A Love Trap
Chapter 143 The Banquet

"Don't worry. Everything is ok." Andrew soothed Ashley in a low and gentle voice while holding her.

They arrived at the villa, and Josef parked the car outside. Andrew then carefully carried Ashley out of the vehicle.

Turning around, Josef happened to catch a glimpse of Ashley's lovely and adorable face.

However, before he got the chance to have a proper look, his view had been blocked by Andrew. When Josef looked up, he saw the angry cold glare from Andrew. Josef froze with fear, "B...boss, I will leave now..."

Andrew then withdrew his eyes with satisfaction and carried Ashley into the villa.

When Claire noticed Andrew entering, she immediately came to greet them warmly. "Mr. Lu..."

She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the cold glance and frown on Andrew's face. He didn't want Ashley to be woken up, and he continued to carry her upstairs.

Once he reached the bedroom, he gently laid Ashley onto the bed. Andrew was about to go to the bathroom to have a shower when he noticed Ashley had clenched her fists. Then she reached out her hands, grabbed hold of his clothes tightly and huddled beside him with a frown on her sweet face.

Andrew felt a pang of remorse when he saw her cowering in fear even in her sleep.

He didn't expect that she would be so afraid of seeing that film. Had he known that it would affect her so much, he would have chosen another movie for her to watch. He blamed himself for being so inconsiderate.

Perhaps it was out of fear that Ashley was particularly clingy tonight. But Andrew could not leave her alone.

Andrew could have removed her hands and gone about his own business. However, he felt responsible for her fear and didn't have the heart to leave her alone in that state.

The next morning when the sun shone brightly into the bedroom, Ashley slowly opened her eyes. The first thing that came into her view was a broad, tanned chest.

At first, she didn't realize that her head was resting on Andrew's chest, and she blinked in confusion.

Her long eyelashes were just like two small fans sweeping across Andrew's skin, which tickled him terribly.

In the morning, men are generally sexually impulsive... Andrew however, became stiff because of her unconscious acts.

Suddenly Ashley had become wide awake and quickly moved away from him. She pulled the sheet up to cover herself and looked at his handsome well-sculpted face.

Andrew's staring and affectionate eyes met her gaze.

"Morning," Ashley greeted him, feeling embarrassed.

"Morning," Andrew responded with a quiet and gentle voice. His voice was low, attractive, and magnetic with a trace of laziness at this hour in the early morning.

Ashley slid out of bed and went to the bathroom. Once inside, she thought about her reaction to the ghost film last night, and how she had been so frightened that she made her way into Andrew's arms. Ashley blushed scarlet with embarrassment. She ran the water and cupped her hands, splashing the cold refreshing water onto her face.

'My gosh! How humiliating!

How could I get into such an awkward and embarrassing situation in front of Andrew!' Ashley thought, feeling chagrined.

After they had breakfast, Andrew drove to Ashley's cake shop to drop her off, and then he would proceed to his office as usual.

"There's a party tonight. Be ready. I'll pick you up after work," Andrew said to her before she got out of the car.

"Me?" Ashley asked with a puzzled look on her face, while pointing to herself. "You want me to go with you?" Andrew nodded.

T

"I'd rather not go. You can attend these banquets by yourself. What can I do there?" Ashley didn't see the purpose of why she needed to participate and tried to eschew such an occasion.

In all honesty, Ashley wasn't interested in the luxurious life of the wealthy, which involved socializing at dinner parties and going to all kinds of banquets as such. To some extent, she was averse to such parties.

"Be ready. You are going with me." Andrew's voice was firm and final. There was no room for an objection.

Out of reluctance, she remained silent.

If she had known that there would be so much hassle marrying Andrew, she would have married a person with a plain background.

"What time will we go?"

"It's at seven in the evening, and I'll pick you up at five," Andrew replied.

Ashley nodded. "Okay, I'll be ready."

When Andrew noticed the discontent look on Ashley's face, he lifted his brows and was going to say something. However, in the end, he said nothing.

Ashley entered the cake shop, and Ellie could tell that something was wrong when she saw the unhappy look on Ashley's face.

"What happened?" Ellie asked with concern.

Ashley breathed a heavy sigh. "He said there's a party tonight and he asked me to go with him," she said with a tone of disappointment in her voice.

"You should have thought about those problems before you two got married. They're unavoidable, you know?"

Ashley could only keep silent for she couldn't tell Ellie the truth.

In the beginning, it was Ashley's suggestion that they got married. But her approval of the match was under the duress of her family. Ashley kept that part concealed from Ellie.

So now Ashley had no other choice but to suffer in silence.

"By the way, you two are married. When is the wedding ceremony going to be?" Suddenly it dawned on Ellie that they hadn't had a wedding ceremony. So she asked Ashley about it. At the thought of a wedding ceremony, Ashley's face suddenly looked ashen and drawn. 'Wedding ceremony?' Ellie's question came as a great shock to Ashley.

The thought of a wedding ceremony never crossed her mind. Neither Andrew nor Ashley had a deep affection for each other, and it would be awkward to hold a wedding in front of so many people. Naturally, Ashley didn't want to do that.

No one had mentioned a marriage ceremony for such a long time, so Ashley didn't think about it.

The complicated expression on her face made Ellie misunderstand her.

"Is it because he doesn't want a ceremony?" Ellie looked at Ashley wide-eyed and she was shocked that that might be the reason.

The customers in the shop began to eavesdrop on their conversation, and

Ashley looked around, smiling awkwardly. She pulled Ellie aside. "What are you doing? Keep your voice down."

Ellie realized that she might have gone a little too far, but the thought of Andrew not holding a wedding for her beloved friend made her annoyed.

She always believed that Andrew was a reliable and generous man. However, now she had a different opinion of him. Ellie was surprised to replace that Andrew could be so ungentlemanly and stingy.

A wedding ceremony was something most women regarded as an important and meaningful event in their lives. Ellie was irritated by his cavalier attitude towards this.

Ashley could tell that Ellie had misunderstood the whole thing by the vexed expression she had on her face. "Ellie, it's not what you think. Let me explain it to you."

"There's nothing to explain! Why do you have to be so stubborn and even cover for him? You, of course, know what a wedding ceremony means to women like you and me. How could you get married without one?

Is it because of what he said to you? Did he make any threats against you?"

Ellie's suggestions became even more outrageous as she went on. Ashley could only stare at her in shock.

She hadn't known Ellie to be such a chatterbox before.

Ashley stared at Ellie dumbfounded with a blank expression on her face.

She waited for Ellie to finish speaking. "Ellie, it's not what you think. You're blowing everything out of proportion. Listen to me, okay?"

Ellie tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms. Staring intently at Ashley, she said, "Fine, then you explain it to me, and it better be a good reason, or I will ask him myself!"0000000☐☐☐☐