Ashley's POV

I panicked as I jumped out of bed, my eyes widening.

Tristan groaned as he sat up straight next to me.

I couldn't recall exactly when I fell asleep last night. I remember we were talking, and then we decided to watch a little bit of a movie before going home and that's all I remember.

"What's wrong?" Tristan asked in his deep morning voice.

"I have to get home," I panicked.

He raked his hands through his hair, making it even messier. "Why don't you stay and have breakfast first?" He suggested.

I searched the room for my shoes. "I really have to go now. I didn't even inform my mom that I wouldn't be coming home yesterday." I insisted. I showed him the notifications on my home screen to demonstrate the severity of this situation.

He sighed. "How about I take you home then?" He suggested. He climbed off the bed and started searching for his own shoes.

Through his large window wall, I noticed the darkened clouds and a hint of what looked like drizzle.

I sighed. "It's okay, I'll just take a cab instead," I answered. With my new salary, taking a cab wouldn't break my budget.

My eyes lightened up as I finally found my shoes in the corner of the room.

Before Tristan could oppose, the door flew open as Luke walked into the room.

He paused holding onto the doorknob, staring at Tristan and I as several emotions ran across his face.

Tristan shot him a threatening look, motioning with his eyes for Luke to get out.

"Oh," Luke muttered; his coffee-coloured eyes widening.

With both our messy hair and some of the bed sheets spread on the floor, I could imagine what he was thinking.

My cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. Luke smiled before pointing at both of us as he happily made sense of the situation.

"What do you want?" Tristan asked.

Luke threw his hands down as he still maintained his smile. "You have a meeting in less than one hour regarding the security of the hotel. You have a press conference too." Luke reminded him.

Tristan sighed, once again raking his hands through his hair.

"I'll see you on Monday," I said nervously.

Without another word, I rushed out of the bedroom.

Once I was out of sight, I practically ran out of the suite and jumped into the elevator before anyone could stop me.

I was probably going to hear about this very soon from Layla. I wonder what her reaction would be.

I loosened my hair, racking through it to fall on both sides of my face in case someone recognized me.

If anyone saw me, this would surely be breaking news among all the gossipers in this place.

One of the guards seemed to recognize me before he shook his head, dismissing the possibility that it actually was me.

Using my jacket, I covered my head from the rain as I climbed into the cab.

I sighed, settling in. I gave the driver my address before turning my attention back to my phone.

Messages were pouring in like the rain, now from my sister. Most of them were long rolls of worried emojis.

I texted her back informing her that I would be home soon, that seemed to shut her up.

What was I going to tell my mom? Probably that I had an unexpected night shift to cover and that I couldn't answer my phone. If my mother ever gets to meet Tristan, she is going to hate him.

The cab drove, I looked out at the pouring rain.

In less than an hour, the cab was pulling into my neighbourhood. I sighed again, preparing myself for my lies.

From a distance, our house came into view. I noticed a Range Rover parked in front of my gate.

I wonder who it was. We didn't know that many people let alone someone with a car like that.

The driver slowed down as we neared my house.

Our front door opened. Mom came into sight as she smiled.

A man walked out of our house soon after as mom waved him goodbye.

Tall, dark-haired, and wearing a black tux. He matched my mom's enthusiasm as he waved her goodbye.

I guess I wasn't the only one hiding secrets in my family.

"You can stop right here," I informed the driver. We were just two houses away from mine.

If I just approached them now, who knows what lies mom might invent?

Hesitantly, I got out of the cab after paying the driver his fee, walking into the rain.

The cab drove off.

The man jumped off our porch, getting into the rain.

It was when he rushed to his car that I saw clearly who it was.

It was Leonardo. I thought after our awkward encounter we would never see each other again, I planned on avoiding him as much as possible.

What was he doing here? Did he somehow find out about my family so he could tell my mother the truth? But no, if he wanted to expose me, he would have gone straight to Tristan.

He climbed into his car and then drove off.

I had been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't fully realized I was standing in the rain, with my clothes already wet.

I ran toward our gate as I tried covering my face from the rain, my hands doing nothing to clear my vision from the gushing winds and rain.

