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
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