Ch. 11..15: Charmed by the Billionaire CEO Chapter 11-15

Chapter 11: Monitored

Grace told him everything about how she came to find out about Ashley and how she also met Richard.

"I wonder who was the one who told Ashley about Greg’s betrayal of her," Grace muttered when she heard Tristen cough.

"AHEM.. mom, I think it’s time for me to sleep" Tristen cleared his throat and shoved his mother out of his room.

Grace was so smart that it didn’t take time for her to guess her children’s thoughts; that was the only reason no one in this house could keep any secrets.

Exiting Tristen’s room, Grace headed towards her room only to find Trevor going through some files.

"I was waiting for you to pester me about hiding Ashley’s truth from you" Grace, who had only told about it, Snow and Herd, asked them to keep it a secret until they didn’t know when Ashley was going to break up with that guy.

But the tables turned fast when the news of her breakup started to surface on every news channel, making them make a move.

Closing the file, Trevor removed his specs and looked at his wife for a while," I don’t need to scold you when I know you wouldn’t do anything that would harm our children" Trevor reached out his hand and pulled Grace. Making her sit next to him.

He had immense faith in whatever decision’s his wife took for them. And if she had seen a bright future for both Ashley and Tristen, then who was he to doubt her?

"You know I agree with whatever you say," he said, wrapped his hands around her waist, and was about to kiss her when the door of their room swung open.

"Thud"

"...."

"...."

"You both should lock the door," Gwen, who barged inside the room invading their privacy, voiced her thoughts when she watched her parents about to kiss.

Grace pushed Trevor aside and moved back, looking at her daughter, who didn’t know the primary manner of knocking on the door before barging inside anyone’s room.

"Gwen, where are your manner? Can’t you knock on the door before entering" Grace, tired of making her daughter act like a decent individual, always felt like all her education was in vain?

Lazily walking toward them, she took the chair and gawked at her mother before she opened her mouth," Mom, how can you hide such a big thing from us? your children"

Gwen was going crazy when she learned from her grandparents that they planned to set Ashley and Tristen up for this matchmaking thing.

All this while, she thought it was only her who knew about her elder brother’s little secret; she was hell wrong-to be in that imaginary bubble.

Everyone was busy planning to hook up her elder brother with his long-time crush, and here she was, thinking about keeping it a secret.

Before Grace could answer, another angry voice came rushing in.

"Mom, how can you do this-" Gavin, the last one to burst, finally came running to question his mother.

Gwen nodded, and they sat in front of their mother, ready to fire her.

Grace knew it wasn’t accessible to, like before, give them one candy and shove them away. They were all grown up and were old enough to share the adult thing with her.

Grace took a deep breath and told them everything from the beginning.

"Are you both satisfied now" she sighed and leaned back.

Gwen was left speechless when she discovered how smartly her mother had hidden from them. She had been keeping an eye on every kid and only they were the fools to think their life wasn’t monitored anymore.

*****

After returning to her apartment, Ashley freshened herself and lay lazily on her bed.

She couldn’t forget how her time passed with Tristen and was even surprised that she didn’t fight with him even once.

Her eyes looked at the ceiling above when her phone began to ring. Her thought broke, and she looked at the side table, reaching for her hand to get her phone.

"Hello, Ash has seen the news," Alice yelled in her worried voice, making Ashley pull back her cell phone from her ear.

"Alice, you need to lower your voice. I am not deaf," Ashley turned on the speaker and said with a lazy tone.

"Ash.. you are not getting me to go and turn on the television. Greg and Jane have made their relationship official in public," Alice huffed, speaking without a break which made Ashley climb down the bed immediately and rush out into the living area to turn on the television.

Ashley’s eyes bulged out in shock when she saw every news channel featuring Greg and Jane’s pictures.

"Did you see that bastard? He didn’t even wait until your breakup news surpassed and just made their relationship official" Alice was pissed with the way Greg acted immaturely.

He knew their breakup had just occurred two days earlier, yet he was flashing his teeth and posing with his new girlfriend.

Alice had never liked Greg from the beginning, but because of Ashley’s immense faith in that man that, she waited for him to change. But that change never came, and this man grew even more unfaithful.

Ashley couldn’t take her eyes off the television screen as she held the phone in her hand tightly.

She had come to learn that Greg was that shameless man who was greedy for fame and name. First, it was her whom he used to climb the ladder of success, and now when he was a well-known face, he cheated on her with her so-called friend.

