Ch. 171..175: Charmed by the Billionaire CEO Chapter 171-175

Chapter 171: Face my wrath

Tristan frowned at his words. He thought maybe through Natalie they would find the real purpose of Gabriel coming to country X, but it turned out that the girl and no idea about what was going on behind the scenes.

There was a long pause between the two as neither one of them spoke when Noah, decided to break the silence." Didn’t you say Lucan Scotts wanted to join hands with you and you are still considering the proposal, then how about you not prolong it for too long"

Tristan had once asked Karl to set a meeting with Lucas Scott when he first saw Gabriel’s name as the partner. He wanted to know if he was the same man he was thinking about but then Lucas canceled the meeting as Gabriel couldn’t make it and his doubts were confirmed.

Because after that, he started to get anonymous messages from Gabriel using different IDs. Though the threats were just to provoke him still, he still couldn’t understand why Gabriel would do such cheap tricks.

"I don’t think he would show up this easily Noah. If he wanted, then he wouldn’t have used Scotts as the bridge to reach me. There is something else going into his cunning brain and I’ve to find it before he comes after us"

Something about Gabriel made Tristan fall into deep thought. He came to country X suspiciously and even managed to sneak into the launch party disguising himself as one of them, but what made him ponder more about why would he approach Ashley?

’Was he trying to get back to him for what happened years ago? But didn’t he already call war against them which eventually lead to his isolation’ his expression turned cold when that thought crossed his mind.

"Argh!! this man has already messed up our minds by stepping his feet into our territory. Now, how long does he wants to play this hide-and-seek game" Noah’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Him being the top-notch tracker wasn’t able to locate Gabriel’s whereabouts which was itself a shame on his skills. Noah had never failed in accomplishing his mission but Gabriel’s hidden locality made his brain rampage crazily.

"I think for now we should wait for him to make a move. Let’s not put our guard down what if our one mistake led to his win" Tristan sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose.

He didn’t want to alert him by hinting about the search for him. They had to wait for his move, even if it was the smallest one and that was enough for them to get to him.

"I agree. He had hidden his location very smartly. I doubt which technologies he is using to keep himself hiding up till now " Noah didn’t like Gabriel because of the brawl that happened years ago and he only wished that he wouldn’t do something that will make them forget the bond they once shared.

After discussing the matter, they ended the call and Tristan turn to leave when he saw Trevor standing at the door.

"Dad! Why are you still awake?" he asked watching Trevor walk inside. It was late and with Trevor still awake meant there was something important he wanted to discuss.

Trevor took a seat and motioned him to sit down. Following his father’s gaze, Tristan sat on the chair and waited for his father to speak.

"Your mother is getting suspicious about Dante and I doubt she would soon come to find out about his illness," Trevor said seriously.

It had been hard for him to stop Grace from meeting her father when she suddenly asked him to take her to Dante. If not for his promise, Trevor would’ve never kept his wife in dark.

She was his daughter and had the right to know everything about him, but that old stubborn man didn’t want to see his daughter go through pain.

Tristan shook his head because even Dante had done the same to him. He emotionally blackmailed him into keeping his illness hidden from Grace and this was the only reason why they never told Grace and the twins about it.

"I told him to tell her everything but this old man isn’t ready to listen" Tristan pinched the space between his brows.

First, he wanted to reconcile with his daughter and he did everything for this day to happen, now when finally had his daughter’s trust Dante was again ruining it by hiding his illness. Did he think she would forgive him if he happens to leave her just like that?

The was a long pause between them when Tristan voiced his thoughts," Sigh... I will talk to him about this again and if he keeps being stubborn then I have no other option but to tell mom everything"

Tristan no longer wanted to keep his mother in dark. She had the right to know everything and if they kept prolonging it she would get more hurt than they could imagine.

Trevor gave a nod and soon they both walked out of the study heading to their respective rooms.

