CEO's Contract Obsession-Chapter 217: Moving On
The two were smiling and feeling hopeful while reading Vanessa’s email. It was as good as finding the suspect, all they have to get is the name and face.
"I guess only an obsessed person can catch their likes," Ava commented carelessly.
Ash responded to Ava’s comment with a pursed-lips expression, jesting, "Ouch."
Ava looked at Ash in confusion, not understanding his joke. He realized this and explained, "At one point in my life, I was obsessed too, remember with Amy? But I never went to the lengths Vanessa did."
Ava was flustered hearing his statement, she covered her mouth with both hands and clarified, "Oh, my God, Ash, I did not mean it in that way. I have just heard about Vanessa’s intense obsession with Henry, to the point where she tolerated things a normal lover would not."
Ash smiled reassuringly, saying, "Do not worry, Ava, I understand what you meant. I know all about it too. That was why I was furious when I discovered Henry approached Amy. I thought he would use her just like what he did to his previous women and discard her once he was done.
But when I found out that he actually married her and made everything he owns conjugal, I realized he was serious and genuinely wanted to be with her for life. Maybe that was the time that I started accepting my situation and decided to be happy for Amy," Ash told Ava, with gleaming eyes full of emotion.
Ava sensed the sincerity and genuineness in every word Ash spoke. She could not only feel it but also see it in his eyes. He was truly happy for Amy. The pain was still present, but Ash was gradually letting go.
However, a twinge of guilt crept into Ava’s mind as she found herself feeling glad that Ash was moving on. She couldn’t help but entertain the possibility that someday in the future when his heart was fully healed, she and Ash might be together.
Ash noticed that Ava had momentarily drifted off, so he gently snapped her out of it, saying, "Hey, now, don’t you dare feel sorry for me." He chuckled as Ava regained her focus and continued, "Do you want to go through this evidence now? I can print it out, but it’ll take some time, so you’ll have to wait."
Ava contemplated for a moment, torn between checking the evidence immediately or enjoying her time with Ash a little longer. However, her priority was Amy, and reviewing the evidence Vanessa had sent could serve as a helpful distraction from her own lingering feelings, to ignore her stubborn heart.
"Alright, let’s go through it," Ava agreed. "If you don’t mind, I can play with Beethoven in the meantime. And could you also send it to my email?"
Ash nodded and promptly got to work. Ava, on the other hand, left Ash’s study and went in search of the puppy. She discovered him peacefully asleep on his dog bed and decided to let him be.
She then texted Rei to update him on their findings and swiftly received a response.
Rei: [Are you two on a date?]
Ava: [What? Oh gods, no!]
Rei: [Alright, I won’t be ruining anything. I’ll come over. Tell Ash to prepare drinks, it will be a long night.]
Ava: [Now?! Are you serious?]
Rei: ...
Ava felt a wave of panic as she realized that Rei might tease her once he saw what she was wearing. As part of Amy’s security detail and her newly appointed assistant, she typically dressed in denim pants or business casual attire.
Wearing a dress and letting her hair down was a rare occurrence for her, reserved for special occasions like Amy’s wedding. Today, however, was not an occasion worthy of such attire.
Ava hurriedly returned to Ash’s study to inform him of Rei’s imminent arrival.
Ash smirked, teasingly asking, "Did he mention preparing drinks as well?"
Ava furrowed her brow in surprise and asked, "Are you two that close to know each other’s thoughts?"
Ash laughed at Ava’s remark and explained, "We used to be in a study group together and collaborated on several college projects. Every time we had a meeting or a sleepover, he would request a specific drink, and coincidentally, I happen to have it in my pantry. I’ll prepare it. Can you continue printing these documents?"
Ava took charge of the printing task while Ash prepared the requested beverage. As she opened each document sent by Vanessa and downloaded by Ash, Ava came across a folder labeled ’Amy.’