Her eyes turned deadpan cold as she looked at their proximity.

"Alice, I will talk to you later," she said without breaking her gaze from the picture, which kept appearing with every channel she changed.

Her eyes had turned darker, and she could feel her body burn in anger. She had wasted two years loving a person who didn’t value her.

Greg used her for fame and name, but he doesn’t know if she can make him earn that fame. She can even pull him down, falling straight to the ground.

"You think I will let you go that easy after humiliating me so much? No, Greg...you have mistaken me for someone dumb. Earlier I acted according to your demands because I loved you but not anymore. This Ashley, whom you used for your benefit, will show you how it feels to get betrayed and left alone embarrassed."

She dialed a number and called Miley, asking her to pull Greg’s name from every brand he had because of her and make sure not to get her name mentioned.

"You will now see how it feels to lose everything in a blink of an eye" smirking, she played with her phone and walked back to her room.

Tomorrow was showtime, and she couldn’t wait to witness it with her own eyes.

*****

Ashley had been having her beauty sleep when her phone began to beep. She opened her eyes a little and looked at the caller who had called her early morning.

She frowned when she saw an unknown number flashing on the screen.

Looking for a while, she picked up the call and said," Whose this" she said with her sleepy voice when the person on the other end chuckled.

"I thought you already saved my number," Tristen said with a sad voice that made Ashley get up a jerk.

"Tristen!!" she asked and shut her eyes, cursing herself in her mind.

How did she forget to save his number? She cursed and held the phone tightly next to her ear.

"Sorry, I forgot to add your number to the contact list," she apologized and continued, "By the way, doesn’t a CEO of a multinational company has work to do? Then why is this CEO calling me early morning," Ashley said teasingly and scratched the back of her neck.

"I think you should just check the time. It’s eleven in the morning, and as per my knowledge, every normal person is off to work by this time" his words made Ashley frown, and she pulled back her phone, checking the time, which made her gasp.

"Oh my god, I am late," she squealed loudly, making the man chuckle again.

"Now that I woke you up, shouldn’t you thank me" Tristan’s words calmed her.

Ashley, who had never slept for so long, felt like she had overslept today. It was always Miley who would come and wake her up, but today she wasn’t here, which made her think.

"Ashley.. are you there" Tristen’s voice made her pull back her thought, and she hummed," Huh.. yes, I am listening," she answered.

"You didn’t answer me," he said, waiting for her to thank him, but that didn’t come.

Ashley’s lips curled up when she heard him. Why was he so persistent in making her speak with him?

"Why should I thank you? I am sure you had something to talk about with me, or else why would the Tristen Knight dare to call a lowkey model" Ashley dramatically asked.

"I just wanted to make sure that you are fine..." his words made her smile disappear.

Chapter 12: Don’t bother me at all

Ashley’s body stiffened at Tristan’s concerned words. She didn’t expect him to ask her about it first.

She didn’t want anyone to feel worried about her past because she had moved on from it. But how did she forget the night she let herself fall vulnerable in his arm and cry her heart out?

"Ashley, I d-didn’t mean to invade your private matters, but-" his words were cut when Ashley composed herself.

"No, there is nothing for you to apologize for. It was all in the past, and him being open about his current relationship doesn’t bother me at all" Ashley wanted to sound as if it didn’t matter to her, but deep in her heart, she felt hurt because the man she spent two years with moved on from her just like that.

Tristen felt his heart squeeze because he knew Ashley was trying to act strong but inside, she was still hurt.

He wanted to make Greg see hell on earth for hurting the women he liked. But before he could attack him professionally, someone had already targeted him.

His name was pulled down from all the brands he endorsed, and Ashley erased his existence from the contract he signed.

Tristen, who didn’t ask her anything further, ended the call after talking with her for a while and resumed his work.

His mind wasn’t at peace; all his thoughts drifted back to Ashley and how she was feeling at this moment.

He knew she was bottling up her emotions because she didn’t want to look weak. And just the thought of her hurting inside made his heart squeeze.

Making a call, he asked Karl to come in. Karl was standing in front of Tristen and waiting for his order.

"Have you found out who was the person who pulled down Greg’s name from every endorsement"

Karl nods and answers with a proud smile," Yes, boss, it was all Miss Brown’s work behind the scenes. Her manager called for a meeting and put down some facts stating Greg’s image would come as a significant fallout for their brand, and since the fact made sense, the company immediately pulled Greg from every contract they signed with him."

