Perfect Match: Irresistible Desire For You
Chapter 59

Two days later, Ashley awoke from a good night’s sleep. She planned on spending the day at home, perusing online travel guides, and preparing for her impending trip. She was looking forward to planning this trip. Her plan was to join the Guzman Group once she returned. Her brother had asked for her assistance at the company in order to help him cope with his heavy work load.

Ashley was looking specifically for a travel package for Mexico. When she had been a student, she had keen interest in exploring historical sites. Mexico is where the ancient Mayan civilization had once thrived. The place perfectly suited her interests. She thought this vacation would be a worthwhile way to spend her valuable time off.

As she browsed the web, she made note of the details of interesting spots which she thought she must visit. Her list included various Mayan monuments, the Tulum City, the Pyramid of the Moon, and even a few places which served delicious tequila. Ashley was immersed in her planning and lost in her imagination when her phone rang.

She picked up the phone and saw that the call was from an unknown number. Nevertheless, she answered politely, “Hello. Who is speaking?”

“Ashley, it’s me. Leonard. Do you remember me?” said the jovial, warm voice of an old man on the other end of the line.

Ashley quickly searched her mind, trying to recall where she had heard his name before. She recollected the memory: he was an aged man. She had assisted him at the market not too long ago. He had suffered an injury, and she had organized for him to be taken to the hospital for medical attention. While they had exchanged numbers, Ashley had not saved his number to her phone.

“Leonard! Of course, I remember you,” Ashley answered excitedly, clearly sensing the enthusiasm of the old man on the other end of the line.

“Ashley, are you free today? I wanted to invite you to my house for a meal to show my gratitude for the kindness you showed me at the market,” Leonard said, getting straight to the point.

“Leonard, you’re welcome. It was no inconvenience at all. Don’t even mention it…” Ashley implored.

“Ashley, I’m an old man who doesn’t have much company. You are such a sweet, kind and beautiful person. Why don’t you accept my invitation?” interjected Leonard, beseechingly. Before Ashley could finish her sentence, Leonard had played the sympathy-seeking ploy. Afraid that she would reject him, he said, “But if you are busy, I will understand.”

Hearing his slightly desperate plight and imagining the pitiful scene of this old man, alone in his home and in the need of company, Ashley immediately responded, “I’m free. When should I come by?”

‘I knew it! Ashley is too kindhearted to refuse an old man like me.’ Leonard was proud of his compelling acting ability. He then praised Ashley with a compliment, “Thank you, Ashley. You are so compassionate…” Realizing that he had potentially begun to overact by speaking a bit too much, Leonard got to the point, asking, “Are you available at 11 o’clock today? I will cook something scrumptious, just for you. Or would you prefer dining at a restaurant?”

Hearing Leonard’s repeated thanks and appreciation for giving him the pleasure of her company, Ashley believed that he must be a lonely man who perhaps took care of himself, preparing his own meals. She was overflowing with sympathy for him. She replied gently, “Leonard, you are so considerate and thoughtful. Let’s have lunch at your house. But I insist that I cook for you as it’s improper for someone elderly to cook for a younger, able person. I will come a little earlier, and prepare a meal for the two of us.”

Unbeknown to Ashley, the state of the man’s life according to her version, could not be further from reality. Leonard lived in an expansive and impressive Marshall mansion. He had learned self-sufficiency during the time he spent in his youth in the army, and Joseph was busy at work for the greater part of the day. For this reason, coupled with the fact that Leonard did not want to be disturbed by any intrusive people during the day, there were not many servants gracing the mansion’s corridors. When it came to his disposition of wanting to prepare meals, this was his way of showing affection, making people feel welcome and making them feel at home.

Not only was Leonard thrilled because his sympathy-seeking strategy had worked, but he was further elated because he learned that his future granddaughter-in-law was multi-skilled. She had offered to cook, indicating that she was indeed able to cook well.

There was a brief silence wherein Leonard didn’t say a word. Prompting a response, Ashley asked again, “Leonard, what do you think?”

Registering her question, Leonard snapped out of his happy thoughts, and replied, “Okay! Ashley, sorry to put you into such trouble.” ‘This way, we will have more time to spend getting to know each other,’ Leonard thought happily.

“It’s alright. I’ll stop at the grocer and buy some ingredients,” Ashley replied.

Hearing her considerate response, Leonard smiled and said, “You don’t need to buy any ingredients. My kitchen is well-stocked. You can just come over.”

Hearing this, Ashley agreed without hesitation.

After enquiring about the directions to his home and confirming the time she should arrive, Ashley ended the call.

After his pleasant chat with Ashley, Leonard was quite cheerful. ‘I cannot let such a wonderful granddaughter-in-law slip away. Not only is she stunning, sweet and kindhearted, but she also has good morals in respect of her dealings with people. I must call Joseph and make sure he comes back to the house soon. Then, I can ensure that the two of them spend some time alone together, and get to know each other on a more meaningful level.’ Thinking of his plan, Leonard laughed mischievously.

There was a reason that Leonard was so eager to play matchmaker with Joseph and Ashley. Joseph had caused quite the sensation with what he had said in his press conference yesterday. Leonard kept up to date with current affairs. Therefore, he did not miss the televised airing of the conference. When Leonard saw the passion with which Joseph demanded that the Synder Group apologize to his wronged friend, whose surname was Guzman, Leonard knew that there was something between the two of them.

Leonard was well-acquainted with Joseph’s friends, and all of them were male. Furthermore, Leonard had never heard of a friend of Joseph’s with the surname Guzman. Also, Joseph currently had a girlfriend, which explained why he referred to Guzman as a “friend”, rather than just identifying the person as “Mr. Guzman”. Clearly, Joseph referred to her this way, to hide the gender of this person. Just like everyone else, Leonard wanted to see if he could source further information about this “friend” from Zachary. Zachary, however, was good at keeping a secret and kept his lips sealed. Zachary did not give a single piece of information away, which caused the even greater curiosity among the media reporters.

Eventually, Leonard could not contain his curiosity. He was determined to uncover the truth and called Zachary as soon as the press conference came to a close. He asked directly, “Zachary, what is this Guzman’s full name?”

On the other end of the line, Zachary was taken aback by the straightforward questioning by Leonard. “Joseph has specifically directed me not to disclose any information about the girl, but since you are his grandfather, and not an outsider, I think that it is okay.”

After a moment of hesitation, Zachary disregarded what Joseph had said to him, and asked, “Leonard, why do you want to know?”

Zachary was asking this for theatrics only. Leonard knew that Zachary was just feigning hesitance. So Leonard authoritatively said, “Cut the crap. Just tell me her name!”

Zachary realized his mistake. Zachary knew how cold this Marshall family could be. Joseph could freeze a person to death, with one cold stare. Even Leonard wielded such authority with his strong voice. Leonard should not be underestimated, especially when he was agitated. Zachary immediately complied, obediently. “Her name is Ashley.”