Chapter 3 _

For the rest of the day, Ashley avoided reporting to her new boss Cameron. Instead, she sent other employees to him because she was feeling so embarrassed to meet him again. After her old boss left the office, she hadn't returned there and she hoped nothing should send her to his office.

Luckily for her, it was already lunch break and she was the first to close her laptop ready to sprint out but unfortunately for her, the telephone on her desk rang. The sound of it made her heart skip a beat. This was a direct line to reach from the CEO's office.

She shut her eyes briefly and picked up the phone placing it against her ear. "Yes boss?" Her brows creased slightly after hearing his order at the other end. "Like right now?"

Ashley frustratedly place the phone done on its holder and changed the direction of her movements to his office. Along the way, she kept on mumbling silent prayers and feeling so anxious to look at him again.

When she got to the transparent office door, she knocked once and entered without waiting for his response. He didn't raise his head right away to look at her since he was deeply engrossed in the file he was reading.

She cleared her throat to gain his attention even though he already knew that she was standing before him. Cameron spared her a glance before placing the file that he was reading aside. Ashley caught sight of the photo on the file and it made her speechless.

That was her!. She raised her head back to him and this time, their eyes met again. Why was he going through her file? Could he have found a valid reason to fire her?

"You sent for me boss." She said with her head slightly bowed.

She heard his deep breath. "When I was going through your file, I couldn't find anything about your personal life"

Ashley nodded to his words. She took a quick glance at him and he appeared to be in a deep thought. She had no idea what was going through his mind at the moment but it should have nothing to do with sacking her from her position. Keith's tuition fees hasn't been paid yet. No one knows about her marriage nor Keith since she got accepted into the company before getting married to that loser.

"I didn't think that it was necessary to include all of that and since Mr Eric didn't ask for it, I didn't bother to fill him with the details."

Cameron rested back on his chair staring at Ashley. A corner of his lips pulled up into a smile "I hope you don't get me wrong Miss Ashley, i'm only trying to know the kind of person that'll be working alongside with me. And since my dad didn't complain about you, I guess you're good to go"

Ashley breathed out a sigh of relief. He wasn't a bad person after all. She had a feeling that he'll be exactly like his father. UNTIL...

"By the way, I heard what you said back there at the elevator" Ashley's heart skipped a beat when he spoke. "You're right, I'm heartless and starting today, move your things over to that cubicle, I want to watch you while you work and if by any chance you slack off, you won't get the chance to use the elevator in this company again"

Although Cameron sounded mean, but a smile still played on his lips like a daunting predator watching its prey carefully. At the other hand, Ashley was dumbfounded. How could he think like that? She loved her privacy and now..??

"That will be all Miss Ashley" he dismissed her and returned back to his work.

Once Ashley was out of the office he raised his head up a little watching her walk away through the glass walls..

****

On getting home late that evening, Ashley was welcomed to the sight of a lady parading the living room with one of her dresses. That was the last gift from her late father and she wore it only on special occasions and this bitch had the audacity to go through her things and wear the dress so casually.

Driven by rage and anger, Ashley walked to the lady who hadn't noticed her presence yet. She caught her by her arm and made her turn around before sending a slap to her face. Her chest heaved up and down in anger as she glared hard at Andrew's fling.

She had made it clear to Andrew several times that he was free to sleep with whatever thing he wanted to sleep with but he shouldn't in any way let his bitch touch her things or her son.

From the lady's brown orbs, she looked visibly upset. She suddenly splashed the content of the glass that she was holding on Ashley' face.

"How dare you lay your hand on me?! Andrew!"

"That's right! Call him out but before he gets down here i'll teach you some manners!" No sooner had Ashley said that, she pushed the lady down to the couch hitting and pulling her hair at every chance that she got.

Andrew must have heard their screams because he came rushing down the stairs and the second he got to them, he pulled Ashley away from his girlfriend and sent a slap to her face. The impact sent Ashley falling to the ground. He stood before her glaring hard at her.

"How dare you touch her?!" He barked sending a kick to her back.

"Mummy!!!"

Keith's scared voice broke in the room. He rushed forward to his mother still bawling in pain on the ground. When he saw how much pain she was in, he rushed to his dad and pushed the latter to the couch.

"Why did you hurt my mummy? You're a bad man!"

Andrew wasted no second pushing the kid off him like he was a disease he didn't want to get infected with. "Get the f*ck away from my face!" He yelled at Keith before leading his mistress away with him.

Ashley lay there for God knows how long crying softly, her son lay next to her on the cold floor crying alongside with her and also consoling her.

"Please don't cry again mummy. I'm right here"

All throughout the night, Ashley and her son spent the night on the couch since Andrew locked them out of the rooms in the house. She was grateful to have an understanding son who didn't throw a tantrum at a time like this.

"When I grow up, I won't let anybody bully you again. Anybody who makes you cry again will be beaten up really bad by me"

Ashley pulled her son closer to herself planting small kisses on his face. This phase in their lives will surely pass by with time. And for that to happen, she had to work twice as hard for it to happen. All these while she has been thinking about her son's wellbeing. She didn't want people to address him as a fatherless boy.

"Don't hate your father, he really isn't that bad. He loves you a lot"

"No! Daddy doesn't like us. He yells at me everytime and also hit you. I don't like daddy, he's a bad man"

Ashley stroked his back gently hushing him to sleep.