The next day, Ashley woke up as she took her phone. She went through it as a notification came in.
Ashley saw the news about her. Immediately she sprang up from the bed, and switched on the TV, and the news about her appeared on the screen.
VALENCIA'S ELDEST DAUGHTER IS DATING THE MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR IN US, LIAM ABBOT
VALENCIA ADMIT THEIR DAUGHTER HAD BEEN IN A SECRET RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM FOR A YEAR, AND SHE'S ENGAGED TO HIM WITH A PLAN TO GET MARRIED
Ashley could not believe the news, as her phone started ringing. She picked her phone from the bed, and checked the caller ID.
It's Chris, The team leader of the PR team in her parent's company. Ashley is not surprised by his call because she knows how much her father hates scandal and unnecessary attention that won't fetch him any benefits.
So he's calling because of the news.
“Chris, I swear I don't know how the news broke. Truthfully, I had a dance with him which lasted for just thirty minutes before I ended the dance” Ashley spoke first.
Last night, she agreed to his dance request despite her parents' cold eyes. She couldn't help it but accept.
Ashley fiddled with fingers as she awaits his predicted response which his, ‘Ashley, don't worry, I'm working on it, trust the PR team and be careful next time’
But his response became different from what she had predicted and thought.
“I was the one that released the press release. The PR team admit to the allegations”.
Ashley's eyes widened. “Why??? I'm not dating him, we barely talk, I don't even know his line, and I never admit anything to you” Ashley stated, still looking surprised as she stopped biting her nails.
“Your Dad ordered me to release a press release, admitting the allegation, and make it official” Her eyes widened more.
“Why???” She questioned.
“Ashley, I don't know, honestly. I was surprised when he asked me to admit to it,”
Ashley was shocked, and doesn't know when she ended the call first. Her butt landed on the bed as her eyes were fixed on the TV.
The news channel is talking about her achievements so far which is fake, it's definitely the PR handiwork. She even saw the clip when she bumped into him in the café the other day.
“Why will I be engaged to Liam Abbot? I should be happy because I once had a crush on him, but this is not how I want things to be, how will she handle things now??” Ashley wondered, began to feed on her nails again before standing up finally.
It's time to confront her father and know the reason behind his decision without caring to know whether she will be pleased with the decision or not.
She has never done this before, but she knew she had to, she couldn’t just sit back and let her father ruin another man’s life.
Ashley went to the washroom, and washed her teeth and rinsed her face before stepping out of the washroom.
She took her phone, and left her room as she headed downstairs. Luckily for her, she met her father having breakfast with the whole family.
“Good morning,” Ashley greeted, and she earned a positive nod from them.
“Father, I would like to have a private discussion with you” Ashley uttered.
“Wait for me in my study room,”
Ashley left and went upstairs to his study room. She entered and after a few minutes, her father joined.
“What do you want to say??”
“Father, I am not in a relationship with Liam Abbot. I don't know him from anywhere, I'm not close with him, so why will you admit to the allegations? I swear I'm not dating him for real,” She responded.
“So, what do you want?”
Her heart leapt, there's a hope he might change his statement and deny the allegations or bring up a new lie that things are over between her and Liam.
“Please handle the media, I'm not dating him, and I can't marry someone I barely know” She pleaded.
“If you are not dating him, then why did you dance with him last night against my will? Our eyes met, and yet you ignored my eyes as you went to dance with him, didn't you see the press yesterday at the event.
You know the press is constantly looking for a story to write on, and you openly gave them one.”
“Father,” Ashley called.
“Make things official with him because I won't allow you to ruin my business reputation by being regarded as a father of a fling to someone like Liam Abbot. You did not see a Mayor son to dance with, it's a billionaire from nowhere that you decided to dance so pay for your sins without complaining,”
Ashley had the intention to confront him, but she ended up being confronted as his words crushed her down.
“Father, I can't marry him, I don't love him, you said love is a weakness, but you want me to love him,”
“I never told you to love him, marry him to cover up the scandal you created. Ashley Valencia I'm sure you know how much I hate scandalous news, so do what is necessary, I have played my part, the last card is left in your hand so play it well.”
“Father, I'm practically a stranger to him,” She added, hoping to change his mind, but his strong expression is not giving her any hope. He's not changed his mind.
“I'm practically a stranger to your Mom, so kindly use the door,”
Ashley left his study room, and headed to her room. She locked her room door and took the television remote. She changed the channel, and could see all the news channels talking about her dating scandal with Liam Abbot.
“There's no way I'm still not going to get caught. I hacked his company server, and avoided him in the café. This foolish me forgot about my deeds and went to have a dance with him, and now I'm bound to him, which looks like a forever deal.
I can't run away, and If I run away now, then that means I'm ungrateful,” She thought.
“Ashley Valencia, you are finally doomed.” I thought to myself, not knowing how to approach him because there is no way he was going to stand still and watch my father do this to him.
