Chapter 4 Best Friends

Raymond pondered a few times on how things might have been if nothing had happened that day. He asked himself occasionally, 'What could have happened if I hadn't been to that bar? What if I wasn't drunk and didn't sleep with Lena? Would I still be together with Ashley?'

The answer, of course, was no. Lena was so manipulative that even if Raymond hadn't fallen into Lena's trap that time, she would have another trap ready for him. She would have found a way to have sex with him so that he would still break up with Ashley.

"Raymond!" Lena called out to him as she buried herself to his chest.

Truth to be told, Lena didn't really care about Raymond, much less be in love with him.

She only wanted to take him away from Ashley. Lena always wanted to steal Ashley's belongings ever since they were children. Whenever Lena noticed that Ashley cared for or liked something, she would stop at nothing from preventing Ashley having it.

She had always been jealous of the relationship between Ashley and Raymond. He was handsome, considerate and caring and he had been nice to Ashley. Lena thought that she was the one who deserved such an understanding man. She smirked while she devised the perfect plan to tear their relationship apart.

Lena made sure that Ashley would witness how Raymond betrayed her. She was very delighted when Ashley saw her and Raymond together that night. She couldn't forget how Ashley's face lost its color in shock and sorrow. Afterwards, however, Lena never saw Ashley display such a depressing face again in front of Raymond. Lena assumed that Ashley just tried to act cool. Deep inside, Ashley felt heartbroken and dejected on how Lena and Raymond were more intimate and sensual than the relationship she had with him before.

"I will take care of you, Lena." Raymond promised while he embraced Lena in his chest to show his devotion.

"Thank you Raymond. I believe you." Lena replied as she lowered her reddened face.

Ellie rushed out of the Luo Group. She almost ran towards the curb and flailed her arms to hail a taxi. She wanted to talk to Ashley right away but her calls didn't connect. Ellie was worried because Ashley turned her phone off.

She remembered when the two of them both got employed in the Luo Group, they decided to rent an apartment in the company district so that it would take them less time to reach home. Few minutes later, the driver drove her to her apartment.

However, Ellie was so worried that she felt like the travel time took hours.

She jumped out of the taxi and sprinted towards their apartment. Anxiety overwhelmed her as she turned the knob and opened the door. She switched on the light in the living room and found Ashley in a bath towel, asleep soundly on their couch.

The cold breeze of the night made it feel like it was not summer. Ellie sighed at the sight of her friend sleeping on the living room while wearing a towel in a chilly evening. Ellie then fetched a blanket to keep her friend warm

She walked towards Ashley quietly with the pink blanket in her hands. Ellie almost dropped the blanket as she noticed the pink bruises in Ashley's neck. When she realized that she had these marks all over her body, Ellie's eyes widened in disbelief.

Ellie had never had a boyfriend or even someone to be intimate with. However, she heard enough from her college roommates to be convinced that those bruises were hickeys.

Ellie wanted to wake up Ashley. She had so many questions for her. However, the dark circles around Ashley's eyes made her stop. She instead continued to cover Ashley with the blanket in her hands and decided to cook dinner for the two of them. Before Ellie could even take a step towards the kitchen, Ashley took her hand and held it firmly.

Ashley actually woke up when Ellie switched on the light in the living room. It was just hard for her to adjust to the brightness of the room so she decided to keep her eyes closed.

"Ellie…" Ashley's voice was barely audible as she sat up. Ashley moved closer and leaned towards Ellie and hugged her. She rested her head on Ellie's shoulder and tried to seek comfort from her best friend.

Ellie then patted Ashley's head to provide solace. She could feel that her close friend cried heavily. Ellie then stroked Ashley's back lightly, stared into her exhausted eyes and said, "Calm down Ash. Everything is going to be alright."

"They… they planned to marry me to someone I don't love. Just because Michael Du owns a real estate company, they schemed to make him my husband. They even drugged me last night…" Ashley confessed with a miserable voice. Ellie hugged her tightly as the tears flowed down Ashley's cheeks. Ashley told Ellie everything that happened last night until this morning. She cried as she tried to remember every single detail of what transpired.

