

    Lena was carrying his baby.

    Raymond truly believed that was the truth. Thus, he decided to protect Lena as he thought about her

    lying in the hospital.

    If Ashley knew what was going on in his mind, she wouldugh at him.

    She didn''t offer any exnations because the whole thing was still a mess. Raymond quickly believed

    Lena instead of investigating her ims.

    There was no one except her and Lena in the bathroom.

    ''Please use your head.

    You must feel so proud being manipted by a woman. Ha-ha, '' Ashley thought in her mind.

    She knew Raymond well, so she did not expect him to understand her.

    Raymond tried to persuade Ashley to apologize. He said, "Ashley, many people are talking ill about you

    on the Inte. I hope you can make an apology to Lena, and I will persuade Mom to calm down."

    Ashley raised her eyebrows. ''Well, now I know where those rumors areing from. They have

    teamed up against me.

    I''m just a nobody. Why do they treat me like the enemy?''

    "So it was you guys who spread this gossip on the Inte? Why are you convinced that I am the

    culprit?" she asked. Deep down, she was very disappointed.

    She felt pity for their kid. Lena intended to kill it to get close to a wealthier man.

    Raymond frowned when he saw Ashley''s face. He was not satisfied with her attitude. "Lena was

    concerned about you when she saw the news on the Inte. She was afraid that you would be

    influenced by them. I came here because she was worried about you. Could you please swallow your

    pride and just apologize to her? You will quell those rumors on the Inte with your apology."

    Ashley didn''t respond.

    ''I can quell rumors as long as I apologize to her?

    Am I a three-year-old girl?

    You always talk without thinking.

    Do you really think Lena cares about me? You have no idea but you and Lena are also on the top

    search.''

    She blinked as she recalled Lena''s words. She suddenly realized why Lena had done all those things.

    ''She wants to marry Andrew!

    But Andrew''s parents would never ept a pregnant woman.

    She is hiding herself.

    Such a brilliant n!

    I wouldn''t have known this if I missed her words.

    What a greedy and ambitious woman!

    Well, she can''t have them all. No good wille out these tricks of hers, '' Ashley lowered her head

    and thought to herself.

    Seeing that Ashley was lost in deep thought, Raymond felt assured and continued to persuade her in a

    soft voice.

    Ashley had snapped back to reality and was feeling disgusted at his voice.

    She and Lena were in the same hospital. Since no one was picking her up today, she decided to hitch

    a ride with Raymond.

    ''I can''t let this free ride go, '' Ashley murmured in her mind.

    Staring at Raymond, she said, "Let''s go."

    She started walking, and he followed her.

    He thought Ashley had changed her mind, so he intended to goad her into apologizing. He didn''t want

    her to be sued.

    She was still important to him.

    "Ashley, trust me. I will urge them to drop the case, and I will stand by you and protect you," he

    promised solemnly.

    Ashley gave him a fake smile and said, "Thank you so much!"

    His pledge was weak because she had Andrew on her side.

    They didn''t talk on the way to the hospital.

    Actually, it was Ashley who didn''t want to talk with him, so she ended the conversation, each time he

    tried to show concern for her.

    Raymond could sense her cold vibe.

    He was no match for Andrew but he still was from a privileged background, and no one had ever

    treated him this way. He couldn''t bear her indifference, so he also stopped talking.

    They arrived at the hospital in a few moments. Ashley got out of the car as soon as Raymond pulled to

    a stop.

    ''Even the air smells bad when I am with him.''

    Seeing that Ashley was heading towards the opposite direction, he chased after her yelling, "Ashley,

    I''m afraid you are going in the wrong direction." He thought she didn''t know where Lena was. He tried

    to hold her hand and guide her to the right ce.

    Ashley avoided him swiftly. Looking at him, she remarked with an evil smile, "Who told you that I''m

    here for Lena?"

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    He was stunned and speechless for a moment. He looked at her with an array of emotions on his face.

    He didn''t expect her to be so mean and nasty.

    "How can you say that? You agreed to visit her.

    Lena always puts herself in your shoes. Why can''t you do the same? How can you do this to her?

    Aren''t you ashamed of yourself?"

    Ashleyughed sarcastically. "Why should I feel ashamed?"

    ''She wanted to kill her baby, and I tried my best to save her and the baby. What did she do? She

    pushed me away and I ended up with a concussion. I still have a headache.

    What do I have to feel ashamed of?

    Lena is the one who should be apologizing to me!''

    "You made her lose her baby. Don''t you feel at least a little guilty? What has happened to you over the

    years? Why have you be so cold-hearted?" he asked sadly.

    An impatient look appeared on Ashley''s face. She felt a dull pain in her head. ''What is he saying? Isn''t

    he finished yet? I am harrowed now, '' sheined in her mind.

    Ashley finally agreed to visit Lena just to stop his tirade.

    "Okay, shut up! I will visit her!"

    Raymond held his tongue and led her to Lena''s ward.

    She followed him quietly.

    Although she knew that she and Lena were admitted in the same hospital, she had no idea which ward

    Lena was in.

 Chapter 317 Lets Wait And See

    Chapter 317 Let''s Wait And See

    Raymond had taken her to Lena''s ward once, but she still couldn''t remember the direction. But, she

    didn''t really care.

    Lena''s room was not too far from hers. The elevator stopped on the fourth floor. Raymond led Ashley

    into the room.

    Just as they were walking in, they bumped into Peggy, who was on her way out.

    Peggy wore an expensive purple dress. Although she was a mother of two children, she still maintained

    herself very well. She clearly had no stress in life, and she looked like a woman in her forties.

    She was blessed with good features, which made her look elegant. Ron and Lena definitely inherited

    their good looks from her.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    Her expression turned sour when she saw Ashley.

    She asked in disgust, "Why are you here? Haven''t you hurt Lena enough? You''re such an evil woman!

    How dare you show up here?"

    Peggy raised her hand and she was about to p Ashley.

    Ashely narrowed her eyes and stepped behind Raymond to shield herself.

    For his part, Raymond stopped Peggy and said, "Mrs. Mu! It''s me who asked her toe here. She is

    here to apologize to Lena."

    For Raymond''s sake, Peggy put down her hand but she wasn''t going to go easy on Ashley.

    She sneered, "Apologize? She doesn''t look sorry at all. Are you sure that''s what she is here for? Lena''s

    baby is gone. What''s the point of her apology? It doesn''t change anything."

    Ashley didn''t respond. She just looked at Peggy with a nd expression. Raymond cut in, "Mrs. Mu,

    Lena asked me to arrange this. Please let Ashley see Lena first."

    Peggy barked, "No way! Lena is still in recovery. She doesn''t have time for random people, especially

    her! If her condition worsens after seeing her, what are you going to do?"

    Her words were nasty, but she had a point.

    As far as she was concerned, Ashley caused Lena''s miscarriage. So seeing Ashley right now might not

    be a good idea for Lena.

    Lena was watching them arguing by the door. She didn''t speak, but she was looking at Ashley smugly.

    Ashley really didn''t want to be here in the first ce. She wasn''t nning to put up with any of this.

    "Since no one wants me here, I will just leave then," she said.

    With that, she turned around, ready to leave.

    Peggy jeered, "Humph! You shouldn''t even be here! Lena isn''t someone you can see as you please!"

    Realizing that Ashley was about to escape, Lena couldn''t keep quiet anymore. She said weakly, "Is my

    sis here?"

    Ashley didn''t respond to her charade.

    Peggy walked to her and said, "Yes, she is. But, please don''t tell me you still want to see her! Lena,

    have you forgotten that she is the one who caused your miscarriage?"

    As expected, Lena''s face turned pale when she heard Peggy''s words. Her body was shaking. It

    seemed that she could hardly absorb this information.

    Her timid and baleful expression almost won everyone''s heart.

    However, Ashley stood still not revealing her expression. Biting her lips, Lena finally gained some

    strength. She said, "I believe Ashley didn''t mean to do it. It was an ident. If she is here, can I talk to

    her? Mother, please!"

    "Lena!"

    Peggy was frustrated, but she couldn''t refuse her daughter after she saw the tears in her eyes.

    Walking out, she gave Ashley a warning re. "If anything happens to Lena, I will make you regret it!"

    Lena watched Peggy leave. Then she turned to Raymond. Looking at him tearfully, she said,

    "Raymond, please give us some time alone."

    Raymond looked at Ashley with uncertainty. Then, he smiled at Lena warmly. "Okay," he agreed.

    Outside the room, Peggy couldn''t help but me Raymond for bringing Ashley over. "Why have you

    brought that girl here? Don''t you know Lena needs to rest? She can''t be disturbed by anything or

    anyone! Ashley is the murderer of her child! How could you let her visit?"

    Raymond didn''t respond. He didn''t know whether he was right or wrong.

    After Peggy vented for a while, she left.

    In the room, Lena stopped ying the role of the poor and defenseless girl after Raymond and Peggy

    had left. She looked at Ashley triumphantly.

    "Ashley, you would have never expected to be put in such a position. Your reputation is destroyed. Do

    you really think Andrew will still love you?"

    Seeing her arrogant face, Ashley replied, "Aren''t you afraid at all? The baby was so young and

    innocent. Don''t you dream of it at night? How do you sleep?"

    Lena sneered, "Afraid? I don''t believe any of that! If the baby had to me anyone, it should only

    me itself for arriving at the wrong time. It was its own fault foring into my life at such a wrong

    time."

    There was insanity in Lena''s eyes. She shed a cruel smile and continued, "Soon, you will have

    nothing! I will rece you! And when that timees, don''t me me for being so heartless. You can

    only me yourself for meeting him.

    You are nothing but some orphan who was adopted by my parents! Without my parents, you might still

    be begging for food on the street somewhere. So, you should appreciate my parents for giving you

    such a luxurious life!"

    Ashley mocked, "Oh, really? Do you really think I should be grateful to your parents? I wish your

    parents had never adopted me!"

    Lena barked, "Oh, gosh! Don''t you think that it''s toote for you to make this wish now?"

    "Oh, by the way," Ashley said, "do you really think you could ruin my life this time?" Ashley stood her

    ground, refusing to be bullied by Lena anymore. She red at Lena in derision. She mocked, "Do you

    really think my husband would like you? Please wake up from your unattainable dream! He didn''t even

    give Lesley a second look, and she is the prettiest girl in all of J City. What makes you think that he

    would like you?

    Don''t you know this about yourself? You are not good enough to earn yourself a nce from him. If it

    weren''t for me, he wouldn''t even acknowledge your existence. Do you really think you can rece

    me?"

    Ashley knew all about Lena''s ns, and she wanted to burst her bubble.

    Seeing Lena''s gloomy face, Ashley finally felt better.

    Ashley couldn''t understand how Lena could kill her own baby for her unrealistic dream.

    She couldn''t understand why it was so important for Lena to be the wife of the Lu Group''s CEO. She

    also couldn''tprehend how Lena was going to live with the fact that she murdered her own child.

    Lena screamed, "Ashley! What do you mean? I am not worse than you! I don''t know how you won

    Andrew''s heart. I own everything you have and I have even more than you! What do you have that I

    don''t?"

    Lena''s face turn red with anger. Ashley watched it happen and said, "Let''s wait and see then. Let''s see

    who he is going to pick, you or an ''evil'' person like me!"

    With that Ashley turned around and left the room without another word.

    Lena watched her retreating figure and felt miserable.

    She didn''t believe that Andrew still loved Ashely after he heard what she had done to her.

    She still believed that Andrew would be hers eventually!

 Chapter 318 Meeting Lena

    Chapter 318 Meeting Lena

    Seeing Ashley close the door, Raymond walked over and asked, "How was it?"

    The sound-proofing in the room was really good so Lena wasn''t afraid of anyone overhearing her

    conversation with Ashley. Plus, Raymond would never eavesdrop on them.

    Seeing how worried he was, Ashley replied, "Why don''t you go inside and find out yourself?"

    Dropping thest word, Ashley walked away without giving him the chance to say anything else.

    She knew that no matter what she said, he would not believe her. Lena''s tears had already convinced

    him to not trust Ashley.

    She rolled her eyes at his stupidity.

    Watching Ashley leave, he frowned. Then, he walked into the room.

    He was stunned by Lena''s appearance at the moment he walked in.

    The top half of her body was hanging on the side of the bed. Her face was almost as pale as the

    hospital''s wall. Her eyes lost their light. She looked like a body without a soul inside.

    Raymond''s heart tightened. He went over to her and asked gently, "Lena, what''s wrong? You are

    scaring me!"

    Lena turned her eyes to the direction of the voice. Seeing Raymond, she flung herself into his arms and

    called out his name. "Raymond!" she wailed.

    He held her in his arms and asked, "What''s wrong? Don''t worry. You can tell me anything. Did Ashley

    say something to hurt your feelings?"

    She looked at Raymond tearfully and replied, "She...she asked me to stay away from her business. I

    was just trying to help. I can''t watch her reputation get ruined like that. But, she..."

    Lena cried out loud for a while. Then she sobbed, "She also said that my baby didn''t deserve to be in

    this world. It was its own fault... Raymond..."

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Lena''s crying made Raymond''s heart ache.

    He patted her back and tried his best tofort her. After a while, Lena finally fell asleep in his arms.

    Raymond was starting to feel angry. He didn''t even know where his rage wasing from.

    He wasn''t sure if he was angry about what Ashley had done to Lena or the fact that she didn''t care

    about her own reputation.

    He didn''t bother to find out. He dialed Ashley''s number on his phone.

    Ashley was totally lost. She was trying her best to find her way back to her room when her phone rang.

    Even though the call was from Raymond, she answered it.

    "What?" she said.

    "Where are you?" he asked.

    Everything looked the same to Ashley. She looked around and found a familiar sign. Then she bit her

    lips and said, "Somewhere near Lena''s room. I guess."

    It really frustrated her for not being able to find her way around. This was a problem for most people

    who didn''t have a sense of direction.

    She had no idea where she was going!

    There was not much she could do at this point.

    Ashley felt really vexed.

    He replied, "I will find you. Just wait there for me."

    With that, he hung up and left the room.

    Ashley found a bench and sat down. She was ying her phone idly. She looked like a lost puppy who

    couldn''t find its way home.

    Seeing Raymond, Ashley ran over to him and said before him, "Can you please walk me out? I can''t

    find my way around."

    Raymond frowned. He remembered that Ashley had no sense of direction at all. She was never able to

    find her way home by herself.

    He didn''t move. He said to Ashley, "Why did you treat Lena so harshly? She poured her heart out for

    you. Even if you don''t care, you can''t hurt her like that!"

    Ashley was speechless at his usations.

    She knew Lena had definitely made up some stories to tell him.

    She also knew that there was no point in exining things to him as he would not believe her. Now,

    Lena was ying him around her fingers.

    Ashley was starting to seriously wonder what she liked about Raymond in the past.

    Ashley asked, "Can you exin to me what I did to her now? What did she tell you? Whatever it is, do

    you really believe what she said? What if I told you that I didn''t do anything to her? Are you going to

    believe me?" Staring at him, Ashely wasn''t afraid of his usations at all.

    Raymond suddenly lost his confidence. He couldn''t even look her in the eye.

    Thinking of the poor Lena, he subconsciously responded, "No! Lena won''t lie to me."

    Ashley scoffed.

    She didn''t want his help anymore.

    She would rather try to find her way out by herself.

    When she turned to leave, he grabbed her arm with force. Ashley felt a sharp pain on her arm and

    frowned, "What are you doing? Let go of me!"

    Her irritated expression made him swallow his usatory words. Instead, he asked, "You said you

    needed my help to get out of this ce. I have the time right now. I will show you the way out."

    Ashley shook him off and replied apathetically, "Don''t bother."

    Then she walked away, leaving Raymond standing helplessly.

    It was the first time that he had seen such hostility in her eyes.

    Thankfully, Ashley''s luck was not too bad. After half an hour of wandering around at the hospital, she

    finally found her room.

    She didn''t know whether Andrew had arranged it. But at exactly seven o''clock, a nurse bought in her

    dinner. The meal was really good. Everything was perfect! The only thing missing was Andrew.

    After dinner, she quickly got ready for bed. Lying in the bed, she checked the Inte to read the news

    about her.

    She had to admit the Mu and Luo families were trying hard to push her to a corner.

    The news about her were all bad. The media was taking digs at her and they all pronounced her guilty

    of killing her sister''s baby.

    Of course, the Mu and Luo families were behind this public usation. They bought a lot ofments.

    Or, Ashley couldn''t be that popr.

    If she hadn''t noticed Lena''s strange behavior on that day and recorded their conversation, her life

    would be totally ruined today.

    Looking though some of the onlinements about her, Ashely checked her Microblog for a while. She

    was exhausted.

    It was nine o''clock already and Andrew still had note.

    It was the first time that he had been thiste since their wedding.

    She was really tired so she soon fell asleep. The AC was on and the temperature in the room was nice.

    Ashley had a thin cover on.

    However, Ashley was frowning in her sleep. Maybe it was due to Andrew''s absence. She appeared to

    be agitated in her sleep.

    It was already midnight when Andrew came back. He had to attend a party. That was why he had

    asked Johnny to take Ashley back to the hospital first.

    However, Johnny didn''t do so. Ashley was on her own and Andrew was worried about her the whole

    time he was at the party. Although he tried to leave after a while, he didn''t have the chance to do so.

    Everyone in the party stopped him from leaving. That was why he got dyed.

 Chapter 319 Ashleys Plan

    Chapter 319 Ashley''s n

    When Andrew walked in, he saw Ashley lying on the bed. She had kicked off the covers.

    Her cheeks were pink as if she had put blush on them. Her red lips were slightly pursed.

    The skin revealed by her pajamas was as white as snow. It made Andrew want to leave his mark on it.

    Andrew''s eyes were filled with lust. Ashley was his first woman. Considerate about her feelings after

    the kidnapping, he hadn''t touched Ashley in bed. All they did was chat and sleep.

    It might have been due to the effect of the alcohol. Andrew felt that his throat was burning dry.

    He felt like a thirsty man in the desert, dying for water. Ashley was the only one who could quench his

    thirst.

    She was having trouble sleeping well. Her eyebrows were knitted. Looking at her red lips, Andrew

    couldn''t think about anything else but kissing them. He slowly got close to Ashley.

    Finally, he tasted them. He tried to stop himself, but she tasted so good that he couldn''t help but taste

    some more.

    "Hmm.."

    She moaned in bed. She was frowning and seemed a bit ufortable.

    In her semi-sleepy state, a familiar smell filled her nostrils, but it was mixed with alcohol.

    Ashley slightly opened her eyes slightly. Andrew''s handsome face was in front of her eyes. For a

    moment, she thought she was still in her dream.

    Reaching her hands out, she gently grabbed Andrew''s face and felt its softness.

    She mumbled, "Why are you in my dream again? Why did youe back sote?"

    Seeing her sweet and slightly addled expression, Andrewughed. He put his forehead against hers

    and bit her lips.

    "Ouch!"

    She covered her mouth instantly and she looked at him.

    Ashley was in doubt about this bizarre dream of hers. She shouldn''t feel the pain in her dream.

    "Are you out of your dream now?" he asked.

    She was too stunned to think. She slowly nodded.

    After a moment, she finally woke up. She asked again, "Why are you back sote?" She didn''t realize

    that she had spoken in a coquettish tone.

    He really enjoyed it. He softened his voice. "I had to go to a party. I am sorry that I camete."

    Ashley frowned when the smell of alcohol assaulted her nose again. She pulled a long face and said,

    "You stink. Go get a shower!"

    She looked really cute and he couldn''t help teasing her. Getting close to her, he started to attack her

    with kisses. He finally let go of her after enjoying watching her struggle against him. Taking his pajamas

    with him, he got into the shower.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    Ashley was already having trouble sleeping. And after Andrew''s teasing, she was wildly awake.

    The alcohol smell that Andrew brought in still lingered around Ashley. Andrew had some wine and he

    didn''t have much. The alcohol smell was not very strong. It mixed with Andrew natural body scent. And

    Ashley really liked it.

    Ashley pulled the cover on to her. Andrew''s smell was reallyforting.

    Soon, Andrew finished his shower and walked out with a towel around his waist. Walking to the

    bedside, heid down right next to Ashley.

    Andrew had worked really hard today. All of a sudden exhaustion washed over him. The lust in his eyes

    was gone now. It waste. Moreover, they had to go to work the next morning. So, he didn''t tease her

    anymore.

    She was about to fall asleep again just before he walked out of the bathroom. When he came next to

    her, she instantly curled up against him. He held Ashley in his arms tightly. And the night turned silent

    again.

    The news about Ashley was getting worse, much to the satisfaction of the Mu and Luo families.

    The public opinion about Ashley was not good at this point. Ashley thought that people might pelt her

    with stones if she walked out on the street.

    They might throw anything like vegetables, eggs and even hard objects. The more Ashley thought

    about it, the more unsafe she felt.

    The good thing was that she had a direct ride home from work. She didn''t have to be afraid of the

    public.

    She ignored all the bad onlinements. She wasn''t afraid at all. What she was experiencing right

    now was nothingpared with what Lena would have to deal withter on.

    Ashley didn''t mind letting Lenaugh for a while. Later, she would cry bitterly and shed tears of regret.

    Even though Ashley didn''t speak for herself online, people were not all dumb. Some of them felt that

    something was not right.

    People were telling the story over and over again, but the people in the story had never showed up to

    comment on it.

    Some started to think that there was more to the story than what they had heard.

    Someone named TeaLoversInPeace hadmented online, "I don''t think Ashley looked like an evil

    person. She doesn''t seem like the kind who could have done such a thing. Is it possible that there are

    some inconsistencies in the story?"

    Another person online named TheTimeShore hadmented after that, "In my opinion, it has been a

    while since the case has happened. It''s weird that none of the parties in the story have said a word

    about it. The media is saying how poor Lena is. I totally agree that some facts in the story are

    muddled!"

    CutyPie had replied in thements section, "How so? I don''t think there was any mistake. Lena had

    all the evidence she needed. It was obvious that Ashley did it!"

    CutyPie even posted some pictures in thements.

    When Raymond was carrying Lena out of the bathroom, a lot of people had gathered outside the

    restroom. Some of them had taken pictures of the bloody floor, while others had even recorded videos.

    After those pictures and videos were posted, people who tried to stand up for Ashley kept quiet.

    The Mu and the Luo families had spent quite a lot of money on the media. They hired many people to

    lead the public opinions. Any opposing voice would be buried under the negativements.

    Thankfully, none of this affected Ashley''s life.

    When she finished her work, Andrew would return to the hospital with her.

    But today, when they arrived at the hospital, Ashley stopped Johnny from leaving.

    "Johnny, please wait! Do you know where Lena''s room is?"

    He replied, "I do, Miss Mu. Do you want to go there?"

    She nodded.

    Andrew had asked him to check on Lena not long ago so he knew where her room was. What he didn''t

    expect was that Ashley would want to see her. He didn''t know what was on her mind.

    What was more, he didn''t know that she had already gone to see Lena the day before. She just

    couldn''t remember the directions. If she did, she wouldn''t have asked Johnny.

    Her n was simple. Lena wanted to see Andrew and she was going to make it happen. Lena thought

    Andrew would leave Ashley after he read what the media said about her.

    Ashley wanted to know what Lena wanted to tell Andrew to make him fall for her.

    She was certain it was not going to happen, but she still wanted to know what Lena wanted to say to

    him.

    Andrew overheard her conversation with Johnny, and asked with a frown, "Why do you want to see

    her?"

 Chapter 320 Lenas Fake Act

    Chapter 320 Lena''s Fake Act

    Ashley wasn''t going to tell Andrew the reason why. She knew that Lena had her eyes on Andrew. Quite

    simply, Ashley just wanted to take Andrew along to annoy Lena. She could be very jealous sometimes.

    She didn''t like the fact that Lena had a thing for her husband.

    Ashley pulled Andrew''s sleeve and said, "I just want to see her. Can we please go?"

    Andrew never had the heart to say no to Ashley. No matter what Ashley wanted to do, he would totally

    do it with her. If Ashley wanted to set the house on fire, he would help her carry the fuel. There was no

    way for him to refuse Ashley.

    They bumped into Raymond outside of Lena''s room. Surprised to see him, Ashley lifted one of her

    eyebrows. She assumed that Raymond had been taking care of Lena.

    It seemed to Ashley that they had the perfect rtionship.

    However, Ashley wondered what expression Raymond would have after finding out what Lena was

    really thinking.

    Ashley was very excited to see how this was all going to turn out.

    However, she didn''t have much time to imagine Raymond''s expression because Andrew had turned

    her towards him.

    ncing at Andrew''s handsome face, Ashley could sense that he wasn''t very pleased.

    Ashley didn''t know why.

    She looked at Andrew for a second time. She sensed that he was a bit jealous.

    Andrew had an unhappy and jealous look on his face.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    Ashley couldn''t believe that Andrew would show her such an expression.

    As Ashley''s began to wonder why Andrew looked like that, he pulled her even closer and whispered to

    her, "Don''t look at him. Just look at me. I look much better than him."

    When he spoke, his eyes were fixed on Ashley''s. His voice was soft and maic. His eyes were so

    full of love and affection that Ashley could barely think about anything else.

    Looking into his eyes, she nodded.

    Andrew was finally satisfied, and the unhappy expression on his face was gone.

    Raymond noticed Ashley and Andrew too. After Ashley''sst visit, Lena wasn''t in a good mood.

    Especially after hearing what Ashley had said to Lena, Raymond wasn''t happy with her either. Lena''s

    baby was also his.

    He just had a nce at Andrew. Then he looked away.

    The impression that Andrew gave him was from that night outside the house. He still had a little fear

    towards him. Subconsciously, he didn''t want to face him.

    Even when Andrew was in front of his face, he still tried to ignore him.

    "Why are you here?" Raymond asked, speaking to Ashley.

    "To apologize," Ashley replied.

    She looked serious. It sounded like she sincerely came to apologize.

    Frowning, Raymond wasn''t really buying what Ashley said.

    He replied with sarcasm, "Didn''t you already do that yesterday? Please don''t bother Lena anymore.

    She''s not in any condition to deal with harsh words right now."

    Ashley suddenly ran out of words to say. The whole reason why she was here was to trouble Lena.

    However, she couldn''t just say that out loud.

    Ashley shrugged her shoulders andmented, "Oh, really? But she asked me toe back today. If

    you don''t believe me, you can check with her."

    Raymond still felt suspicious. However, Ashley didn''t look like she was lying.

    Finally, he decided to believe her. Raymond thought, ''Lena is kind and forgiving. After what Ashley has

    done to her, she still wants to see her.''

    If Ashley knew what Raymond was thinking, she wouldugh at him.

    Lena had nothing to do with kindness.

    She was thest person deserving of that word.

    Ashley hoped that Raymond wouldn''t be too frightened by her "kindness"ter on.

    Andrew and Ashley sessfully got into the room, but Raymond was blocked from entering by Johnny.

    Johnny stood in front of the door and smiled, "Mr. Luo, please give them some space. My boss and his

    wife have something important to discuss with Miss Mu."

    Raymond didn''t respond, but he was seething inside.

    However, there was nothing he could do about it.

    Johnny was the personal assistant of the CEO of the Lu Group. Even Raymond''s father would put on a

    good face for him. He really couldn''t do anything.

    Lena was lying on the bed, reading thements online when Ashley and Andrew walked in.

    Even though Lena didn''t want people to know about her miscarriage, she was delighted to see people

    attacking Ashley.

    As long as Ashley was suffering, she was happy.

    Lena was very careful about how she looked. Although she was in the hospital, she still wore light

    make-up.

    The make-up that she put on made her look very weak and lovable.

    Ashley had to admit that her distressed look really could earn people''s pity. At least, she earned

    Raymond''s. He had treated her much better than before.

    Hearing the noise from the door, Lena put her phone away. Looking up, she put on a smile and said,

    "Ray..." The "mond" was stuck in her throat.

    She didn''t finish saying word, because she saw Ashley who was smiling at her by the door.

    Lena was surprised. However, she recovered very quickly. A sad face reced the frozen smile.

    However, there was a bit of happiness in her eyes. It seemed that she wanted to see Ashley. "Sis, is

    that you? You''vee here to see me, haven''t you?"

    Before Ashley could respond, she continued, "Sis, I knew you couldn''t be that cruel to me! I knew you

    didn''t mean what you said to me yesterday! You are so nice. I believe that you didn''t really mean to hurt

    my baby!"

    Her words sounded sincere and kind.

    If she wasn''t in bed, she might have walked over to hold Ashley''s hands and put on a good sisters-

    getting-back-together show.

    However, her eyes ruined her perfect act. She couldn''t help herself and kept ncing at Andrew.

    It was so apparent that anyone could notice it. It was impossible for Andrew to miss the stolen nces!

    Frowning, Andrew nced at Ashley. He wasn''t overly happy about the way Lena was looking at him.

    He had had no idea why Ashley wanted toe here.

    If Ashley didn''t like Lena, Andrew would make sure that Lena would never show up in front of her face

    ever again.

    Ashley held his hand tofort him.

    It worked. Andrew did feel better. However, he still felt very ufortable.

    Andrew didn''t want Ashley to put her eyes on Lena. Even though Lena was a woman, he still didn''t like

    it because he didn''t like Lena.

    The ufortable look that Andrew gave Ashley made Lena believe that her words had affected

    Andrew''s view of Ashley.

    She thought that she was right. No man would want to share his bed with an evil-hearted woman.

    Lena felt confident with her n.

    However, she failed to realize that Andrew didn''t even nce at her since he walked into the room. So

    it was a wonder why Lena felt so confident.

    She was delusional and consumed with her daydreams. But in Lena''s warped, evil mind, it was a

    beautiful dream.

    When she didn''t hear ament back from Ashley, Lena said, "Sis?"

    Ashley turned her head to Lena and asked, "What?"

    Lena didn''t say anything. She just bit her lips and looked at Ashley in tears.

    Ashley didn''t know what she had done to make her look at her in such a miserable way. It was obvious

    to Ashley that Lena was going to frame her for something terrible again.

    Ashley let go of Andrew''s hand and went to Lena. "How do you feel?"

 Chapter 321 A Man And A Woman In A Room

    Chapter 321 A Man And A Woman In A Room

    Lena had a quick look at Andrew and found that there was coldness in his eyes as he gazed at Ashley.

    She was feeling smug inside and thought, ''Men hate those who frame others and then pretend to be

    nice. Ashley, you are stupid enough to do that.

    You thought that you have found true love? All that you have now will belong to me in the end.''

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    Lena was so confident in herself that she thought every reaction that Andrew made was because her

    n was working. Whereas, in reality, Andrew was angry at Ashley because she let go of his hand.

    She walked to the side of the woman that she hated the most.

    But of course, Andrew wouldn''t really be mad at Ashley, and he would never hurt her. So Lena was

    going to take the me.

    Lena''s expression was appropriate, a little surprised, and a little uneasy. She said with tearful eyes,

    "Thank you for your concern, Ashley. I''m much better."

    She secretly felt relieved. Fortunately, she had the habit of taking care of her image all the time.

    Otherwise, if Andrew saw her in a mess on the bed, she would regret it so much.

    "Oh, that''s good to hear," Ashley said, nodding.

    As Ashley''s eyes swept over Lena''s face and saw that her eyes were fixed on Andrew, she was even

    more peeved inside. But thinking about the reason foring here today, she was a little expectant.

    She wanted to see what Lena would tell Andrew about her.

    Also, she wanted to see how Andrew would respond to what she told him.

    Picturing it in her brain, she got excited.

    ''Hey, stop it. Come back to reality, '' she told herself.

    She snapped out of her reverie and scolded herself for being overconfident.

    Ashley fixed her eyes on Lena and said, "Didn''t you say you had something to tell my husband? He''s

    here now. So tell him."

    This time Lena failed to conceal her emotions, and she looked at Ashley in surprise.

    ''Did I say that? Why don''t I remember?''

    But she lowered her eyes and was feeling happy secretly. Of course, she was dying to have a chance

    to be with Andrew alone. She had to fool Andrew.

    Though she didn''t know the reasons why Ashley did that, she thought this was a rare and God-given

    opportunity.

    The word "husband"ing from Ashley''s mouth sounded irritating to her ears.

    However, soon, it would all be over. Ashley would be a nobody.

    Lena had a quick look at Andrew and then drew back her nce. She turned to Ashley with a puzzled

    expression, and her tone sounded surprised. "Ashley, what are you talking about?"

    She had to suppress the joy that she felt inside and put on a convincing surprised expression. Lena

    had to look as though she didn''t understand what Ashley was talking about at all.

    Ashley was surprised too. She tilted her head, then turned to look at Andrew, and asked with

    puzzlement, "Didn''t you say yesterday that you wanted to see my husband and tell him something? Did

    I hear it wrong? Then..."

    Before she could finish her words, she was anxiously interrupted by Lena. "Ashley, I suddenly

    remember. I did say that yesterday. My poor memory! I forgot about it for a moment. You won''t me

    me, will you?"

    Ashley was secretly amused. ''Such an excellent opportunity, how could Lena possibly pass it up?'' "Oh,

    sure, it''s okay."

    Lena looked at Ashley and said, "Then..."

    How could Ashley not know what was in Lena''s heart? All that she wanted to do was ask Ashley to

    leave her and Andrew alone.

    So she could badmouth her to Andrew.

    Ashley appeared to be very understanding and said, "Okay, I''ll leave you two alone then. You two have

    a good chat."

    It seemed as though she didn''t worry about Andrew at all.

    Lena snorted inside. The only feelings she had for Ashley was that of contempt.

    She thought to herself cynically, ''Ashley is incurably as stupid as she was before. She has already lost

    her man once, and she is still acting the same way.''

    If Ashley knew what Lena was thinking, she would probably just say, "If a man truly loves you, no

    matter how hard the other woman tries to seduce him, he won''t have any reaction.

    Or vice versa, if a man leaves you, then it surely never was true love. And you should break up with

    such a man as soon as possible."

    Sometimes, Ashley felt grateful to Lena. If she hadn''t stolen her boyfriend away from her, then she

    wouldn''t have ended up with Andrew.

    Now Andrew seemed to be giving out nothing but cold air. He looked at Ashley with his face set, and he

    remained silent.

    When Ashley was leaving, he almost wanted to follow her.

    Ashley turned back and held his hand, not bothering to see if Lena was watching. She leaned over to

    Andrew and whispered something in his ear. Andrew, who always had a poker face, suddenly changed

    his expression after hearing her words.

    He was left blushing to the roots.

    Ashley''s expression wasn''t much better than his either. After she finished saying her sweet little

    nothings to him, she left immediately.

    Lena clenched her hands under the quilt when she saw them leaning so close to each other,

    whispering. Her eyes were burning with jealousy while she watched them.

    ''Enjoy it while itsts, Ashley! Because soon, this intimacy won''t exist anymore. I''ll be the one who will

    be intimate with him.''

    Lena had never seen that kind of expression from Andrew before. She didn''t know that he had this side

    to him.

    But this side was only reserved for Ashley.

    After Ashley left the room, she felt her face still burning. She fanned herself with her hand. ''How could it

    be so hot in there?''

    Raymond saw hering out and frowned. He wanted to go and ask her what happened. Although

    Johnny was much faster than him.

    Johnny went over to Ashley. He was surprised to see that she was alone, and there was no sign of the

    CEO. "Where is Mr. Lu, Miss Mu?"

    ''I saw them enter the room together, and now she hase out alone.

    Where''s the CEO then?''

    Ashley nced at Johnny and noticed the confused look on his face. She said casually, "Oh, Andrew,

    he''s in the room talking to Lena."

    She spoke in a way as if she was talking about the weather today and showed no sign of worry at all.

    Johnny''s heart lurched.

    ''Inside the room? Talking with Lena?''

    He searched her face for some clue. But he couldn''t find anything in her expression, nor could he

    guess what Ashley was thinking about.

    Lena desired the CEO. That was obvious even to him, who was an outsider. He couldn''t believe that

    Miss Mu couldn''t see it. However, she left the CEO alone with Lena inside without a tinge of worry.

    Didn''t she suspect something would happen at all?

    Though Johnny had confidence in the CEO, he wasn''t so sure about what Lena was up to. He thought

    Miss Mu was too carefree about the issue. Or was it because she had no feelings for the CEO at all?

    His worried expression probably revealed his thoughts when he stared at Ashley. She asked him,

    "What''s wrong?"

    Johnny had the desire to ask her, ''Miss Mu, what on earth do you feel for the CEO?''

 Chapter 322 I Have Faith In My Husband

    Chapter 322 I Have Faith In My Husband

    Johnny didn''t know what happened to them. When they were in the hospitalst time, they looked fine.

    It seemed that their rtionship was even getting better. He really didn''t know what was going on with

    them today.

    Johnny was a bit unhappy with Ashley, and he felt sorry for Andrew. Andrew had been treating Ashley

    so well. However, he didn''t really know how she felt about Andrew.

    Raymond was walking over to them. He was Ashley''s ex-boyfriend. Johnny knew it wasn''t a good time

    for him to say anything in front him.

    So Johnny just replied, "Nothing."

    Ashley gazed at Johnny. She was just as confused as he was.

    Thinking about what he had said, Ashley got an idea.

    Johnny probably misunderstood her. He might be assuming that she was trying to set Lena and

    Andrew up.

    There was no way known that Ashley would push Andrew to a trashy woman like Lena.

    In the end, Ashley didn''t say anything to Johnny. She had already told Andrew how much she loved

    him, and that was all that mattered. Nobody else needed to know their private affairs, even Andrew''s

    personal assistant.

    As Raymond approached them, he overheard Ashley saying that Andrew was talking with Lena alone

    in the room.

    Raymond knew nothing was going on between them. But he still felt ufortable knowing that his

    fiancee was in the room alone with another man.

    So he continued to make his way into the room where Lena was.

    However, Ashley quickly walked up and blocked his way. "My dear brother-inw, where are you

    going?"

    Ashley told Lena many times over to stop calling her "Sis." Lena never listened, though. So Ashley

    couldn''t be bothered correcting her anymore, and she decided to use it to her advantage. As long as

    she was referred to as Lena''s older sister, then they had to be nice to her, at least in public. So, that

    wasn''t such a bad thing for Ashley.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Raymond''s face turned gloomy as soon as he heard Ashley calling him that. However, Ashley was

    right. He was her brother-inw. So despite how gloomy he felt about it, he couldn''tin.

    "I''m going inside to check on Lena. Are you okay with them staying alone in the room?"

    Raymond sneered as he looked at her, feeling annoyed.

    Ironically, Johnny gave her the same look.

    Raymond asked Ashley the same question which he wanted to ask her earlier.

    Ashley crossed her arms defiantly and replied, "I''m okay with that. I trust my husbandpletely. Why

    shouldn''t I be okay with it? I think you might be the one that''s not okay with it. Do you have doubts

    about your fiancee? Hmm, I see... You should know that it was actually your fiancee''s idea to talk to

    Andrew in private. If you just walk in now, you might ruin her n. Don''t you think that she might get

    mad at you?"

    Raymond gnashed his teeth in anger and growled, "What do you mean?"

    "I don''t think my words were tooplicated. You''re an intelligent man. Work it out yourself."

    Ashley had already pointed it out for him. Whether Raymond got it or not, it wasn''t her concern.

    After she finished what she said, Ashley pulled her phone out of her pocket and began ying a game.

    She didn''t bother to take another look at either Raymond or Johnny.

    In the room, with Ashley finally gone, Lena had some private time alone with Andrew. She could hardly

    conceal the excitement in her eyes.

    She fixed up her clothes and hair and was preparing to get out of the bed.

    Lena had nned it very well. She tried her best to control the damage that she might have had after

    the miscarriage.

    She had been resting in bed for a while now, so she had already recovered from it.

    Putting her slippers on, she began to approach Andrew, step by step. When she was a meter away

    from him, he told her in a cold tone, "Stop!"

    Everyone in J City knew that the CEO of the Lu Group never liked any woman to get close to him. One

    meter was the limit.

    Lena thought she was different from the other women. She didn''t expect that he would stop her.

    Lena was in an awkward spot. She couldn''t back off, but Andrew didn''t allow her to get any closer.

    She looked at Andrew with sad puppy eyes and hoped that he could pity her and change his mind.

    However, much to Lena''s surprise, it didn''t work. She was very disappointed.

    There was no exception to Andrew''s rule except for Ashley.

    Andrew didn''t show Lena any sympathy at all. Instead, he felt annoyed and made a frown.

    Lena couldn''t help but think about how intimate he was with Ashley.

    Her face twisted in anger. She couldn''t understand why Ashley could get such special treatment from

    Andrew.

    Her jealousy was burning inside her. However, she knew that now was not a good time for her to ruin

    the moment. It was her best chance to be alone with Andrew. Keeping her pitiful look on, she gazed at

    him and said, "Andrew, please don''t be mad at my Sis. She didn''t mean to harm my baby or me. My

    baby didn''t have the luck to see this world. I don''t me her for it."

    There were even tears in her eyes when she mentioned her baby. She paused to have a look at

    Andrew. Then she continued, "I don''t have anything to do with the news online. I just found out about it

    from my mother and mother-inw''sst visit. Raymond identally spilled the beans. I don''t know

    how this ident turned into such chaos. But don''t you worry. I''ll try my best to persuade them to be

    kind to Ashley. I know that she didn''t mean to do it, and I don''t me her. I have forgiven her."

    Lena''s teary eyes were still on Andrew. Her voice was soft, and her head was low. The hospital gown

    that she wore was a bit big and loose for her, exposing Lena''s lower neck.

    It was her way to attract Andrew.

    However, Andrew didn''t even take a look at her. He was thinking about what Ashley told him earlier

    during the whole time that Lena was talking.

    He didn''t hear a single word she was saying.

    However, he did catch herst few words. It was enough for him to know what she was trying to do.

    Andrew knew she just wanted to show him how kind she was for forgiving Ashley, who caused her

    miscarriage.

    Andrew felt repulsed by her. Giving her a disgusted look, he took a step back away from her. In

    Andrew''s heart, Lena was an evil woman and was nothingpared to Ashley.

    "Are you done?" he asked impatiently.

    Lena raised her head to take a look at him. Then she quickly looked down

    and nodded.

    Andrew imminently turned around and was ready to leave.

    Ashley only told him to stay there and listen to what she had to say about her. So Andrew thought if she

    was done, then his mission waspleted, and he could go.

    Lena waspletely taken by surprise when she saw that Andrew was about to leave. It stunned her

    and was beyond what she was expecting would happen.

    It took her a moment to recover, and then she quickly ran to him. "Andrew, please wait. You can''t..."

    She hadn''t finished her sentence because Andrew suddenly turned and made her stop. He looked at

    her without any expression in his eyes and warned, "Andrew is not a name for you to call me."

    Lena''s face turned red with anger. She was frightened by Andrew''s temper and embarrassed by his

    words.

    Andrew didn''t make a fuss about it. He didn''t have any expression at all. However, it was hisck of

    emotion that frightened people the most.

    Lena bit her lips and thought about what she had done wrong.

    She wondered what other names she could call him by since she couldn''t call him Andrew. She didn''t

    want to call him brother-inw at all!

    Because she believed that Andrew should be her man. There was no way that she wanted to admit to

    herself that he was Ashley''s man.

    However, Andrew''s look was too terrifying for her. So she had to change the title for him. "Brother...

    brother-inw..."

    Andrew''s face finally changed and softened. Noticing that his cold re was gone, Lena asked,

    "Brother-inw, is there anything you want toment on... about... about what my Sis had done? My

    baby was only small. How could she have..."

    Lena bit her lips. The situation was getting out of her control.

    In the script that she had reyed in her head, Andrew should care about her feelings and hate Ashley

    after hearing what she said earlier.

 Chapter 323 Here It Comes

    Chapter 323 Here It Comes

    No matter who knew that his woman was that kind of person, he wouldn''t react that way.

    But Lena didn''t know that Andrew wasn''t just an average man.

    Especially when the woman concerned was Ashley.

    Lena kept her head down and racked her brains, trying to think of some more effective ways to

    badmouth Ashley and smear her image.

    Meanwhile, a pair of icy eyes were boring into her. Those eyes were like the eyes of a viper, which

    crept people out when they saw them.

    Then Lena heard a horrible voice that would scare her for the rest of her life whenever she recalled it.

    It was cold and menacing as if it came from the icy depths of the North Pole.

    "If I hear you say one more word against Ashley, you will no longer exist in this world!"

    After saying that, he didn''t give her a second nce. He just stood up and left.

    Lena stayed glued to the same spot. She was left reeling from what he said and stared at his back,

    petrified. It took her a few moments topose herself.

    It was only once Andrew had left the room that Lena allowed herself to rx. She released the air that

    she held in her lungs and squatted down abruptly, panting to catch her breath.

    ''That man is horrible!

    His eyes could kill a person by cutting them up piece by piece.''

    But on the flip side, when she thought about how gently and sweetly Andrew treated Ashley, jealousy

    ate away at her.

    ''Why? How did she earn his love?

    I just spoke to him nicely for a few minutes, and he acted that way.

    I won''t admit defeat and give up!''

    However, after what she had experienced just now, deep in her heart, she was profoundly fearful of

    Andrew, especially remembering how she tried to seduce him. Merely seeing Andrew again would

    make her too scared to raise her head and face him.

    Meanwhile, outside the ward

    It wouldn''t be true to say that Ashley wasn''t worried about Andrew at all.

    She was convinced that Andrew wouldn''t have any interest in that vile woman, and he would never

    betray her under any circumstances.

    However, when she thought of him staying in a room alone with another woman, she felt

    ufortable.

    With Andrew still in the room, she felt like her belongings were being tarnished. Or like she had

    swallowed a disgusting, filthy fly identally. She felt sick to the stomach and wanted to vomit.

    Ashley started to feel regret and wondered, ''What was I thinking? Why did I agree to let Andrew and

    Lena stay alone together?''

    So she kept staring at the door of the ward expectantly. When Andrew emerged, her eyes immediately

    met his.

    "Are you all right?" Ashley asked as she examined him up and down.

    "Yes."

    "Then let''s leave," Ashley said, feeling relieved.

    Ashley held his hand and nced back through the window in the door. She was surprised to see Lena

    squatting on the floor, hunched over. Lena seemed to sense that she was being watched and raised

    her head, where her eyes met Ashley''s.

    She could see the terror, grievance, and resentment in Lena''s eyes.

    Ashley raised her eyebrows. She was curious to know what Andrew and Lena talked about to have left

    her in that state.

    In the end, she smiled sweetly to Lena. Then holding onto Andrew''s arm, they both left Lena''s ward.

    Lena watched them leave, with spiteful eyes. She was so angry that she clenched her fists tightly, and

    her nails pierced the soft flesh in her palms without her knowing.

    Once they got back to Ashley''s ward, she gave Andrew a curious look and asked, "So, what did you

    and Lena talk about?" ''I''d really like to know why Lena''s expression was so weird.''

    Andrew looked at her puzzled face and he frowned. He paused for a while before he said, "Never allow

    her to cause trouble for you ever again. Make her disappear out of your life."

    Ashley was amused to hear Andrew say those words so seriously. She threw herself into his arms and

    laughed silently.

    ''Why is he so cute?''

    Andrew didn''t understand why she threw herself into his embrace and asked, "What''s wrong? Did I say

    something wrong?"

    "No, what you said is nice. I love you so much," replied Ashley.

    Before Andrew could react, she reached up to his face and pecked him on the cheek and then let him

    go.

    Andrew remained where he was. Scratching his head, he watched her walk away from him,

    dumbfounded.

    Ashley had stayed in the hospital for two or three days. She had recovered almostpletely and was

    eager to get out of the hospital the next day.

    She only slept at the hospital for observation but didn''t stay there all day. However, sleeping in the

    hospital was a lot different from sleeping at home.

    The next morning when she opened the door of her ward, she saw Johnny and a middle-aged man in

    his forties, standing outside.

    The man was wearing a sleek suit and holding a briefcase. He wore sses, was tall and was in good

    shape. He had the typical image of a business elite.

    Andrew was still in the bedroom, and Ashley guessed that this man was here to see him. She turned to

    Johnny and asked, "And this gentleman is...?"

    "This is Mr. Lu''s attorney. Mr. Lu asked him toe here. It''s with regards to the case between you and

    Lena."

    Ashley nodded. Andrew did tell her about this.

    She smiled politely at the man and held her hand out to shake his. "Nice to meet you. I''m Ashley Mu.

    Pleasee in."

    The man reached out his hand and shook hers. "Nice to meet you. My name is Shea Xu."

    He looked scrupulous and serious without showing any unnecessary emotions.

    Ashley was a little intimidated by this kind of people.

    ''Too serious, '' she thought.

    ''Probably difficult to talk to and not easy to get along with.''

    Johnny observed Shea from the side and furrowed his eyebrows.

    ''What a pig-head! I''ve already told him that this is the CEO''s wife. Why does he have to act so

    imperious? Isn''t he worried that he might scare Miss Mu?''

    After leading them into the room, Ashley started to make coffee for them.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    Johnny saw that and offered to help immediately. "Miss Mu, let me do it. You just sit down."

    ''The CEO has probably never let her make coffee for him either, since he adores her so much.

    If hees out now and finds her making coffee for us, it will be the end of the world, '' thought Johnny.

    Just after Johnny finished making the coffee, Andrew came out from the bedroom.

    Andrew was wearing a tailor-made suit of exquisite quality, just as he always did. He was clean, fresh,

    and sleek. His clear-cut features and perfectly-shaped face gave out an air that kept others at a

    distance.

    However, when he happened to turn and see Ashley, an aura of gentleness and warmth surrounded

    him.

    Ashley went to him and said, "We have someone visiting us."

    "Oh," said Andrew.

    Johnny and Shea stood up with respect when they saw Andrew enter the room.

    Andrew then said to Ashley, "Bring Shea the audio."

 Chapter 324 Ashleys Counterattack

    Chapter 324 Ashley''s Counterattack

    "Oh, okay," said Ashley.

    She took her phone out, found the saved recording, and then handed it over to Shea.

    Shea took her phone and put it on the speaker. Then he pressed y for everyone to hear.

    The room suddenly fell silent. Only the recorded voices could be hearding from the cell phone.

    Since no one was talking, everyone heard the whole recorded conversation very clearly.

    The recording onlysted several minutes. It was short, but it was enough to clear Ashley''s name.

    What happened that day between Ashley and Lena waspletely different from the way the media

    reported it in the news.

    Johnny was shocked when he heard the recording. He never thought that Lena could be so ruthless.

    The fact that she desired to be the wife of the CEO of the Lu Group surprised Johnny as well.

    However, what really disturbed him was how she had sacrificed her unborn baby for such an unrealistic

    dream. When the recorded conversation had ended, Johnny had a hard time recovering from what he

    had just heard.

    There was a saying that even a vicious tiger would not eat its cubs. Johnny didn''t know how Lena could

    do such a horrendous thing to her baby. He concluded that a crazy woman could be more frightening

    than a man.

    It was the second time that Andrew listened to the recording. He still couldn''t get over how despicable

    Lena was, and he frowned. The loathing he had towards Lena had only be worse.

    After the recording had ended, Shea asked, "Mrs. Lu, may I make a copy of this recording?"

    Ashley felt a bit shy, being called "Mrs. Lu."

    However, she replied, "Sure."

    With Ashley''s permission, Shea sent the recording to his phone.

    Then, he said, "Mrs. Lu, may I visit the other person in the recording?"

    "Of course."

    Andrew stroked Ashley''s hair andmented, "Johnny will go with you. There are some things that I

    have to do. I''ll go to thepany first."

    If Andrew could, he would go there with Ashley.

    However, he had to take care of some business.

    Ashley knew how busy Andrew was. She didn''t show any unhappiness on her face. She just nodded to

    agree.

    Thus, Johnny took Ashley and Shea to Lena''s room.

    Thanks to Lena, Ashley knew the way to Lena''s ward. She had visited Lena several times in the past

    few days.

    Ashley nced at Shea, who had a straight face and looked serious. She couldn''t help but ask Johnny

    in a low voice, "Is he good?"

    Johnny could see the doubt in her eyes towards Shea. He didn''t quite know how to exin it to Ashley.

    ''Is Shea good?

    He''s the CLO or Chief Legal Officer of the Lu Group and Mr. Lu''s personalwyer.

    In his whole career, he had never lost a single court case.

    The cases that he usually handled, involved millions of dors, '' Johnny thought. It was really hard for

    Johnny to summarize howpetent Shea was with only using the word "good."

    Ashley should already know that Andrew wouldn''t just find some ipetent randomwyer to handle

    her case.

    She really did worry too much.

    So Johnny kept it simple and replied, "Miss Mu, do you trust Mr. Lu?"

    Ashley didn''t understand the relevance as to why Johnny asked her such a question. Her question

    seemed to have nothing to do with her trust in Andrew.

    However, she still responded, "Of course, I do!"

    "Then you should trust thewyer that Mr. Lu has assigned to represent you. Shea is Mr. Lu''s personal

    lawyer and the CLO of the Lu Group," said Johnny confidently. He was not just a goodwyer. He was

    the bestwyer that the city had.

    His answer made Ashley go quiet. She didn''t utter a single word.

    When Raymond saw theming, he stopped them just as Ashley had expected that he would.

    Ashley had already visited Lena several times. Every time she did, Lena wasn''t able to sleep after her

    visit. Raymond already had an idea that Ashley hade to cause trouble, especially since she came

    with two other men.

    Sensing Raymond''s attitude, Ashley felt a little awkward.

    "Ashley, wasn''t it enough for you to hurt Lena''s feelings yesterday? Even if you don''t like Lena, don''t

    you think you''ve crossed the line? What pleasure do you get from making her cry over and over

    again?" asked Raymond with an angry tone.

    Standing in front of the door, he looked at Ashley with hatred.

    Ashley didn''t want to answer his question.

    Raymond made it sound like she really just wanted to cause Lena trouble. If Lena hadn''t nned such

    a horrible thing, Ashley wouldn''t even have wanted to see her.

    Ashley wasn''t that stupid to want to socialize with Lena. But she needed toe and see Lena so she

    could clear her name.

    Heaving a heavy sigh, she replied, "I hope that you can still stand up for herter.

    Today will be thest time that Ie and see her. I have to clear up onest thing with her. Then as

    soon as I finish, I''ll leave immediately."

    She didn''t want to say too much to Raymond. In her eyes, Raymond was just a dumb, naive guy who

    was manipted by Lena.

    Ashley stared at him while she waited for him to move aside and said, "Oh, if you don''t believe me, you

    cane in with me to make sure of Lena''s safety."

    A meaningful smile crept to her lips.

    Ashley actually preferred Raymond to be there to hear the recording, as well.

    She couldn''t wait to see the expression on his face

    after he found out that it was his precious fiancee who killed his baby. And that she was fantasizing

    about being with another man instead of him.

    Raymond gave Ashley a harsh look.

    In the past, he would have believed everything that Ashley said without any doubt.

    However, he wasn''t the same person anymore. His mind had been manipted by Lena.

    He believed Lena beyond a shadow of a doubt, no matter what.

    Raymond resolved that Ashley couldn''t be trusted, so he decided to go in with them.

    Ashley felt satisfied with his choice, and the smile on her face broadened.

    Raymond walked in front of them. Lena was about to call out his name when she saw him, but the

    words got stuck in her throat. When she saw Ashley and the two men following him into the room, the

    smile on her face froze.

    Staring at Ashley with wide eyes, she drew back her body and cowered in fear. Of course, Lena was

    only putting on a show.

    Lena was a little afraid of Ashley. Especially after what she had said to her over thest few visits. Lena

    had also been making up stories to Raymond about how Ashley had been hurting her. So she had to

    keep up with the whole act of being an innocent victim and gain his sympathy.

    Looking at Ashley with fear in her eyes, she didn''t call out Ashley''s name like she did in the past visits.

    She then looked at Raymond and asked in a feeble voice, "Raymond, what''s wrong?"

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Seeing poor Lena huddled up in the corner like a frightened fawn, Raymond quickly walked over to her

    and replied gently, "Don''t worry. Ashley just has to tell you one more thing. She will leave as soon as

    she finishes. I''ll be here with you the whole time. Don''t be afraid."

    Lena gave Ashley a second nce. When their eyes met, Ashley gave her a dirty look.

    For some unknown reason, Lena sensed that something terrible was going to happen to her. She had

    that bad feeling as soon as Ashley walked in, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

    She really hoped that she was mistaken about it.

    Lena hid in Raymond''s arms.

    Seeing how scared Lena was, Raymond felt sorry for her. His anger, aimed towards Ashley, boiled up

    inside of him. With irritation in his voice, he said to Ashley, "Go ahead, say whatever you need to, and

    then leave her alone."

    "Of course. Since you really can''t wait for another second, I won''t make you wait any longer," said

    Ashley.

    Then, she looked at Shea and said, "Mr. Xu, you may start."

    Shea nodded and started to y the recording.

    Lena snuck a peek at them from under Raymond''s arm. When she saw the determined look on their

    faces, she knew in her gut that something horrible was about to happen.

 Chapter 325 Dont Get Too Excited

    Chapter 325 Don''t Get Too Excited

    However, she didn''t do anything to try and stop them.

    Lena didn''t know that the decision she made of not stopping them would totally ruin her life.

    Even if she wanted to stop them, there was nothing she could do at this point.

    "Miss Mu, can you please tell me why you have blocked my way?"

    Ashley''s calm voice could be hearding from the recording. It was obvious that she was talking to

    Lena.

    Lena''s face contorted as she heard the first voice from the recording.

    A feeling of dread swept over her, and she began to tremble with fear. She didn''t have the audacity to

    let Raymond hear and discover what sort of monster she really was. Lena leaped out of bed and was

    about to run to Ashley. She screamed in a panic, "Turn it off! Turn it off!"

    Raymond frowned, feeling a bit confused about what Ashley was trying to do when he heard the

    beginning of the recording.

    However, when he saw how panic-stricken Lena was, he assumed it was Ashley''s new way of hurting

    Lena.

    He held her tightly in his arms and stroked her hair soothingly. "Lena, what''s wrong? Don''t be afraid! If

    you don''t want them here, I''ll get them to leave. Okay?"

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    She hid her face in his arms and started to sob, "Raymond, I don''t feel good. My stomach is hurting.

    Can you get them to go?"

    No one could see how frightened and evil her face looked.

    She didn''t know where Ashley got the recording from. Until she suddenly realized that Ashley had

    secretly recorded their conversation on that day.

    Everything had fallen into ce now, and her confusion had cleared up. ''No wonder Ashley was so

    calm about the media''s false usations.

    Ashley already had hard evidence to prove her innocence.

    ''I can''t... I won''t allow Ashley to show it to everyone! I have to stop her.

    Or she''ll ruin my lifepletely!''

    Knowing how horrific the oue of the recording could turn out for her, Lena shook uncontrobly in

    Raymond''s arms.

    Lena''s dramatic reaction made Ashley have to call a stop on the continuous ying of the recording.

    It was beyond Ashley''s expectations that Lena would react like that.

    However, Ashley was here to clear her name. She wasn''t going to just leave like this.

    Ashley couldn''t care less about her. She would never frame Lena for anything. She wasn''t that type of

    person to do something like that.

    However, when she saw her terrified look after hearing the recording, Ashley couldn''t help butugh

    inside. Ashley felt really good. It was the feeling of sweet revenge.

    Raymond red at Ashley and growled, "Ashley, what else do you want? Can''t you see how scared

    Lena is right now?"

    Ashley retorted, "What did I do? You were here, did you see mey a finger on her? Please don''t rush

    to any conclusions. Trust me. You''ll be very interested to hear the rest of the conversation in this

    recording. Once you hear it all, you''ll be shocked and surprised!"

    Ashley spoke with malice in her voice.

    There was no way that she was going to forgive Lena for what she had done to her. She was already

    kinder than Lena had deserved.

    Upon hearing Ashley''s words, Lena clutched onto Raymond''s shirt even tighter. She was really terrified

    now.

    Raymond didn''t know anything. He just felt sorrier for Lena.

    Lena pleaded, "Raymond, can you please make them go? My stomach is really hurting me..."

    Before Raymond could say anything, Ashley said to Johnny, "Johnny, can you please go outside and

    find a doctor for Miss Mu?"

    Johnny already knew what an evil person Lena was. However, many people still didn''t know. All Lena

    was doing right now was pointless. She was just anxious to put it off for as long as possible.

    As hard as Lena was trying to put it off, it was only a matter of time before everyone would see her true

    nature.

    Johnny replied, "Of course, Miss Mu."

    He was a person with high social status, and a doctor immediately followed Johnny into the room

    shortly after.

    The doctor wondered in her head what the daughter of the Mu family had to do with the Lu Group.

    She was a woman in her forties and looked very nice. Lena''s face was pale, and she was holding onto

    her stomach in pain. When the doctor saw how much pain Lena was in, she felt sorry for her.

    The doctor sympathized with Lena, who had a miscarriage at such a young age.

    She thoroughly examined her body and said to Raymond, "She''s okay. She just needs to be more

    careful about what she eats. She shouldn''t eat overly spicy foods and don''t let her get too excited."

    Then, she looked at Lena, she continued, "Youngdy, you''ll be fine. You''ll have a baby again in the

    future. Don''t worry too much."

    Raymond, who was standing by the door, was still worried about Lena.

    Looking at Lena, who was still in pain, Raymond asked, "Is she really okay, doctor? She looks like

    she''s in severe pain."

    Lena''s paled face wasn''t caused by pain. It was all because of fear.

    The doctor didn''t like to be doubted by others. She replied, "Of course I''m sure. If you don''t believe me,

    you can take her for a full body examination."

    Johnny approached the doctor and said a few words to her. Then, she left.

    Raymond was about to go back to Lena''s bedside. However, Ashley stopped him.

    The smile Raymond usual had on his face waspletely gone. He looked at Ashley angrily. Ashley

    didn''t exin herself. She just looked at him calmly and said, "I''ll go watch her. You should stay here.

    Don''t worry. I won''t do anything to her. I just want you to hear something for yourself."

    Knowing what Ashley was about to do, Lena''s body couldn''t help but shake. She gave Raymond a

    hopeless look and whimpered, "Raymond..."

    Ashley was looking at Raymond too. Her eyes showed her insistence.

    Raymond had a look at Ashley. Then, he looked at Lena and said, "Lena, don''t worry. It''ll be just a little

    while longer for Ashley to be here. She won''t do anything to you, I promise. I''ll watch her from here."

    Upon hearing that, Lena almost bit her lips off. Her fear was all because he was in the room with her.

    He was about to hear something so horrific that it would change his life forever.

    Ashley nodded her head to signal Shea to continue ying the recording.

    She didn''t have to stay by Lena''s bedside. However, she really wanted to see Lena''s expression when

    her true face is shown to the public.

    Ashley suddenly felt how evil she was right now.

    She coughed to cover her feelings.

    Then, she walked to Lena''s bedside.

    The room fell into silence once again. The recording continued.

    "Do you really want to know why? Don''t worry. You''ll know why very soon. I have prepared a big

    present for you. It''s a present that you''ll never forget for the rest of your life," a woman said.

    After a moment of pause, she continued, "To be honest with you, I''m carrying Raymond''s baby right

    now." Her voice soundedcent.

    Everyone knew who the woman was. It was Lena.

    Lena''s voice on the recording sounded different from her usual voice. Lena always used a soft, weak

    voice when she spoke in public. However, now, it was arrogant andcent. Her voice made

    people think of a mean and sinister person.

    Upon hearing her voice from the recording, Lena''s face turned red. Trying to get off the bed, she

    screamed, "Turn it off! Turn it off now! I told you to turn it off!"

    She was screaming at Shea like a crazy woman.

    However, Shea ignored her. He would only turn it off if Ashley told him to. Since Raymond was

    standing near Shea, Lena''s screaming in the background didn''t block the voicesing from the

    speaker. Ashley told Shea to turn up the volume on the speaker before they walked in. She knew that

    Lena might try to smother the voices from the recording with her screams.

    It seemed that Ashley was right.

    She held Lena in the bed and said gently, "Don''t get too excited. Didn''t you hear what the doctor just

    said? She told you to stay calm. You just need to sit there and listen."

 Chapter 326 Lena Was Screwed

    Chapter 326 Lena Was Screwed

    Lena stared at Ashley with her evil eyes. "What do you want?" she asked.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    Ashley leaned her head towards her left shoulder and replied, "Can''t you tell?"

    Even though Lena was trying her best to struggle, Ashley held her down in bed. She couldn''t do

    anything to stop the recording.

    No one knew from where Ashley had mustered up the strength to hold her down.

    The first part of the conversation was all about Lena showing of her baby and trying to make Ashley

    envious of her.

    However, Ashley''s response was very calm. She sounded like she couldn''t have cared less about what

    Lena had to show off.

    "Ashley, tell me why! How can you be so calm? Tell me! Isn''t he the one whom you have loved so

    much? How can you be soposed after knowing that I am having his baby?"

    Everyone could hear the hysterical, hate, and evilness in Lena''s words.

    Ashley seemed to have gotten used to her craziness. Her voice came from the recording.

    "What exactly is it that you want? If you don''t have anything important to say, I have to go."

    Everyone could tell how much Ashley wanted to leave the room from the way she was talking.

    A sudden loud thump could be heard in the recording. It sounded like something had hit a wall.

    It was so loud that everyone frowned.

    Raymond assumed, that was when Ashley became impatient, so she pushed Lena against the wall. He

    shot Ashley a hateful look.

    However, in the next second, he was stunned.

    What Ashley said to Lena had shocked him to the core.

    "Lena! What are you doing? That''s your baby!"

    It was Ashley''s voice. She sounded horrified. And she sounded like Lena was doing something

    unimaginable.

    Lena was hysterical. She looked at Raymond in a panic and screamed, "Raymond, please stop

    listening! Please don''t listen to it anymore! It''s not real! It''s not real!"

    Lena tried really hard to get off the bed and run to Raymond. However, Ashley was not going to let it

    happen.

    She covered Lena''s mouth and pressed her down on the bed.

    The recording kept ying. "I know it''s my baby! So what? I never fancied Raymond. I just couldn''t

    stand seeing how much he cared about you. So I took him away from you!

    You''re nothing more than just a girl that my parents adopted. You don''t deserve him! You don''t deserve

    his care and his heart. Initially, I just wanted to see how much he cared about you. I never thought that

    he would mistakenly sleep with me, thinking that it was you.

    Do you know what had surprised me the most? That is, in the whole three years that you two dated,

    you never spent a night with him. So it was much easier than I had expected to take him away from

    you.

    But I''m sick of him now. I want to be the wife of the Lu Group''s CEO. I want to be Andrew''s wife! I am

    going to rece you!"

    Raymond froze when he heard what Lena said in the recording.

    Ashley wasn''t sure which part that he heard had caused Raymond''s reaction. He just stood there in

    utter shock.

    When the recording had finished, Raymond was still rooted to the same spot.

    Ashley released Lena once the recording had finished. "All right. That''s all I wanted you to hear. Sorry

    for bothering you. I won''te to visit anymore."

    At the same moment, Shea put his phone away. He approached Lena and said. "Are you Miss Mu?

    The false information you had posted on the Inte is entitled to framing my client. We will be taking

    legal action against you..."

    Suddenly a thump was heard behind them at the door. It sounded like something had fallen on the

    ground.

    Turning to see what it was, Ashley found Cora gaping in shock by the door. No one knew when she

    hade into the room. The lunch box that she had brought for Lena had dropped to the ground.

    There was no love lost between Ashley and Cora. Her task of exposing Lena''s true character and what

    she had done, waspleted. She didn''t want to stay any longer.

    Ashley started to walk out of the room with Shea and Johnny.

    When she was passing Cora, Cora looked at her but she didn''t say anything.

    Ashley raised her brows in surprise.

    Cora had never given her a nice look. In the past, she would never let Ashley walk by without sneering

    at her.

    It seemed that what Lena had said in the recording really shocked her. She didn''t even have the heart

    to give Ashley a hard time.

    But Ashley didn''t care either way.

    Karma is a bitch. What goes aroundes around.

    Lena brought it all onto herself. She made her bed, and now she must lie in it.

    Raymond was dragged out of his shocked trance by the noise. He looked in the direction of the door

    and found his mother standing there.

    He had a bad feeling. He didn''t know how much of the recorded conversation his mother had

    overheard. He asked, "Mother, why are you here?"

    Cora''s good mood had faded awaypletely. She sneered, "Why am I here? If I didn''te here, I

    wouldn''t have ever known that my grandchild was killed by his own mother!"

    Cora red at Lena, who was hopelessly lying on the bed. Cora''s eyes were full of hate and disgust.

    The love and care she had towards Lena was all gone.

    Lena was getting panicky. She exined, "Mrs. Luo, Raymond, please listen to me! I can exin! It''s

    not what you''re thinking!"

    She didn''t have any time to think about anything else. She jumped out of bed and quickly went to

    Raymond barefooted. "Raymond, please believe me! I love you so much! How could I kill our child?

    Raymond! I love you! You have to trust me..."

    Grabbing hold of Raymond''s hand, she frantically tried to exin herself.

    In her heart, she was screaming Ashley''s name out in hate. She couldn''t believe what Ashley just did to

    her.

    Lena never thought that Ashley would have the chance to clear her name.

    The regret of not checking Ashley''s phone the other day when she had the chance, wasing back

    to her like a heavy flood.

    She couldn''t feel more regretful.

    However, there was no use for it now. What was done was done. She knew the only thing left for her to

    do now was try and win back their trust.

    She could only try to exin! As long as they believed in her, she would be fine!

    Cora snatched Raymond''s hand away from Lena''s. Lena looked at Cora in sheer panic.

    Seeing how desperate Lena was, Cora sneered, "What now? Are you still trying to lie to Raymond?

    Haven''t you done enough?"

    Pushing Raymond behind her back, she continued, "I can''t believe I took the day off to make you soup!

    I would never have expected something as horrible as this, from you!"

    Looking down at the mess on the ground and smelling the delicious soup, Cora couldn''t have felt the

    moment to be more ironic than it was now.

    She had treated Lena so well. She already considered Lena as her daughter. Cora would never have

    thought that Lena could be so heartless.

 Chapter 327 Can You Give Me A More Convincing Reason

    Chapter 327 Can You Give Me A More Convincing Reason

    Cora was enraged.

    Surprisingly, Raymond appeared calm. He looked at Lena and asked, "Are the words recorded by

    Ashley true? Is that how you really feel? You have deceived me, didn''t you? It was you who killed our

    baby, right?"

    Raymond bombarded Lena with questions.

    Lena panicked.

    She was about to admit what she had done, but thought about the consequences.

    She bit her lip, and looked at him pitifully. "Raymond, you have to believe me! I haven''t done that. What

    you have heard isn''t the truth. I''ll exin everything to you¡­"

    This is all part of Ashley''s devious scheme. She wants to frame me! Yes, Ashley is trying to put her

    me on me!

    It was our baby! Raymond, how could I hurt our baby? I love you so much. You have to believe me¡­

    Raymond, please¡­"

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    She looked at him dolefully with tears in her eyes. Her tears gradually rolled down like broken beads.

    Raymond closed his eyes and let her words rey in his mind. ''I certainly know that it is my child. But

    what can I do? I don''t like Raymond. I took Raymond from you just because I saw him taking good care

    of you.

    You are just an adopted orphan! How can he treat you so well? So, I wanted to see if there was

    anything more important than you in his mind. Ha-ha! I didn''t expect him to mistake me for you when

    he was drunk!

    And surprisingly, you have been in love with each other for three years but you have never had sex. Do

    you know how happy I was when I found out?

    But now, my goal is to be the wife of the CEO of the Lu Group. I want to be Andrew''s wife! I want to

    rece you!''

    Lena''s words echoed in his mind.

    ''It turned out that everything was nned by Lena.

    But I was so stupid. I thought that she really loved me, and cared for me as well.

    Ashley had warned me more than once. She had told me to pay attention to Lena.

    But what did I do? First, I didn''t believe her and then I became impatient, and even got disgusted with

    her.

    What have I done? Am I not an idiot?'' thought Raymond.

    "I need some time alone to think about it," he said and then hurriedly left the ward.

    "Raymond¡­!" Lena looked at his receding figure. She wanted to catch up with him but was stopped by

    Cora.

    Seeing that her son left dejectedly, Cora was worried and wanted tofort him. But she had to help

    her son solve this problem as soon as possible.

    ''Raymond can''t get married to such a skittish woman!'' she thought.

    Now Cora hated Lena with the same intensity with which she had loved her earlier!

    Cora had believed that Lena was a well-educated and kinddy from a prestigious family. She was

    worried that Lena might be getting bullied by others. She didn''t expect Lena to be so crafty to deceived

    the Luo family!

    Lena knew that Cora would be harder to deal with than Raymond. After all, a woman knows another

    woman well.

    However, Lena kept up her victim act and looked at Cora piteously and said, "Aunt Cora, please

    believe me. Ashley is trying to frame me¡­ I¡­"

    Cora red at Lena and sneered, "Ashley is trying to frame you, is it? Don''t you always call her ''sister''?

    Why do you refer to her that way in front of everyone but when you are alone with her, you call her

    directly by her name? Does it mean that you used to call her ''sister'' in front of us so that we would think

    you''re a kind girl who is trying to get close to her indifferent sister?"

    Ady from a noble family would be sophisticated at all times and not just to show people.

    Cora was the same.

    She had never thought about Lena that way before. So, she didn''t expect Lena to be such a cruel

    woman.

    After learning the truth, Cora ruminated about what had happened. She felt that Lena had pretended to

    be an angel in front of them!

    "Did you say that you were framed by Ashley? So you mean it wasn''t your voice in the recording? Did

    she find someone to imitate your voice to frame you?"

    Mistaking her sarcasm for empathy, Lena saw a ray of hope. "Yes, Aunt Cora. Ashley must have done

    that. She must have felt angry after hearing what everyone was saying about her on the Inte, so

    she tried to trap me in this way. Aunt Cora, you have to believe me. How could I betray Raymond?

    Lena was hysterical at that moment. She went on babbling without thinking it through, seeing the

    scornful expression on Cora''s face.

    Although Cora didn''t know Ashley well or even like her very much, she believed that Ashley wouldn''t

    waste so much time to pull off this so-called trick.

    Seeing Lena nodding in agreement quickly, Cora was furious. She found it ridiculous. "Can you give me

    a more convincing reason?"

    Lena was stunned.

    "Lena, I wonder if you have a conscience. I have been good to you, right? And so has Raymond, right?

    At least, I think I''ve always been good to you. I have treated you like my daughter. I haven''t done

    anything bad to you. But look at you?

    You have made a fool out of Raymond and you kept deceiving him. Huh! You felt jealous when you saw

    that he took good care of Ashley. Then, you seduced him to have sex with you by giving him a philtre.

    Later, when you found out that Ashley had married a richer man, you nned to abandon poor

    Raymond without a second thought, am I right? And you even killed your own baby.

    Look at yourself! What kind of a person are you? Do you think it''ll ever be possible for anyone to

    believe you now? How can we allow a woman like you to be a member of the Luo family! Hah!

    Keep dreaming! You''ve fallen to such lows you cannot evenpare to Ashley!"

    Cora had tried to be dignified about this whole deal. It was hard for her to speak harshly, but her words

    were ruthless enough to shatter Lena''s hopes.

    When she finished, Cora started to leave.

    Just the sight of Lena made her sick.

    She was walking towards the door when she thought of something. She turned round and looked at

    Lena, "Well, the marriage link between the Mu family and the Luo family will be severed. I think your

    engagement with Raymond is unnecessary now. He can''t have such a fiancee! You''d better find

    another man and never bother him again!"

    Cora left without further ado.

    Lena was shell-shocked.

    ''No! You can''t do that!'' Lena cried in her mind.

    Cora''s words terrified Lena. She caught up with Cora, clung on to her legs, and begged, "No! Aunt

    Cora, please don''t break our engagement! I''m sorry. I won''t do it again¡­Aunt Cora¡­"

 Chapter 328 The Wedding Was Going To Be Canceled

    Chapter 328 The Wedding Was Going To Be Canceled

    Cora shook Lena''s hand away. "Do you really think that we are going to proceed with the wedding after

    what you have done? Do you think that your parents would shamelessly ask Raymond to marry you?"

    After dropping those harsh facts, Cora turned on her heels and left. Lena started to get really worried.

    She couldn''t believe that Cora was going to cancel the wedding.

    ''I can''t let that happen! I can''t!

    I have already sacrificed the baby. My n of framing Ashley has backfired on me and has been

    exposed to the public. I can''t afford to lose Raymond and his family''s support too.

    I have to find a way out of this situation!'' However, when she thought about what she could do, her

    mind was totally nk. Lena was at a loss on what to do.

    Suddenly, a person''s name popped into her head. Her eyes lit up. It seemed that that name had

    kindled a spark of hope in her despairing mind.

    That person was Ron. Ron had a good rtionship with Ashley. Lena believed that Ashley would drop

    the charges against her if Ron spoke to her.

    Lena had found a little hope in her life.

    She quickly got dressed and hurried home.

    Lena was so anxious to find her brother. While she sat in the taxi to take her home, it seemed like her

    house was on the other side of the world.

    "Sir, can you drive faster?" she said to the driver in a rude and agitated tone.

    "I am doing the best I can, young Lady. Yelling at me is not going to help," the driver replied.

    Lena had just changed her clothes and washed her face. She didn''t even have the time to put a little

    make-up on. She just stormed out of the hospital as quickly as she could.

    She didn''t listen to the doctor''s advice either.

    The doctor had instructed her to rest quietly in bed. She shouldn''t be overly excited, and most

    importantly, she shouldn''t go outside.

    Now she was doing theplete opposite of the doctor''s advice.

    When she heard the driver''s response, Lena became so angry that her stomach felt like it was going to

    explode.

    Somehow, she managed to hold her anger inside, and didn''t argue with the driver.

    Under normal circumstances, Lena would never take a taxi. However, this was an emergency, and she

    was in a hurry to get back home as quickly as she could. If she had her car at the hospital, she wouldn''t

    have had to deal with this rude driver.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    She felt disgusted with the taxi and the driver. Lena couldn''t believe she had to sit in a car that so many

    other people had been driven in.

    Finally, the taxi stopped in front of her house. She pulled out a few bills and threw the money on the

    seat. As she anxiously got out of the taxi, she called back to the driver to keep the change as a tip.

    The driver watched Lena''s retreating figure and thought to himself, ''A pretty girl from a rich family. No

    wonder she was rude.''

    Lena pressed the doorbell. When the servant opened the door, she was startled to see Lena standing

    there. However, she still politely greeted her, "Miss Mu."

    As far as Lena was aware, no one else knew about what she had done besides Raymond and Cora.

    Lena didn''t know if they had shared the information with anybody else.

    Of course, she didn''t know that many people on the Inte were already talking about it. However,

    none of the servants of the Mu family knew. They were too old to be on the Inte.

    Lena impatiently acknowledged her greeting.

    Then she asked as she walked into the house. "Is my brother home?"

    The servant took the bag from Lena and shook her head. "No Miss Mu, he is not home. He might have

    gone to thepany."

    Upon hearing that, Lena grabbed her bag back from the servant and turned around, about to leave.

    She came home to see Ron. If Ron wasn''t here, then she was going to look for him somewhere else.

    However, just at that moment, Peggy walked into the living room. She saw Lena right away.

    "Why are you home? Shouldn''t you still be in the hospital?"

    Peggy asked, looking at Lena in surprise.

    ncing at Peggy, Lena replied, "Mother, I have something really important that I need to discuss with

    my brother. Can you wait for a little while? I''ll exin it to youter." Lena began walking towards the

    door.

    However, Peggy ran over and blocked her way. She said, "Wait a moment! What do you want from

    Ron? He is working. You can''t go to thepany and bother him. What is so important that you can''t

    just wait to talk to him after work?"

    Lena felt frustrated. She replied, "Mother, it''s really important. I have to talk to him as soon as

    possible."

    Peggy frowned. "What can it be?"

    Then she sighed and replied, "All right, you can go ahead and see him. But, you''re not going to the

    company dressed like that, are you?" While speaking to her, Peggy looked Lena up and down.

    Lena''s hair was untidy andy loosely around her shoulders. She didn''t have any make-up on and her

    skin was pale and unpleasant. She didn''t look ugly, but the red dress that she wore was wrinkled.

    It wasn''t a big deal for a girl to look a bit messy sometimes.

    However, Peggy had a different requirement for her appearance and her daughter''s.

    She was afraid that Lena would shame and embarrass her and Ron.

    It was obvious that Ron was more important than Lena in Peggy''s heart.

    Lena was shocked by Peggy''s words. She didn''t know what to say. Seeing Lena still standing there,

    Peggymented, "Go upstairs and freshen up! Then you can go and see your brother. Don''t make

    him embarrassed about having such an untidy sister like you."

    Peggy''sst words angered Lena. She felt how Peggy only cared about Ron. She felt like she had no

    ce in Peggy''s heart at all. Her life was going to be ruined, but her mother still only cared about her

    brother.

    Lena sucked in a deep breath to hold her anger inside.

    She replied, "I understand, Mother."

    Lena then ran upstairs.

    She tried her best to look presentable ording to her mother''s standards. It only took less than ten

    minutes for her to get changed and put on a little make-up.

    Seeing how hurried Lena was, Peggy frowned. She felt that something was wrong.

    However, the bad feeling didn''t bother her for too long.

    Lena finally arrived at the RA Group, and she went straight in.

    However, the employee at the front desk stopped her. She asked, "Miss, good afternoon. Do you have

    an appointment?"

    Lena was about to hit the roof. She couldn''t believe that this girl was blocking her way. After all, she

    was Ron''s sister by blood.

    "No, I don''t have one," she replied, holding her anger in.

    "Miss, I''m sorry, but I can''t let you in without an appointment. Would you like to make one now?" the

    receptionist asked politely.

    Lena frowned. She pulled her phone out and made a call to Ron, but his assistant answered.

    Whenever Ron was too busy, he would let his assistant handle his phone calls. So, it was the assistant

    who picked up Lena''s call.

    Lena told him who she was and the situation she was in at the front desk.

    The assistant had a rough memory about Lena, so he put her on hold to check with Ron.

    "Mr. Mu, a girl who ims she is your sister, is waiting in the lobby. She said she has an important

    matter to discuss with you."

    However, what the assistant didn''t know was that Ron didn''t only have one sister. He had two.

    Lena never really bothered Ron in the past. So, Ron assumed it was Ashley who was waiting for him.

    Feeling surprised, he replied, "Is she here? Go and bring her here."

    Then after thinking about it for a moment, hemented, "Don''t worry about it. I''ll go and get her

    myself."

    He then put all his work aside and took the CEO elevator down to the lobby.

    Seeing that Lena was calling someone, the girl at the front desk assumed that she knew someone

    inside thepany. So she didn''t give Lena a hard time.

    Ron arrived at the lobby. He looked around, trying to find Ashley. However, he couldn''t see her.

    Frowning, he asked his assistant, "Where is she?"

    The assistant replied, "She might be at the front desk."

    Lena noticed Ron the second he walked in. Walking to him, she asked, "Ron, who are you looking for?"

    Ron subconsciously replied, "Ashley. My assistant said she''s here to see me."

 Chapter 329 Lenas Hope

    Chapter 329 Lena''s Hope

    Hearing Ron''s response, Lena clenched her fists. She couldn''t believe she heard Ashley''s name from

    her bother too. It seemed to Lena that Ashley was everywhere!

    She really couldn''t understand what was so good about Ashley, that everyone liked her so much.

    "Oh, it was me who called you earlier," Lena said.

    Ron was very surprised to hear this, he asked, "What? It was you?"

    She nodded.

    He was really disappointed, but he didn''t show it.

    Even though he hid his disappointment very well, Lena still caught it.

    Normally, Lena would have made a big fuss about it. But now, she couldn''t.

    She had a favor to ask Ron so she wouldn''t dare to upset him.

    He asked, "So, what do you want from me? Why have youe here?"

    She replied in a bit of temper, "What do you mean by that? Do I have to have a reason to see my

    brother?"

    He frowned and replied, "Of course not."

    Lena realized she was being a bit too pushy. However, it was hard for her to talk to Ron any other way.

    This was how they talked to each other since they were young. And it was difficult for her to change it

    in such a short time.

    Lena softened her tone. "Let''s go to your office and talk."

    Ron nodded in agreement.

    Lena and Ron walked into his office and sat on the couch. His assistant brought two cups of coffee,

    then he left the room and closed the door.

    The assistant was really confused by the change in Ron''s demeanor. He appeared to be really excited

    when he heard that his sister was here but when he saw her, he didn''t seem too thrilled about it.

    He shook his head. It was none of his business.

    Lena didn''t speak right away. So, Ron just stared at her. He never really had a good rtionship with

    her, but it was not too bad either. He did have a better rtionship with Ashleypared to Lena.

    Ron didn''t know why Lena was trying to create trouble for Ashley. He couldn''t understand why she was

    incapable of being nice to her.

    He really couldn''tprehend what she could gain from hurting their sister.

    It was a tough spot for him to be in. On the one hand, he liked Ashley. On the other hand, he didn''t

    exactly hate Lena. He just wanted them to be nice to each other.

    However, what had happened in the family while he was studying aboard really made the situation

    awful.

    No matter what, Lena was his sister by blood and he definitely cared about her.

    Taking a sip of the coffee, he asked, "What''s wrong?"

    Lena looked calm outside, but she was really anxious inside.

    Seeing Ron''s expression, she figured that he hadn''t read anything about her online.

    Ron had returned not too long ago and thepany required his urgent attention as it was in trouble.

    He didn''t really have the time to surf the Inte. He had to help with the family business.

    Peggy didn''t want to bother him with Lena''s troubles when he came home after a long, hard day at

    work. Thus, he was clueless about what was going on with Lena and Ashley.

    For Peggy, nothing was more important than her son''s health.

    Lena was really nervous. She didn''t know whose side her bother would take.

    She was aware of the fact that her brother favored Ashley since they were young.

    She thought he should favor her, instead of Ashley! She was his blood sister after all.

    She closed her eyes. No matter what, she decided to give it a shot. It was her only chance now. She

    didn''t have any other choice.

    Opening her eyes, she said, "Ron, I am here to beg you for a favor..."

    She sounded really nice and genuine. It was a very rare sight for Ron.

    He couldn''t help butugh. Rubbing her head gently, he replied, "Silly! I am your big brother. You don''t

    have to beg me for anything. Whatever it is, I will do it for you if I can. All right, tell me what you need. I

    will try my best."

    Lena was taken aback with his warmth.

    She lowered her head and pursed her lips.

    She felt really bitter.

    She hoped that he would still help her after hearing what she had done.

    He was her only hope!

    Lena couldn''t help but wonder if he would take back what he just said after knowing how she had

    framed Ashley.

    Seeing the sad expression on Lena''s face, Ron asked, "What''s wrong? Tell me. Are you in trouble?"

    Lena blinked and coaxed herself to face Ron''s anger, which would no doubte when she narrated

    her ordeal. She replied, "Ron, it''s about Ashley."

    Before Ron could reply, she continued, "I was pregnant with Raymond''s baby. However, I got jealous

    when I found out that Ashley had married the CEO of the Lu Group, which I know by now that I

    shouldn''t have. I killed my baby and framed her for it..."

    Lena didn''t know how she managed to blurt it all out to Ron.

    But she did. Maybe it was because she knew he was her only chance to get out of this situation. She

    knew that she shouldn''t lie to him now.

    She wasn''t confessing to everything out of fear of Ron''s wrath after he found out the truth on his own.

    In truth, she was afraid of the other man.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    He would press charges....

    This was what Lena wanted to happen to Ashley. She never had expected that Ashley would be doing

    it to her instead.

    She was really frightened.

    She was terrified of that man. She didn''t dare to have feelings for him anymore.

    She didn''t want to go to a prison!

    With his power in J City, the man could do anything he wanted.

    Her family''s influence was nothingpared to the Lu family. That man was Andrew.

    Right now, what Lena feared the most was that Andrew''s rage towards her might get her family into

    deep trouble.

    She knew very well that the bonds in a prestigious family were really fragile, even for Spencer who

    liked her and was treating her well.

    If she wasn''t good enough and didn''t get engaged to the Luo family''s heir, she was sure that Spencer

    wouldn''t look at her twice.

    Ron was in shock. Moments passed and Lena didn''t get a response from him. She pleaded, "Ron,

    please! Can you help me? You are the only one who can pull me out of this mess! Please help me! I

    know you have a good rtionship with Ashley. She said she was going to press charges. And her

    husband... her husband really loves her. He is going to take it out on our family. Ron, please! Please do

    something..."

    Holding his hand, Lena''s eyes turned blurry with tears.

    However, Ron was still stunned.

    He didn''t understand how the situation had be so terrible. He had been just too busy at work

    lately and didn''t have the time to pay attention to what was going on in the family.

    He really didn''t know why things were all going south.

    Ron didn''t respond. He took his phone out and tried to search for the news about Ashley. Just as he

    feared, the first news that popped up on his phone was about her.

    The report imed that Ashley murdered Lena''s unborn baby because she was into Raymond.

    Below the news piece readers had postedments defaming Ashley.

    Ron knew how kind Ashley was. He believed she wouldn''t do such a thing.

    The smile vanished from his face and he went pale.

    Watching Ron''s expression, Lena was even more worried. She asked anxiously, "Ron, say something! I

    know I shouldn''t have done it! I already realized my mistake. I was blinded by my unrealistic dream.

    Ron, please help me! I won''t do it again! Please!"

    Seeing how remorseful Lena was, he didn''t have the heart to refuse her request. However, he was

    heartbroken thinking about how scared and helpless Ashley must have felt when she saw the news

    and thements about her.

 Chapter 330 Ill Try

    Chapter 330 I''ll Try

    After struggling to get his emotions under control for some time, Ron finally replied, "I distinctly

    remember asking you to stay away from Ashley. But what did you do? Did you listen to me? No!"

    He looked miserable. It was the first time he had spoken to Lena so harshly.

    She had really crossed the line this time! Ron could barely bring himself to forgive her for what she had

    done to Ashley. There was no way Ashley was going forgive her for this heinous crime shemitted.

    He continued, "Do you even have an inkling as to what you have done? It was still just a fetus! An

    innocent life! Do you understand the graveness of the situation? How did you have the heart to kill it?

    And then you had the audacity to me Ashley for your cruel act? Lena, what happened to you? How

    could you be so inhuman? How? How could you!

    Tell me!" he roared.

    Lena didn''t even know why she held a grudge against Ashley. So it was impossible for her to analyze

    why she wanted to destroy her reputation.

    All she knew was that she hated her from the first time sheid eyes on her. Ashley hade into her

    life as a threat.

    And she was convinced that she was a hundred percent right about her. Ashley was indeed a threat to

    her well-being.

    As an orphan, Ashley had arrived at their home looking filthy but after taking a shower and changing

    into a pretty dress, she looked more beautiful than Lena.

    Once she was groomed, Ashley looked just as good as or even better than her.

    Lena couldn''t even remember why she had started harassing Ashley. Perhaps it was out of jealousy or

    maybe the real reason was something else.

    Whatever it was, one thing was certain: Lena couldn''t stand the thought of Ashley leading a happy,

    content life. She just had to ruin her peace of mind all the time.

    This enmity was not so bad when they were younger, but the older Lena got, the more jealous she felt

    of her adopted sister. Now, her hatred for Ashley had driven her to the point of ending an innocent life

    to frame Ashley.

    Thinking back to her childhood, Lena couldn''t remember anything about it apart from devising ns to

    create trouble for Ashley. It was almost as if it had be her life''s purpose.

    Ron mmed his coffee cup on the table.

    The noise jolted Lena back to the present. Seeing Ron''s terrifying expression, Lena''s eyes reddened.

    Tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke, "Ron, I have understood my mistakes. Will you please

    help me out now? I promise I will stay away from her in the future! I will not contact her for the rest of

    my life. Please, Ron!" she begged.

    Lena was desperate now.

    She knew very well that Ron was the only one who could persuade Ashley to change her mind about

    thewsuit.

    When Ashley lived with the Mu family, he was the only one who genuinely cared about her. They had a

    really good rtionship.

    So Lena knew that Ron was the only person whom she might listen to.

    Ron sighed at the whole mess that his silly sister had created.

    Lena had been this way since she was young. She always aimed high and was arrogant and stubborn.

    If she liked something, she would find a way to get it using any means possible.

    With Ashley''s arrival in the Mu family, Lena had begun vying for the things that Ashley liked. Ron didn''t

    know when it started, but over the years this pattern had be evident. It was the ugly side of sibling

    rivalry.

    He had really hoped that over time they would be nice to each other, but on the contrary, their

    rtionship only deteriorated and they fought like cats and dogs all the time. It was nearly impossible

    for them to be in the same room peacefully.

    He looked at Lena who was now bawling like a little baby. It was hard for him to see through her act

    with her messy make-up and red eyes. She managed to convince him that she was truly sorry about

    what she had done.

    No matter what, Lena was Ron''s sister by blood and he was not going to watch her fall.

    Taking out a tissue from the box nearby, he wiped the tears on her cheeks and said, "Okay. I will go talk

    to Ashley. I can''t promise you anything. Whether or not she wants to press charges is entirely up to her.

    You have gone too far this time, so don''t expect any mercy from her or miracles from me! If she can''t

    forgive you, there is nothing I can do about it."

    Lena nodded hastily. "That''s fine! Thank you, Ron! As long as you are willing to talk to her about it," she

    said gratefully.

    Deep down, Lena was sure Ashley would drop the charges if he spoke to her.

    Lena couldn''t exin why she was so certain, but she just knew.

    And if Ron stepped into the picture, she knew she was going to be okay. She didn''t know how, but she

    had a gut feeling about it.

    Walking Lena out his office, Ron rubbed his forehead wearily. How could he concentrate on his work

    now?

    Taking his phone out, he typed a message to Ashley and sent it.

    Ashley had to give a credit to Andrew for how fast he got back at Lena.

    Just one day after Shea got the recording, the public opinion on the Inte had turned in her favor.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    He did it so quickly that the Mu family didn''t even have the time to react.

    The speed at which it happened was so incredible. It deserved to go in the world records. The general

    public was shocked about the dramatic twist to the story.

    It started with an anonymous person posting the recording online. He didn''t say too much about it. All

    he said was that the truth would be revealed in the recording.

    That controversial post got a lot of traction as many people clicked on it out of curiosity.

    As a result, everyone was astounded!

    IAmTheCutistmented, "OMG, this the biggest news I had ever heard! The girl who imed that

    her sister had killed her baby is so evil! I doubt she is even human. She must be the devil! She

    murdered her own child in such a brutal way just to attain a higher social status. She is truly a malicious

    person!

    TheTimeShoremented, "Can''t judge a book by its cover. I told you guys that there was something

    more to this story. When everyone was talking about how poor Lena was and using Ashley, neither

    of the two girls spoke up. I just knew something was wrong! I guess Lena didn''t expect that karma

    would punish her so soon. Now, her fiendish n is exposed! What a vicious woman!"

    TeaLoversInPeace alsomented, "How could Lena havemitted such a barbaric act? She

    murdered her baby with her own hands! And then she tried to put the me on Ashley! If it wasn''t for

    this recording, she would have fooled all of us!"

    CutyPie put a thumbs up on TeaLoversInPeace''sment.

    Another person also gave a thumbs up soon after.

    Many people started to agree with this new development.

    Rapidly, the recording went viral.

    The Mu and the Luo families had bought a lot ofments at the beginning of this controversy. They

    had swayed the public opinion, and they generated a lot of buzz for this news, drawing many people''s

    attention.

    However, the tables had turned.

    Cora already knew what kind of person Lena was and she was not going to help Lena anymore.

    As far as Peggy was concerned, she wasn''t aware of what was happening on the Inte yet.

    Therefore, Lena''s time was up. The people who believed in her had switched sides. The ones who had

    a lot of trust in her felt the most betrayed. And this betrayal made them angrier. They started posting

    demeaningments about her to vent their anger.

    After all, killing an innocent baby to frame an innocent girl was way worse than killing a baby out of

    jealousy.

    Ashley felt the public''s change of heart when she went to work. They were no longer looking at her like

    she was a murderer.

    They looked at her kindly although they were still a bit distant.

    Naturally, everyone''s conscience was pricking them. It was hard for them to not feel guilty.

    When the news broke, everyone believed that Ashley was the bad one. However, now that the truth

    had been revealed, they all hung their heads in shame.

    Ashley couldn''t care less about their opinions. She was just happy that her name was finally cleared.

    However, Amaia wasn''t going to let Ashley off the hook so easily.

    She stood in front of Ashley with her eyes widened. Ashely sighed heavily.

    "Well done, girl! You saved the recording for the end! No wonder you looked so calm when I asked you

    thest time. I was really worried for you! Do you know how worried I was?" she asked with concern.

 Chapter 331 Andrew Was A Little Unhappy

    Chapter 331 Andrew Was A Little Unhappy

    "Well, when Lena met me a few days ago, I already knew that she was pregnant. And something

    seemed amiss so I recorded our conversation. But I didn''t expect that it woulde in handy one day,"

    Ashley said.

    Amaia nodded. "Well, thank God, you recorded your conversation! Otherwise, the public would not

    believe that you were innocent no matter how much you exined. Besides, your sister is really a bad

    person! How could she be so cruel? She can''t get away with this awful crime!"

    "I know," Ashley said.

    After their chat, both women got back to work.

    Thepany''s annual Jewelry Design Competition would be held soon. All employees of thepany

    could participate in it.

    But most of the participants were from the design department. After all, very few people in other

    departments had an interest or the skills required for jewelry design.

    A handful of people had learned jewelry design on their own, so they would also participate in the

    competition.

    The Jewelry Design Competition was going to be held in mid-June and it was already early June. So,

    there was very little time left for them to prepare for it.

    For the first round, participants needed to design a piece of jewelry, and also write down the

    exnation behind the inspiration for the design.

    This wasn''t a difficult task for many of the participants.

    Ashley was working when someone knocked on her desk and said, "Ashley, Miss Mo wanted to see

    you in her office."

    "Okay, thank you!" Ashley replied.

    When Ashley was about to leave, someone pinched her arm gently. She turned around and saw that

    Amaia was making a cheering gesture at her.

    She smiled at Amaia amicably and left.

    Walking into the office, Ashley carefully closed the door. "Miss Mo, you wanted to see me?"

    "Yes," Kelly replied and nodded.

    She looked at Ashley carefully and didn''t say anything for a while.

    Ashley was starting to feel a little ufortable and almost couldn''t help inquiring about it when Kelly

    spoke, "Well done! You have solved the problem, right?"

    "Yes," Ashley replied.

    "Fortunately, you recorded your conversation. But bear in mind that if anyone else wants to frame you

    in the future, you may not be so lucky. You still have to be cautious," Kelly advised.

    Ashley was a little surprised. She looked at Kelly in amazement as if she had said something

    inappropriate.

    Kelly''s demeanor had always been indifferent and stern. She wasn''t someone who would offer such

    advice or show concern for an employee''s personal matters.

    Feeling Ashley''s inquisitive gaze on her, Kelly felt a little embarrassed.

    Although she had the image of a strict person in thepany, at home, she was a tolerant mother, who

    spoiled her daughter.

    It was her daughter who had warned her earlier that day, so Kelly had acquiesced in her request to be

    polite to Ashley.

    Why her daughter liked Ashley so much was a mystery to Kelly.

    "Okay. You can get back to your work now," Kelly instructed her.

    Ashley was still a little confused when she walked out of the office. She would have never in her wildest

    dreams thought that Kelly would summon her to her office to offer her advice for her wellbeing.

    Quite frankly, Ashley was shocked.

    Seeing Ashley''s facial expression, Amaia couldn''t help but frown. She gently poked Ashley''s arm and

    asked, "What''s wrong?"

    ''I already spoke to her and asked her to be good to Ashley. She wouldn''t have spoken harshly to her.

    So why does Ashley look unhappy? Did she treat her badly? Did Ashley get an earful from Miss Mo?''

    Amaia thought.

    "It''s nothing. Don''t worry," Ashley said.

    "What did Miss Mo say?" Amaia persisted.

    Ashley didn''t hide anything from her friend. "Nothing to worry about. She just advised me to be cautious

    in future and not be framed by others again."

    Amaia finally felt relieved.

    Seeing that Ashley was confused, Amaia couldn''t help asking, "Well, then what happened to you?"

    Ashley replied, "I wonder why Miss Mo would say those words to me. Many people say that Miss Mo is

    always strict with her employees in thepany."

    Amaia couldn''t help feeling sheepish. ''Yes, she is very strict with these people. But she is very friendly

    to her daughter''s friends, '' she thought.

    But she couldn''t tell Ashley the truth...yet.

    Fortunately, Ashley was lost in her own thoughts and didn''t notice the look of guilt on Amaia''s face.

    Suddenly Ashley''s phone vibrated.

    Someone had sent her a message.

    She looked at the screen and saw that it was a message from Ron.

    She couldn''t help but wonder why he sent her a message.

    "Ash, do you have some time today? I need to talk to you about something. How about we meet

    outside for a chat?"

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    After reading the message, she typed out a quick reply.

    Ron seemed to be waiting for Ashley''s reply. After she agreed, he immediately sent her a message,

    informing her about the time and ce to meet.

    Ashley epted his invitation.

    She wondered what Ron was going to talk with her about.

    Actually, Ashley could guess the reason without having to think too hard about it. ''I have just exposed

    Lena. And the news was broadcast on the Inte instantly. Ron must have known what happened.

    Maybe he is going to talk to me about Lena, '' she thought.

    She had guessed it right!

    She sighed. ''If Ron got involved in this, dealing with this whole situation will be difficult.

    After all, he is Lena''s brother. He will definitely help her, '' Ashley thought.

    At noon, Ashley was thinking about how she would tell Andrew that she was going out after work, and

    that she woulde backte. Just then, Andrew called her.

    "Hello! Andy," Ashley said as she answered his call.

    Andrew wasn''t surprised that Ashley called him differently from time to time.

    But he still couldn''t help softening his tone when he heard her voice.

    "Well, are you having lunch?"

    "I have eaten. What about you?" she asked him back.

    "I have also had lunch," he replied.

    They didn''t say anything for a while.

    But no one hung up the phone either.

    They just listened to each other''s breath, content to be connected this way in the middle of a busy

    working day.

    Finally, Ashley broke the silence. "Is everything OK? Did you call to tell me something?"

    "Yes, I may get homete this evening so Johnny will pick you up after work."

    It sounded like he was a little unhappy.

    Ashley couldn''t help chuckling. ''Is he feeling sad because has to work overtime and we can''t go home

    together?''

 Chapter 332 The Meeting

    Chapter 332 The Meeting

    Ashley didn''t know that Andrew could be so childish sometimes.

    She replied, "Okay, I got it! But you should let Johnny be with you. He is your personal assistant, after

    all. What if you need him for something important? I will take a taxi home. Don''t worry about me, I will

    be fine."

    Andrew insisted, "It''s not a problem. I will be worried if you go home by yourself. Honey, don''t worry.

    Okay? Johnny will give you a ride when you''re ready to go home."

    Since he insisted so much, Ashley couldn''t refuse him. She had no choice but to agree.

    So, she replied, "Okay, will do."

    They chatted for a while and ended the call before Amaia could get to her desk.

    Or else, the gossip-loving Amaia would ask Ashley about the person she was talking to.

    As Andrew was going to workte, she figured that there was no need for her to tell him about the

    meeting she was going to have with Ronter on.

    She was just going to see her brother. She didn''t think it was a big deal. Besides, Johnny was going to

    be with her.

    Ashley figured Andrew would not be mad at her for this.

    Despite knowing how much Andrew liked to be in control and how jealous he could be, Ashley still

    decided not to tell him.

    After her work was done for the day, she walked to her usual pick-up spot. Johnny was waiting for her.

    Getting into the car, Ashley gave him an address. "Take me to this ce first, I have something to do."

    Johnny responded, "Yes, ma''am."

    During the drive, Ashley asked, "Do you have to return to the office after dropping me off at home?"

    Johnny replied, "No, ma''am. Mr. Lu said my work will be done after taking you home."

    Ashley acknowledged his response with a simple, "Okay."

    The car stopped in front of a quiet coffee shop. Ashley said, "Please wait for me for a moment, Johnny.

    I won''t take too long."

    Then she walked out. In just a few steps, she thought of something. She returned to the car and said,

    "If I take too long, you may leave. I will take a taxi home."

    Ashley hadn''t seen Ron for a quite some time. She might want to talk to him for a while longer and she

    didn''t like to make Johnny wait so long for her. That was why she returned to the car and gave those

    instructions to him.

    However, Johnny shook his head and replied, "Miss Mu, don''t worry about me. You may take your time.

    And I will wait for you no matter what."

    Thest time that he didn''t insist on driving Ashley home, he got in big trouble. Andrew was angry with

    him for a long time. No matter what Ashley said, he was not going to agree and let her go home alone.

    He had to be the one to give her a ride home.

    If Ashley knew what was on Johnny''s mind, she wouldn''t have bothered to bring up this suggestion.

    She knew Andrew was just worried about her safety.

    She replied, "Alright then. I will make it as short as I can."

    Ashley turned around intending to leave after that exchange.

    Out of curiosity, Johnny asked, "Miss Mu, why have youe here?"

    Ashley wasn''t nning on hiding it from him. So she replied honestly, "To meet a friend!"

    Johnny''s mind spun fast after hearing her answer. He wondered which friend she was going to meet.

    And more importantly, he wondered about the gender of this "friend". He also wondered if this friend

    might be Andrew''s rival for his wife''s love.

    Johnny couldn''t help but wonder if Ashley was going to see some guy who might pose a threat to his

    boss''s love life. He started to debate in his mind whether he should stop Ashley from meeting this

    friend who might cause problems for his boss. He also mulled over whether he should tell Andrew

    about it.

    Ashley didn''t know that her simple reply would put Johnny in a tizzy.

    However, she did catch the strange and anxious look on Johnny''s face. So she exined, "It is a man

    but he is my brother. By the way, don''t mention this to your boss! Or, I will make you regret it!"

    Ashley added the threat to keep her secret safe.

    She wasn''t afraid of Andrew finding out; she just didn''t want him to feel jealous.

    Johnny''s face froze. He wondered how Ashley knew he was thinking those things.

    Watching Ashley leave, Johnny sunk into a deep inner conflict.

    He didn''t know whether or not he should inform Andrew about this. He knew who Ashley''s brother was.

    It was Ron, the son of the Mu family.

    Johnny knew that Ashley treated him nothing more than a brother.

    However, he could tell that Ron had a thing for her. He wanted Ashley to be more than just his sister.

    Now Johnny was in a tight spot. He didn''t know if it was worth telling Andrew about it, especially after

    the warning he had received from Ashley.

    After debating internally for a long time, he finally decided to keep Ashley''s secret. He figured that even

    Andrew would listen to Ashley so he should also listen to her. He believed that she was the only one

    who could keep him safe.

    Ashley walked into the coffee shop and saw Ron immediately.

    Although Ron did not have outstanding looks or personality like Andrew, it was easy for people to

    notice him in a crowd.

    He wore a white polo-shirt and a pair of ck pants. His short hair was well-groomed. The gentle smile

    on his face instantly put Ashley in a good mood.

    She walked over and greeted him, "Hi Ron!"

    He smiled warmly at her and replied, "Is my Ash here?"

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Ashley nodded and replied cheerfully, "Yup!"

    This was the second time they had met since his return.

    He was aware that she had already found the one she loved and was married to him.

    But, he still cared deeply about her.

    The love he had for her wasn''t something that he could easily erase.

    He had watched this fine youngdy sitting in front of him grow up over the years. He had shared her

    happiness and sadness all these years. He had witnessed her metamorphosis.

    Understandably, it was really hard for him to let her go.

    He felt really sad. During the four years of studying abroad, he had counted down the days until he

    could see her again. But after he finished his studies what awaited him when it was time to be reunited

    with her was the news of her marriage.

    However, he couldn''t me Ashley for anything. It was his own parents who forced her to do so.

    Ron knew he should be happy about the fact that Ashley still treated him as her brother. However, his

    heart wanted more and he couldn''t control those feelings.

    He put some sugar in Ashley''s coffee and asked, "My Ash is really smart! I guess you already know

    why I asked you toe, right?"

    Ashley gave him a knowing smile and replied, "I do. So, Ron, are you going to intercede for Lena?"

    He shook his head slowly. "No, I am not going to.

    What she did was unforgivable. I wouldn''t dare to help her get your forgiveness. I just want to apologize

    to you.

    I am really sorry, Ash. I didn''t protect you well. I said I was going to protect you when I came back. I

    promised to shield you from everything, but I didn''t and I am so sorry for that."

    Ashley could see and feel the pain in his eyes.

    He was truly ming himself.

    She replied, "Ron, you don''t need to apologize. None of it was your fault."

    She never expected Ron to say this to her. She thought he would beg her for mercy for the sake of

    Lena. She had even prepared herself on how to respond in such a scenario.

    However, Ron had really surprised her.

    But she quickly recovered from the shock as she realized that Ron had not changed one bit!

    No matter what, he always took her side. His love for her was strong as a rock.

    She felt a lump forming in her throat, her nose tingled and she wanted to cry. Ron really cared about

    her.

    Ashley had already thought about dropping the charges against Lena if Ron asked her

    to.

 Chapter 333 Lie

    Chapter 333 Lie

    "Lena dide to see me and ask me to put in a good word for her. But I''ll leave that entirely to your

    discretion. I won''t interfere with your decision,"

    Ron said to Ashley.

    They both regarded each other for a while.

    Lena was Ron''s sister after all. What could she do?

    "Ron, I''m not going to sue Lena, but under one condition," she said with a serious expression.

    "Tell me," he said.

    "I want her to leave this country and note back for three years. And after shees back, she

    shouldn''t show herself to me. What do you think about this, Ron?"

    He studied her. Of course he knew that Ashley had offered this deal for his sake.

    "Okay."

    After a pause, he asked, "Ashley, I will still be your brother, won''t I?"

    Ron''s heart was beating fast.

    His own blood sister had done unthinkable things against Ashley. He was ashamed to be in front of her.

    She smiled and reached for his hand. "Of course, Ron. You''ll be my brother all my life. Don''t be silly.

    The Mu family is the Mu family; Lena is Lena. Whatever they have done to me, it has nothing to do with

    you. I''ve never med you. In my heart, you have always been my only family, my blood brother."

    Ron watched her sweet smile and thought bitterly, ''I wish it was possible to not be your brother. I want

    to be something more, not just your brother, okay?''

    But he didn''t have the courage to say these words out loud. He was scared that... ...if he confessed his

    feelings to her, they wouldn''t even be friends anymore let alone anything else. Nobody knew Ashley''s

    nature better than him.

    Putting a stone on his heart, he squeezed her hand warmly and said, "Great! I''ll be your brother for

    life." ''So I have to ept this rtionship or else I would lose her. I will always protect her.

    If that man does not treat her well, I''ll fight to get her back by all possible means.

    I''ll not allow my girl to get hurt.

    She deserves to be happy forever.''

    The two siblings hadn''t seen each for a long time so they had a lot to catch up on. And time flew by

    before they knew it.

    Ashley enjoyed chatting with Ron very much.

    But Johnny wasn''t enjoying waiting for her in the car.

    He kept looking at his watch from time to time. ''Miss Mu has been in there for an hour. What the hell

    are they talking about? When will they be done?

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Should I go in and remind her about the time?

    Today I have the rare opportunity to get off work early. Can you please let me go so that I can still have

    some fun for the rest of the night?'' he pleaded silently.

    He had to endure watching his CEO and Miss Mu''s disys of affection towards each other every day.

    It made him want to vomit when he saw it.

    ''Are they trying to make me feel bad because I''m single?''

    Ron looked at the time and said, "It''ste. Let me drive you home."

    This suddenly reminded her of Johnny who was waiting for her outside.

    She felt so guilty but she couldn''t say anything. ''My God, I couldn''t stop this chat after meeting Ron.

    I''vepletely forgotten about Johnny.''

    Johnny who was forgotten was speechless too!

    "Thank you, Ron, but somebody is waiting for me outside. He will drive me home," she said refusing his

    offer.

    "Who is he? Is it safe for you to go with him? It''s no trouble at all for me to take you back to your

    house," he said.

    If anyone else had said this, Ashley would be very angry.

    But because it was Ron who said it, she didn''t get offended. She knew he was asking just because he

    cared and worried about her.

    "It is okay. He''s Andy''s special aide. We know each other very well. You don''t have to worry about me."

    Ron was a little puzzled and asked, "Andy?"

    Ashley was embarrassed and replied, "He''s my husband."

    Ron suddenly regretted asking that question. Now he was even more upset inside.

    Ashley caught the change in his expression and asked with concern, "What''s wrong, Ron?"

    Ron had to shake himself out of his misery quickly. He replied, "Nothing. Let''s just get out of here."

    "Okay," she agreed.

    So they left the cafe together. Johnny was staring at the door eagerly and impatiently. He was wailing

    inside, ''Miss Mu, when will youe out the door?''

    When he saw hering out, he immediately cheered up.

    ''Well, who is that man beside Miss Mu?

    Is that her brother?

    Why does her brother look like he''s besotted with her?''

    Johnny got out of the car and went to meet Ashley. "Miss Mu, are you done?"

    Ashley saw Johnny and felt embarrassed for making him wait for so long in the car. "Yes," she said

    quickly.

    Johnny said, "Then let''s head back, Miss Mu. Mr. Lu just called and asked about you..."

    Ashley heard Andrew''s name and didn''t care about anything else after that. "Ron, I have to go home

    now. Let''s meet and catch up again next time. Bye."

    She waved goodbye to Ron cheerfully.

    Then she got in the car.

    Johnny started the car immediately after she sat and drove at full speed.

    ''Of course we have to leave quickly. Why should we linger there any longer to give more opportunities

    to the boss''s rival?''

    Johnny kept his acrid remarks to himself and never said anything out loud.

    Ron stayed where he was watching the car speed off and disappear. He almost failed to retain his

    usual mild expression.

    ''Ashley...''

    As soon as she got into the car, Ashley asked Johnny, "Did Andrew really call? What did you tell him?

    You didn''t let out my secret, did you, Johnny?"

    Ashley was equally worried and guilty.

    Johnny was feeling the same way but he was particrly guilty. Because the CEO didn''t call at all. He

    just said that to urge Ashley to head back.

    But now he couldn''t tell the truth.

    "Uh, Mr. Lu called a moment ago and asked me if I had already dropped you home safely. I told him

    that you had already reached home."

    "Oh, then why didn''t he call me?" she asked casually.

    She was feeling so guilty that she failed to detect the loopholes in Johnny''s story.

    If Andrew had called, he would of course call Ashley instead of Johnny.

    Why would a cold and aloof person like Andrew call Johnny personally?

    But luckily Ashley didn''t catch this discrepancy.

    Johnny felt very relieved.

    "Probably he thought you are resting and didn''t want to disturb you," he exined, trying to make his

    story sound more reasonable.

    "What time is it? Why would he assume I was resting so early?" Ashley mumbled.

    Ashley still didn''t suspect anything. The possibility that Johnny might be lying to her had not crossed

    her mind.

    Johnny quietly drove Ashley back to Golden Pce and then left.

 Chapter 334 Lesleys Trick

    Chapter 334 Lesley''s Trick

    Andrew wasn''t home yet so Ashley just asked ire to prepare a simple meal for her.

    After dinner, she started working on her design draft on the table.

    BYX Hotel

    was a well-known five star hotel in J City. People who stayed in the hotel were either rich or powerful or

    both.

    At that moment, Andrew and Lesley were talking to each other at the BYX Hotel. But Andrew had

    imed that he was working.

    It looked like they were having a great time talking to each other.

    However, if one looked closely, only Lesley was doing all the talking. Andrew was just sitting across the

    table in silence. In fact, he didn''t even seem to care about what she was saying.

    The truth was that Andrew had realized that he''d been tricked intoing here and he only found out

    upon talking to Lesley.

    There was a big project going on between the Lu Group and the Feng Group. The CEO of the Feng

    Group who happened to be Lesley''s father had set a meeting with Andrew at the BYX hotel to talk

    about the project. However, when he arrived, only Lesley was there.

    The Lu Group had been working with the Feng Group for a long time. Even though Andrew didn''t want

    to deal with Lesley, he couldn''t just walk away and drop the project for no reason.

    Lesley had on a green Chanel dress. It really showed off her ivory white skin. Her hair was pulled up to

    a bun and she was wearing very light make-up.

    She looked young, nice, and pretty.

    Lesley was raised to be the next sessor of the Feng Group. She carried herself with great pride and

    dignity.

    She really looked good with Andrew.

    However, that didn''t mean anything.

    Lesley knew that Andrew was a neat freak. She used fresh chopsticks to put food on his te.

    "Andrew, this is so good. Try it."

    Lesley could sense when she could start flirting with Andrew and when to stop. She knew her limits.

    She managed herself so well that Andrew didn''t feel too ufortable.

    Andrew didn''t touch the food that Lesley had put on his te. It looked nice and tasty.

    However, he didn''t want to have dinner with anyone but Ashley.

    "If Miss Feng won''t have anything else, I''d like to be excused. I need to leave."

    Andrew would rather be spending time with his wife than Lesley whom he didn''t even like.

    Andrew was thinking about Ashley the whole time.

    As he thought of Ashley''s cheeks that puffed up whenever she ate, his heart softened.

    Andrew couldn''t help but feel frustrated as he looked at Lesley who was the reason why he couldn''t be

    with his wife at that moment.

    Since Lesley went to the Lu group all the time for business matters, Andrew knew who she was.

    She was the only child of the Feng Family. And she was also the next sessor of the Feng Group.

    Andrew didn''t really like her because of what she did to his best friend.

    Lesley was really smart. She knew that the look Andrew had on his face wasn''t for her.

    She couldn''t help but feel upset when she remembered that Andrew was married.

    She really didn''t know what he saw in Ashley. Ashley was just a normal girl who was adopted by a

    middle ss family. She was even dumped by her ex-boyfriend. Lesley didn''t really know why Andrew

    loved her so much.

    Despite thinking such thoughts about Ashley, Lesley hid it all well. She was still smiling on the outside

    and talking to Andrew in a gentle voice.

    "Andrew, are you mad that my father wasn''t able to make it? He really wanted to discuss this project

    with you but he couldn''t make it today. There was an emergency in the office that he had to take care

    of. That''s why he asked me toe instead,"

    Lesley exined.

    Frowning, Andrew replied, "It''s okay.

    Since Mr. Feng isn''t going to make it, I guess we''ll just have to reschedule. In the meantime, Miss

    Feng, I need to go because I need to take care of something else."

    Andrew was firm and polite because he really wanted to leave.

    Lesley narrowed her eyes for a quick second. Soon, she was standing up and smiling nicely. "All right.

    I''ll walk you out."

    Andrew didn''t care what she was thinking. He prepared to stand up. Finally, he was going to get out of

    there.

    As Lesley strode forward, she suddenly slipped and fell into Andrew''s direction.

    "Ahhhh...." she yelped.

    At that moment, Andrew was just preparing to stand up. He was still in his seat.

    Lesley sessfully fell into Andrew''s arms. Her eyes gleamed as she savored that one second in

    Andrew''s arms. The following second, she hurried to stand up and apologized, "I''m sorry, Andrew. Are

    you okay?"

    When Lesley stood up, Andrew stepped out his seat and retreated at least three meters away from her.

    Then he took off his jacket and threw it into the trash. Without uttering another word, he walked away.

    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    Lesley froze. She clenched her hands as she watched him leave. Her nails were digging into her palms

    but she didn''t care.

    After a while, Lesley calmed herself down. She told herself that Andrew would have done the same if it

    was any other woman and he didn''t really mean to hurt her feelings.

    However, she couldn''t get her mind off Ashley, the woman Andrew loved.

    Last time they were at the vi, Ashley and Andrew were so intimate. It was unusual for Andrew to act

    like that.

    Lesley couldn''t help but be jealous.

    She really didn''t know why the hell Andrew would be with someone like Ashley.

    She thought it was unfair that Ashley and Andrew ended up together. She was the one who grew up

    with Andrew, not Ashley. If anyone deserved to be Andrew''s wife, it was her and not that stupid middle

    ss woman.

    She beamed when she recalled how nice it was to be in Andrew''s arms even if it was just for a second.

    It wasn''t normal for Lesley to do something like that.

    She was the only child of the Feng family. She was going to inherit the Feng Group and she was the

    most beautiful woman in all of J City. She didn''t need to do something like that to get a man''s attention.

    Men lined up to kiss her feet. She could have any man she wanted.

    However, Andrew wasn''t one of those men and he was the only one she wanted, more than anything. If

    her little stunt could get Ashley and Andrew to fight, then that would be more than enough to her. If not,

    then she was contented with getting to feel his arms for just a second.

    It was normal for men with money and power like Andrew to have affairs left and right and with

    beautiful women. She thought maybe Ashley was in denial of that because if she learned that, she

    probably wouldn''t want to stay with Andrew any longer.

    What Lesley didn''t know was that Andrew would never do something like that to Ashley. He genuinely

    loved and cared about her. He''d never have an affair.

    Lesley was sure that her perfume was all over Andrew''s shirt. Even though he threw his jacket away,

    she was certain that at the very least her scent was on his pants.

    Andrew was so frustrated when he left the hotel. He could still smell her scent all over him.

    "Drive now. I''m in a hurry," Andrew said to his driver.

    He just wanted to go home and take a shower so he could finally be with his wife,

    Ashley.

 Chapter 335 The Other Woman

    Chapter 335 The Other Woman

    To get his mind off the scent and consequently make himself feel better, he thought of Ashley.

    Ashley had stayed in the home office as she had finallye up with a design for the ne.

    The design she had just drawn looked really good even on paper. The ne had a heart-shaped

    pendant with a hollowed-out middle. She left it empty so any couple could put their names or whatever

    they wanted on it. Diamonds surrounded the heart, which was the perfect touch.

    Ashley didn''t know how she was able to design such a beautiful ne. All she knew was that she

    had Andrew on her mind the entire time she was drawing the ne.

    Ashley stretched her arms. It was half past ten. She didn''t know if Andrew was home already.

    She packed all her stuff and left the home office.

    She made her way to the bedroom and bumped into Andrew who was seemed to have just gotten

    back.

    After he threw his jacket away, he only had his white undershirt on. The sleeves had been rolled up

    showing off his nice arms.

    Ashley had never seen Andrew like this because he was always well dressed no matter what the

    asion. Even when going to sleep, he was still dressed nicely. This was how Ashley knew something

    was wrong.

    Ashley was sure that something had happened to him.

    Clutching her design book, she hurried over to him and asked, "What happened? Where''s your

    jacket?"

    "I lost it," he simply replied.

    Ashley''s mouth twisted. She wasn''t satisfied with his answer.

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    She wanted to know more.

    She wondered how he lost his jacket.

    However, she didn''t press any further. She just tried to hold his hand like she normally would, but she

    was surprised that Andrew moved his hand away in response.

    Ashley felt even more strange. She asked, "What''s wrong?"

    Ashley knew that Andrew liked it whenever she held his hand. She couldn''t help but feel confused at

    Andrew''s response.

    Andrew pursed his lips and replied, "I''ll hold your handter. I feel really gross. Let me take a shower

    first."

    After which, he brushed past Ashley and headed to the bathroom.

    Ashley gave him a weird look when she smelled the perfume of a woman as he passed by. However,

    she wasn''t so sure.

    Ashley never wore perfume so it definitely wasn''t her.

    Ashely followed Andrew from behind until something made her stop in her tracks. She had seen

    something that shocked her. Her eyes widened.

    She remained frozen. Even as Andrew had already gone into the bathroom, she still hadn''t moved.

    Ashley was extremely shocked.

    She couldn''t believe what she just saw. She saw a lipstick mark at the back of Andrew''s shoulder.

    She remembered that Andrew told her that he was going to be workingte. She didn''t know where

    that lipstick mark could possiblye from.

    She was also sure that Andrew smelled like another woman''s perfume.

    After thatme excuse of about his jacket, Ashley could only assume that

    Andrew had left his jacket in another woman''s ce.

    Soon, all the blood drained out of Ashley''s face.

    She looked at the bathroom door and she didn''t know what to do.

    She had fought a lot with Andrew over the years but she never thought that she''d be fighting with

    Andrew over a woman.

    ''Is there really another woman?'' she thought.

    However, she was already too angry. She had started thinking that Andrew had indeed cheated on her.

    She started toe up with a game n. She thought of just leaving and letting him be with his

    mistress.

    Ashley''s head was spinning like crazy.

    Shey on the bed, deep in thought.

    She didn''t even notice when Andrew walked out the bathroom.

    When he walked out, he noticed that Ashley was lying on the bed just staring at the ceiling.

    Andrew figured she was probably thinking about Lena.

    Approaching her, he rubbed her hair and said, "What''s on your mind?"

    Ashley was taken aback by Andrew''s sudden presence. She was still disgusted with him. She couldn''t

    believe he would touch her after he had just been with another woman.

    Her body jolted in response. She turned her head to move away from his hand then she turned her

    body sideways. Without even looking at him, she said, "Nothing. It was a long day, I''m tired. Let''s just

    go to sleep."

    Andrew was surprised, being given the cold shoulder. He just assumed that Ashley was really tired so

    he just let it go.

    Ashley sneaked into the bathroom. He didn''t toss his shirt into the washer and she didn''t see it in the

    bedroom so she figured it could still be in the bathroom.

    However, she didn''t find it there. She wondered where her husband might have put it.

    ''Did Andrew make the effort of tossing it outside the room?'' she thought to herself. This only confirmed

    her suspicions. Of course he was going to hide it, it had his mistress all over it!

    She smacked her head when she realized that Andrew walked out of the bathroom empty-handed.

    ''Where could it be?'' she wondered.

    Ashley started to look in the bathroom again.

    It was a big bathroom. Ashley spent a lot of time looking for the shirt and still, she wasn''t able to find it.

    Just as she was about to give up, she noticed something white in the trash can.

    Frowning, she walked over.

    She found the shirt along with everything else Andrew was wearing today. The trash can was big

    enough for him to throw out everything he was wearing.

    Ashley squatted down.

    The red lipstick mark was really obvious¡ªit looked so dark and red to Ashley. The perfume on the shirt

    had mixed with the shampoo and Ashley felt gross.

    Her mind went nk as she stared at the shirt.

    Before she decided to look in the bathroom, she told herself that she could be wrong.

    She told herself that she needed to trust Andrew. She reminded herself that Andrew said that he loved

    only her. She kept telling herself that she should just trust Andrew.

    However, she was wrong.

    Andrew said he was workingte, but he hade back smelling like another woman''s perfume with

    lipstick stains on his shirt.

    Ashley assumed that he threw out his shirt because it was the evidence to his unfaithfulness. If he''d

    only been working, he wouldn''t have thrown everything he had worn today to the trash. Ashley felt her

    heart twist in pain.

    She was in the bathroom for a really long time. When she walked out, she looked calm as if she hadn''t

    just been crying her eyes out.

    Andrew was in bed reading a book. Usually, Ashley would climb to bed andy next to him. She would

    ask him what he was reading. Then, they would talk and fall asleep together.

    However, Ashley just walked to her side of the bed andid down. She kept a distance between them

    with her back facing him.

    Andrew looked at Ashley then he frowned.

    Andrew wasn''t really good at picking up hints but even he could tell that Ashley was acting

    weird.

 Chapter 336 She Slapped Him

    Chapter 336 She pped Him

    He could tell something was off about Ashley.

    Ashley had a lot on her mind. There was no way that she could fall asleep that easily but she didn''t

    want to confront Andrew and his cheating so she just pretended to sleep.

    She was acting so well this time.

    Andrew didn''t even know she was just pretending.

    He put his book away, pulled Ashley over and held her in his arms. When he had Ashley in his arms,

    he mumbled, "What''s wrong with you today?"

    He could feel the distance that Ashley had put between them.

    Andrew didn''t care about Lesley. He threw away his clothes because he didn''t like that they had

    already been touched by someone like her.

    He had many other clothes and he didn''t like being touched by any other woman.

    Usually, it was Johnny''s job to keep the women away. Women were all over him. He wasn''t interested

    in any of them so he just didn''t pay them any attention.

    Andrew would reject women left and right. Johnny''s job was to make sure that those women stayed

    away.

    Andrew always had an aversion to any physical contact with women.

    He figured it must have been from his childhood. He knew his parents didn''t love each other. He had

    never seen his parents kiss or hug. Their marriage was arranged, and it was for family business. One

    time, he was looking for his mother.

    He found his mother in bed with another man, one who was much younger than his father. It

    traumatized him to see his mother that way. It made him feel disgusted.

    From that day forward, Andrew had always found it disgusting to have women touch him.

    Ashley was the only exception.

    She was the light in his world. When she came into his dark life, it suddenly lit up. He loved her so

    much and he looked forward to spending the rest of his life with her.

    He tightened his grip on her as he thought of this.

    He held Ashley like she was the most precious thing in his life.

    Ashley was feeling frustrated as she pretended to sleep.

    Andrew held her so tight that she could hardly breathe. She thought, ''Why are you holding me so tight?

    Didn''t you just sleep with another woman?''

    She could feel her heart twisting in pain as she thought of it.

    She was getting angrier and angrier.

    She couldn''t believe that he was cheating on her while she was at home, worrying about him. She

    couldn''t contain her anger anymore.

    Finally, she exploded. She turned, mumbled something and lifted her hand. With a strong smack,

    Ashley had pped Andrew on the face.

    The p rung throughout the otherwise silent room.

    Ashley sneered inside. She felt one p on Andrew''s face was not enough punishment for cheating on

    her.

    Andrew was shocked. This was thest thing he expected. ''What could Ashley be dreaming of?'' he

    thought. He didn''t know what else to think. He just looked at Ashley, stunned.

    Suddenly, it had sunk into Ashley what she had just done.

    She couldn''t believe that she just pped Andrew.

    Andrew was the CEO of the Lu Group. He could have anything he wanted. He wasn''t someone you

    could just mess with as he was a very important person.

    Suddenly, Andrew moved. He grabbed Ashley''s hand and snuggled himself close to her.

    He put an arm around her so that they were cuddling.

    Ashley thought she wouldn''t be able to fall asleep in his arms that night. However, she fell asleep after

    some time.

    Before she fell asleep, she couldn''t get her mind off the fact that Andrew had cheated on her.

    She hated that he thought he could do whatever he wanted. She hated that he slept with another

    woman. ''Am I not enough for him?'' This was thest thing on her mind before she fell asleep.

    A couple of dayster, Ellie still hadn''t returned to J City.

    She said she would be back the next day but she still wasn''t.

    Francis was starting to get worried. He tried to call her but she wasn''t answering. Just as he was about

    to look for her, she suddenly messaged him. She said that she was okay and that he didn''t need to

    worry about her.

    She had to take care of some family matters and that she won''t being home yet. She asked him to

    take care of in for a few more days until her father coulde and pick her up.

    Francis wasn''t going to refuse her so he didn''t mind that in was going to stay with him for a few

    more days.

    Most of the time, in was very well-behaved. Other times, she could get on Francis'' nerves.

    No matter how annoyed Francis got, he knew he couldn''t do anything about it.

    The following day, in''s father, Edmund came and picked her up.

    They were in Ellie''s house and Francis was proud that he had his own key.

    He was going to win Ellie''s heart. It would be only him and no one else. Anyone who was nning on

    pursuing Ellie should back off.

    He purposely mentioned that Ellie had given him a copy of her house key when Edmund arrived to pick

    up in. Edmund didn''t say anything about it. Instead, he just thanked Francis profusely for taking care

    of in.

    Francis couldn''t help but feel upset at Edmund''sck of interest.

    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    Since Ellie wasn''t home and he had the key to her apartment, he could sleep in her room if he wanted.

    Ashley lived with Ellie in this apartment for a while. They grew close to their neighbors and upon

    noticing that Francis was also living in the building, they became friendly with him too.

    Francis was great at small talk. He could start up a conversation with just about anyone.

    He ended up being friends with everyone in the neighborhood. He had won everyone over.

    He was good-looking and he had a way with words. It also didn''t hurt that he would bring them small

    gifts at times.

    Who wouldn''t like him?

    That day, Ellie had finallye back. When she arrived, she sat on the living room floor.

    Her eyes were dull and she looked exhausted.

    She looked like apletely different person. It was as if she didn''t know how to smile anymore and all

    the energy had been sucked out of her.

    She spent a few moments just sitting on the floor. After a while, she opened the box she had brought

    with her. It was a box of beer.

    Ellie didn''t bother standing up to get herself a ss. She just drank straight from the bottle.

    She coughed a little.

    She had never had beer before. She was taken aback by its bitter taste that she had to cough it out.

    After a while, she started drinking again.

    Soon, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Maybe she was crying because of the bad taste of beer

    or maybe there was dust in her eyes¡ªeither way, it was hard to tell.

    As tears continued to roll down her face, she continued to drink.

    It was a heart-breaking sight.

    Francis had beening to Ellie''s apartment consistently. That day, when he tried to open the door, he

    already knew something was wrong.

    The door wasn''t locked.

    Francis was certain that he had locked it the day before. How could the door unlock on its

    own?

 Chapter 337 Whats My Name

    Chapter 337 What''s My Name

    He wondered if a thief had broken into Ellie''s apartment, but he quickly dismissed that notion. Her

    apartment was in a very nice neighborhood so it was far-fetched for anyone to break in. Then that left

    only one exnation. Ellie might be back!

    Francis'' eyes lit up with the realization that Ellie might have returned from her trip.

    He walked in hastily, eager to see the girl he adored.

    But when he entered, he found that the apartment reeked of alcohol.

    Then he spotted Ellie, who was leaning against a couch. She had passed out.

    Seeing her in this miserable condition, Francis frowned and walked toward her.

    She was not the kind of girl to over indulge in alcohol. Sometimes, she would have a bit of wine with

    Ashley if they were celebrating something. However, she had never crossed the limit when it came to

    drinking and she had certainly never been in a sorry state like this.

    Francis didn''t know the whole story, but her face was red and she appeared drunk.

    He knelt down next to her. Taking the beer bottle from her hand, he asked, "Ellie, what''s wrong?" She

    woke up with a start! She tried to hold on to the beer in her hand. Francis hissed, "Stop drinking it.

    That''s enough!"

    He was really worried about Ellie.

    However, she grasped the bottle even tighter and replied, "No!"

    Ellie was not as strong as Francis. Plus she was inebriated. She could barely hold on to the bottle.

    So, it was very easy for him to take the bottle from her.

    Ellie realized this and tried to grab another beer from the box. Francis'' brows furrowed even tighter.

    He couldn''t understand what had happened to her.

    She seemed fine before she went to L City. He couldn''t fathom why she would want to get drunk.

    Francis pushed the box of beers away from her. She was not happy with this. She tried to re at him,

    but she was too drunk to focus. All she knew was that the man in front of her was very familiar. So she

    didn''t really bother.

    "Give... give it back to me!"

    she slurred, looking in his direction.

    Her voice was quite different from how it normally sounded. It was softer and sweeter.

    Francis was absolutely stunned.

    Seeing Francis in a state of shock, Ellie got the chance to grab her beer. She lifted the bottle to her lips

    and took arge swig from it.

    Tears were falling from her eyes like pearls from a broken ne, one after another. "I am all alone

    now! I have no one but myself from now on," she wailed.

    She emptied the bottle, curled up into a ball and burst into tears.

    Her loud cry jolted Francis back. She buried her head between her knees and sobbed loudly.

    Francis had seen many girls crying but none of them could make him feel this way. It was an utterly

    heart-wrenching sight.

    He didn''t know what to do or how to help her. His first reaction was to call Ashley and ask her.

    He got his phone out but stopped before dialing her number.

    It waste. He figured that Ashley might already be asleep. As Ellie had just returned, there was a

    strong chance that Ashley might not know what happened to her.

    After struggling with his decision for a short while, he finally put his phone away.

    Moving closer to Ellie, he asked, "Ellie, please stop crying. What''s wrong? You know you can tell me

    anything."

    She was still crying and couldn''t respond. "Did anybody hurt you? If that is the case, I will send

    someone to beat him up!"

    "Did something happen in L City? Ellie, please don''t cry. You can tell me about it! Please just talk to

    me."

    "Ellie..."

    Francis kept trying tofort her, but he wasn''t seeding.

    Seeing her in this awful and inconsble state, he was also heartbroken.

    He never cared about a woman''s pain and tears. The old Francis would have shamelessly left the

    crying woman and walked away.

    But he wasn''t that man any more. He cared deeply about Ellie. If there was a way to make her feel

    better and take her pain away, he would do it without giving it a second thought.

    Francis was still trying desperately to think of a way to make her stop crying, when Ellie grabbed his

    arms and pulled him close. She hugged him tight and sobbed, "They are all gone... They left me all

    alone... I am all by myself now... All by myself..." She stuttered, still bawling and holding on to Francis

    tightly.

    Francis was able to piece together a vague idea of what might have happened to her.

    But he couldn''t figure out who had left her and why she was all alone now.

    Under normal circumstances, Francis would be so stoked about Ellie''s voluntary hug. However, at this

    point he couldn''t feel anything but sad.

    Hugging Ellie back, he replied, "You are not alone. You have me. I am here for you. And I will be here

    for you forever, no matter what happens."

    Ellie raised her head suddenly upon hearing his words. Looking at him, she asked, "Really?"

    Her big eyes were full of tears and she looked confused and lost. She was asking the question

    subconsciously.

    Francis answered, "Of course! You always have me. I am all yours. I will not leave you, ever! Trust me,

    Ellie."

    Francis spoke solemnly. He always knew Ellie was definitely in his heart, but in this tender moment he

    was a hundred percent certain that he was deeply in love with her.

    He was willing to change himself and turn a new leaf for her. He would let go of all his bad habits. He

    wanted to be with her and love her forever. He wanted to marry her and be a devoted husband to

    her.

    He pursed his lips and made up his mind! He was going to prove this to Ellie.

    Ellie held his face in both hands and tried to focus on him through the haze of tears and alcohol.

    However, she was too drunk to do it. She squinted, trying her best to look at his face.

    Suddenly, she pulled him close and kissed him.

    His mind went nk. He couldn''t think about anything else in that moment.

    His head was spinning! Ellie kissed him.

    She kissed him!

    Ellie actually kissed him!

    And she kissed him on her own, without any provocation from him or anybody else!

    Francis thought she must like him. He doubted she would kiss him if she didn''t have feelings for him.

    Francis was overjoyed! He didn''t know what to do. He didn''t even know where to put his hands.

    Many girls had kissed him, but he had never been kissed by the girl he loved. Now, she was kissing

    him and he was fumbling like an idiot.

    Francis was like a young boy who was being kissed by his lover for the first time.

    Ellie had never kissed anyone. She didn''t really know how either. She was basically just biting his lips.

    She even broke the skin on his lips.

    Tasting the blood, she frowned and stopped "kissing" him. She seemed really anxious with the taste of

    blood. She looked at Francis unhappily.

    Finally, Francis recovered from the shock. He put his hands on Ellie''s shoulders and asked, "Ellie, take

    a look at me! Do you know who I am and what my name is?"

    Francis was aware that Ellie was drunk. He was afraid that she had mistaken him for someone else.

    "Francis Nan..."

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    Ellie looked him with her head cocked sideways and murmured.

    "Ellie, Ellie..."

    Francis called out her name and hugged her. Then, he kissed her back.

    Ellie didn''t push him away this time. She hugged him back and her tongue followed his.

    Francis was a very good kisser. He kissed her passionately. Only because she needed to catch her

    breath did he let her go.

 Chapter 338 Never Mind About It

    Chapter 338 Never Mind About It

    "Ellie, I''m so happy. You like me, too, don''t you?" asked Francis.

    Ellie nodded, looking at Francis'' smiling face.

    She didn''t notice it, but her dress had slipped down her shoulder, revealing her beautiful glowing skin.

    Francis''s eyes moved back and forth between her shoulder and her lips.

    It took great effort for him to look away. With a husky voice, he said, "Ellie... Ellie..."

    He leaned closer and hugged her, sweetly saying her name again and again, as if by doing so his

    desire would be lessened.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    But the warmthing from her body only made it more difficult. He moved back and stared at her red

    lips that he had once kissed.

    And soon, without realizing who initiated what, they got intertwined in each other''s bodies, like one

    organism in the darkness of the night.

    The heat in the room had risen. Ellie''s soft whimpers and the sound of her heavy breath filled the air.

    The sounds tantalized and flushed Francis.

    Outside the window, even the moon hid behind the clouds, as if it was too embarrassed to witness the

    scene.

    Francis looked at Ellie with love. She was so lovely and adorable. The smile on his face never faded

    and the depth of her eyes was without end.

    He''d never felt thisfortable and at peace before. Being with her made him immensely happy.

    From time to time, he would look at her and start to giggle, like a teenage boy.

    He couldn''t believe it was really happening. He went ahead and pinched himself.

    Ouch!

    ''It really hurts!

    This isn''t a dream!

    Last night actually happened!

    I''m really with Ellie!''

    He looked at her sleeping face. She looked so beautiful that he couldn''t help leaning down to kiss her.

    He knew it was the first time she had slept with a man, so he didn''t want to weird her out. But her touch

    was so warm and so sweet that he couldn''t resist it.

    When Ellie was hurting and asked him to stop, it took him a while to let go of her.

    He gazed at her face glowing in the morning sunshine as she slept soundly, and nted a kiss on her

    forehead.

    After that, he got out of bed, tucked her with the quilt, and headed to the kitchen.

    He wanted to make some breakfast for her, thinking she''d be hungry when she woke up.

    He rememberedughing at Andrew when he was trying to learn cooking so he could cook for Ashley.

    He now understood why he did that.

    It felt amazing to cook for a woman you loved.

    What he had forgotten in his pursuit was that he had no knowledge of cooking.

    By the end of making one omelet, he had almost blown up the kitchen.

    When Francis got out of bed, Ellie woke up. She watched him walking away, her expression

    unreadable.

    The pain she felt between her legs reminded her of what had happened the night before.

    Suddenly, her face turned pale!

    She had sex with him!

    She closed her eyes again, wondering how she had gotten back from L City yesterday.

    All she remembered was that she was really sad and had entered a wine store.

    People always said that drinking could make one forget their pains and sorrows.

    She bought a dozen bottles of wine, went back home, sat on the floor and started to drink.

    She''d gotten so drunk that she was barely conscious!

    She vaguely remembered someoneing in and kneeling down beside her, and saying something to

    comfort her.

    But she didn''t want to talk then.

    She had no idea how had she ended up in bed with him!

    A faint and blurry part of her memory told her it was her who took the initiative.

    She was lost in trying to recall what exactly had happened when a loud crash drew her back to reality.

    She thought Francis had disappeared when she saw him head out of the room. But it turned out he

    was still here and was doing something weird in the house!

    She wanted to get out of bed but she over-estimated her physical condition. When she put her feet

    onto the cold floor and tried to stand up, her legs couldn''t support her. She buckled and almost fell

    down. The pain was unbearable.

    She let out a cry of pain, then sat down on the edge of the bed.

    She felt feeble, devoid of all strength.

    But she sensed that her body was clean and fresh, then remembered Francis had helped her take a

    bath.

    In the kitchen, Francis stared at the broken dish on the floor.

    There was something burned over the pieces. It was difficult to tell what it was. Perhaps, a pie?.

    Francis stared at the mess for a while, wondering what had gone wrong. The dish was too fragile. That

    was the problem.

    It wasn''t his fault at all.

    Since he had almost blown up the kitchen, he thought it would be best if he didn''t try to cook again.

    But Ellie would be hungry.

    He went back to the bedroom and saw Ellie sitting on the edge of the bed. He didn''t know how long it

    had been since she was up.

    He forgot everything else and ran over to her. "Ellie, you''re awake! Are you hungry? I''ll go out and get

    some breakfast for you, okay?"

    He said with a look of deep concern.

    Ellie stared at him and shook her head.

    "Why? Are you in pain? I''m sorry, I might have gone overboardst night. I shall be more gentle with

    you next time."

    Ellie blushed.

    She nced at him momentarily and said after a pause, "Francis, we need to talk..."

    Francis sat down on a chair in front of her immediately and said seriously, "Okay. You talk. I''m

    listening."

    Ellie looked at him again and then turned away. "Can we just act like nothing happenedst night? It

    was an ident. But don''t worry, I won''t ask you to take responsibility for it. I won''t make it hard for

    you..."

    Her heart ached as she uttered those words.

    But her face showed no sign of it.

    She was fully aware of her own social status and what kind of person she was.

    Francis belonged to a world different than hers.

    The smile disappeared from his facepletely. He stared at her, and spoke slowly, as if each word

    was squeezed out from between his teeth with great difficulty, "What are you talking about, Ellie?"

    His eyes remained fixed on her face, as if he didn''t want to miss any of its expressions. His own face

    lookedpletely shattered after what Ellie had said.

    Ellie took a deep breath and tried to sound as normal and steady as possible. "I said we should ignore

    what happenedst night. It was just a one night stand. We''re both adults. We can afford to make such

    mistakes. I''ve already told you I won''t hold you responsible for it. Besides, you have sex with so many

    women. If all of them started to ask you to take responsibility, imagine how busy you would be! I..."

    Before she could finish her words, a loud thud interrupted her. Francis punched his fist against the wall,

    unable to stand what she was saying.

 Chapter 339 Ellies Acceptance

    Chapter 339 Ellie''s eptance

    "Ellie! Stop... talking... like that!" he spluttered.

    Francis might have been with a lot of women, but he took nobody seriously. Those women knew it and

    they didn''t mind.

    But Ellie was different. He never thought of treating her badly.

    He could not fathom why she had to hurt herself like that.

    He was really upset. Not because of what she thought about him, but because of how she saw herself.

    The worst part of it was that she called him "Mr. Francis." The fact that she called him "Mr. Francis"

    hurt him the most.

    Ellie closed her eyes and pursed her lips. She didn''t say anything.

    Francis grabbed both her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "Ellie, please tell me you''re joking."

    He looked at her, his eyes firm with pleading and frustration. "Please tell me you didn''t mean any of

    what you just said."

    Francis'' eyes spoke sincerely to Ellie.

    She couldn''t take another look at him. She needed strength to say what she was about to say, "No, I

    meant everything I said."

    Francis could see right through her lie. He shouted, "Look me in the eye and tell me again! You didn''t

    mean any of that, right?"

    Ellie looked into his eyes, her visage as fierce as the crunching in her chest. "I meant it. I meant every

    bit of it. You may leave Mr. Francis."

    Ellie pointed to the door gesturing for Francis to leave.

    "Fine!" Francis clenched his jaw and gnashed his teeth in anger.

    He let go of her and turned around to leave.

    The thud that came from the shutting door made Ellie flinch. As the door closed, the room fell into

    silence.

    Ellie could only look at the direction where he had gone.

    She wrapped herself with her shaking arms to hold herself. Her tears started falling.

    It felt as if all the tough facade she had shown him earlier had started crumbling.

    She was all by herself now. Everyone had left for real. She was really all alone.

    The reason why Ellie went to L City was to visit her grandparents.

    She was going to spend some time and have a few nice meals with them. But none of that ever

    happened. What was waiting for her was the news she never expected.

    No one was home when she arrived. She assumed that they went out for some groceries. She wanted

    to surprise them and didn''t call. But when it was getting dark, and they were still not home, she figured

    that something could be wrong.

    She asked the neighbors but never really got an answer. All of them just looked at her with sad faces

    and tried to avoid her.

    At the beginning, she didn''t care about the way they looked at her. However, she started to panic after

    she didn''t hear anything about her grandparents for the whole day. She went to the neighbors and

    asked them about her grandparents.

    They tried to avoid talking about them at first. She tried to ask again.

    Finally, one of the neighbors told her that her grandparents had passed away and it had already been a

    month.

    Brown and Laura had hardly caught a cold in their lives, but this sickness caught on them all of a

    sudden. With their age, it took their lives very quickly. No one had expected itsing.

    However, they seemed to know how little time they had before they passed. They told the neighbors

    not to tell Ellie. They said that they might fight it through and they didn''t want to make her worry. They

    also told them that if the sickness got worse, they would tell Ellie themselves.

    Upon hearing the story, she didn''t believe them.

    Her grandparents were fine during theirst visit to J City. She didn''t believe that any sickness could

    just take their lives.

    If she had known, she would not agree to let them leave.

    For days she mourned until she decided to return home.

    Just then, Francis had returned to Ellie''s house and saw her sitting on the bed, holding her knees, her

    head buried between them and crying out loud.

    He felt really bad. He wondered why it was so hard for her to ept that they had spent a night

    together.

    "Ellie, let''s eat something first." He ces a breakfast tter on the table in front of her.

    Ellie looked up at him, surprised, "Why are you still here?"

    Ellie looked miserable. Her eyes were red and swollen, but she couldn''t keep her tears from falling

    down.

    Walking closer to her, Francis sighed, "Did you forget what I told youst night? No matter what

    happens, I will be with you. You are not alone."

    Ellie looked at him with a nk expression.

    She didn''t know if she should trust him.

    But it sounded really tempting when he told her she would not be alone.

    Confusion took over Ellie.

    She didn''t know what to do.

    Her parents'' failed marriage had left a huge traumatic mark on her. She had stayed away from men for

    many years.

    But Francis was different. She didn''t hate the idea of getting close to him.

    She just realized it, but she was happy when he was around.

    When she couldn''t see him, she felt lost. She wasn''t sure about what she was feeling, but she knew

    that she cared about him.

    Ellie stared at her hands as she was deep in thought.

    Seeing her in such a state, Francis slowly moved closer and held her hands. "Ellie, I knew I was not a

    good man in the past. I was a scumbag. But I promise you I will change for you. Could you give me a

    chance?"

    His words were sincere and his eyes were serious.

    Having no strength to look away from his beautiful eyes, Ellie nodded her head slowly.

    She decided to take a chance on him.

    She thought that

    the worst consequence she would have to face was his betrayal. If that time would evere, she

    would just leave.

    Ellie''s eptance really caught Francis in surprise. He couldn''t believe his eyes. So he asked. "Ellie,

    did you just... Did you just agree to be with me?"

    There was an exciting expression on his face. His excitement made Ellie smile.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    "I did," she replied.

    "Oh my god! Ellie! You are my girlfriend now! Yeah!"

    If he could, he would totally roll around on the floor. That was how happy he was.

    He brought the breakfast over and tried to feed her. "Open your mouth. It''s hot. Be careful."

    "I will do it myself," Ellie told him shyly.

    "No, let me do it for you," he replied.

    Since he insisted, Ellie finally gave in.

    It began with Francis feeding her breakfast. Then, it ended with Francis eating the food with the same

    spoon.

    Ellie remembered Ashley''s story about how she felt really grossed out when it happened to her. Ellie

    felt the same. Seeing Francis eating the food with the same spoon she used, her expression froze. She

    wondered how he couldn''t feel disgusted.

    No wonder Ellie and Ashley were best friends. They were grossed out by the same things.

    The good thing for Ellie was that Francis didn''t know what was on her mind.

 Chapter 340 Coras Anger

    Chapter 340 Cora''s Anger

    If he found out about it, he would punish her for thinking like that

    And how he would punish her was totally up to him.

    Back in the Luo Family house, Cora furiously paced back and forth. She tossed her purse on the couch

    angrily, grinding her teeth.

    She looked so wrathful, no one dared to approach her.

    Since it was a weekend, Clyde was home. The pressure that the Lu Group was exerting on them was

    gone, and the business was back on track.

    He could finally take a break and spend some time at home.

    He noticed how upset Cora was, and he waspelled to put the newspaper aside. "What''s going

    on?" he asked. "Why do you seem so angry?"

    Clyde and Cora had started their business from scratch. They only had one child and that child was

    Raymond. Sometimes, they put a lot of pressure on him without intending to.

    Clyde loved Cora deeply. He was a faithful husband. He had never lied to or cheated on her. All he

    wanted was to spend a good life with her alone.

    They managed the business together. Their lives had improved significantly after the business

    flourished. However, Cora had changed.

    Sess spoiled her. She started to think too highly of herself and looked down on girls like Ashley.

    Thankfully, her rtionship with Clyde was unaffected.

    Presently, his question made her think of Lena. Unable to keep it inside her anymore, she snapped,

    "It''s all because of Lena! She is such a horrible person!"

    He replied, "What about her? I thought you liked her." Clyde was well aware of Lena. In fact, he had a

    good impression of her.

    "I remember you brought her soup today... Also, why are you home early?" he asked, with a look of

    confusion.

    She had told him about Lena''s miscarriage, which was thest thing he heard about her.

    He felt sorry for her. If Ashley hadn''t caused her miscarriage, she would soon have be a mother,

    and he would''ve be a grandfather.

    Cora loved Lena a lot.

    She treated her like their own daughter.

    "Please, don''t. Her very name upsets me!" Cora replied.

    Clyde stood up, curious about what was going on. "What''s happened? Did she say something to you?"

    "If that was the case, I wouldn''t have been so upset. You don''t know how much she loathes our family.

    She nned the whole abortion thing! She did it herself, Clyde! She wants to take Ashley''s position

    and marry the CEO of the Lu Group!"

    The more she talked about Lena, the angrier she got. She had treated her so well, and this is how she

    turned out!

    She couldn''t understand how she could be so heartless. Even an animal understood the value of

    loyalty!

    It was because Cora didn''t know this whole story that she had so bluntly med Ashley!

    "Are you sure about this? She seems like a good girl. Is it possible you might be mistaken?" asked

    Clyde, unable to digest this information.

    Cora sneered, "No, it is not! I know now that she acts like a nice girl. She almost fooled me with her

    pretentious innocence! Hear me out. She framed Ashley and defamed her!"

    As she exined the matter to him, Cora passed him a voice recorder.

    Listening to the recording again, she started to realize what a danger Lena was.

    They all had been fooled by her.

    She sat beside him, listening to each word carefully.

    Ashley had left a copy of the recording for her before leaving.

    Cora took it, but she didn''t appreciate it at all.

    Clyde''s expression spoke of the disgust he was feeling after he finished listening to the recording.

    When Lena''s parents had talked to them, they''d said Lena and Raymond really loved each other. They

    wanted them to get married and have a good life.

    None of them had guessed it was all a sham. The most despicable thing was when she forced the

    abortion of her own baby and how she loathed Raymond even though she had everything!

    Lena was the sick mastermind behind all of this, and her family was her aplice. The Mu family had

    pushed too far!

    Clyde banged his palm on the side table. "This time the Mu family has gone too far, Cora! We cannot

    let this go unpunished!" he said, as furious as Cora had been a while earlier.

    Cora agreed, "Exactly! First of all, we need to call off the wedding! What their family has done is

    unforgivable, and they will have to pay for it!" Suddenly, she thought about Raymond. "Have you seen

    Raymond? Is he home?"

    she asked.

    "I haven''t seen him. He would probably be at the hospital, taking care of that evil woman!"

    Frowning, Cora replied, "Yes, he was still there when I went. But after listening to the recording, he said

    something to Lena and left. I assumed he''d havee home."

    She was suddenly worried. "Where is he? I really hope he doesn''t take it all upon himself. What if he

    hurts himself, Clyde? I''m worried."

    She was getting more and more anxious.

    Clyde held her hand andforted her. "He won''t. He is a grown up man who knows what he''s doing.

    He won''t do anything stupid. Don''t worry."

    Before Cora could say anything else, Clyde distracted her. "When do you think we should talk to them

    about canceling the wedding?"

    "Let''s do it right away! Since we have the day off, let''s end it as soon as possible. Just thinking about

    Lena is making me sick!"

    She paused for a while, then gnashed, "I thought she was such a nice girl, you know. But... it''s

    heartbreaking that she''s so evil. How could she kill her own child?"

    Clyde replied, "Alright. You know what? Don''t think about it anymore. What''s done is done. There is no

    point in thinking about it continuously. We just need to deal with it."

    Cora still couldn''t let go of her anger. However, Clyde''s words made sense. All they could do was limit

    the damage.

    Hurriedly, they got up to leave for the Mu family mansion.

    On their way out, they saw Raymond walking into the living room.

    Cora spotted him right away. She put her purse down and rushed to him. "Raymond, honey, are you

    okay? Where have you been? I''ve been so worried about you!"

    Raymond put up a smile for her mother and replied, "I am okay, Mother."

    Cora could sense the difficulty he had, trying to smile. Lena was surely on his mind.

    Carefully, she asked him, "Raymond, do you think you could still love Lena after all this? My dear, she

    is not good for you! She''s so cruel to have killed her own baby! And for what? For getting a better

    social status?!"

    "Honey, listen to me. Your father and I are going to see the Mu family to call off the wedding. I will find a

    good, nice and smart girl for you!"

    Seeing her worried eyes and knowing she was trying tofort him, he let her continue talking, even

    though he barely heard any of it. He simply nodded his head, then replied, "Okay..."

    Cora continued, "Do you want to go with us?"

    Raymond shook his head and replied, "No, Mother. Can I just stay home? I need some time to myself."

