Time had stopped. Ashley hadn't expected Andrew to return so soon.
It felt like just a few seconds for her! She hadn't even had enough time to vent all her feelings.
Ashley put on a poker face, lifted her head like nothing had happened and coolly responded, "Nothing."
A delicious smell found its way to Ashley's nose. She traced it to the bowl in Andrew's hand. Her eyes
lit up when she saw what was in his hand.
It was her favorite—congee with minced preserved eggs and pork.
Andrew broke into a smile when he saw her eyeing the food hungrily. "Have some of this. It will hold
you up until I finish cooking," he said.
Ashley nodded and reached out to take the bowl from him. But he didn't let go of the bowl. "Let me help
you," he offered instead.
Ashley thought about it. She didn't want to embarrass herself further by spilling it on the bed, so she
didn't resist.
Andrew was pleased by her good behavior. He looked at her dreamily. His usually cold, unreadable,
emotionless expression was gone.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked.
Ashley looked up from the bowl with her mouth full of food. She looked just like a little hamster.
She looked puzzled. 'Why is he interrupting me when I am famished?' she thought.
Andrew couldn't help but poke her bulging cheeks.
Ashley frowned. She glared at him to show her dissatisfaction.
She chewed faster. After she had swallowed the last bit of food in her mouth, she spoke. "What did you
say?" she asked.
"Are you feeling better?" Andrew repeated. He looked at Ashley like she was his whole world.
She nodded. But Andrew's eyes were still on her. She suddenly realized he was asking if she was
feeling better down there. She blushed and quickly shook her head.
Andrew couldn't hold it any longer. He burst out laughing and said, "I really couldn't tell if you're feeling
better or not. I am going to ask you again. Are you feeling better?"
Ashley looked him with puppy dog eyes. "No. It hurts," she mumbled.
Andrew rubbed her head and pursed his lips. "I promise it won't happen again. I will be very careful
next time."
Their first time had happened under the influence of drugs. Andrew vaguely knew what was going on,
but he blamed his indiscretion on the drugs. It had been a long time since that night. Andrew really
thought he had better control last night. If he had unleashed himself on her, she would barely be able to
stand.
If Ashley found out what was on his mind, she would probably pass out.
Ashley suddenly coughed. Andrew's words had made her choke. Tears were pooling in her eyes. She
shot him a warning look. There was no way she was going to let him do this next time.
Andrew completely understood her, even though she didn't say a single word.
Ignoring her warning, he wiped the food on the corner of her mouth and said, "Slow down. It's all
yours."
He made it sound like she choked because she was eating too fast. This was absolutely untrue.
"Oh my God! I forgot to tell Ellie that I am taking the day off," she said suddenly. She started to look for
her phone on the bed.
Andrew put the spoon in the bowl and held her hand. "Calm down. I already told her," he said.
"Oh, okay. Thank you," replied Ashley. "You are welcome," said Andrew. He picked up the spoon and
went back to feed her the congee. She tried to avoid eye contact with him, and looked around like it
was her first time be in the room.
The bowl of congee was emptied very quickly. Ashley finally focused on him. She asked, "Are you not
going to work today?"
"Hmm. I took the day off to spend time with you," he answered.
It was very sweet of him. Ashley was very happy to hear that.
But she said, "You work is very important. I will be fine. You can go to your office."
Although it was very nice of him to take the day off to keep her company, she didn't really want to be
alone with him.
"It's alright. I can work from home," he assured her. He rubbed her head and continued, "I will leave
you alone. Get some more rest."
Ashley nodded, watching him leave. She finally felt like herself again.
Every part of her body was aching. It felt like she would die.
After lying down for a while, Ashley felt much better. Once again, her stomach gave her the strength to
walk out of the room to go look for some nourishment.
The congee that Andrew fed her didn't hold her for too long.
She made her way to the kitchen, but she didn't see Claire. She wondered where her housekeeper
might be.
Ashley called out her name. Claire didn't hear her, but Andrew did.
He walked out of his study, which was on the second floor. He smiled when he saw Ashley on the first
floor looking for Claire.
"Claire had some family issues to take care of, so I gave her the day off. What do you need?" he
asked.
Ashley felt bad about disturbing Andrew. She really didn't want to be a burden on him.
"Oh, it's nothing important. I just didn't see her, so I was wondering where she might be. Sorry for
bothering you! I am fine. You can get back to your work," she said.
"Okay, let me know if you need me!" he said and walked back to his study.
Ashley took out a bag of chips from her hiding spot. She made herself comfortable on the couch and
turned on the TV.
These chips were precious. They were unhealthy. Andrew didn't want her to eat them, so it was really
hard for her to sneak them into the house.
The chips were yummy, and the show was great. Ashley enjoyed the experience very much, but
somehow another wave of exhaustion hit her. Ashley closed her drowsy eyes and fell asleep.
Andrew didn't hear any noise from Ashley anymore. He walked out and tried to check on her. He saw
that Ashley fell asleep on the couch with a big of opened chips and the TV was on.
He walked over to her and tried to take the bag of chips from her hand. However, she held it tightly and
frowned. 'She won't let her chips go even in her sleep, ' thought Andrew and smiled at her cute
retaliation.
"Let it go. I will give it back to you later," he pleaded gently. He tugged at the bag of chips softly and
finally managed to remove it from her grasp. Andrew took her to bed and gazed at her beautiful face.
He never thought he would find a woman whom he would love to spend every single day with. They
shared every moment together. The first thing he saw every morning when he opened his eyes was her
pretty face.
It was really wonderful. If he could, he would stop the time, so that he could enjoy this moment longer.
"Hmm..." Ashley stretched and opened her eyes slowly. The room looked different. She suddenly sat
up straight.
The last thing she remembered was eating chips on the couch and watching TV. She didn't know how
she ended up in the bedroom.
Ashley had no idea what happened. She wondered if she had a blackout.
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