Ch. 141..145: Charmed by the Billionaire CEO Chapter 141-145

Chapter 141: I will handle it myself

By the time Tristan reached the company, Karl and Gwen had arranged the meeting. Without prolonging it, he started the meeting.

About an hour later, they finally stepped out with satisfied looks as they walked toward Tristan’s cabin.

"Everything looks perfect for now. Tell the IT team to rerun the software for the final verdict," he said to Karl and took his seat before turning on the laptop screen.

"Gwen, it’s your responsibility to negotiate with the marketing team. I want it done as soon as possible," he said and excused them both.

Tristan had been working on a software product along with the Fords, which would soon launch in the market. He was sure the outcome would be more successful than the earlier ones.

Gwen and Karl reacted to his words and excused themselves from his cabin. As soon as they stepped out, Gwen walked ahead when Karl stopped her.

"Gwen... If you don’t mind, I can come with you" he tried to start a conversation, but luck wasn’t on his side.

"No need, I can manage," said Gwen walking towards the elevator, ignoring his help, and stepping in.

Karl was saddened by how she avoided him, making him regret his actions even more. Watching her enter the elevator, Karl turned and walked to finish the work given to him.

****

Alice apartment

After spending quality time with each other, Alice and Noah finally decided to start the day. Freshening up, they had breakfast and sat in the living watching television.

Alice felt so relaxed in his arms that she kept snuggling into him like a kid.

On the other hand, Noah was delighted with how things changed after they confessed their love. He found Alice more carefree with him, and that satisfied him.

As they both were busy watching some fun channel, the doorbell to Alice’s house rang, and they paused whatever they were watching.

"I’ll check who it is" Alice unwrapped Noah’s hand from her waist and climbed down the couch.

As soon as she opened the door, she received a loud slap that made her fall to the ground.

Thud

"You ungrateful girl. How long do you plan to humiliate me" Theon roared as he stepped inside her house.

Ashlyn, too followed her husband, looking at her daughter with disgust.

"Dad," Alice whispered as she didn’t expect them to come here.

After she moved out, they did try to talk to her but never once came to see how she was living her life. It was like they called her because they wanted to use her again for some shitty business.

"I thought after all these years you would finally change, but no... I was wrong. A filthy girl like you would never change," he continued to accuse her.

Alice stood up as she watched him with pure anger. After all these years, they came here to blame her for something she didn’t even know.

"I shouldn’t be surprised with your attitude towards me, dad. Just like you, even I thought after all these years being away from your daughter would make you realize her worth, but no... even I was wrong.

A man like you who looks at his child as a money-making machine will never value her unless she does something productive for you" Alice didn’t want to be polite with them because they don’t understand kind words.

"You... disgracefully girl-" Theon lifted his hand to slap her again when they heard a voice inside the living hall.

"Don’t you dare touch her, or else I will forget you are my girlfriend’s father" Noah looked at them from the couch and stood up as he walked towards Alice, standing right in front of her, facing Theon?

Theon was intimidated by his presence as he stood tall in front of him.

"Huh.. so you are already living with him" Theon gave a disgusting smile as he watched them both.

Alice and Noah were clueless about what he was talking about when he pulled out some pictures from an envelope and threw them at them.

"I would have believed you if you had explained to me about this picture, but now, I don’t think you have to tell me anything."

Noah took the pictures from the ground and scanned through them. It was her pictures with him and... it was taken the day when Alice had gone to meet Dylan.

"You have been a disgrace to me since the day you were born, and now, after finding this, I am happy that you walked away before I threw you out with my own hands" Theon words were stabbing Alice’s heart.

She took the pictures from Noah’s hand and looked at them." I should’ve known," she chuckled, understanding why Dylan asked her to meet him.

How could she believe his words after knowing how scheming and manipulating a person he was?

Noah turned his head to look at her and heard her say," It’s him.... again."

It wasn’t hard for Noah to understand who she pointed to; that was enough for him to lose his cool.

Alice turned her attention back to Theon and said," You are still the same, dad. Believing in things without knowing the truth entirely."

Theon creased, looking at Alice," What do you mean?" he asked.

Ashlyn, who stood behind Theon, took a step and flared at Alice," This is the way you speak with your father, Alice."

Alice scoffed at her mother’s words. All her life, she had done this. She was just a puppet who liked to voice her thoughts for no reason.

Looking at them, Alice sighed," I will not explain to you this time, and why should I when I know you already believe this," she said, showing them the pictures.

