Perfect Match: Irresistible Desire For You
Chapter 57

It was always a pleasant experience to spend time in her friend’s company. Yasmin’s quirky and amiable personality brought Ashley great joy.

Yasmin flashed a teasing smile, and asked about her future plans. “You are indeed charmed. Just yesterday, you were fired by the company. Today, you attained redemption and broke the company. Tell me, what’s next on your to-do list?”

Ashley had already decided what her next move would be. It was rare that she was in a position where she did not need to work for money, and her problem had been solved in such a way. She replied with her plan, “I want to travel internationally. It has been a dream of mine since my youth, and I plan on realizing that dream.”

Yasmin could not contain herself when she heard this. This was a great idea. The company was dealing with a crisis, therefore no employees were being granted leave. If it were not for this, Yasmin would have loved to accompany Ashley on her trip. It was thrilling to think about what a time they would have.

In a flash, Yasmin grasped Ashley’s hands in hers, affectionately, and said, “Ashley, can’t you take me along with you? My life is in your hands.”

Realizing that she could not satisfy Yasmin’s request, Ashley withdrew her hand from Yasmin’s hold, pulled her hand towards her chin, and said, “Girl, I am not into women.”

Having just had her legged pulled, Yasmin burst in a fit of laughter, and said, “I did not expect such humor from you! I’m learning something new about you.”

‘Was it funny?’ thought Ashley. She had just been impersonating Yasmin’s usual behavior. Ashley reverted to her usual arrogant stance, and said, “He who lies down with dogs will get up with fleas.”

Her statement rendered Yasmin speechless. ‘How could Ashley insult me to my face?’ thought Yasmin, feeling affronted. However, the mention of s****l orientation brought Zachary in mind. He was an example of what she considered an abnormal orientation.

Realizing she had let a thought of that frustrating man enter her mind, she shook the offending, intrusive thoughts from her head. After composing herself, she looked at Ashley’s face, which displayed an expression of calmness. It suddenly occurred to her that Ashley had set her up for this when she had made mention of Zachary during their earlier call. Not only had Ashley failed to provide a response to the question about Joseph, but she had also laid a trap by purposely making mention of Zachary.

With this in mind, Yasmin gave a wicked smile, and asked in a peculiar tone, “Be honest, what is the nature of your relationship with Joseph?” She crossed her arms defensively, and added, “Leniency if you confess, severity if you resist…”

Ashley had not anticipated that Yasmin would push this question, yet again. She had not yet decided on how to respond. If she was truthful, Yasmin may jump the gun and overreact, but she also felt that it was unscrupulous to be blatantly dishonest with a good friend.

As she pondered how to answer under Yasmin’s imposing glare, the doorbell chimed. Ashley felt relieved, she could avoid the question further. ‘Who would visit at this hour? Perhaps my brother?’ thought Ashley.

Ashley noted the expression on Yasmin’s face. She was stern, cautioning Ashley not to run away from their conversation. Ashley calmly said, “Perhaps it’s my brother. Don’t you want to see his handsome face?”

Yasmin considered the position. There would be more opportunities for her to extract the truth from Ashley. Yasmin had been yearning to meet Ashley’s brother for quite some time after she had discovered Ashley’s true identity. She had searched information about Mike online. One could not deny that he was indeed handsome. Mike’s face was strikingly handsome, and he apparently had a temperament comparable to that of Ashley. Yasmin was keen to see what Mike was really like, in person.

Eager, Yasmin jumped out of her seat and rushed to the door. She ran her fingers through her hair, grooming herself. She put on a welcoming and sweet smile to open the door. Ashley stood aside, utterly speechless. ‘Why was she so enthusiastic to meet a someone for the first time?’ thought Ashley.

The doorbell’s chimes ended, and Yasmin’s smile drooped when she opened the door. The person she expected was not in the doorway. Instead, Charlie, who she much despised and thought to be a jerk, stood before her.

Yasmin’s face froze. She was about to close the door on Charlie, when he stretched his arm out to stop her in her tracks. Just as he did this, Ashley called out, “Yasmin, who is it?”

From her angle, being seated on the couch, Ashley could not see the visitor, as Yasmin’s body blocked the person from view. It felt as if the two had been motionless at the door for an inordinate amount of time. Ashley had also been preoccupied with putting on her shoes when she had called out her enquiry to Yasmin.

“Nobody. He came to the wrong door, accidentally,” Yasmin answered, without a backward glance in Ashley’s direction. Yasmin fought against Charlie at the door. She did not want Ashley to see him.

Charlie could see Ashley walking towards the door. He immediately took the opportunity to interject, “Ashley, it’s me.”

Ashley saw Charlie, she walked towards the entrance and pushed Yasmin aside. She gently laid her hand on the door frame, and frigidly asked, “What are you doing here?”

Noting that Ashley did not invite him into the apartment, Charlie did not say a word. Instead, he looked Ashley up and down, with an unreadable expression on his face. Charlie saw another side of Ashley in her casual attire. Without her out-of-style business suit on, Ashley was the perfect example of a girl next door. She looked charming and effortless. Charlie unconsciously stared at her, obsessively, taken in by her appearance.

From the sidelines, Yasmin could not bear the sight of Charlie’s hungry eyes on her friend. She purposely interjected with a cough, “Mr. Synder, if you have something to say, spit it out. If not, please stop being such an eyesore, and leave.”

Hearing Yasmin’s words, Charlie came to his senses. He had come to Ashley’s home in hopes of convincing her to put the defamation incident behind them and bury the hatchet. He wanted to persuade her to come back into the employ of the Synder Group. While he did not want to step on Joseph’s toes, if he could convince her as aforementioned, it would dispense with the public apology that had been demanded at the conference. Further, this would clear his name in the eyes of his father, who had given him a task to complete due to his blunders.

As it turned out, Lina was wholly adamant that she would not be the one to publicly apologize to Ashley. She advised James, that since Charlie and Ashley had been lovers in the past, they had a good relationship. Therefore, it should be Charlie who approached Ashley to offer an apology. After due consideration, James decided to hand the task over to Charlie. James needed Charlie to satisfy Joseph’s demand posthaste. Plus, Charlie held a high position in the company, therefore no one could say that the company was not showing sincerity in its dealings with the matter. Perhaps Ashley still had some affection for Charlie, and would therefore let the matter go.

Charlie was convinced that Ashley indeed had lingering feelings for him. He was confident in his charm and allure, so he was almost chuffed to accept the task James assigned him. Charlie’s intention was to make nothing of this once imposing matter, by speaking to Ashley on her own.

Disregarding Yasmin who stood in his way, Charlie addressed Ashley affectionately and sincerely, “Ashley, on behalf of the company, I would like to invite you back to work. Is this something you are willing to consider?”