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

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

"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

The sleek black car deposited Ashleigh at the imposing wrought iron gates of Adrian's estate. Her heart hammered a nervous tattoo against her ribs. Spending the weekend at her husband's mansion, a man who seemed to control her every move – it was enough to make anyone uneasy. As the car pulled away, she took a deep breath, the crisp evening air filling her lungs. She looked at the doorway to see Tara standing with a Stoic expression. Unlike the other day, she dressed up in a flowery gown, her hair falling past her shoulders and framing her heart-shaped face. Although she looked like a typical sweetheart, her demeanour was cold. "Mrs. Ashleigh," she greeted with a curt nod. "Why are you here? It's clear you don't want to be here" "Mr. Cagliari has asked that I ensure you arrive", she said in a clipped tone, turning to enter the house. Ashleigh followed behind with embarrassment etched on her face. Tara led her to the kitchen where the meal prepared was set on the table. Today the h

Excitement crackled in the air after Ashleigh hung up. Her long-held dream of attending college was finally coming true. In a month, she'll be a student! Grabbing her textbooks, she piled them on her desk and switched on the computer. Rushing to the college website, the welcome banner seemed to gleam, a symbol of her imminent arrival.Minutes flew by in a daydream of college life. Finally, snapping out of her reverie, Ashleigh decided to create a study schedule. Though work had eaten up most of her time, she was determined to catch up. Thankfully, Adrian arranged a tutor to provide focused support. With luck, she could finalize a schedule by Monday night.An hour later, the schedule complete, sleep beckoned more powerfully than dinner. The excitement was buzzing through her veins. The next morning, Ashleigh woke up with a lightness she hadn't felt since arriving. Adrian's news had been the best gift he could have given her. Dressed in a matching pastel purple