Theon fumed, watching Alice unaffected by the things she had done. He wanted to curse but stopped when he saw Noah’s murderous glare.

"If you don’t have anything to say, then you may leave," he said, showing them the door for exit.

Fisting his palm in anger, Theon looked at them and turned around, dashing out of the house in a fury.

"I always thought you would change, Alice. After whatever you did back then, I thought there was still a little bit of dignity within you, but by doing this, you proved me wrong" Ashlyn voiced her thoughts, but her words were ignored.

"I don’t have to prove myself to anyone." Ashlyn was shocked by her words, and she heard her continue,

"And I request you to follow your husband before he throws you out of his house for staying here with me for too long," she said sarcastically, knowing her father would think twice before throwing her mother out of his house.

Alice’s words made Ashlyn drop her shock, replacing it with fury, and without answering her back, she stormed out of her house.

Once she was out of sight, Alice turned and walked back towards the couch, falling in defeat.

"How can I again get fooled by him," she said, holding her head as it pained thinking about Dylan’s betrayal.

Noah watched her blame herself and sat next to her." It was a trap he had set for me. He wanted to humiliate me again in front of my parents by exposing my relationship with you" she looked up, meeting Noah’s angry eyes.

Now he understood why Dylan was so adamant about meeting Alice. He thought she was lying when she introduced him as her boyfriend, but it turned out to be true.

He knew Alice’s father was still angry with her after the past incident, and he used the same method to trap her again. But then why would he do this when there wasn’t any benefit for him?

****

Evening

It was time for Gwen to leave. She finished almost all the work and submitted the reports to Tristan.

Picking up her bag, she was about to leave when a tall frame blocked her. Recognizing the familiar cologne, Gwen did raise her head to look at the person and said," Move aside; I have to go."

Karl, who stood in front of her, watched her ignore him. She didn’t even look his way, which pierced his heart.

"What if I don’t," he said, trying to get some reaction from her, but she did look up.

Gwen was trying her best not to look at him because she knew if she dared to see him, her heart would melt. She wanted to teach him a lesson, so she had to keep her resolve strong.

"Why are you doing this, Gwen," he asked.

The entire went on with her avoiding him as if she didn’t want to associate with him at all. She even skipped having lunch with him, and now after work, she tried to go without meeting him.

He wanted to apologize to her for not answering her in the lift, but she wasn’t ready to give him a chance.

Gwen chuckled, looking at him," Why do you care, Karl? When you aren’t sure about our future, then why is my silence bothering you" she saw the hurt in his eyes.

’No, Gwen.... don’t melt. You have to be strong,’ she said and averted her eyes from looking at him.

"From today on, you don’t have to pick me up or drop me off. I will handle it myself," she said, moving him aside and walking away from there.

Karl felt his heart being ripped by her harsh words. How much did he hurt her that she wasn’t ready to be with him? Did he already lose her? he thought as he watched her walk away from him.

Chapter 142: You love someone else

Gwen stepped out of the building when she saw Luke standing next to his car. Her steps halted as she saw him look back at her with a broad smile on his face.

’What is he doing here?’ she thought and watched him approach her.

"Mr. Luke, what a pleasant surprise," Gwen asked, hesitating. She wasn’t expecting him here.

"Can you not call me that? It makes me feel old," Luke said, scratching the back of his neck and making her smile.

By this time, Gwen had understood that Luke was aware of her being a Knight. The way he asked her to drop the formality, she could tell it.

"Okay, I won’t," she said politely.

"By the way, you didn’t tell me why you are here at this hour. As far as I know, there wasn’t any meeting today with my brother then.. how come-" she couldn’t finish her words and heard him say.

"I came to see you," Luke said loudly, surprising her.

"Tristan told me that you agreed to give us a chance" his words shocked Gwen, and she pursed her lips, cursing Tristan mentally.

"So... do you mind if I take you home. In that way, we could get to know each other a little bit," Luke said as he watched Gwen, who had been quiet till now.

Gwen didn’t want to break Luke’s heart. When she told Tristan that she agreed to date Luke, it only made Karl realize what he was missing.

She only wanted to teach Karl a lesson and didn’t intend to date Luke seriously. But her brother was two steps ahead.

Gwen held her bag tightly in her hand. She didn’t want to give Luke false hope because she already had Karl in her heart. And it would be hard for her to let him go.

"Luke... I.." she was about to reject him when her eyes met Karl, who had just walked out of the building, and stopped as he watched them both in shock.

