Chapter 17
Ever since Giselle’s confession had been interrupted by Jake’s return home, he had been tiptoeing around, afraid to run into her again.
He explained, “The first time she confessed, it was a miserable failure because of me. After so many years, another golden opportunity came to her, and I ruined it once again.
“I just wish she wouldn’t strangle me to death–that’s all!”
Ashton found it amusing. “No way, Jake. You’re her little brother. She’d never be mad at you.”
However, Jake wore an unusually serious expression. “Ashton, you have no idea what happened after you rejected her back then. She locked herself in her room for three days.
“My mom and dad, who’d lost contact, actually spoke again because of her. My dad even had to talk her down. She really liked you. After all these years, I’ve never seen her with another guy once…”
He quickly added, “Hey, I’m not trying to pressure you or anything. Whether you want to be with her or not, it’s totally up to you. Even though I’m her brother, I completely respect your choice!
“Of course, if you did end up with her, I’d be pretty thrilled! We’d be family! Who knows, maybe you’ll be my brother–in–law someday…”
With those parting words, Jake gave him a wink, pushed open the door, and slipped out.
Ashton simply smiled with resignation.
Over the past few days, he had completed his onboarding process and joined Jake’s studio. To get up to speed quickly, he had even started staying late after work, going over problems he ran into during the day.
It wasn’t until he finally wrapped up for the day that he realized the sky had already darkened.
Still, Ashton didn’t feel tired. Back when he was working odd jobs, he was basically just grinding away for someone else.
But he had a stake in this studio; his skills were part of the investment. Therefore, putting in extra hours just meant making more money for himself.
He stretched, grabbed his phone, and headed out of the office.
As soon as he arrived at the ground floor, he spotted Giselle standing under a streetlight. The moment she saw him, her eyes lit up.
“Hey, Ashton. Let me give you a ride home.”
Ashton glanced down at the time and realized it was almost 10:00 pm. He was genuinely surprised.
“Have you been waiting for me?”
Giselle’s company wasn’t exactly close, and the journey was half an hour by car.
Besides, it was already 10:00 pm. Ashton didn’t think it was just some random coincidence that she happened to be passing by at this exact time.
Giselle didn’t try to hide anything. She smiled and explained, “Jake told me you hadn’t gone home. It was getting late, and I figured it wouldn’t be easy for you to get back on your own.
“I didn’t have much to do, so I thought I’d swing by and give you a ride.”
Ashton didn’t turn down her offer. Sitting in the car, he felt completely different from last time. He wasn’t stiff or nervous anymore.
In fact, they even made some casual small talk along the way.
Giselle was happy to see the change in him. She had wanted to keep chatting a little longer, but stopped herself when she noticed him stifling a yawn.
“Get some rest,” she said gently. “I’ll wake you when we get to your place.”
Ashton responded with a quiet hum. He had only meant to close his eyes and rest for a bit, but somehow, he ended up falling asleep.
When he slowly awoke, the first thing he saw was Giselle’s eyes, staring right into his. She was so close that he could see his own reflection in her clear gaze.
His heart suddenly began to race uncontrollably.
She lowered her eyes and glanced at his lips before leaning back a little.
Her voice was restrained and husky as she explained, “I saw you were asleep and wanted to undo your seatbelt to make you more comfortable… I didn’t mean to
wake you.”
Ashton looked down and nodded awkwardly. “Yeah… It’s getting late. You should head back. See you tomorrow!”
He fumbled to unbuckle his seatbelt, then quickly pushed open the door and got out of the car.
Back in the car, Giselle watched his retreating figure and couldn’t help but smile slightly.
The evening breeze brushed against Ashton’s face, finally clearing his head.
Frankly, he didn’t dislike her. After everything that had happened, he still felt a bit guilty toward her.
Of course, that wasn’t enough for him to jump into a new relationship.
Instead, he would take things slow and let things happen naturally. With that thought, Ashton felt a little more at ease.
He stepped out of the elevator and looked up, only to see someone crouching right outside his door. In an instant, memories of being abducted by Matilda came flooding back.
His whole body tensed up, every hair standing on end. Without a second thought, he turned, ready to bolt.
However, the very next second, a woman threw herself into his arms forcefully.
Chapter 17
“I finally found you, Ash…”
