Chapter 7: Fashion Tycoon

Hana was lost for words. They both went silent for a solid one minute.

"I... Where's the wedding? I don't think I can come tomorrow. Samuel needs to go for outstation tomorrow for a week in another city and he asked me to come with him. He literally didn't have the heart to let me take care of Max alone for a week," Hana said, feeling guilty that she might not be able to attend the wedding.

"He wanted to hold the wedding in the back garden of his house. It's just going to be a close private wedding. It's fine if you can't go. I just wanted you to know. I don't have any other family members to tell. You're the only sister I have even though we aren't blood-related," Ashley replied slowly.

"I'm sorry, honey. I really wanted to go but Samuel would be sad if I and Max don't follow him."

"It's okay. I understand. I'll send you some photos after the wedding."

"By the way, who's that guy again? What's his name?" Hana just remembered that she hadn't asked that guy's name yet.

"Ashton Grey."

'Why does his name sound familiar?' Hana thought to herself. She felt like she had heard that name from somewhere. 'Did my husband ever mention it before?' She wondered. They both talked for a while more before they ended the call.

Right after Ashley put down her phone, Ashton suddenly came into the bedroom, looking a bit vexed. He felt a bit bad mood after having his talk with Archer in the back garden. He loosened his tie and undid the top button of his shirt. Then he took off his suit and hang it on a hanger pole.

"Are you sure you want us to get married tomorrow?" Ashley asked him softly and that man instantly looked at her.

He approached her with domineering steps and slowly sat beside her on the bed. His deep blue eyes stared at her deeply that Ashley suddenly felt her heart constricted. She gulped in nervousness instantly and Ashton noticed it. His right hand suddenly touched her left cheek and his thumb stroked her skin tenderly. Slowly, he leaned his face closer to hers to give her a quick kiss.

Ashley didn't dare to stop him. She just let him be and that man slowly pushed her body to lie down on the bed. He unfastened his tie completely and put it on the bedside table. Then he grasped her head in between his hands and gave her a kiss again, but this time it was a long passionate one. His hands slowly went down and groped her bosoms, trying to undo the buttons of her blouse. Still, Ashley didn't have the guts to stop him. In fact, deep down in her heart, she truly felt like she just wanted him to do her.

"See that?" Ashton suddenly rose his body again into a sitting position. Ashley was flustered by his action and her cheeks turned pink instantly due to shyness.

"You don't even say no when I'm trying to touch you. So to answer your question before, yes. I'm sure I wanted us to get married tomorrow," Ashton said and stood up again.

He went to a majestic unicorn painting on the wall and pulled it open like a door. There was a safe in there. He turned the knob a few times and the safe was opened. A green velvet box was taken out from it and then he closed the safe again.

Ashton brought the green velvet box to Ashley and opened it. There was a gold necklace with a large teardrop-shaped emerald stone as its pendant inside the box. He took it out and put it on her palm.

"This is my family heirloom. It belonged to my grandmother before. She gave it to me and told me to give it to my wife someday. Now, it belongs to you," Ashton said to her solemnly. There was a hint of seriousness in his voice.

"No. You should keep it. I can't take this. It belongs to your family," Ashley refused to take it. She put the necklace back into its box. She was afraid to receive such an important item from him.

"You're going to be my wife tomorrow..." He said to her charmingly that her heart instantly skipped a beat. Ashton closed the green velvet box and gave it to her again.

"It's now yours. And the safe there, behind that unicorn painting, the code is 1407. It's my birthday, the fourteenth of July. I keep cash in there so if you need any money, just take from it whenever you want."

She was stunned to hear his words. 'Why is he telling me all these? Aren't all these supposed to be his secret?' Her mind wondered.

Seeing her become speechless, Ashton carefully stroked her hair and gave her a forehead kiss. 'I'm going to learn how to love this woman from now on,' he reminded his heart.