Stepping in Tristan looked around and frowned when he didn’t find Ashley around." Is she still inside bathing" he muttered and walked toward the bathroom and knocked, "Ash" he called but got no response.

He turn on the knob and stepped in scanning the place when his eyes fell on Ashley. She lay inside the tub with her eyes closed.

Tristan smiled and walked toward the tub before he kneel next to her. She was sound asleep and that amazed him a lot.

Maybe she was too tired, he thought and carefully inserted his hand inside before picking her up and taking her out of the bathroom. He dapped her body and helped her dress up before, he tucked her into bed.

The entire time she didn’t open her eyes which only made him sure that he had worn her out.

Once he was sure she was sleeping peacefully, Tristan stepped inside the bathroom to take a shower. After ten minutes he stepped out, getting changed, and hopped in joining her to sleep.

Even after laying next to her, Tristan couldn’t find sleep coming his way. His mind kept drifting to the man whom Sky saw escaping them. Even after following him, his men failed to catch him.

Disturbed by the thought Tristan sat on the bed leaning his back on the backrest and turn to pick up his phone from the side table. Stretching his arm ahead, he got his phone but in that process, Ashley’s bag which was resting on it fell with a thud.

"Damn..." he cursed and climbed down from the bed, kneeling down picking the stuff that fell out from it and putting them back again. He was placing it carefully making sure his movement doesn’t wake Ashley up when his eyes fell on the letter.

Curious, he picked it up and opened it when his eyes turned dark as he read the words written inside it. Picking the bag in his hand he sat back on the bed. His mind drifted to the time when Ashley headed to the restroom and she returned after quite a long time.

’Does it mean the man who escaped, stumbled with Ashley on his way to exit, or did he purposely wait for Ashley to part with him so he would give this letter to her’

His palm turned into a fist as he crumbled the letter in his hand. His veins popped out as his eyes burned in rage. His doubts were slowly confirming.

Gabriel’s men have been trailing them or else there was no way, that man would know about them visiting the theme park.

Heaving out a shaky breath Tristan kept the paper inside Ashley’s bag and laid down facing her.

The darkness his eye weathered looking at her serene face. His enemy managed to break free from his isolation and now he was trying to harm the most precious person to him just so, he could avenge the incident that happened years back.

Cupping her face Tristan watched her tenderly before opening his mouth to speak, "I won’t let him get near you-" his words were gentle but had a gleam of warning.

Moving closer to her face Tristan kissed her lips taking the oath to protect what was his. The things that happened back then, had nothing to do with Ashley.

Gabriel had issues with him, then why bring his wife in between? There is no way, he would let him get what he wanted. And if he happens to harm his wife then he would have no other choice but to destroy his remaining life.

Pulling her closer, Tristan wrapped his arm securely around her before he planted a kiss on her head.

"Or else, he would have to face my wrath" the gentleness in his words turned cold and his eyes turned sharp as he held her closer to his heart.

Chapter 172: Did anyone see it?

Gwen woke up feeling sore. She was so tired that she fell asleep with just one round and now when she tried to move she couldn’t because a strong pair of arms blocked her.

Opening her eyes she stabilized her vision and turned her head to see Karl’s face close to her. The moment her eyes fell on his sleeping appearance, memories of last night came rushing into her mind.

Her cheeks taint pink when she recalled every moment they spent together from the time he let down his guards till made love to her, giving her the first.

Everything seem so magical to her that she wanted to keep that moment safe in her heart and cherish it all her life.

"If you keep staring at me like that, I won’t be able to hold myself" Karl’s sleepy voice snapped her out of her trance and her eyes widen in surprise watching him slowly open his eyes.

Karl woke the second she moved into his embrace. He didn’t open his eyes and just kept laying as if he was still asleep. It was getting go hard for him to be still when he felt her breath fanning his face.

He could tell she was staring at him and with each passing second, he felt his resolve break. He so wanted to pounce on her and make love to her but hold himself back knowing she must already be in pain since it was her first time indulging in sexual activity.