She saw him fist his palm in anger as he gawked at Luke with cold eyes. Even with his specs on, Gwen could tell that Karl was furious.

Gwen smirked internally as she watched him approach them, and before he could reach, she looked back to Luke and said," I will come with you" she smiled, making Karl halt his step.

Gwen smiled forcefully and turned around, stepping into Luke’s car and driving away.

Karl, who stood in the same spot, felt someone knock all the air out of his lungs and suddenly began to feel suffocated.

Even though he was hurt by Gwen’s words earlier, he still brushed it off, telling himself that he deserved it. With that, he followed her, but when he reached down, the sight he saw made him boil in anger.

Karl felt his eyes burn as tears formed in them, and without standing there for a second, he walked towards his car angrily and drove away from there.

****

Knight mansion

Ashley was reading some magazines when the door to her room opened, and Tristan walked in.

He expected her to raise her head and look his way, but all he got was a dull welcome.

Heaving a sigh, he walked towards the bed and pulled away the magazine from her hand, making her look at him in anger," Tristan, why do you have to do this? Can’t you be sensible for once" she glared at him, but he didn’t stop it there.

Tossing away the magazine, Tristan fell on the bed next to her, resting his head on her lap, which took her by surprise.

"Tristan.. you," she tried to speak, but he stopped her by pacing his index finger on her lip.

"Ash, why can’t you pay attention to your husband? Is this magazine more important than me" he looked at her with his puppy eyes, and she blinked, watching him act like a kid.

Tristan had been busy the entire day, and when he returned, he expected Ashley to greet him with a warm smile, but he got the opposite.

She was smiling while reading the magazine, which made him jealous of the thing in her hand.

Ashley felt her mood change listening to his words and dropped her anger. She had already sensed his presence when Tristan stepped inside the room but purposely ignored him.

But guess her husband got hurt too easily by her act and started complaining like a kid.

Ashley watched him scrunch a little, pinching the tip of his nose, and said," I was teasing you. I wanted to see how long you held my negligence."

Tristan’s eyes widen in surprise, and his look bursts Ashley into a peal of contagious laughter. His wife fooled him.

"Okay fine, you win" he accepted his defeat quickly. His patience wore out when it came to her, and she knew it, yet she purposely tested him.

Tristan scowled but watching her smile brought a smile on his lips, too, and he started laughing with her.

Once they both calmed down, Ashley patted his chest lightly, asking him to go and freshen up.

Tristan whined, holding her hands in his chest tightly, and shook his head in no." Just ten minutes. You don’t know how badly I missed this," he said, bringing her hand to his lips as he kissed it.

Ashley didn’t say a word and let him lay for some time when she remembered something and shook Tristan vigorously, waking him up from his nap.

"Tristan, why didn’t you tell me about mom and dad already being aware of Gwen’s relationship with Karl? Even Gavin knows about it" her question made him look at her calmly, which somewhat irked her.

"I don’t know about Gavin, but yes, I went to talk about it with mom and dad, but fortunately my genius parents had already guessed it even before I could utter a word"

Tristan wanted to discuss Karl and Gwen’s relationship with Grace and Trevor and tried to tell them how Karl was hesitating to accept Gwen entirely because he couldn’t upset them.

He still carried the baggage of their favor which bought a rift between him and Gwen.

Ashley was quiet for a while and looked at him nervously," Tristan do you think your plan would work? Didn’t you see how indifferent both Gwen and Karl were with each other? I doubt whether Karl would get jealous watching Gwen with someone else."

Tristan smirked, got up, and sat on the bed facing her," My wife, didn’t you notice the anger in Karl’s eyes when Gwen said she agreed to date Luke? I bet you haven’t."

Ashley looked at Tristan in confusion. Did she fail to notice it? Maybe she did.

"Karl and I have grown up together, and we both knew to conceal our emotions, never allowing anyone to see what’s going in our minds. But that didn’t mean I could fail to see it" Tristan was confident about what he saw that time.

"He might have hidden it from everyone, but from me, he couldn’t," he said.

"Then does it mean there are chances of him reaching his limits and coming out declaring his love for Gwen to everyone," Ashley asked as she could finally see a ray of hope.

"Yes, and I don’t think we don’t have to wait for too long," Tristan declared, passing her a look and making her frown in confusion.

****

Luke stopped the car once they reached the Knight mansion. On the way, he tried to talk with Gwen, but she seemed lost in her thoughts that she rarely talked back.