***

That night during dinner, Hana told her husband about what happened to Ashley.

"What? Karl is marrying someone else this weekend?" Instead of concerning about Ashley, Samuel felt much more interested to know about Karl. Maybe because he was a man.

"Yeah. He's going to marry a bitch named Lucia Darcy. Our nemesis during high school until now," Hana replied to her husband.

"That was such a waste. They had been together for five years and then the guy decided to marry someone else. That's just sad..."

"You think... I feel sorry for Ashley. I'm worried that she might regret it just suddenly marrying a random guy to mend her broken heart. I mean, why can't she date that guy first?"

"Who's that guy anyway? That weird guy who decided to marry Ashley after a one night stand?" Samuel chuckled as he thought that story was too ridiculous to be true.

"Ashley said the guy's name was Ashton Grey."

Samuel dropped his spoon to the dining table immediately and gaped at his wife with a shocked expression on his face.

"Ash... Ash what?" He stuttered.

"Ashton Grey. Why? Do you know him?" Hana was confused by his reaction.

"Text Ashley right now and tell her to send his picture to you," Samuel ordered his wife immediately.

He was so baffled by it. Certainly, he knew there might be a lot of other Ashton Grey in that country. But this one that Ashley met owned a villa on a hill by the sea, driving a Lamborghini and had other luxurious cars like Rolls-Royce. That man could also pull a wedding in less than twenty-four hours. In that city, there was only one Ashton Grey who could be that rich. 'It can't be him...' Samuel was really curious to death.

"Why would you need his picture? Just tell me. What is it?" Hana was curious.

"Honey, just do it. Text Ashley now. I need to confirm it first before I tell you," Samuel said eagerly.

Hana languidly took her phone and texted Ashley to send the picture of the man whom she would marry tomorrow. Ashley was confused by the request but since it was Hana who asked, she just fulfil it. She took a selfie with Ashton and send the picture to Hana in less than two minutes.

"There. The man she's going to marry tomorrow," Hana said while showing her phone screen to her husband.

Samuel wore his reading glasses and focused on the picture carefully. His eyes instantly widened in shock and he gasped in disbelief while covering his mouth with his right hand.

"Honey, it was true..." he remarked.

"What was true? Say it clearly!" Hana was slightly annoyed and tapped her husband's shoulder.

"Don't you even know who this guy is? You used his shopping app on your phone to buy all your branded shoes online," Samuel said.

Hana turned her gaze to look at the shoe rack near the front door of their house that was filled with all her beautiful branded and expensive heels. She bought those using an online shopping application called Fashion Atelier.

"You mean to say that this man founded Fashion Atelier?" Hana asked. Her eyes focused on her husband again, waiting for his answer.

"Yup. This Ashton Grey is a fashion tycoon. He owned a fashion company called AG Atelier. It was a fashion and art marketing empire. He was a co-owner of thousands of popular fashion brands ranging from local brands to global brands. He even had his own modelling and marketing agencies for all his products. Many new designers wished to collaborate with him and bring their team into his company because he supports the production and also the marketing of the product. Not to mention helping with the product launching ceremony and selling the products globally through his online shopping app, Fashion Atelier, the one you usually used to buy all your favourite heels," Samuel explained.

Hana turned speechless. She stared at the picture of Ashley with the man. They looked very close that the man was hugging her and kissing her temple while she took the selfie.

'How did Ashley get so lucky to end up with someone like him? This is exhilarating. Karl would be so pissed off,' Hana mumbled internally with a scornful smile appearing on her face. Her mind began to imagine the bitter look that Karl and Lucia would give if Ashley brings this man to their wedding.

"Honey... this man is the top billionaire in the fashion industry in our country. People said that he was the king of the fashion world. And now he was in the process to reach the global market as well. All those advertising screens on the buildings that you saw in the city, most of them belonged to him. When it comes to fashion, he was the one that control the content that reached the media," Samuel added.