She is beautiful. Never in my life have I seen a woman so gorgeous. I stare at her like I'm in a trance. I must be, because it's impossible to look away. Her red lips. Her soft closed eyes. He long blonde hair. Her hips. Her hands in the red sparkly...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Suddenly I come crashing back to earth. Am I falling for him? I look down. His hand is holding mine. I haven't touched a man in forever, and definitely not held their hand. I'm not falling for him, am I? No, I can't. I can't fall for him. I despise men ever since everything with my dad. But Michael...Michael is different. NO! don't come up with excuses! I can't fall in love, and especially not with him.
I pull my hand away from his and walk away, without saying a word. Richard finds me before I have a chance to find him. He immediately hugs me so tight I might break all my bones. The moment Richard's arms enveloped me, everything else melted away. The applause, the lights, the crowd—it all became a distant hum as I clung to him. My heart was racing, and I could feel
his warmth seeping into me, grounding me in a way that nothing else ever had. For a split second, it was just the two of us in the world, and I let myself sink into that feeling, into him.
"You were incredible," he whispered, his breath warm against my ear. The sincerity in his voice made my heart swell, a lump forming in my throat. "I'm so proud of you."
I pulled back slightly, just enough to look up at him, my vision blurred with tears I could no longer hold back. "Thank you," I managed, my voice a trembling whisper. It was all I could say, the weight of everything—the fear, the anxiety, the overwhelming relief—hanging on those two words. "I couldn't have done it without you."
His hand gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face, his touch so tender it made my heart ache. "You did this. You always had it in you," he said, his eyes never leaving mine. There was something in his gaze, something so deep and true that it made me want to cry all over again. Not from sadness, but from the sheer intensity of the emotions swirling inside me.
Richard is really like the dad I never had. The dad I always wanted. Someone loving. Someone encouraging. Someone proud. Someone I could make proud. Richard hugs me again. This time even tighter than before. It feels like he is breaking all of my bones. "Rich" I manage to get out under my breath. He finally lets me go. "Jesus Christ Rich" I say trying to catch my breath. Richard only smiles. His warm smile is brighter than ever.
"I appreciate you so much Ash" Richard tells me. I smile. "I'm just thankful you took me in" I say to him with an even bigger smile on my face. A smile? It feels like I haven't done that in forever. It feels nice. So nice.
Richard looks behind me, making me turn around. And there he stands. Alexandre Argent. "May I speak to Ashley alone?" he asks Richard. Richard walks away without saying a word. Alexandre turns his attention back to me. He smiles. Another warm smile I didn't expect from a businessman.
"Ashley, that was incredible," he says. I smile. "Thank you," I reply.
"You know, that song you sang really opened my eyes, and I wanted to thank you for that. But I also wanted to make you an offer," he continues.
An offer? Now that's interesting. "I'm listening," I say.
He smiles before explaining. "This club is an amazing place, but you're the one making it come alive. So, I wanted to sponsor you—not the club, you."