All it took to push our front gate open was a gentle nudge with my hip.

I ran to our porch to open the front door. It made its usual creaking sound. Mom popped up from the hallway, a smile widening on her face as she saw me.

"Thank God you made it safely," mom said with a smile.

I let out a small smile, the best I could master as I shook from the cold.

I took my shoes off, leaving them at the door.

"I was so worried about you," mom approached me. She spun me around, examining me for any possible injuries. She almost sounded like she was on the brink of tears. "Do you have any idea how many people get kidnapped in this country?" Mom exclaimed.

Staring at my soaked state, she was reluctant to hug me.

"Don't worry, they would just bring me back home because we don't have any money." I joked.

She sighed, ignoring my joke. "After eleven p.m., I was asking around for you everywhere. It isn't like you to just leave home or come back late without saying anything. I nearly had a heart attack. It wasn't until Ivy informed me that you had to do a late shift that I finally felt assured. Next time you should make sure to call me, or at least text me first." Mom scolded.

It was nice to know that Ivy had my back even before I even thought about it.

"I sure will," I answered walking further into the house. "It's just that my boss can be a handful sometimes." I lied.

Mom sighed again, throwing her hands to the side to show her frustration. "I'm going to see your boss today," Mom announced.

I froze and spun around to face her. "What?" I whispered.

"He needs to understand that he can't keep throwing all of these shifts at you. It's not okay for you to get home so late or not get home at all. You may be grown but you are still my baby. It's still my job to protect you." Mom reasoned.

"There is no need for that, I already spoke to him about it and he said he wouldn't be giving me any unexpected shifts further on." I lied.

She seemed to be reassured for a short time.

Mom sighed trying to control her anger. "Okay, but I'm picking you up after work from now on, in case he tries to get any ideas and give you any extra shifts. He will have to deal with me." Mom threatened.

I hope she was joking; besides, she had her own business to take care of. "It's really okay mom. Besides, that just means extra money that I'm making." I replied.

Katy walked downstairs to approach us. She looked warm and snuggled up in her thick fur jacket.

"It's nice to know that you are working really hard for this family, breaking your back and taking extra shifts just for us," Katy said sarcastically. She crossed her arms, shooting me a glare.

Not even a 'good morning' or 'how was work?'

"You should really consider taking a different job. Things are going much better for me. Maybe you could work with me instead and help deliver the cakes." Mom suggested.

"I would be of no use to you in your business. I don't even have a license. We don't even have a car." I answered. "Besides, I'd really like to know who that man was who just left our house." I changed the subject. The focus was now on mom.

"He is no one, why are you so suspicious? I'm sick of you and your sister thinking you can control my life." Mom answered dismissively.

She threw her hands in the air dismissively as she turned to walk to the kitchen.

Katy and I weren't having it. We wanted answers.

"Isn't that the same thing you do to us?" Katy asked as we followed behind her.

Mom let out a sarcastic laugh. "Why don't you try suffering through labour pains for sixteen hours and then control them," Mom answered.

I dismissed her sarcasm, getting the conversation back on track. I really wanted to know if I needed to be worried about anything. "He happens to be one of the guests at the hotel I work at so I would really like to know," I said.

"He was just here for a consultation. He wanted to get some cake samples for a party he was hosting soon." Mom answered.

Mom stopped in her tracks, turning around to face us. "He left a thousand dollars. He didn't even taste any cakes. I wonder what exactly he was tasting." Katy joined in.

Mom shot Katy a glare. "That's because he is diabetic, and besides, I'd watch that tone if I were you. I'm still your mother," Mom warned.

Katy sighed. "I'm just saying, normal people don't visit other people's homes at six a.m.," she said.

"And normal people your age also have to wash all the plates in the sink," Mom answered.

Katy's eyes shot wide open. "You made such a mess mom. I hope you don't mean to say that I have to clean everything up," Katy whined.

"Come on," Mom spoke. She bobbed Katy on the back of her head before walking her to the kitchen.

It seemed like I didn't have to worry about Leonardo, at least not yet. Whatever Katy had to deal with now, that was her problem.

