Being held by Andrew was a different feeling for Ashley. She was enveloped in his warm breath and
her heart was racing. Uneasy about these feelings arising within her, she struggled against him and
tried to disentangle herself from his embrace. But she was too weak to push away this big, strong man.
Andrew, on the other hand, was lost in his thoughts. When she tried to break free from his strong grip,
he tightened the hug instinctively. If it had been possible, he would have glued her to his body, as he
was so desperate to be with her every second of the day.
When he came to his senses, he said in a hoarse voice, "Don't move. I want to hug you." She didn't
know what happened to him but his voice told her that he was exhausted.
She felt sorry for him. 'If my hug helps you to relax, I don't mind you hugging me, ' thought a generous
Ashley.
One minute passed, then another. After a long time, when she was almost sleepy, he finally loosened
his grip and let her go.
As soon as the cool wind hit her, she snapped out of the daze.
Although he let her go, his hand remained on her shoulder. He was staring at her affectionately.
His unflinching gaze made her nervous and her heart raced uncontrollably. She looked away to avoid
making eye contact with him.
"What … what's the matter?" she stuttered.
He shook his head in reply.
Looking at his hand on her shoulder, she said, "Could you take your hand off?"
She felt awkward talking to him while his hand was on her shoulder.
"Did you miss me?" He asked, choosing to answer her question with another question. His eyes told
her that he was looking for a positive answer.
She didn't notice his expression but his ears were so red that they looked like they might bleed if you
twisted them. His fists were clenched and he stared unblinkingly at her.
"Huh?" Ashley looked up at Andrew with a confused look.
'Miss him?
Why would I miss him? We are not even friends, ' she thought.
Judging by her expression, he knew what her answer was. His face darkened and there was sadness
written in his eyes at this disappointing answer.
But she hadn't figured out what was going on. She even mistakenly thought he was angry. 'What's
wrong with him? He called me to come down and hugged me. Now he is angry because I didn't answer
his weird question. We are not friends, let alone lovers. Why does he want me to miss him?' thought
her.
When she glanced at him again, she noticed the sadness in his eyes.
'How could it be possible?'
She blinked in astonishment. It was hard to believe that he would be so deeply affected by her
response. After all, he was the president of a prestigious company.
When her eyes fell on the dark circles under his eyes, she was shocked. His face looked weary — but
not enough to take away the charm of his handsome face. 'We just met a few days ago. Why does he
look so tired?'
Pondering this, she asked him directly, "What were you busy doing? You look tired."
She couldn't see him clearly in the dim streetlight. He had been standing in the dark, but when they
separated, he happened to stand under the light. Her words made him realise that.
He didn't look at himself in the mirror, but he knew he must look terrible. He had been working for two
days and two nights without getting any sleep.
A voice inside him told him to retreat to the darkness. However, her worried face made him change his
mind. "I was gone on a business trip. Just came back today."
"So you came here as soon as you stepped off the plane?" she asked in surprise.
'I hope it is not true, ' she prayed silently.
But her appeal was in vain.
He nodded and looked deep into her eyes.
She looked at him. His eyes were like whirlpools that sucked out her soul and laid it bare before him.
So strong was the pull of his magnetic eyes that it took her a while to regain control of herself.
She looked away and stammered, "Oh, well, why are you … why are you here then? You'd better go
home for a rest."
When she finished speaking, she thought, 'Why did I stammer?
I was not moved. There was no need to be shy. How shameful!'
She lowered her head to hide her blushing face.
Her reaction pleased him. He knew she felt shy.
He could see her clearly in the streetlight. She had casually thrown a coat over her flowy, white
nightgown, which skimmed her knees and showed off her slender legs.
Maybe she was in bed when he called. Her hair was messy. She didn't look energetic like she usually
did in the day. Instead, she looked sleepy like an elegant cat enjoying a leisurely life.
Her head was still lowered and her cheeks were red. Her long, thick eyelashes fanned out on her
cheeks. Her lips seemed to be coated in honey. He wanted to kiss her.
She had no idea how attractive she was and he was on the edge of losing control.
"Because I wanted to see you." These last few days his heart had felt empty but when he saw her, he
felt a contentment like never before.
Although, he didn't complete the rest of his sentence, she could feel his affection and knew what he
was about to say.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
He sighed, hugged her, and kissed her hard before she knew what he was doing.
Her lips were soft and sweet. Kissing her was an amazing experience.
He wanted to continue, but he stopped himself because he didn't want to scare her.
Instead, he leaned close to her ears, his hot breath caressing her, and whispered, "Are you clear now?
I am chasing you," he declared.
If he had not been chasing her, why would he bother driving her home that day? Why would he invite
her to dinner? Why would he care about everything related to her?
When he saw her talking to her ex-boyfriend, he was jealous and angry. When he happened to see her
having a blind date, he was mad.
He was the president of the Lu Group. His time was precious. Yet, he wanted to fit two days into 24
hours so that he could finish his work to be with her.
Hearing his words, she backed away from him, with one hand covering her mouth and the other
pointed at him. It was too dark to judge her expression now. Was she surprised? Or she was frightened
by his rude behavior?
'He kissed me!
Wow, he actually kissed me!
I can't believe it!
And what did he say?
That he was chasing me?
Chasing me? Could it be true?'
She couldn't believe what had happened. Her mind went blank, as she tried to figure out his intentions.
She was in a complete mess. It was impossible for her to deal with the situation rationally.
Suddenly she remembered that Peggy had said she would return her jade pendant on the condition
that she got married within a week.
Ashley looked up at the handsome man before her and asked, "Will you marry me?" The words were
out of her mouth before she could realize what she said. She admitted to herself that it was better to
marry him rather than a complete stranger.
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