As expected, curiosity got the better of her, and she couldn’t resist opening it. Inside, she discovered pictures of Ash and Amy spanning their younger years until adulthood. A pang of pain struck her chest, and without realizing it, a single tear fell from her eye, prompting her to hastily close the folder.
"What the hell was that?" Ava shook her head, questioning herself. She resolved to stop prying and focus on completing the printing of all the files, reminding herself of the reason she was there in the first place.
In no time, Rei joined Ash and Ava, immediately requesting his drink. He said, "I hope you have something here to keep me awake and alert."
"I knew you’d say that. Actually, I not only have black tea in my pantry, but I also have the best one," Ash replied, heading to the kitchen to retrieve what he had prepared earlier.
He placed three cups of black tea on the dining table, which Rei eagerly took. Ava also grabbed a cup, intrigued by what made this tea so special.
"That’s Da Hong Pao tea, and it’s more expensive than gold, so you owe me," Ash joked with a playful grin directed at Rei.
"I think my payment is already finding its way into your life," Rei commented, glancing briefly at Ava.
Ava narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together in response to Rei’s comment, understanding what he meant. She quickly shifted the conversation, attempting to steer Rei away from further teasing, saying, "Alright, let’s get to work."
"Tell me what you found out," Rei prompted.
Ash handed Rei his tablet and showed him a CCTV footage from a convenience store near the deceased engineer’s house. Ash pointed out, "At first glance, it seems like a normal video of a customer buying snacks from a store, but if you look closely, you’ll notice that he took something from the back of the shelf."
Ash then presented Rei with a close-up picture of the item the engineer had in his hand, explaining, "Take a look at this. He had a small brown envelope together with the item he purchased. Another footage shows him making a phone call after leaving the store, which again appears ordinary."
Ash switched the video on the tablet to another scene, showing the engineer talking to a student. "As you can see here, the engineer approached a student, seemingly asking for help. Subsequently, that same student withdrew money from an ATM near the convenience store and gave it to the engineer."
Ava interjected, "We suspect that the engineer pretended to be unfamiliar with the ATM to manipulate the student. That’s why we couldn’t find any photos of him using ATMs to withdraw money. The envelope he took from the store must have the ATM card inside."
She continued, "When we checked the time the student withdrew the money, we found that the ATM was not under the engineer’s name, and that account was closed shortly after the withdrawal."
Rei examined the files while Ava and Ash explained their findings.
Ash then mentioned, "That’s where Vanessa’s investigation ends. She wasn’t able to obtain the name associated with that account. However, since my aunt owns a bank, I asked her to look into it. Here’s the name, but I still don’t think it’s the person we’re looking for."
Curious, Rei asked, "Why do you think that?"
Ash replied, "The target was clearly Amy, not Henry. We think that it might be a woman, probably one of Henry’s former contracted girlfriends in the past. Some of them are famous and wealthy, capable of paying someone to carry out this plan."
"Alright, these findings are valuable and will definitely be useful. Thank you. After all the challenges we’ve faced, I assure you that Amy will be aware of your contribution. Henry would also appreciate it," Rei acknowledged.
Ash shook his head, expressing disagreement. "Please, don’t tell them, Rei. I’ve done terrible things to Amy. Let this be my way of repentance and punishment. I’ll assist her anonymously and let her continue to despise me. I have no confidence left to face her and Mary. I’ll leave it up to time and fate to determine if our friendship can ever be salvaged."
Understanding Ash’s plea, Rei nodded, respecting his wishes. He urged both Ash and Ava to continue examining the evidence they had gathered, shifting their focus back to the task at hand.
As Rei observed the interaction between Ash and Ava, he couldn’t help but notice the undeniable chemistry between them. If he didn’t know any better, he would assume they had known each other for a long time. Their connection seemed almost telepathic as if they could anticipate each other’s thoughts and respond accordingly. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
A smirk formed on Rei’s face as he thought to himself, ’I’m glad to see you moving on, old friend. Perhaps without realizing it, you’re opening up to Ava. I hope she will be able to have the chance to capture your heart.’
