Quote of the day: home resides in our heart, without heart there is no love, without love there won't be a family and family makes a house a home.  So do cherish your family.

Ashley stood in front of Greg's office. She was nervous as hell, she had worn the blue gown she wore for the dinner meeting back in Spain simply because she loves it, and it makes her feel kinda sexy...well she knows she is sexy.

   She let her auburn hair down, which was a first because her hair was always in a neat bun whenever she was at work, but today was definitely an exception.

   Ashley had decided after much deliberation and Chloe's talks that she was going to date Greg Marshall, and for the first time, she would be doing something simply for herself, and because it made her happy.

   She remembered the discussion she and Chloe had after she followed her into her room last night.

  "So Greg asked me to be his girlfriend," Ashley said after giving Chloe a hard time. Chloe's reaction had been what she was expecting, she screamed and fanned herself with her hands.

  "So you mean to say that you and Greg Marshall are finally dating?" Chloe screamed with so much joy that Ashley couldn't help but be confused.

   "I didn't say we were dating," She said to make sure her friend hadn't lost her hearing.

   "You said he asked you to be his girlfriend so..." Chloe said with an eye roll, then it dawned on Chloe. Chloe's face changed into utter bewilderment. "Do you mean to tell me that you rejected him..." she half screamed raising her hands in shock. Ashley wanted to talk but Chloe didn't give her the chance. "I knew you were a little stupid but I didn't know how much, how could you reject..."

   "I didn't reject him Chloe," she screamed so as to get Chloe to stop talking.

  "You didn't," Chloe said with relief.

"I said I would think about it."

  "Ohh perfect, so what are you going to say," Chloe asked. Ashley could hear the fear behind her friends voice.

   "Chloe I can't date Greg."

"Why?"

  "Because..."

"Don't tell me it is because of your father and whatever happened with his parents?" Chloe said with an inquisition tone.

   "Yes Chloe, he doesn't know who I am. What if he founds out later and hates me, and moreover Nora..." She tried explaining to Chloe, but was cut off.

   "Oh please don't go on about Nora,  please don't...if Greg had any feelings for that bitch he wouldn't have asked you out. Greg likes you, and you like him, that is all that matters," Chloe said in a sharp tone that indicated finality.

  "Chloe, Nora is Greg's sister," Ashley said. Ashley wasn't the least bit surprised by the look of shock on Chloe's face.

   "What! The Marshalls only have a child, and that is..."

   "She has been hidden all her life Chloe... "

   "How do you mean? Is she illegitimate?"

   "No, she is the second child of Greg's parent. His mother had to hide her from the world, and it was all because of what my father did..." Ashley said. She stopped her voice from breaking, tears clouded her vision as she stared at Chloe's face. "Now Nora has to stay in a mental institution and its all my fathers fault, its because of him that Greg's family had to go through that Chloe, I feel so sad and how do you expect me to..."

   "Ashley, just stop it... I have had enough okay," Chloe said standing up from her bed. "All my life I have watched you suffer because of your father. It wasn't until two years ago when we came here that you started to live a normal life, and ever since Greg Marshall came I can't help but feel there is something bothering you... I know you have a lot of ghosts in your closet, some you can't tell me about,  I won't force you to either... All I ask is for you not to let your father ruin this one good thing that you have gotten.  You like Greg...and he likes you, if later on he finds out about your father and all the shit that happened with his mother, then we will solve the issue, just for once Ashley, allow yourself to be happy."

And that was what she would do, give herself a chance to be happy, she knocked on Greg's office, she knew she was a little late but she hopes Greg would overlook it.

   Ashley opened his office and walked in to see that he was in the fact very busy, she walked in quietly to realize that Greg hadn't noticed that she was in his office. She walked over to his desk and bent over, and would you believe that the ever efficient Greg Marshall was still oblivious to the fact that someone was breathing down his face, or was he aware? 

    "You are late, Ashley," Greg said. His head was still bent over the paperwork he was working on. She didn't reply him because a little part of her felt really angry that he wouldn't even look up at her. "Ashley,  you..." Greg stopped whatever he was going to say as his head raised up and the first thing his eyes seemed to be drawn to was her chest!!!

   For some time all he did was sit there and stare at her cleavage. Ashley couldn't really blame him, the gown had a sweetheart neckline, with her bent forward on his desk this way he definitely wouldn't be able to help staring.

