A Love Trap

'This is the most efficient way to make Fiona shut up!' Ashley thought with a victorious smile visible on her lips.

Seeing the way Ashley treated Fiona, Ellie rolled her eyes at her disapprovingly.

However, Ashley just grinned back mischievously. 'Got a problem with that?' she thought.

The trio ran into Rita, and she was looking a lot less confident and much less cocky than she had been yesterday.

Ashley gave her a vague glance, thinking, 'It looks like the tides have turned, after just one day. But it's wrong to gloat over other's misfortune.'

Sensing Ashley's gaze on her, Rita looked at her with a blank expression on her face and then looked away.

'She must hate me very much.

But it's not my fault. She brought it all on herself!' Ashley thought.

The time had passed in the blink of an eye and it was already dusk. The three girls stood in front of the Luo Group's building preparing to bid each other goodbye.

"Ellie, Ashley, see you tomorrow," Fiona said cheerfully, waving to them.

Her house was in the opposite direction to where Ashley and Ellie lived. But since the girls were all good friends, they would always walk out of the company together and then go their separate ways.

"Bye. See you!" Ellie and Ashley replied in unison.

They watched Fiona for a brief moment as she walked down the street and then they too headed to their apartment.

Ashley and Ellie rented an apartment in close proximity to the company. It made it more convenient for them to walk to and from work every day. It would normally only take them around ten minutes to get home at strolling pace.

On the way home, they chatted happily with each other.

All of a sudden, Ellie stopped and asked, "Now, can you tell me how on earth you managed to pull that off?"

an expression that implied, that she wasn't going

so she didn't dare try to hide it

that day when I visited the Star

that I had

right. Well, when I came back. I ran into someone- a beggar," Ashley

But there was something about his eyes, they were so kind and shone so brightly and beautifully. I guessed that he would have been hungry, so I gave him something to eat. And then we exchanged

contact information with a vagabond?" Ellie raised her voice and stopped on the spot, while she held Ashley by the arm. She gaped at her and then frowned and said, "Have you

Ashley said through clenched teeth as she glanced

Ellie's loud remark had drawn

what other people thought of her,

breath to compose herself and after a few

day that I ran into him and to be honest I even forgot about him. Then

relatives but got mugged. He lost everything and that was why he was in such a bad way. Later on, he managed to contact his relatives and recover some

with computers and

shrugging her shoulders.

locked herself in her room after work yesterday. And here I was thinking that she was upset because of the rumors, ' Ellie

came to J City to visit his relatives and was mugged! Only you would believe a story like that," Ellie

intentions and hurt Ashley? She really put herself in unnecessary risk. Thank goodness that

he isn't the evil person

a person by his appearance. If there were no

voice, as she shook

but since they kept stopping to talk about Ashley's new friend, it took them half an

Ashley walked into the house,

be calling her at this hour.

pocket and glanced down at the caller ID on the screen, her good mood

made her way into the kitchen to start cooking dinner for them. Whereas, Ashley sat on

instant she answered the phone, an irritated voice screeched back at her.