Coming back from the office, one could see that Ashley's day was nothing to write home about considering the fact that she had a lot of errands to do for her boss.
"Ash, how was your day?" her mom asked with looks of concern on her face.
"He's a beast mom, totally wondered if he has any grudge against me" Ashley answered with deep sighs.
"Who are we talking about here?" Vivian asked, climbing down the staircase.
"Viv you're here?? How long have you been stealing my mom's attention" Ashley asked jokingly.
"Well I don't need to steal it though, I'm lovable" Viv said with a proud look on her face.
"Yeah she is, " Ashley's mum replied in support.
" Now back to the main issue, whose ass am I kicking in your office? " Viv said, facing Ashley with a serious look.
" I'd really appreciate it if you kicked him real good since he's being a jerk to his employees"Ashley replied, sighing more deeply this time.
"I had a lot of things to do today and considering how difficult he is,I doubt that I'd last a month there "
"You can work for me you know, be my personal gist maker " Viv teased her.
"Ash, if it becomes too difficult for you, you know you can quit right?? Her mum said, patting her hair.
"Mom I need to help with the bills, I can't be your liability forever you know??
" Is that why you started working?? Love just quit already alright?? You can never become too difficult to fend for and please do not ever talk about yourself in that manner again. I love you and will always do alright?? Even if you're already in your late twenties". Her mum said hugging her tightly
"Thanks mom but I'd have to keep that juicy offer on a hold ".
"Alright, Alright Let me in on the family hug too " Viv said going towards them
"I love you also Viv" Ashley's mom said, opening her arms to let Viv join in the group hug.
Ashley woke up to her phone ringing, turned to her table clock to check the time before picking up to answer, wondering about the psychopath that'd call someone by 2 o'clock in the morning.
"Miss Benson, book a flight ticket for two to France. Mr Vincenzo has gone back to France without finishing his deal with us due to some important matters he had to attend to. We leave in the morning " a deep voice said over the phone
" Uhmm…. Good morning sir, "Ashley said over the phone before he ended the call abruptly.
Well that's so him though, she wasn't a bit surprised about what he did. She sluggishly got up from her bed, walked to her computer to book the flight ticket for the both of them.
Her phone rang the second time with her already knowing who the caller was.
"Prepare the required documents for the project presentation too, I wouldn't like to encounter any issues during the presentation. And again you have a party dress yeah?? He asked
"Uh yeah I think so" Ashley answered unsure about the particular party he was talking about.
"Mr Vincenzo will be hosting a cocktail party and we are expected to be in attendance. We will be leaving from the office, so come with your luggage" he said and ended the call.
After booking the flights and putting the documents in order, Ashley laid back down while thinking about how her mom would cope without her for a few days.
"Uhmm…. Mom, can you stay alone for a few days?? I have a flight booked already for business purposes". She asked, looking at her mum.
"I'm not a baby ash, I can take care of myself you don't have to worry ".she replied from the kitchen
"Alright, Viv will be here later to keep you company. You guys should have fun, bye mom"she said, walking over to kiss her mom on the cheek.
The stress from the flight and the whole preparation for the project really took a toll on Ashley. She felt a bit relaxed when she got to the suite reserved for them.
"A lil dip in the bathtub wouldn't hurt right??" She murmured to herself.
"I'd just have to take a quick bath and then do the dipping when we are back from the party,"she said, taking off her clothes and entering the bathroom.
Ashley heard a knock immediately she stepped out of the bathroom, wondering who that was she opened her door to meet a package sent by her boss.
It was a form-fitting strapless evening gown with black heels.
A bit confused about the hairstyle that would be suitable for the party, Ashley finally settled with the side-swept hairstyle and to get this absolute diva look, she dried her hair in sections, curled it around a large brush, and created a deep side part. Then, using a curling iron, she curled two-inch sections of hair away from the face. Used her fingers to break up the curls, and then for the final style she hair sprayed it to lock it into place.
For someone who barely took care of her looks, Ashley was really looking dashing this evening.
She applied a little makeup on her face and then completed her looks with a pair of black heels.
She went downstairs and almost tripped when she saw her boss standing close to his car. He was wearing a fitted black suit with a shirt that clung to his body. Ashley wondered why she felt so attracted to this man knowing quite well that she was way above his league.
On Kelvin's side, he was stunned by Ashley's look. The dress she was putting on brought out her shapely figure, the front of the dress was a low cut bodice and the V-shaped back went way down showing her beautiful bare back.
"We are late already, can you quit staring at me??" He said, jolting her back to reality.
"Uhmm…. Ye…..yes sir, uhmm I'm almost down" she replied half running down the stairs.
"You're not a child,quit running or you're going to trip and fall"
"Alright sir " she answered when she got close to where he was.
They entered the limo and drove off to the party.
Arriving at the party, all eyes were on Ashley and Kelvin mostly because this was the first time the CEO of Leo group of companies attended a cocktail party with a lady.
Ashley was uneasy coupled with the fact that she rarely wore heels. Kelvin, seeing how uneasy she was, whispered into her ears.
"It's just a party, you don't have to show how nervous you are". He said
"Can you dance??" He asked
"I think so, I just hope I don't embarrass you " she said with looks of concern on her face.
"Follow my lead then" he said, holding her hand and leading her to the dance floor.
Mr Vincenzo was delighted that after so many years of partnership, he had finally seen Kelvin Boston with a woman.
After the dance, the both of them walked towards Mr Vincenzo to exchange pleasantries.
"Mr Vincenzo, nice party you have going here" kelvin said with a glass of champagne in his hand.
"Who's the pretty lady,Mr Kelvin?" Mr Vincenzo asked while smiling at Ashley.
"Hi, I'm Ashley Benson and I'm….. "
"His girlfriend right??? Mr Vincenzo said cutting Ashley off.
"This deal can only go on if she's really your girlfriend, " Mr Vincenzo continued with a smirk on his face.
"She's my wife sir, " Kelvin said with a serious look on his face.
"Yeah I…. Wait what, uhmm sir …..sir… I'm what?? Ashley stammered
"We've been married for 6 months already," Kelvin continued.
"Sir, I'm not his ..."
"Bravo!!Wow congratulations are in order then but why would you hide your wife for six months though and why have you decided to reveal her now ". Mr Vincenzo asked kelvin
"It's a personal matter sir and I'd like to decline answering this question "
"Well, the both of you should meet me in my office so we can sign the contract and then have dinner at my place. My wife will really be excited to hear this news" Mr Vincenzo said
"Enjoy the party then " he said, leaving them to greet his guests.
"Your mouth has been open for a while now, don't they hurt?? Kelvin asked the surprised Ashley.
"Sir, I remember correctly that I've only worked for you for a month so how are we married??When did we marry??who said you could say something that absurd without my permission. Ashley asked, almost running out of breath.
" The reason why we came to France was not because Mr Vincenzo had important matters to attend to, it was because he wanted to see me with a partner since his wife was equally involved in this project and she felt uneasy handing over to a bachelor. I had to think fast and this was the only solution . Don't worry you're going to be well paid and it's just for a few months". He said not even looking at Ashley for once.
"Do u think every lady that comes into your life is after your money??? Do I look like I give a damn about what Mr Vincenzo thinks about you?. You don't just take decisions concerning someone else alone without the person's permission. I'm not your toy and I'm certainly not interested in your scheme either. Ashley said walking out on him and then wondering where this courage to scream at him came from.