Tristen was surprised by Karl’s immediate action, but the more he was surprised by how smartly Ashley targeted Greg without letting him know.

He knew Ashley was ruthless when handling her enemies, but he didn’t think she would be so fast to clear Greg’s existence.

A smile formed Tristen’s lips as he felt proud of his woman, who didn’t bat an eye before she targeted Greg in every possible way.

Karl watched his boss smiling, and he understood that somehow he was happy to know that the person who came to Ashley’s rescue was herself.

He knew how Tristen had enormously admired Ashley’s personality as she didn’t bend down even when everything was against her.

Excusing Karl, Tristen picked up his phone and texted Ashley a message before returning the phone and resuming his work.

****

Sitting in her living room, Ashley already had her morning tea and was going through the entertainment news channel, which talked about the successful Model Greg being taken down from every endorsement because of his playboy nature.

Ashley smirked and turned off the television when her phone buzzed, and she looked down at her side.

Picking it up, she saw the person who texted her, and she immediately opened the message box to read the text.

[ Liked the way of your revenge] Tristen texted with a thumbs-up emoji that confused Ashley.

’How did he know it was me’ she thought when the realization hit her.

"I shouldn’t be asking about his way of finding things" she knew he was a man who was powerful enough not to find what exactly was happening to the people in his contact, but she never thought he would keep an eye on her, which was impressive.

Smiling at his cute little emoji, she wanted to text him back when she remembered she had yet to talk with her father about Tristen.

She got up from the couch and headed towards her room to get changed before leaving for the mansion.

Ashley had asked Miley to look after the matter in her absence as she wouldn’t be giving any explanation about Greg being removed from the brands. She wanted the media to get into the details of the man who not only used her but also broke her heart.

She wasn’t that innocent who would keep quiet and cry in silence. She was that tigress who would pounce her claw when the time was right to attack.

Inside the car, her phone kept ringing but she didn’t receive the call because she knew who the person was calling her.

She turned off her cell phone and looked out of the window, watching the beautiful view as their car passed by.

"Dammit, she isn’t answering my call" Greg threw the phone angrily and slumped down on the couch.

He knew as soon as he made his relationship with Jane official, Ashley would come and target him.

Greg wasn’t that stupid not to realize who was behind his sudden downfall.

The day Ashley had caught him cheating on her with Jane, he had expected her to fight with him, but that didn’t happen. She just walked away from there without even looking back, making him a little led back.

But the next day, he found all the news about his and Ashley’s relationship had been taken down, speculating the rumor about their breakup.

He tried to call her to make it clear in the media that they had split due to personal reasons, but his call was never picked up, and that infuriated him to go public with his relationship with Jane and cool down the breakup rumors with Ashley.

He was happy till yesterday that he had managed to fight back and come out as a faithful person in front of the audience because his pair with Jane was liked by many.

But even that happiness didn’t last long when his manager notified him that all the brands with whom he had signed a contract with have taken down his name, and now they only wanted to work with Ashley and no one else.

Rubbing his temple, he looked at the news, which had him and only him in the headlines, making him more envious of how smartly Ashley erased his name from every brand they were going to work on as a couple.

"Honey.. you don’t need to waste your energy on people like her. You know you have me" Jane, a well-known model, walked toward Greg with her seductive move and raised his head, sealing his lips.

Jane and Ashley became friends when they joined the industry together. They had been close to each other as they made names of their own in the modeling world till the day when Greg came into their lives.

Jane had always been attracted to Greg because of his manly aura. He was a bold and talented man who had caught her attention. But that happiness of hers didn’t last long when Ashley took a step and proposed to him.

Greg was a beginner at that time and needed someone senior to guide him through his journey as a supermodel.

Ashley’s charm had already made her climb the ladder of success within no time, and Greg took advantage of her higher status, accepting her proposal.

That time Jane was heartbroken when she found Ashley and Greg getting closer, but that did stop her from seducing him even after he made his relationship official with Ashley.

Ashley was a bold and confident woman with a sharp tongue, making everyone around her fear her. But in the matter of heart, she was too naïve to get fooled by Greg and his fake love for her.

Jane knew Greg was only after Ashley because he wanted that fame and name he would only get if he were next to her.

Dating Ashley for two years earned him more recognition in the modeling world, but he couldn’t find himself getting committed to Ashley as his eyes wavered on Jane, who didn’t leave a chance to tempt him.

Even after being with Ashley, he kept an affair with Jane without letting anyone know. Everything was going smoothly, but Ashley found them both having sex that day.

