Stevie had a meeting early that morning, and then his flight to Bluepond was more than two hours. He was indeed tired. “Okay.”
Jessie didn’t dare to say anything more. After bidding the father-daughter duo goodbye, she left by herself.
Ashlyn pulled her car to a stop in front of Stevie’s hotel. She glanced at her father, who had fallen asleep, and called softly, “Dad?”
Hearing Ashlyn’s voice, Stevie woke up immediately. He rubbed his stiff neck and felt a sharp pain, which made him gasp.
“Aching bones acting up again?”
Stevie raised his hand and massaged the sore spot. “Nothing new. You can go back and have a rest.”
“I’ll walk you upstairs and give you a massage, Dad.”
Time stopped for no one. In the blink of an eye, Stevie had gotten old. For the first time, Ashlyn regretted her stubbornness the past three years.
Stevie had always had a poor neck. When Ashlyn was at home, she gave him a massage from time to time to help him relieve the pain. As time went by, she became more and more skilled at helping him
But three years had passed and she had gotten a little rusty. “Dad, is that enough?” Ashlyn asked while massaging Stevie’s neck.
“Harder.”
Suddenly, he sighed. “Ashlyn, it’s been a long time since you last gave me a massage.”
Ashlyn felt a lump form in her throat, but she still had a smile plastered on her face. “Didn’t Mom ever massage you?”
Stevie didn’t say reply, and Ashlyn didn’t press him further.
She had always been close to her father. If she hadn’t insisted on marrying Gordon, she would have always been his considerate and sweet daughter, while he was her rock.
But after Ashlyn married Gordon, the two of them stopped talking. When Stevie suddenly mentioned their past, Ashlyn also sighed.
By the time she was done massaging him, it was almost eleven o’clock in the evening.
After getting in the car, Ashlyn didn’t drive away immediately. She rolled down the window. The night wind blew against her face, making her cheeks ruddy.
After a while, she raised her hand to cover her teary eyes and drove away.
The following day, just before dawn, Ashlyn was woken up by Jessie’s phone call.
She had gone to bed late last night and was woken up so early in the morning. She snapped crankily, “What’s the matter?”
If it was not a big deal, she would beat the crap out of Jessie.
Jessie sensed the impatience in her voice. She smiled awkwardly and said, “Ashlyn, listen. Someone’s claiming that you have a sugar daddy!”
“What?” Ashlyn was taken by surprise.
“Who told you that?”
Ashlyn climbed out of bed and went to the windows to part the curtains. The sky was still purple, with a hint of orange as the sun crept up on the horizon.
Squinting slightly, Ashlyn grabbed a knitted sweater and put it on. Then she walked to the bathroom in her soft woolen slippers and put the phone on speaker.
“Pictures are being spread of you and your dad holding hands. We ran into Denise and Arabella yesterday, so it could be either of them who did this.”
Ashlyn, who was brushing her teeth, just replied vaguely, “I see.”
Jessie didn’t expect to see such ridiculous gossip so early in the morning.
Louisa was the one who showed her the screenshots. The two girls laughed out loud, unable to wrap their heads around the idea that someone thought that Ashlyn’s father was her sugar daddy.
“Do you need me to find out who’s behind this? It’ll be a piece of cake. I can just ask Louisa,” Jessie offered.
Ashlyn splashed warm water on her face. Then, after drying up, she picked up the phone and asked meaningfully, “Are you trying to help me or yourself?”
Jessie smiled helplessly. “I’m helping you and satisfying my curiosity at the same time. It’s a win-win!”
Ashlyn snorted. “No, thank you.”
After all, it wouldn’t be long before whoever posted this would be exposed.
Ashlyn’s response made Jessie feel a little disappointed. “Are you sure?”
“Do you have too much time on your hands, Jessie?” Ashlyn asked, tossing the phone on the bed. She then sat at her dresser and began her skincare routine.
Jessie sensed that Ashlyn’s mind was elsewhere, so she sighed and said, “No, I’m a very busy person. Anyway, it’s half past seven; I won’t disturb you anymore!”
After bidding each other goodbye, they hung up the phone.
Ashlyn smiled and shook her head helplessly. Then she went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
The news that Ashlyn was a bigwig’s mistress was only spread in their circles. While it wasn’t made public, many people heard about it.
When Stevie came to Fairway Group to inspect how things were going, even Elvin looked at Ashlyn differently. It was as though he respected her now.
Noticing this, Stevie wondered if Elvin found out that Ashlyn was his daughter. Then, at noon, his secretary suddenly called him to say that the news that he had a mistress had reached his wife’s ears.
Stevie frowned unhappily. He simply shared a meal with his daughter and her friend. And last night, it was Ashlyn who had sent him back to the hotel. How could he have had a mistress in that time frame?
It wasn’t until Ashlyn received a call from Vivien that she knew that the news had gone out of hand. She rubbed her temples and tried to explain the situation to Vivien on Stevie’s behalf, but this only made things worse.
“Who did this?” Vivien roared into the receiver. “Find out who’s responsible!”
Before Ashlyn could say anything more, Vivien hung up abruptly in a fit of rage.
When Stevie heard the whole story, he pulled a long face. “Are you telling me that someone’s spreading gossip that I’m you’re sugar daddy?”
It sounded awkward, but it was what it was. It was rare for Ashlyn to feel embarrassed, but that was how she felt right now. “Yes…”
Bang!
Stevie slammed his fist on the table angrily. “Who’s responsible for this? Is it the damned Jones family?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Ashlyn said, glancing at Stevie.
How could Stevie not understand? He and Ashlyn had met Denise and Arabella last night, and now rumor had it that he was Ashlyn’s sugar daddy. He had been in the business for so many years that he had seen these dirty tricks already. “They’ve gone too far!”
Afraid that he would get angry, Ashlyn hurried to mollify him. “Dad, please don’t get angry. I’ll have someone look into it.”
“Yes! Find out as soon as possible! Your mother is right! The people who did this must have no proper upbringing. I wonder how their parents educated them!”
Stevie had wanted to settle accounts with the Jones family a long time ago, but Ashlyn had stopped him. He now had the chance and no matter what Ashlyn said, he wouldn’t let this go.
Ashlyn knew that Stevie was concerned about her. Denise’s actions this time would prove that her intentions were bad and that she was stupid. She had to get even with Denise.
“I will. I’ll ask my secretary to look into it,” Ashlyn said, pouring a cup of tea for Stevie.
Stevie was furious. Afraid that he would explode, Ashlyn tried to calm him down as best as she could.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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