Chapter 6: Hello, Stranger
As Ashley and the waiter turned toward the voice, she held her breath, silently praying for a miracle. The waiter's posture shifted, his expression now one of curiosity.
Standing before them was an elderly man, his commanding voice at odds with his frail appearance. Despite looking to be in his seventies, he carried an air of authority, flanked by imposing guards. Assuming the spilled order had been his, Ashley hurried to apologize.
"I—I'm sorry about this, sir..." she stammered.
The old man barely acknowledged her words before he interrupted. "Replace those," he instructed the waiter.
"Yes—yes, sir," the waiter stuttered before hurrying away.
"Add her order," the man added, catching Ashley off guard.
"N—No, sir, I'm…" she began, but he cut her off again with a raise of his hand.
"You're welcome, young lady."
Without another word, he walked away, leaving Ashley speechless. The gesture was unexpected, almost too good to be true. Starving since the previous day's lunch, she hesitated, wondering if luck had finally decided to favor her. But experience had taught her that nothing ever came without a price. Around her, whispers spread across the restaurant, curious gazes fixating on her.
Seeing the attention on stranger, she wondered who he was. But then she decided to leave that for the later and concentrate on the moment.
"Something good happened to Ashley Flynn?" she internally squealed, almost laughing at the absurdity of it. She could stop her smile.
Ashley and Mikael sat across from each other, munching their meal in silence before mikael decided to change that
"I'm sorry for everything that happened to you, Ashley." he sounded pained for her.
Ashley frowned slightly surprised by his apology. The unfairness of the world wasn't his fault.
Then, his next words nearly made her choke on her food.
"We can go get Nessa back after you're done."
Ashley's head snapped up. "Sir?"
The man nodded, confirming that she had heard correctly.
Her pulse quickened. This was no longer just luck—it was something else entirely. Now she was really interested to know who he was, and more importantly, why he was offering to help?
What if he was sent to take her baby away from her? That thought made her feel the invisible hands of fear, gripping her throat tight.
Everything had happened too quickly, and for the first time, she feared she had made a mistake. She'd always been cautious of strangers, yet she had mindlessly bared herself to this one.
After thanking him for his kindness, their conversation deepened. Despite her initial apprehension, she found herself opening up. One question led to another, and before she realized it, she had told him everything. There was something about him, something that had made her feel… safe. Comfortable.
But now, her guards rushed back in place.
"Who are you, sir? And why are you helping me?" she asked, unable to hide the edge of fear in her voice.
The old man's eyes softened. "My name is Mikael Flynn."
Ashley's breath hitched. Her eyes widened so much she thought they might pop out of their sockets.
"The… Mikael Flynn? From the news? The Forbes list?" she asked, barely believing her own words.
He gave a slow nod, watching her reaction carefully. Now she understood the reason for all the attention he was getting.
Ashley swallowed hard, suddenly aware of the sweat forming on her forehead. Though they shared the same last name, and he bore a slight resemblance to her late father, that was where the similarities ended.
He was filthy rich. And rumor had it that, despite his wealth, he was humble—a rare combination. No wonder he had so readily helped a nobody like her. But that was all the public knew about Mikael, details of his family was scarce.
"Why are you helping me?" Ashley asked again, glancing cautiously at the guards stationed a short distance away, already calculating an escape route if needed.
Mikael's next words changed everything.
"Because you're Kingsley's daughter."
Ashley became a statue. A beautiful but horrified one.
Her stomach twisted painfully.
Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "How—how do you know that name?"
Mikael's gaze dropped slightly, his voice softer now.
"He was my son."
Ashley was thrown into a confused state. Her father was his son?
She felt lost.
Moments later, Ashley sat in the luxurious interior of a Lamborghini, beside Mikael Flynn—the man who claimed to be her grandfather. The reality of the situation still hadn't sunk in.
He had come not just to help her but to offer her something even more shocking: the role of heiress to his multi-billion-dollar company.
According to Mikael, her father had eloped with her mom when Mikael refused to accept their relationship. Her mother had come from a modest background, while her father had been betrothed to a woman from an influential family, before they ran.
It explained why her father had always brushed off the topic of his parents whenever she'd asked. Her mother too never divulged much, and eventually Ashley stopped asking.
But what was more shocking than the offer was Mikael claiming not to have idea of Ashley's existence –until recently of course. She found that too hard to believe.
Ashley clenched her fists tight, fighting the anger simmering inside her. The timing of all this felt too convenient.
It had taken Mikael time to convince her to come, and even now, she was only here for one reason—Vanessa.
But despite that, many questions still rang in her head. If really Mikael just learned of her existence, why was he in a rush to crown a stranger as his successor? Ashley shut her eyes, the thought of her daughter filling her mind once more.
This was her chance to give her daughter the life she had always dreamed of. She couldn't afford to let emotions and fear cloud her judgment now. Instead, she was going to use this opportunity to grab as much as she could, and then disappear with Vanessa.