Chapter 99
Shadow Ventures dealt with this matter quite quickly and swiftly gave a corresponding solution, but it was still more or less affected.
After Ash was done with her work, it was already late at night when she got home. She did not have the energy to climb over the wall. She dragged her exhausted body through the main entrance and realized that the living room of the main building was still dimly lit.
She slowed down her footsteps and saw that Brooke was sitting on the sofa. She seemed to have fallen asleep,
“You’re back, Ash.”
Ash was trying to cover Brooke with a throw, but she still woke the latter up. The first thing that came from her mother was gentle care.
It seemed that Brooke was waiting for Ash to come home. Ash’s stance softened and she sat down beside Brooke. “Mom, have you been waiting for me?”
“It worries me when you don’t come back, but I don’t want to disturb you. Your father is right. You are a big girl now. I need to let go sometimes.”
What Brooke had just said made her own heart ached terribly. She had spent a long time finding her daughter, and when they finally reunited, Ash was already an independent lady and could no longer be by Brooke’s side all the time.
Ash knew that Brooke was aggrieved and upset. She held Brooke’s arm and did something that she rarely did—showing her daughterly affection!
“Mom, next time you want to know what I am doing, you can just call or text me. I can also update you on my whereabouts regularly if you like. It is fine. I am your daughter, and I will always be.” Ash never knew she was capable of saying such mushy words.
Her own words gave her goosebumps.
Brooke’s eyes were glistening with tears, and her heart softened a lot. “Ash, it was me. It was me who let you down. Starting from now, we are back as a family. I’ll make it up to you.”
“Yes, Mom.”
Brooke was probably deeply touched by Ash’s soft and sweet behavior. That night, the former had Ash sat by her side, and they chatted for almost an hour. By the time Ash got to her bed, it was almost one in the morning.
‘It is all that fickle–minded and unpredictable man’s fault. Otherwise, why would I be so tired recently?‘ Ash thought.
However, it was also quite challenging. It had been a long time since she had met her match. Calvert was more capable than she had imagined.
Dwayne forcefully made Calvert join him for a meal at a viral restaurant near their office. As soon as they came out of the private room, They saw Ash.
“What are you doing here?” Calvert blurted.
Ash found it funny. Her eyes flickered with a hint of sarcasm. “Can’t I be here? Are you the owner of this restaurant? There is nothing here saying that I cannot enter this place, is there? Don’t tell me that you think that I was following you.” Ash frowned and bombarded Calvert in disbelief.
Calvert was just asking out of curiosity, but Ash, who was standing in front of him shot words from her mouth like a machine gun and would not stop.
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07:25 Sat, 22 Feb ST.
Chapter 99
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Calvert was wearing a black shirt with the top two buttons unbuttoned, revealing his slender neck and strong collarbone. His lips curled up. “You’re overthinking it.”
“Oh, let’s hope that is the case.” Ash shrugged and was ready to walk past him.
Before she could take a step, she saw a slight change in expression on Calvert’s frigid face. “Who are you with?” Calvert asked.
Ash looked up, gave him the coldest stare, and curled her lips. “Am I supposed to report this to you? I don’t think we are that close, are we?”
“Keep in mind of who you are working under.” Calvert furrowed his brows. Clearly, he was not happy with what Ash had just uttered.
Ash tilted her head, and there was a hint of provocation in her eyes. “Who am I working under? What position am I in? Hey, I’m not your subordinate. We are just working together at best.”
Calvert appeared indifferent but calm. “Do you hate me?” he asked.
“No, why should I hate you? I think I need to make it clear to you that we just have to keep our relationship professional. We shouldn’t be asking about anything else outside of work. It’s better for both of us. If you keep poking into my private life, I would think you’re interested in me.” Ash teased.
There was no need for her to have a strained relationship with Calvert. Having more friends was better than having more enemies. Besides, this man was only a little sharp–tongued. He was not that bad.
“Ash…”
The atmosphere between Calvert and Ash became inexplicably awkward. In the end, it was Lachlan who broke the deadlock.
Lachlan turned around and saw that Calvert was also there. He smiled and greeted, “What a coincidence.”
“Indeed” Seeing that Ash was with Lachlan, Calvert’s mood became a little better.
Dwayne came out of the room after that. Seeing that Calvert had not returned, he thought that Calvert had left. As soon as Dwayne walked out of the private room, he saw the three of them standing around. “Yo, you’re all here.”
“Hi, Ash. Hi, Lachlan. What a coincidence.” Dwayne had met Lachlan before. After all, they were both from affluent families.
Dwayne whirled his view around the three and finally put his arm on Lachlan’s shoulder. “Lachlan, we have not seen each other for a long time, right? Since we are here, might as well eat together.”
Then, he dragged Lachlan into the private room without any hesitation. Before closing the door, he even gave Calvert the look, hinting the latter to cherish the chance he had opened up for him.
Dwayne’s sudden interruption livened up the atmosphere a little. “Don’t mind Dwayne. He is just like that.” Calvert tried to smooth things out.
“Don’t worry about it. He didn’t say anything annoying. He is just a little mercurial and overly friendly at times.” Ash responded.
Then, she paused for a few seconds before continuing. “Also, he talks too much sometimes. What a chatterbox.”
She did not know how Calvert and Dwayne were friends with such a huge difference in their personalities. It confounds her even more that the two men are so close.
“I’ll get him to apologize to you later,” Calvert said immediately.
Ash shook her head. “There is no need for that. Let’s go.”
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07:25 Sat, 22 Feb 5 T
Chapter 99
The relationship between her and Calvert was a professional one. After their collaboration ended, the two of them did not need to have any more business with each other. She could not care less about his actions, let alone his friends
Ash pushed open the door of the private room first after the brief conversation. The room was interesting it was huge, but there were only four seats. Dwayne and Lachlan sat at one side. Ash had no choice but to sit with Calvert,
“A beautiful lady and a handsome young man. What a match made in heaven, Dwayne jabbered. He even clapped after that. Calvert, who had yet to sit down, darted a cold glance at Dwayne and said coldly, “You talk too much”
Dwayne did not care about Calvert’s comment at all. There was even a teasing look in the corners of Dwayne’s eyes as he poked fun at Calvert. “What do you mean by me talking too much? I had only said one sentence. Hurry up and sit down. Your lover must be starving.” Dwayne acted like a naughty boy,
Calvert locked his eyes on Dwayne. It looked as malign as the gloominess before the storm. “Being quiet is sometimes a virtue, Just shut your mouth.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Dwayne is just trying to shake things up.” In the end, it was Lachlan who spoke up to resolve the situation.
Ash ate quietly as she was not planning to get involved in any of their conversation. From time to time, she would ask Lachlan if the food served suited his palate. She did not interact much with Calvert, though.
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