Chapter 4 _

The sound of the door opening got Cameron's attention. He spared a brief glance at Ashley and looked back at his opened computer, Suddenly, he froze and stared back at her fully. She tried to shy away from his intense stare. It was almost as if he spotted something on her face.

Of course he did spot the slight swell on the left side of her face and also the way she walked with a little difficulty. Although, Ashley applied little makeup to her face to cover the dark circles under her eyes but it wasn't hidden under the scrutinizing gaze of her boss.

"You don't look good. What happened to your face?" He questioned turning on the chair to get a proper glimpse of her and to his amazement, she chuckled lightly at his question like it wasn't a big deal at all. How could she tell her boss that her stupid husband was the one who inflicted those injuries on her? She had just two choices which comes with a heavy price to pay.

"Oh. It's a little silly. I slipped and fell on the bathroom floor last night but i've taken some painkillers"

Her tone sounded confusing enough and Cameron he didn't bother to ask anymore. He pointed his finger to the files on his desk.

"Send these to the PR team and also get the financial report from the last two years from the finance team"

Ashley nodded her head and was about to leave the office to get her task done but he stopped her from leaving. "Hold on"

She turned around with a slightly arched brow to listen to whatever he had to say.

"We're meeting some clients over lunch today. Book a really nice restaurant with a five star rating"

"Okay boss"

As soon as she left his office, she approached her cubicle adjacent to her boss's office while wincing in pain. Her lower back was in so much pain after Andrew kicked her last night. She could have stayed at home but this was just the second day working with her new boss and she didn't want him to have a bad impression about her.

****

Meanwhile...

Cameron turned on his seat facing the floor to ceiling window with a frustrated sigh. His phone was placed against his ear. From his expression, one could tell that he was bored of whatever the person at the other end was saying.

"You're not going to die mum! Stop saying that" he sighed massaging his temples "Fine! I'll come home for dinner. Are you happy now?"

He heard his mum's happy chuckle in the background. This was just one of her plans to lure him into a trap that they've all set up for him. He knew very well that tonight's dinner was going to be focused mainly on him. He wondered who the unlucky lady was that they've invited over to introduce to him.

They do this every single time particularly his mother who always try to set him up with most of her close friends daughters.

He was so lost in the conversation that he failed to hear Ashley walking in.

"Boss, I've gotten the files like you've asked for"

"Was that a lady's voice I heard?!"

At the other end of the phone, the older woman stoop up abruptly from the massage bed not minding the towel around her body dropped to the ground. The ladies who had been massaging her all along had their eyes almost popping out of their sockets in surprise.

"I clearly heard a lady's voice son. I'll be there in a second"

Natalie wasn't fully convinced, she was practically dodging the massage therapists who were chasing after her with her towel to cover her bare body.

"Ma'am please take your towel"

Back at the office, Ashley was confused at the ongoing banter between her boss and the other person in the ongoing voice call.

"I'll meet you at dinner. Bye for now" He didn't bother to wait for his mum's response before he disconnected the call. A sigh of relief escaped his lips. His eyes fell back on Ashley who had been silently observing and listening to his conversation with his mother.

She looked lost in her own thoughts.

"Ashley" he called softly.

Ashley's heart skipped a beat. She snapped her head instantly to him looking so stupified. That should be the softest a man other than her late dad had addressed her name. She cleared her throat gently and walked closer to him.

"Here are the files boss. I'm sorry for spacing out"

She placed the files on the table and bowed her head slightly before leaving. Cameron was a bit lost in thoughts as he watched her back leaving his office. He escorted here with his gaze until she sat in her cubicle. A hazy image flashed past his blue eyes, a sudden feeling of Deja Vu.

****

As planned, Ashley and Cameron met in his car ready to leave for the restaurant to meet up with the clients. All throughout the ride to the restaurant, she felt nervous and her heart was beating faster than normal. She noticed her body has been acting funny ever since she met Cameron in the elevator the previous day.

And the same goes for Cameron, he had a feeling that he has seen her somewhere before now. Especially when he watches her while she walked away. It felt like a suppressed memory that was trying break out.

"How long until we get there?" He asked impatiently while taking a glance at his wristwatch. It felt to him like they've been travelling for hours when in reality, he just wanted to leave the car to suppress those hazy images from resurfacing which normally causes a migraine.

"We'll be there soon"

After another five minutes, they finally reached the restaurant. Surprisingly, it wasn't fully booked. Some people were actually present in there. Cameron turned his head to Ashley for an explanation.

"I couldn't get a full reservation since almost all restaurants with five star ratings were fully booked. I could only manage to get us a table"

He managed to let out a sigh of defeat and began walking to the table next to the glass window where two men were seated. As expected, they stood up to shake hands with Cameron and Ashley.

Surprisingly, the young men were likely the same age as Cameron. Ashley had expected to see two big bellied men with a little touch of bald head.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr Black"

They had their seat and began discussing the purpose of their meeting. From the spot Ashley was seated, she could see who goes in and out of the restaurant. Suddenly, a familiar face walked into the restaurant with a lady hand in hand.

That was Andrew! Her husband and this time with a different lady. It wasn't as if she has seen him with the same lady twice. They were all different from the other. To avoid being seen by him, she raised the menu a little over her face and at the same time trying to make herself appear small.

And as fate would have it, they took the table adjacent to where she was seated.

Cameron noticed that she was trying to shrink herself into the menu and he assumed that she was hungry. He held out a finger for the young man speaking to hold on for a second. He spotted a waiter passing by and beckoned for him to come.

"Take her order"

Ashley who heard her boss's order was speechless. Her cheeks turned red in embarassment. What would he think of her now? How could she tell him that she didn't want to be recognized by her husband sitting over there with his fling.

"Ma'am what would you like to have?"

"A glass of water will do. Thanks"

Cameron spared her a glance. Once again, he assumed that she was just shy to be the only one to eat.

The waiter was the one currently blocking Andrew from seeing Ashley. And as soon as he left, Ashley raised the menu over her face again. This time, Cameron chose to ignore her weird behaviour since they were almost done with main discussion and lunch follows next.

"Of all restaurants in the city, he chose this one. I'm so unlucky" She muttered under her breath with a low hiss.

For some unknown reasons, Andrew's fling looked her way and their eyes met which lasted for a few seconds. She saw the lady lean a bit to Andrew and whisper something to him.