"You are awake?" she said feeling shy as he bored his eyes into her. Those sleepy yet intense gazes made her shiver. She remembered how he never let go of his eyes on her when he made love to her. She felt intimidated by them.

"Hmm..." he said snuggling closer, burying his face into her neck as he placed a kiss on her skin.

Gwen hissed when his lips touched her neck and she closed her eyes feeling him nibble that part of her skin.

"Karl... it’s early morning" she tried to keep her thoughts straight, stopping themselves from moving ahead.

Karl’s hand moved up from her waist to her breast and he cupped it into his pam lightly squeezing it.

"So?" he asked moving next to her ear.

She had her eyes closed as she bit her lower lips suppressing her moan but failed badly when he swirled his tongue on her earlobe.

"Mmm..." Gwen could feel her body heat up from his gentle touch and the next moment she heard her phone ring.

Both of them snapped out of their moment, looking at each other with a flushed faces. Pursing his lips in embarrassment Karl moved away allowing her to pick up the call.

Gwen turned around and took her phone from the side table looking at the caller and suddenly she cursed," Shit!!"

Last night she didn’t inform her mother that she would be staying at Karl’s place and after whatever happened between them, she doubted if Grace would believe her lies.

Clearing her throat, Gwen picked up the call," Mom" her voice shook.

Gwen kept her tone neutral as she spoke to her mother but her eyes were fixed on the man next to her.

Karl had no idea what Grace was talking and before he could guess it, Gwen finished talking.

"We need to go home. I forget Gavin was going to leave" quickly getting up, Gwen dashed into the bathroom naked leaving Karl stupefied on the bed.

He tried to understand the meaning behind her words when he remembered Gavin was leaving for his military training.

"Shit!!!" cursing Karl too jumped down from the bed and walked out of the room to use the bathroom of the vacant room.

Soon they reached the Knight Mansion where everyone was ready to depart him. They didn’t realize an entire month passed and now the younger child of the house was leaving them stepping into a new phase of his life.

Tristan had everything under his control as the head of the military department, shared a good relationship with the Knights. He didn’t have to worry as Gavin was going into good hands. And most of all he trusted his brother’s capability of achieving what he dreamed of.

Grace wanted to send Gavin with a smiling face but she couldn’t stop her tears because from now on she would be meeting her son once a year. She had already strengthened her heart but being a mother she couldn’t hold back her emotions.

"I have everything arranged. Make sure you live up to their mark" Tristan patted Gavin’s shoulder before he gave him a brotherly hug.

Being the elder brother to his two siblings made him a responsible person. Both Gwen and Gavin shared an age gap of five years with Tristan which eventually lead him to fall in love with them and become the responsible bother.

They both admired Tristan for the person he was and they respected him very much which was why Gavin wanted to follow in his footstep the only thing was he didn’t step into the underworld but rather entered into the military.

"So does it mean I can now sneak into your room and also grab my hands on the latest PlayStation" Gwen tried to soothe the atmosphere.

"No way. You are not allowed to step into my room" Gavin warned with a meaningful glare.

"I as if will listen to you" Gwen rolled her eyes making Gavin whine.

"Mom..." walked back to his mother like a kid ready to complain about his sister who liked to bully him.

Grace smiled watching the sibling fight. She didn’t say anything and let him whine in front of her.

Soon everyone bid goodbye to Gavin and headed to do their respective work. Karl too went with Tristan as they had a meeting to attend so Gwen had to leave for work alone.

Gwen was about to walk to her room when Ashley dragged her taking her to their room and shut the door.

"Oh my god... sister-in-law you scared me" Gwen gapped looking at Ashley who surprisingly dragged her into her room.

"You shouldn’t be moving around like this" Ashley’s words made her confuse and she asked," Like what?"

