His smile made Ashlyn think of what he had said that night. “Good night, Devin,” she whispered and then went to her room. If Ashlyn had known that those two glasses of Heaven would have this effect on her, she would have steered clear of them. Once in her room, she managed to brush her teeth and change her clothes before falling asleep.
The next day was the weekend, and Ashlyn woke up when it was dawn. She made it a habit not to put her alarm on the weekend. She woke up because she was thirsty. After the strong wine she drank last night, she still had a little headache, and it felt as though her stomach was also upset.
Out of everything, the only thing that really repulsed her was the unpleasant smell of alcohol that hung on her body. She opened a bottle of mineral water that was in the room, drank enough to quench her thirst, and then took a much-needed shower. She felt a little bit relieved after cleaning up. Her headache wasn’t so strong anymore, and most importantly, that repulsing smell had gone.
It was only after she sat in front of the dressing table that she recalled what happened last night. She got lost in her thoughts for a second, but her hunger brought her back to earth. She tried to ignore it, but after she heard her stomach growl twice, she stood up to go out, deciding to make breakfast.
When Ashlyn opened the door, a pleasant and surprising smell met her nostrils. Was that oatmeal? She instantly remembered that Devin mentioned he was going to stay for a while last night. She hadn’t really thought of it at that time and just nodded in agreement. Was he still here?
Feeling a little embarrassed by what happened last night, Ashlyn closed her eyes tightly for a brief second and then walked to the kitchen. To her surprise, it was empty. Where was Devin? She suddenly spotted a stick-it note that was pressed on the fridge. It looked a lot like Devin’s handwriting.
Curious, she went close to it and read the note in a low voice, “Good morning. I made you some oatmeal. You’ll feel much better after that.” At the end of the note, he signed with his name and then drew an arrowhead with the words, “Turn it over for a surprise.”
Ashlyn raised a curious eyebrow, took off the note from the fridge, and looked at what was behind. “Ashlyn, I never want you to belittle yourself. You are a good girl, and you deserve every good thing. Most of all, you deserve my love for you. I just want to let you know that the love I have for you will never fade.”
Ashlyn’s lips trembled slightly with emotion as she finished reading the note. As much as she tried to, Ashlyn couldn’t hold back the tears that threatened to fall out. She was not a sentimental person. She seldom cried since childhood. Even after her divorce from Gordon, Ashlyn didn’t shed a single tear. How did Devin succeed in making her cry with just a few words?
The way Gordon and his family treated her during the three years she was married to him robbed her of her self-confidence even long after the marriage was over. She had never been able to figure out where she had done wrong for Gordon, a warm and kind-hearted young man, to treat her so indifferently and show her no sign of affection throughout their three years of marriage.
So when Gordon confessed to loving her last night, she was surprised and confused. She had loved Gordon all through her youth, but after what happened between them, she regained her senses and was no longer the love-sick puppy she used to be.
She was so vulnerable that she got drunk and broke down last night. She was confused, yes, but she wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
As the adage said, once bitten twice shy. She had made a horrible mistake all those years ago. She had brought that suffering upon herself and then endured it for three whole years. If she went back with Gordon now, it would mean she didn’t love her life.
Suddenly, a plane flew by, the noise pulling Ashlyn out of her thoughts. She sighed, wiped away her tears, and folded the note.
This was one of the best gifts she had received, and she was going to treasure it. Love wasn’t the only thing that life rotated around. There was also a career and family to think about.
While she was drunk last night, Ashlyn had a lot of conflicting thoughts in her mind. She chose to believe that it was the alcohol talking because now that she was sober, she knew exactly what she wanted, and Gordon wasn’t in the picture.
She had other important and big projects to focus on. Gordon’s late and ridiculous love wasn’t going to do her much good. All she could rely on right now was money.
When they completed these projects, Fairway Group would be earning millions of dollars more every day.
She was very proud and happy about it, and that was all she needed.
“Miss Ramos,” a voice said from outside the office.
“Come in, Talia,” Ashlyn said.
Talia walked in and placed something on the table.
“This is the video of Betsy that was recorded that night,” she said.
Ashlyn nodded in appreciation. She liked having something on people, just in case. She had asked Talia to install surveillance cameras in the hotel room that day.
“Keep it well for now. We might need it one day,” Ashlyn said to Talia. She wasn’t interested in prying into other people’s sex life.
With a curt nod, Talia took back the USB disk, but she didn’t leave immediately. After hesitating for a while, she said, “There is one more thing.”
Ashlyn couldn’t help but laugh at Talia’s hesitation. It was uncharacteristic of her to look so reluctant to say or do something.
“What’s wrong, Talia? Just say whatever you want to say and stop hovering.”
Talia shook her head. She didn’t know how to express it.
“Well… I heard that Nathaniel went to Bluepond. He’s prepared gifts and is going to visit your parents.”
“Really? He can do whatever he wants. My parents will never agree with him.” Did Nathaniel think her parents were stupid?
Talia nodded. Nathaniel was really annoying, but they could do nothing to stop him from visiting. Stevie.
Ashlyn’s face folded into a small frown as she thought of the annoying old man. She didn’t know how she was going to deal with him, but she needed to do it accordingly.
When Stevie knew that Nathaniel was going to visit him, he immediately put down his work and rushed back.
Not long after Stevie started his career more than two decades ago, he cooperated with Nathaniel, whose success was undeniable due to his boldness. It was the same reason Stevie didn’t like Nathaniel’s way of doing things.
After that, Ashlyn married into the Jones family and suffered a lot. Because of that, his disgust for Nathaniel grew even more.
The rumor about the rekindling of Ashlyn’s relationship with Gordon spread wildly a while ago. It was natural for Stevie and Vivien to worry about it. However, Ashlyn explained it was a misunderstanding and that she would fix it.
Ashlyn was an independent woman. With that, Stevie believed in his daughter. So along with his wife, they didn’t pry further, not wanting to make her feel bad.
But now, Nathaniel had traveled a long way from Courtbush to Bluepond to visit him. Stevie figured it must have something to do with Devin and Gordon.
Nathaniel came back home around four in the afternoon. Vivien happened to be at home that day. She unwillingly accommodated the unwanted guest with a fake smile. They exchanged pleasantries out of courtesy, though it was all an act. After all, Nathaniel was an elder who mastered being elusive through time. He was a cunning person indeed.
On the other hand, Vivien couldn’t help being annoyed with him. She had someone inform her husband at work to come home that instant.
Upon hearing the sound of the car engine outside the villa, Vivien breathed a sigh of relief and continued with her coffee.
Stevie opened the door and stepped out as soon as the vehicle stopped. He hurried upstairs, and once he got there, he saw Nathaniel sitting opposite his wife.
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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