Gwen had been trying to find some excuse to reject Luke because she didn’t want to go on like this. Even though she had walked away from Karl a while ago, she could forget the hurtful look in his eyes.

She wanted to act strong but was slowly failing to keep up. Thinking about it for the whole ride, she finally decided.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to look at Luke, who was also staring at her. He had this calmness all over his face, making her feel nervous.

"Luke, I know you genuinely like me, but... I-" she wanted to speak, but he cut in instead of completing the sentence for her.

"You love someone else, and that someone is non-other than Karl" his word took her by surprise, and she gasped, covering her mouth with her palms.

Trying to keep calm, Luke burst into a laugh, confusing Gwen like hell.

"How did you know?" she asked, removing her hands from her mouth.

"I knew it from the beginning, Gwen. When you first signed the deal with Karl, Tristan had already told me about your feelings for Karl, and he asked me to help him by flirting with you in front of your love interest."

Gwen felt like a fool right now. Tristan knew every, but still, he purposely asked her to date Luke.

’Such a cunning fox,’ she said in her mind but then, when she listened further, his anger towards her brother slowly dissipated.

"Brother told you to do that?" she couldn’t believe her workaholic brother had changed entirely after marrying the love of his life.

"Yes, and that was why I kept getting close to you, just to make Karl jealous," he said, surprising her even more.

Chapter 143: Don’t they look good

Luke already knew who Gwen was but still kept to himself on Tristan’s word. He purposely tried to get close to Gwen to get some reaction from Karl, and to an extent, he succeeded.

After some days, he found that Gwen and Karl had started dating, so he stopped visiting the company using different excuses.

But today, when Tristan personally came to visit him, he found a problem between the two again, and he just wanted him to play along until Karl finally gave in.

Gwen sat still in her seat as she tried to grasp every word Luke said. She wanted to run inside the house and hug her brother for supporting her. But wait... why did he have to stress me so much.

’No, I won’t hug him,’ she said, erasing the latter.

Gwen felt relief when the hurdles that seemed to stress her weren’t even a hurdle. It was all her brother’s work to help her.

Looking at Luke, she couldn’t help but feel thankful for him. She opened her mouth to say something when he stopped her," Now, don’t thank me. I did what I felt was right."

Luke was such a wonderful guy with a pure heart, and she would always be grateful to meet him.

After talking with Luke, Gwen was finally feeling a lot better. He even proposed continuing this act until Karl confessed, and she agreed to him without thinking twice.

Gwen asked him not to utter anything they talked to Tristan as she wanted to spoil the act and let it feel genuine.

Gwen knew she could trust him with this, and with a happy smile, she stepped out of his car and walked inside the mansion gates.

****

Karl stepped into his house drunk. After watching Gwen drive away with Luke, he felt sad and broken.

He wanted to vent his frustration, so instead of returning home, he went to the bar and drowned himself in alcohol. He got high with just one glass of whiskey as a lightweight drinker. That was his only limit.

Tossing his suit on the couch, he stumbled, walked towards his bed, and slummed down.

His eyes had turned red as he cried all the way home. He was missing Gwen, but being with that Luke guy made him go crazy.

He kept recalling their memories together and felt even more miserable. How did everything change within a blink of an eye that he couldn’t even do anything about changing it back again?

Pulling out his phone from his pocket, he made a call and brought it close to his ear. His eyes had never stopped tearing up when he drove away from the company.

The ring went for a while when the call was picked." Gwen..." Karl sniffed as he called her name on the call.

"Are you so upset with me... that you don’t want to talk with me" he wiped off his tears and tried to sit on the bed but fell.

"I... know I was a jerk, okay, but... please don’t push me..." staying still, he kept talking without hearing anything back from her.

"I can’t handle your indifference, please... Gwen, I am sorry I will do anything, but please don’t agree to a date that Luke. I can’t see you with him. It rips my heart."

Karl was so overflowing with his emotions that he didn’t hold back and kept talking his heart out until he passed out on the bed with the call still on.

****

Gwen was sitting in her room thinking about the strategy to make Karl jealous. She didn’t want to use any hard way to hurt Karl because after what she witnessed today, she was sure that Karl was slowly losing his mind.

Brainstorming her mind with different ideas, she finally picked the one that seemed more worthwhile.

A mischievous grin appeared on her face, and she lay on the bed imagining Karl’s face when he learned about her going out on a date with Luke.

