Ch. 466..470: Charmed by the Billionaire CEO Chapter 466-470

Chapter 466: [Bonus Chapter]Impact on him

"Umm Karl, let go... I need to pee," she whispered

Gwen felt stuffy because he gripped her body. She felt the need to release free from his hold in order to empty her bladder, but no matter how gently she spoke the man didn’t move an inch.

"Karl... let go" she again spoke in a whisper but still,

"ZZ"

"KARL....GET UP I NEED TO PEE"

Like a bolt, Karl jolted out of his peaceful slumber and rolled down the bed falling straight on his back.

Thud!

Without sparing a glance at him Gwen wrapped herself with the sheet and ran towards the bathroom shutting the door with a loud bang.

Karl kept lying on the floor like a statue still processing the situation when after ten minutes the bathroom door opened and Gwen walked in releasing a deep breath.

"Ah... why are you still sleeping there? Come join me to bed" Ignoring his pitiful state Gwen walked back to bed and laid down but she quickly rolled to his side and asked.

"By the way what happened to you last night? I am still feeling pain between my legs"

Though she was annoyed about how every part of her body felt sore, still she enjoyed their lovemaking last night. And knowing how good Karl was in bed Gwen couldn’t help but feel giddy reminiscing last night.

Crunching her face down Gwen tried hiding her blush but it was too late as the man caught the sight of her flushed cheeks and quickly got up, jumping over her and caging her between his arms.

"About last night. Why did you drink and what did you talk about with Ryan? He looked so lost when he left the bar" Karl asked.

Last night he didn’t bother to discuss her meeting with Ryan. She was too drunk to even remember anything but now that she was sober and ready to talk he could waste no more time.

Gwen gaped at him with wide eyes. She thought Karl was again going to take her like last night but he was too curious to know about the meeting.

’Stupid girl. Did you forget why you got drunk in the first place?’ Gwen scolded herself inwardly and pursed her lips hiding her stupidity.

"Umm, I am... sorry I went against our plan. But... I wasn’t confident that I would even look convincing for his suspicious gaze" Karl frowned listening to her words and complained.

"Yet you shouldn’t have taken the risk. What if that man had taken advantage of your drunk state? Was it even necessary to gulp two glasses of whiskey? You should have just let it go" Karl was still annoyed with her recklessness.

Thankfully she was all sober before the drink kicked in and she entirely lost her sense.

Gwen remained silent and let him scold her. She knew she was wrong. Going against his plan, she did upset him and in return, she couldn’t even get positive results.

"I am sorry" she apologized lowering her gaze.

Gwen knew seeing her apologetic look retreat Karl from scolding her and that’s what happened.

The man heaved out a sigh and knocked their forehead lightly. "You are so naughty, Gwen. You knew I wouldn’t be able to see your sad face let alone scold you"

Karl was very well aware of Gwen’s trick and she used it at the right time.

"But still you should know it’s not safe all the time. Thankfully you we still okay by the time he left and I am assured that nothing wrong happened"

Switching the sad look on her face, she pouted and muttered," Kiss me" This was her way of assuring him that she was fine and he didn’t have to stress so much.

Giving a quick peck on her lips Karl relaxed and slumped down next to her on bed.

"Now tell me, how much did you plan to influence him" he asked turning his head at her.

"I did and said everything as we planned but I am not sure if he would ever get influenced. At first, he appeared to be doubtful about me, but after I confessed that I was still in love with him and was ready to live everything to be with him, he suddenly became quiet" Gwen kept on telling him everything.

Initially, she wanted to befriend him, pouring her heart out and making him pity her. But even after giving her best, the man didn’t seem to be appalled by it. So she continued trying to make him believe her words when suddenly he got up and left the bar without a word

"I think he has finally realized that Linda isn’t in love with him anymore" Karl spoke pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Huh, But how? He didn’t even react"

"But your words did make an impact Gwen and I am sure we will soon hear a piece of good news from him. We just have to be patient" Karl assured as a satisfying smile crept on his lips and he pulled her closer to him.

It took a moment for Gwen to understand everything and when she did, she wrapped her arm around his torso and snuggled.