    His voice sounded weak. He was having a hard time processing what had happened. The natural smile

    he always carried was gone.            This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

 Chapter 341 What If He Hurts Himself

    Chapter 341 What If He Hurts Himself

    Raymond''s frustration worried Cora. "Okay, sweetie. You take some time to rx. But promise me you

    won''t do anything stupid or hurt yourself. Lena does not deserve a person like you. You will meet

    someone much better than her!"

    Raymond nodded indifferently and walked past Cora, heading upstairs to his bedroom.

    Seeing him walking away, Cora said to Clyde in a low voice, "I''m so worried about him. What if he hurts

    himself? Maybe I should stay with him."

    Clyde was also worried about his son. He saw how broken he looked, cut off from his surroundings as

    if he had lost his soul.

    But he tried tofort Cora instead. "Don''t worry, honey. You should believe in your son. He won''t do

    any of those things. He''s not that weak. Give him some time to think about it alone."

    "Okay," said Cora, nodding her head worriedly.

    She felt constantly pissed at Lena for having hurt her son like that. "Lena is such a shameless woman!

    I will never allow her to get away with this stunt. She cannot live a happy life after doing this to my son!"

    Raymond was the most important person in the world to Cora. Naturally, she couldn''t let pass what

    Lena had done to him.

    That entire day, Ron did not go to thepany office.

    Instead, he stood in Lena''s bedroom, seeing her pack her bags.

    "You can call me if you need anything. If you run out of money, I''ll give you as much as you need!"

    he said, while Lena quietly arranged her luggage.

    They didn''t have a particrly close rtionship when they were young. But even though Lena didn''t

    treat him very well, she was still his sister.

    Seeing his sister in trouble, Ron couldn''t help but worry about her.

    Lena was stunned at his words. It took her a while to answer. "Okay," she said.

    Her voice sounded a little hoarse, since she hadn''t said anything for a long time.

    "You can''t think of your life as a trip, you know. Just think about what you have done. What did you gain

    by hurting others and yourself?

    You are no longer a child. You have grown up with the love and protection of the Mu family, and haven''t

    experienced anything of the world. I really hope this tragic incident changes you."

    Lena''s expression finally changed. Her eyes turned red, with crystal tears flooding them. "Thank you,

    Ron," she said, without a hint of ingenuity.

    He was the only person in this family who would treat her with so much patience at this moment.

    Ron hugged Lena gently, slightly awkwardly. "You''re my sister. It''s my duty to help you. You don''t have

    to thank me. I hope you understand my concern."

    "I do..." Lena said, nodding obediently.

    They were both getting emotional. Suddenly, the maid knocked on the door. "Mr. and Mrs. Mu have

    asked for both of you toe downstairs."

    "Okay. We''ll be there soon," replied Ron.

    After the maid left, Ron wiped the tears off Lena''s face and said, "Well, wash your face and thene

    downstairs. Don''t worry, okay? I will stand by your side. The Luo family won''t go too far, I know that."

    Meanwhile, Cora and Clyde had just entered the living room.

    Seeing them, Peggy quickly put up a smile on her face and said enthusiastically, "Cora! Wee to

    our home! Come here and have a seat."

    She then looked around herself. "Oh, where is Lena? Why hasn''t shee down yet? Terri, go

    upstairs and urge Lena toe here immediately."

    Cora took a step back to avoid being touched by Peggy''s hand, and said indifferently, "No, we haven''t

    come here to meet Lena. Mrs. Mu, we are here to talk about something very important with you."

    Cora used to think Lena was the perfect woman. She also thought very highly of her mother, Peggy.

    But now she realized Peggy had been in on this as well.

    ''What a tacky woman Peggy is! No wonder she has such a daughter, '' thought Cora.

    Peggy was a little embarrassed, but maintained the smile on her face and asked, "Okay, Cora. What''s

    the important matter that you want to talk about?"

    Cora sat down on the sofa and started slowly, "I think you''d better call me Mrs. Luo. Our rtionship

    isn''t so intimate that you call me by my name. I am not going to be your daughter''s mother-inw,

    anyway."

    The smile on Peggy''s face instantly disappeared. "Why would you say that?" she asked.

    Ignoring her expression, Cora produced the recording pen. "You will understand why after you listen to

    this recording..."

    "What''s this?" asked Peggy curiously.

    "This is for you to find out how Lena lost her baby and that Ashley had nothing to do with it," said Cora.

    Peggy frowned. "Baby? It was Ashley who caused Lena''s miscarriage!"

    Cora sneered but kept quiet. ''Peggy is such a bad mother! Both the mother and daughter are

    completely alike! Peggy is also ming Ashley, just like Lena did!''

    "Mrs. Mu, you''d better listen to the recording first..."

    "What are you listening to?"

    said Ron, as he walked down the staircase with Spencer.

    Peggy had asked someone to inform them as soon as Cora and Clyde had arrived.

    ncing at Spencer, Cora said, "Ah, Mr. Mu, I''m happy you are here too. Well, let''s listen to this

    recording together, shall we?"

    Ignoring how everyone in the room felt, Cora yed the recording in the pen.

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Ashley''s and Lena''s voice filled the quiet air.

    Peggy and Spencer were a little embarrassed, eyeing each other sideways.

    Only Ron remained unmoved, since Lena had already told him everything about this incident. However,

    upon hearing some parts of it, he felt that it was uneptable.

    ''How could Lena do those bad things?'' he thought, unable to process it in his mind.

    The recordingsted for about ten minutes.

    Once it was over, Cora put away the recording pen and looked at the Mu family''s faces. "Well? How do

    you feel about this? Mr. Mu and Mrs. Mu, are you satisfied with your daughter''s performance?"

    Spencer finally came to his senses and looked at Clyde and Cora. "There seems to be a

    misunderstanding... Lena isn''t such a person. She would never do those bad things..."

    Peggy quickly added, "Yes. You know Lena so well. Do you really think she would do something like

    that?"

    Their words annoyed Cora. "Misunderstanding? How can there be one?" Isn''t it Lena''s voice in this

    recording? She looks down upon Raymond and wants to get married to a richer man. She even killed

    Raymond''s child. We cannot stand her! We havee here to call off the engagement."

    "Recording? Where did this recordinge from?" asked Peggy in amazement.

    "Ashley gave it to me," said Cora.

    "Mrs. Luo, you don''t know Ashley very well. What if she gave you a fake recording? Maybe she

    nned all this to frame Lena!" Peggy couldn''t help raising her voice.

    Cora didn''t say anything but sneered. ''Peggy is so ridiculous. She never fails to criticize Ashley while

    praising Lena.

    How can she not feel embarrassed to exaggerate her dislike like that?

    Ashley is a member of the Lu family, after all! And Andrew treats her well. It''s impossible that Ashley

    would envy Lena, '' thought Cora.

 Chapter 342 Cores Decision

    Chapter 342 Core''s Decision

    Cora obviously doubted Peggy. There was nothing Lena had that would make Ashley jealous!

    Instead, it was Lena who was the jealous one.

    She despised her for all that she had done!

    Cora sneered, "Fake? How could Ashley possibly have faked this recording?"

    Peggy shook her head wildly, hoping Cora would reason with her.

    Cora put up a scornful smile. The entire family was a bunch of liars!

    "Look, I have already consulted a professional to check the recording. It is real. It was Lena who said

    all of that. What have you got to say about that?"

    Peggy replied, "It''s Impossible!" She had to convince Cora that Lena wasn''t the type of person who

    could do something like that. "Cora! You must be mistaken, please understand!"

    Cora responded impatiently, "We really don''t care what you think. We are here to call off the wedding.

    Your daughter is apparently too good for our son. We don''t dare be her family!"

    Her words stung Peggy, but she managed to keep herselfposed. "Mrs. Luo, what are you talking

    about? This decision isn''t up to us! They love each other. They have been together for so long and are

    already engaged. You can''t just call it off in an instant!"

    Cora lost all her calm. Raising her voice, she said, "Oh, since you are asking for it, let me make it

    harder for you. Raymond never even loved Lena! Did you know that your dear daughter drugged my

    son so he would sleep with her?"

    Peggy looked haunted. However, Cora continued, "I knew Raymond wouldn''t sleep with some girl just

    because he''d had a few drinks. I never really thought of Lena in such a bad light. And since they''d

    already slept together, I didn''t say anything about the marriage. But now I''m left with no choice. Let''s

    make everything clear right away!"

    She then took a breath. Peggy couldn''t say anything and let her continue. "I never liked the fact that

    Ashley was an adopted child, so I didn''t want to see her with Raymond. After what happened between

    Raymond and Lena that night, I thought it was the best opportunity for Raymond to stay away from

    Ashley. Therefore I decided to support Lena and go with the engagement. By the way, did you know

    why Lena did all that? She got engaged to Raymond simply so she could take him away from Ashley!

    Raymond and Ashley used to be together at one point in time!"

    Her voice kept rising, but she was too angry to notice it. "What a damn y! Your daughter fooled our

    entire family with her little tricks!"

    Peggy stood frozen in her ce, as if she''d been struck with lightening. She knew all about this, but

    she hadn''t expected Cora to find out.

    On the other hand, Ron was truly shocked. He was having a hard time believing what Cora had just

    said. He looked at Peggy with a peculiar expression. Wanting to be sure, he asked, "Mother, is what

    Mrs. Luo said true?"

    Peggy looked back at Ron with embarrassment.

    She couldn''t believe things had gotten out of her control!

    Just yesterday, everything was fine.

    She could never have anticipated things would go so drastically wrong.

    Cora noticed Peggy''s embarrassment. She didn''t push it anymore. "Alright. Although it was

    unfortunate, we don''t really want anything from you. We just want to inform you about canceling the

    wedding. We will soon find an appropriate time to announce it publicly. From this day forward, the Luo

    family will have nothing to do with the Mu family."

    Cora''s words were firm and determined.

    Spencer was thrown into a panic attack. Since Lena and Raymond had gotten engaged, he had made

    several big deals in the business. There were parties doing business with him solely on the basis of his

    association with the Luo Group!

    If the wedding got canceled, he would lose all those partners.

    Hurriedly, he spoke, "Clyde, it is Lena''s fault. She has done some things she shouldn''t have, but she is

    just a young girl. Won''t you give her a chance to make amends? Everyone already knows she was

    going to marry Raymond. It would be too harsh to cancel the wedding! Don''t you think?"

    Spencer did have a point. Clyde thought about what he said. Then he asked for Cora''s opinion. "What

    do you think, Cora?"

    They made all their decisions together. They had a very good rtionship even when they were

    destitute, and it had continued to be that way even after they started gettingfortable.

    Cora was firm. "No! There is no chance of that happening! We have to cancel the wedding. Raymond

    cannot marry a liar and a cheater like Lena! She is a selfish person who only cares about what she

    wants. Who knows what else she is capable of? My son will never marry her!"

    Cora stood firm on this issue, believing there was no need for discussion.

    Clyde nodded and replied, "Her decision is mine..."

    He made it clear that Cora''s decision was final.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Aptly enough, Lena walked in at that moment.

    Peggy pulled her and yelled, "Lena! Give Mrs. Luo an exnation. Tell her you didn''t say all these

    things! You didn''t. Right?"

    Even at this point, Peggy didn''t want her to admit the truth.

    Scared, Lena looked at Cora and Clyde. She bowed down and apologized sincerely, "I am so sorry, Mr.

    and Mrs. Luo!"

    She then turned to Peggy and confessed, "Mother, I said all those things. If they want to cancel the

    wedding, I have nothing to say."

    Cora raised her eyebrows. "You see? She is admitting it herself. What do you have to say now?"

    In a matter of seconds, the sound of a loud p stunned everyone. No one had expected Spencer to

    p Lena!

    Her face swelled instantly. The red finger prints burning her skin. Blood flowed out of the corners of her

    mouth.

    "Kneel down now!" Spencer ordered.

    The fury he felt this time was unlike what he''d ever felt before.

    Spencer loved Lena the most. This was a true shock.

    Cora had no sympathy towards Lena, though. She just couldn''t stand this drama, so she just frowned.

    Impatient, she said to Spencer, "Please excuse us. Take your time to teach your daughter a lesson

    after we''re gone. What she did was horrible. She killed her baby in the blink of an eye, for god''s sake!"

    "Don''t you want to stay a little longer?" Spencer said, trying to urge them to stay so he could convince

    them not to cancel the wedding.

    He thought putting up a show for them to make them change their minds.

    After all, canceling the wedding wasn''t that big a deal for the Luo family. It was the Mu Group who

    would be affected by it.

    Clyde added, "Thank you, but we have to go. We have to deal with some other family issues." Clyde

    could see through Spencer''s sham.

    After they left the house, Cora said to Clyde, "Spencer isn''t a good person either. He pped Lena just

    so he could change our decision. Did he really think that kind of drama would make us forget what she

    did? Is hepletely stupid or does he think we''re so dumb we''ll buy it?"

 Chapter 343 Lenas Fate

    Chapter 343 Lena''s Fate

    Clyde replied, "Either way, it doesn''t matter. We already canceled the wedding. Let''s go home to see

    Raymond."

    Cora replied, "Right! Raymond! I don''t know how he''s doing now. He didn''t look good. It was all Lena''s

    fault! Did you see what she did to Raymond? Oh! I have to remind you! You can''t do business with the

    Mu Group anymore! What Lena did was terrible! I''m so angry with her! Her family has to pay for it!"

    Clyde replied, "Okay! Just rx. I''ll do whatever you say." When he spoke, his voice was loving and

    seemingly conniving.

    In the Mu family''s house, Spencer looked at Lena, who was still kneeling on the floor even after Cora

    and Clyde had left.

    His face was still red in anger. He asked, "Tell me! Were Cora telling the truth? Did you do those

    horrible things?"

    She simply admitted, "I did."

    "What a scoundrel!" he cursed.

    Then he scolded, "I told you to stay away from him! Don''t you know who he is? He''s the sessor of

    the Lu family, the most powerful family in the J City. We can''t afford to cross him!

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    I can''t believe this! I have to butter him up. But you! How could you even try to seduce him? You went

    as far as abort your baby. Look at what you''ve done! Are you happy now?"

    As he thought of how it was Lena''s fault that he lost the Luo Group as his partner, he only got angrier.

    Peggy was angry with Lena too. She too looked mad. After Lena got engaged, she''d been showing off

    to others about how bright Lena''s future was.

    Now, she was going to be the biggest joke.

    And her friends would ask her about it. They would ask her how it happened. She didn''t even know

    how to tell them so she wouldn''t feel more embarrassed.

    Peggymented, "Why do I have a daughter like you?"

    None of them noticed the tears in Lena''s eyes. She kept her head low. And her body straightened even

    as she was kneeling on the floor.

    Lena suddenly felt as if her parents didn''t even care about her and only cared about themselves.

    She realized how little she meant to them.

    She was nothing but a way for them to build a bond with the Luo family.

    If she was of use to them, they loved her and spoiled her. But when she didn''t provide them with

    anything, they just ignored her.

    She pursed her lips and held her tears back. Kneeing on the floor, she didn''t utter a single word.

    She knew no matter what she said, it was not going to do her any good.

    Ron looked at Lena. As he thought of what Cora said, he couldn''t bring himself to pity her.

    He couldn''t understand why she would hurt Ashley that way.

    Her reason wasn''t enough for him. He couldn''t understand why she would sleep with Ashley''s

    boyfriend and consequently stole him away from her just because she was jealous.

    Ron didn''t have the heart to talk to her. He wanted her to think about what she had done.

    He turned to his parents and suggested, "Dad, Mom, I think it will be a good idea to send Lena out the

    country."

    Spencer replied, "Out the country? Why would I do that? Why do you think that''s a good idea? The Luo

    family just canceled the marriage. She can''t leave the country now! Do you have any idea what people

    would say? They''d say that it was her fault the marriage was canceled!"

    He spoke as if Lena was a saint and hadn''t done anything wrong.

    Peggy agreed with Spencer. Shemented, "That''s right! Why do you want us to send her abroad?"

    Ron thought for a moment. He knew it would be good for Lena''s reputation and their family''s

    reputation. This was the best way to address Ashley''s issues too. Whatever Ashley thought and felt

    was going to dictate what Andrew was going to do next.

    Andrew was going to get his revenge on the Mu family and Lena. Ashely was the only one who could

    stop him.

    Even though Ron had only met Andrew once, he knew how cold-blooded and merciless he could be.

    As he looked Lena, he decided to tell his parents what she had done at the hospital.

    Based on how they had dealt with Andrew''s rage before, he already knew what his parents were going

    to decide.

    "What? What did you just say? Ashley''s going to sue Lena. Is that for real? How dare she! Does she

    not know that she''s part of the Mu family? No matter who she''s married to, she''s still part of our family!

    She can''t just abandon us like that. If the public finds out, she won''t have a ce anymore in J City!

    She can''t do that!" Spencer protested. If Ashley really did break her rtions with the Mu family, J City

    might see her as some heartless woman who abandoned the family that raised her.

    Upon hearing this, Peggy nced at Spencer. Then she lowered her gaze, panicking as her heart was

    racing. She kept tugging at the corner of her shirt.

    She really didn''t know what to do. She should have told him about Ashley in the first ce. She

    couldn''t believe they were talking about this right now.

    Ashely was no longer the part of the Mu family. When they tried to force her into a marriage she didn''t

    want, she''d cut them offpletely. Ashley''s name had already been removed from the household

    register of the Mu family.

    Peggy thought Ashley was joking and she woulde backter to bag for her forgiveness. However,

    Ashley even recorded the conversation they had. Peggy wasn''t see thating.

    She cursed Ashley in her heart for what Ashley had done.

    If Ashley knew what was on Peggy''s mind, she would have fought back.

    All she did was protect herself. They had promised her so many things but they never kept their

    promises. She recorded it just in case.

    Lena, Peggy, and Ron didn''t respond to Spencer. They knew what was going on. They couldn''t even

    look at Spencer except for Ron, who was looking at him strangely. When he had juste back,

    Ashley told him she''d been kicked out of the family. However, it seemed as if Spencer didn''t know

    anything about it.

    Ron frowned. He replied, "Dad. Ashley''s been cut off from the Mu family. Didn''t you know that? Why

    are you..."

    Spencer interrupted him, "How could she be cut off from her family? She''s still a Mu. I haven''t agreed

    to cut her off. How can you say that?"

    Ron knitted his eyebrows together. He didn''t know what was going on.

    Spencer was in the dark about everything.

    When Peggy saw that Ron was about to open his mouth again, she chimed in, "Ron, could you take

    Lena upstairs first? I have to talk to your father. We''re going to send Lena abroad. You can decide

    where she goes. She needs to start packing. You can help her with that."

    Ron merely nodded as he pulled Lena upstairs.

    When they were gone, Peggy asked the servants to leave before turning to Spencer. "Spencer, I have

    to tell you something."

    Spencer replied, "What is it? What is so important you have to send all the servants away?"

 Chapter 344 A Slap On The Face

    Chapter 344 A p On The Face

    Peggy regretted that she didn''t listen to Lena earlier as she was trying to exin to Spencer. Things

    hade to this point where everyone in the Mu family except Spencer knew that Ashley had cut off

    all ties with them. He was still in the dark about the whole thing.

    "There is one thing I have to tell you...it''s a little... you have to promise me that you won''t get angry if I

    tell you," said Peggy.

    Spencer was getting impatient. Everything that had happened already irked him enough and he

    couldn''t believe there was more. "What is it? Start talking and stop wasting my time."

    "Okay. What I''m going to tell you is that...Ashley...She isn''t a member of our family anymore," said

    Peggy.

    Spencer didn''t think much of it when he heard this the first time from Ron. Ron had just been back from

    abroad then so it was understandable that he''d made a mistake like that, as he wasn''t around to see

    her.

    But what did Peggy mean by saying that?

    ''What does that mean that Ashley is not a member of the Mu family anymore?

    Whose family does she belong to if she is not a member of this one?''

    Earlier, he was even thinking that if that person loved Ashley then he could possibly take advantage of

    her powerful family and try to develop a connection with the Lu family.

    It would be great to have some sort of connection with them. If anyone found out, they would treat the

    Mu family differently.

    In his mind, he had already nned it in detail. Peggy telling him that Ashley wasn''t a part of the family

    anymore would destroy his n.

    As he thought of this, he asked glumly, "What the hell does that mean? Can you exin it to me

    clearly?"

    ''Shit!'' cried Peggy in her heart upon seeing Spencer getting more agitated.

    She had no choice but to exin it, as she didn''t want to dy this any longer.

    "Do you remember the time you asked Ashley to go to the marriage interview? Ashley set one

    condition that after the interview, she wanted nothing to do with the Mu family anymore. She even

    asked me to remove her name under the household register. I thought she was just throwing a tantrum

    so I didn''t take her seriously and just agreed to it. I didn''t know that she had taped our conversation..."

    "So you removed her name from the household register? Basically announcing that she isn''t a member

    of the family anymore?" Spencer prompted.

    Peggy nodded. "I didn''t expect that she would marry into such a prominent family. She was just

    adopted. Who knew she''d be capable of doing such a thing?"

    "What the hell have you done?! Why didn''t you tell me earlier? Why did you have to wait until now to

    tell me?" Spencer roared.

    "It''s just that you''ve been so busytely. I thought it wasn''t a big deal, so I didn''t want to bother you with

    this..."

    Peggy trailed off as the anger in Spencer''s face grew.

    "What a stupid woman! You have never done anything right!" said Spencer angrily.

    Peggy didn''t like being spoken to like that. "How could I know that Ashley would do something like

    that?

    If I had known, I would never have agreed in the first ce!"

    "Just stop it. There''s no use to that anymore. Prepare some gifts to bring to her when we go and visit

    her. After all, it''s us who raised her. How could she just cut us off like that? She just probably said that

    because she was angry."

    Peggy''s eyes gleamed. ''Yeah, that''s right.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    She had lived with us for so many years. She can''t just cut us off so easily. She was just highly

    emotional and mad at that time. If we visited her bearing gifts and kindness, maybe she''d want to make

    peace with us.

    She also has to think about the Lu family''s social status.

    She''s just an orphan. Even if she did marry into the Lu family because Andrew loves her, who knows

    what people will think?

    Andrew wouldn''t cut the Lu family off no matter how much he adores her.

    The Mu family is the most notable family in J City. It''s better for her to remain a part of this family.''

    "You''re right. That''s a great idea. I''ll go and prepare gifts right now," Peggy said.

    After which, she left and went upstairs. She started to prepare the gifts for Ashley.

    She''dpletely forgotten how much there was to be prepared for Lena going abroad.

    She realized how Lena''s life couldpare to hers which was a life of luxury.

    Lena nced at Ron then said, "Whatever you want to ask, just ask me now. I''ll tell you everything I

    know." She was going abroad anyway. Whatever she did in the past didn''t matter now.

    She didn''t even know how she could have done those things before.

    Perhaps, it gave her a sense of achievement and sess to steal what belonged to Ashley? Perhaps it

    felt good to see her upset?

    Either way, she didn''t know why she did those things in the first ce.

    "Why did Ashley leave our family?" Ron asked.

    Ron had just returned from abroad when Ashley told him that she wasn''t part of their family anymore.

    No matter how many times he asked, she wouldn''t tell him the real reason.

    "Well, it was mostly because of me.

    When Raymond and I first got together, mom was afraid that Ashley and Raymond might get back

    together so she arranged for Ashley to go to a marriage interview so she could get married.

    But she just broke up with Raymond so she didn''t want to go to the marriage interview. She wasn''t

    ready for that then. Plus, the person Peggy wanted her to marry was disgusting.

    So Ashley refused. She agreedter on but for unknown reasons she added one condition. Mom

    figured she didn''t mean it so she agreed but what she didn''t know was that Ashley had taped their

    conversation. That''s how this all happened."

    Ron didn''t speak for a long time. Later a smile appeared on his lips. "I think maybe it''s good for her to

    leave the Mu family. At least she''s happier now."

    When she was still part of the Mu family, no one else really treated her well except for Ron.

    Now she was able to live more freely and she seemed happier.

    Lena looked at him as if she was in deep thought. She didn''t expect for that toe from him.

    But on a second thought, maybe it was expected of Ron to say that.

    Ron looked at Lena and said, "You have a wound on your face. I''ll get someone to treat that for you.

    From now on, you are not to behave like that anymore. You know you''ll be the one to get hurt at the

    end of the day."

    Lena''s eyes reddened. She nodded and impulsively, she hugged him. "I know that now, Ron."

 Chapter 345 Thats It For This Matter

    Chapter 345 That''s It For This Matter

    Within the Mu family, Ron was probably the only one who was really good to her.

    Ron sighed and hugged Lena. "Okay, since you realize that what you have done was wrong, just don''t

    do the same kind of things again. Okay?"

    "Okay," replied Lena.

    As soon as Ron left, Lena took out her cell phone. After pondering for a while, she navigated to

    Ashley''s number and sent her a message.

    After she hit the send button, she heaved a long sigh. Something else was weighing heavily on her

    mind.

    Ashley was surprised when she saw an iing message from Lena. Given the circumstances, that

    was next to impossible.

    She clicked it open and read it.

    "Ashley, for what I have done to you in the past, I am really sorry and I want to ask for your forgiveness.

    I hope you can forget all those bad things I did, though I know it is hard to forgive someone like me.

    Anyone in your ce would find it difficult to forgive the person who puts them through the kind of pain

    I have caused you. But from now on, I have made up my mind to do at least one thing that would be

    best for you. I''m leaving this country tomorrow and I promise, never to bother you anymore.

    And finally, I want to thank you for not holding me responsible. I wish you all the happiness."

    She read the message in one breath and was left dumbfounded.

    She checked the sender again to make sure that the message was from Lena. She couldn''t believe

    that Lena could send her such a message.

    ''Lena... She would say something like that?

    Has she finallye to her senses? Is she a changed person now?''

    Ashley didn''t think further, what was going on with Lena and put the cell phone away.

    It was on Ron''s ount that she decided to let her get away with it.

    Not that Ron had intervened or said anything to do with forgiving Lena. But of course, Ashley could see

    his reasons foring to see her.

    After all Lena was his sister.

    Meanwhile, when Johnny found out that Lena was leaving the country, he informed Andrew about it.

    Frowning, Andrew asked, "Going abroad? Does she think that it would be okay as long as she goes

    abroad? No, we can''t let Lena get away with it like that."

    "Right," said Johnny.

    Miss Mu was the apple of the CEO''s eye. How could Lena expect nothing happen to her after all she

    that she had done?

    As Johnny came out of Andrew''s study, Ashley called him aside. "Johnny, what did Andrew say to you?

    You didn''t tell him aboutst night, did you?"

    Johnny said, "Miss Mu, you can be assured that I told Mr. Lu nothing aboutst night. But Lena has

    decided to go abroad. Mr. Lu seems to be angry about it."

    "Okay, I got it," said Ashley.

    "Do you need anything else from me, Miss Mu?" asked Johnny.

    "No, thank you. You go ahead with your job," said Ashley.

    "Okay," said Johnny.

    After Johnny left, Ashley patted her chest as if to encourage herself.

    Outside the study, she wondered if she would go in.

    Last night she wanted to tell him the truth, but thenter something happened. So she didn''t get the

    chance to tell him.

    But she had already agreed with Ron to let Lena go abroad.

    ''Anyway, I have the say on this matter, don''t I?''

    An idea came to her. She knocked at the door of the study.

    "Come in."

    The reply from inside was quick.

    Ashley pushed the door open and stepped into the room.

    At his desk, Andrew''s eyes were fixed on theptop, his fingers moving swiftly on the keyboard. He

    didn''t even notice that she came in.

    As the CEO of the Lu Group and the head of the Lu family, he was quite a busy man.

    Hearing no sound from the person who came in, Andrew frowned. He was about to say something,

    when he raised his head and saw Ashley had already moved closer and stood by his side.

    The motions of his fingers on the keyboard slowed down, his face instantly turning gentle and soft.

    "What is it?"

    "I have something to talk to you about. But it''s not urgent. You can finish your work first,"

    Ashley said hastily.

    "Okay."

    So Andrew turned back to theputer. True, what he was doing was very important.

    Ashley went to sit on the couch quietly and put her cell phone on silent mode. Patiently waiting, she

    sat, ying with her phone in silence, so as not to disturb him.

    Once he knew she''d be there waiting on the couch, Andrew turned back to his work, his fingers moving

    even faster on the keyboard.

    He didn''t want to keep her waiting for too long.

    The new game that Ashley was ying seemed interesting, but she had something that was distracting

    her, so she didn''t concentrate on the game much.

    After losing in several games, she started to get annoyed.

    So she quit ying and started to check her favorite micro blogs.

    As usual, designing was top on her search mission.

    The two of them were in perfect harmony.

    Meanwhile, Andrew was still typing like a maniac, lost in his work.

    As soon as he finished his work and he turned to see Ashley who was still sitting on the couch.

    Just seeing her alone was enough to turn him into a cheerful mood.

    In the interval of browsing the blogs, Ashley looked at the time and turned up her head to check on him.

    Half an hour had passed, she guessed that he had finished his work.

    When she looked up, their eyes met.

    For a moment, they silently watched each other, savoring the beauty of the moment and nothing else.

    After what appeared like an eternity, it was Ashley who snapped herself out of the reverie and broke

    the silence. "Have you finished your work?"

    "Yes," replied Andrew.

    Ashley put away her cell phone and went over to his side. "I want to talk with you about Lena."

    "About Lena''s going abroad?"

    "Right."

    "Don''t worry. I won''t let anyone who hurt you, get away with it. It''s toote for her to think about going

    abroad. As we speak, I''ve instructed Johnny to handle the matter. She won''t be able to go abroad as

    easily as she thinks."

    It was the first time Ashley had heard Andrew say something so long.

    With aplicated expression, she stared at him, wondering why he adored her so much.

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Yesterday she had received a big blow. Even today, it took her a long time to calm herself enough so as

    to talk with him about this matter.

    However, his words stirred her emotions again.

    Reading her eyes, Andrew noticed there was something unusual. "What''s wrong?"

    "Oh, nothing." Ashley drew back her attention and shook her head.

    "Well, about Lena''s going abroad, I''ve known about that. In fact, it''s...it''s my idea that she should go

    abroad. I mean, can we just forget the whole matter? That to me, is it a good idea. Is that okay with

    you?'' She looked at him keenly after, her words lingering in the air for a while, as they started at each

    other in silence.

 Chapter 346 Andrewâ€™s Misunderstanding

    Chapter 346 Andrew¡¯s Misunderstanding

    "Why?"

    Andrew couldn''t believe that Ashley would let Lena get away after all the horrible things that she had

    done.

    He had always known how much Ashley detested Lena for framing her countless times. Letting her get

    away with it didn''t make sense.

    Ashley might seem affable but he knew she could get vengeful.

    She fought back when somebody messed with her.

    Having been with each other for quite some time, Andrew knew Ashley well. He never expected

    Ashley''s lukewarm response this time.

    "No particr reason. I am not in the mood to deal with her. Isn''t it a good thing that she is going

    abroad? Before long, we won''t have to see her anymore," said Ashley.

    Andrew never refused any request from Ashley, but he cannot just ept her decision this time.

    He cared about her so much that he wanted to get back at anyone who dared to scar her.

    A frown formed on his face. "I remember that you hate her very much. Why are you letting her get

    away with what she has done to you?"

    Ashley looked away and didn''t dare look at Andrew. Her hatred towards Lena never faded away. If

    anything, it had grown bigger and bigger every time that horrible woman framed her in order to take

    everything she had. But this was the first time Ron asked her a favor. No matter how mad she was, she

    couldn''t help but ept his request.

    Ashley bit her lips and didn''t say anything.

    Ashley knew that Andrew wanted to help her get even with Lena, and that he''d do it out of concern for

    her.

    But thinking of what had happened the previous night, Ashley couldn''t say anything.

    ''It doesn''t matter what he thinks, '' she thought.

    "Well, I will go outter. As for Lena, let''s just ignore her."

    After saying that, Ashley turned to leave.

    Just as she did, Andrew grabbed her hand and asked her with concern, "What is wrong with you?"

    Ashley had been indifferent since the night before.

    Andrew squeezed her hand gently. "I''m fine."

    She let go and started walking away.

    Andrew couldn''t help but wonder what happened.

    Last night, it was Johnny who drove her home.

    Andrew took out his phone and called Johnny.

    Johnny had to go back to the vi even though he had just stepped out.

    As he walked past the living room, he saw Ashley with a dejected expression.

    He walked over to her. "Miss Mu, are you okay?"

    "I am fine," Ashley smiled at him.

    "You look pale. Are you sure you''re feeling well?" He could see no authenticity in Ashley''s smile.

    Ashley gently tapped Johnny''s shoulder in assurance. "I am really fine. I look pale because I didn''t

    sleep wellst night. Go on upstairs and don''t worry about me."

    "Okay," he said and started walking away.

    Johnny considered Ashley as his power support, and he respected her. He was resolved to help

    Andrew in taking good care of her.

    After Johnny left, Ashley buried her head under a pillow.

    Anger and frustration started consuming her.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    "Mr. Lu?"

    Johnny had been trying to get Andrew''s attention who was in a daze since he entered the room.

    "What''s wrong?" After hearing that Johnny raised his voice, Andrew finally snapped back to his senses.

    Johnny felt helpless. ''Oh, dear Sir! My dear CEO! It was you who called me here and I have been

    standing here for a while now. What are you sitting there in a daze for?'' Johnny knew he couldn''t say

    these words in front of Andrew.

    Johnny suddenly thought of Ashley sitting in the living room, looking pale.

    He wondered if the reason Andrew was so absent-minded today was because they had a fight.

    But it didn''t seem that way.

    "Mr. Lu, is there anything else?" Johnny let out a big sigh before inquiring calmly.

    ''Please allow me to leave if there''s nothing else! I have a lot of things to deal with! All of which are your

    orders! You do nothing but apany Miss Mu freely, '' he muttered silently.

    Johnny really wanted to refuse Andrew''s orders but his refusal seemed to be useless.

    "Has Ashley met with someone, or was there anything strange with her when you drove her back home

    last night?" Andrew finally raised his question.

    Johnny froze. He knew that Ashley met her brotherst night.

    The possibility of Andrew finding out what happened sent a chill down his spine, but he knew it was

    impossible.

    After all, he hadn''t told him anything, and he was more certain that Ashley wouldn''t tell him.

    With sweaty temples and a big gulp, "Nothing worth noting," he lied.

    Both were silent for a while.

    Andrew had known Johnny for so long that he could tell if he was hiding something. He threw him a

    cold gaze and asked, "What happenedst night?"

    Being stared at by Andrew like that, Johnny became more and more nervous.

    ''Miss Mu, what should I do? Mr. Lu is so frightening, I am scared, '' Andrew''s re made Johnny even

    more fidgety.

    "Johnny, don''t forget an important thing. Who pays you?" With Andrew''s firm tone, Johnny could feel

    the anger burning in him.

    "Mr. Lu,st night, Miss Mu met with her brother, Ron," Johnny finally retreated. "But I don''t know what

    they were talking about. I was waiting for her outside."

    "Ron?" repeated Andrew in confirmation.

    "Yes. He is a member of the Mu family, Miss Mu''s brother," exins Johnny.

    Seeing that Andrew still couldn''t recall who Ron was, Johnny added, "He was the man who sent Miss

    Mu back when she got drunk a few days ago." Andrew''s firm and frightening tone made him disclose

    what happened.

    Johnny felt sorry for telling him about her meeting, but Andrew''s firm and frightening tone shook him.

    The dilemma made him helpless.

    ''Did I do many bad things in the past? I was always in trouble every time they quarreled. It was already

    frustrating to be jealous as a bachelor when they showed intimacy in front of me," he thought.

    Andrew was reminded of the scene that day. ''The man''s gaze at Ashley was too affectionate, not as

    pure as a brother''s gaze towards his little sister.'' The thought made Andrew frown.

    "You can go out now," Andrew told Johnny.

    "What about Lena''s punishment?" asked Johnny.

    "Put it off for now."

    Andrew finallypromised and left.

    Andrew tried to hide his gloomy mood at least until Johnny could leave the room. He sat on his chair

    and rubbed his temples.

    ''Ron has said a few words to her, for sure. That could be the reason why she let Lena off.

    Is Ron too important to her? Does she not love me anymore?

    Why didn''t she tell me what happened?

    She even asked Johnny to help her hide this thing from me.

    Does it mean that she loves her brother?''

    Jealousy started to contain Andrew.

    He wanted to confirm everything with Ashley, but he didn''t dare ask her directly. Andrew was afraid that

    Ashley''s answer would be something he could not ept.

    If anything, he didn''t want their rtionship to be affected.

 Chapter 347 Remained Warmth

    Chapter 347 Remained Warmth

    After the events of that day, Ashley and Andrew seemed to be in a cold war, simr to the one they

    once had.

    Even though they looked okay, they both knew in their hearts that there was a problem in their

    rtionship.

    They seemed to have gone back to the same cautious, doubtful emotions they had experienced when

    they first started dating.

    In fact it was even worse than the first time.

    They were keeping something in their hearts, that no one was willing to speak out about first. They

    watched with bated breath, hoping the other party would break the silence.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    At 10 o''clock in the evening, when Ashley had finished cleaning up, she took one more look at her

    sketch book and decided to go to sleep.

    Taking a nce beside her, the space on the bed was still empty. It had been the same for a few nights

    now. Andrew hadn''t been sleeping there since the beginning of the spat.

    As shey down, bitterness gripped her heart. The rims of her eyes hurt, a stream of tears flowing

    down her cheeks. If they continued to act like this, they would break up sooner orter.

    Weren''t they the same people who had once deeply loved each other?

    How on earth had theye to this point?

    She had gotten used to having Andrew sleep by her side. Now without him, she struggled to catch

    sleep, staying wide awake for a long time into the wee hours of the night.

    Inwardly, her head was whirling with anxious thoughts. Even when she finally drifted off to sleep,

    troubling dreams added to her misery, robbing her worn-out soul of much-needed rest.

    A few hours after she had fallen asleep, the door to the bedroom opened quietly.

    In the dim light, Andrew walked in¡ªa tall silhouette, shuffling as if he was struggling with indecision.

    For a moment, he stood by the bedside, listening to Ashley''s soft breathing and wishing they could iron

    out their differences as soon as possible.

    He had just taken a shower and was wearing pajamas. Upon entering the room, he went straight to bed

    andy down slowly beside Ashley. After a few minutes, he snuggled up to her and put his right arm

    around her.

    After watching her for a few minutes, he noticed her sleep was somewhat restless.

    ''What can I do with you?''

    It was not that Andrew wouldn''te back or he wouldn''t like to sleep with Ashley here.

    It was just he was scared. He knew Ashley wanted to do everything good to Ron and probably she

    liked him. How could he allow the woman he loved to be so close to another man? That was

    uneptable!

    And both of them were stubborn and bull-headed, neither of them willing to admit there was a problem.

    For a few nights, after he started the cold war with Ashley, Andrew had stayed in the office, like

    someone who had nowhere to call home. But when he couldn''t stand it anymore, he decided toe

    back to the house, even though they made no effort to bridge the rift between the two of them.

    They had gone back to sleeping in the same bed since. However, they just slept together without doing

    anything else, and tonight, he wished it could get better. But if they couldn''t change a thing, then he''d

    make do with simply sleeping close to each other, on the same bed, despite the cold treatment. .

    So like a bandit, he waited until she fell asleep before he sneaked in and slept by her side. Then in the

    morning, he''d get up early, ahead of Ashley and waited for her in the car.

    In spite of the cold war, he didn''t want her to go to work by taxi.

    For reasons unknown, when Ashley woke up in the morning, she always reached her hand to touch the

    side of bed where Andrew used to sleep.

    And she thought it was her illusion that she felt the side of the bed was warm.

    ''It is impossible!

    Howe the ce is warm, when I know he hasn''t slept there for a while?

    Is it possible that I rolled over to that side identally while I was asleep?''

    She wondered, but got up, went to freshen up, and then had breakfast, before she went to the car and

    left for work.

    When she got into the car, Andrew was sitting inside, with his eyes hooked to theptop.

    His pale and slim fingers were clicking away nonstop at the keyboard.

    The precision and speed with which he typed was something of a genius.

    It was nice to just look at him going about his work.

    But...

    Ashley moved her eyes away after staring for a while.

    She felt lost inside. It only added to her dilemma to see how handsome he was.

    She didn''t notice the motion of his hands had stopped while her eyes were still transfixed. When she

    realized he was looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face, she looked aside to avoid

    eye contact.

    The air inside the car was still and tense. No one could breathe freely.

    It was as if the air had frozen solid.

    As usual, the car stopped beside a big tree in a secluded ce a dozen meters away from the office

    building.

    The sound of the car stopping brought her back to attention. She turned her head and her eyes

    happened to meet Johnny''s when he turned back to see her. "Thank you, Johnny," she said with a mild

    smile.

    Without wasting time, she got out of the car.

    As she walked away, Johnny felt a pair of cold eyes burning holes into his side.

    Resting his hands on the steering wheel, he shook with terror.

    Words immediately eluded him. ''What the hell have I done wrong again?

    Miss Mu just said a few cursory words of appreciation for my work.

    One sentence only!

    How could Mr. Lu be so petty and jaundiced because of that?!''

    But Andrew wasn''t even bothering to know what Johnny was thinking about.

    Obsessed with Ashley, he just watched her walk off, both his hands clenching together tightly. Today,

    his eyes weren''t cold and expressionless as in the past couple of days. It was like a storm was brewing

    in his world, and a downpour and thunderbolt woulde in any second.

    ''Now she doesn''t even bother to give me a nce?''

    The thought put so much weight on his heart that he felt his chest hurt.

    Finding Johnny was still in a daze and not in a hurry to continue driving. "Hey, drive on!" he

    commanded. ''What the hell are you staring at? Is there anything so interesting to watch?''

    Left confused, Johnny did not know what on earth had happened between the CEO and Miss Mu. The

    mood they were in was inexplicable and a chill ran down his spine because of Andrew''s snide words.

    He almost had a heart attack.

    Through his head, a flood of conflicting thoughts yed tricks on him. ''Aren''t you watching Miss Mu''s

    back?

    If I drove the car away immediately, probably you would get mad and yell at me too.

    Anyway, whatever I do, I have to be med.''

    He felt pathetic and sorry for himself.

    The misfortune of having a cruel CEO like Andrew made him wish luck would smile on him some day

    and help himnd a better job.

    These differences between Andrew and Ashley was slowly beginning to take a toll on Johnny.

    The previous week, when the couple was getting along well, they showed so much affection to each

    other, and often got cozy, right in front of Johnny. At one point, their constant public disys of affection

    had tempted Johnny into finding a girlfriend too.

    But now when he saw the cold war between the CEO and Miss Mu, his desire for love faded away.

    If falling in love was going to take up much of his time, only to end up with unnecessary squabbles like

    this, Johnny didn''t see the need to rush into dating.

    ''Probably I may stay single for a few more years, '' he thought to himself.

    The only problem with his decision was that maybe, some people would judge him as a yboy.

    What else would exin a man at his age who couldn''t even act responsibility bymitting himself to

    one girl?

    It would take a good deal of changes for such a person to have a stable girlfriend.

    But Johnny was no yboy. Just a good guy, discouraged about love by the stormy rtionship of his

    CEO and thedy.

    Since Jeremy found his sister, he received calls from his family almost every day.

    Jeremy felt helpless. He just reunited with his sister. He couldn''t scare her away.

    The next time he received the call from Belinda, he had already guessed what she was going to say

    before she opened her mouth.

    "Jeremy, when will you bring Camelia to meet us? How is she doing? Is she okay? Does she know

    about us?"

 Chapter 348 The Gu Family

    Chapter 348 The Gu Family

    Belinda wanted to ask him a question. She was itching to know whether Camelia hadined

    about them.

    After all, they were allrgely responsible for losing her.

    At the time, the Gu Group hadn''t achieved much. Martin and Belinda always remained busy. Their

    negligence toward their children was inevitable.

    Jeremy was the one who took care of Camelia. But he too was a yful child who couldn''t really be

    held responsible for losing her.

    Belinda was worried sick after finding out about Camelia''s disappearance.

    "My little Camelia got lost! What if she meets some evil guy?" she said, unable to control herself.

    The entire family was worried for her, trying their best to find her.

    Belinda''s words tensed Jeremy, but he decided tofort her mother. "Mother, she''d be fine. I told her

    everything about our family, and she took it fairly well. I don''t have a lot of work today. I will invite her

    home for dinner, okay?"

    "Okay. Jeremy, you must bring Camelia back anyhow. I will ask Maria to prepare dinner. What''s her

    favorite food? I''ll have it especially done for her,"

    she said in an excited tone. She seemed refreshed after listening to Jeremy''s words.

    What did Camelia like to eat? That was a difficult question. He didn''t know much about her food

    preferences.

    Jeremy pouted, wondering what to say.

    After a while, Belinda spoke again, "Hello? Jeremy, are you there? What''s Camelia''s favorite food? I

    need to tell Maria to get to it.

    You know what? I should do it myself! I''ll go get all the ingredients and make her a delicious meal. Tell

    me, Jeremy."

    "Huh? Mother, Camelia''s taste is simr to ours. She isn''t much of a picky eater. Make anything you

    think she''d like. See you tonight. I''ll call her now," said Jeremy.

    "Okay, then. You can pick her up this evening..." Belinda said, expecting her to agree.

    "Okay," said Jeremy and hung up.

    Belinda remained stuck to her bed, talking to herself. "She isn''t fussy about food? As a child, she used

    to be..." she spoke out loud.

    ''What if it''s because her foster family is poor and she had topromise? If that''s the matter, my poor

    girl would really have suffered.

    She used to be so demanding!

    I will cook a lot of things for my little girl, '' she thought, hoping to make her happy.

    Jeremy had no idea Belinda would give so much thought to something he''d said so casually.

    If he had known, he wouldn''t have mentioned it at all.

    "Martin, Martin! We need to go grocery shopping for tonight''s dinner! Camelia ising over to join us.

    I want to make a lot of dishes for her,"

    Belinda shouted from the bedroom, walking out toward the living room, where Martin was lying on the

    sofa watching TV leisurely.

    The loss of Camelia had inflicted a permanent kind of sadness on Belinda. The chance to meet her

    was like a ray of sunshine. Martin was happy to see her so enthusiastic.

    He had been worried that he was slowly losing his wife to her overthinking brain, and that it was making

    her weaker and weaker.

    It was for this reason that he had handed over the group to Jeremy when he came of age. So, he could

    spend more time with Belinda.

    Martin used to be a rather handsome man when he was young. His good looks had totally passed on to

    his son too.

    For the past few years, he''d been taking extra care of his health. He''d started eating healthy, exercising

    and going for morning walks with Belinda.

    Their self-care made them look like they were in their forties, even though they''d already crossed fifty.

    However, Belinda constantly remained in low spirits. She couldn''t sleep well at night until Jeremy finally

    hunted out Camelia.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    The news of Camelia''s whereabouts had refreshed Belinda.

    Presently, Martin put down the TV remote and looked at Belinda''s smiling face. He couldn''t help but go

    over to her and hold her in his arms. "Maria can help get the ingredients, honey. How about you let her

    do the preparation and then you do the cooking yourself? You are so weak right now. I will be worried if

    you go outside," said Martin.

    Maria came out of the kitchen listening to his words. "Yes, what Mr. Gu said is right. I will get the

    ingredients and do the preparation."

    Belinda had been in better health ofte, as opposed to the period when she suffered from serious

    illnesses and weakness, which was when Camelia got lost. This was why Martin made sure she would

    go on walks with him every morning.

    "No. This is the first time Camelia ising to our house in a long time. I want to buy the freshest

    ingredients and fix up a great meal for her all by myself. Don''t stop me. Besides, the shop isn''t too far.

    Don''t worry, I''ll be fine,"

    Martin''s expression was that of great concern. "No, you don''t worry me. You just came from the

    hospital two days ago. Even if you feel fine, you aren''t allowed to go anywhere outside."

    He''d begun to pamper Belinda. Her health was the first priority for him.

    After all, she was the woman who had stood by him all his life.

    She tilted her head, looking at him pitifully. Since she rarely went out, her skin was clean and glowing.

    She was wearing avender dress with a little tippet. Her beautiful face and slim figure made her look

    elegant, adding to her charm.

    She looked especially attractive whenever she looked at him that way. It reminded Martin of someone

    special, making it hard for him to resist her wishes.

    "Martin, please allow me to go. You cane along if you want. Moreover, I haven''t gone out in so

    long. Don''t we go out for walks, anyway?"

    Belinda held Martin''s hand, and shook it, looking at him with expectant eyes.

    Maria looked at the two of them with a smile and shook her head helplessly.

    Maria had been working here since they''d gotten married. It had been decades since she started

    coming to this household.

    ''The Gu family wasn''t like other rich families. Mr. Gu would never have an affair with another woman, or

    have any other children.

    And he loved his wife so much!

    How kind was he that he gave Jeremy the power to run thepany, just so he could spend time with

    Mrs. Gu and take care of her.

    It was so rare to see a rtionship strengthen like this.

    How jealous their friends might be of them!

    If Mrs. Gu continued to give him this look, he would have no choice but to ultimately concede, '' thought

    Maria, smiling contentedly.

 Chapter 349 Unexpected Meeting

    Chapter 349 Unexpected Meeting

    Martin''s face softened a little bit as he nced at Belinda. "Are you sure? We just have to go out

    once?"

    "I''m sure, I''m sure! And then, I''ll listen to whatever you have to say."

    "Fine. But you have to hold my hand and stay with me all the time, understood?"

    "I know, I''m not a kid. Do you think I''ll get lost?"

    Martin didn''t say anything. Belinda had not gone out in a long time, and he truly worried about her.

    But on the other hand, seeing how happy she was, he didn''t want to say anything that could upset her.

    Jeremy hung up the phone and made sure there wasn''t anything important he needed to do. After

    giving his assistant some instructions, he left the office.

    He got into his car and made another call.

    Angelina was surprised to receive Jeremy''s call. This was the first time Jeremy contacted her ever

    since theirst meeting, she thought he already ditched her.

    "Where are you? Can Ie see you?" Jeremy asked politely and gently.

    Jeremy could hear Angelina talking to her friends to excuse herself. "I''m in school. Graduation is

    coming up, so I have to hurry and finish my thesis. But I have already finished my part," Angelina

    exined.

    "Oh, then is it okay for me toe see you there?"

    "Sure," affirmed Angelina.

    "Great. Wait for me there then."

    "Okay, Jeremy, see you soon," Angelina hung up the phone.

    After putting down the phone, Angelia found her twopanions were watching her with hostile eyes.

    Two of her friends approached her with menacing smiles. "So tell us, who was that guy who called just

    now? Our school beauty who was always cold and proud spoke to some guy in such a gentle and

    sweet voice. Oh, my God. This is definitely breaking news."

    A petite girl clinging to a guy''s arm was also looking at her inquisitively. The next thing Angelina knew,

    she was surrounded by onlookers trying to pry on what was happening.

    "Hey, do you have to stare at me that way? It''s my brother, okay? Is your life so boring that you have

    nothing more interesting to do? Has my private life be your only interest?" Angelina winked at

    them, silently gesturing them to stop drawing attention from others.

    Her two friends had to draw their hostility back after getting Angelina''s warning.

    After all, among the crowd was Sammy, a guy who had a crush on her.

    They were on the same grade but not the same ss. They met earlier somewhere else and walked

    together. Just a moment ago they were discussing about going out to eat together.

    "Your brother? I remember you having a sister, but not a brother. Since when have you had brother?"

    asked Jennifer suspiciously.

    "He should be my biological brother, but I''m not very sure yet," said Angelina, shaking her head.

    Her best friends knew that Angelina was adopted by the Li family.

    "Oh. All right. Forget it for now. We agreed to eat out, right? Let''s go. We can talk about thatter."

    "I''m sorry. I have something to do today. You go and have fun." Angelina smiled apologetically.

    Sammy, who had been silent all the while, said hesitantly, "Is your brothering to see you?"

    "That''s right." Angelina nodded in response.

    The two girls muttered someint. The crowd started to disperse.

    Sammy lingered and said, "I can walk you to the same ce you''re going to."

    "Won''t you join them?" asked Angelina.

    Sammy scratched his head and smiled shyly. "They won''t miss me if I don''t go. I''d better walk you

    there."

    Angelina slowed down her steps to keep some distance from him. "Thank you, but I''ll meet my brother

    at the gate of the school. You better catch up to them." She put on a cold, aloof smile.

    Sammy saw her attitude through her expression and manners. His eyes turned dark and he had to give

    up. "Okay, then you take care of yourself."

    "Okay, bye."

    Seeing him leave, Angelina turned back and took a long sigh of relief.

    Sammy was not bad. He had a clean-cut face and nicely-shaped features. He was over six feet in

    height, fit and strong. He was academically good, too.

    As a school beauty, Angelina didn''tck admirers.

    She liked Sammy the most for treating her well. In fact, she already had the intention to be his

    girlfriend. She wouldn''t have agreed to go have a meal with him otherwise.

    But Jeremy''s call stopped her. Angelina''s attitude towards Sammy went back to what she had at the

    very beginning.

    In reality, Angelina had her hidden agenda and her own vanity.

    Now that she had a brother, Jeremy, who belonged to the upper society, she wouldn''t have a boyfriend

    who was just a nobody.

    After she went with Jeremy to that resort vige, she found out that everyone she met there were top

    guys in J City.

    Since then, her feeling for Sammy started to wane.

    Sammy looked humble and unattractivepared to them.

    Furthermore, aware that she was the sister of the owner of the Gu Group, she couldn''t have a

    boyfriend casually. At least that person had to match her new social status.

    ''So, Sammy, sorry. Nothing is going to happen between us.''

    After Sammy disappeared, Angelina turned back and walked towards the gate of the school.

    As she was waiting for Jeremy at the gate, a silver Rolls-Royce stopped in front of her.

    Jeremy got out of the car and came to her side. Gently he asked, "Have you waited long?"

    "No, I just got here," Angelina smiled timidly.

    "Get in the car then," Jeremy opened the door for Angelina and walked around to the driver''s seat.

    As he said that, he opened the door for Angelina and helped her get into the car. After that, he walked

    around to the driver''s seat.

    On his way to their meeting ce, he had been thinking about how to tell Angelina about his invitation.

    It took him long to mention to her anything about his family.

    He was very excited whenever he saw Angelina, and he didn''t want to overwhelm her. He had been

    waiting for the right time to talk about it until now.

    Now his family had requested him to bring her back to meet them today no matter what.

    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.

    He gripped the steering wheel tight as he tried to get the words out of him. "Angelina, would you like to

    meet our mom and dad? They miss you very much. After they learned that I found you, they have been

    wanting toe to see you, but they are afraid it would be impolite and scare you."

 Chapter 350 Personal Cooking

    Chapter 350 Personal Cooking

    ''Ah!'' For a moment, Angelina didn''t know how to react.

    ''Go and meet his father and mother?

    Will they be as easy to get along with as Jeremy? Or are they just like most rich people who are difficult

    to deal with?''

    She didn''t know why exactly, but she was afraid to go meet the Gu family.

    For reasons she wasn''t sure of, she didn''t feel like going there.

    With the obvious contradiction on her face, Jeremy could guess what she was worrying about.

    "Angelina, don''t be afraid. They''re nice and gentle people. They loved you very much when you were a

    small kid," he said softly trying tofort her. "Besides, I''ll be with you. You have nothing to worry

    about."

    Angelina was embarrassed for being seen through. "You mean we are going to your home now?"

    "Not my home, our home," Jeremy corrected her with a smile.

    "Let''s go now. It''s a little far away. You can take a nap on the way."

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    After handing over thepany to Jeremy, his parents bought a vi located in the rural areas--a ce

    with beautiful scenery and fresh air, suitable for people who need to recuperate or would like to live in

    solitude. They had been living here for years.

    The ce was a one-hour drive from downtown J City.

    "Okay," Angelina nodded.

    She had done quite a lot of work at school today and she was tired. She soon fell asleep in the car after

    they set off.

    Jeremy took a nce at her sleeping face and his expression softened with affection.

    He felt so happy that he finally found his sister.

    He was resolved to make it up to her for her lost childhood.

    At the vi of the Gu family

    Belinda had been very excited the whole afternoon. How could she not be? She was finally going to

    meet her own daughter.

    Looking into the distance, she had been standing outside the vi waiting to see any sign of Jeremy

    and Camelia who may arrive any second.

    Martin brought a coat for her from the house and helped her put it on. "The wind is cold especially in

    the evening. Let''s wait inside, okay? I''ll have the housekeeper stay here and watch. As soon as they

    come, he''lle in to inform you."

    "No, no. I want to stay here and wait for them. I want them to see me as soon as they arrive," refused

    Belinda, ignoring his husband''s suggestion.

    Martin frowned. "But your health..."

    "My health is all right. I know how I feel," interrupts Belinda, giving him a reproachful nce. "I have no

    problem. I''ll live to see Camelia get married and have a baby. And then I''ll take care of the baby for her.

    I can take care of my body."

    "All right, as long as you take care of yourself." Martin decided not to go against her wife''s will

    anymore.

    He knew very well how stubborn Belinda could get. The best thing he could do was to wait with her

    outside.

    They waited some more but there was still no sign of Jeremy''s car approaching.

    Martin couldn''t help butin inside. He was aware of the vi''s distance from J City. He knew they

    had to drive for quite a while.

    Belinda turned to him with a strained voice, "It''s your fault. Why did you buy a vi so far away from

    downtown? It would take Jeremy and Camelia a long time to drive here if they want to see us."

    Martin stammered, "I... Didn''t you say this ce was good then? This wasn''t chosen by me alone. We

    came to see and bought it together."

    What he said was the truth, but the situation now was different.

    When Belinda was mourning for her lost daughter, the only thing that could save her was to be as far

    away from J City as possible.

    But now that they had Camelia, for what reasons would they have to live here?

    It would just keep them waiting whenever they wanted to see Camelia.

    Belinda gave Martin another displeased nce. Martin touched his nose and kept silent.

    He gave up defending himself.

    As they exchanged a few words from time to time, a car finally came into sight.

    Flushing with excitement, Belinda grabbed Martin''s wrist, "Camelia... Camelia ising. Camelia has

    come."

    Martin looked that way too. Nobody could top Belinda''s happiness right now and Martin''s eyes were full

    of expectation as well.

    After Jeremy parked the car, he woke Angelina up. "Wake up, Angelina. We''ve arrived."

    Angelina opened her sleepy eyes and looked at him drowsily. "We''ve arrived?"

    Jeremy stroked her hair. "Right, we''re here. Let''s go?"

    The idea of finally meeting Jeremy''s parents any minute now totally woke her up.

    ''So we are here? Now?''

    She patted her head as if to me herself. ''How could I fall asleep?''

    She straightened her clothes and asked worriedly, "How do I look? Do I look disrespectful with what I''m

    wearing?"

    She should have changed into some better clothes if she knew that she wasing to see them.

    Angelina was wearing a pink dress, a pair of beige heels. Her wavy hair was pushed back and put

    down behind her neck. She was wearing pretty light makeup.

    "You look perfect, don''t worry. Besides, we''re not meeting some strangers. They''re our parents."

    Jeremy smiled.

    While they were having a rxed conversation inside the car, Belinda was growing anxious outside.

    "Why haven''t theye out yet? They have arrived already! What are they still doing inside?"

    Martin tried to calm her down. "It''s Camelia''s first timeing here. She must be nervous. Let Jeremy

    take some time to talk with her. Don''t get too anxious."

    He was right.

    Being the Gu Group''s President for so long, Martin had developed a special skill of understanding

    people''s intentions and way of thinking.

    Just as Belinda was about to say another anxiousint, the door of the car opened and a woman

    and a man came out. Though they were quite far away, the couple could see the outline of their figures.

    It would be a lie to say that Angelina wasn''t afraid. She followed Jeremy behind.

    "Mom, Dad." Jeremy and Belinda approached the couple waiting for them.

    Martin greeted them quietly.

    Belinda peered from behind him.

    Jeremy pulled Angelina up in front of them, "Mom, Dad, this is Angelina."

    Angelina came up and smiled nervously. "Auntie, Uncle, nice to meet you."

    This was the first time she met them. Even though she knew they were her biological parents, she

    couldn''t call them mom and dad yet.

    As exhrated as Belinda was to see her, at the same time, her heart hurt when she heard her beloved

    daughter call them Auntie and Uncle.

    ''Camelia...this is my Camelia...''

    Still, it was good enough to be able to see her Camelia again. Belinda looked at her with loving eyes.

    "Your name is Angelina, right? How are you doing?"

 Chapter 351 Im Great

    Chapter 351 I''m Great

    Ever since Angelina arrived, Belinda could not take her eyes off the young woman.

    Angelina had to lower her head out of embarrassment every time she saw thedy of the house looking

    at her with so much enthusiasm.

    Belinda could not be any happier. This was her Camelia. She finally saw her. She teared up at the relief

    of finding her after a long time.

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Martin went over to hug her shoulders and tried to calm her down. She tried to control her emotion.

    "Mom, let''s get inside and chat," suggested Jeremy.

    "Right. I almost forgot. Angelina,e, let''s go inside," Belinda said, leading the way.

    "Maria, please bring the food out. It''s time for dinner."

    "You haven''t had dinner, have you? I''ve cooked some dishes you would like."

    She walked over to Angelina''s side and clung to her arms. She had endless words to say to her. She

    badly wanted to talk to her daughter for as long as she could.

    "You cooked it yourself?" Angelina asked, looking at her with surprise and disbelief.

    Angelina could not fathom the idea that thisdy who was a member of a wealthy family knew how to

    cook.

    Since she entered the vi, she hadn''t seen anyone else except two servants.

    The two servants were both aged. One was the housekeeper, Li, who was in charge of house chores

    and transportation. The other one was Maria, the cook in the vi.

    Belinda''s heart jumped with joy when Angelina responded to her. She cheerfully responded to her

    daughter''s question, "Sure! I cooked some dishes that you used to like when you were a kid, but I''m

    not sure if you still like them." As these words came out of her mouth, she started to get anxious.

    The thought of Angelina not liking the dishes she prepared made her worry.

    Angelina couldn''t help but look at Belinda. She had kept her eyes on her since she arrived. Thisdy

    cooked personally when she heard that she wasing.

    She didn''t even pay much attention to her son when he greeted her just now. All her attention was

    solely on Angelina.

    Deep in her heart was a kind of warmth she had never felt before. A mother''s love, deep and strong

    with affection.

    Angelina mustered her courage and took her mother''s hand. "Of course I will like them. I''m so d I''d

    get to taste your cooking, Auntie."

    "Mr. and Mrs. Gu, dinner is ready." When the family came to the table, everything was already prepared

    by Maria.

    The cook studied Angelina intently from time to time. Even she couldn''t believe that the daughter who

    had been missing for nearly two decades was finally at the family vi, eating dinner together with

    them.

    "Okay, let''s eat first. We can talkter after dinner," said Martin.

    "Angelina, you must be very hungry now. Come, sit down," ushered Belinda.

    Martin took the host''s seat. Belinda guided Angelina to sit with her by the left side of the table. Jeremy

    sat opposite them.

    The table was full with a delectable feast that would whet up anyone''s appetite.

    "Angelina, try this. It''s sweet and sour spareribs. I remember you liked them when you were a kid. Try

    one, see if it still tastes the same as before."

    Belinda helped Angelina get one piece into her te and watched her expectantly.

    Angelina didn''t like sweet and sour spareribs very much. Moreover, she didn''t have any memory of

    liking it even during her childhood. And now she knew that she didn''t like it for sure.

    But looking at Belinda''s eyes that were full of anticipation, she took a bite andmented, "Oh, it

    tastes terrific. You''re really good at cooking, Auntie."

    Belinda beamed with delight, like a child who finally got the candy she wanted.

    She kept adding food to Angelina''s te, believing that she still enjoyed them like she used to.

    Seeing Angelina eat them made her even happier.

    She hardly ate anything as she was busy serving her and watching her eat.

    For her, to see Camelia and eat with her was more than enough.

    Angelina returned the favor by cing some food on Belinda''s te. "Auntie, you have to eat too. You

    put all the food into my te. You forgot about yourself."

    These words pinched Belinda''s heart with happiness. Her Camelia helping her take the food into her

    te felt like a dream.

    "Okay, let''s both eat," said she with a cracking voice, eyes wet with tears of joy.

    "What''s wrong, Auntie? Why are you crying?" Angelina felt at a loss upon seeing her suddenly tear up.

    Belinda choked between her words. "No, I''m not crying. I''m just too happy, too excited."

    Jeremy drew out a piece of paper napkin and gave it to her. "Okay, don''t cry, Mom. You shouldn''t cry if

    you''re happy. Now that we have found Angelina, we should be happy, right?"

    Belinda took the paper napkin from him and dried her eyes. "Right. I''m happy. I shouldn''t have cried."

    After they had dinner, they went to sit in the living room and watch TV.

    In the living room, Belinda never let go of Angelina''s hand, fearing she would lose her again.

    Her eyes still fixed on her, she knew she would never see enough of her.

    Even though she waspletely aware that thedy''s been looking at her ever since she got to the

    vi, Angelina just let Belinda watch her. She knew how much she loved her daughter.

    Angelina was never treated well at the Li household. Within less than two years after she was adopted,

    a child was born into the family.

    Because they had their real child, she was never given any importance.

    Ever since her adopted mother was pregnant, she felt that her existence in the family was bing

    less and less important. Andter her adopted mother gave birth to a boy.

    In a country where boys were usually more important than girls, Angelina''s life in the family got even

    worse. What became of her was solely because of her own effort and intelligence.

    Still she was thankful, as the Li family had supported her just like what adopted parents were supposed

    to do.

    "Angelina, how are you doing in your life?" Angelina was pulled back into reality when she felt Belinda

    gently touching her face.

    "I''m doing all right. Don''t worry about me, Auntie," she replied timidly, not really knowing what to tell

    her.

    "How are your adopted parents treating you? Are they nice to you?"

    Belinda was genuinely worried that her Camelia was being mistreated and wronged.

    Angelina wanted to tell them everything.

    Of course not well!

    She wanted to tell them how she was only treated nicely during her first two years in the family.

    How her existence started fading out to them ever since they had their own child. How despite not

    sending her back, the good life she had with the Li''s were brief.

    She badly wanted to tell them everything, but she couldn''t. She decided it would be better if they could

    find out about it themselves.

    "They treat me very well, really," Angelina shook her head and forced a smile. After saying that, she

    smiled at her.

    But the smile was forced, whoever saw it.

 Chapter 352 Happy Reunion

    Chapter 352 Happy Reunion

    Belinda frowned, displeased. It looked like Camelia''s life wasn''t as good as she was iming.

    Perhaps only Jeremy could confirm or deny this.

    Belinda thought she could make up for all that she had suffered in her foster family.

    After all, they had raised Camelia and supported her for such a long time.

    It looked like she should get back to her real family as soon as possible.

    Belinda couldn''t let her suffer anymore.

    Jeremy and Martin were also talking about her on the side.

    Martin nced at Belinda and Angelina, who seemed to be getting along very well. He then asked,

    "Are you sure this girl is Camelia?"

    It was natural that he would ask a question like that. They''d looked for Camelia for many years, and

    along the way, a lot of girls had imed they were her.

    And if they were all right, then they had countless daughters without even giving birth to them.

    These episodes had made him very suspicious of anyone who came forward as Camelia.

    Jeremy looked at Angelina, his eyes beaming with love. "Don''t worry, dad! She really is Camelia! I''ve

    already gotten her DNA tested. The results proved that she is Camelia."

    Martin looked at his son with admiration. In the recent years, Jeremy had worked very hard to look for

    Camelia.

    It had been a hard time for him.

    Martin patted his shoulder and said, "Jeremy...please don''t tire yourself working too hard. Your mother

    will start worrying about you too. You have to take care of your health..."

    "I know, Dad," said Jeremy.

    Something suddenly urred to Martin. "Well, does she have that jade pendant?"

    Martin and Belinda had given her the pendant when she was three years old. Jeremy had one too.

    The jades had their respective names carved on it.

    They weren''t supposed to take them off. Jeremy still had his on him.

    Jeremy furrowed his brows. "I don''t know, Dad."

    All the facts indicated she was Camelia. Whatever doubt remained, the DNA test had cleared that.

    Jeremy didn''t need any other proof to make sure she was his sister.

    "It''s better you ask her about it," said Martin firmly.

    For some reason, when he looked at Angelina, he felt like something was wrong.

    People always say that you''d instantly feel differently when you meet your own blood.

    He couldn''t put his feelings into words, but she seemed like a total stranger to him. It just didn''t feel

    right.

    "Dad, Camelia was only five years old when she got lost. She wouldn''t know many of the finer details,"

    said Jeremy.

    "Okay, but whether she knows it or not, you have to ask her," Martin pushed again.

    Jeremy didn''t care about the pendant, but he decided to ask her about it for the sake of his father.

    It was gettingte. Outside, the sky was getting dark.

    After talking to Belinda for hours, Angelina said to her, "It''s gettingte now. I should get going..."

    "Do you have to? It''s quitete, why don''t you spend the night here? Jeremy can take you back

    tomorrow."

    Belinda was so happy to talk to her that she didn''t want her to go. They had reunited after great

    difficulty. It felt like it had only been a few minutes since she got here. How could it already be the time

    to leave?

    Angelina looked at her helplessly, pursing her lips. She then turned to look at Jeremy, as if asking him

    for help.

    He quickly came over to her mother''s side. "Mom, Angelina is a student. She needs to go back to her

    dorm. I''ll bring her here again after some time, okay?"

    But Belinda wasn''t willing to let her go. She held her hand and said, "Do you really have to go? Can''t

    you talk to the authorities at your dormitory? They might give you a leave..."

    Jeremy understood his mother''s disposition, but it was the first time that Camelia visiting them. If they

    insisted upon making her stay, it would probably scare her.

    "Mom..." Jeremy pleaded with resignation.

    Angelina pulled at Jeremy''s sleeve, signaling him to be kind. "Auntie, I''lle and see you whenever I

    have time... In fact, you cane see me too. I''d be very happy to wee you..."

    "Okay, but you have to promise that you''ll try toe again soon. I''lle see you too," said Belinda,

    giving in atst.

    "Great," said Jeremy.

    Belinda walked with them up to the porch. She waited there until the carpletely disappeared into

    the dark road.

    Martin joined her after a while. He got a shawl and wrapped it around her shoulders, before he

    wrapped himself around her from the back. "Honey... they''re gone. Come on in, you can''t see her just

    by standing there..."

    "I miss her already...wish she didn''t have to go," said Belinda in a low tone.

    "It''s useless to feel sad. The kids have grown up. Soon, they''ll get married and have their own lives,

    their own children..." said Martin, hoping she wouldn''t remain hung up on them, such that they would

    be the only cause of happiness for her.

    She fell silent, staring into the distance. Martin lowered his head to look at her. He found tears sliding

    down her cheeks. "Hey, hey...what''s wrong?" he asked, wondering if he''d said too much. "Why are you

    crying? What''s bothering you?" he added.

    Belinda turned around and buried herself in his arms. "I... I was thinking about what you said. It''s the

    truth, you know. Sooner orter, they''ll go away and I just feel so sad..."

    "Don''t be sad... you have me, I''ll always be with you."

    Belinda looked up at him and nted a small kiss on his cheek. She was so emotionally vulnerable,

    her sadness went away as quickly as it hade.

    But soon after that, she remembered how he was acting a while ago when Camelia was here. "Why

    were you acting that way around Camelia? It almost felt like you don''t like her..."

    Martin raised his eyebrows. "If I acted like you, how would she have given all her attention to you?"

    Belinda was convinced, and decided not to give much thought to his exnation.

    Embarrassed, she said, "Okay, forget it. But next time try not act so cold and aloof when she''s around. I

    won''t forgive you if you do..."

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    "Okay, I won''t. I was so excited to see her I didn''t know how to act around her! Next time I won''t be like

    that, I promise," he said sheepishly.

    Satisfied, Belinda smiled.

    In the car, Angelina told Jeremy the address she had to go to.

    Jeremy looked at her briefly, then said, "I hope you don''t mind what happened...my mother was too

    excited to see you."

    "It''s okay. She is such a nice person! I really like her," said Angelina with a beaming smile.

    Jeremy felt relieved. "Mom has been looking for you since you got lost. She got really sick at one point

    in time. My dad was really worried for her health, so they moved here..."

    "I''m so sorry to hear that. How is her health now?"

    "She is much better. Don''t worry about her," said Jeremy.

    Angelina nodded and looked outside the window. She waspletely taken by thendscape. ''It would

    be quite nice to live here, '' she thought.

 Chapter 353 Disgusting Thought

    Chapter 353 Disgusting Thought

    Indeed, this ce was located on the hillside at the suburban area of J City. The air was chilly and the

    view was beautiful.

    The only disadvantage was that it was really far from downtown J City.

    It took about two hours to get to the downtown area.

    "Right.

    Well, Angelina, do you remember that you had a jade pendant when you were young? It''s dark green,

    water-drop-shaped. Mom and Dad gave each of us one when you were three years old."

    Angelina was puzzled, "Jade pendant?"

    "Yes," said Jeremy.

    "I don''t know... I think I have some sort of vague recollection but I can''t remember that much," Angelina

    mused.

    "It''s okay. Never mind, if you don''t remember," Jeremy said.

    "Is that jade pendant important?" asked Angelina, with hesitation.

    "No, don''t worry. It''s not very important. I''ll give you a new one next time," said Jeremy, trying to dispel

    her doubt.

    How could the jade pendant not be important?

    It was a tailor-made pendant ordered by their parents when Camelia was three years old and Jeremy

    six years old.

    Their names were engraved on each of the jade pendants. It meant a lot to them.

    However, it was good enough for him that he was able to find his sister. If the pendant was lost, it

    wasn''t an issue.

    Angelina felt her heart beating fast.

    The only reason was that as much as she tried to rack her brain to find any memory of that pendant,

    she couldn''t.

    She saw the look on Jeremy''s face and she could tell it was something meaningful.

    How could she not have any memory of the pendant, if it was so important?

    However, she just couldn''t remember it.

    There were only two possibilities.

    One was that she had never seen that jade pendant. It had never existed in her life.

    The other possibility was because she had been very sick when she was a child, she must have

    completely lost her memory of it.

    But for reasons she didn''t know, she felt that the first one was more likely.

    This made her panic.

    She had taken a nap in the car before she came to see them, so she wasn''t sleepy now. She was very

    bothered.

    Every now and then, they would chat a bit. After a while, Jeremy noticed that she was feeling down. He

    asked, worried, "What''s wrong, Angelina? Are you feeling all right?"

    Angelina had to snap herself out of her reverie and shook her head at him. "I''m okay."

    "If you aren''t feeling well, you have to tell me," Jeremy said.

    "Okay."

    Then the car slowly stopped at the gate of what looked like a residential area. Angelina unbuckled her

    seat belt and said, "Jeremy, this is my stop. Drive safely back."

    "Okay, you take care too," Jeremy said, smiling back.

    She waved goodbye to him and waited until the car left before walking to her house.

    She didn''t notice that a young boy of about 17 or 18 had followed her.

    He watched as Angelina walked away and as the car sped off. He ced his hand on his chin

    thoughtfully.

    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

    When Angelina took out her key to open the door and was just about to step into the house, she heard

    a voice from behind. "Angelina, wait a minute."

    Angelina stopped in her tracks and turned¡ªit was Jacob.

    Angelina didn''t say anything but just walked inside, leaving the door open.

    Her father and mother were sitting on the couch watching TV. They heard the noise and thought it was

    Jacob. But when they turned to speak to him, they saw Angelina. Their faces turned stiff right away.

    Their voices were cold when they spoke. "You''re back."

    "Yes. I just came back to get something. I''ll go back to school tomorrow," replied Angelina.

    Since she moved to her school dormitory, she seldom came home. She knew she wasn''t wee in

    this family anyway.

    "Mom, Dad, I''ll go to my room now," said Angelina.

    She didn''t expect them to respond to her so she headed to her room as soon as she finished speaking.

    She was surprised when she suddenly heard a voice from behind.

    "Wait a minute."

    It was Jacob who called her. He had seen her get out of the limousine.

    "What is it?" Angelina asked coldly.

    She didn''t really like Jacob. He had terrible grades and was constantly making trouble. He never did

    any chores and his dirtyundry had to be done by someone else. Food was always ready for him

    whenever he got hungry. He was the favorite.

    "Whose car was that? I wasn''t able to see much. Do you want to exin to us?"

    he pressed.

    Her hatred for him only grew stronger.

    ''Why did he have to see that?

    I have such bad luck!''

    "It''s just a friend of mine," Ang replied curtly.

    "Just a friend? A friend who''s going to drive you back sote? I saw the car he was driving. It was a

    Rolls-Royce! That''s gotta be worth at least a million," Jacob said snidely.

    His mother Hannah couldn''t sit still upon hearing his words. She looked at him and asked, "Is that true,

    Jacob? A guy drove her back? And his car was expensive?"

    A car worth a million! He must be rich!"

    "Yes. I saw it with my own two eyes!" Jacob responded.

    Hannah''s eyes sparkled as if she''d found an opportunity to make money.

    She turned to look at Angelina. She now had be her gold mine. "Angelina, who was that guy?

    Does he have a crush on you? What''s his family like?"

    She knew that this adopted daughter of hers was beautiful. Since she started going to junior high

    school, a lot of boys wanted to pursue her.

    Jacob hadpletely convinced her. Angelina was very beautiful so it was definitely possible that

    she''d attract a rich man.

    Angelina frowned, feeling disgusted at the whole family.

    This was the reason why she seldom came back home.

    "I told you. He was just a friend. If he was so rich, he wouldn''t like me," Angelina simply said.

    Hannah looked at her displeased and said, "Angelina, why do you speak like that? You are very pretty.

    It would bepletely understandable if a rich man took a liking in you. Tell me, where does he live?

    What kind of family is he from? Is his family rich? You see, you have to develop a rtionship with him.

    I think he is good for you."

    ''If Angelina ends up marrying him, that would be great. His car alone is worth over a million. Imagine

    how rich his family really is!

    If Angelina marries him then our family wouldn''t have to worry for the rest of our lives.

    Our friends will be so jealous of us!''

    She felt excited as she thought of this.

    How she wished Angelina could marry that man immediately!

 Chapter 354 Annoying Things

    Chapter 354 Annoying Things

    Hannah didn''t try to hide her feelings. So it was easy for Angelina to read them.

    It was obvious that she wanted Angelina to get married to a rich man that could help them have a

    better life.

    Hannah had thought of this ever since Angelina grew up to be a beautifuldy. She started blooming a

    few years ago.

    She prioritized marrying rich over anything else but Angelina strived to study hard and get good grades.

    Angelina persuaded them to let her pursue higher education with the promise of earning more.

    Upon hearing this, Angelina said impatiently, "Mother, I''ve already told you that we''re just regr, old

    friends! Will you just let it go? Because it''s never going to happen. Do you think that I''m that type of girl

    that every man will fall head over heels in love with? There are so many more beautiful women out

    there."

    This was the first time that Angelina had said so much to her family and her tone was dripping with

    sarcasm.

    Angelina just wanted Hannah to let it go. That was why she had spoken so much.

    Surprisingly, Hannah suddenly stood up and raised her voice. "Well, now I see why you don''t want to

    come home. It looks like you''ve been busy with other people. You look down upon us, don''t you?

    Are you sure that you''re just being friends? A regr friend wouldn''t drive you back sote. Plus he

    drove you back. Do you think that I''m just some three-year old child that can be fooled easily?" Hannah

    shouted angrily.

    Jacob chimed in, "Angelina, are you that rich person''s mistress?"

    Although he spoke in a low voice, everyone in the living room could still hear what he had said since

    the living room was so small.

    The more Jacob thought about it, the more likely he thought that it was true. ''Otherwise, why would

    Angelina insist that they were just friends?'' he thought to himself.

    He knew a little about the situation of being a mistress. A mistress was simr to a secret lover. They

    couldn''t reveal their rtionships with their respective lovers.

    Angelina''s face turned gloomy. ''Why are they so selfish and greedy? Can''t they just want what''s best

    for me?

    Being a mistress? If I were a mistress, it would be bad for the reputation of the Li family if the public

    finds out.

    Is money all they care about? Shouldn''t reputation be important to them too?'' thought Angelina.

    When Hannah saw the look on Angelina''s face, she started to consider that Jacob might be right. It

    didn''t help that Angelina didn''t try to deny it either. She posed, "Is Jacob right? Are you the mistress of

    a rich man?"

    Angelina felt hopeless upon hearing this. She didn''t want to exin anything anymore. "What if it''s

    true? What if it''s not true? It doesn''t matter because either way you''re not going to listen to me so I

    don''t care what you say." After which, Angelina promptly turned and left the living room.

    "How dare you talk to me like that? We raised you and now that you have other people with you, you

    have the nerve to talk to me like that. How can you be so ungrateful?"

    Hannah was irked when she saw Angelina leave for her room.

    "Jacob, do you really think Angelina''s the mistress of a rich man?" Hannah asked with much

    uncertainty as she looked at Jacob.

    Jacob frowned. Then he said casually, "How should I know? But I don''t think there''s any other

    exnation. I really did see her get out of that expensive car."

    As Jacob thought of the luxurious car, he couldn''t help but be excited.

    ''There''s nothing else I love more than luxurious cars, grand vis, and an endless amount of money.

    I used to only see those kinds of cars on the inte. I didn''t expect I would ever get to see one in real

    life!

    Angelina even got to sit inside it!'' he thought.

    "Yeah, Angelina''s most likely the mistress of a rich man. We need to take advantage of this. This is a

    good opportunity for us," Hannah said.

    The rest of the family grew excited as they thought of how their lives were going to be better once they

    had taken advantage of Angelina. Meanwhile, Ashley wasn''t in the same boat as them.

    It was the weekend so Ashley didn''t have work. While Amaia had originally wanted to ask Ashley to go

    shopping with her, she couldn''t as she had something else to do. Thus Ashley was left home alone on

    a weekend.

    Ashley was sitting alone in the sofa, holding a pillow in her hand, and eating a bag of potato chips.

    A hot soap opera was showing on TV. While Ashley was seemingly watching, her mind was off

    somewhere else¡ªparticrly, she was thinking about Andrew.

    Andrew hadn''te back for a week. He still hadn''t called Ashley either. This was the longest they

    hadn''t talked since they got married.

    Ashley wasn''t worried at first but as the days passed, she started to be more irritable.

    ''Is he really tired of me like what Lena said?

    Is he not interested in me anymore? Is he choosing Lesley now that she''s back?

    After all, this is not the first time that I''ve heard that the Lu family and the Feng family have arranged

    marriages. Andrew and Lesley grew up together so it wouldn''t be a surprise if they end up falling in

    love with one another.

    In addition to that, Lesley is the firstdy in J City.

    Lesley and Andrew practically grew up together. They''re a match made in heaven, ''

    Ashley thought, feeling upset.

    As she stared off into nothing, she tightly embraced her pillow.

    Sitting on the table in front of her was a steaming bowl of congee. However, Ashley seemed to be way

    too deep in her own thoughts to notice it.

    Suddenly, Ashley stood up. The pillow on herp fell on the bowl on the table.

    Bang! The bowl fell to the ground.

    "Ah!" Ashley cried out.

    Thankfully, there was a nket on the floor that cushioned the bowl''s fall. Still, it was broken.

    The congee had spilled all over the floor. Luckily, Ashley was wearing pajamas or she could have been

    burned.

    Still, some congee had sshed on Ashley''s feet which made her jump. She took a few steps back.

    Some parts of her feet were now red and swollen.

    Upon hearing the noise, ire quickly dropped what she was doing and ran out of the kitchen to check

    on Ashley.

    "Miss Mu, what happened?" ire asked.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    When she saw the congee on the floor, she then said, "Are you okay? Miss Mu, were you hurt? I''ll get

    you some medicine right away."

    Ashley hadn''t eaten that day so ire decided to cook congee for her. She hoped that Ashley would

    eat it but she didn''t expect that it would spill on the floor.

 Chapter 355 Illusion

    Chapter 355 Illusion

    Remorsefully, ire said, "It''s my fault...I shouldn''t have put it here. I thought it would be easier for you

    to grab it if it was kept closer to you. I didn''t think you could also knock it down identally..."

    "ire, it''s okay. I''m not hurt. I am just clumsy sometimes. It''s not your fault, don''t worry."

    "You didn''t get burnt, did you?" asked ire, feeling guilty.

    "No, no. It didn''t ssh on me. Just don''t worry about it...

    Could you please clean up the ce? I''m going to my room for a while," said Ashley with a reassuring

    smile.

    "Okay, Miss Mu. I''ll take care of this..." ire replied, her eyes still low.

    Leaving ire there, she forced herself to climb the stairs, even though her feet were hurt.

    She sat on the edge of the bed once she reached her room and checked her feet. The right one was

    alright, but the left one was miserable.

    There was a red blotch on the instep. It had already started to swell.

    She hissed quietly and walked to the bathroom to run cold water over it. Once the pain and stinging

    alleviated a bit, she fished for an ointment in her medical kit.

    The ointment cooled down the spot instantly, making her feel much better. She then rested on the bed,

    ying a game on her phone.

    Every now and then, therge empty bedroom overwhelmed her. She felt bored and lonely.

    She never felt like that when Andrew was around. They didn''t even have to be talking for her to feel

    comfortable. His sheer presence was enough.

    Everything felt different now. Her mood these days had changed.

    She wasn''t used to sitting idly, without having anything to do.

    Now that her foot wasn''t bothering her so much, she forgot about itpletely. She realized that she

    hadn''t been to the cake shop for a long time. ''I don''t have anything to do anyway, so why not go to see

    Ellie there?''

    She acted as soon as she got that thought. She changed into better clothes and left the house. On her

    way out, she told ire she might note back home in the evening.

    ire stared at her back, mumbling to herself, "What''s the matter? Did she fight with Mr. Lu again? Are

    they not getting along?"

    She didn''t know a fight was often a result of unsolved, trivial matters that piled up over time. They

    slowly grow bigger and bigger, finally reaching a stage where they be difficult to handle. That was

    the situation they were in right now.

    After getting out of the taxi, Ashley stood outside the shop for a long time. She remembered how nice it

    used to be to work here and take care of the shop. Why did she agree with Andrew on the idea of

    working in hispany?

    Moreover, they had even broken rules to enroll her. Now they expected her to be grateful to them.

    Was it toote for her to change her mind?

    On the other hand, she did like her job in thepany.

    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

    ''Well, forget about it for now! y it by ear, '' she thought, shrugging and finally walking in.

    Nina and Cheryl were very happy to see Ashley.

    "Ashley, what brings you here today? You haven''t visited in such a long time! Where have you been?"

    Ellie hadn''t told them she had started working at thepany.

    They thought it was because she had to deal with some personal matters that she hadn''t beening

    to the shop.

    "Um...I''ve started working at thepany," Ashley said.

    "Oh, really?" Cheryl looked at her in surprise. "Work at thepany? So you aren''t working here

    anymore?"

    "Yes, but I''ll stille here whenever I have time," replied Ashley, feeling like she''d betrayed them.

    Cheryl nodded slowly, then muttered, "But why did you suddenly start working there?"

    "Well, it was probably a whim," said Ashley sheepishly.

    "Ha-ha! You''re so cute, Ashley!

    But whenever you find the job too stressful, you cane back here! We need you in the cake shop!"

    said Cheryl, smiling genuinely. They all missed her terribly.

    "Sure. This shop means so much to me...Ellie and I poured our blood and sweat to establish it..."

    Ashley said, looking all around her.

    "By the way, where is Ellie? Has she note today?"

    "She is resting inside," said Cheryl.

    "Okay, I''ll go see her. You two work hard! Don''t bezybones."

    "Sure thing! You know you can''t find anyone more diligent than us in the entire world," Cheryl said,

    chuckling and winking.

    They continued to banter for a while before Ashley finally walked into the lounge.

    Ellie sat on the edge of the couch, lost in thought.

    She didn''t even notice Ashleye in. Ashley was going to call her out, but the moment she saw her

    in that state, she started to tiptoe. She walked over to her back quietly, covered Ellie''s eyes and tried to

    fake as different a voice as she could. "Guess who this is!"

    Ellie was startled! But she recognized Ashley''s familiar fragrance, her forced voice and her touch. She

    was relieved first, then ted.

    "Well, well... I say it''s a heartless pig!" said Ellie cockily.

    Ashley''s mouth fell open. She let go of Ellie instantly and jumped in front of her. "Why am I a heartless

    pig? You aren''t as kind as you used to be! How could you make that groundless usation against me,

    huh?"

    "You tell me, if you aren''t heartless, why hadn''t youe here even once since you started working at

    thepany?" asked Ellie, raising one of her eyebrows.

    Ashley heaved a sigh and sat down beside her. "Here I am! Right in front of you. I think you are very

    good at managing everything on your own! See how well you handle the shop without me!"

    Ellie nudged the tip of Ashley''s nose with her finger and said, "Oh, you mean you''re always right, huh?

    Then why did youe here at all?"

    Ashley was displeased. "Why, can''t Ie to see you when I''m free?"

    Ellie''s expression turned inquisitive. "Aren''t you supposed to stay home and keep Andrewpany? I

    don''t see a reason for you toe here..."

    Ashley got stiff and uneasy, but soon adjusted herself. Ellie didn''t even notice the change. "He has to

    work overtime."

    "Ah, I see! He''s unavable so you came to see me...well, is that fair?"

    Ashley pushed her down the couch. "What nonsense are you talking about? I came to see you on

    purpose! I missed you, idiot!"

    They fought with each other yfully for a while, pulling at each other''s hair and clothes,ughing like

    little girls.

    When they finally stopped, Ashley happened to take a close look at Ellie''s face.

    She looked different than usual.

    It was difficult to pinpoint, but her features and manners were more graceful than before.

    She looked much prettier and more charming.

    Ashley continued to stare at her, almost in a state of trance.

    Ellie waved her hand in front of her face and asked, "What''s wrong with you? Did you lose your soul?"

    Ashley snapped back to reality. "No...Ellie, why do you look different?" she asked, while running her

    skeptical eyes all over her.

    Ellie''s heart missed a beat but she managed to maintain herposure. "What is different?"

    Ashley sighed. "I can''t really say. It''s just a feeling. You look much prettier than before!"

    Ellie felt relieved. "Oh, I thought you meant I had something on my face. Well, it''s probably because

    you haven''t seen me for such a long time that you''ve forgotten what I look like!" she said, rolling her

    eyes.

 Chapter 356 Miserable Francis

    Chapter 356 Miserable Francis

    Ashley nodded in agreement. "Yes, you''re probably right."

    The girls hung out until it was time to get off work. Ashley meanwhile didn''t seem to want to leave.

    Ellie looked at her, seemingly puzzled. "Why hasn''t hee to pick you up?"

    ''Isn''t he normally punctual? He''s always here at five o''clock sharp. It doesn''t matter if there''s a

    rainstorm or a hurricane¡ªhe has never beente. Not even a minutete.

    Even if he needed to work overtime, he would have asked somebody toe and pick her up.

    What''s going on?

    Did he forget?''

    Ashley turned, wanting nothing more than to leave. She really wasn''t in the mood to talk about it.

    This didn''t go unnoticed by Ellie''s sharp eyes. She squinted then raised her voice, "Ashley, stop!"

    ''Ahhh, '' Ashley thought to herself. ''Why do we need to talk about it now? I''m not ready to talk about it

    just yet.''

    She slowly swiveled and put on a fake smile. "What is it, Ellie? Nina and Cheryl have already left. Let''s

    get our things and leave too."

    Ellie ignored what she said and asked her instead, "What''s happening? Isn''t Andrewing to pick

    you up? Did you two have a fight?"

    Ashley pressed her lips together and said, "Why would we fight?"

    "Then what''s the matter?" Ellie wouldn''t let it go.

    "Just forget about it," said Ashley, her face turning ugly.

    Ellie approached her so she could hug her. Then in a soft voice, she asked, "What happened? You

    used to tell me everything. We never keep anything from each other. Why won''t you tell me now?"

    She was almost sure that they did have a fight. But they didn''t look like the type of couple who would

    fight.

    As Ashley let herself be enveloped in Ellie''s arms, she felt her sadness surge inside her. She

    murmured, "Ellie, let''s go home first. We can talk there, okay?"

    Ellie agreed. "All right. Let''s go home first. We can talk there. Don''t be sad anymore."

    "Okay. I''ll sleep over tonight,"

    she said glumly as she put her head on Ellie''s shoulder.

    "Okay," said Ellie, stroking Ashley''s hair.

    Ellie just listened to her and gave her whatever she wanted.

    She was a true friend.

    They were best friends for that reason.

    Ellie had already forgotten about Francis and had already taken him off her mind. Ashley was way

    more important than Francis.

    They closed the door of the cake shop and left together arm in arm.

    "Ellie, let''s take the bus back. We can buy some groceries in the supermarket and cook our dinner at

    home. What do you think?" Ashley suggested.

    "Sure, anything you want," Ellie replied.

    "You''re the best, Ellie," she said as she leaned on Ellie''s shoulder.

    "Of course. You''re my best friend."

    As they were walking on the street, a red Ferrari that was hard to miss suddenly pulled up in front of

    them.

    Before Ashley could react, Francis suddenly got out of the car. He looked sexy and attractive as he

    stepped out.

    He was so focused on Ellie that he couldn''t even see that she was with someone else.

    He ignored whoever was beside her.

    He put on a sweet smile and said, "Ellie, I''vee to pick you up."

    Ellie took a peek at the distracted Ashley and cleared her throat. "I''m going to sleep over at Ashley''s

    tonight. You can go home."

    ''What?'' Francis was in disbelief.

    Ashley had a look of displeasure on her face. She took a step forward so that she was in between

    them. She eyed Francis and said, "What are you doing here?"

    Francis could tell that the voice was familiar as soon as he heard it. He turned his head only to see

    Ashley. "Oh, Ashley. I didn''t see you there.

    I came to pick Ellie up," he said nonchntly.

    Ashley frowned and said, "Didn''t I tell you to leave Ellie alone?"

    She was afraid that Francis might hurt Ellie. Ellie had never held a boy''s hand while Francis was a

    yboy at heart. He had been with more women than one could count with one''s hands.

    Ellie would only end up hurt if she gave him a chance.

    She had to protect Ellie from him.

    She didn''t know that they had already been together. They had already slept together once.

    If Ashley found out, she would give Francis a really hard time.

    Francis hid behind Ellie and looked at Ashley innocently.

    Ashley was speechless. "What kind of strategy is this?''

    She suddenly forgot about all her problems. She focused on Francis and how to deal with him. She

    was so angry that she wanted to strike a punch on his face.

    However, that wouldn''t solve anything.

    "What are you still doing there?" Ashley shouted at him. "Why are you hiding behind Ellie?"

    "No. If Ie out, I don''t know what you''ll do to me," Francis said.

    Ashley couldn''t find the right words. ''Smart boy. He read my mind.''

    Ashley rolled her sleeves and tried to catch him, but Francis grabbed Ellie''s sleeve so tightly.

    The three of them were suddenly entangled with each other.

    Ellie looked at Ashley with resignation. "Okay, Ashley, stop fighting with him.

    Let''s go. Or we won''t be able to catch the bus."

    Upon hearing this, Ashley released her hand and red at Francis.

    "Okay, let''s go, Ellie!"

    Francis, meanwhile, looked dumbfounded. ''Catch the bus?''

    "Ellie, are you going to take the bus? Why not take my car? I can drive you." Francis tried to stop them

    by standing in their way.

    He looked at Ellie, trying to gain her sympathy.

    While Ellie was moved, she couldn''t as she had to be there for Ashley who was having a rough day.

    She had promised Ashley she would keep herpany tonight.

    Ellie turned to Ashley and looked at her as if to ask what her decision was.

    Francis couldn''t help but me Andrew. ''Why isn''t he taking care of his wife? Now I can''t spend time

    with Ellie because she''s too busy with Ashley!

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    What''s wrong with him? Doesn''t he want to be with his wife?

    Ever since they had gotten married, he had never allowed her to sleep in Ellie''s house. Not even for a

    night! Why didn''t he pick up Ashley today?''

    Francis never thought that Andrew and Ashley ever fought.

    ''Andrew''s just that kind of person. If he loves someone, he''ll love them wholeheartedly. He adores

    Ashley. He''d never fight with her.''

    But this time, Francis was wrong.

 Chapter 357 It Hurts

    Chapter 357 It Hurts

    ''Okay, now I have to convince Ashley.''

    Francis took a step forward so that he was directly in front of Ashley. He then shed her a smile.

    However, Ashley was furious at the mere sight of Francis.

    Andrew wasn''t here so she took her anger out on him.

    ''You''re his best friend. I know you two talk a lot and you know what each other is up to, so you can''t

    me me.

    All men are liars!

    No exceptions!

    All they do is cheat on women!''

    Francis just merely stood there and he had no idea what was going on in Ashley''s mind.

    "What''s wrong with you? Get out of our way. We have to catch the bus," Ashley said.

    "Ashley, I can give you and Ellie a ride. You don''t need to catch the bus. It''s crowded and you might not

    even get to sit anymore. Anyone can take the bus and I just want you two to be safe. Especially such

    beautiful women as yourselves.

    If you ride with me, you''ll be much safer and morefortable. You can even sleep if you want. You''re

    going to bepletely safe. What do you think?" Francis posed.

    She put on a fake smile and said, "I''m sorry to tell you this but we want to take the bus. We''ve been

    taking this bus for more than 20 years now. We''re used to it. You don''t need to worry about our safety.

    Maybe, you should be worrying about yourself. A handsome man like yourself can easily attract

    thieves."

    Ellie couldn''t help but feel uneasy upon hearing Ashley talk to Andrew like this. She eyed her and

    wondered what was going on with her. ''She''s never behaved like this before.''

    Francis looked at Ashley in amazement. ''She has changed a lot.

    How could she say something like that!

    She was harsh!

    I need backup from Ellie."

    He then turned to Ellie.

    She grabbed Ashley''s arm and said, "Ashley, I think he has a point. Anyway, it''s a free ride. It''s going to

    save us money. Let''s just get in the car."

    ''A free ride? Is that all I am to her? A driver?'' Francis thought, a bit upset.

    Ashley looked at Ellie and nodded. "Okay."

    Francis was overjoyed upon hearing this.

    Since he was seated in the driver''s seat, he could see from the mirror that the two were whispering and

    giggling. ''What are they talking about? Why aren''t they talking to me?

    That is not what I''d nned!'' heined inwardly.

    He then parked the car near a supermarket because Ashley and Ellie needed to buy something. He

    intended to go inside with them and go shopping too.

    However, just as he was unfastening his seat belt, he was stopped. "Francis, you can stay here."

    "No, Ashley, let me go with you. I can help you carry the grocery bags. They might be heavy."

    ''s, I''m just a servant now.''

    Ashley thought for a moment and replied, "Okay, let''s go."

    She then headed to the vegetable section. When Francis was sure that she was already distracted, he

    pulled Ellie aside. He said in a low voice, "Ellie, what''s happened to Ashley? I think something''s up with

    her."

    ''She just flipped out.

    Where the hell is Andrew? Why hasn''t he turned up yet? I just want to be alone with Ellie.''

    This couple just drove him crazy.

    He had no idea what was going on with them.

    Ellie looked at Ashley and shook her head. She figured something must have happened between her

    and Andrew but she just didn''t know. She''d decided that she was going to ask when they get home.

    "I don''t know. Maybe it has something to do with Andrew. You can ask him what happened.

    Ashley just isn''t in the mood today. If you''re a bit pissed at her because of what she said to you, just let

    it go."

    "Yeah, I''ll let it go. I know she just has a lot going on. I''ll ask Andrew tomorrow," Francis responded.

    "Okay," Ellie said.

    ''Where is Ellie?'' Ashley wondered when she realized that Ellie hadn''t followed her. She looked around

    and saw that Ellie was walking by Francis'' side.

    Then she approached them to pull Ellie toward her. "Ellie, did you already forget what I told you? Stay

    away from him. He''s a yboy. He''s just pretending to be nice."

    Francis couldn''t help but frown upon hearing this. ''How could she say that?

    I''m trying to get to know Ellie because I want her. Why is she making me out to be the bad guy here?''

    Ellie rubbed him on the shoulder as a way tofort him before leaving with Ashley.

    They had bought a lot of goods, including greens and snacks. The bags were too heavy for Ashley and

    Ellie to carry so it was time to ask Francis to carry it for them.

    They put the goods in the shopping cart and asked Francis to carry it to the car.

    Ellie wanted to help him because she was embarrassed watching him struggle with all the big bags.

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    However, Ashley stopped her.

    After a while, they arrived at Ashley and Ellie''s house. Francis helped them carry the stuff inside.

    Ashley stared at him when he wanted to enter the door. "I think you should leave now."

    His body turned stiff. ''What? She''s making me leave now?''

    "Ashley..."

    Ashley then went inside only to find another pair of slippers beside hers and Ellie''s.

    It was a pair of men''s slippers.

    She was a little confused. "Ellie, whose slippers are these? Why is there a pair of men''s slippers here?"

    Ellie looked at the slippers and answered, "I bought them. Francis and Andrew are always here

    anyway. I bought them thest time I went to the supermarket."

    Ashley nced at her then at Francis before answering, "Okay." It was difficult to tell if she believed

    Ellie''s exnation or not.

    Ellie and Ashley then went to the kitchen so they could cook. Francis was finally able to rx.

    He almost had to beg just to be able to stay so he needed to make something out of it.

    Then he took out his phone and sent a message to Andrew.

    "What''s wrong with Ashley today? Is she fighting with someone? Why is she mad at me? Why didn''t

    she stay with you? She ruined my date with Ellie. You have to pick her up now!"

 Chapter 358 Huh

    Chapter 358 Huh

    At that time, Andrew was at the Lu Group building.

    Johnny was reporting Ashley''s schedule as he stood in front of Andrew.

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    "Miss Mu went to her cake shop and went back with Miss Su at 5 o''clock in the afternoon. They were

    picked up by Miss Nan. They''re probably home now," Johnny said.

    He didn''t know whether Andrew was listening to him because Andrew was looking at his phone as he

    spoke.

    What he didn''t know was that Andrew was actually looking at a photo of Ashley. The photo was of

    Ashley asleep, her eyes softly closed and her ck hair elegantly resting on the pillow.

    Her skin was delicate and fair without any trace of pores. The photo was a lovely capture of Ashely

    enjoying her peace as shey in bed.

    Seeing that Andrew was a little absent-minded, Johnny prompted, "Mr. Lu?"

    Andrew nced at Johnny and said indifferently, "What?"

    Johnny then repeated himself, "Miss Mu is in Miss Su''s house now."

    Andrew seemed to be in a daze, still he didn''t say a word. After a while, he just nodded.

    It was dark outside. If one stood in front of the French window, it offered a beautiful view of the city.

    It was easy to see the outside world.

    This was the highest floor in J City and also the private office of Andrew. Apart from Andrew, only

    Johnny could enter it.

    Johnny was curious as to why Andrew and Ashley had been in a cold war.

    ''Mr. Lu''s been like this for about a week now, '' he thought.

    He looked at Andrew and hesitated whether he should ask Andrew or not.

    Andrew nced at Johnny and said, "You can say whatever you want to say."

    Johnny then asked, "Mr. Lu, did you have a fight with Miss Mu?"

    ''Why aren''t you home yet? It''s already sote! Before, you''d always check your watch until it''s time to

    get off work because you couldn''t wait.

    It''s long past after working hours and yet you''re still here and keeping track of Miss Mu, '' he pondered.

    Andrew red back at Johnny. Johnny didn''t press further.

    Then he said, "Mr. Lu, if you don''t need anything else, I''d better get going."

    Johnny then left when Andrew nodded.

    ''Mr. Lu can be so scary sometimes.

    I''d better go back home as soon as possible.

    Should I ask Miss Mu what happened between them?

    I don''t know what''s going to happen if Mr. Lu continues to behave like this.

    Whenever Miss Mu and Mr. Lu quarreled, Mr. Lu would turn into aplete workaholic. The way he

    was before. The employees are finally able to rx but now, Mr. Lu''s making everyone nervous again, ''

    Johnny thought.

    When Johnny left, Andrew''s mobile phone suddenly rang. At first, Andrew intended to ignore it.

    However when he saw Ashley''s name, he was taken aback.

    ''So, does that mean that both Ashley and Francis are in Ellie''s house?'' thought Andrew.

    He couldn''t help but feel jealous. ''I can''t even see Ashley but Francis is with her. How can he do that?''

    he thought.

    Andrew had thought of something. He wrote up a message on his phone and sent it, feeling satisfied.

    Francis was sitting in the living room. He thought he''d be able to get some alone time with Ellie after

    sending that message to Andrew. He was surprised by the response that he had received from Andrew.

    ''What is he trying to say?

    Is he asking me to go to his vi?

    Why would he do that?'' thought Francis.

    He then replied, "What happened to you? Did you get a stomachache again?"

    Andrew would only ask Francis to go to his vi if he was sick or if he needed to talk to Francis. So

    Francis couldn''t help but wonder what Andrew''s n was.

    Andrew read the message and frowned slightly. ''I''m fine!'' thought Andrew. He decided to reply with

    "Huh?"

    Francis looked at the ''Huh'' on the screen and frowned. ''Wouldn''t Ashley know if Andrew''s sick or

    something?

    I want to spend some time with Ellie!''

    Andrew suddenly thought of something and sent a message to Francis to warn him not to tell Ashley.

    He made sure to tell Francis the consequences if he told on him.

    When Francis read Andrew''s message again, he felt annoyed.

    Just as he was about to reply to Andrew, Andrew had sent him another message. It came at the perfect

    time because he was just about to tell Ashley.

    Ashley looked at Francis and said impatiently, "Just tell me!"

    Francis hesitated for a while. In the end, he decided he wasn''t going to tell Ashley. He just said

    casually, "It''s nothing important. You can go back to your cooking, Ashley. I just came here to tell you

    that I''m leaving. I''m sorry I have to deal with something so I''m not going to be able to have dinner here.

    You don''t need to include me for dinner anymore."

    Even though Francis was speaking to Ashley, he was looking at Ellie as he spoke.

    "I wasn''t nning on cooking dinner for you. You can leave right now so that you won''t bother us

    anymore," Ashley quipped.

    Francis was a bit upset upon hearing this. "Ashley¡­" ''What did I do? Why is Ashley suddenly treating

    me like this?'' thought Francis.

    He looked at Ellie and said, "Ellie, I have to leave now. I''ll see you soon."

    He lowered his voice as Ashley was staring at him. After which, he left.

    Ellie looked at Ashley helplessly and asked, "Why are you treating him like that?"

    "He is going after you," Ashley simply said.

    She said it in a way that seemed as if she was sure of herself.

    Ashley suddenly thought of something. She realized that this started because of her. She had set their

    paths to lead to one another.

    At that moment, Ashley felt regretful.

    Ellie couldn''t help but wonder what Ashley''s reasoning for saying that was. So, she asked, "Well?"

    Ashley looked at Ellie seriously and said, "Ellie, promise me that you won''t fall in love with him. He is

    not your Mr. Right."

    Ellie stopped washing vegetables for a few seconds. "Why? What''s wrong with him? I thought you said

    you liked him?"

    Ashley looked at Ellie in horror and asked, "Ellie, have you fallen in love with Francis?"

    Ellie was able to avoid her question because she pointed to the pot and said, "The vegetables are

    going to get overcooked. Watch the pot!"

    Ashley quickly looked at the vegetables in the pot. Ellie was sessful in steering the conversation

    elsewhere.

    After a while, they finished cooking. They cooked the meat and vegetable dishes¡ªboth their favorites.

    After dinner, they washed the dishes and then headed to Ellie''s bedroom.

    As soon as Ashleyy down on the bed, she sat up and looked at Ellie then blurted out, "Ellie, your bed

    smells strange."

    Ellie was drying her hair. She asked, "What smell?"

    Ashley sniffed the quilt and then said, "It smells like a man! Yes, definitely, it smells like the musk of a

    man! Ellie, will you be honest with me? What have you been doing?"

 Chapter 359 Expert In Love and Relationships

    Chapter 359 Expert In Love and Rtionships

    Ellie stopped in her tracks when she heard Ashleyment that her bed smelled like the musk of a

    man. She paused and looked at Ashley who was looking at her inquisitively. She threw her towel at

    Ashley and said yfully, "Ashley, stop making fun of me.

    What man smell? I think you''re just missing Andrew, aren''t you?"

    Ashley dodged the towel that was thrown at her and moved farther. "Not at all," she said coldly.

    The two bantered for a while before getting ready to sleep. As theyy on the bed, Ashley still couldn''t

    shake off the feeling that there was some hint of a familiar scent. She just couldn''t figure out what it

    was.

    She turned to look at Ellie and asked seriously, "Has anyone else slept on this bed? I mean, except for

    you. I can still smell it."

    "No, really. Maybe it''s because you''ve been sleeping next to Andrew for so long that you''ve gotten

    used to his smell. So whenever you go sleep, you tend to think of it, don''t you?" Ellie suggested.

    "I don''t think that''s possible and please don''t mention him anymore," Ashley said, pursing her lips.

    "Oh, right. What''s going with you two? Did you two have a fight? Or are you having some kind of war? I

    never thought that these types of things would happen to you two."

    "We''re just human. Why wouldn''t it happen to us?" Ashley responded.

    Ellie rubbed her back tofort her and said, "All right. Then can you tell me what happened between

    you two now?"

    Ashley moved her head to lean on Ellie''s shoulder and said, sniffing her nose, "Andrew had an affair."

    Ellie looked at her, astonished. "Had an affair? Did I hear that correctly?"

    "Yes, you heard that correctly. He has another woman. I saw the evidence. He had lipstick marks all

    over his clothes. And he wouldn''t let me get close to him or touch him. He ended up throwing the

    clothes away. You tell me. If he wasn''t guilty, why would he behave like that? Men are trash. No

    exceptions!"

    Ellie frowned upon hearing this. She didn''t think Andrew was that type of person.

    He treated Ashley so well and he adored her so much. She found it difficult to believe that despite that,

    Andrew would cheat on Ashley.

    "Maybe you just assumed wrong and he wasn''t really cheating on you?" Ellie posed hesitantly after a

    pause.

    Ashley was quick to respond, "Not possible. I saw it myself. There were definitely lipstick marks and he

    also smelled like another woman''s perfume. It couldn''t have been a mistake."

    "So since that day, you''ve been cold to each other? And you haven''t even talked about it?" Ellie asked.

    Ashley said sullenly, "Yeah, well, what else can I do? He already has another woman. Maybe they love

    each other and they''re just waiting for me to be out of the picture so they can finally be together."

    "Ashley, are you nuts?" Ellie said.

    Ashley raised her head in puzzlement. ''What did Ellie mean? Why is she looking at me like that?'' she

    thought to herself.

    "Did Andrewe home veryte that night? And did he tell you in advance that he was going to be

    late?"

    Ashley nodded.

    "He just probably had to entertain some people. You know how highly regarded he is in the city. A lot of

    women go after him. Someone must have just bumped into him, which probably exins the lipstick

    stains. Did you ask him where he had been? And how he got the lipstick stain on his clothes?"

    "How could I ask him that? When I saw the lipstick stain and smelled the perfume, my brain went nk.

    I couldn''t think anymore. When I saw that he had trashed the clothes, that''s when I knew for sure. How

    could I ask him?

    And what if he admitted it? What could I do then? Do I just leave him so they can be together?"

    "Do you trust Andrew?" asked Ellie.

    Ashley hesitated. Even when she was kidnapped, the man had told her stories about how cruel and

    heartless Andrew really was, she was still able to calmly assert that she trusted Andrew

    wholeheartedly.

    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

    She trusted that he would never do any of those things.

    But this time, she saw it with her own eyes and it didn''t help that Andrew was also acting weird.

    How could she trust him? Should she trust him?

    Ashley raised her head and saw Ellie watching her attentively, waiting for her answer. Ashley nodded

    slightly and said, "Yes, I trust him."

    "But Ashley, you hesitated which means you''re not sure. Two people who love each other should trust

    each other unconditionally whateveres their way. Even if it''s just a misunderstanding or some

    obstacle or difficulty, you should still trust each other. Otherwise, you''ll get eaten up by your suspicions

    and jealousy. That''s when your rtionship falls apart.

    If you aren''t sure if you trust him, you should just ask him. This cold war you two are having isn''t good

    for either of you."

    "Do you really think so?" Ashley asked, seemingly puzzled.

    Ellie nodded firmly.

    Ashley eyed her as she spoke, "Ellie, why does it seem like you''re such an expert on this matter? It''s

    as if you''ve gone through the same thing before. But you''ve never even held a man''s hand. How could

    you possibly know so much about rtionships?"

    Ellie was a bit irked as she responded, "Just because I haven''t had the meat doesn''t mean I don''t

    recognize the animal. Sometimes, outsiders have the better perspective. You should know that.

    You''re justpletely blinded by this small thing. If you two don''t do anything, what''s going to happen

    to your rtionship then?"

    Ashley reflected upon it for a while and said, "You''re probably right.

    But do I just go and ask him directly? I don''t think I can do that." She looked at Ellie with doubt in her

    eyes.

    "Why can''t you? You''re his wife. It''s only natural that you ask him about it. What are you scared of?"

    "I''m not scared," Ashley argued.

    "Then go and confront him tomorrow," Ellie challenged.

    "Okay, I''m not scared of him."

    "Okay, let''s sleep now. We need to go to work tomorrow," Ellie urged her.

    "Okay, okay," said Ashley, yawning.

    Since that night when she saw the lipstick marks on Andrew''s shirt, Ashley hadn''t slept well. This was

    the first night that she had gotten a good sleep because she was sleeping in a ce she was

    comfortable in.

    Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Francis was still sitting on the couch. He looked pissed off as he

    looked at the man who was acting as if he wasn''t there and nothing had happened.

 Chapter 360 Liar

    Chapter 360 Liar

    Andrew waspletely ignoring him! Francis'' eyes grew wide as he realized that he was fooled into

    coming here!

    He pointed at Andrew with his finger, "You¡­" "You''re still so calm andposed at this rate."

    He smashed the gas and drove at full speed in order to get here as soon as possible, fearing that

    Andrew would do something reckless. But to his surprise, when he got here, what came into his view

    was this!

    Francis'' face showed clearly that he was deeply hurt.

    Andrew lifted his eyelids slightly and gave him an indifferent look, without saying anything.

    The message he conveyed to him was obvious. "Say more bullshit, you''ll be thrown out the door."

    Francis still got the feeling of being thrown out. So he had to shut up.

    But in his heart, he was cursing Andrew with some kind of voodoo witchcraft. ''Damn it, Andrew! How

    dare you fool me?

    I''ll tell on you to Ashley!

    You just wait!''

    Thinking of Ashley, he again turned to look at Andrew, who was sitting on the couch and having a

    sullen face. Something must have happened between the two of them.

    Otherwise, why did he stop him when he wanted to tell Ashley about that matter.

    At first Francis thought Andrew was afraid that Ashley might be worried, so he wouldn''t let him tell her.

    But from the situation he saw today, it wasn''t the case.

    Moreover, Ashley was acting strangely today too.

    Francis started to form a picture in his mind.

    He was a person who couldn''t keep a secret and would easily spill the beans. And now that he felt like

    he discovered a secret, he became restless and couldn''t keep it under wraps.

    But, Andrew didn''t speak, so he dared not utter a word and kept his mouth shut.

    He could only check on Andrew secretly from time to time.

    "Do you have anything to say?"

    Andrew gave him a cold nce and asked lightly.

    Andrew had gotten used toing back to sleep by Ashley''s side and holding her in his arms as she

    slept. Tonight Ashley went to spend the night in Ellie''s ce. Without the beauty in his arms, how could

    he fall asleep?

    Luckily, he got himself a night owl to keep himpany. The two of them sat on the couch doing

    nothing.

    Like being injected with chicken blood, Francis nodded vigorously. "Yes, something important! A big

    deal! "About you and Ashley!"

    Only then did Francis get his attention. Andrew turned to him and said, "Fine, go ahead,"

    Without any hesitation, "Did you have a fight with Ashley?" asked Francis.

    "Well, yes."

    Francis gloated internally. ''Ha-ha! I''m so smart! I knew something had happened! Otherwise, they

    wouldn''t be acting this way.''

    "What happened between you two?" Francis continued enthusiastically, "Tell me. I''ll help you find some

    solution. You know, nobody knows women better than I do."

    "If Ashley was here, she would have split her sidesughing. She would also sneer and say, "Look at

    yourself! Are you still dreaming about being together with Ellie one day, Don Juan? Wake up! You''re

    daydreaming!"

    Andrew squinted at Francis.

    He seemed very doubtful about Francis'' words.

    Francis almost angrily stood up. ''Why are you looking at me that way? Do I seem that unreliable? What

    do you mean?''

    Andrew thought of the advice Francis gave him before which seemed to have worked somehow.

    And so, Andrew told, "There''s someone else that she loves. She went to see him behind my back and

    when she came back afterwards, she became cold towards me."

    "Oh, really? Ashley loves somebody? Isn''t that person you?" Francis asked quizzically.

    The temperature dropped as Andrew sent a re towards Francis which could pierce his chest.

    Francis immediately zipped his mouth shut.

    After a pause, he began once again, "All the more reason for you to treat her well and pamper her. If

    somebody else loves Ashley, then you should love and adore her even more. You have to let her know

    that you are the person who loves her the most. Make it so that she won''t be able to leave you, unable

    to be apart from you! Win her heart back!

    How stupid you are to have a cold war with her! Aren''t you afraid of driving her to others with your own

    hands?

    The right strategy is to treat her nicer, make her feel that nobody would love her more than you do. You

    have to do as much as you could until she always thinks of how nice you are when she meets that

    man. When that happens, she wouldn''t ever want to run away from you. She will only have you in her

    heart!"

    Francis sneered inside, "Cold war, my ass! You''re nuts! You''ll cry your eyes out when she runs away

    with another man.''

    He still wanted to walk out of the room alive so he kept these words to himself without saying them out

    loud.

    Andrew frowned while he seemed lost in his thoughts, digesting Francis'' words of advice. All of them

    made sense. He must get her to think only about him and upy her heart. Not even a space left for

    another man. He found himself agreeing with Francis.

    Seeing Andrew not talking, Francis couldn''t help but ask, "The man, who is he? The one whom you

    think Ashley likes."

    He was a nosy man. He couldn''t suppress his curiosity and felt that he must get to the bottom of this

    and find out everything about it!

    Andrew sent him another piercing look. Just for the sake that he had actually given him some good

    advice, he treated him a little bit nicer and actually answered, "Her brother, Ron."

    It was such a rare case that he remembered a person''s name so clearly. And it was a man''s name to

    boot.

    "Pffff!"

    Francis couldn''t help spraying out the mouthful of water he just drank. While having a coughing fit, he

    couldn''t help but nce at Andrew.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    "What!?" Andrew squinted and asked angrily.

    "Nothing, nothing," Francis said hastily as he waved his hands nervously.

    Regaining hisposure, "I don''t think that Ashley likes him," said Francis, frowning.

    "Why?"

    "A man''s instinct," Francis stated.

    A man''s instinct! Andrew''s first instinct was that every man was disagreeable. Everyone seemed to aim

    at Ashley and was fighting with him for her.

    "You can leave now," said Andrew.

    Francis was dumbfounded. ''What the hell does this mean? What the hell is going on? What''s wrong

    with him? Does he think that I''m just an object that he would throw away once the mission is

    completed?''

    The next day, Ashley felt much better and didn''t find it hard to leave thefort of the bed when she

    woke up. She had been enlightened by Ellie.

    She was d that she had brought her belongings with her when she left from the cake shop. She

    didn''t need to return home and she could go directly to work after having a filling breakfast with Ellie.

    At the office, the designing contest had been going on in full swing. Tomorrow, they would start to

    evaluate and select the winners. So when Ashley stepped into the office, everyone''s tense faces could

    be clearly seen.

    Everyone looked serious, except for Ashley and Amaia.

    Amaia had always been carefree and let things go their own course. And the contest wasn''t really a big

    deal to her.

    Meanwhile, Ashley was in fact, nervous. However, it didn''t show in her demeanor.

    The day passed by quickly but busily and when it was time to get off work, Ashley took ast nce at

    the design. She made a satisfied nod and put it back into her drawer.

    It was same as usual, she didn''t see Andrew when she went to the big tree.

    She felt at a loss.

    The driver today was Josef. She wondered what Johnny was doing now. She was not used to Josef

    and didn''t know how to interact with him.

    Josef was less talkative than Johnny. He drove quietly and brought Ashley back to the vi.

    After she got to the vi, Ashley made a call to Johnny but he didn''t answer.

    Ashley thought for a while and then made a call to Andrew too, but the result was the same. Nobody

    answered.

    Ashley frowned. ''What''s the matter? Why is no one answering? Are they both busy?''

    A momentter, she sent a message to Andrew, "Come home to have dinner. I have something to talk

    to you about."

    In the office, Andrew was sitting behind his desk and Johnny stood by his side. He was holding onto his

    cellphone when he received a message. His fingers clicked on it swiftly as he stared at the screen, his

    expression remained unreadable and nobody knew what was on his mind.

 Chapter 361 I Wonâ€™t Let Go Of Her!

    Chapter 361 I Won¡¯t Let Go Of Her!

    In fact, Andrew had finished dealing with everything in thepany. But he didn''t want to go back

    home. He wouldn''t find Ashley there anyway.

    Looking to his side, Johnny looked at Andrew, sitting indifferently and fiddling with his phone. He almost

    went mad!

    Something must have happened to Andrew. Something was different, recently. So, he worked very

    hard as his assistant and tried to make things as smooth as possible for his boss. It was normal for him

    to work that way, day and night but he did his best even more.

    He was like a spinning top that kept turning and never stopped. Naturally, he was exhausted. He

    couldn''t keep up with his boss.

    He simply wanted to find a soft bed, be carried off to dreand and have a good sleep.

    When Ashley called, Johnny nced at his boss secretly. Without looking at him, Andrew told him that

    he wasn''t allowed to answer the phone.

    They both looked at the phone ringing. The harsh, ring sound reverberated throughout the room. It

    kept ringing until it automatically stopped.

    Unexpectedly, Andrew''s mobile phone suddenly rang. Just seeing the expression on his boss'' face, he

    knew it was a call from Ashley.

    ''It''s understandable that Mr. Lu didn''t allow me to answer Miss Mu''s phone call. But why won''t he

    answer it as well? What actually happened?

    In the past, as long as Miss Mu called him, he would immediately be happy. The smile on his face was

    so obvious for everyone to see. He was at her beck and call. Why won''t he answer it now? It''s strange,

    '' Johnny mused.

    Andrew read the message from the one he missed so dearly. She was asking him to go back to have

    dinner together and said that she had something important to discuss with him.

    Panic and nervousness overcame him for the first time.

    ''Did she realize that she doesn''t love me and now wanted him? Does she love her brother, Ron, who

    has always been good to her?'' Andrew thought.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    He subconsciously wanted to evade her and didn''t want to go back. He never wanted to hear cruel

    words of rejection from Ashley''s own mouth.

    So, when the phone rang, he ignored it even if he wanted to hear her melodious voice.

    He was afraid. He was afraid that Ashley would say something he hated, something he didn''t want to

    hear. He was afraid that she would say she wanted to leave him for another man.

    ''She said she likes me. Howe she wants to leave me now?'' A crisis he never encountered before

    had bothered him at that moment.

    He closed his eyes as he thought about Francis'' words fromst night.

    ''The right strategy is to treat her nicer. Make her feel that nobody would love her more than you do. You

    have to do as much as you could until she always thinks of how nice you are when she meets that

    man. When that happens, she wouldn''t ever want to leave you for another man. She will only have you

    in her heart!''

    When he thought of this, his eyes suddenly opened with a sharp glint in them. ''Yes! Ashley is mine! No

    one can take her from me!

    No matter what happens, I won''t let go of her!

    It doesn''t matter if she has fallen in love with another man!'' Confidence overflowed from him with

    renewed determination.

    Ashley never thought that Andrew would be so agitated over a message from her. She only wanted to

    talk about how their rtionship was different from before. She wanted to set it straight and rify their

    status.

    It seemed that their rtionship would grow worse by the day if they let it be.

    A long time had passed when Andrew pulled himself from his thoughts. Johnny almost went numb as

    he waited when he heard, "Take me back."

    ''Take you back? Where am I going to take you back to? Are you going back to the vi?

    You finally made a good decision, Mr. Lu! It''s really surprising that you''re going back to the vi!''

    thought Johnny.

    It made him so excited that he almost wanted to shake his boss''s hands and thank him for his wise

    decision.

    But, he tried to calm himself down and obediently said, "Okay." Andrew had started to leave. He caught

    up to him and drove him back to the vi.

    The car soon arrived at the Golden Pce.

    Ashley had taken a bath and had worn soft andfortable house-wear. An appetizing smell

    permeated the air as she left her room. She approached the kitchen and asked, "ire, what are you

    making? It smells great."

    ire beamed as she replied, "Miss Mu, how are you? I especially cooked some soup for you to rx

    and sleep well."

    Concerned that Ashley might think that the soup might taste bad, she added, "Don''t worry, I only added

    a few medicinal herbs into it. It wouldn''t leave any peculiar taste."

    Ashley felt warm hearted, being cared for by ire, and hugged her. "ire, thank you. You''re so

    considerate."

    A caring hand reached out and patted Ashley''s hand. ire softly said, "You and my daughter are of

    the same age. I feel like I see my daughter when I look at you."

    Ashley smiled and joked, "You can treat me as your daughter."

    Ashley had never felt maternal love. After being adopted by the Mu family, she had also looked forward

    to it, but finally, she had to ept reality.

    No matter what she did, they wouldn''t like her.

    Ashley said, "You can take a rest now, ire. I will make dinner tonight."

    ire smiled jokingly. "Miss Mu, are you going to cook dinner for Mr. Lu?"

    Ashley''s face burned but she still nodded and replied, "Yes. Isn''t it the responsibility of a wife to cook

    for her husband?"

    ire replied with a smile, "You''re right. It''s the wife''s responsibility to cook for her husband. Mr. Lu is

    so lucky that he married such a good wife. Not only can you cook well, you''re also great at other

    things."

    Embarrassed, Ashley said, "Well, ire. Don''t praise me anymore. You can go out and have a rest. I''ll

    cook dinner."

    "Miss Mu, I can''t let you do it all by yourself while I rest. I''ll stay here and be your assistant. If Mr. Lu

    comes back and sees you cooking by yourself, he might be angry."

    Ashley considered before she finally agreed to allow ire to help her.

    A long while had passed before Ashley started cing the dishes on the table. She nced at the wall

    clock and grew impatient as she waited for Andrew to return home.

    ''Is something holding him up at work?

    Will all I did tonight be made in vain?'' worried Ashley.

    She took out her mobile phone and tried to call Andrew again.

    Andrew stood just outside the vi and stared at the door. He wondered if he should enter or not.

    When he reached out for the door to open it, his phone rang. Naturally, Ashley heard Andrew''s

    ringtone.

    After she hung the phone up, Ashley strode towards Andrew and expressionlessly said, "Wee

    back. Wash your hands. Let''s have dinner together."

    Ashley made herself look serious. She thought she shouldn''t smile at Andrew since she was going to

    ask him something. She worried that he might not answer her questions seriously if she smiled.

    But in Andrew''s eyes, it had another meaning.

    Ashley indifferently spoke to him in a cold tone as if drawing a line between them.

    She fled after saying her piece. Not all the food was served at the table yet. She needed to go back in

    and finish everything.

    Andrew was more and more worried.

    ''Is she really determined to leave me?

    Maybe this will be thest dinner that we''ll be having together!'' thought Andrew.

    Andrew licked his lips sadly and walked to the table as he sat down absent-mindedly.

    Ashley ced thest dish on the table and looked at Andrew sitting at the table. He was silent as he

    stared at her. She helped Andrew put some of the dishes on his te as she went, "Have a taste. How

    is it?"

    Her eyes sparkled with expectation as she waited for his response.

    However, Andrew was preparing for the worst. He thought that it might be thest dinner they had

    together. And then after that, Ashley would leave him.

    No matter how delicious the food was, he couldn''t taste anything. He couldn''t enjoy any of it.

    However, he noticed the expectation in her voice and did his best to reply as casually as he could.

 Chapter 362 Dont You Cry

    Chapter 362 Don''t You Cry

    "Yes, it''s delicious."

    The truth was, he didn''t even know if the food was salty, sweet, or spicy.

    He just chewed and swallowed mechanically whatever Ashley put into his te. Even when he came

    across some very hot and spicy peppers, he continued to eat without making a single reaction.

    He was bing more and more anxious. He didn''t know what to expect. He was convinced that his

    instincts were right as time passed. She was so gentle to him as she served food on his te.

    ''Is she just waiting for the right moment to talk to me about it or is she going to ask me to let her go so

    she could be with the person she really loves?''

    As he thought about it, his eyes turned cold. ''No way! I''d never do that. I''m never letting her go!''

    Meanwhile, Ashley was thinking that since she had been treating him so well, it shouldn''t be a problem

    if she suddenly started asking him her questions.

    She hoped he would answer her questions honestly. In any case, she would respect his choice, she

    reminded herself.

    However, on second thought, she realized she still wasn''t ready to ept that scenario in case it would

    happen.

    She shook her head in an attempt to clear her head. "Okay, if you want more, feel free to get more."

    After dinner, Ashley took away the dishes and put them in the kitchen. Then she walked over to Andrew

    who still hadn''t moved. She said, "We should go upstairs to talk."

    Andrew trailed behind her as she climbed the stairs, taking one step at a time and watching her back.

    When they got to the bedroom, Ashley closed the door and took a deep breath. She was trying to

    gather all her courage. ''You can do this, Ashley, '' she said inwardly.

    After which, she turned to Andrew. When she spoke, she tried to level her voice. "Are you having an

    affair with another woman?"

    Andrew was stunned.

    ''What''s going on here?

    What did she just say?

    Why wouldn''t she just say that she''s leaving me? Why would she use me of having an affair?

    I''ve only loved you and that''s always going to be the case! I''ve never evene close to another

    woman.

    How could I have another woman?''

    However, hisck of response only meant one thing to Ashley: her suspicions were right. He was at a

    loss for words because he had been found. His secret was finally out in the open.

    "Are you really having an affair? What about all those things that you promised me? You''ve probably

    made the same promises to your other woman. Or maybe I was just a novelty to you and you''ve found

    someone whom you genuinely love? If that''s the case then I..." ''I''ll give you what you want.''

    She thought she''d be able to say that out loud but she just couldn''t. She choked and couldn''t utter

    another word.

    She squatted down and hugged her knees and started to cry.

    She realized that she couldn''t say those words because she had been so used to having Andrew in her

    life. She couldn''t just let him go.

    ''Ashley, just admit it. You''re in love with him. Your heart''s been conquered.

    If that wasn''t true then why would you be acting this way?'' she told herself.

    Andrew stared at Ashley, astonished as she spoke to him. ''What kind of nonsense is she talking about?

    I''m having an affair? Then howe I don''t know about it?''

    He was a bit distracted when Ashley had started talking about his supposed affair.

    But when he saw Ashley slump down to her knees and cry, he panicked.

    His mind went nk. All he could think of was that he had made her cry.

    He had never seen her cry. Even when she was kidnapped, he didn''t see her cry. But now she was

    crying like a baby in front of him.

    He anxiously got down on his knees too. He tried to sooth her, "Ashley, what''s wrong? Don''t cry. It''s all

    my fault. I shouldn''t have ignored you. It''s my bad. Ashley, please, don''t cry, okay?"

    Upon hearing this, she sobbed harder.

    ''Why would hefort me now?

    It only makes it more difficult for me to let him go.''

    Andrew felt as if his heart was being torn from his body by an invisible hand. It hurt to see her like this.

    But what did he do to make her cry so hard?

    He couldn''t bear to see her cry like that.

    He pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back gently. "Ashley, don''t cry. It''s all my fault. You can beat

    me and curse me if you like, but..."

    He felt so helpless and sad, but at this moment, he didn''t know what else he could do except tofort

    her.

    Ashley hid her face in his arms and spoke, her voice quivering, "You tell me... Are you having an affair?

    If not... If not... why would you do that to me? You didn''t talk to me for so long and... And you had

    lipstick marks on your clothes... And after you came back home... you tried to destroy the evidence...

    You threw the clothes away..."

    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

    Ashley''s tears had soaked his shirt wet. Andrew felt as if her tears were burning into his skin.

    He didn''t need to see his shirt to know how stained it must be now.

    For a person like him who liked his things clean, this was a bit unbearable for him.

    But he didn''t push her away. Instead, he pressed her tighter against his chest and wrapped his arms

    around her.

    Upon hearing what she''d said, his mind went nk.

    ''What is she talking about?

    Lipstick mark on my clothes?''

    He''s nevere close to any woman for them to be able to leave a lipstick stain on his clothes.

    But he did remember throwing away the clothes. He couldn''t remember why but he knew that ever

    since that, Ashley had changed towards him.

    He remembered having dinner with Lesley about a week ago. He had originally made an appointment

    with her father. He just didn''t know that Aaron would ask Lesley to go to dinner on his behalf. During

    that dinner, Lesley threw herself on him.

    After that, his clothes smelled like her perfume. He couldn''t stand it, so as soon as he got home, he

    changed out of those clothes and trashed them.

    That same day, Ashely had gone to see Ron. Andrew had assumed that she had already fallen in love

    with him.

    However, it seemed it wasn''t true at all. It appeared that he had just assumed all of it.

    She thought the same as he did. She was jealous and had gone on to assume so many things.

    Now that he had seen the light, he felt stupid. He had been chasing his own tail. It waspletely

    uncharacteristic of him to let it go on for so long. In addition to that, he had made her cry like a baby.

 Chapter 363 Andrew, Dont Move

    Chapter 363 Andrew, Don''t Move

    Andrew wiped the tears off Ashley''s face and moved closer to her. Then he whispered to her in a soft

    voice, "No, no. You''re my only one.

    I can exin that. It''s true that I had a meeting with the CEO of the Feng Group. I just didn''t expect that

    it would be with Lesley. When I first saw her, I immediately wanted to leave. Just as I was about to

    leave, she stood up and faked falling into my arms. I didn''t know that she had left a lipstick stain on my

    shirt.

    My shirt smelled like her perfume. That''s why I didn''t want you to hug me. I wanted to shower first to

    get rid of the smell. All my clothes that day smelled like that so I threw them away."

    This was probably the first time that Andrew''s said so much and the first time he had exined himself

    to a woman so patiently.

    He only did that because he loved Ashley so much.

    Andrew ced his chin on Ashley''s head as he hugged her tighter. He said gently, "So, no, I am not

    having an affair with anyone. You''re my only one. Please stop crying, Ashley."

    ''Whenever you cry, I feel as if my whole world is falling apart.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    So, please don''t cry.

    It''s my fault, '' thought Andrew.

    Ashley was still dazed. Even when Andrew had already exined himself, she still couldn''t stop herself

    from crying.

    "Then¡­ why¡­ did you ignore me for so long?" Ashley asked while sobbing.

    Andrew sighed. Ashley had gone to see Ron that day. When she came back, she was already treating

    him coldly. He immediately connected it to Ron. He wasn''t actually nning on ignoring her. He was

    just afraid that Ashley might leave him.

    Andrew remained silent.

    Ashley didn''t know why she was so insistent. "Tell me!"

    "Do you remember who you went to meet that day? You treated me coldly that day. I thought it''s

    because you had feelings for him so..."

    Andrew didn''t finish his sentence but Ashley already had a pretty good guess what he was going to

    say.

    ''Ron and I? That''s impossible! I''ve only looked at him as my brother. I never saw him any more than

    that. Why would I suddenly have feelings for him?'' she thought inwardly.

    "I¡­ don''t love him. I just see him as my brother," Ashley said.

    "Well, I see," said Andrew.

    ''From now on, I won''t doubt you anymore, '' thought Andrew firmly.

    Ashley looked at Andrew. At that time, they were sitting on the floor. Ashley was in Andrew''s arms,

    looking awkward.

    Andrew''s shirt was soaking wet from Ashley''s tears.

    Ashley pushed Andrew away and said, "I want to stand up."

    Only then did Ashley realize how long she had been really crying.

    Plus, she looked like a mess.

    ''Oh, no! This is so embarrassing!'' Ashley thought to herself.

    She just wanted to hide forever.

    Andrew held Ashley tighter and said, "You are not going anywhere. I will never let you."

    At this moment, Ashley''s eyes were red and her hair was a little messy. Her face was flushed because

    she had just cried.

    She looked just like a bruised peach.

    Andrew was a bit aroused at that moment and it didn''t help that Ashley was moving so much.

    Andrew stopped Ashley as he said, "Stop moving"

    Ashley knew this tone very well. She did as she was told¡ªshe remained still.

    Suddenly, she felt as if the atmosphere was so awkward that she couldn''t focus on anything else so

    she spoke, "Why didn''t you talk to me that day?"

    ''You made me so worried and all I did was overthink.

    If it weren''t for Ellie, we still wouldn''t be talking right now, '' Ashley thought to herself.

    She sighed inwardly. ''Do I not trust Andrew enough?

    When I saw that lipstick stain on his shirt, it was as if I couldn''t think rationally anymore.

    The more people care about someone, the less rational they tend to be.

    I''m exactly like that.

    I think I have to be more careful next time.

    I need to trust Andrew in the future, '' she thought.

    Andrew tightened his embrace around Ashley. Then he spoke, his voice low, "I thought it was just

    nothing. I didn''t know you would assume as much. I hated what she did but I didn''t want you to be

    bothered over nothing. Ash, I''m sorry. I promise I''ll tell you everything from now on."

    He couldn''t help but feel irked at Lesley. He didn''t expect that she would cause this much trouble in his

    rtionship.

    Meanwhile, Lesley had no idea how much Andrew despised her.

    She was still patiently waiting for Ashley and Andrew to be in hot water so she could take advantage.

    This was just Lesley''s wishful thinking.

    Andrew and Ashley''s rtionship was stronger than ever.

    "Okay," said Ashley.

    Suddenly, Andrew felt his body grow itchy and hot as if there was something climbing unto his skin.

    He then recalled that Ashley had served a lot of spicy food for dinner. He was so worried that Ashley

    was going to break up with her that he hadn''t paid much attention to what Ashley was serving him.

    Andrew just ate whatever Ashley dumped on his te. He was allergic to peppers. In fact, he hadn''t

    eaten one since he was young. Francis had just told him that he couldn''t eat spicy food anymore.

    Andrew suddenly released Ashley and said, "Ash, I just remember I have a lot of things to deal with..."

    Before Andrew could finish, Ashley hastily grabbed his hand and said, "What''s wrong? Is it anything

    serious?"

    Andrew couldn''t meet her eyes. "Don''t worry. I just need to tie up some loose ends at work. I''ll be back

    later."

    When Ashley grabbed Andrew''s hand, she felt its temperature to be a little high.

    It didn''t help that Andrew was acting a bit strange too. It was gettingte and she was wondering why

    Andrew couldn''t put off whatever he was going to do for the next day.

    As Ashley was in deep thought, Andrew suddenly released his grip on her, causing her to lose bnce

    and almost falling to the floor.

    As much as he wanted to help Ashley, he knew he had to go.

    "Ash, just rest for now. I''ll be backter," he hastily said, hoping to be able to leave right away.

    Ashley narrowed her eyes, looked at Andrew who was just about to leave. Then she said, "Andrew,

    don''t move!"

 Chapter 364 You Canâ€™t Leave

    Chapter 364 You Can¡¯t Leave

    Hearing Ashley''s words, Andrew slowed his pace down a bit but he still continued walking.

    Seeing that Andrew was about to walk out of the room, Ashley yelled at him with a shrill voice,

    "Andrew, you can''t leave. If you walk out of the room now, I will forget that you ever existed!"

    Ashley was sure that she clearly saw something. When she held Andrew''s hand, she felt his body

    temperature soaring.

    Andrew stood there like a headstone in the dead of night. Beads of sweat were forming on his brow as

    he was at a loss on what he should do.

    Actually, he had reconciled with Ashley a few minutes ago and he told her that he didn''t want to leave.

    However, he couldn''t hide what happened to him if he didn''t leave as soon as possible.

    While Andrew was wrestling with his thoughts on what he should do, Ashley walked over to him, held

    his arms and rolled up his sleeves. Sure enough, she saw some dense red spots on Andrew''s arms. It

    seemed that Andrew was having some sort of allergy attack.

    Ashley looked at Andrew and worriedly asked him what happened to his arms.

    Andrew didn''t want Ashley to know the truth. He hid his arms behind his back, but his hands were

    currently being held tightly by Ashley. He was afraid that Ashley might fall down to the ground again if

    he pulled his hands back violently.

    Andrew licked his lips and sealed his mouth, preventing any words to escape.

    Seeing Andrew like this, Ashley couldn''t help being anxious. "Andrew, what is going on? If you don''t tell

    me, then I won''t tell you anything about me," she told him with a concerned look on her face.

    Andrew grew anxious after hearing those words. Looking at Ashley, Andrew couldn''t find the right

    words to describe or exin what was happening to him. "Ash, don''t worry. I''m just suffering from an

    allergy. I''ll be fine after taking some medicine."

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    ''Allergy?

    It seems that Andrew hasn''t eaten anything that may make his allergies to act up, '' thought Ashley.

    Later, she thought of the first time they had dinner. She remembered that she had seen simr spots on

    Andrew''s body.

    They ate many Sichuan dishes which were especially spicy during that day.

    Ashley liked to eat spicy food. She also cooked several spicy dishes for dinner and served Andrew

    those dishes earlier.

    Ashley looked at Andrew and felt sorry. She said, "You can eat spicy food, right?"

    Andrew panicked as he saw that Ashley was on the verge of crying again. He had just reconciled with

    her and didn''t want her to bawl her eyes out again because of him.

    Andrew leaned close to Ashley and wanted to touch her. However, Ashley stepped back to avoid being

    touched but she didn''t release Andrew''s hand.

    Andrew didn''t expect that Ashley would behave like this. He stood still, seemingly overwhelmed by

    what''s happening. "Ash¡­"

    Ashley sniffed her nose and tried not to let her tears fall. "Tell me, please. Are you allergic to peppers?"

    Seeing Ashley being so persistent with her questions, Andrew knew that Ashley would ignore him if he

    didn''t tell her the truth.

    Andrew then sat down and slowly said, "Yes. I am allergic to peppers. But¡­"

    Before Andrew could finish saying his words, Ashley''s tears started to fall.

    It is true that women were made from water.

    Andrew finally held Ashley''s hand and softly said, "Ash, please don''t cry."

    Ashley knew that she shouldn''t cry at that moment but she couldn''t help herself.

    ''Andrew knew that he is allergic to peppers. Why did he still calmly eat all the food that I served him?''

    thought Ashley.

    Ashley wiped away his tears casually and asked, "Where is your allergy medicine? Do you have your

    antihistamines with you?"

    Andrew felt lucky that Francis had left a bottle of allergy medicine here when he came.

    Andrew stood up and said, "They are in the bedroom. I''ll go and take some now."

    Ashley stopped Andrew and said, "Tell me where they are. I will bring them to you."

    "They are on the bedside table. The medicine is in a small white bottle that doesn''t have anybel,"

    replied Andrew.

    Francis specifically prescribed that medicine after he diagnosed Andrew of allergies. That was why the

    bottle did not have anybels.

    Ashley picked the bottle up, walked over to Andrew and ced it down. She then went to the other side

    to pour a cup of tepid water and asked Andrew, "How many pills do you need to take?"

    Andrew said, "Two."

    Ashley looked at the white bottle, and asked, "What''s in it? Why isn''t there anybel? Is it safe for you

    to take it?"

    Francis did his best to find this medicine for Andrew. If he heard Ashley''s words, he might get miffed

    and annoyed.

    Andrew felt helpless. But he enjoyed all the attention Ashley was giving him. He then said, "Don''t worry,

    it''s safe."

    Ashley finally felt a big weight lifted from her shoulders upon hearing Andrew''s words.

    She then gave Andrew the medicine.

    Andrew felt helpless. He thought it was a trivial thing that he suffered from an allergy. He could take the

    medicine by himself since he hadn''t been seriously ill.

    But he also enjoyed being taken care of by Ashley.

    So, Andrew obediently took the medicine with Ashley''s help.

    Ashley looked at Andrew and asked him, her voice slightly trembling, "How are you feeling? Are you

    feeling better? Where do you feel ufortable? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

    He had just taken the medicine so it will take a bit of time to kick in.

    Ashley was quite worried when she saw those thick and bright red spots on Andrew''s arms.

    Andrew softly replied, "Don''t worry. I am fine. I feel much better after taking the medicine. I''ll be fine."

    Seeing that Andrew was trying tofort her softly even if he was not feeling well, Ashley couldn''t help

    but feel sorry as her eyes began to turn red.

    "Why didn''t you tell me that you can''t eat spicy food?"

    Andrew couldn''t eat spicy food but didn''t refuse nor react when Ashley served him some.

    Why?

    Andrew loved her so much. That was why he tried to like everything that she liked.

    That was the only reason.

    It was simple but moving enough.

    Andrew knew that Ashley would burst into tears if he told Ashley about his thoughts.

    So, Andrew said, "I just wanted to taste them."

    Only Andrew could think of such ame reason at that moment.

    Ashley would definitely figure out why Andrew would eat spicy food if she thought about it real hard.

    ''Why is Andrew so hard-headed? He can''t eat spicy food but he still ate so much, '' thought Ashley.

    She looked at Andrew, and dered in a serious tone, "You are not allowed to eat spicy food in the

    future. Do you understand? I will see to it that your allergies won''t get triggered again."

    ''From now on, everything spicy is not allowed in our house. We''d better eat something light, '' Ashley

    thought.

    Maybe this was love.

    Ashley liked everything that Andrew liked. And Andrew was willing to like everything that Ashley liked.

    Andrew happily replied, "Okay."

    After making sure that there was nothing serious with Andrew anymore, Ashley said, "Well, it''ste.

    Let''s go to bed. We have to go to work tomorrow."

    Andrew smiled and said, "Okay."

    After taking a bath, they bothy down on the bed but weren''t sleepy.

    Ashley was deep in thought about the things she needed to work on in thepany the following day.

 Chapter 365 Ashleyâ€™s Design Had Disappeared

    Chapter 365 Ashley¡¯s Design Had Disappeared

    ''Am I dreaming? Are Ashley and I okay now? Plus, it looks she''s starting to trust me again, '' Andrew

    thought to himself.

    Upon noticing that Ashley seemed to be staring at the ceiling, he asked, "What''s wrong? What are you

    thinking about?"

    Ashley said, "I''m thinking about the designpetition tomorrow. I''m both excited and nervous."

    Andrew gently rubbed Ashley''s shoulder andforted her, "Don''t worry. Believe in yourself."

    Ashley looked at Andrew and said, worried, "What if I don''t believe in myself? I didn''t major in jewelry

    design so I don''t know the technical stuff. I don''t think I''m good enough."

    Andrew smiled as he replied "Are you forgetting that I''m your number one fan and that you''ll always

    have my support? I''m an excellent teacher and I''m the one who taught you. So you have to believe in

    yourself."

    Ashley looked at Andrew as she chuckled. She didn''t expect Andrew to be this supportive.

    He wasn''t arrogant though. He was just the right amount of proud. Ashley liked it that he was like this.

    Ashley then nodded and said, "Okay. I believe in you and I believe in me."

    Andrew replied softly, "Okay. It''s time to sleep. Good night."

    They rarely just talked ever in bed because most of the time they flirted with each other or made love.

    Perhaps Andrew wanted to preserve Ashley''s energy for thepetition the next day.

    Ashley inhaled Andrew''s scent to rx herself. In no time at all, she had fallen fast asleep.

    When Andrew gazed at Ashley who was sound asleep, his face softened.

    He didn''t tell Ashley that he was also attending the designpetition the next day.

    He didn''t want Ashley to be so nervous and he wanted to surprise her. He wanted to be there for

    Ashley and support her.

    The following day, Ashley and Andrew rode in the same car when they headed to work and they were

    perfectly fine.

    The atmosphere around them seemed romantic.

    Johnny was taken aback when he saw them two together. ''Are they okay now?

    Weren''t they having a cold war and were not talking like a few days ago?'' he thought to himself.

    If everything hadn''t been going smoothly, he would have thought that their whole fight was just an

    illusion.

    Johnny wondered if they had finally reconciled out of love.

    When Johnny approached Andrew, he could immediately tell that Andrew was in the best mood he had

    been in in days.

    As soon as he entered Andrew''s office, he immediately informed Andrew of his schedule that day.

    He started, "Mr. Lu, you''re presiding a meeting at nine this morning. Around noon, you have a banquet

    to attend."

    As for Andrew''s evening schedule, Johnny kept it open. He knew that Andrew would refuse to go even

    if he had arranged something.

    Andrew had just started talking to Ashley again so it was safe to assume that he wanted to spend more

    time with her.

    In addition to that, Andrew had been working so hard these past few days that there really wasn''t much

    work to be done anyway.

    Recently, things had been going smoothly.

    Andrew suddenly interrupted, "Push that morning meeting back an hour."

    While Johnny didn''t know why, he still nodded, "Okay, Mr. Lu." After all, Andrew was the boss.

    When Johnny left Andrew''s office, he suddenly realized why Andrew asked to put off his morning

    meeting to an hour. He was probably going to see Ashley.

    A few minutes before nine, Ashley opened her drawer where she had put her design the day before.

    It was time for her to take it out since thepetition was about to start.

    She ced the design in the drawer so that it would be the first thing she held if she reached inside it.

    When she put her hand in, she couldn''t find anything. She frowned and looked at the drawer. Her

    design was gone.

    "What happened? Where did it go? I know for sure I put it here yesterday," Ashley murmured to herself,

    panicking.

    ''What happened? Where did it go?'' she thought to herself.

    When Amaia saw Ashley frantically rummaging through her drawer, she asked, "Ashley, what''s wrong?

    What are you looking for? It''s almost nine o''clock. We have to go now."

    Ashley had already rummaged through her drawer but still, she couldn''t find her design. She

    responded, worried, "Amaia, what do I do? My design''s gone! What do I do?"

    Ashley looked at Amaia helplessly.

    It was only a few minutes before thepetition would start. She couldn''t find her design and she

    didn''t know what to do about it.

    Amaia was shocked. "What happened? Where did it go?"

    Ashley replied anxiously, "I don''t know. I put the drawing here yesterday. When I was about to get it, I

    couldn''t find it anymore. I don''t know where it is now."

    Ashley was about to burst into tears out of anxiety.

    ''Who took it?'' she cried inwardly.

    "Try looking for it again. Maybe you left it elsewhere," Amaia suggested.

    Ashley rummaged through the drawer again. "No, I can''t find it. I''ve looked everywhere and I still can''t

    find it."

    Amaia gently rubbed Ashley''s shoulder tofort her and said softly, "Ashley, retrace your steps. Think

    about it. Maybe you didn''t put it in the drawer. Think of another ce where you could have also

    possibly put it. Calm down and think carefully."

    Ashley tried to calm down as she racked her mind. She had brought the design to work yesterday.

    ''Where did I ce it?'' thought Ashley.

    She then searched her desk but still, she couldn''t find it.

    She knew for sure that she ced it in her drawer yesterday. Where would it go?

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    Ashley said sadly, "I can''t find it. I''m sure that I put it in the drawer yesterday."

    After a few minutes of fruitlessly looking elsewhere, Amaia finally gave up. She then turned to Ashley

    and asked, "Would you have a spare design ready? Just use it for this round. This is an emergency.

    Anyway, this is just the first round. I doubt it''ll be difficult already."

    Ashley wanted to cry as she was already panicking. "No, I only had that design ready. My other designs

    aren''t here. Amaia, what should I do?"

    "Wait. Let me think. Okay, so you left your design here yesterday. If it''s gone, it means someone took it

    because it wouldn''t just disappear by itself. Someone took it so let''s ask the others," Amaia said.

    Both Ashley and Amaia left as soon as work finished so they see didn''t who had stayed behind. Their

    only option was to ask around.

    Ashley was already panicking. It was only until Amaia suggested the possibility that someone must

    have taken it that Ashley considered that idea.

 Chapter 366 Sylvia Must Have Taken Ashleyâ€™s Design Drawing

    Chapter 366 Sylvia Must Have Taken Ashley¡¯s Design Drawing

    After all, they didn''t have close friendships with the others in thepany. Ashley and Amaia didn''t

    know what kind of people they were and whether they would take Ashley''s design drawing.

    Sylvia could be seen as an example. She often bickered with Ashley and Amaia over the smallest

    things. It was more likely that she took Ashley''s design drawing. However, they had no evidence to

    present and prove their im.

    At that moment, people in the design department were all present and prepared for thepetition. As

    they went to the conference room, they heard a fraction of the conversation between Ashley and

    Amaia, however, no one knew what happened.

    Moreover, all their attention was spent on thepetition. They had no interest in Ashley and Amaia''s

    exchange.

    Amaia moved Ashley aside and said, "Who was thest one to leave after workst night? Did any of

    you see someone approach Ashley''s desk yesterday?"

    "What''s wrong? Did something happen?" Someone asked.

    Their colleagues simultaneously stared inquisitively.

    "Ashley''s design drawing disappeared. She ced it in her drawer yesterday. Is there anyone who has

    seen her design drawing?" exined Amaia.

    "Huh? Why would it disappear? Thepetition will start soon. What will she submit?"

    "No. We left thepany after work, and didn''t see anyone who went to her desk."

    "I haven''t seen it."

    "We don''t know either."

    Several people shook their heads and confirmed they didn''t know anything about it.

    Amaia and Ashley looked around and paid attention to their facial expressions. It seemed that they

    were telling the truth. They ran into a dead end and didn''t know how to proceed from there.

    Amaia and Ashley conversed with their eyes. ''Is it possible that the design drawing wasn''t taken by

    someone in thepany?

    That''s impossible!

    The design drawing wouldn''t disappear by itself, '' they thought.

    Amaia nced at their surroundings. At a corner, she found a man looking over at those who had

    spoken up. The man looked over and over again, nervously remaining silent.

    Amaia narrowed her eyes and approached the man. "You saw someone go to Ashley''s desk yesterday,

    didn''t you?"

    The man slightly trembled as he saw Amaia walk towards him. He stepped back as a reflex as he

    answered, "No, no. I don''t know anything." It was evident that he was afraid of Amaia.

    Amaia slowly whispered, "Think twice about your answer. If you don''t cooperate, once I find the culprit,

    losing your job won''t be your only problem. I''ll make sure you''re heavily punished as well." The gravity

    in her tone and the heavy atmosphere between them intimidated him immensely.

    The man in front of Amaia was called Johann. In their department, he was inconspicuous, unnoticeable

    and was quite timid.

    Faced with Amaia''s frankness, Johann licked his lips nervously. Deep down, he was conflicted about

    whether he should tell the truth or not.

    In the end, Johann resolved himself to telling the truth.

    Johann cautiously nced at Amaia. He muttered as he hung his head, "I saw Sylvia head towards

    Ashley''s desk yesterday. She left shortly after. I stood a little far away from her, so I don''t know what

    she did."

    Vexed at the discovery, Amaia raged, "Sure enough, Sylvia took the design drawing!"

    She grabbed Ashley''s hand and pulled her away while she said, "Come on, Ashley. Let''s go look for

    her and get back your design drawing."

    With the materials in her hand, Sylvia confidently headed towards the conference room. Along the way,

    she was blocked by two familiar people.

    Sylvia looked at Ashley and Amaia and said proudly, "What''s wrong? Why are you blocking my way?"

    Amaia red daggers and said, "Sylvia, hand over Ashley''s design drawing! Someone saw that you

    went to Ashley''s desk yesterday. Then suddenly, Ashley found that her design drawing disappeared

    today. Don''t you feel guilty at all? How can you steal Ashley''s design drawing?"

    Being stared at by so many people in thepany, Sylvia felt embarrassed. At this moment, she felt

    her face burning. Sheposed herself, looked over at Amaia, and retorted, "How can you use me

    of taking Ashley''s design drawing? Yesterday, when I walked by her desk after work, I tripped on

    something. Then, my stuff fell to the ground. Couldn''t I pick my things up?"

    The two women standing behind Sylvia were annoyed after hearing Amaia''s allegations. One of them

    couldn''t help herself and countered, "What Sylvia said is right. Amaia, even if you want to protect

    Ashley, you can''t ruin Sylvia''s name like this!"

    The other woman echoed, "Amaia, don''t you think that you have gone too far? How can you suspect

    Sylvia like this? Yesterday we went back home with Sylvia. She didn''t take Ashley''s design drawing.

    Don''t think too highly of Ashley.

    Sylvia is much more excellent than a new employee who only started working less than a month ago."

    Amaia sneered, "Who knows? It''s surprising that you know that Ashley is a new employee. Sylvia, do

    you think that no one saw what you have done?"

    In a moment of nervousness, Sylvia''s eyes shook before it instantly returned to calmness. An idea

    popped in her mind as she regained her confidence.

