CHAPTER 8 - The contract

"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 was quite dissuaded that she was proving him right by being too enthusiastic to see him. The image of Ashley he had in his head before this whole thing happened would have asked why he wanted to see her and be shy, but this Ashley sounded almost like she would've come anyway if he didn't invite her.

A lot of things were going through Ashley's mind as she dressed up and drove towards Liam's office. She could have taken a cab, but she knew her father would be furious if he found out that she had taken a cab to see Liam instead of taking one of the expensive cars in the mansion.

Ashley has hated driving ever since she had an accident in her junior year of high school, but she has been able to get over the trauma bit by bit.

She couldn't help but wish that she was entering Liam's office building under different circumstances. It had always been her dream since she graduated college to work here, but she knew that her father would never approve his daughter being adopted or not working under someone like Liam.

Someone like Liam is someone who came from nowhere. Ashley's father doesn't believe that young men of today are capable of sustaining businesses like he did when he was young, especially if they do not come from old money and do so on their own.

Ashley walked towards the receptionist with what she hoped to be a friendly smile on her face, but the receptionist looked anything but friendly.

Ashley had seen this scene where the receptionist is rude to visitors or other employees in the office for no reason at all, and she never thought that she would one day experience this since she had never been to her father's office.

"Who are you and who are you looking for?" she asked rudely. Ashley didn't have to work in offices to know that the receptionist was being rude, but she decided to ignore it.

"I'm Ashley Valencia; I'm here to see Liam Abbot," I said, and I watched as the bored expression on her face changed from bored to angry, surprised, and then jealousy.

"Oh, so she is one of those employees who hopes that the boss will one day notice them and they will have their happy ever after," Ashley thought to herself, bemused.

"Oh, hello. Take the elevator to the 13th floor, and you will meet Mr. Abbot's secretary, who will direct you to his office," the receptionist said, giving Ashley a fake smile, but she decided to ignore it and just go about with what she came to do in the office.

She couldn't help but feel very nervous and agitated throughout the elevator ride. She couldn't help but wonder what it was that Liam wanted to talk to her about.

She saw Liam's secretary almost immediately when she entered the room. He looked so nice and was smiling at her, so Ashley couldn't help but smile back.

Her smile disappeared from her face, though, when Liam's personal assistant, who introduced himself as Ethan led her into Liam's office.

She didn't know what to expect and was surprised when she saw that his friend and Lawyer was there with him in his office.

"Hello, Miss Valencia" he said shaking my hand and the gestured for me to sit in front of him. I would admit that his cold attitude kind of hurts since he had been so kind and attentive to me at that gala.

"Look at where that got him" Ashley said to herself bitterly.

"Well, I will go straight to the point. Here is a contract that was drawn up by my lawyer. This whole scandal has spiralled out of control and I do not want it affecting my business so I would love to get into a contract marriage with you" he said bluntly and Ashley jus sat there shell shocked.

She had played different scenarios in her head about how this talk would go but she never for once thought that he would propose a contract marriage.

Ashley know that her father wanted her to get a relationship out of this whole scandal which she suspect he created but she still can't help but feel disappointed

"But…" she started wanting to protest but he interrupted her.

"Miss Valencia, I am sure that this is what you wanted when you created this whole scandal and don't bother trying to deny it. This whole was blown out of proportion that anyone with brain would say someone actually invented these stories and it just had to be you."

Her heart literally broke hearing that. To know that he thought she would be conniving enough to do this felt like someone was calling me her father which is not in anyway a compliment.

Knowing that this was exactly what her father wanted anyways. Her father didn't care if the relationship was real or not, that he just wanted a public relationship, she decided to just accept his proposal for a contract marriage.

"So, where do I sign?" she asked sounding so cold and detached.

She could have sworn that Liam looked disappointed when she said that but he ignored it.

"Well, you can take a look at this contract and add your own clauses to it." Isaac said for the first time since she got there.