"I can’t wait to destroy Linda," she said with a cunning smile as the couple kept lying on the bed.

****

After announcing their marriage, Ashley could finally focus on her work without any third party intervening.

Even Jennifer stopped bothering her and continued shooting the movie without causing any trouble.

Shooting a few scenes with Gabriel, the director then moved to another important scene where Ashley had to do a few stunts. Though they had a body double still Ashley insisted on doing the fight scene by herself.

"You sure, you can do it. I mean they have our body double" Gabriel said in contemplation.

"I am fine. It’s just a small fighting stunt. I can manage" she assured.

Now that she stepped into the field of acting she wanted to try everything related to it. Moreover, she had been training herself with Tristan’s help, so Ashley was sure she could pull off the stunt effortlessly.

Chapter 467: A new staff member

While Ashley and Gabriel were busy talking with each other, a particular someone had her eyes set on them.

"Ma’am, she is here" a voice snapped her out of her stare and Jennifer finally moved her eyes from the on-screen couple toward the voice.

Her manager stepped back making a way to the woman who approached the actress wearing a mask. She looked like a spot lady, who worked on the set but only Jennifer knew the person behind the mask.

"You can leave now and make sure no one disturbs us," Jennifer said getting up from the seat and the duo walked towards her vanity.

****

[Inside]

"You haven’t told your manager?" Mia asked removing her mask as soon as they entered the spacious van.

"She had a big mouth. It won’t take long for a new gossip to be born" Jennifer retorted.

Mia had no idea why Jennifer summoned her to the sets and that too in disguise. But knowing the woman always had a reason behind her actions she didn’t question much and followed her lead.

"Have a seat first" she said and Mia quickly settled down in front of her on the couch.

Jennifer and Mia had been trying to find a way to defame Ashley before they ended up finishing the shoot of her debut film, to remain relevant in the industry.

But no matter what rumors they spark, Ashley would come out clean and strong. If only they had handled her marriage news properly they would have managed to tarnish her name even before she started getting appreciated.

But all their plan got ruined when the couple announced their marriage publicly and Ashley began to get the recognition more than before.

Mia waited for Jennifer to say something hoping the woman didn’t bother her to just come and sit with her for time pass. She wasn’t as wealthy as her and had to work hard for a living.

Even after getting picked by Jennifer, Mia didn’t stop going to work as she didn’t want anyone to get suspicious of her whereabouts. So she tried maintaining her life by doing both her jobs simultaneously.

As she was busy recalling how things changed for her after Jennifer offered her a task, a sound from the phone snapped her out of her trance and she turned her eyes to look at Jennifer whose lips curled into a smile and she immediately answered the video call.

Mia frowned when the woman in front of her switched her mood from serious to jolly and that was when her ears twitched when a voice spoke from the call.

*****

"Woah... I didn’t know she had fighting skills" Riel who was witnessing Ashley give her shot praised the woman on how skillfully she executed her fighting scene with a minor stunt.

No doubt she was so confident when she said she would easily carry it off without any trouble.

As the director called CUT, Ashley unhooked the prop attached around her waist and walked toward Franklin going through her shot.

"You did well" the director praised giving her a thumbs up and the shoot for the day finally came to an end.

Ashley was about to return to her vanity when she saw Riel approaching her. "Tristan wants me to drop you home," he said and she bobbed her head in agreement before walking away.

On her way along with Miley, Ashley noticed Jennifer’s vanity van and her steps halted when she watched her stepping out along with a woman, whom she had never seen before.

’Who is this woman’ she thought eyeing the girl who had worn a mask to cover her face.

By her appearance, Ashley thought she was a new staff member who must be working for Jennifer. But what amused her was Jennifer being lenient with the woman

Jennifer was the kind of lady who preferred perfection. Those who were incompetent to stand by her standards would be fired instantly.

Ashley knew it was all her doings but knowing what a liar she was and how much she liked to maintain her public image, the woman would blame her PR team for her doings.

As she watched them leave Ashley kept didn’t move from the girl walking next to her. Luckily they didn’t seem to notice her and she fully accessed their behavior through their body language.

