In Dave's Apartment

Ashley stepped out and looked around the compound, while the main family house where herself and her father used to visited before was in the front, Dave's own apartment was at the back, as he had the whole backyard apartment to himself.

Ashley bit on her lower lip staring around, as she wanted to asked him questions, as to why she has never seen him before, nor heard anything or rumors about him?.

But she swallowed all she wanted to asked him, and decided not to ask him anything yet, so they wouldn't got to closer to themselves, and she can also, keep her distance away from him, as she wasn't ready yet to be friendly with him or getting closer to him..

"You forgot something" Dave said to her, as he pointed into his car back seat, for her to come back and pick up her clothes that she had wrapped and kept on the leather seat.

Ashley didn't said anything to Dave, As she looked back Into his car and picked back her clothes, while she walked away looking around for where she could hung the wet clothes to dry properly.

"You go to the backyard and spread it there, you will see some hangers there" Dave said to her, seeing her was looking around, for where to spread her wet clothes, and didn't wanted to asked him about it either.

Dave locked his car door properly and he went towards his apartment, knowing once she was thru, his stationed guards would directed her into his apartment.

Dave's apartment was big and wide with about three rooms, a parlour, kitchen and store room. As his father had built it separately, when he noticed his wife never liked Dave, and was always beating him when he was little, after his mother's own death, threatening to kill Dave too.

So ever since then, Dave's father had brought him out to live separately at the backyard of the main mansion, with a lot of security guards assigned to protect little Dave. As Dave never attended any event like birthday parties, anniversary and the rest, as his stepmother would always created a scene to embarrass him, calling him all sort of names, and he feared his stepmom might poisoned him too, so he lived alone and grew up separately with his nanny and trusted bodyguards, until he became of age to cater for himself.

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Ashley was thru spreading her wet clothes to dried, As she was still wearing Dave suit given to her, and her trouser beneath, with her boot. And she went into his house as a guard stood by the door and opened the door for her to entered.

Dave's house was simple compared to what she had thought. And she sat down on a couch in his parlour waiting for him to stepped out, so they can discuss properly about her staying in his house, as she didn't saw anyone in the parlour.

One month living with a man irritated her, but she had to endured it, as she couldn't do anything to oppose her father's final decision..

Dave didn't came out for hours, and Ashley sat down waiting for him to come out, and to also show her to the room that she will be staying, for as long as the one month was concerned. As she thought she wouldn't share a room with him.

Ashley later stood up from the couch and walked out to the entrance door, to asked the guard, if probably Dave had gone out when she was spreading her clothes at the backyard, as she hasn't seen him stepped out, since she sat in his parlour waiting for him to stepped out.

"No madam, He's inside, go in and check his room." The guard said to her.

"Hmm.." Ashley shook her head and went back inside, As she wouldn't dared to go to any room to check for Dave.

Tired and feeling tasty, Ashley decided to find the kitchen, by herself and observing how simple his house was built. Ashley walked thru the corridor, and found the kitchen and she walked into it, and saw a beautiful teen-girl inside there, preparing something with a young lady dressed like a cook, as the lady tied an apron around her chest.

Helen and Clara both turned and stared at Ashley in surprise, as they knew when Dave had arrived, but they hadn't thought he arrived with anyone.

They saw Dave went to his room after he arrived and they even greeted him, but he didn't told them about her.

Clara was shocked to saw how beautiful lady standing by the door looked, As she has been in Dave's apartment since she had returned from school, and was hiding from her brothers and parent, as she had a room in Dave's house too, and she was preparing dinner with Helen..

Clara never thought Dave came back home with anyone, as when she went to the parlour to welcome Dave, immediately when he arrived, she didn't saw anyone with him.

"Good evening" Clara immediately greeted the beautiful young lady staring at her, And Helen also greeted Ashley too.

"Good evening" Helen said, As Ashley was also surprised to seeing them.

"Good evening.." Ashley finally responded, ignoring their surprised looked on their faces, And she stared to the kitchen fridge and took some steps closer to the fridge, walking into the kitchen, as she was tasty and hadn't thought Dave had people living with him, As she was equally surprised to saw them busy in the kitchen, but she needed to drank water first, to calm her taste..

