Ashley POV“Don’t talk like that,” I protested, clenching my fists. “You’re not going to die anytime soon. You’re still young, and coronary heart disease isn’t a slow-killing illness. You can still live a long and healthy life.”He chuckled. “I hope you’re right about that. As for me, I know I can’t go until I have fulfilled my duty as a father and watched you marry your mate and the one you love.”My eyes pricked with tears, the urge to lower my gaze before losing control was overwhelming. No matter how much I wanted to ask Mom. . . no, demand that she stay and help me become the true leader of Red Moon Inc., I could not bring myself to ask the question. How could I, when her true love and her mate were on the verge of sudden death?“I hope you can understand, Ash,” she said, her usually piercing voice now sounding unexpected — soft and flat. “And we both know this is hard for you. But please, be strong. For the company, for yourself — for all of us.”I simply nodded, unable to utter
Ashley POVAfter kicking off my high heels, my feet padded quietly toward the sound, not sure if I could trust my instincts or not, given how drained I was at the time. Yet, I felt both glad and anxious as I found my parents in Dad's study at home. Glad, because I was relieved Dad had left the healing center and finally returned home. Anxious, because the expressions on my parents’ faces left no room for me to feel emotionally relieved.Mom's lips pressed into a thin line as she stood leaning against one of the bookshelves that adorned the wall, while Dad sat behind his desk, his hands covering his face. Various folders and piles of paper were scattered across the desk and the surrounding area. The atmosphere, already filled with something I could not put my finger on, grew even more tense as my parents stared at me and said nothing.“What’s wrong?” I asked.Dad lowered his hands from his face and smiled at me. “Nothing, sweety. We are just looking for some documents.”I figured Mom w
Ashley POVIt was only when I jolted awake from the intense vibration of my phone that I realized I had dozed off. The sensation snapped me back to consciousness, so I quickly grabbed my phone and managed to answer it just in time.“Hello?” I called out, rubbing my eyes.“It’s me,” the caller said. He sounded out of breath as if he had just been working out or rushing somewhere.Feeling flustered, I frantically glanced around, searching for Miles, then sighed in relief as I noticed he was no longer there. “Yes?” I said absentmindedly.“You called me earlier.”“Oh.” Blaming myself for falling asleep in what should have been his office, I looked down at myself. Someone, probably Miles, had covered me with his large, warm plaid shirt.“You did not call me all weekend,” he said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “And now that you finally called me, all you say is ‘oh’?”“I just woke up from a nap,” I replied, defending myself slightly. “And I was too busy to call you.”“Busy with what?”I
Ashley POVThe sound of the doorbell startled me to the point of almost making me jump up. But even so, his expression had not changed, as he calmly opened the door. He exchanged a few words with whoever was standing outside, then closed the door and headed back to his seat.“Well?” I asked when he refused to speak.His piercing, dark eyes were hard for me to decipher. “If that is what Jayden says, then you have to believe him.”“So I'm jealous and worried for no reason?”“Yes.”I let out a breath of relief that I did not even realize I was holding in. “Great. Okay. Please don't tell him that I have asked you about these things.”“I won't,” he replied simply.I flashed him a smile, and was just about to wonder what exactly he wanted my help with when a loud growl escaped my stomach, knocking me off my feet.“You are starving.”“I think so.” Wrapping a hand around my stomach, as if that would help, I smiled sheepishly. “I will eat something when I get home. Let's move on to you. What d
Ashley POVOnly a few people wandered along the hallway, but I still did not want to talk about my personal affairs out loud. So, as much as his reaction intrigued me, I let the matter drop. Miles simply kept quiet as he led me through the building, except when he greeted people who passed us by. Deep down I wondered how much further we had to walk when he finally stopped to open a door.The door opened into a smaller area that almost looked like a shelter. From where I stood in the doorway, all I could see was a small kitchen in the corner and a seating area for two or three people. This area seemed to stretch further past the seating area, most likely leading to additional rooms or spaces.The carpeted floor was surely not for outdoor shoes, this was evident as I watched him kick off his sneakers and put on the slippers that were already waiting on the shoe rack next to the door.It was with a sigh of relief that was almost a groan that I slipped the shoes off my feet. “Do you have
Ashley POVThe rest of the meeting went by in a blur. I still remembered some parts of that meeting over lunch with Jared. Still, I was so wrapped up in wanting to hear what he thought about my performance that I couldn't care less about what might actually be important information. He kept reassuring me that I was doing well, but I kept overthinking myself as I headed back to headquarters and visited every floor to announce my Dad's resignation and his replacement — myself. I was beyond exhausted after everything was done and almost fell asleep once I got into the car.But that was when my cell phone started buzzing.“Straight home?” David asked.Shaking my head, I read the message on my phone. “Stop by the Starry Sky Entertainment building.”“Shouldn't you rest today? You can meet Jayden another time.”“I will be fine,” I lied.After all, it was not Jayden who sent the message to me.*****“We are here.”I had not even realized that I had fallen asleep on the way to the Starry Sky E