Ignoring the craziness in my family, I walked upstairs and jumped straight into the shower.

After my shower, I went to my bedroom and dressed in warmer clothes.

I was combing my hair when my door flew open.

My eyes moved to Katy as she stood at the door, balancing her weight on one foot. I stopped reminding her to knock when she was ten. It doesn't work.

"It's a miracle I didn't wash my hands off," Katy said walking in. She threw herself onto my bed.

For a while, she stayed like that, just staring at the ceiling.

She sat up straight, a wide grin appearing on her face.

That look could only mean trouble.

"What?" I asked returning my hairbrush to my drawer.

"So," she began. "I want to know what happened last night. I want to know all the details but not too much detail because I don't want to be grossed out or anything." She rambled.

"Nothing happened," I answered dismissively.

"Please, you smelled of his perfume. Thank goodness your clothes were wet when you walked in, otherwise, if mom had hugged you, she would have smelled it too." She answered.

"You are exaggerating," I dismissed her again.

"I was standing next to you, I smelled it off you." She insisted. She skipped to the next question. "So, are you guys dating now or something?" she asked.

"No," I answered unsurely. It was never something that we discussed. This thing just sort of happened between us.

Katy managed to decipher my puzzled expression. "So, you guys are busy sucking each other's faces off but you still don't know your relationship status?" she asked. "This is why you need me," she noted.

I sighed. "You know what, you are right. I'll make sure to ask him that the next time and then I'll also tell him I'm not pregnant." I said.

Without warning, the door swung open as mom peeked through the door. I just hope she didn't hear me. "Katy, I need you to get out of here now, your sister needs to rest." Mom spoke.

Katy sighed. "But Ashley and I are catching up," she insisted.

"She probably worked the whole night. She needs to rest now. She must be really tired." Mom said.

I faked a disappointed smile as mom dragged Katy out.

Then she tucked me under the blankets after opening my bedsheets.

"I'm not five anymore," I reminded her.

"But you are still my baby." She smiled back. "Sleep tight," she whispered.

She walked out of my room, followed by a loud bang as the door closed.

I lay in bed and stared at my ceiling. I wasn't even tired, I had slept through the whole night.

In my boredom, I started making sounds with my mouth but even that wasn't enough to entertain me.

My phone rang on my nightstand. Yes, finally something to do.

I slipped my phone underneath the cover as I answered the call.

"Thank God you are alive. Your mom would have killed me if you actually ended up dead somewhere," Ivy said.

"Why did everyone think I was dead?" I asked.

"Because you are Saint Ashley, you hardly do anything wrong. At least not before." She answered. "My mom would have loved to have had you as her child instead. In fact, she told me to get away from you because I'm a bad influence." She joked.

I chuckled.

"Anyways, I'm glad to know that you are alive. I guess we can talk later." She said.

With our work arrangements, we barely have time to catch up anymore.

"No don't go," I pleaded. "I'm really bored. How is it going with you?" I asked.

"If your question is whether I have found a crazy rich boyfriend yet, the answer is no." She answered. "How is it going for you? Your life sounds more entertaining." She asked.

I sighed as I began to tell her everything that had happened, including Leonardo finding out about this whole thing. The drama with Madison took nearly ten minutes to explain.

"Wow!" Ivy exclaimed at the end of the story. "Looks like things are getting more complicated." She answered.

"Can you guess who I saw leaving my house today?" I asked. "Leonardo," I answered.

"No way," Ivy muttered in astonishment.

"What if he was here to tell my mother the truth?" I sighed. "I'm so scared that everything is just going to keep piling up, that one day I won't be able to lie or handle it anymore and it's all just going to blow up in my face," I said. I lowered my voice so mom wouldn't know I was awake.

I told her the rest of it.

"Are you sure, is that really what Katy said?" she asked.

I nodded, almost expecting her to hear it.

"Looks like your mom actually has game." She laughed.

I didn't answer. Till this point, I hadn't fully realized what a mess my life was now in. I was dealing with a psychopath, I was telling too many lies than I could count and way too many people than there should be, knew about this.