Once they were out of her sight Ashley sighed and walked to her vanity to get change.

****

Meanwhile, Riel who noticed Jennifer leave the set along with a woman frowned. He remembered once Tristan mentioned how Jennifer created a ruckus because she didn’t want to do a photoshoot with Ashley.

At first, Riel found it hard to believe it because the women seemed so kind and sincere whenever they talked or had a scene together. But as the days passed by, he started noticing how she tried giving Ashley a hard time while shooting.

She would keep on taking retakes even if the scene was perfectly shot or would ask the director to take a perfect angle as she didn’t want to look less attractive on screen.

Though it was the duty of the staff member to fulfill the actor’s requirement, Jennifer turned out to be taking advantage of their kindness.

He wondered how was Ashley tolerating all this time without any complaints. As he watched her car drive away Riel then turned his head from them and watched Ashley approaching his car.

It had been days since he had talked with Ashley. After forcing his feelings to get stronger for Ashley, Riel started maintaining his distance from her.

He knew there was no chance for him to be her because she already had Tristan. So he decided to put a full stop to his emotions and only saw her as a friend.

"Sorry for being late. I just got stuck on my way to the vanity" Ashley apologized with a smile as soon as she entered his car.

"Never mind. I didn’t get bored either" Shrugging his shoulder with the same smile Riel started his car and drove from the set.

Chapter 468: Billionaire into a cook

Inside the moving car, both Ashley and Riel sat comfortably in their seats. No one spoke a word since it had been a little awkward for them to act friendly when they never had a good repo.

Ashley had always found Riel annoying and after knowing how he was trying to get close to her she started hating him even more.

But everything changed when he joined hands with Tristan and decided to hunt Sandra down together.

As they kept remaining quiet, it was Ashley who decided to break the awkwardness.

" I heard you would be participating more in films in the future," Ashley asked.

Gabriel had skillfully hidden his identity of being an underworld mafia from the outside world and to keep himself relevant in the entertainment industry he decided to pursue his career by signing and working as an actor in good films.

It wasn’t a sudden decision. Gabriel thought about it a lot. He always knew he wasn’t someone who wanted to join his family business, but circumstances pulled him into that mud of crimes.

But now, he wanted to change himself and follow his dream of living a respectful life. He wanted to make his mother proud and for that, he had to start fresh.

Though he would continue helping Tristan from the side, but he would also make his name by doing things he liked, and acting was something he found appealing.

"I just want to give it a shot. After all, I am tired of doing things that I never wanted to do" he muttered scratching the back of his head.

Ashley smiled at his action. This was the first time she had seen him behaving sensibly and not annoying her like before.

They continued talking about random stuff that mostly included acting, Ashley suddenly asked.

"Why did you like Sandra so much?" the question was out of the blue, but instead of getting surprised, Gabriel chuckled.

"Maybe she was the only girl who spoke nice to me"

Gabriel remembered how he wasn’t treated fairly by his family members because his mother got pregnant out of wedlock.

For his father, she was only a bedwarmer but for his mother, she truly loved the man. But when his father refused to marry her, she left him.

It was after a month she found that she was pregnant with his child, but she refused to tell him knowing his father would never accept them.

She was only used by him to satisfy his needs and knowing a man like Johnson would never take them back, she decided to live a life away from him and his people.

After he was born, his mother struggled to provide them with life as her family refused to take her back. She was all alone but even in the hardest time, she would smile for him.

She was the only one who loved him while others always saw him with disgusting eyes.

A society never accepts a woman and a bastard child.

As he recalled his past, a sad smile curled on his lips.

Ashley noticed how he was trying to hide his sadness by smiling to himself. She knew Gabriel never had a fair life. He wasn’t born with a silver spoon.

It was Johnson who took him for his purpose. He didn’t even care about Gabriel’s mother being killed by his enemies. All he wanted was an heir to lead his clan, while he kept fooling around.

Gabriel who sensed Ashley’s eyes on his turned to look at her and chuckled. "Don’t look at me like that. I know I was a fool to believe in her sweet words. She just took advantage of my love and trust me I will regret it throughout my life" he said looking away.

