24.000
More Than A Favor
Chapter 80
Rewarding me with a lollipop–did Ashton think I was a child?
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I was about to call him childish, but before I could, he had already placed the lollipop in my hand. Then, he casually grabbed a bottle of water for himself and even brought over my cup. Sitting down on a nearby chair, he patted the spot beside him. “Take a break,” he said.
Break? For what? I hadn’t done anything strenuous except deal with Selene’s ridiculous arrival. Still, since Ashton was sitting, I figured there was no harm in joining him. After all, without him, I couldn’t do much work anyway. A nagging suspicion crept into my mind–was he subtly controlling the pace of things?
“You were pretty fierce earlier,” Ashton remarked casually.
I took a sip of water. “Was I?”
“Yes. Terrifying,” he replied with a straight face.
I tilted my head slightly, unsure if he was serious.
He nodded, confirming, “Really, I almost felt sorry for her.”
For some reason, the way he said it, with that calm and composed demeanor, made him look uncharacteristically charming. Feeling a bit flustered by the thought, I decided to shift the conversation. “How old are you, Ashton?”
It was meant to tease him for his occasional childishness, but he responded seriously. “I told you before.”
I frowned, confused.
“When we were on a blind date,” he added, his tone as matter–of–fact as ever.
I froze, momentarily speechless.
He didn’t wait for me to reply. “I’m 31,” he said.
Although my question had been answered, I suddenly felt like the conversation was veering in a direction I hadn’t intended. We were clearly not on the same wavelength.
I continued sipping my water, hoping to steer the topic elsewhere, but Ashton spoke again. “Mrs. Sutton called me earlier. She heard we’ve been working together and suggested I bring you home
when we’re done.”
It was the first time he had mentioned Chloe since we started working together.
I hesitated, unsure how to respond. Chloe had been the one who set us up on that infamous blind date, and the memory still lingered awkwardly between us. Neither of us had brought it up since.
Now that he mentioned her, I couldn’t just ignore it. I forced an awkward laugh. “Didn’t you tell her you’d be staying here longer?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” he replied, nonchalant.
Something about his tone made me turn to look at him, curious, but he didn’t meet my gaze. Instead, he tipped his head back to drink his water. The movement drew my attention to his Adam’s apple as it bobbed. Without thinking, I swallowed as well, then quickly looked away, embarrassed.
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<Chapter 80
“I don’t think I need to visit her with you,” I muttered, more to myself than him.
“Why not?” he asked, his hearing apparently sharper than I’d expected.
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I hesitated but answered honestly, “I prefer to do things on my own. I enjoy my own company.”
I said it deliberately, hoping to set boundaries between us. After all, there had already been too many moments of unintentional closeness–like that incident in the elevator earlier.
Speaking of which… I glanced at the elevator and asked, “Why did it start swaying all of a sudden earlier?”
“What?” Ashton looked genuinely puzzled.
“Don’t tell me you did it on purpose,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
Given his control over the amusement park’s lighting and systems, it wasn’t far–fetched to think he could manipulate the elevator too. After all, I hadn’t moved much during the ride, and there was no logical reason for it to start swaying.
“You think I planned that?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, “Why would I do something like that?”
His response left me speechless. He was right–what reason would he have? Unless… he wanted me to cling to him for support?
As the thought crossed my mind, I studied his face, trying to catch any hint of guilt. But Ashton simply set his water aside and stood up. “Come on. We have work to do.”
I didn’t move immediately, still trying to process his behavior. He stepped into the elevator and turned back to me. “Come on. Let’s go up together.”
I hesitated, clutching the lollipop in my hand.
“There’s more testing I need your input on,” he added.
His words were almost identical to what he’d said earlier, but I couldn’t help but feel wary. The last time, he’d shown me some silly effects just to mess with me.
I sighed. “Ashton, it’s work hours. Don’t play around with me.”
Got it
he replied earnestly, though he remained standing in the elevator, clearly waiting for me.
Reluctantly, I walked toward him. As I stepped inside, he reached out as if to steady me, but ! instinctively dodged his hand. However, just as I entered, the floor shook slightly. Reflexively, I grabbed his arm.
The awkwardness of the situation made my cheeks flush, but Ashton only glanced around and muttered, “I’ll need to get someone to check this. It shouldn’t be swaying like that.”
I didn’t respond, though I couldn’t help but wonder if he was playing innocent.
This time, he didn’t joke around. Once we reached the top, he got straight to work, testing the systems while I inspected the effects. Everything seemed normal until, about half an hour later, my
phone rang.
y stomach.
I glanced at the screen and saw Logan’s name. A sinking feeling settled in my
I knew this wasn’t going to be a work–related call. Most likely, Selene had already complained to him.
Still, Logan was technically my superior, so I couldn’t just ignore him. Stepping aside, I answered the call. “Mr. Mercer.”
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“Elaine, you’re heartless!” Logan’s voice boomed through the phone, skipping any pleasantries.
I didn’t need him to elaborate–I already knew what this was about.
“Mr. Mercer,” I said calmly, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with my arrangements. If anything, the problem lies with you. You were the one who decided to place them here together, so I acted accordingly.”
Logan was silent for a moment, likely fuming on the other end. Sensing an opportunity, I added, “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up. I’m busy.”
“Reassign someone else to accompany Selene immediately!” he barked. “Or better yet, you do it yourself!”
I laughed bitterly. “Logan, have you lost your mind? Is she so valuable that I have to babysit her personally? We’re in the middle of critical testing. Should I put everything on hold for her?”
“I’m ordering you to do it!” he snapped. “You don’t need to worry about anything else.”
1 gripped the elevator railing tightly, my frustration boiling over. “Logan, you can act like a dictator all
you want, but I’m not playing along.”
“Then you’re fired as the project lead,” Logan said coldly. “Effective immediately. Report back to the office.”
His words stunned me.
“Are you serious?” I asked after a moment of silence.
“Do I sound like I’m joking?” Logan sneered. “Elaine, don’t think this project will fall apart without you.”
Hearing this, I felt a pang of sadness.
project, swallowing my pride and enduring
After everything I’d been through, I had stayed on this endless humiliation, just to see it completed. It was my dream. And now, even that was being ripped away from me.
This must be what regret feels like, I thought bitterly. Like my parents, who never got to see me grow up, some things in life just don’t go the way you hope.
“Fine,” I said quietly. “I’ll return to the office right away.
I hung up, my hands trembling slightly. After a moment, I turned to Ashton. “I have to leave. I won’t be able to help with the rest of the testing, but I hope you’ll finish it.”
His brows furrowed as he studied me. For some reason, I felt like he might follow me if I left.
“This amusement park was my dream,” I murmured. “I just wanted to see it through.”
After a long pause, Ashton finally said, “I understand.”
When I arrived at the office, Logan was waiting for me.
“Mr. Mercer, here’s my resignation letter,” I said, handing it to him. “I’ve also submitted it through the HR portal.”
It was a letter I had prepared long ago, though I hadn’t thought I’d actually need it.
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