"Sorry, Karl, but if I have to make you speak, then I have to do this," she said, feeling bad for Karl, but all this was important for her to have a future with him.

With this hope in mind, she closed her eyes and drifted asleep.

*****

The following day Tristan woke up and started getting ready for work. He was so engrossed doing his job that he didn’t realise when Ashley woke up.

Fixing his tie, Tristan took a final look at himself and turned when he saw his wife gawking at him. His lips curled into a flirtatious smile, and he walked to the bed, leaning down and pecking her lips.

"Stop doing that, or else I will have to stay here by your side" his seductive words made her look at him.

Ashley could feel his burning gaze on her and knew if she kept testing him, he would turn his words into reality.

"Ahem... no need," she said, pushing him away.

"I don’t want to waste my time sleeping the entire day", she continued.

"Who said we are going to sleep? There are many things we do in bed, wifey" Tristan arched his brow, making her gasp like fish.

This man was so shameless sometimes that he spoke without filters.

Amazed by her look, Tristan winked playfully and turned to leave. Once he was out of sight, Ashley released her breath which she had kept holding all this while.

Cupping her cheeks, she felt them heat up, and she shivered, thinking about what would happen when this bandage on her hands was removed.

****

Outside

Karl stepped out of his car, pinching his temple as he still couldn’t cope with the hangover he was facing. After getting drunk, he was so wasted that he couldn’t even recall how he reached back home.

"Argh!! How should I stop this pain" he cursed under his nose when Tristan’s sudden voice startled him.

"Is everything alright, Karl? You don’t look good," Tristan said, stopping before him.

Tristan had called Karl in the morning, asking him to pick him up from the mansion. It wasn’t known for Karl as he was used to picking a dropping Tristan before he asked him to do it for Gwen.

"Nothing, boss, I will be fine" Karl pursed his lips and opened the door for Tristan. Once he got in, he walked to the other side and hoped him starting the car and driving away from the mansion.

The air suddenly became gloomy inside the car as Tristan watched Karl extremely quiet. He didn’t even bother to recite the schedule as he did before, which surprised him.

" Karl, I want you to take over Gwen’s work as she will be leaving the office a little early", listening to Gwen’s name Karl’s gloominess weathered. He looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"Luke is taking her out for a date. So she asked me to pass this message to you," Tristan said casually and began scrolling the emails on his phone.

"Date!!!" Karl’s eyes widen in shock, and he suddenly puts on the brakes, jerking them both.

Startled by his action, Tristan looks at him in shock but soon composed when he sees that it is a signal and they aren’t in the middle of the road.

"Yes," he said, narrowing his eyes, and Karl pursed his lips.

Tristan wanted to smile, looking at the horrifying look on Karl’s face, but he stopped himself from bursting out.

Karl again felt like crying. He didn’t think Gwen would move on so quickly from him that she even agreed to go on a date with Luke.

Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, Karl gritted his teeth, imagining Gwen smiling happily at Luke as they spent their date night.

His trance broke when he heard a loud honk, and he looked ahead. The signal had turned green. Starting the car, he drove them to the company.

****

As soon as their car stopped in front of the tall building, Karl stepped out and walked to Tristan’s door when his eyes caught the sight of Gwen stepping out from Luke’s car.

His grip tightened on the car’s knob and jerked open the door. His eyes were throwing daggers in Luke’s direction.

He so wanted to walk and punch that face of his, but when he saw Gwen smiling back at him, his heart sank.

"Don’t they look good?" Tristan said after stepping out of the car.

He was looking at Karl, who was giving death glare to Luke. Such a stubborn man, Tristan thought.

Karl’s gaze broke from then, and he turned. Tristan patted his shoulder before walking ahead.

Karl was confused by his action, but when he recalled the words he said, his gaze shifted back to them again.

’Don’t they look good? He mumbled the same question he heard from Tristan when his memories with Gwen flashed into his mind, and he gritted his teeth in anger.

"No... Gwen only looks good with me, "he said to himself as his eyes were still fixed on two people afar.

Chapter 144: Walked out like a zombie

Gwen stepped inside the building with a smile on her face. She was happy to see Karl burning in jealousy when he saw her and Luke chat.

She didn’t understand his reaction back then, but now when she thought about it, Karl’s jealousy made him accept his feeling towards her. And now she was going to use the same thing to make him understand how important she was to him and how he would lose her if he didn’t take action quickly.