Now the smile on his face also simmered. The guilt in his heart didn’t subside entirely and he never wanted to forget anything. He just wanted to make up for his mistakes by doing good things and helping Tristan.

He did wrong to her and his friend yet they accepted him with open heart. He would always be grateful because they didn’t despise him after whatever he did to them.

Ashley didn’t speak a word and looked away. She could feel Gabriel wasn’t used to people’s empathetic eyes. So she decided to keep silent until they reached home.

Stepping out of the car, they walked inside the house, and to their surprise, Ashley noticed the servants and the cook standing outside the kitchen in the corner as they muttered something to each other and smiled.

"Ahem.." clearing her throat Ashley caught their attention and they instantly stopped talking.

Ashley had already guessed what was happening but she didn’t realize her man would grab all the maid’s attention.

"Give me a minute," Ashley said before walking towards the kitchen, whereas Gabriel just shrugged his shoulder and took a seat on the couch in the living hall.

Glaring at the women who kept smiling and giggling staring into the kitchen, she felt like plucking their eyeballs.

’How dare they look at their Young Master like that and that too in front of his wife’

Watching them lower their head, Ashley told them to leave and the maids and cook soon ran away from there.

It wasn’t new for them to see their Young Master cook food for Madame, but tonight they decided to watch him skillfully cook with their own eyes.

Tristan had always dismissed the cook whenever he decided to cook, but this time he just asked them to step aside and do the work all by himself.

When there was no one around, Ashley leaned against the door frame with her hands crossed over her chest and cleared her throat.

"Ahem!" the sound of her voice made Tristan halt his action and with the spatula in his hand, he turned around flashing his charming smile.

"So this is the reason why you didn’t come to pick me up," she asked giving him a straight face look.

Tristan kept smiling and using his free hand he turned off the stove.

"I just wanted to surprise you by preparing the dinner. By the way, where is Gabriel I asked him to join us" he said stretching his neck to the side as he tried looking out of the kitchen door.

"I am here" a voice came from behind and Gabriel popped his head from Ashely’s back.

Curious to know what was happening he couldn’t stay still and slowly approached the couple secretly hearing their talks when suddenly Tristan mentioned his name.

Slowly stepping out he waved his had but soon paused when he noticed what Tristan was doing.

"I never knew marriage could turn a billionaire into a cook"

Chapter 469: One and the same

Tristan’s lips twitched on his remark.

"I will say the same when you get married" he muttered gnashing his teeth in annoyance while his eyes threw daggers at Gabriel.

Tristan knew Gabriel would also turn out to be a wife slave once he found the right girl. He might be looking down at him for now, but when the right time comes, he wouldn’t hold back his tongue to tease him.

Noticing the glare Ashley quickly stepped ahead and walked toward Tristan. "Okay now step aside let me help you" Pushing him to the side Ashley then took the spatula from his hand and turned on the stove.

Giving Gabriel a last glance Tristan turned around and muttered," Just stir it for five minutes wifey, then it’s done" The smile on his face returned.

Tristan had a few things to discuss with Gabriel and knowing he was having a shoot with Ashley today, he asked him to bring her along from the set. Meanwhile, he prepared the dinner for them.

Grace and Trevor went out for a gathering and would be coming late, while Gwen, she didn’t hasn’t returned home yet since last night.

’I wonder what’s are they up to’

Brushing off his thoughts, Tristan then asked the servant to arrange the food on the table and soon the trio settled taking their respective seats.

Gabriel who wasn’t aware of Tristan being a mind-blowing cook was left astonished as he savored the delicious food made by him.

"Huh! Look at him. Wasn’t he complaining if the food was edible or not and now he eats like a monkey"

Tristan’s words made Gabriel glare at him but he quickly ignored his statement and continued filling his stomach.

Tristan and Gabriel were like cat and mouse always nagging and irritating each other, but they also happened to care for each other even after so many years.

"Ah... " emptying his plate, Gabriel wiped off his lips and gave Tristan a commendable look.

