Chapter 111
The lunch was a real feast, packed with all of Briar’s favorite dishes.
The spicy and numbing cuisine was her absolute dream food, Briar had two plates of food just to show how much she loved it.
Full and satisfied, Briar trailed after Ashton back to his office, and then followed him straight into his private break room.
The lounge was huge, made up of two rooms, each with a big bed. The furnishings were super simple—just a cozy little sofa and a wardrobe.
Once the door was closed, it would be a closed private world. No one could bother them.
“You can sleep in the inner room. No one’s ever stayed there, and the bedding is all new,” Ashton said, gesturing toward the room.
Briar nodded. “Okay.”
But instead of going over right away, she turned and asked, “How about I tuck you in first?”
Ashton’s heart skipped a beat. He nodded. “Okay.”
Then he walked over to the window and pulled the curtains shut.
The room instantly dimmed, and the sensor–activated warm light by the bed came on automatically, making the whole place feel cozy and
perfect for sleep.
Briar could tell that Ashton went out of his way to create a good sleeping environment, but it didn’t really do the trick.
Ashton grabbed his pajamas from the wardrobe and headed to the bathroom to change. When he came back out, Briar was already settled
on the sofa.
Ashton walked over to the bed, lifted the covers, and lay down as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He pulled the blanket over himself, folded his hands over his chest, and closed his eyes.
Briar kept watching him until he closed his eyes, ready to sleep.
Only then did she pick up a stock market magazine from beside the sofa, lower her head, and start flipping through it.
The first three times she’d coaxed Ashton to sleep, Briar had always sat right next to him. The two of them were so close that Ashton would
drift off in no time.
But this time, there was only a single sofa and a king–sized bed in the room.
Their relationship wasn’t quite at the point where Briar could just casually sit on his bed, so she chose the sofa instead.
Now, with some distance between them, Briar wondered if her way of coaxing Ashton to sleep would still work.
But as it turned out, it still did the trick.
It seemed that as long as Briar was with him, regardless of the distance between them, Ashton would be out like a light in no time.
Briar was at a loss for words.
‘Seriously, he’s out like a light again?‘ she wondered.
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Chapter 111
If Briar weren’t a doctor and didn’t know Ashton had a serious case of insomnia, she’d honestly suspect he was just pretending
After waiting another fifteen minutes to make sure Ashton was truly asleep, Briar finally got up. She tiptoed out, careful not to make t
When she opened the wardrobe, she found a whole row of cartoon–print pajamas–just like the ones she used to wear at the villa. Her ga instantly softened.
Other than her grandpa and her two uncles, Ashton was the only person who had ever cared for her in such a thoughtful, attentive way.
Briar thought, ‘Ashton must’ve noticed these pajama styles when he saw me by the window!
Briar grabbed a random pair of pajamas, changed into them, then turned on her side and slipped under the covers. Soon, the sound of her gentle breathing filled the room.
She slept long and deep, so peacefully that she didn’t even notice when Ashton woke up and came in to check on her.
She had no idea that her quiet, innocent sleeping face actually made Ashton–the man who always kept his distance from women–feel his heart skip a beat.
When Briar woke up, she stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, momentarily confused.
‘Where am I?‘ she thought to herself.
Then she quickly remembered that she was in Ashton’s private break room.
She reached over for her phone and checked the time. It was already 3:30 PM. ‘Did I really sleep that long?‘ she wondered.
She got up, got dressed, and gave her sleep–mussed hair a quick tousle.
While replying to a few messages on WhatsApp, she pushed open the door to the break room.
Jalen said, “Mr. Wade, Mr. Floyd’s meeting has been pushed to tomorrow at noon. I’ll confirm the exact time with you then.
“Also, Miss Parkinson wanted to have dinner with you tonight, but I turned her down as politely as I could…”
The conversation outside came to an abrupt halt the moment Briar stepped out.
Jalen was utterly gobsmacked, his mouth wide enough to fit an egg.
He looked at Briar, her hair a total mess–obviously just rolled out of bed–then glanced at Ashton, who sat there looking all cool and noble.
Inside, it felt like fireworks were going off in his head.
He thought, ‘Damn.
‘Holy crap.
‘This is epic. It’s time to celebrate.
‘Did Ashton finally unleash his inner beast and get my future sister–in–law into bed?‘
Jalen looked so shameless and ridiculous that Ashton frowned in annoyance. “Get out!” he snapped.
“You got it!” Jalen didn’t care at all about Ashton’s icy glare.”
‘Who cares if he is cold to me? As long as he’s sweet to his future wife, that’s what really matters!‘ he thought.
Chapter 111
He had to spread this news to everyone right away. Just thinking about all the benefits he would get made him giddy.
Briar stood awkwardly in the doorway of the break room, watching Jalen practically skip away. “Ashton, did I interrupt you guys?” she asked
Ashton replied, “No.”
He got up, walked over to the sofa, and waved her over.
He said, “I prepared some afternoon tea for you–all your favorite little cakes and your favorite smoothies. Come join me.”
“Alright,” Briar said, shuffling over and sitting down next to Ashton.
She tilted her head, giving him a careful look, especially checking his eyes. “Did you get a good nap?”
Ashton nodded. “Not bad. I slept for two hours.”
In reality, it was just a little over an hour.
Normally, he could never fall asleep during his lunch break, but today, with Briar by his side, he managed to get some real rest.
Still, the way she cared about him made Ashton feel a gentle warmth blooming in his chest.
Briar nodded. ‘Two hours of sleep can really help recharge your
energy,‘ she thought.
She picked up her smoothies and took a sip, the sweet, creamy flavor filling her mouth.
She said offhandedly, “Ashton, do you have plans tonight? If you do, I’ll just head out in a bit…”
“No, I’m done with work at 5 PM sharp,” Ashton cut her off before she could finish.
He asked, “I’ve pretty much wrapped up everything today. Do you want to have dinner at home or go out?”
Briar raised an eyebrow, eyeing him suspiciously. “Really?”
“Really,” Ashton nodded. “I’ve got an hour and a half until I’m off work. You can start thinking about what you want for dinner tonight, and I’ll take you there.”
Briar started to seriously consider what to eat for dinner, looking genuinely happy.
But that happy feeling barely lasted five minutes.
Her phone started ringing in her pocket. She fished it out and checked the screen. It was Edgar Jennings calling.
She didn’t want to answer at first, but after thinking it over, she still picked up.
“What do you want?” Briar said coolly.
On the other end, Edgar sounded like he was barely holding back his anger. However, he still tried to talk to Briar with forced patience.
He said, “Briar, if you still consider me your father, then drop out of the Shoneport University Campus Belle Contest.
“You’re studying traditional medicine. After you graduate, you’ll just end up giving people acupuncture treatments.
“Your sister is different. She’s in the dance department, and she really needs all the resources and connections she can get…”
Chant 112