    Thetv camera had been broken the day before. It didn''t matter even if someone saw her go over to

    Ashley''s desk after work.

    They had no evidence!

    Sylvia proudly said, "Well, it''s almost nine o''clock. I''m quite busy. I don''t have much time to chat with

    you. Believe it or not, I haven''t seen her design drawing. Nor did I take it."

    After saying that, Sylvia confidently left with those two women. When they passed by Amaia and

    Ashley, they also hit their shoulders on purpose. The sound of their cking heels seemed to mock

    them both.

    "Sylvia, you''re an evil, treacherous woman!" bellowed Amaia. She wanted to catch up with them to

    fight.

    Ashley pacified Amaia and gently said, "Amaia, don''t mind it. Thepetition is about to start. Let''s

    enter the conference room."

    Amaia said anxiously, "But what will you do? You don''t have a design drawing to submit. What will you

    give?"

    Ashley could onlyfort her, "Don''t worry about it. Believe in me."

    She took a deep breath and rxed. ''It will be fine if Sylvia doesn''t use my design drawing. Anyway, I

    don''t have to participate in thepetition this time. I still have many other chances.

    If Sylvia has taken my design drawing and uses itter, I will definitely punish her, '' thought Ashley.

    Ashley and Amaia walked into a broad conference room filled with people. Everyone sat ording to a

    pre-arranged order.

    Ashley happened to sit behind Sylvia while Amaia sat behind Ashley.

    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

    At exactly nine o''clock, Kelly came in with the other senior executives.

    There were three special seats left for them. Kelly sat down on one end, while arge man who

    seemed to be in his forties sat down on the opposite end.

    Ashley noticed that therge man and Sylvia nced at each other when he came in.

    ''This man may have been acting as Sylvia''s support.

    It''s no wonder that he has the ability to help Sylvia find a job here. That man has a position simr to

    Kelly.

    What''s surprising is that the righteous Kelly would allow Sylvia to work in the design department

    through connections, '' thought Ashley.

    Only the middle seat remained vacant.

 Chapter 367 Surprises

    Chapter 367 Surprises

    But nobody present would dare say anything.

    Ashley was also curious to know who that person could be.

    Her curiosity was satisfied momentster because the next second, the door of the conference room

    burst open. The sound of footsteps became louder and louder and those inside the room froze and

    seemed to have forgotten what they were doing just then.

    "Wow!

    Who is that guy?

    How could there be a guy so handsome walking in this world, let alone towards the conference room

    right now?

    Why haven''t I seen this person in thepany before?"

    For a moment, the people were whispering. Everyone, male and female, fixed their gazes upon

    Andrew.

    Their eyes were filled to the brim with utter surprise, jealousy and curiosity.

    Even within the Lu Group, not everyone had seen the CEO and appreciated his nice looking face this

    close a distance.

    Only top management up to positions like Miss Mo''s had the chance to see him. And some of them

    only got to see him on extremely rare asions.

    Miss Mo frowned and asked everyone to be quiet. And then together with Mr. Mao, she stood up and

    went over to greet Andrew. "Hello, Mr. Lu."

    The room suddenly turned dead silent. Everyone in the room had a sudden desire to speak and all

    were extremely excited. But it wasn''t the time for them to say anything.

    ''Oh, the CEO! How surprising! It is the CEO! They have seen the CEO in person today!

    He is extraordinarily handsome, same as what the rumors said about him.''

    Nobody noticed that when he stepped into the room, his eyes quickly scanned and zeroed in toward

    the direction where Ashley was. After locating Ashley, he drew his eyes back and looked to be in a very

    good mood.

    Ashley kept her head down as if she didn''t notice anything going on in the room.

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    But when she noticed that so many people were staring at her man with envious eyes, she got irritated.

    Andrew belonged to her alone. Only she could look at him freely. She wanted to hide him from such

    unwanted gazes.

    Why did he have toe out and wonder around? Now his admirers would double in number.

    If Andrew could guess what Ashley was thinking about, he would definitely reassure her, "From the

    beginning to the end, all I love is only you and you alone."

    Miss Mo didn''t know why Andrew came to the conference room. In the past, she used to preside each

    meeting, regardless of who was part of it. This was why even in the presence of Andrew, she did it the

    same way as she was ustomed to.

    "Let''s begin, shall we?" announced Miss Mo.

    Amaia was right. This was the first round of the contest. They were supposed to design a piece of

    jewelry and then show it to the audience, make a presentation about the aim of the article they

    designed and the meaning of their creation.

    It wouldn''t have been difficult originally, but nobody expected Andrew would be among the audience.

    With Andrew sitting there, some of the female staff got nervous, blushed and stammered during their

    presentation.

    Their performances were horrible to witness.

    Sylvia was feeling helpless too. She didn''t expect to see Andrew in this meeting.

    But she didn''t have any reason toin that Andrew was here.

    He came to oversee the contest. She couldn''t stop him.

    What Miss Mo didn''t know was Andrew came here just for one person.

    If it was not for her, he wouldn''t havee here to see the contest.

    Soon it was Sylvia''s turn to introduce her design. Ashley looked at her and was certain to win the

    contest. She narrowed her eyes. She''ll be presenting after Sylvia.

    Sylvia stood up gracefully and said, "Hello, everybody. My name is Sylvia Xu, 24 years old..."

    After introducing herself, Sylvia started to formally present her design.

    The women who blushed and stammered in their own presentations earlier watched Sylvia and almost

    wanted to devour her. ''What a bitch! What ulterior motive does she have to introduce herself? Is this a

    beauty pageant? Who the hell does she thinks she is?''

    Sylvia took out her design graphics and said, "This is my design..."

    She started to exin the details to the audience.

    Ashley narrowed her eyes as she saw Sylvia''s design. That design graphic was hers!

    How could she not recognize it?!

    She had drawn it bit by bit with her sweat and blood.

    Ashley didn''t notice that Andrew squinted at the same time as her. He stared at Sylvia, who was

    speaking, and he gave her a cold stare.

    Nobody knew better than he that it was designed by Ashley.

    And the look of Ashley''s face confirmed that this woman outright stole her design.

    Andrew knew it as well. Amaia, who sat next to Ashley, also determined what was happening. She

    leaned over to Ashley and whispered in her ear, "Ashley, the design Sylvia is presenting, isn''t it yours?"

    Ashley nodded.

    Amaia had the desire to stand up immediately when she saw Ashley nod.

    Ashley grabbed her arm and stopped her in time, "Amaia, take it easy. I will handle this myself."

    "This Sylvia is so disgusting, so sleazy and arrogant! I''m afraid you can''t deal with her. And now she

    shows this design ahead of you..." said Amaia.

    "Don''t worry, Amaia. I can handle it. Trust me," replied Ashley.

    "All right, " said Amaia.

    As soon as Sylvia finished her presentation, Ashley raised her hand.

    Andrew''s attention was on Ashley every minute. He noticed Ashley''s every movement after she raised

    her hand.

    But it wasn''t appropriate for him to say anything now. Andrew gave a nce at Johnny who was beside

    him and Johnny immediately understood his intention. He looked at Ashley and said, "Thedy who

    raised her hand, do you have anything to say?"

    Ashley nodded and said, "Yes."

    She then stood up and pointed to Sylvia, who was going to sit down, and said, "The design she has

    shown just now is mine."

    "Wow!"

    The crowd was surprised and didn''t understand what was going on. Their eyes shifted between Ashley

    and Sylvia, not knowing what would happen next.

    ''What is happening here?

    Someone said that the design was hers? The speaker has already presented the design and made her

    presentation.''

    Sylvia was stunned for a moment. She looked at Ashley, as if she didn''t expect Ashley would point out

    the fact. But within seconds, she looked as if nothing had happened and said with sarcasm, "I

    presented this design. I did it. What evidence do you have to confirm that this design is yours?"

    Sylvia had exined everything about the design without missing anything. Ashley knew that it was

    meaningless to talk about the design itself.

    It appeared that Sylvia had properly prepared for the presentation. She wanted all attempts to use

    her of stealing the design to fail.

    But would it be possible for Sylvia to stop Ashley''s attempts?

    Ashley pressed her lips and said, "I signed on the back of the design paper. You can turn it back and

    see for yourself if you don''t believe me."

    Ashley fixed her eyes on Sylvia steadily and confidently stated that fact.

    Sylvia panicked for a couple of seconds. Her hands clenched the paper tightly. But after a second

    thought, she calmed down again.

 Chapter 368 Denial

    Chapter 368 Denial

    Ashley didn''t really sign all of her drawings. This was just an ident.

    When she drew this design, she was thinking of Andrew. They hadn''t been fighting yet and they were

    on very good terms. She found inspiration from practically nothing and started drawing.

    On the back of her drawing was not only her name signed but also Andrew''s.

    She didn''t want to just sign her name on it so she wrote Andrew''s name too in very small letters. One

    had to look very carefully for one to see it.

    Ashley looked at Sylvia and said, "If you don''t believe me, you can turn the paper and see for yourself."

    Miss Mo looked at Sylvia and said, "Turn it over, Sylvia."

    Sylvia knew that she had to turn it over even if she didn''t want to because there were so many people

    watching her.

    So she turned the paper over. On the center of the paper, Ashley''s name was written in bold and clear

    letters. It was difficult to ignore.

    Andrew was bursting with pride. ''Smart. Of course, she would think of that. She knew she had to sign

    her name on her own designs.''

    "Whoa!

    Is this true?

    Did Sylvia really steal Ashley''s design?"

    "I''m not sure but based on what happened just now, it seems like it. Why would Ashley''s name be

    signed on the back? And how would Ashley know about it?"

    While the crowd whispered amongst each other, Sylvia remainedposed.

    It was difficult to believe that the drawing wasn''t Ashley''s.

    Miss Mo and Mr. Mao should have seen what had happened. Mr. Mao looked at Sylvia. It seemed as if

    he wanted to defend Sylvia but Miss Mo interrupted him.

    "Sylvia, Ashley said that the design you have is actually hers and she was able to prove it. What do you

    have to say for yourself?"

    "Ha-ha!"

    Everyone was shocked when Sylvia justughed. She didn''t even try to exin herself¡ªshe just

    laughed.

    "Sylvia, what are you trying to say?"

    Initially, Sylvia had panicked but she was able to think of a n quickly.

    She was the one who presented the design. If she didn''t admit it, who else could prove that it was

    actually Ashley''s? Just by that signature?

    She wasn''t that naive.

    Sylvia looked at Kelly and said calmly, "Miss Mo, I do have something to say.

    This design is mine."

    Kelly frowned. She didn''t like Sylvia that much. While she didn''t know much about Sylvia, she could tell

    what kind of person she was.

    Ashley and Sylvia only got jobs here by pulling strings. But of the two of them, she preferred Ashley

    more.

    Ashley had been a hard worker since she first came here while Sylvia was showy and often got into

    trouble with others.

    Kelly said, "You say it''s yours but she says it''s hers. Would you have any evidence to prove that it''s

    yours?"

    "I drew this! Beryl and Cara saw me draw this. I wrote Ashley''s name on the back of the paper.

    Ashley''s been working very hard since she first started working here. I think she''s very good at her job.

    I see her as my rival, that''s why I wrote her name at the back of my design. Is that not allowed?

    You can''t say that just because I wrote her name at the back of my design, that means that the design

    belongs to her."

    Sylvia''s two friends vigorously nodded in agreement. "Right, Sylvia drew that. We saw her do it."

    Mr. Mao looked at Sylvia, satisfied. He could finally speak now. "Kelly, that makes sense. I think it''s

    Sylvia''s design."

    Sylvia''s exnation sounded convincing.

    The crowd seemed to believe her as well.

    "Yeah, that sounds right to me. If I were in her ce, I''d do that too especially with a strong rival like

    Ashley."

    "Hmm. Right."

    "I don''t believe Ashley anymore. I think her proof is a little bit far-fetched."

    "Maybe, Ashley''s just jealous. She probably knows she doesn''t have a chance winning this contest so

    she made this whole thing up."

    "Oh, yeah. She''d been asking a while ago if we''d seen anyone go to her desk. She probably was

    paving the way for this scene."

    The crowd had their own opinions and they weren''t afraid to voice it out upon seeing Miss Mo remain

    silent.

    Amaia grew angry as she listened to all of these idioticments. Her face was flushed as she was

    outraged.

    ''How could they talk about Ashley like that? Sylvia stole her design. This is her fault!''

    Kelly didn''t know what to do. While she believe that the design was Ashley''s, she didn''t have any proof

    to back it up.

    When Miss Mo couldn''t handle all the chaos anymore, she spoke up, "Okay, all of you stop talking!

    Look at all of you! What are you doing? You''re in the office! This isn''t the market! Please watch your

    mouth!"

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    The room fell into a thick silence.

    The employees couldn''t help but be worried. They knew how Miss Mo hated gossip.

    Ashley''s eyes were stone cold upon hearing Sylvia lie through her teeth. She red at Sylvia. Amaia

    was right about her. Sylvia was despicable.

    She was cunning enough to think of that stupid made-up excuse.

    Sylvia nced at Ashley knowingly, as if to provoke her.

    ''So what are you going to do? Looks like you''re tied. You can''t do anything.''

    No one noticed the coldness in Andrew''s eyes who was sitting in front.

    He red at Sylvia. It took everything he had not to throw her out of this office right now. He just

    wanted Sylvia to disappear.

    Johnny, who was sitting next to him, wasn''t oblivious to Andrew''s rage but it wasn''t like he could do

    much either.

    Sylvia was able to defend herself. There was nothing any of them could do.

    Suddenly, someonemented in a low voice, "But the handwriting doesn''t look like Sylvia''s."

    Thement caused a stir.

    Ashley raised her head upon hearing this. Her eyes were gleaming. The person was right. It would be

    easy to prove that it was her handwriting.

    ''Sylvia''s handwriting is totally different from hers!

    Let''s see how Sylvia''s going to fight this.''

    Ashley looked at Kelly and said, "Miss Mo, if Sylvia can prove that the signature is her handwriting then

    I''ll quit the contest. But if she can''t prove that she wrote that then I need her to exin herself to me."

 Chapter 369 Why Are You Firing Me

    Chapter 369 Why Are You Firing Me

    Ashley said those words softly but firmly.

    People couldn''t help but believe in her confident words.

    Andrew, who was sitting in the front of the conference room, couldn''t help but frown. At first, he was in

    a good mood, and nned to see his doting wife. He didn''t expect Ashley would experience such

    unfair treatment during the contest.

    Kelly sat by his side and naturally noticed Andrew growing impatient. Having worked in thepany

    for so many years, she had never heard of someone stealing someone else''s design before.

    ''The boss has be a little impatient. How about we deal with this matterter to make the

    competition go on for now?''

    This idea shed in Kelly''s mind for a second and she couldn''t help but directly suggest to Andrew, "Mr.

    Lu, How about we deal with this matterter to make thepetition go on for now?"

    Andrew nced at Kelly. He believed that Kelly was righteous and responsible. But Andrew was

    worried that things might not go as he expected.

    Moreover, he didn''t want Ashley to be bullied.

    Andrew indifferently replied, "No. Solve it now. I have to see what is going on. How could such a bad

    thing happen in ourpany?"

    Hearing that, Kelly wanted to solve the problem as soon as possible. So, she agreed to do what Ashley

    said.

    Sylvia would be asked to re-write Ashley''s name. If her handwriting was the same as the handwriting

    on the drawing, then it could be proven that Sylvia didn''t lie.

    If they were not the same, then Sylvia had to be severely punished.

    Kelly said, "Okay."

    She told her assistant to take a pen and a piece of paper and put them in front of Sylvia.

    Kelly said, "Sylvia, have you heard Ashley''s words just now? If you can prove that the handwriting on

    this design drawing is yours, then this design drawing is yours. Ashley was using you of stealing

    and she will be punished ording to the rules in ourpany. If the handwriting is not yours, then

    you should give an exnation to Ashley."

    After Kelly''s assistant ced the pen and the paper in front of her, Sylvia was at a loss for words. She

    didn''t expect that things would go in this direction.

    ''What should I do? What should I do?

    That design drawing isn''t mine at all. The handwriting on it can''t be mine, either.

    If I write down her name, then everything will be exposed.

    What should I do now? What will they do to punish me?'' thought Sylvia to herself.

    Sylvia''s palms began to sweat profusely. She wondered what she should do.

    Ashley was standing by Sylvia''s side. She looked at Sylvia who was standing still and said, "Come on,

    let''s go on with it! Everything will be rified soon."

    Sylvia stared at Ashley. ''Ashley wants me to get into big trouble. If it weren''t for her, I won''t be a

    sweating mess right now, '' thought Sylvia.

    Sylvia hadn''t realized that this thing wouldn''t happen if she didn''t take Ashley''s design in the drawer.

    No one wanted to put her in such a severely troubling predicament.

    She only had herself to me for the mess she was in.

    Sylvia indeed stole the design from Ashley''s drawer. She saw Ashley put something in the drawer next

    to her the day before, and her curiosity got the best of her.

    Maybe Sylvia was anxious that Ashley might find out of her scheme. At that time, others in the

    department had left the office. The security camera was also broken. These circumstances led Sylvia

    to steal Ashley''s design.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    As soon as she opened the drawer, she was amazed by the drawing and then felt envious.

    Indeed, Sylvia wouldn''t be allowed to work in the design department without someone''s support. It was

    an open secret to everyone there.

    Sylvia also knew clearly that her skills weren''t as good as Ashley''s. She didn''t expect that Ashley who

    also worked in thepany with someone''s rmendation would be so talented. This made Sylvia

    extremely jealous of Ashley that she stole her design.

    In hindsight, if Sylvia threw the design away or if she didn''t take it out and presented it as her own for

    the contest, nothing bad would happen to her.

    But she took it out in front of so many people. As a result, she put herself into this undesirable

    predicament!

    Sylvia put down the pen, looked at them and said, "This is my drawing! Why do I have to write Ashley''s

    name again? Why do you have to side with Ashley? Are you all just ttering her just because she''s

    Johnny''s cousin?" Sylvia still didn''t admit what she had done and tried to scold everyone.

    Johnny silently looked at Sylvia. ''Oh, no! Sylvia, you will definitely be heavily punished.

    Don''t you see that Mr. Lu''s face is turning dark?

    Besides, why are you dragging my name into this mess? I''m not Miss Mu''s cousin! I was just telling a

    lie.

    I won''t even dare lie again.

    Why would I tell such a lie? I was worried that Miss Mu would be ignored or bullied by others in the

    company.

    If Sylvia does what Miss Mu said, everything will be fine. Surprisingly, she didn''t write Miss Mu''s name,

    and instead she dared to scold the audience in the room.

    Did she mean that Kelly is protecting Miss Mu? Actually, no one is protecting her.

    We are just telling the truth!'' thought Johnny.

    Hearing Sylvia''s words, Kelly''s face began to frown. Kelly had wasted so much time on this matter that

    she became angrier and angrier. She didn''t expect that Sylvia would actually shout such usations.

    At that moment, everyone knew that Ashley was the real owner of the drawing.

    Kelly coldly said, "Sylvia, you said that the drawing is yours and you wrote the name behind it. Now that

    we are asking you to write the name again, why are you throwing such wild usations all of a

    sudden? Is the design drawing Ashley''s and you took it? Otherwise, why couldn''t you even write down

    the name in front of us?

    How can you prove that this design is yours?"

    Kelly looked at Sylvia, thinking she had to fire Sylvia this time no matter what happened. It was bad for

    the department if Sylvia stayed here.

    Sylvia didn''t dare to look at Kelly or write down the name.

    ''Once I write down the name, I will be in trouble!'' Sylvia thought to herself.

    Andrew was impatient. At first, he thought Ashley''s idea was quite good. It could also prove that this

    design was Ashley''s. He didn''t expect Sylvia to be so stubborn.

    ncing at Johnny who was trying to be inconspicuous, Andrew coldly said, "Johnny, tell them about

    the rules. She stole Ashley''s design, used it to participate in thepetition and refused to admit her

    mistakes. How should we punish this kind of employee?"

    Johnny was excited upon hearing Andrew''s words. He thought Sylvia was an annoying employee for a

    long time. "Mr. Lu, she should be fired. And we should write down everything she has done during her

    time in thepany on her file to remind otherpanies not to hire her. Otherwise, what if she does

    these things again in otherpanies?"

    Sylvia looked at Johnny in utter disbelief and asked, "Why? Why are you firing me? This design is

    mine. Why are you all siding with her?"

 Chapter 370 Well Done

    Chapter 370 Well Done

    "Mr. Cheng, you wouldn''t be partial to Ashley just because you are her cousin, would you? You were

    also the one who brought her in, correct?"

    Sylvia said these words to tell everyone the secret! The words that fell from her mouth can''t be taken

    back. It was meant to tarnish Ashley''s reputation and end her there.

    ''It was Mr. Johnny Cheng, who brought her in!

    Who was Johnny? He was the outstanding assistant of Andrew!

    He must have yed his cards well to get the position for Ashley!'' thought by everyone on the room.

    Amaia, who stood next to Ashley, was enraged about what Sylvia said. ''How dare she say that! She

    was the one who got herself in through the back door!

    No one would do such a thing except for her!''

    Ashley caught hold of Amaia as she was about to rise from her seat and whispered to her ear," Keep

    calm. Let her speak."

    Johnny felt apprehensive after he heard Sylvia''s words. His palm started sweating in panic.

    ''Damn it!

    It''s okay if you wanted to die, but leave me alone, OK? Don''t drag me into it!''

    Johnny looked at Andrew cautiously. When he thought about the rtionship between Miss Mu and his

    boss, wasn''t that indirectly indicating he''s cousins with him as well?

    ''Being the boss''s cousin?'' Johnny shivered with fear just thinking about it. ''It''s impossible!''

    Andrew sat still with a nk expression. No one knew what he thought, which only served to frighten

    Johnny even more.

    ''Boss is more terrifying this way.'' Beads of sweat started to form on Johnny''s forehead as his mind

    scrambled for a way to answer Sylvia.

    ''This woman was silly enough to pass the buck to me. Maybe she didn''t hear what the boss said.

    It was obviously Andrew, the true boss here, who brought Miss Mu in. Daring to frame Miss Mu, I doubt

    she''d end up anywhere good.''

    Without missing a beat, Sylvia turned to Andrew and said, "Boss, are you going to let Johnny do

    whatever he wants?"

    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    The two senior leaders present were too afraid to say anything and hung their heads low.

    ''Was she questioning Andrew?'' They silently prayed that they won''t be dragged into it when it spirals

    out of control.

    Neither of them dared to do this. They were terrified of the consequences. ''Perhaps Sylvia was

    unaware of it. That, or she wasn''t afraid to die.''

    Andrew didn''t look at Sylvia at all. There was no need to pay attention to a piece of dead meat. Instead,

    he nced at Johnny. It was but a single nce, but it was all it took for Johnny to take action.

    Shock ran through Johnny''s spine as he quivered. If he doesn''t resolve this immediately, he might not

    live to see tomorrow. He shed in front of theputer. Johnny glowered at Sylvia and inquired in an

    icy manner, "You are so stubborn. I''m asking you for thest time. Whose design is this?"

    Sylvia was spooked that she might die. However, she held her ground and believed that if she insisted

    that it was hers, their hands were tied. She fervently believed they had no evidence against her.

    Sylvia answered, "It''s my design." She was convinced that no one would know about the truth.

    After he got the answer, Johnny sat straight in front of theputer and searched for something. He

    paid no attention to Sylvia. For a while, only the sound of clicking can be heard. Everyone was on

    edge. A few minutes had only passed, but it seemed like eternity. No one knew what was about to

    happen.

    Suddenly, the list of participants of the designpetition was disyed on the screen along with their

    respective design drawings.

    As the pictures were shown one after another, Johnny started to say, "Sylvia, you must have forgotten

    that these were collected by Miss Mo. The names, entry numbers, and design drawings werepiled.

    Now, can you check and see whose design drawing is in your hands? Is it yours or Ashley''s?"

    Sylvia was dumbfounded. She never nned on confessing her fault until she saw the proof.

    She framed Ashley up in front of the boss.

    It was like ying with fire. She intended to kick out Ashley, who was brought in by the boss''s

    assistant. People with crab mentality were dangerous as they did everything in their capability just to be

    the one on top.

    The screen was so clear that all participants could see that their names corresponded to their design

    drawings. No one doubted what Johnny had said. No one questioned the authenticity of what was

    presented in front of them.

    Immediately, they all gave Sylvia a meaningful look. ''She also thought she could get away with it!'' The

    others couldn''t believe what they saw. They talked in hushed voices about how deceitful and

    hypocritical Sylvia was.

    At this moment, Sylvia''s face turned as pale as a piece of paper. She screwed up. That''s all she knew.

    How did she forget all about thepiled list? She relied on the fact that no one could prove it. She

    even thought that the circumstances were on her side when thetv camera went broken.

    Sylvia tried to turn the tides around and exined to Kelly, "Miss Mo, it was my mistake. I identally

    took the design away when I was discussing with Ashley. It''s Ashley''s design. It''s hers..."

    Kelly just looked at Sylvia with no sympathy. ''It was all her fault.

    She didn''t admit it when they asked her.

    But now, after the evidence was shown did she only admit that it was all a mistake.

    Who would believe her?''

    Kelly took her eyes off Sylvia with much disappointment.

    Sylvia turned to Ashley and begged, "Ashley, please help me exin. It was a mistake. I am sorry. It''s

    your design." She grabbed Ashley''s arm tightly, almost digging into her skin. She was desperate as

    tears flooded her eyes. She looked pitiful and worn out. She knew it would be her end if she

    acknowledged her fault.

    Sylvia didn''t want to lose such a well-paying job. Besides, her future and career was unlimited.

    Once she got fired from the Lu Group, there wouldn''t be anypany who would ept and employ

    her.

    She started losing it and went crazy. She can''t let herself end here! Regret filled her mind as she

    pleaded with Ashley to help smoothen things out.

    Amaia was afraid of Ashley being soft-hearted. She nced at her and advised, "Ashley, don''t fall for

    her words. Don''t forget what she has done to you." Sylvia was not worth forgiving.

    Maybe she would do the same thing one day.

    Ashley nodded to Amaia in acknowledgment. She knew that Amaia was only concerned for her. Either

    way, she didn''t have any intention to help her.

    Ashley didn''t pity Sylvia at all. She deserved this.

    Andrew tapped his long white fingers on the table without expression.

    Johnny knew that his boss was growing impatient. He was silently ordering him to speed things up and

    he could only follow it. "In view of what Sylvia has done, she should be fired," he said.

    Sylvia threw herself into a chair, pale and speechless.

    ''Was this what I hoped for?''

    "Moreover, the two employees who testified for Sylvia will be given a verbal warning." However, Johnny

    knew that it wouldn''t be long before the two would be fired sooner orter, for they dared to frame

    Ashley.

    When he finished handing down the judgement, Johnny turned to Kelly, "Miss. Mo, what do you think?

    Do you have anything to add?"

    ''Why not ask me before you dealt with this?'' Kelly muttered to herself.

    "No, Mr. Cheng did a great job. Well done!" Kelly smiled.

 Chapter 371 Andrew Came Here For Ashley

    Chapter 371 Andrew Came Here For Ashley

    ''I probably need to handle this. This is Miss Mu we''re talking about, '' Johnny thought to himself.

    "Okay. Then you can proceed as I''ve instructed," Johnny said.

    As Johnny spoke, two people came in to escort Sylvia out. Sylvia must''ve been so preupied that it

    didn''t take much to get her out of the room.

    Mr. Mao''s face darkened upon seeing all of this.

    He was at a loss for words. He used to think that Sylvia was a bright girl but she didn''t seem so bright

    at that moment.

    ''How could she do that? Mr. Lu exposed her! How can I help her now?'' Mr. Mao cried out in his heart.

    At that moment, everyone in the conference room was exchanging nces and thinking about the

    exact same thing.

    Everything happened so quickly. Suddenly, it was Andrew himself, the CEO of the Lu Group, dealing

    with the drama of the staff.

    Even Kelly didn''t expect this to happen.

    However, Ashley was Johnny''s cousin and Johnny was Andrew''s trustworthy assistant. It seemed

    perfectly logical that Andrew would help Ashley.

    Suddenly, Andrew stood up and said inly, "Thepetition shall continue." Then he left with Johnny.

    Everyone at the conference room watched them leave.

    They still hadn''te to their senses long after Andrew had left.

    ''So, why did Mr. Lue here in the first ce?'' they thought collectively.

    Kelly was the one to break the silence. She looked around and immediately noticed that everyone was

    lost in thought. Then she said, "Well, best to let it go. Thepetition will continue in a while."

    Kelly then looked towards the door where Andrew had just been and frowned to herself. ''What is Mr. Lu

    trying to prove or do?

    Did he juste to visit?

    Why did he leave so soon?'' she thought to herself.

    If Kelly had voiced this out to Johnny, he probably would have responded with, "Mr. Lu only came here

    for Miss Mu. He wanted to see Miss Mu. Why else would he be here?

    This is the first time that he has done such a thing.

    Now that Miss Mu''s problems have been dealt with. There was no reason for Mr. Lu to stay. He

    wouldn''t waste his time."

    Johnny knew a lot about Andrew, having been his assistant for years.

    He had grown to know Andrew over the years of being his assistant.

    After Andrew left, thepetition went on and they didn''t run into any more problems.

    After thepetition, everyone went back to their respective desks to get back to work.

    Some of them were still gossiping about Sylvia. "I didn''t think Sylvia would be able to do something like

    that."

    "Yes, I used to think that she was arrogant. They say she wouldn''t be able to work here if she hadn''t

    pulled some strings. I think she''s a mistress to some big time, rich guy. That''s why she''s so arrogant

    but I didn''t think she''d be capable of doing something like that."

    "Yes. I can''t believe she stole Ashley''s design!"

    "Thank god. She didn''t take my design. I wouldn''t have known what to do besides keep it to myself."

    "Yeah, me too."

    "Well, I have to say I was surprised the most by Ashley. Johnny was her cousin. No wonder he came in

    swooping to Ashley''s defense."

    "Ashley''s so lucky to have such a nice and well-connected cousin."

    If Johnny were here, he would stop them from saying all those things.

    ''Why are you giving me credit for helping Miss Mu?

    It was Mr. Lu who helped Miss Mu.

    Didn''t you notice that it was Mr. Lu who asked me to speak on his behalf?'' Johnny would say.

    "You''re right. Why don''t I have such a good cousin like him? Maybe if I did, I wouldn''t need to work so

    hard for so many years."

    "I''m so jealous. Ashley''s so beautiful and she''s so lucky to have a cousin like Johnny!"

    Since it happened, everyone hadn''t stopped talking about it.

    Ashley and Amaia, meanwhile, had no idea what others were saying about them.

    When they left the conference room, Amaia pulled Ashley aside and asked, "Ashley, did you already

    have that nned before you came to the conference room?" Ashley looked at Amaia helplessly and

    said, "No, I didn''t have anything like that nned. You saw how anxious I was when I couldn''t find my

    design in my drawer.

    If Sylvia hadn''t stolen it to use for herself or just threw it elsewhere, I wouldn''t know where to look. I

    was lucky that she didn''t throw it away."

    Amaia asked, "Then what about your name on the design? You were so sure that you had signed your

    design. I had better do that too. I need to start signing my designs, just in case."

    Ashley touched her nose and exined, "I just wrote it down by ident. I got the inspiration at home

    so I quickly started drawing. I can''t remember why I decided to write down my nameter on.

    Good thing I did that, huh?"

    Amaia put her arm around Ashley''s shoulder and said, "Well, it''s all over now. We were able to prove

    that it''s yours. Isn''t that great? Sylvia was fired and you got your design back. Let''s get back to work!"

    "Okay!

    Thank you for being so good to me. You were so supportive," Ashley said gratefully.

    "Well, we''re friends. I should be good to you. Next time this happens again, you should tell me so I can

    help you," Amaia said.

    Ashley smiled and said, "Okay."

    Amaia whispered to Ashley, "I think everyone in our department now knows that Johnny is your cousin.

    Just watch out. I think they like him."

    Ashley scrunched up her eyebrows. ''But Johnny isn''t my cousin.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Can you all stop associating him with me?'' she thought inwardly.

    "It''s fine. I don''t care about them. They''re not my friends anyway. I''ll just act normally like how did

    before.

    Well, how are you and Johnny... Cousin Johnny?" Ashley almost slipped up and called Johnny by just

    his name. Luckily, she was able to catch herself on time.

    ''Oh, no! I almost exposed it.

    But I think it''s normal to just call one''s cousins by their name, '' she thought to herself.

    Ashley didn''t know much about things like this. Lena and Ron were her only sister and brother

    respectively.

    She didn''t have a cousin.

    Besides, she didn''t even know who her actual family was.

 Chapter 372 Became The Person That Colleagues Fawned On

    Chapter 372 Became The Person That Colleagues Fawned On

    Upon the mention of this, Amaia looked frustrated. "Not much progress."

    She was usually a carefree and outgoing girl but when it came to the person she liked, she grew shy

    and timid.

    When she was able to get Johnny''s number and WeChat, they would only chat asionally.

    Sometimes they didn''t even know what they were talking about.

    With the way things were going, their rtionship was bound toe to an end soon.

    "Ah!" Ashley blinked in puzzlement, "What''s going on?"

    Amaia said, "The point is, I''m not telling him anything!"

    Ashley already knew what it was like to be in Amaia''s position. ''Yeah, I know that feeling. Loving

    someone and not being able to say it? That hurts.

    Thank god I''m not there anymore. I''ve been there and I''m never going back.''

    Ashley rubbed her shoulder to show her sympathy. "That''s okay, Amaia. You''ll get over this soon.

    Do you need help? I can help you tell him."

    She thought it was a really good idea that she started to get excited. She hadn''t done this before and it

    seemed so much fun to do it. She was thrilled.

    "Ah!"

    Amaia blurted out. "No, no, no! Well, thanks for offering, Ashley, but I don''t think that''s a good idea.

    What if he doesn''t like me? That would be so embarrassing!"

    Amaia wasn''t really like this. She couldn''t understand why she was suddenly acting so sheepish and

    shy which was quite uncharacteristic of her.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    Ashley could tell how much she liked Johnny.

    Still, Ashley couldn''t understand why someone would like someone like Johnny.

    They didn''t look like a good match.

    They barely saw each other as Johnny was always with Andrew and Amaia was always working.

    How could Amaia suddenly like him?

    She asked Amaia as soon as she thought of it.

    Amaia seemed embarrassed by the question. She leaned over to Ashley and whispered, "Ashley, I may

    have told you but please don''t tell anyone else."

    "Sure. I won''t tell anyone," Ashley said, nodding.

    "It started when Johnny was here for a meeting with Miss Mo. I was there too and that''s when it all

    started..."

    ''Wow, it was that simple, '' Ashley thought to herself.

    "So it was love at first sight?" Ashley prompted, sounding surprised.

    "Yeah...Ashley, you can''t tell anybody about this," Amaia repeated. ''I haven''t even told Miss Mo about

    it.''

    Ashley met Amaia''s eyes as she spoke, "Amaia, I have an idea. If you do this, you might get him to like

    you back."

    "What is it?" Amaia asked, her eyes gleaming.

    Ashley paused for a short while before continuing. "So first, you have to talk to him everyday. Just to

    show you care about him. Then make sure you bump into him often. You can give him soup or

    something to eat. Slowly but surely, you''ll be part of his life. What do you think?"

    "Sounds good but I can''t cook. How''s that?"

    Amaia never had to cook her entire life. It wasn''t like she could suddenly start learning now.

    "It''s okay. I can cook. I''ll teach you," said Ashley.

    "That''s very nice of you, Ashley. You have to help me though. Help me find out what Johnny''s favorite

    food is. If everything turns out well, we might be family in the future! Ha-ha! It''s going to be so much

    fun!"

    Ashley didn''t know what to say to this. ''Oh, sorry, Amaia. That''s not going to happen.''

    However, Amaia looked so happy so Ashley just smiled and shrugged. ''I shouldn''t tell her for now.''

    For now, she had to focus on her new mission. She had to find out what Johnny''s favorite food was.

    ''Oh my god. It wasn''t too long ago that I was badgering him for answers too.

    I hope he doesn''t misunderstand me and think I''m crazy or something.

    Meh, I don''t care. I need to do this for Amaia.''

    When they had finished talking, they made their way back to their department. As Amaia had predicted,

    everyone was looking at Ashley.

    They were practically ogling over her.

    Ashley kept her eyes on anywhere else but her colleagues. She remained silent all throughout.

    Amaia, who was beside her, was smiling.

    Soon, they started to approach Ashley, "Ashley, you''re back?

    Here, have thetest perfume from Chanel. Do you like it?"

    The woman was suddenly shoved aside by another woman.

    "Ashley, I heard that perfume doesn''t smell good and everyone''s wearing it. Look at this one. This is

    thetest edition. This is much better than that other one."

    Ashley was at a loss for words.

    Her desk soon was surrounded by more and more people.

    Even Amaia was disced from her chair.

    Amaia didn''t know what to say or do either. ''All right, all right. I know I don''t havepetition with

    Johnny but how else do you think I''m standing all of this?''

    Ashley calmly asked, "What-what are you all doing?"

    They all couldn''t say a word. They paused before continuing, "It''s nothing, Ashley. It''s just that we''ve

    been working together for a while. These are just small gifts. Just ept it and don''t worry about it."

    Ashley frowned and said, "But I have nothing to give to you in return."

    They must''ve been all thinking, ''Nothing to give us in return? What about your cousin? He''s Mr. Lu''s

    assistant! That''s to say, he is the second most powerful person in this group! I bet he gets paid a lot!

    And you say you have nothing to give us in return?''

    "Don''t worry. You don''t have to give us anything in return."

    "That''s right. These are just small tokens of appreciation."

    After another pause, they started to ask about Johnny at the same time.

    Ashley didn''t know what to say. ''Miss Mo, where are you? I don''t know what they''d do if you don''te

    back right this minute.''

    Miss Mo definitely wouldn''t let them do any of these things. The only way they had the freedom to do

    these in the first ce was because Miss Mo wasn''t around.

    "Ashley, I can''t believe Johnny''s your cousin! He''s so amazing and handsome!"

    "Yeah, Ashley, I admire Johnny too. He''s the CEO''s right hand. He must be very powerful!"

    "Ashley, you''re so lucky to have a cousin like Johnny!"

    "..."

    They were flooding Ashley withments and questions about Johnny.

    Ashley''s expression turned cold.

    "He''s a distant cousin of mine. We don''t talk much and we aren''t very close," she said inly.

    "How could you not be close? He was so protective of you today. You''re definitely on good terms at

    least!"

    Ashley furrowed her brows.

 Chapter 373 Ungrateful Person

    Chapter 373 Ungrateful Person

    "He just did what he had to do under this circumstance in ourpany. He would do the same if it

    happened to anyone else. So it isn''t true that he did that just to protect me.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    I believe if you were in my position, he would treat you the same as he treated me.

    Okay, if you don''t have anything else, could you leave me alone? I have something else to do."

    The faces of the group of people turned stiff. Each of them proceeded to sh an awkward smile and

    said, "Sure. If you''re busy, we won''t bother you anymore."

    As they said that, they started to turn around and leave.

    "Wait a minute," said Ashley.

    "What is it?"

    "Please take all these things back. I can''t take these gifts for doing nothing for you. Besides, these gifts

    are very expensive. I can''t give you the same gifts in return."

    Their smiles suddenly became twisted. Under Ashley''s watch, they had toe over to her desk and

    pick up the things they left beside herputer.

    After they all left, Ashley breathed a huge sigh of relief. She showed them some attitude and her tone

    wasn''t pleasant to hear. Surely they didn''t feel good being at the receiving end of it. So she hoped they

    wouldn''t bother her anymore.

    Amaia came back after the crowd was all gone. She asked, "How did it go? What did they say to you?

    Were they fawning over you?"

    Ashley bent on her desk and nodded. "You were right. It''s just as you expected. Now that they know

    that Johnny is my cousin. A lot of people came over to fawn over me."

    After she watched Amaia for a while, she added, "Well, next time theye over, you have to help me.

    Otherwise I''ll give Johnny''s contact information to them and let them go after him." Ashley couldn''t

    know better what these women could be thinking.

    Amaia immediately got worked up. "How dare you, Ashley!"

    "Okay, I won''t do it. But you know those women''s hearts. They all desire to win Johnny''s heart for their

    own. Next time you have to help me deal with them. Keep them away from me."

    Amaia clenched her teeth and replied, "Okay.

    What did you say to them just now? How did you get them to leave?" Amaia was curious how Ashley

    handled the matter by herself.

    "What could I do? I had to tell them the truth. Hopefully they got what they wanted to hear so that they

    wouldn''te by and pester me again."

    "Aren''t you afraid that they might badmouth you behind your back?" asked Amaia.

    "They''re free to say what they feel. How can I control them? Just forget them. Let''s focus on work."

    Amaia pressed her lips down and said nothing.

    The people who were given the cold shoulder went back to their desks. They threw the gifts onto their

    desks angrily and plopped on the chairs in utter frustration.

    "Who the hell does Ashley think she is? Does she think she is a big shot now? If it wasn''t for her cousin

    Johnny, I wouldn''t have to grovel to her and give her a gift."

    "Exactly! She is just lucky to be born in a family that is rted to Johnny. She is too full of herself! It

    really pissed me off! How arrogant she is to ask us to take back these gifts!"

    "She has to look at herself in the mirror! A cheapskate! She doesn''t deserve the gift I wanted to give

    her at all!"

    "Right! She''s such an ungrateful, spoiled brat!"

    "Hedda, maybe we could teach that arrogant brat a lesson?" Someone whispered.

    "Hum, right. Hedda, you are a senior member here. How could she treat you like that? You have to

    teach her a lesson!"

    Hedda was wearing a red dress. She had a luscious figure that gave out a highly seductive aura.

    Upon hearing these words, she looked at the first person who suggested such a thing.

    That woman got cold feet immediately when her eyes met Hedda''s. She lowered her head and sulked

    back to her area.

    It took Hedda a while to draw her attention back. She said slowly, "If you want to teach her a lesson,

    you go head and teach her yourselves. I don''t want to get involved with your business. Don''t forget.

    She is the cousin of the special aide. On what world did you think she will allow you to teach her a

    lesson?"

    ''Are you dreaming of treating her as a fool?

    What a group of idiots you are!''

    Ashley was feeling helpless too. She didn''t want anything to do with Johnny either.

    It was a bad excuse she used to get into thispany, but she didn''t have another choice back then.

    After they got off work, Amaia dragged Ashley aside and asked, "Well, Ashley, when will you teach me

    how to cook?" She expected Ashley to teach her right after work.

    "How about this weekend? If we don''t have to work this weekend, youe to my house and I''ll teach

    you."

    Unless there were any emergencies, they usually didn''t have to work overtime over the weekends.

    Moreover, Ashley thought it was more convenient to make the appointment on the weekend instead of

    right after work hours.

    She could go to Ellie''s ce and they could both teach Amaia how to cook.

    "Great. Don''t forget about it then," said Amaia, with a sly grin forming on her face.

    "Sure, I won''t. Don''t worry," assured Ashley.

    After she said that to Amaia, Ashley quickly rushed out of the office. She was afraid that Andrew would

    wait for her for too long outside.

    As she hurriedly ran to the big tree, she saw Andrew''s car already parked there.

    Ashley put on a big smile and reached her hand for the door. She immediately got into the car.

    Andrew heard the car door open and close. He turned back to see Ashley''s sweaty face with a strand

    of hair stuck to her cheek. She was catching her breath and her cute mouth opened slightly as she

    gasped for air. Her face was flushed pink and felt warm.

    Andrew''s expression didn''t change but his eyes narrowed.

    The moment he saw Ashley, his whole body turned rxed and softened.

    He drew a piece of tissue paper from the tissue box and wiped the sweat off her face. "Why were you

    in such a hurry? We won''t leave without you."

    Ashley smiled from ear to ear and replied, "I know you won''t go without me, but I don''t want to keep

    you waiting."

    Andrew''s heart melted after hearing this. He could hardly hide his smile slowly forming on his lips.

    "It doesn''t matter. We will wait for you as long as you need."

    He felt butterflies in his stomach and his heart felt lighter. Now he saw that Ashley relied on him more

    than ever.

    He wished she could always rely on him forever.

    He recalled what Ron once said. And he turned to look at her again.

    ''Well, I''ll be nicer to her, adore her more and more, make her unable to leave me!''

    Johnny took a nce at them being so intimate and felt that he was so miserable to be forced to

    witness this lovely yet cheesy scene again.

    He had the sudden urge to throw up.

    ''Can anyone exin to me why the rtionship of a couple in love, no, a married couple could look like

    a roller coaster?''

 Chapter 374 Ashleyâ€™s Consideration

    Chapter 374 Ashley¡¯s Consideration

    A few days ago, Ashley and Andrew were in a cold war. Thankfully, after a couple of days, they soon

    made amends and reconciled with one another. This made their rtionship stronger than before.

    After the car left, a man hidden behind a tree walked out and saw them leave.

    He lookedpletely exhausted, with dark circles around his slightly bloodshot eyes. He seemed a bit

    disheveled,pletely different from the sunny and cheerful man that he once was.

    Raymond clenched his hands as he saw the car driving further and further away.

    He knew that Lena had gone abroad. At first, he thought Ashley would take Lena to court since Lena

    caused her so many trouble.

    Knowing this, he waited for the news at home.

    Raymond thought that he had been wrong for the longest time. He couldn''t help Lena anymore.

    These were Lena''s faults. She was the one who hurt Ashley.

    Raymond expected to hear the news that Ashley took her to court. Instead, he heard that Lena had

    gone abroad.

    ''What happened?

    Why did Lena go abroad?

    Did Ashley forgive Lena?''

    Raymond couldn''t contact Ashley. That was why he decided to wait for her here.

    As Ashley trotted over him, Raymond couldn''t help but let out a happy grin.

    He thought that Ashley might have seen him. He didn''t expect that Ashley actually ran into that car.

    The car belonged to the Lu Group, and Ashley worked here. Raymond could guess who picked up

    Ashley.

    And he was doing his best to remain skeptical about his assumptions. He still hoped that Ashley

    wouldn''t fall in love with Andrew so quickly.

    However, Raymond didn''t think about the thing between Lena and him. Why did Ashley have to wait for

    him?

    ''Why did Ashleye here to get in Andrew''s car? It seemed that she was trying to hide something.

    Didn''t they let others know about their rtionship?

    It seemed that they haven''t been in love with each other deeply, ''

    thinking of this, Raymond couldn''t help but feel relieved.

    Meanwhile, Andrew thought of what happened in thepany. He couldn''t help but be a bit annoyed.

    He looked at Ashley who was behaving well and asked, "What is going on in thepany today?"

    Ashley felt helpless. ''It was just a trivial matter and has been resolved.

    There was nothing wrong with it now, '' thought Ashley.

    But Andrew didn''t think so. In his eyes, everything about Ashley should be taken seriously.

    Ashley licked her lips, nced at Andrew and finally decided to tell him the truth. "What happened

    earlier was nothing serious. Sylvia noticed the drawing that I left in the office yesterday. So, she took it

    secretly. You know what happened after. She said that it was her design."

    Ashley tried her best to dismiss what happened as a trivial thing.

    But after hearing what Ashley said, Andrew couldn''t help but curl his brow.

    ''I didn''t expect that there would be such a despicable person in thepany. She had the audacity to

    steal my wife''s design.

    It seems that I need to deal with some people in thepany, '' thought Andrew.

    He said gently, "How can you leave such an important item in the office?"

    Ashley replied, "Thepetition was held today. So, I took my design to the office yesterday, lest I

    forget it when I went to work today."

    "Be cautious in the future. Or you can lock the important items in the drawer," Andrew replied.

    "Okay, I''ll be more careful next time," Ashley responded with a little smile on her face.

    Andrew had put her items in the office before and nothing was lost. She didn''t expect that it would

    happen today.

    Even if Andrew didn''t remind her, Ashley became more cautious. She even began cing a lock on her

    drawer. After all, precaution is always a good choice.

    No one knew if there would be such a problem again.

    Ashley looked at Andrew and asked, "Well, why did youe to the conference room today?"

    Amaia told her that this was the first time that Andrew came to watch such kind of boring design

    competition.

    Ashley could guess why he did it, but she decided to ask Andrew directly. She was worried that she

    was overthinking it.

    Andrew said, "I wanted to surprise you."

    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

    Ashley didn''t say anything. ''Well, you didn''t surprise me. You shocked me instead!'' thought Ashley.

    But Ashley didn''t tell Andrew about her thoughts because she was worried that she might upset

    Andrew.

    Ashley said, "Next time, when you decide toe see me, please let me know beforehand. I will be

    happier if you tell me."

    Andrew said, "Okay."

    In reality, Andrew responded with a white lie. He didn''t agree to do as what Ashley said. ''I want to give

    you a surprise. Why would I spoil it for you?'' thought Andrew.

    After arriving at the vi, ire already had their dinner prepared. Ashley and Andrew went upstairs,

    ced their office items down and then walked downstairs.

    Ashley knew that Andrew couldn''t handle eating spicy food, even if it was just a little. She told ire to

    cook something light for Andrew. There were no spicy dishes on the table.

    ire was confused at first. She looked at Ashley and asked in amazement, "Miss Mu, you like spicy

    food, don''t you?"

    Ashley was too shy to look at ire. "Well, I suddenly find it unhealthy to eat spicy food. I had a

    stomachache yesterday. So, please cook something light."

    ire didn''t ask anything more after hearing Ashley''s reply. She started cooking something particrly

    light.

    Ashley took some vegetables into her bowl with her chopsticks and tasted them. She only tasted salt,

    oil, and the leafy and juicy vegetables.

    ''Well, the taste is very suitable.

    This suits Andrew''s taste, '' thought Ashley.

    Andrew looked at the light dishes on the table, and then looked at Ashley who seemed upset. Although

    she was trying to adapt to this taste, her facial expression had shown that she didn''t like it.

    She used to eat with her mouth full of food and her eyes sparkling.

    But at that moment¡­

    Andrew couldn''t help but feel sorry for her.

    The dishes on the table were all he liked to eat. They were all light. But Andrew''s appetite was nowhere

    to be found.

    Ashley tried to swallow the vegetables. Then she found that the bowl of rice in front of Andrew was still

    full. He hadn''t started eating, but gazed at her instead.

    Ashley got settled into her chair and asked. "What''s wrong? Why haven''t you start eating? Don''t you

    like these dishes?"

    While speaking, Ashley''s brow began to furrow a bit.

    She also felt that the taste was too light. There was no other taste except for the taste of salt.

    They were unsavory for Ashley''s taste buds.

    She wondered how Andrew could eat such dishes for so many years.

    Ashley couldn''t help but show sympathy for Andrew.

    Andrew shook his head and said, "No. It tastes good."

    Ashley didn''t say anything. ''Well, I shouldn''t consider Andrew as an ordinary person, '' thought

    Ashley.

 Chapter 375 Visit Andrewâ€™s Grandfather

    Chapter 375 Visit Andrew¡¯s Grandfather

    Ashley felt exhausted after dinner. She didn''t like most of the food that was served except for the soup.

    Thus Ashley had a lot of serving of the soup which made her feel full right away.

    When she put her bowl down, she let out a burp.

    When Andrew looked at her, Ashley immediately flushed. She felt so embarrassed that she wanted to

    hide herself.

    Much to Ashley''s relief, Andrew just smiled at her and looked away.

    She gazed back at Andrew whose dazzling smile was mesmerizing.

    There were lots of camellias outside the vi. After dinner, Ashley liked to walk around to help digest

    the food she had just eaten.

    She intended to go on her daily walk that day too.

    The sun hadn''t set yet but the weather wasn''t hot. When Ashley and Andrew stepped out of the vi,

    the breeze that met them made them feel refreshed and rxed.

    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    Ashley walked over to the white camellias¡ªtaking the scene around her, all in. Never had she felt so

    rxed.

    Andrew followed Ashley''s gaze and asked, "Do you like these flowers?"

    Even though this was his vi, he wasn''t the one who had designed his garden. No wonder Ashley felt

    so distant and unfamiliar with the ce when she first came here.

    ''Maybe it was Johnny who had the flowers nted, '' she thought to herself.

    She chuckled at the thought of Johnny.

    ''Johnny''s such a great assistant. He is quite helpful. He handles everything from work to Andrew''s

    personal life, '' she thought inwardly.

    When she saw the look on Andrew''s face, she spoke, "Yes, I like them very much."

    Suddenly, the breeze blew again to which the camellias responded with a soft, graceful dance.

    "I''d like you to meet someone. Can we do it over the weekend?"

    Andrew said as they walked back to the vi.

    "This weekend? Who am I going to meet?" Ashley asked doubtfully as she looked at Andrew.

    "My grandfather."

    As soon as the words left Andrew''s mouth, he regretted it immediately. He had initially decided to tell

    Ashley on the day they were actually going to visit his grandfather. He didn''t know why he had to tell

    her in advance.

    Ashley was visibly taken aback¡ªshe had stopped in her tracks.

    She didn''t catch the look of regret on Andrew''s face.

    ''Visit his grandfather?

    Do I have to visit Andrew''s family now?'' thought Ashley.

    Whenever Andrew avoided the topic before, she would feel briefly upset but would quickly get over it.

    When Andrew mentioned meeting his grandfather, she felt nervous right away.

    ''Am I really going to meet Andrew''s family now?'' she thought inwardly.

    She said gently, "Are we going to visit your grandfather this weekend? What if I''m not ready yet?

    What''s your grandfather like? I''d like to bring a gift for him."

    Ashley looked at Andrew nervously as she thought about meeting Andrew''s family.

    She was both a little excited and nervous.

    Andrew tried tofort Ashley, "Well, you don''t have to prepare anything. Your presence is the most

    important."

    Andrew was brought up by his grandfather. His father and mother were only married for business. In

    marriages like this, even if they didn''t love each other, they couldn''t simply separate as they had to

    think of the business ties and connections they could possibly break if they did.

    However, Andrew''s mother was different. At first, she had wholeheartedly agreed to marry Andrew''s

    father. No one had expected that she would ask for a divorce less than two years after they got

    married.

    Andrew''s father also had a mistress. They divorced when Andrew was just six years old. After the

    divorce, Andrew''s mother had gone on to live in another country.

    She hadn''te back to visit Andrew in years.

    Andrew grew up with his grandfather. His grandfather had taken a liking for him.

    Out of everyone in his family, it was his grandfather that he respected the most. Nothing would make

    him happier than to get his grandfather''s approval of Ashley.

    Even then, he knew his grandfather would support him if he told him how much he loved Ashley.

    Ashley frowned. "Don''t we have to prepare anything? But this is the first time I''m meeting him. I should

    probably bring something. Tell me what he likes and maybe I can buy or prepare it for him."

    Andrew conceded. He smiled gently as he responded, "All right, all right. Let''s think about thatter.

    Let''s go inside the house now."

    Ashley nodded and said, "Okay."

    Ashley started preparing for her meeting with Andrew''s grandfather as early as that same night.

    Since Angelina started living at the Gu vi, her life had changed drastically. She had never think that

    her dream would evere true.

    Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that she would be born into a rich family and

    tragically separated from them at such a young age. She couldn''t believe that this was actually

    happening.

    ''My real family has found me.

    I''m a member of the Gu family now, ''

    Angelina beamed as she thought of this.

    Jennifer looked at Angelina in amazement. She reached out to touch Angelina''s forehead gently and

    said, "You don''t have a fever, do you?"

    Angelina came back to her senses. She removed Jennifer''s hand and said, "What are you doing?"

    Jennifer looked at Angelina carefully and said, "What do you mean what am I doing? What are you

    doing? Since you met your brother, you''ve been acting a bit weird. What happened? Why are you so

    happy?"

    "What did I just do?" Angelina asked.

    Jennifer nodded and said, "You''re acting strange. You''ve been acting like this since yesterday. Did you

    win the lottery or something? Why are you acting like that?"

    Angelina remained still, looked at Jennifer and said rather mysteriously, "No, I didn''t win the lottery. I

    don''t have a fever either. I''m just in a good mood."

    Angelina decided to keep her little secret to herself for now. She wasn''t sure anyway so she couldn''t tell

    anyone yet. It would be embarrassing if things suddenly change and she had already told people.

    Jennifer said, "Really? You''re in a good mood. But you''ve never acted like this before even when you

    were in a good mood then.

    Please tell me what happened. Why are you so happy? Just tell me."

    Angelina thought for a moment and then said, "Well, it''s better than winning the lottery."

    "What? You''re rich now?" Jennifer prompted.

 Chapter 376 Self Justification

    Chapter 376 Self Justification

    ''Windfall?

    Well, you can say that if you like. The daughter of the owner of the Gu Group. That''s way better than a

    windfall or winning the lottery.''

    They didn''t have much to do in school that day. They were seniors and they were graduating soon so

    they weren''t as busy as the other students from the lower grades. Today, they had actually nned on

    going shopping.

    Originally, they were going to go shopping with Mona too but she''d gone to see her boyfriend which left

    Angelina and Jennifer alone.

    When they went into their first boutique, Angelina''s phone started ringing. It was an unknown number.

    She had initially thought of ignoring the call but eventually decided to answer it.

    She told Jennifer to go ahead as she stepped out to answer the call.

    After a short while, she came back into the shop and looked like she was in a hurry.

    "Jennifer, I''m so sorry but I can''t go shopping with you today anymore. There''s been an emergency and

    I''m afraid I have to deal with it now."

    Jennifer was busy checking a dress. She raised her head and asked, "What''s the emergency?"

    "It''s a long story. I have to go now. I''ll go shopping with you next time. See you," Angelina said.

    Then she hurriedly left.

    As Jennifer watched her back disappear out of the door, she mumbled to herself, "What could be so

    important? I can''t believe you just ditched your friend like that without so much as a decent exnation.R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

    Um, I''m not in the mood to go shopping anymore. I''d better get back home too."

    Then she also left.

    As soon as Angelina left, she hailed a taxi and immediately got inside. "Please drive to the S hospital."

    The call she had received was from the doctor. She had asked them to call her when the results were

    out.

    She patted herself on the chest for thinking of that because if the hospital hadn''t called her, she would

    have forgotten all about it.

    As soon as she arrived at the hospital, she rushed inside. She immediately headed to the reception

    desk "Hi, I''m Angelina Li. I received a call. I was told my results were avable already."

    The doctor was a woman and she seemed to be in herte thirties to her early forties. She nced at

    Angelina before she flipped through the piles of documents in front of her. After a while, she handed

    one to Angelina.

    Angelia hastily grabbed it. "Thanks."

    She then opened the envelope right then and there.

    As her eyes skimmed the file, her body turned stiff.

    She blinked and rubbed her eyes to make sure she didn''t read it wrong.

    She and Jeremy weren''t rted at all.

    It didn''t match the files Jeremy had shown her before.

    She tried to steady herself, then she looked up at the doctor and asked, "Doctor, are you sure this is

    right? Could you have possibly made a mistake with this?"

    The doctor frowned as she stared back at Angelina. "No, that''s not possible at all."

    "But..." ''But this invalidates the test Jeremy showed mest time.

    If this is right, then Jeremy''s results were wrong?''

    She thanked the doctor again before leaving.

    She grabbed the piece of paper tightly with both of her hands as she mindlessly walked back.

    ''So this test result is right?''

    She didn''t know why there would be a discrepancy in the test results Jeremy had shown her before but

    she also knew that the hospital couldn''t have possibly made a mistake.

    Should she tell Jeremy about this? That they in fact had no blood rtionship at all.

    They didn''t know that the one they had was mistake. This one was the right one.

    She couldn''t pretend otherwise.

    But then she thought of how nicely Jeremy had been treating her and how affectionate Belinda was

    toward her. Then she hesitated. She wasn''t so sure anymore.

    They were so excited to find their long lost family member.

    They''d be so disappointed if they found out they had mistaken her for someone else.

    Maybe she could be Camelia for a while then when the real Camelia showed up, she''d give way to her.

    She just didn''t want Jeremy to be disappointed anymore. She didn''t want Belinda to get hurt either.

    As she thought about it, the more she was convinced. She tightened her grip on the piece of paper in

    her hands. She told herself that she''d be Camelia until the real Camelia showed up. When she did,

    she''d tell the truth.

    However, this was quite naive of her. It was easier said than done. She hadn''t tasted the luxurious life

    yet. She didn''t know how difficult it would be to let it go when the time came.

    While she was justifying her decision in her mind, her phone started ringing again.

    She was preupied as she impatiently fished for her phone in her bag. She didn''t ease up when she

    saw the caller ID. If anything, it stressed her out more.

    It was her adopted family.

    They had never called her before.

    Maybe they wanted something from her.

    When she thought about it, she decided she wasn''t going to answer the call anymore. She just let it

    ring. However, they seemed to be quite persistent. After the ringing had stopped, they started calling

    again.

    Angelina was tempted to mute her phone so she wouldn''t hear the ringing anymore.

    But on second thought, what if they did have something important to tell her?

    So she finally answered the phone. "Hello?"

    "Come back home this instant! I don''t care what you''re doing right now. Juste home immediately."

    It was Hannah''s voice. She sounded impatient the way she normally did when she gave out orders like

    this to Angelina.

    Angelina furrowed her brows. ''Do I really have to go home whenever she orders me to?

    Why is she so bossy?

    I have other things to do.''

    So she responded, "I have lots of other things to do. I can''t go home today. If you have something

    important to say, just tell me over the phone."

    Hannah flew into a rage when she heard this. ''What a little bitch! Just because you''re a bit grown up

    now you think you can defy me like that?''

    Just as she was about to retort back, a gentle voice came, "Is that Angelina? Can I have a few words

    with her?"

    Hannah had to swallow back her sharp tongue. She looked at Belinda who was sitting gracefully at the

    couch. Hannah replied, "Sure."

    Belinda took the phone from her and put it close to her ear. Then she said with a little excitement, "Hi,

    is that Angelina? Where are you? I''m at your home! Do you have time? Can youe back home?"

    When Angelina first met the Gu family, Belinda was able to acquire Angelina''s home and school

    address from Jeremy.

    Belinda was out for the day so she decided to grab the chance to visit Angelina.

 Chapter 377 Belinda Wanted to Take Angelina Back

    Chapter 377 Belinda Wanted to Take Angelina Back

    Belinda asked Jeremy for the address of the Li''s house and Angelina''s school. But she forgot to ask for

    Angelina''s phone number. As a result, she couldn''t call Angelina.

    After finishing her words, Angelina was about to hang up the phone. However, she suddenly heard

    Belinda''s voice on the other line.

    Belinda began talking to her on the phone in a gentle manner.

    Angelina bit her lip and finally agreed after hearing Belinda''s words.

    Meanwhile, in the Li''s house, Belinda handed the mobile phone to Hannah. After hanging up the

    phone, Belinda said, "Thank you. Angelina said she would be back soon."

    Hannah obediently replied, "You are wee. You are wee. That little¡­" At first, she wanted to

    call Angelina "little bitch."

    But looking at Belinda, who was sitting on the sofa, Hannah kept those bad words to herself and said,

    "Angelina enjoys staying outside and seldom stays at home even if we ask her toe back. Mrs. Gu,

    I don''t know when Angelina wille back if not for you."

    Belinda couldn''t help but curl her brow after hearing Hannah''s words. ''Angelina behaves so well. How

    could she say something bad about Angelina?'' thought Belinda.

    She said indifferently, "I think Angelina is a good girl. She''s kind and lovely."

    Noticing that Belinda''s facial expressions had changed, Hannah could only echo Belinda''s sentiments.

    Hannah was itching to go out. When she opened the door, Belinda was standing in front of it. Belinda

    shed a friendly smile on her face as soon as she saw Hannah.

    Hannah knew that Belinda came to see Angelina.

    Seeing that Belinda was well-dressed and eloquent, Hannah guessed that Belinda must be rich.

    Hannah weed Belinda to her house in a warm, highly amodating fashion.

    "Are you Angelina''s mother?" Belinda asked Hannah while looking at her.

    Hannah nodded and hesitantly asked, "Who are you?"

    Belinda didn''t know how to answer the question. ''What should I say? I can''t say that I''m Angelina''s

    mother now, '' Belinda thought to herself.

    Seeing Belinda''s expression, Hannah didn''t ask again and changed the topic.

    They proceeded to talk about Angelina. Hannah could tell that Belinda was interested in Angelina.

    Sure enough, Belinda began smiling as Hannah recalled stories about Angelina.

    She looked dignified and elegant.

    After their lengthy conversation, the door suddenly opened and Angelina came into the room.

    Belinda couldn''t help keeping her excitement upon seeing Angelina. She immediately stood up, walked

    over to Angelina and said softly, "Angelina, you are back!"

    Angelina saw Belinda and Hannah. She couldn''t help touching her bag nervously. The paternity test

    report was in it.

    But Angelina tried to pretend that nothing had happened and said, "Aunt Belinda, why did youe

    here?"

    Hearing that, Belinda was a little embarrassed. She missed Angelina so much that she came to the

    house without informing them first.

    However, when she arrived at the house, Belinda was worried that she might bother Angelina since she

    hadn''t told Angelina in advance.

    "I¡­ just wanted to see you. But I don''t know your mobile number. So, Ie here directly. Are you

    angry at me?"

    Belinda looked at Angelina and worried that she might scare Angelina away.

    Angelina reached out to hold Belinda''s hand andforted her, "No. How can I be angry? I''m happy

    that you came over to see me. Why am I angry? Aunt Belinda, did youe here alone? Brother

    Jeremy said that you are in poor health. Uncle Martin wouldn''t allow you to go out this way."

    Belinda was a little happy upon hearing Angelina''s words. ''My Camelia is worrying about me. She

    didn''t me me but worried about me, '' thought Belinda.

    Belinda suddenly felt that it was worth it,ing to see Angelina without telling Martin.

    Belinda thenforted her, "I am fine. There are some people who apanied me here. They are

    stationed somewhere near the house. I was afraid that it might scare you that too many people were

    flocking your home."

    Belinda didn''t mean to show off. She was just worried that they might misunderstand her intention if

    she came with so many people.

    Moreover, Belinda didn''t want to scare Angelina away.

    Seeing Belinda and Angelina talk made Hannah think a lot about it. ''They seem to be familiar with each

    other. Moreover, this woman seems to bedy from a rich family, '' Hannah surmised. Although Hannah

    knew little about luxury clothing brands, she knew that the clothes Belinda wore were expensive and

    that only the rich could afford them.

    Later, she thought about what her son told her. ''Someone brought Angelina home a few days ago. And

    this rich woman suddenlyes to see Angelina today. Does it mean that Angelina is really in love

    with a rich man?'' Hannah mused.

    Hannah became a little excited upon thinking of such a scenario.

    At that moment, Hannah thought that Angelina wasn''t as annoying as before. She quickly greeted

    Angelina and asked her to sit down. "Angelina, you are back. Come here and sit down. Thisdy has

    waited for you for a long while."

    Seeing that Hannah obviously didn''t like her but still pretended to be on good terms with her, Angelina

    felt sick. She indifferently greeted Hannah and then didn''t say anything more.

    Belinda naturally figured out that Hannah and Angelina didn''t have a close rtionship.

    She thought of the things that she had asked someone to check. ''I didn''t expect Angelina would live

    such a life here.

    My Camelia shouldn''t live such a life, '' thought Belinda.

    She talked with Hannah for just about ten minutes. Belinda didn''t like Hannah since she was too

    snobbish.

    But with the fact that Hannah had brought up Angelina, Belinda tried to keep her feelings about Hannah

    to herself.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    ''No matter how snobbish she is, she''s still Angelina''s foster mother. I should thank her for bringing up

    Angelina, '' Belinda thought to herself.

    Hannah could feel that Angelina and Belinda wanted some time alone. "Angelina, stay here and talk

    with thisdy. I will go to the kitchen and prepare some fruit for you," Hannah instructed her.

    Angelina said, "Okay."

    Although she didn''t like Hannah at all, she still tried to behave politely.

    After Hannah left, Belinda looked at Angelina, reached out to touch her face gently and said, "Angelina,

    how''s your appetitetely? Why do I feel that you have lost much weight? And you seemed a little

    untidy. Are you having difficulty with your studies at school?"

    Angelina smiled gently and said, "No. I haven''t lost weight. I have eaten a lot recently. There is nothing

    that I''m busy with at school. I will graduate soon. So, I don''t have much homework."

    Belinda was relieved. She then said, "That''s fine. That''s fine. No matter what happens, you can''t allow

    yourself to suffer. You can call me if you need anything."

    Belinda was beaming as she spoke. She continued, "Well, Angelina, we have moved back to J City. If

    you want toe to see uster, you don''t have to spend much time on the road." Belinda was ted

    that she could easily see her daughter now.

    Seeing that Belinda was beaming with happiness, Angelina couldn''t help saying with a smile, "Okay, I

    will definitely visit you more."

    By the time Hannah had served the te of fruits, Angelina and Belinda had already talked a great

    deal.

 Chapter 378 I Will Deal With Your Family Myself

    Chapter 378 I Will Deal With Your Family Myself

    Belinda looked at her watch. It was about five o''clock in the afternoon. It was time for her to go back

    since she hadn''t told Martin that she was here.

    However, Belinda was still a little disappointed. She didn''t want to go back right away because she had

    only seen Angelina for a little while.

    Belinda looked at Angelina affectionately as if she already wanted to take her home.

    ''But it might scare Camelia away if I do that. Either way, I have to do as Jeremy has told me, '' Belinda

    thought inwardly.

    She looked at Angelina and said, "Angelina, I have to go back now. Don''t forget toe to see me

    when you have the time."

    Before Angelina could respond, Hannah chimed in, "Are you leaving now? Do you want to have dinner

    first?"

    Belinda said with a smile, "No, thank you. I have to go back home as I have some affairs to deal with.

    Angelina, would you go downstairs with me?"

    Angelina nodded and said, "Okay."

    Belinda beamed.

    Hannah quipped, "Oh yes, Angelina, help me see off Mrs. Gu."

    She then turned to Belinda and said, "Mrs. Gu, feel free toe back anytime if you want to talk."

    Belinda looked at Angelina meaningfully without taking notice of Hannah. Hannah didn''t seem to be

    embarrassed or bothered by this tant snubbing.

    After Angelina and Belinda left, Hannahughed.

    "Hahaha!

    I have the best luck. It seems I made the right decision in adopting Angelina. She has fallen in love with

    a rich man and my family is going to benefit from it!" Hannah said to herself.

    There was an elevator in the building so Angelina and Belinda didn''t need to walk downstairs. Angelina

    was concerned about Belinda so she held Belinda''s arm to support her. "Aunt Belinda, walk slowly,

    please."

    Belinda smiled.

    She responded happily, "Okay."

    When they arrived at the first floor, Belinda suddenly took Angelina''s hand and said with hesitation,

    "Angelina, do you¡­"

    Angelina looked at Belinda. "What? Aunt Belinda, what do you want to say?"

    Belinda took a deep breath and finally said, "Angelina, are you happy here? If you''re not happy here,

    do you want toe live with us? Would youe home with us? That way I can see you every day

    and you don''t have to suffer anymore." Belinda looked at Angelina expectantly.

    Belinda had wanted Angelina to live with them when she had read the files detailing Angelina''s

    miserable life with the Li family.

    ''This is Camelia. I''ve been looking for her for so long. I can''t believe she has been unhappy all this

    time, '' she thought to herself.

    ''Living with the Gu family?

    That sounds like a good idea, ''

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Angelina thought to herself as she lowered her head.

    She had also been wanting to move out.

    She couldn''t stand the Li family anymore.

    When Belinda saw Angelina lower her head, she assumed that Angelina didn''t want to.

    Belinda started to panic and grow anxious.

    ''Angelina has known she''s our long-lost daughter for a few days now which means she knows that I''m

    her mother. But she isn''t even addressing me as her mother. I doubt she would want to live with us, ''

    she thought inwardly.

    She quickly exined, "Angelina, if you don''t want toe live with us, you can just ignore what I said.

    Please don''t get mad at me."

    Angelina raised her head and saw that Belinda was looking at her nervously.

    Belinda had always been beautiful even as a young girl. When she reached her fifties, she didn''t look

    her age at all as she had taken care of her skin. She would always been worry-free. Camelia was the

    only exception.

    Angelina''s heart softened at once. All her hesitations had suddenly flown out of her mind.

    Angelina said, "I was just thinking of what my family might say to me if I suddenly leave. After all..."

    Angelina nced at Belinda and quickly lowered her head.

    Angelina didn''t have to continue¡ªBelinda knew what she meant.

    She couldn''t imagine what it was like for Angelina to live with a family like that.

    ''Her family is snobbish to say the least.

    Hannah isn''t easy to deal with. She is a difficult woman to get along with. If Angelina leaves them, who

    knows what she may say or do to Angelina?'' thought Belinda.

    Nheless, Belinda was pleasantly surprised by Angelina''s response.

    ''Does Angelina really want toe live with us? Has she agreed toe back home?'' thought

    Belinda.

    At that moment, Belinda felt quite excited.

    Belinda held Angelina''s hand tight and said, "Angelina, are you considering it? Do you want toe

    back home?"

    Angelina nodded and said, "Yes, but the Li family¡­"

    Belinda interrupted, "You don''t need to worry about that. I''ll deal with your family myself. I''ll just tell you

    what happens, okay?"

    Belinda was visibly excited.

    She was happy that Angelina agreed toe back home.

    Angelina felt a little guilty when she saw the overjoyed look on Belinda''s face.

    ''What if they find out that I''m not really their long-lost daughter? What will they do to me?

    Will I be able to handle it when the dayes?'' she thought to herself.

    However, Angelina didn''t have the luxury of time to give it more thought. Belinda looked at her watch. If

    she didn''t go right away, Martin mighte home to an empty house and he might worry about

    Belinda.

    Belinda said, "Angelina, I have to go now. If you need anything, just call me or your brother. We''ll help

    you, okay? Don''t hesitate."

    "Okay, Mother." Angelina wasn''t able to stop herself. She had called Belinda her mother.

    After which, they both seemed to be taken aback.

    What did she just say? She had actually called Belinda "mother."

    Belinda looked at Angelina in disbelief as if she had heard her wrong. "Angelina, what did you just call

    me? Can you... Can you just call me that from now on?"

    Belinda couldn''t speak properly. She was so moved that her eyes were welling up with tears as she

    looked at Angelina.

    ''Did I hear her right?

    Did Camelia just call me her mother?'' she thought inwardly.

    She had forgotten how lovely it felt to be called that.

    Especially by her long-lost daughter.

    Angelina noticed how emotional Belinda got upon calling her, "mother."

    Angelina said, "Mother, pay attention to the road and please drive carefully."

    "Okay, okay. Angelina¡­ Angelina¡­"

    Belinda was reluctant to leave.

    Even though she knew Martin would get mad at her for staying outte, there was a part of her that

    wanted to spend more time with Angelina.

    Belinda didn''t expect that Angelina would call her "mother."

    Angelina waved farewell to Belinda, smiling at her. When Belinda''s car had disappeared, she turned

    around and headed upstairs.

 Chapter 379 Hannahs Mind

    Chapter 379 Hannah''s Mind

    After Angelina went back inside the house, she saw Hannah still sitting in the living room, obviously

    waiting for somebody.

    Angelina narrowed her eyes and said nothing. She had nothing to say to Hannah.

    She made her way to her room while clutching her bag in her hand.

    Out of nowhere, Hannah called out to Angelina, "Angelina baby, you have returned? Did the madame

    go back to her house?"

    Angelina baby?

    A sarcastic grin appeared on Angelina''s lips.

    Hannah always used a harsh tone whenever she talked to her. But today she became her Angelina

    baby?

    She turned to her and asked, "What is it, Mom?"

    Hannah''s attitude towards Angelina now was much nicer than before. After all, Angelina had developed

    a good rtionship with a rich family. She was the person who could take them towards the path of

    wealth.

    "Nothing. Couldn''t you catch up with your mom when you have time? Come, stay here and chat with

    me for a while."

    Angelina stopped heading towards her room and went to the room where Hannah was. She then sat

    beside her. "What do you want to talk about?"

    Angelina had a good guess that Hannah wanted to talk about Belinda.

    "Who was thedy who came to our home just now? She looks like somebody important."

    Angelina sneered inside and replied, "Oh, thatdy... she is the wife of the owner of the Gu Group. Of

    course she is important."

    Hannah''s mind began to piece things together. ''The Gu Group?''

    She had never paid much attention to such things. She knew nothing about the Gu Group. Maybe she

    should ask Jacob when he came back. He could go and exin this to her because he knew more than

    she did.

    "What is the rtionship between you two? I could see thedy was treating you very nicely. Is she

    rted to the boy who brought you homest time? She likes you, doesn''t she?"

    "Oh, of course they are rted. Thedy who came today is the CEO''s mother and the one who sent

    me backst time is the CEO of the Gu Group," replied Angelina.

    Hannah only heard the words CEO and the Group. All the other words Angelina said went in one of

    Hannah''s ears and out of the other.

    The CEO of a group! How rich he would be! Last time Jacob said the car he drove would cost over ten

    million.

    Did Angelina really catch herself a billionaire boyfriend?

    Hannah eyes began to sparkle. She stared at Angelina and said, "Then...you two..."

    Angelina was calm. ''We? We what? What do you think our rtionship is?''

    Angelina suddenly asked, "Mom, do you still remember the time when you brought me to this house?"

    How could Hannah still remember the time when she brought Angelina home for the first time? She

    didn''t care much about Angelina. So how could she remember such details?

    "What''s the matter?" asked Hannah.

    Angelina squinted and fixed her eyes on Hannah. She was going to drop a bomb on her. "Do you want

    to know what rtionship I have with thedy who came today? She said she is my mother and I''m her

    daughter who had been missing for twenty years."

    After she finished her words, Angelina didn''t even bother to see what expression Hannah had and

    turned and headed straight for her own room.

    When she got into her room and shut the door behind her, Angelina leaned on the back of the door and

    stared at the ceiling.

    If she was still hesitant about her decision when she was in the hospital earlier today, she was

    convinced that she had made the right decision when she saw Belinda''s caring eyes during her visit.

    From now on, she would be Camelia and Camelia would be her. She would be the daughter of the Gu

    family.

    Thinking about the paternity test report, she took it out from her bag, took one more look at it and then

    slid it into a dark ce of her room.

    Soon enough, it was the weekend. Ashley''s mood was mixed with excitement and worry this past

    week.

    It was almost time to get off work. Ashley started to collect her things and was going to leave. Amaia

    suddenly reminded Ashley, "Ashley, you haven''t forgotten your promise to teach me cooking, have

    you?"

    Amaia didn''t want to remind her originally, but she saw Ashley look like she was losing her soul over

    the past few days. So she had to remind her.

    Ashley''s heart lurched. ''Shit! I did forget about it.

    How could I forget such a thing?

    I promised her that I would teach her cooking on the weekend!''

    Since Andrew told her that they would go see Grandpa over the weekend, Ashley was intently

    preparing herself for that trip. She was over-excited and that was why shepletely forgot about her

    promise to Amaia.

    Looking at Ashley''s expression, Amaia knew for certain that Ashley had forgotten it.

    "Ashley, you didn''t really forget it, did you?" asked Amaia.

    "No, no. How could I forget," Ashley replied, as if she was desperately trying to pull herself from falling

    into a bottomless pit.

    "But, Amaia, this weekend I have to go to meet my husband''s parents. He just told me recently, so..."

    Ashley looked at Amaia with such sad, puppy eyes.

    Amaia looked at Ashley with a puzzled look on her face, "Meet the parents?"

    Ashley put her hand on Amaia''s mouth to stop her talking immediately. "Keep your voice down, okay?

    We''re still in the office!"

    Some people had already turned to look at their direction.

    A boy who had a nice looking face and shy personality sat at the opposite side of the room. He

    watched Ashley and Amaia with curiosity seeping out of his eyes.

    Ashley smiled at him and shook her head to tell him nothing was going on. His name was Adrian.

    He got along well with Ashley and Amaia and sometimes exchanged banter with them.

    Amaia nodded to Ashley.

    Ashley released her hand. "You can ask whatever questions you have, but you have to keep your voice

    down."

    Ashley felt helpless for a moment. Amaia was a very nice person, but when she heard some news, she

    tended to just cry out loud without thinking.

    This made Ashley reluctant to give Amaia any kind of news.

    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    "So you said you are going to meet your husband''s parents?" Amaia inquired Ashley.

    "Right," replied Ashley while nodding.

    "But I remember you told me that you already married your husband. Why did you wait until now to go

    to meet the parents? Did you have a whirlwind wedding?"

    Amaia''s eyes were as big as saucers as she stared at Ashley. She couldn''t believe that the Ashley she

    knew was such kind of person.

    Under Amaia''s eyes, Ashley slowly nodded. "Well yes, you can call it a whirlwind wedding. We are

    going to meet the parents."

    Amaia suddenly let out a sigh.

    "What''s wrong?" Ashley asked.

    "You are all married and meeting parents. And here I am, still alone," Amaia muttered.

    Ashley felt sorry for Amaia. She tried tofort her. "It''s okay, Amaia. I''ll help you. You can be sure

    about that. I''ll make sure you win Johnny''s heart."

    Amaia cheered up immediately, "Great! I''ll make it happen! I believe you, Ashley. I''m counting on

    you."

 Chapter 380 Once In A Life Time Event

    Chapter 380 Once In A Life Time Event

    "Can I leave now?"

    Amaia waved her hands and said, " Of course, you can. I don''t want to dy you any further."

    "Thank you," Ashley smiled at Amaia.

    Ashley was a littleter than usual while Andrew was punctual as always. When Ashley got into the car,

    Andrew nced at her.

    "What''s wrong?" Ashley asked, touching her face. "Is there anything on my face?"

    Andrew shook his head, "No. It''s just you''re five minutester than usual."

    Ashley was taken aback at Andrew''s ability to recall tiny details like this.

    She began to exin, "I just got held back by work."

    "Okay." Andrew nodded.

    Throughout these past few days, Ashley was able to find out what Andrew''s grandfather liked.

    Like most old people, his grandpa liked tea, chess, and fishing. They just wanted to rx and enjoy a

    carefree life.

    Johnny had already helped prepare her present, a box of superior West Lake Longjing Tea.

    Andrew had mentioned once that his grandpa liked that.

    The following morning, Andrew got up early. He had already dressed up for the day before he woke

    Ashley up.

    Ashley seemed to be still sleeping soundly as she was buried under the quilt.

    Andrew didn''t want to wake her up.

    However, his father had moved to the suburbs after he''d turned over his shares and control of the

    company to Andrew.

    The suburbs were quite far from the city proper.

    Andrew gazed at Ashley''s rosy skin and slightly open mouth as he sat by the bed.

    "Ash, wake up." Andrew pinched Ashley''s face. Her face was so soft.

    "Stop!"

    Ashley had pped Andrew''s hand away.

    She mumbled something and rolled over to sleep again.

    Andrew just smiled.

    He didn''t know that her lovely wife was azybones.

    "Ash, you have to get up now. We are going to visit Grandpa today."

    Upon hearing this, Ashley immediately sat up and cried, "I almost forgot! What time is it? Are we going

    now?"

    "Not yet. We still have time. But you have to dress up now. If you still want to sleep, you can sleep in

    the car, okay?"

    Ashley shook her head, "No."

    She was already awake.

    "Wait for me here. I''ll go wash up."

    It was already eight o''clock when Ashley finished dressing up and Josef was already waiting outside.

    Before they went out, Andrew told ire that they''d be gone the whole day.

    Although Ashley said she was already awake, she was still sleepy when she got into the car.

    Andrew was working on hisptop when he noticed Ashley leaning her head against the window and

    slowly nodding off.

    He put away hisputer and put Ashley''s head on his shoulder. Nothing made him happier.

    It was a new feeling.

    He''d never done this to any other woman except Ashley.

    It was only then did he realize how emotional a woman could make a man.

    Just looking at her gave him all sorts of feelings.

    "Slow down," Andrew ordered Josef.

    She needed to sleep well.

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    He didn''t care if they would bete.

    Josef nodded and did as he was told.

    Even if he was already driving at the slowest and safest speed. Maybe he needed to be slower like a

    snail perhaps.

    Josef often joked inwardly to himself. A little like what Johnny did.

    It was Johnny''s fault that Josef was able to joke around like that.

    The car had just passed by a lot of parasol trees when Ashley woke up.

    There were big and tall trees on the either side of the road. The sun shone through the leaves and

    reflected on the road; it was dazzling.

    This was the scenery Ashley caught when she looked out the window.

    Ashley sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Are we there yet?" she asked.

    "Almost," Andrew answered.

    Ashley kept looking out the window throughout the remainder of the drive.

    It was a beautiful view.

    It was like they were heading towards a fairnd.

    All you could see were flowers, trees, and grass.

    The cool wind was refreshing.

    Soon, the car stopped in front of a vi which was surrounded by flowers and trees Ashley hadn''t seen

    before.

    Johnny took two days off as allowed by Andrew. Johnny thought it was too much.

    He couldn''t even believe it at first.

    Andrew, however, just didn''t want Johnny to disturb his private time with Ashley.

    Andrew got off the car and offered his hand to Ashley, "May I?"

    Ashley was a little nervous. Her hand was a little sweaty when she put it on Andrew''s hand.

    Ashley tugged Andrew''s sleeve and asked worriedly, "Do I look okay? Good? Will Grandpa like me?"

    Ashley wore a white knee-length skirt and a pair of ck and white sandals.

    She tied her hair up in a loose bun with a few wisps of hair flying about.

    Her eyes were big and bright, which looked quite lovely.

    "Yes, he will. You''re very beautiful. Don''t worry," Andrew said.

    Ashley heaved a sigh of relief. She smiled at Andrew then followed him, her hand still pulling at his

    sleeve.

    Andrew like the feeling of that. He smiled to himself.

 Chapter 381 A Perturbed Heart

    Chapter 381 A Perturbed Heart

    Andrew didn''t tell them in advance about their visit as he wanted it to be a surprise.

    He wanted Ashley to meet the only family member he''d recognize as his own.

    Just as they arrived, a figure came out of one of the high shrubs. This particr one was designed to

    be as high as an average person''s chest.

    He was wearing a Chinese traditional suit. He looked like he was in histe fifties to early sixties and he

    looked very healthy.

    Ashley turned to look at Andrew in puzzlement.

    Just as Andrew was about to speak, the butler, who had been trimming the tree, raised his head and

    straightened his back.

    He was so surprised that he dropped his shears on the ground. He stared back at Andrew. When he

    spoke, his voice was quivering, "Mr. Lu, you''re back?"

    He couldn''t suppress the excitement in his heart.

    Andrew nodded and said, "Yes, Porter. Is Grandpa here?"

    Porter nodded hastily and said, "Yes, yes, Mr. Lu. Come in. I''ll inform Master that you''re here.

    Mr. Lu, why didn''t you tell us that you wereing to visit? Had we known you wereing, we would

    have made preparations!" Porter led Ashley and Andrew into the vi.

    Porter only noticed Ashley when she was standing behind Andrew. His eyes sparkled. "Who is this

    youngdy, Mr. Lu?"

    When he asked, his mind was racing. Every time Mr. Lu came to visit, he always came alone. The

    whole family was starting to get worried about him.

    He couldn''t believe Andrew had finally brought a woman with him. He could sense the special

    significance of the woman.

    He looked at Ashley politely and Ashley smiled back.

    ''This old man looks quite friendly, ''

    thought Ashley.

    While Porter was trying to figure out what Ashley and Andrew''s rtionship was, Andrew pulled Ashley

    next to him and said, "This is my wife."

    Porter wasn''t just surprised¡ªhe was stupefied.

    ''What did Mr. Lu just say?

    His wife?

    Am I that old? Do I have hearing problems? Did I hear that wrong?''

    Porter looked at Andrew in disbelief. He couldn''t hide his excitement though. "Mr. Lu, did you... What

    did you say just now? Could you please say it again?"

    Andrew preferred that his personal affairs be kept private. So when Porter asked him to repeat himself,

    he responded a little impatiently, "I said, this is Ashley and she''s my wife."

    Then he looked at Ashley and his eyes were gentle and affectionate.

    Porter was so excited that he didn''t know what to do with his hands.

    He hadn''t heard it wrong.

    Mr. Lu did bring home a wife.

    "Great, that''s so great. Mr. Lu, you and Mrs. Lu stay here and I''ll go to tell Master."

    When he walked inside, he turned to the side and called out, "Bertha,e out here. Look who has

    come to visit."

    "Okay,ing."

    "Mr. Lu, Bertha wille to wait on you while I go tell Master."

    Then as he walked away, he did a sort of dance.

    as if he couldn''t hide his happiness.

    After he left, Ashley felt relieved. She started to look around the vi. This time, she was much more

    rxed.

    This was a little different from the Golden Pce as the Golden Pce was a little more European in

    terms of style.

    This was more traditional Chinese. Everything looked magnificent but the overall vibe was simple and

    natural.

    Before she could delve into the details, a middle-aged woman suddenly appeared as if from out of

    nowhere.

    Ashley had to step back and hide behind Andrew again.

    She didn''t know anybody here and she wasn''tfortable. She decided it was better if she stayed

    close to Andrew.

    Bertha, who was cooking the soup for lunch, hade out of the kitchen. When Porter called out to

    her, she was putting the ribs into the pot. She hastily came out when Porter called for her.

    The first thing she saw when she came out was this pretty girl trying to hide behind a man.

    Bertha had been wiping her hands on her apron but upon seeing this scene, she stopped.

    ''Who is this youngdy? How did she get in here?''

    When she realized the man was Andrew, she immediately knew the answer.

    She hurried over to Andrew and said, "Mr. Lu, you''re here!"

    Andrew wasn''t his normal, distant self.

    Ashley couldn''t help but notice. She couldn''t, however, see the look on his face as she was standing

    behind him.

    "Hi, Bertha. I came to see Grandpa."

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    "All right, that''s great. It''s so good to see you again. What do you want to eat for lunch, Mr. Lu? Just tell

    me. I''ll cook whatever you want."

    Bertha had been working here since Andrew was a child. She always adored him. When he was still

    young, his mother left and his father got married way too quickly. His father never really cared for

    Andrew.

    As a child, Andrew was obedient and adorable. Bertha treated him as her own son.

    So she was very excited to see Andrew again.

    "Whatever is avable is fine," Andrew responded.

    "Okay then," Bertha said.

    Bertha caught a glimpse of the figure behind Andrew. She leaned forward to get a better view. "Mr. Lu,

    who''s behind you?"

    She''d seen this youngdy hide behind Andrew when she first came out of the kitchen.

    Ashley poked her head out from behind Andrew and smiled at her. "Hi, Bertha. I''m Ashley."

    Andrew chimed in, "She''s my wife."

    Ashley immediately noticed the shift on Bertha''s face when Andrew said that she was his wife. It was

    the exact same expression that Porter had on his face a few moments ago.

    She was puzzled. ''What''s the matter?

    Why do they all react that way whenever Andrew tells them that I''m his wife?

    Do they not like me? Am I not wee here?''

    As she thought about it, she started to feel uneasy so she clenched Andrew''s sleeve.

    Bertha, who was silent for a moment, was still digesting Andrew''s words.

    ''Mr. Lu''s wife? Mr. Lu''s married?

    That''s great news!''

    After a while, she grinned. "Mrs. Lu, it''s nice to meet you."

    Ashley smiled back. "Nice to meet you too."

    "Mr. and Mrs. Lu, please sit down. I''ll go bring some drinks for you. What do you want to drink, Mrs.

    Lu?"

    Ashley came out from behind Andrew. She could see Bertha''s genuinely affectionate face. So she said,

    "I''ll have the same as whatever Andy''s having."

    Bertha liked this answer. She squinted her eyes and then nodded before heading to the kitchen.

    Ashley couldn''t help but wonder what they thought about her. Did they like her or not?

 Chapter 382 Nervous

    Chapter 382 Nervous

    When Ashley and Andrew sat on the sofa, Andrew immediately noticed that Ashley was being stiff. He

    pinched her hand and asked, "Are you nervous?"

    Ashley red at Andrew and replied, "Yes. This is the first time I''m meeting your grandfather. How

    could I not be nervous?"

    Andrew seemed to be in a more rxed mood than Ashley.

    Andrewforted Ashley, "Don''t worry. They''re all very nice."

    Soon after, Bertha walked out of the kitchen holding two cups of coffee. She ced them in front of

    Andrew and Ashley.

    "Mr. Andrew and Mrs. Ashley, here''s your coffee."

    Andrew took the cup of coffee and had a sip.

    Ashley seldom drank coffee. As she drank the coffee, she thought it was too bitter and didn''t like it.

    She noticed how easily Andrew was drinking his coffee and thought if she should be more like that.

    ''Well, I bet he drinks a lot of coffee that he doesn''t mind that it''s bitter anymore, '' Ashley thought

    inwardly.

    Bertha, who was standing aside, noticed that Ashley wasn''t drinking her coffee. Shemented,

    "Ashley, you don''t like the coffee?"

    Ashley quickly waved her hands and said, "No, no. I just don''t want to drink it right now."

    Bertha lightly said, "Mr. Andrew likes his coffee really bitter. Mrs. Ashley, wait here. I prepared a ss

    of lemonade for you. It''s lovely to drink in this weather."

    Before Ashley could refuse, Bertha had already run into the kitchen. Not a minute had passed when

    she came out holding a ss of lemonade. She promptly handed it to Ashley.

    The tall, crystal ss contained clear, yellow lemonade with a single lemon inside. It looked extremely

    enticing to drink.

    Ashley picked up the ss and took a sip. It was cool as it had some ice in it and the blend of both

    sweet and sour was refreshing.

    Ashley said softly, "Thank you, Bertha."

    Bertha waved her hands. "You''re wee, Mrs. Ashley. I''m d you like it."

    Ashley flushed upon hearing this.

    She bashfully nced at Andrew upon hearing how Bertha referred to her.

    This didn''t go unnoticed by Bertha¡ªshe smiled to herself.

    At that moment, Porter hade back. He announced, "Mr. Andrew, Mr. Lu''s here now."

    Both Andrew and Ashley stood up. By the door of the vi, there stood an old man who was about sixty

    or seventy years old. His hair was gray but he didn''t look weak. He was wearing a Tang suit and

    holding arge pair of scissors in his hand. His entire body was littered with leaves as if he had just

    been to the forest.

    When Chant came in, Andrew took Ashley''s hand as they walked over to greet him.

    Andrew looked at Ashley, gently squeezed her hand and said, "This is my grandfather."

    Ashley looked at Chant and greeted him.

    Even though Chant''s hair was graying, his eyes were sharp as ever. When he looked over at Ashley

    and Andrew, he had an indifferent look on his face.

    "I have to change my clothes first," Chant said to Andrew in the indifferent tone that he seemed to use

    all the time.

    Ashley couldn''t take her eyes off Chant. Now she knew why Andrew was the way he is.

    As Ashley looked over at Chant, she didn''t expect to meet his sharp eyes.

    She held his gaze in surprise for a few seconds before turning away.

    Bertha greeted Chant. He nodded to Bertha and then went upstairs.

    When Chant was already upstairs, Ashley heaved a sigh of relief. She looked at Andrew who was next

    to her and said in a low voice, "Andy, does he not like me?"

    ''He looks so strict. It''s as if he doesn''t like me.

    Does not he like me?'' Ashley thought to herself.

    Andrew nced at Ashley and said, "What made you say that?"

    Ashley curled her lips and said, "He looks so strict. He didn''t even smile when he first saw us. That

    entire time, he kept a straight face. I don''t think he likes me."

    The more she talked, the more upset she felt.

    ''Andrew''s grandfather doesn''t like me.

    What should I do?'' thought Ashley.

    Andrew looked at Ashley who was frowning. He said easily, "Don''t worry. Grandfather is always like

    that."

    Meanwhile, Bertha had been closely watching Ashley. She saw Ashley and Andrew whispering to one

    another and she had a pretty good guess, why they could be talking like that.

    ''Mrs. Ashley seems lovely. Mr. Lu will definitely like her, '' thought Bertha.

    She then caught Porter gesturing for her to go over to him.

    Later on, Porter and Bertha were busy discussing things as they both looked at Andrew and Ashley.

    After a while, Chant finally came back downstairs.

    Chant was now wearing a dark gray Tang suit. He was almost as tall as Andrew and his eyes were

    sharp as ever.

    Andrew had just sat down next to Ashley who was on the sofa. She grabbed Andrew''s hand in fear.

    Chant remained silent as he watched this whole scenario unfold.

    Ashley was still nervous about Chant.

    "What made youe visit today?" Chant inquired.

    Andrew said, "No special asion.

    Grandfather, this is the gift that Ashley has bought for you, your favorite West Lake Longjing tea."

    Andrew handed a beautiful box to Chant who ced it next to him.

    Chant looked at Ashley and said, "Well, thank you."

    Ashley sat up straight when she saw Chant looking at her.

    She failed to notice the eye contact that Chant and Andrew had maintained as they talked.

    "This reminds me of a calligraphy painting that I have in my study. Would you mind bringing it to me,

    Andy?"

    Chant said as he looked at Andrew.

    Andrew looked at Ashley worriedly.

    Chant''s face turned gloomy. He looked at Andrew and said, "Well, faster. Are you scared I''ll question

    Ashley when you''re gone?"

    Ashley gently pulled Andrew''s sleeves in response.

    Andrew helplessly looked at Ashley as he said, "Just wait here. I''ll be back."

    Ashley said, "Okay."

    When Andrew left, only Chant and Ashley were sitting on the sofa.

    Ashley made sure she didn''t move as she held the ss of lemonade in her hands.

    Bertha was busy with something in the kitchen and Porter had gone somewhere else.

    ''Looks like they don''t have many servants here, ''

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    Ashley thought as she took a sip of lemonade.

 Chapter 383 Do You Think Ill Devour Her

    Chapter 383 Do You Think I''ll Devour Her

    Seeing that Ashley was still trembling, Chant opened his mouth. "Can you y Go?"

    ''Huh?''

    Upon hearing the question, Ashley looked at Chant and found out that he was watching her. She

    quickly drew back her eyes and replied, "Just a little."

    "Can you make tea?"

    Ashley let out a sigh and honestly replied, "No."

    She never had a chance to touch these kinds of things. How could she know the intricate techniques of

    the tea making ceremony?

    And she always spent her spare time on other things. She never thought of learning this skill.

    She started to guess what Chant was thinking about.

    She became worried that Chant would be unsatisfied with her since she knew nothing about the things

    he cared about.

    Following Chant''s order, Andrew went to his study.

    But the desk inside the study was clean and tidy, with nothing on it. Where was the calligraphy work

    Chant mentioned?

    He was just looking for an excuse to get him out of his sight.

    Andrew felt helpless as he paced around the study before going downstairs.

    Inside the living room, Chant was asking questions and Ashley was doing her best to answer as swiftly

    and politely as possible.

    It was like a teacher had singled out one student and was giving the student a graded recitation.

    Chant''s eyes shed and he cracked a small grin. He stared at Ashley for a while, pulled a long face

    and said, "Do I look formidable?"

    ''Formidable?

    Of course, how could you not be?''

    But she didn''t have the guts to say what she was thinking out loud.

    She waved her hands hastily and replied, "No, not at all. You''re very nice."

    "Then why don''t you look at me when you talk to me?" asked Chant.

    Ashley gave a quick nce at Chant and then lowered her head again. "I..."

    Before she could finish her words, she heard footstepsing from behind.

    It was Andrew. He went upstairs to fetch the thing he was asked to, but he came back empty-handed.

    He sat down beside Ashley and looked at Chant. "Grandpa, I couldn''t find the calligraphy work you

    mentioned."

    Chant reacted naturally without showing any sign that he had pranked his grandson. "Oh, I have to

    me my bad memory."

    He stood up and said, "Okay, girl,e y with me."

    Since he had ordered her, Ashley ced the ss of lemonade in her hand down and stood up, ready

    to follow him. "Okay, Grandpa."

    Chant began to leave the room, but he soon remembered something. He turned back slightly and

    looked at Andrew. "You stay here, Andrew."

    Andrew looked at Ashley and hesitantly replied, "Grandpa..."

    Chant didn''t pay attention to Andrew and headed upstairs.

    Ashley gave Andrew''s hand a squeeze and said, "Don''t worry. I''ll be okay." ''Just ying Go.''

    Andrew looked back at Ashley with resignation. He was the one who brought her to see Grandpa, but

    now for reasons he didn''t understand, he felt that he was undesired.

    Andrew had an impulse to follow them but he chose to obey Chant''s order in the end. He sat in the

    living room and eagerly waited for them to return.

    Without Ashley by his side, he felt nothing was right.

    He was bing restless as the seconds seemed like hours. To pass the time, he took out the

    notebookputer and started to work on the business of thepany.

    The vi was big but only had two floors due to Chant''s old age.

    For his convenience, the house was designed with only two floors. The study and bedrooms were on

    the second floor while the kitchen, living room and guest room were on the ground floor.

    Ashley followed Chant and walked to the room on the right-most end of the second floor. Chant slowly

    pushed the door open.

    After Chant went in, she followed him into the room.

    When she saw the inside of the room, she couldn''t help but gasp.

    The study was spacious and the floor was paved with red sandal wood. As she walked further into the

    room, she could see the simple and natural style of the decoration. There was a huge book shelf right

    in front of her, with numerous books on it.

    The designer of the room obviously tried to create a primitive and unsophisticated air and a quiet and

    comfortable ce for reading.

    Ashley secretly wondered why Chant looked intimidating when he was serious.

    Didn''t people say that people who liked reading should be amiable and friendly?

    His style didn''t go with this study.

    Though she was busy looking around the study, she was still mindful of Chant''s actions. When she saw

    Chant had already sat down on a chair, she quickly moved to his side and stood in front of him.

    "Why are you standing there? Sit down," said Chant.

    "Okay," replied Ashley.

    And she sat down on the opposite side.

    "Which color do you prefer, ck or white?"

    asked Chant.

    "I''ll let you have ck," said Ashley.

    Chant pressed his lips down but Ashley didn''t notice it as she was lost in her thoughts.

    "I''ll let you have ck, so that you won''t say that an old man took advantage of you," said Chant.

    Ashley had to ept the arrangement.

    She thought that maybe Grandpa was nice deep down in his heart.

    They started to y the game. Ashley hadn''t yed much of this but when she looked at the

    checkerboard, she felt that she was good at this. She imagined that somebody was teaching her.

    Ashley didn''t know how good she was at this because she hadn''t yed it seriously with other people.

    So she just decided that she should y by instinct.

    When she was thinking about the moves, she didn''t notice that Chant''s eyes looked different when he

    was observing her.

    On the checkerboard, the ck and white pieces seemed to be jockeying for position. Overall, the

    white pieces had the upper hand. Meanwhile, the ck pieces were a little messy and wrong-footed,

    but they managed to block all the ways of the white pieces.

    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    So of course Chant now observed her differently.

    Just now he asked her if she could y and she said just a little and appeared timid and shy. But

    based on her performance, she was a natural.

    Every time Andrew came to visit, he usually came and left hurriedly, only staying for a short time. Chant

    couldn''t y Go with him to his content. Now it was different. He hadpany who can y with him.

    Chant drew back his eyes and focused on ying the game.

    They yed for almost one hour until Andrew came up to ask them to go and have lunch. His words

    seemed to wake them up from a dream.

    Ashley shyly smiled at Chant and said, "Grandpa, let''s go downstairs and have lunch."

    "Okay," said Chant while looking at her.

    When they stepped out of the study, Ashley saw Andrew and caught up with him.

    Andrew squeezed her hand and asked, "Are you okay?"

    Ashley nodded and said, "Sure. Grandpa is very nice."

    Chant heard Andrew''s words and took a nce at the two of them. He snorted, "For what reason would

    I bully her?"

    And then he ignored Andrew and directly went downstairs.

    Ashley became worried. "Andy, is Grandpa getting angry?"

    "Never mind him. He''ll be okay in a while," replied Andrew.

 Chapter 384 More Satisfied

    Chapter 384 More Satisfied

    Chant had already expected Andrew to answer like that but he was still a little irked when he finally did

    hear it.

    ''Is he my grandson?

    Is he really my grandson?'' Chant angrily thought to himself.

    He suddenly quickened his pace.

    Andrew and Ashley slowly followed behind.

    Andrew asked, "What did you do in there?"

    Ashley replied, "I yed Go with Grandfather. He is really good at it."

    Andrew said, "Well."

    After lunch, Chant asked Andrew to go upstairs with him.

    Ashley helped Bertha wash the dishes in the kitchen.

    Bertha was happy to find that Ashley was not only kind but could also cook.

    She had gotten to know Ashley more when they talked.

    Andrew had a weak stomach. Bertha thought most of the food outside were either unsanitary,

    expensive, or just basically not delicious at all.

    As much as Bertha wanted to take care of Andrew, he wouldn''t let her. All she could do was worry

    about him.

    Bertha had practically raised Andrew herself and she treated him as her own son.

    Andrew was already 30 years old and this was the first time he had brought a woman home. Bertha,

    Porter, and the others couldn''t help but be anxious.

    However, they were very pleased to find that Ashley was a lovely girl.

    Bertha said, "Mrs. Ashley, you can go and rx. I''ll just be here."

    Ashley said, "It''s fine. I don''t have anything else to do. I can help you here."

    After washing the dishes, Bertha took Ashley to the second floor.

    They went to the second room on the left which used to be Andrew''s bedroom back when he lived

    here.

    Bertha said, "Mrs. Ashley, this used to be Mr. Andrew''s room back when he lived here. We had to clean

    it every day back then so that it wouldn''t be dirty. We just cleaned it today so you can rest here with Mr.

    Andrew."

    Bertha took Ashley to Andrew''s old room.

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    Ashley said, "Okay. Thank you, Bertha."

    Bertha said, "All right. I''ll be downstairs. If you need anything, just call me."

    Ashley nodded.

    After Bertha left, Ashley walked into Andrew''s bedroom.

    The bedroom looked exactly like she had imagined Andrew''s room to be.

    There were only two colors in the room, ck and white. It looked dull and serious. She walked over to

    the French window and opened the curtains to let the sunshine in.

    Ashley narrowed her eyes. After a while, she closed the French window. It got too hot if it was opened

    for too long.

    Andrew''s bed had white sheets, white pillows, and white quilts.

    It looked very soft andfortable. Ashley couldn''t help but lie down. It was as soft as she had

    expected.

    Ashley lightly closed her eyes, suddenly feeling a little sleepy.

    Meanwhile, Andrew and Chant were sitting in the study on the second floor.

    Chant took a sip of tea, looked at Andrew, and said, "Care to exin?"

    Andrew said with much doubt, "What do I need to exin?"

    Chant just wanted to hit Andrew''s head with a stick.

    ''I''ve brought her here so she could meet you. What do I have to exin? Isn''t it a given fact already?''

    Andrew thought to himself.

    Chant was starting to get irked. "I''m talking about that girl. Are you cheating on her?"

    Chant found that he was quite fond of Ashley.

    Chant had been in business for most of his life. He had met a wide array of people and considered

    himself to be quite an expert at reading people. He could tell what kind of person you were by just

    looking into your eyes.

    The minute he looked into Ashley''s eyes, he was immediately able to tell that she was a simple and

    sincere girl who wasn''t greedy at all.

    Moreover, Ashley was good at ying chess.

    Mostly, this was Chant''s reason for liking her.

    Andrew frowned. "Why are you saying that I''ve already cheated on her? She''s my wife. I''ll spend the

    rest of my life with her."

    Andrew solemnly looked into Chant''s eyes.

    ''Ashley is my wife, thest one and the only one, '' thought Andrew.

    Chant looked at his grandson and asked, "Have you thought about it carefully?"

    Andrew said, "Yes, of course I have, or I wouldn''t have brought her here to meet you in the first ce."

    Chant said, "What about the Lu family? What will you do? Are they agreeable to you marrying a woman

    who doesn''t have the same background as you do?"

    Chant was actually curious.

    The Lu Group was already sessful enough in its own right that Andrew didn''t need to have an

    arranged marriage in the hopes of establishing a business connection.

    Still, some of the members of the Lu family hoped that Andrew would marry someone who did have the

    same background and would be beneficial to the Lu Group.

    For example, Lesley was a viable choice for them.

    Andrew frowned. He said impatiently, "They can marry who they want to marry. I''m married to Ashley

    and that''s what I want."

    Chant sighed and said, "Well, you''re the CEO of the Lu Group and the head of the Lu family. You can

    make your own decisions. Still, I want to remind you that you can''t just trust anyone so you have to

    protect yourself and more importantly, your wife too."

    Andrew nodded. "Okay, Grandfather."

    Chant was the one who had raised Andrew so he was the only family that Andrew valued.

    Chant didn''t have the same, close rtionship with Andrew''s father as he did with Andrew. After all,

    Chant only married his wife for business. Chant cared for and loved Andrew very much.

    So Chant didn''t make Andrew''s father the CEO of the Lu Group. When Andrew was old enough and

    able enough, Chant gave the position to him.

    Chant said, "Okay, I have to sleep now. You can go anywhere you want."

    After which, Chant asked Andrew to leave.

    Andrew promptly left the study without saying another word. He headed to his old room.

    The room was a bit dark and only a warm, orange light was on.

    Andrew saw Ashley lying on the bed as soon as he entered the room. She looked so cozy.

    When Andrew walked in the room, Ashley opened her eyes.

    Andrew paused for a bit but still walked over to Ashley and said, "Did I wake you up?"

    Ashley shook her head and said, "No, I wasn''t sleeping. I don''t feelfortable sleeping in an

    unfamiliar bed I just opened my eyes when I heard some noise."

    Andrew took off his shoes andy down by Ashley''s side and said, "I''ll sleep next to you."

    Ashley asked, "Have you finished talking with your grandfather?"

    Andrew said gently, "Yes. Let''s sleep."

    Ashley found afortable position in Andrew''s arms and fell asleep in no time.

    The air conditioner had been turned on in the room. So they wouldn''t feel hot as they slept.

 Chapter 385 Making Tea

    Chapter 385 Making Tea

    Ashley thought she wouldn''t be able to fall asleep because normally, she wouldn''t be able to on a bed

    that she wasn''t used to.

    When she first moved into the Golden Pce, it also took her a while to get used to the bed there.

    However, here in Andrew''s old room, she fell asleep right away as she snuggled in Andrew''s arms.

    When she woke up, she felt dizzy probably from sleeping too long.

    Andrew was still sleeping so Ashley carefully slipped out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash her

    face with cold water to collect herself.

    When she looked at the time, she found that it was already four in the afternoon. She had slept around

    1 p.m. which meant she''d been asleep for hours.

    She rubbed her cheeks to get some color in her face then headed downstairs so she could help Bertha

    prepare dinner.

    When she got to the first floor, she found someone sitting on the couch.

    Upon looking closer, she realized it was Chant.

    When Chant saw her, he waved to her toe over and sit with him. Ashley hesitated for a moment

    before walking over to him.

    Chant saw that she was alone so he asked, "Is he still sleeping?"

    Ashley nodded and said, "Yes, Andy''s still sleeping. He''s probably tired because he''s been working so

    hardtely."

    Chant snorted, "You do care about him."

    Ashley felt a little embarrassed.

    Chant called out to Porter who appeared out of nowhere. "Yes, Master?"

    "Please go to the study and bring the tea set here. The porcin one. Please be careful when you

    bring it."

    "All right," Porter responded.

    Chant turned to look at Ashley who was seemingly puzzled. He said, "Didn''t you bring me tea? Well, I

    want to taste it and I want you to make the tea for me."

    Ashley was a little uneasy. "Grandpa, I don''t know how to make tea."

    Chant looked at her as if he was displeased. "It''s fine. I can teach you."

    Since Chant had gotten older, he only liked two things:

    tea

    and ying go.

    Ashley pressed her lips together and said, "Okay."

    Soon, Porter had arrived with the porcin tea set.

    He had also brought a pot of boiling water.

    Chant washed the tea set with the boiling water and then looked at Ashley and said, "Watch carefully

    first, then you can make tea for meter."

    Upon hearing this, Ashley watched him closely, making sure she didn''t miss any particr hand

    motions or gestures.

    The tea set that Chant had used was porcin with blue and white patterns. It looked quite expensive.

    Ashley didn''t know much about tea or tea sets but she could tell how expensive it must be.

    As she watched Chant make the tea, she started to wonder what would happen if she broke the tea set

    when it was her turn to make the tea.

    Thankfully, her mind was quickly drawn from it because Chant started to speak as he made the tea.

    "You see, the tea set is very important in tea making.

    Porcin pots and cups are most preferable. If you''re making green tea, you should use cups with a

    lid; if you''re making ck tea, you should use a purple y set and for flower tea, you should use a

    ss tea set."

    As he spoke, he didn''t stop or pause his tea-making.

    However, he still slowed down his movement so Ashley could see better as he knew that Ashley hadn''t

    done this before.

    "Water selection is important too. Natural mineral water is a good choice. If you want the tea to taste

    good, you have to have good water. The scent of tea will be brought out by good water."

    He nced at her through the corners of his eyes as he spoke.

    Ashley listened to him attentively all the while closely watching his hands. Sometimes, she would

    repeat Chant''s words to herself silently.

    Chant nodded with satisfaction so he withdrew his attention from her and focused on the tea he was

    making.

    "One more element is water temperature. It''s critical that you''re able to control the temperature of your

    water. If the temperature reaches over 80 degrees Celcius, the nutrition of the tea leaves will decrease.

    Moreover, the tannins and other toxic elements will be released into the water. So it''s vital that the

    water temperature be controlled between 70 to 80 degrees Celcius,"

    Chant continued.

    Ashley felt as if she was listening to a lecture in school.

    She made sure she didn''t miss any of what Chant did as well as remember what he said.

    She looked quite focused and didn''t seem to show any impatience at all.

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    She could tell that Chant was genuine in teaching her the art of tea making. She realized she didn''t

    mind learning the skills of making tea.

    She thought she could make tea for Chant in the future as a way to spend time with him. Andrew

    preferred coffee and coffee wasn''t as healthy as tea. She figured if she learned the art of making tea,

    she could make Andrew drink tea instead of coffee.

    As she thought of this, she then realized that

    she had forgotten to watch Chant. She hadn''t realized that Chant had raised his hand.

    Bang! Chant had knocked on Ashley''s head with his hand. Ashley was puzzled and she looked at him

    in confusion.

    ''What''s going on?

    Why did he knock on my head?''

    She rubbed her head. While it didn''t hurt at all, the sound was still quite loud.

    Chant pulled a long face and asked, "Did you remember all the steps I mentioned?"

    Ashley was still a little shaky and she said rather guiltily, "Yes, Grandpa."

    Chant poured two cups of tea and ced one in front of Ashley. "Try it."

    The tea cup was made of pure white porcin and the light green tea looked nice in contrast to the

    white color of the cup.

    Ashley picked up the cup carefully. It was still too hot. She blew on it before taking a small sip.

    Ashley didn''t like tea and normally didn''t drink tea. As she took a sip, she tasted bitterness but when

    she had swallowed it, some sweetness lingered on her tongue.

    Porter had tasted the tea too. When he noticed Ashley take two sips, he asked, "How is it?"

    Ashley put down the cup and smiled at him sweetly. "It tastes great. I''m so lucky to have the chance to

    taste the tea made by Grandpa, a tea expert."

    "Cut the bullshit. I know you can''t taste anything," Chant said.

    He had said it with a smile so it was difficult to tell what he really meant.

    Ashley stuck out her tongue yfully and smiled. ''Chant is actually quite friendly, '' she thought to

    herself. Maybe, it wouldn''t be too difficult to get along with him after all.

    Chant washed the tea set with the hot water carefully again and then he pushed it to Ashley. "Now it''s

    your turn to do it. Make some tea for me."

 Chapter 386 Drank A Whole Pot Of Tea

    Chapter 386 Drank A Whole Pot Of Tea

    Ashleyined inside but after taking a nce at the indomitable Chant, she had to concede and

    ept the task.

    ''Okay, just do it. There is no other way out.''

    She tried to recall each step Chant had done earlier.

    First, she picked the tea leaves with the special clips and put them into the porcin cup. She then

    waited for the water temperature to simmer down to 70 degrees Celsius. After that, she poured the

    water into the cup to wash the tea leaves.

    Ashley''s hand motions were stiff and she almost dropped the tea pot from her hand a couple of times.

    Luckily, she managed to avoid breaking the tea pot thanks to her quick thinking.

    She was very attentive in every step. Nothing else mattered to her at that time, except for the tea set,

    water and tea leaves. She wasser-focused on what she was doing.

    Chant watched her and nodded with satisfaction.

    The Lu family didn''t need to strengthen its position in the business world through a marriage with a

    prominent family.

    Besides, he himself had a failed marriage. So he hoped Andrew could find somebody he really loved

    and have a marriage without his partner having ulterior, financial motives.

    To his surprise, Andrew has done that.

    Thinking of the ridiculous things Andrew''s parents had done in front of him, Chant felt sorry for Andrew.

    But now everything was good. He had found somebody who could take care of him now. He didn''t have

    to worry about him anymore.

    When Andrew got downstairs, he saw a lovely scene.

    Ashley knelt on the carpet on the floor. Her hair was let down and was casually bound with a rubber

    band. She looked natural and youthful. Moreover, she was concentrating on making tea and very

    careful with whatever was in her hand.

    From where Andrew stood, he could see her pale face and serious expression. She pressed her lips

    tight and looked a little nervous but the motions of her hands were smooth and fluid.

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    He appreciated her exposed creamy neck, her straightened back and found Chant who sat opposite

    her smiling with satisfaction. Chant saw Andrew from across the room and he winked at him from the

    distance.

    He wasn''t the same kind of serious and stern person he was this morning.

    Andrew moved his eyes away and strolled slowly in front of them.

    Perhaps Ashley was too focused on what she was doing, she didn''t notice that Andrew moved closer to

    her.

    After she finished thest step, she poured a cup of tea for Chant and passed it to him. "Grandpa, have

    a try."

    Chant took the cup and had a sip.

    Ashley watched him, waiting with bated breath.

    Chant clicked his tongue and looked at Ashley, and then turned to look at Andrew. "Not bad. But you

    didn''t control the water temperature well enough."

    Ashley heaved a sigh of relief. She heard Chant said, "Andrew, you''vee. Want to try the tea Ashley

    made?"

    Ashley turned back and found Andrew had been standing by her side from the time she was finished

    preparing the tea and poured a cup for Chant.

    Ashley was surprised and stammered, "Andy... You... How long have you been here?"

    ''Did Andy witness me perform the whole tea ceremony?''

    Ashley felt her face was turning bright red with embarrassment. Grandpa must have already seen him

    come in, but why didn''t he tell her?

    "I just came in a moment ago," replied Andrew.

    He looked at the utensil spread on the table and asked, "Will you let me have a taste?"

    Ashley looked at Andrew and stuttered, "Do you have to have tea?"

    Andrew sat down by her side, gazed at her red-flushed face and said yes.

    Ashley shifted her eyes between Chant and Andrew, and then poured a cup for him.

    Andrew gracefully took the cup. His hand that held the cup and reached for his lips was pale, with

    shapely knuckles. It was as beautiful as the white porcin cup.

    Ashley stared at his hand and got lost in her thoughts.

    Chant felt satisfied as he watched the two of them. He stroked his beard and said to himself, ''The

    young people today love to show their affection to each other publicly.''

    After Andrew put the cup down, Chant asked, "What can you say about it?"

    "Great," said Andrew.

    Chant clicked his tongue and made noment.

    He stood up, rubbed his waist and said, "I''m old. My waist feels sore after sitting for a while. Andrew,

    you take Ashley to look around the house. I have to go get some rest."

    Ashley immediately replied, "Grandpa, let me help you go to your room."

    "No, you two young people go out to have fun. Andrew will show you around," responded Chant.

    He left them and went upstairs alone.

    Ashley watched his back and asked Andrew, "Is Grandpa okay?"

    "Don''t worry about him. He''ll be okay. Let''s go out to have a look around," replied Andrew.

    "Okay," said Ashley.

    They stood up and were ready to go out the door when Andrew suddenly thought of something and

    turned around.

    Ashley was a bit confused. She asked, "What''s going on..." Before she could finish her words, she saw

    Andrew pick the tea pot up and drank it in one gulp.

    Ashley dragged his wrist and said, "What are you doing? Nobody drinks tea like that. If you are thirsty,

    I''ll go bring you a cup of water."

    As she said that, she turned around and was about to go to the kitchen.

    But Andrew grabbed her hand and stopped her. "No, I''m not thirsty."

    "Then why did you..."

    She realized something before she spoke and she turned silent. Her face began to blush again as she

    watched him drink another pot of tea.

    "Don''t drink that. I didn''t make that tea. Grandpa made it..."

    After they went out of the house, a gentle breeze greeted their faces. However, Ashley''s face was still

    flushed red from what happened earlier.

    It was about 5 o''clock in the afternoon. In downtown J City, it would still be sunny, but not where they

    were now. They were at a suburban area and at the top of the mountain. Tall tress blocked the

    sunshine and cast shades, which made the temperature around the area a bit nippy.

    They wandered around, their hands sped together.

    Ashley worriedly looked at Andrew. He had just drunk a whole pot of tea. It was quite a big pot. Would

    he feel ufortable?

    After they got outside, Ashley nced at him from time to time to check if he was okay.

    "What?" Andrew asked Ashley. He had noticed Ashley eyes were monitoring him while they were

    strolling around the suburban area.

    "Are you okay?" asked Ashley. Seeing his confused face, she added, "You just drank a whole pot of

    tea. Are you feeling okay?"

    He stroke her head gently and replied, "I''m okay. Don''t worry about me."

    Upon hearing hisforting response, Ashley breathed a big sigh of relief.

 Chapter 387 Watching TV

    Chapter 387 Watching TV

    Ashley and Andrew walked around outside for a while before returning to the vi.

    When Bertha saw them return from their walk, she greeted them, "Mr. Andrew and Mrs. Ashley, you''re

    back! Dinner will be served in a short while. You may clean up first."

    Ashley responded, "Okay."

    She looked around and noticed that Chant wasn''t around. She asked, "Where''s Grandfather?"

    Bertha replied, "I think Mr. Lu is on the second floor. You can sit while I call him for dinner."

    Ashley smiled as she offered, "Bertha, it''s fine. You seem very busy. I can tell Grandfather it''s time for

    dinner."

    "Okay," Bertha said.

    ''Wow, Ashley''s so considerate, '' she thought to herself.

    When Ashley headed upstairs, she realized that she didn''t know which was Chant''s bedroom.

    She turned to ask Andrew for help.

    Andrew apanied her to tell Chant that it was already time for dinner. Andrew and Ashley stood

    outside the bedroom and knocked on the door.

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    "Come in," Chant called.

    Ashley was a bit surprised by the sound of his voice.

    She still couldn''t believe that just this afternoon, she had made tea with Chant. She was still so

    intimidated by him.

    Andrew smoothly walked past Ashley as he pushed the door open to Chant''s room.

    Chant was standing in front of the French window and looking at the nts outside. He had thought it

    was either Bertha or Porter who had called him for dinner.

    He seemed a bit taken aback when he saw that it was Andrew and Ashley who hade.

    "What are you doing here?" Chant inquired.

    "It''s time for dinner," Andrew simply said.

    "Okay. Let''s go," said Chant.

    "Grandfather, let me help you walk downstairs," Ashley offered.

    When Chant nced at Ashley, he noticed how sincerely concerned she was about him. He casually

    waved his hand and said, "No, I''m fine. I''m healthy as a horse."

    Chant then walked past Ashley and headed for the stairs.

    Andrew looked at Ashley, who seemed to be still in a daze, grabbed her hand, gently squeezed it, and

    said, "It''s fine. Don''t overthink it."

    Chant really was in excellent health. He started working very young but he was still able to take good

    care of his body.

    When Andrew took over thepany, Chant was able to rx by gardening and taking care of his

    health. Indeed, he was as healthy as a horse.

    Ashley felt relieved.

    She headed downstairs with Andrew.

    She then thought of how sad Chant looked as he stood in front of his French window.

    She suddenly spoke up, "Why don''t we starting here more often? I think grandfather gets a bit

    lonely. He''s quite old. You should start spending more time with him."

    Andrew turned his head and found that Ashley was looking at him seriously. He was a bit startled but

    he just nodded.

    Andrew used to be really busy with work because thepany had so many problems back then. He

    didn''t like talking with Chant so he seldom visited him.

    However, that wasn''t the case now. Andrew wasn''t alone anymore¡ªhe was married.

    He could see how Ashley was making an effort as his wife to try to get to know his family.

    The food that was served for dinner were Ashley''s favorites.

    Earlier that day, Bertha had asked Ashley what she liked to eat and Ashley happily responded to her.

    Still, she didn''t expect that Bertha would serve all her favorites for dinner that night.

    Ashley liked to eat and she ate a lot. Needless to say, she was very full that night.

    Fortunately, she didn''t do anything to embarrass herself.

    After eating, she sat in her chair, unmoving.

    Andrew noticed that Ashley was being very stiff. He already had a guess why.

    He asked with a smile, "Are you full?"

    Ashley nodded shyly.

    No one was around as Chant was on the sofa and Bertha was cleaning the kitchen.

    Andrew looked at Ashley''s bulging belly and said yfully, "Well."

    Ashley didn''t know what to say either. She wasn''t able to control herself as Bertha was a really good

    cook.

    Andrew helped Ashley up so they could go out for a walk that could help with digestion. Ashley felt

    much better after. They then returned to the vi.

    Chant was sitting on the sofa and watching TV when they arrived. When he caught sight of them, he

    waved his hand and said, "Come here and watch TV with me."

    Watching TV together was something happy that normal families did.

    Ashley and Andrew then sat next to Chant. Ashley figured Chant was the type to watch politics on TV.

    However, she waspletely mistaken.

    Chant was watching the most popr drama show on TV!

    Ashley had watched it with Amaia before. It was called "Harem" because it was about harem fighting.

    The hero was an emperor who had thousands of harems. Until one day, he had met a beautiful and

    talented woman.

    The woman was the heroine, as expected.

    The heroine was born in a noble family but their family fortune had declined by the time she was born.

    Thus, she had to work in the imperial pce as a maid.

    When the emperor saw her, he immediately fell in love with her as she was quite a beauty. However,

    since the pce was littered with harems, they all ganged up on the heroine out of jealousy. The

    heroine suffered quite a bit throughout the show. In the end, the heroine got a happy ever after with the

    emperor.

    Ashley snuck a peek at Chant who seemed to be quite engrossed in the drama. She realized she

    needed to get to know him more.

    "Hey, Ashley, don''t you think that this emperor is stupid? It''s so obvious that Lisa jumped on her own

    and the maid saved her. She''s saying it was the maid who had pushed her!"

    Chantmented.

    Ashley sat between Chant and Andrew so she had a good view of Chant''s facial expressions. He

    seemed to be quite exasperated with the show he was watching.

    Ashley hadn''t expected this of Chant.

 Chapter 388 An Awkward Situation

    Chapter 388 An Awkward Situation

    Ashley watched the TV drama for a while. She had seen this episode before. Before the heroine

    showed up, Lisa was the woman the king adored among all of them and the most powerful among the

    king''s wives.

    The king of course still had feelings for her, because he just recently met the heroine. The heroine''s

    position couldn''tpare to Lisa''s standing with the King.

    However, Lisa started to feel threatened by her, so she asked the heroine out to the ce where the

    king would pass. There, Lisa would hatch her devious ploy against the heroine.

    When the king passed the ce, Lisa jumped down the cliff and the heroine was about to save her.

    However, the people behind them couldn''t see clearly and thought the heroine pushed Lisa down there.

    So the king got angry and pushed the heroine to the ground. He then carried Lisa, who had been saved

    by somebody else, and left. Before he left, he gave a disappointing nce at the heroine and was

    having none of her exnation.

    Ashley also wanted to curse that hero inside her heart. ''That man is blind. Men are all bastards.''

    Thinking of Chant''s question, Ashley said, "Grandpa, the TV drama has to have such kind of plot, or

    the story would end very soon and it can''t attract any audience. But I think the king is blind too. How

    could he believe Lisa like that?"

    Chant said, "Right. The maid is pitiful. Nobody would believe her now."

    Ashley felt awkward. She said inside, ''Grandpa, she would be the queen and the mother of a kingter.''

    But she had to say Chant was right for the time being.

    She watched the TV drama and listened to Chant''s chatter. She suddenly felt that Chant was just an

    ordinary old man and wasn''t as serious and formidable as she first saw him.

    They exchangedments about the plot from time to time in the following hour.

    And Andrew, who was also present in the room, was totally ignored.

    His face looked ugly and as he was going to say something, the TV drama suddenly ended. A torrent of

    commercials began to fill the room with unwanted noise.

    Chant was enjoying the drama so much that he felt quite disappointed that it abruptly ended.

    Meanwhile, Andrew was pleased that the show finally ended. He held Ashley''s hand and wanted to

    leave with her.

    Chant looked at him and asked, "Where are you taking Ashley to?"

    Andrew replied calmly without changing his expression, "Go to sleep."

    "Sleep? It''s not even nine o''clock yet. You''re sleepy already?"

    Ashley''s face turned stiff. She pulled on Andrew''s sleeve, implying that it was a rare case that Chant

    was so happy. She wanted to keep himpany some more.

    Andrew wouldn''t listen to her because she was ignoring him in order to keep Chant happy.

    Andrew was having none of that.

    Andrew looked at Chant and replied to him, "Yes, we are going to make a grandson for you..."

    Upon hearing Andrew''s reply, Chant''s displeasure eroded. He waved his hand excitedly and said,

    "Okay, go then."

    Dumbfounded, Ashley was dragged to the bedroom on the second floor. She reacted to what Andrew

    said to Chant just after they got into the room.

    Making a grandson for Chant?

    Her face grew fiery red and she angrily red at Andrew. "What bullshit did you just say to Chant?"

    Andrew didn''t expect Ashley to overreact the way she did. He confusedly replied, "What''s wrong with

    what I said?"

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    Nothing was wrong with what he said, but it was embarrassing for Ashley.

    Ashley patted her cheeks with her hands and waited for the burning feeling to subside. She then

    thought of what she needed to do.

    But she had alreadye upstairs and she didn''t have the face to go downstairs again.

    She opened the wardrobe, looked for some pajamas so that she could go to the bathroom to take a

    shower. She was in a trance and forgot she wasn''t in the Golden Pce.

    When Ashley opened the wardrobe door, she found it was full of men''s wear. She was stupefied.

    ''Oh, my god! This is not the Golden Pce. It''s Grandpa''s house. And I haven''t brought any clothes

    with me. What shall I do now?''

    Seeing her staying in front of the wardrobe without flinching, Andrew walked over to Ashley and asked,

    "What''s wrong?"

    Ashley grimaced at him, biting her lip and felt embarrassed. She wondered if she had to tell the truth to

    him.

    It was summer. She couldn''t do without taking a shower even if she wasn''t sweating. It would be terribly

    ufortable to go to bed without taking a shower.

    She leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear.

    After she finished her words, her face turned scarlet. She lowered her head and felt too ashamed to

    see him.

    Andrew''s mind went nk. He took time to digest what she had just said. But despite what she said, he

    was imagining something else. He pictured the image in his mind.

    His eyes turned dark. Suddenly, he got a whiff of the fragrance on Ashley''s body when she leaned

    close and whispered in his ear. He had to force himself to stop thinking further.

    He took a step back and said with a husky voice, "I''ll go and ask Bertha." He turned and left, as if he

    was fleeing from something that shouldn''t be seen or heard.

    But Ashley didn''t notice his unusual behavior as she was looking at the floor.

    After Andrew left, she had the hindsight of what his words might imply.

    She froze right on the spot where she was standing. She almost wanted to dig a hole underground and

    hide in it. Her face began to heavily blush red once again.

    If she didn''t hear him wrong, he was going to see Bertha.

    ''He went to ask Bertha?

    Oh, my god. I should go and ask her myself!

    He, a big man, goes to talk about this with Bertha...''

    She bit her lip and could hardly sit still on the chair. The blushes on her face couldn''t subside anymore

    no matter how hard she tried topose herself.

    She had an impulse to rush out and look for Andrew, but in the end, she let the idea go for reasons

    unknown.

    On the other side, Andrew realized what he had said to her just after he left the bedroom.

    It didn''t seem appropriate for him to do that.

    But he had already left the room and Ashley was waiting for him, so he couldn''t care about the

    embarrassment and headed downstairs to see Bertha.

    At this moment he was grateful that he had a poker face all year round. Except for the time when he

    was with Ashley alone, he never showed to anyone that he had a gentle side. So he put on that poker

    face again and went to ask Bertha.

    Bertha was shocked at his question.

    "Miss Mu wants it?" asked Bertha.

    Andrew nodded.

    "But, I don''t have it here. You know that," stammered Bertha.

    And she added in her thoughts, ''Even if I do, I can''t give it to you.''

    They had already been living together. Why didn''t Andrew have any experience in this? Bertha was a

    little worried about Andrew. She didn''t want to bother them about the pajamas.

    Bertha didn''t know that they did have experience. They had already done whatever a married couple

    would normally do. She didn''t have to worry about them at all.

    Andrew frowned. He wouldn''t give up trying again as he thought of Ashley''s expression. So he asked

    again, "Uh...How about your own pajamas?"

 Chapter 389 Dry Your Hair

    Chapter 389 Dry Your Hair

    "Miss Mu may not like this style. Moreover, Miss Mu may feel ufortable if she wears my pajamas,"

    remarked Bertha.

    Andrew nodded and felt what she said was very reasonable.

    ''I can''t make Ashley ufortable, '' Andrew muttered to himself.

    Since there weren''t any suitable pajamas for Ashley, Andrew went back to the bedroom empty-handed.

    After Andrew left, Bertha made a sigh of relief and looked at Andrew''s silhouette as he returned to his

    room. She couldn''t help but crack a sly grin. ''It seems that Mr. Lu will have a small great-grandson

    sooner thanter, '' she mused.

    There were quite a lot of servants in the vi, and some of them were young. Surely, at least one of

    them must have some pajamas that Ashley would like.

    However, a few days ago, Chant gave most of the servants a few days off. Only Bertha and Porter

    were left in the vi. It seemed as if he knew that Andrew would spend the weekend here.

    Ashley was sitting on the bed at that time. She looked at the door of the bedroom from time to time, for

    fear of missing Andrew''s figure.

    ''How will Andrew ask?

    Will Bertha have some extra pajamas?'' Ashley thought to herself nervously.

    Finally, the door of the bedroom slowly opened, and Andrew came into Ashley gaze of the doorway.

    Ashley immediately ran to him. She was worried about the pajamas. She was so shy that she didn''t

    want to be made fun of, by Bertha and was worried that Andrew might not know how to ask her.

    "Have you asked Bertha? Does she have some extra pajamas?" asked Ashley.

    Andrew bit his lips and said, "No."

    "Oh?" Ashley let out a defeated sigh. ''I guess I won''t be taking a shower today.

    I feel a little ufortable since I have sweated a lot today.

    But it seems that I have no choice since I have no pajamas, '' muttered Ashley.

    "Well, you can take a shower first," conceded Ashley.

    Seeing Ashley so disappointed, Andrew suggested, "How about we go back home now?"

    Hearing his words, Ashley looked at Andrew with her eyes wide open. She touched Andrew''s forehead

    gently and said, "You don''t have a fever. Why are you talking nonsense?"

    Andrew put down Ashley''s hand with dissatisfaction.

    Ashley curled her lips and said, "It''s impossible that we go back now. It''s already nine o''clock. By the

    time we get back home, it will be midnight. We should just stay here tonight. We''ll go back tomorrow. I

    can bear such a trivial thing. Don''t worry about me. It''s time for you to take a shower now."

    After Andrew took some of the clothes in the wardrobe and walked in the bathroom, Ashley looked

    around the room. Her bored eyes lingered on a row of white shirts.

    Ashley wanted to open the wardrobe to take some pajamas but she couldn''t find any. Then, she forgot

    to close the wardrobe door.

    Andrew''s white shirts piqued Ashley''s attention.

    She lowered her head with her eyshes trembling. Before thinking carefully about it, Ashley reached

    out to take one of Andrew''s shirts.

    Andrew was taller than her so his shirts were naturally longer than hers. Ashley decided to run into the

    bathroom when Andrew walked out of it.

    ''Well, I have to go in quickly, '' thought Ashley.

    Ashley held Andrew''s shirt tightly and prepared everything that she needed. She was ready to run as

    soon as Andrew walked out of the bathroom.

    Ashley quietly stood still outside. She could hear the rippling sound of water when Andrew was taking a

    shower. Thinking of the scenes she had seen before, Ashley couldn''t help but blush yet again.

    She shook her head and patted her face, trying to drive those thoughts out of her mind.

    Ashley paid all her attention to door of the bathroom. Finally, after the beep, Andrew came out with a

    bath towel around the lower part of his body. Without appreciating Andrew''s body, Ashley ran into the

    bathroom with the shirt in her hand.

    She then locked the door.

    After that, Ashley leaned against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief.

    Andrew wondered what had happened after seeing Ashley run past him.

    It was rare that there was confusion in his eyes.

    At that moment, Andrew''s soft ck hair was still wet with water dripping. And the bath towel couldn''t

    evenpletely cover his thigh.

    If Ashley wasn''t so anxious to run into the bathroom, she would have seen this scene.

    Andrew looked at the door of the bathroom for a while and didn''t understand why she looked so

    anxious. But he thought that there wouldn''t be anything bad happening here. So, he didn''t say anything

    and took the hair dryer.

    As he turned around, he immediately noticed the open wardrobe.

    In the past, Andrew wouldn''t have noticed it.

    But the situation was different that night.

    Most of Andrew''s clothes were suits. And each set of suit was ced well. So, Andrew found that a

    white shirt was missing with a quick nce.

    After Ashley took the shirt, she was a little nervous. She forgot to close the door of the wardrobe.

    So, Andrew easily knew what had happened.

    Andrew remembered the scene that Ashley quickly ran into the bathroom when he walked out of it. She

    seemed to be worried that someone might find out about what she had done. Later, Andrew looked at

    the wardrobe again and couldn''t help but chuckle to himself.

    Later, he couldn''t help but think of the scene where Ashley was wearing his shirt. It was rare that his

    face blushed and his eyes were full of passion.

    He took the towel, casually wiped his body, and then sat down on the bed. He gazed at a distant wall

    with empty eyes and was lost in thought.

    In the bathroom, Ashley began taking a shower. Afterwards, she put on the shirt that she brought.

    Ashley wondered if it was a psychological effect that she caught a whiff of Andrew''s scent on this shirt.

    Ashley''s hair was still dripping wet. Looking at the shirt which couldn''t even cover her thigh, she bit her

    teeth, finally opened the door and walked out of the bathroom.

    Andrew had been paying attention to the noises in the bathroom. When the bathroom door opened,

    Andrew looked towards the bathroom. Ashley felt his gaze and looked at him subconsciously.

    Ashley was shocked and almost wanted to go back to the bathroom.

    She couldn''t help but clench the doorknob. Before it waspletely open, she stopped herself and

    didn''t leave the bathroom.

    Ashley tried to maintain a calm look on her face. However, it had another meaning in Andrew''s eyes.

    Andrew thought Ashley was alluring and attractive.

    Ashley had juste out of the bathroom. Her face flushed as if she had applied some blush-on

    makeup. Her hair was still wet with water dripping onto her face which looked like a ripe peach that

    people simply wanted to take a bite of.

    Moreover, the shirt that she was wearing was too big for her. It was as if a child had worn the clothes of

    an adult.

    But Andrew thought that Ashley was beautiful while donning his shirt.

    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    Her legs which weren''t covered were especially attractive.

    They were fair and thin.

    Andrew''s eyes began to swell with passion again. He stopped himself from thinking about those things

    and looked away. He noticed that Ashley''s hair was still wet. Andrew looked at her and said, "Come on.

    Dry your hair."

 Chapter 390 Too Precious

    Chapter 390 Too Precious

    Ashley tugged at her shirt and slowly walked over to Andrew. She opened her mouth to say something

    to him, but her words seemed to elude her.

    Andrew sat on the bed with a hair dryer in his hand. There was a small stool in front of him. He

    prepared it to help Ashley dry her hair.

    Ashley sat on the stool. Although she had lightly wiped her hair with the towel before she walked out of

    the bathroom, the tips of her hair were still wet. After she stood there for a while, the back side of her

    shirt was soaked.

    Andrew calmly looked away. He gently touched Ashley''s hair, turned the hair dryer on, and began to

    dry her hair.

    Andrew gentlybed through Ashley''s hair with his fingers. Her hair was like a piece of silk that

    glided in and out of Andrew''s hand.

    Ashley''s hair was very supple, like a piece of silk of extremely high quality. For others, the ck long

    straight hair wasn''t that appealing. But it suited Ashley.

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    She pulled off the ck hair look pretty well. Ashley was also blessed with nice features.

    A good-lookingdy would always be beautiful no matter what she wore or what hairstyle she sported.

    Ashley felt Andrew gently caressing her hair with his hand, as if he was appraising a valuable treasure

    using his fingertips.

    The air conditioner in the bedroom was on and provided a slightly nippy atmosphere. However, the

    wind from the hair dryer was warm. This made Ashley''s cheeks blush red.

    The hair dryer''s steady hum bounced around the bedroom.

    After he had thoroughly dried Ashley''s hair, Andrew turned the hair dryer off.

    He continued to caress Ashley''s hair. Hebed Ashley''s long hair with gentle strokes of his fingers

    and his palm.

    Ashley felt Andrew''s hands gently running through her hair. The tugging was just right and she felt her

    eyes slowly close from experiencing such pleasant strokes.

    The atmosphere was quiet.

    However, Ashley felt a little hot. "Finished?"

    Ashley couldn''t help but ask Andrew.

    He unwillingly let go of Ashley''s hair and replied, "Well, your hair is dry now. Come over here and let''s

    sleep."

    Andrew put the hair dryer aside and then took Ashley to the bed. She was surprised by Andrew, who

    suddenly carried her in his arms.

    Ashley was at a loss for words. Her eyes were fixated on Andrew''s, seemingly hypnotized by his

    enchanting aura. Before she came to her senses, Andrew had gently ced her down on the bed.

    She pulled the nket over and quickly covered her legs. Her shyness was in full bloom.

    Afterwards, she turned her back to Andrew.

    At that moment, sleep hadn''t gripped Andrew yet. When he closed his eyes, he thought of the scene

    when Ashley walked out of the bathroom while she was wearing his shirt.

    He breathed heavily and couldn''t keep his sexual desire in check any longer.

    Andrew opened his eyes and looked at Ashley. He slowly inched his way towards her.

    Ashley felt Andrew''s body get close to her. She inhaled and wanted to say something but Andrew''s kiss

    quickly stopped her words dead on its tracks.

    Both Ashley and Andrew stayed upte that night.

    Andrew was finally satisfied.

    The next day, Ashley opened her eyes, seemingly awoken from a daze. She looked around and

    frowned when she didn''t see Andrew anywhere.

    She took the mobile phone on the bedside table to check the time. The phone''s clock read nine o''clock.

    Ashley was shocked and shook away thest of the drowsiness she was experiencing.

    ''Oh! No! This is the first time that I came to visit Andrew''s grandfather. How can I get up sote the next

    day?

    Andrew''s the one to me!'' thought Ashley.

    When she thought of what had happened the night before, Ashley''s cheeks began to turn red again.

    She quickly got up, brushed her teeth and changed her clothes.

    Ashley was about to head out of the bedroom when Andrew opened the door. He came in the bedroom

    with a bowl in his hand.

    When Andrew entered the bedroom, he found that Ashley had already finished washing her face and

    was sitting on the bed.

    Upon seeing him, Ashley red at him for a few seconds and then looked away.

    Andrew cracked a smile on his face.

    He walked over to Ashley, ced the bowl on the bedside table and softly said, "You must be hungry

    now. Have some porridge."

    Ashley turned her head to the other side and replied, "I am not hungry. I don''t want to eat."

    Andrew knew that Ashley was still angry for what he did the night before.

    He sat down by Ashley''s side and gently said, "Please don''t be angry. Have breakfast first. You have to

    take good care of your body."

    "I''m not hungry," replied Ashley.

    However, she didn''t expect that her stomach would growl after she said that.

    Ashley was so embarrassed that she wanted to find a hole and bury herself in it.

    "You''re not hungry, you say?" Andrew asked her again.

    Ashley red at Andrew and began to eat the bowl of porridge.

    "You''re the one responsible for this. It was my first time toe here. How could you let me wake up

    sote? What would your grandfather think of me? He may think that I''m azy woman."

    The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She then reached out to twist Andrew''s arm.

    "Grandfather won''t say anything bad about you," Andrew responded. Andrew didn''t tell Ashley that

    Chant was very happy when he heard that they spent the night in his house. After all, his biggest wish

    was to have a great grandson soon.

    They both stayed in the bedroom for a couple of minutes more before they headed downstairs. After

    lunch, they would head back home.

    Ashley was asked to head to the study. Chant took out a box from the desk and ced it on Ashley''s

    hand. "Open it," said Chant.

    She examined the box. It was made of good red sandalwood and it had a delicate aura about it.

    After observing the box, Ashley slowly opened it. A green bracelet was inside it, and it looked

    magnificent and regal as it rested inside the box.

    Ashley knew little about bracelets and jewelry, but she could feel that this bracelet was precious.

    She gently closed the box, looked at Chant and said, "Grandfather, it is too precious. I can''t ept it."

    Chant casually grinned and replied, "Take it. This bracelet was useless when it was ced here. It suits

    you quite nicely. I have nothing special to give you except for this bracelet."

    "Grandfather¡­" muttered Ashley.

    "Well then, head on downstairs. Andy is waiting for you. He must be anxious right now. Besides,

    Ashley, if he bullies you, you can tell me. I will help you punish him," Chant coyly remarked.

    Ashley smiled. ''Andrew won''t bully me. He treats me so well, '' she thought to herself.

    However, she still nodded. "Okay, grandfather. If he bullies me, I will let you know."

    Chant then began tough heartily.

    After their conversation, Ashley went downstairs with Chant. Andrew walked over to Ashley as soon as

    he saw her.

    Chant felt Andrew was stupid.

    "Grandfather, Andy and I have to leave now. You take good care of yourself," Ashley said to Chant.

    "Okay. Don''t worry about me. It''s time to leave," replied Chant.

    As Ashley and Andrew''s car drove away, Chant sighed until he couldn''t see the car in the distance

    anymore.

    "Mr. Lu, let''s go back. Now that Mr. Andrew is married and he truly fancies Ms. Ashley, you can rest

    easy," remarked Porter.

 Chapter 391 Turning The Kitchen Into A Ruin

    Chapter 391 Turning The Kitchen Into A Ruin

    "Yes. I can be assured now. It will be better if I can have a great-grandson soon. Then, I''ll be more

    relieved and contented."

    Porter drew back his lips as he grinned and said, "You''re right, Mr. Lu. You can be at ease that Mrs.

    Ashley will be able to give birth to a great-grandson for you."

    After they returned to the vi, Ashley and Andrew spent the entire afternoon in the there.

    They were going to work the next day.

    A faint afterglow escaped from in-between the curtains. The aroma of the food prepared by Ashley

    drifted through the air while a warm atmosphere enveloped the two as they had their dinner. After she

    took her shower, Ashley remembered Amaia asking to be taught how to cook.

    The light from the chatbox glowed against her face as she pondered over which recipe would be easy

    enough for a beginner. It wasn''t too long before she settled for scrambled eggs with tomatoes. A

    simple, light, and hearty dish.

    Amaia had never tried to cook anything before. And so, Ashley wrote down everything clearly. She

    included the necessary ingredients and even a step by step procedure. It was detailed to how much oil

    to use and how much salt to add.

    Ashley made sure nothing was missing and confirmed all the details before she sent it to Amaia.

    Amaia quickly replied to her with a question mark.

    "Didn''t you mention it before? About how you wanted to learn how to cook? I wrote down the

    ingredients you needed and the instructions how to actually cook it. Just do it as I''ve written."

    "Okay," said Amaia.

    After a while, no messages came from Amaia. She must have followed Ashley''s advice down to a tee.

    Without much thought, Ashley logged in to her Weibo and browsed through it.

    As Ashleyughed her heart out from watching hrious videos, a message finally came from Amaia.

    Ashley immediately stopped browsing Weibo and instantly opened her WeChat.

    Amaia had sent her a photo.

    Ashley wondered if Amaia had finished cooking.

    ''It seems that Amaia has a knack in cooking, '' surmised Ashley. When her eyesid on the photo, she

    realized she overestimated her good friend''s skill.

    A single photo grabbed the attention of her curious eyes. A kitchen. It was a photo of a kitchen.

    However, the said kitchen seemed to have changed and was beyond recognition.

    Well, almost beyond recognition. If it wasn''t for the cooking utensils she recognized, Ashley would

    probably wonder whose kitchen it was.

    The whole ce was messy. Several unidentified objects were strewn everywhere. Whether it was the

    floor or the counter-top, there were objects randomly ced. It looked charred and indistinguishable.

    "What happened? Did you intend for the kitchen to be in ruins?" inquired Ashley.

    Ashley reviewed everything she sent to Amaia in her mind and thought that she had written everything

    carefully. It was also clearly indicated how many milliliters of oil and how many teaspoons of salt she

    needed. Ashley was dumbfounded. She wondered how and why Amaia could fail with such a simple

    recipe.

    "I don''t know what happened. I just did as you said. I never expected that it would end this way," said

    Amaia. At the end of her message, a deste crying emoji was left.

    Ashley couldn''t help chuckling.

    ''Why is Amaia so lovely?'' thought Ashley.

    "Well, well, never mind. I will teach you againter. You''d better clean up the kitchen now. Oh, no. Let it

    be. Is there anyone else at home? You can ask them to help you clean up the kitchen. I''m afraid you''ll

    only make it worse and further ruin it," joked Ashley.

    An angry emoji was immediately sent her way.

    The sight of Ashleyughing happily on the bed weed Andrew after an exhausting day in the

    company dealing with everything.

    "What''s making youugh?" he asked.

    Ashley put her mobile phone away as she did her best to put on a serious air and replied, "Nothing."

    She didn''t want to share Amaia''s embarrassing moment with anyone else.

    It went unnoticed to her that Andrew''s eyes narrowed down in dissatisfaction with her reply.

    He couldn''t stand that Ashley hid something from him.

    Andrew walked over to Ashley and tried again, "What made youugh just now? Can you share it with

    me?"

    Andrew had lowered his voice. It was deeper than usual and was pleasant to hear. It made Ashley''s

    heart skip a beat.

    Ashley felt ticklish as if it was whispered directly to her ears. As she rubbed her ears, it was as if she

    could still feel him whispering to her. In response to Andrew, she showed her phone to him.

    Ashley had nothing to hide from him. She never nned to hide anything from him at all.

    Andrew looked at the chat records between Ashley and Amaia. Ultimately, he frowned towards the end

    and stared at the photo. "What''s with this?" bewildered, he asked.

    "Didn''t you ask me why I wasughing? This was the reason. She wanted to learn how to cook a dish

    but it somehow ended up leaving the kitchen in ruins. Isn''t it funny?" told Ashley.

    Andrew didn''t think it was funny, but he still nodded andmented, "It''s funny,"

    he replied seriously as he went along with Ashley''s words.

    ''I know what you''re ying at, '' snorted Ashley.

    Ashley rolled her eyes at Andrew when she suddenly thought of something. "Well, does your assistant,

    Johnny, have a girlfriend?" she asked.

    Andrew''s eyes narrowed dangerously as he gazed at Ashley like looking at its prey and asked, "Why

    the sudden interest?"

    He felt unhappy when Ashley talked about other men.

    The glint in his eyes was overlooked by Ashley. "Just casually asking. Amaia likes Johnny very much. I

    think they''re suitable for each other. So, I want to be a match maker for them.

    "I don''t know," said Andrew.

    "You should care about him a little more. After all, he''s your assistant," admonished Ashley.

    Andrew nced at Ashley who looked a little angry and said, "I don''t need to care about others except

    you."

    Hearing that, Ashley blushed and stopped what she wanted to say.

    The next day, Ashley went to work and found Amaia acting strangely. She couldn''t help but ask, "What

    happened to you, Amaia?"

    Amaia didn''t speak but kept gazing at Ashley.

    Being silently gazed at by Amaia, Ashley felt ufortable and inquired, "What''s wrong?"

    Silence enveloped the both of them before Amaia spoke, "Ashley, do you think that I''m stupid? I

    couldn''t even make scrambled eggs." She not only hadn''t cooked well, she also almostpletely

    destroyed the kitchen.

    Ashley breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing her reply. At first, she was worried when she heard the

    first part of what Amaia said. It turns out, she was only upset due to her failed attempt at cooking as

    well as the part where she turned the kitchen into ruins.

    "Don''t fret about it too much. It was, after all, the first time you''ve attempted to cook. And, you did it all

    by yourself. So, it''s alright. Sometimes, we need to experience failure so that we can learn to adapt and

    try out something different. Next time, I''ll teach you myself. I''ll be by your side the whole time,"

    comforted Ashley.

    She looked at Ashley with doubt and asked, "Really?"

    Ashley nodded and said, "Yes. What I said is true."

    "Okay," said Amaia.

    Amaia then asked curiously, "Well, Ashley, was it the same when you first cooked?"

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    The question stunned her briefly that she wasn''t able to immediately respond.

    When she came back to her senses, she gave a roundabout answer.

    Ashley didn''t want to upset Amaia. The truth was she did a great job when she cooked for the first time.

    Because of the circumstances in her family, she had learned to do a lot of things when she was a child

    due to necessity, which included cooking. She was a fast learner. She had to be.

    However, Amaia interpreted Ashley''s inability to respond immediately as hesitation.

    Amaia looked at Ashley straight in the eyes and smiled, "Were you the same when you first cooked that

    you also ruined your kitchen?"

 Chapter 392 Get In By Pulling Strings

    Chapter 392 Get In By Pulling Strings

    Ashley said, "I did much better than you did."

    "Ashley, I got a package delivered a moment ago. It was at the reception downstairs. Could you please

    help me with it?"

    Ashley saw Amaia was busy with her work and replied, "Sure." She then went downstairs to look for

    the package.

    Ashley didn''t know if it was because of the statement she made to her colleaguesst time, but now

    they weren''t following her or trying to catch her attention. Though a few guys approached her from time

    to time, it appeared that she wasn''t in the spotlight now.

    She went downstairs to the reception counter and asked, "Hello. Ie to pick a package for Amaia.

    The package tracking number is ended with..."

    "All right. Wait a minute."

    The receptionist smiled to her and went to get the package.

    "Here is your package. Please sign here."

    Ashley signed and said, "Okay, thank you."

    "You are wee."

    Ashley picked up the package. Not knowing what was inside, it felt quite heavy.

    A few people came to offer help in carrying the package for her but Ashley respectfully declined.

    After the people left, Ashley carried the package upstairs.

    Susie stepped into the gate of the Lu Group at this moment. She came to see Andrew and asked him

    something about Jeremy.

    She had been going to the office frequently as ofte, and the people knew her. They didn''t try to stop

    her.

    Susie spotted Ashley''s back and wondered if it was her.

    She wasn''t sure and so she walked faster to catch up.

    At this moment, Ashley happened to turn back and Susie saw her face. It was really Ashley! Susie''s

    eyes widened and she briskly walked towards her.

    She thought of thest time they met, her friend pped her on the face and her brother took her side.

    Fury immediately surged up in her heart.

    She ran up and blocked Ashley''s way.

    Ashley wasn''t able to walk fast because of the heavy package, so Susie easily caught up to her and

    stood in front of her, effectively blocking her way.

    Susie grabbed her arm and pulled Ashley hoping to stop her.

    Ashley had to hold the package with only one hand because Susie was dragging her other arm. Susie

    was intent on stopping Ashley dead on her tracks.

    She dragged Ashley''s arm by force. Ashley was caught off-guard and couldn''t hold the heavy package.

    The package then fell to the ground with a big thud.

    "What are you doing?" Ashley couldn''t help but get angry even if she was in good spirits earlier.

    "Ha! It''s really you, Ashley!" eximed Susie.

    Ashley saw clearly who was dragging her arm. It was Andrew''s sister, Susie.

    She frowned and asked Susie, "What do you want?"

    Ashley didn''t like Susie, and the feeling was mutual for Susie.

    ''She looks so cheap. How could she match Andrew? What''s even more outrageous is that Andrew

    treats her so nicely!''

    "What do I want? What if I want nothing?" snarled Susie.

    Ashley grew impatient. "If you have nothing else to say, please let me go. I am working here. I have a

    lot of work to do."

    Susie acted as if she had heard a joke. "Working here? You? How could you be working here? This is

    my brother''spany. How did you get in here?"

    Susie''s questions felt like barbs, while her furious eyes stared a hole into Ashley.

    "How I got in here doesn''t concern you. You let go off my arm!" eximed Ashley.