"I’ll give you five out of five. The food was amazing" he declared taking his words back.

After they were done, Ashley excused herself to the bedroom while Tristan and Gabriel headed to the study room.

Since they had a few things to discuss, they thought it was best for them to talk in private.

"Any update," Tristan asked. His demeanor changed from gentle to serious.

"For now the woman doesn’t seem to be suspicious, but there is one thing I found odd about her today while returning," Gabriel referred the woman to be Jennifer whom he had been monitoring for a while.

After the scandal about their secret marriage leaked in the media, they had been finding Jennifer’s behavior a little strange.

The woman who never liked mentioning anyone except herself suddenly started giving interviews mentioning the couple now and then.

At first, Tristan thought the woman just wanted a lot of attention, but things changed when he came to learn that Jennifer had been purposely giving Ashley a hard time while shooting the scene.

Since Jennifer was the prime suspect in their list who didn’t share a good repo with Ashley, he tried monitoring her with Gabriel’s help, and the second one whom he was doubtful about but didn’t have a concrete belief except for him comparing that person with the person who leaked rubbish about them on the internet was Mia, the former model from Ashley agency.

He couldn’t have counted her as she was irrelevant to even think about but one thing about her he came to learn was that she was an expert in the IT field as she previously studied tech before opting into modeling, Tristan suspicion turned firm.

"What odd?" Tristan asked snapping out of his thoughts.

"I don’t know but the lady just fired one of her staff and hired a new one to whom she had been very nice, which is quite indigestible" Gabriel answered recalling the time he had seen Jennifer and that new woman walking along as they left the sets.

Jennifer had never let anyone step into her car. Even her manager drove separately. But this particular woman not only had her attention but she even let her into her car.

"I have a feeling that the woman who she had been secretly meeting and the new staff are the same. What do you think?" Gabriel assumed, but he wasn’t sure as he never saw that woman’s face.

"Hmm... there can be a possibility and maybe that woman is the one who must be helping her" Tristan added.

Gabriel bobbed his head in understanding. "Give me a day. I’ll find who that woman is".

Tristan agreed instantly and after some time Gabriel left the Knight Mansion.

*****

Returning to his room, Tristan noticed that Ashley was still bathing. Smiling cheekily, he patiently waited for her to step out while he started arranging the bed for them to sleep in.

Just when he was done, Tristan heard the clicking sound of the door and he turned around to find Ashley walking out with a towel wrapped around her body.

"I thought you wouldn’t show up anytime soon" Ashley muttered walking toward the closet and picked out her nightgown, ready to slide in but stopped when she felt Tristan’s burning gaze on her.

Turning her head she watched Tristan staring at her intensely when suddenly she heard him say,

"Do you want any help" his words held a double meaning and she knew which what he meant.

Looking away shyly, Ashley tried to hide her blush and shook her head," No need I can help myself" she said.

Ashley didn’t mind getting dressed up in front of Tristan, but every time she did Tristan would end up taking her.

Looking down Ashley started playing with the nightgown as she tried calming herself. She knew it was hard for them to resist but knowing that her body was too tired for any action Ashley tried to dodge her desire and was about to dress up when Tristan pressed his chest on her back.

"Are you sure?’ his sensual voice reached her ears and she suddenly felt heat rush through her body.

Chapter 470: Unconscious woman

Ashley sucked a deep breath as she tried to calm herself. The closeness between them wasn’t helping and she felt like a few more seconds and they would pounce on each other.

Closing her eyes, she clutched her palm into a fist, resting it over the helm of her towel right on her chest and released her stuck breath, and said, "I... am sure" She managed to to speak finally.

There was this temptation between them that never reduced dimmed and it was the reason why they could never get enough of each other.

Tristan smiled at her contemplation. Ashley tried hard to sound relaxed, but he knew she was purposely trying to dodge this situation.

As he watched her side profile from her shoulder, Tristan chuckled and took a step back.

"If you say so, then there is no need for me to help you" saying he returned to the bed.

Sitting on his side, he watched her stand still with her head still craned down a little. The sight of her towel-wrapped figure made him gulp mouth full of saliva.

