CHAPTER 7 - What should I do?

Ashley is kind of torn about what to do at the moment. Her parents had never asked her to do anything for them; in fact, they have always ignored her and only acknowledged her when they were in public. 

Ashley's conflicting emotions were pulling her in different directions. On one hand, she felt a sense of duty towards her parents, wanting to prove herself and gain their approval. On the other hand, she couldn't ignore the deep-rooted resentment that had built up over the years due to their neglect. 

Being the adopted and eldest child of the Valencia family, she had no expectations from her parents, but she burdened herself with trying to be up to their standards. 

She always tried to be the best at everything. Be kind to others, be prudent, and have good grades. Nothing she did ever made her parents notice her, but she never gave up.

That was probably the reason why she danced with Liam that night. She knew her parents liked the idea that she was scandal-free. It gave people the illusion that the heiress to the Valencia business was scandal-free.

No one knew that she was just a Valencia by name and that, even though she was the eldest of their siblings, she would never inherit the company.

Ashley always felt like her three siblings hated her because they thought she would try to steal their birthright from them. Just like their parents, her younger siblings have always treated her like she doesn’t exist. 

She loved her family despite all this, and she keeps hoping that they will one day accept her as part of the family. Even though the last thing she wants to do is approach Liam and try to get him to agree to go along with what the tabloids are saying, she knew she had to do it.

It's not like her parents were only cold to her; they were cold to each other and even to her siblings too. The Valencia siblings were raised to believe that happiness and love could be bought with money.

Their parents were not necessarily kind to her siblings, but they always threw money at them. Every problem they encountered was solved with money. The only thing that kept her going in the lonely and miserable lives of the Valencia's was her love for coding and hacking into software.

She had studied software engineering at NYU, and she was sure that her parents had no idea what she was studying; all they knew was that she didn't study business management, fashion design, or finance. She could remember that her siblings were nice to her for a while after they found out that she was not going to try to fight them for any inheritance.

She still couldn’t be ungrateful to the family that took her in when she was just an orphan, she thought to herself. 

She made up her mind that she would find a way to approach him and talk to him the following day.

****next day****

Ashley couldn’t help but wish everything was nothing but a dream when she woke up the next morning. She couldn't help but feel like her life was going to turn upside down after that day because she was about to go approach a man and ask for the impossible.

Someone knocked on the door to her room, startling her. 

"Hello, Miss Ashley, your father would love to see you in the dining room," Mary, one of the maids that works in her parents mansion, said to her. Mary was the only person who did not treat her like she wasn't in the house.

Even other maids knew that she was just an orphan and not a real Valencia, so they had always been disrespectful to her. Mary, a middle-aged woman, was the only one who was kind to her and also knew about her love for coding. 

Mary had always encouraged Ashley's passion for coding, often sharing stories of her own experiences with technology. She believed in Ashley's potential and would often sneak her books and articles on programming. She was also the one who convinced Ashley to study software engineering. Ashley has always doubted herself, and Mary was the only one who believed in her.

"Alright, I will be with him shortly. Also, Mary, when will you start calling me by my name and not miss?" She asked, but Mary just shrugged.

"Here we go," Ashley thought to herself as she saw her father eating alone inside the dining room. If anyone saw Richard Valencia, they would think he was just a frail old man who could do no harm, but he was a conniving and cold man who cared about nothing but himself.

Her father was a tall man with black hair and green eyes. A trait that she surprisingly had. Ashley could very well pass for Richard's daughter, and she would have thought that he was her father if she hadn't seen her adoption records herself..

"So, have you thought about what I told you about yesterday?" He asked coldly, and Ashley gulped.

"Yes, I will go to his office this morning and go from there," I said, because I actually do not have a plan or know what I was going to say to him.

I can't even help but wonder why he has not even tried to deny the whole thing.

"Better, Liam Abbot wouldn't have been my last choice for a husband for you, but he would have to do since you decided to be slutty and flaunt yourself in front of him." He said, looking at me with his cold and unforgiving gaze.

"Well, I have some better places to be."

I sighed in relieve immediately as he left the dining room. I had lost my appetite from my conversation with my father, so I decided to just go get ready for my day.

I received a call almost immediately after I got back to my office.

"Hello, is this Ashley Valencia?" I heard a smooth voice ask me, and I could instantly feel my heart beating fast out of fear.

Liam Abbot was calling me, and I couldn't help but be worried that whatever he was calling for wouldn't be any good.