Jane, who was waiting for this moment, felt like she had hit the jackpot and felt so happy that now Greg was only hers and she wouldn’t share him with anyone else.

After a long passionate kiss, they pulled back, panting heavily," Don’t waste your anger on her, Greg. She isn’t worth your attention" Jane, who didn’t like even the mention of her name, felt insecure, thinking that Greg would again go back to her leaving her behind.

Jane wasn’t going to let that happen as she had finally caught hold of the man with whom she didn’t step back from having an affair.

Greg nodded his head and pulled Jane back for a kiss. He didn’t want to waste his time thinking about Ashley because now he only wanted Jane, and he knew being with Jane would also keep his career on track.

Chapter 13: Missed the old you

Ashley’s car soon reached the main mansion. She was supposed to visit her father yesterday after dinner, but even she didn’t realize how long it took for her to say Goodbye to Tristan.

Her heart still felt happy remembering her pleasant mood when she was with him.

There wasn’t too much talking but just him being so considerate toward her made her anger toward him disappear.

Ashley shook her head when she looked out and found herself in front of her house.

’We reached so soon, she thought and chuckled at her silliness

Stepping out, Ashley walked inside the mansion.

She wanted to ask her father when he came up with a plan to set a date for her, and that too with the most influential man in the country, S.

Ashley knew her father had his way because he was a businessman and getting down Tristen for her wasn’t a big deal for him unless he was a good friend with them.

Richard was enjoying his morning coffee sitting on the couch while his eyes scanned through the newspaper in his hand.

As soon as he heard the clicking sound of the heels, he immediately averted his eyes away from the paper and watched his daughter walk toward him.

"I have been waiting for you since yesterday, darling.." Richard folded the newspaper and watched Ashley take a seat.

She found her father very calm even after the entire news channel was flooded with her news.

Brushing off his teasing question, she asked," How do you know Tristen Knight’s dad."

Ashley might do she not have known he would also be learning about the knights.

As per her knowledge, the Knight family returned to country S when their elder son Tristen took over the business here. They were very lowkey people who never liked to attend lavishing business parties. Then how come her father got to know about them that he even caught Tristen as her blind date?

Richard had this grin on his face when she came in, and now that grin widened even more, making her curious.

Watching Ashley staring at him with curious-looking eyes made Richard speak up.

"Tristen’s mother, Grace, was your mother’s childhood friend. Through her, I got to know about Tristan," Richard answered, but that didn’t convince Ashley.

" No way...I have never seen any of mom’s close friends come to meet her. What rubbish... you are lying, dad," she strikes back, not convinced by his answer.

Richard knew talking with a puzzle never made Ashley believe his words, so he told her everything from the beginning.

There was complete tranquility between both of them when Richard broke the silence.

"I only wish you happiness, and Tristen will be the right guy who would love and cherish you the way you want" Richard wasn’t ashamed to think about his daughter’s break up with Greg because that man wasn’t trustworthy, but Tristen, he wasn’t like him at all.

"A-And why do you feel I won’t find happiness within me, dad, and would need a man to make me happy? There isn’t always a person you need to find happiness with, and I have already learned it."

Ashley didn’t want to go through the same phase where she treated herself lower just so her relationship with Greg would be stable, but in the end, what did she get in return for betrayal?

She did everything to keep her relationship together with Greg ignoring all the speculation around him because she trusted him blindly but not anymore.

She didn’t want a man to make her happy because she wanted to find happiness within herself, and for that, she had to punish everyone who mistook her for a stupid lamb betraying and playing with her kindness.

Richard knew where her words came from, but that wasn’t a solution.

Reaching his hand to her, he held them into his and looked into her eyes," You may not get my words now, Ash, but one day you will find a person who will be the reason for your happiness and the person who I see for you is Tristan."

Ashley saw how profound her father’s words were, and she could feel the sincerity within them. He was a man who could tell about any person just by taking one glance.

She said she might try it, but still, a part of her heart feared getting hurt. She liked the time she spent with Tristen but was he the guy who wouldn’t break her heart?

She didn’t know...

Richard watched Ashley’s complicated expression and knew she wasn’t ready to start a new relationship.

He had always given her the liberty to make her own decision; even, in this case, he wouldn’t force her and let her find it on her own.

When Grace told him about Tristen’s liking toward his daughter, he finally saw hope. He only hoped for the right time when Ashley would realize that whatever he said was right.

