Chapter 52

Her grandma returned the dagger with a warm smile and she kissed her forehead. "As always, my granddaughter is the most talented." Ashlyn chuckled.

"What can I say? I got the best genes from my mother's side." Ashlyn winked playfully. Her grandmother only smiled at that. "Let's talk about the important things we have ahead." She spoke with seriousness in her voice.

Ashlyn could tell that her grandmother didn't want to talk about those matters right now. "I will be auditioning tomorrow for a role in an important short film," Ashlyn spoke. "I also did a small commercial and photoshoot today. It should be released soon since it was very simple and quick."Ashlyn informed her. "You are taking it slow but making it big at the same time...that's good. What else are you planning?" She asked.

"I will enjoy it. I realized I have not given myself time to enjoy my life. I have been suppressed and been broken for so long. I think this a chance for me to grow and solve my problems once and for all. Especially the things between me and my father." Ashlyn replied. She glanced at her grandmother who had a frown on her face.

"Are you planning on cutting off your relationship with him?" Her grandmother asked. "Pretty much but not completely, I will solve things first. I just need this month to get myself together." Ashlyn looked out the window and she closed her eyes. Indeed. She had been a mess for the past couple of days and she should take a moment and think things through.

After they reached their destination they entered a fancy restaurant where a reservation was already made by uncle Diaz. He joked about paying the bill but he did pay. They had dinner and enjoyed the rest of the night together. This served as a good chance for Ashlyn to bond with her maternal family.

The night ended early because of the audition the next day and everyone knew that Ashlyn needed to rest well. Ashlyn arrived back at her hotel room and she decided to head straight into bed.

When her phone rang she didn't waste time letting it ring because she knew that she wanted to hear Conner's voice.

"Are you going to sleep?" He asked as soon as the call connected. Ashlyn replied; "Mmhmm" Conner smiled and placed the files in his hands on the desk. "Alright, good luck on the audition tomorrow. Good night." He told her which caught her by surprise. He was very calm at the moment. She found herself getting relaxed by the warm and welcoming tone of his voice. She closed her eyes and let her tense shoulders fall back.

A few moments of peaceful silence passed. Ashlyn finally came back to reality and she cleared her throat. "Thank you. Good night." She told him. There was a bit more silence until Aiden said his goodbye and hung up.

Ashlyn pursed her lips wondering since when did they both become so distant? The answer is obvious for her but she still felt quite surprised by it.

'I will work on fixing that.' She thought with a small smile.

Ashlyn looked at herself in the mirror and rubbed the small scar in her forehead. 'It should fade away soon.' She thought. She sighed and went to sleep thinking that she might have been a bit too harsh on him. In the end, she did her best to divert her thoughts and concentrate on getting a good sleep.

While she was attempting to fall asleep with her messy thoughts Conner was also facing his problems.

He placed his phone down on the table and he groaned. "What's wrong with you? You should have said something else." He muttered, annoyed at himself.

There was a knock in his door and he muttered a 'come in' to the person. His secretary Evelyn entered his office with a cup of coffee in her hand. "Sir I brought you some coffee." She informed him of the obvious. Conner didn't say anything and watched her place the cup of coffee right in front of him. "It's late for coffee." He told her.

"I-" Evelyn cleared her throat and retreated. "I'm sorry my mistake. Should I bring something else instead?" She asked with a gentle smile on her full cherry lips. Conner nodded. "A cold water is fine." He responded and she excused herself. He immediately got back to work.

He looked at the clock and realized that it was already pretty late but he continued working. He had a lot of work to do and he had to finish it by tonight.

A few minutes later he heard a knock on his door again and it was his secretary. She placed a glass of water with a few ice cubes on it and leaned near him almost throwing herself in his arms.

Conner narrowed his eyes and avoided her swiftly. He 'accidentally' pushed the glass of water off the table. The cold water ended up spilling in front of Evelyn who had fallen on the floor. "As my secretary, you should be more careful. Clean the mess up NOW!" He ordered her and she got up immediately.

She left his office through gritted teeth.

Conner's lips cured upwards into a cold smile. He stood up to lock his door. He closed the blinds from the transparent windows and he made a call. "She's starting to take action. Keep her under your watch." He ordered and returned to his seat with a thoughtful expression. The room turned cold. If anyone where there at that moment, they would surely suffocate to death.

Conner started thinking about how Evelyn became his secretary in the first place. This happened before he left to work in New York after his marriage with Ashlyn. He had an accident and woke up in the hospital.

His father took the opportunity to implant one of his spies at that 'perfect' timing. That spy was discovered by Conner almost immediately. Although her skills were considered impeccable his were too ahead for her. She was easily discovered. Conner had decided to pretend that he isn't aware that there is a spy but he still kept some of his men watching her every move.

He had let her continue to be his secretary so that he could know more about what his father is planning. He had not told his grandfather about this because he didn't want to worry him, if he did things wouldn't go as he plans. Although he loves his grandfather and respects him very much he is a bit too meddlesome.

Sometimes even he would be surprised at his grandfather's antics. Just how he suddenly started meddling into his relationship with Ashlyn. Conner was startled when he felt a sudden warmth in his heart. He felt like he was being attacked so much since he saw Ashlyn again. Just what's wrong with him?

He sighed and leaned back on his chair. He stayed there for a few minutes until he realized that he should stop daydreaming and get back to work.