"Like. This" Ashley pulled her by her shoulder and took her to the dressing table saying," Like this", she then pointed at the mark on her neck which had turned now turned bluish red, and the next second she gasped.

"Oh my god, how did this-" Gwen couldn’t finish her words when she recalled Karl nibbling her neck in the morning and she turned red the next instant.

Ashley who had seen the change in Gwen caught the sight of a hickey on her neck. She didn’t want others to notice it which was why after Gavin left she dragged her to her room showing her the artwork on her skin.

Gwen covered her face, hiding the embarrassment she felt, and quickly turned, sprinting towards the couch and slumped on it. Soon realization hit her.

"Did anyone see it" she snapped up looking at Ashley in horror lowkey hoping no one apart from Ashley had seen the mark on her neck.

Chapter 173: He loved her way before she met him

Gwen’s pupils grew in anticipation as she waited for Ashley to speak and when she did," No! No one saw that or else you think they would’ve let you go without interrogating"

Heaving out a sigh Gwen released a sigh and fell back resting her palm on her heart. "I thought I was doomed," she said closing her eyes as she drew a deep breath.

Ashley turned and picked up a concealer before she walked and sat next to her," But next time, make sure you conceal it. Not every time you would be spared"

Gwen turned her head and looked at the concealer in Ashley’s hand. Taking it from her she got up, walking towards the huge mirror, and stop in front of it. Once she was done applying the powder she turned only to find Ashley smiling at her.

"Our Gwen is all grown up now" Ashley teased making her lower her gaze from her mischievous one.

"Come sit next to me" patting the seat next to her Ashley asked Gwen to join.

Quickly taking a long stride Gwen sat next to Ashley. She didn’t know what to tell as everything seem to be so new to her.

"You don’t have to feel shy about it Gwen. In couples, these things happen. Even I went through the same" Ashley didn’t hold back about her experience with Tristan. Even though she felt flustered in the beginning but now, she was used to it.

Gwen’s eyes sparkled listening to Ashley and like a curious child she asked," Is brother that good in bed" her shameless question made Ashley turn red.

Clearing her throat she averted her eyes from Gwen’s curious one. She wanted to change the topic when she remembered something and looked back asking," Gwen, if I ask you something, will you answer me truthfully"

Gwen pouted her lips in confusion and sat straight flipping her hair from her shoulder," Of course, why would I lie to you sister-in-law"

Ashley thought for a second once she found no sign of hesitation in her words and she continued," Did Tristan know about Greg’s cheating on me even before I announced it publicly" her sudden question made Gwen cough and that was enough of an answer for her question.

That day when she asked him about it, he said he learned it from her father but to her knowledge, she mentioned Richard about it only after she first met Tristan.

She remembered not being vocal about it to anyone and only told a few people about it. Then does it mean Tristan had his eyes on me way before we met?

"S-sister-in-law... I think I should take my leave" Gwen regretted being confident earlier but after listening to Ashley she wanted to escape as soon as possible.

When Ashley saw her getting up she held her wrist, stopping her," You said you won’t lie Gwen, and now with your hesitation, my doubt is confirmed" giving her a meaningful gaze Gwen realized there was no way she would brush off this topic and with great difficultly, she spilled everything.

By the end of the storytelling, Ashley felt her heart filled with overwhelmed emotions. She never thought it was Tristan who paved the path for her to know the real Greg. He loved her way before she met him and it was he who pulled her out of that toxic relationship. It was he who made Greg’s and Jane’s life miserable because they dare to hurt her.

Her eyes welled up thinking about how selfless he loved her all this while without expecting anything in return. She thought he was a rude, arrogant businessman who wanted to trap her in his life but she was all wrong.

He loved her endlessly and now she felt bad for judging him in the beginning.

Finding Ashley quiet the entire time Gwen felt her stomach churn. She didn’t want Ashley to tell Tristan that it was her who exposed his long-hidden secret or else, she would have to face his anger.

