Chapter 2

 Ashley popped open the lid of the vodka bottle and overturned it directly into her mouth, letting the fiery burn wash down her grief. She was all alone in her best friend’s home bar. 

Rita Hills, her best friend, was out of the house for a while, seeing as she had to support her elder brother on his big wedding the next day.

Ashley couldn't help but wish she were here with her. There was no possible way she could survive the night without talking to someone. She didn’t know what to feel, there were so many horrible emotions battling for dominance within her.

Her phone buzzed on the table behind her where she had dumped it as soon as she got into the house. She ignored it, it would most certainly be her boyfriend Richard, calling to ‘explain’ again, which was really him trying to gaslight her.

She had given him her entire heart, constantly cutting off so many of her friends because he felt ‘uncomfortable’ around them. She should have taken that as the first red flag honestly, none of her friends liked him. Now, all she got in return for her unending devotion was the sight of him and her step sister in his bed.

She wasn’t surprised by Amelia, her step sister, the witch did everything she possibly could to make Ashley’s life a living hell. Ashley’s parents were divorced and her father had remarried a few months after. That signified the beginning of all the problems in Ashley’s life. Her father happened to be a well-off businessman, he also operated with people on the basis of usefulness to him, even his own daughter. As far as cliches went, she was the only thing in the way of the new wife getting the entire fortune.

Therefore, Amelia found every possible way to frustrate her and embarrass her in front of her father and his friends. So of course, when she found out Ashley’s boyfriend was from a wealthy family, she had to go get her clutches into him. 

She groaned and held back the urge to puke. Alcohol was never really her thing, she didn’t know what actually got into her.

All she knew was that no emotion could ever beat the raw pain she felt as she drove over to his home earlier than she was supposed to and saw what she shouldn’t have. She should have stayed, she should have ripped off Amelia’s facade right then before leaving. But all she could do was make a sound like that of a wounded animal and dash out of the mansion.

She didn't want to go to her own place, because it held too many memories of them, it would've been too much too soon. 

“Some men should be fed to the dogs”, She slurred to herself. The door was banged open and someone stepped through.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”, A deep baritone boomed behind her. The voice sounded angry, and sexy, and Ashley immediately knew who it belonged to.

Like some supreme angry god, his single question got her to sober up very quickly.

“I believe we should be asking you that question, Mister groom to be”, Ashley turned dramatically on the bar stool, as dramatic as she could within losing the contents of her stomach.

“This is my sister’s home, I have every right to be here when she’s not around. You, however, do not possess such rights”, he sneered, staying right where he was at the threshold of the door, like she was some wild animal that would tear up his clothes if he got too close.

“She gave me a key and told me to come whenever I want so in fact, I do possess those rights”, She smirked victoriously. Getting under the bastard’s skin was her favorite thing to do.

He closed his eyes and counted to three in a whisper before opening it again. 

“Whatever”, he grit his teeth and stalked into the house, slamming the door behind him. She rolled her eyes, this temperamental spoiled brat! 

Ashley really wouldn’t have bothered with him, but her head was in a bad place and she needed to talk to another human pronto before she exploded.

“So”, she called out as he started going up the stairs. “Why is the ‘world-class’ groom hanging in his sister’s place the night before his esteemed wedding?”, she asked, leaning sideways in her seat to keep him in her line of sight.

She never allowed herself to look at him back when she was with Richard, believing that gazing upon the sheer beauty of the man alone could be considered cheating.

Ashley's heart skipped a beat as she watched Ian Hills, sinfully delicious in every way, looking back at her with a frustrated expression on his face, in a three-piece black suit. Her eyes traced the sleek lines of the tailored jacket, highlighting his broad shoulders and narrow waist, accentuating his confident posture. The suit hugged his frame perfectly, suggesting an underlying strength that captivated her.

Ian's jet-black tie hung loosely around his neck, and his crisp white shirt underneath hinted at the toned physique beneath the fabric.

He groaned and -to her surprise- walked up to the mini-bar, sitting two stools away from her. With deliberate, graceful movements, he began to undo the buttons of the shirt, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of his chiseled chest, which seemed sculpted by a higher power.

Ashley felt her heart start to beat in overdrive. Sexy men! A gift to the world!

His ebony hair was meticulously styled, framing a sharp and smooth jawline, adding an aura of rugged charm to his undeniable sophistication.

In the eye-candy department, Mava Presley was blessed with the best husband in the world. In the overall personality department, she pitied the actress.

He reached out to take a wine bottle from the shelf, grabbing a glass and pouring it in. He glanced at her front and saw that there were no glasses in front of her, from the look of disgust on his face, he clearly knew she drank it straight from the bottle.

“I still have no idea why Rita is friends with such a hillbilly”, he sneered and took a generous sip of his drink. Ashley glared at him and all her appreciation disappeared into thin air. This man was at the pinnacle of arrogance.

“Just like I have no idea how someone as smart as Rita has an idiot for a brother”, she said, grabbing the rest of her vodka and gulping it down again. This time, the burn didn’t help her wash down grief, it only helped to bring the sharp sting of tears to her eyes.

The man glared back at her and she cleared her throat, sitting straight like his intimidating aura alone wasn’t diminishing her.

“My boyfriend cheated on me today”, she said, filling the void that the ensuing silence had created.

She didn’t expect him to acknowledge her words, he stubbornly refused to acknowledge her existence anyway, so his next words were the most unexpectedly ridiculous words she had ever heard.