'Is it because of that little girl?'
The thought of Dany's charming character brought a huge smile to Ashley's face.
After spending time with Fabio and Richard and playing with them for a while, Ashley then went back to
her own bedroom.
Before she even got a foot in the room, her phone beeped indicating that she had received a message.
A Wechat message popped up on her screen.
Ashley reluctantly clicked on the message as she didn't want any distractions. It turned out to be from
Lesley.
The message was an invitation for Ashley to attend Lesley's wedding.
It was a date reminder for Ashley not to forget the upcoming event.
As soon as Ashley saw the wedding date her raised eyebrows almost disappeared through her hairline.
'September ninth? In Chinese culture, number nine means "long and enduring."
So, does the choice in such a significant date mean that she wants to be with that man forever?' Ashley
wondered.
Ashley was always confused by Lesley's sudden change in character. She had changed so much in the
past five years, she was almost unrecognizable.
Ashley still remembered how hostile Lesley had been to her, especially the first time she appeared in
public together with Andrew.
Even if Lesley's change in character could be attributed to the fact that she had found the one she
loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with that man. Ashley knew that Lesley was still in love
with someone else. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt that something was not right.
Especially, because Lesley's attitude towards her had drastically changed and seemed a little strange.
No matter her misgivings, Lesley was well-known and famous in J City. In Ashley's opinion, her status
in society had made her very arrogant and ill-tempered towards people she considered beneath her.
Ashley could clearly remember as if it was only yesterday. When she first saw Lesley five years ago,
Lesley was arrogant and seriously despised Ashley.
Ashley was therefore perturbed and couldn't figure out why Lesley why changed so much in such a
short period of time. It just didn't make sense since nothing out of the ordinary had happened to
drastically change their relationship.
In fact, Ashley started noticing some changes when Lesley came to Andrew's office. When she talked
to Ashley she was a bit too kind which made Ashley feel strange because it was very uncharacteristic
of Lesley.
Ashley had always learnt one thing in life, 'No matter how people change, their character is innate and
cannot easily transform. But why was Lesley being so kind to her now, when she had made it very clear
that Ashley was beneath her?
'Is there a set-up in there somewhere that I haven't figured yet?' Ashley contemplated.
After experiencing so many ups and downs, Ashley had developed trust issues. It had become difficult
for her to trust people. But then, she also knew her own weaknesses and therefore tried not to judge
people too quickly without giving them the benefit of the doubt.
After all, Ashley had gone through a lot in life while she was growing up, so she naturally picked up a
few life lessons.
She wasn't one to use malicious means to get information or find out what others were up to, but that
didn't mean that she would just sit and do nothing. She needed to be informed so that she wasn't
caught off guard or framed.
"Okay, thanks,"
Ashley replied to the message after preparing and getting into bed.
Then she thought of confirming the dates for good measure and got out of the bed, retrieving the
invitation card that Lesley had given her a few weeks earlier.
The invitation card Lesley gave her indicated that the wedding was supposed to be held the next
month, but she didn't know what happened and the wedding date was suddenly rescheduled due to
unknown reasons.
Lesley had informed Ashley about the first date and then postponed the wedding to September ninth
without any explanation.
Fortunately, the invitation card was very attractive and Ashley had kept it more for its aesthetic value
than the information it conveyed and so she got it where she had carefully stored it.
She clicked on the calendar on her phone to check the day that September 9th fell on.
If it was the weekend, then it would be the perfect opportunity to also take Fabio and Richard so that
she wouldn't feel guilty about not spending time with them.
The wedding date was going to be on a Sunday.
Ashley put the invitation card on the bedside table so that it was on full view and therefore she wouldn't
forget to carry it on the wedding day. Then she unlocked her phone and checked her Wechat
messages one more time.
It was a good thing that Lesley hadn't replied to her message.
Ashley frowned while looking at her messages. She felt that there was really nothing that would make
her and Lesley have a conversation, they had nothing in common.
Although she had given Lesley her number when she asked for it, Ashley had no idea what Lesley was
planning but she had a strange feeling about it.
Ashley kicked her feet in frustration then covered her head with the quilt because she just kept getting
annoyed the more she thought about Lesley.