Now that she was in a relationship with Karl, she didn’t want to work her ass hard to piss the man off for not spending enough time with him.

Poking her shoulder Gwen pulled Ashley out of her trance and asked," You won’t tell this to brother right. He would get annoyed if he happens to find it was me who told you about his unrequited love for you"

Gwen looked at her with a pitiful gaze, rubbing her palms together. She couldn’t risk anything when it came to Tristan’s temperament. That man looked like a calm sea from the outside but when angered, he turned into an untamed storm.

Sensing Gwen’s fear, Ashley assured her," Don’t worry I won’t tell him anything but even you have to promise me that you won’t tell anyone about our talk here"

Since Tristan wanted to keep this secret by himself then she would patiently wait for the day he would tell her everything.

Gwen chuckled, feeling better with Ashley’s confirmation, and they kept talking about different stuff.

While the girls were having a funny conversation, Tristan and Karl were trying to reach Noah.

The man had been ignoring their call which pissed Tristan more than he was already. Last night when he found that letter in Ashley’s bag, he didn’t react immediately.

At first, he thought he should Ashley about this instead but he couldn’t come to speak because the words written inside were asking questions about his identity and his demons stopped him.

"I couldn’t reach him boss" Karl ended the call for the tenth time when Noah didn’t answer them.

"Leave him. Ask Sky to tighten Ashley’s security. This time I won’t tolerate negligence" Tristan ordered and got into his car.

Karl followed Tristan’s words and soon stepped in before the drove to the company.

Turning back Karl watched Tristan in deep thought and he asked," What’s bothering you, boss?"

Tristan snapped out of his trance and looked at Karl giving him a meaningful gaze," Tell Lucan Scott, I am ready to negotiate" sensing his look Karl nodded his head.

Tristan had no choice but to get closer to Lucan because now, he was the only bridge leading him to Gabriel. If he wanted to break the war, he was ready, but before that, he wanted to know his purpose.

****

Noah lay on his bed panting heavily with Alice sitting on top of him. She showed up early in the morning and pounced on him capturing his lips hungrily as soon as he opened the door.

They missed each other so much that they didn’t hold back and ended up doing deeds early morning.

Kissing him Alice slumped next to Noah, slowly wrapping her arms around his torso," I missed you so much Noah" she said and again kissed his cheeks.

Noah turned as he admired her. Only he knew how hard it was for him to stay without seeing her for an entire day. His calm brows knitted and he asked pouting his lips.

"Then why didn’t you call me? You left leaving a note on the table. Is this how you love me" Noah looked aside pulling a fake angry act.

Yes, he was upset with her, because not for once had she called him the previous day. He wanted Alice to realize that the next time she goes somewhere she should keep in mind that someone was there who waited for her call and know her whereabouts.

Alice pursed her lips when she noticed that Noah was seriously upset with her. It was her fault that she got so busy with her work that she forgot him. She couldn’t argue because she knew he was right.

Resting her hand on his cheek she made him look at her. "Sorry," she said having no idea how she would make up for this mistake.

Noah wasn’t someone who got angry with her just like that but now when he showed his displeasure, it make her feel like she had committed some kind of crime.

"What if I won’t forgive you" Noah spoke and her hand on his cheeks fell down in defeat.

What was she supposed to do now? She had no clue Noah would get upset with her and now even after apologizing he wasn’t ready to forgive.

Her pursed into a thin line as she fell into deep thought coming up with a way to get his forgiveness.

Noah observed Alice silently, looking at her face which had a deep line marred on her forehead which made him think about what was going on in her mind.

Before he could ask when she squeal as her eyes sparkled looking at him," How about I stick to you the entire day without leaving your side"

Noah didn’t know if he should cry or laugh. She said she would stick to him the entire day but, did they ever leave each other alone in the first place?

Chapter 174: Noah is cheating on me

Alice’s smile dimmed when she saw Noah arch his brow in amusement. She could tell he didn’t like this idea.

