Gordon was staring at Devin and Ashlyn, who were standing close to each other. From Gordon’s point of view, it looked like Devin was holding Ashlyn in his arms.
Ashlyn wasn’t looking at Gordon anymore.
Gordon frowned, glanced at Devin and walked away immediately.
Now that they were divorced, what Ashlyn did was none of his business.
He thought she was trying to attract his attention, and he found it naive.
Gordon quickened his pace.
Aiken was stunned for a short moment before he recovered and went after Gordon, sparing Ashlyn and Devin a quick greeting.
Devin squinted at Gordon’s retreating figure before looking down at Ashlyn and asking, “So shall we go for a midnight snack?”
Ashlyn smiled as she looked up at him. “Did you do that on purpose?”
Devin replied with a question of his own. “Would you be angry if I did?”
“Not necessarily,” Ashlyn said. “I just don’t think it was meaningful.”
“Then let’s do something meaningful.”
Ashlyn asked in confusion, “What is that?”
Devin suddenly smiled, his charming eyes lighting up in the process. “Be my girlfriend.”
Devin’s words would make many girls blush, but Ashlyn wasn’t one of them. His words only surprised her, and nothing more.
Her voice calm, she said, “I don’t think it would interest me.”
“Okay then,” Devin said quickly. “We can forget about it.” He wasn’t upset, and neither was he embarrassed. “Do you want to have some midnight snack instead?”
“What do you want to eat?”
Devin told her the name of the restaurant, but Ashlyn’s puzzled face told him she didn’t know where it was located. He turned on the navigation on his mobile phone and handed it over to her.
Devin loved eating out and having good times. His choice of restaurant for their midnight snack was perfect.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Devin got quite a lot of greetings. The restaurant was famous for its seafood risotto, and the environment was cozy.
At the moment, the restaurant was scanty. Only a few people could be seen around.
Devin took Ashlyn to a quiet and cozy booth. Like a gentleman, he handed her the menu. “Make your choice and I will tell the chef to prepare it. Barbecue is also served here, but it won’t start until nine o’clock.”
Ashlyn raised her eyebrows and looked at him. “You seem to be very popular around here. Do you always come here?”
Devin looked at her and laughed softly. “I own this place.”
“That’s surprising.” Ashlyn smiled and kept scanning through the menu.
Devin found her statement vague. “Are you surprised in a good way or a bad way?”
He gazed at her, his eyes amorous as he leaned back on his chair. The smile on his face was flirty. Ashlyn was hooked by his charm for a few seconds, but she quickly snapped out of it. She knew she had to be careful around Devin since he was a man women found irresistible.
But she wasn’t any ordinary woman. She was still healing from the emotional trauma of her divorce.
“I’m surprised in a good way,” she said quickly and looked away.
Devin smiled and didn’t say anything else.
He knew how to stop at the right time.
After placing her order, Ashlyn didn’t beat around the bush. “My friend needs your help.”
“Go ahead,” Devin said, nodding, eyebrows puckered.
“Louisa wants the two stores she’s rented in the Creative House to become one.”
“According to the principles, this is not allowed. But…” Leaning forward, Devin continued, “Since she’s your friend, forget about the principles.”
His body was halfway across this table and this brought him very close to Ashlyn. Her heart skipped a beat as she took in his nice fragrance.
“Since she’s your friend, forget about the principles.”
What Devin said was really beautiful and should have softened her heart in a romantic way.
But her heart wasn’t opened up for emotions, at least not yet.
“Thank you, Devin.” Ashlyn smiled softly and looked away.
Soon, their food was ready. The chef had prepared the food to Devin’s taste especially because he was the boss of the restaurant.
The seafood risotto tasted perfect. Ashlyn wasn’t very hungry, but she still ate a lot.
“Do you like it?” Devin asked happily. He knew she was enjoying the food; he only wanted to hear her say it.
“Yes. Your chefs are really good.”
“I’ll take you to eat something else next time,” Devin said as he wiped his lips with a tissue.
Distracted by his beautiful smile, Ashlyn nodded unconsciously. “Okay.”
Her response made Devin very happy. He couldn’t wait to have Ashlyn all to himself.
Ashlyn realized how cheaply she had just acted and bit her lower lip, embarrassed. Unfortunately, she could not take her words back.
“Let me drive you home,” Devin offered immediately. He knew she wasn’t comfortable with her response, it was all over her face. So, he decided to change the topic.
“It’s dangerous, Devin. You took some wine.” Ashlyn smiled at him.
Devin looked at her briefly, admiring her beautiful face and smiled. “Okay. I will just accompany you home.”
Ashlyn looked at her wrist watch. “It’s late, Devin. I will be fine. I don’t want to trouble you.”
“Well, I’m not complaining.” Devin stood up and adjusted his tie. “Let’s go.”
Ashlyn didn’t argue. She wasn’t going to reject his offer, especially now that he was helping her out with Louisa. She picked up her handbag and stood up.
As they walked toward the door, Ashlyn and Devin saw Gordon and his friends coming in.
The two groups bumped into each other at the door.
Aiken felt that it wasn’t his lucky day today. It had taken him a lot of effort to persuade Gordon for a midnight snack in the newly opened restaurant. But he hadn’t expected Ashlyn to be there too.
What was worse, she was there with Devin, Gordon’s competitor and the one who had announced that he would be pursuing Ashlyn.
Aiken regretted his choices once he realized what was happening. It would be better if they came here another day.
To some degree, they weren’t Ashlyn’s friends. An hour ago, Aiken had greeted Ashlyn, but she had not reciprocated or replied.
Aiken understood that Ashlyn didn’t intend to interact with any of Gordon’s friends. And such behavior was understandable.
This time, Aiken behaved himself, standing to the side and looking straight ahead without saying a word.
Anyway, he shouldn’t be the one to feel embarrassed.
Ashlyn took one glance at Gordon before walking past him.
She had just walked some distance when Gordon suddenly burst out, “Do you think that what you are doing will make me jealous?”
Ashlyn stopped at his words and turned to face him. She looked at him and asked with a smile, “Are you talking to me?”
Her smile was devoid of happiness and didn’t reach her eyes.
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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