Millionaire Girlfriend

Chapter 29: Chapter 29 - rendez-vous

"I swear I’ll kill you if you tickle me one more time!" Ashley laughed.

The two of them were wrapped up in a single blanket, as if they were the only people left in the world. The afternoon sunlight slipped through the curtains, filling the room with a warm and peaceful atmosphere.

It was exactly 12:15 p.m.

Neither of them had left the apartment all day. The only times they had gotten out of bed were to take a shower together and grab something to eat.

For once, they had forgotten everything outside those four walls. The responsibilities waiting for them, the problems from the past, and everything that had kept them apart seemed distant.

Now they were simply lying beneath the covers, wearing nothing but T-shirts and panties, playfully teasing each other like they had never been separated.

Curled up in Ashley’s arms, Clara had completely forgotten about work.

More importantly, she’d forgotten about the husband who had been calling her nonstop.

"Hehe..." Ashley giggled as Clara tickled her again.

"That’s what you get for trying to outsmart me," Clara said with a mischievous grin.

"Ow!" Clara cried out when Ashley bit her hand to make her stop tickling her.

"You didn’t leave me any choice," Ashley defended herself. "You know I’m really ticklish."

"You bit me!" Clara protested.

"You didn’t leave me any choice," Ashley repeated.

Still laughing, Clara grabbed Ashley before she could get away. She had always been the stronger of the two, and this time was no different.

"Now you’re going to suffer," she announced with a playful smile before attacking Ashley’s sides again.

Ashley burst into laughter, squirming helplessly beneath her.

Without warning, she leaned forward and bit Clara on the neck.

"Ow!" Clara cried again, immediately bringing a hand to her neck.

"You made me bleed, you little vampire!"

A fresh bite mark was already visible on her skin.

"I warned you I’d kill you if you didn’t stop," Ashley said triumphantly from beneath her.

Clara climbed off the bed and walked over to the mirror, still smiling despite the small pain.

The bite mark stood out far more than she had expected.

"Damn... how am I supposed to explain this if someone at work asks where I got it?"

"Oh, stop being so dramatic," Ashley teased as she climbed out of bed. "I don’t think anyone’s going to ask. It’s not the first time I’ve bitten you like that. I think you actually like it."

"Where are you going?" Clara asked as Ashley opened the bedroom door.

"Relax. I’m just going to the bathroom. I almost peed myself because of you," Ashley replied.

Knock. Knock.

As Ashley came back from the bathroom, she heard someone knocking at the front door.

She frowned.

Very few people knew where she lived.

She looked through the peephole and immediately recognized the visitor.

It was Marguerite, Clara’s secretary.

Ashley was still wearing nothing but a T-shirt and her underwear, yet she opened the door anyway.

"Marguerite! It’s good to see you again. What brings you here?" Ashley asked.

"I’m here to pick up my boss. She has a very important meeting at two o’clock," Marguerite replied professionally, glancing at the watch on her wrist.

"You’re here for Clara? Sorry, she’s not here."

Ashley lied without the slightest hesitation.

She knew perfectly well that Marguerite already knew Clara was inside. The Turner family’s security team quietly monitored Clara around the clock, and Clara’s car was still parked outside the building.

"Ashley! What’s taking you so long?" Clara called from the bedroom.

The moment the voice came from inside the apartment, the situation became impossible to hide.

Without saying anything, Marguerite stepped inside, keeping her usual calm and professional expression.

"Hold on. I’ll go get her," Ashley said before heading toward the bedroom.

Clara had no choice but to leave.

She had an important meeting she couldn’t miss, no matter how much she wanted to stay.

A little while later, Ashley found herself alone in the apartment once again.

The sudden silence felt strange after the peaceful morning they had spent together. Taking advantage of the quiet, she stretched out on the bed and quickly drifted off to sleep, trying to recover from their nearly sleepless night.

On the way to the meeting, Marguerite glanced at Clara through the rearview mirror.

"You have a bite mark on your neck," she pointed out.

Clara instinctively touched the spot.

"Is it really that noticeable?" she asked.

Without saying a word, Marguerite reached into her bag and handed Clara a small silk scarf.

Clara wrapped it neatly around her neck, covering the mark.

"You look really happy," Marguerite said. "You can’t stop smiling."

"Yeah... I’m happy," Clara admitted without trying to hide it. "I’ll wrap up this meeting as quickly as I can and take the rest of the day off."

She couldn’t wait to see Ashley again.

All she wanted was to spend the rest of the day with her.

"Of course," Marguerite replied. "But don’t forget that your husband will be attending today’s meeting as well."

"Oh..."

Clara blinked.

She had almost forgotten that the clients they were meeting today were an older couple with very traditional values.

The smile on her face faded slightly as she remembered she’d have to play the role of the perfect wife again.

---

"Clara, I’m glad to see you’re still alive," Dylan said sarcastically.

He had called her hundreds of times throughout the morning without getting a single response.

"Dylan, I’m sorry. My phone battery died," Clara lied smoothly.

The real reason was obvious.

She simply hadn’t wanted to answer.

"Never mind," Dylan said quietly as he stepped closer. "Smile. They’re watching us."

He casually slipped an arm around Clara’s shoulders.

From across the room, the elderly couple exchanged warm smiles.

To them, Clara and Dylan looked like a happily married couple.