She stepped into the elevator and watched the door close when someone blocked it and saw Karl stepping in.

Gwen was surprised to see him waiting for her to come because after watching her smile happily with Luke, he walked away, passing an angry look.

Composing herself, she looked away from him. His intense gaze made her feel nervous. She had seen them before but still kept her face straight, not allowing him to see through her and her nervousness.

Karl stood on the other side and pressed the button on the last floor where their office was. He was quiet, which kind of surprised Gwen.

She expected him to react, but she only saw his calm face.

"I heard you are going on a date with Luke" his words broke her composure, and she looked at him with wide eyes. He kept his gaze ahead; least bothered to even look at her, which irked her.

"All the best", he further added.

Gwen was surprised by his chillness that she felt like someone had thrown cold water on her face. Did he wish her good luck? she asked herself as her lips twitched, watching his lack of attention, and before she could say a word, the door slid open, and Karl stepped out, leaving Gwen behind.

*****

Cabin

Tristan went through the final check of the product and gave Karl approval for further process. The product launch was just a week ahead, and they had to finish everything before the due date.

Getting his boss’s order, Karl left from there. He resumed back his work when his phone rang. He didn’t waste a second looking at the call and quickly picked up the call.

"Did you forget that you have a friend, Noah" Tristan frowned as he voiced his displeasure to his friend, who seemed to have forgotten about them.

Noah had vanished after the day he last came to see Ashley in the hospital. Though their last talk wasn’t that great, he knew Noah wouldn’t get upset with him.

"Drop your fake anger, Tristan. I know you are pulling my leg" Noah knew he was teasing him, and there was no way Tristan wouldn’t be happy that he didn’t bug him all these days.

Tristan’s lips twitched, listening to his words. If there were a way he could put his hand inside the phone, Tristan would have smacked Noah. He read through his remarks on the other side of the call.

"Now, don’t flare your nose in anger. I called you because I wanted to ask you something" Noah wasn’t as playful as he always is with Tristan, which made Tristan drop his irritation.

"What do you want to ask?" he said, and as he heard Noah’s words, Tristan’s frown deepened even more.

"I will check it once and then confirm it with you," he said, and without talking further, Noah ended the call.

"Dylan Grey. You seem to be messing with the wrong person," he said with a smirk knowing where Dylan put his hands into.

*****

Noah had been going through Dylan Grey’s background check; what he found about him was shocking.

Grey’s had suffered a loss for the past three years and had been finding ways to get back on track. This was why Dylan, the labelled playboy, was getting married to Avera Bills.

They wanted to get Avera’s shares under his name, and once they got it, he would end up ditching her.

But even after discovering so much about him, Noah couldn’t find out why he was behind Alice and trying to defame her.

"What is he scheming this time," Noah said, rubbing his chin and pondering more profound his thoughts when his phone rang.

A contagious smile formed on his lips when he saw it was Alice, and he quickly picked up the call.

"I wasn’t expecting a phone call so early" Noah smiled, looking at the watch in his hand.

Alice left for the studio just an hour ago, and it looked like it wasn’t even long before he received a call from her.

"You should be happy I didn’t ignore you the entire day" Alice leaned back on her chair and answered playfully.

She wouldn’t lie if he happened to ask her if she had already missed him because she did miss him, and that was why she couldn’t stop calling him the second she entered her office.

"Then should I say that you are already missing me," he asked, knowing very well that she was but still wanted to hear from her.

It had become impossible for them to part after they started to know each other and not forget the steamy session they shared. They felt like magnets who liked to keep sticking to each other, forgetting about the world.

Alice blushed as she lowered her gaze and swirled her chair slightly. The answer was yes, but she didn’t voice it. She was missing him like crazy.

These last two days had been so relaxing for her that she felt as if she was alive again. Though her parents still spoiled her mood, she had a good time with Noah, too, enough to overshadow her lousy attitude.

"So I will assume your silence as a yes", she heard him say.

There was a long pause between them when Noah questioned her," Alice, how long did your father have known Vincent Grey."

Alice was surprised by his sudden question. She thought after that day; he wouldn’t talk about her father as she had already told him not to speak about him in front of her.

But his inquiring about it made Alice ponder if Noah was trying to find something about them.

"I am not sure, but I heard from dad that he knew Vincent Grey from his University days," she said plainly.

Alice had never met Vincent or Dylan. But she often heard Theon mention him to her mother and how his contribution would lift his company to a new level.

