Perfect Match: Irresistible Desire For You
Chapter 90

The two planned to have a day off in the villa. Joseph drove out early in the morning to get gas for the car and to shop for the daily necessities they needed. The moment he stepped into the living area on the first floor, he heard Ashley chatting happily with someone on the phone.

This wasn’t anything new for Joseph. Ashley was often on the phone while he was around, but the person she called wasn’t a family member of hers or a female friend.

With his keen hearing, he overheard something unusual with her phone call. He couldn’t help but notice that Ashley said the man’s name affectionately. When he heard the tone she used with him, Joseph was immediately alarmed. After he set aside the things in his hands, he sat down close to Ashley and pricked up his ears to listen.

“Zaiden, when did you get back? I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to pick you up at the airport,” she apologized.

It had only been minutes since Ashley began the phone call. She was speaking to Zaiden, one of Mike’s classmates and closest friends. A few years ago, she met Zaiden through Mike, and the two had maintained a good relationship ever since.

Moments before Joseph returned, Ashley suddenly received a call from Zaiden. The two of them spent a few moments catching up with one another. She found out that Zaiden had recently returned home and vaguely remembered that she had promised her brother to pick him up at the airport. Since she had broken her promise, she felt the need to apologize to him.

“I got home two days after you went on your trip abroad. There’s no need for you to be so formal with me. As long as you remember me, that’s good enough for me,” Zaiden explained in a soft voice.

He remembered how disappointed he felt when he didn’t see the person he was looking forward to seeing the most waiting for him at the airport. Later that day, Mike had come to pick him up. He then explained that Ashley had recently taken a trip abroad days before he returned home.

It was not that Zaiden’s return home had slipped her mind. She just missed it by chance.

However, he was oblivious to the fact that she was forever lost to him. The girl he had been thinking of day and night had begun to fall in love with another man. This man would care for her for the rest of her life.

“Of course I remember! I haven’t seen you in so long, Zaiden. We always had a fun time together,” she immediately reassured him.

From what Ashley could remember of him, Zaiden had always been handsome, but somewhat cold. Over the years, they kept in touch, calling each other a few times throughout the year. Ashley assumed that he was only joking to lighten the mood.

Joseph had always had a strong sense of hearing and heard the mellow male voice on the other end of the line. He observed how happy Ashley was when she spoke to him. His face grew somber at the sight. Unfortunately, Ashley was oblivious to the shift in his mood as she continued to speak to Zaiden.

When she heard Zaiden chuckle, she said, “My brother told me that you were planning on starting your own law firm. How is that going for you?”

“It’s almost done. I’ve decided to settle down in Ariosa,” he replied as he sifted through the cases he had been working on recently.

“That’s good to hear. I’ll come and visit you as soon as I get back home,” she answered.

When Joseph heard her promise to see another man when she got home, he was furious!

However, if he snatched the phone away from her and ended the call, it would seem as if he had no respect for her. After all, he had no right to prevent Ashley from making friends. Joseph suddenly felt helpless and flustered that he couldn’t do anything in this situation.

He was a man who always got what he wanted, and he refused to back down in this situation.

“I’ll be looking forward to it. Are you okay traveling alone? Take good care of yourself, okay?” Zaiden reminded her.

When Ashley was about to reply that she wasn’t traveling alone, she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder. Turning her head, she found Joseph slumped on her shoulder. His slender body was curled up on the sofa, with one arm draped over his abdomen.

She immediately threw the phone aside and gently placed Joseph’s head against her legs. When she saw the look of pain on Joseph’s face, she asked in an anxious voice, “What’s wrong?”

Joseph was reassured of her affections for him when he saw how fast she cast aside the phone call to attend to him. He clearly saw the look of concern on her face, and his heart filled with satisfaction and warmth.

However, he couldn’t show his satisfaction, because his ruse would be exposed. Answering in a weak voice, he said, “It’s nothing. I just have a stomachache. It’s no big deal.”

Joseph, the cunning man that he was, knew that this was the way to catch her attention. He was determined not to give his rival in life a chance to make his way back into her life. To him, this method was simple but effective. Joseph was a successful businessman, so he was trained to deal with things efficiently and effectively.

The truth was, Joseph wasn’t completely lying. He suffered from chronic stomach pains, but he wasn’t having an attack this time around. When he lived in the United States, he often worked long hours while he dealt with gang matters. Because of his hectic work schedule, he often missed meals. At the time, he suffered from severe stomach pains. When he returned home, his stomach pains eased through the supervision and care of Leonard. In recent years, whenever he forgot to eat regularly, he would be plagued with stomachaches.

However, while he was vacationing with Ashley, Joseph maintained a regular diet and was often in a good mood, so it would be unlikely for him to fall ill.

“You don’t look okay to me! We need to see a doctor,” she persuaded after she heard how weak he sounded.

When he saw how anxious and concerned he made her, Joseph suddenly didn’t want to continue his ruse. How could he let his beloved worry about him?

The moment Joseph was about to change his mind and confess, Ashley’s phone rang again.

She picked up the call and found that Zaiden had called her back. She answered, “Zaiden, I have an emergency to take care of. I’ll call you back some other time.” Then, she hung up the phone.

“Does it still hurt? I can go to the hospital with you,” she repeated.

After seeing the determined expression on her face, Joseph changed his mind and didn’t dare to attempt telling her the truth anymore. Fearless as he was, he afraid that Ashley would be upset with him when she found out that he lied to her. Therefore, he replied again in a weak voice, “I’m fine. It will go away in a bit. I don’t need to go to the hospital.”