After spending some more time with Richard, Ashley left the mansion to meet Alice.

Ashley knew she had to keep herself from getting caught by Greg and his team. She knew he had come to find out that it was all her doing that professionally targeted his career.

She didn’t want to face him yet because she didn’t know if she would keep her calm once she came to see him.

Her car stopped in front of the coffee shop where both she and Alice used to hang out as a teenager. It was their secret meeting place where they would meet without getting clicked on by the paparazzi.

Opening the glass door, Ashley walked in and saw Alice wave her hand. She walked towards the last table in the corner, away from everyone’s eyes.

"I thought I would be the one waiting for you" After placing her handbag on the table, Ashley sat opposite Alice.

By the look, Ashley understood the girl hadn’t slept the whole night, and when she did fall asleep, she was called to meet with her.

Yawning, Alice rubbed her face," You know it’s hard for me to fall asleep at night," Alice complained and closed her eyes for a while before opening them.

"You should consult a better doctor Alice. Your sleeping disorder is getting worse" Alice was an insomniac and would always find it hard to get sleep.

Listening to Ashley’s concerned words made Alice roll her eyes," You know I hate going for therapies. It never worked back then, nor it would work now" shaking her head, she continued," By the way are you enjoying attacking Greg. I am sure he must be fuming for his loss" grinning she looked at the menu card ordering the waiter and placing the order for them.

"Hmm... a little bit, but I will be at peace when I would fully get him down n take away everything he got because of me" Ashley didn’t have a pity pitiful on her face because she was showing concern towards him.

Now when she thought about their time together, it had always been her who worked hard while he was busy getting project after project under her name.

"That, my girl. You know Ashley, I missed this old you. Now that you are back, I can’t wait to see how that bastard sees his end" agreeing with Alice’s words, Ashley felt like she had wasted two years on a man who had just used her.

Ashley should have known he wasn’t a man of trust when she first saw him with Jane walking out of her changing room.

When she asked about it, he lied, telling her that Jane had a rough time dealing with her boyfriend, which was why he was in her room consoling her.

Greg was so fluent in his lies that she quickly agreed with him. Such a stupid girl she was even to believe him when he had a secret affair with her that time.

"Anyways, let’s not about that scum. Let me know how your date goes. Did you like the guy?.." Alice twitches her brows, grinning at Ashley excitedly.

Ashley rolled her eyes at her over excitedly and nodded her head.

"Then, did you find the man exciting? I mean, was he handsome, sexy, and hot" her voice turned heavy as she started to attack with her seducing thoughts.

"Shut up, Alice. You looked like a sex-craving woman right now" Ashley didn’t like how she was drooling her words on Tristen.

It was not like she had ever stopped her from talking about any man, but Tristen, she didn’t like that words.

"You know I can’t stop myself from describing their beauty" Alice was like this from the beginning. She liked to flirt with every other man who would charm her but picking one to entertain her was her choice.

Ashley shook her head and looked at the waiter who came up with the coffee they ordered.

Placing the order, he left when Ashley said," He is the son of my mother’s best friend, and-" she said it with a very casual tone which Alice arched her brow in her calm demeanor.

"And???"

Stirring her coffee, Ashley looked down, averting her gaze from Alice, and said," His name is Tristen Knight."

Ashley was waiting for a scream from Alice, but that didn’t come, making her lift her head and look at her friend.

Alice, who heard her words, felt her mind freeze. She was talking about Tristen Knight.. the most handsome eligible bachelor of country S whom no one had ever seen.

"Alice, say something" Ashley, who found Alice stuck with her eyes popped out like a ball,s felt anxious; she might have got a panic attack that froze her entire body.

 

Chapter 14: You have hit a jackpot

Alice, who felt she had seen and heard everything and was now ready to leave the world in peace, suddenly felt her body shake vigorously.

"Alice.. are you okay" shaken by Ashley roughly, Alice felt her mind coming back to land, and her eyes looked at Ashley with awe.

"Did I just hear you say, Tristan Knight?" Alice asked, rubbing her ear.

Ashley thought this behavior of Alice was worst than she was expecting. She nodded her head and leaned back as she saw Alice gasp.

"You don’t know, girl, but you have hit the jackpot. Tristen Knight, the elder son of Trevor Knight, is every woman’s dream man," she beamed her words aloud.

Alice, who knew about the Knights from here and there, had been keen to snap with the handsome hunk, but his assistant never let her team meet the man once.