    "I won''t. What can you do then? You knew clearly in your heart how you got in here. My brother had to

    pull some strings so that you could work in thispany. You are utterly disgusting, Ashley! You dirty

    bitch! I''ll do whatever I can to stop you from getting into the Lu family. You can only be a mistress at the

    most!"

    Susie''s heart was filled with jealousy and anger. She grabbed Ashley''s arm with more force as a result.

    ''What could be the reason she got a job here? Why?''

    Susie knew Jeremy liked girls that were self-promoted and independent. So she told her brother many

    times that she wanted to work in the Lu Group or in Jeremy''spany, but Andrew had never agreed.

    But now look at Ashley! She had been working here for who knows how long! This really pissed Susie

    off!

    Susie was adored and had never been treated unfairly. Whatever problems urred, somebody would

    fix them for her.

    As the daughter of the Lu family, everyone around her was eager to fawn over her. That encouraged

    the worst side of her disposition. The manners and bearing that she cultivated in the past were cast

    millions of miles away.

    Now she shouted hysterically like an under educated woman, which made the jaws of the people on

    the scene drop.

    Wasn''t this the proud and invincible Susie?

    A staff with sharp eyes saw them arguing and sensed something was wrong. She stepped back and

    then after a second thought, she hurriedly went upstairs.

    Ashley was Johnny''s cousin, but Susie was the daughter of the Lu family.

    Most of the staff didn''t have a good impression towards Susie because she looked down on everyone

    here due to her family background. They couldn''t do anything about it but conceded to the fact that she

    was blessed to be born in that family.

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    Ashley wanted tough after she heard Susie''s words.

    Andrew pulled strings to get her here? She was a dirty bitch? She didn''t want to work here. Susie

    thought she was eager to work here?

    Staring at Susie, a mocking grin appeared on Ashley''s lips. "You are right. Your brother adores me,

    loves me and wants me to work in hispany. So what? What can you do to me? You go ahead and

    ask your brother to fire me if you can. I dare you to do that!"

    Ashley felt much better when she saw Susie''s face twisted into an ugly scowl. She could finally vent

    her emotions out.

    Did Susie think that she was somebody who could walk all over anyone as she liked?

    "Let me go!" shouted Ashley. She tried to break away from Susie''s grip, but to her surprise, Susie had

    quite a strong grip and no matter how hard she tried, Ashley couldn''t make Susie release her arm.

    "What do you really want?" asked Ashley.

    Susie grabbed Ashley''s hair with her other hand. "Did you seduce my brother and make him give you

    this job, Ashley? How could you stoop so low?"

    "Ouch!" cried Ashley out of pain, "Let me go!"

    Susie was satisfied with Ashley''s miserable situation. She pulled her hair several times and said, "I

    won''t let you go. So what are you going to do about it?"

    Susie had totally forgotten about Andrew''s warning and her fear towards him. The excitement of the

    moment overwhelmed her.

    All she was thinking now was to take revenge for the p she got from Ashley''s best friend, Ellie. And

    so she was grinning from ear to ear as she saw Ashley in such a miserable situation.

    The staff took the lift and went directly to the floor where Andrew was having a meeting. She was

    stopped by an assistant who was watching outside the meeting room.

    The staff hurriedly told the assistant, "Go to tell the special aide as soon as possible. The CEO''s sister

    is downstairs and she is arguing with Johnny''s cousin. They are going to have a fight soon."

    Upon hearing the news, the assistant was having second thoughts on barging into the conference

    room. Andrew and some important people were in the middle of a meeting. So nobody could get into

    the room.

 Chapter 793 Joy

    Chapter 793 Joy

    They knew reflecting Sarah''s defiant nature and bad temper to their superior would make no difference.

    After all, as an indispensable designer, her position had earned her an unwritten right to be arrogant

    and overbearing. Who cared if she was grumpy and self-absorbed?

    "Okay," Sarah answered.

    She took a deep breath and prepared herself to go inside.

    Right at her heels, her assistant took a step inside. However, Jeff stopped her. Without thinking, Jeff

    said in a nd tone, "At the behest of President Chloe, only Sarah is being summoned. Please stay

    where you are."

    "What? No! I''ming with Sarah!"

    Sarah''s assistant had never been treated like this before and now she waspletely exasperated.

    Being told to stay outside struck a nerve in her. Blinded by her rage, she stepped up to Jeff and

    snapped at him, not caring at all where she was or who was inside the meeting room.

    Jeff was a stranger to Sarah''s assistant, that''s true. But Sarah herself should know him well. Hadn''t she

    shared information about Jeff''s position in thepany with her assistant?

    As an assistant to the CEO, Jeff only did things that the CEO herselfmanded.

    He was not amon employee of thepany who could be scolded by Sarah or her assistant.

    With a light nce at Sarah, Jeff wondered why Chloe summoned her, but Chloe should have no love

    for Sarah in his opinion.

    This kind of thing wasmon in thepany. Jeff did not want to meddle at first. It was no use being

    involved in a dog-eat-dog quarrel with Sarah''s assistant.

    Jeff wanted no argument, so he just nced at Sarah''s assistant and let her enter the meeting room as

    well.

    Sarah also gave her assistant a cold look, which scared her.

    Unexpectedly, before they could enter the meeting room, Chloe stepped out.

    Toote, she happened to hear all of Sarah''s assistant''s words.

    Chloe could not helpughing. She said coldly, "My, my. Do you need me to tell you, dear?

    You''re Sarah''s assistant, and Jeff is mine. Sarah may be your boss, but I run this damn ce now. How

    dare you bully my assistant?"

    Chloe looked at Sarah''s assistant with cold, quiet fury in her eyes.

    Behind Chloe stood Derrick and some of the directors who were ready to enjoy the show. After a fresh

    reprimand from Chloe, they felt that this scene with Sarah and her assistant was an even bigger deal.

    The directors had not realized what they were thinking.

    Like a dog with its tail between its legs, Sarah''s assistant hid behind her as if she had never seen so

    many people in front of her before.

    Looking at the reaction of Sarah''s assistant, Chloe could not helpughing. It was truly ridiculous.

    Sarah looked at Chloe with a confused look on her face. She only knew that there was a new boss in

    thepany, but she was not aware of the new CEO''s identity.

    "Who are you?" Sarah asked.

    It had to be admitted that Sarah was pretty cool in front of other people.

    Jeff answered in Chloe''s stead.

    At the same time, he nced at Chloe, only to feel a little happiness in his heart. Originally, he did not

    pay much attention to these things. He just pretended to be domineering.

    As a man, how could he quarrel with a woman?

    But he did not expect that Chloe woulde out and help him.

    Although it might be that Chloe simply detested Sarah, Jeff was still a little moved.

    "C... CEO?"

    Sarah muttered in disbelief, throwing Chloe a suspicious look.

    She could not believe what she just heard.

    But Chloe looked much younger than her. How could she be the new CEO?

    Derrick standing behind Chloe dispelled her doubts. This woman must indeed be the new CEO. Sarah

    could not help taking a step back out of fear.

    Just now, her assistant bullied the new CEO''s assistant.

    Sarah clenched her teeth at the thought. She turned around and suddenly pped her assistant.

    Her anger rose in her heart as her palmnded on her assistant''s face. "How many times have I told

    you to control your damn emotions and get along well with others? Look what you''ve done! Go and

    apologize!"

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    Under the weight of Sarah''s angry stare, her assistant slowly trotted to Jeff and begged him in between

    quiet sobs, "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to snap at you just now. I was acting like a snob. Will you forgive

    me?"

    Sarah''s assistant had started crying. She looked humiliated and scared.

    Chloe just watched the show with a nk expression on her face.

    How could an assistant act so pretentiously?

    Could she do such a thing without Sarah''s connivance and acquiescence?

    It was impossible. She probably got the encouragement from Sarah.

    After all, she seemed to have forgotten her status with Sarah backing her up.

    Jeff took a step back. He replied in a cold tone, "You almost got me in trouble by making a fuss out of

    something trivial just now. I think you should learn your lesson the hard way."

    Chloe nced at her assistant. She had not expected him to be ruthless.

    Now that she knew the situation and had already decided what to do, she looked at Sarah with a

    straight face.

    But she was still not sure, so she turned her head toward Derrick who was standing behind her. He

    nodded to her and mouthed, "Yes, she is Sarah."

    Okay.

    Now that she had finally found the culprit, things would be much easier.

    But what excuse should she make to fire her?

    Was it possible to fire her without grounds?

    Well, it was not impossible. It would just be troublesome and questionable.

    Sarah had been working in thispany for a long time. It would not be appropriate for Chloe to fire

    her without any valid reason.

    If she had known, she would have made the best n beforeing here.

    But now, she caught their overbearing behavior on the spot. It would be a pity to simply forgive Sarah.

    So, Chloe nned to make it a quick move.

    Besides, she had to go home and continue writing her novel.

    Derrick stood behind Chloe, so he did not know whether her expression was rxed or not.

    But Derrick did not see that Sarah had captured the changes in Chloe''s expressions.

    Sarah did not really know why. Perhaps it was her intuition as a woman that told her that the new CEO

    did not like her very much.

    But why?

    Chloe did not have any reason to hate her. They had never even met each other

    before.

 Chapter 794 Targeting Her For No Reason

    Chapter 794 Targeting Her For No Reason

    Although Sarah looked somewhat calm, she was actually curious about who the woman was and what

    she had done to offend her.

    ''Why is she targeting me like this?'' she quietly thought to herself.

    "Come on in. I have something to tell you," Chloe, the woman said.

    Then, she turned to look at the assistant.

    "Will youe in with us?"

    The assistant vigorously shook her head as if she was frightened by something.

    Looking at her, Derrick couldn''t help but feel amused. She looked mature and stable, but why was she

    so childish as to frighten an assistant?

    Couldn''t she see that the assistant was too scared to even move?

    Chloe could feel that Derrick was looking at her and turned to look back at him. When she saw how he

    was smiling so widely, she paused for a short while.

    ''Amused again?

    Well, what are you so amused at?

    Is there anything so funny?

    What a freak! Where did Ashley find this guy?'' Chloe wondered.

    After pondering about it, Chloe walked back into the meeting room. The directors inside who were

    looking out at them quickly turned their heads away and pretended to look at something else.

    They picked up the papers in front of them, as if they hadn''t been looking out the door at all. Chloe just

    thought their behavior was ridiculous.

    Then, she raised her eyebrows at them but didn''t say anything.

    She looked around and noticed that there were several chairs which had not been upied.

    Immediately, she decided that she didn''t want Sarah to sit down. So she turned to Sarah and said,

    "Well, I''m sorry. We don''t have an avable seat right now. Please stand here for a moment. You don''t

    mind, do you?"

    Of course, Sarah saw the empty seats behind her. But she understood Chloe''s actual intentions.

    Obviously, the woman didn''t want her to sit down.

    Chloe was the CEO so what else could Sarah do?

    Should Sarah pick a fight with her?

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    As she always did to everyone else in thepany?

    Sarah knew it just wouldn''t work that way.

    Besides, all of the people present belonged to the top management. Sarah could only ride the high

    horse among the other people in thepany. But here, in front of the directors and the CEO, she

    dared not act rashly.

    Fortunately, Ashley had gone back to J City. So it was Chloe who had to deal with her. Otherwise, if

    Sarah saw Ashley on that seat, it was hard to imagine how Sarah would react.

    The only thing was that Sarah didn''t know what to do at that moment.

    She shifted her weight from one leg to the other and thought that the new CEO was really hostile

    towards her.

    Otherwise, why wouldn''t she let her sit on one of the empty chairs behind her?

    Besides, Sarah had been standing outside for half an hour and she was even wearing heels. She could

    barely stand on her feet now. However, she dared not act recklessly since Chloe didn''t want her to sit

    down.

    The group of directors looked at Chloe and then looked at Sarah who was standing next to her. They

    didn''t know what Chloe was nning to achieve.

    How could she make the top designer of thepany just stand there?

    But at that moment, Chloe didn''t have the time to think about what the directors were thinking. All she

    could think about was how to get rid of Sarah.

    Countless plots in novels and movies suddenly shed through Chloe''s mind, but she then figured that

    although it was really easy to write down what she wanted to do, it was much more difficult to actually

    make it happen.

    Pretty soon, she had enough of the drama. Chloe finally decided to fire her. There was no need to think

    too much about it.

    With these thoughts in mind, she looked at the directors and said, "Do you have any objections if I fire

    her?"

    Chloe thought that after she had fired Sarah, she could also use her of giarism, so that other

    companies wouldn''t hire her. Chloe was going to give her a taste what Ashley had gone through.

    ''Humph.

    You should me yourself for the way you treated Ashley, ''

    Chloe thought to herself, feeling a little proud of her decision.

    But after thinking about it again, given Sarah''s talent and position, it wasn''t believable if she used

    her of giarism.

    "Who?"

    "Who are you going to fire?"

    The directors were all shocked. ''Did she mean one of us?''

    "Well, by ''her'', I meant this woman standing next to me," Chloe exined, obviously in a good mood.

    When Sarah heard this, she opened her eyes really wide and stared at Chloe in disbelief.

    She even forgot how painful her feet were feeling because of her heels. She could only stare at Chloe

    with her eyes wide open. She was so stunned that it was hard for her toe back to her senses.

    She didn''t understand why Chloe would fire her.

    Meanwhile, the directors were just bbergasted.

    After a short period of time, they began to speak up.

    "Why would you fire her? She is the trademark of ourpany and she has exceptional abilities. If we

    fire her now, we don''t know how much money ourpany might lose!"

    Chloe rubbed her ears and seemed to not care about it at all. In fact, she wasn''t concerned about the

    losses of thepany.

    After all, her main purpose ining to thispany was to kick Sarah out.

    She wanted to take revenge on Sarah for the way Ashley had suffered in thispany.

    Some directors didn''t agree with her decision, but some of them did.

    They had heard of how Sarah bullied others in thepany a lot of times. And they loathed her for it.

    Moreover, Sarah''s appearance wasn''t unpleasant.

    In fact, she was very pretty, in a desirable and subtle way. She was about 1.7 meters high and was

    wearing a pair of red heels and a violet dress. Her wavy hair flowed perfectly behind her. She wore

    delicate makeup. Though she was over forty years old, she looked like she was in her early thirties.

    Indeed, she had a very beautiful face.

    But her behavior in thepany wasn''t as good as her looks.

    So when the directors heard the rumors about her, they couldn''t help but feel that she was repulsive.

    Even though she had been behaving much better than before, the stories about how she bullied the

    junior staff had spread like wildfire and it was hard topletely put it out.

    Besides that, the assistants working for Sarah were also arrogant. She never called them out for that,

    as if she thought that she was so talented so it was justified for her assistants to be proud and

    conceited as well.

    That made her even more unlikeable.

    "I agree. Fire her!"

    "I''m also with you. Ourpany needs a new group of designers."

    "I disagree with all of you!"

    One of the directors stood up, looked at Sarah and Chloe, and continued, "I wonder why Ms. Qiao

    wants to fire her? You should know that she is the most capable designer in ourpany! And she had

    also earned a lot of awards for this corporation! We can''t fire her without a logical and eptable

    reason."

 Chapter 795 I Dont Like Her

    Chapter 795 I Don''t Like Her

    Hmm.

    What reason?

    Chloe frowned and said, "I don''t like her. How about that for a reason?"

    One of the directors almost got angry with what Chloe said just now.

    ''You want to fire her just because you don''t like her? So you will dismiss us, too, when you fall into a

    bad mood?''

    The rest of the board of directors thought Chloe was green and unsophisticated.

    Was she going to treat thepany like her own kingdom and fire anyone who displeases her?

    Although she was the CEO of thepany now and technically owned thepany, her attitude was

    still annoying.

    The directors decided to calm down and just ignore Chloe''s remark.

    "We suggest you think this matter over, twice. It''s not something we will ever agree to."

    "All right."

    ''I see. Do you think going against me will really work?

    I will fire her.

    How about that?

    There''s nothing you can do to stop me, '' Chloe muttered to herself.

    The next moment, Chloe swept her gaze over the other directors and asked, "What about the rest of

    you? Any ideas?"

    The silent directors started to whisper among themselves.

    Some even fell into a row.

    With no intention of stopping them, Chloe just stood by and watched them bicker in low voices.

    She nced at Sarah whose legs she found shaking.

    Chloe turned to look at her. She was just staring ahead as if she did not know what she was looking at.

    Chloe frowned contemptuously. ''What the hell is wrong with her? Is this some kind of joke?

    Now she''s frightened? That''s not good. I haven''t even fired her yet, '' Chloe thought to herself.

    Looking at the directors who were now fully yelling at one another, Chloe yelled, "Shut up!

    Since you can''t give me a straight answer, then let''s just decide by voting. In that way, it''s simpler and

    quicker. Those who agree to let Sarah stay, keep your hands down."

    At first, the directors thought that those who agreed to let Sarah stay should raise their hands. Without

    any doubt, all of them raised their hands in unison. Butter, some realized their mistake and put down

    their hands.

    "Derrick, could you please help me count?"

    "Yes, with pleasure," Derrick replied.

    He counted the number. Ten people agreed to let Sarah stay, and eight people disagreed.

    Derrick reported to Chloe.

    Chloe just nced at Sarah. She did not expect that there would be so many people in thepany

    who did not want to see her leave.

    Maybe it was her qualification that earned her this kind of respect. After all, Sarah and her talent were

    the reason behind thepany''s acquired fortune.

    But who was to stop Chloe from cutting that respect short?

    Looking at the senior directors, Chloe dered, "Since you all have made a stand, then Derrick and I

    would like to do the same. We want her out of here. That ties up the votes. What should we do now?"

    Chloe frowned as she spoke. She did not get enough sleep the previous night.

    At the same time, Derrick, who was sitting beside Chloe, could not help furrowing his eyebrows. Chloe

    had voted on his behalf before he could express his view.

    Noticing that Derrick was looking at her, Chloe turned to look at him. Her eyes were full of righteous

    hubris. Her face seemed to read, "Your vote is mine to make. I have voted correctly for you. Remember

    to thank me."

    Derrick''s face twitched a little, then he looked away.

    At the same time, Sarah finally came to her senses. Looking at the people who agreed to let her stay,

    she felt a little relieved. She had not expected that there were so many people in thepany who

    wanted to see her stay. Now, although they had reached an impasse, she thought that Chloe still had

    no right or grounds to fire her.

    What she did not know was that Chloe would stop at nothing to see her out the door.

    Chloe just wanted to see how the directors would vote. Sarah''s fate was still a matter for her to decide.

    So even if the senior directors all agreed to let Sarah stay, she would still fire her regardless of their

    opinion. After all, the only reason she came to thispany was to fire Sarah.

    Those who did not want to see Sarah go breathed a sigh of relief. They thought that Chloe was just

    giving them an excuse. "Then let''s just put this off for a while. We haven''t gotten the answer now. Let''s

    talk about itter," they suggested.

    Chloe smiled and thought, ''That''s a good idea. If I didn''t see that the audience was talking about how to

    ask my sister to leave just now, I would think that they had decided it themselves.

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    You think I will show her mercy since half of us want her to stay in thepany?''

    Seeing Chloe smile, the senior directors thought that they had gained the upper hand. But they did not

    expect that Chloe would not y ording tomon sense.

    Looking at the group of high-level directors, Chloe said without thinking, "In that case, she''s fired."

    It was not a tone that indicated the matter was open for discussion. It was to tell everyone that she had

    made up her mind regardless of what they thought.

    "Why do you insist on firing her?"

    "That''s right. You can fire anyone else. We won''t stop you.

    Let''s go and ask everyone toe in here. You can fire anyone you dislike, okay? Just please let

    Sarah stay in thepany."

    When Chloe dered Sarah''s immediate termination, two of the directors pleaded.

    The directors still remembered why Chloe wanted to fire Sarah. They thought she just disliked her, so

    they suggested calling all the other employees into the room.

    They wanted Chloe to dismiss another one in order to keep Sarah.

    Seeing their naive thinking, Chloe could not helpughing. Dislike was never her real reason for

    wanting to destroy Sarah''s career in thepany.

    Chloe could not stopughing. She really did not know how these senior directors managed to get to

    their positions.

    Not really knowing why, she just felt a little tinge of inexplicable joy.

    Looking at the senior director who had just spoken, Chloe said, "There''s no need to look for other

    employees. I dislike you, so how about I fire you instead?"

 Chapter 796 I Couldnt Believe It

    Chapter 796 I Couldn''t Believe It

    The director who was still talking thought he hade up with the best solution.

    However, when he heard the words that came from Chloe''s mouth, he was shocked. He was frozen on

    the spot. He stood there and stared at her as if he had not expected that she would say such words.

    Chloe looked at the director with a smile, but there was no pleasantness in her eyes.

    The director did not doubt at all that Chloe was a woman of her word. If he needed to sacrifice either

    Sarah or himself, of course he would choose to sacrifice Sarah.

    He would not get fired just because of Sarah. The price was too high.

    The director instantly fell silent.

    Chloe looked around and said, "Very well. I guess none of you will object now if I fire her, right? After

    all, you''ve already agreed to it."

    The senior directors did not dare disagree anymore.

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    They were not fine with this, but could they say anything without getting themselves in trouble? Of

    course not. They decided not to speak anymore.

    They were all afraid that Chloe would fire them if they upset her any further. She was not kidding about

    firing anyone she disliked at all.

    The next moment, a senior director came up with an idea as he looked at Derrick sitting next to Chloe.

    Derrick was in charge of thepany before Chloe came in.

    But now that Chloe was the boss, everything would be decided by her. Derrick could no longer make

    any decisions.

    Although Chloe was the president and Derrick was the vice president and she did not have to report

    anything to him, he still had been in charge of the entirepany before she arrived.

    The directors did not believe that Derrick would have noints and that he would be willing to

    obey Chloe no matter what.

    One of the senior directors said, "Derrick hasn''t said anything yet, has he? Shouldn''t we listen to his

    thoughts before making the decision?"

    Chloe cast a nce at the director who was suggesting it and then turned to look at Derrick.

    "All right. I agree that it''s only appropriate to hear Derrick out regarding this issue. Please tell us what

    you think, Derrick," Chloe said.

    All of a sudden, all the senior directors focused their attention on Derrick.

    At this point, Derrick could be their savior.

    Even Sarah turned her head to look at Derrick.

    Her heart was still racing. She was scared almost out of her wits.

    Derrick shed everyone a kind smile. He did not say anything. Instead, he beckoned for his assistant

    who was standing behind him toe closer and whispered to her ear.

    The next moment, Derrick''s assistant pulled up a couple of files and set them in front of everyone in the

    room. Obviously, Derrick wanted to show them the files as his visual aid for his say on the matter at

    hand.

    "Since you can''t decide whether to fire Sarah or not even if you think that she has contributed a lot to

    thepany, then I think you need to take a look at these files first."

    Although it sounded ridiculous, the reason that they wanted to keep Sarah was for the interest of the

    entirepany.

    Sarah knew that very well. However, she was a little worried deep inside and knew that whatever was

    in those files was her only hope to stay in thepany.

    She had no idea why the new CEO of thepany wanted to get rid of her, but she was sure that she

    would have a hard time if she left thepany. She did not have to ask why because it was just

    instinct between women.

    Women had good intuition.

    Sometimes, they even did a better job than detectives.

    The directors failed to figure out what Derrick was going to do.

    As soon as Derrick''s assistant ced all the files in front of them, they began to look through the

    pages.

    These were all design drawings. Even though the directors were not designers, they could easily tell

    that the drawings were horrible. They were messy and definitely done by someone without any sort of

    artistic skills.

    Even people like them could tell that the drawings were horrible, especially if done by a designer.

    They could even be considered design crimes in the eyes of a real designer.

    For a moment, the directors looked at Derrick and wondered what he was up to. One of them asked,

    "Why are you showing us these horrible drawings, Derrick? What''s your point?"

    Derrick smiled, looked at the senior director, and said, "Didn''t you say that Sarah had contributed a lot

    to thepany? And that you want her to stay in thepany? But look at the design drawings in your

    hands. Do you think a designer with that kind of work should stay in thepany?"

    The directors looked at one another. They were totally confused by Derrick''s little show with the ugly

    design drawings. What did this have to do with Sarah''s imminent termination?

    Even Chloe was puzzled. She squinted at Derrick.

    She did not understand what Derrick was trying to do.

    Feeling Chloe''s eyes on him, Derrick looked at her and gave her aforting look as if telling her that

    he was on her side.

    ''I don''t care whose side you''re on. I will still fire Sarah, '' Chloe thought.

    "Why should we let a designer who does horrible work stay in ourpany? Ourpany is not a

    charity. Even we can tell that these design drawings are rubbish. I''m sure real designers will have the

    same opinion. Who drew these anyway?"

    One of the directors stated his opinion on the drawings in an irritated tone.

    When Sarah heard that they were talking about some design drawings, she was surprised and turned

    to take a look at the said drawings.

    Fortunately, she was not too far away from where they were seated. She could see the design

    drawings on the table easily.

    When she looked at the drawings, she could only stare in horror and disbelief.

    Where did they find those things? Had she not destroyed all those drawings?

    What were they doing on the table?

    Oh, no! Those things were not hers! She did not draw those! She didn''t draw them.

    Sarah forced herself not to look at the drawings. She silentlyforted herself and told herself that the

    drawings were not hers. She desperately hoped that they would not figure out the truth.

    However, deep in her heart, she knew it was all just a lie.

    Although she kept telling herself that the drawings were not hers and that they would not find out the

    truth, she could not help feeling a lot of fear in her heart.

    "Since you all think that such a designer shouldn''t be allowed to stay in thepany, why don''t you just

    agree to Chloe''s decision and fire Sarah? Or do you still want to keep her here after seeing the

    drawings?"

    Derrick spoke lightly.

    Although Derrick looked very friendly with a smile on his face all the time, people here all knew that

    Derrick was not as gentle as he looked.

    What did he mean by that?

 Chapter 797 A Display Of Power

    Chapter 797 A Disy Of Power

    The senior managers looked at Derrick in confusion.

    Theypletely had no idea what Derrick meant.

    Fire her?

    The only person whom they were discussing to fire or not was Sarah. So it was supposed to be clear

    whom Derrick was referring to.

    If so, the drawings of the designs had been drawn by Sarah?

    How could that be possible?

    Although they were not actual professionals when it came to design, they had seen some of Sarah''s

    work.

    There was a world of difference between those and the ones in front of them now.

    It could even be said that they were heaven and earth.

    But a few moments earlier, Derrick had just told them that they were drawn by Sarah. How could they

    believe it?

    For a while, the meeting room was so quiet that one could even hear a pin drop.

    The senior managers didn''t have anything to say about it for some reason.

    "No, I didn''t draw these. How could they be my drawings! All of them look like trash! They are not

    mine!"

    All of a sudden, a sharp female voice broke the silence of the meeting room.

    The one who spoke was none other than Sarah.

    In fact, she was certain that she had made all of these drawings.

    She thought had destroyed all of them but she didn''t know why they appeared in Derrick''s hand now!

    Upon hearing this, all the top managers in the conference room looked at Sarah.

    If it had been in the past, Sarah would be so delighted that so many senior managers were looking at

    her.

    But at that moment, when she felt every gaze of the top managers in front of her, she felt that her legs

    were so weak that she wanted to escape.

    At the very least, she was afraid.

    Even though she was scared, Sarah knew what she should do and what she shouldn''t.

    She had to make it clear right then and there. She had to get rid of any suspicion about her, or she

    would have to leave thepany.

    And Sarah was sure that she didn''t want to do that.

    After all, she had been working in thepany for a long time, so she already had enough insight

    about it. When the top managers turned to look at her, though she was scared inside, she didn''t let it to

    show on her face. She just took a deep breath and said, "I did not make any of these drawings."

    For a while, the senior managers in the conference room continued to look at her. But this time, they

    did it in a more subtle way.

    Although they wanted to say something to help her, since the facts had beenid out in front of them, it

    didn''t matter whether they believe her or not. What else could they say? Could such a person be

    allowed to continue working in thepany?

    But Derrick looked at Sarah with a faint smile and said, "Have I said anything about who had drawn

    this? I haven''t, have I? Even so, why are you getting so defensive? Are these drawings yours or not?"

    Hearing that, Sarah''s eyelids twitched. Now she finally understood why the leaders would look at her in

    that way when she denied that the drawings belonged to her.

    Derrick

    had set up a trap for her!

    Sarah bit her lip. She then thought, ''Do I have to admit it now?''

    "Okay, these drawings are mine. But every artist has their own ups and downs. You can''t guarantee

    that one would always have inspiration all the time.

    I suppose that I have contributed a lot to thepany these past few years. I designed a lot of good

    things for the corporation. I have done a lot to make this business be what it is right now.

    Recently, I ran out of inspiration. We call it ''creative block''. It was just this one time. But then you chose

    to treat me this way?"

    Sarah thoroughly exined.

    Everything went well with thepany all these years, so Sarah still had some confidence when she

    talked, and her tone slightly showed that she felt she was justified to question the senior managers.

    The expression of the senior managers darkened while listening to her. They were even pleading for

    her case, but they didn''t expect Sarah would think this way.

    Indeed, she had contributed a lot for thepany, but the corporation had also spent a lot on the

    publicity of her work. If thepany were not that powerful, she wouldn''t get any recognition from the

    public even if she were that talented.

    Without thepany, how could she get to her current status all by herself?

    What she had now was all given by thepany. Didn''t the corporation help her achieve all of those

    awards?

    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

    But now, she was taking all of it for granted.

    For a moment, no one spoke and silence once again descended on the meeting room.

    In fact, they didn''t know what to say.

    Moments earlier, they were still thinking about how to keep Sarah in thepany. But after hearing

    what she had to say, they all felt ufortable.

    Besides, when they looked at the drawings, they felt even worse.

    Looking at Sarah, Chloe raised her eyebrows and thought, ''She isn''t that smart.

    She revealed her weakness so easily. How did she even manage to have Ashley get fired before?''

    Earlier, Chloe was still wondering what kind of strategy she should deploy in order to deal with Sarah.

    But now it seemed like she didn''t even need to do anything at all.

    Chloe felt a little bored so she yawned before saying, "Well, now that she has admitted that she drew

    these designs, then I''m going to fire her. Does anyone have any objections?"

    After thinking for a while, she added, "Besides, there are a lot of neers in ourpany. Plenty of

    them have potential. You won''t give up the entire forest for a tree, will you? We should discover more

    capable designers.

    I don''t know what all of you are thinking right now. But during her stay here, she was given all the

    resources that she needed. Thepany did not fail in providing for her. So are you going to ruin this

    entire corporation because of her?

    If one day she leaves thepany or she steals something from the business, how can the corporation

    survive, since she''s the only designer in here?"

    Chloe then rolled her eyes.

    The senior managers looked at each other and realized that what Chloe said seemed to be reasonable.

    But they couldn''t deny the fact that the other designers of thepany couldn''t make anything

    worthwhile at present.

    So they had no other choice but to rely on Sarah.

    Now that they thought about it, they realized that the situation seemed strange.

    Howe the new designers were all so ipetent?

    If the designers werecking in talent, they shouldn''t have been recruited in the first ce.

    The top managers looked at Sarah and couldn''t help but suspect that she had the motive to create

    such kind of a situation.

    On the other hand, Sarah was still in a daze, thinking about what Chloe had said just then.

 Chapter 798 Fell Into Despair

    Chapter 798 Fell Into Despair

    The meeting with the top management had finallye to an end. But when the senior managers were

    about to leave, Sarah realized something.

    She ran forward and grabbed Chloe''s arm. "No, you can''t fire me!"

    Chloe looked at Sarah with a smile. "Why can''t I fire you? I''m not the only one who wants you out of

    here. The entire board of directors expressed their opinion. So why are you still asking me to stop it?

    It''s honestly quite useless at this point."

    But no matter what Chloe said, Sarah didn''t let go of her hand. She even pulled on Chloe''s clothes,

    afraid that Chloe would just leave.

    "Ms. Qiao, you can''t fire me. I''ve been working in thispany for so many years. Even though I''m

    currently short on inspiration, you can''t treat me this way!"

    Sarah gnashed her teeth and bitterly looked at her.

    In fact, she didn''t know what gave her so much courage to stop Chloe from leaving.

    As a response, Chloe squinted at her. "I didn''t mean to be so cruel. But they all wanted to fire you. You

    know, they are also members of thispany. I can''t make the decision by myself. So you''d better ask

    them rather than begging me right now."

    As she spoke, Chloe pointed to the senior managers behind her who hadn''t left yet.

    The group of senior managers was rendered speechless.

    Did she mean that?

    Or did they heard it wrong?

    What did the CEO just say? So now, it was their decision to fire Sarah? And she had nothing to do with

    it?

    Every single manager wanted to roll their eyes at Chloe. She was the one who wanted to fire Sarah.

    She even threatened them and forced them to agree with her. But now, she just told Sarah that it was

    them who wanted to fire her.

    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    In truth, it wasn''t a big deal for them to fire somebody and they weren''t afraid that Sarah would take

    revenge on them since they had grown to dislike the woman.

    Nheless, they still felt annoyed when they heard that Chloe was putting the me on them.

    If they would be honest, they would want to p Chloe, but they could only think about it in their hearts.

    They didn''t have the guts to really do it. Who would dare to actually p the CEO?

    The new CEO had a tendency to use some indecorous means to get what she wanted. Besides, her

    personality was just too entric.

    They didn''t want to mess with her.

    When the managers met Chloe for the first time, they had thought that the new CEO was just a little girl

    that they could easily push around and even manipte. But they couldn''t have been more wrong.

    At that moment, they just felt...

    ashamed.

    Sarah continued staring at Chloe and then turned to look at the senior managers. She was hesitating

    too much because she didn''t know whom to turn to for help. After all, it was Chloe who really wanted to

    fire her.

    Chloe was perfectly aware of what Sarah was thinking, so she took the chance to pull her arm back.

    Quickly, she turned to leave.

    However, she didn''t forget to address the senior managers.

    "For the people at the back, don''t forget to escort her out of thepany."

    Sarah slumped to the floor at that point.

    The first thing she thought of was that

    she was doomed.

    ''Why?

    Why did she have to fire me?

    Why is she so hostile to me as soon as she came to thispany?

    Is it simply because she doesn''t like me?

    There are so many people in this corporation. Why did she single me out?'' A lot of thoughts were

    circling in Sarah''s mind.

    Meanwhile, the senior managers frowned when they heard Chloe''s instructions.

    Looking at Sarah who had copsed on the floor, they didn''t really want to get involved more than they

    already were, but Chloe had given the instructions and they couldn''t ignore it.

    All of a sudden, all of the senior managers fled from the meeting room and only one was left with

    Sarah.

    The manager who had reacted too slow was dumbfounded. ''What the hell is this? Seriously?

    What''s going on?

    What did I get myself into?

    What am I supposed to do now?

    How could they run so fast?''

    The people who ran were smarter than the one who was left. It was obvious that Chloe meant the one

    left behind should make sure that Sarah left thepany. So they just tried to run as fast as they

    could, trying to avoid being thest one at the back.

    The remaining senior manager had to go through the trouble of calling security and asking them to

    come and escort Sarah out.

    But Sarah made a scene and it took a long time before they were finally able to take her out of the

    building. After all, she had been in thepany for a long time, so some people were still afraid of her.

    But she wasn''t that strong and there were a lot of guards. Even if she didn''t want to leave thepany,

    she had to leave the building eventually.

    When Sarah was finally out of the building, her cell phone suddenly rang. She impatiently took out the

    device. But within a second, she froze right where she was standing.

    The message was from a strange number. "How does it feel to be kicked out of thepany now? You

    even had to leave like this. Soon enough, you will have a better understanding of what despair really

    is."

    The message looked like a prank but it still scared her. Soon enough, she forgot about it. After all, she

    had more important problems at hand. So she calmed herself down with the idea that it was really just

    a prank.

    But in the following days, Sarah actually fell into despair, as the message had told her. No matter what

    kind of job she applied for or whatpany she applied at, no one would hire her.

    Meanwhile, Derrick followed Chloe back to her office after Sarah left thepany. He already made

    himselffortable without Chloe telling him to do so.

    He looked at Chloe with curiosity and asked, "What happened between you and that woman? Why do

    you hate her so much that you had to fire her on your first day here?"

    Sitting idly in the executive chair with her legs crossed and her hands on top of herp, Chloe looked at

    him and casually responded, "Haven''t I already told you that I just merely disliked the sight of her?"

    Seeing her act this way, Derrick shrugged his shoulders and sat down on the couch in front of her.

    He grunted and said, "You can fool those old men, but you can''t fool me. Do you really just dislike her?

    I don''t think so. I think there''s some deep hatred between the two of you." Derrick thought that it was

    the only possible reason that Chloe was so cruel to Sarah.

    Chloe then looked at Derrick and lightly asked, "What''s wrong? Do you feel sad for her? You can go

    and get her back if you care so much about her."

    Although they just met for the first time today, they became very well acquainted with each other within

    a few hours.

    They were even teasing each other now.

    Derrick widened his eyes in shock and looked at Chloe. "Do I look like I have a crush on her? You''re

    joking. That''s ridiculous. You should really work on your jokes."

    "Well, what actually is going on between the two of you? Where did you get those drawings? Don''t tell

    me it''s nothing but a coincidence."

    Derrick put on a smirk. He was proud of his own resourcefulness. "You''re right. It was just a mere

    ident."

 Chapter 799 A Carefree President

    Chapter 799 A Carefree President

    Chloe rolled her eyes and stared at Derrick with a nk expression on her face.

    ''Did he pick up those drawings?'' Chloe had a hard time believing it.

    Derrick didn''t say anything more. In fact, Ashley had had him keep an eye on Sarah the moment she

    took over thispany. It made sense that Derrick found these design drawings in Sarah''s office.

    Chloe nced at her watch and told Derrick, "Well, I have something to deal with, so I''m leaving now.

    Keep working hard, better believe that you''ll be rewarded."

    Chloe even patted him on the shoulder as she took her leave.

    While listening to Chloe, the corners of Derrick''s mouth twitched a little. Atst his eyes rested upon

    her as he asked, "Are you really leaving right now?"

    "Yes. Why should I still be here?" Chloe asked back.

    Looking at her receding figure, Derrick had a strong feeling that she deliberately came here only for

    that woman, Sarah.

    As Chloe walked out of the office door, Derrick held his chin with one hand and gave an ambiguous

    smile.

    After Chloe left the building, she went straight to Nn''s office instead of going back home directly.

    Going to Nn''s office really had no appeal on her. In all honesty, she didn''t even know why went

    there.

    Upon entering the building, Chloe was stopped at the front desk.

    The receptionist looked at Chloe from head to toe as impatience crept onto her face. Without any

    doubt, she had taken Chloe as another one who wanted to seduce the president with her beauty and

    sexuality.

    At first, the receptionist had her usual courteous smile while talking with Chloe in a very kind manner.

    Chloe didn''t seem to be an ordinary woman considering her branded clothes and pristine make-up.

    Offending some powerful person wasn''t in the receptionist''s goals, even if she had no idea who Chloe

    was.

    But Chloe failed to answer any of her questions. At that time, Chloe''s gorgeous face and voluptuous

    figure even convinced the receptionist that she was never an honest woman. Contemptuously, she

    suggested, "I''ll advise you to just be honest with me here. Do you think you''re qualified to visit our

    president? Please think about your answer carefully. If all our clients are like you, you can imagine how

    busy we will be."

    Hearing what the girl at the front desk said, Chloe arched her eyebrows and asked an irrelevant

    question. "So your president has a lot of women who visit him every day, is that correct?"

    "Of course. If you know how he is."

    The receptionist haughtily raised her chin while looking at Chloe.

    Without a word, Chloe gave an ambiguous smile and left the front desk.

    Chloe didn''t frequentlye to Nn''spany. And for the few times that she had done so, she was

    always well-protected by Nn.

    That was to say, no one in thepany had seen Chloe''s face before. So it was quite understandable

    that the receptionist had no idea who she was.

    Chloe just walked towards a chair beside the front desk and sat down. Ignoring the expression in the

    receptionist''s eyes, she just sat nearby and made a phone call. "I''m currently at yourpany''s lobby.

    I''m not allowed to go up."

    The moment she finished her sentence, the man on the other side immediately hung up the phone.

    ''What?'' That was the only thing on Chloe''s mind.

    Hearing the "beep" sound from the other side of the phone, Chloe was confused. She then took the

    phone off her ear and looked at it.

    ''What happened?

    Was the signal bad?

    Or did he hang up the phone on her?''

    Chloe felt a fit of rage begin to rise in her heart.

    Everyone would feel bad if the person they were talking to hung up before they could finish what they

    were saying. Just as she was about to leave, she heard amotion not far from her.

    It wasn''t such a big deal. Therefore, the people nearby just stared and didn''t approach the turmoil.

    Although, they actually wanted to check it out more closely.

    Chloe also took a nce and looked away.

    It was none of her business.

    As soon as Nn walked out of the elevator, he looked around, trying to find Chloe. Just when his eyes

    landed on her, she was standing up from the sofa, preparing to head outside.

    There she was!

    Nn strode over and grabbed her hand.

    Chloe was about to leave but her hand was suddenly grabbed by someone withrge hands. Feeling

    ufortable, she exerted her strength, trying to get rid of the grip.

    How could someone dare to flirt with her? Chloe was extremely irritated and enraged.

    ''Does this person want to die?'' She silently asked herself.

    Then, Chloe threw a rigid look at the person and found Noah''s clear, kind eyes.

    "You want to leave?" Nn asked while his eyes were fixed on her.

    It seemed like he would do something unimaginable as long as Chloe said no to him.

    Chloe tried to free her hand from his hold but failed.

    Upon hearing what he said, she rolled her eyes and retorted back, "I was calling someone just now, but

    he hung up the phone without a word. What else could I do besides leave? Why should I stay here? To

    have fun?"

    Persuading Chloe was not Nn''s n. He was never a man with a sweet tongue. Moreover, Chloe

    was adept at words as a novelist, he was no match for her in this respect.

    He just held her hand tightly and said, "Let''s go up."

    "Let go of me. I don''t want to go upstairs right now. I have to go home," Chloe replied.

    This had been a daily routine for Chloe and Nn. There were endless trivial matters between them

    even if they didn''t have anything to argue about.

    "Are you sure?" Nn stared at her a little closer.

    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

    "Yes, exactly! Hey, hey, what are you doing? Let me go."

    Before she could say anything more, however, Nn, who was standing upright, suddenly lifted her

    and carried her in his arms, bridal style and headed for the elevator.

    "Wow!"

    Some employees in the hall audibly gasped.

    Wasn''t that man their president?

    But just now, he was holding a woman in his arms. And if they were not mistaken, that woman wasn''t

    happy about it. But he ignored her and took her away without saying anything. How manly!

    The receptionist who had just spoken to Chloe waspletely shocked at what she just saw.

    Remembering what she had said to Chloe just now only sent chills down her spine.

 Chapter 800 Was It A Lesson

    Chapter 800 Was It A Lesson

    She did not expect that what Chloe had just told her was true.

    But earlier, she mocked Chloe as some bimbo who was trying to seduce their president. Right now she

    just want to vanish into thin air.

    Her legs went weak and trembled out of control at the thought. The fear of losing her job was painfully

    gnawed at her.

    Nothing happened. The telephone did not even ring for the entire afternoon. She breathed a relieved

    sigh.

    She was nobody. She guessed that Nn''s wife would not take her seriously.

    It was well known in thepany that their president was already married, but she had never seen his

    wife around. Moreover, it was said that Nn loved his wife very much.

    There had been no woman around Nn all these years. So this strange woman who suddenly

    appeared this afternoon should be his wife, considering the way he treated her. The President seemed

    very intimate with her.

    Upon seeing so many peopleing and going, Nn kept a straight face and did not say a word.

    No one dared to look directly at him, so there was no need for him to worry about being seen.

    Nn was fearless and so was Chloe. She was not the one who should be embarrassed.

    After entering the office, Nn did not have the slightest intention of putting her down.

    He just started to work with Chloe on hisp.

    He didn''t care that it was in his office in broad daylight.

    Chloe was now imprisoned in his arms, unable to do anything or make big movements. After a while,

    she began to feel bored.

    She moved and said, "Put me down."

    Although he was working, his hands still locked her tightly in his arms. Otherwise, she would have

    jumped out of them already.

    Nn did not say anything. His reaction was obvious: he simply did not want Chloe out of his arms.

    Chloe was speechless.

    "What are you doing? Let me go!"

    As Chloe wriggled back and forth, she did not notice that Nn''s eyes were bing more and more

    intense.

    Seeming to have sensed something, she obediently stopped and remained still in Nn''s arms.

    "You beast! You''re such a shameless man!"

    "If you continue to say that, I won''t mind acting like it."

    Hearing what Nn had said, Chloe stared at him with her eyes wide open. She had not expected him

    to say something like that.

    Anyway, she knew clearly how to behave properly considering the situation. She realized something

    and stopped struggling. She knew that she would be the one to suffer in the end if she did not stop.

    Not knowing how long it took, Nn had finally finished thest document. Just then, a drowsy feeling

    crept over Chloe.

    Nn''s eyes were full of tenderness as he watched Chloe sleep.

    But he did not leave.

    After all, his office provided enough privacy for them.

    It was already dark when Chloe and Nn got out of the office. There was nobody left in the building

    except for the security personnel.

    Chloe was still in Nn''s arms, but he was no longer as energetic as before.

    Chloe sneered as he carried her out the door.

    It turned out that it was what Nn wanted, to make here to his office.

    And for her sake. And for her to get some sleep.

    Since then, she had another level of understanding of Nn''s office.

    After she took over the Tang Group, she went to the office every day. With Derrick''s help, everything

    went smoothly in thepany.

    It did not take much time to change the name of the Tang Group to Nan Group.

    Although the senior directors objected to it, there was nothing they could do. As president with

    sovereign authority, Chloe had the right of final decision and that was it.

    As for Sarah, something happened to her.

    After leaving the Tang Group, she thought the person who texted her that day was just pulling a prank.

    Because of her professional experience and her ability in business, she thought she would be put on a

    pedestal no matter where she went.

    But to her surprise, not even onepany would hire her with the mention of thepany she had

    worked for before.

    Nopany would ept her. Allpanies refused her politely. In the beginning, Sarah did not know

    much about it. She sneered, dismissing thosepanies as collectives with no vision.

    But then when she went to many otherpanies, almost all of them were like this. It was then that

    Sarah finally understood the meaning of the text message.

    This was real despair.

    Sarah could not ept such a turnout of events. She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

    When she was at the end of her wits, she got another message from the number she had not received

    a message from for a long time.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    "You feel desperate yet? Do you now have the same feeling as someone whom you pushed to the

    brink of desperation?"

    After reading the message, it reminded her of what she had done five years ago.

    Until now she did not think she did anything wrong because every man lived for himself.

    She just wanted to survive in thatpany.

    But what she did not realize was that she had forced another person into a corner just for the sake of

    her better survival.

    At the thought of the new president, Sarah suddenly was crystal clear about the whole matter.

    Obviously, Chloe did all this to her for the sake of revenge. The new president was giving her a dose of

    her own medicine.

    After what had happenedter on, Chloe neither cared nor wanted to pay any attention to it. It was

    Sarah who had pushed Ashley into a corner, and she did not care about it. As for whether Sarah could

    bear it or not, it was not Chloe''s business.

    On a Saturday...

    Without going to work, Chloe decided to visit Cynthia.

    Chloe was Ashley''s close friend. Also, Ashley had told her to visit Cynthia if she had time.

    asionally, Chloe would go to Cynthia''s house.

    Nn was on a business trip, so there was no one at home. Staying at home alone was a boring thing,

    and that was part of the reason Chloe went to visit Cynthia.

 Chapter 801 Cynthias Dull Life As A Pregnant Woman

    Chapter 801 Cynthia''s Dull Life As A Pregnant Woman

    Chloe came to the vi that Cynthia had moved into and knocked on the door.

    It did not take much time before a servant came to open the door for her. "Wee, Miss Chloe," the

    servant greeted.

    Chloe nodded and walked in, "Is Cynthia here?"

    "Yes, she''s currentlyining about how boring her life is. Your presence is a breath of fresh air."

    The servant invited Chloe in as she beamed.

    "Hi, Cynthia. I''m here. How are you doing?"

    The moment Chloe entered the vi, she saw Cynthia who was trimming her green nts. She ran

    quickly to her.

    "Ah, Chloe! It''s so nice to see you today."

    Cynthia looked ecstatic at Chloe''s unexpected visit.

    Ever since Cynthia got pregnant, she had been treated by Zen as if she were a porcin doll. For the

    sake of her health, Zen would not allow her to go out. She had been confined to the vi like a prisoner.

    There were times when she could no longer endure the boredom staying in the vi, and Zen would put

    his work aside to go out and have some fun with her.

    There was one time when Cynthia had gone out to relieve her boredom with two servants, and

    something unexpected happened.

    She was almost hit by a car. Since then, she had to be apanied by Zen every time she went out.

    Otherwise, she couldn''t leave the vi.

    Moreover, Zen had never felt at ease entrusting Cynthia to the servants since that incident.

    Although the yard around vi was big enough for Cynthia to take a walk around, it was not an easy

    thing to stay in the vi all the time.

    Chloe looked at Cynthia''s belly with curiosity and asked, "May I touch your belly, Cynthia?"

    Cynthia smiled and spoke gently, "Of course."

    Chloe then put her hand on Cynthia''s stomach. She felt something novel when her hand made contact

    with Cynthia''s skin.

    Her swollen belly meant she had been pregnant for almost two months.

    Curiosity had seized Chloe''s mind. "Have you been feeling any different since you found out you were

    pregnant?"

    Cynthia answered after a brief thought. "As far as I can tell, there isn''t much difference. But it''s said that

    some pregnant women are easily susceptible to stomach satiety, vomiting, and having difficulty eating.

    Some even have worse adverse reactions. But I haven''t had a problem. Perhaps it''s because I have an

    obedient baby."

    Cynthia put her hand on her belly gently and stared at it fondly as she answered.

    "Really?" Chloe asked again as she stared at Cynthia''s belly.

    "Here''s your drink, Miss Chloe."

    A servant put a ss of milk in front of Chloe.

    "Why milk?" Chloe asked, puzzled.

    "Since I got pregnant, Zen hasn''t allowed me to eat or drink like I used to. For drinks, I can only have

    water or milk. Sorry to put you in such inconvenience."

    Chloe waved her hand casually and said, "It doesn''t matter. I was just curious why I was suddenly

    served milk. I thought you''ve forgotten my taste as I haven''te to visit you for a long time." She did

    not expect that pregnancy had so many restrictions.

    The servant left them as they continued to chat freely.

    At first, the servant was a little confused when she heard Chloe call Cynthia her sister.

    After all, Chloe was Ashley''s close friend. Why did she call Cynthia, sister?

    That was because Cynthia looked much younger than her real age. It would make her seem older if

    Chloe called her aunt.

    Even Ashley and Cynthia were satisfied with this appetion.

    There was nothing more to it.

    However, sometimes, Chloe would joke with Ashley that she was one generation older than her

    because of how differently she addressed Cynthia.

    But it was a joke.

    Chloe spent the whole afternoon in the vi with Cynthia. She even joined Cynthia outside to trim some

    flowers and nts. That was what Cynthia''s life was now.

    Many women wished to have such an easy, carefree lifestyle.

    Although she was pregnant and could only stay in this vi, she could go out in the yard anytime she

    wanted.

    While eating dinner, Chloe found herself not ustomed to the food at all.

    She liked spicy food and strong vors. To put it bluntly, she and Ashley had the same taste in food.

    But the dinner table was filled with nothing but nutritious food, and almost all of them were soup. She

    had a hard time trying to eat any of them.

    Seeing that Cynthia was eating everything on the table with great gusto, Chloe wondered whether they

    were actually yummy.

    With some suspicion, Chloe picked up some dish that was closest to her and put it into her mouth. It

    was light, nutritious, but it was not suitable for a person like Chloe.

    Eventually, Chloe finished her dinner in low spirits.

    Not long after, she left promising that she would visit Cynthia again very soon.

    Cynthia saw her off with a smile.

    Just as Chloe left, Zen arrived. Seeing that Cynthia was in a good mood, he felt relieved.

    But he was surprised to see the servants cleaning up two sets of tableware. "You had a guest today?"

    "Not a guest. It was Chloe. She apanied me for the whole afternoon."

    Holding Cynthia in his arms, Zen promised, "I''m not going to work tomorrow. Wherever you want to go,

    I''ll take you there."

    The doctor had told him it was better for a pregnant woman to walk for her baby''s health. So every

    weekend, Zen would take Cynthia out to have some fun.

    But he sounded like he was asking a kid.

    Cynthia smiled and did not push him away. "I''m not a child. I''m not interested in ying," she said.

    Zen put his hand on Cynthia''s belly and said, "Well, I didn''t say you were, did I? Honey, how about we

    go out to y with our child tomorrow?"

    This time, Cynthia agreed with a smile.R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

 Chapter 802 When Will She Have A Baby

    Chapter 802 When Will She Have A Baby

    After returning home, Chloe felt a little depressed. She sat on the sofa in the living room and touched

    her belly.

    When would she have a baby like Ashley?

    She and Nn had been preparing for it for so long, and Nn had worked so hard every night.

    She should have a baby as a product of their love by now.

    ''Maybe I should go to the hospital and consult a specialist, '' she thought.

    When she thought of seeing Cynthia today and how it felt when she touched her stomach and felt the

    child in her, she could not help getting lost in her thoughts.

    She even did not notice it when somebody came into the room until a shadow cast over her face.

    She snapped back to reality and raised her head to look at Nn. She said in surprise, "I thought you

    were on a business trip."

    His business trips usuallysted at least three days. This time, he hade back in two days. It was

    sooner than she expected. "Has there been a problem?"

    She continued to ask.

    Nn ran his fingers through his hair and replied, "No, everything is fine."

    It was just that he missed her. He did not want to away on his business trip for too long, so he came

    back earlier than expected. He had finished most of his work there anyway and the rest could be done

    by someone else in his team.

    He did not expect to see Chloe sitting on the couch in the living room, moping. He wondered if anybody

    made her feel that way.

    Nn sat down beside her and put his arm around her waist. "What''s the matter? Why do you look so

    upset? Did anybody give you a hard time?"

    "No, it''s not that. And by the way, I''m not a person anyone could bully. I do the bullying, you know that,"

    Chloe snapped at him.

    Nn smiled at her answer and thought she was right. It was her personality.

    "Then what is it? Why do you look so sad?"

    As he spoke, he pinched her little nose.

    Chloe nced at him without saying anything.

    Nn was surprised to see her reaction. In the past, when Nn pinched anything on her face, she

    wildly protested. It was different at the moment.

    What had happened to her today? Instead of picking a petty fight with him, she was so submissive.

    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    Chloe threw herself into Nn''s arms and asked, "Do you think it''s possible for me to bear us a child?"

    Squinting his eyes, Nn turned his head to look at Chloe. It was so nice to have her in his arms.

    "What''s wrong? Why do you say that?"

    Nn was a little confused. Chloe had never thought about having children before.

    Even if they did not have a child, they could still lead a happy life. Besides, they always thought that

    having a child was a big responsibility, even a burden. He did not want a child topete with him for

    Chloe''s love and attention.

    "Cynthia is already pregnant while I''m not. How can I not be worried? You see, we''ve taken it so

    seriously and worked so hard every night. It''s been quite a long time. Why am I not with a child yet?"

    Chloe got out of his arms, raised her head, and looked at him.

    "I don''t know. Maybe the baby doesn''t want toe yet. Just let nature take its course. Don''t worry

    about it."

    "Okay," Chloe replied.

    The next moment, Chloe''s stomach started growling.

    Nn raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why haven''t you eaten yet? Were you waiting for me?"

    "No. I just got back from Cynthia''s house. You have no idea what they''re feeding Cynthia since she got

    pregnant. I didn''t eat much there. I wasn''t full at all when I came home. I was thinking about asking the

    servants to cook something when you suddenly arrived."

    "What do you want to eat then?" Nn asked.

    "Are you going to cook for me?" Chloe asked, her eyes lighting up with delighted surprise.

    Nn had attended cooking sses just because he wanted to cook for Chloe. But since he was

    always very busy with his work, Chloe only got to eat food cooked by him asionally.

    Smart people learned everything fast.

    Nn just learned cooking carelessly and without even trying, yet he learned to cook much better than

    average people.

    "Yes."

    Chloe soon gave him a long list of dishes.

    Nn frowned. "It''s a bitte now. Can you eat that much? It''s not good for you to eat too much for

    dinner. Just order three dishes."

    Chloe frowned and looked at Nn. "No. You rarely cook for me. You have to let me eat heartily this

    time."

    "How about six dishes?" Chloe added.

    "Two," Nn bargained.

    "Five and no fewer. We can work out a little bit before we go to bed."

    Upon hearing this, Nn raised his eyebrows.

    He felt pleased that Chloe was a foodie.

    "Deal."

    Chloe rolled her eyes at him as soon as he stood up and headed for the kitchen. Men were such sex

    animals.

    She did not say how they would work out anyway. After dinner, she could just take him out for a walk.

    They could walk to a far ce, or they could jog a couple ofps. By the time they came back, they

    would be too tired to do anything else.

    She smirked at her cleverness.

    Of course, Nn had his own ideas.

    What would happen tonight all depended on who would have the upper hand.

    Thinking that she would eat her favorite food soon, Chloe could not help staying by the door to the

    kitchen, watching Nn cook.

    She had to admit that the man was perfect. He was graceful enough to show up on any asion and

    also talented in cooking. What a perfect boyfriend.

    It was said that a man doing chores, especially cooking, looked very attractive. Chloe agreed.

    Now, he was d in an apron with white rabbit patterns.

    Chloe bought herself the apron when she had the idea of learning how to cook. She spent so much

    time online shopping and finally picked the white rabbit one.

    However, after purchasing the apron, she realized that she did not have any talent whatsoever in

    cooking. So the apron was put away for a long time, but it was not a waste. Chloe did not have the

    chance to wear it, but someone else did.

    Watching Nn work unhurriedly, Chloe smiled. She went back to the living room, sat on the couch,

    and yed with her cellphone.

    She just yed games for a few minutes, and then she smelled a delicious aromaing from the

    kitchen. She could not sit still after that. She put away her cellphone and almost ran to the kitchen.

    There were already two or three dishes on the table, which were all Chloe''s favorites. Nn was still

    cooking.

    When she came over to the table and saw the delicious food, she could not help sniffing on

    them.

 Chapter 803 Househusband

    Chapter 803 Househusband

    The aroma of the dishes filled the air, making Chloe hungrier than she already was.

    It never urred to her that her husband was a qualified househusband who could cook delicious

    foods and satisfy her appetite.

    Chloe could not help but stretch out her hand while quietly staring with mad lust at the dishes on the

    table. Finally, she got a piece of braised pork and put it into her mouth, chewing it with satisfaction.

    She immediately agreed that this taste was more suitable for her.

    What she ate in Cynthia''s house was from a different world.

    Just as she was pilfering, Nn came out with a tray of fish in his hands. It was the Braised Crucian in

    brown sauce which was her ultimate favorite.

    Overall, the dishes were stewed pork with brown sauce, braised crucian with brown sauce, Mapo tofu,

    and spicy beef. As for thest dish, Nn tweaked it a little and transformed it into a green dish.

    After all, it was supper, so Nn made vegetables to prevent indigestion before they went sleep.

    Chloe was in a good mood by then and didn''t say anything when she saw the vegetables on the table.

    Instead, she just asked Nn to sit down.

    "Hurry up and take a seat. Just leave the rest to me."

    As she said so, she went into the kitchen and took two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks. In addition,

    she prepared two full bowls of steamed rice.

    "Let''s eat," Chloe stated with excitement.

    She couldn''t wait to taste all the delicious dishes. Every single one was making her mouth water.

    While she was eating the stewed pork with brown sauce, the spicy beef, and the Mapo tofu, she didn''t

    find anything special about them. She just took each bite with enthusiasm.

    But when she reached out her chopsticks for the braised crucian, she paused and then brought the

    chopsticks back into the spicy beef. For some reason, she had always liked braised crucian in brown

    sauce.

    But somehow, the braised fish only made her feel queasy. Unconsciously, this dish had no appeal on

    her today.

    Nn didn''t notice that. Since the braised crucian was ced in front of him, he thought it was out of

    Chloe''s reach. Thoughtfully, he stretched out his hand and ced some fish in her bowl.

    Looking at the fish in her bowl, Chloe thought that her aversion to the dish might be because of some

    psychological effect. She used to like this dish the most, how could she not like it now?

    With these thoughts in mind, she took the crucian with chopsticks and put it in her mouth. However, as

    soon as she did, she couldn''t help but cover her mouth since she felt extremely nauseous.

    Taking a few hasty steps back, she covered her mouth and ran into the bathroom.

    Her reaction to the dish was beyond Nn''s expectation. Shocked, he just followed her and tried to

    figure out what was wrong with her.

    Inside the toilet, Chloe fell into crazy vomiting. Not knowing why, she just started feeling sick when she

    was very close to the fish. Moreover, the fishy smell lingering in her mouth only worsened her retch.

    The only fortunate thing was that there wasn''t much vomiting out.

    "What''s wrong? Chloe, are you okay?" Within a few moments, Nn was also in the toilet, patting her

    on the back.

    "I''m all right. Maybe it''s because I had light food in Cynthia''s house, so I couldn''t stand the dish with

    such a strong taste."

    "Then forget them. I''ll make you something light."

    "No, I want food with strong vors."

    As she spoke, she let go of his hand, turned around, and stepped out of the toilet.

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    She was quite persistent with the food.

    Just as she came near the dinner table, the fishy smell made her sick once again. Subconsciously, she

    covered her mouth, having the urge to vomit some more.

    She had to gallop to the toilet room and throw up a second time.

    In that state, looking so helpless and pitiful, Chloe even had tearsing out of her eyes.

    Nn took out his mobile phone and made a call. The expression on his face was a little stunned, but

    he continued on gently patting her on the back. "Forget about the food."

    "No, I want to eat."

    Turning around, she looked at him. She had just vomited a lot, her eyes were red, and her face was a

    little rosy. She looked at Nn with tears in her eyes, which made him feel soft in an instant.

    This time, Nn didn''t do as he was told. She was vomiting so heavily that it was impossible for her to

    continue having her meal.

    Holding Nn''s hand, Chloe raised a question, "The fish you cooked this time was not as delicious as

    thest time. And it has a strong fishy smell. Why was it like that?"

    Nn was a little puzzled. "Fishy smell? I don''t think it had that. I cooked it exactly the same way as

    last time."

    "I could smell it even before I got close to it. The fishy smell is so stinky, even now!" Chloe retorted.

    "Okay, fine, it''s my fault. I should have cooked it better. By the way, I''ve called a doctor to check your

    condition. You know, just to be sure."

    "I''m not sick so why would I see a doctor? I''m alright now. It''s just the stink of the fish was too strong."

    "It would be better if we could have you checked."

    While speaking, Nn took Chloe in his arms and proceeded to the bedroom on the second floor.

    Chloe kept struggling in his arms. "Put me down. I haven''t finished my meal. I''m not full yet. I need to

    eat more!"

    "Be a good girl and wait awhile before you can go and eat again," Nn stated.

    No matter what she said, he wouldn''t let her go.

    Just as Chloe and Nn were in a stalemate, Addis came in. He was followed by a man in his fifties

    who was wearing a white coat and carrying a kit.

    "Sir, Ma''am," Addis greeted them as he stepped in.

    "What do you want?"

    "Mr. Cheng, Mrs. Cheng,"

    the doctor greeted as well.

    Nn stepped back a little and said to him, "Doctor, please check her condition. She kept on vomiting

    while having dinner just now."

    "No, I didn''t. The fishy smell was just too strong, I couldn''t bear it," Chloe quibbled.

    "Madam, please stretch out your hand,"

    the doctor instructed.

    Under Nn''s gaze, Chloe reluctantly stretched out her left hand.

    She had already told him again and again that she was fine. Chloe couldn''t understand why Noah

    refused to believe her.

    This man was a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and he had been working for the Cheng family

    for thirty-four years.

    The Cheng family was not entirely what it looked like on the surface. In addition to their legal business,

    they also had rtions with underworld gangs. So it was normal for them to have one or two skilled

    doctors of their own.

 Chapter 804 Am I Really Pregnant

    Chapter 804 Am I Really Pregnant

    Families with a great amount of wealth and influence usually had their own private doctors and the

    Cheng family was not an exception.

    The doctor felt Chloe''s pulse for quite a while. Then, he asked Chloe to let him check her other hand.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    He spent almost fifteen minutes feeling her pulse.

    Chloe felt bored and kept shifting her feet. Then, she looked at Nn and said, "I''ve already told you

    that I''m fine. Why won''t you believe me? Look, the doctor can''t even figure out anything after checking

    for so long."

    The doctor suddenly took back his hand and looked at Nn. A rare surprise could be seen on his

    wrinkled face. "Congrattions, Mr. Cheng! Your wife is pregnant. In my estimation, it has only been a

    little more than a month, so it''s not that obvious right now. I couldn''t see it at first, but after careful

    examination, it''s clear that she is pregnant."

    The doctor breathed a sigh of relief afterward.

    If he wasn''t mistaken, Nn was about to lose his temper just moments ago.

    "Congrattions, Mr. and Mrs. Cheng," Addis happily eximed while looking at Nn and Chloe.

    Addis had been working for Nn for the longest time. Seeing what Nn had done for Chloe, he

    knew that the man loved her very much. Now that Chloe was pregnant, how could he not be happy?

    "What?"

    After hearing the doctor''s words, Chloe stared at him in disbelief.

    "Are you sure? I... I''m pregnant? Am I really pregnant?"

    she kept asking while looking at the doctor. She would have never expected it to happen to her. After

    all, it was all too sudden.

    Just today, Chloe was thinking that her friends had all be pregnant and had their own children.

    She was wondering when she could be like them, having a baby of her own. How amazing it was that

    her silent wish had suddenly turned into reality on the same day! She was so surprised, to say the

    least.

    The doctor was a little offended that his professional skills were being questioned. He had been

    working for the Cheng family for so many years.

    He had always made himself feel better with the thought that even if he wasn''t as good as the ancient

    famous doctor Hua Tuo, he had more expertise and experience than most other doctors in the area. He

    had never made a mistake during the years that he worked for the Cheng family.

    How could his diagnosis be wrong?

    But judging from Chloe''s reaction, it was obvious that she just genuinely could not believe it. She

    wasn''t pretending at all. So, after a second thought, the old doctor did not make a big deal of her

    reaction.

    "Yes, Mrs. Chloe. You''ve been pregnant for more than a month."

    "Thank you. If you don''t mind, please let us have a private moment," Nn said.

    Since Nn had requested it, the doctor and Addis prepared to step out of the room.

    But before the doctor could leave, he thought about what Chloe told him earlier. So he said to her,

    "Mrs. Cheng, the food you ate was braised fish, right? It doesn''t have a strong smell. It''s just because

    you''re pregnant so you be more sensitive to it than usual. That is just natural."

    After he said that, he left the room.

    Chloe and Nn were left by themselves in the bedroom, looking at each other awkwardly.

    "Ah, I''m pregnant. I''m really pregnant."

    Chloe looked at Nn with so much happiness in her eyes. She then jumped out of the bed and threw

    herself at him.

    Nn raised his eyebrows and caught her in his arms in time. "How can you jump like this since you''re

    pregnant? You should take care of the baby inside you," he reminded her.

    "Oh, I almost forgot. I was too happy. I''m really pregnant."

    Chloe continued to look at him with a wide smile.

    But Chloe, who buried her face in Nn''s arms, didn''t notice that he had distress all over his face. In

    fact, he wasn''t happy about the news at all.

    Chloe had immersed herself in the happiness so much that she waspletely clueless about what he

    was feeling.

    Nn thought that when Chloe mentioned something about having a child, she wasn''t that serious. In

    all honesty, he didn''t want to have a baby now. They had been together for quite a long time and he

    had gotten used to living with her. If a baby were to suddenlye into their lives, her love for him

    might be divided. He felt that it wasn''t ideal and he might not be able to take it.

    But he couldn''t say anything when he saw the extreme happiness on Chloe''s face.

    She ced her palms on her belly and was amazed at the thought that there was an actual human

    being inside her.

    It was so wonderful!

    At that moment, Chloe was so immersed in her own joy that she had forgotten what kinds of food

    Cynthia had prepared for her visit earlier today.

    After hugging Nn for a while, Chloe let go of him. Then, she held his hand and guided him

    downstairs. "Well, let''s go downstairs and continue eating. I feel so much better and I''m not yet full."

    She was thinking about the dishes Nn had cooked for her.

    "Didn''t you want to throw up when you saw the dishes? Will you still be able to eat?"

    Chloe frowned a little and thought, ''Maybe he''s right.''

    "You can go downstairs and take that braised fish away. I was enjoying the food at first, but when I saw

    and smelled that fish, I felt really sick. Only that one made me want to throw up. The other dishes are

    fine with me,"

    Chloe said while looking at Nn.

    "I''ll go and ask if you can eat the other dishes."

    This time, he didn''t follow what Chloe wanted as soon as she said it.

    Although he didn''t really want to have a child, what could he do? Since Chloe was already pregnant,

    Nn had to take care of her and the baby.

    "Who are you going to ask?"

    Chloe didn''t understand what he meant.

    Before she realized it, he had already left.

    She then thought that the only person he could ask was the old doctor.

    Sitting in the bedroom, Chloe took out her phone and couldn''t help but send a message to Ashley.

    "Ashley, I''m pregnant! Waaaaahhhhhh!"

    Her message perfectly showed the joy that she was feeling right then.

    She couldn''t help but post a photo on WeChat Moments. But she didn''t outright say that she was

    pregnant. She just stated that she was extremely happy right then.

    Meanwhile, Ashley didn''t respond to Chloe right away.

    Just as Chloe was about to leave the room and look for Nn, he opened the door and came in. Chloe

    ran over to him and asked, "Well, what did the doctor say? Can I eat those dishes?"

    She had actually assumed that she could certainly eat the dishes. After all, she was eating with relish

    earlier.

    Nn saw her eyes sparkled with delight. He then nodded.

    "Wow, that''s so great! I told you that I can eat them."

    While she was speaking, she wanted to immediately run downstairs.

    However, Nn quickly stopped her.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "Slow down."

    "Oh, yes, I''m pregnant now."

    Nn held her waist and together, they went downstairs. As she requested, he took away the braised

    fish and brought her a bowl of rice.

    After some time, Chloe finished a few bowls of rice. She was smiling with a satisfied expression on her

    face throughout the meal.

 Chapter 805 Feeling Satisfied

    Chapter 805 Feeling Satisfied

    After she finished the meal, she was so full that her stomach bulged a little.

    By the time she was done, Nn had almost finished eating as well. He looked at her and frowned. He

    knew how much she could eat in the past.

    Howe she ate so much now?

    "Get up. Let''s go out for a walk," Nn told Chloe.

    "No, I don''t want to move right now."

    All she wanted after dinner was to go to sleep.

    She wanted to go to bed full.

    Nn pressed his lips together and thought about what she had promised him to do tonight. But now,

    she was pregnant. Although he did not have muchmon knowledge about pregnancy, he knew that

    pregnant women were not allowed to do strenuous exercise.

    Looking at Chloe, he felt depressed.

    If it were not for Chloe''s natural reaction to the news, he would have thought that she had already

    known that she was pregnant and still promised him to make love.

    Looking at Chloe who had now almost fallen asleep, Nn walked over to her, scooped her up, and

    headed for the bedroom.

    As if Nn''s smell was soothing, Chloe felt safe in his arms and drifted off.

    Looking at her reaction, Nn put her on the bed and fetched some water to clean her face. Then, he

    washed her feet for her and then covered her with the quilt. After that, he went to the bathroom for a

    shower.

    The next day, Chloe was still dazed when she woke up. She wondered how she fell asleepst night.

    She vaguely remembered that she came home from Cynthia''s house, and then Nn came home and

    made her an entire table of delicious food.

    Then, she covered her mouth with her right hand and put her left hand on her belly.

    She recalled what she had almost forgotten. It was not just a dream. She was already pregnant.

    "Ah!"

    Chloe joyfully rolled back and forth on the bed, her soft hair getting messed up all over.

    Nn opened the door with a bowl of millet porridge in his hand. What came into his view was Chloe

    rolling on the bed.

    He was speechless.

    ''What was going on? Is this a side effect of her pregnancy?''

    When Chloe saw Nn, she quickly stopped rolling on the bed. She sat up and looked at him dotingly.

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    "Honey, I''m really pregnant. Are you happy? Are you excited? We''re going to have a baby," Chloe said

    as if she still could not believe it.

    "Of course I''m happy. It''s going to be our child," Nn replied.

    "Have some breakfast," he added and walked over to Chloe.

    "Okay."

    Chloe sat up straight and let Nn feed her.

    As soon as she took a small mouthful of the porridge, she frowned.

    "What is this? It''s horrible and tasteless."

    "I asked the doctor. He said that you''re only allowed to eat light food in the morning."

    "What?"

    Chloe said with a bitter look on her face.

    "Come on, just eat it."

    After finishing her breakfast, she felt like weeping but no tears woulde out.

    She did not know that there would be many things she would have to deal with while she was pregnant.

    Chloe was sitting quietly on the couch in the living room. Nn was sitting opposite her.

    After breakfast, Nn told her that he had something important to tell her, and it was rted to the

    baby. Upon hearing this, Chloe sat quietly and listened to him attentively.

    Looking at the obedient look on her face, Nn''s heart was filled with tenderness.

    Last night, after Chloe fell asleep, he did a lot of research online. Today, he had his assistant bring a lot

    of material about pregnancy and about what pregnant women could and could not do.

    A couple of books were already on the table.

    He had only read a few of them this morning.

    Nn looked at Chloe and started slowly when she was almost running out of patience. "I did some

    research onlinest night about pregnancy. You are pregnant now, so you can''t use theputer or

    your cellphone for more than one hour per day. The radiation from theputer or the cellphone is not

    good for the baby."

    ''I can''t y with my cellphone? And I can''t use theputer? Then what am I supposed to do now?''

    "What''s more, you have to take a leave from work. You''re pregnant. You have to be careful about

    everything. I can''t let you go to the office alone. You can go with me, but you can''t go to the office

    alone."

    Aside from what he had readst night, Nn had already learned some of the vital pregnancy

    information since they had decided to have a baby. He now knew pretty much everything there was to

    know about taking care of a pregnant woman.

    "And I''m going to hire two nutritionists. There are a lot of things that you can''t eat now that you''re

    pregnant. What if you eat something that''s bad for the baby? You have to agree with me on this

    matter."

    As if he anticipated that Chloe would object, Nn said it hastily.

    "And..."

    Chloe had listened to his long lecture.

    "That''s all for now. I''ll tell you more when I learn something new. I''ll keep an eye on you."

    "Well? That''s it?"

    Chloe raised her head.

    "Yes."

    "Okay."

    "No, it''s not right," Chloe suddenly objected.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "You mean I can''t use theputer now? And when I do, I can''t spend more than an hour on it?"

    "Right."

    Nn nodded.

    "What about my novel? I need to update it."

    "Just stop writing it altogether."

    "No way!

    There are so many fans waiting for me to update everyday!"

    "Then which one do you think is more important, your child or your novel?"

    He looked at her and said casually.

    As expected, Chloe immediately shut up.

    Chloe touched her belly and thought of her baby. She finallypromised. "All right."

    "Well, I have to go to work now. Call me if you need anything."

    He kissed her on the cheek and left.

    After Nn left, Chloe went upstairs to turn on herputer. She nned to apologize to her fans.

    Chloe turned on herputer and typed a long message. Then, she read it and posted it after she

    found nothing wrong with it.

 Chapter 806 One Hour Per Day

    Chapter 806 One Hour Per Day

    With her clever mind and wild imagination, Chloe had developed arge number of fans.

    As soon as she posted her message, a lot ofments from her fans came pouring in.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    "What? Our author is pregnant? But will you still update your novel?"

    "What? Then when will my Bera and Samwell get married? My beloved couple... I''ve been looking

    forward to their happy ending, but our dear author is pregnant. It''s not good for her to face aputer

    screen all day long now. Have a good year''s rest, Author Chloe, and have a safe delivery."

    "Well, you can''t forget about us. Even though you''re pregnant now, you must remember us still."

    ...

    Chloe patiently read all thements and carefully replied to them one by one.

    She even chatted with some of her fans.

    Time psed quickly and quietly. Chloe was still chatting with some of her fans when somebody

    knocked on her door.

    "Miss Chloe, are you in there?"

    It was her butler was standing outside her bedroom. Not knowing why he came to her at this moment,

    she simply replied, "Yes, Porter. It''s open. Come on in."

    Porter Lin pushed the door open and came in. When he saw Chloe sitting in front of theputer, he

    nced at the time on his watch. Then, he walked up to Chloe and said to her, "Mydy, ording to

    the young master''s orders, you are to only use theputer for one hour per day. You have used up all

    yourputer time today. No more."

    Porter exined in a formal tone.

    After casting a nce at the time on the lower right corner of theputer screen, Chloe was

    surprised. She had no idea that she had been chatting with her fans for over an hour.

    It went by that fast?

    Why did she not feel it at all?

    Letting out a small sigh, Chloe turned off theputer reluctantly. She was pregnant now. She needed

    to avoid being exposed to radiation for too long.

    "Well, no more time in front of theputer screen. Got it."

    "If you are bored, you can go out and y for a while," Porter said with a forced smile.

    Chloe thought that Porter was allowing her to y outside the vi, so she agreed without hesitation.

    "All right."

    But when she was about to walk out of the vi, Porter and some servants blocked her way.

    "Porter, I thought you''re allowing me to go out."

    "Yes, mydy, but not out of the vi. You can y anywhere you like within it."

    Hearing Porter''s words, Chloe''s smile vanishedpletely from her face.

    ''Is this really happening?

    I''m only allowed to move inside the vi?

    Well, well...''

    In the end, Chloe went back to the hall and slouched into the sofa as if she no longer had anything to

    live for.

    Poking at the pudding in front of her, she was bored to tears.

    She waspletely disappointed.

    It seemed that Nn had instructed the servants to forbid her from doing anything.

    The baby would be Nn''s firstborn, that''s why he ordered Porter to keep a close eye on Chloe. Porter

    had been taking care of Nn since he was a child. He knew clearly that Nn''s mother and father

    only retained a business marriage and that there was no love between them.

    Nor did they have any love for Nn.

    His mother was nice to him, but his father had fathered many siblings for him with other women.

    However, with the most ruthless means, Nn managed to inherit his father''s corporation.

    Nn had grown up under Porter''s care. He knew what kind of hardships Nn had gone through.

    Now that he was about to have his own child, he must brace himself.

    At the same time, Derrick also received a call from Chloe. He was still a little confused since Chloe did

    not show up to work today. Although Chloe was not very proficient in the management of herpany,

    she was not one to ditch work.

    Why did she suddenly skip work today?

    The news of Chloe''s pregnancy startled Derrick so much that he almost spit out his coffee when he

    heard it.

    It made him choke and cough continuously. Some of his coffee spilled on his shirt.

    The coffee had dirtied the pile of documents in front of him, but Derrick did not care about it. He was

    shocked at the news that Chloe herself told him.

    Derrick''s assistant who was standing next to him did not know why he got so excited all of a sudden.

    He looked at him inquiringly, but Derrick just waved his hand, gesturing him to get out.

    Then, Derrick himself pulled out some tissue paper to wipe the spilled coffee off his clothes.

    "Are you kidding me? You are pregnant now? You... You were fine a few days ago. Why are you

    suddenly pregnant?"

    Derrick still could not get his mind back from the heavy blow of Chloe''s news. He thought all Chloe had

    was a boyfriend. How could she be pregnant?

    He did not expect at all that Chloe was already married and had a baby in her belly.

    It truly astonished Derrick.

    He actually liked Chloe very much. If only her boyfriend was not a thousand times more outstanding

    than he was, he would have had the guts to win her over. He did not expect to receive this kind of news

    at this time.

    He was too stunned to say anything.

    Back in the vi, sitting on the sofa, Chloe rolled her eyes and said, "Well, what do you think? I''m a little

    surprised. I just called to tell you that you will be in charge of thepany affairs from now on. Don''t let

    me down."

    "Yes, yes. Of course. Don''t worry," Derrick replied.

    "All right. Great. Thank you."

    After she finished speaking with Derrick, Chloe hung up the phone.

    It took her a lot of effort to convince Porter and get him to bring her the phone as she could only have

    an hour''s time on a cellphone. She would not waste any ytime on Derrick.

    One hourter, Porter took away the cellphone from Chloe''s hand.

    Chloe cast a intive look at Porter, but he was unmoved.

    In J City...

    Ashley also felt happy for Chloe''s pregnancy.

    She remembered their talk when she went back to J City not too long ago. She could tell that Chloe

    really wanted a baby and to be a mother.

    Now, Chloe had achieved what she wished before. As her close friend, Ashley was genuinely happy for

    her.

 Chapter 807 Congratulations

    Chapter 807 Congrattions

    However, Ashley''s message was unanswered.

    When Ashley was about to call Chloe to find out the reason, she received a sad message from her.

    Well, the message was actually more like Chloe ranting about Nn''s restrictions on her.

    Apparently, he would no longer allow her to y on her cellphone like she used to.

    Ashley replied, smiling, "He is just looking out for you and he is just after your own good. You are

    pregnant now. Your health is the top priority."

    She got no reply from Chloe for a long while again. Thinking of the words that Chloe had said to her

    just now, Ashley thought that she might not have time to use her cellphone to reply, so she put her

    cellphone away and got back to work.

    Ashley''spany was now getting on the right track in J City, of course, with Andrew''s help.

    Although Ashley did not want to ask him for help, Andrew had lent a hand without her knowledge.

    Otherwise, Ashley would have picked a fight with him over it.

    But what Andrew had done was only a small matter. Many things could only be done by Ashley.

    Besides, Andrew knew that Ashley wanted to get it all done by herself.

    Of course, Andrew did not interfere with Ashley''s decisions. Instead, Ashley had his full support.

    A new semester would begin in September. Soon, it would be time for Richard and Fabio to go to

    school.

    Richard would be in fifth grade. Because Fabio had just started schooling, he would be in kindergarten

    and could not yet go to primary school like Richard.

    Also, Fabio was smarter than other children at his age, and did not think it was fun to hang around

    those kids who cried a lot. He did not even want to have any contact with them at all.

    But Fabio was too young to go to first grade. They had to send him to kindergarten and let him study in

    preschool for a while.

    Hearing what Fabio said, Ashley could not help poking him on the forehead. "You''re just a child

    yourself. What do you mean you don''t like their crying and their being needy and clingy? Don''t you

    cling to me a lot?" Ashley asked.

    Then Ashley looked at him in amusement. Fabio was too cute for his behavior.

    Fabio frowned and said, "I''m different from them. I''m not so clingy."

    "Then tell me who always insists on sleeping beside me every night? Do you think that''s not being

    clingy?"

    Ashley looked into Fabio''s eyes as she asked.

    Hearing Ashley''s words, a look of embarrassment appeared on Fabio''s face, which was exactly like

    Andrew''s. He looked at Ashley shyly and did not know what to say.

    Fabio could have gone to kindergarten when he was three years old, but he had a brother who was a

    top student at home. Because of that, even if he did not go to kindergarten, his IQ was high enough to

    grasp the knowledge taught in kindergarten.

    But this time, Ashley would no longer spoil him as much as she did in M Country.

    It was Ashley anyway who insisted that Fabio had to go to kindergarten. It would be ridiculous for him

    to stay at home alone.

    "I''ll drive your brother to primary school first, and then I''ll drive you to kindergarten school. Don''t be so

    bad tempered, okay? You must do this. Do you understand?"

    It was the first time Ashley talked to Fabio in such a serious tone, but he did not think that his mother

    was angry. He simply nodded obediently.

    Chant, who was sitting next to them, kept silent all this time. Of course, he was in favor of Fabio having

    to go to kindergarten. It was impossible for him to intercede for Fabio.

    "Okay, that''s it. Now go wash your face and brush your teeth. You should sleep well tonight, okay?"

    "Okay."

    "Okay, Great Grandpa. I''m going to sleep now. Good night."

    "Yeah, good night, good boy," Chant answered.

    "Grandpa, I''ll take him to his room. Good night," Ashley said.

    "All right, all right, go, go."

    Ashley took him upstairs.

    Andrew had a party to attend, so he was not home yet.

    When Ashley stepped in Fabio''s bedroom, he suggested suddenly, "Mommy, can I sleep beside my

    brother tonight? I have something to ask him."

    "Okay, but don''t stay up toote. I have to enroll him tomorrow."

    "Okay. Thank you, Mommy," Fabio replied.

    "Good boy."

    Ashley took Fabio to get washed, and then they went to Richard''s room.

    The light in Richard''s bedroom was still on. When Ashley and Fabio stepped in, Richard was sitting at

    his desk and reading a book. The book was for fifth graders, which Ashley bought him the other day.

    Although Richard had been studying junior high school courses for a while now, he still needed to

    prepare for his lessons before his new sses tomorrow.

    "Mommy, Fabio, you''re here. What''s up?"

    Seeing Ashley and Fabio, Richard quickly put down his book and went to them.

    Ashley touched Richard''s head and said, "I''m sorry, honey. Did we disturb you?"

    Richard shook his head. "No. I was just about to go to bed," he answered.

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    "Very well. Remember to go to sleep early tonight. You have school tomorrow, okay?"

    "Okay."

    "Brother, can I sleep here tonight?" Fabio walked over and took Richard by the hand.

    Richard gave a nod and said, "Of course. No problem."

    "Great! Thank you!"

    Ashley was happy to see her two kids get along well with each other. She tucked them in and covered

    them with the quilt. Then she kissed them on the foreheads and said, "Good night. Mommy is going to

    bed, too."

    "Good night, Mommy."

    "Good night, Mommy."

    Having put the children to bed, Ashley turned off the light and left the bedroom.

    After Ashley stepped out, Fabio turned around and looked at Richard. He asked, "Do you think it''s fun

    in kindergarten?"

    "Why do you ask?"

    "Mommy is going to take me to kindergarten tomorrow, but I don''t want to go there. I think the kids

    there are sticky, and they cry all the time. It''s not fun at all," Fabio said anxiously.

    Richard pressed his lips together. He did not know what to say.

    Before he could say anything, Fabio continued, "When you were in kindergarten, had you met some

    sticky children? Didn''t you think they were annoying?"

 Chapter 808 Resistance To Kindergarten

    Chapter 808 Resistance To Kindergarten

    Now Fabio was having mixed feelings of nervousness and expectations for his uing kindergarten

    life.

    Maybe that was how children felt before they went to school.

    It would be the same no matter what grade they were in.

    Fabio thought of that kid who was once their neighbor. He used to cry from dawn to dusk every day if

    his wishes to purchase something were denied.

    Fabio thought he was really pathetic with his constant howling that was loud enough to shake the

    heavens and make gods and ghosts weep.

    The persistent crying was really annoying! What''s more, he was too clingy and always needed to be in

    his mother''s arms.

    That was the impression Fabio had with kids his age. He disliked them for their crying and whining.

    So when Ashley told him that she was going to send him to kindergarten, he disliked it. The kid next

    door had left him a bad impression. He would not have any fun at all if all the kindergarten kids

    behaved like that. That''s why Fabio preferred to stay at home.

    "Yes, some of them," Richard finally answered.

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    "What about the rest?"

    Fabio''s interest was tickled.

    "The others were fine. They neither cried nor made any trouble. They were pretty good."

    "Oh, really? It seems that not all children cry all day long."

    "Correct."

    "Okay. I guess I have to go there tomorrow. Otherwise, Mommy will be very angry."

    "All right. It''s time to go to bed. Good night."

    "Okay. Good night."

    "Sleep tight."

    At that same time...

    Ashley went back to her bedroom and took a shower. Andrew was not home yet. Ashley took a look at

    the time. It was nine o''clock.

    Richard would go to school tomorrow, so Ashley had to take care of everything that Richard needed.

    Actually she had already packed up his belongings. She was now just going to do a thorough check.

    After checking, Ashley climbed in bed and read thepany files, waiting for Andrew''s return. Time

    psed quickly, yet Andrew still had note home. Drowsiness came over Ashley, and she drifted off

    to sleep, leaving an orange light on for Andrew.

    Half dreaming and half awake, Ashley felt something press on her body, making her unable to move.

    She also smelled alcohol.

    She guessed it was wine but a different kind. A drunk man would stink badly, but she did not smell

    anything like that.

    It was a light fragrance of some wine.

    The smell of tobo mingled with the red wine scent as well. Ashley now understood the man''s

    identity who was on top of her.

    Ashley opened her drowsy eyes. The light was still off. Perhaps Andrew did not want to wake her.

    Only the orange light she had left was still on.

    "Hey, you''re home," Ashley uttered.

    Her voice was a little hoarse and nasal.

    But it sounded lovely to Andrew.

    "Yes," Andrew replied in a low voice and pressed his lips on hers.

    Ashley looked at Andrew, but before she could say anything, her mouth was stuffed, and she could not

    say a word.

    She had no choice but to widen her eyes to stare at Andrew. Her eyes were full of questions.

    Noticing the change in Ashley''s expression, Andrew covered her eyes and chuckled, "Don''t look at me

    like that."

    Not knowing why, Ashley''s face grew red with embarrassment.

    Heat emanated from Andrew''s body.

    Ashley frowned and stared at Andrew. She pushed him and said, "Go take a shower. You stink of

    alcohol and tobo."

    Hearing this, Andrew held out his hand and smelled it. "I stink? Why can''t I smell it?"

    Ashley turned away from him. Andrew did not really smell that bad. In fact, the mix of the tobo and

    wine scents was kind of inexplicably attractive to her.

    It smelled kind of nice. At least Ashley thought so.

    However, if she did not interrupt him, she knew what he would do next.

    "Yes, you do. Go take a shower now." Ashley pushed him away as she ordered him to do so.

    Andrew noticed that Ashley kept blinking and did not look at him directly. How could he not know what

    she was thinking?

    He then let go of Ashley and said in a low voice, "Okay, I''m going to take a shower."

    Finally the weight on her was lifted. Ashley heard the sound of running watering from the

    bathroom. She could not help covering her ears.

    Hmm.

    The bathroom had good soundproofing, so how could she hear the sound of running water from where

    she was? It must be what she was thinking.

    Ashley buried her head in the quilt, reached out her hand and grabbed her cellphone. It was already

    one o''clock in the morning. She did not know what took Andrew so long and why he came home so

    late.

    Now that her sleep had been disturbed, Ashley could not fall back to sleep. After a short while, she

    couldn''t hear the running water from the bathroom. She wondered if it was only her imagination.

    Then, Ashley decided to do something.

    She pretended to be asleep.

    She turned her back to him andy still.

    Andrew came out of the bathroom and saw Ashley lying on the bed motionless. A smile tugged on the

    corner of his lips, but he did not say a word.

    He then went to dry his hair.

    Not wanting to wake Ashley up again, he switched on the hair dryer to the lowest setting.

    Ashley was not actually sleeping. Hearing the sound of the hair dryer, she opened her eyes but did not

    turn around.

    After a while, she closed her eyes again.

    At first she was just pretending to be asleep, but the sound of the hair dryer made her drift off into

    sound sleep.

    After he finished drying his hair, Andrew climbed into bed with Ashley. He looked at her while she was

    fast asleep and could not help pinching her little nose.

    "You heartless little thing."

    Andrew stayed upte at the banquet because he wanted to buy some time to be with Ashley the next

    day.

    ''There will be a lot of people who''ll see you when you take Richard and Fabio to school. I am one

    hundred percent sure that they will appreciate your beauty and won''t stop looking. I don''t think I''m okay

    with that, '' Andrew thought sullenly.

    Ashley would definitelyugh out loud if she knew what was in Andrew''s mind.

 Chapter 809 Like Her

    Chapter 809 Like Her

    She was not a fairy. How could it be possible forplete strangers to like her the moment they saw

    her?

    Damn it.

    In Andrew''s eyes, Ashley was the best and the most beautiful woman in the world.

    Gazing at Ashley''s sleeping face, Andrew held her in his arms and kissed her on the forehead. "Good

    night, my honey," he whispered.

    Andrew did not expect that he would say such loving words to Ashley. He found that he could say

    anything to her when he appreciated her beauty.

    Moreover, he would increase his tolerance and lower his bottom line over and again for her.

    The next day dawned and Ashley felt she had had a sound sleep. She was feeling much better than

    before.

    She stretched her arms but found her movement limited. What was more, she touched something

    warm, a firm wall of flesh.

    What was this?

    Ashley quickly opened her eyes, and her drowsiness vanished.

    Her face was gently pressed against somebody''s bare chest.

    She was so close that she could almost see the toned muscles beneath the skin.

    Ashley blinked, and her long eyshes fell on the flesh wall. It was then that she realized that someone

    was holding her tightly.

    Ashley thought about what had happenedst night. She remembered tucking the two children in and

    going back to her bedroom. She fell asleep while waiting for Andrew to return. He took forever toe

    back home.

    She was half asleep when she felt something heavy press on her all of a sudden. Ashley then realized

    that it was Andrew.

    Later, it seemed that she asked Andrew to take a shower. After Andrew stepped out of the shower and

    went to dry his hair, she pretended to be asleep and then ended up really dozing off.

    Ashley reached out and touched her forehead.

    Fortunately, nothing happenedst night.

    Ashley wiggled out of Andrew''s arms slowly. She did not want to wake him up.

    It took her a while, but she was eventually and sessfully able to slide out without Andrew waking up.

    She grabbed her cellphone and checked the time. Fortunately, her biological clock was always

    punctual.

    It was just a little past seven o''clock in the morning. There was still plenty of time to make the children

    some breakfast before driving them to school.

    Considering having to drive the kids to school today, Ashley took the day off work.

    She was quite pleased to have an entire day''s free time.

    Andrew was still sound asleep. Seeing that he came hometest night, Ashley decided not to wake

    him up and let him stay like that for a while.

    Carefully, she lifted his arm from her waist and then slowly slid out of bed.

    Before she couldpletely get up, Andrew reached for her again. She did not even get the chance to

    breathe a sigh of relief.

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    Ashley quickly took a pillow and put it under Andrew''s hand.

    As she was about to climb down, he grabbed her and held her in his arms.

    Ashley was rendered speechless.

    She took a look at Andrew. If it were not for his still closed eyes, she would have thought that he had

    already woken up and was ying games with her.

    Fixing her eyes on Andrew''s sleeping face, Ashley was quiet for a while.

    She tried getting out of bed again, but Andrew held on to her more tightly this time.

    A smile tugged on the corner of her lips.

    "Are you awake?"

    Ashley asked.

    Andrew remained still as if he did not hear Ashley. His eyes were tightly shut. He really looked like he

    was in deep sleep.

    Ashley rolled her eyes in a sly way andid her head on his chest instead.

    Then, she used her two hands to stimte him.

    Andrew''s eyelids almost flew open.

    A gorgeous woman, the love of his life, was now running her hands all over him. Andrew, of course,

    could not keep still.

    Ashley had already guessed what Andrew would do next, but before he could take further action, she

    suddenly jumped out of his arms and then quickly ran away from the bed.

    She dashed into the bathroom and shut the door.

    Andrew was left on the bed, now wide awake and a little frustrated.

    He opened his eyes only to see his wife jump out of reach.

    It was disappointing for him.

    In truth, Andrew woke up at the same time as Ashley. He found that she wanted to leave, so he wanted

    to see what she would do.

    Seeing that she was about to leave, he could not keep still anymore.

    He did not want Ashley to find out that he was already awake, so he stretched out his hand and held

    her back while pretending that he was still sleeping.

    Ashley must have seen through his intentions after attempting to grab her several times.

    Andrew came to his senses and sat up in bed. He ran his fingers through his hair, which was in such a

    mess.

    If Ashley saw Andrew''s soft hair in that state, she would rake her fingers through it as well.

    Even Ashley herself did not know why she liked doing that sometimes.

    After washing her face, brushing her teeth, and getting dressed, Ashley opened the door and stepped

    out of the bathroom.

    She did not expect to see such a dramatic scene when she came out.

    Andrew was just changing his clothes the moment she came out.

    His pajamas had been taken off, and a new shirt had been put on. Ashley blinked, and her eyes

    focused on the six-pack abs that peeked through her husband''s shirt.

    And what happened earlier...

    Ashley''s face burned red as she thought of something all of a sudden, and then she did something

    beyond her usual self.

    She turned around in a hurry.

    Well, she knew to look at nothing that was not consistent with propriety.

    As Ashley turned around, Andrew turned around, too. A knowing smile spread across his

    face.

 Chapter 810 Consistent Bashfulness

    Chapter 810 Consistent Bashfulness

    It was Andrew who had deliberately stripped himself naked just as Ashley came out of the bathroom.

    Obviously, he had nned this all along.

    She immediately turned around to give him some privacy. As soon as she had done that, she

    wondered why she felt the need to do so. They had been married for a long time and she had seen

    every inch of his body. She had absolutely no reason to feel embarrassed.

    With this in mind, Ashley turned around once more and prepared herself to face his naked body.

    To her surprise, Andrew had dressed himself up nicely. In his sleek ck suit, he was the epitome of

    elegance.

    Now, he was adjusting his tie in front of the mirror. Standing at 1.8 meters tall, he looked quite dashing.

    Ashley blinked. If her memory served her right, she and Andrew were driving the kids to school today.

    Why did he have to dress up so formally? A casual outfit would have been enough.

    With lingering doubt, she walked up to him, trying to figure out the reason. But he just gave her a look

    that told her that he needed some help with his tie.

    Awkwardly, she rolled her eyes.

    Ignoring his request, she looked him over and asked, "Are you going with me to take the kids to school

    today?"

    "Yes," he replied tly.

    "Then why did you wear a suit? Just put on something casual."

    In truth, Ashley did not think that the suit was that big of a deal. She only thought that, because he wore

    suits all year round, it would be nice to see him wear something else for once.

    Andrew did not move. Ashley nced at him before looking through the contents of the wardrobe.

    At first nce, it looked like it was filled with nothing except for Andrew''s suits and dress shirts. There

    seemed to be few other clothes in it, but Ashley did not give up and kept sifting through the wardrobe.

    Just as she was losing hope, her eyes lit up. She had found something.

    It was a gray outfit that looked familiar to her. Instantly, she realized it was she who had bought it for

    Andrew.

    He had a number of gray, ck, white, and dark blue suits. The one that he was wearing now was

    ck.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    "Well, this should suit you just fine. You can try this on first," Ashley suggested.

    As she spoke, she ced the outfit in Andrew''s hands.

    He had worn gray business suits in the past. This one should fit him perfectly.

    Now her interest had been aroused. On a whim, she just couldn''t imagine him in a casual gray get-up.

    She couldn''t wait to see him in it.

    She urged, pushing him gently into the bathroom, "Come on! Get in there and get changed then let me

    have a look."

    Andrew frowned as he looked at the clothes in his hand. Thest thing that he wanted now was to

    change them.

    However, Ashley looked so thrilled. He hated the thought of disappointing her.

    Still, he let her know how he felt. "I can''t. I have only ever worn business suits.

    I don''t think this is going to suit me."

    He tried to hand her back the clothes. As he did so, he blinked innocently.

    As she studied him, she noticed a patch of his hair that was matted. Parts of it curled upward. This,

    combined with his innocent eyes, made him look adorable.

    Ashley could not look away. Ah, ah, ah!

    She had to admit that Andrew''s innocent expression had fascinated her.

    With no response from Ashley, Andrew raised his head and looked at her, only to find her staring at him

    with eyes wide open, and lips slightly parted.

    Now, Ashley had her eyes only on him.

    This did not escape Andrew''s attention. When he noticed that she had her eyes fixed on him, his heart

    began beating so fast that he felt as though it was going to jump out of his chest at any second.

    The two remained lost in each other''s eyes until someone knocked on the door, breaking the silence. In

    an instant, the moment that they had shared had ended. The knocking was quickly followed by the soft

    voice of a child. "Mommy, are you up yet? Great-grandpa has called us downstairs for breakfast. We

    have to get to school in a bit."

    After learning from Richard the previous night that not all children liked crying all day long, Fabio

    became a little more interested in his uing kindergarten life.

    In fact, he and his brother had gotten up early today.

    However, seeing that their mother hadn''te out of the bedroom yet, Fabio had to check if she had

    gotten up.

    This brought Ashley back to her senses. She had even not heard what Fabio had just said.

    Additionally, she felt embarrassed upon realizing that she had actually been mesmerized by Andrew

    just now.

    A war flush crossed her cheeks.

    When she realized that someone had called her name, she struggled to find something to say to mask

    her embarrassment.

    "Well, you go ahead and change them first. I am needed outside. I have to go," Ashley hurriedly told

    Andrew before leaving the room.

    He remained standing where he was, and the room fell silent.

    He watched her scurry away and looked at the clothes that he was holding. A helpless sigh escaped

    his lips. It seemed impossible to get out of this predicament.

    ''Never mind. There would be other chances in the future, '' Andrew thought, resigned to his fate.

    Then, remembering what had just happened and recalling that gentle voice, Andrew couldn''t help but

    pull a long face. It was Fabio who had spoiled what had otherwise been a wonderful moment.

    The boy had sabotaged him.

    Andrew looked in the direction of the door and thought, "This room isn''t sound-proof at all. Should I

    make some changes around here?"

    Ashley was gone. He had no choice but to put on the clothes.

    As for Ashley, the moment she opened the door of the bedroom, Fabio, who had been waiting outside,

    came up to her.

    "Mommy, what took you so long? I''ve been standing here for so long, and my legs have grown numb."

    "I''m sorry that it took me a while, baby. Mommy was busy dealing with something just now."

 Chapter 811 Dad

    Chapter 811 Dad

    Ashley said to Fabio with an apologetic look on her face.

    Then, she held Fabio in her arms.

    "It''s okay, mommy. I know that it''s not your fault."

    "My good boy."

    Today, Ashley was wearing a white dress with a hemline right to her knees. Her fair-skinned calves and

    forearms were exposed.

    On the other hand, Fabio was also in a white T-shirt and ck short pants.

    Thus, his little arms and legs were also showing like his mother. With the mild fragrance of milk on his

    body, he was indeed a handsome and adorable boy.

    Fabio looked around, yet he found no sign of Andrew, his father. "Mommy, where''s Daddy?"

    Now, Fabio had finally epted Andrew as his father. After all, in addition to Andrew''s efforts of taking

    care of his mother, this man had always treated him well.

    Ashley''s face was still flushed. She didn''t know if it was because of the incident earlier. But she was

    really taken aback by Fabio''s question and wasn''t sure how to answer.

    With a brief thought, she eventually replied, "Ah, your father getting changed. He''ll be here soon."

    "Okay,"

    Fabio replied and continued to findfort in Ashley''s arms.

    Well, a mother''s arms were always the best.

    If his father were here, Fabio wouldn''t be able to hug her mother anymore, since she would definitely

    be in Andrew''s arms.

    So Fabio was secretly hoping that Andrew could stay in the bathroom longer. This way, he could be in

    his mommy''s arms much longer.

    However, his thoughts fell through.

    After a while, Fabio himself began to get out of Ashley''s arms. He couldn''t let his mommy hold him for

    too long, or else she would get sore arms and wrists.

    However, when he was about to do so, he saw the red marks around Ashley''s neck by ident. To his

    innocent eyes, it looked like someone had beaten his mommy.

    It ultimately startled Fabio. The red marks saddened him and curiosity helped him see more red

    patches on her skin.

    Therefore, Fabio stopped trying to get out of Ashley''s arms. Instead, he wriggled a little upward.

    Fearing that her son was afraid of falling down, Ashley held him a little tighter, without realizing how her

    son was feeling.

    Thest thing Fabio wanted to see was his mommy''s injuries. All of a sudden, his eyes were welling

    with tears. He put his mouth closer to one of her red patches, blew on it and tried to ease her pain. "It

    doesn''t hurt mommy, it doesn''t hurt. Let me blow on it for you."

    Ashley felt Fabio''s warm breath on her neck and felt itchy. But what Fabio saidter confused her.

    ''What?'' That was the first thing on her mind.

    "What''s wrong, Fabio?"

    Ashley put him down to the floor and watched him with a confused expression on her face.

    Fabio raised his little face and looked up at Ashley. "Mommy, did Daddy hit you?"

    "No, he didn''t. Why are you asking such¡ª"

    Before Ashley could finish her question, she thought about how Fabio was holding on to her neck and

    how her dress had exposed the red marks on her skin.

    Perhaps, Fabio had noticed them.

    She put two and two together and figured it out.

    For a time, Ashley was too embarrassed to exin to Fabio. She had no idea what she should say.

    ''How to exin this kind of thing to a child?'' she thought to herself.

    But as she remembered how Fabio asked if Andrew had hit her, she denied it without hesitation.

    "No, Fabio. Daddy has never hit me."

    Fabio still didn''t stop. He pointed at the red marks on Ashley''s neck and asked, "Then what are these?

    Those red marks are proof that someone has hurt you. It must be Dad since he was with you."

    While speaking, Fabio suddenly approached Ashley and hugged her. He raised his little head a little so

    he could look at her better. "Mommy, I don''t want Dad. Let''s live together just like before. Daddy is a

    bad guy."

    Ashley was rendered speechless.

    She couldn''t help but look away and cough.

    But she couldn''t let Fabio misunderstand Andrew. She had to rify it with her son.

    With a brief thought, she squatted down and looked at Fabio at eye-level. "Fabio, Daddy has never

    beaten Mommy. How could he hit me when he always treats me so kindly? These marks on mommy''s

    neck were left by mosquitoes. They have nothing to do with Daddy. I promise."

    "Really?" Fabio asked with a pout.

    Ashley nodded immediately. "Yes, of course. Has Mommy ever lied to you? They were caused by

    mosquitoes, believe me."

    Ashley smiled at her son with certainty in her eyes as she exined.

    Afraid that Fabio wouldn''t believe what she said, Ashley reached out and lifted the left ruffle sleeve of

    her dress to show another red mark that had been left by a mosquito on her arm. "It''s true. Look at my

    arm."

    She thought that Fabio wouldn''t be able to distinguish them.

    In order to convince Fabio, Ashley had to think and react very quickly. Fortunately, she had checked

    the marks on her body before she changed her clothes today.

    Fabio looked at Ashley with lingering confusion on his face and asked, "Did mosquitoes really leave

    those marks? But I didn''t find any mosquitoes when I slept next to my brotherst night."

    Ashley let out a sigh of relief and exined, "That''s because Mommy used mosquito repellent liquid in

    your room when you were sleeping. Butst night, Mommy forgot to use it in my room, so I was bitten.

    I''ll be fine in two days. You don''t have to worry about me, Fabio."

    Finally, Ashley had seeded in convincing Fabio.

    The interruption almost made Fabio forget what he was asking Ashley.

    "Mommy, let''s go downstairs to have breakfast. You have to drive Richard and me to school shortly

    after," then Fabio said.

    Ashley poked Fabio''s nose and looked at him with amusement. "I remember you didn''t want to go to

    kindergarten yesterday. Why are you so eager today?"

    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

    "Yesterday was yesterday, today is today. Let''s go, Mommy!" Fabio eximed with a smile on his face.

    "Can you be a good boy and go downstairs first? I will check if your Dad has already finished changing

    clothes. I''lle down with himter, okay? You go first and have breakfast. Then wait for me for a

    short while."

    The corners of Fabio''s mouth twitched a little. He was reluctant to do what his mother had told him. But

    since it was his mother, he only nodded his little head.

 Chapter 812 Dumbfounded

    Chapter 812 Dumbfounded

    "Good boy!" Ashley dotingly said before kissing Fabio on the cheek.

    Ashley watched her son go down the stairs before she walked back into the bedroom. Her conversation

    with Fabio hadsted long enough for Andrew to have already changed his clothes.

    But she found no one in the bedroom. Upon checking the bathroom, she found the door open from

    inside.

    Andrew, who was wearing a casual gray suit, stood in front of Ashley. With a grey T-shirt and grey

    trousers beneath the suit, the 180 cm tall man looked like a model. No one would be able to tell that he

    was already in histe thirties.

    Naturally, Ashley''s eyes lit up as she saw Andrew wearing the new clothes.

    Earlier, she had thought that he would look great in the suit. As it turned out, she was right!

    After all, thebination of his handsome face and great physique would suit any type of clothes.

    "So what do you think?"

    Andrew certainly noticed the amazement in Ashley''s eyes, but he still wanted to hear herpliment

    him out loud.

    In fact, Andrew was not used to wearing this type of clothes. On a normal basis, he would only wear his

    business suits.

    Ashley took two steps forward to help Andrew make some adjustments. Then, she stepped back a little

    and wore a smile on her face before responding, "Well, it looks great on you. It fits you perfectly."

    By that point, Ashley was determined to buy him a few more of such kind of clothes. He was just so

    stunning in her eyes that she couldn''t veer her eyes away from him.

    His wardrobe was full of nothing but suits. He had been ustomed to his business suits for so long, it

    would be great to asionally mix it up.

    Ashley nodded her head in approval.

    She walked over and gently took Andrew''s hand. "Well, let''s go downstairs to have breakfast. We still

    have to send off the two kids to school afterwards."

    "That''s sounds great."

    Ashley held Andrew''s hand while she led him to the stairs.

    It was well-known in J City that Andrew didn''t just have an important role in the Lu Group, he actually

    controlled the entire corporation. Therefore, whoever he had in his heart would also have the entire Lu

    Group in her hands.

    Although, it was a fact that people in J City had no knowledge, that the woman who had won Andrew''s

    heart was right next to him at this moment.

    When Ashley and Andrew finally came downstairs, both the kids and Chant were still waiting for them.

    The food on the table had been untouched.

    Ashley was a little embarrassed that Chant and her kids had to wait for them just to eat breakfast.

    With hasty steps, Ashley approached the dinner table and greeted Chant. "Hello Grandpa," she softly

    uttered.

    "Here you are, my girl. Come and sit down to eat," Chant stated while looking at Ashley with a smile on

    his face.

    "Hello there Grandpa.

    Let''s eat," Andrew casually stated.

    "Yes, let''s eat." Andrew looked quite calm and rxed.

    Compared to the way that Ashley greeted Chant, Andrew''s tone was far too dry.

    Therefore, in Chant''s eyes, Andrew had the lowest status in the family right now. Right at the top were

    the two kids, followed by Ashley, and then Andrew.

    Consequently, Andrew was thest one in his heart.

    But Andrew didn''t care much about it. He sat beside Ashley and filled a bowl with porridge for her.

    "I can do it myself," Ashley quickly said.

    Ashley had not forgotten that his grandpa was still by her side. Andrew''s behavior made her feel a little

    embarrassed.

    Andrew hadn''t gotten the chance to say anything when Chant opened his mouth. "Let him do it if he

    wants to."

    For a while, Ashley couldn''t find the right words to say.

    "Just eat."

    Andrew finished filling the bowl and put it in front of Ashley.

    "What about you, kids?" Ashley asked her two kids.

    "Mommy, I want some porridge."

    "Mommy, me too."

    "Okay, I will get each of you a bowl of porridge."

    Ashley said and quickly reached for the bowls beside her.

    What she hadn''t noticed was that the expression on Andrew''s face had turnedpletely gloomy.

    Chant could clearly see what was happening between them. As Andrew''s grandpa, he had never

    expected that one day he would see Andrew be irrationally jealous.

    Andrew briefly nced at Chant before immediately looking away.

    He just continued to watch as Ashley prepared a bowl of porridge for Richard.

    However, before the bowl could be given to Richard, it had been taken away half-way. It was pretty

    expected who was the one to snatch that bowl of porridge.

    Ashley quickly turned to Andrew with helplessness in her eyes.

    Andrew blinked his eyes as well and exined. "I''m hungry."

    Refuting his lie was thest thing Ashley wanted to do.

    After all, there were so many dishes on the table. If he was really hungry, he could have easily grabbed

    anything he wanted. But for some reason, this grown man only wanted to have that specific bowl.

    For Richard, it was merely a bowl of porridge so he just silently looked at them and didn''t say anything.

    However, if it had been given to Fabio, only god knew how he would react.

    Ashley massaged Richard''s shoulders, in an attempt tofort him. She then said, "Richard, Daddy is

    very hungry. Let him have that bowl of porridge first, okay? Mommy is going to fill up another bowl just

    for you."

    "Okay, Mom."

    Richard obediently nodded.

    Ashley prepared another bowl of porridge and ced it in front of Richard. Meanwhile, Fabio just

    blinked and kept his mouth shut.

    Andrew''s behavior was starting to irritate Chant. He looked at Andrew and said with disdain, "Well,

    you''re a father now. But look at what you have done! Stealing food from your son?"

    Andrew turned to Chant as well and retorted, "It find pleasure in it."

    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

    It was enough to upset Chant to the point that he started

    chocking on the congee in his mouth. If he had said this to Andrew in the past, the man would definitely

    not have paid attention to it. He would just quietly do the right thing.

    But he didn''t expect Andrew would talk back this time.

    "Great-grandpa, eat it slowly. Don''t get yourself choked."

    Richard got up from his seat and ced his little hand on Chant''s back. He started to gently pat it while

    the elder man continued to choke on his food.

    "Great-grandpa, be careful with the food." Fabio also tried tofort him.

    His great-grandsons'' caring behavior pleased him to a great extent. Now he didn''t even bother to bicker

    with Andrew anymore.

 Chapter 813 Enjoy The Present Life

    Chapter 813 Enjoy The Present Life

    "Okay, okay. Great-grandpa knows it. Thank you for your reminder. You take care as well."

    Both kids agreed at once.

    Ashley and her kids finished their breakfast in silence.

    This was the life she wanted most¡ªquiet and peaceful, where the family gathered together and shared

    meals around the table.

    Her dream had finallye true.

    At least she could get together with her family every day. It made Ashley the happiest, most fulfilled

    person in the world.

    However, once in a while, the thought of her biological parents still came to her and she would

    sometimes feel bad about it.

    She did not know how they lost her. Nor was she sure whether or not they abandoned her deliberately.

    Ashley hoped in her heart that the former one was the truth.

    She wanted to believe that she was lost rather than abandoned.

    Noticing that Ashley had fallen into a bad mood, Andrew squeezed her hand tofort her.

    Andrew''s warm hand made her snap back to reality. As she looked at Andrew and her two children, a

    bright smile reced the gloom on her face.

    "I''m fine."

    Ashley had been persistent in looking for her family in the past.

    But now, she was content with her present life which she loved and enjoyed.

    After breakfast, Ashley and Andrew took the kids to school.

    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

    It was the first day of September when the new semester began. Apparently, each school would

    be a sea of excited children.

    Richard was in fifth grade, so Ashley nned to take him to his school first. She could take Fabio to

    kindergarten school at any time.

    "Great-grandpa, won''t youe with us?" Fabio asked as they were about to set off.

    "Great-grandpa prefers to stay at home. I''m already too old to do those things."

    "No, you''re not. You''re still young," Fabio retorted.

    Thatment really ted Chant.

    He really loved his honey-lipped great grandson.

    Chant was in his early seventies. Ever since Andrew took over the Lu Group, he had enjoyed a healthy,

    carefree life.

    It could even be said that Chant had been living a Buddha-like life.

    Perhaps it was because of Chant''s good mindset toward his health that his age of over seventy years

    did not show any signs of serious issues. He was as hale and hearty as ever.

    "Okay, you have to go now. Great-grandpa will be here when you get back."

    "Okay."

    Ashley, Andrew, and the kids then got into the car and left.

    The car stopped at the gate of a primary school. Thankfully, it did not draw much attention this time.

    Ashley did not want to be too ostentatious. Nowadays, children tended to quickly learn topare

    what they had, with their peers. Ashley did not want to sow any seeds of unrealistic expectations and

    standards in Richard''s young heart, nor did she want her son to grow upparing himself to others

    and to foster arrogance in his mind.

    That was why she chose a low-profile car to drive the kids to school.

    Josef was their driver while Ashley and her family sat in the back. The car was big enough to

    amodate the four of them easily.

    "Okay, here we are. Let''s go see Richard''s new school." Ashley beckoned them out of the car.

    As expected, the school was crowded with parents and students on the first day of the new semester.

    Small groups of students huddled everywhere, chatting with each other about what they had done

    during the summer vacation.

    Heartyughter rang in every corner of the school every now and then.

    The campus was indeed a ce full of vibrant, youthful energy. Even Ashley could not help being

    touched by the carefree mood of the students.

    The friendships forged here were the most innocent and even longsting.

    No student would approach you for any other interests besides making friends.

    Everyone became good friends without even trying. They just sat together, their eyes met, and then

    they exchanged a few words before arranging their seats. Ashley liked this sort of pure friendship.

    As soon as Ashley got out the car, she reached out her left hand to Richard while her right hand held

    Fabio''s.

    Fabio was quick enough to grab his mother''s hand.

    However, before Ashley could reach Richard''s hand, a big, callused hand appeared and held hers.

    She only needed a mere touch to know who it belonged to.

    She did not know what to say the next moment. She was supposed to apany Richard for his

    school registration.

    Was it really appropriate to leave Richard by himself?

    Ashley struggled to break free from the big hand, but the grip was too tight

    Ashley moved close to Andrew and whispered in his ear, "Let go of my hand. Do you think it''s good to

    leave Richard alone? I''m supposed to be with him today."

    She cast an angry look at Andrew.

    She saw some dissatisfaction in his eyes.

    She would have to leave Andrew alone if she went to apany Richard.

    "Be a good man. After all, we are sending our Richard to school today."

    Andrew did not say anything. He just gave in and let go of Ashley''s hand.

    Ashley did not have to observe his face to know how intive he was now.

    They were a family of four. The mother held the two children''s hands while the father walked behind

    them. As an adorable sight, they had attracted quite the attention of the people.

    "Wow, look at the kid over there, he is so cute, and his mother is so beautiful."

    "I want to make friends with him."

    "They look so happy."

    Some people along the halls could not help looking at Ashley and her family. They smiled at them as a

    way of greeting them.

    The head teacher''s office was on the second floor of the farthest eastern building. They had to go to

    the head teacher''s office to sign up and then Richard coulde to school tomorrow.

    The office was a chaotic sea of parents and students, hustling and bustling.

    Before Ashley entered the office, she turned to look at Andrew to check if he was okay with the

    situation. This was exactly what Andrew hated most.

    Ashley felt sorry for him. She walked to his side and said, "How about you wait for us outside? We''ll

    leave as soon as Richard''s registration is done."

    Andrew gazed at Ashley without saying a word.

    His eyes were full of reluctance.

 Chapter 814 Registering Richard

    Chapter 814 Registering Richard

    Ashley looked around and found that most parents were watching their children or checking their

    surroundings.

    ''No one will pay attention to two insignificant strangers, '' she told herself.

    With this thought, she gazed at Andrew''s handsome face and gave him a kiss.

    Her face blushed a vivid crimson. Obviously, she was embarrassed to do that in public.

    But Ashley felt that she had the guts to things like that now.

    She had just kissed Andrew in public!

    Quickly, she buried her face in her palms.

    That kiss worked. Andrew just stood outside in the corridor. He pursed his lips without saying a word.

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Only Andrew himself knew that he was lost in the aftertaste.

    As for the content of the aftertaste, only Andrew knew.

    "Will youe along with us or stay with your dad?"

    Ashley asked Fabio.

    "I want to go with you, Mommy."

    Of course he would choose to go with his mommy.

    "All right."

    Ashley then took Richard''s and Fabio''s hands and walked to the fifth grade head teacher''s office.

    She easily found the head teacher of each grade since their names were disyed on their desks.

    The fifth grade head teacher was still young, about 27 or 28 years old. Seated in his chair with a pair of

    sses, he looked quite respectable and elegant.

    Ashley nced at the teacher whose full name was Joffrey Lin.

    "Hello, Mr. Lin. I''m Ashley Lu. I talked to you over the phone. This is my son, Richard. I''m here to sign

    him up."

    Joffrey raised his head and saw Ashley''s smiling face. His was dazzled by her smile.

    He had met all kinds of parents, but Ashley was, by far, the most gentle and most beautiful one.

    Realizing what he was mulling in his mind, Joffrey felt a little embarrassed.

    Casting away his frivolous thoughts, he stood up and greeted Ashley politely. "Nice to meet you, Mrs.

    Lu."

    He then looked at Richard and smiled. "I''m guessing this is Richard, correct? Such a lovely boy," he

    said.

    "Thank you," Ashley replied.

    "Richard, this is Mr. Lin. He''s going to be your head teacher."

    Richard bowed and greeted, "Hello, Mr. Lin. Nice to meet you."

    "Hello."

    It was Ashley''s first time to take a kid to sign up.

    She had so many questions for Joffrey.

    "Well, the procedure is very simple. You just pay the tuition fee and go to the assigned ssroom to get

    his textbooks. sses will start tomorrow," Joffrey exined. He then asked, "May I have a quick chat

    with Richardter?"

    "Sure, no problem," Ashley answered.

    "Thank you."

    Seeing that Ashley brought Richard here by herself, Joffrey was a little confused and asked, "Where is

    Richard''s father?"

    "Oh, he''s not feeling well. He''s waiting for us outside," Ashley exined.

    "Hmm," Joffrey gave a nod and replied.

    Ashley nned to take Fabio to kindergarten school today as well. However, Richard still needed to

    stay and wait for his textbooks to be avable. Also, Joffrey wanted to have some time to talk to

    him. Ashley was afraid she would not make it to Fabio''s kindergarten school.

    In a moment, her face stiffened.

    Just then, Joffrey raised his head and saw the anxiety on Ashley''s face. "Is there anything wrong?" he

    asked.

    "Oh, nothing. It''s just that I need to drive my little son to kindergarten school today as well," Ashley

    replied.

    Joffrey''s eyes moved to Richard and then to Fabio. He immediately understood the predicament Ashley

    was in.

    "You know what, you can go take your son to kindergarten now. I can receive Richard''s textbooks on

    his behalf. I''ll give them to him when hees in tomorrow. If you still have something to deal with, it''s

    okay for you to go."

    "But didn''t you say you wanted to have a little chat with Richard?" Ashley asked.

    "Don''t worry. It''s just some words of little importance. I can talk to him about it tomorrow."

    "Oh, that''s great. Thank you so much for understanding. We''re leaving now."

    "All right."

    "Goodbye, Mr. Lin."

    Richard bid farewell to his teacher.

    "Bye."

    Joffrey watched as Ashley walked out of the office. He also saw a tall man standing outside for Ashley.

    He looked aggressive and dangerous.

    Joffrey withdrew his eyes and shook his head. She already had a husband and two children. What was

    he thinking?

    Ashley walked out of the office and was about to say hello to Andrew.

    However, she saw a woman walking towards Andrew who was in her twenties and wearing a pink

    dress and a pair of ck high-heeled shoes. Her hair was dyed blonde, wavy, and hanging loosely past

    her shoulders.

    Ashley had never seen the woman before, but she looked very sexy and attractive even from afar.

    Ashley arched her eyebrows and walked slowly to Andrew, their two kids in tow.

    "Hello, sir. Are you a new teacher here?"

    The woman flipped her hair and shed Andrew a flirty smile, which she thought was most charming.

    Ashley stared at Andrew and kept walking toward him.

    The woman''s voice was as soft as water.

    Taking a brief nce at the woman, Andrew stepped back with no expression on his face.

    The woman''s eyes lit up at his indifference, which she thought as a sign of coldness and indifference.

    ''His love must be overbearing if he falls in love with someone, '' she thought.

    Competitiveness filled the woman''s heart. She was determined to win Andrew over.

    The woman had been watching Andrew for a long time. Seeing that he was alone and standing by the

    door of the office, she thought he was a new teacher.

    After all, what Andrew was wearing did not exactly look like that of someone''s father.

    Although Andrew did not say a word to her, she was not discouraged. Men like him always had a

    temper.

    Not every woman could get close to men like him. The woman found it a good thing. At least it could

    mean that Andrew did not have a girlfriend.

    "I''m a Chinese teacher in this school for first-grade students. How about you?" Her voice was soft

    enough to melt a man''s heart.

    Andrew noticed someone behind her and his expression suddenly became very gentle.

    The woman was stunned to see the change in Andrew''s facial expression but did not snap back to her

    senses.

 Chapter 815 Register For Fabio

    Chapter 815 Register For Fabio

    That was because Andrew didn''t even bother to look at her face when she tried hard to capture his

    attention. All his attention seemed to be focused on the lush trees and nts outside.

    Since Andrew turned around to nce in her direction, she thought she had sessfully won his

    attention.

    That made the woman more excited. She smoothed her hair and shed Andrew a ridiculously happy

    smile.

    "Are you done?"

    What?

    The woman looked up at Andrew, confused.

    Soon, the look on the woman''s face changed.

    She realized that Andrew was not talking to her.

    But then... To whom?

    A sweet and gentle female voice called from behind as Andrew''s question faded into thin air.

    "Well, let''s go then."

    Ashley walked toward Andrew and took a quick nce at the woman as she passed by her.

    Well, she was not as beautiful as Ashley.

    Her figure was definitely worse.

    Ashley was confident that Andrew would never pay attention to such a woman.

    She felt relieved.

    However, Ashley still curved her lips and looked at the woman who was trying to ost Andrew. "Hi.

    Who are you?" Ashley asked. "Can you please step aside? You are in my husband''s way."

    Although wearing a bright smile on her face, what she said embarrassed the woman deeply.

    Husband?

    The woman''s eyes switched between Ashley and Andrew.

    Atst her eyes rested upon the two kids held by Ashley.

    Fabio blinked his big eyes and suddenly let go of Ashley''s hand. He ran to Andrew and said, "Daddy,

    let''s go."

    Andrew''s irritation had almost reached his limit that he was going to throw this annoying woman out

    when Ashley came back just in time.

    What''s more, Ashley''s calling him as husband before the assuming woman made Andrew wild with joy

    inside.

    With a nce at the woman beside him, Andrew turned to Ashley and exined, "I don''t know who she

    is, honey. She just came over and introduced herself to me. She kept talking to me while I was waiting

    for you here."

    Standing beside his father, Fabio was just a chip off the old block. Andrew and Fabio blinked at Ashley.

    "Okay. Let''s just go." Ashley smiled and started leading her family away.

    "Do you like my daddy? My daddy already has my mommy. What''s more, he looks like he''s not

    interested in you," Fabio suddenly told the woman. His crisp voice registered as clearly as daylight to

    Ashley''s ears.

    Fabio did not speak loudly, but many people still heard what he said.

    Curiosity was just natural for people, and where there was gossip, there was attention. Fabio''s words

    sessfully drew the attention of the other parents around them.

    They turned around and waited for what was going to happen next.

    Andrew was very eye catching when he was standing there. Everyone had already taken a nce at

    him.

    They thought that the woman was Andrew''s girlfriend.

    They were wrong.

    Being surrounded by so many people, the woman instinctively felt that they were making remarks

    about her even though nobody said anything.

    Embarrassed, the woman red at Fabio and yelled, "Shut up!"

    "Mommy, Daddy, the olddy just screamed at me," Fabio said.

    The expression on the woman''s face froze.

    Olddy?

    She was only in her twenties, and she looked so young. How could this little kid call her an olddy?

    She tried to say something, but the people around made her leave.

    There were so many people watching. If she continued to stay, everyone would know that a teacher in

    this school had tried to seduce another woman''s husband.

    It was not until Ashley and her family got into the car that Ashley gently pinched Fabio''s nose and

    praised him, "You''re such a clever boy."

    Fabio threw his little head back and said, "She wanted to take my daddy from my mommy. Such an

    overconfident woman!"

    Josef got into the car and looked at the family of four sitting in the backseat. He couldn''t believe that

    the CEO had kids now.

    And the kids were old enough to go to school.

    Josef could still remember how devastated Andrew was when Ashley left J City. But now, Ashley was

    back, and Andrew was as happy as before.

    The car stopped in front of a kindergarten school. Ashley had researched a lot before she finally chose

    this kindergarten for Fabio.

    Every parent hoped that their child could learn something from a responsible teacher.

    "All right, Fabio, let''s go."

    Ashley got out of the car first and then asked Fabio toe down.

    Fabio was curious and jumped out of the car. Outside was an iron gate and beyond were many children

    ying. The yground was covered in soft grass.

    Kids always liked to hop and bounce around, so the grass in the kindergarten yground was very

    soft. Even if kids fell on it, they would not get hurt.

    Fabio was also obedient and everything went smoothly.

    There were many children in the kindergarten school, all of whom were around three, four, or five years

    old.

    They were all ying games as Fabio appeared. Soon, they followed him with curious stares.

    Adorable as they were, their curious, blinking eyes made them even more so.

    As always, Ashley''s heart almost melted.

    The registration procedure in the kindergarten school was easier. Ashley paid for the tuition fee and

    chatted with Fabio''s teacher.

    But it seemed that Fabio''s interest was more into the kids ying everywhere.

    The teacher noticed Fabio''s expression. She smiled and said, "Fabio, do you want to y with them?"

    "May I?"

    The teacher smiled and answered, "Of course."

    The teacher stretched out her fair hands to him.

    "How about I take you to them now? Would you like that?"

    Fabio looked at the teacher''s hand and then looked at Ashley.

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Ashley gave a bright smile to him and answered, "Go y if you''d like. Mommy will be here."

    Then Fabio went to y, at ease with Ashley''s permission.

    This was different from what Fabio had thought. So many children were ying games together. Their

    laughter, innocence, and happiness were totally above and beyond Fabio''s

    expectation.

 Chapter 816 The Loveliest Child

    Chapter 816 The Loveliest Child

    The teacher called Fabio to the front of the ss and introduced him to the other children. She stood

    and watched as Fabio immediately befriended the rest of the ss.

    She watched over the children for some time before getting back to Ashley. "Fabio is getting along with

    the other children really well," the teacher happily reported to Ashley.

    Ashley watched Fabio y with his ssmates through a window. The boy seemed to enjoy his time

    with the ss a lot.

    The teacher looked towards the same direction as Ashley. After some time, Ashley smiled and said,

    "He''s such a good boy. I can already see that he likes being in ss with the other children."

    "I just met him today, but he is one of the best kids I have ever seen. Usually, new kids cry and make a

    scene during their first day in school. Time and time again, those children prove to be difficult to handle!

    It really takes time and patience for them to feelfortable," the teacher said.

    "These kids are so used to having their parents near them for many years. I do understand why they

    would react that way towards a whole new environment. But they get more and morefortable

    through time, right?" Ashley said politely.

    The teacher nodded and said, "Yes, that''s right!

    Everyone seems quite obedient...

    How old is Fabio?"

    "Four and a half years old."

    "Is this his first time in kindergarten?"

    "Yes, he actually did not want toe today. Fabio has an older brother, who would teach him from

    time to time. Seeing that, I didn''t feel the need to urge Fabio to attend kindergarten."

    "It is actually beneficial for a child to attend kindergarten for some time. That way, he will be able to

    socialize with children of his age. Knowing how to make friends is essential in theing stages of a

    child''s life," the teacher replied.

    Ashley nodded and answered, "Yes, we do believe that. That''s actually why we decided to bring him

    here."

    Richard stood idly beside Ashley, and so did Andrew. Neither of the two spoke.

    The teacher looked at Richard and asked Ashley rather curiously, "Is this Fabio''s older brother, the one

    you were talking about?"

    Ashley looked at Richard. She smiled and replied, "Yes, he is."

    "You have a very beautiful family!"

    "Thank you, teacher."

    After some time, Ashley began to feel a bit tired of standing up. She decided to sit on a chair nearby, as

    she continued to watch Fabio mingle with the other kids in ss.

    Seeing how silent Richard was, Ashley stroked his head and said, "Don''t you want to go and y with

    your brother?"

    Richard intently shook his head and said, "No. I''d rather stay here with you, Mommy."

    In reality, Richard didn''t want to y those games anymore. To him, they were games, appropriate for

    toddlers only.

    Ashley looked at Richard, who sat quietly and said nothing. She then looked at Andrew, who sat next to

    Richard and was also rather silent. She raised her eyebrows and thought, ''They are like two peas in a

    pod...''

    Andrew sat there quietly. Ashley knew that her husband would remain silent as long as nobody talked

    to him. The same was true for Richard.

    She found the boy''s demeanor somewhat peculiar. ''I wonder how Richard matched Andrew''s

    personality, '' Ashley thought.

    She had raised Richard from the moment she met him. ''He had always been this reserved. But it is

    strange how he acts like Andrew, ''

    Ashley pondered further.

    Ashley wanted to spend her day-off with her children so she was happy to sign them up for school

    today. Her heart began to melt as she saw how happily Fabio yed with the other children.

    After all, this would be Fabio''s school for more than a year.

    Suddenly, Fabio approached Ashley. The boy had stopped ying with the other children. He said,

    "Mommy, I don''t want to y anymore. Let''s go home."

    Ashley pulled Fabio into her arms. She wiped the sweat off her child''s forehead and asked, "Why do

    you want to go home now? Are you not having fun?"

    Fabio pursed his lips and said, "It was fun at first, but things got boring after a while. I want to go home

    and y there instead."

    Ashley didn''t know whether to cry orugh at Fabio''s decision. ''It turns out that a child''s interest only

    lasts for 3 minutes.

    Would he be able to keeping here for more than a year? Especially now that he had lost his

    interest in it.''

    "You''ll being here every day, starting tomorrow. You must listen to your teacher and behave well.

    You''ll be here except for weekends. Do you understand?"

    Ashley said helplessly as she looked at Fabio''s little face.

    Fabio nodded his little head and said, "Okay, Mommy. I understand. But can we leave now?"

    "Okay, let''s go." Ashley was amused by the funny look on Fabio''s face.

    The boy was already excited to get back home.

    Ashley said goodbye to the teacher and took the kids home, with Andrew still reluctantly tagging along.

    They still had a lot of time to spare. After the kids were enrolled, it was only ten o''clock.

    Suddenly, a delightful idea sprang into Ashley mind. She decided that the rest of the day would be

    spent on fun activities for the boys. ''Might as well grab this time for the family. Andrew and I can return

    to work tomorrow. The boys, on the other hand, will have to go to school, '' she thought.

    "How about we go to the amusement park today? What do you think, kids?" Ashley suggested

    gleefully. Ashley smiled and stared at the kids, waiting for their response.

    Fabio blinked his eyes and quickly answered, "Yes! I''d love that!"

    "How about you, Richard? Do you want to go to the amusement park?" she urged.

    Richard nodded and said, "Yes, Mommy. I want to go."

    "Okay, let''s head to the amusement park then," Ashley said as she smiled from ear to ear.

    "Honey, you agree, right?"

    Ashley didn''t forget to ask Andrew. She immediately turned to the man, still with a huge smile.

    Andrew was rather speechless.

    He looked directly unto Ashley. There was no way he would ruin his wife''s good mood.

    "Yes,"

    Andrew said rather tly.

    Having Andrew in agreement with her n, Ashley chuckled to herself.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Ashley secretly intertwined her fingers with Andrew''s, in a way that the kids would not notice.

    Andrew''s hand looked gigantic next to Ashley''s.

    Ashley leaned on Andrew''s shoulder and looked over the kids.

    Ashley closed her eyes. A smile slowly formed on her lips. Everything felt perfect.

    They were headed to a veryrge amusement park, where there were all sorts of rides, attractions,

    shows and food!

    The family immediately got out of the car as soon as they were parked. Fabio was evidently excited.

    The boys rushed towards the entrance.

    "Fabio, wait for your father and hold his hand,"

    Ashley called out after Fabio.

    "I want to hold your hand, Mommy," the boy replied.

    "Listen to me. There are lots of people here. Some stranger might try to take you."

    As soon Ashley said those words, Fabio stopped insisting and reluctantly walked to Andrew to hold his

    hand.

 Chapter 817 The Family Of Four

    Chapter 817 The Family Of Four

    The family of four entered the amusement park hand in hand.

    They looked happy, harmonious, and enviable.

    After making sure that Fabio was secure in Andrew''s hand, Ashley turned to Richard and said,

    "Richard, you have to keep holding my hand and follow me when we get inside, okay?"

    "Okay Mommy," Richard replied.

    Schools would be opening the next day. That was probably the reason why there were so many people

    in the amusement park today.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Ashley held Richard''s hand with one hand and Andrew''s with the other.

    Josef took out his phone to take a picture of them. He then sent the photo to Johnny.

    Since Andrew did not show up at the office today, Johnny was so busy that he did not have a free

    second.

    Because of this, Johnny strongly felt that he needed a raise.

    "Mommy, I want to get on that ride!" As soon as they entered the amusement park, Fabio started

    pointing at everything he wanted ride.

    Fabio looked at the person whose hand he was holding and realized that it was his father.

    Andrew looked in the direction where Fabio pointed.

    It was a merry-go-round. It was one of the children''s favorite rides in the amusement park. Although

    Fabio was more clever than other children, he was still, after all, a child.

    It was to be expected that he would like to ride the merry-go-round.

    Andrew just took a nce at the ride and then looked away. He said lightly, "It''s childish. Do you still

    want to ride something so shallow?"

    The merry-go-round had always been Fabio''s favorite. Ashley used to ride it with him when she took

    them to the amusement park before.

    When Fabio heard Andrew''s response, he felt a little unhappy.

    How could it be childish? Why couldn''t he be childish?

    "Why is it childish?"

    Ashley asked. She was standing right next to Andrew, and she heard what Andrew just said.

    She rolled her eyes at him and said, "If Fabio wants to go, just let him. It''s no big deal. We came here

    today to spend quality time with our kids."

    Andrew pursed his lips and did not utter another word.

    "All right. You sit with Fabio, and I''ll sit with Richard."

    Ashley urged Andrew to buy the tickets.

    Although Andrew was unwilling, he had to buy the tickets as Ashley said.

    Andrew went to the back of the line to the ticket counter. Seeing that many people turned to look at

    him, he frowned impatiently.

    He did not know exactly what annoyed him, but he controlled himself and stayed in line.

    When it was Andrew''s turn, the staff asked him something and handed him two printed tickets.

    Andrew mindlessly took out his card and handed it to the staff. The staff looked at him with wide eyes

    and said, "Sir, we don''t ept bank cards here."

    It was a small business. Customers either used cash or WeChat to pay for things. Bank cards and

    credit cards were not epted here.

    Ashley, who was standing behind Andrew, touched her forehead helplessly. Why did she ask Andrew to

    buy the tickets?

    He had never done such things. He probably had never been to an amusement park before.

    Ashley took a step forward and said, "I''m sorry. Let me pay for them. How much are the tickets?"

    After paying for them, they came out with two tickets.

    "I was being careless. I knew that you didn''t bring any cash with you, but I still asked you to buy the

    tickets. Next time, I will get them myself. You can stay with the kids and look after them,"

    Ashley said as they squeezed through the crowd.

    Andrew pursed his lips. He looked like he was about to say something but decided against it.

    "I can book the whole ce if you want,"

    Andrew said after being silent for a long while.

    As he said this, he took out his phone to call someone to make the arrangements.

    "What did you say?" Ashley was not sure how to feel.

    Andrew wrinkled his brows irritably and said, "There are too many people here. It''s better to book the

    whole ce and kick everybody out."

    That way, they could have the entire ce to themselves. Richard and Fabio could ride anything they

    wanted without having to wait in line. Was that not good?

    This was what the world should be for Andrew. He did not like to have too much contact with people.

    He usually would note to a jam-packed ce like this, but if he had to, he could book the whole

    ce. He had never beenfortable wading through a sea of people.

    Ashley put her hand on her forehead and looked at Andrew. She said, "I don''t think that''s a good idea.

    This is an amusement park. Of course there will be other people in it. It''s better that way. If you clear it,

    there will only be the four of us left. It won''t be fun then."

    Ashley knew that Andrew did not like crowds, so it was really big and considerate of him toe here

    with them today.

    Ashley understood Andrew''s sentiments.

    She looked at him and wondered if she had forced him to do something he did not want to do.

    Andrew did not like being surrounded by so many people. He never appreciated the mixed smells in

    ces like this. He had always found it unpleasant.

    "How about you wait for us outside, maybe in the car?" Ashley suggested.

    "No. I''lle with you,"

    Andrew decided without hesitation.

    He did not want to wait for them outside.

    He wanted to be with his family.

    In the end, Andrew chose to go around the amusement park with Ashley and the kids. He did not

    mention clearing the whole ce again.

    Ashley stayed close to Andrew and checked on him from time to time to make sure nobody touched

    him.

    By afternoon, they had spent enough quality time together. Ashley and the kids had a great time in the

    amusement park. They yed almost all the games and tried out all the rides. The kids were very

    happy even though they were sweating all over.

    Even Richard, who had always been quiet, could not help smiling. He followed Ashley around

    obediently all day.

    When they were about to go home, Fabio looked at the haunted house attraction near the exit as they

    passed by and tugged on Ashley''s sleeve.

    "Mommy, we haven''t been to that ce yet. Why don''t we go have a look?"

    Fabio looked at his mother curiously.

    Ashley was afraid of ghosts.

    That was why she always skipped the haunted house whenever she brought the kids to the

    amusement park.

    However, Fabio wanted to go in and have a look today.

    Ashley looked at Andrew. She found him staring at her, too. There was no emotion in his dark eyes.

    However, Andrew remembered thest time he went to see a movie with Ashley. It was a horror movie,

    and Ashley was afraid to look at the screen the entire time.

    She hid behind Andrew''s arm for most of the movie like a scared little puppy.

 Chapter 818 Fear

    Chapter 818 Fear

    When they could finally get out of the cinema, Ashley''s legs were still so weak that she couldn''t help

    but lean against Andrew.

    Only with his help could Ashley walk out of the ce. Otherwise, she might still be sitting inside

    helplessly.

    Andrew knew that Ashley was afraid of ghosts, but he chose not to mention it now.

    He could still vividly remember Ashley''s facial expression when they were watching the horror movie

    last time. He actually wanted to see it again but he was sure that she would never show it to him at will.

    At that point, Ashley waspletely dependent on him for walking.

    Andrew couldn''t help but look at Fabio with approval in his eyes. It seemed like the child was indeed

    useful to him.

    Although Andrewpeted with Fabio for his wife''s attention from time to time, the kid could

    sometimes be of great help to him.

    For Fabio''s assistance today, Andrew thought of being kind to himter on.

    "Mommy, let''s go inside, okay?" Fabio pulled Ashley''s sleeve.

    At that moment, they were standing just outside the haunted house. They were very close to it that

    Ashley could already hear the spooky sound effects inside. There were even screams from various

    people who sounded so terrified.

    But she wasn''t inside yet, so Ashley wasn''t that scared. However, after a few brief moments, she heard

    some more screams and it instantly sent chills down her spine.

    Then, her legs started to feel even weaker than before.

    Nheless, Ashley tried to hide what she was feeling. She pretended to look at the time and

    awkwardly said to Fabio, "It''s gettingte now. Let''s go home. We can check out the haunted house

    next time, okay?"

    After saying that, Ashley couldn''t help but look at Andrew. The two children were quite afraid of him. If

    he were to even say a word, the two boys would give up the idea of going inside that horrible house.

    Moreover, when Fabio said that he wanted to have a look in the haunted house, Richard didn''t say

    anything. But the boy looked at her so she immediately knew that he had the same idea as Fabio. It

    was very easy for Ashley to notice their mannerisms.

    In fact, Ashley was feeling a great sense of regret. If she had known that things would go this way, they

    could have just taken the other exit and left the amusement park. Then, she wouldn''t be in such a

    dilemma.

    However, Andrew, who had always given Ashley what she wanted, didn''t seem to be affected by her

    pleading eyes at all. When he met Ashley''s gaze, he looked away instead.

    This time, he didn''t help Ashley in trying to dissuade the boys.

    So naturally, Ashley looked at Andrew more pointedly than earlier.

    In the midst of it all, Fabio who was next to Ashley continued to look at her with pleading eyes. It

    seemed like he really wanted to go inside and y.

    If Fabio were acting unreasonable and wanted to go inside regardless of what others thought, then

    Ashley would have easily refused under any circumstances.

    However, even at his age, Fabio was trying to get Ashley''s approval in a very polite manner. He simply

    expressed his desire to have a look at the haunted house.

    So Ashley didn''t have the heart to refuse him.

    After thinking about it for a while, Ashley finally said, "Let Daddy go with you to have a look, will that be

    okay? I''m a little tired. I''ll wait for you here, outside."

    There was no way in hell that Ashley was going inside that house.

    No matter what happened, even if someone was to threaten to kill her, Ashley would still refuse to go

    inside.

    Shifting his gaze from Ashley and Andrew, Fabio nodded and said, "Okay."

    Andrew, who had been silent all this time, looked at Ashley and said, "Let''s all go inside."

    And that suggestion changed Ashley''s supposed perfect n.

    Although Fabio and Richard didn''t say anything, both of them looked at Ashley right away.

    She didn''t have to think about the meaning behind those eyes.

    By that point, Ashley was rendered speechless.

    She gave Andrew a stern look. She knew exactly what the man was thinking.

    She simply didn''t believe that Andrew had no idea that she was afraid of everything found inside that

    house.

    Why did he have to do this to her?

    She was so enraged but she couldn''t say anything in front of the kids.

    "Yes, Mommy,e with us,"

    Fabio and Richard said together.

    The smile on Ashley''s face froze.

    No, she couldn''t go.

    She didn''t want to go. She wouldn''t go. She would have to die first and be like the ghosts inside.

    "Come on, let''s go."

    Andrew approached Ashley then held her hand. With the two boys, they went on to the ticket counter.

    The two members of the staff at the ticket booth couldn''t help but feel some warmth in their hearts

    when they saw the two lovely childrening to get the tickets.

    ''Ah, how lovely they are.

    Especially the little one. He is so cute.'' one of the staff silently thought.

    The staff in the ticket booth were youngdies in their twenties. Upon seeing the boys approach them,

    one gave the boys a few reminders for safety. After one of the staff gave the tickets to them, she

    couldn''t help but ask, "Hey little one, are you two going inside by yourselves?

    It''s a bit scary inside. If you don''t have anyone with you, please don''t go. You might be scared too

    much."

    "No, we''re not alone. Mommy and Daddy will go inside with us. Thank you for your concern," Fabio

    answered, putting on a sweet smile.

    The hearts of the two girls melted instantly.

    They decided to tell the actors inside the haunted house to tone down their jump scares and other

    terrifying movements, in case they scare the hell out of the two little kids.

    As a matter of fact, the two kids were not even afraid by any of the "ghosts" inside. Instead, it was their

    mother Ashley who was awfully terrified even before she could see them.

    When Andrew held her hand, Ashley immediately wanted to swat it away.

    But thinking of what was still toe, she didn''t do that. Instead, she even tightened her grip on

    Andrew''s hand, as if it would make her feel safer.

    Noticing Ashley''s reaction, Andrew giggled softly.

    He really liked this side of Ashley very much.

    She was so cute.

    However, Ashley still heard Andrew''sugh so she red at him.

    ''What''s so funny?''

    Noticing the intent re at him, Andrew stated, "Hey, I''m notughing anymore."

    After some time, Andrew realized that Ashley was still looking at him. He became afraid that he might

    have overdone it and made her upset. So hepletely stoppedughing and wore an indifferent

    expression on his face.

    However, the corner of his mouth slightly curled up.

    "Daddy, Mommy,e on! Richard and I have already bought the tickets," Fabio called them from the

    entrance of the haunted house.

    Ashley responded with a meek smile.

    She wanted to go in, but soon realized that her legs were too weak to even move.

    Ashley grabbed Andrew''s sleeve and looked at him pitifully.

    Suddenly, Andrew''s heart melted like butter. But somehow he still found it in him to tease her.

    "What''s wrong? You can''t walk?"

    Ashley was rendered speechless. She pursed her lips and thought, ''What a load of crap! Didn''t he

    know that I would go limp at the mere sight of the haunted house?''Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

 Chapter 819 Comfort In His Arms

    Chapter 819 Comfort In His Arms

    Because of Andrew''s teasing, Ashley averted her gaze.

    Noticing that, Andrew said, "Let me carry you in my arms."

    True to his words, Andrew leaned forward and lifted Ashley in his arms like she was a princess.

    Subconsciously, Ashley grabbed Andrew''s cor to keep her bnce.

    A lot of people were still in the amusement park even though it was already between five and six

    o''clock, close to evening.

    Surrounded by the overwhelming sight, Ashley could clearly hear other people''s voices.

    It made her feel embarrassed so she buried her face in Andrew''s chest.

    It was one of the most humiliating moments of her life.

    But Andrew didn''t care. With a smile on his face, he just held Ashley as they entered the haunted

    house.

    Soon enough, Richard and Fabio noticed this. They approached Andrew and asked with extreme

    concern, "Dad, what''s wrong with Mommy? Is she not feeling well?"

    Andrew answered briefly, "She''s fine. She''s just a little tired. Let''s go."

    The two kids had nned to explore the haunted house while holding their mother''s hands. But now,

    they had to walk in front of their parents as their wish fell through.

    Since Ashley was not feeling well, they couldn''t make any trouble for her.

    Ahead of them was a very dark corridor where varied lights in deathly colors were slowly flickering,

    apanied by numerous frightening sounds.

    Naturally, Ashley heard the dreary cries and screams. As a person who was easily scared, those

    spooky sounds only sent chills down her spine. It made her bury her head in Andrew''s chest even

    more. At the same time, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck desperate for some sense of

    security.

    Fear had taken over her.

    Looking at Ashley who waspletely relying on him, Andrew smiled without saying anything. But it

    was easy to see that he was in such a good mood right then.

    Meanwhile, it was totally apparent that Richard and Fabio were not afraid of the haunted house at all.

    They walked ahead and even began discussing the things around them.

    Apart from their little family, there were also a lot of other visitors inside.

    Most of them were couples or close friends. Some of them were families of four just like them.

    Suddenly, a shriek came from somewhere in the house.

    Ashley couldn''t be any more horrified to hear a girl''s panic-stricken scream.

    "He-he-he''s touching me!

    Aaaaarrgh!"

    "Someone just grabbed my foot!"

    "Get me out of here!"

    "Heeeeelp!!"

    Screams from various women did not stop echoing inside the haunted house. Every girl who entered

    was aware of what they could expect, but in the end, their curiosity always prevailed. So some girls

    ended up screaming their hearts out or throwing themselves into other people''s arms.

    Meanwhile, Ashley just continued burying her head in Andrew''s chest without saying anything or even

    looking at those horrific things in front of them.

    She was really scared to death, and was almost about to pass out.

    However, she suddenly realized that amidst the screams and shrieks, she couldn''t hear Fabio or

    Richard''s voice. Immediately, she nudged Andrew and asked, "Where are the two kids? Watch them

    carefully. Don''t let them go too far."

    It was she who was shuddering with fear, but she even had the mind to think about the situation of her

    kids. Truly, a mother''s love could prevail through everything else.

    Andrew was a little confused because of Ashley''s behavior. He thought that she would be more

    concerned about herself at that moment.

    But still, he did what Ashley told him to do and looked towards where Richard and Fabio were.

    Then, the corners of his mouth twitched a little.

    The two kids were just enjoying their journey while walking ahead of them hand in hand.

    From time to time, they got interested in the objects nearby and reached out their tiny hands to touch

    them. They even made fun of the girls who were screaming so loud.

    Truth be told, the two kids weren''t scared at all. ''Do you really think they''re afraid of ghosts like you?''

    Andrew quietly asked himself. If he spoke it out loud, he knew that it would make Ashley upset.

    "How are they? How are the kids?" Ashley couldn''t help but ask since she had not heard Andrew''s

    voice for a while.

    "They''re fine. They''re just walking in front of us and enjoying this ce. Would you like to see it for

    yourself?"

    "Forget it." In fact, Ashley really wanted to see how the two kids were doing. But considering where

    they were at the moment, she just gave up on the idea.

    She was afraid that something would jump in front of her before she could take a peek at her kids.

    After that, everything went well until Ashley felt a pair of cold hands touching her forearm.

    Within seconds, it was Ashley''s turn to scream her heart out.

    "Aaaaahhhh!! Don''t! Please!! Let go of me!"

    For the longest time, Ashley had stayed in thefort of Andrew''s arms. Although she could only hear

    the terrifying sounds around them, she didn''t see anything. It made the experience a bit more bearable

    for her.

    So when a cold hand touched her arm, she instantly jumped from Andrew''s hold in reflex. Her body

    uncontrobly squirmed and twisted.

    The moment she opened her eyes, she only saw something vague in dirty and disgusting colors flying

    around.

    Some had green eyes, some had red, and some had white. It actually seemed like there were all kinds

    of colors.

    She screamed one more time and buried herself in Andrew''s arms again.

    This time her body kept shuddering violently with no sign of ceasing.

    Andrew tried to look at Ashley''s face who was extremely frightened. He stretched out a hand and

    gently patted Ashley on the back,forting her in a gentle voice. "It''s okay, honey. They''re not real.

    Don''t be afraid.

    All of them are fake. I''m here with you. Don''t worry."

    As a matter of fact, it was painful for Andrew to see how scared and miserable Ashley looked. But if he

    had to do it all over again, he wouldn''t think twice and still bring her back here.

    The moment Fabio and Richard heard Ashley''s shrieks, they immediately stopped walking.

    Perplexed, Fabio looked at Richard and asked, "Bro, did you hear that? It sounds like Mommy''s voice."

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Richard nodded at his brother. "You''re right.

    Is Mommy really scared?"

    "I don''t think so. Mom is in Dad''s arms. Dad won''t let anything scare her."

    "You''re right.

    Perhaps, we heard it wrong."

    After a short while, they saw a faint light ahead of them. It should be the exit of the haunted house.

    "Is that the end?"

    "But I don''t think it''s enough though."

    Those who were following behind them couldn''t help but look at the two kids when they heard their

    conversation. They were adults who had had enough and wanted to get out but the kids were blocking

    the way.

    They were just about to go around them so that they could get exit the haunted house. But they just

    kept silent since Richard and Fabio were very young.

    They realized that it wouldn''t be right to argue with little children.

    But it certainly bothered some people that the two kids'' behavior had revealed how much of a chicken

    they were, even if they were adults already! Could it be that they didn''t have that much courage? Or

    was it because the two kids were just too bold for their age?

    A group of adults just exchanged looks with one another without saying anything.

    It was meaningless to squabble with two kids, even if they could use their age over Richard and

    Fabio.

 Chapter 820 Being Scared To Death

    Chapter 820 Being Scared To Death

    Fabio and Richard turned back and found Andrew and Ashley, their silhouettes were like a dark

    painting against the wall.

    In Andrew''s arms as she was, Ashley''s body still trembled in fear.

    Hurriedly, Ashley''s two kids ran to her with anxiety on their faces. "Daddy, what''s wrong with Mommy?

    Is she sick?" Fabio asked with concern.

    Richard stood beside him, silent as usual, but his worried eyes were fixed on Ashley.

    Andrew felt Ashley''s body stiffen for a moment. It made him smile to himself.

    Perhaps Ashley did not want her children to know that she was scared out of her wits.

    "No, nothing''s wrong. Your mommy is just tired. You two just follow closely behind me and don''t run

    around, okay?"

    "Okay, got it."

    "All right."

    Andrew carried Ashley and walked out of the haunted house and the amusement park with Richard

    and Fabio walking right behind him.

    As Richard and Fabio got into the car, Ashley, who was pretending to be asleep in Andrew''s arms,

    suddenly "woke up".

    Her face was still ashen. She red at Andrew and struggled out of his grip.

    She had overestimated herself back there. They were already out of the haunted house, but she could

    still feel all the hair on her body standing on end. Apparently, she was unable to muster enough energy

    now to find her footing once again.

    Before Ashley could step forward, she lost her bnce and stumbled.

    Even Ashley herself did not expect this to happen.

    ''Why are my legs so feeble?

    I can''t believe I''ve gotten too weak to stand on my own!''

    She was still confused about her physical condition when she heard a chuckle from Andrew who was

    standing next to her. She only cast a dagger-like look at him.

    "Help me get into the car."

    She opened her arms as she snapped.

    Annoyed and in a sour mood as she was, she was very cute in Andrew''s eyes.

    Andrew said nothing and carried Ashley into the car obediently.

    He raised his eyebrows in surprise. Ashley''s body had be soft and no longer rigid. He did not

    know if she was still in a state of shock.

    "Mommy, you are awake?"

    "Mommy, are you okay?"

    "I''m fine," Ashley answered.

    "Mommy, did you see them all? The things in the haunted house that floated back and forth? There

    were also some ghosts with very big eyes, and they were staring at us..."

    Fabio asked Ashley with curiosity. He was looking forward to knowing his mother''s experience in the

    haunted house.

    Ashley''s face stiffened as she heard the words "haunted house."

    Subconsciously, she pictured the scene in her mind as she heard Fabio''s words.

    She felt chills up and down her spine just by simply imagining it.

    Fabio''s mention of the specific scene almost brought tears to her eyes.

    Why was Fabio not scared at all?

    Did he inherit Andrew''s brave genes?

    "That''s enough, boy. Mommy is exhausted now,"

    Andrew told Fabio in a low voice.

