If, on normal days, Ashton is the one who usually has breakfast and leaves for work first, it was different this morning. From the moment he entered the dining room until he finished his breakfast at exactly 7:30, Ashton did not see Alice at all.From time to time, Ashton glanced towards the entrance. He kept checking if Alice had arrived or not.Actually, Ashton deliberately took his time eating. He had a reason for looking for and waiting for his wife. After receiving a gift last night, he was eager to see Alice this morning. Yes, because he was in a good mood, he wanted to thank her for what she had prepared and given him the night before."Mr. Ashton, you must be looking for Ms. Alice, right?"Tina, who had come in to clear the dishes, teased. Observing her boss's actions, she was sure that Ashton was waiting for and looking for his wife."No, I'm not," Ashton replied, sounding a bit proud. Deep down, he thought that if he acted unusually, he wouldn't be questioned or bothered. Th
Alice sighed deeply. It was only her first day working under Ashton's supervision. Just a few minutes after Rumi left, her husband and boss at the office gave her so much work.First, she was asked to correct a stack of sketches of several buildings. Then she had to create sample reports to be submitted to the developers. Ashton seemed to intentionally give her a lot of tasks."I've done all the reports, sir. You just need to check and evaluate the rest."Alice handed over several documents and placed them on Ashton's desk. Then she waited, observing her husband who was now starting to check each report she had completed."You're supposed to be smart. Even for something simple like this, you make mistakes."Ashton sighed, then pointed his finger, deliberately pointing to a part of the document that he thought wasn't right."Where's the calculation here? You're good at math, aren't you?"Alice sighed deeply, leaning forward to see where Ashton's finger was pointing. After a while, her
"Swear by whatever, Ashton couldn't even find words anymore to express what actually happened to him. Whether this falls into the category of disaster or unimaginable luck. With the intention to help, it ended up as a surprise.Never before had it crossed Ashton's mind when he was about to catch Alice who was falling, that his body would get pulled in, ending up awkwardly on top of her, accidentally kissing her right on the lips.All this time, Ashton had been painstakingly maintaining a distance. He was extremely careful not to touch Alice. But when God wills and intervenes, what can he do?Of course, Ashton could only stay silent, occasionally feeling what Alice's lips offered to him.Oh God.Ashton was sure he must be crazy!Ashton realized, as their eyes met, his dignity must have plummeted, even perhaps parachuted.But if one wanted to bother thinking, this event was unintentional.Yes.Ashton believed this was just an unavoidable accident. Besides, it's partly Alice's fault, why
"Where have you been?"Alice sighed deeply. She had just arrived home and hadn't even had a chance to enter her room when she saw Ashton blocking her way. Her husband was sitting on the sofa right in front of the room, as if he had been waiting for her return."It's already eight o'clock, Alice." Ashton glanced at the digital clock on the wall in front of him. He lifted his chin, signaling Alice to look at it too. "You left for lunch and only come back now?""Did you forget? You're the one who asked me to accompany Mom for lunch. Who knew she would have all these shopping plans."Alice defended herself while taking repeated deep breaths. It wasn't her fault that she couldn't return to the office immediately after lunch and carry out her duties as an assistant.After accompanying Hana for lunch, instead of being taken back, her mother-in-law took her around to shop for various things. As a result, Alice was only taken home after everything was done."You can remind Mom that you have wo
Alice rushed into the room, closing the door behind her. Intending to sit at her desk, she found Ashton deeply engrossed in something, looking serious.Yet, it was only half-past seven in the morning. There was still thirty minutes left to relax before starting work. Alice wondered why her husband had left so early today. And she was sure Ashton had skipped breakfast again, just like he had done a few times before. Typical!"You're so focused on making money that you forget to eat. But money isn't everything," Alice muttered while straightening things on her desk. Taking out a food box from her bag, she prepared to have her breakfast.Because she had a presentation scheduled with one of the project supervisors this morning, Alice deliberately chose to have her breakfast in the room. She thought it better to leave for work earlier than usual to avoid being late due to traffic."What were you saying, Alice?"Ashton interjected while still engrossed in his laptop work. Alice was sure his
Ashton appeared silently transfixed in his bedroom. Sitting back on the sofa, one hand busy stroking his chin adorned with tiny hairs. For some reason, ever since he left work until he arrived home, Ashton's mind was preoccupied. Dimas' words during their introduction at the office earlier in the day had stirred his thoughts.Dimas wasn't a stranger to Ashton and Gia. The three of them had gone through college together. Then, Ashton and Gia had to part ways with Dimas as he received a scholarship to pursue his master's degree in Japan.After a long time, Ashton, who was currently looking to hire a replacement manager, received news that one of the applicants was Dimas. Because they were acquainted and aware of Dimas' skills, Ashton and Gia agreed to choose him to join Quadra C&T Corporation."So, you really know Alice?" Gia still seemed curious as she escorted Dimas to his new office. Without beating around the bush, she repeated the same question to her old friend."Seriously," Dimas
On the way to the restaurant, Ashton and Alice were silent, each enjoying the quiet.Alice remained silent because she was still upset with Ashton’s annoying behavior and drama earlier at home. Ashton, on the other hand, wanted to talk but was unsure how to start."Alice," Ashton called softly. Given their close proximity, Alice heard him clearly."Yes?" Alice responded without taking her eyes off the road ahead."Quoting what Dimas said at the office earlier, do you really have a serious relationship with him?"Alice turned to look at him, narrowing her eyes with a mocking grin."Are you curious or very curious?""I’m serious, Alice.""I’m serious too," Alice shot back, unwilling to let their conversation ruin her mood any further. "Besides, whether I have a relationship with Dimas or not, isn't that a private matter? You were the one who insisted from the beginning that we shouldn’t interfere in each other’s personal affairs."Ashton, who was driving, nodded. He acknowledged that it
"Ashton, you jerk!"Alice had lost count of how many times she had cursed. The frustration from last night’s events still hadn’t subsided.Imagine this: to hide her marriage to Ashton, Alice had agreed to hide in the restaurant’s bathroom at his request. She did this so her presence wouldn’t be noticed by Gia, who had unexpectedly shown up like an unwelcome ghost, immediately spotting Ashton and approaching him.Alice thought she wouldn’t have to hide for long. She naively believed that her husband would quickly handle the situation and then take her home. However, instead of being called, phoned, or informed to come out, Ashton didn’t give any indication of what Alice had hoped for. After waiting for nearly thirty minutes, she finally decided to boldly leave the restroom.And what a surprise awaited Alice. Instead of finding Ashton, she found a note he had left with a waitress for her to read."Alice, I went home first. Gia insisted on getting a ride home, and I couldn’t refuse. So,