46 Chapter 46

When Ashley caught up to Tanaga, she saw him talking to the butler again. This time, the butler appeared to be arguing with Tanaga, displeased with whatever orders his boss had just given him.

"But Sir! What if…" The butler stopped his argument short when he saw Ashley headed towards them. "Alright! I will do as you say," he relented. He turned and walked away from his boss, only offering a nod to acknowledge Ashley as they passed by each other.

Tanaga quickly headed up the bridge of the yacht to speak to the captain, and to avoid Ashley. She rushed after him, calling his name. "Tanaga, wait a minute! Can we talk, please?" She shouted, making sure that he heard her clearly.

He stopped and turned to face her. He stood on the stairs with a raised brow as he looked at her blankly.

He stood there, not showing an ounce of emotion, and waited for Ashley to reach him. He waited until Ashley was right in front of him before he spoke.

When Ashley reached him, he said, "What else do we need to talk about? I think everything was made pretty clear. As you said, the marriage is just a formality of the contract. You don't expect a relationship. No emotions are involved. So, what else do we need to talk about?"

Ashley could tell by the tone of his voice that he was furious. Ashley wasn't stupid. But she still didn't understand his anger, and she couldn't read him well enough to know what he was feeling. His words hurt, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she forced a big, beautiful smile before she spoke.

"Oh, my God! That's not what I wanted to talk about. The contract was crystal-clear. I willingly agreed and accepted the terms when I signed it. But there is something else I wanted to speak to you about if you don't mind." Ashley was still smiling, even though deep down, she was hurt.

Tanaga didn't immediately respond. He was trying to look into Ashley's eyes to see if she was telling the truth or not. But Ashley wouldn't look back at him.

People say that if you want to know the truth, you should look at the person in the eyes. They say you can see the secrets hidden within the soul through a person's eyes. Ashley was avoiding eye contact, so he has no way of knowing if the words that came out of her mouth reflected how she truly feels or not.

The conversation Tanaga needed to have with the captain could wait. "Alright. Let's talk in the bedroom where we won't be distracted." Tanaga shrugged and then turned to lead the way to the room without looking back to see if she was following or not.

When they got there, Tanaga went straight to the couch and sat down to wait for Ashley. A moment later, she came in, her expression a bit strained. But once she was in front of Tanaga, her expression changed, bringing her face to life.

She didn't bother to wait for Tanaga to offer an invitation. She sat beside him, turning her body towards him, so they were facing each other. He leaned in and watched her intently, waiting for her to begin the conversation.

On the outside, she looked calm. But inside, she was scared to death. She hesitated as she searched for the courage to speak.

Finally, Tanaga broke the silence. "So, what did you want to talk about?" There was no emotion in his voice at all.

"It's about, well, you said we're on our way to the Philippines now, right?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?" He replied.

"When we get there, can I visit my family? Just a visit. I promise I won't run away or back out of our agreement or anything. I promise! Cross my heart!" She said, crossing her heart with her hand, and then raised her right hand as if she were about to give an oath.

Tanaga maintained his serious expression, but inside, he was smiling. The way she was making her promise was so innocent, making her appear like a child asking for permission. In his mind, he chuckled as he continued to stare at her without blinking.

She was very serious when she promised. She was worried that her family might be trying to find her since she hadn't been able to call them as she had promised.

Ashley stared at Tanaga, eyes wide with anticipation, as she waited for him to answer her.