Across the world, cards with unlimited credit were almost nonexistent, with only a handful ever issued. Years earlier, he had personally handed such a card to the woman he married after meeting her only once.
That realization left Elijah questioning how the card had somehow ended up with Ashley.
Acting on impulse, he seized Ashley's wrist and asked sharply, "Who handed this credit card to you?"
Caught off guard, Ashley paused and replied uncertainly, "I—"
Revealing the truth was impossible, since doing so would uncover the identity she had worked so hard to conceal.
Locking onto her with an intense stare, Elijah pressed again and said, "Answer me. Right now."
Without noticing, his fingers tightened around her wrist as his impatience grew.
Ashley was clearly unsettled by his forceful presence, her tone dropping as she replied, "Mr. Fletcher, what are you doing? You are hurting me. This credit card belongs to me."
Trying to pull free, she reached for the card in his hand and turned it over. "Look closely. My signature is right there."
A deep frown formed as Elijah studied the name, his gaze turning colder and his expression sinking into a dark scowl.
That was when he finally caught the discrepancy between the card number in his hand and the one he had given to his wife.
In that instant, Elijah understood that he had jumped to the wrong conclusion, since the credit card did not belong to him.
Letting go at once, he withdrew his hand as the coldness in his eyes faded, and when he looked down, he noticed faint red marks forming on her wrist.
With his voice lowered, he asked, "Does it hurt?"
The question stunned Ashley, since she never expected a mob boss like him to show concern.
In a quieter tone, she asked, "Mr. Fletcher, why are you paying so much attention to this credit card?"
Keeping his face stern and distant, Elijah answered, "Someone betrayed me and stole my credit card before."
Shaking her head, Ashley responded, "There has to be a misunderstanding. This card is absolutely mine."
She slipped the card back into her bag and added, "What does yours look like? I can watch out for it if I see it."
Without hesitation, Elijah shut the idea down and responded, "That will not be necessary."
Turning his cold stare toward Luciana, he added a warning. "Do not target her."
When she heard that, Luciana's eyes immediately reddened as she replied, "She started it. From the very beginning, she never treated us like her own."
A cold laugh echoed in Ashley's mind as she thought about how shameless Luciana was for rushing to play the victim.
Without hesitation, Ashley slipped her arm around Elijah's and said openly, "Darin lost a bet to me and then refused to admit it. If this gets out, people might start thinking you cannot manage your subordinates properly, Mr. Fletcher."
Those watching were left stunned.
Moments ago, she had been openly domineering, yet in front of Elijah, she suddenly looked wronged and harmless.
Heat rushed to Darin's face as embarrassment set in, and he shot Ashley a furious glare.
Noticing that it was nearly time to meet his business partner, Lachlan Phillips, Elijah turned his attention to Ashley and said calmly, "Come inside with me."
With a slight nod, Ashley answered, "Yes, Mr. Fletcher."
The instant she realized Elijah was backing her, she arched an eyebrow at the unhappy faces around her before walking into the office beside him.
Burning with resentment, Luciana stared at Ashley's back as she disappeared from view.
That woman was nothing but trouble, always manipulating situations and turning people against each other.
Clenching her lip in frustration, Luciana whispered, "I will find a way to drive her out."
Tension was written all over Darin's face because the humiliation Ashley dealt him earlier was something he had no intention of forgiving so easily.
Inside the office, authority clung to Elijah as he occupied the boss's chair, his tall frame commanding the entire room.
Nearby, Ashley lingered with an air of ease, slowly peeling open an orange-flavored lollipop before slipping it between her lips.
Without warning, the door to the office swung open.
Moments later, a sharply dressed man in his sixties stepped inside.
Shock flashed through Ashley's eyes. Was that not Lachlan, her grandfather's longtime friend? If he discovered she was secretly working as a private doctor for a crime boss, he would drag her away without hesitation.
Panic surged through Ashley, and she hastily pulled the lollipop from her mouth, pressed it into Elijah's hand, and ducked beneath his desk.
Startled by the sudden movement, Elijah glanced down and caught sight of her slender form slipping under him and crouching between his long legs.
Confusion crossed his face as he asked, "What are you doing?"
From below, Ashley tilted her head up, her delicate features fully revealed as her bright eyes pleaded with him. "Mr. Fletcher, please let me hide here for a moment. I will explain everything later, alright."
A flicker of tension ran through Elijah as her striking features held his attention longer than he expected.
In a firm tone, he said, "No. Come out right now."
Tears threatened to spill as Ashley responded, "Please."
Reaching out, she clutched his pant leg and said, "Mr. Fletcher, you are the most reasonable and considerate person I know. Just let me stay hidden for a moment."
Those damp, imploring eyes lingered on Elijah, slowly eroding his resolve.
After a brief pause, he gave in. "Do not stir up any trouble."
Relief burst across her face as Ashley said, "Thank you, Mr. Fletcher!"
Taking a seat across from Elijah, Lachlan entered the office and asked, "Mr. Fletcher, since when did you start enjoying children's candy?"
It was only then that Elijah realized the lollipop was still in his hand, so he placed it in his mouth and answered evenly, "Orange flavor tastes pretty good. You should try it sometime."
With a laugh, Lachlan said, "I am far too old for that. These days, I am even selling my shops. I simply do not have the stamina to manage them anymore."
Shifting into work mode, Elijah pulled out a contract and spoke in a sober tone. "In that case, we should talk about the price."
While the two men went back and forth over business matters, the passage of time quietly slipped by.
Down below, Ashley slowly grew drowsy as their dry discussion dragged on without end.
Trapped in the narrow space with no room to adjust herself, she covered a yawn and silently wondered when their meeting would finally conclude.
Right when Elijah nearly forgot that someone was hiding beneath the desk, a gentle pressure suddenly rested against his right thigh.