Nathaniel knocked down an ornament in his anger. The sound caught Carl’s attention. He had been standing outside the door and rushed inside at this moment.
Gordon ignored the commotion and headed straight to his car.
He had driven here from the company and parked his car outside the villa.
Gordon got in quickly, as if Nathaniel’s spirit was hunting him. He could still hear his grandfather’s angry voice ringing in his head. He didn’t start the car immediately. Instead, he sat still for what seemed to be a long time, trying to catch his breath.
He was upset. No one had the right to impose Ashlyn on him. He lit a cigarette and shoved it into his mouth.
Two gunshot-like raps sounded on the window, causing Gordon to jump out of his skin. Denise! Gordon puffed out smoke in her direction, wanting to make her realize that she was an unwanted intruder.
He wasn’t ready for conversation with her. So, he started his engine.
But Denise hurried to stand in front of the car, confident that her brother would not run her over. “Gordon! I found a sketch in the study. Ashlyn made it!”
Gordon’s frown faded almost instantly at the mention of his ex-wife’s name. His grip on the steering wheel loosened. “Why do you have it then?” he asked, sounding less upset than he was moments ago.
“Take a look for yourself,” Denise said, dangling the sketch in front of Gordon. Ashlyn had made a sketch of Gordon.
Gordon’s hand shook slightly. “Where did you find this?” he asked. He blinked, wanting to be sure that he was seeing right.
Denise lowered the sketch, fixing Gordon with a smug smile. “I already told you. I found it in the study. A picture book caught my attention. I opened it and this sketch fell out.”
Denise’s gaze narrowed back to the sketch. “For her to have drawn you this well means that Ashlyn’s love for you is sincere. Look how handsome you are!”
“Give it to me.” Gordon said, stretching out his free hand while snuffing out his cigarette with the other.
“I found it!”
Gordon’s eyes sent shivers down her spine and Denise had to hand the sketch to him.
Denise pouted and mumbled, “I wanted to show it to Ashlyn. That way, she wouldn’t have been able to deny that she still has feelings for you.”
Gordon ignored her, dropped the sketch on the passenger’s seat, and drove away.
For Ashlyn, Carl’s arrival was just like another filler episode in her life.
Carl had come to deliver Nathaniel’s message, but Ashlyn didn’t take his words seriously at all. She had been a part of the Jones family for three years, so she could practically guess Nathaniel’s thought process by now.
However, she could care less about what Nathaniel was thinking. Right now, she was more concerned about the bidding plan for the land that was going to be bid on tomorrow.
Ashlyn had rejected the plan that was proposed at the meeting just now, but Elvin didn’t dare go against her like before.
Ashlyn was the only daughter of Stevie, who owned the entire Fairway Group, so she was going to be the future owner of the group.
With this knowledge, nobody dared to go against Ashlyn’s decisions.
Since she rejected the proposal, the department immediately began to redo it.
Ashlyn read some documents for a while, planning to wait for the revised bidding plan to be handed in before lunch.
However, Devin’s call came faster than the bidding plan she was expecting.
Ashlyn stared at her vibrating phone on the desk and hesitated for a moment, her mind going back to what happened yesterday. After a while, she decided to answer it. “This is Ashlyn.”
“I’m outside the Fairway Group building. Should we go have lunch together?”
It was as if Devin knew exactly what was on Ashlyn’s mind.
If it were in the past, Ashlyn would’ve refused, but Devin did her a favor yesterday, and he was even waiting for her downstairs.
So, she knew she had to give respect where respect was due.
Ashlyn glanced at Talia, who just entered the room. “I’ll be down there in a few minutes,” she told Devin.
After hanging up the phone, she asked Talia, “Is the bidding plan finished?”
Talia shook her head. “They expect it to be completed by 2 p.m.”
Ashlyn stood up and took the coat that was draped over the chair she just sat on. “I see. Make sure to put the revised version on my desk by that time. I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay, Miss Ramos.”
Ashlyn nodded and was about to walk past her to leave when a thought suddenly crossed her mind. She paused in her tracks. “By the way, would you like to have lunch together, Talia?”
Talia used to be Stevie’s secretary; she was quite capable and intelligent. She recalled that before she entered the room, she overheard that Devin’s car was downstairs, which meant that he must be intending on having lunch together with Ashlyn.
Talia shook her head in response. “Thank you for your offer, Miss Ramos. However, I must decline since I haven’t finished my work yet.”
Ashlyn raised an eyebrow. “It seems that you’re being a little cautious, aren’t you?”
She then smiled and patted Talia on the shoulder. “All right. I won’t force you to come with me, but still, I’d like you to go have lunch first.”
Guilt seeped into Talia’s chest as she stared at the smile on Ashlyn’s face, but she managed to appear as calm as always. “Yes, Miss Ramos.”
Ashlyn didn’t intend on prodding her further, so she simply walked towards the elevator and stepped inside when the doors opened.
Her cold wasn’t completely healed yet, and her nose still felt a little clogged. There was a lingering scent of perfume in the air that irritated her nostrils and made her sneeze heavily.
Fortunately, the elevator quickly arrived on the first floor, and Ashlyn took that opportunity to step out as fast as she could. When she exited through the doors, she spotted Devin waiting for her as he leisurely stood beside his car.
Devin usually drove flashy sports cars, but today, he was leaning against an inconspicuous-looking Mercedes-Benz. If she hadn’t noticed him standing there, she would’ve taken a while to find him.
Devin spotted her approaching and graciously opened the car door for her. “You look a lot better now.”
“Thank you,” Ashlyn said politely as she got inside the vehicle.
“I wonder if you will still be grateful to me after having lunch together.”
Devin stared at her with a faint smile.
Ashlyn felt a little uncomfortable at being stared at so intently. It was like he could see right through her somehow.
However, she simply kept quiet and averted her gaze.
Devin smiled and closed the car door before taking his place in the driver’s seat.
Gordon hadn’t lied to Nathaniel. He did indeed have a lunch appointment.
But he just showed up with Lowell. Then, he left the private room, leaving the whole thing to Lowell.
Tasty Delights had a layout that made sure that every private room was independent. A stone corridor connected these rooms. It was now spring, the trees and the blooming flowers outside the corridor making this entire scene all the more beautiful.
It was a great view, but Gordon didn’t have the time to appreciate it.
There was a small pavilion at the side of the corridor, a special smoking area. Gordon spotted it, paused for a moment, and walked towards it.
It was a remote space, far away from the corridor. Employees passing by rarely noticed if anyone was inside it.
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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