Ashley calmly looked at Raymond and spoke indifferently, "Leave? Why should I leave? How do you
know whether I can afford to dine here or not? Besides, it's none of your business." Ashley refused to
accept Raymond's suggestion. Instead, she thought Raymond's words were rude and degrading.
"Ashley, don't be so stubborn. Do as what I said and go back. You really shouldn't have come to this
restaurant. If you really want to have food at this restaurant, I will bring you here next time."
Raymond was hurt by Ashley's words. 'It seems that Ashley still hasn't forgiven me.'
Raymond then tried to persuade Ashley to leave in a soft tone.
Ashley couldn't believe that Raymond would say such things to her in that tone. After all, his fiancee,
Lena, was standing by his side.
Even though Ashley would like nothing more than to see Lena upset, this was not the time nor the
place to create a scene.
Ashley couldn't understand why Raymond was treating her so kindly and tenderly, when they had
broken up a while ago and he was now engaged to Lena.
Just as Raymond was about to hold Ashley's hand, Andrew had quietly approached them. And before
Ashley had time to react, he held her in his arms.
He gave Raymond a cold stare and said in a low threatening voice, "Ash is my girlfriend now. Please,
keep your hands to yourself. By the way, haven't you noticed that you are offending Ash? So, stop
talking to her!"
When they stood side by side, the comparison between Andrew and Raymond was obvious.
Raymond was a tall man, however, he was dwarfed in size when he stood next to Andrew, who was
much taller than him.
And, the temperament of Raymond couldn't be compared to that of Andrew.
If Raymond was seen as a man born into a rich family. Then Andrew could be seen as an aristocrat
from a noble western family. His temperament and behavior showed his majesty, nobility, elegance and
indifference.
If Johnny were here at this moment, he would have been surprised by Andrew's words. He would
definitely wonder whether this man was an impostor, since he had never heard Mr. Lu say so many
words to another.
Everyone was stunned by what Andrew had said.
Lena quickly came to her sense and gloated over the conflict between them. But when she leaned
across to glare at them, she found the man holding Ashley in his arms very handsome. And Lena
immediately became jealous.
'Although this man's family background isn't as good as Raymond's, he is so handsome. Why would he
be in love with Ashley?' thought Lena.
Raymond couldn't believe what he had heard.
He felt devastated when he heard what that man had just said and when he looked at Ashley snug in
that man's embrace, he had a lump in his throat.
He was so heartbroken that he could hardly breathe.
'No!
It can't be true!
How could she be in love with him?' thought Raymond.
Ashley, who was being held in Andrew's arms, was also shocked by his words.
'When did I become his girlfriend? Why don't I know about this? How can he hug me in front of so
many people?'
With that thought in mind, Ashley slightly wriggled and wanted to get free from Andrew's embrace.
Andrew felt her trying to free herself and tightened his embrace. He leaned down and gently whispered
in her ear, "If you want to leave here quickly, then you have to stay in my arms without saying
anything."
Ashley really didn't want to see Raymond and Lena anymore. So, after hearing Andrew's suggestion,
she immediately became quiet and stayed in his arms obediently.
When Raymond saw the tall handsome man whisper in her ear as he hugged her tightly to him, he felt
like he was stabbed through the heart with a dagger. They seemed to be flirting with each other just like
all other intimate couples that were in love.
When Andrew felt Ashley relax in his arms, he felt satisfied. He then turned to look at Raymond and
spoke in a cold voice which was completely different from the tone he spoke to Ashley in. "Excuse me,
Mr. Luo. Ash is hungry. Please, don't get in the way."
Raymond looked up at Andrew and didn't have any intention of stepping aside.
However, when he saw Andrew's deep cold stare, Raymond felt as if he was being strangled by a
powerful hand and he couldn't move his stiff body even if he wanted to.
Before Raymond regained his composure, Andrew had walked past him with his arm around Ashley's
waist.
Since Andrew had a complete background check done on Ashley, he knew everything about her,
including her friends she had since she was a child and everything that happened to her.
When he saw Raymond, he recognized him from the file as Ashley's ex-boyfriend. And he was the only
boyfriend that she ever had.
Andrew knew that Raymond and Ashley had broken up after Raymond fell in love with Ashley's sister
and there wasn't a close relationship between them now. But he was worried that Ashley might still love
Raymond.
Only after hearing Ashley's words and seeing how she behaved in front of Raymond did Andrew feel
relieved. He finally made sure that Ashley just treated Raymond like a stranger.
But it was obvious that Raymond still loved Ashley. Either way, Andrew wouldn't allow him to get close
to Ashley ever again.
…
Andrew kept his arm around her, up until they had entered the private room and then he reluctantly let
her go.
He slowly rubbed his slender hands against each other, as if to absorb Ashley's essence into his skin.
While he held Ashley in his arms, he could smell Ashley's delightful fresh light floral aroma. At that
moment, Andrew felt so happy that he wanted to hold Ashley in his arms forever and never let her go.
He really wanted to embed her into his arms and melt into one with her.
After Andrew had let her go, Ashley pretended to smooth her hair down and straighten her clothes,
however, she couldn't hide her blushing cheeks.
When she heard Andrew say that she was his girlfriend, her heart beat faster. Although she knew that
he was just saying that to help her out of an awkward situation, Ashley still couldn't help but feel shy
about them.
After calming herself down, Ashley began to look around the private room.
It was a large space and was decorated in a simple and comfortable style. The crystal chandelier on
the ceiling was giving off specks of light to every corner of the private room.
The antique tables and chairs were made of superior sandalwood and were hand-carved with various
patterns. They looked a bit complicated, but any combination looked beautiful.
Ashley looked around for a while and sat at a table. Andrew then joined her and sat down next to her.
Andrew quietly looked at the menu in his hand. The suit jacket he had taken off was casually placed
over a chair.
It was a simple action but it was completely different from the way others did it. When Andrew would do
a task as simply as putting his jacket over a chair, he made it look dignified and charming like a true
gentleman.
The warm light fell on Andrew's hard but handsome face, making him look more tender and gentle.
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