Ashely sat in her spacious office, lost in thought, after the phone call she had with her uncle. Her eyes sting from the words he had used on her, but who was she kidding? It's something she got used to over the years.Everything she ever does is not enough. Ashley, you're imperfect, naive, incompetent, and useless. Every word of his was carved in her skull, probably for the rest of her life.A sharp knock coming through has snapped her back to reality.Squaring her shoulders and masking away her emotions, "Come in," she mumbled, expecting anyone but her best friend."Hey, girl!" Layla greets her, her smile soon dropping as she sets sight of Ashely's dull demeanor.She huffed out, "It's him again, isn't it?" Layla asked, flying her hands out of the air with a low hiss.That's all it took for Ashley to burst out: "I don't know how I'd ever be able to please him. Nothing I ever do is enough for him. I'm sick and tired of him dictating my life." She spat, annoyance evident in her tone.La
He walked out of the elevator holding the cup of coffee Ashley ordered him to get. Rhys knows that she's been trying all possible ways to provoke him into quitting, but if only she knew, it takes a great deal to have him step down.For the past few weeks, she has had his manager overloading him with work just so he could get fed up, but nothing he couldn't handle. The work he's being loaded with is not as much as the one he does.Rhys has always been a workaholic; he could spend sleepless nights working himself up.He chuckled as he made his way to her office."Mr. Mickelson," he hears his name being called out, fighting back the urge to hiss.He knew exactly who it was—the new employer that had been on his neck and trying to force himself into Rhys's affairs.Damien.Rhys paused, huffing out a breath before turning to face him. "What's up?" He asked, trying to hide the hint of annoyance evident in his tone."I bought a ticket to the..."Before he could end his statement, Rhys had alr
Natalie paced back and forth in her room, unsure of her parents' decision. Her relationship with Alec was going pretty fast; it was becoming overwhelming.It's three days until the announcement of their official engagement party, which has been organized by Alec's family. Alec is a good man; he's given her all she could ever think of having: attention, care, love, and most importantly, wealth, but somewhere deep down, something is missing that she couldn't quite understand just yet.Her mind has been wandering off Rhys lately; she still thinks they got off on the wrong foot, and the guilt is starting to become unbearable.She may have used Rhys all along if only she had realized that she was only infatuated with him and nothing more, yet she only understood that long after they had been married.Rhys wasn't the man for her; they didn't belong in the same status; she was way above his league. All that her parents had tried to point out to her, but she never listened, not until it was t
"I don't know, aunt," Ashely whines for the eleventh time, trying to wiggle her way out of the situation.She could hear her aunt hissing through that call: "I'm not taking no for an answer; you are coming down to Seattle for your cousin's engagement party, and that's final." With that, she cuts off the call, leaving no room for further argument.Ashley growls, keeping her phone aside on the sofa.Ashely and her aunt share a mutual relationship that consists of love and understanding. Her aunt, Rebecca, is the only one she can regard as family, as she's always been there for her since the death of her parents.Unlike her husband and kids, she's as soft and understanding as Ashley's late mother; she has never made Ashley feel otherwise as the others do.Ashely sighs, knowing that there is no way she's ever going to escape attending Alec's engagement party.She fears that her uncle and other relatives will be hard on her about the fact that she's yet to bring forth a man. Ashley has nev
"You have to find a way to attend the engagement," Lex says through the phone.Rhys just come back from his usual night of jogging, and thinking he'd get some rest now, Lex had to bombard him with such news.He still hasn't fully recovered from the heartaches Natalie has caused him, and seeing her at the moment is the last thing he wants to do, especially with the fact that she's getting engaged to Alec, the man she cheated on Rhys with.His jawline hardened at the thought of that, but there was nothing he could do. The damage has already been done, and just as she moved on, he should also consider that.But the question is, was he ready to take such a step?Hell no!The only way he could move on is after he makes sure all of them suffer for not just their mistakes but their hidden crimes."Hey man, are you there?" Lex snaps him back to reality."Fuck, I don't think I can do that. The last thing I want now is to come in view with their despicable faces, and god knows if I'd be able to
"Aren't you going with a suitcase?" Lex questions, gulping on his cup of black coffee..Rhys grumbled, remembering his conversation with Ashley during the day at work; she specifically warned him not to bring any of his stuff, not even his outfit; she'd get him new ones when they got there.His appearance matters a lot to her, and she probably didn't want to be seen with him as he is now."She'll handle everything," Rhys responded after a deep silence.Lex giggled, "Technically, she's—or should I say, they are getting to see the dashing Rhys," he teased."More like vindictive," he sneers."No, man, not yet," Lex reminds him. "I can't wait for that time as well. You know what I like about you?"Rhys hisses, "Fuck off!""I'm still going to say it, you ass. Anyways, as I was saying before I got interrupted, you, Mr. Mickelson, have a way of scheming that they—our enemies—see coming till after the damage is done. The current upper hand you have in collapsing every fortune they've worked
Ashely stood mouth-agape as she came into view with Rhys. He is like a whole different person, almost like he wasn't the same employee of hers who wears rags and has a nasty appearance.Not that it bothers, probably because she hired him for his intellect and not his physical appearance; for that reason, she won't spare him another look."Take a picture; it lasts longer," he smirked, adjusting his cufflinks.She blinked herself back to her senses, clearing her throat. "Can we get rid of that beard?" She says instead that her nose is cringing a bit.Rhys rubbed on his offer frown, his beard narrowing his stare at her, and he could swear she moved a bit. "No, I'm keeping it. I've already done you a lot of favors, shaving this beard if it will not be one of them," his tune was hard and laced with finality."Don't forget I'm paying you off, Mr. Mickelson, so it's more of a do-me-i-do-you thing."He shrugs, "Whatever you say, boss," and he decides to drop the conversation before she pushes
Ashley's breath hitched as she saw her uncle walking towards them."I'll go grab a drink," Rhys mumbles, to which she nods before he leaves.She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding mentally, preparing herself for the insults that were yet to come."Ashley," he calls out, reaching for a hug and cutting her off guard.He placed his hands on her lower back and his lips next to her left ear. "What are you doing here with him?"She saw that question coming, but just as she had prepared for it, this wasn't going down without a fight, that's for sure."He's my date," she says barely above a whisper as he pulls back his gaze, hardening on her."Who is he?"She bit her lower lip, batting her eyelids for a second. "He's my man."His brows scrunched. "Don't give me that; what's his status, I mean?"Oh god!What was she going to say to him now? He won't even welcome the idea of her dating her assistant, who is an absolute nobody.That doesn't happen in the bloodline of a freeman. Eve