Removing and gently laying his coat on the bed, he dials a number. "Where are they?""I have them in the same place they held her." The man responds and Ashton nods. "They won't talk if they are experts so don't probe or ask them anything for now. Just keep them on an empty stomach and torture them from time to time. And the phone?""That number has stopped calling."Ashton chuckles. "Don't even bother, I know who it is, turned out I had the same number on my phone, though blocked. Keep in touch."Ashton hangs up just as Ivy makes her way in, looking around, still in her wedding dress.Ashton smiles. "I see they just dumped you here.""Seriously. I had no idea my mum wanted me out of her house that bad." Ivy jokes and they both laugh...They both stop laughing and each one has nothing to say to the other..."Uhm... I guess to my room then. I had a pretty stressful day..." Ivy states, her eyes saying otherwise. "Goodnight."Ashton's expression falls but he manages a smile back. "Goodn
All the ecstasy wipes away with one question and she sits up, wrapping the blankets around her as she suddenly seems naked and bare backed.Ashton waits for her response but he gets none, signifying her acceptance of the situation. "Oh my goodness!" He sighs.For one, he's not angry, he's just... exasperated, unsure of what to make of the situation of her virginity.She's getting married the second time so he thought what any reasonable human would have thought.But here she is, looking fragile on his bed.Ivy swallows. "Y... Yes.""Why didn't you tell me?""Are you angry? I didn't think it was something worth being shared. I wanted to have a first night with you. That's why I didn't say anything, scared that you would have done nothing if I told you."Ashton relaxes, stops pacing and sits on the bed, still very naked. "Telling me would have made me... take care of you more. I could have... hurt you." He confesses, his eyes full of worry."I'm not fragile. I know what I want." Ivy sta
"I'm so disappointed in you." Judith admits as she paces around, looking at Raine with disdain and anger. "You're my child and yet you all find ways to disappoint me. How could you?""What did I do?""What did you do?" Judith asks back, the incredulousness she's feeling very heavy in her words. "Did you just ask me what you did?"Raine nods shamelessly. "Yes, I don't know what my offense here is.""Ever since you got back home, you've been a pain in every part of my body. I thought if I ended this wedding and it was all over, you would relax as well and go back to the child you used to be but no. In front of all my guests and our in laws, you stood up and said no to their wedding."Raine chuckles.Judith clenches her fist, swallowing the urge to wipe that smirk off her face. "You are just as cruel as your big brother." Judith remarks and turns to leave."Oh really? Now you can say that? After you threw him out? Tell me, what did he do to warrant getting exiled? He has no source of liv
Ivy drops her bag on the back of the chair and sits down, looking around at the fancy restaurant Wren invited her to.She's approached by a formerly dressed waiter, complete with bow ties. He curtesies."Miss Wren had said you would arrive before her so she arranged for you to be taken care of." He states as he places a wine glass and a whole bottle of wine right beside it, pouring it into the glass first.Ivy chuckles.She does know how to make a person happy."Thank you." Ivy smiles, the waiter curtesies again and leaves.She picks up the glass and inhales deeply, smiling before she takes a sip of the wine, hmming to herself.Wren Wang.What's the woman's story? Kidnapped for a full month and now, less than a week to that, she's back on her feet, she's that strong."I see you've been pampered." Wren's voice climbs over the noise of the restaurant as she takes a seat. "I'm sorry I'm late, we ran into some traffic on the way."Ivy smiles, nodding as she drops the glass of wine. "It's
"So, where are you going from here? You seem to be in a hurry."Wren laughs. "I can't hide anything from you, I am actually going to meet Grant.""My brother?" Ivy looks at her through hooded eyes, "I've been wondering how you two know one another. You even hit him that day.... Can't say he doesn't deserve it sometimes."Wren laughs, grabbing her bag. "He really did deserve it, and you will know, sooner or later." She winks, standing up. "Sorry to be leaving you even though I arrived late, if I want to avoid been late being for the rest of the day, I'll need to start by leaving here early "Ivy nods, "I'll be leaving as well. Bye."Wren waves her a hurried bye and leaves. Right after, Ivy stands up and makes her way to the counter so she can pay."The bill please...?" She asks"Oh ma'am, Miss Wren already paid.""What? When?""When she made the appointment.""Oh wow. Thank you, I didn't know that."The attendant nods, as she turns around to go pick up her own bag and go back home.Ash
Ashton crosses his legs and chuckles. "What? You just found a pretty woman with a fine car on the road, coincidentally and you kidnapped her?"The two men nod."Am I supposed to believe that crap?""You have to believe us. We just needed some cash urgently. She seemed like she would have a big person like yourself pay millions to set her free."Ashton checks his watch and turns to the man behind him. "I don't think these men are ready to talk just yet." He turns back forward. "I should be on my honeymoon right now not hearing bull shit from you both." He stands up from the chair. "Maybe you just need an important piece of the puzzle to juggle your brains. We have Andrew's phone and every of his contacts is in our hands."The two men are visibly startled. "Why are you still asking us then?" One of them, Frank, asks and Ashton chuckles."Because if you don't tell me what I actually want to know, you'll rot here and no one will find you just like that woman you had kidnapped as well.""
Ashton drops the call and smirks.Tiara has always been a stupid part of the bunch. She wears all her feelings on her sleeves, tiring people around her and pressuring the ones she claims to love on their own lives.Ashton remembers how much frustration he had gone through in her hands when they were supposedly in a relationship that was supposed to result in a marriage.A life time union.He shakes his head off of the bad memories and comes back to the present.He lays his phone on the kitchen counter and gets back to chopping vegetables.He pours the onions into the hot pan coated with a thin layer of oil and sautes the onions, pouring them out when they are golden brown and crispy, then he pours the carrots, chives, green onions, peas and other veggies into the pan, whisking them around with every turn of the pan.He hears the front door open and smiles. "Welcome back." He calls out, not dropping the pan.Formerly in a pretty sour mood, Ivy smiles, a cloud of relief coming of her and
"Richard has my two billion dollars." Out of nowhere, Ivy blurts out, still on the couch with Ashton."What? How? What do you mean?"Ivy sits up, turning to look Ashton in the eyes. "You know I own Trust Financials, and whatever came in actually belonged to me and Richard knew it because he kept a major audit away from me. That was why he had had Wren kidnapped."Ashton shakes his head to clear the sudden fog. "This is a lot of bombs for a day. Richard had Wren kidnapped for two billion dollars?""Not directly, but yes. The thing was that Wang Financial Company, directed by Wren's father, Mr Wang was Richard's major competitor and to throw him off of his game, he had his daughter, Wren kidnapped for a whole month, he might have not released her infact if I had not gotten kidnapped.""So, right now, what you're telling me is that Richard, while trying to secure a two billion dollar deal cheated and used dirty tricks to get the deal, he got the deal and didn't say a word about the two b