Three days agoAdrian returned Monday night to the mansion with plans to see Ashleigh concerning her admission. After their last conversation on Saturday, he'd instructed Mr. Turner to contact Robin College's administration to discuss her admission. The news wasn't bad - the college was holding a stakeholder meeting the next morning, perfect for potential investors like Adrian. He'd arranged a trip immediately, leaving in the dead of night to secure Ashleigh's place.As expected, the school administration welcomed him with open arms. He laid out his plans for investment, with one crucial condition: Ashleigh's admission. The deal was finalized with eager acceptance. Eager to share his success and pick a suitable exam date with Ashleigh, Adrian rushed back home. But upon arrival, he was met with an empty house and the unsettling news that Ashleigh had gone to work and hadn't returned.He wasted no time calling Mrs. Smith, who informed him that Ashleigh was staying with her. While disple
The journey to Town Q had been uneventful, the real challenge lay in finding Ashleigh's exact location within its vast expanse. For hours, Mr. Turner and his team had tirelessly scoured the town, their efforts hampered by the knowledge that Ashleigh was likely hidden somewhere within the surrounding forest. The prospect of them aimlessly searching the entire town gnawed at Adrian.He reached the outskirts of Town Q and pulled over, dialling Mr. Turner's number in the car behind him. "Any progress?" he demanded, frustration lacing his voice. Mr. Turner's report mirrored the lack of progress that had plagued them for hours.Just as despair threatened to consume Adrian, his phone rang. His eyes narrowed as he saw Ashleigh's name flash on the screen. "Work fast," he barked to Mr. Turner, instructing him to trace the call, before answering."Hello," he said, his voice cool and controlled. Yet, his carefully constructed facade crumbled upon hearing Ashleigh's voice. It was a drunken giggle,
Bleary-eyed and throbbing with pain, Ashleigh finally cracked open her eyelids. The day was already bright, the morning long gone. Lifting a hand to her head proved a monumental task, met with a fresh wave of nausea. A groan escaped her lips as she attempted to sit up, but the sound was cut short by the approaching footsteps."Footsteps?" she thought, bewildered. Room service wouldn't enter a locked room, so who could it be? Her questions were answered abruptly by a familiar voice."Mrs. Ashleigh, you're awake! Chef Larry whipped up a special concoction for hangovers," chirped Susan, causing Ashleigh to snap her eyes open in a jolt, disregarding the spike of pain that accompanied the movement.Panic washed over her as she took in her surroundings. She was back in the mansion, specifically her room. Her mind reeled. Noticing the shock etched on Susan's face, she squinted and croaked,"I… I was brought back?""Yes, the boss brought you home early this morning. He instructed that you sho
Surprise contorted Ashleigh's features. This wasn't how she envisioned her return."Where are they?" she pressed, urgency lacing her voice. Her colleagues pointed towards Mrs. Smith's office before dispersing back to their duties.A frantic rush of movement carried Ashleigh through the door, where she found Mrs. Smith mid-conversation on the phone. James and Fiona stood before her, fear etched on their faces. Relief flickered in their eyes upon seeing her. Ashleigh rushed towards them, engulfing them both in a tight hug."Ashleigh! We were worried sick!" Fiona exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "You disappeared the next morning, no message, no call, nothing!"Remembering the abruptness of her departure, Ashleigh could only manage a weak smile."My apologies, Fiona. My leaving was… hasty. An emergency came up, and I had to rush out."James, unconvinced, raised an eyebrow. "At midnight? What kind of emergency couldn't wait until morning? Besides, you were hammered and went straight to sleep
“Hey dream girl! your break is over. Time to get back to work" a loud voice sounded through the small break room, waking the lady who slept on the couch up. She groaned as she realized that her little sleep session had come to an end, and the next time she will be sleeping in is at home late at night. Standing up, she rushed to wipe the beads of sweat on her forehead and pulled out a comb from her bag on the couch. She then proceeded to remove the sanitary hair net and re-comb her hair.Pulling her hair into a firm bun, she reached for a box containing new hair nets and wore one. She walked up to the mirror and looked over her light green uniform, ensuring she was not out of place, she walked out to meet the owner of the voice who called her. She walked to the middle-aged woman who sat at the desk; the woman had a firm face that looked like she won’t tolerate nonsense. “Miss Ashleigh Hartman, once again you have overslept” the woman said, giving her a judging look. Ashleigh ran up t
Tyra immediately dropped the bat. Her minions who were also recording, turned to see a bunch of men and women staring at them. The man in the middle walked up to where they stood, each step echoed loudly in the room. They felt the coldness exude off him as he neared them and instinctively stepped back. He slightly hovered over them. His frame seemed to be so well built it almost popped through the suit and his proportions were amazing. His handsome face has the coldest look currently as he stared at Tyra and her friends. However, that was the least of Tyra’s worries at the moment. “Who the hell is this man" she drooled in her mind, lusting after him. As she drooled over him in her mind, she also feared for her life, she watched as he walked up to where Ashleigh was tied and untied her hands, and how Ashleigh fell into his embrace. “This opportunistic skunk ” she mocked, as she looked at the both of them. Ashleigh on the other hand, let out a huge sigh of relief as she held onto t
Adrian Cagliari stood at the top of the food chain of technology industries at 27 years old. He was one who had a keen eye for good innovations, he separated himself from the family business and built his dream company Tixton from the ground up. Tixton is now one of Cagliari's major successful businesses, and he became a force in the making. Building and maintaining his family's legacy requires a firm hand, so he was rather firm and disciplined, overseeing all matters both in Italy and America, as well as other branches in the world. He was domineering, assertive and principled, ensuring everyone was at the edge of their seats when working with him. It was like a curse and a reward. As he discussed with the investors, his secretary and his personal assistant was outside mentally preparing himself to interrupt the meeting. Turner then walked into the spacious office with a phone in his hands. Pausing the call, he raised his eyes to his secretary who felt a chill run down his spine. "
"Adrian, if it is okay I would like to have dinner with you sometime next week. Your mom told me you're around for the week" she proposed, looking at him with a hint of eagerness in her eyes. "Yes Adrian, I feel you guys should have lunch and catch up with each other. It's been a while" Caelia's mother spoke up, looking to Eleanor for support. Adrian looked at his mother who made a gesture to agree and then looked at his uncle who had a neutral stance. "I apologize Caelia, I will not be able to join you for lunch. I have a lot of matters to settle here during the week" Caelia's face reddened in embarrassment and she bit her lips. "I will ask my secretary to arrange for an appointment for you, just tell him where you want to go" he added, signalling to his secretary who came forward. Caelia was about refusing but he gave no room for rebuttal, he stood up to leave. Eleanor placed her hand on her back encouraging her and she nodded obediently. "I will discuss with him later" she whis