Ashley, who never paid attention to the news, didn’t know anything about the knights except one rumor that all the men in the knight family were deadpan and dominating, including Tristan.

He was in his late twenties and was the most successful man in the business world. He achieved it with his exceptional skill and dedication to work which brought him many business awards, but he was never seen taking them.

She remembered one event to which every business person from all over the world was invited. Even celebrities and models were asked to join the event.

She was supposed to be one of the people who would award him the best business tycoon award.

She clearly remembered how the media was severely dead to click the mysterious man who had shaken the entire business world with his entry. But even after looking forwards to seeing the man take the award, he never showed up even after being inside the event hall.

She wondered how come no one saw him get in. It was like he didn’t want to be seen by anyone and just came and went as he wished.

While Ashley was busy recalling the time when she missed seeing him when she heard Alice’s voice," Ash, are you there" she asked and saw her look at her in a daze.

"I thought you went back to think about Tristan after I praised him" Alice knew something was wrong with Ashley with how she was talking about Tristen.

It felt like there was something more to it that she wasn’t aware of and wanted to know.

No one would ignore a man who was perfect in every sense, then why was Ashley so casual with it.. or... was she purposely hiding it.

Ashley shook her head and sipped her coffee. It had been so many days she had felt so relaxed. Back then, she would always keep thinking about doing things that would make Greg happy; in that process, she lost hers.

But now she wasn’t going to let anyone walk on her happiness. She wanted to think of herself first before she thought of others.

After they finished drinking their coffee, Alice paid for them and walked out of the coffee shop.

"You shouldn’t ignore the proposal, Ash. You can’t let go of a man like Tristen Knight.. he is the perfect blend of smartness and hotness. Have you seen his muscle through that perfectly fitted suit" her words made Ashley recall the time they were in each other’s arms.

Yes, she had seen every part of his body: his firm muscle, perfectly built body, and many things.

"Hey, you’re spaced out again" Alice, who saw Ashley again, fell into thought and couldn’t help but ask her," Ash, is something bothering you" being her friend, she wanted to know what was wrong with her.

Ashley, who hasn’t told Alice about having a nightstand with Tristen, would find another reason to pester her into considering dating him.

She didn’t know if she was ready to let someone in, which was too soon, but she didn’t even have a reason to reject him.

It wasn’t his fault either when she was the one who took advantage of him. She shook her head, brushed off her thought, and entered the car.

She was going to drop Alice in her studio before she headed back to her house. Her mind was filled with so much news that she couldn’t erase.

On the one hand, she was trying to start a new life, but on the other hand, her father was asking her to consider Tristen. She felt like she was torn in making any decision.

She couldn’t find any fault in her father’s words but didn’t know whether she was ready to trust anyone after getting cheated on by the love of her life.

Dropping Alice, she was returning she got a call from Miley.

"What is it, Miley?" she asked with a lazy tone.

"Ma’am, I have a very urgent message for you," she said in a little worried voice.

Stopping the car at the corner of the road, she listened," Ma’am.. madam Jane had called me to fix a meeting. I told her that you were busy meeting anyone, but she didn’t listen and said she would come to meet you if you don’t agree to talk with her" Miley panted after she finished and waited for Ashley to say something.

"I should’ve seen this coming. How was she going to stay still after stealing my man" Ashley’s cold words made Miley gulp.

Even if she wasn’t physically present there with Ashley, she could tell how deadpan her face would be at this moment.

"Fine, tell her that I am ready to meet her" Ashley had avoided her for too long, and now it was time to show her that she had messed with the wrong person.

She had once considered Jane her friend but not anymore now that finally, she has come to learn what kind of person she is. She not only played innocent but also seduced her boyfriend under her nose.

Ending the call, Ashley texted Miley the location she would be meeting Jane and asked her to pass it to Jane.

She had been portraying herself as an innocent lady, and Ashley knew how to pull down that mask.

Starting the engine, she drove back to her apartment. On her way, she saw many photographers trying to click on her, but she managed to escape them and entered the building.

Being in the limelight for five years had gained many haters, but many loved her for being a good human. Outside Ashley may look like an unapproachable and arrogant woman, but very few knew that she had a heart of gold.

Throughout these years, she did many charity works helping needy people. She would half donate the money she earned from her every modeling consignment to charity.

Very few knew she had opened an orphanage without anyone’s knowledge, where she gave shelter to many abondoned kids.

Ashley entered her house and went to the kitchen. She wasn’t a fan of cooking, but whenever her mood was down, she would try her hand at making something edible for her to eat.