"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Stewart," they greeted them together.

The meeting quickly shifted to business.

They discussed their partnership, reviewed a few details, and reached an agreement surprisingly fast.

The Stewarts clearly enjoyed working with people who shared the same family values they did.

Of course...

They had no idea that Clara and Dylan’s marriage was nothing more than a carefully maintained façade.

After several minutes of conversation, Mrs. Stewart smiled warmly at Clara.

"How are your parents doing?" Mrs. Stewart asked Clara.

"They’re doing well, and they’re still as in love as ever. They even went on a romantic trip a few weeks ago," Clara lied without hesitation.

Her parents really had gone on vacation a few weeks ago, but there was nothing romantic about it. Neither the trip nor her parents’ relationship were anything like the story she was telling. Clara sometimes wondered if they even knew the meaning of the word ’romantic.’

"That’s wonderful," the woman said.

"So, when do you think you’ll decide to have children?" the older woman asked without aurprise.

She had already asked the same question during their last meeting. When Clara had told her that at 23, she was far too young to become a mother, the older woman had replied that she had been only 19 when she had her first child.

"We’re already trying," Dylan answered, squeezing Clara’s hand that was resting on the table.

Clara felt a shiver run through her because of the way Dylan said it, as if he actually meant it.

But she still smiled, keeping up the image of a loving wife.

"I hope that next time we see each other, you’ll already be pregnant, Clara," Mr. Stewart joked.

"You can be sure she will be," Dylan replied with an easy laugh.

Clara was relieved when the meeting finally came to an end.

The conversation had drifted into territory she hadn’t enjoyed in the slightest.

As soon as the Stewarts left the conference room, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"So," Dylan said, turning toward her, "how about dinner tonight after work?"

"Uh..."

Clara hesitated, searching for the politest way to turn him down.

After all...

They were still married.

"I’m sorry, but I already have plans," she said. "Don’t wait up for dinner... or for me tonight."

Dylan studied her for a second before giving a small nod.

"Okay."

He understood exactly what she meant.

Clara turned toward her secretary after Dylan left.

"Marguerite, do I have any more meetings today? Or tomorrow?"

"No," Marguerite replied. "I’ve already rescheduled everything you had planned for tomorrow."

"But your father asked to see you. He said he has something he wants to discuss with you."

Clara’s heart instantly tightened.

For a brief moment, she had completely forgotten about the one person who truly terrified her.

She couldn’t even explain why she feared her father so much or why disappointing him terrified her even more.

"You should’ve told me sooner," Clara said, unable to hide the reproach in her voice.

"I was going to," Marguerite explained calmly. "But you looked so happy that I didn’t want to ruin your mood."

Clara took a deep breath before smoothing her hair and adjusting the small silk scarf that concealed the bite mark Ashley had left on her neck.

Then she made her way down the long hallway leading to her father’s office.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Clara. Your father is waiting for you in his office," his secretary informed her.

Clara knocked softly before stepping inside.

With every step, her heartbeat grew louder.

She couldn’t help wondering if her father already knew Ashley had returned... and that she had spent the entire morning with her.

The answer was obviously yes.

Her parents seemed to know every little thing she did. Privacy had never truly existed in the Turner family.

"Hi, Dad. You wanted to see me?" Clara asked, unable to completely hide the nervousness in her voice.

Clovis Turner looked up from the documents on his desk.

Clara instinctively stood perfectly straight, almost like a soldier standing before her commanding officer.

"How did your meeting with the Stewarts go?" Clovis asked with a faint smile.

The smile caught Clara off guard.

Not because she’d never seen him smile before.

But because whenever he was disappointed in one of his children, he made sure they knew it. Sometimes it was with a look so full of disappointment that it made her feel worthless. Other times, he simply stopped speaking to them altogether.

That was exactly how he had treated Clara only a few months ago.

"It went very well. They really like Dylan and me," Clara replied, still waiting for the moment her father would finally criticize her.

"Good," Clovis said with a nod.

"Your grandparents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary is coming up. Since they don’t get along with your mother very well, your grandmother has decided that you’re the one who should organize the celebration. Are you okay with that?"

Clara wasn’t surprised.

Her grandparents had never forgiven Regina.

Back when Clovis was still married to Carl’s mother, he had an affair with Regina. When Regina became pregnant with Clara, Clovis divorced his first wife and married her instead.

His parents had never accepted that decision.

"No problem," Clara answered.

"Is that all?" she asked cautiously.

No lecture.

No criticism about cheating on her husband.

No mention of Ashley.

Nothing.

Only when she stepped back into the hallway did Clara realize she had been holding her breath.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief, and the smile she had been suppressing slowly returned to her face.

With nothing left tying her to the office, she grabbed her keys and headed straight for Ashley’s apartment.

For the first time that day, her mind felt completely at ease.

Right now, she had only one responsibility.

To be happy.

The drive felt shorter than usual. Her thoughts were already focused on the person waiting for her, and the simple idea of seeing Ashley again was enough to put a smile on her face.

Knock. Knock.

Ashley opened the door almost immediately, greeting Clara with a bright, genuine smile.

"I want you to put a baby in me." Clara announced as though such a thing were perfectly possible between two women in love.

Ashley didn’t question it for a second.

She threw herself into Clara’s arms and answered her with a passionate kiss.

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