    Fabio cast a nce at Ashley. She indeed looked pale and tired.

    He stopped talking, moved closer to Ashley, put his hand on her forehead, and asked, "Mommy, are

    you okay?"

    Ashley gave him a light smile. "I''m fine, dear. Go and talk with your brother for now. Mommy wants to

    get some sleep for a bit."

    "All right."

    Fabio retreated.

    Ashley leaned on Andrew and held on to his arm. It was the only way she could feel more at ease.

    The light smell of toboing off Andrew helped her gradually fall into slumber.

    Before she fell asleep, there was only one thought in her mind¡ªAndrew must have smoked again.

    Perhaps she was really too scared. She fell asleep with Andrew''s hand in hers.

    "Daddy, is she asleep?"

    Fabio asked casually.

    "Yes. Take a shower and go to bed once we arrive home, okay? I''ll have to take care of Mommy."

    When they got home, Fabio watched as Andrew carried Ashley up to their bedroom. He seemed to

    carry her easily as if she was as light as a feather.

    ''Soon, I will be as tall and strong as my daddy and can hold my mommy as easily as he does, '' Fabio

    thought to himself.

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    "Oh, you''re back. Where are my two lovely great grandsons?"

    Chant asked the moment Andrew set foot in the vi.

    He looked over and said, "Keep it down. Ashley''s asleep."

    Then, he strode upstairs.

    Chant shook his head. He would have to find out the answer by himself.

    It was obvious that Andrew favored his wife over his sons.

    "Great-grandpa!"

    "Great-grandpa!"

    The moment Richard and Fabio entered the room, they saw Chant and happily bounced around toward

    him.

    "Ah-ha!

    Hey, you two! Did you have a good time today?" he asked with a bright smile.

    Ashley had called Chant before she took Richard and Fabio out to y.

    After all, Ashley could see that Chant liked them very much. He might be waiting for them toe

    home in time for dinner.

    "Of course. Mommy and Daddy took us to the amusement. We visited the haunted housest. It was

    extremely exciting and thrilling."

    "Oh, I''m d to hear that. How are you feeling now? Still hyped and happy?"

    "Of course," they two answered in unison. It seemed as if Richard and Fabio were still immersed in

    their happy time.

    "Come, boys. Tell me exactly what you did today,"

    Chant said as he took each of them by the hand on each side.

    "Have you had dinner?"

    "No," the boys said at the same time and shook their heads.

    Andrew wanted to take Ashley home immediately because she was too weak to even stand after going

    inside the haunted house attraction.

    But they had such a great time that they even forgot about dinner.

    Richard and Fabio realized that they had not had dinner yet only now that Chant asked about it.

    Immediately, Chant ordered family servants to prepare some food for two kids.

    Then, they sat down on the couch and chatted with one another.

    Meanwhile, Andrew took Ashley to the bedroom and carefullyy her on the bed. Seeing a little frown

    on her tired, sleeping face, he felt a slight pinch in his heart.

    It turned out those unrealistic things could really scare her.

    After putting Ashley in bed, Andrew turned around to leave. If she woke up, she might need to eat

    something. He needed to tell the servants to prepare something.

    To his surprise, Ashley rolled toward him and spoke. It seemed that she felt Andrew was about to

    leave.

    She grabbed Andrew''s arm and murmured, "Please don''t go."

    Andrew thought Ashley was awake. After waiting quietly for a while, he found that she was talking in

    her sleep.

    "Okay, I won''t go," Andrew replied with a smile.

    Then hey beside her for a few moments.

    Holding Ashley tightly in his arms, it seemed this was one of the ways that calmed Andrew

    down.

 Chapter 821 A Snuggler

    Chapter 821 A Snuggler

    It was a big surprise that Ashley was still clingy even in her sleep.

    ''She must have been truly scared out of her mind in that damned house, '' Andrew thought.

    With this thought, he gently patted Ashley on the back to help her rx and sleep well.

    "Aaaargh!"

    Just as Andrew was about to fall asleep, Ashley suddenly shrieked.

    At the same, she suddenly sat up with her hands over her face.

    Andrew was a light sleeper, so Ashley''s sudden movement on the bed jolted him awake.

    "What is it? Ash? Are you okay?" Andrew looked at Ashley with concern.

    Ashley opened her eyes and saw nothing but darkness. She felt like the dream was real.

    Fear overwhelmed her like a dark sea swallowing her whole.

    It wasn''t until she heard Andrew''s voice then she was a little relieved.

    At this time Andrew was like a hero who had saved her.

    Immediately, she threw herself into his arms and held on to him like she had never held on to anyone

    before.

    She buried her head in Andrew''s chest and whispered with shaky lips, "I had a nightmare just now."

    "It''s all right. It''s just a dream. I''m with you. It''s all right."

    Andrew gently patted Ashley''s back tofort her.

    "Please turn on the light,"

    Ashley begged.

    It was pitch dark in their bedroom, which made Ashley very ufortable.

    Andrew immediately turned on themp on the nightstand.

    "It''s okay now."

    Ashley finally dared to raise her head and looked at Andrew.

    It was not until then that Andrew noticed the little beads of cold sweat on Ashley''s forehead. Whatever

    her nightmare was about, the truth was it had really scared her awake.

    Then, Andrew drew a piece of tissue from the nightstand and wiped the sweat off Ashley''s forehead

    gently. "Are you hungry? I''ll go get you something to eat."

    Ashley just nodded.

    Just as Andrew was about to get up, a pair of slender white hands grabbed his sleeve.

    --

    Ashley tugged on his sleeve and looked at him with pitiful eyes.

    "Are you scared?"

    Ashley did not say anything, but Andrew knew it.

    Otherwise, she would not look at him this way now.

    "Let''s go downstairs together," Andrew suggested.

    However, he underestimated the aftermath of them going into the haunted house at the amusement

    park.

    Ashley''s legs were still too weak to support her own weight.

    Andrew had to carry Ashley downstairs. It was around eleven o''clock in the evening, and all the other

    people in the vi had already gone to bed.

    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    The living room was pitch dark. Ashley tightened her grip on Andrew, but he only smiled to himself.

    Turning on the light in the living room, hey Ashley on the sofa and said. "Wait for me here. I''ll go get

    you some food."

    Ashley nodded.

    Andrew walked into the kitchen where there was still some leftover food. Maybe Chant set it aside for

    them.

    Andrew warmed the food in the microwave oven and took it out as soon as it was done.

    In no time, he returned to Ashley and set the food in front of her. "Here, eat this," he said in a low voice.

    Then he also got himself a bowl to eat.

    Ashley was confused, "You haven''t eaten either?"

    "Well, someone fell asleep, grabbed me, and wouldn''t let me go. So no, I haven''t eaten anything yet."

    It was obvious who that "someone" was.

    Feeling ashamed, Ashley lowered her head and ate her food in silence.

    She was the one who asked Andrew to stay by her side and he was happy toply.

    Looking at Ashley whose head was almost buried in the bowl, Andrew reached out his hands and lifted

    her chin.

    The food would be spoiled if she kept lowering her head into the bowl.

    Everything went well after that. They went back to sleep after dinner.

    The next morning...

    After breakfast, Ashley bid farewell to Richard and Fabio and left for work.

    She asked Chant to drive them to school today.

    She had nned to drive the two kids to school herself, but Andrew had turned off the rm clock.

    She missed her rm and slept in.

    "Richard, Fabio, be good and listen to your great-grandpa, okay? I have to go to work now."

    "Okay. Bye, Mommy."

    "Goodbye, Mommy."

    Being a well-behaved and sensible boy at school, Richard was well liked by his ssmates and

    teachers.

    Apart from his reserved nature, he was nice to everyone.

    All in all, he got along well with everyone in his ss.

    Meanwhile, a girl back in M Country, who gave Richard some choctes in the past, stood in front of

    the school with a sad face.

    For two whole months during vacation, she had longed for the new semester to begin, hoping she

    would see Richard again. Unfortunately, Richard had transferred to another city and naturally, another

    school.

    Because of this, the little girl had been sad for several days. After all, Richard was the boy she liked

    most.

    But Richard had no knowledge of the girl''s feelings for him at all.

    Somewhere in J City, Fabio finally arrived in his kindergarten school. It was the same kind and amiable

    teacher whom he had seen the day before, who came to the school gate to apany him inside.

    "Great-grandpa, you can go now. I''ll see youter." Fabio waved his hand to Chant.

    "Okay. Remember to call me if you need anything."

    After Chant took his leave, Fabio followed his teacher into the ssroom where there were about thirty

    children.

    Of course he did note to school to do some sightseeing. He was here to learn something.

    Strictly speaking, kindergarten was a ce where kids could study and y as well.

    Standing on the tform, the teacher cleared her throat and announced, "Children, let''s all wee a

    new student to our ss! Wee, Fabio. Pleasee up and introduce yourself to everyone!"

    The children looked at Fabio curiously and pped their hands to wee their new ssmate.

    Without any fear, Fabio stepped on the tform and introduced himself, "Hello, everyone. My name is

    Fabio Lu."

    "Wow, he''s so beautiful!"

    "He is prettier than anyone in our ss."

    "I want to make friends with him."

    "Me, too."

    One voice fell as another rose.

    They all whispered with one another, but they did not know that Fabio had heard every word of it.

    Those words made him frown. His mommy had once told him that boys could not be described as

    beautiful.

    Only a girl could be described as beautiful.

    Damn it.

    The teacher stood aside with a smile on her face. For her, it was normal for kids to use the word

    "beautiful" to describe someone. After all, they had limited vocabry.

    "We''re d to meet you, Fabio. Thank you so much for your introduction. Where do you want to sit?"

    The teacher asked and nced at Fabio.

    Looking around, Fabio found that all the seats were upied except the one next to a girl who was

    probably around three to four years old.

 Chapter 822 She Is My Wife

    Chapter 822 She Is My Wife

    And then there was another seat next to a little fat boy.

    The boy looked so much stronger than the rest of the kids in ss. His face was chubby and somewhat

    cute.

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    "I''ll sit there, teacher."

    Fabio chose to sit next to a girl.

    "Okay. You may take your seat."

    However, Fabio did not notice the fat boy''s stare of dissatisfaction as he took his seat.

    After all the students were seated, the ss began. The day''s lesson only included simple mathematics

    and English letters.

    It was very simple.

    The lessonsted for less than twenty minutes. After all, kids were hardwired to always be moving.

    But for Fabio, he had already grasped the lesson when he was two years old, because of Richard.

    Sometimes, when his brother worked out problems at home, he would read Richard''s textbooks out of

    boredom and Richard was willing to teach him some basic knowledge.

    Although Fabio already knew the lesson for the day, he did not sneak out of ss and still listened to

    the teacher attentively.

    After ss, the teacher left the ssroom, and everyone was free to y.

    The little girl sitting next to Fabio, whose name was Betty, looked at him from time to time, but when

    their eyes met, she quickly withdrew her gaze.

    At the same time, Betty''s face flushed a bright red hue.

    ''How adorable he is!

    I want to make friends with him, '' Betty thought to herself shyly.

    She did not expect that Fabio would choose to sit next to her.

    After catching her stealing nces several times, Fabio lost his patience. He turned around to face

    Betty and asked, "What''s the matter?"

    Although Fabio tried to be straight in saying something like that, he had underestimated his own ability

    to still look nice.

    Betty was not scared of him. She actually found him somewhat cute, which made her stare at him

    longer and forget to reply.

    "I... I want to be friends with you. My name is Betty,"

    she stammered.

    Then her face blushed some more.

    Blinking at Fabio, she waited for his reply.

    "Betty is my wife."

    Before Fabio could reply, a stern voice came from behind.

    "No, I am not!" Betty snapped at Bolton, her face burning with annoyance.

    "I say you are my wife!" Bolton raised his voice at Betty. His voice permitted no rebuttal.

    At the tender age of five, Bolton was a little taller than Fabio.

    He had a good-looking face, but his hard features made him look frightening.

    However, Fabio was not afraid of him.

    "Oh." Fabio said in an icy tone and was about to get up from his seat.

    Fabio had nned to stand up from his seat and turned to head outside to have a look around. Sitting

    in the ssroom for a whole day was not his cup of tea.

    But when Bolton saw Fabio stand up, he threw back his head proudly like he had frightened Fabio

    away.

    Then, he looked back at Betty and asked, "Why don''t you want to sit with me? Why would you choose

    that boy to sit next to you?"

    Betty turned her back on Bolton and replied in a t voice, "I just like him better, that''s all!"

    Truth be told, Bolton was very hateful.

    Bolton didn''t give up and pulled Betty''s braided hair and said, "You''re my wife. You should sit next to

    me."

    "No way! No! I''m not your wife! I don''t want to sit with you!"

    Betty red at Bolton, her face bulging because of anger.

    Bolton was stunned and grasped her braid tighter.

    He said that because he thought Betty was pretty.

    "Ouch! It hurts! Waaah!"

    Apparently, Bolton had hurt Betty.

    The kid had no scruples. Betty suddenly burst into tears when Bolton pulled her hair with too much

    force.

    Petrified, Bolton immediately loosened his grip on Betty''s hair. He obviously did not know what to do

    when she started bawling.

    "I... I''m sorry. Don''t cry, please."

    Bolton had never experienced such a thing. He started panicking when Betty started crying.

    "Bolton''s making someone cry!"

    "Bolton has beaten someone to tears!"

    The other kids in ss began yelling and moring.

    The teacher was no longer in the ssroom, so she did not hear themotion.

    Just as Fabio walked out of the ssroom to get some fresh air, he heard the crying and screaming.

    It seemed that there was a lot of crying kids in kindergarten, but the girl who was talking to him earlier,

    was the one crying just now.

    It seemed that someone had made Betty cry. Fabio did not want to see her cry.

    Fabio turned around and headed back to Bolton and Betty. Then, he fixed his eyes on Betty who was

    now sitting on the floor and sobbing against her knees.

    "Hey, Betty. Don''t cry. Crying will make you ugly."

    Betty raised her head to look at Fabio. She struggled to breathe in between sobs.

    She opened her eyes and found Fabio standing in front of her.

    She pursed her lips and gradually stopped crying. She did not want Fabio to dislike her.

    Although her head still hurt from the pulling, she eventually calmed down.

    After that, Fabio turned to face Bolton with a hard look on his face. "Apologize!" he barked at him.

    Surrounded by all his ssmates, Bolton stood his ground. He would not acknowledge his mistake.

    Besides, he was taller and stronger than Fabio. He was confident that he could take him on if the need

    arose.

    "No way," he replied coldly.

    "You made her cry. Apologize to her. Now!" Fabio stressed again.

    "That''s right. Bolton should apologize. He bullied Betty and made her cry."

    "Bolton is not a good boy. He wouldn''t own up to his mistake."

    "Mom says we can''t y with bad boys."

    "We can''t y with you anymore, Bolton!" Comments sprang from everyone in the ssroom.

    Bolton was just a kid even if he was a little taller than the others. Now all his ssmates were turning

    on him.

    Feeling aggrieved, he also burst into tears.

    And he cried more loudly than Betty.

    Fabio knitted his brows in impatience.

    Another one crying!

    ''Could they choose another way to solve their issues? Why do they have to cry all the time?''

    Fabio thought sullenly.

    Meanwhile, somewhere else in the same school, Dany looked at the beautiful face in front of her with a

    cold expression on her face. That face was so handsome and beautiful at the same time that people

    had trouble distinguishing whether it belonged to a man or a woman. Likewise, the other person''s eyes

    lingered on Dany, telling her that he did not want to be separated from her.

    "Baby, I have to go now,"

    Cayn said affectionately as he gazed at Dany.

    Cayn had never been separated from Dany since she was born. In his eyes, Dany just came to

    kindergarten school on a whim. This was a request he had never expected.

 Chapter 823 A New Classmate---Dany

    Chapter 823 A New ssmate---Dany

    If Cayn''s memory served him right, Dany had never liked ying with other kids.

    "You can go and head home if you want to." Dany only stared coldly at Cayn.

    Cayn, on the other hand, was rendered speechless.

    "My honey Dany, don''t you miss your daddy?"

    This time, Dany simply ignored Cayn and went straight into the schoolyard.

    Even the teacher somehow felt embarrassed. She had never expected such coldness from an adorable

    little girl.

    But even the coldness on her face didn''t change her lovely features.

    The teacher blushed as she fixed her eyes on Cayn''s nk face. "We will take good care of all the kids

    here," she spoke in a reassuring tone.

    Watching Dany disappear into the schoolyard, Cayn stood up. The tender loving look on his face had

    faded away.

    "Keep an eye on my daughter. If something bad happens to her, I promise that your kindergarten will

    shut down!" the man demanded with thin smile.

    The teacher didn''t expect this, shrugged and stammered with a flushed face, "Okay... Okay."

    "Well, hurry up and keep up with her,"

    Caynmanded and coldly stared at Dany''s teacher as he frowned with discontent.

    "Oh, okay."

    The teacher was taken aback by Cayn''s request. Instead of furthering her conversation with him, she

    turned around and simply rushed towards Dany.

    Cayn, on the other hand, stood by the school''s gate thoughtfully until Dany''s figure hadpletely

    disappeared from his sight.

    Suddenly he felt deeply sad. Dany had just left his side, and now he sorely missed her.

    "Why did Danye here on a whim? Tell me something. She never really liked ying with other

    kids," Cayn asked all of a sudden.

    Standing behind him, Zed''s mouth twitched nervously.

    How could he know anything that even his boss had no knowledge of?

    "I have no idea, boss."

    "Everything seems so dull here. Just let Dany have her fun. She will miss home when she eventually

    finds this ce boring.

    Ah, remind me to pick up Dany this afternoon... Aargh, never mind, I''ll remind myself."

    Zed became rather numb.

    A lot had changed since Cayn adopted Dany.

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    Zed watched Cayn, who still looked towards the kindergarten, and asked, "Boss... Dany has to go to

    school eventually. And in the future, she might even introduce you to a boy that she has a crush on."

    Zed couldn''t read what was on his boss''s mind.

    Zen had doubts whether Cayn considered Dany as his own daughter.

    ''What kind of man would want to cradle his daughter all her life?'' Zed thought to himself.

    Dany was indeed still young...

    But Zed found Cayn to be too possessive.

    Zed could still clearly recall what happened at theirst banquet.

    Back then, a little boy from a prominent family tried to make friends with Dany.

    The two children were very fond of each other, and so they held hands while they yed. Seeing that,

    Cayn marched towards them and carried Dany in his arms. What''s more, he forbade the boy from

    touching her daughter ever again.

    That was a bit over the line. Everyone was quite confused by the scene that Cayn had made,

    especially the boy''s parents.

    As an individual, Dany also needed to make friends of her own.

    But Cayn''s exnation was that boy did not deserve Dany''s friendship.

    Well, for this matter, Cayn''s overreaction was somewhat understandable.

    But keeping Dany in his arms or close by his side forever didn''t make any sense.

    Cayn''s face grew dim as he heard what Zed had said. "It is possible to have a private teacher for my

    daughter, right?" he retorted.

    Cayn dreaded the thought of having Dany sent to school.

    For him, that meant he would be separated from his dear daughter for some time.

    What''s more, he graduated from Harvard University. Teaching Dany was just a piece of cake for him.

    As for the boy Dany would eventually introduce, Cayn thought his daughter''s life would be better off

    without one. He gravely suffered inside whenever such thoughts entered his mind.

    His eyes grew dim, once more. He vowed at the bottom of his heart that he would never allow Dany to

    have a boyfriend.

    Even Cayn himself found his own attitude quite peculiar.

    Cayn''s sudden shift in demeanor rendered Zed speechless. He did not dare say another word to his

    boss.

    ''Your daughter?

    Foster daughter would be more urate, '' Zed thought, secretly rolling his eyes.

    Finally Zed didn''t dare to speak out his mind.

    Meanwhile, Dany was still on her way to ssroom when her teacher caught up with her from behind

    and tried to talk to her.

    "Dany, honey, how old are you?"

    "Don''t call me ''honey''!" the kid retorted.

    Serious as she was, the teacher still found her cute and asked back, "What should I call you then? "You

    are a lovely dollop of honey to everyone. Aren''t you?"

    That was true, but Dany frowned and said, "You may call me any name rather than that one. No more

    ''honey''!"

    Anyway, she had no love for that name. Maybe Cayn had called her "honey" too many times. She was

    only used to Cayn calling her that.

    This kindergarten was notrge in scale, but it was one at the top level.

    Most of the teachers here were fresh-graduates from well-known universities.

    Fabio and Dany shared the same ss.

    Walking side by side with Dany, the teacher remembered Cyan again and got distracted.

    "Shut up! Stop crying! You''re a man, aren''t you?"

    Fabio was getting rather impatient with Bolton''s loud crying, disgusting snot and tears.

    But then again, there were also kids in kindergarten who loved crying.

    Hearing what Fabio had said, Bolton cried even harder.

    Fabio was renderedpletely speechless.

    ''You are a boy. But why are you crying like a sissy? Such an annoying guy!'' Fabio thought to himself.

    "What''s wrong? Why is Bolton crying?"

    Bolton''s crying had drawn the teacher''s attention. With hasty steps, she came to Bolton''s side and tried

    tofort him.

    "Bolton, no more crying, okay? What happened here?"

    "Bolton is a bad boy. He bullied Betty just now!"

    "Yes, he is a bad boy!"

    "He bullied Betty!"

    "I... I... I didn''t..."

    All the boy could do was deny the usations.

    "Fine, fine. You are all friends here. Kids, don''t bully your ssmates, okay?" the teacher said to all of

    them.

    "As you wish, teacher!" all kids answered in unison.

    "Bolton, no more crying, please. Now we have another new ssmate, don''t get yourselfughed at by

    her, okay?"

    What she said worked quite well. Soon all the attention was focused on Dany.

    The teacher sighed with relief.

    Every child in her ss came from a prominent family. If any kid gave negative feedback about her, she

    could lose her job.

    And so, any one of them crying was thest thing she wanted.

 Chapter 824 Inexplicable Affection

    Chapter 824 Inexplicable Affection

    Naturally, all the kids looked in Dany''s direction. All of a sudden, the attention of the entire room was

    completely on her.

    Dany was wearing a light pink tutu skirt paired with pink leather shoes. Her hair was braided into two

    low pigtails that trailed along her back.

    There was a serious look on her delicate face as she looked at the teacher. However, despite this,

    cuteness still showed on her face. The contrast between her humorless face and her cuteness looked

    quite funny.

    "Well, Dany...

    How about introducing yourself to your ssmates?"

    the teacher suggested.

    "My name is Dany Mo."

    Her introduction was even simpler than Fabio''s.

    "She is so pretty!"

    "Yeah, she is even more beautiful than Betty!"

    The other kids started to murmur among themselves about Dany''s appearance.

    Hearing that, Betty took a quick, sidelong nce at Dany and lowered her head silently as she saw her.

    ''Indeed she''s more beautiful than I am, '' Betty ruminated.

    Since only one seat was left inside the ssroom, Dany had no other choice but to sit next to Bolton.

    Meanwhile, Fabio''s eyes lit up as he carefully observed Dany. It was easy to see that she was different

    from the other kids around him.

    After her short introduction, the teacher went ahead with the lesson. When the ss was over, the kids

    went out to y again as usual.

    Kids were naturally easy to get along with. Just a while earlier, they had been talking about how cold

    Bolton was. Now they were all ying together outside, as if nothing had happened. There were,

    however, two kids who did not go out and y with the others.

    Dany and Fabio were not too keen about it.

    Fabio propped his head up with hand, his cheek lightly smushed against his palm. He cast a casual

    nce out the window, watching the other kids y. Pursing his lips, he couldn''t help but feel tired of

    ying games like his ssmates were doing.

    It was quiet in the ssroom. Dany looked over to Fabio and quickly lowered her head after. She knew

    this boy.

    She had seen him and his family when she was on the nest time. She could even remember his

    gentle-looking mother.

    With a sigh, she twiddled her fingers on top of her desk, lost in thought. ''Where could my mommy be?''

    No matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t stop thinking about Ashley.

    Pursing her lips, she gingerly looked up at Fabio again.

    "Who''s picking you up today?" she asked all of a sudden.

    Surprised, Fabio raised his head and looked at Dany. "It would probably be my great-grandpa."

    "Why not your mommy?" Dany made a detailed inquiry.

    Hearing this, Fabio''s face lit up. "It''s also possible that she might pick me up. I don''t really know. But I''m

    sure she''lle get me if she finishes her work early.

    Why this question?"

    "Nothing."

    Dany averted her gaze. She couldn''t tell Fabio that she liked his mommy.

    ''I wish I had a mommy like Fabio''s, '' she thought to herself glumly.

    Or maybe Daddy could work hard to make his mommy, my mommy.'' This was the first time that Dany

    wanted an adult woman so much.

    There was nothing she wanted more than for Ashley to be her own mother.

    Meanwhile, Fabio thought that Dany could possibly be his good friend since they were both a lot more

    mature than all the other kids. Later that day, ever since Fabio scared Bolton, therger kid had been

    following the new kid around.

    It was as if Bolton was treating Fabio as his boss.

    Time psed quickly.

    Pretty soon, it was time for them to go home.

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    Parents had already crowded outside the school, eager toe pick their children up. Some of them

    had their maids or nanniese pick them up, especially when their parents were not avable.

    Fabio looked around, wondering who would being to pick him up on the first day at school.

    ''Maybe great-grandpa will be the one to pick me up after all, '' he thought to himself. ''I''m sure daddy

    and mommy are still busy at work.''

    At that moment, he heard the teacher''s gentle voice behind him.

    "Fabio! Your mother ising to pick you up." Hearing the teacher''s words, Fabio looked up with

    surprise and found Ashley standing in front of him with a beaming smile on her face.

    It was such a pleasant and unexpected surprise for Ashley toe pick up Fabio from school herself.

    In fact, if possible, she wanted to be the one to pick up Fabio and Richard from school every day.

    After all, they were her children, and Ashley wanted to do it personally.

    Ashley finished her work at thepany as quickly as she could, and immediately went to pick up the

    two boys.

    "Mommy!"

    With a beaming smile, Fabio stood up and rushed towards Ashley, his arms wide open.

    "Hello, sweetie."

    Ashley opened her arms and caught Fabio''s embrace.

    "Have you been a good boy on your first day?" she asked as she dotingly stroked his hair.

    "How are you getting along with other kids?"

    "It was okay! I think I was obedient today, Mommy!" Fabio replied with a nod.

    "Good boy."

    Bending down, Ashley hugged him and kissed his cheek.

    Fabio kissed Ashley back on the cheek.

    "Mommy, I missed you so much. But why did youe to pick me up today? Don''t you have work?"

    "Well, of course I''lle pick you up!" she answered. "Today''s your first day in kindergarten."

    "Okay!

    Let''s go now, Mommy!" Fabio chirped.

    Ashley chuckled and nodded in response.

    Just when they were about to leave, Ashley saw someone looking at her from the corner of her eye.

    Confused, Ashley looked up and saw a girl in a pink princess dress staring at her.

    The girl was just about the same age as Fabio.

    She was staring straight into Ashley with her big, unblinking eyes.

    Dany didn''t expect to see Ashley today. Looking at the loving interaction between Ashley and Fabio,

    jealousy brewed up in her heart.

    It was easy to see how happy Fabio looked beside his mother.

    When Ashley''s eyes met hers, Dany quickly withdrew her gaze, feeling utterly flustered.

    "Hey," Ashley nudged at Fabio with a smile. "Is that girl your ssmate?"

    Following his mother''s gaze, Fabio nodded.

    "Yup. Her name''s Dany Mo. I like her. She has such a pleasant looking face."

    "Have you fallen in love at such a young age, little man?" Ashley teased. "But she is indeed beautiful."

    "No," Fabio answered with a frown, "I just have a feeling that I''m going to get along with her."

    Ashley nced back to look at the girl again, but when she did, she was already gone.

    Looking around, Dany was no longer in sight.

    "Mommy, what''s wrong?"

    Fabio asked Ashley confusedly.

    "Oh, it''s nothing," Ashley brushed off with a smile, "Come on. Let''s go home." With this, Fabio jumped

    off Ashley and walked beside her, hand in hand.

 Chapter 825 Honey Dany

    Chapter 825 Honey Dany

    Fabio took the little girl by the hand and said to Ashley, "Mommy, this is my good friend. Her name is

    Dany Mo."

    Ashley looked at Dany with a gentle smile. Not knowing why, she felt a strong desire to get close to this

    little girl.

    "Hi, Dany. May I call you honey?"

    "Of course," Dany answered, licking her lips.

    She was a little shy and was averting her gaze, but when she saw how gentle and approachable

    Ashley was, she found that she could look her in the eye.

    Her will to regard Ashley as her own mommy deepened.

    Standing next to Dany, Fabio had no knowledge at all, of what was running in her mind. He was not

    aware that she was contemting stealing his mother from him.

    "How old are you, dear?" Ashley asked.

    Before Dany could open her mouth to answer, Fabio replied on her behalf. "Mommy, Dany is the same

    age as me," he said.

    Dany looked at Fabio unhappily as Fabio stole her opportunity to answer.

    Long tongued boy!

    She wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to exchange a few words with Ashley.

    Ashley smiled and did not care much about it as most of the kids in school were about the same age as

    Fabio.

    While they were chatting, most of the children were picked up by their parents and there were only a

    few left.

    After all, most of the parents would never keep their children waiting for too long.

    Ashley and Fabio were also about to head home, but neither of Dany''s parents had shown up yet.

    Ashley looked at Dany doubtfully and asked, "Honey, where are your parents? Aren''t theying to

    pick you up?"

    Looking at the little girl standing in front of her, Ashley strongly felt like they had known each other for a

    long time.

    Biting her lips, Dany just shook her head.

    "I have no mommy."

    Ashley did not read too much into Dany''s statement. She thought Dany meant that her mommy could

    note pick her up today because she was involved in her business.

    Then, she asked, "Where''s your daddy, then?"

    This time, Dany kept silent.

    Truth be told, Ashley liked the girl from the bottom of her heart. Her parents had note to get her yet

    since sses were dismissed. Leaving Dany alone here didn''t seem to be an apt choice.

    With a brief thought, Ashley found Honey''s eyes and asked gently, "Would you like toe with me

    and have some fun in my house?"

    Not only Fabio and Dany but Ashley herself was stunned upon her words.

    Although she liked this little girl very much, she did not expect herself to say something like that to a

    little girl she had just met.

    But she could not take her words back anymore.

    Ashley looked at Dany expectantly, waiting for her reply.

    "Is that okay?" Dany asked as if in a daze.

    She spoke while looking at Ashley anxiously.

    Looking at the way that Dany behaved, Ashley suddenly thought of her daughter. Her heart was almost

    melting as she said, "Of course. You cane with us if you''d like."

    "I''d love toe!"

    Dany nodded.

    Fabio was also happy because he liked Dany very much.

    "All right then. Let''s get in the car and go pick up Fabio''s brother," Ashley said.

    Fabio and Dany got into the car with Ashley between the two of them.

    Richard''s sses should be over by the time they arrived.

    Richard had been waiting for them at the school gate. As soon as he saw the familiar car, his face lit

    up. He pursed his lips and walked toward his family.

    "Mommy,"

    Richard called out.

    "Get in the car, Richard,"

    Ashley said.

    After getting in the car, Richard found that something was new.

    With a confused look on his face, he asked, "Mom, who is this?"

    Ashley held his hand and exined, "This is Dany, Fabio''s friend from school. No one came to pick her

    up, so I invited her to our house to y for a while."

    "Okay."

    Richard nodded, indicating that he understood what Ashley said.

    Dany blinked. She did not expect that Fabio had an older brother.

    Then, she took out her phone, edited and sent a message to her first contact person without their

    knowledge.

    While still in the office, Cayn received a message from Dany. His face darkened upon hearing his

    phone beep.

    His face turned hard as stone after reading Dany''s message.

    ''What?

    To visit a friend?

    And she told me not to pick her up in a hurry?''

    Cayn gnashed his teeth in disappointment.

    No, he was not just disappointed. He was actually very unhappy.

    His little sweetheart did not want him to pick her up. What was worse, she had already made a friend

    with another boy!

    It was just her first day in kindergarten! How could she already have a new friend?

    And now she even went to that friend''s house to have fun.

    No one could tell what Cayn was feeling in his heart. He felt only bitter and resentful, feeling no better.

    Though he had activated the GPS on Dany''s phone, he was still ufortable.

    Locating and finding Dany was just a piece of cake for him, but he worried that it would irritate her.

    So he had to hold his temper and wait patiently in his office.

    ''Fine! If she really doesn''t need me to pick her up, fine! Let it be!'' he thought.

    ''After ying for a while, she will certainly think of me. Then, I can just hurry to pick her up, '' he thought

    again.

    However, it was not the case.

    The ideal was plump, but the reality was bony.

    In the past, no matter how busy Cayn got in the office, he still went to pick up his little Dany from school

    on time.

    Then, he would go back to the office to continue working.

    Now, it had only been a few minutes after he received Dany''s message, but he could not keep still.

    Feeling unsettled and ufortable, Cayn was like an ant on a hot pan.

    While Cayn was sitting around anxious in his office, Dany was having so much fun with Ashley.

    The Bentley drove slowly into the Golden Pce.

    Finally, they stopped in front of the family vi.

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    "Here we are, Dany. Let''s go," Fabio said to Dany as he jumped out of the car.

    "Okay."

    Ashley smiled and did not say anything as she saw Fabio lead Dany out of the car.

    "Dany, honey, wee to our home!" Ashley said cheerfully.

    "Fabio, Richard, go ahead and y with each other," she added.

    "Okay!"

    They took her upstairs.

    Fabio and Richard took Dany to their yroom that was filled with lots of toys. Andrew had made great

    efforts to fill the yroom with every toy he could acquire to satisfy his children''s hearts.

    "Dany, what kind of toy do you want to y with? I can get it for you," Fabio said with

    enthusiasm.

 Chapter 826 She Is The One

    Chapter 826 She Is The One

    Fabio looked at Dany with interest.

    She, however, was not as interested as he was.

    She only wanted to be with Ashley. Even just sitting around without doing or saying anything sounded

    nice enough.

    She liked being in Ashley''spany.

    Every now and then, she watched Fabio and Richard as all three of them yed together. For a

    second, she opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

    She had decided to y with them for a while, seeing that it was still early.

    After spending some time with them, she couldn''t take it anymore. Finally, she asked, "Where''s your

    mommy, Fabio?"

    ''How I wish I could just call her Mommy, '' she thought.

    She knew, however, that it wasn''t possible at the moment.

    Ashley was Fabio''s mother, not hers.

    She couldn''t call her that for the time being.

    "Mommy should be in the study right now. Why? What''s up, Dany?" Fabio inquired.

    "It''s nothing. I was just wondering," Dany said innocently.

    The conversation continued, and it eventually bored her.

    Suddenly, the door swung open, and a man with gray hair, who appeared to be around seventy years

    of age, entered the room. Interestingly, he looked like he had the energy of a younger man.

    Upon seeing the older gentleman, Fabio and Richard immediately stood up and ran toward him. They

    addressed him as their great grandpa.

    "Good boys," Chant said.

    He held the children''s hands.

    ying with Fabio and Richard was Chant''s favorite thing to do.

    As he was ying with the children, he noticed Dany sitting close to them. He was intrigued.

    However, before he could even think of what to say to the little girl, Fabio took him by the hand and

    dragged him toward Dany. "Great Grandpa, this is a friend I made in kindergarten. Her name''s Dany."

    Fabio then turned to the girl.

    "You can call him Great Grandpa, too," he said.

    "Great Grandpa," repeated Dany.

    "What a sweet little girl," Chant told her. Immediately, the children resumed ying.

    Not long afterwards, Ashley came out of the study and joined them. Atst, she was done with her

    work.

    By then, Richard had left to do his homework, but Fabio and Dany remained in the living room watching

    TV. Ashley decided to sit with them.

    As they all sat together, Dany kept stealing nces at Ashley.

    She tried to be very careful, but Ashley still noticed it.

    "What''s the matter, Dany? Do you miss your mom and dad?"

    "No," replied the little girl.

    Although she did miss Cayn a little, she preferred being with Ashley.

    So, she tried not to think of Cayn.

    Cayn could never have imagined that her adopted daughter of five years would reject him like this.

    Ashley patted the little girl''s head and smiled. "It''s okay. If you miss them, you can tell me. I will drive

    you back. But if you want to y here longer, that''s okay, too."

    "I want to stay a little longer," Dany replied.

    "Okay."

    Today, Ashley did note home with Andrew, as she had to pick up Fabio and Richard from school.

    Of course, Andrew, who had just gotten home, couldn''t help feeling disappointed.

    As soon as he arrived, he headed toward Ashley''s direction.

    He wanted to hold her in his arms as they sat.

    Quickly, he got to the living room. When he was about to sit down, he found that the spots beside

    Ashley had already been taken.

    Fabio sat to her left, while a little girl he did not know sat to her right.

    ''Who is this little girl?'' Andrew thought.

    His inquiring eyes were fixed on the child.

    Before he could study her for long, a hand covered his eyes.

    He then heard Ashley whispering in his ear, "What are you looking at?"

    She knew how Andrew''s eyes looked. She knew that everyone would shiver upon seeing his

    expressionless eyes.

    Plus, Dany was just a kid.

    With his eyes still covered, Andrew asked, aggrieved, "Why didn''t you wait for me?"

    "I didn''t have much to do in thepany today, so I came home early. I picked up the two kids on the

    way."

    While Ashley talked to Andrew, Dany raised her head and looked carefully at the tall and handsome

    man.

    He was just so tall.

    And although a hand covered his eyes, Dany had an idea of how he looked like.

    His chiseled face looked cold and calcting, and he had a sharp nose and beautiful lips.

    He was the exact opposite of her own charming dad.

    ''Does Mommy like Daddy?'' she asked herself.

    At least in her head, she called Ashley ''Mommy''.

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    She noticed how close Ashley was to this man.

    ''Is he Fabio''s father and Mommy''s husband?'' Dany wondered.

    She then looked away and wondered who was better, her own enchanting dad or this man?

    She couldn''t help but feel disdain toward her own father.

    Ashley was in no mood to argue, especially as they were with the kids.

    Once more, she whispered into Andrew''s ear. "Alright, alright. It''s all my fault. I''ll wait for you next time.

    I''ll make sure to call you."

    She then continued to whisper a lot of soft words to him until finally, he gave in.

    When Dany saw this, she became convinced that her dad was the better man.

    This strange man looked intimidating, but he needed Mommy to coax him.

    She was confident that her dad would never act this way.

    She believed that her dad would love Mommy very much.

    Hmph!

    So much so that there would be no need for all this.

    Her dad would always be the one to coax her Mommy.

    Andrew sat down where Ashley had sat before. It was clear that he wanted Ashley to sit on hisp as

    usual.

    Ashley''s eyes grew wide in disbelief.

    This would have been okay around family members, but now, there was a little guest around. Ashley

    was deeply embarrassed.

    Andrew''s eyes grew dark, but he decided not to push it.

    Ashley could only sit beside him.

    Dany looked away, looking quite unhappy.

    As soon as he came in, he had taken Mommy away from her. Now, Mommy was sitting by his side.

    Dany turned to look at Fabio, who promptly rolled his eyes. It was as if he wasn''t surprised at all and

    that was what he was used to.

    She knew that Fabio loved his mother very much and would always be with Ashley whenever he

    could.

 Chapter 827 A Lovable Little Girl

    Chapter 827 A Lovable Little Girl

    It was rare for Ashley to see Fabio this way.

    However, his behavior was not surprising at all.

    Ashley whispered to Andrew, "That little girl is Fabio''s friend. She was waiting by herself at the gate.

    Nobody came to pick her up so I brought her home with us. I will take her back to the kindergarten after

    dinner.

    "Okay, that sounds good."

    Andrew nodded his head while holding Ashley''s hand.

    But Ashley only rolled her eyes at Andrew and decided to stay away from him. She had no intention of

    disying their physical intimacy in front of the kids.

    "Hi Dany, what would you like to eat? Auntie can make any dish for you."

    Ashley asked while she approached Dany.

    As soon as she mentioned the word "Auntie", Ashley felt a little weird.

    It made her feel that she wasn''t that young anymore.

    Dany meekly replied, "Anything is fine for me. I''m not really a picky eater."

    If Cayn was there, he would have be upset with what Dany had said.

    Dany''s sensible behavior in front of Ashley would have seriously offended him.

    He had raised Dany with unreserved efforts for five years. With only himself to rely on, he did

    everything for the little girl.

    And when it came to her eating habits, nobody knew it better than Cayn. In fact, the little girl was quite

    particr with food.

    But just then, she said that she wasn''t a picky eater. She was behaving much better in front of Ashley

    than she ever did in front of her father.

    Truth be told, as the apple of his eye, Dany was actually very obedient in front of Cayn.

    However, Cayn had mixed feelings whenever Dany was lovable in front of other people.

    But, of course, he would never know about it.

    "Good girl."

    Ashleyplimented while patting Dany on the head.

    As a matter of fact, Ashley couldn''t figure out why she cared for Dany so much and why she wanted to

    be close to this little girl.

    Perhaps it was because Ashley had lost her own daughter. So whenever she saw Dany, she would

    think of her.

    With this in mind, the expression on Ashley''s face softened.

    Then, Dany blinked her eyes at Ashley. With a smile, she bowed her head and smiled shyly.

    That night, their dinner was a little extravagant. Because of the arrival of a guest, everyone present,

    including Chant was very lively and spirited.

    Everyone was having a good time, except for Andrew who still kept a straight face as usual.

    Since Dany liked Ashley a lot, the little girl chose the seat next to her.

    Andrew was already sitting on Ashley''s other side.

    Because of this, Fabio had to adjust and gave his usual seat to Dany.

    Being close to Dany, Ashley kept asking the little girl what she liked to eat. From time to time, she

    would even pick up some food and ce it in her bowl.

    Even Andrew who was sitting next to Ashley was surprised even a little jealous.

    In Andrew''s opinion, Ashley was being too kind to Dany.

    Fabio had the same sentiments.

    While watching Ashley being so nice to Dany, Fabio felt that something was wrong. It was as if Dany

    was suddenly taking his mom''s love and attention from him.

    In addition, Ashley was treating Dany the way she had treated him before.

    But even so, a child would still have the capacity to think like a child. No matter how Fabio felt about

    the situation, he didn''t think too much about it.

    Meanwhile, Dany was thinking that it was the best meal that she ever had in her entire life. She was

    especially fond of the harmonious atmosphere among the people around the dining table. It was never

    like this with Cayn.

    Being with Ashley and the rest of her family, Dany had unfortunately forgotten about Cayn''s existence.

    At that time, the man was still sitting in his office, waiting for Dany to ask him to pick her up.

    As time went on, Cayn was growingpletely restless.

    Back and forth, he walked around in his office with heavy steps. His face was getting a little red and his

    expression gloomy.

    Sitting on the sofa, Zed didn''t dare to say anything. He just looked at Cayn with a deadpan expression

    on his face.

    After all, Dany was the person that Cayn cared about the most. It was only Cayn himself who knew

    what should be done under such circumstances.

    The best choice for Zed was to keep silent. Even if he were to say something, the president would not

    necessarily listen to him.

    He had told Cayn that Dany was actually growing up so it was only natural for the young girl to have

    her own friends. In the future, she would even find herself a boyfriend. But as he had expected, it didn''t

    seem like Cayn was listening to him.

    ''The issue at hand is not that Dany can''t live without the president, but theplete opposite. The

    president is dependent on the little girl, '' Zed silently thought.

    Back at the Golden Pce, Dany was happily ying after dinner. Meanwhile, Ashley went outside to

    check the weather.

    It was already six o''clock. Although there was still some light outside, it would soon be very dark if

    they were to wait a little longer.

    Nheless, it wasn''t safe to send Dany back to the kindergarten at that hour.

    Besides, she hadn''t received any call from any member of the little girl''s family. Perhaps, her family had

    been too busy to pick her up or had even forgotten about her.

    Looking at Dany who was sitting on the couch, Ashley felt a little annoyed. Until now, no one had called

    to inquire about Dany''s whereabouts. Didn''t her parents care about her?

    The little girl was so well behaved and obedient. How could her parents let her wait in the kindergarten

    by herself?

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    At first, Dany didn''t have that much significance to Ashley. She was simply a friend of Fabio. But during

    the time they had spent together, she had grown fond of the young girl for some reason that even she

    couldn''t understand or exin.

    However, Ashley couldn''t just ignore the fact that she wasn''t in any position to be upset with her

    parents.

    It still didn''t stop her from wondering why they didn''te to pick her up. Even if they were too busy or

    they had forgotten about Dany, it wasn''t an eptable excuse for their kid.

    Either way, it made Ashley feel quite ufortable.

    To ease her worries, Ashley went to Dany''s side and inquired, "Darling, do you have your parents''

    phone number? It''s gettingte so they might be worried about you. Let me drive you home."

    Upon hearing what Ashley had said, Dany took out her cell phone to check the time. It was indeed very

    late.

    Pursing her lips, she had never thought that time would pass by so quickly.

    ''Is it time to leave now?'' Dany thought to herself.

    In fact, she was quite reluctant to leave Ashley''s home.

    Yet she nodded her head and said, "I will call my daddy right now."

    "Okay, that sounds good."

    With a smile, Ashley took a seat beside Dany.

    On the other side, Cayn was extremely relieved to receive Dany''s call. At least his daughter still knew

    that she had a father.

    On their way to Ashley''s house, Zed was rendered speechless. He had to constantly obey Cayn''s

    barking orders to drive faster.

    ''You were so restless in the office just now. You even said that you wouldn''t care about Dany if she

    didn''t call you. Now look at you, why are you in such a hurry? You just ate your words a few moments

    ago, '' Zed sullenly thought.

    Atst, Zed slowly drove the car into the Golden Pce.

    Cayn narrowed his eyes in mounting disbelief.

    Since Dany said that she wanted to go to kindergarten, he had acquired almost all the information

    about every single child in the school.

    But he didn''t have anything about a child living in this vi.

 Chapter 828 This Is My Daddy

    Chapter 828 This Is My Daddy

    But it was not the right time to mull over that. The only thing he wanted to do was to take his daughter

    back into his arms as soon as possible.

    With the help of the GPS device, Cayn found the vi easily. Also, Dany had told him her exact

    location.

    It was Zed who rang the doorbell for Cayn. Linda opened the door, not expecting at all to see such a

    beautiful man.

    She was stunned.

    Ashley had told her that a man, Dany''s father, was going toe knocking on the door.

    Despite being ridiculously surprised, she still invited him in.

    Next second, she went in a hurry to inform Ashley of Cayn''s arrival.

    Ashley was ying with Dany on the couch.

    They had exchanged their contact information and saved each other''s WeChat user names.

    Feeling really good andfortable around Ashley, Dany had told Ashley that she would like to call her

    anytime.

    Apart from this, Dany also intended to introduce Ashley to her father. Maybe they would hit it off and

    then she would have a mother and a father.

    As soon as Cayn entered the vi, Dany and a young woman''sughter reached his ears.

    Then, he saw the two sitting on the sofa and having fun. There was no sign of sadness on Dany''s face.

    Looking at Dany in a great mood, he felt happy for her, but at the same time, he felt a little disappointed

    because she had not missed him.

    A mixed expression spread across his beautiful face.

    ''Such a heartless little girl, '' he thought.

    He had been deeply worried that she was not having a good time at her friend''s house or that she was

    being bullied.

    Now it seemed that she was having quite a great time and his worries were not important.

    Linda came to Ashley and whispered something into her ear. Then, Ashley raised her head and looked

    at Cayn.

    ''Is this man Dany''s father?'' she asked herself.

    "My honey, I''m here."

    At the sight of Dany, Cayn smiled and waved at her.

    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

    Dany''s eyes flitted between Ashley and Cayn for a while before she walked at a leisurely pace toward

    her father.

    Cayn only clenched his teeth as he saw Dany''s reaction.

    The girl used to run toward him without a second thought after spending some time apart.

    No matter who was with her, he was always the first person in her mind.

    But now, it seemed that the woman she was with had bought her off in just an afternoon''s time.

    Thinking of this, Cayn''s heart was filled with a sense of bristling annoyance as he stared at Ashley

    sullenly.

    Andrew wasn''t around as he had been very busytely.

    He had gone to his office on the second floor after dinner.

    "Daddy," Dany murmured as she came to Cayn''s side.

    Although Cayn was a little angry, he could not stay mad at his precious daughter.

    Instead, he held his daughter tightly in his arms without uttering a single word.

    Ashley came over to Cayn and gave Dany a gentle smile.

    "Don''t let your child wait for you for too long after sses," Ashley uttered.

    It seemed that Cayn had a great affection for his honey Dany, although Ashley was confused why he

    made his daughter wait for him so long after school.

    Actually, Cayn was not the reason that Dany waited long after ss.

    Truth be told, it was Dany who deliberately lied to Cayn about the time she wanted to be picked up. It

    was all because she wanted to spend some time with Ashley.

    Of course, Cayn never doubted Dany''s words.

    "No, I didn''t make her wait. You don''t know how much I love my dear daughter. I can''t bear being away

    from her for longer than I have to," Cayn retorted.

    Dany, who was in Cayn''s arms, pursed her lips but did not say a word.

    "That''s good," Ashley said.

    Looking at Ashley, Cayn squinted his amorous eyes and wondered, ''Why do I feel like I have met this

    woman before?

    Have I seen or talked to her somewhere?''

    Zed, who was behind Ashley, raised his head and nced around casually. Something quickly shed

    in his eyes as he saw Ashley.

    But he concealed it instantly.

    Even Cayn did not have time to realize it.

    Holding his sweet daughter in his arms, Cayn turned around and walked toward the door.

    Ashley also walked out with Cayn to see them off.

    When Cayn was about to put her into the car, Dany slightly struggled in his arms and uttered as she

    focused her eager eyes on Ashley, "Auntie Ashley, can Ie here again to y with you?"

    With a tender smile on her face, Ashley responded, "Of course, honey. You cane here anytime you

    want."

    Ashley''s answer was like sweet music to her ears.

    However, Ashley and Dany were too involved in their pleasant conversation to notice Cayn''s sullen

    face.

    "Drive!"

    Then, Cayn mmed the car door closed.

    "Boom!" The sound was quite loud.

    Cayn''s action was so sudden that Ashley was taken aback.

    Dany was even more startled.

    She trembled in surprise and fear.

    Realizing something, Dany turned her head around and stared at Cayn.

    His gloomy face waspletely visible in front of her. He seemed somewhat angry.

    At the same time, Cayn also realized that he might have scared his daughter.

    "I''m sorry, honey. Did Daddy scare you?" He asked Dany gently as he lifted her up and put her on his

    lap.

    Cayn''s eyes were so beautiful that anyone would get lost in them if they stared for too long.

    But Dany was too young to understand that.

    It was true that Dany was scared just now, but she did not feel anything unpleasant.

    She shook her head.

    "Daddy, are you okay?"

    "Yeah, I''m fine."

    Looking at his little princess sitting on hisp, Cayn reined in his bad temper.

    Dany was his darling daughter.

    No one could take her away.

    He did not expect that things would go contrary to his wishes.

    Zed wanted to speak up but stopped on second thought. He looked at Dany in Cayn''s arms. He

    thought about saying something again but ultimately decided against it.

    Zed was thinking, ''What if Dany found her biological parents?

    Whom would she choose, Cayn or her real parents?

    Moreover, it was because of Cayn that Dany...''

    After seeing Dany off, Ashley somehow felt a little lost.

    Putting her hand over her chest, she felt a sudden tug of emptiness as if some part of her heart had

    been ripped away.

 Chapter 829 Longing For A Mothers Love

    Chapter 829 Longing For A Mother''s Love

    ''Is it because of that little girl?''

    The thought of Dany''s charming character brought a huge smile to Ashley''s face.

    After spending time with Fabio and Richard and ying with them for a while, Ashley then went back to

    her own bedroom.

    Before she even got a foot in the room, her phone beeped indicating that she had received a message.

    A Wechat message popped up on her screen.

    Ashley reluctantly clicked on the message as she didn''t want any distractions. It turned out to be from

    Lesley.

    The message was an invitation for Ashley to attend Lesley''s wedding.

    It was a date reminder for Ashley not to forget the uing event.

    As soon as Ashley saw the wedding date her raised eyebrows almost disappeared through her hairline.

    ''September ninth? In Chinese culture, number nine means "long and enduring."

    So, does the choice in such a significant date mean that she wants to be with that man forever?'' Ashley

    wondered.

    Ashley was always confused by Lesley''s sudden change in character. She had changed so much in the

    past five years, she was almost unrecognizable.

    Ashley still remembered how hostile Lesley had been to her, especially the first time she appeared in

    public together with Andrew.

    Even if Lesley''s change in character could be attributed to the fact that she had found the one she

    loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with that man. Ashley knew that Lesley was still in love

    with someone else. She couldn''t put her finger on it, but she felt that something was not right.

    Especially, because Lesley''s attitude towards her had drastically changed and seemed a little strange.

    No matter her misgivings, Lesley was well-known and famous in J City. In Ashley''s opinion, her status

    in society had made her very arrogant and ill-tempered towards people she considered beneath her.

    Ashley could clearly remember as if it was only yesterday. When she first saw Lesley five years ago,

    Lesley was arrogant and seriously despised Ashley.

    Ashley was therefore perturbed and couldn''t figure out why Lesley why changed so much in such a

    short period of time. It just didn''t make sense since nothing out of the ordinary had happened to

    drastically change their rtionship.

    In fact, Ashley started noticing some changes when Lesley came to Andrew''s office. When she talked

    to Ashley she was a bit too kind which made Ashley feel strange because it was very uncharacteristic

    of Lesley.

    Ashley had always learnt one thing in life, ''No matter how people change, their character is innate and

    cannot easily transform. But why was Lesley being so kind to her now, when she had made it very clear

    that Ashley was beneath her?

    ''Is there a set-up in there somewhere that I haven''t figured yet?'' Ashley contemted.

    After experiencing so many ups and downs, Ashley had developed trust issues. It had be difficult

    for her to trust people. But then, she also knew her own weaknesses and therefore tried not to judge

    people too quickly without giving them the benefit of the doubt.

    After all, Ashley had gone through a lot in life while she was growing up, so she naturally picked up a

    few life lessons.

    She wasn''t one to use malicious means to get information or find out what others were up to, but that

    didn''t mean that she would just sit and do nothing. She needed to be informed so that she wasn''t

    caught off guard or framed.

    "Okay, thanks,"

    Ashley replied to the message after preparing and getting into bed.

    Then she thought of confirming the dates for good measure and got out of the bed, retrieving the

    invitation card that Lesley had given her a few weeks earlier.

    The invitation card Lesley gave her indicated that the wedding was supposed to be held the next

    month, but she didn''t know what happened and the wedding date was suddenly rescheduled due to

    unknown reasons.

    Lesley had informed Ashley about the first date and then postponed the wedding to September ninth

    without any exnation.

    Fortunately, the invitation card was very attractive and Ashley had kept it more for its aesthetic value

    than the information it conveyed and so she got it where she had carefully stored it.

    She clicked on the calendar on her phone to check the day that September 9th fell on.

    If it was the weekend, then it would be the perfect opportunity to also take Fabio and Richard so that

    she wouldn''t feel guilty about not spending time with them.

    The wedding date was going to be on a Sunday.

    Ashley put the invitation card on the bedside table so that it was on full view and therefore she wouldn''t

    forget to carry it on the wedding day. Then she unlocked her phone and checked her Wechat

    messages one more time.

    It was a good thing that Lesley hadn''t replied to her message.

    Ashley frowned while looking at her messages. She felt that there was really nothing that would make

    her and Lesley have a conversation, they had nothing inmon.

    Although she had given Lesley her number when she asked for it, Ashley had no idea what Lesley was

    nning but she had a strange feeling about it.

    Ashley kicked her feet in frustration then covered her head with the quilt because she just kept getting

    annoyed the more she thought about Lesley.

    ''Whatever, '' she thought. She was toozy and exhausted to keep thinking of such stressful issues.

    Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Cayn had arrived home with Dany.

    As soon as they arrived, Zed sensibly exited the house.

    The vi was huge but it had many servants constantly moving around so it didn''t feel deserted and

    empty despite having no one but Cayn and Dany living there.

    Although there were many servants at his disposal, Cayn still preferred to handle a few things himself.

    Looking at the busy servants, Dany couldn''t help but think of Ashley. Although Ashley didn''t have so

    many servants, the atmosphere in her house was very weing.

    Cayn held Dany in his arms, and was about to take her upstairs when he noticed that she seemed

    pensive and preupied which was strange for a child her age. "What''s going on? Baby, you have

    been absent-minded since we left that other house. Did something happen or did someone bully you?"

    Cayn frowned while trying to find out what was wrong.

    He was very protective of the baby that he was holding in his arms and couldn''t fathom the idea of ever

    hurting her. He was pretty upset to think that anyone would dare bully her, he was prepared to tear

    them into pieces.

    Dany rested her head on Cayn''s shoulder and said, "No."

    "Then what''s wrong? Don''t you know that you look like a greying, weak, withered, dried leaf?" he

    asked.

    "I don''t know." said Dany while pouting.

    Cayn carried Dany upstairs, washed her hair then wrapped it in a dry towel and dropped her on the

    bed. He then dressed her in her favorite pajamas and tucked her in.

    "Baby, wait for daddy here. Daddy is going to take a shower thene back to you, okay?"

    "Okay,"

    Dany said and rolled over trying to find a morefortable position in bed.

    Then she paused and wrinkled her forehead in deep thought.

    The two of them had been sleeping in the same bed for five years.

    Dany was always obedient and did whatever she was told because she didn''t want to be a burden or a

    source of headache for Cayn.

    She was aware that in the beginning, Cayn actually disliked her.

    He had never thought, that she would turn out to be the most important person in his life. She was the

    apple of his eye.

    Dany blinked and thought of Ashley, who had the same fragrant smell which reminded her of her

    mother. Dany wistfully thought of how much she missed sleeping with her mother.

    Dany smellled the bed. It had her scent and Cayn''s. It wasn''t a bad smell, although she couldn''t ce

    her feelings on the smell but all she really wanted was to experience her mother''s scent one more time.

    Anyway, their bed did not smell as good as her mother''s scent which reminded her of Ashley.

    She liked Ashley''s fragrance because it was sweet and soft.

    Cayn took a quick shower, and was soon out of the bathroom. Meanwhile, Dany was still lost in her

    fantasy world.

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    Cayn got into the bed beside Dany and pulled her closer to him as he held her in his arms. He yfully

    scratched Dany''s nose and asked, "Baby, what are you thinking about so deeply?"

    Dany looked at the handsome Cayn while still distracted since she was still thinking about Ashley.

    "Well.

    Daddy, I want to find you a wife and a mother for myself. What do you think?"

    "I don''t think that idea is a good one."

    Cayn''s tone was not pleasant. He didn''t seem amused by her proposal.

    "Why not? Don''t you want a wife?" the little girl asked.

    "I''ve got you, my baby, I am not lonely anymore, so I don''t think I need a wife," he replied.

    Dany''s little face crumpled in disappointment, "But a wife and daughter y different roles!" She

    eximed.

    "Well, I do agree that they are different."

    "Then does that mean that you don''t need a wife?" the little girl persisted.

    "No, I don''t want a wife right now." he said.

    "But I want a mommy," the girl said in a low voice sounding dejected.

    Cayn frowned in surprise and asked, "Why do you suddenly want a mommy so desperately? Don''t you

    think that the two of us are enough? Do you feel that our family is iplete? We have been fine, just

    the two of us. If we add another person, there will be three of us. Do you want to share my love with

    someone else?" Cayn asked.

    Dany replied, "All I want is a mommy.

    All the other children have mommies, but I don''t."

    Cayn squinted his eyes and asked in a cold tone, "Who has been saying those words to you?"

    Dany knew that Cayn had a quick tempter so she replied carefully, "No one said anything. I saw

    everything with my own eyes. Many of my ssmates have both parents to pick them up, but I only

    have my father."

    "So are you implying that a father''s love is not enough for you?"

    Dany lowered her head as soon as she heard those words. She thought for a few seconds then said,

    "Although Daddy loves me very much, I still want a mom."

 Chapter 830 The Wedding

    Chapter 830 The Wedding

    "Daddy, what do you think of the woman you saw in the vi today?" Dany asked expectantly.

    "I don''t like her," Cayn said heedlessly.

    Hearing this, Dany stared wide-eyed at her father.

    ''How could he say that?

    But...she is so nice and gentle! Why would he think that she''s no good?'' Dany thought sadly.

    Feeling disappointed, Dany turned her back on Cayn, her little head bent down. Cayn couldn''t help but

    sigh quietly to himself.

    ''Did I say something wrong again?

    Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?'' he wondered.

    The days and nights passed. Soon enough, the cool September air swept through the city.

    It was time for Lesley to get married.

    For five years, Lesley had worked in the Feng Group with utmost diligence. Now she had a ce in the

    group which was more than well-deserved.

    All of the most notable and influential people in J City were invited to Lesley''s wedding.

    It was easy to say that this wedding was of great importance for the soon-to-be newlyweds, and that

    they spared no expense in celebrating it.

    Ashley was wearing a chiffon, evening dress. The pale, lc colorplimented her fair skin in such a

    lovely way. Meanwhile, Andrew wore a ck, slick suit from head to toe, which was paired with a wine-

    colored tie.

    Both outfits matched each other in such a pleasing way.

    Behind them, Fabio and Richard followed close by.

    The two children were more than excited to be able to attend this event with their parents.

    "There''ll be a lot of people at the wedding, okay?" Ashley gently reminded. "Just stay with me and

    daddy."

    "Okay!" the two kids answered in unison.

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    The wedding was held at the top floor of the DJ Hotel.

    With Lesley booking nearly the entire hotel, there were barely any other guests inside the premises

    aside from the guests and VIPs of the wedding.

    For a while now, Ashley had been curious as to whom Lesley was about to marry.

    Upon entering the hall, they were greeted by the music of the string quartet. Some of the guests were

    busy chatting with one another,ughing lightly and toasting the wine sses in their hands.

    Some stopped to look towards Andrew and Ashley, their brows raised in surprise.

    A lot of people knew about Andrew. After all, he was quite famous in the business world.

    What they couldn''t figure out was, who the woman in his arm was.

    There were also two children walking right behind the couple.

    Who were they?

    The kids looked exactly like Andrew!

    Almost everyone Andrew and Ashley passed by either stole quick nces at them or just tantly

    stared without regard.

    Ashley didn''t care about it that much anymore.

    Over the past few years, she had experienced this kind of situation countless times before.

    There was nothing but calmness in her face right now.

    "Mommy, why are they looking at us?" Fabio asked with a frown.

    "It''s okay. They''re looking at you because you are so handsome," Ashley whispered to him.

    Ashley and Andrew found a quiet ce to sit down.

    The cold air around Andrew that gave off an immensely unapproachable aura. Even Johnny couldn''t

    help but keep his distance.

    Truth of the matter was that Andrew was not willing toe to the wedding at all.

    However, Ashley had promised Lesley that she would attend her wedding. As a result, she had no

    choice but to ask Andrew toe with her.

    All the people were shocked when they saw Ashley and Andrewing to the party together.

    "Who is that woman? Did you see? That woman beside Andrew, the CEO of the Lu Group! If I saw it

    correctly, they were walking hand in hand!"

    "No, you didn''t see it wrong. It''s Andrew Lu alright."

    "I thought he wasn''t interested in women? But now that I think about it, didn''t something happen to him

    five years ago?"

    "I''m not quite sure. Didn''t it have something to do with a woman?"

    "I think so. Don''t you think the woman with him looks like the one he was looking for five years ago?"

    "Really?"

    A woman nodded and said, "Yes, it''s her. I saw it clearly."

    "So that woman is back?"

    Since Andrew had such a high profile, it was no secret to anyone that he was looking for a particr

    woman a few years back.

    However, no one knew why he had stopped looking for her.

    Now, seeing Andrew holding a woman''s hand, they were all shocked.

    It was as if Andrew was apletely different person.

    Meanwhile, Ashley and Andrew didn''t know what other people were talking about nor did they really

    care about it.

    After settling down at the table, Ashley helped herself to some of the snacks.

    ''The fairy-tale wedding, '' she thought.

    Although it was Lesley''s wedding, Ashley felt very excited about the whole event.

    The cake was so light and fluffy! It wasn''t overly sweet, which made it even more delectable.

    As she stuffed the cake into her mouth, Andrew looked at her bemusedly, thinking to himself how much

    she looked like a cute little hamster.

    They were at a good time in their lives right now. However, Andrew had never proposed to her.

    Even though it seemed that their rtionship was strong and they had two lovely children, Ashley felt

    that there was still something missing.

    A fairy tale wedding like this was something she had periodically wanted recently.

    It was something that most couples wanted¡ªto have a grand wedding, celebrating the matrimony of

    two people who loved each other deeply.

    Looking around at all the white flowers and draping curtains and other beautiful decor, Ashley slowly

    put her fork down on the te, feeling a bit sad.

    ''Well...

    Maybe I''m just getting a little bit sentimental.

    I already have two kids with Andrew. It''s like we''re already an old, married couple! There''s no need to

    have a wedding like this, '' she convinced herself.

    As Ashley was deep in her own thoughts, she didn''t notice that Andrew was closely watching her.

    Meanwhile, in one of the hotel suites...

    Lesley was sitting down at a plush chair as someone carefully did her make-up. She already had her

    elegant, white wedding dress on. It looked absolutely perfect on her. There were delicateces sewn

    onto the sleeves, making her look like a real princess.

    The make-up artist brushed on Lesley''s face expertly, making the beautiful Lesley even more beautiful.

    As the daughter of the owner of the Feng Group and the most sessful woman in J City, Lesley had

    her own unique disposition.

    Now she looked more charming than ever.

    After the make-up artist gently brushed on some powder over Lesley''s face, she stepped back and

    admired her work. "It''s done, Miss Feng."

    Slowly, Lesley opened her eyes and before she could say anything, a noise came from the other side

    of the door.

    "Young master, you can''t go in now! Ms. Lesley is still getting ready."

    "Get out of the way!"

    A clear voice rang out with arrogance.

    Hearing this, Lesley''s face darkened as she gritted her teeth.

    The dressers beside Lesley didn''t dare to say a word as they saw Lesley''s darkened face.

    "You may leave now,"

    Lesley ordered.

    The makeup artist and her assistant quietly nodded and went outside.

    After entering the room, Harvey Feng looked at Lesley and pursed his lips.

    Pulling up a chair in front of her, he sat down with his legs crossed.

    "What are you doing here?" Lesley asked, narrowing her eyes.

 Chapter 831 I Hate You

    Chapter 831 I Hate You

    --

    Harvey was the other son of Aaron and Rae, Lesley''s younger brother.

    Harvey walked over to Lesley and dered in a rude tone, "I can go anywhere I want in this house."

    He then turned around and left, his voice was full of arrogance.

    Although Harvey was Lesley''s brother, the deep seeded resentment bordering on hate that she had for

    him was indescribable.

    Ever since Lesley''s parents gave birth to Harvey, he was always handled with kid gloves as if he were

    a porcin doll that could break any time. They worshiped the ground he walked on like a national

    treasure. Harvey, up to now, didn''t know how to do anything for himself because his parents'' hired

    servants to take care of his every need including eating and dressing up.

    He had no idea how to take care of himself. He couldn''t even do simple tasks like tying his shoeces,

    because he always had an entourage of servants at his beck and call, who did everything for him.

    Now that he was going to kindergarten, he had no idea how to rte with other children his age. He

    therefore acted like a little lord, bullying, beating and harassing other kids every other day.

    It was a regr urrence for Harvey to beat other kids without any reason.

    If anyone didn''t obey his often absurd demands, he would fall into a sudden bout of anger and beat

    them in blind rage.

    He thought that the world revolved around him and everything was always about what he wanted.

    It was obvious that Aaron and Rae had spoiled him rotten with too much love and very little discipline.

    Besides, whenever the other kids'' parents came toin about Harvey''s behavior, they always took

    his side and indicated that there was nothing wrong with their son''s actions.

    They didn''t even feel the need to apologize, as their son was their little angel.

    What could other parents do?

    As a domineering and powerful family, other parents had no means of recourse, but to tolerate their

    little devil of a son''s behavior, because no one wanted to be on the receiving end of his parent''s wrath.

    When it got too serious, some parents opted to move their children to other schools in order to stay

    away from Harvey. Basically, running away with their tails between their legs was their best option.

    Otherwise, no one wanted to find out what would happen to their kids if they spent more time under

    Harvey''s oppressive thumb.

    Harvey''s arrogance and petnt behavior was not limited to school. He was just as bad at home.

    "Harvey? Lesley, have you seen Harvey? Is he here?"

    Rae and Aaron came in shortly after Harvey left the room.

    Lesley stood up and as she walked towards her parents and said, "Yes he is here. But we must make

    sure that nothing goes wrong at the wedding today. If he dares to mess around at the wedding, don''t

    me me if I do something to him that he''ll regret!"

    Rae was very displeased with her assertions. She looked at Lesley with a disgruntled and usatory

    expression and eximed, "How could you say that? Harvey is your younger brother. What''s the worst

    that he can do to ruin your wedding?"

    Aaron also interposed, "Yeah. Lesley, don''t you think that you are too resentful against your brother?

    We have raised you up just the same way as your brother. So what makes you better than him?"

    Lesley pivoted and looked at her parents with incredulity written all over her face and said nothing.

    Although Aaron and Rae had spoiled her very much when she was young, their treatment of Harvey

    was at a different level of spoiling.

    Their special treatment of him made it obvious that their parents preferred boys over girls and would

    bend over backwards to amodate every illogical request the boy made.

    "Okay, let''s stop arguing over nonsense, my wedding is about to start. Everybody, look sharp!"

    Lesley ordered, snapping her fingers as she prepared to leave the room.

    Aaron and Rae both stood up, "Lesley, have you really made up your mind to marry that foreigner?

    Haven''t you always loved Andrew?"

    Lesley replied with indignation, "I don''t love him anymore, and by the way, please don''t call him

    ''foreigner'', he has a name. His name is Greg."

    Then she turned and took short quick steps out of the room in her high heels.

    Her parents'' train of thought represented what most people would think at the wedding.

    It was no secret that Lesley had deeply loved Andrew

    It was therefore a mystery how she had suddenly gotten over her feelings and decided to marry a

    foreigner.

    Watching the crowd move towards the center, Ashley put down the bags she was holding in her hands

    and asked, "Is the wedding about to begin? Let''s go and have a look."

    Andrew looked at the crowd and frowned. He didn''t like such crowded spaces but there wasn''t much he

    could do about it. Ashley had decided to go in.

    Inside the hall, Lesley was standing at the pulpit facing a man who had foreign features. Beside the

    couple was an entourage of bridesmaids and groomsmen.

    The priest who was about to have them say their vows stood between the couple.

    "Greg, do take the Lesley as your legally wedded wife, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in

    health, till death parts you?"

    "Yes, I am."

    The groom responded in poor mandarin with a strong foreign ent.

    The man standing opposite Lesley was much taller than her and made Lesley look like a timid little

    woman standing beside a giant.

    "As for the bride, Lesley, do you take Greg, standing beside you, for richer or for poorer, in sickness

    and in health, till death parts you?"

    Lesley raised her head and smiled as she looked at Greg, "Yes, I do."

    Once they were done with the vows, they exchanged their rings which sparkled brightly, indicating that

    they were, by no means cheap.

    After they put the rings on, the priest concluded the ceremony, "Well, by the power vested in me, I

    dere you, husband and wife, now joined as one in holy matrimony. The groom may now kiss the

    bride!"

    Greg looked at Lesley, all the love he felt for her reflected in his eyes as he drew closer to her and

    slowly nted a passionate kiss on her lips.

    People cheered and hooted, teasing for more.

    Somehow, those who had unsessfully pursued Lesley looked as if they had swallowed a rat. They

    felt as if that door had just been forever shut in their faces.

    They were okay with losing Lesley to Andrew, but it never urred to them that a foreigner would one

    day sweep her off her feet and right under their noses.

    But there was one person in the crowd who was more surprised and confused than others.

    Angelina had never expected that things would turn out, the way they just did.

    Where did she go wrong?

    Angelina had supplied Lesley with every single information she could find that was rted to Ashley.

    Her n was to make sure that Lesley gave Ashley a hard time, because they were rivals over Andrew

    but now, her n had obviously fallen through.

    What had happened to Lesley? Why would Lesley decide to get married to someone else? And to

    make matters worse it was someone she was not familiar with.

    Angelina felt as if her head was spinning trying to figure out everything.

    Recently, the Li Family had be more and more unscrupulous and shameless!

    They would ask for money every now and then and every time, the amount just kept increasing!

    They had be so abrasive that they no longer cared about appearances, it didn''t matter the

    asion or time of day, they asked for money anytime they wanted.

    Angelina hated the Li Family to her core!

    She couldn''t understand why things turned out the way they did.

    Lesley''s marriage invitation had been posted on the Inte long ago.

    Francis and Jeremy didn''t like her but they had to show some semnce of respect.

    Jeremy who was standing next to Angelina noticed her odd behavior and her pale face.

    "What''s wrong? Angelina are you okay? Are youing down with something?"

    Jeremy looked at Angelina whose forehead was dotted with beads of sweat.

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    Hearing Jeremy''s voice, Angelina came to her senses.

    She patted Jeremy''s hand and said, "Brother, I''m fine. I just need to use the bathroom."

    "Okay."

    Jeremy was too worried about Angelina to pay much attention to her flimsy excuse.

    Furthermore, Angelina was his sister, so her care free announcement about the use of the bathroom

    was not a big deal.

    However, some people wouldn''t be sofortable with such open discussion of personal information.

    Jeremy looked at her still in deep thought until Angelina''s back disappeared from view.

    Only then did he notice that she left her cell phone on the table. He chuckled quietly because he

    couldn''t believe that even as an adult she was still so careless.

    However, Jeremy just looked away and did not touch her cell phone.

 Chapter 832 A Thunderbolt

    Chapter 832 A Thunderbolt

    Although they were siblings, Jeremy respected his sister''s privacy. After all, he was not the kind of

    person who would check other people''s phones.

    So, he just sat there and waited for Angelina.

    But suddenly, Angelina''s phone vibrated. It seemed that someone sent her a message.

    At first, he didn''t pay much attention to it.

    However, the phone kept on vibrating a few more times. Since there had been many messages

    already, it must be something important.

    Jeremy looked around, but Angelina wasn''t back yet.

    He picked up her phone from the table and stood up.

    While he was looking for Angelina, it vibrated again.

    But since Jeremy had always respected Angelina''s privacy, he didn''t dare to check the messages.

    After a while, the phone had finally stopped vibrating.

    Looking at the ck screen, Jeremy thought that it was over.

    But to his surprise, the screen lit up as thetest message came in.

    And since the screen was right in front of his face, he unintentionally saw the new message.

    Shock was written all over Jeremy''s face in an instant.

    It was as if he saw something terrifying.

    All of a sudden, he lost his bnce, and he stumbled sideways.

    Fortunately, there was a waiter near him, who was quick enough to hold him. "Sir, are you okay?"

    Jeremy replied, "Yes, I''m fine. Thank you."

    Jeremy pulled back his hand only to find out that it had gotten cold.

    He looked at the phone again, but it had automatically locked.

    As he recalled the words he had just read, he felt like a heavy stone pressed on his heart.

    He could barely breathe.

    Angelina hadn''te back yet, and he didn''t know where to find her.

    Jeremy suddenly got anxious, especially when he remembered the beads of sweat on Angelina''s

    forehead before she left.

    He looked at her phone again, thinking of unlocking it.

    But after trying a few sets of numbers for the password, none of them worked.

    Eventually, he put his finger on the button. To his surprise, the phone unlocked

    Jeremy remembered that when Angelina got this phone, she was so happy that she grabbed his hand

    and recorded his fingerprint in there.

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    He didn''t expect that she would use it as her phone''s password.

    Since the phone was already unlocked, he opened Angelina''s WeChat.

    Jeremy never did something like this. Even if Angelina was his sister, he never invaded her privacy.

    But the message he had identally read made him restless.

    He had no choice but to find out what was really going on.

    Jeremy opened the messages.

    They all came from the same person.

    "Angelina, where are you?

    We don''t have any money left now.

    Give us one million dors right away."

    "Where are you? Reply to my message." "Are you trying to avoid us?

    Well, if I still don''t receive any reply from you, I will tell your secret to the Gu family. I''m serious."

    "Angelina, have you be dumb after being thedy of the Gu family for five years? If you still don''t

    reply, don''t me me."

    "Angelina, you are not a real member of the Gu family. You know that, so stop pretending. I don''t know

    what will happen to you if they find out that you have been fooling them for a long time now."

    After reading all the messages, Jeremy closed the WeChat.

    He leaned against the chair behind him for support, trying to calm himself.

    After a while, he opened her WeChat and read the messages again.

    It was as if he wanted to make sure that everything was real.

    The person who sent the messages was very persistent, but Angelina only replied once or twice.

    Obviously, she was trying to avoid him.

    And the only purpose of the messages was to ask for money.

    No wonder Angelina had been asking a lot of money from Jeremy recently without any reason.

    He was already getting suspicious, but he didn''t ask. Unexpectedly, he found the answer just now.

    In the past, Angelina had never squandered the money given to her. Since she was not the real

    daughter of the Gu family, she thought that she should not waste the pocket money that Belinda and

    Jeremy gave her. Instead, she saved them.

    But over time, Angelina had learned to splurge on many things, and she couldn''t restrain it anymore.

    That was when she started to ask for money from Jeremy more often the before. Also, she would

    always say that the Li family was asking for money from her.

    Jeremy loved her so much that he didn''t care even if she was just making up an excuse.

    Jeremy went back to their table, took out his phone, and saved the person''s WeChat ID. He also took a

    screenshot of the messages and put Angelina''s phone back to its original position.

    He just sat there, pretending like nothing happened.

    Although he looked casual on the outside, only Jeremy knew what he was thinking inside.

    He was the one who took Angelina''s saliva for a DNA test before. How could this happen now?

    A few momentster, Angelina came back.

    She smiled at him and said, "I''m sorry. I got caught up with something."

    Angelina subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that her phone looked untouched.

    On the other hand, Jeremy''s eyes darkened when he saw such a reaction from her.

    But he still replied with a smile, "It''s alright. But next time, make sure to always bring your phone with

    you. Don''t be so careless."

    Angelina put her phone in her bag and smiled sweetly. "You''re right."

    Meanwhile, Ashley was still in the same wedding reception and she felt a little tired.

    Up to this time, she couldn''t understand why Lesley wanted her to be here.

    Fabio, who was sitting beside her, also felt a little bored now. When he looked around and saw

    something at the other end of the hall, his eyes lit up all of a sudden.

    "Mommy, I want to go there and have a look," Fabio said as he held Ashley''s hand.

    "What''s so special in there? There are so many people here. You are just a kid. What if you get lost?"

    she said.

    "Don''t worry, mommy. I have my phone with me. Also, I will go with my Richard."

    Fabio turned to Richard and pleaded, "Brother, go with me, please."

    Richard nodded unhesitatingly. "Okay."

    Ashley looked around and thought, ''Fabio looks like Andrew. With Andrew''s power here in J City, no

    one would dare to hurt the kids.''

    So, she replied, "Okay. But you have to be careful. Call me if anything happens."

    "Yes, mommy,"

    Fabio replied excitedly. He then grabbed Richard''s hand and ran off.

    Ashley couldn''t help shaking her head in amusement.

    Andrew''s mood lightened up as soon as the two boys were gone. Finally, he could have Ashley to

    himself even for a short while.

 Chapter 833 Show Off Her Husband

    Chapter 833 Show Off Her Husband

    It was like they were the only two people in the world.

    How could he be unhappy?

    This wedding was a perfect opportunity for the guests to be introduced to other key people in the

    business circle that they had always wanted to meet.

    They could gain valuable business connections, and theworking potential was endless.

    Thus Ashley also wanted to go and mingle with the crowd to socialize.

    However, one look at the man beside her had her abandoning that idea.

    Andrew did not speak to anyone, and his general demeanor was intimidating enough to scare people

    away.

    Ashley didn''t have to say anything. Their appearance together had made their rtionship known to

    the public.

    It was time.

    All of a sudden, a person stood in front of Ashley just as she and Andrew were on their way to their

    seats.

    That person was none other than the star of that night¡ª

    Lesley.

    The woman appeared before them wearing a gorgeous white gossamer-like gown, one hand holding a

    ss of wine and the other curled around a man''s arm.

    Earlier, Ashley didn''t see what the man looked like because he was too far away.

    Now, she could clearly see the groom''s face.

    The man who was arm in arm with Lesley was wearing a white suit with a corsage on the chest.

    The man was almost a giant at 1.89 meters and had very handsome Caucasian features.

    Even so, Ashley thought that her own man wasn''t that bad-looking.

    Andrew was extremely handsome, too!

    Ashley looked at Lesley and wondered why she was in front of them. Surely it wasn''t to show off her

    boyfriend, was it?

    ''Oh, sorry¡ªit should be husband by now.''

    Ashley got lost in her thoughts for a bit until a sudden pain in her hand brought her back to the present.

    She looked up at Andrew, a question in her eyes.

    "What''s wrong?" she asked in a low voice.

    Andrew looked at Ashley with his dark eyes and said nothing.

    Suddenly, Ashley understood what he was not saying.

    She had been staring at the other man for too long. Did he get jealous because of this?

    As it turned out, Ashley''s guess was right.

    Lesley smiled, "Hi! I didn''t see youe in. I almost thought you wouldn''t be making an appearance

    tonight."

    Then, she raised her ss and took a sip, smiling at Ashley.

    People who didn''t know them would think that they were good friends.

    However, only the two of them knew the true nature of their rtionship.

    "How could I not attend?" Ashley replied. "After all, I did promise you, didn''t I? Congrattions on your

    wedding! I''m d that you have found the love of your life!."

    As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Ashley felt that she said something wrong.

    Lesley looked at Ashley and Andrew and then replied, "Thank you."

    Ashley still wondered why Lesley chose a foreigner to marry.

    Nheless, the two of them seemed to be in a good rtionship.

    Perhaps Lesley saw the curiosity in Ashley''s eyes, so she leaned over and whispered teasingly, "If

    you''re interested, I can tell you the storyter."

    Lesley spoke and acted as if the two of them were good friends.

    Ashley felt a little embarrassed and answered, "That''s okay, you don''t have to."

    Lesley and her husband didn''t stay long to chat. After all, a lot of people were waiting to offer their

    congrattions and toasts to the newlyweds.

    Looking at Lesley''s back, Ashley thought that Lesley did approach them to show off.

    ''Show off what, exactly? Did she want to show off her husband?'' Ashley wondered. Ashley wouldn''t

    feel envious of Lesley over her husband when she had Andrew, an awesome man of her own.

    ''Isn''t that reason too petty?''

    Feeling a bit bored, Ashley stifled a yawn and turned toward Andrew, saying, "Let''s go look for the kids

    and leave once we find them."

    Of course, Andrew agreed. He''d been wanting to leave for quite some time now.

    At that moment, Fabio and Richard were having a good time with Dany.

    Dany was the reason why Fabio wanted to attend.

    Dany also saw Fabio. The two of them left the adults behind and spent some time with each other and

    several other children.

    The truth was, Dany would rather be with Ashley.

    However, she did not want to make her father angry.

    "Dany, I didn''t expect to see you here!" Fabio greeted Dany with a look of surprise.

    Dany nodded and said with a smile, "My dad said that the man who got married today is one of his best

    friends, so we came here."

    Fabio chatted with Dany while Richard stood silently by.

    Richard was not a talkative person.

    Looking at the little girl who was talking with Fabio, Richard thought that Dany looked a little familiar to

    him.

    He knew, however, that he had never met her before.

    While they were having a fun time together, they heard a rustling sound from the patch of grass beside

    them.

    Fabio and Dany stopped talking and looked toward that direction.

    As the top floor was an open-air venue, trees and grass patches were constant features.

    "What is that? Do you hear that?"

    His curiosity piqued, Fabio peered at the grass, trying not to blink.

    "Yes, I did hear something, but I don''t see anything. We must be careful,"

    Richard warned.

    He was the eldest child here, so he had to take good care of the other kids. Besides, Richard kind of

    liked Dany.

    "Let''s go to have a look!" Fabio said, apprehensive and yet excited.

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    "Okay!" Dany echoed.

    Richard walked ahead, and Dany and Fabio followed his lead.

    They were curious to find out what caused the rustling sound, but they did feel scared.

    The closer they got to the grass, the clearer the sound they heard was.

    "Oh, my God! They''re finally leaving!

    I''m so annoyed!" a young man shouted in a cutesy voice. All of a sudden, a figure popped out from the

    ce where Fabio looked at.

    "Aaargh!"

    As soon as Harvey jumped out of the grass and saw the three people standing in front of him, he cried

    out in surprise and fear.

    Suddenly, he mped a hand to his mouth to silence himself when a thought urred to him.

    Not only Harvey but also Fabio and Dany were frightened.

    After all, someone suddenly jumped out of the grass! Wouldn''t most people be freaked out by that?

    What was that person doing there?

    "Who are you?"

    Harvey raised his head and asked Dany arrogantly.

    Fabio didn''t like Harvey''s attitude. He frowned and replied, "It''s none of your business who we are! I

    should be the one asking¡ªwhy are you squatting in the grass and rustling? Were you doing something

    bad?"

    "I asked her. I didn''t ask you," Harvey said, his eyes fixed on Dany all the while.

 Chapter 834 We Found Tangyuan

    Chapter 834 We Found Tangyuan

    Harvey sounded extremely arrogant.

    But when he was able to get a good look at Fabio, astonishment shed through his eyes.

    He didn''t expect that Fabio to be so handsome. In fact, Fabio was the most handsome boy he had ever

    seen.

    "Well, we''re not telling you anything," Fabio said as he stepped in front of Dany to protect her.

    "How dare you!" Harvey red at Fabio and pointed his finger at him angrily.

    "Don''t you know who I am? Believe it or not, I can have you thrown out of here in a jiffy,"

    he quickly added arrogantly.

    "I don''t care who you are, and I don''t think that you can throw us out,"

    Fabio hissed back.

    He then looked at Harvey up and down as if scrutinizing him.

    Fabio and Harvey were of the same age. However, thetter was so chubby that he looked like a big

    round ball.

    In Fabio''s mind, he was more annoying that Bolton from his kindergarten.

    Obviously, no one had ever dared to talk back to Harvey. That was why he was so furious with the way

    Fabio talked to him.

    For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

    Harvey had sent the servants away because he thought that they were too annoying. But now, facing

    Fabio, he desperately wished that they were behind him. He hoped that they woulde and take

    these obstinate children out of his sight.

    "Dany, let''s go. I''ll take you to Mom. Let''s not waste our time with this boy anymore," Fabio said,

    holding her hand gently.

    Excitement was written all over Dany''s face after hearing that she could see Ashley. "Okay," she said

    happily.

    "Let''s go." Fabio held Dany in his right hand and Richard in his left. The three of them walked back

    merrily to the table where they had left Ashley.

    Meanwhile, Ashley and Andrew were also busy looking for the two boys.

    "Mommy!"

    Seeing her familiar figure, Fabio shouted and joyfully ran towards Ashley.

    But before he could even get close, Andrew stood in front of her.

    Blocking his way, Andrew said, "Hey, watch out. Be careful. Don''t dash into your mommy like that."

    Fabio stopped, pursed his lips, and nodded.

    But as he looked up at his father, he thought inwardly, ''You just don''t want me to get too close to my

    mommy.

    Humph!

    You are so mean, Dad.

    You know she is my beloved mommy.''

    But of course, he couldn''t say it aloud in front of Andrew. Instead, he said to Ashley, "Mommy, look

    who''s with us." He held Dany''s hand and showed her to Ashley proudly.

    "Oh my cute baby, you are here too!" Ashley looked at the little girl in surprise.

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    She liked the child so much.

    Every time she saw Dany, she would always remember her own daughter, Tangyuan.

    "Hello, Auntie," Dany greeted Ashley with a big smile. Her rosy cheeks were so cute to look at.

    After all, her smile was so touching that it could instantly melt anyone''s heart.

    "You''re such an adorable girl!"

    Ashley held Dany in her arms.

    "Where is your daddy? Isn''t he with you? How could that he leave you alone in this kind of event?"

    Dany felt strange. Ashley''s warm and tight hug was too different from her daddy''s.

    It felt so good that she couldn''t help rubbing her cheek against Ashley''s shoulder.

    If only she could stay in Ashley''s arms forever.

    However, she had to let go of Ashley''s hug, so she could exin. "No, Auntie. Daddy is here too. I just

    happened to see Fabio, so I told Daddy that I would go and y with him."

    Since she was trying to y matchmaker for Ashley and her dad, she didn''t want to give Ashley a bad

    impression of him.

    Andrew''s face darkened when he saw the little girl in Ashley''s arms.

    He didn''t expect that she would show up and steal his moment after he stopped his own two sons from

    behaving mischievously.

    He scratched his head and thought to himself, ''Did this girl just mention her daddy? Does Ash know

    him?

    Have they already met?''

    Jealousy surged in Andrew''s heart all of a sudden.

    Even with her back on him, Ashley seemed to have sensed his jealousy, so she turned and gave him a

    loving smile.

    Still holding Dany in her arms, Ashley heaved a deep sigh. Initially, they were looking for Fabio and

    Richard so they could leave. But now that the little girl was with her, she felt like she didn''t want to go

    yet.

    "Honey, is your daddy busy now? Would you like to stay by my side for a while?"

    "Sure! I''d love to!" It was exactly what Dany wanted. She couldn''t help pping her hands with joy.

    Although her little mind couldn''t understand it yet, she felt the happiest every time she was close to

    Ashley like this.

    "You must find those three brats and throw them out of here immediately!" Harvey said to the servants

    ferociously as he stomped his feet in rage.

    But one of them didn''t agree with his order. "Young Master, I''m afraid that it''s not a good idea. The

    guests at this wedding party are not ordinary people. If we offend any of them..."

    Before the servant could finish his words, Harvey kicked him in the shin. "Who''s to follow here?" With

    darkened expression, he added, "They dared to be rude to me, so they must pay for it."

    Every time he thought about how Fabio, Richard, and Dany left him alone, he fumed with rage.

    Harvey''s kick was not that hard, but everyone around him was still shocked.

    They all felt embarrassed.

    The servant who dared to oppose him just now ended up pressing his lips into a thin line. He only tried

    to protect the Feng family, but Harvey hurt him in return.

    "What are you waiting for? Go and find them now!"

    "Yes, Young Master."

    The servants then scattered in all directions to look for the three kids that Harvey mentioned.

    "You already know what kind of person the Young Master is, but you still talked to him that way.

    Besides, we shouldn''t get involved in this. If the Young Master happens to offend someone, it''s the

    Feng family''s business. It has nothing to do with us,"

    the servant next to the one who was kicked by Harvey said indignantly.

    His voice was full of detestation towards Harvey.

    After all, they were servants and not ves. They shouldn''t be scolded and beaten in front of many

    people.

    It wasn''t only Harvey. Even Aaron and Rae always scolded them for not looking after Harvey very well.

    "I was too careless. I just thought of it all of a sudden and voiced it out. I won''t be so impulsive next

    time," the servant who was kicked by Harvey said with a frown.

    The servants of the Feng family were indeed unfortunate. If only they were not short of money, they

    would have left a long time ago.

    No one would want to be pped and kicked by a little tyrant all the time.

    "Let''s go and find those kids now."

    When the servant left, Harvey also went to look for the kids. As much as possible, he wanted to find

    them himself and teach them a lesson.

    Spoiled by his parents at home, Harvey was a total brat.

    But he didn''t know that he would get a taste of his own medicine sooner orter.

    When Harvey caught sight of Dany in a woman''s arms, his eyes lit up. He quickly ran over to them.

    He didn''t care if he bumped into a lot of people who were in his way.

    "Who are your parents? Didn''t they even teach you any manners? Didn''t you know that you should

    apologize if you bump into someone?"

 Chapter 836 A Good Schemer

    Chapter 836 A Good Schemer

    Anyway, it didn''t matter because she had to stay behind either way and look after the two kids.

    Andrew nodded and said, "Wait for me here."

    "Okay," Ashley replied.

    She didn''t pay much attention to the guards who haven''t stopped arguing with Harvey on all sorts of

    things. Instead, she wiped Dany''s hair carefully with a piece of tissue.

    "Well, let me take a look on the other side of your face, and see if we missed anything."

    Ashley told Dany after wiping one side.

    Dany nodded and turned her head obediently to give her a better view.

    Ashley wiped Dany''s hair gently, and in the process identally touched Dany''s ear, but she didn''t put

    much thought to it.

    Then she hesitated with her hand midair and inspected the ear closely.

    Ashley saw the mole on Dany''s left ear, which was the same as the birthmark on Fabio''s right ear.

    Ashley suddenly felt as if time had stopped moving and everything was happening in slow motion. She

    started hyperventting and tried to take in deep breaths so that she wouldn''t scare Dany.

    She stopped what she was doing and closed her eyes, as if trying tomand her emotions to

    behave.

    But Ashley was fighting a losing battle. The handkerchief that she had clutched in her mmy hands

    had dropped to the floor. She stared at the mole on Dany''s ear with her eyes erratically glossing over

    each angle of the ear.

    The surprise, doubt and shock she was feeling were all portrayed in her ss eyes. Her heart almost

    exploding from her chest, she tried to lift her hand to touch the ear, but it was shaking too much.

    This was her Tangyuan.

    This was her daughter, her long lost daughter, there was no way she could be mistaken!

    Ashley suddenly hugged Dany tightly, "Baby, my daughter, my baby."

    She choked on her words trying to desperately hold on to her tears because she knew that as soon as

    they started streaming from her eyes, it would never stop.

    All of a sudden, Dany was tightly held in Ashley''s arms. She, in turn, wrapped into Ashley''s arms in a

    hug that almost squeezed all the air out of her little lungs.

    Although Dany didn''t understand what was going on, she liked being close to Ashley. So she stayed in

    Ashley''s arms, quietly savoring the moment.

    After a long while, Ashley let go of the little girl and looked at her with all the gentleness and care in the

    world.

    Dany blinked and looked at Ashley. In the past, Ashley always looked at her with gentleness, but today

    was the first time that she had looked at her like this.

    She was giving her, the same gentle and loving look she always gave Fabio.

    "Auntie are you okay?"

    Dany asked, looking confused.

    Ashley replied while gently rubbing Dany''s face, "Baby, I''m not your auntie. I''m your mommy. You''re my

    daughter1"

    "But my daddy said that I didn''t have a mommy," Dany replied.

    She wasn''t sure what Ashley was talking about, but Dany really wanted Ashley to be her mother. She

    didn''t understand did she felt so strange.

    "Your daddy? Was he the one who came to pick you up at the vi before?" Ashley asked as her eyes

    darkened.

    "Yes, that''s my daddy,"

    Dany answered.

    "No, he can''t be your daddy. The man who was sitting right next to mommy just now is your real

    daddy," Ashley said with force.

    "No way! He is my daddy! I have lived with him since I was a little girl," Dany said. Her face was turning

    red with every statement she made.

    She was a little unhappy at the affront on the only daddy she knew.

    Ashley lowered her head and thought, ''Tangyuan is my daughter, my daughter with Andrew. But now

    she calls another man, her daddy.''

    Dany noticed that Ashley had lowered her head, looking upset. She didn''t want to make Ashley

    unhappy. However, she also loved Cayn very much and she didn''t want anything to separate her from

    her daddy.

    She also became upset at the thought.

    "Auntie, I''m sorry," Dany said in a low voice.

    Ashley looked up and smiled at her. "It''s okay, don''t worry, everything is going to be fine."

    She pulled Dany closer to her chest and held her tightly.

    Ashley had finally found her daughter. She wanted to weep with joy.

    Even if her daughter was calling someone else ''daddy'', it was not a big deal.

    Dany was her daughter and she would be back in their lives soon.

    "Dany, what happened to your mommy? Where is she?" asked Ashley conversationally.

    "I don''t have a mommy. I only have a daddy. But Daddy promised that he will find a mommy for me

    soon," Dany replied with confidence.

    ''Why doesn''t she have mother?'' Ashley wondered.

    "Well, what kind of mommy do you want, baby?" Ashley asked with a smile.

    Dany hazarded a shy look at Ashley and said in a low voice, "I want a mommy like you." Dany always

    thought of Ashley as gentle, nice, and she always ready to hug her.

    Ashley smiled and didn''t say anything. She and her Tangyuan were definitely mother and daughter.

    She believed that blood was always thicker than water and that was why Tangyuan seemed to have a

    special connection with her.

    "Dany! Where are you? Come down here!"

    While Ashley held Dany in her arms, enjoying the moment, a voice came from behind them.

    The voice sounded familiar.

    "My daddy is here."

    Dany, who was nestled in Ashley''s arms, said in a low voice.

    She was a little scared because she had run away from Cayn earlier.

    Ashley patted Dany on the back tofort her. "Don''t worry. Mommy is here to protect you."

    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    Ashley held Dany''s hand and stood up then she carried her as they walked towards Cayn.

    "You must be Mr. Mo, right?" Ashley asked.

    Looking at Ashley, Cayn didn''t say anything.

    He stared straight at Dany in Ashley''s arms and demanded, "Come here, baby we have to go."

    When he found out that Dany was missing, he almost bulldozed everyone to the ground, just so he

    could find his baby across the sea of people.

    He was a little disappointed that he had been so worried for Dany, yet she seemed be so happy and

    comfortable in another woman''s arms.

    Cayn was very angry, he looked like a bull with steaming out of its ears.

    Dany wriggled in Ashley''s arms and said, "Mommy, let me go."

    Ashley was so happy when she heard her baby Dany, call her, Mommy.

    Dany whispered the word "mommy" in Ashley''s ear so that it was just the two of them who could hear

    it. She liked Ashley very much and had always dreamed of calling her, Mommy.

    Ashley cast a nce at Cayn. She felt very protective and didn''t want to put Dany down. After all, she

    was her daughter.

    However, she knew better, it was not the right time to try to resolve such issues with Dany present.

    Ashley hesitated for a while and then passed Dany to Cayn.

    Cayn held Dany close to his chest, as he inhaled her scent, trying to calm his dangerously erratic

    temper that was threatening to explode.

    Dany was terrible at whispering and he had heard her call Ashley "Mommy."

    He looked at Ashley with a frown and said with disdain, "Wow, I have to admit, you really are a good

    with your schemes."

    They had only been together for a few days, but Dany was already calling her, her mommy.

    Ashley pretended not to understand what Cayn was talking about and asked, "Mr. Mo, I don''t know

    what you are talking about."

    Although Dany returned to Cayn''s arms, she still looked at Ashley with longing.

    Ashley smiled at the little girl.

    "Stop staring at her like that. Let''s go."

    Cayn would never admit that he felt jealous of his daughter''s rtionship with Ashley.

    Dany put her arms around Cayn''s neck and said, "Daddy, someone bullied me just now."

    Actually, when Cayn held Dany, he had smelled the wine on her body but assumed that it was Ashley

    who was drinking the wine.

    So he hadn''t put much thought to it. But now, he realized that the smell of wine was actually a lot closer

    to him.

    In fact, it was Dany who exuded the smell of wine.

    He asked with concern, "What happened? Who dares to bully my baby?"

    Dany pointed at Harvey, who was being restrained by the bodyguards the whole time. "It''s him. He

    sshed red wine on me but luckily, I was protected by that man," she said.

    When Ashley heard the word "that man" from Dany''s mouth, she had the urge to correct her, that

    Andrew was actually her father.

 Chapter 837 Your Son Is Spoiled

    Chapter 837 Your Son Is Spoiled

    "A child?" Cayn asked in confusion. He stared at Harvey with cold eyes.

    One of the servants saw what was happening, so he immediately looked for Lesley to inform her.

    After all, this was Lesley''s wedding party. She deserved to know what was going on.

    At this time, Lesley and Greg, together with Aaron and Rae, were all in the same room. The servant

    came in and reported, "Miss Feng, we have a problem. Something happened to Harvey."

    Before Lesley could say anything, Aaron and Rae asked in unison, "What happened to Harvey? Hurry,

    tell us."

    Lesley looked at her parents and raised an eyebrow. "What''s the rush?"

    The servant gasped and said, "It seems that Harvey has offended the CEO of the Lu Group."

    "What?"

    Aaron suddenly stood up and stared at the servant anxiously.

    "What did Harvey do?"

    The servant was about to speak again, but Rae interrupted him, "Aaron, why do you still waste your

    time asking him? Let''s go and find it out ourselves."

    Rae also couldn''t hide her anxiety when the servant mentioned the CEO of the Lu Group.

    She knew how cruel Andrew was. His cruelty didn''t recognize any age. Thinking that Harvey had

    offended him, she couldn''t help feeling scared for her son.

    "Why are you still standing there? Bring us to them!" Aaron yelled at the servant.

    The servant pulled himself together and walked out of the room, leading Aaron and Rae to where

    Andrew was.

    What they didn''t know was that Harvey did not only offended Andrew but also Cayn.

    Cayn was also a cruel man. He was even full of mischievous tricks.

    Lesley, who was left with Greg in the room, couldn''t help rolling her eyes in annoyance. She didn''t

    expect that her brother would mess up again. And of all people, it was Andrew that he offended this

    time.

    She couldn''t wait to see how her parents would handle the situation. Would they be able to protect their

    beloved son?

    Greg looked at Lesley and asked, "Shall we go and have a look?"

    "Yes. We have to see what''s going on in there."

    This kind of situation was rare to see. Lesley would like to know how Harvey had offended both Andrew

    and Cayn.

    Harvey would definitely be punished for offending them.

    Aaron and Rae pampered Harvey too much. They gave him everything and let him do anything he

    wanted, whether it was good or bad. As much as possible, Lesley didn''t want Harvey to attend her

    wedding party because she knew that he would only cause trouble. But her parents insisted on bringing

    him.

    Ever since Harvey was born, Lesley had always handled a lot of matters for him. But he was such an

    ungrateful child.

    Harvey took Lesley''s efforts for granted. He didn''t care at all. That was the reason why Lesley had

    learned to hate him so much.

    Lesley and Greg walked behind Aaron and Rae.

    Lesley was so upset. This was her wedding, and it was supposed to be the happiest moment of her life.

    But Harvey ruined everything. Of course, she had already expected that her parents would let her

    handle this matter to save her brother again.

    Greg seemed to know what she was thinking, so he put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Don''t

    worry. After this, we will go back abroad. They won''t be able to bother you anymore."

    "Thank you." Lesley turned to look at Greg gratefully.

    She had already lost her affection towards her parents because of Harvey.

    Especially when she saw how Aaron and Rae spoiled him rotten.

    "Zed, take him away," Cayn ordered.

    He cast a nce at Harvey, and then he looked away, as if Harvey was but an eyesore.

    Aaron and Rae arrived just in time to hear what Cayn had said. They were stunned for a moment, but

    then suddenly rushed towards Harvey.

    They felt distressed upon seeing that Harvey was held by a bodyguard.

    Harvey was the apple of their eyes. How could they let an insignificant bodyguard treat him this way?

    Even if Harvey did something wrong, he was still a kid. He shouldn''t be handled cruelly. These people

    were definitely making a mountain out of a molehill.

    "Who the hell are you? How dare you take Harvey away?"

    Rae yelled at Cayn. She looked so furious.

    She then turned to the bodyguard and said, "Let go of my son. Otherwise, don''t me me for teaching

    you a lesson."

    "Then, I''d like to see how you will teach my bodyguard a lesson."

    A familiar cold voice suddenly sounded.

    When Aaron turned around, he saw Andrew, who just got changed.

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    Judging by how he looked, Harvey had really offended Andrew, just like what the servant said.

    Aaron stepped forward and said to Andrew in a low voice, "I don''t know what my son did to you. But if

    he offended you, please give him back to me, so I can teach him a lesson myself."

    Andrew didn''t even spare a nce at Aaron. He just walked directly to Ashley and held her in his arms.

    But Ashley didn''t seem to notice him. Her eyes were fixed in the opposite direction.

    Andrew followed her gaze. There, he saw a man with a very delicateplexion.

    He was so beautiful that Andrew even thought of him as a woman at first sight.

    Andrew subconsciously held Ashley more tightly.

    He just went to the dressing room to change his clothes. When he came back, Ashley was already

    staring at someone else.

    What Andrew didn''t know was that Ashley was not staring at the man. Instead, she couldn''t take her

    eyes away from the little girl in the man''s arms. Ashley felt Andrew''s arms wrap her waist, but she

    didn''t move. She seemed to have been mesmerized by the little girl.

    Ashley knew in her heart that the little girl was her missing daughter. After so many years, she finally

    found her.

    As Andrew tightened his grip on her waist, Ashley could tell that he was already enraged. If she didn''t

    take her gaze away from the man holding a girl, something unpleasant might happen.

    Finally, Ashley turned to look at Andrew. She then took the initiative to exin, "I''m not looking at him.

    I''m staring at Dany in his arms."

    Meanwhile, since Andrew had directly ignored him because of a woman, Aaron looked sullen, feeling

    insulted.

    He then spoke again, "Mr. Lu, I don''t know what Harvey has done to you that made you treat him like

    this. But he is still young. I am apologizing to you on his behalf. As his father, please ept my

    apology."

    Andrew sneered, "It seems that you haven''t raised your son well. I''m thinking of helping you do that.

    What do you think?"

    "Mr. Lu! You''re going too far. Don''t think that your family is the most powerful in J City. Our family is on

    a par with yours,"

    Rae said before Aaron could even respond to Andrew.

    Aaron immediately got so furious upon hearing what Rae said that he wanted to p her.

    Rae wasn''t making any sense at all.

    She was only making things worse.

    "Ha-ha! I wonder if you know that the Mo family is also powerful in J City," Cayn said to Rae.

    ''Anyone who dares to bully my daughter will suffer the consequences, '' he thought to himself.

    Cayn treasured his daughter so much. He couldn''t allow anyone to bully her.

 Chapter 838 Being Defiant

    Chapter 838 Being Defiant

    Cayn''s beloved daughter was bullied by a naughty boy.

    How could he just tolerate it?

    When Aaron heard Cayn''s voice, he turned around. He saw Cayn holding Dany and looking at him

    mockingly.

    If he was already worried earlier, he was more worried now.

    Maybe people didn''t know Cayn, but he did.

    Cayn''s family was also powerful. Just like Andrew''s, his family had been famous in J City for hundreds

    of years.

    Perhaps no one had heard of him for so many years because the Mo family was more low-key than the

    Lu family.

    But Aaron knew very well that Cayn was also like Andrew, who was powerful in this city.

    He broke into a cold sweat as he thought inwardly, ''Why did Harvey offend these two powerful families

    at the same time? Oh, my God! What should I do?''

    Harvey was now being held by some bodyguards. Aaron''s heart ached, seeing his son''s current

    situation. But he couldn''t find a way to persuade Andrew to let go of him.

    ''What on earth did Harvey do?''

    Aaron wondered again and again. He was so angry now that he wanted to p Harvey.

    It took a very long time for Aaron and Rae to have another child. That was why when Harvey came,

    they loved him so much.

    They spoiled him until he became an unscrupulous brat.

    Harvey thought that his parents were the most powerful, so he always did whatever he wanted. He

    never thought that this time, he would be in big trouble.

    But still, Harvey didn''t show any remorse. Aaron was so surprised that he was yelling at the

    bodyguards, ordering them to let him go.

    He then turned to Arron and shouted, "Daddy, tell them to let me go. How dare they do this to me?

    Daddy, throw them out!"

    "Shut up!" Aaron yelled back.

    His mind was in a mess. He was trying to think of a way to deal with the current situation, and Harvey

    was annoyingly noisy.

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    ''This stupid kid. He even asked me to throw them out. If only he knew. He must be thankful that they

    didn''t throw him out, '' he thought.

    If it were only Andrew and the Lu family, it wouldn''t be that frightening. The Feng family could somehow

    have a way to deal with it.

    But it involved Cayn and the Mo family now.

    The Feng family was definitely no match for these two mighty families.

    "Mr. Lu, Mr. Mo, my son is too young to understand things. If he did something to offend you, please

    forgive him and let him go. I am apologizing to you as his father. I''m really sorry,"

    Aaron had no other choice but to apologize.

    "Do you think it''s that simple? Do you even know what your son has done to my daughter? Now you''re

    asking me to just let him go?" Cayn said in a cold voice.

    Andrew didn''t say anything, but everyone knew that he was on Cayn''s side.

    Aaron gritted his teeth. He was the CEO of the Feng Group, and he was older than Andrew and Cayn.

    Yet, he humbled himself and apologized to them. What else could he do?

    After a while, he walked up to Harvey and pped him on the face. "You are such an ungrateful son!

    Apologize to them now!"

    Harvey looked up at him in disbelief. "Daddy, you pped me? You have never hit me before!"

    It was the first time that Aaronid a hand on Harvey. But he had no other choice. Andrew and Cayn

    were watching him.

    His palm left a mark on Harvey''s chubby cheek, and it immediately became red and swollen.

    A hint of fear gradually surfaced on Harvey''s face.

    "Apologize now!"

    Aaron snapped.

    "Mom, help me. Daddy doesn''t love me anymore,"

    Harvey made a heart-wrenching cry, calling his mom.

    Rae felt like her heart was clenched tightly upon hearing her son''s voice.

    Aaron did not show mercy when he pped Harvey. But for her, it was too much.

    Harvey was the only thing that mattered to her, so she didn''t care about what really happened.

    So, how could she let other people bully her beloved son like this?

    Rae walked up to Aaron and red at him. "How can you be so cruel? Are you really Harvey''s father?

    How can you afford to hit him like that?"

    She then turned to Harvey. "Baby, let me have a look. Does it hurt? Don''t cry. Mom is here. Let me take

    you home."

    Rae''s hands were trembling. She wanted to touch Harvey''s face, but she was also afraid that he would

    feel pain.

    Lesley, who just arrived in the scene, happened to hear what Rae said. She shook her head and

    thought inwardly, ''Rae used to be smart when she was young. But ever since Harvey came to her life,

    she became stupid.

    She treated Harvey as a treasure that she didn''t care about anything else anymore.''

    Before she came here, Lesley had already known about what happened. Obviously, she also believed

    that Harvey only deserved to be punished.

    She didn''t expect that a boy of his age could do such a terrible thing.

    Moreover, he hurt Ashley.

    Andrew would naturally get angry.

    Rae looked at the bodyguards who were still holding Harvey.

    She shouted, "Let go of my son! How dare you hold him like that!"

    Aaron red at Rae and yelled, "Enough! Do you know what you''re doing?"

    "I know what I am doing. How about you, do you know what you''re doing?

    Harvey is your own son. How can you hit him mercilessly?" Rae yelled back.

    Aaron wanted to p Rae upon hearing her words.

    Rae didn''t understand. If he didn''t p Harvey in front of Andrew and Cayn, they would definitely take

    Harvey and discipline him on their own way. Nobody knew what would happen to his son after that.

    He couldn''t help but wonder inside him, ''Rae, how can you be so stupid? I didn''t expect you to be such

    a short-sighted woman.''

    "Shut up and stay out of this!" Aaron shouted firmly.

    "Why would I? I am Harvey''s mother," Rae retorted hysterically.

    "What''s going on here?" Greg walked towards Cayn and asked.

    "It''s your brother-inw. He bullied my daughter," Cayn replied. He looked at Greg and asked, "Tell me,

    what do you think I should do?"

    "Really? What happened?" Greg asked in confusion.

    "Uncle Greg,"

    Dany, who was still in Cayn''s arms, greeted Greg.

    "Baby, don''t mind him. He''s a family member of those who bullied you, so he also bullied you

    indirectly," Cayn said to Dany.

    Greg subconsciously touched his nose and gave Dany a friendly smile.

    He knew how Cayn cherished her daughter, so he understood.

    Cayn would never allow anyone to hurt Dany.

    Aaron''s eyes lit up when he saw that Greg and Cayn were talking.

    He knew that they were good friends. Since Greg was here now, Cayn would surely let the issue go.

    Aaron came to Greg''s side quickly and whispered something.

    Greg said with a frown at once, "No, I can''t do that. Cayn loves his daughter so much. Even if I tell him,

    I''m sure that he won''t agree." He didn''t want to anger Cayn even more.

    But Aaron insisted, "You are good friends, so you should talk to him. Just look at Harvey. He is Lesley''s

    brother. You can''t just let something bad happen to him, can you? And today is your wedding. Can you

    allow this situation to ruin this event? Go and persuade him, okay?"

    "Yes, we are good friends. That''s why I know him well. I''m sure it won''t work," Greg replied.

    Aaron did his best to convince Greg to help him. But after a long while, Greg still refused firmly.

 Chapter 839 She Is Our Daughter

    Chapter 839 She Is Our Daughter

    After trying to persuading Greg for a long time, Aaron started to lose his patience. He was about to

    raise his voice at Greg when Lesly walked up beside her new husband.

    She looked at her father and said, "Dad, Greg has already told you many times that it won''t work. As

    you said, they are good friends, which means that Greg knows Cayn better than you do."

    Aaron''s face darkened in an instant. Lesley was obviously siding with Greg.

    "Lesley, Harvey is your brother. You can''t just watch him being treated like this. You have to help him.

    Tell Greg to talk to Cayn. He can put in some good words for Harvey."

    Lesley couldn''t help shaking her head. The whole thing looked so ironic.

    Her parents had indeed changed a lot after Harvey was born.

    She remembered that when she was their only child, they had also doted on her so much.

    But ever since Harvey came into their family, she became nothingpared to him.

    Lesley closed her eyes. She swore that this was thest time she helped Harvey.

    She leaned over to Greg and said, "Honey, maybe you should talk to Cayn. But no pressure. At least,

    we tried our best to help."

    Greg looked at her and nodded.

    Cayn saw Aaron talk to Greg about something and could already guess what it was.

    So, seeing Greging over to him, he immediately pulled a long face.

    "Whatever you want to say, forget it. I know that you want to intercede for them. But don''t forget what

    kind of person I am. I don''t want you to get involved in this matter. Otherwise, I might forget that we are

    friends."

    Greg asked, "Do you really have to do this? Can''t you forgive Harvey for my sake, just this once?"

    "We have been friends for a long time. You should know my principles in life," Cayn retorted.

    After that, he didn''t say anything more.

    Greg decided to go back to Lesley and Aaron. He didn''t have any reason to stay beside Cayn any

    longer.

    "How was it? Did he agree?" Aaron asked expectantly as soon as Greg came back to them.

    Greg shook his head and replied, "No. I''ve already told you many times that he wouldn''t let go of this."

    "You are such a useless man."

    Aaron''s face darkened as he red at Greg.

    He hadpletely forgotten that it was he who begged Greg to talk with Cayn just now.

    Greg was slightly taken aback.

    Upon hearing what Aaron said, Lesley was furious and her face turned cold. "Dad, it was you who

    asked him to talk to Cayn. Greg did his best to persuade Cayn, but what could he do if Cayn wouldn''t

    agree? Why would you scold him now?"

    Aaron was a little embarrassed. "I''m not scolding him. Did I say anything wrong? I am just telling the

    truth. Besides, I am your father. How can you talk to me like that?"

    Andrew, who had been standing aside, frowned impatiently. He then ordered, "Take him away."

    Rae rushed and stood in front of Harvey upon hearing Andrew''s words. "Let''s see who would dare to

    take my son away."

    She then looked at Andrew and added, "Mr. Lu, today is Lesley''s wedding. Why are you so heartless?

    Don''t forget that Lesley used to love you."

    Rae''sst words sounded ridiculous to Ashley''s ears. It was true that Lesley liked Andrew before. But,

    what did it have to do with Andrew''s n of punishing Harvey?

    Andrew ignored Rae and whispered to Ashley, "Let''s go."

    "Okay," Ashley agreed.

    Dany, who was still in Cayn''s arms, yawned.

    "What''s the matter, honey? Are you sleepy now?" Cayn asked her in a gentle tone.

    Dany nodded and said, "Daddy, I want to go home now."

    "Okay, we''re going home now," said Cayn.

    "Zed."

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Zed already knew what to do when he heard Cayn call him.

    When Aaron saw that they were about to leave, his face twitched. He could not let them take his son

    away.

    Harvey might note back to them once he was taken away.

    "Wait!"

    Aaron cried out.

    But they just turned a deaf ear to him.

    Zed looked at the bodyguards behind him. One of them moved forward and pulled Harvey from

    Andrew''s bodyguards.

    Andrew stopped him. He didn''t want Cayn''s men to take Harvey away.

    Cayn looked at him and asked, "What? Do you also want to take him?"

    "Yes," Andrew replied without a second thought.

    Ashley couldn''t help feeling amused by his reaction.

    She didn''t expect that he would answer Cayn''s question so frankly.

    Dany tugged at Cayn''s sleeve.

    "What''s wrong, honey? You want anything?"

    "Daddy, when that boy bullied me, it was them who helped me. Just let the boy stay with them, okay?"

    Dany looked at Cayn with her lovely eyes.

    It was the kind of look that melted Cayn''s heart.

    Looking at her adorable face, how could he refuse?

    "Okay."

    Cayn turned to Andrew and said, "You can take him. But after you punish him, I want him back."

    When Ashley saw that Cayn was leaving with Dany in his arms, she tried to keep up with him.

    Cayn was holding her daughter.

    Seeing Ashley''s weird reaction, Andrew frowned.

    He in turn tried to keep up with her.

    Cayn was about to get in the car with Dany when Ashley''s voice rang out from behind, "Wait!"

    Cayn pretended to ignore her.

    But Dany spoke up, "Daddy."

    Their eyes met, and Cayn understood what his daughter wanted.

    Eventually, he gave in.

    Cayn didn''t get in the car and waited for Ashley toe over. He wanted to hear what she wanted to

    say.

    Ashley breathed a sigh of relief.

    She came to his side and said, "Mr. Mo, who is Dany''s mother? Where is she now? Dany told me that

    she doesn''t have a mother. What happened?"

    With a cold expression on his face, Cayn looked at her in the eye.

    "That is a private family matter. I''m afraid that it has nothing to do with you."

    Despite his being rude, Ashley didn''t show any signs of fear.

    Meeting his gaze, she asked hastily, "You can''t answer my question, right?

    Okay. Let me tell you this.

    Dany is my daughter. I am her biological mother! You have nothing to do with her! You stole my child

    five years ago. Now give her back to me!"

    Since there were too many people inside the banquet hall just now, Ashley didn''t want to make a

    scene, so she didn''t say anything to Cayn.

    But now that they were already outside, she couldn''t hold back any longer.

    Her daughter was right in front of her, and Ashley wouldn''t let another man take her away again.

    "You are crazy!" Cayn snapped back.

    He wanted to get in the car and leave immediately.

    But Ashley grabbed his arm tightly. "Give my daughter back to me."

    "Dany is my daughter. Why would I give her to you?"

    When Cayn looked at Ashley again, he felt that she somehow looked familiar to him.

    "You are a liar! She is my daughter!"

    "Ash..."

    Andrew quickly strode over to Ashley.

    He was surprised to see such a scene. Ashley was aggressively pulling on Cayn''s sleeves, stopping

    him from leaving.

    As soon as Ashley saw him, she tugged his sleeve and pleaded, "Andy, I''ve found our daughter. Dany

    is our daughter. Help me get her back!"

 Chapter 840 Is She Really My Daughter

    Chapter 840 Is She Really My Daughter

    Hearing Andrew''s voice, a seed of hope sprung up in her heart.

    Andrew had never seen Ashley look so desperate. For the first time, he sensed extreme terror in her

    eyes.

    Not wanting to see her in this miserable state, heforted her, "Don''t worry, love. Fill me in with what

    happened. I am here."

    At this moment, Andrew''s bodyguards surrounded Cayn, not giving him a chance to leave.

    The parking lot had now turned into a battlefield where neither Cayn nor Andrew would admit defeat.

    Andrew''s soothing voice rxed her a bit. After organizing her thoughts, she mumbled, "Andy, I saw

    something." Seeing she needed a push, Andrew probed, "Tell me, what did you see?" He wrapped his

    arm around her shoulder, encouraging her to speak up. Finally, she exined, "While I was wiping the

    red wine from Dany''s hair, I saw a mole on her left ear. Our daughter, Tangyuan, had exactly the same

    mark. In fact, Fabio has got one near his right ear. What does it say? Don''t you think it means this little

    girl is our child?"

    Ashley looked straight into Andrew''s eyes. She wanted him to believe her. Pulling his sleeve tightly, she

    implored for his trust.

    Her gaze now shifted to the little girl in Cayn''s arms.

    Dany just blinked her eyes, not understanding what was going on.

    She was smarter than other kids of her age, but what was happening was tooplicated for her to

    comprehend.

    --

    However, there was one line that caught Dany''s attention. Ashley had referred to her as her daughter.

    ''Really?

    Could she be my mother?

    Am I going to have a Mommy?'' she wondered, unable to hide her delight. If there was one thing she

    desired, it was to have a loving mother.

    "Okay, I understand,"

    Andrew said,forting Ashley in a soft voice. Then he fixed his eyes on Cayn.

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "Mr. Mo, would you care to exin?"

    Cayn just sneered, dodging Andrew''s question. He seemed to be mocking Ashley for having such an

    absurd assumption.

    "What is there to exin? Dany is my child. I brought her up. Perhaps she has a birthmark simr to

    the one your daughter had. But what does that prove? Nothing!

    There are tens of millions of people in the world with the same birthmark. Don''t use it as an excuse to

    take my baby away,"

    Cayn replied calmly. His words would have convinced Andrew if it hadn''t been for Ashely''s conviction.

    ''No, I trust my wife, '' Andrew thought.

    Although their child had been missing for such a long time, Ashley wasn''t the kind of woman who would

    make such a mistake. She never went to random people, using them of stealing her daughter.

    Ashley looked at Cayn, her eyes filling with rage. "You are the man who took my baby from the ward!

    No, I should frame my words more properly. You stole my baby from the ward!" she screamed. "Be

    calm Ashley," Andrew whispered since she was losing it. "Okay, If you have full faith in yourself, will you

    come to the hospital to have a paternity test? Let the doctors decide whether this baby is mine or

    yours," she added in a challenging tone.

    "Nonsense! Of course she is mine and I am not obliged to give you any proof! My baby is sleepy now

    and I don''t want to create more disturbances for her," retorted Cayn.

    "Zed!" he then called out angrily.

    "Mr. Mo..."

    "Take us back home!"

    "Yes, sir!"

    "No, you have to give me back my baby!"

    Ashley panicked as she watched Cayn carry her baby into the car. Knowing fully well that he couldn''t

    take Dany without solid proof, Andrew helplessly watched them leave.

    "Ash!" he said pulling her back.

    "Mommy!"

    Mommy!" Fabio and Richard screamed in unison.

    Ashley couldn''t bear the thought of being separated from her dear child again. Unable to withstand this

    grief, she fainted.

    Witnessing themotion, Dany peeped through the window and caught sight of Ashley''s motionless

    body. Andrew was trying to wake her up.

    Seeing the scene before her eyes, Dany bit her lips tightly but didn''t say anything.

    "Well, baby, don''t look at those people.

    Be a good girl and close the window. The air outside is not good for your health."

    Cayn held Dany in his arms and then closed the window.

    "Daddy, I want to know something. Am I really her daughter? Did you just take me away from the

    hospital after I was born?"

    Dany stared at him with her big, questioning eyes.

    "No! You are my child. How could you be the daughter of that crazy woman! I have always been so

    good to you, love. Do you still doubt that I am your real father?"

    He never thought the time woulde when Dany would ask him this question.

    He was frustrated beyond belief with everything that had urred today.

    Deep inside, Cayn cursed Ashley. He loathed that wretched woman with all his heart.

    ''Who the hell does she think she is?'' he thought. Her confidence annoyed him.

    ''Did shee here to sabotage my rtionship with Dany?'' he thought angrily.

    Dany pursed her lips and asked, "Really?"

    Cayn held her in his arms tightly and said, "Yes. Aren''t you sleepy? Try to sleep, my love. I am here

    with you."

    Closing her eyes, Dany clung to him. But she didn''t notice the malice in Cayn''s eyes. He was bereft of

    any tenderness.

    He continued to stare outside the window with his cold eyes.

    ''I shouldn''t have brought my baby here!

    Why did I attend this damned wedding!'' He partly med himself for what had happened.

    If he could go back in time, he wouldn''t have brought her here today.

    Dany nodded but didn''t open her eyes. Yet she began to think about Ashley.

    She recalled the happy moments she had spent with her. She craved for her motherly warmth.

    ''Why do I miss her already?'' Dany wondered Tears began to form in her eyes and she fell asleep.

    Zed looked at Cayn and Dany sitting in the back seat and was about to say something. But Cayn

    gestured him to remain silent.

    Keeping his thoughts to himself, he continued driving.

    Meanwhile, things looked bleak with Ashley.

    After Ashley passed out, Andrew carried to the car and called the doctor.

    Fabio and Richard booth seemed understand the gravity of the situation. They behaved sensibility,

    sitting beside Andrew quietly.

    Andrew hugged Ashley tightly and looked at Johnny. "Make an investigation on Cayn and Dany''s

    identities! Most importantly, bring me everything you can find about Dany!" he ordered.

    "Yes, sir,"

    Johnny, who was sitting next to Andrew, quickly responded.

    Without wasting a second, he instructed his subordinates to carry out Andrew''s order.

    Andrew was stressed and several thoughts began to spiral in his mind. ''If she is really my daughter,

    then Ashley''s love for her makes sense.

    They seem to have a magical connection.''

    Fabio, who wanted to know more about what was happening, looked at Richard.

    Since Richard was older than him, he assumed he could shed some light on this matter.

    However, Richard simply shook his head, pretending like he knew nothing.

    But Fabio didn''t believe him. ''Perhaps he isn''t telling me because he thinks I am too young, '' Fabio

    thought, determined to know what had happened today.

    Fabio racked his brains.

    But he couldn''te up with an answer to his queries.

    Once they neared home, Andrew looked behind him, suddenly addressing his children''s presence. "As

    soon as we reach home, go to your bedroom. Also, don''t forget to get changed and brush your teeth.

    Remember that you have school tomorrow morning. I will ask grandfather to take you."

    "Okay."

    "Okay, father."

    After they obediently agreed, Andrew diverted his attention back to Ashley. Soon they reached home.

    "Howe you are back so early?" Chant, who had his eyes glued to a book, asked as he heard

    footsteps approaching.

 Chapter 841 A Hidden Secret

    Chapter 841 A Hidden Secret

    Looking up, Chant noticed Ashley was unconscious in Andrew''s arms. This terrified him to the core.

    Putting down the book in his hand, he stood up and asked worriedly, "What happened to Ashley?"

    "She is fine. Nothing to worry about. It has been a long day so she passed out. Would you please take

    care Richard and Fabio?" Andrew resorted to lying. It had indeed been a long day and he didn''t have

    the energy to narrate today''s events.

    "Well, of course," Chant said but he wasn''t satisfied with Andrew''s reply.

    After Andrew got his assurance, he went upstairs with Ashley in his arms. He didn''t want to waste any

    time talking.

    Chant gaped at his receding figure, trying to understand what exactly happened.

    But he knew Andrew would take good care of Ashley. As long as she was with him, he had nothing to

    worry about.

    "Great Grandpa!"

    "Great Grandpa!"

    The moment Richard and Fabio stepped into the room, they saw Chant and greeted him.

    "My boys are here!

    Can you tell me what''s wrong with your mother? She seems ill. What happened?" he asked, trying to

    extract information from the kids.

    Fabio pursed his lips, indicating he was equally astonished about everything that had happened today.

    But looking at Richard, Chant realized he knew something. Taking a deep breath, Richard spilled the

    beans. "Mommy saw my little sister today. But some other man snatched her away. Seeing this,

    Mommy became so sad and finally passed out." Once the words came out of him, pin-drop silence

    ensued.

    After a few seconds, Chant broke it by asking, "Sister? What are you talking about? You don''t have a

    sister." Chant was confused. He couldn''t understand what rubbish Richard was speaking.

    Even Fabio turned to look at Richard, trying to decipher his words.

    Richard looked at Chant, dumbfounded. He had thought his great grandfather knew about it. But it

    seemed that his great grandfather was as confused as Fabio.

    Richard found himself in a dilemma.

    He thought to himself, ''Mommy and daddy didn''t tell great grandfather about this. Now that I have

    revealed their secret, will they be mad at me?''

    Chant continued to stare at Richard, waiting for a reply. He couldn''t help but wonder what was going on

    in this child''s mind.

    ''Is there something I don''t know about Ashley and Andrew?'' he couldn''t help but wonder.

    Then Chant stared at Richard. "Richard, what happened? Just tell me. Don''t worry. Your daddy and

    mommy won''t scold you," he said as if he had read the child''s mind.

    Richard nodded and looked at Fabio.

    Slowly, he began, "Mommy gave birth to twins, a baby girl was born along with Fabio. However, two

    days after thier birth, she was taken away by someone."

    Richard was only five years old when this incident happened. Yet it had managed to make a deep

    impression in his mind.

    Besides, Ashley had specially asked Richard not to mention this in front of Fabio. She said it would

    bring him grief.

    But the truth had finallye out today.

    Richard wondered whether he had made a grave mistake by breaking that promise. But now that he

    had done it, there was no turning back.

    Chant quietly listened and then said, "So, the little girl named Dany, who came to our house to y, is

    your sister?"

    Richard was not sure but from the way Ashley reacted, he thought it was the case.

    "Yeah, she has to be our sister. I heard from mommy there is a mole on the right side of Fabio''s ear. It

    turns out a simr one was spotted on our little sister''s left ear the day she was born.

    Today, mommy spotted a simr mark behind Dany''s left ear which prompted her to believe Dany is our

    sister.

    And due to this, mommy had a quarrel with Dany''s daddy. If Dany wasn''t my little sister, my mother

    wouldn''t have done that," Richard finished.

    Chant frowned and thought, ''Why didn''t anyone mention this issue to me?

    How dare that person steal the child of the Lu family?

    I will teach that person a lesson! Wait and watch!''

    As for Fabio, he looked at Richard in disbelief and asked, "Brother, is it true? Is Dany really my twin

    sister?"

    Although Fabio had asked a question, in his heart he knew what Richard had said was true. Dany was

    indeed his sister.

    There are so many children in the kindergarten. Then why is it that I only like Dany?

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Besides, she seems to like me a lot too. She is definitely my sister!'' he thought with conviction.

    Fabio didn''t know what to say. Anyway, he was determined to spend more time with Dany. With this

    truth revealed, he began to like her even more.

    Looking at Fabio, Richard nodded slowly and said, "Yes, you heard it right. We have a sister."

    Fabio pursed his lips and said, "I''ll bring our sister back tomorrow!"

    Thankfully, they were in the same kindergarten. He could bring her home tomorrow. This idea

    brightened his face.

    Fabio was so eager to bring Dany home, he couldn''t think of anything else.

    Although it had only been a few days, they had established a good friendship. She could definitely be

    persuaded by him.

    However, Richard frowned and looked at Fabio. "No Fabio, don''t do anything stupid. Mommy and

    Daddy will deal with it. We''d better stay out of it," he said in an admonishing tone.

    Richard was a few years older than Fabio, so he was more mature and prudent.

    He thought it was his duty to stop his little brother from making a stupid move.

    "Okay, okay, I know. It was just an idea. If you think it isn''t right, I won''t do it," Fabio said sincerely.

    "Okay, that''s good." Richard nodded.

    "Well, you both have school tomorrow. Go upstairs, brush your teeth and go to bed." Chant took Fabio

    and Richard upstairs and left once he thought they had fallen asleep.

    Chant was determined to dig deeper and find out if this was indeed true.

    ''Why did they keep this from me?'' he couldn''t help but wonder.

    The knowledge that his great granddaughter was with someone else pained him.

    After Chant left, Fabio opened his eyes.

    He wanted to have a discussion with his brother.

    Looking at Richard, who had his eyes closed, Fabio asked in a low voice, "Brother, are you sleeping?"

    "No, not yet," Richard replied, opening his eyes.

    "Brother, can you tell me more about our sister?" he begged.

    With a sigh, Richard replied, "I was a little boy at that time so I can hardly remember anything."

    "It''s okay, brother. Tell me the little you can remember."

    Fabio was dying to learn more about his sister. He expected Richard to know all about her.

    However, Richard found himself in an awkward position. He was still a young boy at that time and he

    had seen her only for two days. The only reason he even remembered it was because his mother had

    been distressed. She had spent months weeping for the lost child.

    But to make Fabio happy, Richard racked his brain and told him everything he could remember.

    Fabio listened with keen interest.

    Meanwhile, Cayn took Dany back to the vi of the Mo family.

    Cayn was careful to not wake her up. She seemed extremely tired.

    Withplete care, he brought Dany to the bedroom on the second floor.

    As soon as he put her on the bed, she opened her eyes and called, "Daddy?"

    "My dearest baby, let''s go to sleep. We are home now. You have nothing to worry about, just rx." He

    then nted a tender kiss on her forehead.

    Dany nodded but sleep didn''te easily. Her sleep was fitful, she kept waking up every two minutes.

    Looking at her beautiful face, Cayn came closer and hugged her. "You are my daughter and a member

    of this family. No one can take you away from me. Just sleep quietly, okay?" he whispered in her

    ear.

 Chapter 842 Dany Heard Something She Shouldnt

    Chapter 842 Dany Heard Something She Shouldn''t

    When Cayn first brought Dany back to his family, he simply thought that Dany was a cute and adorable

    little girl.

    By now, he had already been raising her for five years. During that period, he had really poured a lot of

    time and energy into his cute baby.

    Naturally, Cayn''s affection for Dany grew day by day. At this point, it was already way beyond anyone''s

    imagination, even that of Cayn''s. No matter what happened, he would never forsake her.

    Cayn didn''t care who Dany''s biological parents were. He just wanted to keep her by his side forever.

    For him, Dany was his daughter and nothing could change that. Even if they didn''t have the same

    blood, he was Dany''s father.

    Before leaving the room, he quickly nced at Dany.

    Zed was standing by the door of the bedroom, waiting for Cayn toe out. When the door opened,

    Zed greeted briefly, "President Mo."

    "What''s the matter?" Cayn asked.

    Looking at Cayn with furrowed eyebrows, Zed wondered if he had really forgotten about that woman.

    Or if the president was just pretending to be calm and unconcerned.

    At the moment, Zed realized that there might be a lot of things going on in the President''s mind.

    So he quickly covered his face with both of his hands in silence.

    In fact, Zed was well-aware that Cayn had deep affection for Dany.

    He presumed that if Dany''s biological parents were to appear out of nowhere and wanted to take her

    back, Cayn would definitely refuse to let her go. If her birth parents were mere ordinary citizens, it

    would be really easy for Cayn to handle this matter. However, it turned out that her parents were of the

    Lu Group in J City.

    So, everything just became moreplicated than anyone had anticipated.

    Zed used to think that it wouldn''t be a big deal for Cayn to adopt a child. But now, Cayn just loved his

    little girl so much that he would give anything in the world to make her happy. This caused some real

    problems because it was now impossible for him to let her go. The only question to ask at that point

    was, ''What should they do to resolve the matter?'' Zed was deep in his thoughts about how to go about

    it.

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    ''Should Cayn just return Dany to her biological parents?

    It''s very unlikely that he''ll do it willingly.

    Then what can we do? Should we just keep Dany by Cayn''s side?

    However, the Lu family was known to be very powerful in this city. It won''t be easy to deal with them so

    that won''t work either, ''

    Zed quietly thought to himself. Then, his temples suddenly started throbbing as he felt the beginnings

    of a headache.

    When Cayn noticed that he had not heard Zed speak for a few minutes, he took a quick look at him. He

    saw the man looking at the floor with a nk expression on his face.

    "Let me know if you have anything to tell me," Cayn finally said. Cayn was eager to go back to the

    bedroom so he could apany Dany for a while.

    Cayn did not have a trace of guilt in his heart. He just firmly considered himself as Dany''s biological

    father.

    By that time, Zed had finally realized it.

    "President Mo, have you really forgotten what the mother of the baby you brought back from the

    hospital looked like?" Zed asked with a little bit of hesitation while looking into Cayn''s eyes.

    Upon hearing Zed''s question, Cayn stared back at Zed with furrowed eyebrows. He then asked, "What

    do you mean?"

    The confusion in Cayn''s eyes seemed to be genuine.

    ''Oh, my god!

    It''s no surprise that Cayn was so calm and collected when he met Mrs. Lu face to face.

    It turns out that he didn''t know her at all.''

    Zed quietly thought to himself while rubbing his forehead subconsciously.

    At that moment, Zed believed that his master had already forgotten what the woman in the hospital

    looked like.

    "The woman who stopped you from leaving earlier is Dany''s biological mother!"

    Zed eximed, dropping a bomb inside the room.

    After that, both of them were so quiet it was almost deafening. However, they were so focused on the

    issue at hand

    they didn''t realize that the bedroom door behind them had slightly opened. There was only a small gap

    but it was enough for the head of a little child to see through.

    Dany had just overheard what Zed had just realized!

    The little girl did not panic nor did she make any outrageous reactions. She just suddenly became

    terribly still.

    She waspletely dumbstruck by Zed''s words.

    Because she did not say or do anything, neither Zed nor Cayn noticed her.

    "Even if she is Dany''s birth mother, so what? Dany is my daughter and she''s currently in my house.

    Can that woman take her back by force?" Cayn said aloud as he sneered.

    While listening to Cayn, Zed felt so worried about his president''s condition.

    He had worked for Cayn for so many years and became his right-hand man a long time ago. They had

    established a rtionship with mutual respect so a lot of times, Zed could openly speak his mind.

    With utmost care, Zed stated, "Don''t say such things, President. After all, Mrs. Lu is Dany''s birth

    mother. If she really wants to take Dany back, then there''s nothing we can do about it. We can''t change

    the fact that they are rted by blood.

    Mr. Mo, you''re not getting any younger, and yet you''re still unmarried. This has always caused such

    heaviness in your grandfather''s heart. This time, when youe back to J City, I think your grandfather

    will definitely arrange another blind date for you.

    But the more important issue right now is that Dany is not your biological daughter. I think your

    grandfather..."

    "Even if Dany is not my biological daughter, so what? My grandfather still loves Dany very much!

    Does he really want me to find a woman to give him another grandchild right away?" Cayn asked.

    "Although your grandfather likes Dany very much, the girl is still not your flesh and blood. No matter

    how happy he is with Dany, there will always be some mishaps. With these matters, I believe the

    president should know theplications and technicalities better than me," Zed responded.

    "Ugh! This is annoying the hell out of me. I am telling you I love Dany with everything that I have!

    Besides, I''m only twenty-five years old. I''m still young!"

    ''Oh, he thought he''s still young. Is there something wrong with his eyes?''

    Zed thought to himself, feeling more helpless than ever.

    But Zed knew that Clifford was really eager to have a grandson already.

    So every single time that Cayn would go back home, the old man would pester him about getting

    married.

    If he was being honest with himself, Zed also wanted Cayn to find a partner as soon as possible.

    "Okay, you can go back now. I will handle it myself," Cayn conclusively said.

    "Right away, President Mo." Zed nodded and turned around. The first thing he saw was Dany''s little

    head by the door. It suddenly dawned on him that Dany had already overheard everything that he said.

    At that moment, it was Zed''s turn to freeze in ce.

    He didn''t dare to move or utter another word.

    Cayn was so stressed out about the issue that he wanted to smoke. He also turned around and found

    that Zed had not left yet. He was about to say something when he realized that the man was gazing at

    the door with his mouth wide open.

    ''What happed? Could it be that he''s looking at the one person that should not have heard our

    conversation?''

    With that thought in mind, Cayn was so frightened that the cigarette in his hand fell to the ground.

    "Honey, how long have you been standing there? Are you feeling cold? Come and give Daddy a hug,"

    Cayn said in a soft voice while looking at Dany. He was trying really hard to act normal.

    However, Dany didn''t look like her normal self. After hearing what Cayn said, she ran towards him.

    Dany just looked at him with her big eyes, not knowing what was going on. Suddenly, her eyes were

    filled with tears.

    In less than two seconds, Dany''s tears kept falling as she wailed loudly.

    Instantly, Cayn panicked. Dany had never cried like this since she was an infant.

    Cayn ignored everything else and approached Dany in a hurry. He then hugged the crying child and

    asked "Honey, what''s wrong? Why are you crying? Did you have a nightmare just now? Don''t cry.

    Daddy''s here!" Cayn soothed Dany while he held her in his arms ever so tightly.

 Chapter 843 You Will Always Be My Baby

    Chapter 843 You Will Always Be My Baby

    Deep in his heart, he prayed, ''Zed and I spoke in a low voice. Also, she is still quite young. I hope she

    didn''t understand any of this.''

    However, Dany was capable of understanding everything. And being her father, he knew how smart

    she was.

    He braced himself for her reaction.

    Cayn went forward to hug her but she resisted by taking a step back.

    This shocked him. His hands were now hanging in the air; he didn''t know where to put them.

    Tears began to brim in her big eyes.

    "You¡­ You''re not¡­ You''re not my daddy¡­ I''m not¡­ I''m not¡­ your daughter."

    As she spoke, tears began to flow down her cheeks.

    Normal kids would wail and shout, but Dany was different.

    She was the type of child that cried silently. Tears wouldn''t stop falling, yet no sound came from her.

    This sight pierced Cayn''s heart. He couldn''t bear to see her look so pained and miserable.

    Thinking about the culprit who had caused this, he passed a fierce re at Zed who was standing next

    to him.

    Zed was a little annoyed. After all, he didn''t do it on purpose.

    ''Why should I be med?

    It''s not like I knew Dany was there, '' he thought. He too wished she didn''t understand anything from

    their conversation. But judging from her appearance, it was crystal clear that she had understood it all.

    ''Oh God! I am dead!'' he realized.

    Looking at his child, Cayn asked softly, "Honey, what are you talking about? How can I not be your

    daddy? Daddy brought you up. How could you say that?"

    Words failed her. It took her some time to gather the courage to speak.

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    Her cheeks had turned red from crying.

    "No. I ju.. just heard. Zed said... he said that I''m not... your daughter," she stammered.

    She felt the betrayal deeply and stared at Cayn with her grief-stricken eyes.

    "How could you be not my daughter? You will always be my dearest girl," he said, trying tofort her.

    This time she let him hold her.

    With his hands, he began to wipe the tears that were flowing down her cheeks.

    "Oh, I''m sorry, Miss. You heard me wrong. You are Mr. Mo''s daughter. How could you not be his

    daughter? I was talking about someone else,"

    Zed exined hurriedly.

    She looked back and forth between Cayn and Zed, and they wondered if she would believe them.

    Fortunately, she didn''t cry any more.

    Cayn heaved a sigh of relief.

    Seeing Cayn''s fierce gaze, Zed understood that he wouldn''t be forgiven so easily. He quickly left the

    room.

    ''What an unlucky day!'' he thought.

    Once Zed was gone, Cayn held her in his arms and said, "Baby, don''t cry. We are going to sleep now."

    She didn''t utter a word. Instead, she buried her head in his arms.

    Taking her to the washroom, he washed her face and then continued to wash his face as well.

    Then he took her to the bed, and theyy side by side.

    "Go to sleep, baby." Gently, he patted her on her back.

    "Uh huh." She seemed reluctant but obliged after a while.

    Looking at her lovely face, Cayn recalled what had happened five years ago.

    He had a business deal in M Country but he was reluctant to go.

    However, his father insisted and forced him to go. Finally, he had no choice but to oblige.

    Little did he know that he would meet his enemy there. This unfortunate event brought him to the

    hospital. He was hospitalized for a week.

    After some time, he recuperated and was about to leave the hospital. Then he happened to pass by a

    ward in the corner.

    Through the window, he spotted two babies. This brought him to an abrupt stop.

    Dany and Fabio were just born then.

    Like he was driven by some instinct, he found himself entering the ward. The sight of the two babies

    lying on bed brought a weird kind of happiness.

    They were the cutest things he had seen in his life.

    Initially, he had only nned on looking. But unexpectedly, just when he was about to leave, one of

    them opened their eyes.

    Instantly, he was ovee by an urge to lift the newborn baby girl in his arms and carry her.

    Then he took her out of the room.

    To his surprise, the baby didn''t cry. Instead, she remained peacefully in Cayn''s arms.

    In an instant, he decided she would be hers. He thought life would be so much better with this little

    thing by his side.

    However, to his utter disappointment, the baby began crying the moment he brought her home. He

    tried everything he could but she wouldn''t stop crying.

    Annoyed, he handed her over to the maid.

    But after a while, he took her in his arms again. Every time, she was with him, he felt happy.

    And with time, he grew to love her. They became inseparable and the mere thought of parting with her

    killed him.

    When he came back to his senses, he looked at the girl sleeping next to him. The smile on his face

    made him look extraordinarily charming.

    "You are my baby. You belong only to me."

    Actually, he himself didn''t realize his love had slowly turned into possessiveness.

    The next morning, Ashley woke up from deep sleep. Rubbing her head, she felt an excruciating pain all

    over her body. After all, she had slept for long.

    ncing at the rm clock next to her, she tried to see what time it was. It was 10 in the morning!

    She was going to bete for work!

    Ashley hurriedly got up from the bed, intending to get ready. Suddenly, a hand pulled her and she fell

    back on the bed.

    Warmth emanated from his body to hers.

    Somehow it made her feel good.

    "Are you awake?"

    Andrew said in a sexy and hoarse voice. Ashley was surprised to hear his tone.

    Pulling her hands back, she responded, "Yes."

    When Andrew sat up, Ashley suddenly remembered something and her face turned pale.

    "Baby. Where is my baby?"

    Ashley began to panic all over again.

    Andrew found himself in a helpless state. He was hoping she wouldn''t mention it. But it turned out her

    motherly heart couldn''t let go of the matter.

 Chapter 844 Driven To Distraction.

    Chapter 844 Driven To Distraction.

    Ashley had gotten a good night''s sleep.

    When Ashley woke up in the morning, her condition was a lot better than it wasst night. Her pale face

    had regained its color. The mere sight filled Andrew with relief. He was deluded into thinking that she

    wouldn''t bring up Dany''s name now.

    But the truth was, Ashley couldn''t forget it. It was something she would think about until herst breath.

    After all, Dany was her daughter who was snatched from her while she was asleep.

    Andrew felt weary and rubbed his temples. While Ashley slept, he had remained wide awake. After

    everything that happened yesterday, he was afraid that she would wake up and go out looking Dany.

    Hence he remained awake, keeping a vigil all night.

    Ashley leaned against Andrew''s body but she was too blind to see his fatigue. She kept prodding him

    about Dany.

    "First, get up," Andrew said, hoping to change the topic.

    "Why?" Ashley asked, wondering why he was in a hurry.

    "What do you mean? Do you want to remain with me here all day long?" A mischievous smile yed

    around his lips.

    Ashley felt a little shy seeing his burning gaze. He wasing closer to her.

    ''Of course, it''s already 10 am!'' she thought.

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    Unable to meet his eyes, Ashley immediately rose from the bed. She tried to hide her crimson red face

    from him.

    "Don''t talk like that! It is so inappropriate!" she said while putting on her slippers.

    "What? I merely asked you to get off the bed. What''s wrong about that?" Andrew feigned innocence.

    With a sigh, Ashley let go of the matter. She knew he wouldn''t admit defeat.

    Soon, she went to the washroom and got dressed.

    "Hurry up and put on your clothes. I''ll wait for you downstairs," she said.

    Her mind waspletely muddled.

    As she made her way downstairs, thoughts of her daughter upied her mind.

    Ashley had no interest in going to work. How could she work when her child was with someone else?

    ''Why is my daughter in his hands?

    Why did he steal my baby from me?

    How can anyone be so ruthless!

    I want my baby back!'' her mind screamed.

    She was in a sort of trance and nearly missed a step.

    "Mydy, please be careful!"

    Linda''s said,ing forward and catching her. If it wasn''t for Linda''s support, she would have fallen.

    "Mrs. Lu, why are you absent-minded today? What''s wrong? I have never seen you like this. It''s quite

    dangerous!" Linda said worriedly as she looked at Ashley.

    "Thank you, Linda. I''m fine," Ashley said and forced a smile.

    Linda was oblivious to everything that had happenedst night. Chant didn''t bother to tell her anything.

    Now seeing Ashley with a far-away look on her face, she didn''t know what to make of it.

    From what she knew, they attended a wedding. Whatever happened there was a mystery. This morning

    Chant seemed to be in a bad mood as well. Linda''s instincts told her something awful had happened.

    "Mydy, breakfast is still warm in the kitchen. Shall I bring it to you?" Linda asked.

    "Okay," Ashley said but her voicecked enthusiasm.

    The breakfast was quite rich. It contained everything she loved; soy milk, fried dough sticks, shredded

    rice, sandwiches and milk.

    Normally, this sight would have made her drool. But today, she had no appetite. Her heart was yearning

    for her little girl. None of this could calm her.

    "Mydy, what''s wrong? Are you sick?" The more she looked at Ashley, the more concerned she

    became.

    "I''m fine. Call Fabio and Richard. I would like to have breakfast with them,"

    Ashley said.

    "It''s Monday today. They have gone to school."

    "Oh, right. I didn''t realize I overslept,"

    Ashley said realizing her blunder. Grabbing the cup, she took a sip of the milk. Then she grabbed a

    sandwich and took a bite.

    She gave Linda a forced smile.

    Linda continued to look at her with concern. ''Something is definitely wrong!'' Linda thought. But she

    couldn''t quite put her finger on it. But she was determined to find out.

    At that moment, Linda noticed Andrewing downstairs.

    It was getting quite awkward with Ashley so she breathed a sigh of relief. Now she wouldn''t be required

    to keep herpany.

    She immediately left the dining room.

    "Are you enjoying your meal?" Andrew asked as he walked in.

    Then he noticed she was barely touching her food.

    Upon hearing Andrew''s voice, Ashley was a little startled.

    She immediately put down her cup and walked up to him, tightly grasping his sleeve.

    The suit he had carefully put on was now wrinkled.

    But Andrew remained silent, knowing it would be wrong toin. After all, she had been through a

    lot.

    "Andrew, Dany is our daughter. Let''s go and get her back right now, okay? You believe me, right? Dany

    can''t be Cayn''s child!"

    Andrew looked at Ashley whose every thought revolved around Dany. She was so obsessed with Dany

    that she didn''t even care about her own health.

    Since he loved Ashley deeply, he couldn''t bear to see her in this condition. If her love for Dany could

    blind her, he didn''t want that child in his life. He knew he was being selfish, but Ashley''s miserable state

    made him like this.

    Knowing that if he expressed his thoughts, she would hate him, he kept it to himself.

    Holding Ashley''s hand, Andrew walked near the dining table and sat down. "Well, I know. I have asked

    Johnny to investigate on the matter. But for God''s sake, can you please finish your meal? We can deal

    with the issue about Danyter," he implored.

    "No, I don''t want to eat any more. Let''s look for our daughter now, okay? We can enjoy every meal with

    her!"

    Hearing these words, Andrew finally lost his temper. "Listen to me! If you don''t eat your meal right now,

    I won''t let you step out of this house today!" Andrew had spoken very loudly.

    Shocked, Ashley looked at Andrew. It had been a long time since Andrew lost his temper.

    ''I don''t care! I am going to get my daughter!'' Ashley thought with determination. She had spent thest

    five years without her daughter. But now that she knew she was here, she couldn''t let go of this

    opportunity. It was absurd to assume she could enjoy her meal under such circumstances.

    "If you don''t want toe, don''te. I will go there alone!" Ashley said and got up from her chair.

    Looking into Ashley''s eyes, Andrew clenched his fists tightly and blue veins popped out of his hands.

    Damn it!

    If he had known this, he wouldn''t have let Ashley attend that wedding.

    At the moment, his cell phone rang. He didn''t want to answer it but the name on the screen forced him

    to.

    It was Johnny.

    "Mr. Lu, the CEO of the Feng Group came here early in the morning and asked us to hand over their

    men!" Johnny reported on the phone.

    "Just ignore them! Let''s see what they can do!" Andrew ordered.

    Andrew''s tone was harsh and Johnny instantly understood things were bad at home.

    Hanging up the phone, he tried to catch up with Ashley who had disappeared.

    He thought Ashley was the kind of woman who would act rationally. But today, her behavior told him

    otherwise.

    She was so driven by her desire to get to her daughter, she didn''t know what she was doing. The

    matter was moreplicated than she thought. Cayn wouldn''t hand over the little girl so easily.

    Once again, he cursed himself for having attended that wedding. It was the root of all his problems

    today.

    Watching Ashley sprint out of the house, Chant came to a halt.

    There was determination in her eyes.

    It looked like she was bracing herself for war.

    "What''s up? Where are you heading?" Chant asked.

    "Grandpa, I am going to get my daughter!" Ashley replied and continued walking.

    "And what about you? Why are you following her?" Chant asked Andrew.

    "I am going to get my daughter with her," Andrew replied as he finally caught up with

    Ashley.

 Chapter 845 Now Is Not The Right Time

    Chapter 845 Now Is Not The Right Time

    Ashley heard Andrew''s voice and realized that he was right behind her.

    However, at the thought of what he said to her, she did not turn around to acknowledge him.

    "How could you two keep something of this magnitude a secret from me? If you hadn''te back in

    such a hurry yesterday and Richard hadn''t found out about it and told me, would you have kept the

    information to yourselves?"

    Ashley hung her head and said in a contrite voice, "Grandpa, I''m so sorry. It''s all my fault."

    Andrew interrupted Ashley and said, "It was I who didn''t want to tell you the truth."

    Andrew''s reply sounded so ridiculous to Chant that he burst outughing.

    "Sit down and exin it clearly to me."

    Ashley looked at Chant and was reluctant to sit down.

    "Grandpa, I need to find my daughter."

    "She is also my great-granddaughter. Do you know where she is right now? Do you know whether she

    wants to go with you or not? Do you know what her current family situation is like?"

    Ashley was silent.

    She didn''t know the answer to any of those questions.

    But they were talking about her daughter. She just wanted to get her back.

    "Have a seat first. I''ll spare some time so you can look for her."

    "Okay, let''s eat first,"

    Andrew said, leading Ashley by the hand to the table so she could finish the breakfast that she walked

    out on earlier.

    Ashley didn''t say a word. She slowly ate her breakfast, choking on her mouthful of food every once in a

    while, and Andrew solicitously patted her on the back.

    "I''m fine,"

    Ashley gasped as her face turned red.

    When Andrew reached out to touch her, she unconsciously pulled back to give herself some distance

    from him.

    Andrew pulled Ashley into his arms and asked, "Are you still mad at me?"

    "No, I am not mad at you. Why would I be? She is my daughter, and I can look for her myself."

    Andrew could read between those lines and felt helpless.

    She was still angry at him, after all.

    Andrew said, "I''m not saying that we should stop looking for her, but your health is still the most

    important, no matter what happens. Let''s finish breakfast first, and then I''ll go with you to find the child,

    okay?"

    "Really?"

    "Yes."

    Chant knew what they were thinking. After breakfast, he just sat on the sofa and looked at the two of

    them quietly.

    After a few moments, he asked, "Now, who would like to tell me the whole story? What happened to my

    great-granddaughter? Why is she with another family?"

    Ashley opened her mouth to speak, but Andrew stopped her.

    "I will tell you what happened."

    Tangyuan''s disappearance had driven a stake into Ashley''s heart and haunted her ever since.

    He didn''t want her to recall that event five years ago, as it would end up putting her through a difficult

    time again.

    Andrew gave Chant a concise version of the event.

    "Five years ago, one of Ash''s two babies was taken away right after birth. She has been looking for her

    since. We''ve never been able to find her untilst night."

    Chant was speechless.

    However, he knew Andrew well enough to know what he meant.

    "That child is with the Mo family now?"

    "Yes."

    Chant stroked his beard, lost in thought.

    The Mo family.

    No wonder Ashley had failed to find her daughter even after looking for her for so long.

    If the Mo family didn''t want Ashley to find her daughter intentionally, it would be impossible for her to

    find her baby.

    "I see. I''m about to head to the Mo family vi now and have a talk with them. As for you, you should go

    to work. Don''t act rashly.

    Do you understand?"

    Ashley was about to say something, but Chant interrupted her.

    "Ashley, I know what you are thinking now. I know that you want to see your daughter, but remember

    that she is also my great-granddaughter. I also want to find her as soon as possible so that our family

    will beplete. However, the Mo family is not like other families. Even if you go there and say that the

    baby is yours, do you think they will give her back to you?"

    "Well, won''t they give the child back to me when they find out that I am a member of the Lu family?

    After all, the Lu family is also powerful."

    "Of course, you can get your child back."

    Ashley was pleasantly surprised, but she became disappointed the next second.

    Because Chant added, "It''s not the right time yet."

    "Why not?"

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    Chant carefully exined the reason to her.

    The two families were evenly matched in terms of power, so the situation was moreplicated then

    she had thought.