"No?" she asked shaking her head.

"Come up with a better proposal Alice. This one was seriously lame" he said lazily and got up before climbing down the bed.

Alice too followed his reflex and got up sitting on the bed kneeling." Then how about we go out somewhere? It had been a while since we haven’t gone out" she said quickly stopping him from leaving.

Noah wore his pants and turned to face her. She looked like a lost puppy who wanted her master’s attention. He watched her for some time trying to see how far she would go to seek his forgiveness.

He was totally loving the attention he was getting right now but, he wanted more.

"I would like you to come up with something better than this babe. You ignored me the entire day, so you really have to woo me to gain my forgiveness" he said with a smile and walked towards the bathroom leaving Alice speechless.

"Is he trying to take revenge on me" she felt like crying.

Yes, she didn’t a mistake by leaving him without informing but she left him a note. Then wasn’t it even?

Only she knew how badly she missed him and that led her to finish her work as soon as possible and run back to him. But this man didn’t appreciate it and now was sulking about something which she didn’t do on purpose.

"You have to do something Alice before his adult kid turns even more childish" she muttered to herself and climbed down from the bed looking at the clothes that were lying everywhere on the floor.

"Sigh... but first I need to clear this mess," she said looking around when her eyes fell on Noah’s t-shirt and she bend down to pick it up when her eyes caught the sight of the lipstick mark on his collar and she frowned.

’I didn’t wear this lipstick’ she thought recalling the color of her lipstick different from the one she watched on his t-shirt.

She fell silent for a while pondering on her thoughts when the bathroom door opened and she snapped out of her trance.

Turning her head in Noah’s direction Alice looked at him. She didn’t want to think of something else but then who lipstick mark was this?

Quickly hiding the T-shirt along with her garments Alice, got dressed up and turn to leave. She didn’t want to face Noah yet as her thoughts were clouded with something which was making her question his faith.

’I will have to find it on my own’ she said to herself and walked out of the room.

****

Ashley sat in her room reminiscing Gwen’s words. She still could believe Tristan was in love with her for more than two years but then why didn’t he approach her?

’Weren’t you dating that cheater Greg’ her subconscious mind poked her from the back of her head.

"Hmm... how did I forget such a crucial point. It was my foolishness that I kept ignoring the obvious and giving Greg the chance to hurt me" she mumbled scolding herself.

But now, everything was clear and now her heart, body, and soul only belong to Tristan and there was no doubt that she loved the man crazily. A smile formed on her lips and suddenly she felt like seeing Tristan.

Quickly getting up from her seat, she picked up her handbag and was about to leave when suddenly she remembered Tristan being out for some important meeting, and her excitement dropped realizing she would only see him once he was back home.

Sitting back in her seat, Ashley sighed. She so wanted to hug him but all her dreams came to a halt because Tristan wasn’t in the company. If he was in Melanin she would sneak in with Karl’s help without letting him know but now she had to wait for him to return home. And he did, she wasn’t going to leave him at all.

As Ashley began to dream about what she would do once she sees him, she felt giddy all of sudden. It wasn’t that awkward before but now after knowing his truth, she felt butterflies in her stomach.

"Oh Tristan, what have you done to me," she said helplessly and leaned back, closing her eyes. She felt her heart pound inside her chest as she took some deep breaths to calm herself.

She now understood why he was so persistent to marry her. He wasn’t like those men who used women only for pleasure and then leave them after getting what they want. He was different, even though he loved her, he never showed himself up and kept helping her silently.

He waited until she was out of Greg’s unfaithful love and that is when he showed up but in return got banged by her. She clearly remembered the concern in his blue eyes, which melted her into his embrace, and without a single thought, she initiated the kiss.

Damn, that was the most passionate kiss she has ever had. Greg never kissed her that way but with Tristan, she found the warmth and love which she never got from Greg. And she was glad she met him that night and gave him her first. It was the beginning of a new love story. It was the beginning of them.

