Chapter 40 

ETHAN. 

“What’s the hold up?” I ask, tapping my nails on the seat beside me, and I lean forward, 

peering through 

the 

“It’s… someone’s blocking the path, sir,” Stan says, honking again and again, and his speech reverts to his language as he cusses at whoever it is in perfect Espanol. 

I pull off the sunglasses, eyes narrowing at the red convertible blocking my company’s gate, preventing me from entering. 

The door opens and I all but groan when I see who steps out of it, covered in a short black leather dress that leaves nothing to the imagination. 

Ashley. 

In her hands is a bouquet of red roses, and I groan as she approaches. “Stan, move around the damned car. I don’t have time for this.” 

“Sir, I can’t. Not without hitting the-” 

She knocks on my window and I release an exasperated sigh. Women. Frustrating lots. Ashley even more than the rest. Why it is so hard to respect my wishes baffles me. I’ve told her off severally, screen her calls, blocked all of her numbers, and every new one she acquires just to bug me. 

Apparently, that’s not ‘no‘ enough for her. 

I let down the glass and her fragrance tickles my nostrils, causing my throat to tighten and my eyes to water. Coupled with the scent of the roses, it makes me feel nauseous. 

“Hey, sugar,” she coos. “I’ve missed you. You’ve been avoided me, no?” 

I raise my hand, flashing my wedding band. “I’m very married, Ashley, and this,” I pause gesturing to her car and the flowers she’s shoving through the window. “This is assault.” 

Ashley chuckles. “I’d like to *assault* you in more creative ways than you can think of. I’m sure your virgin wife doesn’t know half the things I do about bed play.” 

My breathing slows. “You’ve been watching me? 

She smiles sheepishly. “Yes, I had no choice. You wouldn’t talk to me, under the guise of marriage. I had to see who it was that had stolen your heart. And I did, but I found it odd that you both live separate lives.” 

Damn. Just how much did she know? How much did she find out? Not everyone knows of my marriage to May. Not unless they’re looking closely at my fingers and the wedding ring. 

I haven’t introduced her yet as my wife to the world because I’m not a simple man with a 

simple life like May thinks. If my personal life gets out, it’ll make the tabloids. May will be talk of the city, and I don’t think May wants that. To have her name in the news with gossips on the possible reasons why we got married so quickly. 

At this rate, she’ll throttle me if she finds out everything else. 

“That doesn’t concern you, Ashley. Keep well out of my affairs,” I warn. 

Her eyebrow rises and the bites on her lower full lip on purpose. “You know, never in all of your declaration have you mentioned that you’re in love with your wife.” 

To that, I say nothing, letting her assume whatever she wants to. Love? It feels too mushy a term to use with May. I want to take care of her. I want to wash her hair and dry it with her towel. I want to run my fingers through it and sniff it. I want to touch her face. I want to make her smile always, but there’s no disputing the fact that I act clueless sometimes just to see her riled up. 

She’s very beautiful when she’s angry. I want to kiss her lips again and hold her to my chest. I want to nuzzle her neck, because I know it’ll smell just as nice as the rest of her would. 

I want her sprawled across my chest and my fingers twined in her hair as she listens to my heart beating. I want to lay my head on her soft thighs on a long day after work. I want her to sing me a song—any song—her voice is tiny and sweet, and I can already tell she’d be a good singer. 

I want so many things with my innocent, little wife. Good thing, bad things and naughty things. I want them all, and no other woman can sate my newfound hunger. 

Am I in love? The concept in itself is strange to me as I have never been able to relate with it. 

When I don’t respond, Ashley leans forward, her face a few inches away from the window. 

else You don’t. That means I have a chance. I’ve never ever had thoughts of being with anyone like the way I have with you, Chase. You can be yourself with me. You don’t have to pretend to be someone you’re not.” 

I level her a cool stare. She couldn’t possibly understand. May didn’t ask me to pretend. I want to be a part of her life so badly, I don’t care if I have to reduce myself into being a simple man around her, have normal meals cooked by her, sit on the couch while she watches her favourite action movies, even if we are not on talking terms. I don’t want to be Chase Anderson around her. I want to be her Ethan. 

“You speak on things you don’t know about. Move aside, or I’ll have Stan ram your car out of the way.” There is no warmth or playfulness in my tone and my expression is just as cold. 

She shoots me a glare. “You don’t have to play hard to get all the time. Being married doesn’t change the way I feel about you.” 

“Stan, drive. I’m late for my meeting,” I say, hitting the button that lets up the window, 

11 

cutting her off in her sentence. 

This is why people tend to think I have no interest in women. I’m not one who can easily be swayed. If I am not interested, there’s nothing in the world that could move me into caring. 

Stan drives, maneuvering with expertise, but the space is too narrow to get through and the car scrapes against the back of hers. 

I don’t need to look back to know the extent of damage that has been caused. I reach forward, into my suitcase, pulling out a checkbook. In swift writing, I put down an amount that would probably be enough to buy her a new car. 

“Give this to her,” I tell Stan as I get out. “And have the guards know that they’ll lose their jobs the next times she is found on my property.” 

Third person POV. 

Ashely pulled out her phone as she walked back to her ruined car. She bit on her bottom lip, body shaking with anger. Chase could be cruel. Cold. She knew that, had watched him when he didn’t know he was being watched. 

The one time she had looked away, he’d gotten married to a plain Jane. She was stunning, his wife. An angel, for the lack of better word, with a body to die for. If only she didn’t keep it hidden in such shabby and ugly clothes. 

She had the looks, his wife, but Ashley knew it took more than looks to keep a man. 

She had taken one look at their interaction and known instantly that there was nothing sexual going on between them. So, she had a chance to seduce him. Chase didn’t belong with a plain 

Jane. 

He belonged with her, a woman who matched his class. 

“Ash.” 

“Brother, he damaged my car. He says such terrible things to me,” she whined. 

“Who?” 

“Who else? Chase,” she said, getting into the car, even as her gaze narrowed at the guards at 

the gate. 

Her brother was quiet for a while. He didn’t like Chase Anderson much. Hard to when Chase stole the spotlight everytime, making it difficult to rise from under him. He was easily the most successful business man without even trying. 

Her brother had tried and tried for years, but Chase was a brand that never died out or got pulled under. That alone got him a lot of envy and hate, but the man hardly ever noticed that. Liam, her brother, was one of the envious masses. 

Not that Ethan even knew he existed. 

“What did you do?” Liam asked and she could hear the sound of rustling papers in the background. 

“Got him flowers, asked him to be with me. All I want his him, but he only ever talks about his wife. It’s getting tiring.” 

Her brother sighed. “Stop bugging him, Ash. You keep doing that and you’ll get a restraining order.” 

Ashley snorted. “As if.” 

“Don’t play games with him, Ash. We all know the man eats people alive for breakfast.” 

She had heard tales of the man’s ruthless nature in the business world. It was why she had approached him in the first place. She liked them big and bad. But he had seemed aloof and uninteresting, shockingly. A far cry from the monster everyone made him out to be. 

That didn’t mean she had her guard down. In the business world, one had to be cold, hard and brutal to make it to the top, and Chase was the apex predator. 

But of course, even the deadliest of predators had a weak spot. She had found his, and Ashley pondered on if she could pay a visit to that particular weakness of his and tell her all about her husband’s truth. 

Ashley giggled at that. Sounded like fun.