"You know, what if Leonardo is your father?" She asked. "Think about it, you don't really know who he is and he said he would be staying to catch up with an old friend. Suddenly your mom is talking to a mysterious person on the phone and boom, he just shows up at your house. This all makes sense!" She exclaimed.

She sounded like she had solved the world's greatest mystery.

"That would be too far-fetched. Who in their right mind would hide a rich dad?" I asked.

"You don't know what could have happened." She insisted.

I shook my head doubtful. "No, Leonardo seems like the nice type. Besides, we don't even look alike." I answered.

"Stranger things have happened." She said.

I just wish mom would tell me, that I wouldn't have to result in speculations.

I heard a soft knock on my door.

"Someone is here," I whispered into the phone.

"Okay, I'll call you later. I have to get back to work." Ivy answered. She hung up the phone.

Wait, we've been speaking for over an hour. It wasn't even her lunchtime yet, why was she even entertaining me for so long?

"Come in," I yelled placing my phone on my nightstand.

The door opened, and Katy walked in with a sweet smile on her face. She was also holding a mug in her hand.

Since when did she start being so courteous?

"I just thought I would bring you some hot chocolate to warm you up," she smiled innocently.

She sat at my feet as I sat up straight.

She definitely wanted something.

"So," she began her story. "There is this really cute boy at my school. He is having a birthday party. Only a few people were invited and even some celebrities will be there." Katy said, her voice filled with enthusiasm. "I happen to be among the few people that were invited." She paused. Since the kids at my school only wear designer clothes, I thought you could buy me a new dress." She ended her story.

She added another innocent smile.

I sighed, I knew exactly how this kind of story ended.

"I'm not buying you a new dress," I answered.

Her smile dropped.

"Please you have to, the kids there already think I'm a loser." She pleaded.

"Those dresses cost an arm and a leg. Besides, it's not worth changing yourself to fit into a group." I answered.

"Well, good thing you were born with two arms and two legs." She replied with a smile. "Besides, you have a rich boyfriend now," she added.

I looked at her in astonishment.

"Firstly, that's his money, not mine. Secondly, I haven't even been paid yet." I continued listing my reasons.

She moved in to hand me the cup but then she backed away. "I think I'll keep it," she said pulling the cup to her lips.

"Fine," she sighed. "Your boyfriend is on TV. It's your decision whether to show up or not." She stood up from my bed.

She turned to leave, but then stopped in her tracks.

"One more thing, don't be surprised if I show up at your work pretending to be an orphan. I'm sure Tristan would gladly help me out." She said. She brushed her hair off her shoulder before stepping out of my room.

What a drama queen.

Wait, did she say Tristan was on TV?

Without hesitation, I pushed out of my blankets and made my way downstairs.

As I walked down, I could already hear the TV in the living room.

Katy threw herself onto the couch, right next to mom. Mom barely had her attention on the screen as she paged through a cooking book.

I stood behind them, my eyes focusing on Tristan who was on the screen.

He stood there, tall and elegant, on a podium.

It looked like he was outside the hotel. They used tents to shield the paparazzi from the rain. There were too many people to count. The cameramen changed their angles to show people standing outside, with some people even waiting in the rain just to get a few pictures of the event. At least the weather seemed a little bit better now.

The cameramen returned their attention to Tristan. "I'm here to confirm that the rumours regarding one of our guests at the hotel being robbed are nothing but lies." He read the statement from a page.

Mom glanced over her magazine and asked, "Isn't that where you work?".

"Yes," I answered.

I continued watching the TV.

I popped a blood vessel and gripped the couch when the cameramen changed their angle, giving a broader view of the podium.

Madison was standing right next to him, her hands in front of her and a wide smile on her face.

"Instead, we have a special announcement to share with all of you." Tristan continued. He seemed very hesitant with his words.

"We are getting married," Madison interjected. She raised her hand to flush the huge rock on her finger.

I blinked as Katy looked over her shoulder to stare at me with a questioning look.

What just happened?

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A/N: Thank you so much for reading, please comment down your thoughts on the story, and don't forget to vote.