’Control Tristan’ he warned himself ready to look away but then his eyes noticed something and he yelped.

"Did you perform any stunt today" his cold voice snapped her out of her frozen state and she jerked her head up staring at the closet’s door in shock.

Ashley thought she was careful enough to get hurt but guess I was wrong. Tristan’s gawk-like eyes wouldn’t skip anything. And when it came to her safety he would almost lose his cool.

Taking a few deep breaths Ashley forced a smile and turned around. The moment her nervous gaze met his deadpan eyes, Ashley could feel goosebumps crawl over her skin.

Ashley might be strong enough to handle Tristan, but sometimes even she got scared. And this time she knew it was her fault, so she had no chance but to accept her mistake.

"I-It was just a small stunt. In fact, we took all the safety measures." she tried to justify her actions but no matter how she spoke he didn’t stop glaring at her.

Ashley who was forcing a smile to reduce the tension between them suddenly gasped when Tristan stood from the bed and marched towards her.

His eyes bored into her face, then slowly moved down to her hands and legs.

Silently following his line of sight Ashley looked down between her thighs to notice a small light bruise.

’Ah! Don’t tell me he found out through this small spot’

Gaping at Tristan in shock, Ariana parted her lips in disbelief. She knew there was no way she would walk past Tristan’s observing eyes, but she never thought he was so observant that he would find the truth with just a small dot.

" You think it was just a small stunt. You literally got a bruise" Tristan snapped pointing down at her legs only to watch her gently squeeze them.

"J- just a small one. It doesn’t even hurt" she retorted hiding her embarrassment only to get scolded further.

"You called it a small one. What if you had got hurt and this small one turned out to be big? Didn’t I warn you about doing any stunts? You have body doubles for that!" Tristan lost his cool as she tried to act that everything was fine.

Ashley knew Tristan was very sensitive when came to her. Her safety had always been his biggest priority. After failing numerous times to protect her, he started having these insecurities building within himself.

Every time her life was in danger, he was the last one to reach the spot to save her. Though he always managed to bring her back, the last threat not only took their child’s life but even Ashley was on the verge of dying.

All these incidents created a void in his heart and no matter how lightly she talked about these small things, for him it was the biggest. Because they were directed to her safety.

Ashley flinched when he raised his voice on her. She knew it was her fault. But she also wanted Tristan to know that she can’t keep fearing always. Something needs to be handled without the baggage of fear.

She stood silent in front of him and watched his chest heaved up and down in rage. It wasn’t new anymore because she knew he would soon realize his mistake and apologize for that.

But this time she didn’t wait for him to relax and instead turned around and walked into the bathroom.

Tristan remained rooted on his spot while his eyes watched Ashley withdraw from his sight.

He lost it again....he thought frustratingly running his hand through his hair before looking back at the closed door.

****

Gabriel was driving back to his home. The dinner with Tristan and Ashley went well and he couldn’t stop praising his friend for being a mind-blowing cook.

"He literally master’s in everything" he muttered as a proud smile perked on his lips.

Gabriel had been living his life peacefully. He even came to realize that his feelings for Ashley weren’t real. He was just attracted to her because he had revenge to carry.

Now that everything was back to normal, he finally let go of those fleeting feelings but sometimes he did find it awkward to talk with Ashley eye-to-eye.

"I think it will become easier over time" he mumbled assuring himself and was about to race the car when his eyes caught the sight of something and with a quick move he instantly pressed the brakes.

SCREECH!

Stopping the car mid-way, Gabriel noticed the woman lying next to her car unconscious.

Alarmed by the situation, he quickly jumped out of the car and rushed to the lady.

"Excuse me, Miss. Do you hear me" he asked patting her cheeks gently.

Gabriel had no idea who this woman was and why she had been lying on the road. But when he checked her, it appeared that the woman had just fainted as there was no sign of harm on her body.

Turning his head around Gabriel tried to see if someone was there with her but after observing her surroundings he presumed she was alone.

"Damn!..." cursing loud he picked the woman up and just dashed into his car before driving away from there