Ashley POV“Brother Jared,” I blurted out before I could think twice. Just for a split second, I cringed. 'Brother' was not exactly the most suitable way to address someone at work, especially someone who was my subordinate as well. The dread I had before — of being seen as a child wearing her mother's clothes — rushed back at me with full force, and I felt my face heat up under his piercing gaze.But to top it off, he bowed to me as well.“I did not expect you to come this early, Madame,” he said in a cold, dry, and solemn tone of voice. His hazel eyes, which were strikingly similar to Jayden's - both in shape and color — stared at me emotionlessly as he straightened up.Or at least, that's what I would think if I were just an observer. Now, I knew him well enough to see the faintest of changes, whether it was in his body language or his actual demeanor, just as I instantly realized that he was wary of me.Even if he was not, the fact that he called me 'madame' was more than enough t
Ashley POVI averted my gaze feeling ashamed and awkward. Even though she had assured me that she was fine with me being with Jayden, I had no idea if what she said was true. Of all people, I knew how obsessed she had been with Jayden over the years, and it did not sit well with me that I had “taken” Jayden away from her. As much as I knew that I should talk to her about this, I simply couldn't bring myself to say it.There was also a reason why I had not told her yet that his brother, Jared, didn't know about me and Jayden, as well as that I was not going to tell her — at least for now. Not until I knew more about him — and his tattoos.“It's not a bad position,” I said half-heartedly. “He was appointed as the leader...” I scratched my head. “Uh, something.”“You really don't know anything about your family's company, do you?”As I snapped my attention back to Eva, I found her wearing an amused expression. “ Sadly,” I said with a grimace. "Can we change the subject to something else?
Ashley POV—About One Month Ago—“Jared...” I whispered, my voice sounded weak and fragile from terror. “What happened?”His normally stoic face twisted — there was pain there, so obvious as he tried to shut the door swiftly. But I hurriedly slipped my foot into the crack of the door before it could close completely. Without much effort, I slipped inside, only to flinch as the door slammed behind me. A bloodstained shirt and jacket lay on the floor, clearly visible from the corridor. I almost didn't want to turn around. I was afraid the reality would be harder to swallow if I actually looked at him straight on."Just leave... Forget what you have seen."His tone of voice was cold, somber... and weak. It even sounded painful at the end of the sentence. I had never heard him sound this weary before. Even though everything inside me was screaming for me to do what he just said, my instincts, my feelings, refused to back down. I forced myself to spin around and stare at him.He leaned aga
Ashley POVHe was lying on the only bed in the room, still wearing the same clothes he had worn to dinner. There was an IV connected to the crook of his arm and although his face was a little pale, I was happy to see Dad's chest rise and fall slowly and evenly.At once, Mom darted to his side. I almost thought she would ignore Healer Kim's words and wake him up, but she simply lowered the bedside railing and sank down beside him. She did not touch him, and her face was tense, but I could clearly see the fear in her eyes, a fear that she could not hide even though the love in her gaze was so real and undeniable that I had to look away.My mouth opened to say something, but then I stopped myself. Just as I was not sure I could accept Jayden's sympathy without crumbling, I doubted she needed the same treatment. I chose to let the silence remain and pulled up one of the two chairs in the room.“Don't.”I frowned and turned my head. “Mom?”“You should go home.” Her gaze was sharp, but not
Ashley POVThe ambulance arrived sooner than I expected. Or at least, that's what Mom kept saying as we were driven to Silvercross Healing Center by David. Her tone stayed cool and calm — perhaps in an attempt to appear less affected by Dad's condition than he really was — as she rattled off various reasons that he would be fine. But, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that she kept touching the small gold cross necklace she always wore around her neck.“He will be fine,” she said for the umpteenth time. “He's only fifty-five years old. He eats a healthy diet and exercises every day, I have made sure of that. He might not even have another heart attack, he might just faint from drinking too little water. I should have kept him hydrated while cooking.”My mom's explanation sounded quite reasonable. As I dashed back to the dining room while calling 911, I found Jayden's father trying to wake up my unconscious father, to no avail. I also initially thought that my dad must have just f
Ashley POVJayden's father shoved my father away from him and kicked off his shoes before stepping onto the wooden floor past the black mats that covered the floor of the entrance. I spotted Jayden backing away, seemingly unconsciously, even though there was plenty of room in the hallway. I clenched my fists but kept my mouth shut tightly.“Slippers,” Mom warned as she helped Jayden's mom put on her outerwear, her gaze sharp and stern.My father brushed off her words, something he only dared to do when Jayden's father was around. “That's not necessary. Honey, why don't you prepare something for everyone to drink? For the kids too.”I looked at my mom as she swallowed the explanation of why slippers were good to wear in the house — an explanation I had heard many times before — and merely smiled. “I will. But first...”My stomach dropped to the bottom of the pit as she locked her gaze on me.“Don't you have anything to tell Jayden and Jared's parents, Ashley?”I froze. His father and h