That evening, Ellie was making dinner as Ashley helped her in the kitchen. All of a sudden, they heard
someone ring the bell.
"Ashley, you take this one."
"Got it," Ashley said as she washed her hands.
'I didn't expect we have company, ' she thought, confounded.
Confused as she was, she came out of the kitchen and opened the door.
The moment she caught sight of her visitor, her face darkened with displeasure.
Before she could close the door, Lena put her hands on the knob, her eyes staring at Ashley with
blazing hatred.
The two girls glowered at each other, neither of them uttering a single word.
"Who is it, Ashley?" Ellie called from the kitchen when she didn't hear any voices speaking.
When Ashley turned around, Lena hastily sneaked into the house. "Hello, Ellie," Lena greeted.
Ashley closed the door, and walked to Lena's side. "What are you doing here?" Ashley asked coldly.
She was displeased to see Lena because of what had happened last night.
On top of that, they couldn't stand each other ever since they were only little girls.
"Nothing important," Lena replied leisurely as she stroked her long hair.
"I came here to inform you that I disapprove your resignations. So you'll have to continue to work in the
Luo Group tomorrow. Although you didn't go to work today, I won't cut your salary. You can thank me
later," Lena said calmly.
But deep inside, she was seething with anger.
The sight of Ashley reminded Lena of what had happened between her and Mr. Chen.
In the past, she couldn't wait to kick Ashley out of the Luo Group lest Raymond should keep his eyes
on her.
But now, she had changed her mind. As the old saying went, keep your friends close and your enemies
closer.
After mulling over it again and again, she decided to let Ashley work for the Luo group. That way, she
wouldn't have to worry about her so much.
She swore to herself that, one day, she would ruin Ashley's reputation and make her lose everything.
Upon hearing this, Ashley let out a dismissive laugh.
"Lena, you think too highly of yourself. Do you think we will do anything you ask us of? Oh, I almost
forgot one thing. Did you have fun last night?" She crossed her arms over her chest, gazing at Lena
with a triumphant smile.
Although she hadn't debunked Lena's trick on the spot last night, she knew what she was up to.
'Last night only she and I came to meet the client. She ingratiated herself with Mr. Chen and he flirted
with her. It was obvious that she intended to get me drunk so that she could use me to please Mr.
Chen. When I left, how would Mr. Chen let her go? No doubt they had sex.
I am not a fool. How would I not know her little trick?' she thought in disdain.
"Ashley Mu, you..." Lena stammered, balling her hands tightly into fists, as if trying to stop herself from
ripping Ashley into pieces.
What had happened to her last night was a nightmare to her.
It hurt her a lot. She would never be able to get over it.
When Ellie stepped out of the kitchen, she heard what Lena had said. "We are not going back to the
Luo Group. Besides, our contracts have already expired. So you have no right to ask us to go back to
work," she reasoned with Lena in a determined tone.
"If you don't leave our house, I'll call the security," she added, threatening Lena calmly as she took out
her phone.
Lena frowned. 'My father is the president of the Mu Group. If I was kicked out by security, how am I
going to face other people?' she thought.
With a snort, she snapped acidly, "Ashley, you'll regret your decision one day." She gave Ashley and
Ellie an irritated stare, turned around and stormed out of the house.
When Lena stepped out, Ashley slammed the door immediately.
Bang! A big noise reverberated, making Ashley smirk in satisfaction.
Lena stopped, turned and stared at the door furiously.
At the moment, she didn't look like a graceful, well-bred rich lady as her face twisted with fury.
The dim light shone on her face, which made her look more creepy and unsettling.
...
As soon as Lena left, Ashley's mood lit up. She couldn't stand being under the same roof with that
woman.
She shook her head, sinking deep into her thoughts.
'The Mus have always tried to take advantage of me for their own personal interests. Not once did I
ever fight back. As a result, they think I am afraid of them, and think that they don't need to pay me any
respect.'
She wasn't worried that Lena would go home and snitch on her again. She was certain that Lena
wouldn't let her parents know that she had slept with another man.
The thought that she was going to have nothing to do with the Mu family brought some relief to Ashley.
The longer Ashley lived in the Mu family, the more disappointed she became at them and the more
desperate she became to leave that house.
When she was adopted by Peggy and Spencer, she had always wished that they would treat her the
same way they treated Lena.
However, reality was cruel. They broke her heart again and again. She was just the adopted daughter.
It was inevitable that they would not show her any love and affection. Because of this, she had never
seen them as her family.
Technically speaking, Lena's parents only gave Ashley a new name, a roof over her head, and several
years-worth of schooling.
Upon entering high school, she had to do several part-time jobs to pay for her own tuition fees.
A terrible smell wafted through Ashley's nose, breaking her train of thought.
In an instant, she knew something was wrong. Without another second to waste, she grabbed Ellie's
hand and pulled her to the kitchen.
"Oh no! The food is a total mess, Ellie," Ashley exclaimed, her eyes glued on the food on the pan. As
they entered the kitchen, the putrid smell grew stronger. There was a tower of smoke coming from the
sizzling pan that was sitting on the stove.
Ashley hurriedly turned off the heat, carefully eyeing the burnt food.
Fortunately, the dish didn't taste too bad. They were able to force themselves to finish their food.
After dinner, the two lay down on the couch, browsing through their phones leisurely. Since they had
quit their jobs, they didn't have to get up early the next day.
They had planned to go out and rent a place to open a desert shop.
Ashley and Ellie had dreamt of having their own shop and running it together. But Ashley had dated
Raymond in college and she chose to work in his father's company after she graduated from school. To
avoid getting separated from her best friend, Ellie decided to work in the Luo Group as well. They had
signed a one-year contract with the Luo Group, and now it had been a year since they had gotten
employed.
...
In Golden Palace.
Andrew sat at the desk attentively, doing his office work on his computer. There was a cup of coffee on
the desk, and a thick pile of well-organized papers beside it.
After he was done with his work, he picked up the coffee mug gracefully and took a sip. He placed the
mug back on the desk, smacking his lips lightly.
He then turned his attention to a set of documents- something that was not at all related to his work.
Soon enough, the stern look on his face was replaced with a smile. Carefully, he picked up the
documents and placed them in front of him, reading them intently.
Even when he checked his business files, he had never been as focused as he was now.
He had instructed Johnny to do some investigation, and his assistant had handed the papers to him
promptly. The documents contained Ashley's entire life, even up to the very day she was born.
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