Noah creased as he fell into deep thought. He thought something wasn’t right, but he didn’t voice it to Alice.

"Why would you ask about it?" Alice’s voice broke his trace, and he answered," Umm... nothing, I just wanted to know that’s it", he lied but partially. Yes, he wanted to know it, but it wasn’t just to know about it.

He wanted to get as much information about Dylan, so he could use them against him and serve it as a punishment for framing his woman.

Alice nodded, not entirely convinced by Noah’s words but kept to herself, hoping he would talk to her when the time came.

****

Time passed by, and soon, the sunset. Gwen left the company a little early. She was hoping to stumble on Karl, but she didn’t see him after their talk in the lift, which surprised her.

"Did he didn’t care" she talked to herself, looking at the mirror as she got ready.

Though she came up with this date to make Karl jealous, she now doubted whether Karl would do anything. His lack of action towards her since the morning slowly dropped her confidence.

Heaving a sigh, she glanced at herself one last time before walking out of her room. She couldn’t back on her words after she shamelessly told everyone she was going on a date with Luke.

She thought she would receive a happy look from everyone, but the look she got was shocked. She could tell about her brother, but the others should have smiled.

"Just like me, everyone is losing their brain cells", she muttered, walking downstairs and out from the main door.

As soon as the door shut, Ashley and Grace, hiding behind the pillar, stepped out.

"She just walked out like a zombie," Gavin said, peeking through Ashley’s and Grace’s shoulders as he hid with them.

"Why is her reaction different from the one she showed us in the morning," Grace asked as she recalled the morning incident.

Everyone at the breakfast table had almost spat out the food from their mouth when all of a sudden, she told them about her date with Luke.

Even Tristan was shocked by her sudden declaration that he started coughing because he choked due to the bread in his mouth.

Except for her, everyone at the table seemed to be in pure shock.

"I sometimes don’t understand what goes on in this girl’s mind" Grace walked from there, giving up on understanding her daughter’s tricky mind.

Ashley and Gavin too followed her without brainstorming too much about it.

Chapter 145: I will kill you

After watching Gwen depressingly walk out of the house, Ashley returned to her room. Now that she was recovered from the injury, she couldn’t wait to resume her work.

More than a week had passed since Jane shot her, and the news of her and Tristan being in a relationship was officially announced. And just like her other news, even this one dimmed after a few days as Tristan had already taken care of it for her.

Now it was time for her to resume her work as she already had many commitments to fulfill.

"I should talk about it to Tristan," she muttered, standing on the balcony when a pair of arms wrapped her from behind.

Without turning back, she could tell who it was, and without any other thought, she laid back her head on his chest.

"Why are you standing here? You will fall sick," Tristan inquired when he saw Ashley standing on the balcony. It was cool outside, and he feared thinking about her falling sick.

"I won’t. And look how peaceful it is. Standing here in your arms and feeling the air pass through us. It feels so serene," she said, closing her eyes, and they stood there for some time.

Once Ashley began to shiver, Tristan didn’t listen to her and took her back into the room.

" You have just recovered, Ash. You can’t fall sick again," making her sit on the couch. Tristan rubbed her palms with his.

He couldn’t let go through another pain as he liked her being all active around him rather than sleeping on the bed.

Ashley smiled, watching Tristan worry for her, and she couldn’t stop adoring him.

"You are spoiling me, Mr. Knight," she said, bringing her palm to his face as she cupped it before pinching them.

Why was this man so cute that she always pinched his cheeks? She would have seen him scrunch his nose in annoyance if it were before, but now he would act even more cute on her actions.

"You should be happy. Didn’t you hear about women love being spoiled by their husbands" he asked, bringing her palm close to his lips, kissing it gently?

"Yes, I have, but that doesn’t apply to everyone, and everyone includes me" her words made him frown.

"What does that mean, including you? I love my wife and will spoil her to an extent where she wouldn’t think of leaving me alone for even a second" his cheeky remark made Ashley cringe.

"With you being so clingy. Do you think I will ever leave you" Ashley smiled, making him pout.

Agreeing her words, he wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his head on her shoulder before he said," Call me clingy or anything. This won’t change the fact I will stop spoiling and or hugging you."

Ashley had reached up to his back, and she started caressing it slowly. When it came to shamelessness, Tristan had mastered it, and she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.

Ashley kept playing with his hair and suddenly brought up the topic she wished to discuss after his return.

"Tristan, I will have to resume my work" her words made him pull back from her hold, and he frowned.