Changing herself into casual clothes, Ashley entered the kitchen and started preparing noodles for her.

She knew the basics because her father had taught her some cooking. She started chopping the vegetable and making the preparation when she heard her phone buzz.

A smile formed on her lips when she saw that Jane had agreed with her demand.

Keeping the phone aside, she made noodles and walked to the living room with the bowl.

She arranged the small table in front of her couch with all the necessary things and turned on the TV.

She had never felt so relaxed having time for herself that she didn’t want anyone to disturb her peace.

Turning on her favorite cartoon channel, she started to fill her stomach.

******

Melanin International

Tristan walked out of the meeting room after rejecting several proposals which would impress him.

Karl tailed behind his angry boss like a scared cat and entered his cabin.

"For what do I pay them? Can’t they give me one best proposal" Tristan leaned back and closed his eyes.

Karl had never seen Tristan lose his cool just on a mere proposal. He knew his boss was the calmest and most composed person who liked to keep harmony with his co-workers, but today, he found it too surprising.

"I will ask them for a better proposal in the next meeting."

Tristan, who felt his anger subside, opened his eyes and looked at Karl, who had these worrisome eyes.

’Did he overreact for nothing’

Tristan, who was always a calm person, thought he would get out of his way and lash at his employees just because he didn’t get a single message or call from Ashley.

Cursing himself, Tristen looked back at Karl’s worried face. He knew he had shouted his lungs out for something too lame.

Karl, who saw Tristan’s tensed expression, asked," Boss is there something bothering you."

Karl’s concerned words made him come out of his thought, and he looked at him in contemplating way.

"Karl, do you think your first date can leave an unforgettable impact."

Chapter 15: Did she forget about me

"Cough!!! W-what did you say, b-boss" Karl asked, unable to believe his words.

His workaholic boss, who never once averted his eyes from his work, was asking him about personal stuff.

It was huge for Karl to get shocked because Tristan never showed his restlessness over a date on which he had gone with Miss Brown.

Tristan knew Karl was surprised by his question but couldn’t stop himself from asking because the entire day had passed since the morning call, but Ashley did not call him back.

Did she treat their blind date as blind and forget about him just because it wasn’t essential for her to remember at all?

Tristan waited for him to speak but looking at his shocked face, he couldn’t hold for too long and asked him to leave.

After Karl was out of his cabin, he pulled out his phone and looked to see if she had missed being called or texted by mistake. But when he saw his phone and unlocked it, there wasn’t any notification from her, which disturbed him.

"Did she forget about me" his voice sounded a little upset because it was too long since he had heard from Ashley, and now it bothered him.

****

A black Bugatti stopped in front of the Melanin Internationals building, and a tall man stepped out from it.

Removing his sunglass, the man adjusted his leather jacket and entered the building.

As he walked inside, many eyes fell on him, especially women who drooled, gawking at him as he passed by heading toward the elevator.

Entering the elevator, he headed straight to the last floor of the building. Taking a long stride, he walked towards Tristan’s cabin.

"How long are you going to ignore my calls Tristan Knight" the man barged in with anger and walked toward Tristan, standing right in front of him.

Tristan, who had his eyes on the file in front of him, arched his brow as he looked up, glaring at who was that mannerless person who dared to barge in without knocking on the door.

"Get out and knock on the door before getting in" Tristan’s cold eyes glared at the man, who dropped his shoulder and looked at Tristan in disbelief.

"How can you be so mean to your one and only friend Tristan" Noah’s voice sounded depressed and ignoring the deadly glare, he walked around and took the chair for him to sit.

Noah Madison was Tristan’s childhood friend and the most annoying person who never left Tristan to get pissed at him for a single day.

Noah owned a gaming company name Fight and played, which he established after fighting with his father and disowning their family business.

"I would’ve been generous if you had been quiet and didn’t keep pestering me for two days" Tristan ignored his displeased look and pulled back his attention from the file.

Noah, with Tristan the other night in the club, left him hanging when he found a chick to spend some time with.

Being a labeled playboy, Noah never sticks to one girl and has many ways to flirt with every new woman.

"You just left without any word-" Noah’s voice died when he saw Tristan’s cold glare.

"Okay, fine, I was the one who left you alone" accepting his mistake, Noah saw Tristan’s lips twitch.

Averting his eyes from Noah’s dull face, Tristan looked back at the file and asked, turning the page," What did you want to talk about with me that you couldn’t stop calling me."

