Rather than picking up her usual path, Ashley decided to walk onto the Square Street.
The main aim at the point was the desire to get completely drunk.
Partly it was because of all the mental turmoil she was going through and the rest of the credit she would give to Skylar.
Ashley never drank in her life.
In her twenty-three years of life, she never touched alcohol. Even when Skylar would urge her, she never complied. But for a while now, she had been considering drinking and today's moment just felt right for that.
In many instances, Skylar would talk about how alcohol numbed all the pain in the world. Although Ashley scowled at her then but currently, she wanted nothing other than to feel nothing.
Looking up around, she was currently in the costliest area.
It meant that wherever she decided to go, it would be costly.
On normal days, Ashley would have thought a hundred times over before blindly entering any bar but now that she was already inside, she could feel that she was probably in the most posh one.
Ashley roamed her eyes around and instantly spotted a secluded corner. The tables around this place were mostly vacant. It was the perfect spot for her.
She quickly scanned the code bar for the menu before she could begin to regret her decision. However, before that, she dropped a message to Skylar.
'I amhaving drinks, it's upon you.'
What Ashley did not know was that two pairs of eyes had been following her each move since the time she entered the bar.
Silently, two figures sat on the adjacent table.
"She looks like her. Could we be mistaken, any chance?"
The man named Robert double-matched the face in the photo to the one sitting not so far from them. "It's her." With that said, he lightly threw the phone on the table and leaned back.
His one hand subtly rubbed his beard. "Is she all alone?"
If heard carefully, one could easily spot the amusement in that voice.
James looked at him and warned. "Hey, I'll be leaving in ten minutes but don't you dare mess with her. Keep your rivalry with my brother away from her."
Truth be told, James was kind of regretting recognising the woman his brother was after.
Or he should have not opened his mouth while Robert was right beside him.
And he can't undo what was already done.
Initially, James was too shocked to find the sight of the same woman stepping into the bar whose mere name had caused a commotion in the family.
Just in the evening, his brother had agreed to share the picture among the siblings and right after two hours, magically that lady was walking past him.
"Don't worry, I'll take special care of her." A smirk grazed his lips as Robert looked away from her. "After all she is in my den."
James knew he had fucked up. "I need to go now." Picking up his phone, he moved to the exit.
"Waiter!" Ashley simply decided to call the waiter when she did not understand what was written on the menu. "Bring a few shots of the mild ones."
Robert raised a brow as he signalled the waiter to him. Whispering something in his ears, he let the waiter go.
He wanted to have some fun. Moreover, it was not every day to get hold of something of Michael in hand.
On the other hand, Ashley looked at the passing cars from the window. She wondered what fate the owners of these cars must be having.
Life was hard, one moment it gave the hope of a better future and the very next moment, it snatched some of the beautifully stitched dreams in exchange.
If truth be told, Ashley never wished to marry Michael, not even in the craziest of her dreams. All Ashley had ever wanted was peace in her life.
And now getting peace seemed the hardest task in her life. She put her chin on her palm and recalled the so-called interview of the 'job'.
Flashback.
"And why would I even agree?"
When she was done analyzing that there was no absurd prank getting played on her, Ashley looked straight into his eyes.
He was serious.
"Because you have the debt of 5 million dollars on your head."
That was right.
A debt of 5 fucking million dollars from which not a single penny had she ever spent! If living a life as an orphan had not been enough, life also threw a loan at her.
This loan was what frustrated her the most!
Just the thought of how that debt landed on her was enough for Ashley to wish to bang her head on some wall. Previously, it was because even her life as an orphan did not burden her as much as this loan did.
And now it was because she was already considering the offer given by Michael.
Ashley knew that it was a good bait. Even if she worked her ass off her entire life, she doubted that she would be able to repay it. Not to forget the interests which would have summed up by then.
Taking a deep breath, Ashley let out a heavy sigh. Had somebody else been at her place, no doubt they'd be happy to get an offer to get married to the most sought-after bachelor.
But she was not!
And marriage was one topic in which she had thought she could have an independent say, not by some force. But seemed as if even this was not into her hand.
Ashley won't say that she held onto her romantic life as a rope of her saviour but she had dreamt of marrying by her choice.
She had been through a lot by now and all on her own. Probably because she was still in her youth that she was able to get through it alone but for how long would she have to go like that?
Ashley could currently take care of all the burden but what would she do in the span of ten years? Would she still be strong enough to lead the life without any support by her side?
Was she that strong?
She was feeling a lot of things at the same time but the most dominant emotion was- confusion.
And why only her?
Why did Michael offer only her with the proposal of marriage?
"Mam, your order." The same waiter from before placed the order on the table before going away.
The strong smell of the alcohol hit her nostrils, causing her to hesitate for a moment.
Ashley looked here and there, she was not the only one drinking on her own. What could even go wrong? Moreover, Skylar had already sent her a reply that she would be here in half an hour.
Pushing back her sceptical instincts, Ashley gulped the first shot, the second and then the third. While she was on her fourth, somebody pulled the chair and sat in front of her.
And it was not Skylar.