Richard, with his car key dangling from his fingers, walked towards the living room.
"What are you doing here?"
Brian lazily leaned back on the sofa. "Just came to see my sister in law. You secretly got married without telling anyone. "But if it a hidden marriage you don't need to hide it from the entire Andrew's family."
Richard looses his tie with an expressionless face and glanced upstairs.
"Did you see her?"
"Nope the servant said you locked her up because she's too ugly and you are afraid she'd embarrass you. I don't have the keys to your house, so how could I have seen her?"
A sharp glanced swept through Richards' lips curled into. Cold smirk.
A passing servant stumbled, their heart leaping into their throat.
"Come on can't even take a joke. But seriously is your wife really the ugliest girl in New York city? Call her down, let me see how ugly she is. You have no idea how curious I am. The most handsome boy in Andrew's family paired with the ugliest girl in New York city, it practically a public service."
Richard sat down nearby, his expression unchanging. "What kind of service?"
"Well if you have two kids, they won't be too ugly. Your handsomeness genes are strong enough to balance it out. Imagine if she marries an ugly looking guy; their kids will be unbearable to look at. You are doing society a favor."
Richard's face turned icy cold. "Get out!"
Brian felt as if countless daggers were flying at him, ready to slyce him into pieces.
"Just kidding, just kidding I can't see her today, I won't. I will definitely see her at grandma's birthday banquet right?"
With that Brian scurried away, leaving behind a trail of nervous laughter.
Richard suddenly remembered that his Grandma's birthday was coming up, and as a family member he was expected to attend.
After sitting for a while, Richard went upstairs and opened the door to his bedroom,which was pitch black.
He reached out and turned on the light.
There, on the large dark grey bed, was a noticeable lump.
Richard walked over to find Ashley, who had eaten and drunk her fill, already fast asleep, her soft breathing barely audible.
Had she really not eaten all day? Richard noticed that Ashley's exposed face seemed noticeably thinner than it had been in the morning.
No. It couldn't be, a woman as ruthless and cunniyas her wouldn't starve herself.
Besides, that rascal Brian had been here. He wouldn't have left without seeing her.
Richard gently pulled back Ashley's blanket. Her pajamas were loose making it hard to tell if her stomach was full. Richard reached out, inching closer to Ashley's belly.
Just as his hand touched her, the sleeping Ashley suddenly grabbed at him wildly, muttering in her sleep.
"Bad guy, touch me and I will kill you."
Richard quickly pulled his hand back, but not before a scratch appeared at the back of his hand.
Is this woman pretending to be asleep? Richard couldn't help but compare her recent outburst to his own actions.
Ashley, however, groggily reached for her blanket, wrapped herself in it, and continued sleeping, showing no signs of pretending.
Richard's frown eased slightly. It seemed she was just talking in her sleep, but why did her dream sound like she was scolding him?
Although he didn't touch her stomach, it looked flat. With a dark expression, Richard walked out and called for the maid nearby.
"Did she eat today?"
The maid, fearing Richard's piercing gaze that seemed to see through everything, quickly lowered her head in guilt.
"No, without your permission we wouldn't dare give the Young Madam any food."
Richard's eyes depended as if he was judging the truths of the maid's words.
In those few seconds, the maid felt she was about to break down. Just as she was about to confess, Richard spoke.
"Go make some supper and wake her up to eat, before she sleeps again."
The maid was stunned for a moment. Did she hear correctly? The Young Master was allowing the Young Madam to eat.
Heart pounding, the maid returned to the kitchen, relieved that Richard hadn't discovered the truth. She was about to confess.
"Wait," Richard added coldly. "If she asks, tell her that starving her will damage the Andrew's family's reputation.
The maid froze for a second before continuing to walk to the kitchen, her heart racing even faster.
After saying, he turned and went to the study to handle some business.
Ashley was sleeping soundly when she felt a gentle nudge on her shoulder. She opened her eyes in a daze to see amaid standing beside her with a tray of dishes.
"Ella, what's going on?"
"Madam it time for a late night snack."
Ashley sat up groggily and touched her still-full stomach. She had eaten a lot of dinner and wasn't hungry at all.
Ella glanced at the door and spoke softly.
"Madam, you should eat a little, if the master founds out you skip dinner, we'll all be in trouble."
Ashley looked at the delicate snacks in front of her, feeling completely uninterested.
Wait, she suddenly realized, wasn't she supposed to be starved as a form of punishment for refusing to apologizing in the morning? Now she could eat?
"Did Richard ask you to prepare this?"
"Yes, he did."
Ashley was puzzled. "Why is he being considerate?"
"The master said the Andrew's family is a big and reputable family. If you starve to death, it would tarnish the family's name."
Ashley was speechless, indeed she could never expect kindness from this man.
An hour later, the maid came to clear the dishes.
Ashley was feeling frustrated, almost to the point of bursting. She paced around the room, pulling out her phone to search for a magnolia flower designs online.
She planned to make a magnolia brooch for the old lady.
Richard had intentionally stayed in his office for a long time, but when he returned to the bedroom, he was surprised to find Ashley still awake.
She was bent over her desk, sketching the brooch design. Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down her back, contrasting with her light pink pajamas, giving her a youthful and innocent look.
Richard walked over, and a purple magnolia brooch design caught his eye. He was surprised this woman could design?
Ashley was so engrossed in her work that she didn't notice Richard approaching. His gazed narrowed slightly as he observed her delicate, white earlobes, which looked as tempting as jelly.
Ashley put down her pen and opened a webpage on her phone.
When Richard saw the search history, the corners of his mouth curled up inexplicably.
The search history read:
"How long can you survive on just water?"
"How long will it take to die without food?"
"Will sleeping on the couch everyday hurt your spine?"
Ashley twisted her neck suddenly realized someone was standing next to her. Startled, she looked up to see the tall figure of Richard. She quickly exited the web page, not wanting him to see what she had been searching for.
"When… when. Did you get here?"
"Hmph, I didn't expect you to be able to design. I guess you're somewhat useful. I thought…."
Richard cut his mocking smile just in time, letting out a cold snort. He glanced at Ashley's delicate hands, her earlier look of surprise and disgust making him uncomfortable.
Ashley tilted her chin slightly, revealing her fair forehead. Could this man ever stop being so mean.
"What did you think?"
"I thought you only knew how to apply lotions to your hands."
Ashley was speechless.
Seeing Richard head towards the bed, Ashley followed him.
"Tonight, I'm on the bed you take the couch. We'll switch every night."
Richard's phone suddenly rang. He glance at the caller ID and answered it.
Whatever was said on the other hand made Richard's expression change.
"Stay right there. I'm coming over."
He hung up the phone and hurried downstairs. Soon after, the sound of a car engine starting echoed through the room.
Ashley bit her lip. She hadn't heard the details of the call, but she had caught the glimpse of the caller ID, it was Mabel Anderson.
Ashley stepped out onto the balcony, watching as Richard's car disappeared into the distance, leaving only the faint outline of it's tail lights.
….
After sleeping through the night, Ashley woked up to discover Richard hadn't returned. As she went downstairs she saw Richard's assistant, Nelson, had arrived.
"Madam, I'm here to pick up a document for Mr Andrew."
Ashley gave Nelson a scrutinizing look before nodding.
Ashley retrieved the necessary documents from the study and was about to leave when Ashley stopped him.
"What happened last night? Where is he?"
Nelson looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, Madam. It's not in my place to discuss Mr Andrew's affairs. If you want to know, you will have to ask him yourself."
Ashley's eyes sharpened. Mabel Anderson, an outsider, was quite popular within the Andrew's family. Could it be that last night….