Perfect Match: Irresistible Desire For You
Chapter 22

At the sound of Joseph’s cold tone, Zachary schooled a neutral expression on his face. He couldn’t hint at his curiosity, and he didn’t want to lose his freedom just to watch the show. He took a glance at Joseph’s cold face and walked out of the office.

After Zachary left, Joseph raised his head and turned to the door. He thought about how best to handle Ashley. A plan soon formed in his mind. After all, he had been in the business world for over ten years. In his eyes, dealing with a woman was a piece of cake. When he recalled the submissive look on Ashley’s face when she became his, Joseph was overwhelmed with joy.

Joseph knew Ashley obviously harbored no affection for him, and he was really busy. This week would be a transition time for the both of them, so he decided not to meet her these days.

The truth was, Ashley didn’t take Joseph’s declaration seriously. She assumed that he was toying with her because of his notorious reputation as a playboy. If he could make this request after only one night together, then he surely had numerous women at his disposal. Most importantly, she had no desire to agree to his ridiculous request at all.

As another negotiation attempt with Empire Group failed, and the foreign partner’s order was about to expire, Synder Group was running out of options. Their cooperation with Empire Group was now more crucial than ever.

As the representative of Synder Group, Ashley failed to convince Empire Group to accept their terms. Out of jealousy, Lina did her best to inform their supervisor of Ashley’s failure and managed to get Ashley thrown out of the cooperation efforts. Synder Group had no interest in compromising, and was keen to stand their ground. Lina was recommended to act as the representative responsible for the rest of the negotiation efforts.

As expected, Ashley wasn’t too concerned about the decision of the company. To her, all that mattered was that she would never have to see the self-obsessed Joseph again. She also knew that no one could stop Lina once she had her mind set on something.

After Lina returned from Empire Group last time, she announced the news of her pregnancy. As a result, she was offered a big promotion. From an assistant general manager, she managed to get promoted to deputy general manager. News also traveled that she would soon become Mrs. Synder.

Two days prior, Lina and Charlie arrived at the marketing department hand in hand to inform Ashley to turn over the materials of the case of Empire Group to Lina. Lina was secretly smitten with herself. After all, her plan had been a success. Now all that was left for her to do was to drive Ashley out of Synder Group.

She played her trump card and told the Synder family that she was with child. Charlie’s mother warmed up to her and began to fuss over their wedding preparations. At the same time, Charlie’s mother assured Lina that she could continue to work for Synder Group during the first three months of her pregnancy.

It seemed like all of her dreams were finally becoming a reality. She decided to ask Charlie to accompany her so she could show him off to Ashley. To her surprise and disappointment, Ashley was indifferent towards them and retained a professional disposition when dealing with them. The worst part was, she caught Charlie staring at Ashley since they entered the department. There was a wistfulness in his eyes whenever he regarded her. Lina realized that her grand plans had backfired on her.

Charlie continued to observe Ashley as she organized the paperwork strewn all over her desk. Even with her brows furrowed in concentration, she still looked stunning. She moved elegantly and effortlessly, but to his dismay, her eyes never strayed to him. He suddenly realized how much things had changed between them.

Whenever he visited her in the past, Ashley would always look at him and give him a shy smile. Now, she acted as if he didn’t even exist. The thing that confused him the most was how calm she was when the news of his wedding broke out. It wasn’t how he expected a woman to react towards him. After all, he was one of the most sought-after bachelors. As he continued to stare at her beautiful face, a feeling of helplessness and reluctance washed over him.

In the beginning, he only wanted to be with Lina so that he could humiliate Ashley. It hurt his pride to remember how easy it was for her to break things off with him. She was the sinful one among them, but she still insisted on breaking up, much to his frustration. He wanted to get under her skin and make her regret her decision.

However, Ashley remained cold to him and gave him no reaction. Even when she found out he was getting married, he still couldn’t get a rise out of her. The thought of her indifference flustered him.

Charlie couldn’t object to his family’s arrangements. His mother was wary of his decision to be with Lina at first. She had always intended for him to marry a woman from an affluent family. Even though Lina was a beautiful woman, she was from an ordinary family. When news of Lina’s pregnancy broke out, she had no choice but to accept her. She knew that it was of utmost importance for her son to have a successor to secure his position. Charlie was also aware of this, which was why he didn’t resist Lina. He was determined to make things work with Lina so he could forget his feelings for Ashley once and for all.