Ashton glanced at the circular watch on his wrist. Realizing it was almost seven in the evening, he prepared to head home. As he walked along the corridor of the company building towards the lobby, he felt occasional pain in the back of his head. He was also somewhat tense. Perhaps it was because he had been in front of his laptop for too long. Moreover, there was a lot of work today that drained his brain and energy."Ashton!"Just as he exited the elevator, he heard a woman calling out. Turning, Ashton spotted Gia, who seemed to be leaving."Yeah?""Are you heading home?"Ashton nodded slightly."Yeah. Want to go together?""No," Gia declined. "I brought my car. Maybe next time. You should hurry home, eat, and rest. You look really exhausted.""Yeah," Ashton nodded again. He confirmed what Gia had just said to him. He had been feeling tired all along. Fortunately, he was going home with a driver today. Not driving himself as usual. "My head also feels really heavy. Plus, there's a l
Alice enjoyed her breakfast this morning peacefully and devoutly. At precisely fifteen minutes past seven, she finished and tidied up the empty plates to the kitchen.Upon returning to the second floor, she found Ashton's room still tightly closed. Usually, at this time, her husband would already be sitting neatly in the dining room. Did Ashton deliberately skip breakfast again? Or could something have happened to him?Standing in front of the bedroom door for a few moments, Alice's reverie was interrupted when she noticed Tina walking with a tray containing a glass of water and tea to be taken to her husband's room. Curious, she immediately approached and threw a question."For Mr. Ashton?"Tina nodded."Yes, Miss. It seems he's sick. Earlier, when he asked for tea, I saw his face was very pale.""Is Mr. Ashton sick?"Tina nodded again."From his appearance, he does seem sick. He looks weak.""Could it be his gastric illness acting up because he skipped dinner yesterday?""It's possi
Pain or being unwell is something Ashton dislikes the most. Ah, surely everyone on this earth, if asked, would not like being sick.To say being sick is one of the things that can absolve sins, still, if there's a choice to be healthy, surely everyone would choose to live healthily.Ashton, accustomed to working, to being active, to doing anything productive and not idling, of course, feels extremely bored and listless in his current state of illness because he can only sit idly in his room.While sitting leaning against the headboard of the bed with a tablet in his hand, Ashton has repeatedly checked his email to ensure whether his assistant has sent him the documents he needs to read or sign.He has also repeatedly checked the time, hoping for the day to pass quickly so that he can return to work as usual tomorrow.Not only that, he has also gone in and out of his room countless times. From just reading books in the study, watching TV in the family room, or briefly sitting in the di
"So, does Mr. Ashton want to eat now or later? If you're hungry, I can prepare it for you."Ashton paused his game for a moment. Then he turned to his house assistant."Later. Let's stick to the usual mealtime. Besides, I'm not hungry yet."Tina nodded and chose to excuse herself to continue her work. Meanwhile, Ashton resumed playing. Until not long after, the doorbell in his house rang. Shortly after, Tina entered again, then conveyed the news of who was visiting his house at this late hour."Sir, excuse me. Mrs. Gia is looking for Mr. Ashton outside."Ashton looked up. His brow furrowed."Gia?""Yes," Tina nodded. "She said she wants to visit Mr. Ashton."Ashton nodded and got up from his seat. He walked slowly, intending to approach Gia who was in the living room. There, he could see his female friend looking neat. Ashton could guess, surely Gia stopped by his house right after work."Gia."The woman in the white blazer immediately turned. She stood up, showing a face full of conc
Ashton murmured in full awareness. He was both amazed and astonished by what he was hearing. He had lost count of how many times he had heard Alice singing so melodiously from behind her bedroom door. Sometimes, he would even sit on the sofa in front of her room, listening carefully, enjoying each line of the song Alice sang. And this time, to hear more clearly, he pressed one ear against Alice's bedroom door.Like someone hypnotized, Ashton wouldn't move an inch until Alice finished singing the Taylor Swift song. When he was sure Alice was done, he would quickly leave to avoid being caught eavesdropping.In truth, Alice was an ideal wife. Ashton had tried hard to deny this, but his heart couldn't lie. He constantly remembered his father's, mother's, and sister's words during a conversation they had."Stop denying it. From any perspective, Alice is visually beautiful. I'm sorry if my words offend you, but personally, I think Alice is more beautiful than the late Miranda. She is easier
Alice laughed, showing she didn't believe Tina's words. Why would the 'Narnia Lion' be mesmerized by her singing? Why would he? Besides, what was so special about her voice? Had Ashton never heard someone sing up close or live before? Didn't Ashton have a good voice himself?"Don't exaggerate, Tina. My voice is just ordinary, far from being good or melodious.""That's your opinion. If he wasn't mesmerized by your voice, why would Mr. Ashton go to the trouble of eavesdropping? And he got caught too."Tina had a point. There must be a reason why Ashton did something so unusual. Imagine, that morning, he pressed his ear against Alice's door. Was he that curious?"But honestly, Mr. Ashton has never done something this random and funny before," Tina added. "He always maintained a cool and dignified image, even when the late Mrs. Miranda was around.""Really?"Tina nodded her head repeatedly. She was serious and not exaggerating in what she was conveying.As she recalled, while serving the
"Happy Birthday, Mr. Ashton."Several staff members were gathered in the lobby of the C&T Corporation building. Everyone, led by Gia, immediately focused all their attention on Ashton.Gia herself was smiling broadly. In her hands was a box of birthday cake specifically prepared to be given to Ashton, who had just stepped out of the elevator.Gia knew very well that today was the birthday of the man she had known for a long time. Gia even intentionally invited the staff to prepare a small surprise and then wished him well right during the break.Of course, this caught the attention of everyone passing by. This included Alice and Rumi, who were also in the lobby, intending to have lunch together."Oh my, Gia. Why did you go to the trouble of bringing a cake?"Ashton shook his head in disbelief. He hadn’t expected such a surprise, especially not in front of so many people."Don't worry, it wasn't any trouble. Besides, I intentionally invited everyone to wish you well, so you have more p
"Alice, why are you staring off into space like that?"After finishing work and on the way home, Rumi wondered why the girl sitting next to him had been so quiet. From her serious expression, it was clear that his sister-in-law was deep in thought.Rumi figured it must still be related to what happened at the office earlier that day. However, he didn’t know exactly what was making Alice so lost in thought."Alice... Alice Ashborne?""Hmmm, y-yes?"Alice snapped out of her thoughts and turned to face him, looking confused."What?""I asked, what are you thinking about? I’ve been trying to talk to you, but you’ve been silent. Are you thinking about Ashton?"Alice shook her head, not fully agreeing with Rumi's question."It's not really about Ashton. It's more about Gia.""Gia?" Rumi repeated. "What's up with Gia? Are you jealous of her?"Alice clicked her tongue loudly, clearly not accepting being accused of being jealous of Gia.Even though Alice was the legal wife and had more right t