"But you still need rest," he said, forgetting that even her wound had healed.

This whole week of her being at home made him finish his work as quickly as possible so that he would rush back home and find her already waiting for him. He was slowly starting to get used to it, which made him forget that she had a life apart from his wife.

Ashley could tell that he still wanted her to rest but wasn’t she recovered already? It was just this bandage on her hand that was to be removed.

Passing him a dull look, Ashley saw Tristan. He knew his reason was lame that even Ashley couldn’t accept it.

" Fine.... fine, you can resume your work only if the doctor gives the nod and his words assure me enough to let you step out," he declared, not listening, and saw Ashley smile at him.

"Ow, my sweet husband, you are the best," Ashley complimented him and saw him move closer to her.

"Then reward me," he said, brushing their lips together, and without hesitating, Ashley cupped his face giving in to his demand.

****

Gwen reached the restaurant Luke suggested to her for their fake date. Though she was slowly turning skeptical about it being a success, Gwen still decided to give it a try.

With a smile, she stepped into the great place Luke was already waiting for her.

Waving a hand to her, Luke stood up and watched her come to him. Like the gentleman, Luke walked to the other side and wrapped his arm around Gwen’s shoulder, which surprised her.

"Don’t freak out. Karl is right behind us," he whispered, taking her in another wave of surprise.

"Karl!.." she asked and almost turned to look back but stopped," Don’t turn. He is already looking our way," Luke warned with a smile that he forcefully put on his face.

Getting his warning, Gwen felt a little anxious. At the restaurant, she kept thinking about Karl’s words. He had wished her luck, then how come he was here?

Was he faking that he didn’t care all this while? She couldn’t help but think. A smile automatically curved her lips as she smiled, thinking how stupid she was to believe Karl would easily give up on her.

Her thoughts broke when she heard Luke whisper to her further.

"He had been stalking me for a while now. Just put on an act without getting suspicious, okay," bobbing her head, she quickly stretched her smile even more and began to act.

Karl, hiding his face behind the menu, booked an entire table for himself in the same restaurant where Gwen was supposed to go along with Luke.

After he wished Gwen good luck, he stormed into his cabin and started investigating their plans. It didn’t take him time to find the place Luke booked for them.

As he watched them talk, he felt his blood boil.

" You jerk... don’t you know the basic rule of not touching a girl on your first date" Karl cursed, covering his face until his nose as his eyes looked at Luke’s hand that rested on her back.

Though Karl had no clue about the dating rules as he never once went on a date, he kept cursing Luke, throwing his frustration toward him, who was trying every means to woo his girl.

Balling his hand into a fist, he slammed his hand on the table when he saw Luke reaching his hand toward Gwen’s face as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

His action caught much attention, but he ignored them and fixed his eyes on the people ahead.

With every passing second, he found it hard to sit on his chair. They ignored everyone and continued their so-called date, enraging Karl even more.

At Gwen’s table, she enjoyed how Luke told her everything was happening behind her back.

Since her back was facing Karl, she couldn’t see his reaction, but the way Luke was reciting everything made her burst into a laugh.

She just wanted to see how long he managed to keep calm because the way Luke told her, she bet Karl was slowly losing his patience.

They then ordered the food and ate it. Once they were done, Luke stood up, reaching his hand for Gwen to take.

"What is he up to now" Karl muttered, looking at them.

"Don’t tell me they are already leaving" he smiled, finally happy that the date was over in no time, but when he saw Gwen take his hand and they walked towards the elevator that took them to the rooftop.

"Has he planned for more" he muttered and quickly followed them, feeling something strange in his heart.

Gwen being alone with him made his heart race, and instead of using the elevator, he strode upstairs.

Karl was panting heavily as he finally reached the top. He almost ran four floors as he wanted to get quickly to them, and when he did, the first thing he saw was Gwen back facing him.

He smiled, watching her, but his happiness drained when he looked up, and Luke’s tall frame came into view.

He had cupped Gwen’s face as if he was ready to seal Gwen’s lips.

Balling his hand into a fist, Karl took a long stride, and before Luke could make a move, he pulled Gwen away and punched him hard in the face.

"Dare you to touch my woman Luke. I will kill you," and this was the last string of Karl’s patience as he couldn’t hold back and hit the man, making him fall to the ground.

Gwen gasped as she watched Karl dash to punch him again but stopped when she hugged him from behind.

"Don’t hit him, Karl," she begged, trying her best to calm his anger.