Ashley's face was clouded with worry. Andrew tried to say something to comfort her, but he was in too
much pain to be able to speak. He couldn't help but curl up into a ball due to the unbearable pain.
With great difficulty, he pointed to a little box placed next to the car window.
Thankfully they had already reached the villa and he could finally rest.
"Is there medicine inside the box?" Ashley asked as she hurried to open the box. She found a small
bottle and quickly scanned the note on it to ensure it was safe. She removed two pills from the bottle,
grabbed some water, and went closer to Andrew to help him take the medicine.
Andrew took the pills with a small mouthful of water while holding her hand and slyly taking the chance
to lick it, but Ashley was too anxious to feel that.
"How do you feel now? Better?" Ashley asked, her eyes fixed on him.
She panicked because she had never seen Andrew like this. In her mind, he was always a calm and
elegant gentleman who behaved in a dignified manner no matter what the circumstances. She could
barely believe her eyes when she saw him curl up like a helpless child.
Ashley glanced at medicine bottle labeled "Antacid" and asked Andrew, "You have stomach trouble?"
He could just nod in response.
The pain wouldn't subside despite the medicine he had just taken.
This problem had haunted him for so long. From the time he had taken over the Lu Group, he had had
to attend numerous business parties. He had to accept all his clients' toasts to maintain a good
relationship. He couldn't refuse for fear of offending them even if it took a toll on his health.
Now it was a different scenario. Few people, if any, could force him to drink as the Lu Group had grown
into a vast business empire. But it was too late for his body. The damage that the alcohol had done to
his body in those early years was now a lifelong curse. This sacrifice wasn't in vain. Without all this
networking, the Lu Group would not have reached the heights it did.
Even today, skipping meals on busy days was common for him and this affected his health, but he
never paid much attention to it.
He knew that Ashley had an appointment with Ellie today, so he had drowned himself in piles of work,
which he would have normally left behind at the office if Ashley was home. Consequently, he forgot to
eat, which was the cause of his stomachache.
After Andrew's pain subsided, Ashley helped him settle down on the sofa. "You can rest here. Let me
go and check in the kitchen if there's something you can eat," she told him.
Before Andrew could protest, Ashley went straight into the kitchen.
She opened the fridge and found that it was almost empty, because everything, from vegetable, fruits
to meat, was replaced daily to make space for fresh food. Andrew was rich and this was a way of life
for him.
Ashley rummaged through the fridge for some time and finally found some eggs, vegetables and
noodles.
Ashley decided to make a bowl of noodles for Andrew. It was late at night, so she didn't want to wake
up Claire. She made her way around the kitchen as quietly as possible.
She cracked the eggs in a bowl before pouring them into the heated pan with some oil. She then fried
them until the edges looked crispy. After placing them on a plate, she boiled some water in a wok for
the noodles and vegetables.
She washed some vegetables and condiments like scallions, ginger and garlic before boiling them with
noodles. She didn't put too much salt or soy sauce in the dish as Andrew had a stomachache.
She topped the boiled noodles with the fried eggs and finished it with some scallions and vegetables.
Her special bowl of noodles looked comforting.
Then she wrapped the bowl with a piece of cloth to ensure it remained hot before serving it to Andrew.
"I hope that you will enjoy this. There's not much in the kitchen, so this is the best I can do for now.
Please make do with it for today. Tomorrow morning we will have better food," she explained.
Ashley placed the bowl of noodles in front of Andrew and hurried him to have it to ease his pain.
Andrew froze at her words, so Ashley anxiously repeated what she had said.
But all of a sudden, he pulled her into his embrace and locked her in his arms. He couldn't help but
softly caress her mouth with his lips to make her stop talking.
He kissed her so passionately as if she were a delicacy that he longed for. His kisses were so fervent,
so stormy, so...rude!
"Hmm..." Ashley was dumbstruck for a moment. Then she clenched her fists and thumped Andrew's
back to stop him.
Ashley was flummoxed! She had no idea how they ended up like this. All she did was ask him to have
the noodles.
The surge of passion inside him calmed down. Now he just wanted to cuddle her gently and kiss her
lovely lips from time to time. It was only when Ashley was almost out of her breath that he let go of her.
She pulled away from his hug and sat face to face with him. She touched her lips gingerly and, and as
expected, found that they were swollen after that impassioned kiss.
'Why on earth did he do this to me?' she yelled inside.
Meanwhile, Andrew was gazing at her affectionately, unwilling to take his eyes off her. He whispered in
a barely audible voice, "Never has anyone been so nice to me."
Ashley was astonished. She started to imagine how bad his childhood must have been. He might have
been deprived of food, or maybe he was isolated by other children. Ashley couldn't help but tremble.
This realization shocked her because she had never seen Andrew like this—vulnerable and weak. He
had always been elegant, reserved and characterized by an air of nobility and majesty. No one dared to
offend him or pick on him.
Ashley couldn't stop herself from asking, "What about your mom and dad? They must love you."
"They divorced when I was little. They were bound by a political marriage, and naturally were indifferent
to each other. They didn't care about their family."
They both soon remarried after the divorce. His stepmother didn't give him food, made him do the
housework, and would regularly beat him and scold him.
Ashley pictured Andrew huddling in a corner trembling and sobbing, and she felt so sorry for him.
She moved close to him and gave him a quick but gentle hug.
"Alright, all this was in the past. Don't let it trouble you anymore. Have this warming bowl of noodles. It
won't taste good if it gets cold," she cooed.
Andrew obediently picked up his chopsticks and started to sip the noodle soup slowly. True, lightly-
flavored noodles and soup aren't much of a delicacy, but for Andrew it was the most delicious bowl of
noodles he had ever had.
Ashley had made these noodles to be eaten only by Andrew, but as he so sweetly asked her to share
every bite, the scene had become quite different.
This made her feel embarrassed, but judging from the smile on his face, he was delighted!.
Ashley looked at him and wondered what he was thinking.
After two more shared bites, Ashley covered her mouth with her hands and said, "I'm full now. Enjoy
the rest. I shall go upstairs, and you can come up after you're done."
After Ashley left, Andrew ate the noodles as if they were a treasure, enjoying every bite until nothing
was left.
He watched Ashley's silhouette with passion and desire in his eyes.
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