Embarrassed by her own poetic thoughts, Ashley’s lips curled up into a smile, and pulled herself back sitting straight. She was about to get up when her phone rang and she picked up the call as soon as possible.

"What’s up girl," Ashley asked chirpily. She was in good mood today and she didn’t hide it from letting others know how happy she was.

"I want to meet you. I will send you the location" Alice sounded different. He ever so excited friend was friendly and she even forgot to greet her which only meant she was upset about something.

Without asking her anything Ashley agreed to meet her and quickly got changed heading to the location she asked her to come.

She reached the Kids and play park where Ashley found Alice sitting on the swing having an ice cream cone. She didn’t look good. The way she stuffed her mouth with the ice cream showed something was off.

Taking a deep breath, Ashley approached Alice and took the vacant swing next to her," I was expecting to meet at our place. Why did you ask me to come here?"

Alice and Ashley liked to talk only at their favorite coffee shop. They spend their time alone talking about various stuff, even the owner of the coffee shop never asked them to leave as she was a very nice lady who has known them both since their high school times.

"I wanted to clear my mind and this place seemed better. At this hour no one comes here and it would be better if nobody sees me yell like a frustrated, crazy woman" Alice’s words made Ashley frown and she couldn’t stop herself from asking.

"What’s wrong with you? Is something bothering you? You know I am here to talk with" Ashley could easily read Alice’s mind and the heavy words she spoke a while back were giving her major chills.

Alice stopped moving the swing and turned to face Ashley and opened her mouth," I think Noah is cheating on me" as she finished the cone in her hand crumbled into powder and that was enough to make Ashley gulp.

Alice told her everything she saw and even after trying to brush off that thought she couldn’t.

"I think you are coming to conclude on your own Alice" Alice frowned at her words making her sigh.

"I am not telling you are wrong but what if whatever you saw isn’t something related to your assumption?" Ashley tried to make Alice understand that sometimes whatever we see doesn’t have to be the truth.

Alice fell silent for some time as she tried to grasp Ashley’s words. All these days with Noah she never felt insecure at least not for his playboy thing, then how come she started to doubt him after knowing him for too long?

"You think, I should confront him?" Alice asked with hope.

"Yes. If you talk with him wouldn’t it clear your doubts" she shrugged making Alice fall into deep thought.

Ashley didn’t want Alice to end up sabotaging her relationship with Noah just because of that stupid lipstick mark she saw on his T-shirt.

Communication is the key to a successful relationship and Ashley wanted Alice to know that her coming to a conclusion without a proper conversation would only make her push back from the love she missed her whole life.

"I think you are right. What if everything I saw wasn’t the truth? I should talk with Noah about it" Alice agreed to her advice and she began to swing once her mood lightened.

"That’s my girl" Ashley smiled once she saw Alice’s mood cheer up like before and she too joined her.

Chapter 175: Melting your man’s heart

Once Alice felt better, she stopped swinging and turned to ask," Ash, I need a favor from you" she was skeptical whether she should say that to her but now she was desperate to gain Noah’s forgiveness.

Once she gets that, it would eventually pave a path for her to ask about that lipstick mark.

"When did you start taking permission from me girl? Go on ask me anything"

Ashley and Alice had been each other’s life coaches and whenever one was in trouble the other one was there to handle everything.

Alice’s eyes brimmed with expectation and she told about Noah being upset with her as she ignored him and now, he wasn’t ready to forgive her.

"Oh, so you want me to suggest you some ideas" Ashley hummed rubbing her chin as she fidgets her brain thinking of different ways that would help Alice to brain the ice.

"How about this one" Ashley waved her hand asking Alice to come closer to her and she began whispering the plan in her ears.

Alice was a little skeptical as she moved back watching Ashley grin proudly." Do you think this will work? I have already seduced him once wearing a nightgown" Alice found it odd to accept what Ashley was referring to, though she didn’t mind trying it still, will it help Noah to throw off his displeasure?