'Whatever, ' she thought. She was too lazy and exhausted to keep thinking of such stressful issues.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Cayn had arrived home with Dany.
As soon as they arrived, Zed sensibly exited the house.
The villa was huge but it had many servants constantly moving around so it didn't feel deserted and
empty despite having no one but Cayn and Dany living there.
Although there were many servants at his disposal, Cayn still preferred to handle a few things himself.
Looking at the busy servants, Dany couldn't help but think of Ashley. Although Ashley didn't have so
many servants, the atmosphere in her house was very welcoming.
Cayn held Dany in his arms, and was about to take her upstairs when he noticed that she seemed
pensive and preoccupied which was strange for a child her age. "What's going on? Baby, you have
been absent-minded since we left that other house. Did something happen or did someone bully you?"
Cayn frowned while trying to find out what was wrong.
He was very protective of the baby that he was holding in his arms and couldn't fathom the idea of ever
hurting her. He was pretty upset to think that anyone would dare bully her, he was prepared to tear
them into pieces.
Dany rested her head on Cayn's shoulder and said, "No."
"Then what's wrong? Don't you know that you look like a greying, weak, withered, dried leaf?" he
asked.
"I don't know." said Dany while pouting.
Cayn carried Dany upstairs, washed her hair then wrapped it in a dry towel and dropped her on the
bed. He then dressed her in her favorite pajamas and tucked her in.
"Baby, wait for daddy here. Daddy is going to take a shower then come back to you, okay?"
"Okay,"
Dany said and rolled over trying to find a more comfortable position in bed.
Then she paused and wrinkled her forehead in deep thought.
The two of them had been sleeping in the same bed for five years.
Dany was always obedient and did whatever she was told because she didn't want to be a burden or a
source of headache for Cayn.
She was aware that in the beginning, Cayn actually disliked her.
He had never thought, that she would turn out to be the most important person in his life. She was the
apple of his eye.
Dany blinked and thought of Ashley, who had the same fragrant smell which reminded her of her
mother. Dany wistfully thought of how much she missed sleeping with her mother.
Dany smellled the bed. It had her scent and Cayn's. It wasn't a bad smell, although she couldn't place
her feelings on the smell but all she really wanted was to experience her mother's scent one more time.
Anyway, their bed did not smell as good as her mother's scent which reminded her of Ashley.
She liked Ashley's fragrance because it was sweet and soft.
Cayn took a quick shower, and was soon out of the bathroom. Meanwhile, Dany was still lost in her
fantasy world.
Cayn got into the bed beside Dany and pulled her closer to him as he held her in his arms. He playfully
scratched Dany's nose and asked, "Baby, what are you thinking about so deeply?"
Dany looked at the handsome Cayn while still distracted since she was still thinking about Ashley.
"Well.
Daddy, I want to find you a wife and a mother for myself. What do you think?"
"I don't think that idea is a good one."
Cayn's tone was not pleasant. He didn't seem amused by her proposal.
"Why not? Don't you want a wife?" the little girl asked.
"I've got you, my baby, I am not lonely anymore, so I don't think I need a wife," he replied.
Dany's little face crumpled in disappointment, "But a wife and daughter play different roles!" She
exclaimed.
"Well, I do agree that they are different."
"Then does that mean that you don't need a wife?" the little girl persisted.
"No, I don't want a wife right now." he said.
"But I want a mommy," the girl said in a low voice sounding dejected.
Cayn frowned in surprise and asked, "Why do you suddenly want a mommy so desperately? Don't you
think that the two of us are enough? Do you feel that our family is incomplete? We have been fine, just
the two of us. If we add another person, there will be three of us. Do you want to share my love with
someone else?" Cayn asked.
Dany replied, "All I want is a mommy.
All the other children have mommies, but I don't."
Cayn squinted his eyes and asked in a cold tone, "Who has been saying those words to you?"
Dany knew that Cayn had a quick tempter so she replied carefully, "No one said anything. I saw
everything with my own eyes. Many of my classmates have both parents to pick them up, but I only
have my father."
"So are you implying that a father's love is not enough for you?"
Dany lowered her head as soon as she heard those words. She thought for a few seconds then said,
"Although Daddy loves me very much, I still want a mom."
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda