It was impressive and surprising that a small company that had only been recently incorporated could win against a group of established companies that have been in the industry for years.
Ashton must have chosen Harrison Credit because he saw their potential and growth.
In view of what happened in the garage the last time, I decided to remove AC Credit from the list.
I dialed Stacey’s number, and within seconds, the call was connected. “Ms. Stovall!”
“You can inform everyone that Harrison Credit will conduct Fuller Corporation’s audit.”
Stacey was somewhat surprised by my decision. She hesitantly commented, “Ms. Stovall, if you hand it over to Harrison Credit, I’m afraid AC Credit would make trouble for us.”
Of course, I was aware of that. The man in the parking lot that kidnapped me that day certainly put up a good show for me. His last request was only for me to hold a bid.
He wanted me to choose who would win the audit at the end of the day. Since he did not explicitly indicate who would be the winner, I did hold the bid. Despite so, I never intended to hand over the audit to the winner since I planned the bidding.
I could not let anything happen to Fuller Corporation while I am still in charge of it. It was not for Ashton but a repayment to George, who took care of me all these years.
“Follow my instructions. I will come up with an explanation for AC Credit.” After I hung up, I sat in silence for a while.
Mustering my courage, I dialed a number I have never dialed before. After a few rings, a deep baritone voice answered, “It’s been five years!”
The man uttered two words, and I could hear a faint echo in the background. “I thought you would never call me again.”
Suppressing my unhappiness, I went straight to the point, “I want a list of failed audits conducted by AC Credit as well as news of their current financial position.”
“Letty, you haven’t called me in so long!” It seemed too quiet on the other end when he spoke.
I could not help but feel a chill run down my spine. I spat, “John!”
Unamused, John sneered, “Letty, you shouldn’t call me that!”
Although we were not speaking in person, I could sense the tense atmosphere around me. This cold and hostile feeling was different from the coldness that Ashton emitted. This was a lot more intense and brutal.
“John,” I tried to respond calmly.
“Be good!” John praised.
Abruptly, I ended the call. I fell onto the ground with fear soaking through my bones.
It took some time for me to recover. Getting up, my body felt weak as I staggered to the bedroom. I climbed into bed, wrapping the blanket tightly around myself.
The terror from the earlier phone call still haunted me. I shouldn’t have called him.
Slowly, I returned to my senses by the time Ashton returned to the villa. When he saw me, I could not tell whether he was surprised or not.
“Have you eaten?” There was fatigue in his voice.
Recently, many things were going on in Fuller Corporation. He had gone on several business trips. Come to think of it, he just returned from one recently, but he still seemed tired.
I shook my head and realized that the sky was already dark outside. At that moment, I remembered Macy. I got out of bed and offered, “I’ll make dinner for you.”
Out of the blue, he gave me a back hug and rested his chin on my shoulder. Perhaps because he was too busy to shave recently, his stubble tickled my skin. He whined, “Let me rest here for a while.”
Then, he pulled me to the bed. Lying down with me, he wrapped his limbs around me and prevented me from moving. I could hear his breath beside my ear.
His breath was warm and ticklish, and although I opened my mouth, I could not utter a single word.
I stared at the ceiling and decided to give up on talking about Macy now. It may backfire if I mentioned her situation now. It would be better to talk to him after he wakes up instead.
As I had been stressed out the entire day and easily felt sleepy since I got pregnant, Ashton’s embrace seemed to comfort me. Before I knew it, fatigue overcame me and I started to yawn.
My eyelids grew heavy.
But suddenly, my eyes flew open. Frustrated, I stared at the man before me who was up to no good. “Ashton, if you want to sleep, then you should do so. What are you trying to do?”
“Well, it’s just a natural reaction! Just ignore it then.” He whispered in a low and husky voice. Anyone could tell that he was sleepy.
However, I could no longer fall asleep, so I tried to move back slightly. Unfortunately, his palm stopped me and eventually, he pulled me closer.
“Ashton!” I was beginning to get angry. Can’t he just sleep properly?
“If you ignore it, everything will be alright!” He groaned and could not help but squeeze my palm.
I was at a loss for words.
Annoyance bubbled within me. “Damn you!”
Perplexed about how I should scold him, I could only utter those words.
Ashton chuckled, sounding very pleased with himself. Yet, I paid no attention to him. Closing my eyes, I ignored his reaction and tried to sleep.
Minutes passed, but I could not fall asleep.
Worry began to set in. I did not know how I should bring up Macy’s situation. If he stepped in to solve her problem, it would be much easier. After all, money makes the world go round.
