Charmed by the Billionaire CEO

By the time they joined the other family members, Ashley was already present and smiling and chatting with his mother. All his gloominess flew out of the window when she turned to see him.

’God... I want to kiss those lips,’ he thought but soon composed his desire and walked toward them.

"It seems like we haven’t met for long", Grace said, holding Ashley’s hand, and then turned to see Tristan," This boy seems to forget us after he got his wife."

Grace kept nagging Tristan to bring Ashley along, but this son kept postponing it, saying they were busy and hardly got time to be home, which was a lie.

Tristan gave Grace a weird look and then turned to Ashley, who was trying her best to control her laugh.

"Okay, now don’t be upset. They are here, so let’s have our dinner together," Trevor said, and they soon headed towards the dining space.

*****

Noah’s apartment

The figure sleeping on the bed slowly curled as she started to regain her consciousness back. Stirring slowly, Alice opened her eyes and found herself in Noah’s room.

She remembered it because she was the one who helped him set up the house.

"Argh!!.. why do my headaches" she muttered, slowly lifting her body and sitting on the bed with a clueless face.

As her eyes wandered around the room, the memories from the gym flashed across her mind, and she gasped, covering her mouth.

Noah’s words started replaying in her mind, and her eyes started growing again. Why was she desperate to earn his forgiveness? she asked herself.

Her eyes fluttered when the memories of the time they spent flashed in her mind, and her body froze.’ Did I fall for him? She muttered in disbelief, which was why her past invaded her thoughts, freaking her to death, and she passed out in his arm.

She didn’t want to go with the same phase where she wouldn’t get anything but hurt for herself. But then Noah wasn’t like him. He wasn’t as selfish as him, who never treated her correctly.

The time she spent with the man she loved with all her heart came across her mind, and she muttered," Dylan".

Just his name was enough to shake her composure because he was the one who ruined her to the point where she didn’t believe in herself anymore. She doubted herself where she even went to on taking her life.

Unfortunately, death didn’t come that easily to her, and she was saved only to live with those memories that broke her inside out.

Her eyes turned red, fisting her palm in anger as she looked straight at the wall when she heard someone call her" Alice."

Her trance broke, and her bloodshot eyes looked at Noah, who walked through the door. As soon as her anger dissipated, she saw him, her anger and her eyes softened instant.

Noah rushed to her side and sat on the bed, examining her, looking for any sign of discomfort." How do you feel?" he asked even though he found her better than before.

Alice kept staring at his face, which showed concern for her. She never felt so cared for by anyone, not even her parents and not by the man whom she loved.

But, he wasn’t like them, who treated her with care because they wanted something in return. Noah was different, not like she assumed him to be or thought of him the last night.

Noah kept looking at Alice and got alerted to the lack of response she gave. "I-I think I should call the doctor," he said and was about to leave when Alice held his wrist and stopped him.

"Noah, I am fine" her voice was weak as if her throat had run dry from sleeping.

The concern on Noah’s face lessened when he saw her smile lightly at him, and he heard her speak," Noah, I know I have hurt you but will you not forgive me?" she looked at him with hope and continued," I know I was stupid to be so blunt with my words that I didn’t realize what I spoke only to regret it the next second."

Looking at their hands, she squeezed them lightly," But please don’t stop talking with me. I don’t like it" her words came out of desperation and meant everything she said.

Him being in her life was like a breath of fresh air that she finally inhaled after a long time. She didn’t know what she felt for him, but one thing was clear, he was slowly becoming her sanity.

Noah was stunned for a moment as he tried to consume her every word. She was so smooth that it skipped his heartbeat. Her eyes held sincerity, which was enough assurance to soothe his heart.

Alice waited for him to speak something, at least show any reaction, but when he didn’t, she began to get anxious," Noah... please give me a chance to prove my friendship with you. I promise I will be a good friend-" she bolted her words in speed but was cut when Noah pulled her, and her mouth was sealed.

Startled, Alice stayed like that with her eyes wide open as her mind froze when his lips touched hers. A slight tuck on her lower lip made her close her eyes, and she gave in, syncing to his pace.

The kiss was gentle, but that was a sense of longing that she couldn’t understand. All she could feel was to enjoy the moment.

Noah kissed her until they were out of breath and pulled back, resting their forehead together," I don’t want you to be my friend Alice" his words widened her eyes and a subtle fear began to surge in her heart.

’Will he ask me never to disturb his life’ but what she heard next blew her mind, and her eyes widened in shock.

"I want you to be my girl" his words held seriousness, no trace of a joke in them, and that skipped her heartbeat.

"Y-you what?" she asked hesitatingly. There is no way he was serious about it.

Noah cupped her face tracing her lips with his thumb, and smirked." You heard me right, Alice" pulling back, he saw her eyes ready to bulge out from her socket.

Smiling at her reaction, Noah let go of his hand from her face and continued," You don’t have to immediately agree with me because I will be making you fall for me,

Alice, and I am confident I will be successful."

His eyes shined with determination, and his words were like the final verdict. She could see how damn serious he was and that scared her.

Was she ready to fall in love again after what she went in the past? Will he turn out to be a blessing or another nightmare in her life from which she wouldn’t get herself out?

So many questions, but she had no answer to them—all she found getting immersed in his beautiful words that scared the hell out of her.

****

Ashley and Tristan drove back home after having dinner. She was so happy to spend quality time with them and even came to learn about Gavin enlisting in the military.

Everyone was so happy that she didn’t realize the time to leave had arrived. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"What are you thinking, wifey?" Tristan’s voice broke her thoughts, and she saw him flashing his mouth-dropping smile.

"I am so proud of Gavin," she said genuinely.

Since she married Tristan, she had wholeheartedly accepted his family as hers. She never had a family except for her father, but through him, she got a mother, a father, grandparents, and even a brother and sister.

"I can see that" Tristan was amused to see how genuine her reaction was. She treated Gwen and Gavin like her sibling, listening to their worries and giving them genuine advice.

"So when will his training begin?" she asked, watching them finally reach Hyatt.

"Next month," he said and saw her nod her head.

"He seems so excited about his enlistment," she said, and they stepped out of the car.

"Yes, he is, and I am sure he will do his best" Tristan wrapped his arm around her waist, and they headed inside the building.

Unknown to them a car was parked a few distances away from Ashley’s residency.

Looking from the window, Greg fumed angrily when he saw Ashley walking inside the building with his hand wrapped around her waist.

Greg suddenly didn’t know why he became so eager to know whom Ashley was dating. But that day, when he saw a man inside her car, his anger increased.

The picture he saw where she was smiling and laughing with her boyfriend made his blood boil in jealousy. In the two years they dated, she never once let him touch her, and kissing was beyond expectation, but now when he looks at her happy self, he can’t help but feel angry.

Why was she like this with him? Why did she never let him touch her? What was in that man that her every rule changed?

His eyes turned red, and he started the engine driving away from there. Even now, he couldn’t see the man’s face since his back faced him, but he was adamant about knowing who he was and how Ashley fell for him.