A Love Trap

Chapter 22 Nice Job

Ashley was deep in thought.

'I have been standing here ever since I entered the house. No one even had the decency to provide me a place to sit on. Such unfriendly and disrespectful people.'

"Well, you can go back to your apartment.

You and Lena are sisters after all. You should support each other at the office, understand? Stop being mean towards Lena. You are her older sister, and you should be a good example," Spencer lectured in a low, stern voice. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

"I understand," Ashley responded dryly.

'I didn't even do anything. Lena started it. How could he blame me with that condescending tone?' she whined inside.

When she met his repulsive gaze, she felt anger and hurt rush through her veins.

'What do they take me for, an emotionless puppet that they can do whatever they like to me?

Well, who cares anyway. After this Saturday, ties will be severed and I don't have to come back to this annoying house anymore.

And when that time comes, I will never ever come back even if they beg me on their knees to return, ' she furiously thought.

Ashley then walked out of the house to get some air. She suddenly strode towards a tree and gave it an angry kick.

She had no feelings for the Mu family anyway, especially that Peggy, who had always treated her as an enemy. Leaving them would truly be the best decision.

She had always been indifferent to people. After being abandoned by her own birth parents at a young age, she had been a lone wolf.

And besides, the Mu family never once treated her fairly.

The only reason that she kept on following their orders all those years was because they kept mentioning to her that she must return their kindness for taking her into the family.

However, there was one person in the Mu family who had been very nice to her.

It was none other than Peggy's son. Thinking about her kind foster brother brought sadness to her heart.

She suddenly snapped out of her trance and pulled herself together.

Quickening her pace, Ashley left the yard and found that taxi driver was still waiting for her as per her request.

She took a deep breath and composed herself, pushing away all the negative thoughts.

She opened the door and quickly slipped in the back seat. "Sir, let's get going. Just take me out of here," she said to the driver who was playing with his phone.

"Are you sure?" the driver asked, as he turned around and gave Ashley an inquisitive look.

"Of course. Do you really think I live here? I don't belong in this place. I can't afford to live inside," Ashley replied, slightly miffed.

"You little girls are way too naive. Do you have any idea how many bad people are roaming out there in the real world? If you had a fight with your parents, you should go back and apologize to them. They love you so much, so they'll be able to forgive you. Why did you run away from home?" the driver said in a preaching manner.

He was at his late fifties, stout, but he seemed to be amiable.

Perhaps he was reminded of his own daughter which must be around her age, hence he gave her the fatherly advice.

"You're right. I should do that," Ashley nodded absently. Despite of the kind gesture, the driver obviously misunderstood her. Sadly, she was not in the mood to explain her predicament to a stranger. So she remained silent, not caring what he might think of her.

The driver started the engine and drove away.

It was a long drive from the Splendor Gardens to Ashley's apartment. Boredom eventually kicked in as she watched the fleeting scenery through the window.

But the thought of finally getting rid of the Mu family eventually perked her up.

All of a sudden, Ashley's phone rang.

She withdrew her phone from her pocket and saw a QQ message.

Skyline: "I did what you asked me of. Are you satisfied with my work? ? ?" And he added a cute face emoji.

The emoji icon made her burst into laughter.

AAAAshley: "Yes, I am. Nice job. You're the best. Thank you."

Skyline: "That's good to hear, little pretty. I knew that you would be happy with my work. I am a man of word after all. And I will never let you down."

It was followed by another message, "Little pretty, when are you going to treat me to a meal?" ending with a yikes emoji.

AAAAshley: "Let's schedule it this coming Sunday. I will be free by then."

Skyline gingerly replied. "How about we meet this Saturday? I can't wait to see your pretty face." And he added a bashful emoji.

"Haha," was all she could say.

She was sincerely amused at the sight of the emoji icon.

"I'm sorry. I am not available this Saturday. Let's meet this Sunday." Ashley then confirmed with finality.

"Fine then. I won't push you anymore since you are sincere this time." Skyline conceded.

...

Ashley was suddenly curious about her funny friend. 'What does he look like?' she wondered.

The driver suddenly boomed, "Here you are, Missy!" His voice jolted Ashley from her thoughts

"Thank you, sir!" Putting away her cell phone quickly, Ashley took out her purse and paid the driver. She opened the door and got out of the taxi.

Ashley waited for the taxi to disappear before turning around and heading straight towards her apartment.

Ashley and Ellie were very fussy about their living condition and food. But they didn't care much about the clothes they wore. They were rather affable when it came to clothing brands.

Therefore, both of them did their best in finding the perfect accommodations.

The apartment they found was located in the downtown area. Transportation was conveniently near their accommodations. To top it off, the neighborhood provided a high security. It was definitely a safe place for single girls like them.

When Ashley reached the condo, it was past midnight and Ellie was already asleep. The place was pitch dark as she opened the door. The lights had been turned off.

To avoid waking Ellie, she quietly closed the door. She turned on the light in the living room and tiptoed towards the kitchen. After heating some dishes and placing them on the table, she hurriedly sat on the chair. She hungrily devoured her food while skimming through her Weibo account.

The weak light from her cell phone reflected on her fair face, creating a creepy sight.

Ellie had left so much food for Ashley. She thankfully finished them all.

Not long after, only a few leftovers remained on her plate.

Satisfied, Ashley slowly rubbed her full stomach. She stood up from her seat slowly and collected the dishes in an attempt to wash them before going to bed. But suddenly a voice resounded from behind. "You can do the dishes later. It's already very late. Go get some rest."

Caught off guard, Ashley was taken aback.

"Ah!" Ashley screamed. She jumped to her feet and the plates in her hands almost dropped on the ground.

Turning around instantly, she heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of Ellie. She patted her chest and tried to calm herself down. Glowering at her friend, she gasped, "Oh jeez, you scared the hell out of me."

'I know that she is a coward. But I didn't expect her to be so timid, ' Ellie thought, rolling her eyes.

With a resigned expression, she pouted her mouth and responded, "Is that so? I have been standing here for a long time already. But you were so focused on Weibo that you didn't even notice me."

"Well, fine, you're right. Go back to sleep already," Ashley said annoyed at her bestie. She brought all the dishes to the sink before going straight to her bedroom.

After taking a quick shower, Ashley threw herself onto her bed. She caught a glimpse of her phone and saw that it was 2:00 am already. She was so caught up with everything that she even didn't realize how late it was.

Although the events which had unfolded today were beyond her imagination, she was still pleased over all. At least Lena had failed to set her up.

Defeated by Sleepiness, she was fast asleep. But then she suddenly had a dream. In her dream, there was a man whose face she couldn't clearly see. A dangerous aura was emanating from his body. But she couldn't help but get closer towards him.