"Ashleigh!" the voice shrieked and she jolted out of her seat to see James laughing his head off.
She hit him repeatedly as she tried to still her heart and after a while he started apologizing when her hits became more painful."You went missing after that call from the secretary so I came to find you" he said, sitting on the chair which she finished dusting."I'm sorry James, I just have a lot on my mind right now" she muttered as she wiped the desk down with a wet rag."Why? What was the meeting about? You just left with the hot secretary and didn't give us the tea after" he complained and Ashleigh stopped what she was doing. She spun to face in him surprise."Wait.... James!!" She exclaimed as James scratched his hair sheepishly."Well... he looks fine but he's always out of it anytime I see him" he admitted and Ashleigh laughed loudly.She had only a few interactions with Mr. Turner and they were very polite and shoThe next day at a private law firm, Adrian Cagliari stood in a private lounge provided to him by his lawyer. The room was moderately sized and had been moderately furnished; with a window that stretched from one wall to another with a view of the gate, one could see who was entering and leaving but someone standing outside couldn't see in. Adrian stood at the window wearing a blue coloured suit with a black shirt, his hair slicked back gel and he had a chilly aura around him. This devilishly handsome man peered at the window, sipping the coffee in his hands slowly. "Boss, I just spoke with the driver you sent, he mentioned that Miss Ashleigh refused taking the car and said she will make her way here by herself" Turner reported and Adrian glanced at his watch, frowning deeply as Ashleigh was already an hour late . Adrian's major pet peeve was lateness and people who came late; he was of the opinion that everything had a particular time at which it should happen, this makes the o
"I feel we should talk about the living arrangements. After you left the office with your aunt yesterday I made some arrangements" he started the conversation, and Ashleigh looked at him keenly."Aunt I have arranged for a penthouse for you, it is not too far from where we will stay so she can come and visit you at any time" Ashleigh frowned, looking to her aunt who looked pleased at the arrangements but was hesitant."Adrian I feel this is not necessary, I am supposed to give you both a gift instead" she refused gently but Adrian was firm in his stance."Aunt I feel this is very trivial compared to the gift you have given me. Besides, I will be assured of your well-being if you stay in the place I have arranged for you. It is much more safer" Mrs Smith knew she eventually had to give in so she nodded calmly, thanking him.Ashleigh on the other hand was petrified at the thought of staying with him and immediately raised her objection."I
According to Mr Cagliari, she should have to look the part of a CEO's wife in every aspect, that meant not taking any of her thrift or store bought clothes. They were also taken for a spa session where there had all services offered to them as VVIP's of the place, Ashleigh had a much needed facial and hair treatment and she looked more appealing. Her face now had a dewy look, her round eyes were more prominent due to the lash treatments, her coffee- brown hair now looked more healthier and grew rapidly than before making it thick, with the curls framing her face. The man in question was not around, she was informed by the butler that he is on a business trip and any information will be passed on by him. "He claimed to be annoyed me but still did this much for I and my aunt when he is not supposed to be bothered. Business trip my foot" she thought to herself as she listened to Mr. Atkinson. This changes no matter how subtle she was, still showed and caug
She pushed the lid and it popped open to reveal a pair of beautiful rose gold rings placed on the velvet cushion. One was plain, the other one had princess cut diamonds carefully arranged around the band of the ring, glistening brightly. Ashleigh's eyes widened at the sight of the rings, Adrian nodded satisfied with the work Beau had done. "We got married a few days ago. Won't it be weird that we do not have wedding rings as a couple?" Adrian spoke up, turning Ashleigh's chair to face his direction and pulling it closer to him. He took the ring box from the table and propped it with his hands for her to see it closely. "What do you think? Isn't it nice?" he asked, raising it to her eyes for closer inspection. Ashleigh watched as each diamond shimmered at every contact with sunlight and then to Adrian. "It's beautiful" she approved, Adrian smiled warmly. He placed the box on the table, reached for her right hand and grabbed
He grabbed the hand placed on her laps and held them firmly in his palms as he feigned a pondering expression. "I guess you did not understand the contract clearly. I am in all ways at control of this marriage and the agreements made concerning this issue. I will be the one to decide whether you are fulfilling your part of the agreement or not" he explained slowly. "And so far, you haven't met the requirements for me to consider fulfilling my side of the contract" he finished, patting her head like a child. Ashleigh could feel her face heating up in anger as she glared at the idiot CEO besides her. No matter how he meant it, he was right. She was basically still not at the level to reason with him or make demands of what he should give her. Thinking constantly of what her ultimate goal was, she calmed herself down and asked in a calm manner. "What am I yet to do that makes you say I have still not met my part of the agreement?" "You are yet to move in with me" "I do not see how
Seeing the situation, Ashleigh was about to move back in embarrassment but was immediately grabbed by Adrian and drawn to his side. The group of people watched the two of them in curiosity and looked amongst themselves for who would speak up. A lady dressed in a simple gown smiled casually and spoke up. "We were all wondering on what would make a man like Mr Cagliari keep us waiting for over 20 minutes. Turns out he was tending to his guest" she suggested, everyone there nodding in agreement. "I apologize for the interruption. This is my wife, Ashleigh Cagliari. We recently got married" Adrian said, raising up their interlocked hands and rubbing it gently with his other palm. "Amore, these are my clients who have come for contract signing " he leaned and whispered in her ear, his hands leaving their interlocked ones to rest on the small of her back firmly. In front he painted a somewhat intimate relationship between them bu
"Adrian? Aren't you being to careless in how you address your boss? Not that I care of your perceived relationship with him, I would only like to clarify one thing""In case Adrian has not told you, I will. You do not want to deal with my bad side" Ashleigh warned, looking directly at Tara before pushing her back.Ashleigh stormed off to her room to get ready and once she got there she sat down on the chair in front of her dresser still fuming. She had some initial suspicions when she saw a young lady assigned to care for Adrian's home but understood that it was due to her dad being the main butler.It just did not seem right that a young and pretty girl like her who was supposed to be out there living her life just chose to stay 24/7 indoors overseeing an estate but now it made sense. She was already in control of the things which Ashleigh would have to do as a wife and has by the way she addresses Adrian, she has been here for years. If there was need fo
"Like both of you, I and my wife agreed to marry each other for convenience. It was a rocky start for us but at the end of the day she is my only companion whom I hold dear" he said with a bit of solemnity in his tone, and for the first time he looked somewhat lonely.Ashleigh melted on seeing the old man's plight, he seemed to regret not having her by his side. At the same time, her heart wavered, was this going to be her fate as well?"My dear, I felt your emotions earlier. I understood all you meant and I want to tell you to be strong, because there is a lot more from where that came from" he held her hand firmly, speaking with calmness.Ashleigh only nodded in understanding, thanking the man quietly as he let her hand go. He began to walk to the door slowly, the both of them watching as he left. At the door, he turned back to look at Adrian."Tell Mr. Turner to come tomorrow with the contract for signing. For the sake of your wife I have agree