Hello, Mr Stone

"Ashley, you left in a hurry just now. I didn't have the chance to give this to you!" Maria handed an exquisitely-packaged box to her.

 "Our company has prepared this gift for every model who is attending this party. You can give it to any of the judges to express your gratitude and leave them a good impression of both you and our company"

Ashley took the box with a graceful smile.

"Thank you, Maria. I'll go ahead, then"

Looking at Ashley's receding figure, Maria let out a sigh of relief.

She had no choice but to follow Lucia's orders, because she was the boss and anyone that wants to survive in this industry must do according to her bidding. 

She felt pity for Ashley since she had both the looks and the talent needed to become a successful model, so it would not be difficult for her to get selected.

But it stills baffles Maria how Ashley offended Lucia that the latter wants to cut off her wings before she can even fly. 

“There is nothing I can do for her my hands are crossed. I hope she survives after this ordeal in this industry” Maria signed looking at the back view of Ashley.

Maria had no choice but to nip her chance in the bud. The box that she had given Ashley just now actually, contained a condom.

This was the annual fashion show of Orisa, a luxury lingerie brand. The show would be broadcast all over the world, so the selection of models was extremely strict.

All the judges of this show would be professional and ethical. They would only choose the best models without any favoritism.

Therefore, when one of them received the special gift from Ashley, they would exclude her from the list at once. She would not even get the chance to take the initial test.

Because they would see her as a loose and shameless woman trying to climb her way up through underhanded means, through her body.

And in this way, she would be banned forever from the entertainment industry. Her case would be an example to the upcoming ones, and her story would be on the headlines as soon as the day breaks.

As Ashley walked away with the gift, something strange occurred to her. If this was a gift from the company, why didn't each of the judges have one? Or why is that she was the only model with a gift from her company? Why is it that she is the only one who could give one of them the gift? Wouldn't she offend the other judges who didn't receive any gifts?

Who on earth could she give this gift to? It was really tricky situation! She was in a dilemma!

She didn't know what kind of person Maria was yet, so she thought that it was best to be careful, because she was having mixed thoughts and also, she can't easily trust someone she is meeting for the first time.

However, on the other hand, if she didn't give this gift to anyone, it would be akin to offending Maria, who was supposed to be her agent for the next year; and today is their first day of working together.

It was not worth it. Ashley was lost in thought

While Ashley was contemplating about how to deal with the gift, a familiar face swam into light, and a glimmer of joy immediately flickered in her eyes.

The tall and strong man was wearing a well-tailored suit. From his side profile, she could see his sharp and enchanting facial features. 

It was Levi Stone, the man who had married her in a hurry five years ago!

She had never expected that she would run into him so easily by chance.

If she had known that he would be present at this party, she would not have chased after his car in the afternoon.

But how was he able to attend such a party? Because it is a party organized to choose the next models to work with Orisa and also for wealthy men to come together and interact and also to choose a model that interests them to flirt and spend the night with or be with them after the night as their sugar daddy. 

Ashley realized that it was common and also for drivers to attend such parties with their wealthy employers.

The Stone Group was one of the most famous and powerful groups in Carrivile, so it was no surprise that Steve, the young master of the Stone family, had been invited to this party.

And if he was attending this party, then it was not strange for Levi, his driver, to be at the party as well.

Perhaps because of his identity, Levi just stood in the corner alone, with a glass of wine in his hand. He didn't socialize with anyone, nor did anyone approach him to talk to him.

So, she looked around to see if his boss is around before approaching but to her surprise she can't find anyone around him. When she can’t seem to find Steven Stone, she then resolved in her heart that Levi is representing his boss.

Ashley borrowed a pen from a waiter and wrote her name, phone number and tag number on the gift box. On registration all the models were given a tag number for easy identification while walking in the runway and also for the judges to easily grade them.

Then, she sashayed towards Levi. When she arrived, Levi just sat down.

"Hello, Mr. Stone" Ashley stood in front of Levi. A polite smile was plastered on her face.

Levi raised his head to look at her. Even though he was sitting down, he still looked cold, confident and domineering like the way she saw him few years back. She felt that his temperament must have become this way after working in the Stone's Group for so many years.

As she looking at his face, Alex's face flashed at her. At a glance it was as if she was seeing her son's face.