A Love Trap

Chapter 51 Pestered

Ashley stood up to get a better view outside the window, her big eyes shining brightly as she looked down into the street. Andrew was right behind her. His gaze was tender when it landed on Ashley.

"Do you like this street scene?" he broke the silence and asked in a low voice.

"Yes. To be honest, Ellie and I have been thinking about buying a big house near the sea, with big windows just like this one. Every morning we can open the windows to enjoy the beautiful view and the soft ocean wind.

I can just imagine how beautiful it would be when the sun rises there," she replied softly.

She didn't know why she was pouring her heart out here. Maybe she just felt comfortable around Andrew.

Andrew said nothing, but couldn't help but let out a wide smile.

Before his smile faded, Ashley had already turned around to look at him.

Andrew had never smiled like this since he was a child. As the heir of his family's business, he had to look stern and serious, and couldn't let his emotions betray him.

It was natural for him to act and look cold all the time.

But he looked actually so dashing when he smiled. When Ashley saw him smiling, warmth flooded through her body.

His eyes and his warm smile made her heart drop to her stomach.

She gently shook her head, trying to keep her cool. Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Andrew said.

Then the waiters came in with trays filled with food, filling the room with a delicious aroma.

Ashley's eyes lighted up when she smelled the dishes.

"Please enjoy yourselves," a waiter said. Shortly after, they all left the room.

Ashley sat down at the table. Her mouth was watering. 'Wow, all dishes look delicious! I'm so excited to eat!' she thought.

Andrew ordered many spicy foods, including Mapo beancurd, spicy crawfish, spicy beef, chicken with chilies, peppery steamed fish and fish-flavored pork—all of these were Ashley's favorites.

Sichuan cuisine was characterized by its spicy and pungent flavor. It was also emphasized by using different chilies. But Andrew was not good with spicy things. The sight of these dishes made him furrow his brows. However, his worries seemed to go away when he saw how happy Ashley was.

Ashley loved spicy food. The hotter the better. At first, she was a bit embarrassed to gobble up the feast in front of Andrew.

So she ate in small and dainty bites, looking at how Andrew would react.

She was relieved when she saw Andrew was not looking at her. With that, she figured that she could eat more comfortably.

Curious about the taste of Mapo beancurd, Andrew picked up a small piece of tofu and put it in his mouth. He thought that it was not too spicy, but he was wrong.

When the tofu touched his tongue, the taste spread through his palette like wildfire. He quickly swallowed it, trying to decrease the heat with some rice. He wanted to cry out but he did his best to stay cool and acted like nothing happened.

After recovering from the scorching heat, he sat there and watched Ashley instead.

She had good table manners. Although she was eating fast, she still behaved with class.

Andrew looked at Ashley with loving eyes and remembered what her favorite dishes were.

Ashley laid down her chopsticks and then leaned back in her chair, looking replete and relaxed, but felt a little embarrassed as soon as she made eye contact with Andrew.

She saw that Andrew's bowl was empty, that he didn't even get to eat. "Um, I'm sorry. I'm eating too much. But I swear it was an accident! I didn't mean for it to happen! These dishes are really tasty. I cannot believe how much I ate," she explained, her cheeks flushing.

"It's okay. You don't need to apologize," Andrew replied. He couldn't help but laugh to himself. 'It's okay, dear Ashley. I really don't mind. I'll buy anything you want, ' he thought.

"But why aren't you eating anything? These dishes are going to get cold. Come on, they are delicious!" Ashley said as she put food in Andrew's bowl.

But she happened to pick the spiciest one among the dishes. There were so many peppers wrapped in the meat.

She put the meat in his bowl but she immediately regretted it.

'Oh, God! I used my own chopsticks!

That's so rude, ' she thought, blushing even deeper.

But Andrew didn't seem to get upset about that. Ashley breathed a sigh of relief.

The peppers made Andrew furrow his eyebrows. He wanted to reject the food she offered.

But Ashley looked at him with such wistful eyes. With a sigh, he calmly put the food in his mouth.

It came as a surprise to Ashley that Andrew could eat this so calmly. She had never thought that Andrew was a person who loved spicy food like her.

"It's delicious, isn't it? Taste that one. It's delicious too!" Ashley said as she put more spicy food in Andrew's bowl.

She thought that Andrew hadn't eaten enough during their dinner, so she wanted him to eat more.

Andrew was in a dilemma because he didn't like spicy things but he also didn't want to reject Ashley. Right now, his world only revolved around her. It was the first time that she had offered him food. How could he possibly say no?

Gradually, he could no longer feel his mouth through the scorching chilies. On top of that, his body was getting itchy. 'Maybe my allergies are acting up again, ' he thought.

"Hey, I'll be back. I just need to use the ladies' room," Ashley stood up and said to Andrew.

Andrew nodded. He wanted to say something but he couldn't open his mouth. Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

After Ashley left, Andrew quickly laid down his chopsticks and took a swig of water.

His mouth had no feeling except numbness and burning.

The moment felt exceptionally bittersweet—just like chocolate candies covered with paprika.

Andrew took out a small bottle from his pocket and drew an allergy pill from the bottle. He took the medicine and continued to eat the food that Ashley put in his bowl.

…

Meanwhile, Ashley washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror. She fixed her hair and wiped her mouth with a piece of tissue. Those dishes were so spicy that her mouth was as red as a rose.

As she made her way back to the room, she saw a familiar face. It was Raymond.

Ashley pretended not to see him and kept her head down low, but Raymond grabbed hold of her hand when she passed him by.

"Ashley, I just came here to have a little talk to you. Please give me a chance!" Raymond said as he held Ashley's hand tightly.

His hand squeezed her fingers tightly, hurting Ashley quite a bit. She wanted to cry out but she forced herself to stay calm.