After leaving Tristan in the club, Noah spent quality time with a girl. But the next day, when he woke up, he was bombarded with Gwen’s endless messages asking for her brother, who didn’t return home the other night.

And that made Noah and Gwen think deeply about where Tristan went when he wasn’t with Noah.

"By the way, where did you go after I left," Noah asked, as he had no clue about his whereabouts.

If Gwen hadn’t called him, he would have been in the delusion that Tristan had gone back home that night.

Tristan’s body stiffened at his words, and he cleared his throat," I returned to the company to complete the pending work."

Noah’s eyes widened in shock, looking at his highly boring friend who ditched the hot and sexy beauties in the club and returned to complete his pending work.

Noah knew that Tristan wasn’t into clubs and parties, but he did not return to work the least he expected from him.

"Who on earth goes back to work leaving such hot beauties all around you" Noah could believe his friend.

Noah dragged him to the club just to let him relax and groom around, leaving that boring life behind.

Ignoring his overdramatic face, Tristan averted his eyes from him. He knew he wouldn’t tell Noah where he was because this big-mouth man would keep teasing him throughout his life.

"Gwen sounded so excited imagining you being hooking up with some girl, but she was so wrong-" Noah’s words made him jerk and lift his head.

"What!!.. Gwen knew I was you," he asked, not knowing that his little sister was aware of him going to the club with Noah.

"Do you think she will let me go without knowing where we were" Noah, who treated Gwen like his younger sister, couldn’t ignore her blabbering even if he wanted to.

"That naughty brat must have told everyone at home about me hooking up with a girl. You shouldn’t have said her anything" Tristan rubbed his temple in worry.

Gwen liked to poke her nose in Tristan’s matter from the day she came to learn about Ashley. He was so upset when he found that Ashley already had someone she loved, and he had no chance to pursue her.

Gwen was the one who asked him to let the girl go and find someone else who was better than her, but even if he tried to do that, he couldn’t erase Ashley’s face from his mind.

It was like she had captured every corner of his mind, and he couldn’t think of anyone else except her.

Noah, who saw Tristan blaming him, felt like he was being targeted for no reason. What was he supposed to say when Gwen kept a knife on his neck to make him spill?

He never understood why these siblings were so dominating, didn’t let anyone speak in front of them, and liked to bully him.

Finding Noah zip his lips, Tristan shook his head, thinking about what all Gwen knew about him.

*****

Knight mansion

Gavin and Gwen returned after attending their classes. Being in the same college, they didn’t prefer to take the same course as they didn’t like anyone poking their nose in each other’s matters.

Entering her room, Gwen slammed her body on her bed and closed her eyes as she had the most tiring today in her college.

"I shouldn’t have spared a glance at him" Gwen heaved a sigh and turned her body, looking at her bag with a love letter.

Gwen knight was the college’s most beautiful girl. She had many suitors who tried to woo her but rejected them as no one felt good for her.

She wanted to focus on her studies rather than getting caught with love affairs. She wanted to be like her big brother and join the company so she could learn so much more from him.

Thinking about her brother, she snaps and looks at the news, mainly about Ashley’s ex and his current girlfriend, Jane.

"How could you fall for such a scum who didn’t even feel remorse about his breakup and found another girl for him" Gwen never liked this Greg guy because he was the biggest hurdle in her brother’s love life.

But not anymore... with Ashley being aware of his truth, she couldn’t help but feel happy that Greg was out of her life and now her brother had a chance with Ashley.

She was busy feeling happy her phone began to buzz. Looking at the caller, her face broke into a big smile.

"Hello.. brother Noah.. what makes you remember this little sister of yours" Gwen had always treated Noah just like Tristan, and she admired how he solely went established his own company.

But even if she admired him, she still had a side that liked to bully him. He was someone who treated her like a kid from the beginning giving in to her every demand, which made her more naughty.

"You brat. Because of you, your brother just scolded me" Noah, who had sneaked out from Tristan’s room after getting his deadly cold glare, felt like he was stuck in some icy hard place, and it was so impossible to run away from there.

Gwen, who was confused, didn’t remember what she had done to make her brother upset.

"Brother Noah, I don’t remember if I had done any mischievousness to make elder brother angry, so please will you enlighten me" she rolled her eyes and laid back on her bed lazily.

She knew Noah was a scared cat in that big hulk-like body, and she felt amused at how come he got the courage to fight with his father to open his empire.