Chapter 9

Tanaga and Ashley were having their lunch in silence. But they were stealing glances at each other, sensing every movie made by the other. Because of the tense atmosphere, Tanaga ate faster and finished lots of food, without even noticing. In contrast, Ashley was eating very slow and ate only a few spoonfuls of food.

Tanaga couldn't bear to see her eating in this manner. He shook his head. "Am I that frightening for you to eat only a few spoons when we both know that you're famished?!" He enquired with a slight heaviness in his voice as he looked straight at Ashley.

Ashley was genuinely shocked when suddenly, she heard Tanaga speak. She was in a daze. She didn't know he was already done eating and was staring at her for quite some time now.

His angry voice awakened Ashley from her stupor. "Sir! Did you mention something?" Ashley asked, who was now on the verge of crying out of nervousness.

"I said, ugh, never mind... If you're done eating, let's talk about your stay in this house while we haven't conceived a child yet." Tanaga stood and just like a gentleman, he pulled Ashley's chair backward and assisted her to stand.

All of that was witnessed by the butler, who was all smiles and happy. He immediately ordered one of the maids to prepare some coffee and serve it to their master's office.

Ashley silently followed Tanaga to his office to resume their talk about the clauses stated in the contract. While they strolled in the long hallway of Tanaga's palace-like house, Ashley couldn't help but silently appreciate the luxurious furnishing and the fine art displayed on the walls.

'Even just one of those paintings will be enough to take care of my whole family for a lifetime.' She sincerely thought as they passed by.

As for Tanaga, he noticed that Ashley was interested when it came to art and decor. So, he decided to leisurely saunter the more extended aisle so Ashley could wholly appreciate his favorite art collection. Ashley didn't realize that Tanaga was observing her carefully and grinning in secret with what he witnessed.

Ashley was not aware that they already toured the whole residence. Because she was fascinated with everything she saw, she was startled when Tanaga began speaking.

"If you are fond of art, one of these days, you have to visit a place where you can discover more magnificent paintings," Tanaga said wholeheartedly, but with a serious face that was hard to read.

Ashley looked at Tanaga with surprise. She didn't know why Tanaga treated her this way. Sometimes, he was warm as the morning air, but sometimes, he was cold as ice.

When he spoke, he sounded like he despised the world. But he also looked at her with warmth and love in his eyes. However, there were times his fierce glares told her that he wanted to ravish her. Thinking about that made her heart beat faster. Because of that, her breathing was affected, and she felt as if she was going to faint. So, she carefully pressed her palm on her chest and tried to control her breathing.

Tanaga's brows knitted when he noticed her hand pressing her chest as if she was out of breath and became concerned with her health. Tanaga couldn't take it anymore and ask, "Do you have a heart disease that I need to know?"

Ashley's pupil's dilated hearing Tanaga's question.

'Heart problem? Eh! What heart problem? I can hardly breathe because you've been staring at me like you're going to eat me!!!' Ashley thought.

"Sir? No! I was only excited. I couldn't help but admire your wonderful collection. I can guarantee that I don't have any heart problems."

Ashley was embarrassed to cause a misunderstanding with her gesture and couldn't look straight in Tanaga's eyes. She felt guilty about her strayed thoughts, all about the way he looked at her, the real stimuli of her excitement.

Tanaga merely smiled, but he was glad to hear that she was healthy. He continued walking to his office while shaking his head and inwardly laughing as though he got the hint on who she admired in particular.

Ashley was lost in her thoughts while following Tanaga. She didn't notice that he had stopped and bumped into his back.

"Ay! I'm sorry! I didn't do it on purpose!" Ashley abruptly stepped back like she was burnet and her feet almost tripped. Good thing Tanaga was fast and caught her by the waist on time. But, the unexpected happened... when she turned her head to look at him, she accidentally kissed him...