Hayley glanced at the clock and a tremor of excitement shot through her. She would soon be free to go to Ashton’s cottage and resume where they had left off yesterday. Would he kiss her again? She couldn’t wait to return the tiffin case filled with delicious muffins she had baked early in the morning, surprising Elsa immensely. It seemed pleasing Ashton was the only thing on her mind these days. His kisses, his nearness, affected her so much that Hayley completely forgot to work on her assignment at college. It was the day of submission, and she had to sit in the library all morning to complete and submit it. At work too, her mind was more on Ashton than on completing her work. Her dad checked the number of mistakes she made and shook his head with disappointment. “Hayley, what is the matter with you? Are you tired? Do you want to go home?” asked her dad, closing his laptop to leave for a conference. Startled out of her dreamland, Hayley looked at her dad blankly.“Umm, did you say

The next morning at the breakfast table, Hayley had a tough time explaining herself to her parents. “Where were you last night, young lady? You left early but reached home two hours after I did,” scolded her dad. “I was with Sienna, dad. Why?” She couldn’t meet their gaze and concentrated on the food instead. “On weekdays, you should return home early and study, Hayley. You get ample time to enjoy during the weekend.” “That’s exactly what I’ve been telling you, Hails. When was the last time I saw you studying?” scolded her mom. “I study in the night, mom.” Her parents didn’t pay any heed to her excuses and looked disappointed with her. “I wouldn’t mind if you don’t look into the business now. I just want you to focus on your studies. Your friends are doing the same, aren’t they?” Hayley hung her head with guilt, unable to face her parents. It was true her friends were all busy with their studies and hardly had time to meet her. Alyssa was leaving for California while Eva and Sie

Hayley’s heart swelled with intense satisfaction on hearing his promise. He had changed his mind after all! He would marry her! She smiled radiantly at him as he drove her home. “So, will I see you on Monday next?” asked Hayley with a sigh. “I can come down tomorrow evening before heading to Silver Spring.” Ashton smiled at her, loving the way her eyes lit up with hope.“Yes, please. We don’t need to go to an expensive place. We can take a stroll in the park nearby.” “Done. Be ready by 6:30. I’ll message you.”“Are you going to uncle Daniel’s house tomorrow morning?” “No, tonight, after dropping you home.” He frowned as he glanced at the rear-view mirror. Did he just see Salvatore Gambino’s right-hand man, Romano’s Maserati, tailing him? Fear gripped at his heart and he rechecked, but it was gone. Surely it was there a minute ago! Ashton had been so absorbed with Hayley; he had completely forgotten about Gambino and his payment in the last two weeks. He would immediately pay the

“The forensic department just confirmed that the tyre marks are made by Pirelli tyres usually used by Maserati cars. We’ll wait for an update from the traffic control department.” said the officer, walking back to his car. Her dad and uncle thanked him for his help, but Hayley didn’t want to wait that long to rescue Ashton. She walked along the street, desperately trying to look for more evidence that would help them find Ashton fast. What if the abductors killed him? “Hayley, get into the car. I’ll drop you at your college,” said her dad, but she wasn’t listening. A shiny metal stud lying at the side of the street got her attention. Was it a clue? She bend down to pick up the object and looked at it closely. It was a shirt button! Hayley gasped, recognizing it immediately. It was from the shirt Ashton wore on Saturday night for their date. That was one of his special shirts he wore on special occasions. “Hayley, what are you doing there?” asked her uncle. It brought her to her sens

Ashton tried hard to open his eyes, her sweet confession of love echoing in his head. The pain was killing him, but more than that, it was the inability to see her that affected him more. He could feel her tears drench his hand, making him restless. He made a valiant attempt to grasp onto her hand, but ultimately gave up. Why couldn’t he move his limbs, or utter a single word? Was he even alive? A strange fear gripped his heart at the thought. All his life, he had lived recklessly, not caring whether he lived or died, but now suddenly he wanted to live. He wanted to feel Hayley’s love! He wanted a fulfilling life with her. Was he asking for a lot? Wasn’t he entitled to have her in his life? “Ashton, wake up. I’ve rescued you, can’t you see?” she whispered brokenly. It broke his heart to know that she had done so much for him. She had moved heaven and hell to rescue him from the clutches of death. There wasn’t a doubt about her feelings for him. Her love was truly unconditional and t