Perfect Match: Irresistible Desire For You
Chapter 55

Yasmin stood aside, listening to her female colleagues’ discussion. She looked at Zachary on the television screen, taking his appearance in. Then, she peered at the women, who had an obsessive, fanatical look in their eyes. With mixed feelings, she morosely thought, ‘What a dangerously handsome man. Such a man should be beaten for the stir he causes! This was absolute balderdash. He was neither an ordinary man nor particularly approachable.’

Yasmin was caught up in her own memories due to the comments Ashley had made previously. When she snapped out of it, she couldn’t hold her tongue, mumbling to her phone, “How dare you play these tricks on me? You had better tell me what actually happened between Joseph and you, or I will… ” Yasmin did not know how to end her threat. She considered her words and then added, “I will never speak to you again. Humph…” Then she cut the call, put her phone aside and buried herself in her work.

On the other end, Ashley also ended the call. She answered Mike’s call, which had been placed on hold while she spoke to Yasmin. “Hello, brother. What’s up?” she asked.

“Who were you speaking to while you had me on hold?” he queried.

“Yasmin. What’s the problem?” Ashley responded, rather directly.

“Alright. Did you know that it was Joseph who helped mete justice out for you in respect of the slander incident?” asked Mike.

Mike was astonished when he first discovered that Joseph had openly demanded that the Synder Group offer apology to Ashley. It was highly unlikely, especially with regard to Joseph’s characteristics, for him to advocate so strongly for a person he had met a mere few times. ‘Perhaps there is some sort of arrangement between Joseph and my sister,’ he wondered. ‘Or was there a deeper relationship between the two of them?’ Mike wondered.

After watching the news, he immediately dialed Ashley’s number. Her number was busy and he was placed on hold. He suspected that it was because Ashley was preoccupied with a call with Joseph. A great sense of relief flooded over him when she told him the call was in fact with her best friend.

To be frank, he preferred if his sister had minimal contact with Joseph. Joseph gave him a sense of unease. He was so young but he nevertheless asserted dominance in the business world. He must have employed various strategies to have gained such influence. In addition, he must have a far-reaching personal network, extensive funds and strong backers. With such a background, one could imagine how complex a character Joseph must be. Mike had always wished for his sister’s eventual life partner to be able to afford her a peaceful lifestyle, without the dramatics or complications which often arose from a complex character and background.

Casting aside his doubts in respect of the status of their relationship, Mike nonetheless admired Joseph’s grit and courageous conduct in respect of the press conference. He was assertive and clearly delineated his demands. Therefore, both the public and the adversary could have no doubt regarding the purpose of the conference. Further, Mike was delighted at the conspicuous and expeditious manner Joseph had dealt with the issue, which attained his sister’s retribution, timeously.

“Yes, I am aware,” Ashley replied, briskly.

She felt that her brother’s incessant questioning was too intrusive, as if he had something to say, but was biting his tongue. So, she just asked him, outright, “Brother, is there something you have to say?”

On the other end of the call, Mike could not help but let out a sigh of unsettled emotion. He tapped restlessly on the desk with the pen he had been holding. After a pause, heavy with silence, he asked, “Ashley, be honest. What is the nature of the relationship between you and Joseph?”

‘This question — yet again.’ It was apparent that people were quite intrigued by the relationship between Joseph and her due to the press conference. But how could she provide anyone with an answer, when she herself was unsure?

After giving it some thought, she replied, “It’s casual. We have met only a few times.”

Hearing this, Mike felt there was ambiguity in Ashley’s answer, so he rephrased the question. “Well, do you have any feelings for Joseph?”

‘That was too direct! There shouldn’t be a romantic relationship between the opposite sexes in this type of scenario. Even though I did feel chemistry with Joseph, it did not change the fact that we had only interacted a handful of times,’ she thought. She had to admit that her impression of him had changed in some way, but there were no definitive emotions for him, let alone a romance. She answered honestly, “No. Brother, what is it that you want to say?”

“Nothing. I just care about my darling sister’s relationship problems. Joseph helped you out of the goodness of his heart. I am just giving you a heads up that I will be thanking him on your behalf,” Mike replied. Hearing the sincerity in his sister’s answer, Mike felt certain that she did not in fact have feelings for Joseph. He no longer felt the need to press her on the topic.

Ashley sensed her brother’s relief. Just as she was about to speak and continue on the issue, Mike changed the topic. “Okay, then. I’m going to return to my work. Anyway, I will thank him for you.”

Realizing that Mike had dropped the call, she thought, ‘Mike is truly behaving strangely today.’

There was just so much going on today. Firstly, there had been the press conference, which had caused such a stir. Secondly, the manner in which her defamation had been addressed on the public stage had given her mixed feelings. Thirdly, there were the free-flowing and seemingly endless congratulations from numerous loved ones. She tried to pull herself together. Night was beginning to fall.

She was expecting a visit from Yasmin. Yasmin said she would join her for dinner after work. So, she headed out to pick some food up for the two of them. Apart from this brief outing, she remained at home.

The moment Yasmin arrived, she sprang on Ashley with her immediate hug. “Ashley, I’m so happy to finally see you! What a lovely, sunny day!” she gushed.

Yasmin’s excitable tone and demeanor made Ashley uneasy. The two of them had spent some time together, just yesterday, yet Yasmin was behaving as if they had not seen each other for ages. “It isn’t sunny now,” she said coldly to Yasmin, who was still hugging her in the doorway.

Hearing this response, Yasmin immediately stopped her gushing about her thrill at finally seeing her friend. She restrained herself, walked in a composed manner to the living room, where she took a seat at the table. She retorted, “Ha-ha. It’s not funny.” She then picked up the set of cutlery on the table and began eating the simple yet scrumptious food which had been laid out for dinner.

Ashley was accustomed to Yasmin’s emotional and over-the-top antics. She closed the door and joined her friend at the dinner table, taking the seat opposite her. She picked up her fork and knife, and asked directly, “So tell me, are you going to tell me why you are so excitable?”

“I haven’t seen you for a day. Why are you being so difficult? I was just expressing how much I missed you!” Yasmin answered, in a deflated tone, with her mouth full of food as she continued to eat more delicious morsels.

“Well, why is it that you missed me so much?” asked Ashley, ignoring Yasmin’s muffled answer.

“Alas, it’s because I didn’t see you at work today. That old witch, Lina, tyrannized me today,” Yasmin responded. In mentioning this, Yasmin seemed to be caught up in her own misery and continued to vent.

‘As expected. But how could the tough-skinned Yasmin be so easily defeated?’ thought Ashley. Ashley gave Yasmin the go ahead to continue with her story, with an encouraging flash of the eyes.