Liam, and Blake walked down the hallway as they heard towards the meeting room, Blake’s personal assistant behind them.The meeting room was filled with employees that were presenting today. He had announced a competition among the employees.The competition was about coming up with a proposal for one of their clients, and whoever came up with the best idea will be promoted.Everyone jumped on the idea and the day was finally here. ZEDD tech ltd is one of the most employee friendly technology companies in the world, and it is the dream of almost every technology student to work there because they are always provided the opportunity to learn and grow.Business has not been good lately for Liam as they had lost 3 deals consecutively, so he knew that they had to get this next deal no matter what.Despite this, though, Liam still couldn’t get the girl he danced with last night out of his head.“Focus man, the future of your company relies on this” he told himself.He listened to his emplo
“Are you sure you want to do this, man?” Isaac asked, staring at Liam with doubtful eyes.Liam and Isaac have been friends for the past 3 years, and Liam has always found a way to surprise him in everything he does.“I know that I am probably the last person you want to hear this from, especially because of how my marriage ended, but marriage is meant to be sacred and taken seriously.” He continued.“I have no choice, man; you know how important this deal with Mr. Ross is to me. Besides, she started the whole mess by creating the scandal, and I am sure that she would be more than glad to become my fake wife.” Liam said he was trying to convince Isaac.Isaac looked at Liam, his best friend since childhood, with a mix of concern and skepticism. He understood the importance of the deal with Mr. Ross, but he couldn't help but worry about Liam's emotional well-being. "I get that this deal is crucial for your career, but are you sure entering into a fake marriage is the right solution? I kn
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
"Hello, is this Ashley Valencia?" Liam asked immediately, and she picked up the call. Of course, he knew that it was her he was calling. He had done a thorough background check on her and was able to get her number through his private investigator. Ashley's mind raced, wondering what Liam could possibly want from her. She tried to maintain her composure and replied, "Yes, this is Ashley Valencia. How can I help you, Mr. Abbot?" Liam was surprised that she knew that it was him calling, but he hid it. He couldn't help but become more wary of her. "What else does she know, and what is she planning with her father?" He thought to himself, but decided to compose himself and go straight to the reason why he called her. "Well, I was wondering if you could stop my office later today to discuss this predicament that we have both found ourselves in," he said, and Ashley could feel her heart jump. "Uhmm, alright, I will be there in an hour or two," she responded without thinking twice. Liam
Ashley couldn't help but feel offended when she went through the contract and saw that Liam had offered to pay her a total of thirty million dollars if she agreed to the contract. She was okay with clauses like they should stay out of each other's personal lives and that they can date someone else but have to be discreet so as to avoid a scandal. What made her not okay was the fact that Liam thought he could buy her with his money. "I am okay with everything here except for the compensation aspect," she said with a frown on her face. "I am not surprised; how much do you want me to add to it?" Liam said bitterly, but Ashley just ignored him. Liam and Isaac were both surprised when she took a pen from her bag and crossed the part out. "I do not need your money," she said. "So, you are telling me that you would just marry me without getting anything out of it?" Liam asked. "Believe what you want, Mr. Abbot, but not everyone is out to get your money, and I surely am not. Besides, I
Ashley exchanged a glance with Liam, her amusement fading slightly at his cocky response. She couldn't help but wonder if he was truly taking advantage of the situation or if there was something more behind his decision. Nonetheless, she remained silent as Isaac entered the room, ready to finalize the contract.As Isaac began explaining the terms of the contract, she couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that Liam had some ulterior motive for proposing this arrangement. However, with no other viable options and a deep desire to escape her father's controlling grip, she reluctantly picked up the pen and prepared to sign her name on the dotted line.She couldn't help but feel like she was signing her life away as she stared at her copy of the contract, but she couldn't do anything about it. She knew that her father would have arranged her marriage anyway if the scandal hadn't happened.She would rather enter a contract marriage with Liam than get married to an odd man who would be cons
Ashley had been staring at her phone, waiting for the call that Liam told her that he would make to her through his personal assistant, for the past two days since she left his office.Her mind has been a jumbled mess since then, and she just can't help but want to know what to do next. She has been replaying the whole conversation in his office in her head and just hopes that all this is a joke.She knows it isn't, though, and she is still worried about whatever he was going to say to her. As the days passed, Ashley's anxiety grew. She couldn't shake off the feeling of uncertainty and the fear of what Liam's call might bring.She can't help but think about the potential consequences of her contract with Liam, especially if the media finds out that they got into a contract marriage. Despite her best efforts to distract herself, she couldn't escape the nagging question: What next?"Would she have to move in with him or will she stay with her parents?As much as Ashley was scared at the
Ashley contemplated not going to the meeting, but she decided that she had to. After all, she had signed a contract with Liam stating that she was going to follow him to any necessary meetings.She also knows that this might be quite important for him, so she had to prepare if she wanted to be a good fake partner for him."I think I should call Ethan and ask him who the person Liam was meeting is," she thought to herself. She didn't want to look all clueless like arm candy at the meeting.She doesn't need much time to dress up anyway. She never liked make-up, so all she had to do was just look for proper attire suited to the type of people that she and Liam were going to meet and the location."Hello Ethan, sorry for bothering you, but who is Liam meeting today and where is the meeting? I want to do my research before the meeting so that I won't be totally clueless," she said immediately. He picked up her call."Oh, hello, Miss Valencia. The person Mr. Abbot is meeting is Alexander Ro