    "Don''t worry. Let''s go to Fabio''s kindergarten and have a look, so that you can have some peace of

    mind."

    That was a good idea.

    Dany and Fabio were from the same kindergarten.

    Even if she couldn''t get her baby back at that moment, she could still go to see her.

    "Okay."

    At the kindergarten...

    After learning that Dany was his sister, Fabio came to the kindergarten happily. He wanted to bring her

    home after school.

    However, he did not see Dany when he arrived at the kindergarten that day.

    Fabio thought that Dany might bete because she got upte. Fabio waited for a long time, but she

    still didn''t show up.

    He went to ask the teacher about her absence and found out that Dany asked for a leave today.

    "When will Danye back?" Fabio asked.

    The teacher was rendered speechless.

    The girl did not allow her to call her by that nickname¡ªwhy could this boy call her "Dany" like that?

    "I don''t know, either," the teacher said, "I received a call from her parents earlier, and they told me that

    Dany might not be able toe to school today."

    "All right."

    Fabio pouted and turned his back on the teacher.

    ''Parents? That man was not Dany''s father at all!''

    In this kindergarten, only Dany and Fabio treated each other as friends because their way of thinking

    was different from the others. Perhaps their blood rtionship made them inexplicably drawn to each

    other.

    Now that he knew Dany wasn''ting to school, Fabio felt a little bored.

    "Fabio, are you in a bad mood today?" Betty couldn''t help but ask him when she saw his crestfallen

    expression.

    "Yes I am. Dany won''te to school today."

    Hearing those words, Betty became a little unhappy herself.

    So, he was in a bad mood because Dany was absent?

    Actually, Betty was very happy that Dany didn''te to school.

    Before that child came to the kindergarten, Betty was the most beautiful girl in ss.

    However, ever since Dany came to her ss, all of her ssmates had focused their attention on her,

    and Betty lost the top spot.

 Chapter 846 Did They Hide My Daughter

    Chapter 846 Did They Hide My Daughter

    Betty felt a little depressed as she wondered, ''Does Fabio like Dany too?''

    Eventually, she couldn''t help asking, "Fabio, do you like Dany?"

    "Of course," Fabio answered at once.

    Dany was Fabio''s sister. Definitely, he liked her.

    Fabio was even thinking of taking Dany back home to the vi to live together, he was going to treat her

    well.

    He would not let anyone bully his sister.

    Moreover, he wouldn''t let anyone take her away again.

    These thoughts boosted Fabio''s mood.

    Betty saw the delighted look on Fabio''s face upon mentioning Dany''s name.

    She couldn''t help but feel sadder.

    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    All of Betty''s ssmates liked Dany instead of her.

    She didn''t want Fabio to like Dany too.

    In the middle of their conversation, the teacher came and said to Fabio, "Fabio, your Mom and Dad are

    here to see you."

    "Really?"

    Fabio quickly stood up from his seat.

    He was so d that his mother came to see him.

    Fabio didn''t care much when his teacher mentioned that his father also came.

    The teacher walked Fabio to the gate. As soon as he saw Ashley and Andrew standing outside, his

    eyes lit up.

    "Mommy!" Fabio called out happily. He wanted to throw himself into Ashley''s arms immediately.

    But as expected, Andrew stopped him.

    Fabio was already used to his father''s unreasonable behavior, so he didn''t say anything.

    "Fabio," Ashley greeted her son.

    She rubbed his hair and asked, "Is Dany inside?"

    Fabio shook his little head and answered, "No. When I asked her teacher, she said that something

    happened to Dany''s family, so she wouldn''t being today. Mommy, do you know what happened?"

    Ashley fell silent. She felt her hands trembling.

    Thinking that Dany didn''te to the kindergarten today made her look gloomy.

    Why didn''t Cayn let Danye to school? Perhaps he was afraid that Ashley would take Dany away,

    so he chose to hide her at home.

    Seeing the sudden change in Ashley''s expression, Andrew pulled her in his arms. He then turned to

    Fabio and said, "Fabio, you go back inside now."

    "What''s wrong with Mommy?" Fabio asked in confusion.

    He wondered why Ashley''s mood suddenly changed when he told her that Dany was absent from

    school today.

    "Don''t worry. Your mommy is fine."

    Andrew then led Ashley back to the car. Fabio was still muddled, but he didn''t get the chance to ask

    more.

    And since Ashley was with Andrew, he knew that he didn''t have anything to worry about.

    Ashley grasped Andrew''s sleeve tightly and said, "Andy, our daughter didn''te today. Cayn must

    have locked her up at home."

    Andrew tried his best tofort her, "Don''t think too much. Maybe something really happened to the

    family. We can let Grandpa go to the Mo family and check their current situation."

    Johnny, who was beside them, was only listening quietly.

    He was so surprised that Andrew had said a lot just tofort Ashley.

    As far as Johnny knew, Andrew was a man of few words. He didn''t expect that Andrew was so good at

    pacifying a woman.

    "Let''s go to my office,"

    Andrew said to Josef as soon as they got in the car.

    With Ashley''s current condition, Andrew couldn''t let her go to her ownpany.

    He thought that it would be better if he took her with him.

    The news about Dany being absent from school today upset Ashley a lot. It wouldn''t be a good idea to

    let her go to herpany alone.

    When they arrived at the office, Andrew took Ashley directly to his private elevator, so no one saw that

    he brought a woman again, to his office.

    Andrew had been very busy in thepany recently because of so many responsibilities.

    The Lu family had a wide range of businesses. They were involved in different industries like

    entertainment, finance, airline, hotel, advertising, tourism, information technology, and real estate.

    In short, the Lu family was extremely powerful in many fields.

    Andrew took Ashley into his office and said, "You can sit next to me, or you can go around and find

    your friends."

    In the past, Andrew had never allowed Ashley to spend time with the other staff.

    He always kept Ashley under his watch.

    But today was different. Ashley was not in good condition, and if Andrew continued to keep an eye on

    her, her condition might worsen. It would be much better if she could have some friends to talk to, so as

    to divert her attention.

    Ashley sat still on the couch. She seemed to be lost in thought.

    On the table in front of her were different kinds of snacks that women usually loved to eat.

    Andrew had asked Johnny to prepare all of them, thinking that they''d help boost Ashley''s mood.

    However, Ashley didn''t touch any of them.

    Staring at her, Andrew frowned slightly.

    He didn''t know what else to do.

    Obviously, Ashley didn''t want to talk with anyone. She also didn''t want to eat anything.

    Meanwhile, anything rted to his great-granddaughter was very much important to Chant.

    He was also eager to unite with her.

    Thus, after Ashley and Andrew left the Golden Pce, he immediately went to the Mo family to look for

    Clifford.

    When Cayn took over thepany, his parents left and traveled around the world.

    They didn''t want to care about the Mo family''s business anymore because they trusted Cayn to handle

    everything.

    Since Cayn''s parents were out of the country, only Clifford was left in the Mo family vi.

    Sometimes, Cayn would bring Dany over so that Clifford could spend some time with her.

    Today, Clifford didn''t expect that Cayn woulde early in the morning with Dany in his arms.

    But of course, Clifford was pleased to see his great-granddaughter. He doted on Dany so much.

    "Baby, were you bullied by your daddy? Why do you look so unhappy today? Tell me. I will punish him

    right away."

    Dany, who was watching TV, turned to look at Clifford. She shook her head and said, "Great-grandpa,

    Daddy didn''t bully me."

    She was watching her favorite cartoon.

    "Are you sure that he didn''t bully you?"

    "Yes. Daddy always treats me well. He won''t ever bully me."

    "That''s good then. If he bullies you, tell me so I can punish him, okay?"

    The loving expression on Clifford''s face amused Dany, so she couldn''t helpughing when she replied,

    "Okay."

    They yed happily in the living room for a while.

    The butler then came in and whispered something in Clifford''s ear.

    "That old fool? What is he doing in my house? I don''t want to see him. Can''t you see I am busy taking

    care of my great-granddaughter? Send him away right now."

    "Who are you trying to drive away?"

    Before the butler could move, a voice reverberated from behind them.

    Clifford turned and pulled a long face.

    Dany also looked at the door curiously.

    The voice sounded familiar to her. She suddenly remembered Fabio''s great-grandfather.

    ''Who told this old fool toe to my house?'' Clifford thought to himself angrily.

 Chapter 847 Two Stubborn Old Men

    Chapter 847 Two Stubborn Old Men

    "Of course, it''s you. I want to drive you away because you are not wee in my house. Who told you

    toe here anyway?"

    Clifford didn''t hide his irritation upon seeing Chant enter his house without his permission.

    "Ha-ha! Is that how you wee your guest? I just thought that you might be really bored being alone

    in this house, so I came to have a chat with you," Chant replied.

    "I''m bored? That will never happen. My great-granddaughter is with me. We always have a good time. I

    feel sorry for you because you have no great-grandchildren," Clifford retorted.

    Chant sneered, "I don''t have great-grandchildren? I have more great-grandchildren than you. And they

    are currently at school."

    "Don''t brag in front of me. I know you well. Your grandson Andrew is a man who always wears a poker

    face. No woman will like him."

    "Huh! Do you think your grandson is awesome? Cayn is even much more beautiful than women. Will

    any woman like him?"

    "Well...You are just jealous because Cayn is a very good-looking man."

    "But he looks like a woman," Chant sneered.

    "You... I dare you to say that again."

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Clifford pointed his index finger at Chant furiously.

    Although Chant was fighting with Clifford, his eyes were fixed on Dany.

    He even winked at her mischievously.

    Fortunately, Clifford didn''t see it.

    Chant then replied, "Of course, I can say it again. I can say many times that Cayn looks like a woman.

    That is an undeniable fact."

    Clifford was about to retort when Dany suddenly held his hand and said in a sweet voice, "Great-

    grandpa?"

    All of a sudden, his voice softened. "Honey, what''s wrong? Are you annoyed by this old man too? Don''t

    worry. I will drive him away at once."

    Dany blinked her eyes.

    It was not what she wanted to say.

    She just couldn''t understand why the two old men were arguing in front of her.

    "Did you hear that? My great-granddaughter doesn''t like you. So please, get out of my house now,"

    Clifford said to Chant.

    Dany was rendered speechless. It wasn''t true that she wanted to drive Chant away.

    Chant retorted, "What''s wrong with you? Are you scared that I''m here? Perhaps my presence reminds

    you of those many times that you''ve lost to me when we were young."

    "That''s bullshit! When did I ever lose to you?

    You are just a cunning hypocrite. If it weren''t for your tricks, the woman I loved wouldn''t have run away

    with you," Clifford snapped.

    "Let me just remind you that she left with me because she loved me," Chant replied.

    Their encounter today brought them back to the time when they were young.

    Even then, both of their families were already powerful and influential in J City, and they were young

    and bold.

    They always wanted topete with each other and see who was more powerful.

    But they didn''t expect that they had the same taste when it came to women.

    Eventually, they fell in love with the same woman.

    And it was Clifford''s biggest failure in life.

    Clifford had defeated Chant many times in the past. But the woman he loved chose Chant. From then

    on, all he could do was watch her spending great times together with Chant.

    And now that they were old men, he still couldn''t let go of the past. Every time they saw each other,

    they fought about it again and again.

    Indeed, Clifford hated Chant so much.

    Until now, he still couldn''t ept that Chant took away the woman he loved.

    "If you have something to say, just say it now and leave. I don''t have much time to waste on you. As

    you can see, I have a great-granddaughter to take care of. I don''t have much free time like you. You

    should have asked your grandson''s wife to give birth to a few more kids," Clifford sneered.

    Chant sat on the sofa very close to Dany.

    He then said, "Yes, I am actually free. My two great-grandsons have gone to school, so I have nothing

    to do now. That''s why I remembered toe see you.

    I''m here to have a chat with you before I pick them up from school."

    Chant looked at his watch as he said those words.

    Clifford couldn''t help curling his lips after hearing what Chant said.

    For him, Chant only came here to unt.

    How on earth could he ept that?

    So, he said mockingly, "You are just bragging. Everyone knows that Andrew doesn''t have a girlfriend all

    these years. How can you have two great-grandsons all of a sudden?

    Well, look at my great-granddaughter here. What can you say? She is very obedient. And she''s the

    cutest too. I suppose you are really jealous of me now."

    Clifford held Dany in his arms and showed her off to Chant.

    "Yes, she is so adorable," Chant agreed. In reality, Dany was Chant''s great-granddaughter. So, even if

    Clifford was his enemy, he would never say anything unpleasant about her.

    "Ha-ha! I know it. You are indeed jealous of me.

    I think you will have to wait for a few more years before you can have your own great-granddaughter."

    This time, Chant didn''t mind Clifford anymore. Instead, he turned to Dany and beckoned to her toe

    over, "Come here, baby. Let great-grandpa hug you."

    Dany wanted to go down from Clifford''s arms, so she could go to Chant''s side.

    However, Clifford didn''t want to let go of her. He looked at Chant and said, "What did you just say? You

    must be dreaming. Dany is my great-granddaughter, not yours."

    Chant didn''t reply. He looked at Dany again and asked, "Honey, why didn''t you go to the kindergarten

    today? Fabio told me that he missed you so much. He was very sad because he didn''t see you."

    "Is he there now?" Dany asked innocently. Actually, Dany missed Fabio so much too. But when she

    dressed up for school this morning, Cayn didn''t send her to school.

    Instead, he took her to the Mo family vi.

    Actually, Cayn was afraid that Ashley would take Dany away. He couldn''t stay in the kindergarten the

    whole time to watch after her, so he decided to take her to Clifford.

    Chant answered Dany, "Yes, he is still there now. Do you want to go there with me?"

    Dany blinked her eyes a few times. She then asked, "Is it okay?"

    "Of course, it''s okay," Chant assured her.

    Clifford had no idea who or what they were talking about.

    Although he knew that Dany was in kindergarten, he knew nothing about her ssmates.

 Chapter 848 Like Keeping A Puppy At Home.

    Chapter 848 Like Keeping A Puppy At Home.

    What Chant meant to say was that he wanted to take his great grandchild back home.

    But there was no way that was going to happen!

    Cayn had already informed them this morning that he would pick Dany up after work and that Dany

    was not allowed to go outside.

    "Great grandfather, I want to go out, may I?"

    Dany asked in a soft andpelling voice, blinking and pulling her great grandfather''s sleeve.

    Actually, Clifford also wanted to hang out outside with Dany, but Cayn had told him from the beginning

    that there must be a reason.

    "Your daddy said you couldn''t go out today. He told me that he''ll be picking you up after work," Clifford

    said.

    Hearing this, Dany''s little face darkened.

    "Great grandfather, but are you sure that I can''t go out today? Do you really mean it?" Dany asked.

    She looked so pitiful that Clifford almost agreed to her request.

    "Yes! How about you give Daddy a call?"

    "Never mind," Dany refused at once, biting her lower lip.

    "What''s up with you? Dany is just a baby. At her age, it''s quite natural to go out and have fun. What''s

    wrong with your brain? Do you want to lock her up at home for an entire day? That''s not the right

    approach,"

    Chant said aloud. He watched them for a few minutes and couldn''t stand it at all.

    "Chant, I''m telling you, don''t stuff us with silly ideas! Do you think that I don''t know about your n?

    You want to bring my baby out and take her back into your home, don''t you? Isn''t that what you want?

    I am telling you, Dany is my great granddaughter, not yours!" Clifford retorted.

    ''Hehe!

    You couldn''t be more wrong!

    Clifford, I really ought to tell you, that Dany is actually my great grandchild!''

    Chant said inwardly. He was fully aware that he couldn''t speak such things. Otherwise, it would only

    result in Cayn and Clifford bing more wary of him and thus making it much harder for him to take

    Dany back home.

    More than once, Chant had tried to take Dany and take her back home without Clifford noticing.

    However, since Clifford had kept a close watch on Dany, he was unsessful. Chant had no chance

    whatsoever to take Dany out.

    At that hour, Chant kept wringing his hands over. It pained him to see that his great granddaughter

    always stood by Clifford''s side.

    Chant and Clifford chatted for the whole afternoon in the room.

    Although Chant couldn''t make any substantial progress, it was enough for him.

    ''It would be better to do it in the dark!

    After all, Dany is my great granddaughter!'' Chant thought to himself.

    "Well, it''s time for me to pick up my two great grandsons. The onus is upon me to drop as well as to

    pick them up from school daily. It makes me very busy!" Chant said as he took a look at his watch.

    Though his words sounded like aint, there was an in inherent proud tone to it.

    However, his words only increased Clifford''s animosity. He looked at Chant with hatred, gritting his

    teeth.

    ''What a bastard!'' Clifford said inwardly.

    "Dany, who is this Fabio?" Clifford asked Dany after Chant left.

    Clifford thought he should figure out who Fabio was.

    "Fabio is that old man''s great grandson. Fabio has an older brother as well," Andy answered quickly.

    "So what that old man said is true?" Clifford couldn''t believe his ears.

    "Yes, yes!" Dany nodded in agreement.

    Soon, Clifford fell into silence. His face was flustered with embarrassment.

    Then he looked at Dany and was lost in thought.

    At the same time, Dany was thinking about Fabio.

    ''Is he really my brother?

    If that was the case, it turned out that I have an older brother, or maybe a sister. That''s great!''

    Dany thought to herself as she licked her lips.

    Although Cayn had told her the same wordsst night, she didn''t believe it.

    She was half-believing and half-doubting.

    After stepping out of the Mo family vi, Chant felt much relieved.

    "Mr. Lu, when can we take Dany home?" Porter asked as he followed behind Chant.

    "You must understand that this sort of thing can''t be rushed! At least we now know where she is. If we

    push them too hard, they might take he somewhere else," Chant exined.

    "You are so considerate, Mr. Lu," said Porter.

    After finishing thepany''s affairs, Andrew went home with Ashley. At the same time, Chant had

    picked Fabio and Richard back home from school.

    As soon as Ashley came back, she couldn''t help but look expectantly at Chant.

    In the morning, Chant had told her that he would go to the Mo family today to check it out. Ashley was

    eager to know whether Andy was there or not.

    "You don''t have to worry, Ashley. I have paid a visit to the Mo family today. Dany is really living a good

    life with the Mo family. What we can do now is to have a good dialogue with them. You must remember

    that we can''t push them too hard!" Chant told Ashley. Of course he knew that Ashley was awaiting for

    the good news with great anxiety.

    --

    "Okay, Grandpa, I know it!"

    Ashley responded calmly. She knew very well that she had no choice but to wait.

    After taking a deep breath, she tried her best to dispel her anxiety.

    Now, at least she had information about her daughter''s whereabouts.

    After dinner, Ashley received a call from Ellie, who asked her to go shopping with her.

    Since Ashley''s return, she had been too busy with herpany''s affairs and couldn''t really find the

    time to go out for fun or go shopping.

    In truth, she liked going shopping a lot.

    After receiving Ellie''s call, Ashley suddenly felt that she had a lot to share with Ellie.

    "Okay. Where? I''ming!"

    "Fine! It''s at the ce where we used to live. You cane here first. I''ll wait for you here!" Ellie said

    over her phone.

    "Okay!"

    "Ashley, where are you going?" Andrew asked aloud, suddenly.

    Sitting next to her, Andrew had overheard the conversation between Ashley and Ellie.

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    "Ellie asked me to go shopping with her," Ashley replied.

    "I''ll also go with you," Andrew said, unexpectedly.

    "Why do you want to follow us? We are women! You are a man! Are you willing to help us with the

    things that we''re going to buy?" Ashley asked in bewilderment.

    "Yes, I am!" Andrew said and nodded honestly.

    Upon hearing his reply, Ashley felt as if she was choking in her own saliva.

    "But, you don''t have to go shopping with us. You know, I''ll be back soon!"

    Hearing her words, Andrew looked at Ashley discontentedly.

    Honestly, Ashley didn''t want to go shopping with Andrew.

    She missed her best friend so much. Ever since she came back to J City, she hadn''t met up with Ellie.

    "Is this all right?" Ashley said as she drew closer to him and kissed his cheek gently.

    However, when she was about to leave, a pair of big hands held her tightly.

    But after a few minutes, Andrew finally took his hands off her.

 Chapter 849 Is She An ATM

    Chapter 849 Is She An ATM

    When Ashley arrived at their meeting spot, Ellie was already there waiting for her.

    She smiled happily and walked towards Ellie.

    When Ashely was already behind Ellie, she tapped Ellie on the shoulder gently and called out, "Ellie!"

    "Ashley! You are finally here."

    Ellie was so happy to see Ashley too.

    "Let''s go?"

    "Okay."

    Ashley and Ellie walked side by side towards their old apartment.

    When they met thest time, they had a lot to talk about. But they didn''t have enough time, and the

    ce wasn''t appropriate, so they didn''t get much chance to really catch up.

    Finally, they are together again.

    Ashley and Ellie were familiar with this ce because they used to live here before.

    "Do you want to go upstairs to have a look?" Ellie asked.

    She was wearing a creamy white dress, and her shoulder-length hair was permed into small waves.

    She didn''t look like she was thirty years old at all.

    "Do you still live here?" Ashley asked in surprise.

    Ellie said nothing and just led Ashley upstairs.

    Ellie didn''t tell Ashley that she had already bought the apartment that they rented together before.

    When Ashley left for no reason, she saved enough money, so she could buy it.

    Ellie would asionallye back here and stay for a few days.

    For her, this was her home.

    After all, this ce had always been convenient to live in.

    The surroundings were clean, and the neighborhood was safe. Moreover, there were elevators inside

    the building that worked well.

    That was the reason why even though the rent was expensive, they chose to live here in the past.

    They didn''t actually expect that they would live here for a long time until Ashley just left all of a sudden.

    Ellie took out the keys and opened the door.

    Ashley was so surprised that the furnishings inside were still the same.

    As she looked around, she suddenly remembered her old days with Ellie in this ce.

    They were both young and inexperienced at that time. They had never expected that they would both

    seed in this city.

    "How about the bakeshop? Is it still open?" Ashley inquired.

    "Oh, you still remember that bakeshop? Ellie retorted. "Ash, why did you suddenly leave that time? I

    didn''t even know the reason."

    "Ellie, I''m so sorry. I didn''t mean to leave you. It''s just that, I didn''t expect that I would run into trouble,"

    Ashley exined.

    "What happened to you?" Ellie asked.

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Until now, she still couldn''t figure out what really happened to Ashley all this time.

    She had seen Andrew and Ashley walking side by side before.

    But that time, they were just dating. They were not married yet.

    "Nothing really. Anyway, let bygones be bygones. What''s important is, I''m here now in front of you,"

    Ashley replied.

    "Alright." Ellie didn''t push the topic anymore.

    She was just worried about Ashley.

    "Why don''t we go for a walk?"

    "Let''s go."

    Since it was in early September, and it was only seven o''clock in the evening, there were all kinds of

    snacks and other things sold on the streets.

    Outside themunity gates, there were food stalls on both sides.

    Those were the same food stalls that they regrly visited in the past.

    Staring at them, Ashley suddenly felt hungry. She just realized that she hadn''t eaten anything yet since

    this afternoon.

    Ellie nced at her and walked to one of the food stalls without saying a word.

    When she returned, she had already bought a lot of snacks.

    "Let''s eat," Ellie said to Ashley.

    "Thank you, Ellie. I love you so much,"

    Ashley said as she looked at Ellie. Ellie had never changed at all. She was still as thoughtful as before.

    They ate their snacks while walking and talking on the street.

    It was as if they never ran out of stories to tell each other.

    Meanwhile, Jeremy had already memorized the WeChat ID of the person who sent the messages to

    Angelina.

    He had also kept the screenshots of the messages on his phone.

    Now, it was easy for him to find that person.

    In his heart, Jeremy was still unwilling to believe that the sister he had loved for five years was not his

    real sister.

    So, Jeremy secretly took a strand of Angelina''s and Belinda''s hair. He then brought them to the hospital

    for a DNA test again.

    The result hadn''te out yet, but Jeremy was so eager to find out the truth.

    Right now, he was standing at the door of the Li family''s apartment.

    Rubbing his temples, he suddenly thought that he shouldn''t havee here.

    For no reason, he felt disheartened.

    ''If

    Angelina is not my sister, it means that I''ve found the wrong person. Where is my real sister?

    What should I do?'' Jeremy thought to himself.

    He couldn''t help hitting the wall in despair.

    Jeremy groaned as he felt the pain.

    Eventually, he decided that he must know the truth today.

    After plucking up his courage, Jeremy rang the doorbell.

    "Who is it?" Tomas asked as he peered through the security peephole in the door.

    He didn''t dare to open the door at once.

    As a matter of fact, the Li family was hiding. They got themselves mired in gambling debt, and some

    bad people were after them.

    They were scared to death at the moment.

    As they were waiting for the person outside the door to speak, they were all holding their breaths.

    "Who is that? Didn''t we just pay some of our debt yesterday?" Jacob asked. His face looked horrified.

    "Let me check again. If it''s really that group of bad guys, let''s pretend that we are not home. If no one

    answers them for a long time, they might just leave," Tomas said.

    "Okay," Jacob agreed.

    Tomas looked through the peephole again.

    "Who are they? Are they the bad guys who came here yesterday?" Jacob asked again.

    "I don''t think so. It seems that only one man is standing outside. And he is dressed smartly. He doesn''t

    look like a bad guy at all," Tomas replied.

    "Let me have a look," Jacob said.

    He pushed Tomas to the side and peered through the peephole.

    But he couldn''t recognize the man standing outside the door.

    "Should I open the door?" he asked Tomas.

    "Maybe you should. After all, we already paid our debt yesterday. I don''t think those bad guys would

    come back and ask for money again today. And if it''s really them, we can ask for more money from

    Angelinater."

    "Yes, you''re right."

    After hesitating for a while, Jacob finally opened the door.

 Chapter 850 Searching For The Hidden Truth

    Chapter 850 Searching For The Hidden Truth

    Outside, Jeremy patiently stood, his hands in his pockets.

    "Sir, should we go?

    Maybe no one''s home?" the assistant behind Jeremy suggested.

    "We''ll wait a little longer. They should be at home now," Jeremy replied.

    ''He must have his own reasons foring here at this time, '' the assistant thought to himself.

    And so, he waited with Jeremy without another word.

    This particr assistant was the same one who had taken Angelina''s and Jeremy''s saliva sample to

    the hospital for the DNA test.

    After working for a good amount of years for Jeremy, he had gained hisplete trust.

    Truthfully, the assistant was a little flustered when he learned that the girl he found wasn''t the right one.

    He could only imagine how much more upset Jeremy must have been.

    Ever since Jeremy took over thepany, he had been dead set on finding his sister.

    It wasn''t easy to find a specific person in such arge city. And the only way they could make sure that

    they got the right person was through a DNA test.

    Now, it turned out that Angelina might not be his sister after all. There was no way to cheat on a DNA

    test.

    Indeed, it was such an aggravating situation.

    The assistant sighed in his heart and wondered what he should do.

    How could such a thing happen to his boss?

    After about a minute, the door opened. Since Jacob and Tomas practically treated Angelina like their

    own, living bank ount, they had lived a fairly carefree life. At first, they had thought the men outside

    their home were the loan sharks. But because they knew the Angelina would keep giving them money

    whenever they asked, they thought that they had nothing to worry about.

    Much to their surprise and relief, the men in front of them were not as tall and intimidating as the ones

    who came by yesterday.

    In fact, they looked very decent¡ªboth of them dressed in sharp suits.

    "Who...who are you? What do you want?" Tomas stammered nervously.

    Only a handful of people knew that they bought a new house here.

    In a quick nce, Jeremy looked at Tomas from head to toe and frowned. With his keen eye, he saw

    that the man who had opened the door was wearing expensive clothes. Despite this, he looked very

    ordinary.

    Five years ago, Jeremy had already met with these people. It was back when he was under the

    impression that Angelina was his long-lost sister. Naturally, he wanted to take her home as soon as

    possible. To ensure this, he had given these people a hefty amount of money.

    Jeremy gave it to this family in person so that he could also thank them for taking care of Angelina for

    all those years.

    That money was more than enough tost them their entire lifetime, even if they spent it extravagantly.

    "Hello, I''m Angelina''s brother," Jeremy greeted. "I''m just a bit confused about something and I wanted

    to get some answers."

    ''Angelina''s brother?''

    Hearing these words, Jacob and Tomas thought about the same thing. ''Was it possible that Angelina

    had let their little secret out?

    Why else would Jeremy be here if it wasn''t about that?''

    They gave each other a quick sidelong nce, their faces turning pale. In the next second, Jacob

    quickly reached out and tried to close the door.

    Without a moment''s hesitation, Jeremy''s assistant stepped forward and blocked the door.

    "My boss said he has some questions for you. Why are you trying to shut the door in his face? Are you

    hiding something from us?"

    Tomas''s face turned red as he struggled toe up with something to say. "W-what are you talking

    about?! You have the audacity toe here to our home unannounced!? Besides, you already took

    Angelina from us. She has nothing to do with us now! You said that yourself back then!"

    The assistant looked back at his boss, waiting for his orders. Jeremy simply nodded his head once.

    Seeing this, the assistant looked back at Tomas and Jacob, not moving a single inch.

    There was no way he was going to let them close the door.

    "I just want to know something about her past, that''s all. I assure you that I won''t be much trouble."

    Seeing the hesitation in the eyes of Jacob and Tomas, Jeremy smiled lightly. "How about this... If you

    answer me three questions, I will give you one million dors."

    "Oh, it''s just three questions? Why didn''t you say so!"

    Jacob agreed immediately, his attitudepletely changing.

    ''One million for three measly questions? Ha, this is too good to be true!'' he cheered in his heart.

    "Where are our manners? Please,e right in."

    As Jacob spoke, he pushed the door open and let Jeremy in.

    However, Tomas was still feeling uneasy. He had a bad feeling about this.

    But he just couldn''t pinpoint what was wrong.

    As soon as they entered the house, they smelled the overwhelming aroma of instant noodles.

    Since it was already summer, the smell clung unpleasantly in the humid air.

    The assistant wrinkled his nose and was about toment on the putrid smell. On the other hand,

    Jeremy entered the room calmly as if it was nothing.

    The assistant was stunned at howposed his boss could be.

    Seeing this, he just obediently followed Jeremy.

    The apartment looked quite decent from the outside, which was why it was surprising at how poorly

    maintained it was on the inside.

    "So! What do you want to ask?" Jacob chimed eagerly, rubbing his hands together.

    Reaching into his pocket, Jeremy took out his phone and showed Jacob the picture he took of

    Angelina. "Can you exin this to me?" Jeremy casually asked.

    Jacob leaned forward and looked at the photo. For a split second, there was a panicked look on his

    face. Not a secondter, he skillfully regained hisposure.

    The assistant, however, managed to notice.

    ''Is this fool really going to try and trick my boss?'' he sneered.

    "I don''t know what it is. Is that on your WeChat ount? I''ve never seen it," Jacob replied smoothly,

    trying his best to calm down.

    "I suggest that you''d better tell us the truth," the assistant interjected in a cold voice. "Make no mistake.

    We will not hesitate to show this to the police, especially now we have found that Angelina is not the

    daughter of Gu family at all! She lied to us! Or did you ask her to do this? Is that it? Did you do it for the

    money?"

    Ever since the Li family started living a leisurely life, they had always assumed a posture of superiority.

    When it came to the authorities, however, they were definitely very intimidated.

    Hannah, most especially, widened her eyes in fear when she heard the word ''police''.

    "We didn''t know anything about it! It was Angelina! She was the one who came up with the idea of

    iming to be the daughter of the Gu family! We only knew about it when she had already done the

    damage. I swear it had nothing to do with us!"

    "That''s right. It was only her own idea. To be honest, we were also surprised when she told us that she

    was a part of your family.

    When we picked Angelina up, she was covered in rags! How could we have known that she was an

    heir to such a rich family? Not once did it cross our minds!"

    Jacob exined, the words rushing out of his mouth like a flood.

    Hearing this, Jeremy closed his eyes and sighed quietly.

    "The second question. How old was Angelina when you adopted her?" Jeremy continued.

    "I don''t remember how old she was at that time. Maybe she was three? Four years old?

    Yes, she was four years old. We didn''t have a child at that time, which was why we decided to adopt

    one. Of course we wanted a kid who was still young so we could all have a fresh start, you know? But

    we didn''t want to adopt someone who was too young because it would be too troublesome to deal with

    all the screaming and crying. Yup, pretty sure she was only four!"

    The assistant''s eyes were burning after he heard these words!

    "So why did you lie to me when I asked you about this before? Didn''t you say that you adopted

    Angelina when she was five years old?" the assistant asked angrily.

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    The whole Li family was stunned into silence. None of them could remember what they had said at that

    time, and now it was taking its toll on them.

 Chapter 851 Deep Bond Between Siblings

    Chapter 851 Deep Bond Between Siblings

    "They were about the same age, at most four or five years'' difference. We never paid any attention to

    that.

    Who knew it would turn out like this."

    They never expected that things woulde to this.

    "So you were clear that Angelina was not from the Gu family?"

    Because of what had happened before, the Li family didn''t have it in them to lie in front of Jeremy.

    "Yes, exactly.

    Ah, no. We just happened to know that a while ago.

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Well, we stumbled across something when we cleaned up her roomst time. Since none of us could

    decipher it, we took it to the hospital and asked a doctor to shed some light on this matter. We got the

    shock of our lives when we learned it was a paternity test."

    "Where is it? I want to see it," Jeremy said.

    "Yes, just go and get it," Jeremy''s assistant urged. Jacob gestured Hannah to fetch the paternity test

    report.

    Hannah went inside the bedroom and soon came out carrying it. Quickly, she handed the paper to

    Jeremy and said, "Here it is."

    Jeremy opened it and his eyes ran over the paper.

    It was indeed true.

    In the corner, he noticed the time. It was done almost at the same time that he was at the hospital.

    Handing the paper to his assistant, he said briefly, "Give it back to them."

    With that, Jeremy left, barely looking back.

    His footsteps wobbled.

    Nobody knew what to make of his reaction.

    "President Jeremy..."

    The assistant looked at Jeremy with concern.

    But Jeremy only quickened his pace and soon he was out of their sight.

    The assistant took out a check for one million dors and said, "Here is one million. I want all of you to

    keep this a secret. Even Angelina shouldn''t know that we came here. Just treat her the way you treated

    her before."

    "Fine, okay."

    The Li family took the check and watched the assistant leave as well.

    Mulling over the assistant''s words, neither of them understood it.

    As Jeremy and his assistant got out of the Li apartment, Jacob cursed and became a little irritated, "So,

    now that they know Angelina is not a member of the Gu family, I doubt whether she can extract money

    from them from this day on."

    "It seems so," Tomas said, agreeing to it.

    "But how did the Gu family know? Tell me something. Is any of you that snitch?" With his doubtful eyes,

    Jacob gazed at Thomas and Hannah.

    "How could you even doubt that? Angelina is like our bank from whom we exract money. I am not dumb

    enough to kill the goose thatys the golden egg!"

    Hannah just cast an uneasy look at Jacob. He believed she didn''t have the guts to make such a rash

    decision.

    "Did you listen carefully to that assistant''sst sentence? What did he mean? He asked us to treat

    Angelina the same way we treated her before."

    Does that mean we can still extort a small fortune from her?" Jacob''s eyes glowed.

    "I suppose so," Thomas echoed.

    "Then what are we waiting for? I guess that brother of hers won''t kick her out so soon. We need to

    make use of this opportunity to get more money from Angelina."

    "That''s a good idea."

    Jacob took out his cell phone and began to text Angelina.

    Jacob''s text message was nothing more but a conundrum to Angelina.

    Strangely, it seemed Jeremy was deliberately distancing himself from her.

    ''What is going on?

    Is it because my intentions have be too obvious? Or has Jeremy noticed something already?

    No, it can''t be!'' She finally shrugged off these thoughts.

    She had been very discreet about it. There was no way Jeremy knew anything.

    Consoling herself was the only way to go now.

    She didn''t know why, buttely she had been having negative thoughts. Her intuition told her

    something bad was about to happen.

    Ever since Angelina saw Ashley, she had been feeling this way.

    She had already known that Ashley was a member of the Gu family.

    And she was nothing but a worthless impostor.

    Even so, she would not give up without a fight.

    She still had other ways to reach her goal.

    Ignoring Jacob''s message, Angelina dialed Jeremy''s number.

    The first time she tried, no one attended to the call.

    Determined to reach him, Angelina tried again.

    To her relief, this time the call was answered. "Hello? Brother, where are you now? Why aren''t you

    home yet?"

    They had been living together in one house since Jeremy found his missing younger sister.

    It was true that Jeremy was supposed to be home by now.

    It was way past his work hours.

    Angelina had specially made a telephone call to hispany to ask about Jeremy''s schedule.

    She couldn''t understand why he was away.

    "Brother, why aren''t you saying anything? Wait for me to pick you up. Just stay where you are, okay?"

    After getting the address, Angelina got ready to pick him up.

    Belinda interrupted as she saw Angelina getting ready to leave, "Angelina, where are you going?"

    "I''m going to pick Jeremy up."

    "Look at the time, Angelina! He is an adult who is capable of returning on his own. You''d better not go

    out at this hour."

    Angelina smiled, "It''s okay, mom. That ce is quite close. He is waiting for me so I don''t want to be

    late. Everything will be fine, just rx."

    "Well, if you insist. Look at the deep bond between you siblings," Belinda beamed a smile.

    After hearing Angelina''s words, Belinda had no choice but to let her go.

    Angelina took the car key and ran out.

    Meanwhile, Jeremy had been on pins and needles ever since he left the Li family''s apartment.

    Angelina was not his sister.

    But he had spent all these years treating her like one. He had been spoiling her with gifts and

    surprises.

    And now, he had the shock of his life. He couldn''t help but wonder where his actual sister was.

    His brotherly heart wondered if she was in some kind of trouble.

    ''What if she is leading a difficult life?'' he thought and his heart ached.

    These thoughts overwhelmed Jeremy''s mind, giving him a severe head ache.

    ''It''s all my fault!

    I have no one but myself to me.

    I am the one who brought the wrong person home.

    What sort of a brother am I?'' he cursed himself.

    "President." His assistant looked at Jeremy''s dispirited face and felt bad. Jeremy was a good man who

    deserved to be happy. But today''s events had turned his life upside down.

    "You may take your leave now,"

    Jeremy said, not looking up.

    "But Mr. President, how can I leave you alone?" The assistant looked at Jeremy as his eyes began to

    brim with concern.

    He couldn''t leave Jeremy here.

    "Angelina ising to pick me up," Jeremy said in a cold voice.

    It was odd hearing him refer to her like this.

    In the past, whenever there was a call from Angelina, he would be happy. He called her with all sorts of

    pet names.

    "All right."

    After the assistant left, Jeremy took a seat at a milk shop nearby.

    Sitting there in an open area, his handsome face, maturity and steadiness only attracted lots of eyes on

    him.

    Many young women turned around and rested their eyes on him. However, an unapproachable air

    exuding from Jeremy just stopped them from getting near him and starting a chat.

 Chapter 852 Selfishness

    Chapter 852 Selfishness

    Several girls pushed and pulled each other, eager to get close to Jeremy. But since they were too shy

    to actually approach him, they hesitated.

    Angelina came in and saw what was happening. Jeremy was sitting alone and looking out of the

    window. He seemed to be lost in thought.

    His side profile was reflected on the ss. When Angelina looked at his exquisite features, her heart

    skipped a beat.

    Angelina had known for a long time that he was a good looking man. But over the years, Jeremy did

    not really care about his own appearance at all, probably because he had been so focused on the

    company.

    Although a lot of women had expressed their feelings for him, Jeremy just kept on refusing them.

    And every time he would turn down a woman, Angelina couldn''t help but feel a bit delighted.

    When Angelina passed by the group of women, she raised her eyebrows at them. Then, she gracefully

    walked over to Jeremy.

    "Jeremy."

    Angelina didn''t call him "brother" as she didn''t really want to do it right then.

    Besides, there were so many girls staring at Jeremy at that moment. Angelina wanted them to think

    that she and Jeremy were a couple.

    The girls who bought milk tea had wanted to get to know Jeremy by talking to him and spending some

    time together. But all of a sudden, they saw Angelina approaching him.

    Naturally, they could not help but feel disappointed.

    They were led to believe that this young man was not a bachelor after all.

    Some of the girls couldn''t help but take a final look at Jeremy before leaving.

    Since the attractive man''s girlfriend had just arrived, they didn''t dare to talk to him, let alone take a few

    steps to be closer to him.

    Jeremy didn''t know what was going on. He didn''t even hear when Angelina called his name.

    He just continued to look out of the window, without any sign of averting his gaze.

    "Brother? What''s wrong?"

    This time, Angelina called him "brother" to try and get his attention.

    Besides, the reason that she called him Jeremy earlier was she didn''t want any girl to think that they

    would have a chance with him. But now that all of them had left, she could go back to calling him the

    usual way.

    Even for the second time, she didn''t know whether Jeremy heard her or not.

    If he had indeed heard her, how would he feel?

    Angelina was so curious about it.

    Finally, Jeremy turned around and looked at her. With a smile, he asked "What brings you here?"

    Jeremy didn''t ask her about what happened just then, so perhaps he didn''t hear anything.

    Angelina felt a bit disappointed, but she was also somewhat relieved.

    Being reminded of his question, she dutifully answered, "I''ve already told you, haven''t I? I''m here to

    pick you up. Why haven''t youe back home? It''s gettingte. Has something happened?"

    While she continued to speak, Jeremy''s eyes were so focused on her.

    Noticing that, Angelina clenched her fists and became a little nervous.

    What was he looking at?

    Angelina became rather anxious. She could even hear her own heart thumping so loudly, and she was

    afraid that Jeremy would hear it.

    "Brother, what are you looking at?" Suddenly feeling embarrassed, Angelina tucked her hair behind her

    ear.

    Angelina felt so conscious that she didn''t notice right away how Jeremy was looking at her differently.

    If she had just looked a little closer, she could have noticed a hint of coldness in his eyes.

    For a long time, Jeremy just stared at her. Then he looked away and said, "It''s nothing. I just wanted to

    take a walk outside and rx for a little bit."

    To which Angelina responded, "Really? So something did happen?"

    Jeremy shook his head without saying a word.

    Therefore, Angelina added, "If you want to rx by taking a walk, you can ask me to go with you. I

    didn''t have anything to do all day anyway."

    Then, she smiled ever so sweetly at Jeremy.

    Jeremy lightly hit the table in front of him.

    Then, a deep grunt could be heard afterward.

    "Angelina, you are not a young girl anymore. Don''t you have anyone you like? You can bring him home

    so your brother can scrutinize him."

    With utmost discontent, Angelina asked, "Why are you saying that again? I don''t have anyone that I like

    right now. If I want to be with a man in the future, I''ll definitely look for someone like you. Do you

    understand now, brother?"

    While speaking, Angelina took some steps towards him. She just wanted to hold his arm.

    She had been doing ittely and Jeremy had never refused her.

    But today, he reacted differently.

    Jeremy stood up from his chair, so that Angelina could not hold his arm. She was a little dissatisfied

    and wanted toin, but Jeremy rigidly said, "Well, it is gettingte now. Let''s go home."

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Angelina had to hold back what she wanted to say. "Oh, okay."

    After that, Jeremy just left without even looking at her.

    Angelina stood up and walked behind Jeremy. She could feel that he was being a little strange today.

    Was it possible that he noticed how she had recently been intimate towards him?

    It couldn''t be the case. She had been like this before, and Jeremy would always look at her with

    nothing but fondness.

    But now, he hadpletely changed his attitude towards her.

    Angelina frowned but she just concluded that Jeremy might be in a bad mood that day.

    Angelina quickly caught up with Jeremy and walked beside him. She then reached out to hold his hand

    in a somewhat intimate manner.

    At that moment, they looked more like a couple than brother and sister.

    Jeremy frowned a little when he saw Angelina holding his hand. He wanted to pull his hand out, but

    Angelina was holding onto it very tightly.

    "Oh? Is that Jeremy?"

    Ellie asked in surprise while she pointed to a man. She was actually eating at that moment, but she

    stopped when she saw him.

    "What..err?" Ashley mumbled while chewing her food.

    Ellie handed a cup of water to Ashley because she thought that Ashley wanted some water. In fact,

    what Ashley just said was, "What?".

    But still, Ashley took the cup of water and looked at Ellie without saying anything. She then took a few

    sips.

    When she had drunk everything, she asked Ellie, "Who did you just see right now?"

    "Jeremy. Isn''t he a good friend of Francis and Andrew?"

    Ellie had attended several parties with Francis, so it was only natural that she knew Jeremy.

    Ashley looked up to see whom Ellie was talking about. It was indeed Jeremy, who was a few feet away

    from them.

    Angelina was walking on Jeremy''s right side, so Ashley and Ellie only saw him at first.

    They could see that Jeremy''s arm was held by a woman, but they didn''t know who she was.

    Ellie was a little confused. "Who is that woman with him? Is that Jeremy''s girlfriend?"

    Ashley looked towards Jeremy''s direction one more time and replied, "No, I don''t know. Even if I do, it

    has nothing to do with us anyways."

    Ellie nodded. "I guess you''re right. But Jeremy and I got acquainted before, so we at least know each

    other. Shall we go over there and say hello to him?"

    Ashley actually wanted to say no to that.

    Jeremy was indeed a good friend of Andrew and Francis but Ashley was not even sure if he would

    recognize them.

    But on second thought, she thought her idea seemed a bit wrong.

    "Okay, let''s go and say hello to him. Also, we can tell Andrew and Francis about this when we go back."

    "I agree."

    They looked at each other andughed at the same time.

    "By the way, why do I feel like that woman beside him is a little familiar?"

 Chapter 853 Strange Hostility

    Chapter 853 Strange Hostility

    "What? Do you know that woman?" Ellie asked.

    Ashley stopped upon hearing the question. She looked at Ellie, confused.

    "I''m not sure. But that woman looks familiar."

    "Well, you''ll know it when you see her up close."

    Coincidentally, the apartment bought by the Li family

    was right next to Ellie''s, the one rented by Ellie and Ashley before.

    And now that Jeremy was outside, it was impossible for them not to see him.

    When they got closer, Ashley and Ellie greeted Jeremy politely.

    Obviously, Jeremy was surprised to see them.

    "Just the two of you?"

    "Yes. Why? Who else do you expect to be with us?" Ellie replied.

    Jeremyughed.

    "I just thought that your guys would be with you. I didn''t expect that..."

    Before he could finish his words, Ellie interrupted him, "Is she your girl..." However, her voice also

    trailed off.

    She actually meant to ask if the woman beside Jeremy was his girlfriend.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    However, when Ellie had a clear view of the woman holding Jeremy''s arm, the rest of her words were

    stuck in her throat.

    She recognized that the woman was Jeremy''s sister.

    But surprisingly, they were holding hands

    like a couple.

    They even looked so intimate.

    Jeremy introduced the woman to Ellie and Ashley, "This is my sister, Angelina. I think you''ve already

    met her before."

    He then let go of Angelina''s hand.

    Angelina froze when she saw Ashley.

    She just stared at Ashley nkly.

    But in her mind, she wished that Jeremy and Ashley didn''t run into each other today.

    When Ashley saw Angelina staring at her, she felt a bit strange. She touched her face and asked, "Is

    there any dirt on my face?"

    Ellie turned and examined Ashley''s face for a while. She then shook her head and said, "No, there

    isn''t."

    "Oh. Then why is Angelina staring at me like that?" Ashley asked.

    Ellie followed Ashley''s gaze and saw that Angelina was indeed, staring at Ashley without blinking.

    "I don''t know,"

    Ellie answered.

    "Angelina, what''s wrong?"

    Jeremy also noticed the unusual expression on Angelina''s face.

    Although he had just found out that she was not his long-lost biological sister, the truth had not been

    brought out in the open yet.

    So Jeremy was still sensitive to Angelina''s feelings.

    He was upset because Angelina deliberately hid her real identity to him. It only meant that she

    purposely pretended to be the daughter of the Gu family.

    Angelina had deceived all of them.

    Jeremy''s train of thought was disrupted by Angelina''s voice, "Let''s go."

    Angelina took Jeremy''s hand again and motioned him to leave.

    It seemed like she was so eager to get out of there, away from Ashley and Ellie.

    "What''s the problem?" Jeremy asked. His brows creased in confusion.

    Angelina weakly pulled Jeremy away.

    The truth was, she was afraid to see Ashley. Every time she saw Ashley, she would always be

    reminded that everything she owned now was supposed to belong to Ashley.

    Angelina was just a fake who stole Ashley''s real identity.

    Thinking about it made her panic. She was afraid that Jeremy would find out about it.

    That was why Angelina wanted to leave as soon as possible.

    "Come on!"

    Angelina tugged Jeremy''s sleeve.

    Jeremy''s face darkened at once. He retorted, "Angelina, what are you doing? They are my friends.

    Can''t I chat with them even for a little while?"

    But Angelina didn''t want to listen to Jeremy. She didn''t care about what he was saying.

    "If you don''t want to stay, it''s okay. I''ll go home by myself."

    Angelina then turned around and walked away.

    But before she could go further, she gave Ashley a resentful look first.

    Ashley was so confused.

    She couldn''t help but wonder about it. She thought, ''What''s wrong with her?

    Have I offended her before?''

    Looking at Angelina''s receding back, Jeremy felt that she was bing more and more unreasonable.

    He wasn''t sure if it was maybe because he was full of doubts about her now. Angelina seemed to be a

    different person to him.

    "I''m so sorry. Maybe Angelina is not feeling well," Jeremy apologized to Ashley and Ellie.

    "It''s alright. Go ahead and follow her. I don''t want anything bad to happen to her," replied Ashley.

    "Okay. You should go home early too."

    "We will."

    When Jeremy was gone, Ellie looked at Ashley and said, "Why do I have a feeling that Angelina is

    somewhat hostile to you?"

    "You noticed it too?"

    Ellie rolled her eyes. "She was too obvious, okay? Just by the way she looked at you just now, it was

    as if she wanted to eat you alive. But I don''t think you know her.

    Have you offended her before?"

    Ashley answered innocently, "No. Just like you said, I don''t know her. So, how can I offend her? After

    all, she is the daughter of the Gu family. With her status in life, I don''t have any reason to go against

    her."

    "Do you think she likes Andrew?" Ellie suddenly asked. "Maybe that''s the reason why she is so hostile

    to you," she added.

    Ashley fell silent for a while.

    She was lost in thought.

    What Ellie said was possible.

    She also remembered that Lesley had once warned her about Angelina. Lesley told her that Angelina

    might do something against her.

    But since she didn''t know Angelina personally, she didn''t believe it.

    It was only now that she realized, Lesley seemed to be right.

    Was it really because Angelina was interested in Andrew?

    Ashley was rendered speechless.

    Andrew had always attracted a lot of women.

    Ellie burst intoughter all of a sudden.

    She said to Ashley, "You''d better go back and keep an eye on your husband. Andrew is definitely

    popr among women."

    "But Ellie, I don''t think Angelina likes Andrew."

    "How can you be so sure?"

    "I don''t know. But I just feel it. I don''t think Angelina''s hostility towards me has something to do with

    Andrew," Ashley answered.

    "Don''t forget that women have a strong sixth sense," Ellie rebuked.

    "Okay, okay. Whatever you say," replied Ashley helplessly.

    Ellie spoke again. "But have noticed how intimate Angelina and Jeremy looked earlier? Although they

    are siblings, I don''t think they should hold hands that way."

    For Ashley, it wasn''t a big deal. "Some siblings do that. I don''t think it''s a big deal. After all, it took a

    while for Jeremy to find his sister. We can''t me him for being intimate with her. I think I have also

    seen a few intimate siblings."

    Ellie rolled her eyes and said, "But they really looked weird, okay? Besides, siblings only treat each

    other that way when they are still kids. But when they grow up, it looks kind of disgusting."

    Ashley shrugged her shoulders. "Well, don''t think too much of it. It''s their business

    anyway."

 Chapter 854 Why Are Those Bodyguards With My Daughter

    Chapter 854 Why Are Those Bodyguards With My Daughter

    Ashley decided to change the topic so that Ellie would stop thinking about Jeremy and Angelina.

    She and Ellie hadn''t seen each other for a long time, so they had a lot to talk about.

    They got so engrossed in their conversation that they didn''t notice the time. If Andrew hadn''t called her,

    Ashley would not have realize that it was alreadyte.

    She immediately said goodbye to Ellie and went back to the Golden Pce.

    Ellie, on the other hand, was picked up by Francis.

    But when Ashley was already at home, Angelina suddenly crossed her mind.

    If she remembered it correctly, Angelina had helped her before.

    They never had any conflicts. So, she couldn''t help wondering why Angelina seemed to hate her.

    Besides, they didn''t even know each other that much.

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    "What''s on your mind?" Andrew whispered to her. Ashley felt his warm breath behind her earlobe, She

    felt ticklish and her face flushed in an instant.

    Moving away from Andrew slightly, Ashley rubbed her ear subconsciously.

    "What did you say?"

    Ashley didn''t hear what Andrew said clearly, so she looked at him and asked.

    Andrew sat beside her and held her in his arms.

    "Nothing," he said with a smile.

    But actually, Andrew was a little worried when he saw Ashley seemingly distracted.

    "Okay," Ashley answered.

    She fell silent for a while before she asked, "Andy, when can we get our daughter back?"

    Ashley was worried about their daughter. She had been looking for her for a long time. Now that they

    found her, she was already with a different family.

    She wanted to take her daughter back the soonest time possible.

    "We''ll go and get her back tomorrow," Andrew replied unhesitatingly.

    Ashley''s eyes lit up. She broke free from his embrace and faced him. "Are you serious? We can get our

    daughter back tomorrow?"

    "Yes."

    Andrew would do everything just to make Ashley happy.

    In the end, they spent their time talking about how they would take their daughter back.

    Meanwhile, Angelina was still in a bad mood.

    She knew that she had overreacted.

    It was undeniable that she knew who really Ashley was.

    However, Ashley didn''t know her real identity. And Jeremy also didn''t know that Ashley was his real

    sister.

    But still, she couldn''t help getting flustered every time she saw Ashely.

    Worse, she lost her temper in front of Jeremy.

    Angelina was so embarrassed. She didn''t know how to exin everything to Jeremy. Now she was

    worried that he would start to doubt her.

    She returned to the ce where she had left Jeremy, but he wasn''t there anymore.

    He might have left for home.

    Since she couldn''t find Jeremy, Angelina decided to return to the vi.

    As soon as she got out of her car, she saw Jeremy walking towards the front door.

    She walked in a hurry to catch up with him.

    Before Jeremy could open the door, Angelina spoke, "You''re back too." She then walked up to him and

    added, "I didn''t mean to lose my temper back there. I''m sorry."

    Jeremy looked cold. Angelina felt strange because he had never treated her like this before.

    Was it because of Ashley and Ellie?

    Were they more important to him than her?

    Angelina felt that Jeremy was unfair. She put on a gloomy expression and looked at him.

    However, Jeremy didn''t seem to notice the look on her face. Instead, he just said, "It''s alright. Just don''t

    be so impulsive next time."

    "Okay."

    Angelina tried to hold Jeremy''s hand.

    But to her surprise, Jeremy took a step back and frowned. "Angelina, you''re not a little girl anymore."

    Obviously, he was implying that she should stop being so clingy to him.

    Jeremy then opened the door and walked in.

    Angelina''s hand froze in mid-air. She stared as Jeremy closed the door behind him, mouth agape.

    She was in disbelief. For the first time, Jeremy treated her indifferently.

    It took a long time before Angelina came back to her senses. Eventually, she put her hand down as if

    nothing happened and held her head high.

    A trace of viciousness shed through her eyes.

    She clenched her fists and thought inwardly, ''Ashley, this is all your fault.''

    As soon as Jeremy entered the living room, Belinda asked, "You are back? Where is Angelina? Didn''t

    she pick you up?" Seeing that Jeremy came in alone, Belinda looked worried.

    Jeremy answered, "She is just behind me."

    Belinda looked at Jeremy disapprovingly. "Jeremy, you are a man. How could you let your sister just

    follow behind you?"

    With Belinda''s reaction, Jeremy couldn''t help feeling worried. Belinda liked Angelina so much.

    Now, he wanted to me himself. When he found Angelina back then, it was him who said that she

    was Camelia.

    If Angelina''s real identity would be revealed, Jeremy couldn''t imagine how devastated Belinda would

    be.

    Tofort her, he said, "Don''t worry, Mom. She was just dyed by something."

    After a short while, Angelina came in. Knowing that Belinda was worried, she smiled sweetly at her.

    Delighted, Belinda said, "You are indeed a good girl."

    Jeremy no longer wanted to stay with Angelina in the same room.

    So, without saying a word, he directly went upstairs.

    Angelina tried her best to act in a normal way. Since she met Ashley, the fear that her real identity

    would soon be revealed remained heavily in her heart.

    The next day, Ashley got up very early. Her mood waspletely different from yesterday. Chant, who

    had always been sharp-eyed, couldn''t help asking, "Why are you so happy today?"

    Ashley was about to answer when Andrew took her hand and said, "Nothing, Grandpa. She just finally

    epted the current situation."

    When Chant saw that the couple was so intimate, he looked away.

    After breakfast, Andrew and Ashley went to the kindergarten to see if Dany was there.

    As nned, if their daughter wasn''t there, they would go to the Mo family vi.

    Fortunately, Dany was there. Ashley was very happy to see her. "Honey..."

    Ashley didn''t expect that Dany would be in school today.

    "Aunt Ashley..." The little girl came to Ashley and hugged her.

    Ashley''s heart sank when Dany called her Aunt.

    She was Dany''s mother. Dany should call her Mommy.

    As Dany''s biological mother, Ashley was confident that the little girl would soon learn to call her

    Mommy.

    Ashley smiled gently and held her up. "Honey, why were you absent from school yesterday?"

    Dany pursed her lips but didn''t answer.

    Yesterday, she stayed with her great-grandfather the whole day. So, when Cayn came to pick her up in

    the evening, she told him that she wanted to go to school today. She only made an excuse that she felt

    bored spending all her time with her great-grandfather.

    Cayn agreed, but with the condition that he would send some bodyguards to look after her.

    The main reason why Cayn arranged for some bodyguards to watch over Dany was to prevent Ashley

    from taking his daughter away.

    While Ashley was holding Dany in her arms, Dany''s bodyguards stepped forward and stared at her.

    But Ashley was too happy to notice them.

    It took a while before she felt that some people had surrounded them.

 Chapter 855 Arent You Upset

    Chapter 855 Aren''t You Upset

    "Auntie, please put me down first," Dany stated.

    Ashley looked at the little girl who didn''t look back at her.

    "What''s wrong?" Ashley was a little confused. As far as she could remember, Dany liked being hugged

    before.

    Was it because Cayn had said something in front of Dany?

    Without any other choice, Ashley just put her down.

    Meanwhile, Dany turned to look at the bodyguards behind her.

    Then, Ashley watched as Dany approached the bodyguards. She didn''t know what the little girl told

    them but they seemed a bit hesitant.

    Soon enough, two of the bodyguards started walking away, leaving two of theirrades.

    It turned out that Dany did like being hugged. She just asked to be put down because the bodyguards

    were present.

    So she asked them to leave but the other two bodyguards wouldn''t do so no matter what, because

    Cayn had ordered them to stay there.

    If anything happened, they needed to report everything to Cayn.

    It was very likely that Cayn had already anticipated what would happen that day.

    Atst, Dany looked at Ashley and said, "Auntie, you can go to work now. I''m perfectly fine here."

    She then gave Ashley a wide grin.

    For some reason, Ashley thought that Dany''s smile looked somewhat familiar.

    At that time, Andrew was looking at Dany with so much affection in his eyes.

    Perhaps, Ashley was so fond of Dany because she was a girl, or maybe it was because she had been

    missing for so long.

    Ashley wanted to say something more, but Andrew who was beside her embraced Ashley and said,

    "Let''s go."

    Andrew then looked at Dany and his eyes met hers.

    Both of them were stunned.

    However, Dany instantly felt some mixed feelings inside her little heart.

    What she did not know was Andrew was feeling the same thing.

    ''He... Is he really my father?'' she quietly pondered to herself.

    Dany blinked her eyes a few times before staring at Andrew''s back.

    She was a little confused, trying to sort her feelings out. But it was clear that what she was feeling right

    then waspletely different when she was with Cayn.

    In the middle of it all, Ashley was still feeling disappointed with Andrew.

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Since she couldn''t control herself anymore, Ashley asked, "What are you doing? I haven''t had a good

    talk with Dany yet. Besides, I don''t know what''s going on, but I feel like our baby has been brainwashed

    against us.

    By the way, Andy, do you think that Cayn did this? Did he tell Dany to behave like this? No way, right?

    That would be too much!"

    The more that Ashley spoke, the more they could hear the hint of sadness and grief in her voice. She

    was even more upset that her baby didn''t like being with her right then.

    "How unbelievable! That baby is our own daughter. He''s a kidnapper! He stole my daughter, and now

    he refuses to give her back to me!"

    Ashleyined, suddenly throwing herself into Andrew''s arms.

    Andrew patiently patted Ashley''s shoulder tofort her. He didn''t say anything, he just quietly tried to

    make her feel better.

    The passers-by in the street looked at them with so much confusion. It might be because Andrew was

    too handsome.

    But neither of them seemed to mind anyone around them. It was like they were the only people who

    existed.

    By the time Ashley finally lifted her head from Andrew''s arms, a long time had already passed. She

    didn''t even know how long he wasforting her.

    Ashley became a little embarrassed. Was she too emotional just now?

    His suit was a mess. It was too wrinkled and it was easy to see a lot of tears on it.

    If it was the old Andrew, he would have never expected that such a thing could happen.

    Considering that he was a neat freak, it was surprising that he let Ashley fall into his arms to cry and

    ruin his clothes.

    "Are you still upset?"

    Andrew asked while staring at Ashley''s face. He was trying to see if she was still crying.

    "I''m very sad!" Ashley eximed. How could she not be distressed?

    ''That precious little baby is my own daughter. How could she behave like that towards me?'' Ashley

    thought to herself.

    Although she knew that Dany might not want to show her too much affection in the presence of the

    bodyguards, she still made Ashley a little sad.

    "Go on, tell me all about it,"

    Andrew said while pressing Ashley''s head into his chest.

    Ashley didn''t expect that Andrew would do that so she didn''t have the chance to refuse the physical

    intimacy.

    She was forced to bury her head in his arms with her face directly onto his chest.

    Within a brief moment, Ashley''s nose hurt a little bit from the impact.

    ''This guy!

    Doesn''t he know how tough his chest is?

    More importantly, I just said that I''m upset!

    Why does he have to press my head against his chest?''

    There were a lot of things going on in Ashley''s head, although she didn''t say anything out loud.

    Was this Andrew''s way offorting her?

    What a strange feeling.

    Ashley raised her head and asked, "What are you doing?"

    Andrew exined, "Aren''t you upset?"

    Ashley was rendered speechless at that point. For a while, she didn''t say anything at all.

    She didn''t actually want to argue with him.

    "I''m fine now,"

    Ashley said while taking Andrew''s hand. Ashley wanted to be closer to Dany, as she was still the little

    girl''s dear mother.

    That was a fact that could never be changed.

    That alone made her more confident.

    ''From now on, I will do everything I can to make my baby ept me. Even if it happens gradually, I''d

    still be the happiest mother in the world, '' Ashley thought.

    Andrew looked a Ashley a little more closely, wondering why she was in such a bad mood one minute,

    then had itpletely changed in the next.

    Andrew was relieved to see her feeling better.

    Then he said, "The girl likes you and she doesn''t want to leave you. Maybe the reason that she was

    behaving like that was because of the bodyguards."

    When Andrew and Dany looked at each other just then, he perfectly understood what the little girl was

    thinking. It was so evident in her bright and innocent eyes.

    So after noticing that Ashley seemed upset, he couldn''t help but exin Dany''s side.

    "Really?" Ashley looked at Andrew and smiled.

    "Yeah, why would I lie to you?"

    "Ah, I''m so happy. So she didn''t mean to do that?"

    "No, she didn''t." Andrew was so stunned at the amount of happiness in Ashley''s face and he gently

    stroked her head.

    Then Ashley smiled back at Andrew.

    "How about we go to work now?"

    Ashley suggested. She didn''t go to her office yesterday because of Dany, so she should have a pile of

    work waiting for her today.

    "Okay, that sounds good."

    Andrew nodded at Ashley and got into the car with her.

    While Ashley was sitting behind Andrew, the light smell of tobo from his body made her sleepy.

    Soon enough, she dozed off.

    She hadn''t had a good rest for several days because of matters concerning Dany.

    And whenever she would sleep at night, she would dream of her daughter.

    So, after seeing the girl, she could finally rx. The smell of tobo on Andrew''s body was her final

    cue. Right away, she couldn''t help but close her eyes.

    Andrew adjusted her head on his shoulder so she could be morefortable.

    While he looked at Ashley''s sleeping face, the corners of his mouth formed into a smile. He thought

    that she looked lovelier this way.

 Chapter 856 Please Continue With What You Are Doing

    Chapter 856 Please Continue With What You Are Doing

    Ashley slowly woke up from her slumber, but some confusion lingered in her mind.

    She rubbed her eyes and surprised to see a thin quilt slide off her body.

    Wasn''t she in the car just now? Didn''t he say that they were going to thepany?

    Why was she in bed?

    Ashley sat up, taking stock of her surroundings. The bed she had just been sleeping in was big and

    soft, covered with crisp, clean white sheets.

    It was just sofortable that she wanted to just roll around in it and not get up.

    She wanted one of her own.

    Feeling dizzy, Ashley rubbed her temples gingerly. Maybe the slight headache was due to her long nap.

    The room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Ashley heard the sound of fingers tapping on a

    keyboard from outside.

    Ashley recognized that she was in the lounge in Andrew''s office.

    So, they actually went to Andrew''spany. Why did he bring her here?

    Ashley slipped on her shoes and walked out.

    Andrew was sitting on the chair next to the French window, his slender fingers busily typing on the

    keyboard of theputer in front of him.

    He sat there with a serious expression on his face.

    Like people said, serious men were on another level of handsomeness.

    Ashley had always known that Andrew was an extremely good-looking man, or else he wouldn''t have

    attracted so many women.

    As if Andrew had sensed Ashley''s presence, his fingers stopped and hovered over the keyboard, and

    his eyes suddenly met hers.

    A wide smile interrupted the seriousness in his face at the sight of Ashley.

    His smile was as warm as the spring breeze.

    Andrew had always had a cold demeanor that tended to deter anyone around him of any attempts at

    getting close to him. In effect, other people thought that he was a stand-offish and indifferent man.

    They were not wrong, though.

    He only showed this kind of tenderness in front of Ashley.

    Ashley was left in a daze, and Andrew walked over to her.

    Ashley didn''t even notice him approaching.

    "You''re awake now," Andrew gently remarked.

    Ashley nodded.

    "Yes."

    Ashley didn''t fully snap out of her befuddlement until Andrew''s handsome face hovered close over hers

    ¡ªonly to lose her senses again as he shed her a gentle smile.

    Ashley lowered her gaze, away from Andrew''s and asked, "Didn''t you say we were going to the office?

    Why am I here?"

    Andrew slid his arm around Ashley and sat on the sofa, pulling her so that she could sit on hisp.

    It was a cozy scene, and the two of them were intimate the way couple were supposed to be.

    Feeling slightly ufortable, Ashley fidgeted within the circle of Andrew''s arms. It was not the first

    time that they had been so close, but she still felt a little embarrassed.

    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "Honey, don''t move," Andrew warned in her ear.

    Ashley stopped moving because she knew what would happen if she continued to do so.

    She wasn''t sure that she could deal with Andrew''s fiery passion if she happened to awaken it.

    "We are in the office. Mine."

    Ashley looked at Andrew, confusion evident in her eyes.

    The question that she had asked Andrew suddenly urred to her.

    Ashley frowned. Her memory wasn''t serving her well today.

    Ashley said helplessly, "I meant I wanted to go to my office. I didn''t go to work yesterday, so I''m sure

    that I have a lot of stuff to deal with today."

    "You fell asleep in the car."

    "You could have woken me up," groused Ashley.

    Andrew didn''t respond. Ashley slept like the dead and was just as impossible to wake up.

    Besides, she looked so sweet asleep that he didn''t have the heart to wake her up.

    Moreover, he wanted her here.

    It was not a good idea for her to go straight to her office.

    "What time is it now?"

    Ashley looked out of the French windows.

    Outside, the sky was overcast, and the surroundings were gray and foggy.

    The dim, gloomy view offered its own kind of beauty.

    Ashley was entranced by the view.

    "It''s so beautiful," she murmured just as Andrew was about to answer her question.

    He also looked outside and asked, "Do you like it?"

    Ashley nodded. "I love it."

    Ashley appreciated beautiful scenery, and she liked to collect beautiful and cute things.

    In fact, everyone liked to enjoy the beautiful things in the world.

    Ashley was no exception.

    Ashley kept gazing out of the window.

    The French windows were massive, and the building they were in was the tallest building in J City.

    They could see everything below including the entire city scape from where they were.

    Ashley was then suddenly swept up into Andrew''s arms.

    Subconsciously, she slipped her arms around his neck for support.

    She looked at Andrew with some confusion and asked, "What are you doing?"

    Andrew didn''t say a word and just walked them closer to the French windows.

    He wanted Ashley to be able to see the view more clearly.

    Ashley looked out of the window. It was almost night time. She did not expect to have slept the day

    away.

    She watched the hustle and bustle on the streets outside.

    It felt so good to stand on such a high ce and look down at the view.

    It was no wonder that so many people would break their backs to get into the Lu Group and be a

    manager or some other key position.

    "Ah..." Immersed in the sight, Ashley suddenly thought of Andrew and turned her head.

    She hadpletely forgotten that she was in Andrew''s arms.

    They were so close to each other that when Ashley turned her head, her lips grazed Andrew''s face and

    finallynded on his lips.

    The contact left both of them stunned.

    Their gazes met.

    Ashley looked searchingly into Andrew''s eyes, and Andrew simply gazed back.

    It was like there were no other people in the world but for the two of them.

    Of course, Andrew wouldn''t miss the chance to get close to her.

    Andrew was about to make his move when someone knocked at the door. Johnny pushed the door

    open from the outside and walked in.

    In the entire Lu Group, Johnny was the only one with the privilege to enter Andrew''s office so casually.

    In general, Andrew didn''t like responding whenever someone knocked on the door, so Johnny would

    just let himself into Andrew''s office.

    "Mr. Lu, this is this quarter''s..." Jeremy''s voice trailed off.

 Chapter 857 All Men Are Lustful

    Chapter 857 All Men Are Lustful

    Johnny suddenly stopped talking and looked up.

    Confusion was written all over his face as he looked at Andrew and Ashley. He even blinked his eyes a

    few times as if making sure that he was just seeing things.

    ''What did I just see?

    Were they making love in the office? Oh my!'' Johnny thought to himself.

    He turned his back in a hurry and apologized, "I''m so sorry, President. Lu, Mrs. Lu. I didn''t see

    anything. Please don''t mind me and go back to what you were doing."

    He then trotted out of the office, still holding the document in his hand. As soon as he was out the door,

    he made sure that it was locked.

    Johnny leaned against the door, gasping. He felt helpless all of a sudden.

    Did he just see Andrew and Ashley about to make love in the office?

    Actually, he wasn''tpletely sure about it.

    Andrew immediately stopped what he was doing with Ashley when Johnny came in.

    Ashley also quickly pushed Andrew away.

    But she obviously felt a little flurried as her face flushed.

    She felt embarrassed about what Johnny had seen.

    Andrew couldn''t help smiling when he saw Ashley blushing.

    Ashley, on the other hand, tried to pretend like it was nothing. She casually checked the time on her

    phone. It was already past six o''clock.

    "Are you done with your work?" she asked Andrew.

    "Yes," Andrew replied.

    Since Andrew was done, they could go back home together.

    But Ashley suddenly remembered Johnny. "I think Johnny has something important to talk to you

    about. Talk to him first. I''ll go out and have a walk for a little while," she said.

    She then turned around and was about to leave.

    However, Andrew grabbed her hand.

    "What?" Ashley looked at him and asked confusedly.

    Andrew didn''t say a word. He just pulled her closer and gave her an overwhelming kiss that made her

    feel a little dizzy.

    Ashley subconsciously hooked her arms around Andrew''s neck and tilted her head to respond to his

    passionate kiss.

    Andrew wrapped his arms around Ashley''s waist and slightly pressed his body against hers.

    It took a long time before he let her go.

    That lingering kiss made Ashley go weak in the knees.

    She was about to stumble, but Andrew pulled her into his arms quickly. He thenughed in a low voice.

    "What''s wrong with your knees?"

    Ashley red at Andrew. She thought inwardly, ''He really has the nerve to ask me that?

    It''s all his fault.''

    Andrew seemed to have noticed the objection in her eyes, so he immediately said, "Well, it''s my fault."

    Andrew had to admit, he had be a persistent lover and kisser.

    Ashley felt extremely conscious. She didn''t know what she looked like at the moment. But her cheeks

    felt hot, so she knew that she was flushing again. She wasn''t aware that with her red cheeks and moist

    lips, she was glowing. For Andrew, she looked perfect.

    At the same time, Andrew felt a surge of passion.

    He looked into Ashley''s eyes. His breath became heavy as he murmured, "Ashley..."

    His voice sounded a little husky. He pulled her closer again and wrapped his arms around her waist

    tightly, rubbing his lower body part to hers.

    "What?" Ashley gasped as she met his gaze, burning with desire.

    Her voice was soft, almost like a whisper. In an instant, Ashley felt Andrew''s warmth radiate to her body

    intensely.

    Andrew had been wanting to do this the moment he brought Ashley into his office earlier.

    But he knew that Ashley was too shy to show her love for him inside his office.

    Meanwhile, Johnny sat at his desk, head in his hands. He stared at the document anxiously.

    ''Will it be okay if I give this file to Mr. Lu tomorrow morning?''

    he thought inwardly. Right now, he didn''t have the courage to go back into Andrew''s office again.

    How unfortunate of him to see such a scene today! Every time he remembered Andrew''s murderous

    gaze when he went inside earlier, he broke out into a cold sweat.

    Eventually, he decided give up and go home.

    Since Ashley was in Andrew''s office now, Andrew might be very busy doing other things to her.

    Johnny was about to leave when someone covered his eyes from behind.

    From the smell of the perfume that lingered in the office and the softness of the person''s hands, he

    could already tell who it was.

    "Guess who it is," a woman''s voice gently caressed Johnny''s ears.

    Johnny didn''t answer. Instead, he smiled and turned around. He pulled the woman into his arms and

    gave her a French kiss.

    "Well, I knew that it''s you," Johnny said with augh after the kiss.

    "How did you know it was me? What if it wasn''t me? Would you also kiss her like that?" Amaia asked

    as she covered her face shyly.

    "Of course not!

    You''re my wife. Naturally, I''ll recognize you no matter what," Johnny replied.

    "Okay. You''d better be sure about that," Amaia warned.

    "By the way, didn''t you say that you had a document to give to Mr. Lu? Have you given it to him

    already?" she added as she moved away from Johnny.

    Johnny shook his head. "No. I think I''ll just give it to him tomorrow."

    "Why?" Amaia asked curiously.

    Johnny moved closer to her and whispered something.

    "Really? Ashley is here? I want to see her."

    Amaia got excited when she found out that Ashley was in Andrew''s office.

    She was about to go in when Johnny grabbed her arm and dragged her back. "You''re always

    impulsive. She is in Mr. Lu''s office now. What do you think they''re...?"

    Before Johnny could finish his words, Amaia pressed her index finger on his lips.

    She then gave him an understanding smile and shrugged.

    There was a meaningful look in her eyes.

    Johnny looked at Amaia with amusement. Despite being a mother now, she was still naive at times.

    "Let''s go home now."

    "Okay."

    During those times that Ashley was missing, a lot of things had happened.

    One of those was Johnny and Amaia getting married.

    It happened two years after Ashley disappeared.

    As a married woman, Amaia had to leave her family.

    ording to her father, she was already married, so she had to go and live with her husband.

    From then on, Amaia''s parents enjoyed their years together.

    Amaia had known her father''s purpose from the very start. But since she was married to Johnny, she

    didn''t care about it anymore.

    After three years of marriage, Amaia got pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

    An hour after Amaia and Johnny left, the door of Andrew''s office opened.

    Andrew went out with Ashley in his arms.

    She was wrapped tightly with a nket.

    A satisfied smile curved on Andrew''s lips as he looked at Ashley quietly in his arms. There was

    tenderness in his heart.

    "There is no one in the office now. You don''t have to cover yourself like that," Andrew teased.

    Ashley moved a little but didn''t say anything.

    But in her mind, she was cursing Andrew.

    ''You are indeed a beast in human form.

    Humph!

    I''ll never evere to your office again, ''This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Ashley thought inwardly.

 Chapter 858 Angelina Has Been Exposed

    Chapter 858 Angelina Has Been Exposed

    As soon as Andrew and Ashley got in the car, Ashley loosened the nket and uncovered her head.

    Her face turned red from hiding too long inside the nket.

    "Ha-ha! Finally, you show your face to me now,"

    Andrew said whileughing. He was really amused by Ashley''s behavior.

    Ashley didn''t say anything and just rolled her eyes at Andrew.

    It was already veryte when they arrived at the Golden Pce.

    Andrew and Ashley took a shower and went to sleep immediately after.

    In the Gu family residence, the situation was quite tense.

    Jeremy had just gotten the result of the DNA test.

    With a heavy heart, he read the document word for word.

    Indeed, he was unrted to Angelina by blood.

    He really made a mistake at that time when he recognized her as his biological sister.

    Since it was alreadyte, Jeremy didn''t disturb his parents anymore. Instead, he went directly to

    Angelina''s room

    and knocked on her door.

    Angelina was about to go to bed when she heard the knock.

    Thinking that it was only Belinda, she walked to the door without even bothering to put on a robe.

    She was only wearing a sexy nightdress

    that revealed her perfect figure.

    But when Angelina opened the door, she was startled to see Jeremy standing outside her room.

    "Oh, it''s you. Why are you here?" she asked.

    "We have something to talk about. Change into decent clothes ande to my room quickly," Jeremy

    said as he looked at Angelina with a frown.

    "What''s going on?

    Did something happen? Why do you look so anxious?" Angelina asked as she looked at Jeremy''s stern

    expression. She couldn''t help feeling nervous.

    "You''ll know itter."

    "Okay,"

    she replied before Jeremy turned around and left.

    Angelina lowered her head and looked at her herself. Her eyebrows creased upon remembering the

    look on Jeremy''s face just now.

    She had the intuition that he was affected by the way she looked tonight.

    Angelina changed her clothes quickly and went to Jeremy''s room in less than five minutes.

    The door was slightly opened, so she saw him from the outside. He was still wearing his suit and tie.

    Jeremy''s bedroom looked simple yet elegant and tidy. It was exactly like his temperament.

    Angelina felt delighted. She wondered if she was the first woman to enter his bedroom.

    "You are here," Jeremy said upon seeing her. He looked at her indifferently as if scrutinizing her

    clothes.

    "Yes. What did you want to talk about?" Angelina replied with a nod.

    "Take a look at this," Jeremy said as he threw the piece of paper in front of her.

    Angelina was confused. Jeremy asked her toe to his bedroom just to throw a piece of paper at

    her? What was this all about?

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    She quickly picked up the document on the floor and read it carefully.

    And the more she read it, the more she looked frightened.

    Angelina trembled.

    She felt as if a bucket of ice-cold water was poured on to her head.

    Why did Jeremy have it? When did he get it?

    Did he already know everything?

    No wonder he knocked on her door even though it was alreadyte at night.

    At this moment, Angelina''s head was in a mess. But she did her best to look calm so as not to arouse

    Jeremy''s suspicion further.

    "What is the meaning of this? I don''t understand," she said as she looked into Jeremy''s eyes.

    Jeremy met her gaze. But the tenderness that used to be in his eyes was gone.

    All she could see was coldness. Angelina shivered.

    "Brother,"

    she called him in a trembling voice.

    Seeing Jeremy''s expression made her feel more scared.

    Fortunately, his voice was still as soft as before when he asked, "Angelina, don''t you really know what

    that is? Haven''t you seen a document like that before?" But although Jeremy''s voice was gentle, it was

    still very frightening.

    "I have never seen a thing like this before. I don''t know what this is." Angelina pretended to be

    innocent.

    "You still have the audacity to lie in front of me?

    You and I both know that it''s yours. You personally went to the hospital to get it. Don''t you dare tell me

    that you don''t know! Angelina, how does it feel to have sessfully deceived my family?"

    Jeremy said coldly as he threw another piece of paper at her.

    He stared at her with his bloodshot eyes.

    Angelina froze upon hearing those words.

    She had known Jeremy as a refined man. He never showed a fierce attitude on her.

    "No. I didn''t lie to you. I don''t know what you are talking about," Angelina asserted her innocence.

    "You don''t?" Jeremy sneered. "Then, what is this paper? Exin it to me. Don''t ever tell me again that

    this is not yours." Jeremy had grown a bit impatient.

    Angelina looked at Jeremy. She wanted to continue to deny.

    But when she opened her mouth, she couldn''t make any sound. It was as if something was stuck in her

    throat.

    She wanted to exin, but she didn''t know how to start.

    "I''m your sister. How could you say such things to me?"

    "So, you''ll still continue to deny it? What do I need to do to make you admit it? The evidence is already

    in front of you."

    Every time Jeremy thought that Angelina deliberately hid the truth from all of them, he got more furious.

    Moreover, he had no idea where his real sister could be.

    This made him feel terribly remorseful.

    Although Angelina was already scared to death, she still couldn''t help thinking, ''How could this be

    happening?

    Why has everything turned into a mess all of a sudden? How did Jeremy know the truth? Did anyone

    from the Li family tell him?

    But that''s impossible.

    I''ve been giving them money all this time. Why would

    they betray me? Did Jeremy give them more money?''

    Angelina clenched her fists secretly in rage.

 Chapter 859 Who Enraged Her

    Chapter 859 Who Enraged Her

    Upon seeing the look in Angelina''s eyes, Jeremy couldn''t help but frown.

    ''What is wrong with her?'' Jeremy silently thought.

    Even if he didn''t have the full picture, Jeremy didn''t want it to escte any further. He also didn''t want

    his parents to know about it right then.

    Before anything else, he had to discuss this matter with his father.

    Although Belinda had been getting better since this girl whom they thought was Camelia came back,

    her body might not be able to handle such big news.

    Hence, Jeremy thought that he should really think about the consequences of this matter blew up.

    He had already decided that whatever he would do, he had to minimize the harm that mighte out

    of it.

    Otherwise...

    Thinking about the implications, Jeremy closed his eyes for a while. He couldn''t imagine how furious

    Belinda might be if she found out about it.

    It would be better not to tell her about it right then.

    He then turned to Angelina and softly said, "I will send you abroad in a few days. I will also transfer

    some money to your bank ount. Don''te back unless it''s absolutely necessary. More importantly,

    if Mom and Dad ask you, tell them that you just want to go abroad and that''s it.

    You can go now. Someone will pick you up tomorrow. You can pack your things tonight."

    Then, he turned around as if he didn''t want to see Angelina anymore.

    Because of what he said, Angelina copsed to the floor. At that point, she didn''t know how to react or

    what to do.

    "Jeremy, no, you can''t do this to me!" Angelina begged him while pulling on his sleeves.

    "I may not be your sister, but we''ve lived together for so many years. Please don''t do this to me,

    Brother!"

    Angelina continued to beg while staring at Jeremy.

    Jeremy finally looked back at her, looking extremely disappointed. "Didn''t you understand anything that

    I said?

    I''m furious. It''s not just because you pretended to be the daughter of the Gu family. It''s the fact that you

    knew and you didn''t even care to tell me about it. Why did you keep it from me for so long?"

    "I can exin it. I didn''t mean to do it on purpose.

    I only found out about the truthter on. But by that time, I already met Mom and she was so nice to

    me. If, if she knew that I was not really her daughter, I was sure that she''s going to be disappointed

    again. You and I both knew that she wouldn''t be able to handle the truth.

    So I thought that there was no harm in pretending to be Camelia for a while. But please believe me.

    Since then, I had already nned to leave when shees back. Brother, you have to trust me. I did

    all of this with everyone''s interests at heart."

    But Jeremy only smirked at that. He then asked, "Is that so? That''s just your selfishness talking right

    now! If it was true that you had my best interests at heart, you would have told me. Yes, Mother

    wouldn''t be able to bear it but did you think I wouldn''t? Did you actually think that keeping it from me

    would help? If you had just told me, the real Camelia would have been found by now!"

    At that moment, Jeremy was so baffled that Angelina could have the audacity to defend herself with

    those selfish excuses. She kept on painting herself as a good person.

    If she had been really considerate of what was good for Belinda, she wouldn''t hide it for so long.

    Maybe, everything would have been different.

    Staring at Jeremy''s back, Angelina struggled to stand up. She couldn''t believe that Jeremy would be so

    cruel.

    "Jeremy..." Angelina called out to him.

    But Jeremy didn''t even turn around to look at her.

    Now, the sight of Angelina would make him recall every single mistake that he had done.

    If he had been more careful and he had investigated more, perhaps things would not have been like

    this.

    While he was still immersed in his thoughts, he felt a warm body hugging him from behind.

    Looking down at the hands that were encircled on his waist, he said, "Angelina, you are not my sister."

    At that moment, everything had beenid out in the open so Angelina could not do anything about it

    anymore.

    To make things moreplicated, the rtionship between them was no longer of a sister and a

    brother.

    She didn''t know when but gradually, she had fallen in love with this man. There were a lot of moments

    when she would wish that he could be more than her brother.

    But now, he couldn''t even be like that. On the upside, they were no longer held by a familial bond.

    Would she be able to...

    With an even deeper frown, Jeremy suddenly stood up. Angelina, who was behind him, fell aside

    awkwardly.

    He then looked at her in disgust. The expression on his face was perfectly reflecting what he was

    feeling.

    She was his younger sister!

    Although Angelina was not his biological sister, Jeremy treated her as if she was his own flesh and

    blood. For the past years, they had been happy as siblings. He thought he knew her so he didn''t expect

    that she would have romantic feelings for him.

    That was just uneptable in Jeremy''s book.

    Nheless, they had already made it clear to each other. Therefore, Angelina didn''t have to treat

    Jeremy as a brother anymore.

    Angelina stood up and looked at Jeremy. "Brother, I''m afraid to tell you but I don''t have anything to lose

    now. So Jeremy, I like you.

    I don''t exactly know when I started to have these feelings for you. But now that I''ve already said it, I

    don''t have to hide anything from you anymore."

    The frown on Jeremy''s face did not fade. He looked at her and rigidly said, "I don''t care what you''re

    talking about right now and frankly, I don''t want to know. But you better give up on this idea.

    The door is over there. I won''t walk you out, but get out of here right now,"

    Jeremy then turned away, ignoring Angelina.

    "Jeremy, don''t you understand? I really do like you. After five years of being with you, I''ve known you

    so well. I know what you like to eat and what you don''t like. If we just try ¡ª"

    "No, we can''t!"

    Jeremy eximed before she could even finish talking.

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jeremy just couldn''t understand why Angelina would have such an idea.

    Did he go too far in treating her well? Or did he do something that made Angelina misunderstand his

    intentions?

    In his perspective, he simply treated Angelina as his sister over the years. He never thought that she

    would develop feelings for him.

    "What are the two of you talking about?"

    Just when Jeremy was about to throw Angelina out, Belinda''s voice resounded from the door.

    She sounded like she was trembling.

    Jeremy quickly turned around, looking at his parents who suddenly appeared by the door. He quickly

    approached them and asked, "Dad, Mom, when did you get here?"

    Belinda did not answer Jeremy''s question. She just looked at him and Angelina and asked, "What were

    you talking about just now?"

    For some reason, Belinda did not direct her question at Angelina.

    Jeremy didn''t know how long his parents had been standing there, and he didn''t know how much of his

    conversation with Angelina they had heard.

    But one thing was for sure. He didn''t want his mother to know about everything just yet.

 Chapter 860 Threat

    Chapter 860 Threat

    It was because Belinda had always been in poor health. Although she had gotten a little better recently,

    she could hardly take any kind stress.

    Jeremy walked over and held his mother. "Don''t worry, Mom. I just had something to talk to Angelina

    about and it''s settled now. It''s alreadyte. Why don''t you get some rest?" he said.

    However, his mother was quick to shake off Jeremy''s hand. "Get away from me! Don''t touch me!

    You say you just had something to talk about? But just now, I saw Angelina holding you in her arms.

    What was that all about? What did I just see? Besides, do you think I''m deaf?"

    Belinda said crudely, her eyes wandering back and forth between Jeremy and Angelina.

    "Mom, please listen to me. It''s not what you think." Hearing his mother''s words, Jeremy''s heart was

    frozen.

    It seemed that Belinda had heard a lot from their conversation.

    Otherwise, things wouldn''t have turned out this way.

    Angelina approached Belinda and tried to exin, "Mom, please listen to me..."

    "Go away! Don''t call me Mom. I''m not your Mom," she said and pushed her hand away.

    Her hand was brushed off abruptly by Belinda, embarrassingpletely.

    Angelina had never anticipated such a situation.

    Belinda had always treated her well, and this was the first instance of her being upset at Angelina.

    Then she turned towards her son. "Tell me, what''s going on?"

    Jeremy replied, "Mom, it''s nothing serious. You should go back to your room and rest. Take Mom to

    bed, Dad."

    "Don''t touch me. I heard everything. Jeremy, tell me everything, right now!"

    Jeremy didn''t expect his mom to be so unyielding. He had nned to hide it from her for a while, but he

    didn''t expect her to show up out of nowhere and overhear his conversation with Angelina.

    "Say something!"

    Martin shouted to his son suddenly.

    Jeremy knew his mother very well. She had been firm on knowing everything she wanted to know.

    And it seemed that Martin was also on Belinda''s side.

    Jeremy pursed his lips, and slowly exined, "Mom, on this matter. You should be mentally prepared

    for it.

    Angelina is not Camelia. It''s all my fault.

    I found the wrong person, Mom. I''m the one to me."

    Belinda looked at Jeremy in disbelief and said in a trembling voice, "What did you say?"

    Although she had heard it, she was shocked to hear it from Jeremy.

    "Angelina, is it true?" Belinda asked, looking at her.

    Angelina wanted to deny it, but she looked at Jeremy who stood beside her.

    Then, she nodded her head awkwardly.

    "So, what were you both doing just now?" asked Belinda.

    "Mom, no, I should be calling you Aunt now. Just as you can see, I like Jeremy. I''ve liked him for a long

    time. So, if it''s possible, could you do us a favor?" Angelina said reluctantly.

    "Mom!"

    "Belinda!"

    Suddenly, after hearing the revtions from Jeremy and Angelina, Belinda copsed to the floor.

    "Belinda, Belinda." Martin reached out and held her immediately.

    "Mom, what''s wrong?" At the sight of his unconscious mother, Jeremy was terrified.

    However, Martin swiftly pushed Jeremy''s hand away and took a nce at Angelina standing next to

    him. His voice was a little cold as he ordered, "Mind your own business."

    Jeremy also wanted to follow and help his mom and dad, but he couldn''t just leave Angelina alone in

    his room.

    Now, he had to deal with this matter immediately.

    Turning around, he stared at Angelina coldly. "Angelina, have I been too kind to you? How could you

    just say that in front of Mom?

    Besides, no matter in the past or at present, I have no special feelings for you. Do you understand?"

    Jeremy closed his exhausted eyes. "I nned to send you abroad tomorrow, but now..."

    He didn''t want his parents to know about it, but now they had found out everything.

    And how could she be so shameless?

    He decided not to let her stay with the family anymore.

    "You can pack up and leave now. From now on, you are no longer a member of this family.

    Don''t follow me. I will ask the servant to pack up for you. If I see you here again when Ie back,

    don''t me me for being disrespectful to you,"

    Jeremy said as he lifted his foot and walked outside, all the while totally ignoring Angelina.

    Angelina was so scared that she went after Jeremy and held his sleeve tightly. "Brother, I''m sorry.

    Please don''t drive me away! I''m so sorry. I won''t do that again.

    I''m also very worried that Mom fainted. Let''s go to the hospital and see Mom together, okay? Brother?"

    Angelina didn''t want to leave at all. She was helpless. Where could she go now?

    But Jeremy looked at her and pushed her hand away coldly. He gave her a sardonic look and asked,

    "Are you worried about Mom?

    Then what did you say just now? And what did you say to her? Angelina, you are utterly disgusting!"

    If Angelina hadn''t said that, would his mother still have fainted?

    It was all because of Angelina. Why did she say something so absurd?

    Wasn''t she worried about Belinda at all?

    If Angelina was really worried about her, why would she say those words to her just now?

    Jeremy called a servant to take Angelina back to her room. Then he asked the servant to pack her

    things and send her out.

    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

    In the meantime, no matter what Angelina said or how much trouble she made, Jeremy just ignored it.

    Since the servant had worked there for several years, she knew quite well about Angelina''s status in

    the family.

    But she never expected that Jeremy would treat Angelina this way.

    Was there anything wrong between them?

    The servant was a little confused, but she didn''t show it on her face, and did as she was told.

    After packing all the stuff, the servant took Angelina outside. Jeremy looked at her and said, "These

    things belong to you now, and I will never take them back. Now, please leave and nevere back."

    "No, Brother! Jeremy! You can''t do this to me!" Angelina cried out.

    "I can do anything I want," he retorted.

    "Huh, Jeremy, then don''t you want to know where Camelia is?"

 Chapter 861 Ill Find Her Myself

    Chapter 861 I''ll Find Her Myself

    The moment Jeremy heard what Angelina said, he couldn''t stay calm anymore.

    He immediately turned and focused his gaze on Angelina. Tilting his head, he asked, "What did you

    just say?"

    Upon seeing his reaction, Angelina smiled in triumph. Returning Jeremy''s stare, he looked at him and

    asked, "I said, don''t you want to know where the real Camelia is?"

    Jeremy looked at her more intently. "What do you know about it?"

    Angelina replied, "I know much more than you think!

    So what will you do then? Will you keep on treating me like this?"

    "Are you threatening me?"

    "Oh Brother, how can I even dare to threaten you? All I want in this world is your love. I have been in

    love with you for so long. Do you really not have any romantic feelings for me?

    I''m not your sister anymore! I am simply myself. I''m Angelina!"

    "Don''t you think you should be ashamed to say that?"

    "But why would I? I''m only telling the truth! We are not rted by blood!"

    "I''ve always treated you as my sister for so long. How could you have such ideas in your head?"

    Jeremy did not avert his gaze at Angelina for even a second. No matter what she wanted, he was still

    hesitant when Angelina mentioned Camelia.

    For countless years, he had been looking for Camelia. Since it turned out that he found the wrong

    person, he couldn''t help but think that he had just wasted a lot of time.

    Trying to steer the conversation to the most important thing, Jeremy asked, "Where is Camelia right

    now?"

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Angelina responded, "I will tell you if you promise me one thing."

    "What do you want?"

    "Be with me."

    "No, that''s impossible! I can''t do that" Jeremy didn''t have to think about it. He just refused right away.

    How could he be with Angelina?

    Jeremy and Angelina had been living their lives for five years as brothers and sisters. He had never

    once thought of treating her as more than a sister. From the start, it was very clear to him that they had

    a familial bond. Even if she was not his sister, Jeremy had no idea if he would actually look at her that

    way.

    "Why not?" Angelina asked while looking at Jeremy with a pout.

    How could he refuse such a simple request?

    Was it really unthinkable for Jeremy to be with her?

    If it had been like before, she could understand that Jeremy would not want to be with her. After all,

    they were brothers and sisters so Jeremy might not look at her as a romantic interest.

    But at that moment, she was no longer his sister. They had nothing to do with each other. So why was

    he still very much opposed to the idea?

    Out of sheer stubbornness, Angelina did not avert her eyes from Jeremy. She was waiting for his

    response.

    After a while, Jeremy finally spoke. "I don''t think of you that way, Angelina. I have always treated you

    as my sister."

    Angelina smiled and said, "But I''m not your sister anymore. You already know that, right? It goes

    without saying that you can be with me now."

    Jeremy looked at her with coldness pouring from his eyes. "Go away right this second!"

    Angelina had never thought that Jeremy would react like this. She was desperate at that point.

    "Jeremy, I have news about Camelia! Don''t you want to know where she is right now?"

    "I''ll find her myself."

    It was thest time that Jeremy addressed Angelina.

    The moment he finished talking, Jeremy turned around and got into the car next to him.

    Without wasting another second, he drove to the hospital.

    No matter what Angelina said and how much trouble she made, how could shepare to their

    servant?

    The servant had actually heard the conversation between Jeremy and Angelina. She then understood

    that Angelina was not the real daughter of the Gu family. She was just pretending all this time.

    The real Camelia was still missing.

    Sometimeter, Jeremy parked the car by the gate of the hospital. After turning off the ignition of the

    vehicle, he rubbed his temples. He could feel a severe headache from the stress brought about by the

    current situation.

    He didn''t even know how to face his parents then.

    Everything that happened tonight had made the situationplicated.

    Jeremy could not help but think that it was his fault. So no matter what he needed to do, he was

    determined to fix everything.

    Finally, Jeremy got out of the car. He then asked a nurse which ward his mother was admitted.

    Inside the room, Belinda was connected to a drip. Martin was sitting beside her bed while holding her

    other hand which wasn''t hooked to the IV fluid.

    Lying on the bed, Belinda''s eyes were closed very tightly.

    When Jeremy entered the room, he looked at his parents and whispered, "Dad."

    Martin raised his head and looked at Jeremy with an impassive expression on his face. "You''re here."

    "Father." Jeremy nodded at Martin.

    "How is Mom?"

    "She''s not awake yet. I think we have to wait for a little while. Earlier, the doctor said she passed out

    because of some triggering factors."

    Jeremy pursed his lips for a while before he said, "I''m sorry."

    "You don''t need to apologize to me.

    You should say sorry to your mother and Camelia who hasn''t been found yet. Who knows what''s

    happening to her right now? Is she eating well? Is she living afortable life? We don''t know.

    When Angelina came to our lives, I didn''t like her very much. But your mother was so fond of her. You

    also showed me your report that she was really Camelia. I trusted you and your judgment so I didn''t

    investigate it myself. But with how things turned out, how can you exin this?"

    When Jeremy was about to respond, Martin stopped him with a hand gesture. He then softly said,

    "Let''s go outside. We shouldn''t disturb your mother."

    "Sure Father, let''s go."

    Following Martin, Jeremy walked out of the ward.

    Martin made sure to close the door of the room.

    It was alreadyte at night so the corridors of the hospital were very quiet.

    His father sat on a stool. While looking at Jeremy, he said, "Tell me, what the hell is going on?"

    "Angelina is not a member of the Gu family. It was me who''s at fault. I found the wrong person. But

    Angelina knew the truth just a few days after I brought her back. For five years, she hid the truth from

    everyone.

    I only found out recently. I was nning to tell you after I had already dealt with it. But I didn''t foresee

    that the two of you woulde upstairs and coincidentally overhear my conversation with Angelina."

    "So what do you n to do now?"

    "I was thinking about sending Angelina abroad. Then I would talk with you about how to exin it to

    Mom. But what I didn''t expect was that Angelina would have romantic feelings for me, so I drove her

    away."

    Belinda and Martin did hear Angelina''s confession about her feelings toward Jeremy.

    It waspletely out of their expectation that Angelina was the kind of person who would do

    something like that. More so, they couldn''t have imagined that she would have feelings for her brother.

    "That''s fine. After all, our family has treated her very well in the past few years.

    Now, what I''m worried about the most is your mother. She finally found her own daughter, but now, it

    turned out that Angelina is just an impostor who even wants to have a rtionship with her son."

    Jeremy responded, "I''ll exin it to Mom. As for my sister, I will do everything I can to find her, for real

    this time."

    Martin stood up and patted Jeremy on the shoulder. "Okay, that sounds

    good."

 Chapter 862 Worried About Him

    Chapter 862 Worried About Him

    Since Belinda was not in good health, and Martin had to spend most of his time looking after her,

    Jeremy took charge of looking for Camelia.

    He had to spend a lot of time and effort to find her.

    Martin looked at Jeremy and said, "Son, you are not getting any younger. You should focus on finding a

    wife and having your own family. I know that finding Camelia is important. But you also have to think

    about yourself. I''m sure that your mother will also agree with me."

    "Let''s talk about thatter. But for now, all I want is to find Camelia first."

    Martin knew Jeremy very well. Once Jeremy had decided on something, it would be too difficult to

    change his mind.

    "Okay, it''s up to you. But I just want you to take care of yourself too. Remember, you are in your thirties

    now."

    "I know, Dad."

    "Alright. You''d better go home and rest now. Don''t worry about your Mom. I''ll take care of her. Get

    some good sleep because you still have to go to work tomorrow."

    Jeremy wanted to stay, but Belinda might not want to see him when she woke up. Besides, Martin was

    there to take care of her.

    So, he left.

    For the meantime, the Gu family kept the truth about Angelina''s real identity a secret.

    After all, they would surely be disgraced if other people knew about it.

    Angelina was now on the streets. Since she left the Gu residence, she had no ce to stay.

    She took out her phone to call her friends.

    Feeling depressed, she needed someone to talk to and a ce to stay even just for one night.

    However, all of her friends rejected her.

    Upon checking her phonebook, Angelina found out that she had already called everyone on the list.

    Who else could she call? Where else could she go? No one was willing to listen to her.

    As the daughter of the Gu family, Angelina met a lot ofdies from the upper ss.

    She went shopping and partied with them. She had lots of fun when she was with them.

    Then, she started to forget her old friends. Since they belonged to the lower ss, she got disgusted

    with them and stoppedmunicating with them.

    And now that she had nowhere to go, none of her old friends were willing to let her stay even just for a

    night.

    Angelina couldn''t help worrying, especially that she hadn''t much money left in her pocket now. She

    gave almost all of her money to the Li family a few days ago.

    She felt burned out. Left with no choice, she looked for a hotel to stay.

    ''I''ll think about everything tomorrow, '' she thought and went to bed.

    What Angelina didn''t know was, someone had photographed her while she was going out of the Gu

    residence with her suitcase.

    She was also photographed when she was making phone calls on the street and venting her anger on

    the nearby trash can.

    Paparazzi always targeted celebrities and wealthy families. They loved gossiping about them on social

    media, newspapers, and TV.

    And as expected, Angelina was on the headlines the next day. It was said that she was seen leaving

    the Gu residence.

    Many people wondered whether she ran away from home or she was kicked out.

    Although Angelina kept a low profile when she was still with the Gu family, some people knew about

    her.

    Angelina was still asleep when she was awakened by the ringing of her phone.

    It was Susie.

    Susie befriended Angelina because she liked Jeremy. Since Angelina was Jeremy''s sister, she thought

    that she could get closer to Jeremy if she became Angelina''s close friend.

    She was concerned about Angelina when she read the news. Thinking that it was not true, she

    immediately called her.

    Jeremy loved Angelina so much, so Susie was wondering why he kicked her out in the middle of the

    night.

    "Angelina, where are you now?" Susie asked.

    "What do you want?" Angelina''s tone was a bit harsh.

    She called all her friendsst night, but none of them cared about her. She spent a lot of time looking

    for a hotel that could fit her budget, and she didn''t get enough sleep.

    Why would Susie suddenly call her early in the morning?

    "Are you still asleep? Angelina, look at the news online. There is a lot of fake news about you. These

    paparazzi really enjoy making a fuss over you. You should tell Jeremy to stop them."

    "News online? What''s it about?" Angelina was surprised. A lot of things had happened to herst night

    that she never thought of browsing the Inte.

    "Check it out."

    Susie sounded a little worried.

    After hanging up, Angelina hurriedly opened the Inte browser on her phone. And to her surprise,

    she saw a lot of pictures of her wandering on the streetsst night.

    There were already manyments from theizens. Most of them were thinking that she was kicked

    out of the Gu family.

    All of a sudden, her upper ss friends called her one after another. They all asked about the news.

    But Angelina didn''t give them any confirmation.

    After all, she was not in the mood to exin to them the details.

    Angelina looked at thements on her phone again, and her expression darkened.

    Ashley usually checked Weibo every day. And today, she was shocked to see who was on the

    headline.

    Because of how Angelina treated her before, she could never forget Angelina.

    But she got confused after reading the article. She had seen how Jeremy cared for Angelina.

    It was impossible that he would let her go outside alone in the middle of the night.

    Did something happen between them?

    "Andy,e here," Ashley called Andrew.

    She wanted him to see the news too.

    These past two days, Ashley didn''t go to herpany. Instead, Andrew took her with him to the Lu

    Group headquarters.

    He said that he was worried about her, so he wanted her to stay with him all the time.

    Ashley resisted, all in vain.

    "What is it?" Andrew asked as he came to Ashley.

    Ashley pointed at the screen of her phone and asked curiously, "Isn''t this Angelina? She is Jeremy''s

    sister, right? Do you know what happened to their family?"

    Andrew took a look at the screen for a short while, then looked away uninterestingly.

    He then held Ashley in his arms.

    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "I don''t know," he replied tly.

    "Do you care about him?" he added.

    "Who?" Ashley looked at Andrew and asked confusedly.

    "Jeremy."

    Although Jeremy was Andrew''s best friend, he still couldn''t help feeling a bit jealous.

    He suddenly felt upset.

 Chapter 863 You Are Always In My Heart

    Chapter 863 You Are Always In My Heart

    Andrew looked straight into Ashley''s eyes.

    But what he didn''t know was that Ashley was amused by the way he uttered Jeremy''s name.

    "What are you thinking about? I just saw this news identally. And since I know that you and Jeremy

    are best friends, I thought of asking you about it.

    Are you jealous of him?" There was a trace of sarcasm in Ashley''s tone.

    "From now on, don''t mention any other man''s name except mine," Andrew ordered.

    Ashley wondered if he was being too demanding.

    "Okay," Ashley answered with a nod as if it was not a big deal at all.

    "So, can you answer my question now?" she added.

    "I don''t know!" Andrew snapped.

    Looking at the expression on Andrew''s face, Ashley couldn''t help but smile in amusement. "He is your

    best friend. Howe you don''t know?"

    "Is there a rule that you must know everything that''s going on with your best friend?"

    Andrew asked, looking sullen.

    "Fine." Ashley didn''t say anything more. They both stayed in the office quietly.

    Recently, Chant had been visiting Clifford more frequently.

    And since Clifford was always pissed off by his presence, they ended up arguing every time they''d

    meet.

    Meanwhile, Dany still went to the kindergarten as usual. However, this time, a stricter bodyguard

    watched her closely.

    Ashley wanted to get close to Dany. But every time she tried, the bodyguard would immediately stop

    her.

    Actually, Ashley wasn''t afraid of the bodyguard. She was just scared that if she offended Cayn, he

    would hide Dany from her forever.

    So to divert her attention, Ashley helped Andrew in managing hispany.

    At times they would have a video conference together or deal with something outside the office.

    Today, Ashley sat beside Andrew. They were both busy, so they didn''t disturb each other.

    Ashley read through thest document in her hand and signed it. After giving it to Alice, she stretched

    herself and yawned.

    Finally, all work for the day was done. She smiled with relief.

    When Ashley turned to look at Andrew, she saw a lot of colorful lines moving up and down irregrly

    on hisputer screen.

    Staring at the monitor, she couldn''t help feeling dizzy. The figures were beyond herprehension.

    Every time she looked at those diagrams and graphs, she would just scratch her head and sigh.

    Ashley walked to the French window and watched the view outside while massaging her nape.

    She badly wanted to do some exercise.

    All of a sudden, someone hugged her from behind.

    "What are you thinking?" Andrew asked gently.

    Ashley was startled at first. But when she smelled Andrew''s familiar scent, she felt rxed.

    "I am thinking about how to get my daughter back," she answered honestly.

    In fact, she had been thinking about it all the time.

    If she could get Dany back, she would be the happiest mother in the world.

    "How about me?"

    Andrew asked as he turned Ashley to face him and looked into her eyes.

    "You? Aren''t you always here in my heart?" Ashley replied as she pointed at her left chest.

    A satisfied smile curved on Andrew''s mouth.

    Ashley''s answer really made him happy.

    "Let''s go home now?" he asked.

    "Okay," Ashley agreed.

    They were about to leave when Andrew''s phone rang.

    Andrew took out his phone from his pocket. Since Ashley was just beside him, she clearly saw the

    name that appeared on the screen.

    It was Jeremy.

    Andrew answered it immediately.

    "Come to the Starlight Club now. I''ll wait for you here,"

    Jeremy said.

    His voice sounded a little husky and fragile.

    Andrew''s grip on Ashley''s hand tightened.

    The smile on his face turned into a frown in an instant.

    If the call was from Greyson, Francis, or Clyde, he would directly refuse it.

    Those three friends of his only called him to have fun.

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    Sometimes they would just rant about something trivial.

    But Jeremy was different from them.

    Jeremy and Andrew were of the same age. They also had simr backgrounds and experiences.

    So, since Jeremy wanted to see him, Andrew knew that it must be something important.

    "Okay. I''ll be there in a bit,"

    Andrew replied and hung up.

    He then looked at Ashley, and they continued walking outside.

    "Do you think it''s something important?" Ashley asked as she looked at Andrew''s serious face.

    "Yes."

    "Go and see him now. I can go home on my own," Ashley said softly.

    "Go with me," Andrew suggested.

    "I don''t think that''s a good idea," Ashley refused.

    "Why?" Andrew stopped walking and looked at Ashley''s eyes.

    "If it''s something important, I think he would prefer to talk to you alone. Besides, it''ste now. I want to

    go home and rest.

    Just go. I will see you at home."

    Eventually, Andrew gave in.

    But he drove Ashley home first before he went to the Starlight Club.

    The Starlight Club was one of their favorite hangouts, so all the employees there already knew Andrew.

    As soon as he arrived, he was immediately escorted to the private room that Jeremy booked.

    Andrew saw a lot of empty bottles on the table.

    It seemed that Jeremy had been there for quite a while now.

    He was sitting at the corner with a bottle of wine in his hand.

    Although the room was dark, Andrew could tell that Jeremy was in bad shape.

    "You didn''t ask Francis and Greyson toe here?"

    Andrew asked as he turned on the lights in the room. When the room turned bright, he frowned.

    Jeremy was in disarray, sitting in the dark corner for many hours. And when the lights were turned on,

    he was dazzled by them. He immediately covered his eyes with his hands.

    Andrew walked over to him and pulled him up from the floor.

    He felt strange because he had never seen Jeremy like this before.

    Jeremy was always gentle and sensible in everyone''s eyes.

    After being friends for so many years, this was the first time that Andrew saw him drowning himself in

    alcohol.

    Andrew let Jeremy sit on the couch. It was only then that Jeremy opened his eyes.

    "You''re here," he said to Andrew.

    "What happened?" Andrew asked gravely.

    Andrew knew that Jeremy had encountered a lot of tough situations in the past.

    But Jeremy had never been this weak.

    Now, he couldn''t help feeling that the man in front of him was a different person.

    Instead of answering, Jeremy looked at the wine bottle in his hand and took another gulp.

    He then looked at Andrew with eyes full of grief.

 Chapter 864 I Want To See Her Now

    Chapter 864 I Want To See Her Now

    "Andy, Angelina is not my real sister. After looking for Camelia for so many years, I ended up finding

    the wrong person. I feel so stupid."

    Jeremy confided to Andrew before he took a few more gulps of the wine bottle in his hand.

    "What? What do you mean?"

    Andrew looked at Jeremy and asked in confusion.

    He could still remember how happy Jeremy was when he told him that he had finally found his sister.

    Jeremy loved her so much.

    Why would he suddenly say

    that Angelina was not Camelia?

    Did Angelina deceive the Gu family

    for many years?

    Jeremy knew that he could trust Andrew, so he told him everything that happened recently.

    Andrew was rendered speechless. He couldn''t believe his ears.

    Jeremy was always careful about everything. Before he decided on something, he would make sure

    that he investigated it thoroughly.

    It was hard to imagine that he found the wrong person.

    "Where is that woman now?"

    Although Andrew didn''t mention a name, Jeremy knew that he was referring to Angelina. Andrew was

    the kind of person who didn''t like to mention the names of those who were insignificant.

    "I kicked her out of the housest night."

    Andrew suddenly remembered the news online that Ashley showed to him.

    He fell silent.

    Jeremy didn''t mind Andrew''s silence. He was already used to it. Besides, he didn''t need Andrew to talk

    a lot. All he needed right now was someone willing to lend him an ear.

    So, Jeremy continued talking while Andrew listened attentively. At times, Andrew would respond with a

    word or two.

    After Jeremy let off steam, he took out something from his pocket.

    It was a dark green teardrop pendant.

    The way it looked, Andrew could tell that it was high-quality jade.

    "Camelia and I each have this pendant. Dad and Mom had them made for us after she was born. Since

    then, we used to wear them all the time.

    When I found Angelina, she didn''t have this pendant. But I thought that she just lost it when she was a

    kid, so I didn''t mind it.

    After all, I have all the documents that prove that she is my sister. But I didn''t expect that the hospital

    made a mistake.

    A mistake that was never corrected

    until I found it out by myself."

    Andrew looked at the pendant in Jeremy''s hand. He couldn''t help being attracted to it.

    ''That pendant looks familiar to me. I think I''ve seen that before, '' he thought inwardly.

    "Can I take a look?"

    he asked.

    Jeremy gave the pendant to Andrew without hesitation.

    Andrew then said gently, "I think I''ve already seen this before."

    Jeremy grabbed Andrew''s hand all of a sudden and asked anxiously, "Really? You have seen it before?

    Where? From a man or a woman?"

    The pendant was specially made for Jeremy and his sister, so he was sure that no one else had it.

    Although it was not that expensive, it was unique. His parents carefully chose it for them.

    Andrew suddenly remembered Ashley.

    If he was not mistaken, Ashley was adopted by the Mu family when she was five years old.

    It was said that she was lost then and couldn''t remember her parents.

    And Andrew saw this same pendant around Ashley''s neck.

    He couldn''t be mistaken. He had a good memory, and he was very keen on details when it came to

    Ashley.

    "Andrew, please tell me."

    Jeremy shook Andrew.

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    "Where and when did you see this pendant?"

    Andrew replied, "Ash."

    "Ash? Who is Ash?"

    Jeremy excitedly asked as he grasped Andrew''s arm tightly.

    "Ashley."

    Jeremy looked at Andrew in disbelief.

    "Who did you say it was again?"

    "Ashley."

    As soon as Andrew repeated the name, Jeremy tried to dig deep in his memory.

    He then thought all of a sudden, ''Isn''t Ashley Andrew''s wife?''

    In fact, he had met her several times.

    And he always had a good impression on her.

    But it never urred to Jeremy that Ashley was Camelia.

    "I have seen this kind of pendant from Ashley. She has been wearing it since she was a child," Andrew

    confirmed.

    "Where is Ashley now? Can I see her?" Jeremy asked anxiously.

    "She''s at home."

    "Let''s go to your house." Jeremy pulled Andrew up.

    But Andrew didn''t want to take Jeremy to Ashley at this moment. Jeremy reeked of alcohol, and he

    could stay on his feet.

    He must have really drunk too much.

    "It''s veryte now. Juste and see Ashley tomorrow."

    "No, Andy. I''m going there now. I must see her."

    Jeremy gave Andrew a determined look.

    Andrew felt that Jeremy was being unreasonable.

    However, after trying his best to drag Andrew out of the club, Jeremy had sessfully brought him to

    his car.

    Jeremy forced Andrew to get in the passenger''s seat before he turned to the driver''s seat.

    But when he remembered that he was drunk, he went back and changed ces with Andrew.

    "I''m too drunk, so I can''t drive."

    On their way to Andrew''s house, Jeremy asked questions about Ashley nonstop. He was afraid that he

    would miss any information about her.

    And since Andrew had a strong feeling that Jeremy was really Ashley''s brother, he answered all

    Jeremy''s questions patiently.

    When they arrived at the Golden Pce, Jeremy hurriedly opened the car door and rushed inside.

    He had been here several times before, so he was familiar with this ce.

    The servant who opened the door looked at Jeremy in confusion. His hair was in disarray and he

    reeked of alcohol, so she was hesitant to let him in.

    Fortunately, she immediately saw Andrew following behind.

    Ashley was on the second floor, ying with Fabio and Richard.

    The two boys were happy to have their mother around. It had been a while since thest time they

    yed with Ashley.

    Andrew always wanted Ashley to be on his side.

    Because of that, Fabio and Richard couldn''t get close to her easily.

    When Ashley noticed their sleepy eyes, she looked at her watch. It was already nine o''clock, so she

    said, "It''s time for bed, boys. Let''s y again tomorrow."

 Chapter 865 Camelia Was Found

    Chapter 865 Camelia Was Found

    "Okay," they both answered in one voice.

    When Ashley walked out with the two kids, she was about to take them to their bedroom.

    All of a sudden, she felt a strong force behind her and was pulled aside.

    Ashley''s first reaction was to resist. She frowned as she smelt a strong smell of alcohol.

    But, she knew this man.

    "What the hell is going on?"

    she asked, looking at Jeremy in confusion.

    Didn''t Jeremy call Andrew to meet with him? Then what was he doing here?

    However, Jeremy was followed closely by Andrew and he saw how Ashley was pulled aside by Jeremy.

    His gaze fell right on Jeremy''s hands, which were ced on Ashley''s body.

    He immediately had the urge to cut off his hands.

    Yet, he curtailed himself. In the next moment, he stepped forward to put his arm around Ashley''s waist,

    avoiding her and Jeremy''s gaze.

    Although he knew that they might be brother and sister, still he would never allow any physical contact

    between them.

    Andrew too sensed a faint smell of wine. Surprised that she was caught in his arms, Ashley looked at

    him with puzzlement. "Didn''t you go out? Why did are you here suddenly?" she asked.

    Before Andrew could say anything, Jeremy, who was beside her, took out his pendant and showed it to

    Ashley.

    "You have the same pendent, don''t you?"

    He sounded quite anxious, as if he wanted to find something instantly.

    The moment Ashley saw the pendant in Jeremy''s hand, she stared at it without blinking.

    If Jeremy hadn''t taken out the pendant, Ashley would have thought it was hers.

    She had worn it for more than twenty years and was familiar with it.

    Soon, she pushed Andrew away and walked up to Jeremy.

    Ashley stretched out her hand and took the pendant from Jeremy''s hand. She then ced it in her

    palm and rubbed it gently.

    Then she looked up at Jeremy and said, "Yes, I have one, in fact the same one. Is that yours?"

    "You really have one? Is it yours?" Jeremy asked, looking at Ashley in surprise. He couldn''t help but put

    his hands on her shoulders.

    "Yes, it has been with me since I was a child."

    "Then where is it? Can I have a look?" Jeremy asked eagerly.

    "Okay."

    Ashley gazed at Jeremy''s excited face, and vaguely guessed something.

    Even so, she felt calm inside.

    She had always been dying to find her family.

    But recently, her yearning had subsided a lot.

    She now had her own family, a husband and her beloved children and was quite content.

    She would certainly be happier if she could find her family. But if she couldn''t, it wouldn''t be a big deal.

    After all, Ashley already had enough love from Cynthia and Zen, her adopted parents.

    So, even though Ashley still wanted to find her family, she was not as excited as before.

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Andrew stood aside and watched Jeremy put his hands on Ashley''s shoulders.

    The sight made his eyes darken. He walked up to them and pried Jeremy''s hands off Ashley''s

    shoulders without being noticed.

    He put his arm around Ashley''s waist once again and said, "I know where it is. Let''s go."

    Andrew held Ashley and they were about to go get the pendant. Suddenly, thinking of the two children,

    she whispered to him, "Wait."

    She turned to the kids and said, "You both go back to your room and take a shower. Go to bed after

    that. You have sses tomorrow. Sleep well, alright? I love you."

    "Okay, Mommy, we love you too,"

    the kids replied in unison.

    "Good kids,"

    Ashley said, kissing them.

    Then she looked at Andrew and Jeremy and said, "It''s in the bedroom. Come with me."

    Andrew walked right behind Ashley blocking her from Jeremy.

    Jeremy followed closely behind.

    The heavy wind along the way had awakened Jeremy.

    There was a faint smile in his eyes.

    Ashley walked into the bedroom, took out her pendant from the bedside table and gave it to Jeremy.

    Andrew nced at Jeremy with an unfriendly eye.

    Jeremy took the pendant and examined it closely. Then, he checked the bottom of the pendant.

    There was a small letter engraved at the bottom.

    It was "C", which stood for Camelia.

    His own pendant also had a letter engraved on it.

    The letter on his pendant was "J", which stood for Jeremy.

    When Jeremy saw the engraved letter, he held the pendant tightly in his hand.

    Suddenly, he raised his head and looked at Ashley with excitement.

    "Is this what you have been wearing?" he asked.

    Ashley nodded and said, "Yes, I''ve been wearing since I can remember. I took it off just a few days

    ago."

    "Camelia, you are Camelia!" Jeremy looked at Ashley excitedly. The happiness in his eyes was

    obvious. He took a step forward to hold her hand.

    But it was toote. Before Jeremy could hold Ashley''s hand, Andrew swiftly pulled her towards him.

    And Jeremy missed.

    But still, Jeremy was happy. Though he didn''t get to hold his sister, it was quite satisfying for him to

    learn the truth.

    Ashley was confused. She had already heard something from Andrew.

    She also knew that Jeremy had been looking for his sister.

    But hadn''t he already found his sister?

    Wasn''t it Angelina?

    It was only a few days ago when Ashley saw them walking on the street and even holding hands

    intimately.

    Confused, she looked at Andrew.

    Andrew gazed back and shook his head.

    "That Angelina, she is not his sister. She pretended and deceived them, though."

    "So she was an impostor?" Ashley was surprised.

    ''How could she fake it?'' she thought.

    "Yes."

    Andrew put Ashley behind him and stared at Jeremy. "How can you decide just by this?" he asked.

    Andrew believed Jeremy.

    But could this pendant be the only proof that Ashley was Jeremy''s biological sister?

    They just experienced the same misjudgment with Angelina.

    Hence, Jeremy had to be extra careful regarding this matter.

    Jeremy looked at Ashley and hesitated. "Can you give me a strand of your hair? I want to take it to the

    hospital for DNA testing and further confirmation."

    "Of course."

    Ashley agreed at once. She took a few strands of hair off her head and handed them to Jeremy.

    "Thank you."

    Jeremy looked straight at Ashley, as if he wanted to engrave her face into his mind.

 Chapter 866 Are You Jealous

    Chapter 866 Are You Jealous

    Ashley felt a little ufortable when she noticed that Jeremy was staring at her, so she looked away.

    Andrew looked at Jeremy coldly.

    It was only then that Jeremy looked somewhere else.

    He must be thankful that he was Andrew''s best friend.

    If he were any other man, Andrew had already thrown him out of the house.

    Not long after, Jeremy asked, "Please, can I see your pendant?" Afraid that Ashley would refuse, he

    immediately added, "Rest assured that I will give it back to you immediately."

    "Okay,"

    Ashley agreed.

    Jeremy held the pendant in one hand and stroked Ashley''s hair with the other. He stood there for a

    while, looking a little silly.

    "You should go now,"

    Andrew said.

    Obviously, he wanted Jeremy out of the house.

    Jeremy was hesitant to leave. He had a lot to say to Ashley. But he knew that it was not the right time

    yet. And Andrew''s possessiveness was also another hindrance.

    Eventually, Jeremy said goodbye to couple and left.

    Ashley watched his receding back until he disappeared out the door.

    Andrew was looking at Ashley with a trace of jealousy in his eyes.

    When he couldn''t stand it anymore, he turned Ashley''s head to him and made her look at him.

    He then asked in a jealous tone, "What''s on your mind right now?"

    Although he already knew that Jeremy was Ashley''s brother, Andrew couldn''t bear to see her looking at

    Jeremy for too long.

    Ashley knew Andrew very well. She knew that he was jealous of Jeremy, even after finding out that

    they were siblings.

    So, she looked away and said, "Nothing."

    The truth was, she was worried about Jeremy. He reeked of alcohol, so she knew that he was drunk.

    She wondered if he could still drive home.

    What if something happened to him on the road?

    Ashley was also a little confused about what she felt.

    She never thought of the possibility that Jeremy was her brother.

    Actually, when she saw how Jeremy treated Angelina, she was a little envious.

    She couldn''t help wishing that she had a brother like him.

    Jeremy was very nice to Angelina. He treated her very well.

    But now that her wish hade true, Ashley was at a loss.

    She was in a daze as she stared at Andrew nkly.

    Obviously, she was really thinking about something.

    Looking at her, Andrew got a little annoyed. So, he leaned over and gently bit her lower lip.

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    Ashley came back to her senses when she felt a slight pain. She touched her lips and red at

    Andrew. "What did you just do?"

    Andrew suddenly held her in his arms tightly and said in an overbearing tone, "I don''t want you to miss

    him, that''s all."

    Of course, he was referring to Jeremy.

    It might sound irrational, but Andrew regretted that he told Jeremy about Ashley.

    If only he had known that Jeremy would upy a space in Ashley''s heart and mind that soon.

    He thought inwardly, ''Jeremy, I should not have helped you find your Camelia.

    You were so stupid to be fooled by a woman for years.

    You deserved the hardships in finding your real sister.''

    Because of Andrew''s tight hug, Ashley felt out of breath. She tried to push him away, but he wouldn''t let

    go. Instead, he hugged her even tighter.

    Ashley felt a little helpless. Fortunately, she managed to say, "Andy, I can''t breathe anymore. Let me

    go. Do you want to kill me?"

    Since she was stuffed in Andrew''s arms, her voice was a little muffled.

    Good thing, Andrew heard her.

    He loosened his hold a little so she could gasp for air. But he still didn''t let her go.

    Ashley then said, "Don''t worry. I don''t miss Jeremy. It''s only you that I always miss.

    Besides, I am not very familiar with him. Although he is your best friend, I have never spent time with

    him, right? And if he is really my brother, I will need to see the DNA test result first before I can truly

    believe all of this."

    Ashley couldn''t help rolling her eyes as she spoke.

    "Okay." Finally, Andrew felt settled.

    Ashley noticed that Andrew was somewhat clingier tonight.

    He stuck with her when she brushed her teeth, washed her face, and even when she took a shower.

    Ashley took off her pajamas and went inside the shower room. But before she could close the door, a

    big hand with distinct joints blocked the door.

    She did her best to close it, but she failed.

    "What are you doing?" she asked Andrew with creased brows.

    "We can take a shower together to save water."

    Ashley rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about? Are you running short of money now?"

    "Yes," Andrew replied at once.

    But Ashley didn''t want to let him in. She could already imagine what would happen next if they took a

    shower together.

    She looked at Andrew impatiently and pushed him. "Get out of here quickly."

    Andrew put on a gloomy expression and looked at her with sad eyes.

    Ashley was rendered speechless.

    After being together for many years, she still couldn''t resist his handsomeness.

    In the end, Andrew seeded.

    He was able to do what he wanted with Ashley.

    After their lovemaking, Ashleyy on the bed extremely exhausted.

    She looked at Andrew with disgruntlement.

    She made up her mind that in the future, she would finish showering before Andrew came back, so that

    she couldn''t give Andrew a chance to do this anymore.

    She felt so tired that she immediately fell asleep.

    During the whole night that they slept, Andrew hugged Ashley tightly in his arms, not leaving even the

    smallest gap.

    But when Ashley woke up the next day, Andrew wasn''t on the bed anymore.

    Ashley yawned. She noticed that she had been a sleepyhead recently.

    All of a sudden, Ashley remembered the time when she was pregnant with Fabio. She was also like

    this.

    She subconsciously put her hands on her belly. Was she pregnant again?

    But Ashley then brushed the idea away.

    She was unlikely to get pregnant. Andrew didn''t want more kids.

    So every time they had sex, he was very careful.

    Ashley rested her arm on her forehead and thought of Dany again.

    She had been sleepingte recently, thinking of ways on how to get Dany back. Maybe that was the

    reason why she always woke upte in the morning.

    Ashley got up, changed her clothes, and went out of the room.

    When she went downstairs, she found out that Fabio and Richard had already gone to school.

 Chapter 867 An Outcast

    Chapter 867 An Outcast

    Andrew''s phone had been busy recently and it was quite mysterious.

    "Madam," Linda greeted as Ashley walked downstairs.

    "Linda, did Andy and Grandpa go out?"

    "Yes, madam. What would you like to have for breakfast?"

    "Anything is fine." Smiling at her, Ashley sat down at the table. Soon, Linda served milk, sandwiches,

    soybean milk and fried dough sticks on the table.

    Ashley ate a little and wiped her mouth. She checked her phone once in a while for any updates from

    Andrew.

    Finally, after she finished her breakfast, there was a call from Andrew.

    The moment Andrew''s name disyed on the caller ID, Ashley''s expression softened. She quickly

    answered the phone. "Hello, Andy."

    "Morning. You''ve gotten up?" he said in a soft and charming voice.

    "Yes," Ashley replied in a low voice.

    "Okay. So, when did you wake up?"

    Ashley put on her shoes and answered, "Just now, Andy. I have finished my breakfast. I am going to

    my office now."

    "Why don''t youe here?"

    Hearing his words, Ashley rolled her eyes at him. "How is that possible? I don''t want to argue with you

    about what happened yesterday. I have to go to mypany now. There are so many things to do that

    have piled up and I need to clear them all as soon as possible."

    Andrew knew quite well about Ashley''s stubborn nature. If she had decided on something, she would

    not change her mind.

    He said, "Okay, as you wish. Be careful on the road. Call me if you need anything."

    "Yeah, I know. I''m not a child anymore. How could I not know these things? Well, I have to hang up

    now. I''m leaving shortly,"

    Ashley said as she buckled up.

    "Ashley, you are here." As soon as Ashley her office her office, Alice, who was preparing some files,

    walked up to her.

    "Ashley, you finally came! Thank God! You have no idea how exhausted I have been while you were

    away."

    Alice quickly gave Ashley a warm hug.

    Soon, she began to talk nonstop about her sufferings while working in thepany without Ashley.

    "Alright, alright. I''m here now, am I not?" Ashley patted her on the shoulder, trying tofort her. She

    then gently pushed Alice away and said, "Now, prepare the papers and documents that I need to see.

    Take them to my office immediately."

    "Okay, Ashley!"

    Alice answered cheerfully.

    In the next instant, she got closer to Ashley and whispered in a mysterious voice, "Ashley, have you

    been dating someone? I mean, just a few days ago, when you didn''te to work, I remember that

    there was a call from a strange man from your cell phone."

    Alice was curious.

    She wanted an answer from Ashley.

    Ashley thought about it seriously, looked at Alice and said, "Well, let me tell you..."

    Alice drew nearer, listening carefully.

    "I''m a little ufortable now. Maybe because I haven''t been around these days.

    Well, go to work now. Bring all the things I had asked for to my office," said Ashley.

    Then she patted Alice on the shoulder again and left, not offering her a chance to ask more questions.

    Perplexed, Alice stared at Ashley''s back and came to her senses.

    Needless to say, she was a little upset, as she was fooled by Ashley once again. And she knew that

    there was nothing much she could do about it.

    While Ashley was reading the documents brought in by Alice, she took a sip of coffee and rubbed her

    temples.

    It was quite tiring to read those documents.

    Ashley always preferred to put her cell phone on silent mode when working.

    She didn''t want the cell phone to hamper her work efficiency.

    But ever since she came back to J City, When Andrew rung her up, she had missed many of his calls.

    Because of this, she didn''t put her phone on silent mode anymore.

    That way, she would never miss any important calls.

    After going through thest file, Ashley leaned back and stretched herself, trying to rx.

    But suddenly, the phone rang.

    Ashley picked up her phone and saw an unknown phone number on it. She had never seen that

    number before.

    "Hello, this is Ashley,"

    Ashley answered.

    However, to her surprise, a strangeugh came from the other end of the line.

    Momentster, a voice sounded, "Of course I know you are Ashley, or else why would I call you."

    It was a woman''s voice. Ashley felt the voice was a little familiar.

    But who was it?

    Ashley frowned.

    But before she could make out who it was, the person talked again. "Ashley, you are wondering who I

    am, right?"

    The voice was odd.

    "Angelina?" Ashley said with uncertainty.

    "Ha ha, it seems that you still remember me. So it''s not in vain for me to call you."

    Listening to Angelina''s words and the tone in which she spoke, Ashley felt a little uneasy. She

    wondered why she would make this call.

    Besides, just the day before, Ashley had found out that Angelina was not Jeremy''s sister, but was an

    impostor.

    She didn''t know what had happened.

    But when she knew that she might be Jeremy''s real sister, and not Angelina, Ashley felt a little strange

    deep inside.

    Was it because Angelina was jealous of her? Or, was there any other reason?

    Ashley wondered what Angelina was up to.

    "What''s going on?" Ashley asked.

    Honestly, Angelina was utterly disgusted by Ashley!

    How could she notpare herself with Ashley? After all, she was so good to Jeremy, but what about

    him?

    How could he be so cruel to her after he found out that she was not his sister?

    He even nned to send her abroad and make her disappear from his life!

    Was it his ploy to get rid of her so that he could find his real sister?

    How could Jeremy be so heartless!

    Thinking about all these things, her eyes were filled with hatred.

    She hated Ashley to the core. Ashley had left J City and was away for quite a while. Why did shee

    back now?

    Wasn''t it better to stay away forever?

    Why did she have toe back and rob her of her ce!N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

 Chapter 868 Angelinas Call

    Chapter 868 Angelina''s Call

    At that moment, in Angelina''s heart, there was nothing but rage towards Jeremy and Ashley.

    However, Angelina had some more important things to think about. When she saw that Belinda was so

    happy to see her, Angelina wondered what she thought when she found out the truth.

    Five years ago, when Angelina knew that she was not the daughter of the Gu family, she really wanted

    to protect Belinda.

    She thought that if Belinda were to find out, the woman would definitely be disheartened. So Angelina

    thought that she should keep it a secret for the time being.

    If the true Camelia was found, Angelina was nning to exin the situation to the Gu family.

    It was always easy for the impoverished to get used to an affluent life. But the affluent would always

    have a hard time adjusting to being impoverished. Angelina was not an exception. When she got

    indulged in the luxurious life that came with being part of the Gu family, she hadpletely forgotten

    about her original n.

    Before she knew it, it had already been years. Now she could only me others.

    She didn''t even realize that she had once wanted for Camelia to be found.

    "Of course I have something to tell you.

    You know who you are by now, don''t you?"

    Angelina asked with so much confidence.

    When Jeremy kicked her out of the Gu family mansion, Angelina secretly followed him. She wanted to

    see what he was doing.

    By that point, she already knew who Jeremy''s sister was, so she used that to make him do her bidding.

    But what she didn''t expect was for Jeremy to not take the bait.

    Had Jeremy not been looking for his sister all this time? Angelina thought that he had always wanted to

    find her.

    Angelina thought she knew Jeremy. The Jeremy she knew would certainly do anything to find the real

    Camelia.

    However, Angelina waspletely wrong about him.

    Jeremy didn''t even bother when she made such a proposal.

    Upon hearing what Angelina had said, Ashley vehemently frowned.

    ''Does she already know my true identity?'' Ashley asked herself.

    She didn''t even know about it until Jeremy told her yesterday.

    While listening to Angelina, it seemed like the woman already knew about her identity.

    "What do you mean?" Ashley casually responded pretending to be naive about the whole thing.

    If that was the case, then Ashley could figure out why it seemed like Angelina hated her so much.

    Angelina was the only one who had long known that she was not the real daughter of the Gu family.

    That was why she sought out Lesley and wanted her to deal with Ashley.

    "What do I mean? Ashley, didn''t you leave J City several years ago? Why did youe back? What

    are you doing here? Why didn''t you just stay away from this city? Why did you have toe back?!"

    Angelinaunched a tirade of questions with a sharp tone

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    which pierced Ashley''s ears.

    Needless to say, her tone and line of questioning made Ashley frown.

    It was true that Angelina helped her once.

    So Ashley had a good impression of her. But her fondness for Angelina had quickly disappeared

    because of thetter''s behavior towards her!

    Ashley responded rigidly, "Why can''t Ie back? Besides, why do you care so much? You don''t want

    me toe back? Is that it? Do you want to continue pretending to be the daughter of the Gu family? It

    seems like you''ve forgotten your ce after all these years. If it''s not yours in the first ce, it will

    never be yours. So, everything that you''re going through, you deserve it for what you did."

    "It''s not like that! Everything was fine until you came back! Jeremy had been so nice to me. And after

    all these years, he had never been with a single woman. He''s perfect!

    He even dotes on me and gives me whatever I want.

    But everything changed when you came back! Jeremy isn''t that nice to me as he used to be. He even

    discovered that I''m not his real sister!

    All of this happened after you came back. If you had just stayed away, everything would have been

    perfectly fine!" Angelina screamed so loud into the phone, it hurt Ashley''s ears.

    Even so, Ashley didn''t know how to respond to that.

    ''How can this girl think like this?

    She has robbed me of my identity and everything that it entails. And now that the secret is exposed,

    how can she put the me on me?

    Can someone just give out their identity, their life, and everything else to another person? Should I just

    let her enjoy the life that I should be having?'' Ashley wondered.

    Ashley didn''t know what was going on in Angelina''s mind.

    But there was nothing to discuss with Angelina anymore.

    Ashley was about to hang up the phone, but Angelina seemed to know what Ashley was about to do.

    She stopped Ashley by saying, "Ashley, don''t you want to know where your dear daughter is? Huh?"

    Ashley was startled at the new question thrown at her.

    What was Angelina talking about?

    How did Angelina know about her daughter?

    Recently, Ashley had been going to the kindergarten to visit Dany and check on Fabio every day.

    At the moment, Cayn hadn''t stopped Dany from going to school. But he deployed a lot of bodyguards

    to protect the little girl.

    So how could Angelina know about her?

    Ashley replied, "I don''t know what you''re talking about."

    "You don''t know? Well, I guess you''ll know when you hear your daughter''s voice."

    Then, Ashley heard a rustling sound on the other line.

    Angelina took the phone and put it in front of the little girl. "Speak! It''s your mother. Do you want her to

    save you? Say something if you want her toe and get you."

    Dany looked up at Angelina. Her face was a little pale. Without saying anything in response, she

    pressed her tiny lips together.

    With that, Angelina sneered. While looking at the kid, she reached out and pinched Dany''s cheeks.

    "You seem like a tough girl. Even if your mom didn''t call, you wouldn''t even cry. We will see if you can

    remain calmter."

    Except for Dany''s pale face, there wasn''t any sign that she was scared.

    "Angelina, what are you doing?!"

    Ashley was in the office but she couldn''t even sit still. She suddenly stood up and identally brushed

    on the cup next to her.

    Instantly, the cup fell from the desk and crashed on the floor.

    Angelina also heard it so sheughed out loud.

    "Ashley, are you worried now? I thought you didn''t care?"

    Angelina then stared at Dany and threatened the poor little girl, "Come on! Talk to your mother!"

    Pursing her lips, Dany just stared back at Angelina without saying a word.

    "What are you looking at? Say something!" Angelina couldn''t help but think of Ashley when she saw

    how Dany looked at her.

    Ashley often looked at her that way.

    It truly was Ashley''s daughter in front of her.

 Chapter 869 Dont Hurt Her

    Chapter 869 Don''t Hurt Her

    Angelina stared at Dany with an unspeakable disgust in her eyes.

    She almost felt like she had seen some trash and had nothing but contempt for her.

    "p!" Angelina''s hand hit Dany in the face.

    And it was loud.

    Ashley heard the p and hear heart was ripped to shreds.

    "Honey¡­"

    "Mommy, waah, mommy..."

    No matter how calm Dany looked, she was still a kid, naive in her own little world.

    Angelina had such a frightful expression. Besides, she just pped Dany in the face.

    The moment Ashley heard Dany''s voice, she felt that the kid''s heart was totally broken.

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    "Baby, don''t be afraid. Mommy is here!"

    Ashley keptforting Dany.

    "Angelina, are you insane? What is it that you want? If you have any issues, you could have juste

    to me. Why do you have to hurt Dany? She is just a child! What the hell do you want?" Ashley was

    furious.

    "What do I want? Well, if I say I want your identity, will you give it to me?" Angelina snorted.

    "I have never dreamed of being a part of this family. I never wanted this. If you want it, just take it! You

    were thrown out by the Gu family, not me! I had no hand in it. If you have any trouble, just go to the Gu

    family! Leave me out of it!" Ashley averred.

    She was so angry and anxious. When she thought of Jeremy, she even felt a little disgusted.

    This was all because of him. Why didn''t he handle it well?

    She had almost given up looking for her family, but out of nowhere he came up to her and said he was

    her brother. And now Angelina had abducted her child!

    "It''s you! It''s all because of you! If you hadn''te back, do you think I would be kicked out?

    Now your daughter is with me. If you want your daughter to be safe and sound, thene to me.

    Remember, you can onlye here by yourself! If I find that you called the police, or if someone else

    comes with you, don''t me me for what I will do to her!

    Now that I have been expelled from the Gu family, I have nothing else to lose. But Ashley, you are

    different from me, aren''t you?" Angelina said bitterly.

    "Fine! Send me the address. I''ll be there as soon as possible."

    Ashley had no time to think about anything else. Her only concern was the safety of her daughter. She

    didn''t expect that Angelina would be crazy enough to kidnap Dany.

    "I''ll text it to your pher."

    After that, she hung up the phone.

    Immediately, Ashley grabbed her coat and rushed out.

    She was in such a hurry that she bumped into Alice, who was about to talk to her.

    Alice was knocked down to the floor. By the time she was back on her feet, Ashley was already out the

    door.

    "Ashley?"

    Alice shouted and ran after her.

    But Ashley ran very fast. By the time Alice got to the parking lot, she was already gone.

    Alice looked around, but failed to find Ashley.

    "Is there some kind of happening? Where is she in such a hurry?"

    Alice asked in confusion.

    After going back to the office, she rang Ashley up but Ashley didn''t answer the phone.

    Alice felt puzzled, but was helpless. She put the documents on Ashley''s desk and was about to leave.

    But suddenly, she stumbled upon the broken cup on the floor.

    Luckily, she didn''t step on it.

    Alice patted her chest, still in a state of shock.

    ''What happened to Ashley? Why is there a broken cup on the floor?'' Alice wondered.

    From her office, Ashley drove as fast as possible towards the ce that Angelina had told her through

    text.

    The roads were pretty empty. Ashley didn''t know how long she had been driving. Finally, the car

    stopped at a deserted building.

    It was a very old factory situated in a remote corner of the city.

    The factory had been abandoned for ages. It was worn out and the floor was covered with so much

    dust.

    The iron railing was rusty and broken in some ces due to weather damage.

    Without any hesitation, Ashley took out her phone and called Angelina.

    As soon as the line was connected, Ashley came straight to the point. "I''ve arrived. Where are you

    now?"

    "Have you?" Angelina asked in surprise.

    "I thought you wouldn''t be here in an hour. I didn''t expect her to be so important to you," she said with a

    laugh.

    Dany was her daughter. How could she not be important to her?

    "Angelina, what on earth do you want! I''m here! Now tell me where my baby is! Where is she?"

    Ashley''s impudence was on disy and was quite predictable under the circumstance. Compared with

    the impatience and eagerness of Ashley, Angelina was moreposed.

    "Why are you in such a hurry? Besides, I have your daughter. So please be nice to me,"

    Angelina said slowly.

    Ashley took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

    Angelina felt reassured and said, "Come in, there is a small room inside. Come in, please."

    After hanging up the phone, Ashley nced at her phone screen and found that the signal strength

    was rather poor.

    However, she didn''t pay much attention to that, and then walked inside.

    There was a lot of dust inside and the air was stale.

    It was quite an unpleasant smell.

    After walking a few steps forward, Ashley saw the room that Angelina mentioned.

    There was a faint lighting from inside.

    Soon, Ashley rushed into the room with no second thoughts.

    "Dany!"

    Ashley ran inside and saw Dany, tied to a chair.

    Seated beside her was Angelina, who was ying with her phone leisurely.

    "Mommy!" At the sight of her mother, Dany''s eyes turned red and her face swelled up. She looked at

    Ashley with fear in her eyes.

    Ashley''s heart ached the moment she saw her child in that miserable state.

    ''Oh my dear Dany, you''re here!'' she thought.

    Ashley rushed to untie the rope around her daughter, but Angelina didn''t stop her.

    Soon, the ropes on her hands were untied. Ashley hugged her tightly and said, "Dany, don''t be afraid.

    Mommy is here."

    She gently patted her baby''s back andforted her in a soft voice.

    Held tightly to her mother, Dany couldn''t stop sobbing.

    How could she not be afraid?

    After all, she was just a five-year-old kid, and it was entirely reasonable for her to feel that

    way.

 Chapter 870 Destroy Her

    Chapter 870 Destroy Her

    "It''s okay now, Dany. Mommy is here."

    Ashley held Dany in her arms. She somehow felt relieved seeing her daughter safe.

    "Wow! Such a heartwarming scene." Angelina, who was standing next to Ashley and Dany, pped her

    hands in mockery.

    Ashley looked at Angelina vigntly.

    She held Dany tighter and asked, "Angelina, what are you nning to do?"

    "What am I nning to do? Nothing, really. I just want to be part of the Gu family again.

    You know what? Everything was fine before. But since you''vee, things have changed.

    Ashley, you ruined everything!"

    Ashley''s eyes turned red with anger. "If you want to go back to the Gu family, go ahead. Why do you

    have to kidnap my daughter?"

    "I can go back if I want to? Do you think it''s that easy? Besides, you are here now. How can I go back

    to them? Do you think the Gu family will still ept me as their daughter?"

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Angelina suddenly stepped forward and shook Ashley''s shoulders.

    "As long as you are here, there''s nothing I can do. But if you''re gone, the Gu family will surely take me

    back."

    Angelina repeated those words over and over again. It was as if she was possessed by some demonic

    spirit.

    Ashley didn''t expect that Angelina would be so strong. She even felt dizzy when Angelina shook her.

    Nevertheless, Ashley didn''t forget that Dany was in her arms. She held her even tighter.

    After a while, Angelina returned to her normal self as if nothing happened.

    But, she gave Ashley a weird look.

    In her mind, she strongly believed that if she got rid of Ashley, the Gu family would take her back.

    The weird smile on Angelina''s face made Ashley feel uneasy.

    Dany looked scared too.

    "Mommy, I''m scared," she said as she buried her face in Ashley''s shoulder.

    "It''s okay, baby. Mommy is here. Don''t be afraid." Ashley tried her best to soothe Dany.

    ''Where are her bodyguards?'' she wondered inwardly.

    Ashley knew that some bodyguards had been following Dany for a few days now. That was the reason

    why she didn''t act rashly every time she went to see Dany.

    She was afraid that the bodyguards would tell Cayn about her, and he would hide Dany from her

    forever.

    But each time Ashley saw that Dany was doing well at school, she felt relieved. The bodyguards helped

    keep her safe.

    Now, she couldn''t help wondering how Angelina was able to take Dany away.

    Ashley looked at Angelina and asked, "Can I ask you something?"

    "What is it?" Angelina looked happy now. She wasn''t acting as crazy as she was earlier.

    However, it worried Ashley more.

    Perhaps this was just the calm before the storm.

    "How were you able to take Dany away?" Ashley asked

    Angelina replied, "After having several bodyguards around her?"

    "Yes."

    "Well, those bodyguards are a bunch of idiots."

    As a matter of fact, Angelina had been investigating Ashley''s background since the first time she saw

    her.

    She didn''t expect that she would discover something shocking.

    Ashley had a daughter who turned out to be Dany.

    At first, Angelina had nned to kidnap Fabio. But the little boy resembled Andrew a lot.

    She didn''t know why she thought of Andrew when she saw Fabio.

    And since she found out that Dany was Ashley''s daughter, she kidnapped her instead.

    As for Dany''s bodyguards, "Their job is to protect Dany. So, I did something to make them think that

    someone would steal her. Piece of cake, isn''t it?"

    Angelina added, "Is there anything else you want to ask me?" She gave Ashley acent look.

    Ashley didn''t say anything.

    After a while, Angelina pped her hands.

    Then three tall ugly men came out of nowhere. Their disgusting smell reached Ashley''s nostrils.

    Angelina looked at the men with satisfaction. She then turned to Ashley and asked, "Do you like these

    men? I have carefully chosen them for you. Don''t worry. They are all very good."

    Although Ashley felt scared, she pretended to be brave. "Angelina, are you not afraid of the

    consequences?"

    "Afraid? I don''t think so. After you disappear, I will destroy all the evidence. No one will know what I did.

    And don''t worry about your daughter.

    Rest assured that you will always be together from this day on. Ha-ha!"

    Angelinaughed maniacally.

    The reason why she took Dany was to get Ashley.

    And since her n seeded, Ashley and Dany could now die together.

    Angelina thought that Ashley must actually thank her. Currently, Ashley couldn''t be together with Dany.

    But after she killed them, they could be together in the afterlife.

    "Wait!"

    Ashley looked at the men with disgust.

    She didn''t expect Angelina to have such an insidious n. Dany was just a little girl. How could

    Angelina have the heart to kill her?

    "Are you trying to buy time?" Angelina asked with an arched brow.

    "No. If I really want to buy time, it has already been a while. If I am expecting some people to rescue

    us, they should have arrived by now. I just want to ask you a few questions," said Ashley.

    The three men looked at Ashley like hungry wolves, ready to swoop on their prey at any time. They

    then turned their gaze to Angelina, as if waiting for her to give an order.

    Angelina seemed to have understood the look on their faces, so she said, "Wait. I want to hear her

    questions first."

    Meanwhile, Andrew texted Ashley before he got out of the office, but she didn''t reply.

    He then called her several times, but he couldn''t contact her.

    ''What is going on with her?'' he thought to himself.

    Andrew picked up his coat and strode out of his office.

    "Sir, what''s wrong?"

    Johnny asked in confusion when he saw Andrew in such a hurry.

    But Andrew didn''t have time to answer Johnny''s question. He just walked past Johnny quickly.

    In just a short while, Andrew was already outside Ashley''s office.

 Chapter 871 Shame On You!

    Chapter 871 Shame On You!

    Andrew called Ashley several times again, but she still wasn''t answering her phone.

    With a frown, Andrew went upstairs impatiently.

    Alice was about to leave when she heard amotion in the office. Her colleagues were whispering to

    each other amorously.

    ''Why are they so ted? Do we have a celebrity visitor today?''

    Alice thought to herself in confusion.

    She then grabbed one of her coworkers and asked, "What is going on? Do we have some important

    visitors?"

    "Alice, a very handsome man is here in the office now. I heard he is looking for someone," her

    coworker answered, blushing and giggling.

    "Who is he looking for?" Alice asked with a frown. "And how did he get in just like that? Can anyone

    enter the building freely now?" she added.

    Her coworker didn''t reply.

    Alice was about to turn around when her eyes caught sight of Andrew. Although many employees were

    staring at him admiringly, his strong aura stopped them from getting close to him.

    Also, his tall figure made him stand out.

    Alice didn''t have any difficulty recognizing him.

    And of course, she knew that

    Andrew was Ashley''s husband.

    ''What is he doing here?

    Didn''t Ashley leave just now?''

    Alice thought inwardly. By this time, Andrew had also seen her.

    Andrew looked into the direction where Alice was standing.

    His dark and cold eyes were so scary, and Alice couldn''t see any emotion in there.

    Naturally, his stare sent chills down her spine.

    Before she knew it, Andrew was already in front of her. "Where is Ashley?"

    he immediately asked.

    All the employees around stared at them in surprise.

    They didn''t expect that Alice knew their handsome visitor. Was he her boyfriend?

    Alice felt her coworkers'' curious gazes, so she said loudly at once, "Do you all want to work overtime

    today?"

    The employees felt that something must be wrong.

    Moreover, they didn''t want to work overtime.

    So, as soon as Alice finished her words, they all dispersed and left.

    "Ashley has left just now. I thought she''ll go to your office. Haven''t you seen her there?" Alice''s voice

    filled with concern all of a sudden.

    "She left? What time?"

    "About an hour ago. I thought she would see you because she left in a hurry," Alice answered as she

    checked the time on her watch.

    Andrew didn''t say anything more. Instead, he turned around and left.

    Although he still looked cool, Alice could tell that he was worried.

    Watching Andrew''s receding back, Alice couldn''t help thinking, ''Why is Andrew looking for Ashley?

    Didn''t she go to see him?''

    Alice took out her phone and called Ashley.

    However, Ashley was not answering her phone.

    "Why is she not answering my call?"

    she murmured with a frown. After several call attempts, she decided to leave the office, still confused.

    All of a sudden, something ominous popped up into her mind. She got flustered, wondering if

    something unpleasant happened to Ashley.

    And the more she thought about it, the more anxious she became.

    Alice was aware that Ashley was not the type of woman who would be in such a hurry to meet her man.

    But earlier, Ashley left the office in long strides as if she was eager to go somewhere.

    Meanwhile, Andrew stared at his phone while contemting.

    Then he suddenly remembered that he had installed a GPS tracker on Ashley''s phone.

    It was a newly developed software that even though there was no signal, the phone could still be

    tracked.

    Andrew opened the GPS tracker on his phone, and in less than a minute, he saw a red dot flickering on

    the screen.

    As the red dot moved, the crease on Andrew''s forehead deepened.

    Why was Ashley going to such a faraway ce?

    Without any hesitation, Andrew rushed to his car. But when he was about to get in, he was stopped by

    someone from behind.

    "Andrew, stop!"

    As Andrew turned to see who it was, he saw Cayning towards him.

    Cayn''s suit was in a mess, and his hair was in disarray. Beads of sweat were also streaming down his

    forehead.

    He rushed towards Andrew and threw him a hard punch.

    Fortunately, Andrew was quick enough to dodge it.

    "What''s wrong with you?" Andrew snapped as he red at Cayn.

    "Andrew, stop pretending that you are innocent. Let me remind you, even if Dany is your biological

    daughter, it was me who brought her up for five years. Besides, how can you be so sure that Dany is

    willing to live with your family? Don''t you think this is too shameless? You are the CEO of the Lu Group.

    How can you do such a horrible thing? I promise you, you will be theughingstock of J City,"

    Cayn bellowed.

    Perplexity was written all over Andrew''s face. He couldn''t understand what Cayn was talking about.

    "I don''t know what you are talking about. I''m in a hurry now. Let''s talk about it when Ie back,"

    Andrew said and turned to get in his car.

    "Andrew, if you don''t return Dany to me today, you and your family are in for a world of trouble."

    Several strong bodyguards then came out from behind and gave Andrew an unfriendly stare.

    Andrew just cast Cayn and the bodyguards a cold nce and got into his car quickly.

    He had a hunch that what Cayn was freaking out about had something to do with Ashley.

    "If you want to see Dany, just follow me,"

    he said to Cayn before he drove away.

    Cayn clenched his teeth as he watched Andrew''s car get smaller in the distance.

    He then ordered his bodyguards, "Follow him!" before he also got into his own car.

    "Okay, Mr. Mo!" the bodyguards replied in unison.

    Cayn told his driver to speed up to follow Andrew''s car closely.

    Andrew felt a little uneasy as he held the steering wheel tightly.

    An incident that happened five years ago suddenly popped up into his mind.

    After that incident, he promised himself that he would never let Ashley be trapped in such a dangerous

    situation again.

    It was such a shame that a simr incident seemed to be happening right now.

    Andrew immediately sent Johnny his location.

    He ordered Johnny to bring several strong men with him.

    At the same time, Cayn received a call from one of the bodyguards who were looking after Dany.

    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "What is it now?"

    Cayn asked furiously.

    Those bodyguards had already been punished for not protecting Dany well. But Cayn felt that it still

    wasn''t enough.

    Because of their carelessness, Dany was nowhere to be found. He didn''t want to see their faces again.

    Otherwise, he might just kill them.

 Chapter 872 Mysterious Liquid

    Chapter 872 Mysterious Liquid

    "Sir, Mrs. Lu didn''t take the child away. In the past few days, she came to see Dany almost regrly,

    but she always left not long after.

    What''s more, I vaguely saw the person who took Dany away. I''m sure it wasn''t her."

    Although the bodyguard was nervous, he conveyed everything to his boss.

    "Fuck you."

    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

    Cayn hung up the phone at once.

    He was in a fix now. As soon as he found out that Dany was missing, he rushed over to Andrew to find

    out what was going on.

    After all, only Andrew and Ashley had such a motive.

    But today, when he saw Andrew, he was also in a hurry and had little time to spare.

    Reflecting upon Andrew''s words, Cayn realized what had happened.

    Dany must have been kidnapped by someone.

    ''Holy shit, a lot of nasty things are happening in J City. Dany is not at safe here anymore. After this, I

    must take her to America.''

    He had decided what to do.

    Meanwhile, Angelina was in no mood to answer Ashley''s questions.

