Ashlyn followed him into the kitchen, but Devin stopped her from helping before she could do anything. “You shouldn’t touch the cold water during your period.”
Ashlyn had to leave the kitchen.
Devin soon returned from the kitchen. His apron was already removed, and he began leisurely unbuttoning the buttons on his sleeves.
While he was cooking earlier, he folded his sleeves up and buttoned them to keep them out of the way.
Ashlyn looked at Devin’s beautiful, muscular forearms in shocked admiration.
Devin had more gorgeous and better toned muscles than themajority of trainers at most gyms.
r in front of Ashlyn. “I had someone do a little investigating.”
Ashlyn looked up at Devin for a moment, then took up the folderand opened it. The very first thing she noticed was a note placed on the file inside. “August 16th, Betsy deposited an undisclosed15 million dollars into her account. The money was withdrawn thirty day later.” Ashlyn realized how suspicious that was. The rest of the report was equally questionable. “Jenna Ellis, Betsy’s high school classmate, received 1.5 million on August 13th. On August 15that three o’clock in the afternoon, Betsy and Jenna met for tea ata cafe for three hours.”
The report went on to explain that Jenna had received the money through an overseas account. Amira Garza was the account owner and was also a former primary school classmate of Denise.
The smile faded from Ashlyn’s face when she read that.
Ashlyn looked up at Devin. “Denise has something to do with this?”Devin smiled. “Absolutely. Betsy bought the aphrodisiacs fromAmira.”
After a moment of silence, Devin continued, “What happened that night was connected somehow to the Jones family. Denisewas just recently punished by Nathaniel. It is unlikely she would have the nerve to harm you without some permission.”
Even if Devin had never told her, Ashlyn had already guessed that the Jones family was somehow involved in what happened that night.
Denise was punished by both Nathaniel. Gordon even whipped her.She would never have done anything to Ashlyn again no matter how bold she was
When Ashlyn asked if the accident had anything to do with Denise, she already knew the answer.
Stevie had warned her about Nathaniel when he had come to Courtbush. He had told her that the old man was not someone to be messed with. Nathaniel was very cunning, and although the Ramos family could afford to offend him and the Jones family,it would be extremely dangerous to do so.
Stevie knew how dirty the business industry could be since hewas in the profession for many years. He never would have been able to survive if he remained innocent of such things.
Even so, Stevie still thought that Nathaniel was too disgraceful and corrupt.
Young people were oblivious to Nathaniel. The old man retired adecade ago from Crowbar Technologies. Afterward, he seldom paid any attention to the company. The Jones family was afamily no one wanted to go against for fear of retaliation. That was why young people didn’t know how despicable Nathaniel could Stevie knew better. He was forty years younger than Nathaniel.Despite Nathaniel’s age, he was still holding on to their company’s reigns because Leon had proved himself incapable.
Nathaniel was a part of the business world when Stevie founded his own company. He didn’t tell Ashlyn everything that happened in the past, but he said Nathaniel always thought the means justified the end when it came to his own interests. Stevie wamed his daughter that she’d better not make an enemy of Nathaniel or he would come after her relentlessly.
Ashlyn had seen Nathaniel often when she had lived with the Jones family. Even so, she didn’t know too much about him.Stevie’s words did ring true with her, however. That was whyshe had to sit back when Denise insulted her continuously.Ashlyn had no interest in making enemies of the Jones family.There was no such thing as an eternal friend but there were certainly eternal interests
There might not currently be any business connections between the Ramos family and the Jones family, but no one could tell what would happen in the future.
If the two prominent families were at odds with each other,there was no telling how that might play out. Nathaniel was a crafty man who had endless pride.
Now, with this report, Ashlyn saw Nathaniel’s dreadful nature,
It had been a huge scandal for the Jones family when she divorced Gordon. And now, Nathaniel tried to force her to remarry Gordon to benefit himself.
Nathaniel was disgusting to Ashlyn. Now that she knew who was behind the accident that night,Ashlyn could guess who started the rumor that she was pregnant. Nathaniel was nothing if not vicious, and Ashlyn knew he had covered his tracks before he started these terrible actions.
Even though Ashlyn knew the truth now, there was no real way to confront Nathaniel. Even if she took her evidence to Nathaniel, he would only put the blame on Denise.
The pregnancy rumor, Ashlyn guessed, must have been spread by someone hired by the Jones family.
It felt as though she had stepped in a pile of dog shit. Ashlynthought the whole thing was disgusting.
Devin noticed that Ashlyn remained silent. The smile faded fromhis eyes.
“Gordon may not know about this,” he said.
With the same cold expression on her face, Ashlyn said, “It doesn’t matter if Gordon knows about it or not.”
No matter what, Gordon remained a member of the Jones family.Besides, he wasn’t a fool. Nathaniel had done a lot of things behind Gordon’s back. If Devin and Ashlyn could find out that Nathaniel wasbehind all these things, then Gordon must be suspicious too.
He couldn’t be so ignorant.
Gordon had to know what Nathaniel had done,
Devin let out the breath he was holding when Ashlyn said this. Hehad expected a totally different reaction from her.
He pursed his lips and then looked at her hopefully. “So, do youneed me to help you out with this?”
Ashlyn closed the file she had been reading and then smiled atDevin. “Thank you, Devin. It would have taken much longer for me to figure this out if you weren’t here to help. However, this isbetween me and the Jones family. I don’t want you gettinginvolved in it”
Devin had expected her to turn him down, but it still hurt to hear her say it. “I understand,” he said with a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
When the silence had dragged on for a while, he sighed and then glanced at his watch. “Well, I have a meeting at three o’clock. I should get out of your hair now.”
“Okay. Let me walk you out.” Devin didn’t refuse.
When they got to the door, Ashlyn opened the door for him and said, “I can’t thank you enough, Devin. I know just saying thank you isn’t worth much, but I’ll make it up in due time.”
Indeed, Devin had helped her a lot. More than she could have hoped even.
He stroked her hair softly. “I know you won’t need me, but just incase, I want you to call me at the first sign of trouble. Ill make sure my phone is on round the clock so that I’l be here for youwhen you need me.”
Devin kept doing wonderful things for her.
Ashlyn looked into his beautiful eyes and almost got lost in them.She quickly looked away from him and lowered her head. She couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if Devinhad been the one to save her from the coma that day.
She discarded that thought from her mind the moment shethought of it. There was no if about it.
Gordon had been the one to save her that day and she couldn’t change the past. After that day, he got all her attention, and she ended up falling in love with him.
But after all the things that happened during the past years,Ashlyn wondered if Gordon was the same guy that had saved herthat day.
Since that day, she never once saw Gordon treat her with the sametenderness he used that day.
But there was no mistake about it. They were the same person. His name “Gordon Jones” on the campus card in the pocket of hisschool uniform was prove of that.
Ashlyn was waiting for him to leave so that she could go to her room, but he was still standing there. She quirked an eyebrowand asked, “Is something bothering you, Devin?”
Devin couldn’t hide the sadness from his eyes as he stared at Ashlyn. “What do you love in Gordon?”
He asked himself the same question every day, but he still couldn’t understand why Gordon won against him.
Only a young naive girl who thought she could bring warmth tothe world could fall in love with a cold man like Gordon.
Ashlyn was definitely not a naive girl.
Ashlyn was smart, decisive and brave. She wasn’t stupid oridealistic either.
Ashlyn sighed, remembering that Jessie had asked her the same question before.
What answer had she given her?
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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