A Love Trap

"Aaaaahh!" Ashley jerked up from the bed, screaming her lungs out.

Beads of perspiration shone on her forehead and her saucer-like eyes were full of panicky terror.

Rattled, she glanced around to ascertain her surroundings. When the familiar sight of her bedroom greeted her, she sank back into her pillows and heaved a stunned sigh of relief.

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to collect herself, and when she opened them again, she stared at the ceiling, her shock still rampant in her mind.

Never in her wildest imagination had she thought that she would dream of making love to a stranger. That excruciating post-coital pain still made her insides throb.

'That man was horrible!' she thought shakily. The very memory of him made her tremble with fear.

...

Not until she heard Ellie's muffled voice call out her name from the other side of her bedroom door did she snap out of her daze. The alarm on the bedside table told her that it was 8: 30 - just half an hour before she had to go to work.

Although she had made up her mind to quit her job, she was still an employee in the Luo Group and she didn't want to be late for work.

Ashley yelled a quick assurance to Ellie that she would be ready soon and hurried to the bathroom.

It only took her five minutes to fix herself up.

"What happened? Why'd you wake up so late?" Ellie asked, frowning as she took in Ashley's sleepy-eyed appearance.

Ashley gulped nervously.

'Should I tell her the truth? It's kind of hard to tell anyone about the dream, ' she thought.

"Nothing," she said, deciding to keep the experience to herself. "I had a nightmare last night. Kind of made it difficult to sleep at night, so ended up oversleeping in the morning."

Ellie studied her for a moment before handing Ashley her breakfast and sighing. She said, "Let's go or we will be late."

Ashley gratefully took the food and bit into it as she followed Ellie out of the house.

It was 9 am when they arrived at the office.

moment to quizzically look around,

by the sight of an elegantly dressed

elegant, she looked like a woman in her thirties, not like the forties woman that

If your mother hadn't told me what had happened to you, I wouldn't have known that you've been having such

and arrogant. But the Lena before her was putting up a show of being a timid girl. "I will, Auntie. I will come over to you whenever I have the time. I only hope you will not find me clingy," she

overjoyed if you could keep me company," the lady responded, flashing Lena a warm

glanced at the employees who were standing around them, frozen to their places, and turned to Lena. "If anyone gossips like this, you can fire them directly without asking for my or Raymond's permission," she said, the

were intended for Ashley, she knew it. And this was confirmed when she saw the lady throw her a meaningful glare.

You can go

to the exit." Lena held the lady's arm intimately and they headed towards the

they walked past Ashley, the older lady cast her a contemptuous glance and let out a low

the repulsive, scornful look on

heard the warning

one dared to blurt out their own thoughts, because doing that

two girls. It was evident that the

scattered, everyone going back to work, but not before throwing Ashley

still, seething from

looks down upon

so arrogant, ' she thought.

her eyes devoid of any emotion. Her rage was within and she wasn't about to show it.

that elegant lady all too well.

was Raymond's mother.

Raymond. So she often came up to Ashley and tried all means to make her leave her son, including offering her a big sum

memories of the scorn and repulsion that Ashley had

lady had directed a lot of

ant and Raymond's mother was an elephant, holding the

she had had the courage to be with Raymond while facing his mother's

Raymond the love of her life and couldn't bear the thought of

...

okay, Ashley?" Ellie asked,