    The longer the dy, the more Angelina felt that Ashley was stalling and buying more time.

    Holding Dany in her arms, Ashley was able to make a few phone calls to Andrew secretly. However,

    the signal strength was really bad in that area. She made several attempts to reach him, but the phone

    couldn''t connect.

    As the clock was ticked away, Ashley became more and more anxious.

    She never expected to get trapped in a remote ce with poor mobile phone reception.

    Moreover, when Ashley heard that Dany was kidnapped, she was so overwhelmed by the news that

    she didn''t think through on what she needed to do.

    "I will tell you all about these things when you die,"

    Angelina said impatiently.

    "Mommy, I''m scared,"

    Dany whispered, hiding in Ashley''s arms.

    Hearing Angelina''s words, Ashley panicked and the phone in her hand fell to the floor.

    "ng!" The crashing noise was loud and clear enough.

    Angelina turned to look at Ashley.

    ''Oh no!

    I''m so screwed.''

    Ashley freaked out.

    Why on earth did her hand tremble just now?

    The next moment, Angelina walked towards Ashley and picked up her phone.

    Ashley was able to dial a number and it was still ringing. Angelina smiled, but didn''t hang up. Then she

    held it tightly and threw it as far away as she could.

    She wasn''t worried at all

    as she was confident about the poor mobile reception around them.

    Angelina gave a cold stare at Ashley and asked, "Who were you calling? You wanted to call Andrew for

    help, right? Well, then sorry to disappoint you, but there is no signal here."

    That was the reason behind Angelina''s confidence.

    She didn''t even bother to hang up the phone and it was simply thrown on to the dirty floor.

    The little girl shrank away, now getting more afraid of Angelina.

    Ashley held her child more tightly and stared at Angelina. "Angelina, what are you doing? Aren''t you

    afraid that Jeremy will hate you for this? Besides, even if I disappear, are you sure that Jeremy will take

    you back to his home?"

    "Shut up! Just shut up! He will. He will definitely take me back. He will treat me as he used to! I will

    recapture everything that I have lost because of you. Not only that, we will have a child in the future.

    But all these things are possible only if you disappear.

    If you hadn''te between us, Jeremy would have treated me like a queen."

    Angelina cried hysterically.

    She glowered at Ashley with furious eyes.

    There was a hint of cruelty in them.

    Ashley almost felt like her head was being blown off.

    She couldn''t help feeling shocked.

    Never had she imagined that Angelina would have a crush on Jeremy.

    Besides, how could she think like that?

    Did Jeremy know about her feelings for him?

    In fact, Ashley had heard about how Jeremy adored Angelina over the years. It was the kind of love

    towards a younger sister.

    How could Angelina have such dirty thoughts?

    Seeing that Ashley was surprised, Angelina somehow felt much better.

    She checked the time. Once this matter was sorted out, she would directly go to Jeremy.

    "Hurry up. The two in your area are all yours now. You may do whatever you want with them. But I have

    to warn you that in the end, you must deal with it properly.

    Be careful, and don''t make any mistakes. Take the money and go to a ce where nobody would

    recognize you,"

    Angelinamanded the several strong men that she had recently acquired.

    She hired them by borrowing money from some of her past acquaintances.

    Since the Gu family didn''t make a public disclosure about Angelina''s identity, her friends still had trust

    in her.

    Moreover, to them, Angelina was the daughter of the Gu family. They didn''t want to offend her by not

    providing the financial support she demanded. They were worried that offending her would result in

    inviting hostility from the powerful Gu family.

    After all, everyone in J City was aware of Jeremy''s love for his little sister. That was how Angelina had

    been living her life.

    "Don''t worry. We''ll take care of everything,"

    assured the leading man.

    He sounded hoarse and exhausted.

    A little startled, Ashley peeked at them over her shoulder. Ever since they came in, they had

    maintained silence. Ashley almost thought they wouldn''t say anything.

    Angelina smiled with satisfaction. "Okay."

    Afterwards, she took out a small bottle filled with some liquid.

    It didn''t look like anything nice.

    Angelina then fixed her eyes on Ashley.

    "I know you won''t stay still, so I have prepared something for you. I promise you are going to like it

    later. You''ll crave for sex like a wild animal!"

    Angelina said as she slowly approached Ashley, trying to pour the liquid into her mouth.

    Feeling panicked, Ashley took a step back and said, "Angelina, wake up! Do you know what you are

    doing now?"

    While stepping back, she bumped into something and almost fell over. Ashley knew that she had no

    escape as she couldn''t move backwards anymore.

    She tried desperately to make ast struggle.

    "Of course I know what I''m doing. I''m very clear that everything will be okay as long as you disappear

    from my life.

    Nowe here obediently."

    Angelina held Ashley''s chin and poured the liquid into her mouth.

    Ashley gritted her teeth and closed her mouth.

    Angelina tightened her grip on her neck. A deep blush appeared on Ashley''s cheeks as she was

    grabbed by her neck.

    "Ahem!" Angelina finally seeded.

 Chapter 873 The Call Got Connected

    Chapter 873 The Call Got Connected

    Ashley couldn''t help coughing.

    And as she coughed, the liquid in the bottle flowed down her throat.

    "ng!" The bottle fell to the floor with a crash.

    Since Angelina was busy with Ashley, she didn''t worry about the phone anymore.

    After all, she was too confident that the call didn''t go through. No one knew that it was already

    connected.

    When Ashley felt that some of the liquid slipped down her throat, she opened her mouth in horror,

    trying to spit it out.

    But of course, Angelina didn''t allow it to happen.

    As soon as Ashley heard what Angelina had just said, she had figured out what Angelina poured into

    her mouth.

    She didn''t expect that Angelina could do such a wicked thing.

    Watching Ashley trying to spit out the liquid she just drank, Angelina smiled and said, "Don''t waste your

    energy anymore. This drug is too strong that it can take effect even if you only drink a little. Your only

    way to survive now is to have sex with a man. Or else... you will die."

    Angelina got the drug from a trusted friend, so she knew it was really effective.

    Her friend said that it was newly developed, and the effect was much stronger than other simr drugs.

    No matter how frigid and chaste the person, he or she would immediately be a different person as

    soon as it was taken.

    As expected, Ashley felt hot in an instant. It was so hot that she felt like taking off her clothes.

    It was a strange feeling that Ashley had never experienced before.

    Since Ashley only had Andrew in her life, she never felt any sexual desire towards any other man. But

    today seemed different.

    Ashley pinched herself to counter her reactions.

    She must leave this ce now. Or else, she wouldn''t be able to control herself and have sex with these

    strange ugly men. If that happened, she would be too ashamed to live.

    "Mommy, what''s wrong with you?" Ashley immediately covered Dany''s eyes.

    The little girl shouldn''t see what was happening to her.

    But Dany was a smart child. She knew that something bad was about to happen to Ashley.

    "Dany, Mommy is fine. Just stay in my arms, okay? Don''t open your eyes. Don''t look at anything."

    Ashley tried tofort Dany, but her voice sounded so ufortable. She clenched her teeth to

    endure the strong desire that was surging up in her.

    "Are you really okay?" Dany asked innocently.

    "I''m fine. Don''t worry. Daddy ising to pick us up, okay?"

    Ashley bit her lower lip hard and fell on the floor weakly.

    But still, she never let go of Dany in her arms. No matter what happened, she would never let them hurt

    her daughter.

    Finally, Dany stopped asking more questions and just hugged Ashley tight.

    Seeing that Ashley was trying to be brave, Angelina smiled mockingly.

    She wanted to see if Ashley could still continue showing her bravery when the drug fully took effect.

    Angelina turned to the three men standing next to her and said, "What are you waiting for? Aren''t you

    excited? This woman is a beauty. I know that you can only have this kind of woman in your dreams."

    The three men looked at Ashley lustfully. Actually, they had been drooling over her since they saw her

    delicate face and body.

    It was just that Angelina wasn''t giving them her orders yet, so they couldn''t make a move.

    These men were from the underworld. They were criminals who weren''t afraid of anything.

    As long as they got paid, they were willing to do whatever they were told, for a price.

    Angelina had given them enough money to do these things.

    Whether they got caught or not in the end, they had no hesitation.

    After all, they were used to being in jail, going in and out several times.

    But these men didn''t expect that they woulde to a dead-end today.

    They walked towards Ashley, their eyes emitting a dangerous aura.

    Ashley''s cheeks flushed, and her vision got blurry. She felt like thousands of ants were biting her body.

    It felt so itchy and ufortable.

    She even had an impulse to take off all of her clothes.

    Fortunately, herst bit of consciousness prevented her from doing so.

    Dany also felt that Ashley''s body was burning.

    She felt like she was put into a big stove.

    "Mommy, are you okay?"

    Dany asked in a low voice.

    She was already sobbing.

    Ashley wanted to say something to soothe Dany, but she didn''t have the strength to speak now.

    She was also afraid that if a voice came out of her throat, it would sound like a whore.

    "Who wants the little girl?"

    "I''m more interested in the woman. I don''t like little girls."

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "How about you? Would you like to take the little girl?

    "That''s bullshit. Who would enjoy a little girl?"

    "Then let''s take the little girl to the other side of the room, okay?"

    The three men were discussing in low voices. Although Ashley was only half-conscious now, she was

    still able to hear what they were talking about.

    She panicked. If only she could, she would kill these three beasts in front of her daughter.

    She could never forgive them if they took her daughter away.

    Meanwhile, Andrew kept calling Ashley''s name on the phone.

    The call went through, but no one was answering on the other end of the line. He tried to turn up the

    volume, so he could hear more clearly.

    He then heard Angelina''s and the men''s voices.

    His eyes immediately emitted a murderous aura. He looked so terrible that he could kill someone at

    any moment.

    Andrew sped up, making his car fly on the road.

 Chapter 874 Looking For Death

    Chapter 874 Looking For Death

    Cayn, whose car was still following Andrew, was so surprised when Andrew suddenly sped up.

    Andrew had already been driving fast. And now, he was even going faster than racing cars.

    Cayn sensed that something must have gone wrong.

    Looking at his driver, who was struggling to catch up with Andrew, he suddenly yelled, "Get out from

    there!"

    He then pulled the driver to the passenger''s seat and swiftly moved from the back seat to the driver''s

    seat.

    Cayn did his best to catch up with Andrew this time.

    The three men threw Dany to a corner. But when she noticed that they were going back to Ashley, she

    rushed to them.

    Dany stood in front of Ashley to protect her. Her cute chubby face was wet with tears, and the trace of

    the man''s palm who pped her was still visible.

    Angelina was just sitting next to them as if watching a drama show on TV.

    Dany was extremely scared, but she tried her best to look plucky. She mustered up all her courage and

    yelled, "What are you doing? Stay away from my mommy!"

    "This little girl is just troublesome!"

    "You may want to try her first."

    "No way. I''m not a pedophile."

    "Then we''d better knock her out. Otherwise, she won''t stop pestering us."

    "I think that''s a better idea."

    One of the three men walked up to Dany and smacked the back of her neck.

    She fell down in an instant.

    "Dany..."

    Watching Dany fall on the floor, Ashley had the urge to pick her up. But before she could even get

    close to Dany, she was pulled back by a pair of big dark hands.

    The force was so strong that Ashley felt her hand snap as if it got dislocated.

    She felt more terrible now. It seemed that the number of ants continuously biting her body had

    increased.

    Ashley bit her lips hard, hoping that the pain could wake her up and clear her mind.

    ''I have to hold on until Andrewes.

    He must be looking for me now. I know that he will call me. And if he can''t contact me, he''ll suspect

    something.

    I believe that he ising. I just hope that he will arrive before it''s toote, '' she thought to herself.

    "Wow! This woman''s skin is so tender. She ispletely different from the women I''ve had before."

    The man holding Ashley''s arm felt thrilled.

    "Of course, she is different. I heard that her husband is the CEO of apany. Unlike us, she is

    enjoying a veryfortable life."

    "Ha! Now, that sounds more interesting to me. I really want to know how she tastes."

    "Stop talking nonsense then. Let''s start now."

    While talking, the three men started to touch Ashley''s body all over.

    Ashley was too weak that she staggered to her feet, unable to keep her bnce.

    Then she suddenly remembered that she bumped into something when she stepped back just now.

    It seemed like a stool.

    Ashley gathered all the strength left in her and turned around.

    She then picked up the stool and threw it towards the front, not even sure if it would hit the men.

    "Holy shit! Are we there yet? Do you really know where you''re going?"

    Cayn eximed anxiously. He had been following Andrew''s car for a while now, but they hadn''t gotten

    anywhere yet.

    He got more irritable and restless, thinking that something awful might have already happened to Dany.

    The bodyguards who were following Cayn in the other car also held their breaths.

    Dany''s bodyguards were punished and were barely alive now.

    They didn''t want to suffer another beating from Cayn, so they all prayed that Dany was okay.

    No one spoke as they all broke into a cold sweat.

    Cayn was about to call Andrew when thetter''s car stopped.

    Andrew got out of the car hurriedly. It was only then that he realized that they had arrived at an

    abandoned factory.

    It was a dpidated building on the verge of copse.

    The things inside were all old and decrepit.

    Cayn rushed to Andrew and asked, "Are you sure that Dany is here?"

    Andrew looked at the red dot on the screen of his phone and replied, "Yes."

    "Then what are we waiting for? Let''s go and get her."

    Cayn walked past Andrew and went in.

    Andrew followed swiftly.

    At this moment, half of Ashley''s clothes were already ripped off by the three men.

    Ashley was wearing a beige dress and a white coat. One of the men pulled them off.

    "Fuck off!"

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Ashley screamed as she wed out aimlessly at the thugs.

    She didn''t want these disgusting men to touch her.

    Andrew came in just in time to see what was going on. The three men had surrounded Ashley in a

    corner, stretching out their gross hands towards her from time to time.

    Andrew''s eyes turned red in an instant. The memories of the incident five years ago shed back in his

    mind.

    At that time, he med himself for not protecting Ashley well and causing her to be kidnapped.

    From then on, he swore that he wouldn''t allow anyone to hurt Ashley ever again.

    But today, he failed to protect her once more.

    Andrew ran towards the men furiously.

    He dragged one of them and punched him on the face with all his strength. The man''s mouth bled as

    some of his teeth fell off.

    The man looked tall and sturdy, but with Andrew''s wrath, he couldn''t find a way to fight back.

    Andrew beat the three men to a pulp. They were all severely injured and bleeding all over, but Andrew

    wasn''t satisfied yet. He didn''t want to stop while he could still feel them breathing.

    Cayn, on the other hand, noticed Dany lying on the floor alone.

    When he saw the tears and the trace of a palm on her face, he also burned with fury.

    Holding Dany in his arms, he turned around and saw that Andrew was still beating the three men

    up.

 Chapter 875 Terror

    Chapter 875 Terror

    At that moment, Cayn waspletely different from Andrew.

    Cayn looked like a monster crawling out of the ground.

    Even so, no one had ever seen Andrew and Cayn act like they did today.

    Meanwhile, after Johnny received a call from Andrew, he immediately left everything behind and

    rushed over to the address that Andrew gave him.

    But as soon as Johnny reached the ce, the first thing he saw was Andrew beating three men to

    death.

    Even though the man was a neat freak, he didn''t care about the bloodstains on his hands and clothes.

    It was as if the only thing Andrew could think about was to kill them.

    Johnny was stunned at everything that he was witnessing. He wondered what these people could have

    done to make Andrew go out of control.

    After recovering from the initial shock, Johnny quickly ran over to Andrew. Johnny tried to pull him away

    from the three men. "President Lu, please stop it. If you''re going to keep beating them up, you''ll end up

    killing them. You need to find Mrs. Lu first. Where is she? How is she doing right now?"

    Andrew only let them go at the mention of Ashley.

    Instantly, all of the men drop to the ground in a miserable state.

    Meanwhile, Ashley was curled up on the ground in a corner. She had her arms around her own body

    very tightly. She even bit her lips so hard that there were deep marks on them.

    Her lips that were usually rosy and plump were covered with blood.

    Even her hands were filled with bruises. It seemed like she didn''t show mercy to her own self at all.

    She must have been trying to hurt herself badly.

    By the time Andrew finally approached her, Ashley was slipping in and out of consciousness and didn''t

    know who was standing in front of her. She waved her hand and screamed, "Get away from me!"

    Even with all of her remaining strength, her voice was barely audible. If Andrew had not been in close

    proximity to Ashley, he wouldn''t have heard what she said.

    Meanwhile, Angelina waspletely terrified by the sudden turn of events. She didn''t expect that the

    situation would be reversed so soon.

    ''When Ashley came here, she didn''t inform anyone. So how did they know where to find her?'' Angelina

    wondered.

    While witnessing how Andrew beat her hired men, Angelina was afraid that she would suffer the same

    thing.

    Her legs became so weak that she almost dropped to the ground. The only thing that was keeping her

    from hitting the floor was because she was able to grab an old chair nearby.

    However, she knew that she was still in danger, and she needed to get out of there quickly. The man

    who had arrived to rescue Ashley was extremely terrifying.

    Angelina thought that no one had seen her yet. So although she didn''t have the strength to run, she

    quickly thought a n to escape without anyone noticing.

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    She knew that she should not be there at all. What she had just seen was just too much. She couldn''t

    imagine suffering the same fate as those men.

    ''You want to escape?''

    Contrary to what Angelina had thought, Johnny had seen her the moment he walked into the room. So

    before she could do anything, Johnny had a few bodyguards surround her.

    Johnny looked at Andrew and said, "President Lu, look here. She must be the one behind all of this."

    Johnny had been working with Andrew for a long time so naturally, he also knew Angelina and her

    background. He knew that she was the long lost daughter of the Gu family, whom Jeremy found and

    brought back.

    He had also heard the piece of news a few days earlier, that Angelina was not a true member of the Gu

    family and Ashley might actually be their daughter.

    Now that the secret was exposed, anyone could easily realize what was going on.

    This impostor daughter of the Gu family was angry and jealous so she wanted to get rid of the real one.

    Andrew didn''t respond to Johnny. He became furious once again when he saw Ashley in that condition.

    Needless to say, his rage was not towards Ashley.

    On one hand, Ashley was pulling on her clothes wildly with both hands, trying to rip them off. On the

    other hand, herst bit of sanity kept her in control.

    Her entire body looked rmingly flushed.

    Cayn also observed her for a short while before saying, "She must have been drugged. It must be

    something with a really strong and immediate effect. We''d better help her as soon as possible."

    Andrew looked down at Ashley who trembled continuously in his arms. She had started rubbing her

    body against his. With her eyes filled with lust, she coquettishly uttered, "Andy..."

    Although Ashley was drugged, she could smell Andrew''s familiar scent.

    "Yeah, it''s me, Ash. I''m here now. Everything''s going to be alright,"

    Andrew gently said to Ashley.

    He was now calm andposed, entirely different from the way he treated the three men just

    moments earlier.

    Ignoring everyone else around them, Andrew walked out of the old building with Ashley in his arms.

    He set her down on the passenger seat and helped her put on the seat belt. Then he walked over to

    the driver''s seat and quickly started the car.

    Nobody knew where they were headed.

    Upon seeing them leaving, Johnny wanted to catch up to say something. However, Cayn promptly

    stopped him.

    He then looked at Johnny in the eye and asked, "Don''t you know where your boss and his wife are

    going? I advise you not to disturb them and clean up this ce instead."

    Then he took Dany in his arms and walked out of the factory, followed by his bodyguards.

    At that moment, the most important thing for Cayn was to take Dany back home and have a doctor

    check on her.

    Once he made sure that his little girl was safe, he would deal with these people square ounts with

    them.

    Cayn did not forget to take a long look at Angelina before he left.

    The eyes were said to express so much emotion. And at that moment, if Cayn''s eyes were actual

    daggers, they would have killed her already.

    Angelina''s back subconsciously became stiff and did not dare to move.

    Meanwhile, with an impassive expression on his face, Johnny looked at Angelina and the men still lying

    on the ground.

    After the bodyguards had tied up Angelina and her men, he had them taken away.

    Afterwards, Johnny looked around. He was the only one remaining in the abandoned building. He didn''t

    see Ashley, Andrew, or their car anywhere.

    He then remembered what Cayn had told him, and he also immediately left.

    Not far from the abandoned factory, a low-profile yet luxurious Rolls Royce stopped in the middle of the

    woods.

    Ashley restlessly moved on the passenger seat feeling extremely ufortable.

    She really wanted to unfasten the seat belt. But no matter how hard she tried, she kept on failing.

    She couldn''t remember how it happened but it seemed like she had taken off most of her clothes.

    Her vision was somewhat blurry and she was constantly screaming.

 Chapter 876 A Stomachache

    Chapter 876 A Stomachache

    Andrew swiftly got out of the car and carried Ashley to the back seat.

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    He leaned closer to her, trying to hear what she was mumbling.

    "Andrew, Andrew..."

    She kept calling his name.

    The moment he held her in his arms, she feltfortable and rxed, so she couldn''t help but pull him

    closer.

    And then she bit him.

    Fury burned in Andrew''s eyes as he looked at her.

    But he was very gentle to her, and treated her like a piece of treasure.

    From time to time, there were some noises that came out from the car.

    In the middle of the forest, a lone car shook and trembled quietly. It didn''t stop untilte in the night.

    When Ashley woke up the next morning, she felt sore all over her body.

    She felt as if she got crushed by a tank countless times. The pain she felt was a little unbearable,

    especially in her lower parts.

    It felt like she was being held in a man''s arms. True enough, as soon as Ashley opened her eyes, she

    saw a muscr chest, and could feel its warmth.

    Ashley blinked and tried to recollect the events of the previous night and the three disgusting men. She

    was shell-shocked.

    She struggled to stand up.

    "It''s okay. Don''t move."

    Ashley wasn''tpletely relieved until she heard a familiar voice, which was deep, charming and

    assuring.

    The smell of tobo on Andrew was so familiar to her that she couldn''t help letting out a sigh of relief.

    Fortunately, it was him, and nothing happened between her and the thugs.

    As soon as she calmed down, Ashley noticed a strange smell in the car and she again felt the soreness

    and pain in her body. All of these reminded her what had happened the previous night.

    It must have been due to some psychological effect, but Ashley suddenly felt a little pain in her

    stomach. She couldn''t help but frown in pain.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Andrew. Even the slightest change in her wouldn''t go unnoticed as he looked at

    her with concern.

    "My stomach hurts," Ashley said with a weak voice.

    Her lips had be pale.

    Andrew didn''t think twice. He removed his suit jacket and put it on her.

    "I''ll take you to the hospital right away."

    Andrew rang Johnny up and told him to make arrangements at the hospital.

    Then he started the car.

    Curling up in the back seat, Ashley pressed her hands on her belly. It helped as she didn''t feel the pain

    as much as before.

    Noticing that they were traveling at a high speed, Ashley couldn''t help saying, "Andrew, I''m fine. You

    don''t have to drive so fast."

    Although he assured her that he would slow down, he still drove fast.

    He had seen how pale Ashley was just now.

    Knowing that Ashley had been drugged, her condition scared Andrew to the death.

    She frowned with difort and said, "Andrew, please slow down."

    Noticing that Ashley was feeling ufortable, Andrew slowed down the car immediately. "Are you

    feeling sick again?"

    "Yes, please slow down."

    "Alright."

    Andrew slowed down the car further. He cared so much about her and didn''t want to aggravate her

    difort. After some time, Ashley fell asleep.

    Soon, they arrived at the hospital.

    Huddled in the back seat, Ashley''s face was ghostly pale.

    Without any dy, Andrew got out of the car and gently lifted her in his arms and out of the car.

    By then, Johnny also arrived at the hospital.

    As Andrew carried Ashley into the emergency room, several bodyguards assisted them as went in.

    In the emergency room, Andrew carefullyy Ashley on the bed and soon a doctor arrived to check on

    her.

    Considering that Andrew didn''t like other men around Ashley, Johnny arranged for a female doctor for

    her.

    The doctor came in and saw Ashley lying on the bed. Then she looked at Andrew, who stood next to

    her.

    Johnny and the bodyguards did not go in and left.

    "Even if you don''t like her, you shouldn''t have treated her like this. She is a woman after all."

    Thedy doctor showed displeasure when she saw the evident marks and scratches on Ashley''s body,

    which revealed what had happened to her.

    Although the doctor didn''t care about the gossip around the richest families, she still felt sorry for

    Ashley and couldn''t help but stand up for her.

    "Please, help her. She said she was having a stomachache."

    Andrew didn''t make any attempt to defend himself.

    Instead, he asked the doctor to treat Ashley as soon as possible.

    The doctor got started and examined her carefully. Although her movements was gentle, Ashley was

    still awakened.

    The white surroundings and the smell of disinfectant in the hospital made her feel ufortable as

    well.

    ''Why am I here?'' Ashley frowned.

    Seeing her patient had woken up, the doctor asked her some questions.

    Ashley was about to answer, but she felt a sudden pain shoot up in her stomach.

    "My belly aches."

    Andrew hurried over to Ashley and held her arm. "What wrong?" he asked.

    Then he looked at the doctor gloomily.

    "Well, we still need further examination."

    Ashley was taken to another ward for a series of physical examinations.

    Andrew followed her and sat beside her.

    The doctor had no choice but to allow him in, because they couldn''t offend Andrew. She decided just to

    ignore him.

    The doctor was mildly shocked when she was told who Andrew was.

    She felt she was too bold to have said something like that to the CEO of the powerful Lu Group.

    As she observed Andrew''s facial expression, she understood that he must have cherished Ashley very

    much.

    When she saw the bruises on Ashley''s body, her first thought was that Andrew was behind it.

    Finally, after a series of examinations, Ashley''s test results were out.

 Chapter 877 Inner Peace Is Always Uppermost.

    Chapter 877 Inner Peace Is Always Uppermost.

    The doctor looked at Ashley and said with a smile, "Congrattions! You are two months pregnant. You

    have a stomachache because you have been exercising a lot recently."

    The doctor then reminded her, "Don''t forget that in the first trimester of pregnancy, the baby in your

    belly is not in a stable condition. You should not do intense exercises."

    ''Thank God, my baby was not hurt, ''

    Ashley thought to herself after hearing what the doctor said. Feeling scared, she wanted to forget

    everything that happenedst night.

    She felt relieved that the baby was safe and sound.

    "Andy, we have a new baby,"

    Ashley said as she looked at Andrew beside her.

    Joy and happiness were written all over her face.

    She patted her belly gently, her eyes were full of anticipation.

    Meanwhile, Andrew looked much calmer. There was, however a slight frown on his face.

    They already had Richard and Fabio. He didn''t want any more children, so he always used

    contraceptives every time they made love. Why did Ashley get pregnant? The two boys were already

    pestering Ashley a lot every day.

    Now there would be an additional baby soon.

    Oh, no. Not only three but four. Dany was also their daughter. If they brought her back home, Ashley

    would be surrounded by four children. It might sound selfish, but Andrew couldn''t help thinking about

    his private time with Ashley. If the children took up too much of her time, she wouldn''t have enough

    time left for him anymore. With this thought, Andrew felt a little upset.

    He looked at Ashley''s belly coldly.

    But Ashley was too happy to notice Andrew''s indifference towards her pregnancy.

    The smile on her face didn''t disappear. Her pregnancy was such a big surprise because she knew that

    Andrew had always used contraceptives. She was so excited to have another baby in their house soon.

    Ashley''s face suddenly flushed when she recalled what happened in Andrew''s office one day. He must

    have forgotten to use contraceptives. No wonder she got pregnant.

    After checking on Ashley and giving some reminders, the doctor left. Now, there were only Ashley and

    Andrew in the ward.

    It was only then that Ashley noticed Andrew''s gloomy expression. She couldn''t help worrying, so she

    gently pulled his sleeve and asked, "Andy, what''s wrong?"

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    Andrew didn''t reply. He just stared at her belly coldly.

    Looking at his cold face, Ashley was concerned.

    She knew that Andrew didn''t like Richard and Fabio that much, so she couldn''t help thinking that he

    might also not like the baby in her belly.

    "Andy, whatever it is that you''re thinking against my baby right now, stop it. You can''t do anything to my

    baby. It is mine, and I will definitely give birth to it. Don''t even think of taking it away," Ashley warned

    Andrew as she covered her belly warily with her hand.

    This time, she looked at him angrily.

    "If you have another baby, you will not have time for me anymore. You will ignore me already," Andrew

    admitted as he lowered his head dejectedly.

    Also, his voice sounded a little aggrieved, which made Ashley confused.

    All of a sudden, Andrew squatted beside her bed and buried his head in the quilt.

    Ashley could only see his silky ck hair now. It looked so soft that she wanted to caress it.

    She was amused by Andrew''s exnation. He was like a child who wanted all his mother''s attention.

    She stretched out her hand and rubbed his hair gently.

    "Andy, what makes you think of that? Even if we have another child, you are still the most important

    man in my heart.

    Besides, this baby is a symbol of our love. If I don''t love you, how could I love our baby?

    Do you know why I love our children so much? That''s because I love you so much too."

    That was the sweetest thing that Ashley had ever said to Andrew.

    After spending so many years with him, she already knew that hecked a sense of security.

    Every time she neglected him, or she gave too much attention to the children, he would get jealous and

    even angry.

    At times, Ashley felt that she had three kids at home, and Andrew was the eldest. Every day, she had

    to take care of them and make them happy.

    "Really?" Andrew raised his head and asked. His gloomy expression was instantly reced with

    happiness.

    "Of course! If I don''t love you that much, why would I give birth to your child?" Ashley replied with a

    nod.

    She rubbed Andrew''s head again and added, "Please don''t say those things again. We are a husband

    and wife. This is our baby.

    Touch it. Don''t you feel happy that it is the fruit of our love?"

    Ashley held Andrew''s hand and put it on her belly. She then looked into his eyes passionately.

    While his hand was on Ashley''s belly, Andrew remembered that he wasn''t around, the first time she got

    pregnant.

    So he couldn''t feel anything different now.

    Andrew wanted to tell Ashley that he couldn''t fell anything different. But when he saw the expectant

    look on her face, he nodded his head and said, "Um!"

    Ashley put on a big smile and said proudly, "It''s your baby. If it''s a boy like Fabio, I''m sure that he will

    be like you."

    Looking at her delighted face, Andrew chose not to say anything to disappoint Ashley.

    As long as Ashley cared about him the most, he would be fine.

    Andrew''s mood lightened up this time.

    He rested his head on Ashley''s belly

    gently and carefully.

    He didn''t want to disturb the baby.

    Ashley continued to caress Andrew''s head. After a while, he fell asleep.

    Ashley looked at Andrew affectionately. She knew that he didn''t sleep wellst night.

    She could understand why he easily fell asleep now.

    A nurse was about toe in to give Ashley some instructions. But when she saw the scene at the

    door, she stopped, not wanting to interrupt.

    With a ray of sunshine that shone on Ashley and Andrew, they looked so romantic. It was such a sight

    to behold.

 Chapter 878 Envy

    Chapter 878 Envy

    Ashley''s and Andrew''s love seemed so holy and pure. It was just wonderful to see this amorous

    couple. The nurse didn''t want to interrupt them so she held back.

    The nurse had only stood there for a while. Seeing their happy faces, she left quietly, closing the door

    behind her.

    The two lovers didn''t notice the nurse''s presence at all.

    But after leaving the ward, the nurse couldn''t help covering her face with her hands as her face blushed

    a faint red.

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    She couldn''t help but scream inwardly at how deep the bonding between the two lovers were.

    She sighed thinking about the ardent scene she had just seen, and couldn''t help admiring their deep

    love and affection.

    The nurse decided to share what she had just seen with her colleagues. Otherwise, only she would

    know about it. It took her some time, but she found all of them.

    She always had a great urge to share with others.

    Gossip spread fast wherever the couple went.

    In a few minutes, the gossip had spread in the whole hospital like dandelion in the wind. Now everyone

    in the hospital knew that the love between the couple staying in the SVIP ward was enviable.

    Meanwhile, back in the ward, Ashley caressed Andrew''s hair and kept kissing him in between.

    But suddenly, a few things came to her mind.

    And it was specifically about Angelina.

    Without a doubt, Ashley hated Angelina for what thetter did to her the previous night, and it was quite

    predictable.

    But she was generous enough to forgive Angelina unconditionally, despite what she had done to her.

    However, she was in a fix. What Angelina had done was rted to her two babies.

    What if Andrew didn''t arrive in timest night, and what would have happened to Dany? Ashley couldn''t

    even imagine it.

    And what would have been the fate of the fetus in her belly if Andrew hadn''t saved them in time?

    Even though Angelina was driven out by the Gu Family, Ashley had no role in it and she was innocent.

    Besides, Ashley believed that Angelina deserved to be treated that way.

    The Gu Family treated Angelina exceptionally well, and she had been the youngdy of the Gu Family

    for five years.

    However, when she found out who the real youngdy of the Gu Family was, Angelina didn''t reconcile

    herself to ept the truth. She decided to destroy Ashley once and for all and then live her life as the

    youngdy of the Gu Family. Did she really think she could continue her life as before only if she

    destroyed Ashley''s life? That was just impossible.

    Whether she was Jeremy''s sister or not, Ashley believed that Angelina couldn''t be forgiven even if this

    were to happen to someone else.

    She also felt that she still hated Jeremy.

    If Jeremy hadn''t said those words to Angelina the other day, she wouldn''t have known that Ashley was

    his sister. Then, she wouldn''t have mistreated Dany.

    Yet, this wasn''t totally true.

    From what Angelina had disclosedst night, she must have known about Ashley''s true identity earlier

    than the Gu Family.

    In fact, Ashley was still confused about how Angelina had known about her identity.

    While Ashley was buried in the thought, the mobile phone on the bedside suddenly rang. It took her by

    surprise.

    Looking at Andrew who was still sound asleep, Ashley picked up the phone and pressed the mute

    button subconsciously.

    She frowned at the sight of the caller ID disyed on the phone.

    The caller was none other than Jeremy, Ashley''s older brother.

    He seemed to need to talk to Andrew.

    Ashley nced at Andrew and found that he was still asleep. It was not until she confirmed that

    Andrew wasn''t awakened by the call did she feel relieved to answer the phone.

    "Andrew, where are you? Was Ashley kidnapped? How are you doing? Is Ashley alright?"

    As soon as Ashley answered the phone, Jeremy''s voice came on, asking all about whether Ashley was

    sick or hurt, and her present condition.

    Unknowingly, Ashley was overwhelmed withplicated emotions when she heard Jeremy asking

    nonstop about her situation.

    Just a moment before, she had been ming Jeremy for what happened.

    Angelina wouldn''t have kidnapped her daughter and those unfortunate incidents wouldn''t have

    happenedst night if it hadn''t been for Jeremy.

    But judging from Jeremy''s somewhat trembling voice over the phone, Ashley got a feeling that Jeremy

    cared much about her.

    At that thought, she couldn''t help but feel a lump of happiness in her throat.

    Jeremy was her brother anyway.

    Even if it was his fault, Angelina had known about Ashley''s true identity earlier than him. Hence, for

    what had happened the previous day, it was inappropriate to put the me squarely on Jeremy.

    Ashley blinked her eyes, trying not to cry for being moved by Jeremy''s significant concerns.

    However, since Jeremy didn''t hear any reply from Andrew for quite a long while, he guessed that

    Andrew must have been angry with him. Thus, when Ashley was about to speak, he further questioned,

    "Andrew, are you okay? Are you listening to me? What happenedst night was totally out of my

    expectation. I didn''t expect that Angelina would really try to harm Ashley. It''s all my fault. I''ll make it up

    to you.

    Where is Ashley? Where is she now? Is she okay? Can you let me have a word with her?"

    Jeremy knew that Andrew was quite possessive about Ashley.

    This was something he had noticed even before he had known that Ashley was his sister.

    Besides, he had grown up together with Andrew since childhood. How could Jeremy not know that

    Andrew was so possessive?

    Furthermore, Jeremy didn''t want Ashley to be hurt at all.

    Butst night, Ashley got into serious trouble because of him.

    Before Ashley recognized him as her brother and returned to the Gu Family, something unimaginably

    terrible had happened to her.

    Jeremy felt guilty for what had happened. He thought it was indirectly caused by him, and he felt

    responsible for it.

    After Jeremy finished, Ashley maintained her silence for a while, thinking what to tell him. Then, she

    opened up. "This is Ashley."

    On the other side, Jeremy was sitting in his office chair, waiting patiently for an answer from the other

    end of the line.

    He was expecting Andrew, but when he heard Ashley''s voice instead, he froze and didn''t dare to move.

    Just now, he had told Andrew that he wanted to know about Ashley''s situation and wanted to have a

    talk with her.

    But now that he was actually speaking to Ashley, even though it was just over the phone, Jeremy

    suddenly didn''t know what to say.

    He pursed his lips and whispered, "Ashley, are you alright now? I''m so sorry for everything. Last night, I

    didn''t know that Angelina would kidnap Dany and lure you in. Were you hurt? Where are you now? Can

    Ie and see you as your bro...?"

    Jeremy wanted to say that he wished to meet Ashley as her brother, but was worried that she might not

    have epted him.

    Besides, after the unfortunate incidentsst night, Jeremy believed that there must be still some wedge

    between Ashley and him.

    Hence, he asked her questions with much caution.

    Upon hearing Jeremy''s cautious voice and tentative words, she had mixed feelings.

    She briefly whispered in agreement and hung up the phone after sharing the hospital address with

    him.

 Chapter 879 Conflicting Emotions.

    Chapter 879 Conflicting Emotions.

    After ending the call, Ashley held Andrew''s phone in her hand and looked ahead. Nobody knew what

    she was thinking, but her eyes had be dull.

    At this moment, Andrew had already opened his eyes and was looking at her.

    Ashley didn''t know that Andrew was already awake when she answered the phone.

    He had heard their entire conversation, and he recognized the voice from the other end of the line.

    "What are you thinking now?" Andrew asked softly as he held Ashley in his arms.

    His voice seemed to have brought Ashley back to her senses. She nced at him then looked away,

    feeling a little embarrassed.

    "Did I wake you up?" she asked.

    "Nope," Andrew replied, shaking his head.

    He was a light sleeper, so even the slightest noise or movement could wake him up.

    "You just woke up?" Ashley asked again.

    "Yup.

    Who called?"

    Although he already knew, Andrew still asked. He wanted to hear the confirmation directly from Ashley.

    Ashley fell silent for a while.

    After a few minutes, she answered, "It was Jeremy."

    She still couldn''t call Jeremy, her older brother. Until now, she had not yet wholly epted the fact that

    they were siblings.

    "Did you tell him where we are?" Andrew asked.

    "Yes."

    Ashley turned around to look at him and added, "By the way, where is Angelina now?"

    "Why?"

    "I just want to ask her something. She almost had me and my baby killedst night. I can''t just let it

    pass," Ashley replied.

    "Don''t worry. I won''t let her go. I told Johnny to lock her up. After you get better, you can go and see

    her," Andrew said as he stroked Ashley''s hair gently.

    "Okay."

    All of a sudden, Ashley seemed to have thought of something.

    Feeling uneasy, she tugged Andrew''s sleeve and asked, "Do you think Jeremy will intercede for

    Angelina?"

    She was Jeremy''s real sister, but she couldn''t help feeling hesitant. They had never spent that much

    time together.

    Angelina on the other hand, was not Jeremy''s biological sister, but had been with Jeremy for a long

    time. Ashley was worried that Jeremy would take Angelina''s side.

    She didn''t know what she would do if Jeremy tried to protect Angelina.

    At that moment, Ashley fell into deep thought.

    Her heart was filled with misgivings.

    She didn''t know why she felt ufortable about it.

    Maybe because she still wasn''t totally convinced that she was really Jeremy''s biological sister.

    She thought about all those years that Jeremy and Angelina had a close bond as brother and sister.

    Ashley looked at Andrew. She couldn''t hide the uneasiness that she felt.

    "Don''t worry about that. Jeremy won''t protect Angelina," Andrew said as he held Ashley''s hand and

    squeezed it gently. It was his way of reassuring her.

    Andrew and Jeremy knew each other very well.

    Growing up together, they were the best of friends.

    Although Jeremy looked gentle, friendly, and polite, he also had a cold-blooded side.

    He would never tolerate anyone who did evil things.

    Andrew was confident about that.

    "Are you sure?"

    Ashley asked as she raised her head and met Andrew''s gaze.

    "Yes. So don''t worry, okay?"

    Somehow, Ashley felt relieved with Andrew''sforting words.

    She leaned on Andrew''s chest, and they chatted about other things for a while.

    All of a sudden, Ashley sat up straight and asked, "Do you believe that I am really Jeremy''s biological

    sister?"

    "Why? Are you still not sure about it?"

    "Honestly, I don''t know.

    I can''t even remember how I got lost. It was a long time ago. But I don''t think my family would throw me

    out deliberately.

    "I''m sure that they just lost me by ident."

    All these years, Ashley had been looking for her parents

    because she firmly believed that she was not abandoned by them.

    She also believed that they were looking for her too.

    But since she was just a small girl when she disappeared, it might have been difficult for them to find

    her.

    "Don''t worry. Whatever happens, I will be by your side,"

    Andrew said gently. He knew what was troubling Ashley, so he wanted tofort her.

    Ashley hugged him tightly. She was grateful that he was always there for her.

    They were enjoying their intimate moment when someone knocked on the door.

    Startled, Ashley let go of Andrew''s arms.

    She looked horrified.

    On the other hand, Andrew''s eyes darkened.

    "Maybe it''s Jeremy,"

    he said to Ashley.

    "Come in."

    Outside the ward, Jeremy heard Andrew''s voice telling him toe in. He subconsciously took a long

    and deep breath

    and tidied up his clothes. His assistant, who was behind him, found it strange to see him looking so

    nervous.

    As a matter of fact, Jeremy had never been so nervous before. Even when he first met Angelina, he

    didn''t feel like this.

    Maybe because he and Ashley were really rted by blood.

    "Mr. Gu?"

    his assistant called him from behind.

    "Just stay here and wait for me," Jeremy ordered his assistant.

    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "Yes, Mr. Gu."

    Jeremy then pushed the door open and walked in.

    The moment he saw Ashley lying on the bed, his nervousness was instantly reced with worry.

    Without thinking twice, he walked up to her and asked, "Ashley, what happened to you? Are you hurt?

    Tell me."

    Jeremy looked at Ashley worriedly.

    His voice was full of concern.

    Ashley thought that she would be nervous when she saw Jeremy again.

    But she was surprised when all she felt right now was warmth in her heart.

    She never knew that being cared for by one''s real family was like this.

    "I''m fine," Ashley answered, feeling a little embarrassed.

 Chapter 880 Hard To Choose

    Chapter 880 Hard To Choose

    The moment Ashley saw Jeremy reaching out his hand to her, intending to touch her, she immediately

    flinched away from him.

    Seeing this, Jeremy couldn''t help but feel embarrassed.

    Not once did he think that Ashley would ever be this distant towards him.

    In truth, Ashley still didn''t know how to act towards him.

    When she avoided his touch, it was almost a reflex from her subconscious. Even when she thought

    about it right after, she couldn''t find a reason why she acted that way.

    Jeremy''s hand hovered awkwardly in the air, while he was thinking of whether or not he should just

    draw his arm back.

    Seeing him like this, Ashley knew that he was embarrassed. The seconds felt like minutes as they

    stared at each other with slight difort.

    Feeling trapped, she turned to Andrew, her eyes asking him the question that was in her mind.

    In response, Andrew gave a prompt nod, hinting at her to do whatever she wanted. From the way he

    looked at her, Ashley knew that Andrew would take responsibility for anything that would happen no

    matter what.

    Luckily, Jeremy had a lot of experience when it came to business. There were multiple times that he

    had been in an embarrassing situation. Because of this, he was able to quickly regain hisposure.

    With a faint smile, Ashley flinched her hand back. There was a little bitterness on his face as Jeremy

    smiled back at her.

    "Ashley, I know what happenedst night. Don''t be afraid. I''m sure you want an exnation, and I can

    promise you that I''ll give you one,"

    Jeremy said while looking at Ashley intently.

    Andrew deliberately didn''t keep this information from Jeremy, so it was only a matter of time before

    word got out.

    Upon hearing those words, Ashley couldn''t help but ask the question that had been in her mind even

    before Jeremy arrived.

    "So what are you going to do with her?" she asked.

    Jeremy blinked, confused by her question. But when he saw her expectant eyes on him, he knew that

    he should reply carefully.

    Thest thing he wanted was to leave a bad impression on her. After all, it was his own fault that he

    had found Angelina and mistaken her for his missing sister.

    "I''ll do whatever you say," he replied with a shrug.

    Ashley bit on her lip, her eyes wandering over to the side as she thought about what she wanted to be

    done. Afterwards, she looked back up again at Jeremy. "I want her to leave J City," she finally said. "As

    far away as possible. Can you do that?"

    It took Ashley a lot of consideration toe up with this solution. There was no way that she could let

    Angelina get away scot-free after everything that she had done.

    Besides, Angelina had hurt Dany. Of course, the Mo Family would certainly not let go of Angelina

    either, and that''s another story.

    At this point, Ashley just wanted to see whether or not Jeremy would do as she asked.

    "Alright," Jeremy said with a nod. "If that''s what you wish. But is that really the only thing you want for

    her? Don''t you want to get back at her for all the things she''s done? She had hurt both you and your

    daughter after all."

    It was beyond Ashley''s expectations that Jeremy would say something like that--implying that sending

    off Angelina to a far and strange ce wasn''t enough as punishment.

    Jeremy looked at Ashley expectantly, waiting for her response.

    From his words, Jeremy already knew who Dany was.

    Ever since he had known that Dany was also Ashley''s child, he couldn''t help but feel much guiltier.

    If he didn''t make the mistake of identifying Angelina as his sister, perhaps he would have found Ashley

    sooner, or maybe Ashley would have been together with all her children happily now.

    Additionally, Ashley might not have left J City for so many years and would not have suffered as much.

    Still, with all this in mind, Ashley couldn''t help but feel surprised at how willingly Jeremy agreed to her

    request.

    After a while, Jeremy cracked a smile. "What''s the matter? You don''t think I''d agree to your request,

    right?"

    "To some degree, yes." Ashley nodded. "She has lived in the Gu Family for so many years and..."

    Although her words trailed off, everyone knew what she was trying to say.

    Even though Angelina had no blood ties with the Gu Family, it was inevitable for some of the family

    members to care for her after spending so much time together.

    Naturally, one would think that Jeremy would have some difficulty deciding. Should he stick with his

    biological sister that he had just known? Or the fake sister who had been with him for five years?

    But Jeremy chose Ashley in a heartbeat.

    "What are you talking about?" Jeremy lightly teased with a smile. He reached out and yfully rubbed

    the top of Ashley'' head. "You''re my sister. I''m on your side from now on. Besides, Angelina almost had

    you and my niece killed. How can I ever forgive someone like that?" he continued.

    Ashley''s face flushed. She didn''t expect that Jeremy would easily read her mind and exactly guess

    what she was thinking.

    All of a sudden, Andrew came up from behind and wrapped his arms around Ashley''s waist.

    ''Of course, '' Ashley sighed in her heart. ''Andrew''s jealous of Jeremy.'' Even before, whenever Ashley

    spoke to Jeremy for a long time or even nced at his direction, Andrew would get angry and divert

    her attention from Jeremy.

    After countless times, it became easier for Ashley to pacify his jealousy.

    However, things were about to get much different now.

    Jeremy, who had been one of Andrew''s close friends, was suddenly his brother-inw.

    At this point, Andrew was still a bit stubborn to ept this truth.

    If he had known that this would be the oue, he might not have told Jeremy what he knew.

    Meanwhile, Jeremy took out a piece of paper from his coat pocket. Inside was the strand of hair from

    Ashley that he had used for the DNA test.

    The results came out quickly.

    When he had seen the pendant, he was already sure that Ashley was his biological sister.

    However, considering that he had been fooled by Angelina, he didn''t take any chances and made sure

    that he was extra thorough in confirming Ashley''s identity.

    He even made sure that his trusted men kept a close eye on the whole procedure to ensure the

    absolute uracy and legitimacy of the DNA test. When he got the results, he didn''t even show it to

    anyone else as an additionalyer of security.

    From this, there was no doubt in his mind that Ashley was indeed his long lost sister.

    "Please, take a look at this," Jeremy said as he handed the test results to Ashley. "Then, you will know

    the truth."

    Furrowing her delicate eyebrows, Ashley took the paper and read it carefully.

    There were a lot of different data and medical jargon written, but there were still parts of the report

    which she could understand.

    Finally, Ashley fixed her eyes at the bottom page: 99.9% DNA match.

    So, she really was Jeremy Gu''s sister?

    Ashley was stunned for a while. She turned around and looked at Andrew.

    She didn''t know what kind of expression she should have.

    Andrew took the report from Ashley''s hand and read it carefully.

    "Looks like it really is true," Andrew said.

    "So, do you believe me now?" Jeremy asked.

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "I had already guessed it when you took out the pendant. I never doubted it either, to be honest," he

    added.

    At that moment, there were a lot of mixed feelings flooding Ashley''s heart.

    Ashley looked at Jeremy with her eyes and mouth wide open. For a few seconds, she waspletely

    rendered speechless.

    All of a sudden, Ashley retched as her face grew pale.

    "rrgh!" Ashley suddenly retched, feeling nauseated.

 Chapter 881 I Dont Want The Baby

    Chapter 881 I Don''t Want The Baby

    Ashley frowned and covered her mouth with her hands. She felt miserable and felt like vomiting.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "Ash!"

    The two men looked at Ashley nervously, trying to guess what was wrong with her.

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "I''ll call the doctor right away," Jeremy said anxiously.

    With her eyes wide open, Ashley suddenly stood up and pulled Jeremy back, shaking her head. She

    didn''t want him call the doctor.

    After a while, the nausea had subsided.

    She had just retched so Ashley''s eyes were red and swollen. They were also filled with tears.

    She pulled herself together and said, "I''m fine. It''s just a normal pregnancy reaction. You don''t have to

    worry."

    But after reassuring the two men, she suddenly felt nauseated once again, and it was more intense

    thanst time.

    Immediately, she threw back the covers and rushed towards the washroom.

    The two men looked at each other helplessly and didn''t know what to do.

    Considering the situation she was in, it seemed that she wasn''t fine at all.

    Truth to be told, the two of them couldn''t understand what a normal pregnancy reaction was.

    While Ashley was in the washroom, Jeremy took out his phone and searched online for information on

    pregnancy reactions.

    He immediately got a lot in the search results.

    One of them read, "At the early stages of pregnancy, the hormone levels in a woman''s body increases,

    resulting in nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. These are some of themon signs of pregnancy.

    However, none of these signs need any special treatment. They will eventually disappear after the third

    month.

    If a pregnant woman has severe reactions loses her appetite, she should be sent to the hospital as

    soon as possible for proper treatment which may include but not limited to transfusion.

    Diet for a pregnant woman should be light, easy to digest and must be consumed in small frequent

    meals."

    Jeremy looked carefully at the search results and those were indeed helpful.

    He was too concerned, and anyone who didn''t know about them would think that he was Ashley''s

    boyfriend.

    After knowing that it was just a natural reaction, Jeremy felt relieved. He breathed a sigh of relief.

    "Don''t worry, Andrew. It was a normal reaction." Jeremy showed his cell phone to Andrew after he

    finished reading.

    Andrew took Jeremy''s cell phone from his hand and looked at it quickly.

    However, even after going through the search results, he kept frowning.

    ''It would have been better if she had not gotten pregnant, '' he thought.

    Andrew loved her so much that seeing her suffer every day pained him. He was afraid that he might

    lose control of himself.

    He already hated the unborn child who made his beloved woman suffer like this.

    "What''s wrong? Didn''t you read the search results? Why do you still look like that?"

    Even after Jeremy showed the articles on pregnancy to Andrew, he was still frowning.

    Jeremy found it hard to figure out what his friend was thinking.

    "Can I give up this baby?"

    Andrew asked, looking at Jeremy suddenly.

    Jeremy was so shocked by Andrew''s words that he didn''t know how to react.

    Then, he looked at Andrew in disbelief and said, "Do you know what you just said?

    That''s your child and my nephew or niece. How could you give it up just like that? Don''t even dare say

    that in front of Ashley."

    Jeremy could tell that Ashley already loved the child in her womb so much and really cared for it.

    But he didn''t expect that Andrew would even think of giving it up.

    It was just unthinkable if they gave up the baby.

    Ashley was in the washroom for quite a while. After some time, she felt better. Then she washed her

    mouth with water and came out.

    As soon as she came out, she observed that Jeremy and Andrew were sitting very close to each other.

    She guessed that they were discussing something serious.

    Confused, she walked up to them and asked, "What are you both talking about?"

    Jeremy quickly replied, "Nothing, Ashley. You came out so soon? How are you? Do you feel better

    now?"

    "I am okay now," said Ashley.

    Andrew frowned and gazed at Ashley. "Did you have the same reaction when you were pregnant with

    the twins?"

    Ashley shook her head and walked to the window. She withdrew the curtain and opened the window,

    so that the wind could blow in. She gazed outside, and felt the cold breeze blowing on her face.

    Then she turned around and answered Andrew''s question, "No. When I was pregnant with Fabio and

    Dany, there were no such reactions in the first few months. Even before I was about to give birth, I just

    had some light reactions.

    The reactions were not as intense back then. The two babies were obedient in my belly at that time.

    But this child..." With a gentle smile on her face, Ashley reached out and touched her belly.

    "I don''t know if it''s because of the incidents of the previous night. This baby in my belly is too active and

    naughty."

    However, it turned out that she was already two months pregnant. She should have had such reactions

    much earlier.

    Maybe, it was because she was frightened and much too stressed by what happenedst night.

    Ashley stroked her belly gently.

    After all, there was another life in her again.

    "How much longer before it subsides?" Of course that was Andrew''s biggest concern.

    If Ashley had to vomit every day as she did just now, that might affect her health.

    Ashley frowned hearing his question. She really didn''t know how to answer that.

    "I''m not sure exactly. Maybe I''ll be all right after a period of time. After the baby gets bigger, everything

    will be fine."

    While they were discussing the baby''s condition, someone knocked at the door.

    All of them stopped talking at once. The whole room was quiet and all of them stared at the door.

    When Ashley was about to open the door, Jeremy quickly walked to the door and said, "Ashley, sit

    down. I''ll get the door."

    Ashley was rendered speechless by the gesture.

    Andrew also said nothing.

    When Jeremy opened the door, a person was standing outside. He was so charming that Jeremy

    couldn''t tell if it was a man or a woman.

    At this moment, the man ignored Jeremy and tried to get a view of the inside of the room. He wasn''t so

    happy to see Jeremy at the door.

    Carrying a little girl in his arms, he was looking into the direction of Ashley and Andrew.

    The little girl along with him was Dany.

    Jeremy looked at Cayn in confusion. Even though he knew him, he was truly confused to see him

    there.

    However, everything became clear the moment he saw Dany in Cayn''s arms.

    Dany looked at Jeremy with her big eyes and blinked.

    Jeremy immediately found the little girl to be adorable.

    "Come in,"

    Jeremy said in a soft voice, looking at Dany.

    She was so cute!

    The little girl was his niece.

    "Who is it?"

    Ashley looked outside, confused.

    "Mommy!"

    Hearing her mommy''s voice, Dany, who was in Cayn''s arms, began to wiggle free from his

    hold.

 Chapter 882 Parents

    Chapter 882 Parents

    Looking at Dany trying to break free from his arms, disappointment was written all over Cayn''s face.

    Ever since the little girl had woken up, she had been looking for Ashley. She didn''t want anyone except

    Ashley.

    She even ignored Cayn, the father that she had known and the one who had taken care of her for so

    long.

    How could Cayn not be jealous of that?

    "Don''t move, or I really won''t let you go if you continue doing this," Cayn warned in a deep voice.

    Upon hearing that, Dany didn''t dare to move anymore. She just blinked at him with a pout on her lips.

    Even then, the girl looked really cute.

    However, Cayn wasn''t that moved by how cute she looked.

    The grudges in his heart just bore deeper.

    Ever since the incident, Dany had been missing Ashley. She waspletely indifferent to Cayn.

    "Babyy!"

    Ashley eximed when she saw Dany and Cayn. She looked at Dany in surprise and walked over to

    the girl in a hurry.

    "Dany, are you okay? Does your face still hurt? Is it painful anywhere?"

    "No, Mommy. What about you? Are you okay?"

    Dany asked, while looking at Ashley. In reply to Ashley''s question, she shook her head.

    "Mommy is fine, too."

    Once more, Dany struggled out of Cayn''s arms so that she could throw herself into Ashley''s arms.

    At the sight of this, Cayn looked at Ashley with displeasure, but he still ced Dany into Ashley''s arms.

    He would never admit it, but he was extremely jealous.

    When Ashley was finally able to hold Dany, she looked so content and at peace.

    "Ashley, why is your daughter with Cayn?"

    Jeremy asked with a bit of confusion. Although he already knew that Dany was Ashley''s child, he still

    couldn''t understand why her child was with Cayn.

    Upon hearing that, Ashley adjusted Dany in her arms and narrowed her eyes at Cayn.

    "You''re the thief who stole my daughter and still has the audacity to deprive her of her mother. Now that

    I''ve found Dany. You won''t every your filthy hands on her again. Dany is mine. She has never been

    yours!"

    "Mommy?" Dany didn''t know why Ashley was suddenly furious.

    "Dany, you''re my child, and your father is this man, not him. Do you want to be with Mommy?"

    Ashley asked in a soft voice while looking at Dany.

    This question sounded a little cruel to ask a child, but Ashley wanted to get an answer, an affirmative

    one.

    Dany was hers and not Cayn''s.

    What was more, it was Cayn''s doing, that Dany was kidnapped.

    Upon hearing Ashley''s words, Dany looked at her. Then, she looked at Cayn and back at Ashley. She

    kept on turning her little head between Ashley and Cayn. For a while, she didn''t give an answer and

    remained silent.

    She liked Ashley, the mommy she had always wanted.

    But she also liked her daddy.

    Dany and Cayn had lived together since she could remember, so it was no surprise that they meant so

    much to each other.

    What was more, it hadn''t been that long that Dany got acquainted with Ashley.

    Then, Cayn approached Ashley. "I have raised Dany since she was a little baby. As I''ve said, Dany is

    mine. You just gave birth to her. For so many years, you have never been a mother to her. You can''t

    change the fact that you''ve been absent in her life all these years."

    Cayn then took Dany from Ashley''s arms with so much force. When the child was pulled out of her

    arms, Ashley almost lost her bnce and fell to the ground.

    Fortunately, Andrew caught Ashley in his arms. He then red at Cayn with furrowed eyebrows.

    Jeremy was not an exception. He frowned towards Cayn''s direction.

    Ashley grabbed Andrew''s hand very tightly and red at Cayn as well.

    "How dare you! How could you say that to me? Aren''t you ashamed of yourself? The fact is that I never

    had the chance to raise her. Right after I gave birth to her, she was taken away from me. How then

    could I be in her life? Give her back to me!"

    Ashley yelled hysterically.

    "What are you doing? The fetus inside the patient is quite unstable. Pregnant women can''t be too

    agitated or stressed. It is not good for the growth of the baby."

    While they were arguing with each other, the female doctor who had performed a physical check-up on

    Ashley came in.

    She had a deep frown on her face when she saw how Ashley was screaming with so much agitation.

    So she thought of giving them a kind reminder.

    After all, it was not the first time for Ashley to be a mother. How could she be so impulsive?

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Hearing what the doctor said, Ashley subconsciously ced her hands on her belly and nodded to the

    doctor. "Thank you, Doctor. I understand."

    "Well, keep in mind that you''re not alone now. You are carrying another human being inside of you. So

    you must always consider that, no matter what you''re going to do in the future, okay?"

    Primarily, the Doctor came in to check how Ashley was doing and discuss with her some precautions

    about her pregnancy.

    But when the doctor noticed that the ward was filled with so many people and that Ashley was too

    worked up, she figured that something might have happened.

    She then left after reminding Ashley once again. On the way out, she couldn''t help but shake her head.

    She just witnessed how difficult it was to live with a wealthy family.

    After the doctor left, Andrew helped Ashley to sit down. All throughout, Ashley just stared at him.

    "Honey, please calm down.

    Leave this up to me."

    Ashley knew well enough that Andrew was doing it for the sake of the baby and her, so she didn''t

    refuse.

    Meanwhile, Jeremy looked at Dany and said, "Dany,e here. Let me hug you. I''m your uncle." He

    gently looked at the baby and reached out his hand to her.

    Dany looked at Jeremy and then turned to Cayn without saying anything.

    She was onlyfortable with Ashley.

    Andrew walked over to Dany and looked at her. Then, he asked, "Do you think you still have the ability

    to protect Dany right now?" This question, in fact, was directed at Cayn, even though Andrew''s eyes

    were fixated on the child.

    "What do you mean?"

    Cayn responded while he narrowed his eyes at Andrew.

    "I meant what I said. Thest time, it was just an ident that Dany was kidnapped. But you have no

    idea how many simr idents can ur in the future. What if it happens again?"

    It was one of the rare times that Andrew talked much more than he used to.

    Still holding Dany in his arms, Cayn responded, "No one has ever expected that such a thing would

    happen. Even I didn''t, so I promise that this will never happen again in the days toe."

    "Can you really promise that? How long can I hold you onto that promise? We can argue all day, but it

    will always remain true that Dany is our child, not yours. What if something happens to her, or she

    bes missing? We will always be worried about her safety. It''s only natural since we are her

    parents."

    On the other hand, how much do you think you are going to be worried about her? How much do you

    care about her?"

    Andrew stated without removing his eyes from Dany.

    "Well, if I give Dany to you, are you sure that she won''t be hurt? Don''t forget that we are almost the

    same type of people."

    Cayn meant that their family background and social status were nearly the same. So it was very likely

    that what had happened to Dany would happen again, even if she was under Andrew and Ashley''s

    protection.

 Chapter 883 Who Do You Want To Be With

    Chapter 883 Who Do You Want To Be With

    Both Andrew and Cayn were involved in various kinds of businesses.

    Although they held high positions now, they still had enemies. They always faced multiple threats from

    various adversaries. It was still possible for someone to suddenly kidnap their children or do some bad

    things to their family members.

    That was why, Cayn didn''t trust anyone when it came to Dany''s safety.

    He had always been the only one taking good care of her.

    As a result, he didn''t expect that such a thing would happen to Dany.

    Andrew responded, "At least we are her biological parents. I can assure you that we can offer her

    better protection."

    Hearing this, Cayn held Dany more tightly.

    He stared at Andrew for a while with eyes filled with coldness.

    But at the same time, he still smiled brightly when he nced at Dany in his arms.

    Standing aside, Jeremy didn''t say anything. Though Dany was his niece, she was still unfamiliar with

    him.

    Nheless, if Cayn wouldn''t give Dany back to her real parents, Jeremy would join hands with

    Andrew to get his child back.

    No one uttered a word after what Andrew said.

    There was a moment of silence in the whole ward.

    After what seemed like a long while, Cayn spoke, "In that case, let Dany make a decision, herself. Ad

    we can''t interfere with her decision.

    What do you think?"

    "No way!

    Of course she will choose to be with you, as she has been living with you for so many years,"

    Ashley said, concerned.

    "Okay."

    However, Andrew agreed to the suggestion as soon as Ashley finished speaking.

    Looking at Andrew in disbelief, Ashley stood up and said, "No, you can''t do this. I don''t agree to this.

    Andy, you really can''t do this! My daughter has lived with him for such a long time, so she will naturally

    choose to be with him. What if she chooses him again? Then what shall we do? She is our daughter. I

    can''t let this happen!"

    Ashley said in a determined voice.

    Andrew patted her shoulder tofort her. Then he said, "Don''t worry. Have faith in me."

    "No way. I can''t allow this!"

    Earlier, Cayn was very confident that Dany would choose to be with him. But he wasn''t quite sure now.

    He put Dany down and asked, "Honey, who do you want to be with? Daddy or Mommy?"

    Ashley looked at Dany with great expectation.

    Dany took a look at Cayn and then at Ashley, standing still. The poor kid was in a daze.

    Although she didn''t make a move, Cayn still had a confident look on his face. However, Ashley looked

    quite confused and anxious.

    As for Cayn, he seemed much calmer than Ashley.

    "Honey,"

    Ashley couldn''t help calling out to her daughter.

    Although it was true that Dany was her baby, Cayn had been caring for her for such a long time.

    Since the two of them had been together for five years now, there must be a very tight bond between

    them. Ashley felt quite distressed while thinking about this.

    Standing in the middle, Dany kept silent for a long time. She stared back and forth between Cayn and

    Ashley.

    Then all of a sudden, she couldn''t help but cry.

    It wasn''t a loud cry, but it was one filled with grief.

    She kept silent while tears were rolling down her face, and it was heartbreaking for anyone to see her

    like this.

    She just kept crying, showing no signs of stopping.

    "Baby, what''s wrong? Don''t cry. I''m so sorry. It''s my fault. I shouldn''t have let you do this."

    Seeing her kid crying, Ashley couldn''t be calm any more.

    She quickly ran towards Dany and held her in her arms, trying desperately to calm her down.

    "I want both Mommy and Daddy," Dany said, sobbing.

    Ashley held her dear daughter, listening to her trembling voice.

    She felt sorry for her daughter. After all, it was too hard a decision for a child.

    "Fine. Forget it, my baby. You don''t need to make a choice now.

    Seeing how unhappy her child was, Ashley also felt very sad.

    She should have thought about it more thoroughly.

    Since Dany and Cayn had lived together for a long time, it was just natural that they had already

    formed a bond.

    Besides, the girl had known Ashley for only a month.

    Considering the whole situation, Ashley was satisfied, for the time being. At least Dany didn''t directly

    choose to be with Cayn.

    But she also knew that asking Dany to make a decision was unreasonable.

    Dany was still a little girl. Ultimately, she should have been kept away from getting involved in such

    complicated matters.

    With all these thoughts, Ashley tried tofort herself.

    Now that she had found her baby and knew where she was staying. She should have been satisfied.

    Still, why did she force her child to make a choice? It didn''t make sense.

    Holding Dany in her arms, she walked towards Cayn. "Take her away. She will be with you for now.

    There is no need for her to make a decision.

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    But you must promise me one thing. In the future, if we want to see her, we should be allowed toe

    at any time. You shouldn''t stop us. After all, we are her parents."

    Without answering Ashley, Cayn held Dany in his arms and left the ward.

    His footsteps faded away slowly.

    Ashley felt pained in her heart. Finally, she couldn''t help but cry.

    Dany was her biological daughter. How could she not be sad?

    Andrew came closer to Ashley and held her in his arms. She held him back tightly and said, "Andrew..."

    He patted her shoulder tofort her silently.

    "It''s okay now."

    Ashley didn''t know how long she cried in his arms.

    Finally, she fell asleep in his arms.

    Andrew didn''t know it at first, but after Jeremy took a look at Ashley, he reminded him.

    It was not until then that Andrew realized Ashley had already fallen asleep.

    Then he carefullyy Ashley on the bed and tucked her in. After taking a look at Jeremy, he left the

    ward with him following.

    As soon as they were out of the ward, Jeremy couldn''t help but ask, "Now that we''ve found Ashley,

    when can she go back to meet my family?"

    Although he and Andrew grew up together, Jeremy still felt strange when he thought of the fact that

    Andrew had be his brother-inw.

    But since Andrew had been treating Ashley well, Jeremy felt relieved.

    He knew clearly what kind of person Andrew was. He also knew how much he cared for her.

    Therefore, Jeremy was relieved to let him take care of Ashley.

    Yet, there was still one thing that Jeremy was concerned about.

    It was about when Ashley could go and meet the Gu Family.

    After a moment''s silence, Andrew looked at Jeremy without changing his expression and said, "I don''t

    know."

 Chapter 884 Depends On Her

    Chapter 884 Depends On Her

    Before Jeremy could say anything, Andrew spoke once again, "I can''t make a decision for Ash. This

    one really depends on her."

    Jeremy wanted to respond, but Andrew didn''t give him the chance. With his arms, he pushed his friend

    away.

    In truth, Andrew had always wanted to do that, especially when he saw Ashley and Jeremy talking.

    Although Jeremy and Ashley were now confirmed siblings, it was still unbearable for Andrew to allow

    Jeremy to spend too much time with Ashley.

    If Jeremy wasn''t Ashley''s brother and they were just good friends, would Andrew have let him stay that

    long?

    Of course, the answer was no.

    Andrew would never let it happen.

    It was actually very kind of him to let Jeremy stay until now.

    When Jeremy was about to leave, he looked at Andrew in disbelief.

    He didn''t expect that Andrew would make him leave like that.

    To make it worse, Andrew even pushed him away.

    Outside the hospital, the assistant had been waiting for Jeremy. When she saw the mane out, she

    quickly walked up to him and asked, "Mr. Gu, how was it?"

    When she noticed the expression on Jeremy''s face, the assistant became confused.

    Her boss was fine when he went in.

    Why was he looking pale when he came out?

    Jeremy replied, "It''s fine. Well, let''s go back to the office.

    But keep an eye on them. Let me know if anything happens, okay?"

    "Yes, boss."

    They got in the car and were about to head for thepany.

    But after thinking twice, Jeremy said to the driver, "Let''s drop by the other hospital first."

    He had juste out of the hospital. Now, they was going to another hospital, so the assistant was a

    little perplexed.

    However, the hospital that Jeremy just mentioned was the one where Belinda was admitted to. A few

    days earlier, she was so upset that she fainted and immediately needed hospital care.

    Jeremy knew that Belinda did not want to see him now.

    But he really needed to visit her, because

    he wanted to know how she was doing.

    Besides, he also wanted to share the good news with his mother.

    When Jeremy reached the other hospital, his mother was in the ward by herself. She was facing the

    window and looking at the scenery outside. It was hard to tell what she was thinking at that moment.

    Jeremy looked around, but he didn''t see his father.

    Looking back at his mother, Jeremy felt a little ufortable. Even just by sitting on the bed, Belinda

    looked much older than before.

    Jeremy acknowledged that from the root of all this fiasco, until now, it was all his fault. He was

    responsible for making his parents believe that the wrong person was their daughter.

    If he had just been more reliable, his parents would not be subjected to so much disappointment and

    pain.

    Jeremy entered the ward and softly called, "Mother."

    Belinda continued staring out of the window. She neither turned her head nor looked at Jeremy.

    "Mother." Jeremy could only look at his mother who was ignoring him. It made him feel even worse. But

    more importantly, he was worried about her health.

    After Angelina, the person they thought was Camelia, was supposedly found, Belinda''s physical and

    health condition had be much better.

    However, none of them had expected that something like this would happen afterwards.

    As a result, Belinda''s physical health condition had visibly deteriorated.

    Jeremy walked over to Belinda''s side, reached out, and held her hand. "Mother, it hurts me to see you

    like this. I know it''s my fault. It was me who found the wrong person. For so long, it mad e you happy

    for nothing. You can hit me or scold me. But Mother, please don''t scare me like this."

    If Belinda had beat him or scolded him, Jeremy might have felt so much better.

    But now, Belinda was just sitting quietly, doing nothing.

    She wouldn''t even talk to him or at the very least, look at him.

    Seeing his mother in this state, Jeremy became extremely worried about her, especially her health.

    Belinda pulled back her hand from Jeremy''s and said, "Why should I hit or scold you?"

    Jeremy opened his mouth to say something. But he only felt a bit overwhelmed, unable to say

    anything.

    After a while, Jeremy adjusted his way of thinking. When he thought of Ashley, a smile instantly

    appeared on his face.

    While looking at Belinda, he enthusiastically said, "Mother, I have a piece of good news. It''s absolutely

    real this time!"

    "What news are you talking about? Are you trying to tell me that Camelia has actually been found?"

    It was not until this moment that Belinda turned her attention to Jeremy.

    "Yes, Mother. I''ve actually found Camelia!"

    Jeremy looked at Belinda with so much excitement.

    However, Belinda did not seem ecstatic at all.

    Perhaps, she didn''t trust that her son had found the right person as he had done with Angelina.

    "Mother, it''s real this time. I''ve found Camelia."

    Jeremy was a little rmed when he noticed that Belinda refused to believe him.

    He had found the true Camelia, but why couldn''t his mother believe him?

    Belinda turned his eyes into Jeremy''s. Although her voice was faint, the tenderness in it could still be

    heard.

    "I just found out that the woman you have taken back years before is not Camelia. And now, after only

    a few days, you''re telling me that you''ve found the real Camelia this time?

    Jeremy, even if you want to make me happy, you can''t make a joke out of this."

    "Mother, I''m not kidding. It was Andrew who told me about her. If you don''t believe me, you must

    believe him, right?

    When has he ever lied to anyone?

    Also, look! What''s this?"

    Jeremy suddenly stretched out his arms. Then, two pendants on a ne fell on Belinda''s open

    palm.

    Belinda looked at the two pendants in a daze.

    No one knew those two pendants better than her.

    Belinda gave Camelia one of the pendants when she was one month old. The other one, she gave to

    Jeremy when he was six months old.

    Belinda reached out her trembling hand and took the pendant from Jeremy.

    Looking at the abbreviations of Jeremy''s name and Camelia''s name on the pendants, she held the

    pieces very tightly in her hand.

    "Where did you find it?"

    "You''ll have to believe me now, right?"

    Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief when Belinda took the pendants.

    He had thought of returning the pendant to Ashley when he went to see her today.

    But after a series of dramatic events, Jeremy had forgotten about it. Even when he was with her just a

    few hours earlier, it didn''t cross his mind to give the pendant back to Ashley.

    Hence, he just took the piece with him.

    He did not even expect that it could help him in this conversation with his mother.

    Jeremy told his mother everything that Andrew had said to him, including all of the things about Ashley

    and the pendant that belonged to her.

    Ashley wore the pendant all the time.

    "Really? Where is she now? I want to see her." Immediately, Belinda lifted the quilt which was covering

    her legs. She was wanted leave the ward immediately.

    "Mother, please calm down."

    Jeremy had juste from the hospital where Ashley confined.

    Since he had been driven out from there by Andrew, Jeremy thought that it wasn''t the right time for

    Belinda to see Ashley. He tried to stop his mother.

    "Who do you want to see?"

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    An old man''s voice came from the door. It was Martin who was entering the ward.

    He frowned deeply at the sight of Belinda who had already gotten out of bed.

    "Who allowed you to get out of the bed? Go back in there and lie down."

    He thought that Belinda was not taking care of herself very well, so he could not help but be strict on

    her.

 Chapter 885 Double Happiness

    Chapter 885 Double Happiness

    "No. I need to go see Camelia now,"

    Belinda said, not caring about what Martin had just said to her.

    The only thing that mattered to her right now was to go and see Camelia.

    "That''s enough!" Martin barked strictly. "Why can''t you just stay in bed? Do you want to get hospitalized

    for an entire month? You know that you can''t go anywhere given your current condition!"

    Naturally, he was more worried about Belinda''s well-being above anything else, so her stubbornness

    was making him a bit angry.

    Just a few days earlier, her health had suffered because of all the trouble that Angelina had caused in

    their lives.

    Even though Belinda had been resting since then, she had not yet fully recovered.

    Who could''ve possibly told her what had happened?

    Martin shifted his gaze to Jeremy, his eyes filled with helplessness and annoyance.

    "Please listen to me, mother," Jeremy said as he gently pulled Belinda back. "We already found

    Camelia, but she''s in hospital now. We can go there and visit her as soon as you get better."

    "What? What happened? Why is she in the hospital? What happened to her?"

    Belinda asked as she tightly held Jeremy''s hand. Her face was filled with so much anxiety and concern.

    "Don''t worry. She''s fine. It''s just that... well... she''s expecting,"

    Jeremy said with a hint of slyness.

    Even Martin, who had been wanting to drive Jeremy out ever since he got there, was stunned into

    silence.

    ''Did... did I hear that right?

    Belinda was going to be... a grandmother?

    That would also make me...'' Martin''s thoughts trailed off as he slowly digested the news.

    The couple stared at Jeremy with disbelief.

    "What did you just say?" Belinda asked a few momentster. "Did I hear it wrong? Are you saying that

    Camelia is pregnant? I''m really going to be a grandmother?"

    Seeing his mother''s eyes light up with joy, Jeremy couldn''t help but beam widely.

    "To some degree, yes," he nodded. "The only thing is that you''re not going to be a grandmother. You

    already are one!"

    The first time Jeremy saw Fabio, he thought the child was like a cute, miniature version of Andrew.

    He had already liked Fabio at that time, and it was such a rather pleasing surprise when he found out

    that he was actually his nephew.

    More importantly, he had already met Ashley countless times before. Not once had it ever urred to

    him that she was his biological sister! All this time, his lost sibling had been in in sight.

    "What do you mean?"

    Belinda pressed, looking even more surprised than before.

    It was just one big revtion after another!

    Both Belinda and Martin were in a daze.

    "It is what it is. You''re already grandparents! For about four or five years now actually."

    Martin''s mouth was open in shock as he heard this. He had not been able to utter a single word since

    the Jeremy told them that they were already grandparents.

    Meanwhile, Belinda still couldn''t believe what she had just heard!

    ''I''m...

    We have a grandchild? I''m a grandmother?'' she repeated in her head.

    "Are... Are you really, really sure?"

    Belinda just had to ask Jeremy again. Her hand trembled slightly as she tightly gripped his arm.

    "Yes. I''ve visited Camelia today. This isn''t like before. I was extremely thorough." Jeremy paused to get

    a piece of paper from his pocket. "These are the DNA test results," he said, handing it to Belinda, "I

    made sure that there was someone I trusted to keep a close eye on the whole process. The results

    have been verified."

    Belinda quickly scanned the piece of paper, her eyes widening. "When you get better," Jeremy added.

    "I will take you to see Camelia. Okay?"

    "I want to see Camelia now,"

    Belinda gasped, feeling a bit out of breath.

    Hearing this, Jeremy nced back at his father. Martin was still recovering from the news, but slowly

    shook his head in response. "No," Martin muttered, "You have not fully recovered yet."

    "I feel fine! It''ll make me feel worse if I can''t go see Camelia now. Please, Martin... Just let me see her."

    "Mom, I assure you that Camelia is fine and she''s not going anywhere. Besides, since she''s pregnant,

    she''s asleep most of the time. Even if you go to the hospital right now, there''s a good chance that you

    might not be able to see her.

    There''s no guarantee that you''ll even be able to get near her."

    Of course, when Jeremy said thatst part, he was talking about Andrew.

    They had been friends for quite some time now, and Jeremy knew what kind of person Andrew was.

    "We''ll go see Camelia together as soon as you get better. I promise,"

    Jeremy said gently.

    He had nned to tell his parents what had happened in hopes of making Belinda feel happier and

    more rxed.

    It wasn''t his expectation that his mother would react this way and insist on seeing Camelia now.

    Although Belinda really wanted to see Camelia, it seemed that there was no way Jeremy and Martin

    were going to let that happen.

    "Okay, you two have to promise me. When I get better, we will go to see Camelia immediately," said

    Belinda.

    "We promise, Mom. I will take you to visit Camelia and your grandchildren. Don''t worry."

    When Jeremy came to the hospital to visit his mother, he had nned on staying only for a short time

    to tell them the news about Camelia so that he could still go to thepany headquarters afterwards.

    However, Belinda held tightly onto his hand, asking him all sorts of questions about Camelia. Jeremy

    didn''t have any other choice but to stay and tell them everything he knew about Ashley.

    There really wasn''t much for him to tell them. After all, he had only recently found out about Camelia''s

    identity.

    About an hour or soter, Jeremy was able to leave the hospital.

    "Here you go, boss," his assistant said as he handed him a bottle of water. "Thank you." Jeremy took

    big gulps, nearly finishing the entire bottle.

    He didn''t realize how parched and tired he was. Despite this, there was still so much energy running

    through him.

    It was most likely because of the euphoria of finding his biological sister and sharing the news with the

    rest of his family.

    "Are you going to thepany headquarters now, boss?"

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    After handing the bottle back to his assistant, Jeremy lightly rubbed his eyes.

    "Yes," he sighed.

    "I need to deal with some urgent matters. It''s best to get those out of the way."

    ''And then, I''ll have more time to go and see Ashley, '' he thought to himself.

    The idea of getting to spend time with her made him feel more motivated to get his job done as quickly

    as possible.

    ''He sure seems to be in a good mood now.'' the assistant observed. ''I can only guess that it''s because

    of the youngdy of the Gu Family.

    Thest time I saw him like this was when he found Angelina.''

    Meanwhile, "Dany, Dany!" Ashley sat up in the bed suddenly with cold sweat on her forehead.

    Hearing Ashley''s voice, Andrew turned on the light at once.

    "What''s wrong? Ash? Are you alright?" Andrew helped Ashley sit up.

    He couldn''t help frowning when he saw the sweat on Ashley''s forehead.

    "I''m fine... I''m fine," Ashley gasped as she held Andrew''s hand.

    Feeling his warm hand in hers made her feel a whole lot better.

    "It was just a dream about Dany. I dreamt that Cayn hid her. And no matter how hard we tried, we

    couldn''t find her anywhere,"

    Ashley exined in a low voice as she buried herself in Andrew''s arms.

    "I just don''t understand. Why does Cayn have to forbid us from seeing Dany?"

 Chapter 886 I Dont Agree.

    Chapter 886 I Don''t Agree.

    Ashley raised her head and looked into Andrew''s eyes intently.

    "No, you won''t. It''s not reality. It''s just your dream. You know dreams are never real." Andrewforted

    her.

    "Do you think I made the wrong decision yesterday? I shouldn''t have given Andy to Cayn, right? What

    do you think?" Ashley said with such mncholy.

    "No!"

    However, Andrew didn''t share his opinion. He listened carefully to what she said and thought what she

    did was right.

    The following day when Ashley woke up, Andrew had already left.

    She took her phone in a hurry. Why didn''t her rm ring? She thought she was going to bete for

    work.

    Then, her eyes fell on the bedside table. She was surprised to see a note stuck on it.

    Immediately, she picked it up and read it.

    "From today on, you don''t have to go to work. Stay at home and take good care of yourself and the

    baby."

    The handwriting on the note was vigorous and aggressive.

    She recognized his handwriting as soon as she saw it.

    Ashley reflected upon it, cing the note on her chest, smiling.

    She didn''t expect that Andrew would write a note for her.

    So she didn''t need to go to work from that day on?

    Ashley frowned. She felt bored staying at home alone!

    But soon, she got used to the gentle pace of living.

    After lying on the bed for quite a while, Ashley got up, brushed her teeth and washed her face.

    Then she went downstairs.

    Linda had already served breakfast on the dining table. "Good morning, Mrs. Lu!" Linda greeted.

    Linda held Ashley and looked at her belly carefully.

    "I''m fine, Linda. I''m not that fragile," Ashley smiled contentedly.

    "Oh, mydy, you''re pregnant now. You should know how important it is to take care of yourself. You

    need to be careful no matter what you do!"

    Linda said as she looked at Ashley with concern.

    The breakfast served differed from the usual. It included food rich in nutrients for pregnant women.

    After having breakfast, Ashley sat on the sofa and watched TV for a while.

    After some time, she felt a little bored.

    "Where is Grandpa?" Ashley asked.

    "He has gone out fishing with someone."

    Every day after sending Fabio and Richard to school, Chant went fishing for pleasure.

    When it was time for Fabio and Richard to return home, he would pick them up from school.

    Sitting on the sofa, Ashley thought for a while. Then she grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and

    started to draw.

    When Ashley was immersed in her own thoughts, she didn''t notice the door of the vi open.

    Linda had opened the door and saw a man standing in front of her, holding a little girl. Actually, the man

    was no stranger to her.

    Why did hee to the Lu family vi so early in the morning? Was there something wrong?

    "Mr. Mo, what brought you here?" Linda asked Cayn, confused.

    "Is Ashley home?" asked Cayn.

    "Yes, she is in the living room. Pleasee in!"

    Linda said and smiled at Dany.

    As soon as Dany entered the living room, she gave a bright smile and ran towards Ashley.

    "Mommy!"

    Ashley was busy drawing when she suddenly heard the girl''s voice.

    At that moment, the pen in her hand stopped almost instantly.

    Was she dreaming?

    But she heard Dany''s voice clearly.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Still, Ashley didn''t raise her head. She thought for a second before shaking her head repeatedly.

    ''Dany is with Cayn. Maybe she''s in school. Why do I hear her voice?'' Ashley wondered.

    ''Maybe it''s because I miss her so much.''

    She shook her head once again and continued drawing.

    "Mommy!"

    Dany called out again as she stepped up to Ashley.

    Seeing her mommy, Dany turned around and looked back at Cayn. She pouted and felt a little

    aggrieved at that moment.

    Atst, Cayn couldn''t stand it any more.

    "Ashley, if you don''t want Dany, I will take her back home," he shouted out.

    Hearing Cayn''s voice, Ashley raised her head suddenly.

    What''s going on here?

    Why did she not only hear Dany''s voice, but she also heard Cayn''s?

    "Dany?"

    The moment Ashley she looked up, she saw Dany standing right in front of her.

    "Mommy!"

    Dany called out again.

    Hearing her mommy, Dany pounced on her with a bright smile on her face.

    Ashley was sitting on the floor which was covered with a thick nket.

    The moment Dany approached her, she immediately hugged her tightly.

    Holding her baby in her arms, Ashley finally realized that she wasn''t dreaming.

    But didn''t Cayn take Dany away?

    What was Dany doing here?

    "Mommy, from today, I''ll be living with you, okay?" Dany announced.

    "You''re living with me?"

    Ashley asked, looking at her daughter in a daze. She couldn''t believe what she was hearing.

    She knew Dany had been taken away by Cayn. But now, Dany came back to her and told her that she

    would be living with the family.

    Dany nodded her head repeatedly.

    Ashley raised her head and took a look at Cayn, who seemed quite apprehensive.

    In truth, Cayn hated seeing the closeness between Ashley and Dany.

    Suddenly, Ashley realized something.

    Slowly everything was getting clear to her.

    She was happy that Cayn had finally relented. He had finally agreed to return Dany to her!

    With that thought in mind, Ashley couldn''t help smiling.

    "Really? Dany, I''m so happy!" Ashley eximed as she hugged Dany and kissed her on the cheek.

    Dany looked at her mommy with a broad smile.

    "There are several stiptions involved. You know, Dany is still my daughter! From now on, she''ll live

    with you here for one week and then live with me in my home for another week!" Cayn dered aloud,

    pulling a long face.

    "Why? Dany is my daughter, so she should live with me! In future, if you have your own baby, then

    what would happen to Dany? At that time, you''ll definitely treat her differently!" Ashley said sternly and

    gravely.

 Chapter 887 Let Me Teach You

    Chapter 887 Let Me Teach You

    Though she didn''t know the reason, Ashley felt that she was more confident in saying this now. Maybe

    it was because Dany was with her.

    Ashley let Dany sit next to her, and then she looked at Cayn. She firmly believed that Dany was her

    daughter and Cayn had no right whatsoever to ce stiptions.

    "No way!" Cayn refused without hesitation.

    He had taken care of Dany for the past five years, but Ashley was now asking him to let Dany stay with

    her and her family. This meant that Dany would stay there forever with no certainty ofing back.

    This was too much to ask of him. And it was predictable that Cayn wouldn''t allow Dany to be taken

    away from him, especially once and for all.

    "I''m not having my own child now," Cayn retorted.

    Hearing his reply, Ashley said, "But I''m not certain whether you''ll have your own child or not in the

    future. Maybe you''ll fall in love with a girl, get married and have a child of your own. That''s normal for

    most people, and I am convinced that it''s possible for you too."

    Ashley knew that there were many women around Cayn. If he started dating again, such a lifestyle

    would not be good for Dany.

    ''What if those women around Cayn have no affection for Dany and mistreat my daughter?'' Ashley

    pondered with concern.

    Her words aggravated Cayn even more. He gritted his teeth and said, "I am sure I won''t have my own

    child in the future! Is that enough for you?"

    As he finished his words, he cast a nce at Dany subconsciously.

    "Shut up, Ashley. Have some sense! Dany is too young to understand all these things. Don''t talk like

    that in front of her!"

    Cayn warned her in a threatening look.

    "Fine, I won''t say such things again. But why are you so angry?" Ashley murmured.

    It suddenly urred to her that it was Monday today. So Ashley said to Cayn, "I will take care of my

    daughter this week. You have nothing to worry about. If you have other things to do, you may go now."

    Ashley waved to Cayn happily.

    "Dany, say goodbye to your daddy. He''s going to work," she said.

    "See you, Daddy! I will be obedient while staying here with mommy."

    Following Ashley''s words, Dany waved goodbye to Cayn.

    "Okay honey, won''t youe over to kiss me and give me a hug?"

    Cayn asked in a soft voice, looking dejectedly at Dany.

    At home, before he went to work, Dany would always run to him to kiss and hug him. Then he would go

    to work in a good mood.

    But recently Dany had changed. She was no longer as sweet to him.

    Dany hesitated for a while. Then she got up and approached Cayn.

    Ashley didn''t try to stop her. After all, Dany and Cayn had lived together for a long time and shared a

    special rtionship.

    Ashley was a sensible woman and she understood that the two of them loved each other.

    Dany walked up to Cayn and kissed him on his cheek. Then she hugged him. After that, Cayn left with

    satisfaction.

    "My dear daughter,e here!"

    After Cayn left, Ashley took her long lost daughter to her side. She wanted her daughter to never leave

    ever again.

    Then Linda reappeared to serve some juice for the visitors, but Cayn had already left.

    "Mydy, where is that gentleman?"

    Linda asked casually, putting the two sses of juice on the table since she couldn''t see Cayn

    anywhere.

    "Don''t worry about him. He has left for work," Ashley said.

    "Then why is this little girl still here?" Linda looked at Dany in surprise. She knew that Cayn had

    brought her along with him.

    Ashley then realized that Linda didn''t know who Dany was, so she immediately introduced her

    daughter to Linda, "Linda, this is Dany. She is my daughter and Fabio''s twin sister."

    Linda was shocked. "What?"

    She had always thought that Ashley only had two children. Moreover, Ashley didn''t talk about how her

    daughter was taken by someone, so Linda and the other servants knew nothing about it.

    Linda was astonished to know that Ashley actually had three children.

    Ashley smiled and said, "Linda, this matter is a littleplicated. I''ll tell you another day about this in

    detail."

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    "Okay, mydy. I shall leave you two alone."

    Linda went back to the kitchen to prepare food.

    Ashley looked at Dany lovingly and asked, "Honey, why don''t you have some juice?"

    The juice that Linda brought to them was made fresh and took her some time.

    Dany nodded and said, "Yes, please."

    Ashley handed the juice to her, and Dany had two sips of it.

    Then, Ashley also took two sips of the juice from the other ss.

    As there were no other kids at home, Dany followed Ashley everywhere.

    Just moments before, Ashley thought that it would be too boring to stay at home alone. But she didn''t

    expect that Dany would join her today.

    "Oh, it turns out that it''s Monday today. Shouldn''t you be in school?"

    Hearing this, Dany looked up at Ashley and blinked. "Mommy, can I just stay with you today? I want to

    spend the day with you," she said.

    Although Ashley also wanted to spend more time staying with Dany, she knew it wasn''t right.

    Dany hadn''t gone to kindergarten for quite some time now. If she still didn''t go to school today, Ashley

    was afraid that she couldn''t keep up with the other children on the lessons.

    Suddenly it came to Ashley''s mind that there were some books in Fabio''s room. Children in the

    kindergarten needed to learn those books. Ashley thought if she could teach her daughter personally at

    home, Dany would make greater progress.

    Ashley looked at Dany and said, "Fine. Now let''s go to your brother''s room and I will teach you some

    things that you might to learn at school. Is that alright?"

    With her eyes lighting up, Dany responded happily, "Okay!"

    Although Cayn was very busy at home, he used to spare a lot of time for her.

    Besides, he also taught Dany a lot of things.

    Since Dany was the daughter of the Lu family, Ashley knew that Dany was smart, just like Richard and

    Fabio.

    Ashley held Dany''s hand and they walked upstairs together.

    However, Ashley still had some doubts. She remembered when Cayn left with Dany yesterday, he

    looked very angry. Ashley had thought that she would never see Dany again.

    But unexpectedly, Cayn brought Dany to her today.

    She couldn''t help but think of the dream she hadst night.

    As always, Andrew was right.

    Just as he said, dreams were always the opposite of reality.

    Looking at Dany, Ashley asked, "Honey, do you have any idea why your daddy suddenly changed his

    mind?"

    Raising her head, Dany looked at Ashley in confusion.

    Ashley was a little annoyed and patted her own forehead for being stupid. How could Dany know what

    was in Cayn''s mind? She was just a little girl!

    She shouldn''t have asked these questions to her in the first ce.

    Ashley rubbed Dany''s little head with her fingers and said, "Don''t worry about it. Let''s go. Mommy will

    take you to your brother''s room."

 Chapter 888 Finally Reunited With Dany

    Chapter 888 Finally Reunited With Dany

    Ashley didn''t ask Dany any more questions.

    However, what Ashley did not know was that Dany had been crying for hours when she went home

    with Cayn.

    No matter how many times Cayn tried tofort the little girl, she just wouldn''t stop crying.

    Although Dany and Cayn had lived together for so many years and Dany considered him as her real

    father, she also liked Ashley a lot.

    After all, she was just an innocent child. She just liked whom she liked.

    Moreover, Dany already knew on some level that she was not Cayn''s biological daughter but Ashley''s.

    Since she was just a child, Cayn had never let Dany suffer from any kind of pain, nor had he made her

    cry so badly. Naturally, Cayn felt very distressed seeing Dany like that.

    Every time Dany would ask him if she was his biological daughter, Cayn knew that he couldn''t casually

    avoid the question like what he had done in the past years.

    Nheless, even if Dany was not his biological daughter, he was the one who took care of her since

    she was a baby. He had witnessed her growth from an infant to the bubbly kindergarten that she was

    today.

    Without a doubt, it was not easy for Cayn to make this decision.

    Ashley brought Dany into Fabio''s room. Since the little boy had been sleeping in Richard''s room

    recently, the spacious room appeared untouched.

    But the servants still cleaned it every day so it remained pristine.

    There was a bookshelf next to the bed and on it were a lot of books.

    When Ashley saw too many of them, she couldn''t help but feel her head ache.

    Fortunately, the books which Ashley used to teach Richard and Fabio were still on the shelves.

    Ashley picked up a book and sat on the floor with Dany. With their legs crossed, they sat very close to

    each other.

    "Let me teach you, Darling."

    Dany looked at the cover of the book then turned to her mother. She blinked her small eyes at her, but

    she didn''t say anything.

    She didn''t tell Ashley that she had already read that particr book before. Not just that, but she

    understood the entire book very well.

    Cayn liked to bring Dany to work. So while he handled his tasks, Dany would be by his side.

    The downside to it was that Dany would always crease a lot of his files.

    But no matter how messy Dany was, Cayn still looked at the little girl with so much fondness in his

    eyes. He just loved his daughter very much so he could never be mad at her.

    When Dany became a little older and had reached two years of age, Cayn began to buy some books

    for her to study at home.

    For the entire afternoon, Ashley and Dany sat together on the floor.

    During the whole time, Ashley spoke in a gentle and slow manner, in fear that Dany wouldn''t be able to

    catch up with her.

    It was Ashley who was the first to recover from the surprise.

    "Richard, Fabio, you''re back. Come on in. Look who''s here!" Ashley said excitedly while smiling at the

    boys.

    The smile on her face made Ashley look very happy.

    In fact, contentment and happiness radiated from her during the whole afternoon.

    Even Fabio and Richard could immediately feel it.

    When Richard saw Dany, his intuition was trying to tell him something.

    It was like he couldn''t believe his own eyes.

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    Fabio and Richard slowly made their way towards Ashley. Dany and Ashley also got up from the

    carpeted floor.

    "Dany, you remember these two.

    This is Richard, your eldest brother and this is Fabio, your twin brother. You already know him from

    kindergarten." Ashley said as she pointed to her two sons.

    Ashley then continued, "Richard, this is your younger sister, and Fabio, your twin sister, Dany! You

    might remember that she has been missing for so long so make sure to treat her well."

    "Hello, brothers!"

    Dany greeted in a sweet voice while she looked at her two brothers.

    "Dany, are you going to live with us from now on? That''s wonderful! We can go to school together!

    We''re going to have so much fun!" Richard and Fabio beamed.

    "Yes, that''s right!" Ashley also uttered with a broad smile on her face.

    "It''s so nice to have a sister!"

    Richard smiled while looking at Dany.

    "Dany, when you were born, Richard actually got to hug you," Ashley yfully said.

    "Really? You''re not lying?" Dany asked as she looked at Richard.

    "Of course, it''s true!

    My dear great-granddaughter is finally back home. This is really amazing!"

    Chant suddenly joined in the conversation.

    Then, he walked towards them.

    "Great Grandpa, you''re here!"

    "Great Grandpa!" Upon seeing Chant, Richard and Fabio called out to him very loudly.

    "Today is such a great day! Let me see my dear great-granddaughter," Chant said as he walked up to

    Dany. He couldn''t help himself and quickly hugged the little girl.

    "Dany, I''m your great-grandpa! Just as I said, how could that old man have such a cute great-

    granddaughter? This is clearly my great-granddaughter!"

    Chant was referring to his friend and Cayn''s father. In any case, he was so happy that he was even

    giggling between his words.

    "By the way, why did the Mo family suddenly bring Dany over here?"

    Chant asked while looking at Ashley.

    "Maybe they suddenly came round. After all, Dany is my daughter. Even if they didn''t return her to us,

    Dany wille back to us when she grows up and finally has a mind of her own."

    "Well, you''re right!"

    "Anyway, everything is fine now that Dany hase home to us!

    We are finally reunited with Dany after so many years!"

    When Andrew came back home from work, he was also happy to see Dany.

    He felt a little jealous upon seeing how close Dany and Ashley were, but he didn''t separate the two of

    them.

    As for Cayn, since Dany was in Andrew''s home, he couldn''t help but visit the little girl every day.

    Dany had lived with him for five years. So when he didn''t see the little girl when he returned home from

    work, he felt confused for the first few minutes. Then, he finally realized that it was him who took the

    child to the where the Lu family lived.

    Although he regretted it, he knew that he had made the decision himself. Ultimately, there was nothing

    he could do about it.

    That night, after Ashley and Andrew washed their faces and brushed their teeth, they went to bed.

    Ashley felt a little tired after sitting with Dany on the floor for the entire afternoon.

    But at the thought of Dany, she became very content and happy once again.

    Andrew then asked the same question as Chant did.

    Ashley told him the whole story in great detail.

    With an even wider smile, Ashley softly said, "Maybe it''s because Cayn thought things through and

    finally came to his senses. I''m so happy that our daughter is finally home with us."

 Chapter 889 Nervousness

    Chapter 889 Nervousness

    Seeing how Ashley was smiling widely, Andrew couldn''t help but stretch out his hand and gently stroke

    her hair.

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Without saying anything, he just looked at her, also smiling.

    It hadn''t even been an entire day since Dany was returned to them, but the mood of the entire family

    had already been lifted.

    In the past, when it was just Fabio and Richard in their home, the family was content and happy. But

    now that Dany had joined them, she made the family more alive.

    As for Ashley, whenever all of her children were by her side, she never felt bored. But after all of them

    went to school and she would be by herself in the house, she would always feel a little dreary. She

    thought that she would feel a sense of calm but she just felt nothing but dullness.

    "Andy." Ashley walked up to Andrew and held his hand.

    "What is it?" Andrew asked before holding her in his arms.

    "Can I go and work at my office tomorrow?" Ashley asked while looking at Andrew with expectant eyes.

    With that question, Andrew furrowed his eyebrows. He then firmly said, "No!"

    "But why? I''ve only been pregnant for a few months. I can still go to work. You don''t have to worry. I''ll

    stop working when the proper timees,"

    Ashley reasoned out while looking at Andrew with a dissatisfied expression on her face.

    "Andy, Honey, please! I promise I''m just going to work for two months. I''ll stay home after that, I

    promise!"

    Ashley waited for Andrew''s response with a serious expression this time.

    "Don''t bother yourself with that idea anymore. He won''t let you go to work. Just stay at home and take

    care of yourself and the baby."

    Chant, who was ying with his phone close to the couple, could hear their conversation and joined in.

    She was already delicate even before her pregnancy, let alone now that she was carrying another child

    inside of her.

    It was out of the question for her to go to work during this time.

    "Well, there you go. You can''t go to thepany. You can only stay at home and take care of yourself

    and the baby." Andrew said while he fumbled with Ashley''s hands.

    "But there''s nothing for me to do here. It''s so boring!"

    "Honey, here''s what I can promise you. Every single day, I''m going to finish my tasks at thepany

    as early as possible so I cane back and spend time with you. How does that sound?" Andrew

    lowered his voice and whispered in Ashley''s ear.

    Ashley was rendered speechless.

    "Okay, you can go to work now," she said before she withdrew her hand from Andrew''s.

    After that, Ashley went upstairs by herself.

    Chant burst intoughter mercilessly when he saw how awkward Andrew looked.

    "Well, it''s time for you to go to work then."

    "Please take care of her."

    While looking at Andrew''s receding figure, Chant was amused.

    "Really? Ashley, you''re pregnant again? This is incredible! Congrattions!" Chloe eximed when

    she received Ashley''s call.

    "Don''t congratte me just yet. Right now, I''m bored staying at home all day long. I even feel like I''m

    going to turn into a statue here, you know?" Ashleyy on the bed, feeling worn out.

    Chloeughed on the other end of the line. "Now you can finally understand what I was going through

    at that time."

    "Yes, I know." Ashley nodded even though Chloe couldn''t really see her.

    Not very long ago, Chloe called Ashley toin about her pregnancy. Back then, Ashley was even

    encouraging her. Who knew that after some time, it would be Ashley''s turn to be exactly in Chloe''s

    position?

    "Okay, okay, I''m not going to tease you any more about it. Let''s talk again soon. I only have one hour to

    y on my phone andptop every day. Bye-bye!"

    Being in such a hurry to say goodbye, Chloe immediately hung up the phone.

    Ashley couldn''te to her senses for a while. She just stared into the screen of her phone.

    She didn''t expect that Chloe would hang up on her like that. Did she say that she was ying games?

    She was ying on herputer? Or was it her smartphone? It seemed like Chloe thought her games

    were more important than Ashley!

    At the moment, Ashley started to doubt her life.

    No one had to tell Ashley when she had the initiative to not y on her phone orputer because

    she knew that the radiation from the screen was harmful to the baby in her womb.

    Back when Ashley was pregnant with Fabio and Dany, she had read a lot about the harmful effects of

    computer and phone radiation. So she was quite familiar with it.

    However, her pregnancy this time was a little moreplicated.

    Ashley did not expect that she would be vomiting several times a day.

    At times she would lose her appetite. Even if it was light and nutritious, she just couldn''t stomach too

    many food varieties.

    Because of this, Andrew had taken great pains to satisfy her cravings and demands.

    "Aaarrgh!"

    Ashley was just sitting in the living room when suddenly a feeling of nausea came over her. She

    immediately ran to the bathroom and retched.

    However, nothing woulde out of her. When the nausea subsided she just took a shower to freshen

    up a bit and then came out.

    Linda saw Ashley rushing to the bathroom repeatedly so she quickly approached Ashley. "Mydy, are

    you okay?"

    "I''m fine.

    When I was pregnant with Dany, I didn''t have morning sickness. But now, my morning sickness is

    getting worse by the day."

    Ashleyined as she rubbed her belly. She felt so helpless enduring the pains of her pregnancy.

    "It''s actually a good thing. It just means that the baby in your womb is very healthy. Otherwise, he won''t

    have the energy to torment you," Linda exined.

    Upon hearing what Linda just said, Ashley snorted withughter.

    "It''s only been two months. How do you know if it''s a boy or a girl?"

    Ashley asked. She was amused at the moment.

    "I believe it''s going to be a boy!"

    "To tell you the truth, whether it''s a boy or a girl, it''s still my baby. So I''m going to love him or her

    nevertheless,"

    Ashley said with a smile.

    "Mydy, would you like to take a walk outside?" Linda suggested as she helped Ashley get up.

    Outside the vi were all kinds of flowers and nts which looked quite lovely.

    "Sure, let''s go!"

    Ashley was already bored inside the house, so she thought it might really be a good idea to take a walk

    outside.

    Although she was not allowed to go beyond the walled gates of the vi, it was still pretty good for her

    to be in the garden. The fresh air and sunshine on her skin made her feel calm and serene.

    "Okay, let me help you!" Linda said, smiling back at her.

    "Linda, I''ve already told you so many times that I''m fine. I can walk by myself. You don''t have to be so

    cautious with me," Ashley helplessly said.

    "Mydy, it''s my duty to take care of you. Please don''t push me away," Linda responded.

    With that, Ashley didn''t say anything in response.

    Then, a young servant came to Ashley and reported, "Mydy, there are some people outside the gate.

    They told me that they''re friends with the master and they wanted to see you."

    "They''re looking for me?"

    Ashley asked, quite confused.

    ''Did they really say that they are Andrew''s friends?'' Ashley quietly asked herself.

    "Yes, mydy."

    "I wonder who they are.

    In any case, let them in."

    Ashley sat back on the sofa and turned to Linda. "Linda, you can go now."

    "Okay, mydy. You can call me if you need anything."

    "Yes, I know."

    Outside the vi, Belinda, Martin, and Jeremy were standing by the gate. Since Belinda heard about

    what happened to Camelia, she couldn''t sit still. When her condition got a little better, she couldn''t help

    but visit her daughter as soon as possible.

    However, at that moment, right when she was about to meet her daughter, Belinda started feeling

    nervous.

    "Jeremy, look at me. How do I look today? My makeup is not too much, right? And my clothes, do you

    think they''re ok?" Belinda asked, looking very anxious.

 Chapter 890 Intimate

    Chapter 890 Intimate

    Jeremy felt a little helpless in this matter. His mother was constantly pestering him. On the way to see

    Ashley, she kept asking the same silly things about her.

    Even before starting from home, it took her a long time to pick the right clothes and put on makeup.

    She wanted to leave a good impression on Ashley.

    Jaded by his mother, Jeremy looked at her and said, "Mother, don''t worry. Camelia is very much an

    easy-going person. You don''t have to be nervous. She is very nice."

    "Really?"

    Belinda asked, bemused.

    Hearing Jeremy''s words, though Belinda wanted to ease herself, she found that she wasn''t relieved at

    all. She only got more nervous.

    "Mr. Gu, Mrs. Gu and Young Master, pleasee in," the maid invited them inside the vi.

    Trying to calm Belinda, Martin held her hand and patted her on the shoulder. "Don''t worry, she is our

    daughter."

    "Okay."

    Sitting on the sofa, Ashley wondered who woulde to see her.

    She wondered if the visitor was one of Andrew''s friends.

    Ashley was confused. She recalled that Andrew only had a few friends, and they had alreadye to

    the hospital to visit her.

    Not knowing why, Ashley suddenly thought of Jeremy.

    Would it be Jeremying to see her again?

    Ashley felt a little nervous and clenched her fists.

    Why was he here suddenly? What did he want from her?

    Last time, with Andrew beside her, she wasn''t this anxious. But now, she didn''t know why she felt very

    uneasy.

    Then, Martin and Belinda came in. As soon as they entered the living room, they saw the woman sitting

    on the sofa.

    The woman was dressed in simple white and pink sweater and pajamas that were very soft and tight.

    Her hair was a little messy and fell over her shoulder. However, she still looked quite adorable.

    She seemed to be thinking about something and stared nkly into nothing.

    Jeremy had asked Andrew where Ashley was in advance. But initially, Andrew was reluctant to tell

    Jeremy.

    Andrew was not at home then.

    ''Why does he want to see Ash now?'' Andrew wondered.

    The thought of Jeremy being alone with Ashley made Andrew ufortable, although there was

    nothing going on between them.

    He knew that Jeremy was her brother. But still, Jeremy was a man.

    In the end, Andrew told Jeremy where Ashley was, and the surprising fact was that even he himself

    didn''t understand why he told Jeremy.

    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Otherwise, Jeremy and his parents couldn''t havee here to visit Ashley.

    Sitting quietly on the sofa, Ashley fidgeted her fingers nervously and felt a little bored.

    Martin and Belinda could only see one side of Ashley''s face, but they could see that Ashley was really

    beautiful.

    Martin stared at Ashley, with shock in his eyes.

    It was because Ashley''s face was very simr to that of Belinda''s.

    Ashley heard some noise and looked up. Her eyes fell on three people who were staring at her.

    She was rendered speechless.

    "Mydy, here are your visitors."

    Ashley came back to her senses and replied, "Okay, I know. You can leave now."

    "Okay mydy,"

    the maid answered and left.

    When Ashley raised her head, Martin couldn''t help looking away.

    ''They resemble each other!

    They look so alike!

    She resembles her mother when she was young, '' Martin thought to himself.

    "Ashley, we came to see you. Hope that we are not bothering you,"

    Jeremy said gently.

    Ashley felt a little shy and nervous, fixing a few strands of hair behind her ears.

    "Well, that''s alright."

    Ashley was a little uneasy, especially when facing the two adults beside Jeremy.

    She stood up immediately and said, "Well, please have a seat."

    "Yeah, okay. Thank you, Ashley," Jeremy said.

    Then he sat down beside Ashley, while Martin and Belinda sat on the other side.

    Belinda had her eyes fixed on Ashley ever since she walked in.

    However, Martin had alreadye to his sense when he sat down.

    The paternity test report that Jeremy had shown them must be true. After all, Jeremy had earlier made

    a mistake in recognizing his biological sister. Martin believed that Jeremy wouldn''t make the same

    mistake twice.

    Besides, Ashley and Belinda looked so much alike.

    Even if there were two people in the world who looked quite alike, it was impossible to be this simr.

    "What can I do for you?" Ashley asked politely.

    Ashley couldn''t help asking, because all of them just kept quiet there for a long time, saying nothing.

    "Nothing big. We just came to see you."

    "Oh,"

    Ashley replied briefly, without saying anything more.

    Honestly, she felt a little ufortable.

    Ashley thought it would have been okay if Jeremy visited her alone. At least, she knew him, so she

    wouldn''t have felt too embarrassed.

    But now, two elders came together with Jeremy. Ashley seemed to have guessed the rtionship

    between Jeremy and the two elders.

    All of a sudden, Ashley didn''t know what to say.

    "Ehhh!"

    When Ashley was thinking about breaking the silence, she felt quite uneasy. She almost covered her

    mouth subconsciously and ran into the washroom.

    "What happened?"

    Belinda asked worriedly as she looked at Ashley running off.

    She badly wished she could be by Ashley''s side now.

    After spending some time in the hospital with Ashley, Jeremy had learned that this was a normal

    pregnancy reaction. He reassured his mother. "It''s alright. It''s just that Ashley is pregnant, so she feels

    nauseated severely these days. However, her physical health is quite fine."

    "Oh, that''s good. That''s good."

    Belinda was relieved to hear it.

    It was okay as long as she was fine and healthy.

    Belinda was somewhat concerned, seeing what had just happened.

    "But she can''t always be vomiting like that. She must be feeling very bad now."

    Belinda looked worriedly to where Ashley had run to.

    In the washroom, Ashley rinsed her mouth with water and wiped the corner of her mouth.

    She covered her forehead with one of her hands, and felt embarrassed to retch like that in the

    presence of other people.

    Then, she stepped out of the washroom.

    Immediately, all the three people outside turned to look at her.

    Ashley paused for a moment.

    "What''s wrong? Are you okay?"

    "Nothing. I''m fine." Jeremy handed her a ss of water and asked, "How do you feel now?"

    "It''s okay. I''ve gotten used to it. It has been a few days."

    Ashley smiled at Jeremy.

    Belinda saw that Jeremy was already quitefortable with Ashley. She badly wished she could pull

    Jeremy to the other side so that she could sit next to her long lost daughter.

    After thinking for some time, Belinda said, "Ash, may I call you, Ash?"

    "Yes, you may."

    Hearing Belinda''s voice, Ashley looked and nodded at her with a smile on her face. Finally, the ice

    between them was thawing.

    This scene made Belinda feel emotional and almost burst into tears.

 Chapter 891 Im Sorry

    Chapter 891 I''m Sorry

    "Ashley,"

    Belinda softly uttered while she sat beside Ashley and held her hand.

    Almost instantly, tears started welling up in her eyes.

    Belinda''s hands were well maintained so they were soft and smooth.

    "I''m sorry."

    Belinda looked at Ashley when she spoke. She didn''t know how much her daughter had suffered. Just

    the fact that she wasn''t even aware made her cry more.

    She held Ashley''s hand more tightly and apologized to her again and again.

    Ashley was at a loss with what was happening in front of her.

    When she saw how much Belinda was crying, she also felt something in her heart.

    "It''s okay. You don''t have to apologize to me. You''ve now found me, right? Everything is going to be

    better from now on."

    Ashley tried tofort Belinda while taking a tissue to wipe the tears on her face.

    "You''re not ming us for what happened?"

    Ashley shook her head and said, "No."

    Perhaps, there was a time that she had some ill feelings towards them. But that was in the past now.

    Maybe, after finding out the matter about Angelina, she felt a little sad.

    But it was not their fault.

    Moreover, as a mother of three children, Ashley had be more mature.

    Seeing his wife cry, Martin wanted to move closer to her side, as it had always been his instinct to do

    so.

    But when he saw Ashley wiping the tears off Belinda''s face so gently, he didn''t need to move an inch

    from where he was sitting.

    Then, Jeremy said, "All right, now that we have found Ashley, we can forget every unfortunate thing

    that has happened to us. As a matter of fact, she''s pregnant right now. We really don''t have any reason

    to be sad these days."

    "Yes, we shouldn''t dwell on anything awful from now on since it might affect the baby."

    Belinda wiped the tears on her face and gave Ashley a smile.

    "Can I touch your belly?"

    Belinda nervously asked while still looking at Ashley.

    "Yes, of course you can."

    Belinda felt a little sad because she didn''t have the chance to be involved in the big moments of

    Ashley''s life up until then.

    She wasforted with the fact that they had finally found her. Although she didn''t get to be involved

    in her daughter''s early life, she could spend some quality time with Ashley from then on.

    With utmost care, Belinda put her hand on Ashley''s belly.

    It wasn''t long before a small part of Ashley''s baby bump slightly moved. It wasn''t particrly obvious

    but it still brought a smile to their faces.

    After caressing Ashley''s belly for a while, Belinda took back her hand and said, "The baby is very

    healthy."

    "Yes, I''ve been taking care of my body very well."

    "Then, do you have really bad morning sickness every day?"

    Belinda looked at Ashley with concern.

    "It''s not every day. Before I found out that I was pregnant, I was doing fine. But I began to vomit a lot

    after I had gone through an examination in the hospital."

    "Is this getting harder for you?"

    "Not really, no. Every time I remember that there''s a little baby in my belly, I be happy and

    content."

    "Yes, I felt the same thing when I was pregnant with you. I would vomit heavily at that time. But I didn''t

    have the same side effects when I was pregnant with your brother."

    Ashley was surprised to hear that. She eximed, "Really?

    "I also didn''t have any difficulties when I was pregnant with Fabio."

    "Fabio?"

    Belinda looked around the room, but she didn''t see a child anywhere.

    Jeremy had actually already told Belinda about Ashley''s four-year-old son.

    "Yes, he''s my son. He''s in kindergarten right now. He''ll be back in the afternoon."

    "That''s really nice to hear. I do look forward to meeting him."

    Other than morning sickness, Ashley and Belinda talked about a lot of other things.

    They started to discuss Ashley''s children, what she was going to name her baby, and almost everything

    under the sun.

    Jeremy and Martin sat aside and watched. They couldn''t help smiling as they watched Ashley and

    Belinda have a good conversation. They finally felt such great relief, seeing what was happening in

    front of them.

    Before they came to the vi, Belinda was really anxious that Ashley would not like her.

    She had been so worried on their way. But now that the two of them were talking so casually, it actually

    looked like they had known each other for a long time.

    After talk with Belinda and Martin for quite a while, Ashley felt a little sleepy and couldn''t help yawning.

    Belinda, who was telling her something, suddenly stopped. "Ash, are you feeling sleepy?"

    A little embarrassed, Ashley smiled and said, "Just a little."

    Since she was pregnant, she would often be drowsy.

    "You can go upstairs and rest,"

    Belinda gently said to Ashley.

    Ashley took a look at the time. It turned out that it was already 2 o''clock in the afternoon.

    She didn''t get up until ten o''clock in the morning. No wonder she was feeling sleepy right then and

    there.

    "It''s okay. Fabio will be back in a while. I can''t go to sleep just yet.

    In the meantime, could you join me for a walk outside?"

    Ashley asked Belinda. She didn''t call her mom just yet.

    She was too embarrassed to call her that since they had just been reunited.

    On the other hand, Belinda was a little disappointed.

    But she also recognized that she couldn''t be impatient with Ashley immediately epting her.

    "Okay, let''s go out for a walk."

    It was almost October so the sun was not shining that brightly. Fortunately, it wasn''t too cold either.

    When some sunlight touched Ashley''s skin, she felt a sense of warmth all over her.

    It made her want to sleep more.

    In the garden, there were a lot of flowers and nts. Ashley had taken the time and effort to nt them

    there before she left J City.

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    Although they had not been taken care of for five years, they were still very beautiful. The only problem

    was that they looked a little messy with weeds growing all around them.

    Ashley hadn''t asked anyone to pull out the weeds.

    That was because she thought the garden looked particrly charming that way.

    "Does he treat you well?"

    Belinda suddenly asked while looking at Ashley, wanting to see her reaction.

    Jeremy had told her that Andrew was Ashley''s husband.

    She had actually met Andrew before, but she didn''t know much about him.

    But then, even if she had a good impression of Andrew at that time, she still felt like he was too stoic.

    Whenever people would look at him, they couldn''t help but feel intimidated.

    Belinda was not an exception.

    Of course, there were also a lot of rumors about Andrew''s indifference to women.

    That was why, when Belinda found out that her daughter was married to him, she was a little worried.

    She even asked Jeremy about the man several times.

    Belinda and Martin didn''t know much about Andrew even though Jeremy actually grew up with him.

    And they got along very well with each other. So Belinda thought that Jeremy was the right person to

    ask about Andrew.

    Jeremy told her that although Andrew did not seem to care about anything at all, he was very nice and

    caring towards Ashley.

    Nheless, Belinda thought that she should still ask Ashley about him.

    She wanted to hear her daughter''s own judgment about him.

    Ashley stopped walking when she heard her mother''s question.

    When she thought about Andrew, a warm smile appeared on her face.

    It was so evident how her face was glowing with happiness.

    Ashley answered softly, "He is very good to me."

    "That''s good. I''m d to hear that."

    Belinda didn''t want to bother Ashley with the rumors she had heard, so she didn''t mention any of

    them.

 Chapter 892 The Family Reunion

    Chapter 892 The Family Reunion

    The rumors going around didn''t matter to Belinda. After all, there was usually very little truth in them.

    As long as her daughter said that Andrew was a good man, she would continue to believe it.

    There was seldom a dearth of ''topics'' when it came to conversations amongst women. They could talk

    about anything under the sun, unlike men who often found themselves lost for words.

    Ashley and Belinda strolled from one end of the garden to the other, immersed in their conversation.

    Ashley nced at her watch, breaking herself away from their discussion for a moment. It was a force

    of habit for Ashley. She always knew instinctively when it was time for her children to get back from

    school. She slowly led Belinda and herself into the living room to wee her children who would be

    arriving shortly.

    Her three children were at the door in a matter of seconds just as she had expected. Dany was leading

    the trio with Fabio and Richard trailing tiredly behind him.

    The first thing Fabio always did when he got back home was to look for his mother.

    Earlier it had been only Fabio and Richard in the house. But now, they could spend more time with their

    mom.

    The moment Fabio and Dany saw Ashley sitting on the sofa, they dashed towards her cheerfully, with

    their arms outstretched for a hug. "Mommy!" they squealed excitedly.

    "I am so happy that you two are back home! I''ve missed you, my darlings!"

    She held the two kids in a tight bear hug and ced a gentle kiss on their foreheads.

    Looking at the three children running excitedly into the living room, Belinda and Martin were stunned.

    Were they all Ashley''s children?

    All three of them were adorable and Ashley''s parents got the feeling that they''d all grow up to be

    beautiful someday.

    Jeremy had met Fabio before, so he knew that Fabio was a carbon copy of Andrew. The simrity in

    their features was almost uncanny.

    "Hi, Uncle Jeremy!"

    said Fabio in a sweet voice when he saw Jeremy.

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    "Jeremy is my brother. So that makes him your uncle, do you understand?"

    Ashley rubbed Fabio''s head and then turned to her other children with kind eyes.

    "Ok! We got it, mom!"

    Fabio, Richard and Dany spoke in unison.

    "Good kids!"

    Jeremy felt a mixture of pride and joy brimming in his heart as he looked at his nephews and niece.

    It suddenly urred to him that he hadn''t brought any gifts for them yet.

    ''I will get something for the kids the next time I visit, '' he thought to himself.

    Ashley then turned towards Belinda and Martin, who were seated on the couch. Then she said to her

    children, "These are my parents. Or in other words, your grandpa and your grandma."

    Fabio and Richard looked at Belinda and Martin, and then they turned to Ashley. They arched their

    eyebrows in confusion.

    The strange couple on the couch were their grandparents?

    This seemed to be impossible to their young minds.

    They had grown up believing that Cynthia and Zen were their only grandparents. During the four years

    they spent in N country, they had not known another truth. So it was natural that they couldn''t wrap

    their head around the idea that these strangers were also their grandparents.

    Ashley stopped Fabio before he could voice his confusion out loud. She shushed them with a simple

    look- one that she''d learnt as a mother.

    "Go on now. Greet your grandparents," she said enthusiastically.

    "Hello, grandpa and grandma."

    Although they had their doubts, Fabio and Richard did as their mother had told them. They slowly

    stepped up to the couch and extended their hands for a handshake.

    "Is... Is this Fabio?" The moment sheid her eyes on Fabio, Belinda felt ted.

    "Yes. My name is Fabio, grandma. This is my brother Richard and that is my sister Dany."

    He suddenly spoke with the authority of a leader introducing the rest of his crew.

    "You''re such a darling young boy!

    Can I hug you?" asked Belinda anxiously. She wanted to hold her grandchild in her arms more than

    anything in the world.

    Fabio looked at Ashley subconsciously. He always did that when he wasn''t sure what to do.

    Ashley nodded reassuringly.

    "Yes, grandma. You can hug me!"

    Fabio stretched out his little arms and bounced on to Belinda''sp. She quickly wrapped him in her

    arms.

    She smelt the faint fragrance of milking from his body. It was the scent of childhood. His body felt

    tiny and warm in her arms. She felt a rising wave of love within her.

    Chant watched them from afar but didn''t say a word.

    He knew all about Ashley''s past.

    After all, Ashley was Andrew''s wife. So it was essential that he knew her past.

    Ashley had now reunited with her family members. Chant felt delighted for her from the bottom of his

    heart.

    The vi, which had begun to grow rather sullen, was brimming with a newfound energy. The light

    seemed warmer in the afterglow of this reunion.

    Ashley beamed as she looked at the scene that was unfolding before her eyes.

    That moment was all she''d ever wanted.

    Jeremy, Belinda and Martin spent the whole day with Ashley and her children.

    When Andrew returned home, he was surprised at what he saw.

    Everyone was sitting on the couch in the living room, basking in each other''spany. It seemed to

    him like the set of a si he liked to watch. It seemed almost unreal to him.

    Andrew was about to step in, but he stopped when noticing Jeremy''s presence.

    He looked at Jeremy coldly. He couldn''t believe it.

    ''Why is he still here?'' he wondered, barely managing to keep this thought from showing on his face.

    Jeremy sensed that something was off. He could feel a cold stare upon him and turned around to see

    Andrew at the doorway.

    Jeremy wasn''t the kind to hold a grudge against anyone.

    He countered Andrew''s stare with a gentle smile.

    "You''re here!"

    Ashley turned around when she heard her husband''s voice. She smiled heartily as Andrew took careful

    steps into the living room.

    Ashley skipped to Andrew''s side and said, "Honey! You''re back."

    "Yeah, baby!

    Andrew held Ashley tightly in his arms.

    He released her quickly as he realized that he was crushing her pregnant belly.

    Ashley whispered in Andrew''s ear, "Andy, Jeremy came with my parents."

    "Well, how long have they been here?"

    "Almost the whole day."

    Andrew was momentarily dumbstruck.

    Before he had time to process this information, Linda casually walked into the living room. "It''s time for

    dinner now!" she announced.

    It was only then that Martin and Belinda realized that they had been there for so long.

    They felt guilty for overstaying.

    But Chant stopped them and said, "It''s time for dinner. Where do you think you guys are going? You

    are Ashley''s parents. If you leave now, people who don''t know the situation might think that we treated

    you badly."

    "It''s just... We feel we have been here for way too long, so..."

    "It doesn''t matter. You are Ashley''s parents. You have every reason to visit her. Alright, that''s enough.

    Let''s stop talking about it and have dinner!"

    Chant said and motioned everyone to the table.

    Ashley looked at Chant gratefully. She had just found her parents, but she thought she had easily

    gotten along with them.

    However, she still felt a little ufortable to call her, mother.

    Moreover, Ashley had called Cynthia, mother, for thest five years in N Country. Although Cynthia was

    not her biological mother, in her heart, she felt that she was.

    Because there were many people at the dinner table, the atmosphere was very lively.

    It would seem wrong if members of the same family didn''t talk to each other while eating.

    The dining room was filled with lively chatter and the clinking of wine sses.

    After dinner, Ashley''s parents said their goodbyes and were escorted by Ashley to their car.

    Just as she held the handle of the car, Belinda looked at Ashley. All of a sudden, she was unwilling to

    leave her daughter behind.

    Although she had stayed here for one day, it was still not enough.

 Chapter 893 Because We Are A Family

    Chapter 893 Because We Are A Family

    Before leaving, Belinda looked at Ashley and asked, "Ash, can Ie and see you again sometime?"

    "Of course. Recently, I''ve just been staying home. So please, if you want toe over, don''t hesitate at

    all,"

    Ashley responded.

    "That sounds good."

    Belinda was relieved after hearing Ashley''s reply.

    "Then, we''ll take our leave now."

    But Belinda just looked at Ashley with so much longing in her eyes. Everyone could see that she didn''t

    really want to part with her daughter.

    "Goodbye, Mom, Dad, and brother Jeremy. Come to visit me again when you have the time."

    Ashley hadn''t nned on addressing Belinda as Mom.

    However, when she saw the look in her mother''s eyes, she could tell that her mother was hesitant to

    leave. She would turn back to look at Ashley from time to time.

    Even Ashley herself didn''t know why she suddenly wanted to call Belinda, her mom.

    She felt like it wasn''t a big deal at that point.

    For Ashley, it was suddenly very easy to call Belinda, her mom. It felt natural even.

    Ashley breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Belinda with a smile on her face. "Goodbye, Mom."

    With that, Belinda looked at Ashley in disbelief.

    She waspletely stunned with what Ashley had called her.

    What did she just hear?

    What did Ash just call her right then?

    Did Ash really call her mom?

    What was going on?

    Did she hear it right? Or was it just her illusion?

    Beforeing to visit, she had been looking forward to hearing Ashley call her mother. However,

    Ashley hadn''t done it throughout their entire conversation.

    Disappointed as she was, Belinda could also understand that it wasn''t easy for Ashley to just regard

    her as her mom so quickly. After all, she had not been there for most of Ashley''s life thus far. Therefore,

    when Ashley called her Mom just now, she was taken aback.

    Meanwhile, Martin and Jeremy were also surprised.

    They too didn''t expect that Ashley would call them Dad and brother respectively.

    The two of them looked at Ashley, who was standing on the steps and looking at them with a smile.

    They waved to her and said, "Goodbye, Ashley."

    After seeing Jeremy and her parents off, Ashley entered the house and was immediately embraced by

    Andrew. "Let''s go upstairs."

    "Not now; it''s still so early. I''m going to see my kids first."

    As expected, the expression on Andrew''s face instantly turned gloomy when she finished speaking.

    Then, Ashley added, "I want to see Dany to know if she can sleep alright on her first night here and

    whether she''s adjusting quite well to the new environment. I also want to know her thoughts about

    going to school with Fabio."

    Then, in a slow and soft manner, she said, "You can go back to our room first, okay?

    I''ll be with you a littleter."

    When Andrew heard Dany''s name, the frown on his face loosened up a bit.

    But he was still feeling a tiny bit of disappointment.

    It was one of the reasons that he didn''t want to have children.

    Since Ashley had children now, all of her focus and attention would go to taking care of them every day.

    Therefore, she wouldn''t have the time or energy for him.

    "I''m giving you ten minutes only."

    Ashley was amused so she raised her eyebrows at Andrew. "Mr. Lu, it''s going to take at least a few

    minutes for me to reach the children''s room. If I only have that much time, I''m afraid I won''t have a

    moment to talk with Dany before leaving her room."

    "Well, how long do you want?"

    "Just don''t give me a time limit. I only want to see my children, okay?"

    Ashley replied, raising her voice.

    She looked at Andrew like a cute little girl with a hint of pleading in her tone.

    "I want half an hour. I''ll be quick. If you''re bored, you can check if there''s anything in thepany that

    you need to deal with."

    Andrew finally agreed. Besides, what else could he do?

    Ashley watched Andrew''s receding figure until he disappeared to the second floor. She then made her

    way to the children''s room and knocked on the door.

    Dany and Fabio were staying in the same room because they were still young. Moreover, it could help

    the two of them be closer.

    Ashley was, of course, very pleased to have them stay in the same room.

    "Dany, can Mommye in?"

    Ashley asked while she slowly opened the door.

    "Yes, Mommy,e in." Almost instantly, Dany stood up. She then walked over to Ashley and pulled

    her inside the room.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Nothing. We just finished doing our homework," Fabio responded.

    "Did you just say homework?"

    ''They have to do homework even if they''re still so young?'' Ashley thought to herself.

    Her children were only in kindergarten so she was very confused.

    "Yes, we do." Fabio and Dany said in unison while nodding at her.

    "Is there anything you can''t figure out? Do you need my help?"

    "No, Mommy. Fabio and I have already finished our homework. It''s very easy."

    Ashley smiled and asked, "Really?"

    "Of course. I already know knew to answer these questions when I was just three years old,"

    Fabio stated, feeling proud of himself.

    "Well, I''m really d to hear that, but don''t be too arrogant, okay? I hope you can still listen to your

    teacher attentively while you''re in ss, got it?"

    "Okay, Mom."

    "Dany, how about you? Do you like it here? Is there anything that you don''t like? Are you okay with

    sleeping in the same room with your brother for a while? I''ll arrange another bedroom for you in a few

    days. We can go shopping together so that you can choose what you want to put in your room, okay?"

    "Okay,"

    Dany promptly answered.

    Ashley couldn''t help but gently stroke Dany''s hair.

    There were maids in the house who were assigned to take care of Fabio and Dany. But the two kids

    were very independent even at their age. They liked to do things on their own.

    Needless to say, they didn''t actually need any maid.

    Ashley thought it was a good thing that her children were like that.

    She was d that her children were so capable at such a young age that they didn''t rely on the maids.

    If there was something that her children couldn''t do by themselves, Ashley would remind them that it

    was fine to ask some help from the adults.

    Then, Ashley let the two children wash their faces and brush their teeth. She didn''t leave until they

    werefortable in their beds.

    "Good night."

    Ashley kissed Fabio''s and Dany''s foreheads.

    "Good night, Mommy," Fabio softly said.

    "Good night, Mommy," Dany uttered as well.

    She didn''t forget to take a look at Richard after leaving their room.

    Since Dany and Fabio were together in one room, Richard had been sleeping by himself.

    Richard was already ten years old.

    So it was the right age for him to have a room all to himself.

    Ashley asked Richard about his studies and physical health. After that, she couldn''t stop yawning, so

    she left his room.

    She didn''t take a nap that day, so she was really drowsy by that time.

    Ashley walked to her bedroom and found that it was pitch dark inside. Not a single light was turned on.

    Ashley was taken aback.

    Andrew had alreadye back to the bedroom, right? How could there be no one in there?

    It was not until Ashley turned on the light did she see what was going on in the bedroom.

    Andrew was quietly sitting on the bed. He squinted his eyes when the light was suddenly turned on.

    Then, he fixed his eyes on Ashley.

    Ashley breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at Andrew andined, "Why didn''t you turn on the

    light when you''re already here?" A moment ago, she was almost scared to death.

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    ''He knows that I''m a bit timid and I''m afraid of the dark. Why did he still try to scare me?'' Ashley

    wondered.

 Chapter 894 A Sense Of Helplessness

    Chapter 894 A Sense Of Helplessness

    "Why are you browsing your phone in the dark? That''s bad for your health,"

    Ashley said as she looked at Andrew in bed.

    "You are five minuteste,"

    Andrew replied tly.

    Ashley was rendered speechless.

    She got so engrossed talking with the kids on the phone just now that she seemed to have forgotten

    the time.

    Ashley wanted to exin to Andrew. But on second thought, it might only worsen his mood.

    So she just said, "I am so sorry. Please don''t get pissed, okay? It is bad for your health."

    She came closer to Andrew and kissed his cheek.

    Ashley then began yawning. "I''m so sleepy now. I''m going to wash up first."

    She then walked into the bathroom.

    With a frown, Andrew got up from the bed and followed her.

    Ashley washed her face hurriedly so as not to keep Andrew waiting again.

    But when she was about to step out of the bathroom, she identally slipped and fell backward.

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    Her eyes popped with shock as she subconsciously covered her belly with her hands.

    rmed, her heart almost burst.

    ''My baby!'' her mind screamed.

    But much to her surprise, she didn''t feel any pain when she fell. Instead, a familiar scent prated her

    nostrils.

    "How could you be so careless and clumsy?"

    Hearing Andrew''s voice, Ashley suddenly felt so feeble that she wanted to cry.

    There was a trace of horror in Andrew''s tone.

    As a matter of fact, when he saw that Ashley was about to fall, his heart almost stopped beating.

    Without a second thought, he sprinted towards Ashley.

    Fortunately, he was able to hold her in his arms before her body could hit the floor.

    Ashley held Andrew tightly. She felt like her heart leapt out of her chest.

    "Andy, I was scared to death. I thought..."

    Ashley couldn''t finish her words. Her voice sounded so terrified. Thinking of what could have happened

    just now sent a chill down her spine.

    "Hush... it''s okay now."

    Andrew did his best tofort Ashley. He was a bit upset a while ago. But seeing her in such a

    miserable state, his anger vanished at once.

    Looking at her bloodless face, he knew that she was indeed frightened out of her wits.

    How could he have the heart to continue scolding her?

    Andrew carried Ashley and put her gently on the bed. He then asked, "Are you okay now?"

    "I''m fine," Ashley answered. But her voice still sounded weak.

    When Andrew turned around, she held his hand and said, "Don''t leave me."

    Andrew was supposed to go back to the bathroom to check what could have caused Ashley to slip. But

    when he heard her pleading voice, his mind changed immediately.

    "Okay. I''ll just stay here with you. Sleep now,"

    heforted her softly.

    Lying in Andrew''s arms, Ashley gradually calmed down.

    A few momentster, drowsiness crept over her.

    However, Angelina suddenly shed through her mind.

    Ashley hadn''t seen Angelina ever since she got back home, so she was wondering how Angelina was

    doing.

    It wasn''t that she cared about Angelina. She just wanted to know what happened to her after that

    incident.

    For Ashley, Angelina was an evil woman. If she was not, Angelina would note up with such a

    vicious n to hurt her and her daughter. She didn''t know what Angelina''s heart and soul were made

    of.

    "What is it?"

    Andrew asked as he looked at Ashley in confusion.

    He thought that maybe she was still in shock.

    "Don''t you really know where she is?" Ashley asked as she slightly twitched her mouth and looked at

    Andrew in the eye.

    "I don''t know," Andrew replied honestly.

    Ashley didn''t say anything more.

    But she suddenly felt relieved and happy.

    Indeed, she was the only woman in his heart. She didn''t mention any names but Andrew was too quick

    to say no.

    Ashley restrained her urge tough as she said, "I mean... the woman who kidnapped me that day."

    "Oh, her?" A frown surfaced on Andrew''s face.

    "Yes. Angelina."

    Ashley hadn''t heard anything about Angelina since that night.

    But she had a feeling that Andrew took her away.

    She wondered what he did to Angelina.

    "Don''t worry. I won''t let her off this time," Andrew said coldly.

    He could never forgive Angelina for what she did to her beloved wife.

    Ashley was precious to him. He could never allow anyone to hurt even the tip of her pinkie.

    But Angelina''s wickedness put Ashley''s life in danger.

    He would make sure that Angelina would regret it for the rest of her life.

    "Okay," Ashley responded.

    Lying in Andrew''s arms and listening to his heartbeat, she finally calmed down.

    "Angelina is in the hands of Cayn''s right now," Andrew said.

    "What? Why?"

    Ashley was surprised and confused at the same time.

    "Angelina also harmed Dany. Do you think that Cayn will let her off that easily?"

    Andrew exined.

    Thinking about what Angelina did to Dany, Ashley felt incredibly disgusted.

    Dany was an adorable little girl. Only a vicious person could have the heart to hurt her.

    Indeed, Angelina didn''t deserve forgiveness. She must suffer the consequences of her actions.

    If Andrew and Cayn didn''t arrive on time, Ashley couldn''t imagine what could have happened to her

    and Dany. It was such an awful thought, so she tried her best to discard it from her mind.

    "I really thought that she was a nice person. I didn''t expect that behind her beautiful face hides an evil

    soul,"

    Ashley said with a sigh.

    Angelina had even helped her once. So she never thought that she was a dangerous person.

    "She doesn''t mind taking someone''s life just to get what she wants. In the end, she only ruined her own

    life," Ashley added.

    "Well, we can''t do anything to change her. Don''t think about it anymore. Sleep now."

    Andrew patted Ashley''s back gently.

    Since Ashley was too exhausted after what happened in the bathroom, she soon fell asleep in

    Andrew''s arms.

    "Good night," Andrew said gently and kissed her forehead. He stared at her sleeping face dotingly.

    What Ashley didn''t know was, Cayn was as smart and powerful as Andrew. He had a way with

    Angelina.

    Since she hurt his beloved daughter Dany, she would surely die this time.

    Andrew didn''t need to do anything to Angelina to avenge Ashley.

    All he needed to do was keep Ashley safe and sound beside him. He swore that he would protect her

    all his life.

    Andrew only had his eyes for Ashley.

    The next morning, Andrew was not beside Ashley when she woke up.

    She called his name several times, but there was no response.

    Ashley got up from the bed and stretched.

 Chapter 895 Parents

    Chapter 895 Parents

    Now this was one of the benefits of being pregnant. Ashley didn''t need to get up early and could wake

    up anytime she wanted.

    She didn''t need to worry about anything or get involved in it.

    At present, Andrew had twopanies in his hands to manage. One was his ownpany, and the

    other was Ashley''s.

    Andrew intended to take over Ashley''spany so that she could be a full-time mom.

    However, Ashley rejected this proposal brusquely.

    Herpany was her life''s work! She was especially proud of its sess and longevity. Why would

    she give it up just because of her pregnancy?

    In the end, Andrew''s n failed before he could set it in action.

    For a period of time, Ashley didn''t notice anything unusual.

    But little by little, she began to sense something fishy.

    Andrew seemed to be very busy recently.

    Every morning before Ashley woke up, Andrew would have already gotten up and would already be at

    work. This almost became a daily routine.

    She on the other hand, would always wake up at noon.

    When Ashley went to bed at night, she had to wait for him in bed.

    But Andrew wouldn''t be back home until she had fallen asleep for hours. Lately, she couldn''t even talk

    to him anymore.

    Fortunately, Ashley didn''t get bored even though she was at home with only the servants around.

    It was because Belinda often came to keep herpany.

    They would have long chats, go out for a walk. Sometimes they would even go shopping together.

    However, whenever she went out, she didn''t know that there were many secret bodyguards on stand-

    by, around her.

    It was no surprise that they were arranged by Andrew.

    After all, his wife was pregnant now.

    Besides, Andrew couldn''t let anything unsafe happen to her again.

    Ashley had been pregnant for almost three months. She used to vomit a lot in the early weeks of her

    pregnancy, but felt much better recently.

    Andrew felt relieved because of this.

    One day, Ashley and Belinda had juste back home from shopping, with several bags in their

    hands.

    They piled them all on a table, and then sat on the sofa. They just smiled at each other and didn''t say

    anything.

    "Come here, Ash. Let me massage your arm, in case it aches when you get up tomorrow,"

    Belinda said after resting for a while. She asked Ashley to stretch out her right arm and then began to

    massage it.

    "No, no, I''m fine!" Ashley said as she quickly waved her hand.

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    Belinda was her mother. How could she let an elder massage her arm?

    On the contrary, if she massaged her mom''s arm, it was just normal.

    Naturally, Ashley declined her mom''s offer.

    At that moment, Linda overheard them as she came in with two sses of juice in her hands. "Mydy,

    let me massage your arm," Linda offered.

    Hearing her offer, Ashley stretched out her arm.

    But at the moment when she stretched out her arm, she felt that her arms were already sore.

    So, Ashley looked at Linda and refused. "No, thanks, Linda. You can go ahead with the rest of your

    work. I''m craving for some spicy chicken,"

    Ashley said as she winked at Linda.

    "Sure, mydy. I''ll go and cook for you now," Linda said.

    Since Ashley got pregnant, she couldn''t stomach many kinds food or drink.

    It''s only until recently that she started to have some appetite.

    Being pregnant now, she had the right to eat whatever she wanted.

    Naturally, the premise was that she couldn''t eat the foods that were hazardous to pregnancy.

    "Thank you so much, Linda!"

    Ashley said, smiling sweetly.

    After Linda went to the kitchen, Ashley took a sip of the juice said to Belinda, "Mom, don''t massage me.

    I''m fine."

    Still, Belinda held Ashley''s right arm and massaged it.

    Ashley felt a little sour.

    As Belinda glued her eyes on Ashley, a faint smile appeared on her face. Indeed, Ashley looked

    remarkably like her.

    "My dear, you are pretending to be fine. Do you still think that I don''t know? Look at your weak arms

    and legs. You walked a lot with me today.

    Well, don''t say anything more. Just sit here calmly and I''ll message you."

    Belinda insisted an at that moment, Ashley reluctantly epted.

    "Okay, thank you, Mom!"

    "My pleasure!"

    Belinda said gently as she slowly massaged Ashley''s right arm.

    Belinda''s massage was neither too heavy nor too light, but just perfect enough to make Ashley feel

    comfortable.

    Ashley gazed at the woman in front of her.

    She was already over 50 years old.

    Streaks of gray hair could be seen emerging in the midst of the thick ebony colored ones, and her skin

    was well maintained. But the wrinkles on Belinda''s face could still be seen faintly from the corners of

    her eyes.

    Ashley watched her mother massaging her arm.

    At that moment, she suddenly felt bitter in her heart.

    She was fully aware that her biological parents and brother had been looking for her for a long period of

    time.

    She heard from Jeremy that Belinda was not in good health, but never stopped thinking about her

    daughter.

    Belinda was determined to find out her daughter all these years.

    After several minutes, Ashley felt that her arms were rxed.

    "Okay, Mom, it''s enough! It feels better now."

    However, Belinda massaged her left arm for a while longer before she stopped.

    "Mom, now let me massage your arms!" Ashley also offered.

    "I''m fine, dear. You know I am in good health."

    "Please, Mom, just a few minutes. I am your daughter!" Ashley insisted.

    Belinda sighed gently and stretched out her right arm.

    However, two minutester, Belinda suddenly drew back her arm.

    She remembered that Ashley was pregnant!

    She looked at Ashley''s belly and said softly, "Is the baby quiet now? Is he still making trouble for you?"

    "No, my baby behaves very well."

    Ashley said, touching her belly gently.

    Belinda wanted to say something but stopped on second thought.

    "Mom, what do you want to say?" Ashley asked as she held Belinda''s hand.

    During the course of time, the rtionship between Ashley and Belinda got better and better.

    Ashley was aware that everything Belinda did was for her own good.

    She knew that the Gu family wanted to take her to their home and live with them for a period of time,

    but they didn''t mention anything about it to her or Andrew.

    Ashley lowered her eyes. She was Andrew''s wife now. She could ept her parents back in her life,

    but she wouldn''t go back to their home to live with them for too long.

    It was okay for her to visit and stay there for a few days.

    Even so, Andrew has always been jealous and certainly wouldn''t allow Ashley to stay with the Gu

    family.

 Chapter 896 Wedding

    Chapter 896 Wedding

    Andrew already felt dejected that Ashley spent most of her time with their children.

    If she lived with the Gu family for some time, he would feel more miserable.

    Belinda badly wanted Ashley to go back home, so they could spend time with her. Aside from that,

    there was also one thing that was bothering her.

    She knew that Ashley and Andrew had been married for a long time.

    The fact that Andrew loved Ashley wholeheartedly was known to everyone.

    And at her age, Belinda was already urate in judging people.

    Although she didn''t know Andrew that much, she heard a lot of things about him from Jeremy.

    So she knew that Andrew was a good man.

    However, Belinda heard that after being married for such a long time, Andrew and Ashley never held a

    wedding ceremony. It was one thing that bothered her.

    So when she and Ashley talked, she asked, "Ash, how is your rtionship with Andrew?"

    Ashley looked at Belinda in confusion. She then said, "We''re good, mom. Why? Is something wrong?"

    Belinda shook her head. "Nothing. I just feel that something iscking in your rtionship."

    Ashley got more confused. "Mom, what do you mean?"

    "You never had a wedding ceremony, right?

    A wedding is one of the most important things for a woman. She can only wear a wedding dress once

    in her life to marry the man she loves.

    I know that Andrew is treating you well.

    But I think he should arrange a wedding ceremony for you toplete your married life,"

    Belinda said to Ashley, holding her hand.

    Ashley was stunned.

    A wedding?

    Actually, she had also thought about it before.

    When she attended Lesley''s wedding and saw her in a white wedding dress, she couldn''t help feeling

    envious.

    Lesley looked so happy and beautiful as she held Greg''s hand. Ashley was really impressed at that

    moment.

    But things were different between her and Andrew.

    They became a couple naturally and without any fanfare.

    There was no engagement party or a grand wedding ceremony.

    But they both felt that they were meant to be together.

    Thus, Ashley didn''t care whether they had a wedding or not.

    As a matter of fact, Ashley would not have remembered it if Belinda hadn''t mentioned it now.

    Looking at Ashley''s expression, Belinda could tell that it didn''t matter to her that much.

    So she held Ashley''s hand again and asked, "Ash, have you ever thought about it?"

    Although Ashley didn''t care much about the wedding, she couldn''t understand why she suddenly felt

    guilty when Belinda asked.

    She replied, "Of course I have thought about it, Mom. But Andy is busy now. Maybe we can talk about

    it after the baby is born."

    "You will wait until the baby is born?" Belinda asked.

    "Yes," Ashley answered with a smile.

    Belinda knew that this matter should be between Andrew and Ashley. But since she saw that they didn''t

    seem to talk about it, she couldn''t help reminding Ashley.

    She even thought that if they had found Ashley sooner, they could have chosen a better man for her

    and held a grand wedding ceremony. But this time, all she could do was to be on Ashley''s side and

    support all on all her decisions.

    "I''m not saying that Andrew is not a good man. I can see that he really treats you well."

    Belinda had to admit that Andrew doted on Ashley so much.

    She could say that Andrew and Martin were the same in the way they treated their wives.

    Sometimes, she even envied Ashley.

    Ashley indeed married the man she loved the most, and they were living a happy life.

    However, every mother wanted her daughter to walk down the aisle in a wedding dress.

    Moreover, although it was just a wedding ceremony, Belinda strongly believed that it was every

    woman''s dream.

    "I know that, Mom."

    Ashley smiled and squeezed Belinda''s hand gently as a sign of appreciation.

    "I know that you are only after my happiness.

    Mom, I want to tell you something."

    Ashley thought that it was time to let Belinda know about her life when she was away from them.

    "What is it?"

    Ashley had Cynthia and Belinda as her two mothers now, and she was happy about it. She loved them

    both so much.

    Zen and Cynthia took Ashley in when she was in the most miserable situation. They adopted her and

    treated her as their own daughter.

    She had already considered them as her biological parents in her heart and in her mind.

    That was also one of the reasons why she was not so persistent in looking for her real parents.

    Zen and Cynthia had shown her the parental love that anyone could wish for.

    And now that she had found Martin and Belinda, who were her biological parents, she thought that she

    needed to let them know about her adoptive parents.

    Both of them were important in Ashley''s life, and she would never want to lose any of them.

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    So, she thought that if Belinda knew about Cynthia and Zen, both of her parents could be good friends.

    After a while, Ashley asked softly, "Mom, do you know what happened to me when I left J City for a

    while?"

    A trace of sadness shed across Belinda''s eyes. "I''ve heard about some of your experiences from

    Jeremy.

    Ash, did something bad happen to you? Tell me. I''ll help you with it."

    Belinda looked at Ashley worriedly.

    "No, Mom. You have nothing to worry about me.

    "When I was in N Country, I met a family there. They took me and treated me as their own daughter."

    Ashley told Belinda about her life in N Country.

    But not everything.

    She thought that it wasn''t necessary to tell Belinda about those things.

    Belinda would only worry about her again if she found out.

    When Ashley finished talking, Belinda looked at her pitifully.

    "I''m sorry, Ash. It''s all my fault. If we have found you sooner, you wouldn''t have been alone for so long.

    I''m so sorry."

    "Mom, it''s okay. You don''t have to apologize. I''m fine. I''m even in front of you right now, safe and

    sound, aren''t I? Don''t think too much about the past anymore. Let bygones be bygones."

    Ashley didn''t want to see Belinda feel so guilty, so sheforted her.

    Ashley had already told Fabio and Richard about Martin and Belinda too. The two kids now knew that

    they had two grandparents.

    It wasn''t really a big deal for them.

    In fact, they were very happy that two more people cared about them.

    "Ash..."

    Belinda hugged Ashley tightly for a long time.

    They chatted for a while until Belinda said goodbye in the afternoon before Andrew coulde home.

    In the past few days, Belinda had stayed to have dinner with Ashley and her family. But she was sharp-

    witted enough to know that Andrew was not happy about it. So this time, she decided to leave before

    Andrew came back.

 Chapter 897 At Your Own Risk

    Chapter 897 At Your Own Risk

    Belinda felt as if she was the fifth wheel.

    So she decided to leave before Andrew arrived.

    However, what Belinda didn''t know was that Andrew had beening homete in the past few

    weeks.

    Although Belinda had left, Fabio and Richard were already home.

    Cayn had already picked Dany up.

    He really meant what he said.

    A settlement was made between Cayn and Ashley that they would take turns in taking care of Dany.

    ording to the arrangement, Dany would be with Ashley for a week and then with Cayn for the

    following week, alternately.

    Ashley was aware that this was the biggest concession for Cayn.

    While Dany was away, Ashley had arranged a new room for her.

    It was different from either Fabio''s or Richard''s.

    As a mother who respected her kids'' wishes, Ashley always took interest in decorating Fabio''s and

    Richard''s bedrooms as per their own tastes.

    Fabio''s bedroom was painted in blue while Richard''s in white and ck.

    Speaking of Richard''s taste for white and ck painted walls, even Ashley was amazed by his choice.

    If Richard wasn''t actually adopted by her, Ashley would have taken him as Andrew''s son.

    Except for their physical features, Andrew and Richard shared many simr characteristics and

    preferences.

    Both of them liked to pull a long face, and Ashley could hardly imagine that Richard would opt white

    and ck painted walls for his bedroom.

    However, Ashley still added other colors in Richard''s room, which made it look less rigid.

    Compared with Fabio''s and Richard''s rooms, Dany''s was much more beautiful and delicately furnished.

    Painted in pink, it was filled with countless Barbie dolls, little bears, Baymax and other dolls.

    As a highlight, there was a giant teddy bear right next to her pillow. In fact, Dany could use the bear as

    her pillow as well.

    "What do you think? Isn''t it beautiful? I''m sure Dany will love it."

    As soon as the room was ready, Ashley took Richard and Fabio inside to have a look.

    "It''s beautiful!"

    "I''m sure Dany will like it!"

    "Mom, by the way, when will our little sister be born?"

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    Fabio asked curiously, staring at Ashley''s belly.

    Because of her baby bump, they didn''t dare to jump into her arms as recklessly as before.

    The kids could never be more careful.

    All of this was because Ashley was pregnant with a little baby.

    "Why not a little brother?"

    Ashley asked back.

    "It must be another sister! What do you think, Richard?" Fabio said affirmatively.

    Now he even asked Richard to take his side.

    "Yeah." Richard nodded, looking curiously at Ashley''s belly.

    "A little sister would always be obedient. That''s why I like another little sister. Mom, please give birth a

    baby girl so that each of us could have one."

    Fabio suggested, winking at Ashley.

    Hearing his words, Ashley couldn''t help but burst intoughter.

    "A sister for each of you? So, how many sisters do you want? Huh? Isn''t it enough to just have one?"

    Ashley taunted.

    Fabio only frowned.

    "But we haven''t seen a baby growing up. Well, Mommy, when you give birth to a baby sister, you must

    allow us to take care of her. Okay?"

    Ashley rubbed her forehead helplessly.

    "Okay, okay."

    "Mommy, when will my sistere out of your belly?"

    "It''s still early. It''s only been three months now, and she will be born in another six months. You must

    take good care of her then, alright?"

    "Okay! We will take good care of her!" Fabio and Richard replied in unison.

    "Good boys."

    Ashley watched over the two as they did their homework and then yed with them for a while.

    After putting the two children to sleep, she went to her bedroom.

    Perhaps it was because of what Belinda said to Ashley today that kept her from feeling sleepy at all.

    It was about her wedding.

    But did she really care?

    The answer was, of course, yes.

    It was impossible for any woman to not care about her own wedding. As a woman, Ashley also wanted

    to have her wedding like any other woman.

    Ashley wanted a wedding ceremony, but at the same time, she hadn''t thought too much about it. It was

    hard to say whether she had any vanity in her or not.

    Mulling while lying on her bed, Ashley gradually fell asleep.

    She even forgot to turn off the bedsidemp.

    Soon, Andrew came back, tired and worn out. He tiptoed into the bedroom, fearing that he would wake

    up Ashley if he made more noise.

    Andrew thought that Ashley had already fallen into deep sleep as usual.

    However, to his surprise, when he entered the bedroom today, he found the bedside light still on.

    Resting his hands on Ashley''s sides, he just gazed quietly at her face.

    His eyes ran through her face and outlined an evesting picture in his mind.

    His lips mildly curved.

    Now for Ashley, maybe it was because she got Andrew''s familiar smell or maybe that Andrew''s stare

    was too intense for her.

    Whatever the case was, her sound sleep got disturbed.

    As she turned over, she touched something warm.

    In a daze, Ashley opened her eyes and saw Andrew''s handsome face.

    Confused, Ashley mumbled, "Andy, you''re back?"

    Her first thought was that it was just a dream.

    It was because Andrew came back veryte these days.

    Ashley knew very well that there was no one else in Andrew''s heart, except her. She never mistrusted

    him or thought that he would have an affair.

    "Why do youe back sote every day? I miss you so much."

    In her dream, Ashley thought she could be more unscrupulous.

    Anyway, wasn''t this dream dominated by her?

    "I''m sorry,"

    Andrew said, kissing the tip of her nose.

    Ashley shook her head and covered Andrew''s mouth. "There is no need to say sorry. I know you are

    very busy. You have to manage twopanies now.

    On top of that, you still squeeze time toe back and be with me. I understand that." Holding Andrew

    in her arms, Ashley acted like a spoiled kid.

    Looking at Ashley''s expression, Andrew''s heart softened.

    Not to mentioning back to spend time with her, even if Ashley wanted his entire life, he was ready

    to give it to her without any reservations.

    "Okay."

    Holding Ashley in his arms, Andrew felt that his heart was only overwhelmed with happiness.

    Ashley too, was satisfied as she got the answers she wanted. She rubbed Andrew''s arms happily,

    hugged him and went back to sleep.

    But suddenly, Andrew held her hand and said in a hoarse voice, "Ash, don''t move."

    "Why? What''s wrong? I just want to roll over."

    Ashley was not a stable sleeper. She always liked to move around while sleeping.

 Chapter 898 Glib-tongued

    Chapter 898 Glib-tongued

    If Ashley was not pregnant, Andrew wouldn''t have to control his sexual drive.

    But now, he had to be considerate of the child in Ashley''s womb.

    He was constantly reminded of what the doctor had told him, so he took a deep breath.

    He slowly opened Ashley''s sped hands and murmured, "It''s really hard to always have to control

    myself. It feels like I''m going to die very soon."

    Then, he walked into the bathroom.

    Upon entering, the door behind him closed with a thud. One couldn''t tell if Andrew was upset or not.