"Did you use Lingerie?" Alice pursed her lips and shook her head.

"Then you should. Trust me it will work like magic, melting your man’s heart" Ashley said confidently after she used that trick to seduce Tristan and it worked in her favor.

Alice gave it a thought and eventually agreed to try it. If she wanted Noah to forgive her then it was the least she could do. She only hope that it would make his anger subside.

****

After meeting Alice, Ashley returned back home. As soon as she entered the room, she received a call from Miley who informed her that Finn was happy with her decision and that he would come up with the best proposals.

Tristan had no problem with her decision to step into acting and that’s what made her come to sort out her negative thoughts.

She wanted to prove herself just as she did when she stepped into modeling. She liked taking the risk and with Tristan’s approval she felt all boosted up, ready to show everyone that her talent wasn’t limited and she can do many more things.

And with Finn’s suggestion, she finally found herself thinking outside of the box.

Within no time Ashley received a lot of scripts. Since it was a commercial ad, she thought to begin with a smaller one just to gain basic knowledge of how things work in that field.

Since this was her first commercial she didn’t want to brag about her title of the best model. She wanted to stand equal among the others who would be working along with her.

With this thought, she began reviewing the script. Since the scripts she picked were from one of the brands she endorsed but she was still searching for the better one that would instantly catch her attention.

As her eyes kept reading through the scripts her phone began to ring. It was Tristan and without a second thought, she picked up the call.

" What are you doing?" came Tristan’s voice that instantly bought a smile to her lips.

"Miley has sent me some scripts to read. I was just going through them" she said.

"Hmm"

There was a pause between them as if both wanted any of them to speak first. Tristan wanted to ask Ashley about the letter he found in her bag but then he didn’t know how to start the conversation.

On the other hand, Ashley fell into deep thought as she recalled the things she said to Alice about communication being an important aspect of every relationship.

"Tristan I wanted to tell you something" she blurts out without thinking any further.

She wanted to talk to him about that man she met at the launch party and also about the letter she received yesterday.

Biting her lips, she was about to talk further when she heard Karl’s voice on the other side of the call.

"Boss there is an emergency call for you" his words made her frown in confusion and before she could inquire, she heard Tristan’s voice," Ash, I will talk to you later. I have an urgent call to attend to" without waiting for a reply he ended the call.

"Huh! Ashley pulled back the phone when the line went blank.

"Maybe he is too busy," she mumbled to herself and decided to talk about the letter thing after he returned home.

With that thought, she resumed back her script reading.

****

Noah was sitting in his room doing some work when his mind drifted to the morning incident. His hand that kept working on the keyboard halted and he leaned back heaving out a sigh.

"I should’ve accepted her idea. Look she isn’t even doing anything to make up with me" Noah regretted teasing Alice because the girl haven’t shown up yet after she walked out of his apartment.

’Does she really doesn’t care if he gets upset with her’ Noah felt like crying?

"Argh!! what should I do now" Noah stood up from his chair and ruffed his hair trying to think something

"I think I should go and talk to her instead. Yes! That’s a good idea" saying he walked out of his apartment and reach Alice.

"Where did she go?" he asked looking at the locked door.

Rushing back to his apartment he made a call to Alice but she didn’t pick it which made him worried.

After she headed to her apartment, he then checked his phone and found ten missed calls from Karl. Immediately calling him back, Karl informed him about the letter Tristan found in Ashley’s bag and they were suspicious that it was the same man Sky saw sneaking out of the amusement park.

Tristan asked him to look into the matter and find the man’s whereabouts. Without wasting any time Noah got immersed in his work that he didn’t realize Alice never showed up again.

"Damn... I shouldn’t have let her go" he said and was about to walk out when the door to his apartment opened and Alice walked in carrying some stuff along.

"Are you going somewhere?" she asked when she saw Noah rushing out taking his car keys along.