   Ashley was usually repulsed with men staring at her, but Greg was different, she didn't hate it, she actually wanted him to keep on looking it made her feel sort of good. She studied his face and realized that his eyes were clouded with desires and as he looked up that desire changed into anger and hurt. Why? 

   Bipolar much.

  When he finally stared into her eyes he was full on angry, she stood up straight with confusion written on her face, and at that point she wanted to know what was wrong with him.

    "Miss Wells," Greg called through gritted teeth, and she was immensely surprised, so the bipolar Greg changed back to the usual 'Miss wells.'

   "Good morning, Mr Marshall," she said with a sweet smile.

   "Why do I feel that you find pleasure in torturing me?" He asked. His voice was a little angry and a little calm, believe it she was having a hard time understanding him.

   "Why would you think so, dear Mr Marshall?" Ashley said and her fake smile was now automatically in place.

   Greg didn't answer her instead he pulled at his tie, that immensely bad habit of his. She was holding back the urge to slap that stupid hands of his, so she instead decided to study his appearance. He was in a wine suit and white shirt, his tie was black and as simple as this looked, believe it or nay Greg was looking gorgeous.

    "Miss Wells," Greg called her out of her reverie. She looked into his eyes that were boring holes into her, his green eyes were clouded with wants and desires again and at this time she was sure that Greg Marshall was in the fact bipolar, although she had enough encounters with him to know,  but this just confirmed it.

   "Yes, Mr Marshall."

  "I have a meeting in twenty minutes with the board of director, and it is taking place right here in my office."

   "I am aware of that, Mr Marshall," she said in a dry tone. What made him think she didn't know about the meeting? She was his secretary for a reason.

   "Do me a favor, Ashley Wells," Greg said with a smile. This had her wondering 'what in the fuck name was wrong with her boss?' The guy was angry and now he was smiling at her and calling her Ashley again. Greg held his palms together and sized her up again with a blank face, she felt  conflicted, her emotions were all jumbled up.

   "What favor?" Ashley asked. Her voice was devoid of any emotion, she wondered how she was able to achieve that.

    Greg dipped his hands into his pockets and pulled out his wallet, he did so with a cynical smile on his face, he brought out a black card out of his wallet and dropped it on the desk, she looked at it. "Take it, Ashley."

    "What is this for?" Ashley picked the card up with curiosity. It was a black credit card with his name on it, now what did he want her to do with it?

     "Go get yourself a new dress..." he said with that stupid smile still etched on his perfect features.

    Wait wait. 

  Did he just ask her to go buy a new dress? If so, why?

     "Why should I do that, Mr Marshall? My dress is perfectly alright and if I do need to buy a new dress I won't be needing your black card for that," Ashley said this with anger. She was mad at him, she really didn't understand Greg Marshall, was he insinuating that she was poor?  Was it because this was the second time she was wearing this dress in front of him? If so, Greg Marshall is officially an asshole.

   "Stop being stubborn, Ashley, I have a meeting in a few minutes."

  "What has the meeting got to do with my dress!!" Ashley was outright yelling now.

   Greg pulled at his tie and looked at her with an hungry look in his eyes, his eyes ran over her body again, his green eyes seemed to have grown more stormy by the minutes. "Don't you get it, you are fucking with my mind, I can't think straight with you dressed that way, if we don't want the directors to come into my office and meet you bent over my desk, I think it will be a great idea for you to go change."

   Ashley's eyes went round with what he said, she finally understood his plight. Greg wasn't trying to insult he. She stared at him and at that moment his hands went up to his neck again pulling at his tie, the poor tie, he was looking at everywhere except her.

    "You know you should really stop putting on a tie if you will just keep on pulling it every seconds," Ashley said, he looked up at her immediately.

   "You are still here?" He asked calmly.

   "Yes, I am."

  "Doing what?"

  "Oh lord,  you are indeed bipolar." Ashley picked up the card and left his office. She knew better than to argue with him, if not the directors will meet them in a heated argument that will take over an hour to end.

   But just because she was going to a boutique doesn't mean she was going to do what he wants, ohhh actually she would do what he wants but in a more superfluous way.

  Ashley had a wicked grin on her face as she left the enterprise.

  Chapter twenty three.
Mary Aden.