    But, he too was surprised when he heard the loud noise. He figured that he had closed it a little too

    forcefully.

    But in truth, he was a little annoyed. He did wonder if Ashley was awakened because of it.

    After a brief moment, Andrew put all of those thoughts behind him.

    There was something more important that he needed to do at that moment.

    Back in the room, Ashley was startled by the sound,pletely waking her up. Even though her vision

    was still a little hazy, she didn''t find anything unusual when she looked around.

    It felt like someone had been by her side and was just talking to her while holding her.

    Was it just a dream? Was it simply her illusion? Was she remembering something else?

    Ashley couldn''t help but ask a lot of questions in her head.

    But it couldn''t just be a dream, illusion, or a memory. The touch felt so real.

    Ashley turned around and noticed that the door of the bathroom was closed. She remembered that

    after taking a shower, she had kept that door open. Why was it closed now?

    Ashley was a little confused.

    While thinking of the noise she had just heard, she got up from the bed. Then, with careful steps, she

    walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

    "Andy, are you in there?"

    But she couldn''t hear anything from the inside. Ashley didn''t know how long it took but Andrew replied

    in a low voice, "Uh-huh."

    Ashley was a little surprised that Andrew''s voice sounded a little different.

    But she didn''t think too much about it. She was satisfied that she found out what happened to the door.

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    "Take your time. I''ll wait for you in bed."

    Inside the bathroom, Andrew had just released his sexual urges. But when he heard Ashley''s voice, he

    became aroused again.

    Thus, he had to start from the beginning to suppress his sexual desires once more.

    Andrew sighed when he realized this.

    He even gritted his teeth in frustration.

    In his mind, he keptining that Ashley was pregnant at this time.

    It was bing really hard for Andrew to control his lust for his wife.

    As time passed, Ashley''s belly would be bigger and bigger. By then, it would bepletely

    impossible to be intimate with her. When that time came, Andrew would certainly be more

    frustrated. He might even reach his threshold. However, he had not realized this yet.

    What he was facing now was just the tip of the icebergpared with what was about toe in the

    future.

    Back in their bedroom, Ashley had decided not to go back to sleep until Andrew came out of the

    bathroom. He had juste back and she was not sleepy anymore, so it wouldn''t hurt to wait for her

    husband.

    But even after she had been waiting in bed for so long, Andrew still didn''te out

    Ashley was bing a little impatient.

    He would usually finish taking a shower very quickly. Why was he taking so long now?

    While Ashley was lost in her own thoughts, the bathroom door opened.

    Andrew, who was only wrapped in a bath towel, came out.

    He just took a cold shower and didn''t wash his hair, so he didn''t need to dry his hair right then.

    When Ashley heard the door open, she turned around and saw Andrew walking towards her.

    "Andy, you''re done showering?"

    "Yeah."

    "Are you cold? Come here with me."

    Ashley lifted a corner of the nket. She was particrly susceptible to cold, so she only lifted a small

    corner for him.

    Andrew didn''t hesitate and right away, ced himself into the space which Ashley had prepared for

    him.

    Indeed, his body was freezing a little.

    Ashley subconsciously shivered.

    It was already in November and the air had gotten a little colder.

    Ashley then initiated physical intimacy with Andrew, only to find out that his body was a little cold.

    She was a bit surprised. "Did you just take a cold shower?"

    Although it was a question, there was a hint of certainty in her tone.

    Andrew meekly nodded in response.

    He suddenly remembered that Ashley was sensitive to cold temperatures, so he moved aside. He

    thought that he would only sleep closer to her when his body heat became warmer.

    However, Ashley raised her eyebrows and looked at Andrew. "Do you know what month it is right now?

    And you still took a cold shower? Do you think it''s still summer?" Ashley couldn''t help but be

    furious with the thought that Andrew had just taken a cold shower.

    It was much colder at that moment since it was nighttime, but he still subjected himself to cold water.

    What if he got sick?

    She was really mad at that point.

    Did he do it on purpose to worry her?

    Noticing how upset Ashley was bing, Andrew warmed up his hands and hooked her little fingers

    with his.

    "Ash, I know I was wrong. I won''t do it again. I promise."

    Andrew was the kind of man who could easily admit his mistakes.

    So Ashley could only sigh. "I didn''t mean to scold you. But it''s freezing right now. I''m just afraid that

    you''ll catch a cold, and of course, it wouldn''t be good for your health."

    "Yes, I know, Ash."

    Andrew looked at Ashley with so much affection in his eyes.

    If Ashley knew that it had been because of her that he had gone for a cold shower, she would definitely

    blush from too much embarrassment.

    Andrew was actually thinking of this subconsciously.

    He even looked forward to seeing how Ashley would react if he told her the truth.

    Andrew got really close to Ashley and lowered his voice.

    His alluring tone instantly intoxicated her as he moved much closer to her.

    This made Ashley''s ears tingle.

    Within seconds, she couldn''t help but shiver.

    "What did you say?" Ashley''s attention had beenpletely pulled in by Andrew''s maic voice.

    She didn''t realize what Andrew was saying.

    Hence, she looked at him with confusion written all over her face.

    Andrew was very patient. He approached Ashley once again and whispered something close to her

    ear.

    This time, she heard it very clearly.

    She looked at him in disbelief. There was even a trace of anger in her expression.

    Her face waspletely flushed and anyone could immediately see it.

    "Go away! You bastard!"

    "You''re my wife. How can you call me that?"

    Andrew held her in his arms, preventing her from moving away from him.

    Ashley just red at him.

    ''Arghhh!

    He''s just a beast dressed up in a man''s clothes!

    He has changed!

    He wasn''t like this before, '' Ashley silently thought.

    Since Ashley didn''t have much physical strength, Andrew could easily hold her. With ease, he pulled

    her into his arms and said, "It''s gettingte. You should sleep."

    Ashley wasn''t sleepy anymore. She looked at Andrew and thought that he had recently beening

    homete. She couldn''t help but ask, "Is there a lot of work to do in thepany? You''ve recently been

    coming home sote."

    "Yes, I''m a little busy these days. But just like I''ve promised you, I''ve beening back to be with you

    as soon as I finish my work."

    Andrew rested his chin on Ashley''s shoulder. Drowning himself from the fragrance of her body, he just

    wanted to indulge himself in what little intimacy they could have.

    "You''ve been too busy,"

    Ashley murmured before she fell asleep.

    It turned out that pregnancy had been making her drowsytely.

    Andrew looked at Ashley as if he never saw enough of her.

    "I''ll give you a surprise then."

 Chapter 899 Shy

    Chapter 899 Shy

    Since Andrew spoke very softly, Ashley didn''t hear what he said.

    When Ashley woke up, she turned over to her side. But she bumped into what seemed like a broad

    wall of muscle. Instantly, she could feel that the skin was very warm.

    She clearly felt the contours of the muscles in his body and her hands found their way to his tight

    abdomen.

    Ashley was stunned for a while. When she opened her eyes, she saw Andrew''s chest right in front of

    her. And she found her hand on top of both his pectorals.

    While Ashley was still in a daze and hadn''te to her senses, Andrew''s voice came from above her

    head.

    "Do you want to touch my muscles more?" Ashley couldn''t see his face, but she could imagine that he

    was smiling broadly.

    However, the answer that Ashley gave even surprised her.

    She actually refused and said no.

    As soon as she responded, Ashley couldn''t help but have the urge to bite her tongue off.

    She couldn''t believe how she had answered his question at all.

    "No, I didn''t mean it like that. I''m just¡ªIt was enough for me," Ashley exined right away.

    After that, she quickly took her hand back.

    She felt a little annoyed that Andrew was obviously teasing her. She then wondered, ''Shouldn''t he have

    left early in the morning?

    But why was he still here?''

    "It''s okay. If you''re not yet satisfied, just take your time... I am your husband, after all. So of course, you

    have the right to touch me,"

    Andrew whispered while moving closer to her.

    Ashley''s eyebrows unknowingly twitched.

    Andrew was very shameless so early in the morning.

    Since he was teasing her like that, Ashley figured that he wouldn''t mind if she were to really do what he

    just said.

    Before Andrew could react, Ashley threw herself at him. Her hands roamed all over his body.

    Afterward, she swiftly ran into the bathroom.

    After she left, Andrew could vaguely hear Ashley''s voiceing from the bathroom. With a hint of pride

    in her tone, it seemed like she was saying, "Well, I''m done with touching your body. Now, you will have

    to do whatever you like to satisfy yourself in bed."

    The expression on Andrew''s face turned gloomy when he heard her from the bathroom.

    In the early hours of the day, it was clear to Ashley that men had the strongest sexual desires.

    Andrewughed in his deep voice.

    A while after that, Ashley and Andrew came out of the bedroom together.

    Walking in front of him, Ashley looked impassive. She was totally indifferent to Andrew who was behind

    her. While trying to ease her sore hands, she didn''t know how many times she had already cursed

    Andrew in her head.

    She was too annoyed for being teased, so how could she still be so affectionate towards him?

    "Are you mad?"

    Ashley was ignoring Andrew, but that didn''t mean that Andrew would ignore her as well.

    Andrew stepped forward to catch up with her. He then held Ashley''s hand. His tone, which was usually

    firm and rigid, was soft and gentle this time. "I''m sorry. Let me help you soothe your hands."

    But Ashley only rolled her eyes at him.

    She didn''t want to believe him.

    After all, every man on the was skilled in telling lies.

    However, when her gaze met his, Ashley couldn''t help but simply nod at him.

    Andrew''s eyes lit up. He held Ashley''s hand and gently rubbed it for her.

    To her surprise, the way he was massaging her hand actually worked. Soon enough, she felt

    comfortable.

    "Mydy, Master."

    When Linda saw how intimate the couple was, she looked at them with a smile on her aging face.

    Ashley and Andrew seemed to get along quite well with each other. This was what Linda and their staff

    wanted to see all the time.

    However, Ashley felt a little ufortable, knowing that someone was watching them. She wanted to

    withdraw her hand from Andrew''s immediately.

    But she couldn''t.

    So she simply red at Andrew and said, "Let go of me."

    "No, I want to massage your hands."

    "Let go of me, for now."

    Andrew didn''t say anything more. He just continued massaging without releasing her hand.

    Seeing how the young couple was flirting with each other, Linda almost burst intoughter.

    "Master, my Lady, I have already prepared breakfast. You may now go to the dining area to eat."

    "Thank you, Linda."

    Then, Linda politely left with a smile.

    It was not until Linda was out of earshot that Ashley abruptly pulled her hand out of Andrew''s.

    When she reached the table, Ashley noticed that it was full of her favorite things to eat for breakfast.

    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

    Ashley filled a bowl of porridge for herself and took a spoon. Upon tasting it, she closed her eyes in

    satisfaction. Somehow, everything suited her taste a lot.

    Seeing this, Andrew knew that it was impossible for Ashley to fill a bowl of porridge for him.

    However, he probably deserved it since he had gone too far in teasing her this morning.

    Although, if Andrew were given the choice to do it again, he would not change a thing.

    He looked at the bowl of porridge in front of Ashley. It was a simple bowl of porridge. There was nothing

    special about it, but Ashley seemed to like it very much. She would even stare at it with a smile for so

    long.

    Andrew was sitting next to Ashley. While looking at her, he grabbed the spoon from her hand and took

    the porridge. While Ashley was still confused, he whispered, "Ash, let me feed you."

    "No, I can feed myself. I have two perfectly working hands. Just help yourself."

    Ashley made it clear that she didn''t want Andrew''s help.

    However, Andrew took the bowl of porridge from her. It seemed like he would just keep staring at her

    with the bowl in his hand if she didn''t let him feed her.

    Ashley red at Andrew.

    But Andrew didn''t budge.

    In the end, Ashley finally made thepromise.

    Deep inside, she was surprised at what Andrew was doing. She didn''t expect that he would do

    something like that.

    Wasn''t he supposed to feed her?

    Why was he feeding her and himself alternately? Why did they have to share one single bowl of

    porridge?

    Although Ashley was not disgusted with using the same spoon to eat the porridge together, she felt a

    little uneasy with the whole idea.

    Nevertheless, being fed was a joyful experience.

    What was more, Andrew knew what she liked to eat. All the food that he fed her was to her liking.

    Andrew picked up a lightly fried steamed bun with a pair of chopsticks. The bun looked crisp and

    delicious just by looking at it. It had been fried to a perfect golden brown.

    After a short while, Ashley had already eaten several buns.

    When Andrew picked up another one for her, Ashley moved away from him and shook her head. "No

    more, I''m already full."

    Andrew didn''t insist this time. He put the steamed bun into his mouth and swallowed it in less than two

    seconds.

    Rubbing her belly, Ashley felt very full and satisfied that morning. She didn''t know if it was because

    Andrew was with her or the food or something else.

    Then, she couldn''t help but burp.

    Looking at Andrew, she tried to see his reaction while she quickly covered her mouth.

    When he noticed what she did, he smiled without saying anything.

    After having breakfast, Andrew told Ashley. "Let''s go for a walk."

    When she had woken up that morning, Ashley was confused to see Andrew sleeping by her side.

    She had wanted to ask him why he hadn''t gone to thepany that day.

    But since she got up, she didn''t have the chance to do so. Now, she finally had the time to have her

    question answered.

    With her eyes fixed on him, Ashley asked, "Aren''t you going to work today?"

    In the past, Andrew would go to thepany at any time of the day he preferred. Usually, he would

    leave very early in the morning.

    Andrew lowered his head and looked at Ashley.

    She stared back into his eyes with confusion. She then noticed that in his eyes, was her own reflection.

    What she didn''t notice was that Andrew was in a really good mood.

    "I won''t go to the office today. I''ll stay here with you."

    Ashley was a little d when she heard that. He finally had a day that he wasn''t busy with the affairs of

    thepany. Now, he could spare some time to be with his wife.

    Although she was very happy, Ashley still said, "You don''t have to stay by my side. Besides, I usually

    don''t have anything to do all day long. Actually, mother wille and keep mepanyter. It will be

    better for you to go to the office."

    Even if Ashley wanted Andrew to stay at home with her, she was not a little girl anymore.

    There was a bigpany waiting for Andrew to manage.

    Seeing the expression on Ashley''s face, Andrew inched closer to her and whispered in her ear, "I don''t

    know who it was. But someone kept on pulling my sleevest night, asking me to stay at home with

    her."

    Ashley was rendered speechless. She was confused with what he said. She was suddenly filled with a

    lot of doubt. Could he be talking about her?

    However, when she looked at the expression on Andrew''s face, he could only be referring to her.

    But could that be possible?

    Would she say something like that...?

    Ashley still had some vague memories aboutst night, but she had thought that all of those were just

    her dreams.

    She didn''t expect that they were real.

    Needless to say, Ashley was dumbfounded. She didn''t know what to say at all. Atst, she came to the

    realization that Andrew was telling the truth.

    "Let''s go." Andrew held Ashley''s hand and led her outside.

    "Where are we going?" Ashley followed Andrew, still confused but for a different reason this time.

    "You''ll know when we get there."

    Andrew had deliberately given her an ambiguous answer so that it would remain a secret.

    She pursed her lips and thought, ''Why is he being so mysterious today?'' They got into the car and

    started driving out of the vi.

    When she pulled down the window, the wind immediately blew into her face. But it didn''t matter to her.

    She just stared at the scenery outside which seemed to fly by.

    She hadn''t been out like this for a long time.

    Her pregnancy, most specifically, the baby inside of her, always made her sick, so Ashley had to stay at

    home most of the time.

    Now, she had the precious chance to go out. This was just what she had been hoping to do.

    "Close the window,"

    Andrew said to Ashley whose hair was bing a little messy because of the wind.

    ''What if she caught a cold?'' Andrew thought, worried about his wife.

    "No, just let me enjoy the wind for a while." Ashley looked at Andrew with a begging expression.

    Andrew stopped what he was doing, but he didn''t close the window.

    "Fine, you can keep the window open for five more minutes."

    Ashley just red at Andrew in response.

    He was so bossy.

    Worse was that she knew that he meant what he said. If he said that she only had five minutes, then

    she couldn''t extend it even for just a mere second.

    Finally, he closed the car window when the five minutes were up. Ashley could no longer open it by

    herself, because it had been electronically locked.

    Feeling a little bored, Ashley propped up her face and looked at Andrew. "Andy, where are you taking

    me?"

    "We''re almost there. Please be patient."

    No matter how much Ashley asked, Andrew wouldn''t tell her where they were going.

    When Ashley felt a little sleepy, the car finally stopped.

    Ashley hadn''t fallen sound asleep, so she woke up as soon as the car''s engine was turned off.

    "Have we arrived?"

    Ashley asked.

    "Yeah, we''re here."

    Andrew got out of the car himself. Then, he walked to the other side to help Ashley.

    "Where are we?" Ashley asked while looking at their surroundings.

    She was confused for a while, which was understandable because what was in front of her was a very

    luxurious vi. It looked modern and ssy since the features were not exaggerated at all.

    In terms of style, the vi had a new Chinese architectural design. Ashley didn''t know much about

    structures, but she could tell that it was ancient, particrly elegant, and magnificent.

    If she didn''t know Andrew well, she might think that Andrew wanted to sell her.

    "Why did you bring me here? What is this ce?"

    Ashley looked at Andrew, a little puzzled.

    "Let''s go inside. Then, you will know the answer."

 Chapter 900 A Big Surprise

    Chapter 900 A Big Surprise

    Instead of answering Ashley''s question, Andrew simply held her hand. He then led her towards the

    vi.

    "What are you doing? You''re being so mysterious," Ashley murmured.

    While still holding onto Ashley''s hand with his left hand, Andrew rang the doorbell with his other.

    Not long after, the door was opened from the inside.

    When Ashley saw who opened it, she was a little confused. It was none other than her mother, Belinda.

    "Mom?" Ashley asked with the same confused expression on her face. Then, she looked back at

    Andrew, hoping to get some answers.

    She had no idea what the two of them were up to.

    "Come on in, Ash."

    Belinda greeted her with a smile while gesturing for her to enter the vi.

    When Ashley was about to go inside, Andrew let go of her hand.

    "Andy?" Ashley looked at him with an even more puzzled expression.

    She didn''t know she could be more confounded in a matter of minutes.

    "Go inside, Ash,"

    Andrew whispered.

    "Where are you going? Aren''t youing with me?" Ashley eximed when she saw that Andrew was

    already walking away from them.

    But it seemed like Andrew didn''t hear what Ashley had said. With carefree steps, he got in the car and

    left.

    "Ash,e on in."

    Belinda repeated while she pulled Ashley inside.

    "Mom, where is Andy going?"

    Based on the expression on Belinda''s face, Ashley thought that she must know where Andrew was

    heading to.

    "Ash, stop asking questions and juste with me, alright?" As Belinda spoke, she grabbed Ashley''s

    hand and led her into a room.

    To Ashley''s surprise, Ellie and Chloe were inside. It looked like the two women were having a good

    conversation with each other.

    When Ashley turned her head to the other side of the room, she found that Amaia and Fiona were also

    there.

    "What''s wrong? Why are you looking at us like you don''t know who we are?" Ellie was the first one to

    notice Ashley''s arrival. When she saw how Ashley was looking at them in disbelief, Ellie couldn''t help

    butugh.

    "Ashley, I didn''t expect that you''d have such a prominent status. You''re actually the daughter of the Gu

    family." Chloe patted Ashley on the shoulder.

    "Ashley."

    "Sister Ashley."

    Amaia and Fiona also greeted Ashley.

    "Why are all of you here?"

    "Surprise!"

    "It''s a secret!"

    Everyone looked at Ashley with a smile, but they didn''t tell her anything.

    "What''s going on?" Ashley asked, sounding a bit helpless.

    "Don''t ask too many questions. Juste here. Hurry up and put on some makeup."

    Ellie carefully helped Ashley to sit down in front of a big mirror. She then sat beside Ashley. Beside

    them were several strangers who looked like hair and makeup artists.

    "Ah, no, you should change your clothes first."

    Ellie lightly hit her forehead. How could she forget it?

    "Miss Su, the wedding dress is here." A person came over with a wedding dress in a big box and

    ced it in front of Ashley and Ellie.

    The wedding dress was pure white in color. With a brief look, it was evident that the workmanship and

    texture were of high standards. Instantly, Ashley was impressed with the garment.

    She couldn''t help but stare at it in amazement. She waspletely astounded.

    "What? Why are you so stunned? Go ahead and change into that dress now. Do you need me to help

    you?" Ellie teased her.

    "No, thanks. I can put it on myself."

    Ashley finally came to her senses. With the dress in her hands, she walked into the dressing room in a

    rush.

    At that time, Chloe''s belly was a little biggerpared to just a few weeks back. She was already

    pregnant two months before Ashley and now she was five months in. Fortunately, since Chloe''s health

    was in good condition, she hadn''t encountered any kind ofplications.

    Otherwise, Nn wouldn''t have allowed Chloe to travel to J City.

    "Why hasn''t she finished changing into the dress yet? Ellie, go and have a look," Chloe urged her.

    "Sure, hold on a second."

    Ellie then walked towards the dressing room which Ashley was changing in.

    Initially, Ashley thought that if Chloe and Ellie were to meet each other, they would definitely be

    good friends. The two of them had personalities that couldplement one another.

    However, Ashley didn''t expect that Chloe and Ellie would get along so well. It was like they had known

    each other all their lives.

    "Ashley, are you done changing?" Ellie called out while knocking on the door.

    "Just a minute."

    After she had finished putting on the wedding dress, Ashley found that she couldn''t zip the back of the

    garment by herself, so she had to ask Ellie for help.

    The moment Ellie saw Ashley, she was so astonished that her jaw dropped. It took her a while to find

    the right words.

    "Ashley, you are so beautiful."

    Ashley blushed and replied, "Thank you. Let''s go back now?"

    When Ashley went back into the room, Chloe and Amaia had the same reaction as Ellie.

    "All right, all right. Don''t waste time. Hurry up and sit here so they can put makeup on you."

    Ellie grabbed Ashley''s arm and pulled her to the chair in the middle of the room. The artists

    immediately began to apply makeup on Ashley''s face.

    Ashley closed her eyes so the artists could easily do their job.

    "Mrs. Lu, you have such good skin," one of the makeup artists sincerely said.

    "Thank you, that''s really kind of you." Ashley pursed her lips.

    Although on the surface, she looked quite calm, not one person in that room knew what was on her

    mind at that moment.

    Andrew took her to the Gu family vi and left her there by herself.

    However, there were so many people waiting for her, and there was even a wedding dress.

    Ashley could vaguely guess what Andrew had nned. As a result, she was a little nervous and

    excited. She was mentally preparing herself for more surprises if there were any.

    Did Andrew really prepare all of this for her?

    "Well, Mrs. Lu, you can open your eyes now."

    When Ashley heard one of the artists, she did so in a very slow manner.

    She couldn''t help but be dazed by the woman in the mirror.

    ''Is that really me?'' Ashley asked herself.

    The woman in the mirror had delicate makeup and her hair was exquisitely coiled on the top of her

    head. Some wisps of hair looked like they effortlessly fell down from her forehead and back. The

    hairstyle looked romantic and ssy. The wind from the fan in the room made her hair seem to dance

    with it.

    The woman in the mirror had a sweet and delighted smile on her lips.

    Ashley couldn''t believe that the woman she was seeing turned out to be her.

    "It is said that a woman will be more beautiful if they were to marry the man whom they truly love.

    It seems like it''s true."

    "Ashley, have you realized that you''re bing more and more beautiful?"

    Ellie and the otherdies yfully asked her.

    "Yes, you are to marry the man you truly love as well. When can I attend your wedding, Ellie?"

    Sure enough, Ellie blushed and didn''t say anything in response.

    "How is everything? Are all of you ready?"

    Belinda came back to the room and when she saw Ashley, tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

    "Ash."

    This was her daughter right in front of her. And her daughter was about to get married.

    Even though Belinda had just reunited with Ashley, it felt like she was parting from her again.

    It took them so much time and effort to find her daughter and get her back. She had never lived at their

    home at all. Was she leaving them already?

    "Mom." Ashley stood up and hugged Belinda.

    "Mom, don''t worry. Everything''s fine. In my heart, you are the best mom anyone can ever have."

    "Thank you, my daughter." Belinda hugged her back very tightly.

    "Where is Jeremy and Dad?" Ashley then asked.

    "They''re waiting for you outside. You can go to them when you''re ready."

    "Okay Mom, I think I''m ready to go."

    With that, Ashley grabbed the front part of the dress'' skirt and walked out of the room. Behind her,

    there were several people carrying the long train of the dress to prevent it from falling to the ground and

    getting dirty. Ellie and the others walked beside her.

    As soon as she went out, Ashley was overwhelmed by the number of cars parked outside.

    Ashley clearly remembered that when she entered the room, there were barely any vehicles outside.

    "Don''t be so surprised. Get in the car." Chloe gently nudged Ashley on the side.

    Ashley came to her senses, smiled at Chloe, and got in the car.

    She didn''t know why but somehow, she felt even more nervous than earlier.

    Such an emotion had nevere to her before.

    "Don''t be afraid. You have us beside you in every step of the way." Ellie held Ashley''s hand.

    "Thank you." Ashley nodded at Ellie and Chloe.

    She didn''t know how long it took but finally, the car stopped in front of a huge auditorium.

    For Ashley, it felt like a long time had passed by while she was in the car.

    "Come on, bride, let me help you get out of the car."

    Since it would be inconvenient for Chloe to assist Ashley, it was Ellie who helped her out of the car.

    As soon as Ashley was on her feet, the big poster at the door immediately caught her attention.

    Ashley was no stranger to the people on it.

    The man on the poster was wearing a white suit and the woman was wearing a white wedding dress. It

    looked like they were on a very tight and loving embrace.

    The woman had a smile that even reached her eyes. Meanwhile, the man who had facial features that

    made him look impassive was staring at the woman affectionately.

    Needless to say, it was Ashley and Andrew in the poster. Ashley didn''t even know when Andrew had

    taken that photo.

    Within seconds, Ashley''s eyes were filled with tears.

    Noticing that, Ellie immediately approached Ashley and said, "Don''t cry. Don''t forget that you''re the

    bride. Today is a very important day for you."

    Ellie knew Ashley was emotional so she wasn''t surprised to see her cry. If Ashley didn''t cry at that

    moment, Ellie would have thought that it was an impostor right in front of her.

    "You can''t ruin your makeup, okay?"

    Looking at Ellie and Chloe who were standing beside her with broad smiles on their faces, Ashley

    smiled back at them. "How can I cry? You''re wrong," Ashley denied.

    Then, without wasting another second, Ashley grabbed the front of the skirt and walked forward.

    Ellie and Chloe looked at each other and giggled a little.

    "Amaia, Fiona, follow us."

    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Ellie turned to the other two and together, they entered the hall with Ashley.

    Up until then, Lesley''s wedding was considered the most luxurious and grand in the entire J City. But

    today''s weddingpletely overshadowed hers.

    Andrew and Ashley''s wedding was so over the top that almost everyone in J City knew about it. No

    matter where they were or what social status they had, people all got excited when hearing the news.

    As soon as Andrew received their marriage certificate, he wanted to tell the whole world.

    He wanted to let them know that Ashley was his wife.

    Andrew wasn''t giving anyone a chance to take away the woman he loved the most.

    All the people present were in such a good mood. Everyone had a smile on their faces andughs

    could be heard all around the hall. Only one man was drinking by himself in the corner.

    Haley grabbed the ss of wine from the man''s hand and said, "Duncan, look at yourself! It''s just a

    woman. Is it really necessary to do this to yourself? There are still so many beautiful women out there!

    You don''t have to treat yourself like this for a woman who''s already

    married!"

 Chapter 901 There Were Plenty Of Beautiful Women In The World.

    Chapter 901 There Were Plenty Of Beautiful Women In The World.

    "Give it to me!" Duncan said to Haley coldly, looking into his eyes.

    Duncan was no longer the same innocent young man he used to be five years ago. Steeled and

    tempered by time, he looked more mature and quite charming.

    "Duncan! You know there are plenty of other beautiful girls in the world, right? Besides, Ashley is

    already a mother of a few children and is now pregnant!" Haley reasoned with him and urged him to

    undo his regressive attitude. But, realizing that Duncan''s face was getting more and more grave, Haley

    couldn''t help lowering his voice.

    Haleyprehended that Duncan had be more shrewd and sophisticated than before.

    "Well, enjoy your drinking binge. Let me see how much you can drink!" Haley had no choice but to

    return the wine bottle to Duncan.

    Duncan took the wine and straight away began to gulp it down. He seemed to be trying to escape from

    his sorrow with the help of alcohol.

    Looking at the well decorated wedding venue, it was too painful for him to even utter a word.

    Duncan was reluctant to attend the function in the first ce. Not every man could bear to see his

    beloved woman throw herself into another man''s arms.

    But...

    In the end, he couldn''t help bute.

    He missed her so much and he wanted to see her in person.

    In fact, Duncan hadn''t seen Ashley since they parted in M country.

    At that moment, Haley couldn''t help but shake his head in desperation when he saw Duncan''s grave

    and a pained expression.

    However, what the two didn''t know was that at that time, a beautiful well-dressed woman, who was

    standing quietly in a corner, was watching Duncan.

    The woman''s beautiful eyes were also filled with pain, and her hands tightly grabbed the wall beside

    her.

    Why didn''t Duncan look back at her?

    Meanwhile, Ashley was surrounded by Ellie and other bridesmaids. The wedding ceremony was about

    to start, but Ashley hadn''t seen Andrew.

    "Where is Andrew?" Ashley couldn''t help asking.

    "Hey, you both have just been separated for only a few minutes only. Can''t you stop asking about his

    whereabouts?"

    Someone teased.

    Ashley''s face turned red. In truth, she was a little flustered that day.

    "Don''t worry. He will be here soon!" Ellieforted her.

    "Ash, keep calm! Everything is fine." Suddenly, Martin came up to Ashley and patted her hand.

    Looking at Ashley, Martin had an illusion that he was the bridegroom and Belinda was the bride that

    day, because Ashley looked a lot like Belinda.

    "Ehmm," Ashley smiled at Martin.

    She held Martin''s hand tightly.

    She knew that before the ceremony wouldmence, the father would hold his daughter''s hand and

    escort her to the altar, eventually giving her away to the bridegroom.

    Soon, the stage was all set and the beautiful strings of ssical music could be heard in the

    background. Without dy, the master of the ceremony walked to the center.

    Holding Martin''s hands, Ashley slowly walked down the aisle.

    There, Andrew stood directly at the other end. His eyes were glued on Ashley.

    Ashley noticed his gaze and couldn''t help but look away.

    "Here, I''ll leave her to you today. If you dare to make her suffer, our family will take her back any time!"

    Martin dered aloud before putting the bride''s hand into the groom''s.

    "You can be sure of it, Dad. I won''t let her suffer at all!"

    Andrew replied aloud and bowed deeply to Martin. Then he took Ashley''s hand into his.

    As for Martin, he had just found his daughter a few days before, but now he had to give her away in

    marriage.

    Martin felt his eyes fill with tears.

    "Dad, please be rest assured. Andy is a man who loves me very much. He''ll treat me well, forever!"

    Ashley said as she stepped forward and hugged her father.

    "Take care of yourself! May God bless you my child, and make youfortable and happy."

    Martin patted Ashley''s shoulder before he stepped down the stage.

    Meanwhile, when Belinda saw Ashley holding Martin, she couldn''t help but feel jealous.

    Ash hadn''t hugged her yet.

    At that instant, Belinda thought her husband was indeed lucky.

    "Bride and bridegroom, please face the stage of love and start a new chapter in your lives together!"

    The master of ceremony announced.

    Then, the two kids who stood beside Ashley and Andrew began to spread flowers.

    Ashley suddenly felt that the two kids were a little familiar. She looked at them carefully and found that

    they were none other than her beloved Dany and Fabio.

    "Mommy!" Fabio blinked at Ashley and called out.

    There was a warm smile on Ashley''s face.

    "To the bride, Ashley, are you willing to marry the groom, Andrew, and have him as your partner for life?

    Whether in prosperity or adversity, poverty or wealth, health or illness, are you willing to be faithful to

    him, and to love him until death do you part?"

    "I do!" Ashley replied slowly and loudly, looking into Andrew''s eyes.

    "Andrew, are you willing to marry the bride, Ashley, and have her be your partner for life? Whether

    in prosperity or adversity, poverty or wealth, health or illness, are you willing to be faithful to her, and to

    love her until death do you part?"

    "I do!" Andrew dered aloud.

    "Now, bride and groom, you may exchange your wedding rings!" Finally, it was time for the highlight the

    wedding ceremony. Andrew and Ashley stepped forward and exchanged rings, each one making the

    other wear it on the ring finger. Everyone pped with wide smiles on their faces.

    "Ashley and Andrew, you have publicly dered yourmitment to each other for all time. I call upon

    all gathered here to witness that you are now wife and husband. You may now kiss each other!" The

    master of the ceremony dered.

    Ashley''s face flushed the moment she saw Andrew''s eyes fixed on her.

    The next round of the ceremony was to make a toast. But since Ashley couldn''t drink alcohol due to her

    pregnancy, she drank juice instead.

    Leaning against Andrew, Ashley felt a little drowsy.

    She felt exhausted, but was very happy!

    "Tired?" Andrew turned to look at her.

    "Yeah, a little." Ashley nodded.

    "Then let''s step down the stage." Andrew held Ashley''s hand and was about to leave the stage.

    "But can we leave now?" Ashley asked doubtfully.

    Ashley wasn''t sure about the flow of the wedding ceremony and what the next steps were.

    Was it really okay to leave like this?

    "It''s fine. We can leave now,"

    Andrew said casually.

    Immediately, Andrew and Ashley walked down the stage.

    "Where do you want to go?" Ashley asked while getting into the car with Andrew.

    "We''ll just go on a joy-ride," Andrew replied with a smile.

    Ashley also wanted to get some fresh air.

    At the wedding ceremony, there were too many people around and it was very noisy.

    "Okay!"

    Ashley was excited. Suddenly, the poster and photos from the wedding ceremony came to her mind.

    Each of those photos were beautiful. She also remembered that she had never taken such beautiful

    photos with Andrew.

    However, Ashley couldn''t help but ask him about the surprise.

    "I''ve been preparing for quite a while," Andrew replied.

    "But when did you do it?"

    But Andrew didn''t respond this time.

    And Ashley didn''t say anything either.

    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

    The two of them took a ride outside and then went back. Ashley went to the bedroom and opened the

    door. For a moment, she thought she had mistakenly entered the wrong room.

    She saw that the sheets and the quilt had all been changed to fresh ones with a deep red color.

    There was a big photo frame hanging on the wall. It was a wedding photo of Ashley and Andrew. The

    two of them were wearing wedding attire and stood hand in hand.

    Furthermore, there were also many small photo frames on the bedside table.

    Also, the whole bedroom seemedpletely new. The room was red themed, which made Ashley

    think that she had entered the wrong room.

    "What happened? Why are you not going into the room?"

    Andrew asked. He was standing right behind Ashley. Seeing that she stopped at the door of the

    bedroom, he was confused.

    "Andy!"

    Ashley threw herself at Andrew.

    "I love you so much!" she whispered, resting her forehead against his and kissing him softly.

    "Be careful. You are pregnant now!"

    Wrapping his arms around her, he sighed deeply.

    Staring into her starry eyes, Andrew suddenly felt that what he had arranged in the previous month was

    worth the cost and effort!

    "Do you like it?" He asked as he took her into the bedroom.

    "Yes! I like it very much!" Ashley said happily.

    "When did you arrange it?" Ashley asked, looking at Andrew curiously.

    The truth was that Andrew had nned for this right after attending Lesley''s wedding ceremony.

    He had actually started preparing before that, about five years ago.

    But when Ashley suddenly left at that time, he had no choice but to scrap it altogether.

    After attending Lesley''s wedding ceremony together with Ashley, Andrew decided to start nning

    again.

    Right from that day, he had been meticulously preparing for this wedding event.

    Since Ashley was pregnant again, the wedding ceremony had to be held ahead of time. Of course,

    waiting till Ashley''s delivery would only result in further dying the ceremony.

    "A few months ago," Andrew replied.

    "Thank you so much, Andy!" Ashley said, hugging him tightly.

    How lucky was she to marry a man like Andrew!

    "Well, Ash, what should you call me now?" Andrew asked deliberately as he looked into her eyes with a

    smile.

    She blushed all of a sudden. Then she lowered her voice and called him, "My husband!" Her voice

    sounded like a mosquito humming in his ear.

    Though Andrew heard it, he pretended otherwise.

    "I didn''t hear it clearly. What did you just call me?"

    "Husband! Do you hear me now?"

    Ashley opened her eyes and called him husband aloud.

    "Yes, now I hear you,"

    Andrew replied merrily.

    He held Ashley tightly in his arms.

    "What are you going to do?" Ashley was shocked by his sudden movement.

    Seeing her panicked reaction, Andrew couldn''t help teasing her, "Today is our wedding night. What do

    you think I want to do?"

    "No way! No way! I am pregnant!" Ashley screamed.

    "It''s nothing. I''ve asked advice form the doctor. He said that it''s okay, even after the first three months

    of pregnancy,"

    Andrew whispered in her ear.

    His voice almost made her agree.

    "No, it''s dangerous for the baby!" Ashley suddenly shook her head repeatedly and gravely.

    "Trust me. Our baby is not so fragile," Andrew pleaded.

    Ashley was speechless.

    At that moment, she began to suspect that the reason why Andrew arranged the wedding ceremony on

    that day was because he had nned it for a long time!

    In truth, if they hadn''t held the wedding ceremony now, it would have gotten postponed for much

    longer. Andrew didn''t want to wait that long.

 Chapter 902 The Seaside

    Chapter 902 The Seaside

    It was just the right time.

    However, no matter what Andrew did or said, Ashley just continued to refuse him.

    Blushing hard, she said, "It''s still noon."

    "Oh, it''s fine."

    --

    Right after hearing what Andrew had said, Ashley''s stomach began to growl loudly.

    "You''re hungry?"

    Andrew looked at Ashley with amusement in his eyes.

    Pouting, she nodded in response.

    How could she not be hungry?

    She had eaten too little in the morning. Before she knew what was happening, she had been running

    around, preparing for a wedding she hadn''t known about until that day. By noon, she only had a drink

    while proposing a toast.

    At that point, the two of them couldn''t wait to get out of there.

    "What do you want to eat? I''ll cook anything for you."

    Hearing that, Ashley got very excited. She looked at Andrew with sparkling eyes and said, "I want to

    eat something spicy."

    Ashley was thinking that the spicier the food was, the better.

    Andrew raised his brows at her and said, "You''re pregnant. Are you allowed to eat anything like that?"

    "Of course, I am. Why not? Haven''t you heard the saying? ''A woman will give birth to a boy if she

    prefers sour food during her pregnancy. On the other hand, she will have a baby girl if she likes eating

    spicy food''. Since I''ve been craving for spicy foodtely, the baby in my belly must be a girl."

    Andrew couldn''t believe what just heard.

    After staring at her for a while, Andrew chose not to argue with her anymore. Lowering his shoulders in

    defeat, he turned around and went downstairs.

    Andrew had given the servants of the vi a few days off.

    Back at the wedding venue, their guests had no idea that the bride and groom had already left and

    gone back home.

    But then, that was exactly the kind of person that Andrew was.

    For a while, Ashley just sat upstairs waiting for Andrew. When she got a whiff of the delicious smell

    from the kitchen, she couldn''t help but hurry down to where it wasing from.

    Leaning against the door and with a faint smile on her lips, Ashley just stared at her husband busily

    preparing the dishes.

    He only noticed that Ashley was there when it was time to ce the dishes on the table.

    "You''re here. I didn''t see you," he said with a littleugh.

    "Well, I can''t help bute downstairs when I smelled all the delicious food that you were making."

    Then, she sat at the table.

    Andrew filled two bowls of rice and put them in front of Ashley.

    "Let''s eat."

    "Hmm, yes!"

    "Do you know when I have decided to start cooking?" Andrew asked while looking at the satisfied

    expression on her face.

    "Tell me, when?"

    Ashley stared at the only dish in front of her without any chili peppers and picked it up for Andrew.

    With that, the smile on his lips widened even more.

    "Do you remember the first time that you came here?"

    "Yes, I remember. What about it?"

    At that time, Ashley had been drinking, so she was really tipsy. She wasn''t expecting that Andrew

    would take her back to his ce.

    "Did you decide to cook after what I said?" Ashley looked at Andrew in surprise.

    In fact, Ashley couldn''t exactly remember what had happened that day, but when Andrew started to

    mention cooking, it suddenly became clear to her.

    At that time, she was watching Andrew in the kitchen. She was still drunk and subconsciously sighed

    about how wonderful her life would be if her boyfriend was a good cook.

    "Yeah, I did," Andrew casually replied as if he didn''t just admit that he learned an entirely new skill for

    her.

    Ashley didn''t know what to say.

    How could there be such a kind of man in the world? And now, this man even became her husband.

    How lucky was she? It was like she asked the heavens for a piece of cake and they gave her an entire

    bakery.

    "Where are Linda and the other servants?"

    It was not until then that Ashley realized that she hadn''t seen anyone in the vi since they arrived.

    "They''re on vacation."

    "What? Why are they on vacation?"

    With a smirk on his lips, Andrew got really close to Ashley. He whispered something in her ear, turning

    them uncontrobly red. She didn''t ask Andrew anything more about it.

    The two of them just quietly finished their meal.

    After that, Andrew held Ashley in his arms like he was holding a child.

    Ashley couldn''t help but exim, "What are you doing?"

    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Andrew rested his head on Ashley''s neck and said in a low voice, "It is our wedding night."

    "What? What are you talking about? Haven''t we already discussed it this afternoon?"

    Ashley was amused by how Andrew looked dejected with what she said.

    But still, Ashley was firm with her decision.

    Andrew looked up at Ashley and gritted his teeth as if he was going to swallow her right then and there.

    Because of that, Ashley didn''t have a choice but to go along with what he wanted.

    When they reached their bedroom, she looked at him from under her eyshes.

    She then grabbed Andrew''s clothes tightly with both of her hands.

    Her legs felt so weak

    that she almost fell on the bed.

    Andrew gently held Ashley with his hands so that they remain as close as possible. He then kissed his

    wife passionately, almost setting her lips on fire.

    It was only when Ashley was almost out of breath that Andrew let go of her.

    As soon as he did, Ashley couldn''t help but gasp for air.

    She stared intently at Andrew with her clear eyes.

    What Ashley didn''t know was that her stare at Andrew was not effective even by the slightest. Instead,

    she just looked like a small pouty child.

    Andrew ced his lips inches away from Ashley''s ear. With his deep voice, he slowly said, "Ash, I''ve

    already asked the doctor and he said it''s okay..."

    "No..." Andrew felt helpless at that point.

    Before Ashley could say anything more, Andrew kissed her on the lips once again.

    The sound of the waves hitting the coast and the whispers of the sea wind gradually faded away.

    The sky was strikingly blue, drizzled with white clouds. Below it, the sea which bore the same color had

    gentle waves, making it look majestic. The wind seemed to dance with the waves, dazzled in the glory

    of the sun shining above.

    Just then, someone came out of the house and went straight to the beach barefooted. Laughing while

    picking up the shells, she looked happy and content, ying near the water.

    Ashley was awakened by the sound of the waves. She opened her eyes in a daze. Through the

    window, she could see the blue waves gently crashing on the sand.

    Ashley thought that she was just in a dream. She rubbed her eyes but when she opened them again,

    the scene in front of her was still the same.

    Ashley couldn''t help but sit up and scan the room. But she didn''t see Andrew anywhere.

    Everything in front of her seemed strange.

    The room was strange. The bed, the pillows and the sheets were strange. They were all unfamiliar to

    her.

    "Andy? Andy?" Ashley called out on instinct.

    Had she been kidnapped again?

    Ashley''s heart sank with that thought.

    She instantly felt scared.

    "Ash, what''s wrong?" Fortunately, it wasn''t that long before she heard Andrew''s voice from outside the

    room.

    Andrew, who was usually dressed in a suit, was wearing a white cotton tank top, a creamy white

    sweater, and ck sweat pants. On top of his clothes was a lovely apron with a wooden spoon in his

    hand.

    It was pretty obvious that he rushed over after hearing Ashley'' call out his name.

    Upon seeing Andrew, Ashley was instantly relieved. She looked at him and asked, "Where are we?

    Why are we here? How did we even get here?"

    Andrew put the spoon aside and walked over to Ashley. "Come and have a look. Can you guess where

    we are?"

    Ashley put on her slippers and walked towards the French windows where she had a panoramic view

    of the waves and the beach.

    Everywhere she turned, all she could see was blue. When the blue waters ended was her favorite

    beach.

    "Do you like it?" Andrew asked in his deep voice.

    "Yes, I do!" Ashley eximed.

    Even after a few minutes, Ashley was still mesmerized with the sea. She didn''t notice that Andrew was

    already by her side. He circled his arms around her and held her tightly.

    She looked at the sea peacefully, feeling the breeze on her face.

    "How did you find this ce?" Ashley softly asked.

    Andrew held Ashley''s hand, but he didn''t say anything. He had found this ce a long time ago and

    had been nning to surprise her with it.

    He had specially prepared the ce for the two of them toe and spend their honeymoon.

    "Do you want to go out and have a look?"

    "Is it okay?"

    "Yes, of course.

    Go and get changed first."

    Ashley was still wearing the pajama which she had worn the previous night. The fabric was a little thin,

    so it couldn''t keep her warm enough.

    "Okay."

    Andrew had prepared everything, up to the little details. As soon as she opened the wardrobe, she saw

    a lot of clothes.

    Ashley turned to Andrew, evidently confused. How could he have prepared everything?

    "What''s wrong?" Andrew knowingly asked.

    "No, it''s nothing." Ashley came to her senses and chose a creamy white Persian dress with long

    sleeves and an off-white sweater.

    It was a good match to what Andrew was wearing.

    Andrew raised his eyebrows, but looked very happy.

    He noticed that they were wearing a couple''s outfit.

    He liked it. It was a perfect fit for their honeymoon.

    "Let''s go and have dinner first."

    After Ashley was finished getting ready, Andrew held her hand, and together, they walked out of the

    room.

    She instantly smelled something and recalled that Andrew had just rushed over after hearing her

    scream. "Were you cooking something earlier? Wouldn''t it have burned by now or overcooked?"

    "No, it won''t. Don''t worry," Andrew calmly said.

    As soon as he heard Ashley calling him, he turned off the gas before running to her.

    Andrew pulled out a chair for Ashley and let her sit on it. "Wait here for a minute. Dinner will be ready

    soon."

    After saying that, Andrew turned around and went back to the kitchen.

    Looking at the milk and sandwiches in front of her, Ashley turned to stare at her husband who had just

    entered the kitchen.

    After a while, Andrew came out with two heart-shaped fried eggs.

    "Okay, let''s eat this first."

    "Honey, why are you so kind?" While looking at Andrew, Ashley had called him an endearment so

    casually.

    "Uh? Does it taste bad?"

    "No, it''s actually really good!"

    "Okay, then keep eating."

    Ashley didn''t say anything more after that. She just focused on the food in front of her.

    What Ashley didn''t see when she lowered her head to eat, was Andrew looking at her without blinking.

    It was so peaceful, just the two of them having a meal in paradise.

    Meanwhile, back in the Golden Pce, everything waspletely different.

    When Fabio woke up, he couldn''t see his mother. He went to her bedroom and couldn''t find her

    anywhere.

    In a bit of panic, Fabio rushed to look for Chant.

    "Great Grandpa, where are Daddy and Mommy?"

    "What''s wrong, Fabio? Why do you look upset?" Chant picked up the little boy.

    "Great Grandpa, do you know where Mommy is? I can''t find her anywhere," Fabiomented.

    Chant replied, "Your mommy and daddy are on honeymoon. They will be back in a few days."

    "Where did Mommy and Daddy go? Why didn''t they take us with them?"

    Fabio pursed his lips. He didn''t like what was happening at all.

    Chant thought to himself, ''Your father went on a honeymoon with your mother. How could they take you

    along?''

 Chapter 903 Is This A Honeymoon

    Chapter 903 Is This A Honeymoon

    However, Chant wouldn''t say such things, lest he hurt Fabio''s feelings.

    "They are going to make you a little sister so that you can y with her," Chant joked.

    "But Mommy is already pregnant with a little sister, isn''t she?" Fabio asked, looking at Chant, confused.

    "Well, that''s because your sister is still too small," Chant tried to fabricate his story.

    "Why is that?" Fabio asked again.

    Chant was almost speechless with Fabio''s persistence.

    He felt like he wanted to scream at Andrew. How could he just disappear all of a sudden after the

    wedding ceremony.

    Andrew left before the wedding ceremony was over. When Chant got back home with Richard, Fabio

    and Dany, Andrew and Ashley had already vanished into thin air.

    In the morning, the next day.

    After breakfast, Ashley and Andrew went out of the vi to walk by the sea.

    A view of the horizon, where the sky met the blue sea was breathtaking to watch. It was indeed

    refreshing.

    The sun had risen to the sky and the weather was neither cold nor hot. There were already some

    people on the beach.

    Some children were ying and enjoying themselves by picking up shells, while the adults were

    holding hands, talking andughing while in groups of twos and threes.

    The sound of the crashing waves could be heard, making it feel like it was the most pleasant music in

    the world.

    Ashley liked the ambience of calm and serenity around her, making her feel very rxed.

    The seaside offered a perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

    When she saw the boundless blue water, all the annoyance and worries in her heart were washed

    away.

    Holding Andrew''s hand, she walked on the sand with happy steps.

    She wanted to trot along but before she could take another step, Andrew suddenly held her waist.

    "Don''t run!" Andrew reminded. As if he knew what Ashley was going to do, Andrew looked at her

    calmly with tenderness in his eyes.

    His eyes fixed on her belly with concern.

    "Alright!" Ashley agreed with frustration.

    She was going to run on the beach for a while, but now it was impossible.

    The sea breeze blew on their faces as they walked quietly on the sand, holding hands.

    "I miss Dany a little,"

    Ashley said gently.

    Hearing her words, Andrew frowned and immediately tightened his grip on her hand.

    "What''s wrong?" Ashley asked, looking at him with concern.

    "Don''t miss them!"

    Andrew snapped.

    Ashley kept silent for a second before she burst intoughter. "Are you jealous?" she asked.

    But before Ashley could say anything more, she felt something on her lips.

    She grabbed Andrew''s sleeve and tried to push him away.

    It was broad daylight and there were so many people on the beach!

    --

    But Ashley''s strength was not enough to push away Andrew.

    Andrew didn''t move his lips away for two minutes.

    "I am your Mr. Jealous!" he dered aloud. His voice sounded so sexy.

    Ashley felt her heart begin to melt.

    "Mr. Jealous, you are so sexy!" Ashley said softly.

    "I am!" Andrew said, holding her little finger.

    At that instant, Andrew suddenly heard the sound of a camera shutter click.

    There was someone taking photos behind them.

    Before Ashley reacted, Andrew turned his head immediately.

    He saw a young man focusing his camera at Ashley.

    The young man then looked at the photos he just captured with surprise on his face.

    The young man didn''t expect that the photos in his camera would look so wonderful.

    At that point, Andrew and Ashley walked straight towards him.

    The young man looked at the couple with confusion.

    He was more than 1.8 meters tall. His golden hair was particrly dazzling, and his skin was very

    white. He didn''t look Asian.

    "Delete all the photos right now!"

    Andrew ordered as he walked up to the young man.

    The young man was startled. He covered his camera subconsciously and looked at Andrew vigntly.

    "What are you talking about?"

    The young man spoke in Mandarin, but with a strong foreign ent.

    This time Andrew didn''t say it in Chinese. He asked the young man to delete the photos in his camera

    in perfect English.

    It was only at that moment that Ashley could figure out the reason why Andrew brought her here.

    Was this young man taking their photos in secret?

    "No! These photos are very nice. Are you sure you want to delete it?" The young man replied in English

    with obvious reluctance.

    However, Andrew remained insistent on it.

    He didn''t want anyone to take Ashley''s photos without any permission.

    "Why don''t you take a look at it first and then decide whether you want to delete it?" the young man

    asked further.

    This time, Andrew reluctantly nodded. Immediately, the young man showed Andrew the photos he had

    just taken.

    Andrew looked at the photos carefully.

    He observed that both he and Ashley looked quite happy and beautiful in those photos.

    In fact, there were more than ten photos in total.

    And all of them looked wonderful.

    It was obvious that the young man was a very good photographer.

    Andrew thought for a second and then asked the young man to transfer all the photos to his cell phone.

    The young man obliged happily. He understood Andrew''s change of mind, so he didn''t hesitate to send

    all the photos to him.

    Looking at those photos in Andrew''s cell phone, Ashley was also impressed.

    The photos of them embracing each other happily looked very beautiful.

    The young man that the issue was over, but when all the photos were transferred to Andrew''s cell

    phone, Andrew grabbed the young man''s camera and deleted all the photos in it.

    All of them! In less than a second, all the photos in his camera were gone, including those that were not

    of Andrew and Ashley.

    The young man took back his camera in a state of disbelief.

    He helplessly watched Andrew walk away from him with Ashley in tow.

    All the photos he had just taken in his camera had disappeared.

    "Oh, no!"

    Suddenly, the young man came back to his senses and wanted to catch up with Andrew. However, he

    changed his mind and left the beach reluctantly.

    Holding Andrew''s phone, Ashley looked at the photos taken by the young man and asked, "He did it

    very well. Why did you delete it from his camera?

    The photos looked amazing and I like them all!"

    The more she looked at those photos, the more satisfied she became.

    Even though she asked it casually, the response from Andrew was unexpected. To her surprise,

    Andrew stopped suddenly and said, "You belong to me alone! No man could be more possessive of a

    woman than I do you.

    Whether it''s just your photos, or you yourself, it doesn''t matter. You are my possession. You belong to

    me alone!"

    Ashley was startled by his sweet revtion.

    She turned her face away and blushed.

    She felt that Andrew was bing more and more romantic.

    He did not use to be like this at all.

    Ashley and Andrew lived in the seaside vi for almost a month.

    Moreover, Andrew always turned off Ashley''s phone and put it away. He did the same with his own

    phone.

    Every day, Andrew cooked for both of them and apanied Ashley to walk and y on the beach.

    She never felt bored and always found exciting things to do.

    In the depths of her heart, Ashley was thankful to live such a beautiful life.

    However, she knew that she couldn''t live such a life forever.

    She also knew that Andrew had a lot of things to deal with in thepany.

    Ashley was deep in thought, considering the situation.

    Noticing her distracted expression, Andrew bit her hand suddenly.

    Ashley quickly came back to her senses and stared at Andrew. She covered her mouth and asked,

    "What are you doing?"

    "What are you thinking about?" Andrew asked with dissatisfaction.

    "Nothing. I just wonder when we''ll be going back home."

    "Well, do you want to go back?"

    This was definitely a bad question to ask.

    "No, I like my current life very much. I wish I could stay here with you for the rest of my life, just the two

    of us. But I know you are in charge of such a bigpany. You have been away for so long. Isn''t it time

    for us to go back home?"

    Ashley asked. In truth, she missed her three children.

    She had never been away from her children that long.

    "I''ll go and be back as soon as I can," Andrew said. He was satisfied with Ashley''s reply and held her

    once again.

    "Okay." Ashley stroked his hair gently.

    His hair was soft and had a shine on it. Andrewy back and stared into her eyes.

    He put his hands around Ashley''s waist gently. The baby was four months along by now and her belly

    was had started to bulge, which made her feel tender and even more sluggish.

    Every time Andrew put his hand on her belly, Ashley couldn''t helpughing.

    Ashley always felt tickled by his touch.

    Andrew always kept his promises. The next day he went back to deal with matters at thepany.

    When Ashley woke up the next morning, she was surprised that the furnishings in the room had

    changed again.

    Fortunately, she was quite used to this kind of surprises from Andrew.

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    She was ustomed to Andrew''s romantic work.

    Had it been any other woman, she would have been frightened when she found out that she had

    woken up in a totally different room.

    What made her happy was that she finally got her cell phone back.

    It was almost noon so she put on her shoes and got out of bed.

    There was arge floor-to-ceiling window next to the bed, which seemed like it was specially designed

    for her.

    Ashley couldn''t help opening the curtains to let the sunlight in.

    "Are you awake?"

    A familiar voice suddenly came from behind her.

 Chapter 904 The Changes In Her

    Chapter 904 The Changes In Her

    All of a sudden, someone held Ashley from behind. Almost instantly, she was enveloped by a familiar

    scent.

    With a smile on her lips, Ashley turned around. Sure enough, it was Andrew. "Where are we?"

    ''Can he stop taking me to different ces when I''m sleeping?'' Ashley quietly thought to herself. If he

    were to do this a few more times, Ashley was almost sure that she was going to have a heart attack

    even if she didn''t have any heart disease.

    "Next time, please don''t scare me like this."

    "You''re scared?"

    "What do you think?" Ashley raised her eyebrows andined, "ce yourself in my shoes. If it

    had been you who were to wake up and found yourself in apletely different ce, wouldn''t you be

    frightened?"

    Andrew wanted to respond that this kind of thing would not happen to him.

    But when he saw the disappointed look on Ashley''s face, Andrew immediately decided that he''d better

    admit his mistake.

    Andrew gently ced his head on Ashley''s shoulder and said in a very apologetic tone, "I was wrong,

    Ash. Please forgive me."

    At that time, he didn''t think too much about his decision. He just saw Ashley sleeping so soundly on the

    bed and didn''t have the heart to wake her up. So he didn''t have any other choice but to do what he did.

    "Well, I didn''t mean to me you." Ashley held Andrew''s hand.

    She just wanted to tell him that she wouldn''t like it if he were to do it again.

    Andrew held Ashley''s little finger and tenderly smiled.

    "Are you hungry? I''ll take you out for breakfast."

    "Yeah, let''s go." Ashley nodded at him.

    At that moment, Andrew and Ashley were already back in J City, but they hadn''t gone back to the

    Golden Pce.

    They were staying in another one of Andrew''s properties in the city.

    Of course, a man of his stature had a lot of other houses.

    Nheless, Andrew and Ashley had made the Golden Pce their ce of residence all this time.

    After breakfast, the two walked out of the restaurant together.

    It was in the middle of December, so it was a little cold outside. People were dressed in thickyers of

    clothing to stay warm.

    When Ashley came out of the restaurant, she immediately felt cold.

    Noticing this, Andrew took off his coat and ced it on top of Ashley''s shoulders. "Let''s go."

    "Take back your coat and put it on. I''m not that cold," Ashley said, trying to give the coat back to

    Andrew.

    Without his outer jacket, Andrew was only wearing a suit as usual. He would freeze if he didn''t take

    back his jacket.

    "Don''t take it off!" Andrew''s voice was firm and somewhat intimidating.

    Meanwhile, Ashley''s hands were held by his. She immediately noticed that his hands were a little cold.

    In the end, Ashley gave up and didn''t take off the coat.

    The two of them walked all the way to the parking lot. When they were about to get in the car, Ashley

    suddenly stopped.

    "What''s wrong?" Andrew took Ashley''s hand and looked at her with a confused expression on his face.

    While shaking her head, Ashley exined, "It''s nothing, don''t worry. I just thought I saw someone we

    knew."

    "What? Who?" Andrew pulled Ashley into his arms.

    ''Did she really see someone?'' Andrew thought to himself.

    Even if she did see an acquaintance, he wouldn''t let her walk over to that person and say hello!

    "It was... Angelina," Ashley slowly uttered.

    Her eyes followed that person.

    The woman was no longer as arrogant as before.

    Ashley wasn''t surprised to see her this way. After all, she offended Andrew and Cayn at the same time.

    Moreover, the two men were not to be messed with. They must have made sure to make her suffer.

    Angelina was dressed in a somewhat shabby dress. Ashley couldn''t figure out where she got it from.

    When Angelina walked past Ashley and Andrew, she didn''t dare look at them.

    She lowered her head, as if she was afraid of running into someone.

    If it were in the past, Angelina would look at the people around her with an aura of superiority and

    confidence.

    But now...

    It was the first time that Ashley saw her looking rather humble.

    Ashley quietly looked at Angelina without any sympathy in her eyes.

    After all, Angelina was a very vicious woman. She had done so many despicable things that could have

    ced her in jail for life. One of those was hurting an innocent little girl.

    Therefore, Ashley could not help but think that Angelina deserved everything that had happened to her.

    "Let''s go,"

    Andrew said after standing in the same ce for a while.

    Except for Ashley''s, Andrew had never remembered anyone''s name. However, Angelina had left a

    deep impression on him because of everything that she had done. It all made him remember her name.

    "I actually want to talk to her,"

    Ashley said while she gently pulled Andrew''s sleeve.

    "No," Andrew refused without hesitation.

    Since Angelina had caused a lot of trouble in their lives, he couldn''t let Ashley get any closer to that

    woman ever again.

    If something were to happen one more time, Andrew might not be able to control himself. He couldn''t

    even imagine what he would do.

    "You can just stand behind me. I swear that I just want to talk with her for a little while. It won''t take

    long."

    Ashley looked woeful while staring at Andrew.

    Andrew didn''t say anything, but to Ashley, it meant that he wasn''t forbidding her from going anymore.

    Ashley happily looked at Andrew.

    With her head still lowered, Angelina could feel that someone was approaching her. Without thinking

    too much, Angelina increased the speed of her pace.

    She didn''t even raise her head, as if the former high-spirited Angelina had long disappeared.

    After all, not many people could emerge from Cayn''s brutality unscathed.

    Rather than saying that she escaped, it was more urate to say that Cayn released Angelina on

    purpose.

    He did this in order to see her desperately struggle for the rest of her life.

    Angelina had thought that the person following her would stop.

    However, she soon found out that no matter how fast she walked, the other shadow behind her would

    never leave her alone.

    "Angelina." Soon enough, a familiar voice called her name.

    Almost subconsciously, Angelina raised her head. She turned and looked straight at Ashley who was

    standing in front of her.

    "Why are you here?" Angelina couldn''t help but ask.

    "Why can''t I be here?" Ashley rhetorically asked.

    When Angelina saw Ashley, she seemed frightened and was about to leave in horror. Ashley didn''t

    know what she was thinking of.

    So, she just stood in front of Angelina to stop her from leaving. With a frown, Ashley asked, "What''s

    wrong? You want to leave as soon as you see me?"

    Angelina didn''t say anything in response. She just didn''t want to see Ashley anymore. She wanted to

    bolt out of there without looking back.

    To make it worse for Angelina, she saw Andrew standing behind Ashley. Instantly, she was even more

    scared.

    She looked like she had been caught doing something she shouldn''t do. A lot of unfortunate memories

    came to Angelina, making her want to leave in a hurry.

    Although Angelina didn''t get her chance to do what she wanted, Andrew was sessful in teaching

    Angelina a lesson for even having the audacity to think of hurting Ashley.

    In that period of time, Angelina suffered so much, even thinking that she even thought she was in hell.

    It was not easy for Andrew to release her, but Angelina didn''t expect that she would be caught by

    someone else.

    After torturing her for some time, Cayn let her go as if nothing had happened.

    Angelina wasm''t expecting to meet Ashley in that ce. How smaller could the world get?

    Thest person Angelina wanted to see right then was Ashley. Whenever she saw this woman,

    Angelina would subconsciously think of what had happened to her.

    Angelina took a deep breath and tried not to look at Andrew who was still standing behind Ashley. "If

    you have something to say, just say it," she impatiently said to Ashley.

    While doing so, Angelina sarcastically looked at Ashley.

    ''This woman is so arrogant because she has Andrew and Jeremy to protect her. If it weren''t for them,

    would she be able to act like this?'' Angelina thought to herself.

    Angelina had never realized that the reason why she dared to harm Ashley was because Jeremy was

    on her side.

    Ashley just stared at Angelina in silence. If she didn''t remember how Angelina looked, she probably

    wouldn''t have recognized her. Because now, there was a world of difference between the Angelina in

    front of her and the Angelina who did all sorts of things to hurt her.

    "I just want to ask you, do you regret what you have done to me?" Ashley faintly asked.

    "Regret? You''re kidding me, right? Let me tell you the truth.

    I don''t regret it at all! I hate you! Ashley, every single unfortunate thing that happened to me was

    because of you. If it weren''t for you, things wouldn''t have ended up like this! Why don''t you go to hell?"

    Angelina red at Ashley while raising her voice. With her eyes getting red, she looked as if she had

    gone insane.

    Nheless, she firmly believed that what she said was true. Whether it was with the Li family or the

    Gu family, Angelina carried out her n smoothly.

    Moreover, when she went to the Gu family, they thought she was the real Camelia and treated her very

    well.

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    The only hindrance to her n was Ashley.

    Andrew pulled Ashley behind him and looked at Angelina quietly.

    His gaze intimidated Angelina for no reason.

    Although Angelina dared to raise her voice at Ashley, she didn''t have a bit of courage to even whisper

    anything to Andrew.

    While looking back at him and his stare, she felt chills all over her body.

    "Let''s go,"

    Ashley said while pulling on Andrew''s sleeve.

    "Okay."

    Andrew took Ashley''s hand and left without looking at Angelina.

    Ashley knew that Angelina was no longer a threat to her.

    Everyone wanted to stay away from Angelina. Even though some were her friends or acquaintances,

    no one wanted to be associated with her.

    They were afraid that Angelina would do something malicious to them as well!

    After Angelina had kidnapped Ashley, everyone in J City knew all of the details about it, including the

    fact that she was an impostor.

 Chapter 905 She Deserved It

    Chapter 905 She Deserved It

    Moreover, she had done things that Andrew and Cayn considered unforgiveable. Of course, they were

    quick to disassociate themselves from Angelina.

    Angelina was now like a rat crossing the street,pletely exposed and chased by everyone.

    Angelina had to be really grateful that not everyone in J City knew her.

    Otherwise, she wouldn''t have any ce to go.

    Ashley and Andrew got into the car. "Where do you want to go?" Andrew asked softly.

    "Let''s go home."

    Ashley opened the car window and let the wind blow on her face.

    But Angelina''s words suddenly rang in her head.

    If she were to get another chance, she was determined to give Ashley the same treatment. Angelina

    really hated her. She believed that every misfortune that fell on her was because of Ashley.

    However, Ashley'' was not too concerned about why Angelina hated her.

    There were billions people in this world. How tired would one be if he or she were to think and care

    about each and every person alive?

    All she needed to do was to keep a clear conscience. She didn''t betray nor deliberately frame anyone.

    Ashley''s concern was about the real reason behind Angelina''s despondency and the motive for her

    callousness.

    In fact, back when Jeremy took Angelina home for the first time, neither Angelina nor the Gu family

    knew the truth.

    However, even after finding out that Angelina was not a true member of the Gu family, Jeremy did not

    mistreat her.

    He didn''t make it public and didn''t take back the things that he had given to her. If Angelina was

    sensible enough, and along with the things and money she had with her, she could have easily

    supported herself to live a better life.

    She had failed to choose the right path in life.

    With all these thoughts in her mind, Ashley rubbed her temples. Angelina had nothing to do with her.

    Why was she still thinking about her?

    Feeling weird about her superfluous thoughts on Angelina, Ashley rxed herself and looked out of the

    window at the scene passing by.

    She had just been reunited with her parents and brother, and they had be aplete and happy

    family.

    This was more than she could have ever wished for.

    The car slowly entered the Golden Pce. Andrew parked the car and Ashley got out at once.

    "Are you going to your office now?"

    Ashley asked. They had been away for a long time, and there must be a lot of work waiting for Andrew

    to deal with at thepany.

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    "I will go tomorrow,"

    Andrew answered inly.

    For Andrew, his wife was the most important person in the world.

    He really wished that he could ease off his workmitments and take Ashley for a trip around the

    world.

    The more Andrew thought about it, the more he was convinced that this was a great idea. He couldn''t

    help but think about the day when Richard and Fabio would take over thepany and he would

    delegate his power to them.

    "But is it alright?" Ashley asked.

    "Well, I think it''s up to me. I''m the CEO, right?" Andrew said.

    ''Of course! You are the boss and it''s up to you.''

    Ashley thought to herself, amused by his reply.

    Andrew looked really cute with his facial expressions.

    Ashley held Andrew''s hand and the two walked into the house.

    It was Saturday and both Fabio and Richard were at home. It had been a month since the boys had

    seen their mother.

    When Fabio tried to call Ashley, it didn''t get through and she couldn''t be reached. One could only

    imagine how sad the boy had felt.

    Even in the past, when Ashley was on a business trip, Fabio and Richard never remained separated

    from Ashley for too long.

    Once, Chant offered to take the boys outside for some fun and adventure, but the two declined, with

    the excuse that they were not in the mood.

    When Andrew and Ashley came in, Chant and the two children were watching TV on the sofa.

    "Young master and Lady Ashley, you are back?"

    It was Linda who opened the door. She had a warm smile on her face when she saw Andrew and

    Ashley, and her smile got even bigger the moment she saw Ashley with a baby bump.

    After all, before Ashley showed up in Andrew''s life, everyone was worried whether he would get

    married at all.

    Now that he found Ashley and they had three adorable children, how could he not be happy?

    "Hi, Linda. Are the children at home?" Ashley asked with a smile.

    "Yes, they are watching TV now,"

    Linda replied.

    Fabio, who was watching TV, heard the noise and looked in that direction. He saw Andrew and Ashley

    walking in.

    In an instant, he ran towards Ashley in excitement, shouting, "Mommy!" But then, Fabio stopped one or

    two meters before reaching Ashley. He looked at his mother in surprise.

    He hadn''t forgotten that his mother was still pregnant.

    "Mommy, you are finally back! I''ve missed you so much!" Looking at Ashley, Fabio wanted to hug her.

    Likewise, Ashley also wanted to hug her beloved son.

    But Andrew stopped them.

    Standing right in the middle, Andrew looked at Fabio with a nk face and said, "Your mommy is

    pregnant now, so you can''t let mommy hold you anymore.

    Besides, you are already five years old. You should learn to be independent. Don''t keep calling her too

    often to just cling to her.

    And, there isn''t any direct reason for calling your mommy all the time, is there?" Ashley was almost

    speechless hearing Andrew''s words. Fabio was just a five-year-old kid, but Andrew had already told

    him to act like an adult.

    Ashley felt that Andrew was pushing Fabio too hard¡ªtrying to make him run before he could walk.

    Ashley quickly shook her head.

    "The child is still young," she said.

    "He isn''t young anymore. When I was five years old, I was already independent then,"

    Andrew said as he looked at Ashley seriously.

    Ashley was speechless, again.

    Chant was also dumbstruck.

    They didn''t know what to say.

    "Mommy." Fabio looked at Ashley with a long face.

    He had waited eagerly for his mommy toe back, but he didn''t expect that he wouldn''t be allowed to

    get close to her as ordered by his father.

    "Don''t start crying," Andrew said.

    "I''m not crying!" Fabio stared at Andrew.

    His expression was almost the same as Ashley''s.

    Looking at Fabio, Andrew''s eyes softened. ''It''s all for Ashley. These are delicate times for her, and her

    health is of utmost importance now.'' Andrew consoled himself for being strict towards his son.

    "Where is Dany? I haven''t see her. Isn''t she here?" Ashley asked, looking around.

    "Uncle Cayn took her home," Fabio replied unhappily.

    "Dany has been staying him for a month now!"

    Fabioined.

    Only Ashley and Andrew knew that ording to their agreement with Cayn, Dany would alternately

    stay with the Mo family for a week and then with the Lu family, the following week.

    However, it now seemed that the agreement was not being honored. Was Cayn going back on his

    words?

    "Let''s go get Dany back," Ashley said, looking at Andrew. ''Since she had been staying in Cayn''s house

    for such a long time, she must stay here for a month too!'' Ashley thought.

    "You go back and get some rest. I''ll handle it."

    Andrew was worried about Ashley because of the baby.

    "Alright." Ashley nodded.

    "Children, please don''t disturb your mommy." When Andrew and Ashley walked upstairs, Andrew didn''t

    forget to remind Fabio and Richard.

    "Got it," Fabio answered in a low voice.

    "Fine! No problem," Richard said calmly.

    The corners of Ashley''s mouth twitched. She wanted to tell Andrew that she wasn''t so fragile.

    Besides, she wished to y with the kids for a while.

    But Andrew wouldn''t let her do that.

    Ashley nced at Andrew, who was standing next to her, but still didn''t say anything.

    Andrew took Ashley to the bedroom and said, "Take a nap first. Dany will be back when you wake up."

    "Okay."

    Hearing Andrew''s words, Ashley felt reassured. Since she was tired and sleepy, she decided to get

    some rest.

    Looking at Ashley who was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, Andrew''s face softened all of a

    sudden. "Sleep well."

    After tucking Ashley in, Andrew left the bedroom.

    However, Ashley couldn''t sleep well because she felt that there was a pair of eyes staring at her.

    She opened her eyes and saw a little girl standing in front of her.

    Ashley was startled. She opened her mouth subconsciously and saw clearly who the little girl in front of

    her was.

    "Dany?"

    "Mommy!"

    Seeing that Ashley had woken up, Danyy down beside Ashley and gazed at her.

    Ashley felt that she was about to have a heart attack.

    Of course, she didn''t had the heart to scold the little girl. She rubbed her head and asked, "Dany! When

    did youe back?"

    "I''ve been here for a while now. I didn''t want to disturb you as you were sleeping," Dany said with a

    cute smile.

    "Good girl."

    Ashley took her phone and looked at the time. It was already four or five o''clock in the afternoon. She

    didn''t expect that she would sleep for so long.

    The sky outside was a little dark as if it was going to rain.

    Ashley being pregnant, didn''t need to do any housework.

    Naturally, all of the housework duties were taken care of by the servants. Andrew spoiled Ashley like a

    porcin doll.

    He didn''t want Ashley to do anything, nor did he want her to worry about anything.

    Ashley stretched herself and said, "Dany, let''s get up and go see your brothers."

    "Okay!" Dany agreed happily.

    Ashley stood up and put on her clothes. The clothes on Dany looked elegant. It was a pink suit, which

    made Dany look very cute.

    Ashley couldn''t help hugging and kissing Dany on the face.

    "My baby, you are so sweet."

    Although Dany was a little shy, she still kissed Ashley back.

    Ashley held Dany in her arms for a long while before putting her down.

    Staring at Ashley''s baby bump, Dany blinked her big eyes and asked, "Mommy, is the baby in your

    belly a little brother for me?"

    "Well, maybe it''s a boy or a girl. I don''t know yet," Ashley said with a smile and rubbed Dany''s little

    head.

    "Can you please give birth to a little brother for me?" Dany raised her little head and looked at Ashley.

    "But why do you want a little brother?" Ashley asked.

    "Well, because I already have two elder brothers. Now I want a little brother, so that I can protect him in

    the future!" Dany said proudly. Her answer was almost the same as that of Fabio''s and Richard''s.

 Chapter 906 I Want A Younger Sister

    Chapter 906 I Want A Younger Sister

    Ashley couldn''t helpughing when she heard Dany''s reply.

    "But what if the baby in Mommy''s belly is a girl? Will you like her too?"

    Dany frowned. It didn''t matter whether the baby was a boy or a girl, she would definitely like the child

    very much.

    But she preferred to have a younger brother, because she already had two older brothers.

    "Yes! As long as it''s Mommy''s baby, I will like it very much."

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    "Alright." Holding Dany''s hand, Ashley said in a soft voice, "If it''s going to be a younger sister, you can

    protect her. Besides, you can dress her up and make her look beautiful. When I take you out with her,

    she will look as pretty as you. Just think about it!"

    Hearing what Ashley said, Dany began to visualize it in her mind.

    If her mommy really gave birth to a girl, then she could dress up her little sister as a fairy. She would

    also tell the little girl that she was her elder sister and would love her the most.

    "Okay! Mommy, I want the baby in your belly to be a girl! Now, I want a younger sister!"

    Dany changed her mind decisively. The thought that she would have a younger sister made her very

    happy.

    Looking at the cheerful face of her daughter, Ashley couldn''t help but feel delighted and smile gently.

    "Fine! Your younger sister wille to this world in six months'' time. By then, you can take good care

    of her."

    Deep in their conversation, the two of them walked into Richard''s room. Fabio was also there.

    Looking at all her children right in front of her, Ashley felt blissful.

    But suddenly, she was struck by a strange thought.

    ''Am I having too many children?'' she wondered.

    At that moment, Ashley made up her mind that this would be herst pregnancy.

    She felt that if she continued to have more children, she would be a breeding machine.

    When dinner time came, Ashley went downstairs with her children. Sitting on the sofa in the living

    room, Andrew was talking to Chant.

    Seeing Ashleying downstairs, Andrew stood up and walked up to her. "Oh, you are awake!"

    At the same time, he pushed Fabio, who was standing right next to Ashley, away discreetly.

    Fabio was dumbfounded. The kid was angry, but he suppressed his anger and kept smiling.

    ''Humph!

    This situation will change when I grow up!'' Fabio sighed.

    At that time, his dad would be older and he wouldn''t push him away from his mommy.

    "Indeed, I am."

    Incidentally, Ashley was thinking about Dany then.

    She didn''t expect that Andrew would be so prompt. He had told her that Dany would be back home

    before she woke up from her nap. Andrew kept his word and did exactly what he told her.

    The family sat on the sofa in the living room,ughing and chatting from time to time. The atmosphere

    was much livelier than before and they had a wonderful time. After all, there were only Andrew and

    Ashley at the house back then.

    "It''s time for dinner." Linda came over to call everyone to the dinner table.

    "Okay, let''s have dinner. I''m sure that the children are hungry. We can talk more after,"

    Chant said and stood up first. The others followed him and stood up from the sofa slowly.

    As the family sat at the table, about to have dinner, the doorbell suddenly rang.

    "Who could it be at this time of the day?"

    --

    "Let me have a look," Linda said as she walked over and opened the door.

    Linda stared at the charming man who stood in front of her. She was surprised to see Cayn at this time.

    Since Cayn often visited the Lu family vi, the servants there already knew him well.

    "Mr. Mo?" Linda said, confused.

    "Yes. Is Dany here?" Cayn asked, looking at Linda coldly.

    "Yes, Dany is here.

    Pleasee in, Mr. Mo,"

    Linda hurriedly invited Cayn toe inside.

    As soon as Cayn walked in, he sensed the aromaing from the kitchen. Since Ashley was

    pregnant, Linda always cooked delicious meals for her.

    Linda''s had been pampering her so much that Ashley felt she had gained more weight than normal for

    pregnant women.

    "Who is it?"

    Chant looked up from his te.

    "It''s Mr. Mo."

    As Linda''s voice sounded, Cayn came into the living room.

    Ashley didn''t have any particr feelings about him. She didn''t consider him to be either good or bad.

    Since it was Cayn who took her daughter and kept them separated for five years, Ashley wasn''t too

    enthusiastic about him.

    It was nearly impossible that she finally found her daughter, but Cayn didn''t admit the truth and refused

    to return her childpletely.

    However,ter on, Cayn personally brought Dany over to stay with the Lu family for one week and then

    with the Mo family for the following week.

    Ashley was a little unhappy about this arrangement, because Dany was her daughter and she thought

    that her daughter should live with the Lu family permanently.

    But she also knew that this was the biggest concession Cayn could make. If she pushed him too hard,

    Ashley was afraid that she would piss him off. In that situation, Cayn might take her daughter away and

    hide her somewhere.

    No matter what, now that she had found her daughter, Ashley felt that it was good enough.

    As for the rest, she was someone who didn''t have too much expectation of things.

    But why did hee here today?

    "Daddy!" As soon as Dany saw Cayn, she stood up from her chair, ran to him and hugged his leg.

    "Daddy, why are you here?"

    Except for Dany, the rest of the people around maintained silent.

    Ashley was jealous when she saw Dany running towards Cayn happily.

    Just when Ashley felt a little unhappy, Dany turned around and looked at Ashley with a sweet smile on

    her face.

    Ashley suddenly felt relieved. She felt happy that her daughter still loved her very much.

    Holding Dany in his arms, Cayn looked at the people who were staring at him and said in a cold voice,

    "I was a little free today, so I just came to see her."

    If Zed, who was still working overtime in thepany had heard what Cayn had said, he would

    definitely fly into a fit of rage.

    When Andrew took Dany from the Mo family vi and brought her home, Cayn was a little absent-

    minded at work. He would look at his cell phone from time to time and then at the blue sky outside.

    As soon as Cayn got off work, he immediately left his office, overloading Zed with all his unfinished

    work.

    Zed was really speechless at his boss''s behavior.

    ''Boss, although it''s time for you to get off work, you can''t just leave everything to me, okay?'' he thought

    helplessly.

    So, when Cayn said to the Lu family that he was free today, he was telling a lie.

    But none of them doubted it.

    Fortunately, Zed didn''t need to know where Cayn went or what he said just now.

    "Have you had dinner? Since you''re here, why don''t you join us?"

    Everyone had maintained their silence when Cayn came into the house.

    It was Chant who finally broke the silence.

    However, Andrewpletely ignored Cayn''s presence. The only thing he cared about was Ashley''s

    happiness.

    As for Ashley, she didn''t exactly know what to tell Cayn.

    Although Dany was staying with the Lu family now, there was no such rule that Cayn couldn''t visit and

    see Dany.

    "Thank you, Grandpa."

    There was no animosity between Cayn and Chant. Cayn knew that Chant had a grudge against

    Clifford, Cayn''s father, but he didn''t care about that.

    It was only appropriate to address Chant as Grandpa.

    So no one felt strange when Cayn addressed Chant as Grandpa.

    "Daddy,e!" Dany pulled Cayn''s sleeve and led him to the table.

    "Linda, fetch a set of tableware for Mr. Mo," Chant ordered.

    "Okay, sir,"

    Linda replied and then quickly went into the kitchen to get a new set of tableware.

    Looking at the chairs around the table, Dany frowned in confusion. Where should Daddy sit?

    Before Cayn came into their house, Dany sat between Ashley and Fabio.

    Although Dany didn''t want her Daddy to sit alone, she also didn''t want to be separated from her

    mother.

    Pursing her lips, Dany looked at Fabio and pulled his sleeve. "Brother, can you please move aside?"

    In this way, Cayn could take the chair where Fabio was seated.

    Then, Dany could sit between Cayn and Ashley.

    Richard was not friendly to Cayn, knowing that it was Cayn who took Dany away five years ago.

    And ever since his mommy had lost Dany, he watched her cry a lot because of it.

    Fabio didn''t know much about this, but he was still a little unhappy when he heard Dany calling Cayn,

    "Daddy".

    Fabio pulled a long face. He didn''t like Cayn!

    Besides, he didn''t want Cayn to sit next to Dany.

    Without any hesitation, Cayn sat on Dany''s chair and put her on hisp.

    "That''s good," Cayn said to Dany in a soft voice.

    When Dany was at home with him, he always treated her the same way.

    It was normal for Dany to sit on hisp to eat.

    Even though they were with the Lu family, Cayn did it naturally.

    Everyone in the Mo family knew quite well, how much Cayn had spoiled Dany.

    He always kept an eye on her every move, for fear that she would get hurt.

    He almost treated Dany as his own girlfriend!

    Andrew had remained expressionless since Cayn entered the house,

    because he believed it had nothing to do with him.

    But the moment he saw Cayn sitting near to Ashley, he put on a gloomy expression.

    Trying not to be noticed, Andrew quietly picked up Ashley and moved her to his side. "Move away,"

    He told Fabio with a cold voice.

    Because no matter what, Andrew would never allow any guy to get close to Ashley.

    Actually, he did it unintentionally and it almost came out as a reflex.

    He knew well that Cayn had no feelings for Ashley.

    But still, Andrew just wasn''tfortable having other men near his wife.

    Only he had the right to be close to his beloved woman!

 Chapter 907 A Very Jealous Husband.

    Chapter 907 A Very Jealous Husband.

    Andrew carried Ashley like she was something delicate. Ashley herself was reeling at Andrew''s words.

    Soon enough, however, she came to her senses.

    She understood what Andrew meant with those words.

    The corners of her mouth twitched. She secretly looked at Andrew from the corner of her eye and

    helplessly ced a hand on her forehead. Could he stop being like this?

    Ashley sat on Andrew''sp, only a few feet away from Cayn.

    "Andy, what are you doing?" Ashley whispered harshly into Andrew''s ear.

    Without answering her question, Andrew nced at Fabio.

    At that moment, Chant was also speechless, shocked by Andrew''s actions.

    Fabio curled his lips in aggravation.

    Even Ashley thought even though they had just sat down together for a meal, the situation was not

    doing Fabio any good. What was wrong?

    "Andy, stop it," Ashley told Andrew under her breath.

    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Andrew looked back at Ashley, his eyes brimming with cold disappointment.

    Ashley thought that if they continued at this rate, Andrew would just leave without saying a word, with

    or without her.

    Ashley was dumbfounded.

    Even Chant could not say a single word.

    Ashley had to ask Fabio to move to the side. "Fabio, be good, okay?" Ashley said in a soft voice as she

    winked at him.

    Compared with the stiff, cold words Andrew had thrown at Fabio, Ashley''s words were like a warm,

    soothing balm.

    Despite his unwillingness, Fabio still moved to the side so that Cayn could sit next to him.

    Richard also silently moved one space sideward.

    Ashley saw them move and finally felt relieved.

    It had been rare to get them to have a meal together.

    Ashley returned to her seat.

    The dishes in front of Ashley were different from the rest on the table.

    Given her pregnancy, she could not eat a lot of foods that were considered hazardous to the baby.

    Ashley was about to pick up a piece of vegetable to put on Dany''s bowl when a faster pair of

    chopsticks suddenly beat her to it.

    It was Cayn who had picked up a piece of braised pork rib and put it in Dany''s bowl.

    "Here you go Dany, you''ll like it!" Cayn said gently.

    "Thank you, Daddy!"

    Dany said obediently.

    "You''re wee, Dany. Now eat,"

    Cayn responded as he affectionately rubbed Dany''s head.

    "Dany, eat some vegetables, too," Ashley gently admonished. "Don''t just eat meat, or you will not grow

    tall." She picked up some vegetables and ced them into Dany''s bowl.

    "Yes, thank you, Mommy. I got it."

    "Good girl!"

    Ashley leaned back, satisfied.

    Although Fabio and Richard were seated a little far away from Ashley, she still did not forget them.

    Ashley told them to go ahead and eat whatever they wanted.

    The meal went smoothly after that.

    What Ashley didn''t know while she was away, was that when Dany stayed in the Lu family vi, Cayn

    would visit whenever he had the time.

    It was almost as if Cayn regarded it as his own home.

    Of course, that would be a story forter.

    After dinner, Cayn yed with Dany for a while and eventually left.

    Seeing that annoying man finally go, Richard and Fabio were relieved.

    Dany never paid attention to them whenever Cayn was with her.

    That was why the two of them disliked Cayn.

    They thought that Cayn always stole Dany''s attention and time.

    Although the kids were independent enough to wash their faces and brush their teeth on their own

    before going to bed, Ashley still worried about them and usually fussed around before going back to

    her own bedroom.

    "Where are you going?"

    Andrew asked, stopping Ashley just as she was about to step out of the room.

    "I''m going to see Dany and the boys. I''ll be back soon," said Ashley.

    Ashley knew how mean Andrew could be.

    He was a very jealous man.

    "How about youe with me?" Ashley suggested, apprehensive if Andrew would agree or not.

    Ashley knew that it was a good idea for Andrew to spend some time with the kids and possibly bond

    with them.

    However, Ashley did not know that it was impossible.

    Andrew feared that the children would hog Ashley''s attention and make her spend all of her time with

    them.

    That was why Andrew did not like children.

    All along, he thought that Ashley needed no one else but him. Why would she go and see anyone

    else?

    It did not matter to him that those people were his own children.

    "Let''s go together. Fabio would be very d to see you," Ashley said as she tugged at Andrew''s hand

    and dragged him out of the room.

    Andrew finally let himself be pulled and followed behind her.

    They stepped out of the room hand in hand.

    When they open the door, they saw the children discussing something with their heads close together.

    Ashley didn''t say anything to interrupt them. She just quietly walked up to them and found several

    sheets of paper with drawings on the floor.

    Ashley stared at the drawings but she could not figure out what they were.

    After some time, she gave up.

    At that moment, Dany raised her head and saw Ashley standing behind her. "Mommy!" she cheerfully

    called out. It was quiet in the bedroom but her voice was a bit loud.

    Richard and Fabio were startled by her voice.

    Ashley was simrly surprised.

    "What''s going on, my darling?" asked Ashley affectionately.

    "Mommy, Daddy, when did you get here?"

    Fabio and Richard greeted in unison. They quickly put away the sheets on the ground.

    They looked a little flustered.

    Ashley watched in confusion as the three kids hastily packed up their things.

    "What were you doing just now?" Ashley asked casually.

    "Nothing. We were just learning how to draw," Fabio answered.

    "Yes, Mommy. We are learning to draw. Mommy, look, this is my painting. Isn''t it beautiful?"

    Dany said as she spread out the piece of paper she had hurriedly picked up from the ground and

    showed it to Ashley.

    It turned out that Dany liked painting very much.

    "It looks good!" Ashley praised the child as she took the paper and looked at it carefully.

    Richard pressed his lips and said nothing.

    "Okay, so when are you three going to sleep?"

    Ashley asked. It was the weekend, so Ashley did not force them to do their homework like other

    parents did.

    She believed that the kids could y once they were done with their homework. During the weekends,

    they were allowed to stay upte.

    Ashley was not particrly strict with them.

    "I want to y with my brothers for a while. Can I do that, Mommy?" -- Dany blinked and looked at

    Ashley with begging eyes.

    She looked absolutely adorable.

    "Okay, but you have to pay attention to the time, okay? You must be in bed by ten o''clock, do you

    understand?"

    Ashley said softly.

    "Okay, Mommy!"

    The three kids answered in unison.

    "Richard, you are the eldest, so I''m assigning this task to you, okay?"

    "Okay, Mommy!"

    Richard listened to every word she said, his eyes were serious and were totally focused on her.

    Richard looked as lovely as he was when Ashley first met him.

    Ashley''s heart melted.

    Back then, she had unnecessarily adopted Richard, but she had never regretted her decision.

    If she had not done it, then would she have her handsome Richard with her right now?

    "You are the eldest, and so you have to be the most responsible person in this room. When Mommy is

    not around, I will leave your siblings to you. You need to take good care of them, okay?"

    "I can do that!"

    Ashley turned toward Andrew, whose hand she was still holding. "Don''t you have anything to say to the

    kids?"

    "No."

    Again, hisconic response left Ashley in disbelief. She could not decide whether it was a good thing or

    a bad thing for these children to have such a father.

    Andrew had been acting like a hostile wallpaper since entering the children''s room. He said nothing the

    entire time.

    In fact, he was getting impatient.

    Noticing his restlessness, Ashley pinched his hand, silently sending him a warning with her eyes.

    "Okay, you guys have fun. Mommy and Daddy are leaving now."

    "Bye, Mommy."

    "Bye, Mommy and Daddy."

    After Ashley and Andrew stepped out of the room, Fabio and Dany patted their chests in relief. "I was

    so scared. I thought they''d find out our secret."

    "Don''t worry, they won''t!" Fabio promised.

    "But what are we going to give them, then? It''s so hard to choose!"

    Only the three of them were left in the room, so they did not have to hide anything. Holding the paper,

    Fabio frowned in slight annoyance.

    "Brother, do you have any good ideas?"

    asked Fabio while looking at Richard.

    "No!" Richard shook his head. He had yet to make a decision.

    "Think about it carefully. We still have a lot of time!" Dany said.

    Meanwhile...

    After returning to the bedroom, Ashley began to scold Andrew.

    "Andy, they are your children, and you are their father. Don''t be so cold toward them!"

    Ashley felt the onset of a headache. It was not the first time that she had said these words to Andrew,

    but he never listened to her.

    If not for the fact that Andrew treated her well while acting cold toward the kids, Ashley would have

    thought that Andrew hated their children.

 Chapter 908 Fear

    Chapter 908 Fear

    Andrew frowned. He had never been around children, so he had no idea how to get along with them or

    what to say to them.

    However, looking at Ashley''s expression, he could tell that she was serious.

    Andrew opened his mouth to contradict Ashley when¡ª

    "Ow!" Ashley suddenly screamed,ying a hand over her belly.

    "What''s wrong?" A hint of nervousness shed across Andrew''s eyes as he asked anxiously, "Ash, are

    you okay?

    I''ll take you to the hospital." He swept her up into his arms and started heading for the door to take her

    to the hospital.

    "No, Andy. Please put me down first." Ashley stopped him by putting her hand on his cheek gently.

    "But... the baby..."

    "It''s fine. It''s just the baby moving inside my belly. Don''t worry,"

    Ashley interrupted him before he could finish his words.

    Then, she took one of his hands and ced it on her belly.

    "I''m really fine, Andy. See for yourself. Do you feel that? That''s the baby moving."

    Ashley had experienced the same thing while she was pregnant with Fabio and Dany. However, the

    movement of the fetus just now was quite sudden, which made her unable to control her emotions.

    Her surprise made her cry out.

    In retrospect, her reaction was quite amusing.

    "Are you sure?" Andrew looked down at her belly and asked with doubt in his tone.

    It was like he was ring at an enemy and not at his own baby.

    "I''m really fine. If you don''t believe me, you can touch it.

    Hush, love, don''t say anything."

    Ashley once again ced his hand on her belly, and the two of them kept silent.

    The baby in Ashley''s belly moved again. Andrew felt it and quickly withdrew his hand, somewhat

    frightened.

    He looked at Ashley''s belly in surprise. It was rare to see him show such an expression.

    -- Andrew looked up at Ashley''s eyes and failed to form aplete sentence.

    "That''s our baby moving! It''s saying hi to us. See, I''m fine. Do you believe me now?" Ashley smiled

    reassuringly at Andrew.

    Andrew nodded.

    Suddenly, a thought urred to him. He frowned and looked at Ashley''s belly. "If the baby keeps

    moving like this all the time, then how can you sleep?"

    The baby probably not only moved while Ashley was sleeping, but also when she was doing other

    things. How could she manage to get any rest?

    Ashley giggled. "Do you think that the baby moves like that all the time? No, the baby also needs sleep.

    When we go to bed, it also sleeps soundly in my belly."

    Hearing that, Andrew finally managed to rx.

    Still, his worry for her was notpletely ayed.

    He then assisted Ashley to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Afterwards, Ashleyy

    on the bed and read a magazine. Seeing this, Andrew went into the bathroom and began to wash his

    own face.

    Ever since Ashley had gotten pregnant, Andrew would apany her no matter what she did. Of

    course, he also helped her wash her hair and take a bath.

    He did so because he was afraid that she might end up getting hurt without him around.

    Although Ashley had told him many times that she could do these things by herself, Andrew insisted on

    helping her.

    At first, Ashley felt a little ufortable with the attention that Andrew had been giving her. Although

    she had been married to him for so many years, she still felt embarrassed to have Andrew do all those

    things for her.

    Besides, she might be pregnant now, but her hands and feet were still functioning. She could do these

    things herself¡ªshe just needed to be extra careful.

    Ashley drifted off as shey in bed perusing her magazine.

    When Andrew came out of the bathroom, he saw Ashley sleeping soundly, with the half-opened

    magazine still in her hand.

    Andrew walked over to her side and took away the magazine. He then tucked her in andy beside her

    on his own side of the bed.

    Even so, his eyes remained transfixed on her rounded belly.

    He recalled the movement of the baby in her tummy that he felt with his own hand and suddenly

    became curious again.

    He took a look at Ashley and slowly ced his hand on the mound of her belly.

    There was no reaction from the baby. Disappointed, Andrew withdrew his hand. ''Is the child asleep

    now?'' he wondered.

    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

    When Ashley woke up, Andrew was no longer by her side.

    He had already gone to work.

    Even at home, so many things were off-limits to Ashley, such asputers or mobile phones, for they

    emitted radiation.

    It was a good thing that she was not particrly fond of electronic devices.

    She spent the whole day either drawing design drafts or reading the magazines ced nearby.

    Sometimes, she would go to Andrew''s study to read books.

    Once the children returned from school in the afternoon, she would y with them. It was the happiest

    time for Richard and the twins.

    As Andrew had yet to arrive home from work, the kids could spend some time having fun with their

    mother.

    Time flew, and another month passed by unnoticed.

    Ashley''s belly was getting bigger and bigger.

    Standing in front of the mirror and looking at her own image, Ashley could hardly recognize herself.

    How did she be so fat?

    Considering Ashley''s pregnancy, the family had especially availed of the services of a nutritionist to

    cook healthy meals for the expecting mother. In thest few months, Ashley had gained a considerable

    amount of weight.

    Ashley could not help but feel a little depressed about her appearance.

    Would she still be this fat in the future?

    In the evening, Andrew came home to Ashley who in a somber mood.

    She just sat there quietly without saying anything, as if she was in a daze.

    After helping Ashley wash her hair, Andrew took out the hair dryer to use on Ashley. She kept staring

    into the distance without a word.

    She did not even notice when he finished drying and detangling her hair.

    Andrew put away the hair dryer and smoothed down her silky hair.

    He then pulled Ashley to hisp and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

    She had been so distant since he came back. What happened while he was at work?

    Ashley snapped out of her reverie and looked at her own reflection in Andrew''s eyes. Her face was so

    bloated.

    Her mncholy worsened.

    In front of her beloved, no woman would want to mention the fact that she had gained weight.

    Ashley was no exception.

    She looked away and pursed her lips. "Nothing."

    She tried to stand up and pull away from him.

    She was worried that her hefty body would crush Andrew''s legs if she kept sitting on hisp for too

    long. That would be extremely embarrassing.

    However, if she wanted to leave her current spot, she needed to get Andrew''s permission.

    Andrew gently gathered her into his arms. He was careful not to hurt the baby, but he really had no

    intention of freeing her from his embrace that easily.

    Narrowing his eyes, he looked at Ashley. "What happened? Huh?"

    Andrew probed with a serious expression on his face.

    That expression was the one Ashley feared the most.

    Although Andrew would never harm her and would treat her very well, there were certain things that

    they could never agree on.

    Truth be told, Ashley shivered with apprehension because of the expression on Andre''s face.

    It was a knee-jerk reaction that she had developed from that incident between the two of them.

    Ashley put on an annoyed expression and said, "I''ve gained some weight. Can''t you see that?"

    The more she spoke, the angrier she became.

    Andrew did not even notice that she had gained weight. Evidently, he never paid any attention to her

    size at all.

    Could it be that she was now of no importance to him as a woman because she was pregnant?

    Ashley knew that pregnancy came with a whole host of dangers. There was even a serious possibility

    of her dying duringbor and delivery.

    Moreover, after giving birth to the baby, a woman might end up on her hospital bed, alone and

    forgotten, while the rest of her family tended to the newborn.

    The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt.

    Would Andrew also treat her like that?

    "Evidently, you haven''t been paying attention to me," she said peevishly. "What''s more, once the baby

    was born, I will look old and wasted. You probably won''t like me anymore, will you? You will only like

    the newborn baby, right?"

    Her innermost thoughts started spilling out of her.

    Andrew was stunned.

    "What? You can''t say anything? All men are jerks! You are no exception!"

    After hearing such angry words from her, Andrew still said nothing. Ashley''s fury burned even hotter.

    She tried to break free from his embrace.

    Just as she was about to slip free from his grasp, Andrew subconsciously tightened his arms around

    her.

    "Ash," Andrew murmured, his low voice as soothing as the sound of a cello.

    Ashley rubbed her ears and thought, ''Why does he have to speak in such a sexy voice?''

    "You are not fat."

    Andrew wrapped his arms around her waist and said, "Maybe you''re a little chubby, but you''re still very

    cute. You know that I love you, and you are the most important person to me. I would never treat you

    like that."

    Those words were exactly what Ashley needed to hear at that moment.

    She felt slightly embarrassed at her outburst.

    What...

    What did she say just now?

    How could she speak out her innermost thoughts?

    The family had purchased numerous books about pregnancy. Ashley liked to read them whenever she

    was free.

    Recently, she happened to read those scenarios in some of those books.

    She got so scared when she read that a woman would be neglected by her family after she gave birth

    to the baby.

    Moreover, when Ashley was in the delivery room at a hospital in N Country to give birth to Fabio and

    Dany, there was another woman havingbor beside her and gave birth to her baby at the same time

    as Ashley.

    That woman''s husband and parents-inw were all cooing and paying attention to the newborn baby.

    The poor woman justy there, and no one paid attention to her.

    Back then, Ashley felt so sorry for that woman.

    That woman had been faced with many life-threatening conditions all throughout her pregnancy and

    the delivery of the baby, yet her husband only cared about the baby.

    These stories bothered Ashley so much that she became terrified that Andrew might treat her the same

    way.

 Chapter 909 Dont Worry

    Chapter 909 Don''t Worry

    She was afraid that Andrew would act exactly like those detestable men.

    Even so, Ashley tried to keep those thoughts to herself.

    She didn''t expect to blurt out everything out of excitement.

    Was this a side-effect of pregnancy?

    Ashley rubbed her temples helplessly.

    Andrew looked at Ashley, whose face showed a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment. Her round

    eyes adamantly avoided meeting his and were fixed on something else. She did not know it, but she

    looked awfully cute to Andrew.

    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.

    "Is there anything else you want to say?" he asked in a gentle voice.

    "No, I''m done. Well, it''ste. I''m going to bed."

    Ashley finally managed to pull herself away from Andrew''s embrace.

    As she walked away, she heard Andrew chuckling behind her.

    She buried herself in the quilt.

    It was so embarrassing.

    Andrew pulled the quilt away from Ashley and said, "Don''t cover yourself like that. It''s not good for your

    health. Believe me."

    His words were uttered in a soft voice, which made it sound like he was coaxing a child.

    Ashley blushed.

    She thought to herself,

    ''I am no longer a child. Why are you talking to me that way?''

    Not wanting to give in, she also pulled on the quilt as if ying tug of war with Andrew.

    "Ash, you''ll suffocate."

    Ashley threw away the covers and exposed her face, looking a little flushed.

    Her lips had be rosy, probably because she had been biting them out of embarrassment.

    With those lips looking sweet and plump like ripe cherries, it made Andrew want to kiss her.

    Andrew''s eyes darkened.

    He murmured her name.

    His face drew closer and closer to Ashley''s.

    Ashley covered her mouth with her hand. After being with Andrew for such a long time, she already

    knew what he wanted to do by just looking at him.

    She had just poked her head out of the quilt, but suddenly went back into hiding.

    A muffled voice came from the quilt. "Well, I''m going to sleep now. Don''t disturb me."

    Andrew couldn''t help it. His lips curved into a smile.

    How could his Ash be so cute?

    "But Ash, you have wrapped yourself with the whole quilt. What should I use, then?"

    Ashley didn''t say anything. She just silently moved aside and spread half of the quilt for Andrew with a

    long-suffering sigh.

    An amusedugh burst out of Andrew.

    Hiding in the quilt, Ashley felt frustrated and embarrassed.

    Andrew was stillughing.

    Knowing how irritated Ashley was at that moment, Andrew refrained from saying anything further to

    prevent the situation from escting.

    From under the quilt, Ashley heard a rustling sound and knew that Andrew had gone to the bathroom to

    wash up. Slowly, she slid the quilt down from above her head.

    Admittedly, it was very ufortable under the quilt.

    Ashley mulled over Andrew''s words, and a spark of joy flickered in her heart.

    Andrew did intend to make her his priority.

    Although there were a lot mothers whose husbands abandoned them in favor of their children, there

    were still certain notable exceptions.

    Ashley was so lost in thought that she did not notice Andrewing back from the bathroom.

    At the sight of her exposed head, Andrew released a bark ofughter.

    ''Now she was willing to show her face?''

    The mattress mildly rocked under a heavy weight. Ashley looked up to find her husband sitting beside

    her.

    Her eyes widened.

    Before she could say anything, Andrew murmured in a low voice, "Are you going to bury your head in

    the quilt again?"

    Ashley red at him and snapped, "No! Who said that I buried my head in the quilt?"

    "That''s good."

    Ashley''s mortification at being caught increased ten-fold. Shey down, closed her eyes, and tried to

    sleep.

    Given the size and weight of the baby bump, Ashley could not sleep on her back. Because of this,

    Ashley had been sleeping on her side ever since the bump got visibly bigger and heavier.

    It was a little ufortable at first, but she had gotten used to it.

    "Let''s sleep then,"

    Andrew said softly as he turned off the lights.

    After lying down beside her, he pulled Ashley into his arms.

    Smelling the faint, familiar smell of tobo wafting from Andrew, Ashley eventually fell asleep.

    It was really boring to stay at home alone.

    Moreover, Andrew made Ashley swear on her life that she would never leave the house without him.

    He was afraid that something untoward might happen to Ashley.

    He did not want to risk it.

    She now understood why Chloe had called her up and chatted non-stop while she herself was

    pregnant¡ª

    it was painfully and extremely boring to be left alone in the house.

    It was only when the kids had returned from school that Ashley''s day would begin to look up.

    Lately however, there was something going on with her children. The three of them would lock

    themselves in their bedroom as soon as they arrived. Ashley would knock at their door sometimes, but

    they would just tell her that something important was going on and refused to open the door.

    She was so mystified by their odd behavior.

    Ashley felt like expiring from the boredom.

    In the bedroom, the three children, Fabio, Richard and Dany gathered together in a serious discussion.

    From time to time, they had to deal with differences in opinion.

    Despite the misunderstandings, the three of them never quarreled. Instead, they brought their heads

    together and tried to decide on which option was the best.

    "Have you ordered the cake?" asked Fabio.

    "Yes, the bakers said that they would deliver it on time."

    "That''s good."

    "We can do this!" Fabio''s eyes suddenly lit up, and asked Dany and Richard toe closer. No one

    knew what they were discussing.

    Their whispers were only for their ears.

    "Okay, but the two of you must keep it a secret. We will give Mommy a surprise then," Richard

    reminded the younger duo.

    "Got it."

    "Okay,"

    Fabio and Dany chirped in reply at the same time.

    The children were lucky enough to have more pocket money than their ssmates.

    All of their money had been given to them as lucky money by their rtives, Ashley, Andrew, and

    Chant during the Spring Festival.

    Ashley neither managed their savings nor had an idea how much money Fabio and Richard had saved.

    Instead, she gave them a cash card and instructed them to deposit money in it.

    She also told them to save money well for their future, especially marriage.

    Fabio did not know what marriage meant, so he kept asking his mother about what it meant.

    Finally, Richard took Fabio away and gave him books that he had found that could help Fabio look up

    the meaning of the word. Atst, Fabio understood what marriage meant.

    Outsiders would be shocked to find out how much money the three children had in their bank ounts.

    "Okay, let''s go to find Mommy now."

    Their secret discussions after school involved nning a grand surprise for their mother. They were so

    engrossed in their brainstorming sessions that they had even ignored Ashley at times.

    Now that the three of them had finally decided on an idea, they went to find their mother.

    "Okay." Of course, Dany agreed happily.

    Richard followed behind Fabio and Dany. Talking about their mother brought happy smiles to their

    faces.

    "Mommy!"

    "Mommy!"

    The three kids went downstairs. When they saw Ashley sitting on the sofa and watching TV, they

    immediately ran to her.

    Ashley was happy to see them actively seeking her out.

    Just now, she had been feeling a bit upset because they refused to open the door when she went to

    find them earlier.

    So, Ashley put on a long face devoid of any smile and asked, "Have you finished your discussion? Is

    that why you have time to think of me now?"

    Hearing Ashley''s petnt voice, the three kids exchanged nces with each other and stared at their

    own fingers without saying anything.

    They did not know what to tell her.

    They also thought that their mother looked quite angry.

    Eventually, Dany spoke up.

    "No, Mommy. Who told you that? Brother Richard was tutoring us on our homework just now, so we

    couldn''t open the door earlier.

    "We ran downstairs to look for you as soon as we were done," Dany added ingeniously.

    "Yes, Mommy. It''s true,"

    echoed Fabio.

    "Right, brother?"

    While speaking, Fabio nced at Richard and winked at him.

    Richard was actually the most obedient child among the three and the least likely to fib.

    However, it was the first time that they lied to Ashley.

    "There, there, Mommy''s not ming you. How''s your homework? Do you find your homework difficult?

    Do you want me to check it for you?"

    The sight of the adorable good girl Dany banished Ashley''s feigned irritation.

    Of course, the kids did not know that she was faking it.

    She was just so bored that she wanted to spend time with them to pass the time, but they did not even

    open the door for her.

    She fully epted the exnation they offered.

    "No, thanks, Mommy. Richard is very smart. We were able to understand a lot of things from his

    exnation."

    It was true that Richard had tutored Fabio and Dany on their homework, so they did not exactly tell their

    mother aplete lie.

    Time passed by quickly, and December 5th arrived soon enough.

    This day was no different from the usual. The date fell on a Saturday, so all three children were at

    home.

    At dinner, the three kids did not sit next to Ashley as usual. Instead, they sat together, whispering to

    each other from time to time.

    They knew the saying that one shouldn''t speak while eating or sleeping.

    However, they were at home without the presence of strangers, so they were not made to follow a lot of

    rules.

    Besides, it would have been a sad meal if the family could not converse with each other and just sat

    together and ate quietly. Their quiet chatter enlivened the atmosphere at the table. Chant looked at the

    three children dotingly.

    "Is everything ready?"

    "Yes, everything''s prepared." The kids were still whispering to each other.

    "Okay, let''s do it after dinner."

 Chapter 910 A Big Surprise.

    Chapter 910 A Big Surprise.

    "Okay."

    Ashley was happy to see her children getting along really well.

    Her heart felt full. Although Richard was not her biological son, he could not have been more dear to

    her than if he had actuallye from her.

    The three children talked in low voices. They were also clumped together, so no one at the table heard

    what they were talking about.

    Ashley could only see them whispering to each other.

    After dinner, the servants cleared the table as Ashley and the others settled on the sofa.

    They were watching TV together when, suddenly, the whole vi was plunged into darkness.

    "Ah!"

    Some of the more timid house staff could not hold back their screams.

    "Is the electricity off? "How could there be a power outage?

    "How could there be a sudden ckout in the vi?" the servants whispered among themselves.

    Ashley was also a little scared, but she calmed down at the thought of Andrew by her side.

    Suddenly, she remembered, ''My children!

    Where are my children right now?'' Ashley started panicking.

    "Richard, Dany, Fabio, where are you?" Ashley called out in a loud voice.

    However, no one answered.

    It was dark everywhere, so Ashley started feeling more and more terrified. She held Andrew''s hand

    and asked, "Andy, where are the children? Do you know where they are?"

    "It''s okay. Don''t worry! They''re all inside the house. Take it easy," Andrewforted her.

    Suddenly, Ashley noticed a faint light and some noise from a short distance. She looked up and tried to

    focus.

    "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!"

    The faint light got closer and closer, and Ashley could now see it more clearly.

    She heard the voices of her children singing the birthday song. The way they sang it was so lovely that

    it melted the hearts of anyone within hearing distance.

    Stunned, Ashley could only gape at the children as they approached her.

    Finally, they stopped in front of her and said aloud, "Happy Birthday, Mommy!" The three kids

    expressed their greetings in unison. Unconsciously, Ashley brought up a hand to cover her mouth and

    looked at them, emotions swimming in her eyes. She could note to herself until sometimeter.

    "Mommy, blow the candles and make a wish!" Dany said excitedly as she walked up to Ashley,

    grabbing her sleeve.

    "Yes, Mommy, make a wish!"

    "Mommy, make a wish!"

    Richard and Fabio also urged her.

    "Okay! I''ll make a wish!"

    Ashley said, standing up. She looked at the lighted candles on the cake in front of her, closed her eyes

    to make her wish, and blew them out.

    "Yeah!"

    The three children cheered. At that moment, the light was turned back on.

    It was like the ckout from before never happened.

    However, the cake and candles in front of Ashley told her that it was all too real.

    The sudden light in the room made Ashley squint.

    When she opened her eyes, she saw her three children standing in front of her. Behind them stood

    Linda and the other servants who all said aloud to Ashley, "Happy birthday, mydy!"

    These were the servants who were brought here by Chant back then.

    Chant understood Andrew fairly well. He knew that Andrew would never employ any servants in his

    home.

    After all, Andrew valued his solitude.

    These servants had worked for Chant for a long time.

    "Thank you!"

    Ashley replied, her eyes shining.

    Even so, she was still confused. Was today her birthday?

    "Mommy! Did you forget that today is your birthday?" Fabio asked when he saw the puzzlement on

    Ashley''s face.

    "Mommy, you haven''t celebrated your birthday for a long time. Now, we''re celebrating it." Dany

    reminded her.

    The kids were so good now. It was Ashley''s birthday, and they found out about it when she mentioned

    once that she didn''t have the time to celebrate it, back in M Country.

    Back then, she was too busy withpany affairs that she seldom celebrated her birthday. She had

    forgotten her own, but never the birthdays of Fabio and Richard.

    No matter how busy she became, they celebrated those special days without fail.

    Now, listening to their words, Ashley couldn''t say anything else.

    "Thank you, my babies. I love you all!" Ashley said to her three children.

    It wasn''t a lie. She had indeed forgotten her own birthday.

    She had never celebrated it when she lived in M Country because of her busy schedule. She

    eventually forgot to celebrate it ever.

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    She never thought that her own kids would be the ones reminding her of it.

    The warmth in her heart was about to overflow.

    "Mommy, this is my present for you!"

    Dany said with her round eyes blinking innocently as she took out a delicate box from her pocket.

    "Oh, and there are gifts, too?" Ashley eximed as she looked at Dany in surprise.

    Really, this was so unexpected.

    Dany nodded enthusiastically. "Hmm, Mommy, do you like it?"

    Dany looked up at her expectantly.

    "As long as it''s a present from you, Mommy loves it!"

    How could Ashley not love it? It was a gift from Dany, after all.

    "Can I open it?" Ashley asked.

    At first, it seemed like Dany meant to nod, but then she thought about it again and shook her head

    vigorously. "No! Mommy, you should take a look at it when you''re in your room."

    "Got it!"

    Ashley replied as she carefully ced the box beside her.

    "Mommy, I also have a present for you," said Fabio.

    "Mommy, happy birthday!" Richard handed the present he had prepared to Ashley.

    Not to be outdone by her elder brother, Fabio offered his present to their mother at the same time.

    "Thank you, my babies. I love them all, very much!"

    Although she had yet to see the contents of the presents, Ashley was still happy.

    "I don''t have anything for you. Just take this,"

    Chant said. Porter walked up to Ashley with a box in his hand.

    Ashley just stared at therge box. She could not even hazard a guess as to what it was.

    "You didn''t have to, Grandpa," Ashley demurred.

    "Who said so? This is for you. You are the daughter-inw of the Lu family. As your grandfather, how

    can I not give you a gift?" Chant felt saddened by Ashley''s refusal, but he kept looking at her with a

    straight face.

    Ashley nced at Andrew and saw him nod.

    Ashley had no choice but to take the box from Porter.

    "Open it and Let me know if you like it. If not, I''ll have it exchanged for another one."

    "No, that''s okay, Grandpa. I like it very much," Ashley said as she opened the package. Nestled within

    the box was bracelet made up of clear green stones.

    In her previous line of work, people used to gamble using a lot of precious stones, so she knew

    something about them. The stones in the bracelet looked to be of high quality, possibly emeralds.

    Ashley took one look at the box and closed it.

    "Grandpa, this is too expensive. I can''t ept it."

    "I insist. It was left by Andrew''s grandmother. Now, it belongs to you,"

    Chant said carefully.

    If Chant had not exined the value of the said bracelet, Ashley would havepletely declined it.

    However, Chant said that it was an heirloom piece passed down from Andrew''s grandmother, so how

    could she refuse?

    Chant had given this bracelet to her, which meant that he had epted her into the Lu family.

    "Take it even if you don''t want it. You know that I have no use for it,"

    Chant said lightly.

    "I don''t know what to say, Grandpa. Thank you," Ashley said, left with no choice after hearing Chant''s

    words.

    If she refused one more time, he would be embarrassed.

    "Mommy, cut the cake! We designed this cake ourselves. The three of us drew it together, and we

    asked the bakers to make it!" Fabio said, looking at Ashley with his chest puffed up with pride.

    As expected, Ashley was immediately drawn to the cake after hearing what Fabio had said.

    "Did you really design this cake?" she asked, amazed.

    Fabio scratched the nape of his neck. "Um... actually, it was Dany who designed it," Fabio admitted.

    Dany blushed so prettily.

    She was a little shy about her work.

    "Mommy," Dany whispered.

    "Dany, did you design this cake?" Ashley asked again.

    Dany nodded.

    Ever since she was a toddler, Dany had always liked painting. Cayn had hired the best tutors to teach

    her how to draw and paint.

    Dany''s cake design was quite impressive.

    Hearing this, Chant looked at Dany in surprise.

    Then, a proud smile appeared on his face. His great granddaughter was an art prodigy!

    Ashley raised her head to look at the cake. It was a threeyered cake with intricate swirls and other

    details. The more she looked at it, the more she felt that it was the most beautiful cake in the world,

    simply because it was her Dany who had designed it.

    The topyer of the cake featured a picture of five people -- Dany, Fabio, Richard, Ashley, and Andrew.

    The five figures stood together hand in hand, like a happy family.

 Chapter 911 Happy Birthday

    Chapter 911 Happy Birthday

    Underneath the image were the words "Happy Birthday!" written in ganache.

    Ashley leaned over and kissed Dany on the cheek. "Thank you, my darling. I love it."

    "Mommy, hurry up and cut the cake!" Fabio said, bouncing on his heels with excitement.

    "Okay."

    Ashley cut the cake into several pieces with a knife, put them in little tes and gave them to the

    children.

    "Mommy! I want to eat the part of the cake made of my image!"

    "Mommy, me, too!"

    "Okay, I''ll cut them for you," Ashley replied with a smile.

    "Let me do it." After Ashley gave the small pieces of cake to Dany and Fabio, Andrew took the knife

    from her hand.

    "Wait a minute," Ashley said as she quickly cut off a piece of the cake with Andrew''s image on it. She

    ced that portion in her own te.

    She then looked at Andrew with a mischievous smile and took a bite.

    Andrew looked at her without saying a word, but his eyes darkened.

    Ashley lowered her head, slightly intimidated by Andrew''s gaze.

    She also immediately averted her eyes.

    ''I just ate the part of cake with your image. Why are you looking at me like that? It''s so scary!'' she said

    in her mind, looking at him.

    Andrew carefully cut off the part of cake with Ashley''s image and put it on a te.

    He then cut the rest of the whole cake into several pieces and handed them out to Richard and Chant.

    He also gave several slices to the servants.

    There were a few servants in the house. They were the people Chant had brought with him when he

    moved in¡ªLinda, Porter, and two younger servants.

    "Mommy, pleasee here." After eating half of his share, Fabio suddenly asked Ashley to lean down

    to him.

    The two of them were already sitting very close.

    After hearing Fabio, Ashley scooted even closer to him.

    "What''s wrong? Tell me, Fabio."

    When Ashley got close to him, she saw a dollop of icing on his hand. Suddenly, Fabio lifted his hand

    and smashed the cream on Ashley''s cheek.

    Laughing, Ashley scooped some icing herself and yfully retaliated on the little boy.

    "You look like a kitten,"

    Ashley said with a grin.

    Seeing this, Dany rolled her eyes in exasperation. Then, imitating Fabio, she also pped some cake

    on Ashley''s face.

    The three children and Ashley were having so much fun ying this little game, while Andrew and

    Chant quietly looked on.

    After they finished eating the cake, the servants cleaned up the mess and Ashley and Andrew went

    upstairs.

    In their bedroom, Ashley sat on the bed, excited to find out what the children had given her.

    She was looking forward to opening her presents.

    "Wash your face first," Andrew whispered as he watched the childlike excitement on her face.

    Under the light, the cream on her face made her face look even whiter.

    "I''ll open the presents first," Ashley said while looking down at the gifts, disregarding him.

    Andrew''s face darkened.

    He took a step forward and held her hand. "Go wash yourself first."

    Ashley looked up at him for a few seconds. Finally, she put down the presents and followed him into

    the bathroom.

    After about half an hour, Ashley stepped out of the bathroom. She was wearing thick nnel pajamas,

    and her fluffed up hair was carelessly tied back in a loose bun on top of her head.

    Ashley''s face was a little flushed, which was possibly due to the steam in the bathroom.

    Not long after, Andrew followed her out.

    Ashley rested her back against the headboard and happily looked at the gifts from her three kids.

    She carefully unwrapped them one by one.

    Andrew''s face darkened once again as he watched her.

    ''I knew I should have thrown them out of the house. They''re hogging Ash''s attention again!''

    Ashely first unwrapped the gift from Dany. She opened the box and found something carefully

    swaddled in exquisite wrapping paper.

    "What did my baby give me?"

    she wondered out loud.

    After carefully peeling back the wrapping paper, Ashley clearly saw what it was.

    It was a painting of two people¡ªa woman holding a child''s hand. The scene looked warm and intimate.

    Without even guessing, Ashley already knew who the two people on the painting were.

    They were Dany and Ashley.

    Ashley felt a tug in her heart, overflowing with love for her child.

    The more she looked at the painting, the more she began to notice the details. She was surprised at

    the quality of the artwork.

    Dany''s painting skills were really extraordinary.

    Ashley wondered if she should enroll Dany in some art sses.

    While Ashley was lost in thought, she suddenly felt a warm presence surround her from behind.

    Andrew''s familiar scent wafted toward her. "What are you thinking about? Huh?"

    He wanted her to focus her attention on him!

    Andrew felt jealous when he saw her attention focused elsewhere.

    He wanted her to stop thinking about the kids.

    "Look, Andy, this is Dany''s birthday gift to me. Isn''t it beautiful?"

    Ashley knew that she had to cajole him into a better mood, or else he would lose his temper again.

    She ced the painting in front of Andrew to show him.

    "What? What did you just call me?"

    Ashley thought that Andrew''s voice sounded inexplicably dangerous.

    "Um... honey?"

    Ashley immediately said.

    This satisfied Andrew.

    Ashley just looked at him silently.

    "Not bad," Andrew said softly as he looked at the painting.

    "What do you mean it''s ''not bad''? It''s a beautiful painting. This is a precious gift from my baby," Ashley

    retorted.

    No matter what the gift would have been, Ashley would still think that it was the best gift because Dany

    gave it to her.

    That was how mothers all over the world thought.

    "Fine, it is indeed a very good gift,"

    Andrew conceded.

    Ashley looked at him and snorted. Then, she turned her attention to the remaining two gifts from Fabio

    and Richard.

    Before she could open them, Andrew grabbed her hand and said,

    "Ash."

    "What? What is it?" Ashley looked at him in confusion.

    "I also have a gift for you."

    "You do?" Ashley put down the presents in her hands and looked at Andrew.

    Now that Ashley was looking at him seriously, Andrew smiled happily.

    Ash''s attention was finally on him.

    He asked Ashley to close her eyes and took a box from the bedside table.

    Without hesitation, Ashleyplied.

    Andrew then took out a ne from a delicate box.

    The ne shimmered under the soft light of the bedroom.

    It was a cute silver ne with a moon-shaped pendant.

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    Andrew carefully put the ne around her neck and then told her to open her eyes.

    The heater was turned on, so the air in the room wasn''t cold.

    When she felt something cold touch her neck, she couldn''t help but shiver.

    She slowly opened her eyes and looked down at the moon-shaped pendant that hung from the

    ne adorning her neck.

    The small-dainty-looking moon was silver white in color and looked like there were drops of water

    inside. An even smaller moon seemed to be floating inside the moon pendant.

    "Do you like it?"

    Andrew said in a low voice, his forehead resting against hers.

    "Yes, I do,"

    Ashley replied, overwhelmed.

    She clutched the ne, not wanting to let it go.

    When Andrew saw how much Ashley liked his gift, his mood began to lighten up.

    Ashley rubbed a finger against the pendant and looked at Andrew. "Did you give me this because you

    thought I was like the moon?"

    She noted that his ears were a little red.

    "Yes," he replied in an extremely low tone, but Ashley still heard it.

    Her face broke into a delighted smile. ''He''s so cute!''

    "Thank you, honey. I love it," Ashley said as she leaned forward to kiss Andrew on the cheek.

    She was still holding on to the pendant.

    It was indeed very special.

    Just before Ashley and Andrew went to bed, Ashley received several calls from her friends.

    Chloe, Ellie, and Amaia called her one after the other.

    Chloe had also sent a gift to Ashley and asked if Ashley had already received it.

    "Not yet."

    "Ah, maybe it will arrive tomorrow."

    "What did you send me this time?" Ashley asked apprehensively. Truth be told, she was a little afraid of

    what Chloe''s gift might be.

    She still remembered that indecent birthday present Chloe gave her thest time.

    Therefore, Ashley thought it was better for her to ask Chloe in advance, just in case the woman would

    set her up again.

    "I promise, you will like it," Chloe said firmly.

    Ashley said nothing, clearly skeptical. That was exactly what she said thest time.

    "Well, I can''t talk anymore. That guy''sing out. I have to hang up now."

    Before Ashley could say anything else, Chloe hurriedly said her goodbyes and hung up.

    Ashley stared down at her phone in a daze.

    This time, no matter what that gift was, Ashley intended to open it when no one else was around.

    Ellie had nned to hang out with Ashley because it was her birthday.

    However, she had to abandon that idea when she found out that Ashley was pregnant.

    Besides, Ellie felt that there was something wrong with her these days.

    Francis seemed to be extremely enthusiastic about something.

    Ashley expressed her appreciation to her friends. She was thankful that they remembered her birthday

    and sent their greetings.

    As Ashley scrolled down the text greetings on her phone, a familiar name stood out among the well-

    wishers.

 Chapter 912 He Is Jealous

    Chapter 912 He Is Jealous

    Ashley and Andrew slept facing each other, which meant that he couldn''t see what she was doing on

    her phone.

    After a short pause, Ashley continued to look through her WeChat moments as if nothing had

    happened.

    She didn''t reply to Duncan''s message.

    This brief pause did not go unnoticed by Andrew who had been watching her carefully.

    "What''s wrong?" Andrew asked in a low voice.

    "Oh, nothing. I just saw something interesting in my WeChat moments," Ashley said.

    "Really?" Andrew fixed his eyes on her.

    "Yes," Ashley murmured.

    "Show me your phone." Andrew extended his hand to Ashley.

    Normally, the two of them didn''t mind whenever the other would check one''s phone orptop.

    After all, neither of them kept any secrets from the other.

    Ashley nced at her phone¡ªshe was browsing her WeChat moments then. She figured it would be

    no big deal.

    Without hesitation, she handed her phone to Andrew.

    "You can check it yourself."

    Andrew took her phone. Ashley had no idea what he was trying to do.

    She could see him tapping his finger on her phone.

    Not long after, he gave her the phone back.

    When she checked, she found that it was still on the same page.

    She closed her WeChat moments, not wanting to browse through it any longer.

    She intended to reply to Duncan''s message but she couldn''t find his number on her contact list

    anymore.

    On the surface, she kept herposure but on the inside, she couldn''t help but chuckle.

    She was well aware of how jealous Andrew could get. She just didn''t expect for him to do something

    like this. She found it adorable.

    Since Duncan wasn''t that important to her, she didn''t mind not having his contact information anymore.

    She turned her phone off and put it aside. "It''ste. Let''s go to bed," she said to Andrew.

    "Okay."

    Ashley was lying on her back as Andrew snuggled up close to her.

    "Are you still in touch with him?"

    Andrew suddenly asked just as Ashley was about to fall asleep.

    In her sleepiness, she almost said yes.

    But when she remembered what had happened just earlier, she grew nervous all of a sudden.

    If she didn''t give him a good answer, Andrew might get jealous again.

    She jolted awake.

    She then asked,

    "What? What did you say?" She figured it was better to act clueless.

    Otherwise, Andrew might assume that she was still thinking of Duncan.

    She was almost at her wits'' end.

    "Duncan," Andrew uttered the name sulkily.

    He held Ashley tighter.

    He wasn''t nning on asking her since upon checking her phone, he found that she hadn''t even talked

    to Duncan. She didn''t even reply to his message.

    Ashley knew that he had deleted Duncan''s contact information on her phone but she didn''t say

    anything.

    It wasn''t a big deal anyhow.

    Yet for some reason, he still felt ufortable.

    He tossed and turned before finally deciding to ask her.

    "Honey, I don''t even talk to Duncan. Why do you ask?" Ashley said as she wrapped her hands around

    Andrew''s.

    This eased up Andrew''s mood but he still wanted to ask her more questions.

    "He sent you a message just now."

    "Yes, but I didn''t reply. I don''t even have his number anymore,"

    Ashley said.

    "Well, I was just about to bring it up. It''s time we cleaned up your phone book."

    Andrew fixated his eyes on Ashley, feeling his emotions go awry.

    He wanted to control her and keep her away from all men.

    He might as well just lock her up so no one could see her.

    "Well, let''s go to sleep."

    She had no idea what was going on in Andrew''s mind as she was too sleepy to even keep her eyes

    open.

    Despite this, she still tried her best to keep the conversation going.

    She gently rubbed his hand as a way tofort him.

    "Okay, let''s go to sleep."

    Andrew squeezed Ashley''s hand, pushing aside all the doubts that haunted him.

    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

    "Okay," Ashley mumbled. It didn''t take long before she fell asleep.

    Time passed quickly. Not long after Ashley''s birthday, the kids began their winter holiday.

    Since Fabio didn''t need to go to school every day, he was particrly happy.

    While his daddy went to work every day, he had the time to apany his mommy at home.

    Fabio stayed by Ashley''s side every day.

    Only when Andrew came back home would he restrain himself.

    With the winter holidays in full swing, the Spring Festival was just around the corner.

    One day, while preparing for the Spring Festival, Ashley received a call from Zen.

    She was mildly surprised. Ever since she had gotten pregnant, she rarely touched her phone and

    computer.

    She had only called Cynthia and Zen a couple of times since she had gotten back to J city.

    "Dad,"

    Ashley said softly after answering the phone.

    "Ashley, your mother has just given birth! It''s a boy! He weighs 3.4 kg!"

    As soon as Ashley answered the phone, Zen''s excited voice came from the other end of the line.

    Ashley was momentarily stunned. When she gathered herself, she asked in delight, "Really? Mom

    gave birth?"

    "Yes. We brought her to the hospitalst night!"

    "How''s Mom doing? Dad, this month is very crucial for her because she just gave birth. You need to

    pay special attention to her and take good care of her."

    "Of course, I will. I''ve already taken a leave off work. I''m staying home this entire month so I can take

    care of your mother."

    Hearing Zen''s words, Ashley felt relieved. Her face broke into a smile as she shook her head.

    What was she worried about? Her father cared about her mother very much.

    "Where''s Mom? Is she there? I want to talk to her."

    "Yes, she''s with me. Hold on."

    Zen was in the ward so he ced the phone against Cynthia''s ear. "It''s Ashley."

    "Ash." Cynthia''s weak voice came through the phone speaker.

    "Mom, are you okay now?"

    "I''m fine."

    "You sound so weak. How can you say you''re fine?"

    Ashley then reminded her firmly, "Mom, you have to stay in bed and rest well, okay? You can''t wash

    your hair, and please remember to eat well. You just gave birth. I''m sure you''re still very weak so you

    should take good care of yourself. We don''t want you to be in poor health, okay?"

    Ashley herself had to go through proper postpartum recovery so she made sure to remind Cynthia.

    Cynthia was old now after all. If she didn''t take care of herself, she could be prone toplications.

    "Mom, I''m also pregnant now so I am not allowed to take long trips. I''lle and see you and my baby

    brother after I give birth."

    Ashley couldn''t wait to see what her baby brother looked like.

    She was sure that he would look like Zen and Cynthia.

    "Okay, I know. You should also take good care of yourself, okay?"

    "Okay."

    Ashley and Cynthia exchanged a few more words before hanging up.

    Ashley was overjoyed.

    She had a younger brother now.

    Zen and Cynthia, her adopted parents, had been married for years. She was happy that they finally got

    what they had been longing for¡ªtheir own child.

    "I have to prepare a gift for my brother," she murmured to herself. She set her phone aside as she

    began to think of a present for her baby brother.

    "Mommy, what are you thinking about?" Fabio asked as he approached Ashley, resting his head on his

    palm.

    He couldn''t help but notice that Ashley had been acting this way the entire day. He had no idea what

    she was thinking about.

    "I''m thinking about what I should give to your younger brother." Ashley fondly rubbed Fabio''s head.

    "Younger brother? What?" Fabio asked in confusion.

    "Oh, sorry. He''s my brother, which means he''s your uncle.

    Do you still remember that your grandma was pregnant thest time we were in N Country? Well, she

    just gave birth to a baby boy. He''s your uncle!" Ashley exined.

    "Really?" Fabio looked at Ashley in surprise.

    "Yes. I just talked to your grandma on the phone. So now I''m thinking of a good gift to give to your

    uncle," Ashley mused.

    "Mommy, can we go and see them?" Fabio asked expectantly as he held Ashley''s hand.

    "We will but not right now. After I give birth, we''ll go and visit Grandma, Grandpa, and your new uncle,

    okay?"

    "Okay!" Fabio answered with delight.

    "Where is your brother? Howe I haven''t seen him?" Ashley began to look around for Richard.

    "He''s in the study doing his homework," Fabio responded simply.

    "Your brother is doing homework. But what about you? You''re ying again, aren''t you?" As Ashley

    spoke, she tapped Fabio''s forehead.

    Fabio covered his forehead with his one hand. "Mommy, I''m only ying because I''m already done

    with my homework. Besides, our teacher praised me and told me that I''m the smartest kid in ss!"

    Fabio retorted, looking at Ashley with his bright eyes.

    "Really?" Ashley looked at Fabio suspiciously.

 Chapter 913 I Dont Like It

    Chapter 913 I Don''t Like It

    Despite the disturbance, they were still able to have their meal in peace.

    Even after dinner, no one bothered to tell Fabio and Richard who those people were.

    The kids were smart enough to not ask either.

    After dinner, Andrew took Ashley out for a walk so she could better digest the food. The doctor had

    mentioned that taking walks would be good for the baby too.

    Thus, Andrew took Ashley out for a walk every evening after dinner.

    As expected, the kids followed from behind. While Andrew didn''t seem too excited about this, his

    rtionship with the kids had improved.

    "Mommy, who were those people earlier? I don''t think Great Grandpa likes them very much." Fabio

    came skipping until he was in front of Ashley and promptly stopped when he was beside her.

    While he noticed that Chant didn''t like them, he also felt that Ashley and Andrew didn''t seem too happy

    with their presence either.

    "He likes them. Also, you should call them grandpa and grandma, okay? They''re your dad''s parents,"

    Ashley said firmly.

    While the tension between the adults were real, Ashley felt it was best to keep it between them. The

    kids were still too young to get involved in such matters.

    "Really?"

    "Of course! Would Mommy lie to you?"

    Ashley had a look of amusement on her face as she gazed at Fabio.

    "But why do I feel like they don''t like us?" Fabio looked confused.

    Although Arya was kind enough to praise him, he still felt as if something was off.

    Children were sensitive. All they needed was one nce to know who was being genuinely nice to

    them and who was not.

    "It doesn''t matter. We don''t like them either. What''s important is that we have Dad, Mom, and Great

    Grandpa. That''s enough," Dany added.

    ''She knows a lot at such a young age,'' Ashley thought to herself.

    Smiling, she looked at Dany. "You''re such a smart girl."

    The kids burst intoughter at the same time.

    After walking around the vi, Ashley began to feel worn out so she decided that it was time to go back

    inside.

    Ethan, Arya, and Susie still hadn''t left. They had settled themselves on the sofa with Chant.

    The atmosphere seemed a little awkward as only Susie would talk to Chant from time to time.

    Meanwhile, Ashley considered walking a few more rounds outside.

    However, now that she had alreadye inside, she couldn''t go out anymore¡ªit would seem rude.

    As soon as Arya caught sight of Ashley, she said, "Oh, Ashley''s back. You two seem to be doing great.

    Andrew knows how to take care of you."

    Andrew didn''t say a word while Ashley merely nodded out of politeness.

    "It''s gettingte. Fabio,e here. Great Grandpa will take you upstairs and help you go to bed."

    Chant reached out his hand to Fabio.

    "Okay." Fabio then approached Chant and took his hand.

    "Richard, Dany,e with us. Great Grandpa will take you upstairs to y."

    When they headed upstairs, only a few people were left in the living room.

    The tension was thick around them as they all seemed awkward. Anyone withmon sense would

    see that Chant was basically trying to get them to leave. Isn''t it rude of them to insist on staying when

    they were clearly being asked to go?

    "Let''s go." Andrew behaved as if they weren''t there.

    He supported Ashley as they made their way upstairs. When they left, only the three remained in the

    living room.

    As Susie watched Ashley leave, she intended to catch up with her and say something. However, upon

    giving it more thought, she decided against it.

    Ashley was no longer the same Ashley as before.

    Even if Ashley hadn''t changed, she still wouldn''t dare do anything.

    At longst, Arya collected herself and bade her goodbyes to Linda before leaving.

    As soon as they stepped out, Ethan imploded. "Look at that ungrateful son! What did he do? I''m still his

    father. He barely looked at me!"

    "Andrew has always been like that. Why do you care so much? Let''s just go,"

    Arya said as the three got in the car.

    Susie was in an undeniably terrible mood. She intended to talk to Ashley but didn''t even get the chance

    to do so.

    Andrew kept a close eye on Ashley. He would never allow Ashley to be alone with Susie. It''s not like

    they had the greatest rtionship either.

    "Susie, what''s wrong?" Noticing that there was something wrong with Susie, Arya looked at her with

    concern.

    While Andrew and Ethan''s rtionship had always been strained, at the very least, they had never

    been mistreated.

    Ethan owned shares in the Lu Group and the annual dividend was enough for the family to spend.

    "I''m fine." Susie came to her senses and shook her head.

    "Are you still thinking about Ashley?

    Just let it go. You didn''t know her back then. I''m sure they probably don''t even remember it anymore.

    It''s been years after all. Besides, we didn''t mistreat her. Don''t worry."

    Susie nodded but inwardly, she disagreed. At that time, she actually thought that Lesley would be

    her sister-inw. So what if Ashley and her brother got married?

    They could still divorce.

    In addition to that, when she found out that Angelina also hated Ashley, they teamed up and plotted

    against Ashley.

    She would be lying if she said that she didn''t regret any of it.

    Ashley remained unfazed despite all this. She had no idea what was bothering Susie and she wasn''t

    interested in finding out either.

    After the incident, Susie managed to get a hold of Ashley''s number and gave her a call.

    Ashley already knew what Susie wanted to say.

    It took two to tango. If Jeremy liked Angelina back then, they would have been together. What was the

    point in pushing all of this?

    "Ashley, I want to apologize to you. Can we meet up for coffee?"

    Ashley sat on the balcony as the bright sun streamed down on her.

    "Susie?" Ashley asked hesitantly.

    "Yes, it''s me," Susie responded.

    Ashley couldn''t remember thest time Susie had called her especially knowing how much Susie

    despised her.

    "I''m pregnant so it''s not really ideal for me to be moving around. If you have anything to say, you can

    say it over the phone. Besides, there''s nothing to apologize for."

    "Ashley, I know I was wrong. Can you give me a chance to say sorry to you?"

    "I''ve already moved on from what happened in the past. I didn''t take it to heart at all. You don''t have to

    do this. If you really want to say sorry, I already heard it just now.

    If it''s about something else, you need to talk to someone else. It''s no use talking to me."

    When Susie remained silent on the other end of the line, Ashley hung up the call.

    Ashley rested well throughout her entire pregnancy. Whenever she felt bored, Ellie would often visit

    her.

    The two of them had a lot to chat about.

    Unfortunately, this caused a lot of inconvenience for Andrew and Francis.

    Every time Francis would try to visit Ellie, she wouldn''t be avable. He would try calling her but she

    wouldn''t answer.

    Whenever Ashley and Ellie were together, they would keep their phones on silent.

    Naturally, Francis would be worried if Ellie didn''t answer her phone.

    Eventually, he would find out that Ellie was just in Ashley''s ce.

    As for Andrew, Ashley wouldn''t be able toe out to meet him every time he got home from work.

    When he arrived, he would find Ashley and Ellie chatting in the living room,ughing together.

    Andrew would then call Francis and ask him to pick Ellie up.

    This went on for more than a month.

    However, it had been days since Elliest visited Ashley.

    Ashley called Ellie but instead Francis answered.

    "Where''s Ellie? Is she okay?"

    Otherwise, why would she stop visiting all of a sudden?

    Before, whenever Francis heard Ashley''s voice, his first instinct was that Ellie was with her.

    He couldn''t deny the jealousy in his heart even if Ashley was just a friend to Ellie. But now, Ellie

    wouldn''t be able to visit Ashley anymore.

    "Ashley, Ellie might not be able to visit you anytime soon," Francis said excitedly.

    Ashley failed to catch the excitement in his tone so she asked worriedly,

    "What''s wrong? What happened to Ellie? Where is she?" Ashley couldn''t sit still anymore.

    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

    "No, no. Ashley, rx. Listen to me."

    Francis was afraid that Ashley would impulsively run over to their house.

    He didn''t even want to think about what Andrew would say to him if that happened.

    "Ellie is pregnant. She just got the test results today. We''re in the hospital right now. The doctor said

    that Ellie''s a little weak so she has to rest. I want to take care of her and cook good food for her so she

    can be healthy."

 Chapter 914 Good News

    Chapter 914 Good News

    As soon as Ashley finished speaking, she heard Francis''s voice.

    Needless to say, she was stunned.

    Ellie was pregnant?

    Could it be true?

    After pausing for a moment, Ashley was suddenly overwhelmed with joy.

    Even over the phone, Francis could hear the excitement in her tone.

    "Ellie''s pregnant? Where is she now? I need to see her!"

    She was even more excited than when she found out she, herself was pregnant.

    Francis frowned upon hearing this. He quickly objected, "No, no, Ashley, you don''t have toe. I

    promise you I''ll take good care of Ellie. You''re pregnant too so you shouldn''t be going on long trips.

    We''ll visit you soon."

    If Ashley came over to the hospital, Francis was afraid that Andrew would beat him up.

    He understood that Andrew valued Ashley the most.

    To Andrew, Ashley was precious and unparalleled¡ªnot even his good friends couldpare.

    It was beyond doubt that Andrew treated them, his friends, differently.

    Ashley was about eight months into her pregnancy. Andrew didn''t even want to go to work anymore.

    He just wanted to stay at home with Ashley.

    Francis wasn''t going to let Ashleye to the hospital to see Ellie. If anything happened to her, he

    would be in big trouble.

    "I''m fine. I need to see Ellie."

    Ashley was a little worried about Ellie.

    "No, Ashley, don''te. Just stay home. Ellie is fine. I have to go and take care of her now. Bye!"

    With that, Francis hung up without even waiting for Ashley to respond.

    Ashley put the phone aside and began anxiously pacing around the room.

    "Mydy, what is going on?"

    Linda hurriedly approached her as soon as she came out of the kitchen and saw Ashley walking

    around the room.

    "Linda, Ellie''s pregnant!" Ashley said excitedly as she looked at Linda.

    "Oh, are you talking about Miss Su?"

    Linda was pretty familiar with Ellie since she often came to visit Ashley. Besides, she frequently heard

    her name from Ashley.

    "Yes, that''s her."

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    "That''s great. I bet Miss Su must be very happy right now," Linda gushed.

    "Oh, Linda, would you mind going to the hospital to check up on Ellie for me? I can''t go there myself so

    I figured I''d ask you."

    "Sure," Linda agreed without hesitation.

    "Thank you, Linda." Ashley was very pleased.

    "You don''t need to say thank you to me," Linda said respectfully.

    Ashley took her phone out, intending to message Francis to ask him what hospital they were in.

    She then paused, thinking for a while before proceeding to delete the entire message.

    Linda was back in the kitchen, preparing the soup she was going to take to Ellie.

    Ashley clutched her stomach as she made her way to the kitchen.

    "Mydy, what''s wrong? I packed some ck-boned chicken soup to bring to Miss Suter. It''s very

    nutritious."

    As Linda spoke, she waved the thermos in her hand to show to Ashley.

    "Linda, I just thought about it and maybe you shouldn''t go."

    "What''s wrong? What happened?" Linda looked at Ashley nervously.

    "Nothing. It just urred to me that Francis is taking care of Ellie in the hospital. I think it''s better if we

    give them their privacy."

    "Yes, you''re right. Mydy, you''re so considerate. Let me serve you the soup instead."

    "No, thanks, Linda. I''m not hungry yet."

    Ashley actually felt like vomiting the minute she caught sight of the soup.

    Ever since she had gotten pregnant, Linda had been cooking soup for her every single day.

    Linda would make her ribs and corn soup, pig''s trotters and winter melon soup, crucian carp soup and

    so on.

    All of which were beneficial to the health of pregnant women.

    Naturally, by then, Ashley was already sick of drinking soup.

    She wanted to eat other food too, not just soup.

    In addition to that, she also felt as if she had be plump.

    She didn''t want to get fat.

    While she normally didn''t care about her figure, she disliked the idea of gaining weight after giving birth

    to the baby.

    Meanwhile, Francis stayed at home to apany the pregnant Ellie.

    He paid close attention to her. Ashley also heard that he had consulted several obstetricians and listed

    down all the things he needed to know in a notebook.

    He also hired a couple of nutritionists who could watch over Ellie''s health.

    It was Andrew who had told Ashley all these.

    Meanwhile, Ashley grew a little restless when night came.

    She would often have cravings. One night, she suddenly wanted to eat the cake from a certain shop in

    the south of the city.

    That night, she dreamt that she was eating hot and sour rice noodles. Just as she was enjoying her

    meal in her dream, she jolted awake.

    She turned on her bedside light and found that Andrew was still sleeping soundly next to her.

    Normally, Andrew was a light sleeper. But when he slept next to Ashley, he slept much better.

    This could exin why he didn''t even stir when Ashley suddenly awoke.

    Ashley grabbed her phone and began browsing the website where she could order food. She couldn''t

    help but stroke her stomach. She had eaten so much during dinner but she still felt hungry.

    As she stared at the photo of the hot and sour rice noodles, her craving intensified.

    She was so focused on her phone that she didn''t notice that Andrew had woken up.

    Andrew nced at her phone and wrapped his arms around her. "Want to eat?"

    "Yeah, I''m hungry. Do you remember the hot and sour rice noodles we ate in that restaurantst time?

    I''m craving for it now!"

    Ashley turned to look at him, her eyes gleaming.

    Andrew suddenly lifted the quilt and got up. He put on his clothes as if he was ready to leave.

    Ashley looked at Andrew in a daze.

    "Honey, where are you going?" Ashley attempted to pull back the quilt to get up.

    Andrew quickly pressed her back down the bed. "Wait for me. I''ll be back soon."

    Then he left.

    As she watched his figure recede, she thought back to what she had just said.

    Even then, she couldn''t figure out what he was nning to do.

    She had just mentioned her cravings casually.

    Now that she thought about it, she really didn''t feel like eating anymore.

    Ashley put her phone aside and sat up as she waited for Andrew toe back.

    It was already February. Although the New Year had already passed, it was still chilly outside.

    Since it was about three or four in the morning, it shouldn''t be surprising that no one was at the shop.

    Andrew then took out his phone and made a call.

    The manager was sleeping soundly when his phone rang.

    Confused, he answered the call. "Who is this?"

    He didn''t sound all too pleased.

    Anyone would be pissed if they were woken by a phone call at such an ungodly hour.

    However, as soon as he heard Andrew''s cold voice, he was immediately jolted awake.

    All of a sudden, he got out of bed.

    "Mr. Lu,"

    the manager stammered.

    "You haven''t opened your shop yet?"

    The manager nced at the clock to check if he had gotten upte only to find out that it was only

    three in the morning.

    Considering the time, he couldn''t help but wonder to himself why Andrew was asking him this.

    However, he was smart enough to not ask.

    "Well, normally, we open the shop around nine. It''s only three..." the manager said gingerly.

    "I want a bowl of hot and sour rice noodles."

    "What? Are you sure, Mr. Lu?"

    The manager was in a daze for a moment.

    Just as he was about to open his mouth, he heard the beeping sound ring in his ears¡ªAndrew had

    already hung up.

    For a moment, he was in a daze.

    Meanwhile, his wife had also been woken up. She saw his husband holding his phone, staring nkly

    into the air.

    "What''s wrong? Why aren''t you sleeping?"

    "Mr. Lu called me just now and told me that he wanted a bowl of hot and sour rice noodles."

    "Mr. Lu? Who is he?"

    "The most powerful man in J City."

    "Then ask someone to go to the shop now. What are you doing still sitting here?"

    His wife nudged him, urging him to get up.

    "But it''s three in the morning..."

    "It doesn''t matter! Mr. Lu just called you! He''s probably waiting outside the shop right now. Hurry and

    call the employees. Tell them to go to work! Offer them ten times their sry if necessary,"

    his wife said urgently.

    "Oh, okay."

    The manager quickly collected himself. He listened to his wife and began to call up all his employees.

    Initially, no one was willing to go to work at such an hour.

    But upon the mention of the sry, someone eventually agreed.

    The manager heaved a sigh of relief.

    Perplexed, he looked at his wife and asked, "Why did you ask me to do that?"

    "Are you crazy? If Mr. Lu wanted a bowl of hot and sour rice noodles, it''s probably his wife who''s

    craving. Mrs. Lu is pregnant and Mr. Lu loves his wife very much. Why else would he go out at this hour

    just to buy a bowl of hot and sour rice noodles?"

 Chapter 915 The Final Episode

    Chapter 915 The Final Episode

    In the end, Ashley still did not get to eat the hot and sour rice noodles that she had been craving.

    When Andrew came back, she had already dozed off. Of course, he couldn''t wake her up to eat

    because she was sleeping soundly.

    The next morning, Andrew was already gone by the time she woke up. However, a bowl of hot and

    sour rice noodles was ced on her desk, teasing her with its mouthwatering aroma.

    March was Ashley''s ninth month of pregnancy, and the baby was due any time. Andrew had already

    had everything arranged with the hospital in advance.

    As the delivery date edged closer, Ashley felt increasingly ufortable.

    The baby in her belly had been kicking most of the time now.

    At times, she couldn''t even sleep at night.

    "Honey."

    Ashley suddenly reached out to clutch her husband''s arm.

    Beads of cold sweat dotted her forehead.

    Andrew sat up immediately. He turned on the night light and looked at her worriedly. "What''s wrong?

    Ash, are you feeling ufortable again?"

    "My belly hurts!" Ashley gripped his hand so tightly that her nails formed half-moons and nearly broke

    into his skin.

    Andrew did not pay attention to the slight pain¡ªhe was too preupied with Ashley''s difort.

    "It''s going to be all right, Ash. I''ll take you to the hospital now!" Andrew swept her up in his arms and

    ran downstairs quickly.

    As to be expected, the ruckus alerted Chant. Fortunately, the children were still asleep and were not

    waken up.

    "What happened?"

    Chant came out with an overcoat and saw Andrew, with Ashley in his arms, rushing out of the house.

    "I think Mrs. Lu is about to give birth," Linda spoke up from behind him.

    "What are you waiting for? Let''s hurry up and follow Andrew!"

    Chant could not stand still any longer. He hurriedly changed clothes and left soon after.

    At the hospital...

    Ashley was quickly wheeled into the delivery room. Andrew wanted to go in with her, but several nurses

    outside kept him from barging in. "Sir, you can''t go in."

    "Let me in!" Andrew coldly demanded. Just now, he saw Ashley lying on the stretcher as her face

    contorted in pain. How could he leave her alone in there?

    "No, you can''t. Men are not allowed toe in," one of the nurses said, trying to force the door of the

    delivery room closed.

    Andrew still broke into the room at once.

    Anxiously, the nurse alerted the doctor. "Doctor Lin, he..."

    "Get him into a sterile suit. Mrs. Lu''s amniotic sac has ruptured. Come over here and help." The doctor

    in charge of Ashley''s surgery was a man. After sending a cursory nce at Andrew''s direction, he

    started getting the room ready for delivery in an orderly manner.

    "Okay."

    The nurse quickly gave Andrew a set of sterile clothes.

    "Ah!"

    Lying on the bed, Ashley couldn''t help screaming as her belly contracted with a sharp pain.

    "Ash." Hearing her agonized voice, Andrew rushed over to her side and held her hand tightly.

    Chant arrived soon after and saw Andrew and Ashley entering the delivery room together.

    "Why did he go in with the nurses?"

    Chant asked in an anxious tone as he paced outside in the hall.

    "Please don''t fret too much," Porter replied tofort the old man. "Maybe Mr. Lu is too worried to

    leave Mrs. Lu alone. Isn''t that a good thing? They love each other very much."

    "Hurry up! Call someone from the Gu family and tell them that Ashley''s inbor...

    Never mind, I''ll call them myself."

    Chant grabbed the phone from Porter''s hand and dialed a number.

    All of the members of the Gu family, who were still sleeping at the time, were awakened by the news.

    After some time, several people rushed toward the delivery room.

    The neers were Martin, Belinda, and Jeremy.

    Jeremy stopped beside Chant and tried to catch his breath after running. He asked, "Grandpa, where is

    Ash?"

    "She is inside with Andrew. They''ve been in there for a while." Chant looked up at the light indicating

    that a delivery was in progress.

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    "Andrew is also in there?" Jeremy asked after he looked around and failed to see Andrew.

    "Yes," answered Chant.

    "Jeremy, is everything all right?" Ashley''s parents asked. Their worry for Ashley was evident in their

    voices and expression.

    "Don''t worry. Ash is strong, and she has Andrew with her inside. She''ll be fine."

    "That''s good."

    Chant, Martin, and Belinda sat quietly in the waiting room nearby. They nced at the closed door

    every once in a while, afraid of missing the instant when it would slide open.

    The minutes trickled by slowly as they waited for the news.

    After a long time, Jeremy assisted Belinda toward a nearby chair. Her eyes were just about to drift

    closed in exhaustion when the door of the delivery room opened.

    "Congrattions! It''s a girl!" the nurse said to Chant with a smile as she took off her mask.

    "What about Ash?"

    "The baby''s mother has been sent to the ward, and the baby is with her. You can go and have a look at

    them now."

    As soon as the nurse finished her words, all of those present ran to the ward to catch the first glimpse

    of the newest addition to their families.

    Ashley was lying on the bed, exhausted after delivering her daughter. Her hair stuck to her face due to

    sweat, and she looked frail and tired against the pillows.

    "Where is the baby?" Ashley asked in a weak voice.

    "She is here." Andrew ced the baby on one of the pillows to support her and to angle her tiny body

    so that her mom could see her closely.

    The child hadn''t opened her eyes yet. Her tiny little fingers were curled together into small fists. She

    looked breathtakingly adorable.

    "This is my baby,"

    Ashley introduced her to them as she stared at the infant with profound happiness and pride.

    "Ash, what about you? Are you all right?" As soon as Belinda entered the ward, she approached

    Ashley with a concerned look in her eyes.

    "Mom, I am fine."

    "Where is my dear great-granddaughter? Let me have a look at her," said Chant in an excited tone.

    "She is so cute!" In amazement, the elders looked at the baby lying next to Ashley.

    "I''ll sleep for a while," Ashley murmured under her breath, holding Andrew''s hand.

    "Okay."

    Andrew replied, having heard every word that she said.

    He drove the others out until finally, there was only him, the baby, and Ashley in the ward.

    When they got up that morning, Fabio and the other children were told that they had a new sister.

    They were so excited that they were reluctant to go to school. They could not wait to meet their little

    sister in the hospital.

    Because of this unusual situation, Andrew allowed them to ask for a leave from school for the day so

    that they could visit their sister.

    Ashley had thought that Andrew would treat their newborn daughter with the same cool, detached

    affection with which he treated Fabio, Richard, and Dany. She absolutely did not foresee that he would

    be such a doting father who spoiled his little princess.

    From their baby girl''s birth up to then, Andrew had taken such good care of her. It was love at first

    sight.

    He even hugged the child more often than Ashley did.

    Andrew personally named the girl Barbie.

    No one would question Andrew''s adoration for the baby.

    Ashley carried Barbie out on the balcony and basked under the sun. The weather on that March day

    was pleasant, with the breeze providing cool air around them.

    "Barbie, Barbie,"

    she called out in a gentle voice as she looked down at the little baby in her arms.

    Barbie had grown up a little. Her skin was soft and white, and she looked unbelievably cute. She would

    giggle every time Ashley called her name.

    Someone held her close from behind. Knowing that it was Andrew, Ashley quietly stayed in his arms

    without moving and settled back against her husband''sforting warmth.

    A ray of sunshine shone on the two of them, forming an incredibly beautiful scene.

    Ashley turned around and looked at him, her heart warm with love.

    ''Andrew, meeting you was the luckiest moment of my life,''

    Ashley thought to herself, overwhelmed with an indescribable happiness.

    (the end)

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!