But Ashley stood frozen as soon as she saw the picture.
In the photo, she was leaning over Andrew's shoulder with a shining smile and a subtle hint of shyness.
Ashley felt embarrassed and was rendered speechless when she saw the expression on her face in the
photo. She couldn't believe that it was her in the picture.
Andrew, however, was very satisfied with the way the photo of them had turned out. His expression
could not hide how elated he felt at this moment.
…
Finally, they emerged from the government office with two marriage certificates, one in each of their
hands.
Ashley walked out in a daze holding the certificate in her hand, she was still trying to process the whole
marriage thing. It all happened so fast and she hadn't had time to absorb it all.
'So that's it? Did I just marry this man who is standing next to me right now?'
she thought as she gazed at Andrew.
'Look at this man, 1.87 meters tall, handsome and perfect in every way as if he is blessed by the gods
themselves, and look at those brooding eyes, so deep and full of mystery. It seems like every one
would get lost by just looking into them.
How can a woman not be attracted to this impeccably groomed man, in that tailored black suit which
accentuates his strong masculine body. His whole demeanor is suave, sophisticated and gentlemanly
with a hint of mystery, ' thought Ashley as she admired her newlywed husband.
The thought of all that, helped Ashley easily accept the fact that she was now married to Andrew.
While Ashley was lost in her own thoughts, Andrew took the marriage certificate from her hand.
Ashley snapped out of her daydream and looked up at Andrew with confusion written on her pretty
face.
Andrew gave her a dry smile and put the certificates in his pocket and said, "I'll look after that for you."
Ashley was going to nod her head to agree, however, she had thought of something and changed her
mind. "Could you please let me have it for a while, because..."
Andrew's brows furrowed while he listened to her and he began to feel more and more doubtful about
her intentions.
However, despite his frown, Ashley still continued, "Because I need that certificate for something and I
promise that I will bring it back to you once I'm done."
Andrew didn't answer her, instead he stayed silent and stared at her trying to figure out whether she
was telling him the truth or had some other ulterior motive behind it.
Ashley felt intimidated by his scrutinizing gaze and her heart skipped a beat.
But she was still determined to get that marriage certificate from him, so that she could take back her
jade pendant.
Ashley took a step closer to Andrew and pulled gently on his sleeves. She looked directly into his eyes
with innocence written all over her face and asked in a soft voice, "Andrew please, just let me have it
for today. I will give it back to you tomorrow, I promise. Is that okay?"
Ashley wasn't even aware of how charming she appeared at that moment.
This was the first time for Andrew to see such an attractive side to Ashley. His heart melted when he
saw her beautiful innocent face staring up at him with so much sincerity in her eyes. He felt himself
surrender and agreed to her request. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out one of the
certificates and handed it to her.
Johnny, who was waiting by the car, could clearly see the happiness on his boss's face. He watched
curiously at the obvious gentleness and affection that Andrew showed Ashley. The sometimes cruel
and very demanding man that Johnny was used to seeing in the company was nowhere to be found at
this moment.
If any of the senior office managers could see Andrew now, they could be knocked down by a feather.
They would never believe that before them was the very same Andrew as the one they knew and were
fearful of. They had only ever known Andrew as a cold and cruel man.
"You can leave now!"
Andrew said as he approached the car.
Johnny looked at him with confusion. 'What does he mean by that?' he wondered.
However, it suddenly became very clear to him when he saw Andrew's intense glare with his hand held
out. Johnny handed him the car keys.
'It's obvious that he wants to get rid of me so he can enjoy time alone with Ashley, '
Johnny murmured in his mind.
As expected, Andrew was really a 'dates before mates' kind of guy. He had no problem ditching his
most loyal staff member as soon as Mrs. Right was by his side.
Poor Johnny, scratched his head while he watched as the two love birds got into the car and drove
away.
He was left stranded and standing all alone after being given the cold shoulder.
Ashley glanced at Andrew in surprise and hesitated to ask, "So we just leave Johnny there alone?"
"Yes! Why? Are you worried about him?" Andrew said frowning, as he turned to glance at her.
Ashley was too scared to answer his question honestly. She didn't dare say, yes.
"No, I'm not, I'm just wondering, maybe it's not nice to just leave him there,"
she replied, with hesitation.
"He'll find his way back."
Andrew didn't seem to care too much about Johnny's predicament.
However, neither of them knew that poor Johnny, who was left high and dry there alone, was
desperately trying to call somebody to come and pick him up.
"When do you plan to move to my place?" Andrew suddenly asked.
"What?" Ashley blurted out, full of confusion. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind.
Andrew smiled when he saw the confused look on her face. He reached across and gently caressed
her hair. "A married couple, usually live together, right? Besides, it will be our wedding night tonight."
Andrew's low sexy voice made Ashley blush instantly.
'Living together?
I guess that's what's to be expected. After all, I'm no longer single, I'm a married woman now, ' Ashley
began to think.
But, when she thought of her dear friend Ellie, she realized that she hadn't had time to tell her anything
about the wedding today. She felt that she needed some time to explain everything to her. Ashley
wondered how her friend was going to take it.
She sensed that Andrew was eager for an answer. "I have something that I have to deal with first. I'll
call you when I have finished it,"
Ashley mumbled as she fidgeted nervously with her hands. She knew clearly, what she had requested
was too much to ask of him.
But she did need some time to tell Ellie about everything, it was the right thing to do. After all, they had
been best friends for as long as she could remember and had been living together for many years.
Ashley was so worried that she wouldn't have the opportunity to explain everything to Ellie and she
assumed that Andrew wouldn't allow her that extra time to do it. However, Andrew nodded his head
and agreed. "Okay, call me when you have dealt with everything. But don't make me wait for too long."
Ashley blinked up at him through her long eyelashes. She didn't think that he would allow it and was so
surprised that he had agreed so easily.
When Andrew saw the look on her face, he let out a small chuckle and said, "What? Do I look like a
man who can't be reasoned with?"
Andrew felt completely at ease with his decision to give her the extra time, because he knew everything
about Ashley. He got his people to collect all the information that was available on her when he first met
her. He knew about her good friend, Ellie and that she needed to have some time alone with her.
Ashley shook her head, thinking, 'No, you don't.'
They soon arrived at the front of Ashley's apartment. She was so eager to sort her things out, as soon
as Andrew had stopped the car, she opened the door about to get out. However, Andrew grabbed hold
of her arm before she left.
Ashley turned back and stared at him, wondering what he wanted. Ashley suddenly realized that she
really didn't know this man at all, but he did have an effect on her. She didn't know what he was
thinking or what he wanted.
But the moment when Ashley turned towards him, Andrew unfastened his seat belt and leaned over
and kissed her on the lips. He then gently brushed the hair away from her cheek with his thumb and
said in a soft voice, "Do what you need to do. I'll be here to pick you up tomorrow."
Looking deep into his eyes, Ashley gaped at him in shock. She covered her mouth with her hands and
fumbled to get out of the car quickly.
He watched as she scurried away into her apartment
and smiled unconsciously. He touched his lips with his long fingers and could still feel the warmth from
hers.
At that moment, he was certain that Ashley had feelings for him, otherwise, she wouldn't have fled that
way.
Never!
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