Ashley was still wearing Dave's suit jacket so she understood the surprised look on their faces, as they might be thinking she was Dave's girlfriend, to now be wearing his coat.

Ashley opened the standing fridge, and took out a chilled bottle water, and she cooked it opened and gulped it down, emptying the bottle in one go, while Clara and the cook continued to stared at her.

Emptying the bottle finished, and removing it from her lips, Ashley threw the bottle into the trash basket in the kitchen, and turned to face them.

"Sorry we haven't been introduced. Am Ashley Kones and I will be living here with you people for a month, so what are you preparing? As am very hungry" Ashley said to them, as they continued to stare at her in surprise.

"What are you preparing?" Ashley asked again, seeing their surprised gazes, and startling them out of their thoughts..

"We are preparing.. white rice and chicken sauce" Helen finally replied, and Ashley remarked,

"Oh, that fine by me, As am very famished and will want some too, since it's ready."

Ashley stood by the fridge, and she said, "Go on and serve my food."

Helen gulped and replied, "Okay."

Ashley stood by the fridge waiting for Helen to serve her food. And she asked Clara, seeing Clara was without Apron.

"Are you also a cook here, As you seem a little familiar to me?."

Ashley lean on the fridge closer to herself, to supported her tired self, and Clara smiled to her and replied, "No am not. Am big bro Dave's stepsister."

"O-kay! That's nice. I taught you all live in the big mansion, so what are you actually doing here?" Ashley questioned and Clara only smiled..

"What's your name, I only remember your brothers names, Thomas, Luke and.." Ashley tried to remember.

"Brown," Clara helped her recap her senior brothers names..

"Yes Brown, so what's your name? You where still smaller then, when we used to visit the family house," Ashley said as she collected her plate of food from Helen, and placed it on the short fridge to started eating.

Helen stared at her in surprise, while Clara spoked to Ashley,

"Ma'am, Aren't you going to use the dining table, standing while eating isn't good?." Clara said, while Ashley smiled to her and replied, "Nevermind."

Just then Dave stepped into the kitchen with his cold demeaning look, and Ashley felt the intent gazed of someone on her, and she turned to stared at the door only to meet Dave's eyes on her, and she quickly looked away from him and respond to Clara.

"Nevermind, I will eat it just quick as am hungry" Ashley said, and she went back eating her food, ignoring Dave whom just stepped into the kitchen and asked,

"Clara what are you doing here?,"

Dave shifted his gaze to Clara, while Clara smiled at him and wanted to ran passed him, but Dave quickly caught her, making her to screamed out, "Let me go!"

But Dave held her back to stand in front of him, as he teased her,

"You are no longer a little girl Clara, so don't think you will just run away so easily, with all these weight that you are carrying."

Clara smiled, as she was brown skin, while she asked Dave with pleading eyes,

"Aw big brother, Am I not free to stay here again?."

Dave sighed and shifted his gaze back to Ashley, And he replied to Clara, "You are free to stay but we have a new addition, whom would now be living with us."

"I know" Clara responded, and she asked Dave, "Is she your wife?."

Ashley almost got choked on her meal, as she heard Clara's questioned and she immediately coughed out, {Cough! Cough}, And she glared at Clara.

Clara immediately rushed back to the fridge to help Ashley get out a bottle of water to sooth her throat, as the food was a bit peppery. And Ashley collected the bottle water from Clara hand, and immediately drank from it , while she glare at the young girl,

Clara didn't seem to understand why Ashley's countenance change and so she apologised to Ashley, "Am sorry."

"You don't have to apologize to her Clara" Dave said, As he walked closer to his stepsister and tapped her shoulder gently.

"You said nothing wrong, and yes she will be my wife soon, if only she passed the test." Dave remarked as he didn't stared to Ashley, to felt her murderous gazed on him, while Helen looked more surprised.

"You can leave us now sis, and go back to the mansion before your mother will be looking for you" Dave dismissed Clara, while Ashley continued to glared, As she wouldn't be his wife, and so, she thought.

Dave smirked at her, as he meet Ashley's glared on him, and he said, "You don't gawk at my little sister like that next time."