Ellie sat and listened intently. She stroked Ashley's back occasionally to help her breathe better as she sobbed. By the time Ashley finished her story, Ellie was enveloped with anxiety, fear and anger for her friend.

Ashley and Ellie had been close ever since high school. They shared the same desk, played together and even ate together. They had always enjoyed each other's company because they had a lot in common, such as hobbies.

Ashley was an orphan. She was adopted by the Mu family, but even until then she had a hard time feeling welcomed and loved. The family didn't care for her. They made her work part time just to pay for her tuition fees. Even when it came to clothes and toys, she had to use Lena's hand-me-downs. Life was tough before she moved out and lived on her own.

Ellie was a child of divorce. Her parents separated when she was a young girl. She was raised by her grandparents instead. The two of them had experienced a similar sadness in their childhood. It was the reason for them to sympathize with each other and become best friends.

Ashley was a strong woman and Ellie understood this more than anyone. Ashley never cried no matter how devastating things went before. However, the pool of tears tonight made her look like a helpless little girl.

Ellie was enraged when she found out the arrangements made by Ashley's foster parents. She wanted to murder the people who forced Ashley to marry someone like Michael.

'Those foster parents of hers are lower than trash, ' she thought to herself while feeling disgusted.

She was well aware that Michael was a horrible person. He toyed with the hearts of many innocent young maidens. Those who thought that they were capable of being with him ended up not only broken hearted but even physically and mentally scarred.

However, Michael's wealth and influence protected him from the hatred of his victims and their family. They could only watch their daughters live miserably.

Ellie was frightened when she heard that Ashley ran inside a stranger's room in the hotel. She embraced her best friend as her terrible experience unfolded.

…

"I'm hungry, Ellie." Ashley's voice trembled from her weakness.

She leaned towards Ellie. Ashley's eyes were red and swollen while her rosy cheeks were moist from tears. She looked like a sorrowful princess from a fairy tale.

Ellie gently wiped the tears off her best friend's face. She looked into those sad eyes and said kindly, "Cheer up, Ash. I'm going to prepare dinner. You just go to your room and change before you catch a cold."

"Okay, I will," Ashley answered in a calm voice.

Ellie slowly turned around and walked towards their kitchen. She knew Ashley more than anyone. 'She's just trying to act tough. She doesn't want to worry me even though she's having a difficult time. I need to support her properly, ' she figured.

Ashley entered her bedroom and walked towards her closet. She grabbed a pair of pajamas, not even caring what color they were. After she changed, she returned to the living room and sat in the couch, barely able to think. She just stared silently at Ellie's back.

They lived in a two-bedroom apartment with a living room. They had arranged each of their room as they saw fit but they had shared their ideas for the living room. They had designed in a way that they both felt at peace.

They both didn't have a complete family, but they treated each other like a sister. They didn't need to be connected by blood to understand one another.

"What are you doing just sitting there? Come here. Help me prepare the table!" Ellie said with a cheerful smile on her face as she noticed Ashley stil felt fuzzy in the living room.

Ashley was about to get up and help when something entered Ellie's mind. "Oh, never mind. You can just sit there and relax. I can handle this," she continued.

Ashley smiled at her friend's sweet remark. She jumped up from her seat and said, "Don't worry. I'm fine now."

The two best friends helped each other to prepare the table. They sat across each other with glee. The smell of the food captivated their noses. Ashley knew how deliciously it would be, so she praised Ellie, "The man destined for you is very lucky."

"Stop talking nonsense. You must be starving. Let's eat!" Ellie answered with a faint smile in her face, as she rolled her eyes at Ashley.

She kept quiet about the fact that Raymond had asked about Ashley in the company. She didn't want Ashley to feel miserable again.

The two of them enjoyed Ellie's cooking in silence. It felt peaceful at their home. Afterwards, they both cleaned the table and Ellie washed the dishes. Ashley went to the living room and switched on the news. Ellie then finished in the kitchen and sat beside Ashley who was preoccupied with her thoughts. "What are you thinking about, Ash?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing. I want to sleep with you tonight, Ellie," Ashley said nicely as she hugged Ellie. She then pressed her head against Ellie's shoulder as if to convince her.

"Sure!"

"You're the best."