Chapter 19

Ashley didn't notice that the butler was at the door and saw and heard everything.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, where do you think you're going?" He blocked her path with his two outstretched arms.

"Do you not know it's not wise to anger the master? You should be thankful for how he cares for you, and I trust he saved you from the syndicate yesterday. And now, you are sulking, and you're acting as if he is the villain in this story? What if he gets a loose screw on his head and changes his mind and sends you back there? Well?" The butler tried the scare tactic. 'Innocent girls are easily scared,' he thought.

Ah, he was exactly right. The weak and naïve Ashley believed it at once just because of the butler's stern face. [Same as his boss, tsk, tsk.]

"It's because… it's because…," she stuttered as frustrations swelled inside her and snapped as she burst out her anger by yelling at the top of her lungs.

"Because he is completely extreme, you know? Sometimes he's sweet and warm… he shouts at me like a tiger most of the time. Grrr! I don't know how to get along with him." She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists as she said the last phrase.

"What does he think of me, a mannequin? As if I don't have a heart and feelings that can get hurt too?" Ashley said it while her chin trembling and voice cracking as she paced back and forth in front of the serene butler...

"Oh my, bear with it. Japanese are like that. When they speak, they seem angry when they are not. Let it be; I'll talk to him. Anyway, he listens to me because I was the one who raised him." The butler boasted to Ashley but with a hint of sadness in his eyes.

She halted her pacings and raised a brow looking straight to the expressionless face of the butler.

"Really? Because I had never met a Japanese before and this is my first time outside my country too. Back in the Philippines, no foreigners ever went to our area, and If there's one, I don't speak with them."

"Oh, my! Let's stop this drama now. We're not in a TV series, you know? This is Ajzhen's novel. It might become a movie someday, and you're the leading lady. So, go back there, and the two of you might be leaving now. Be patient and try to understand him. Remember, enter here, out to the other side." He said as he pointed at the left ear and right ear afterward.

All this while, Ashley didn't notice that Tanaga was at her back and heard all of their conversations.

He slowly retreated. 'Ashley would probably think that I'm like my butler who loves to eavesdrop.'

Tanaga tiptoed to where Ashley left him a while ago, but... stopped as he realized. 'Why am I acting this way? I'm the boss here. Why should I be afraid if she'll know that I heard them?' With that, he went back to where Ashley was.

While Ashley was thinking about the butler's advice, she decided to return and let bygones be bygones, and see if Tanaga would still take her or not. Little did she know, their distance from each other was not that far. So, when she turned around, Tanaga's grim face glared right before her.

"Oh, God have mercy, a demon!?!" Ashley exclaimed and jumped back in fright.

Tanaga's temples trembled from what he heard. "Demon? Why? Do you see horns on my forehead?" His teeth were gnashing as he spoke while his brows knitted in anger.

However, instead of blowing off steam at Ashley, he held back as he recalled the lady's evaluation of him. "Can we go now? What time is it? If we are heading to the stock market now, we might lose the best price of the best stock by now. So, let's go. I don't want to wait for me," Tanaga shouted at Ashley.

Ashley was about to argue when she recalled the butler's advice, "Enter here, out the other side." So, instead of talking back… "Sir, I'm sorry! It won't happen again." Ashley said with bowed head while stopping herself from snapping again.

Tanaga walked away without waiting for Ashley. [Because he's confident she'll follow. He slowly grasped Ashley's personality by now.]

As they arrived at the car, Tanaga went in first while Ashley waited outside, feeling tensed on where they would go this time. Out of nervousness, she almost stumbled facedown inside. Good thing, Tanaga had a fast reflex and caught her but...

He swiftly raised his opened palms to stop her from falling between his legs but... caught the lady's twin soft mountains instead...

"Holly, shit... I'm dead!" He muttered self-consciously as he looked at Ashley's shocked face. It seems she's waiting for Tanaga to moved his hands away while holding her breath.

A minute had gone by, but Tanaga's hands were still clasping Ashley's twin peaks… The girl flared, and her sanity flew away.

*Pak! Pak!*

Tanaga received a resounding twin slaps on his stunned looking face...