Chapter 159
Suddenly, the overhead lights turned on, flooding the room with brightness. Until now, only the dim glow of a desk lamp had lit the space, so when the room filled with harsh light, Ashley instinctively scrunched his brows and covered his eyes with one hand. Blinking against the brightness, he was just beginning to adjust when a familiar voice spoke.
“I'm here for the report. Shall we proceed as planned?”
The voice was businesslike—aged, perhaps, but otherwise unchanged. As Ashley slowly lowered his hand, his blurry vision cleared, and the figure before him came into sharp focus.
A middle-aged woman stood a short distance away, her face exactly as he expected. She had been his father's secretary for years—long before his father stepped down—and even now, she continued to serve in that role. Though she always claimed her loyalty was strictly tied to the salary she received, most people who knew her believed that money alone couldn’t account for such unwavering devotion. If it was just money, then her appetite for wealth must have been unimaginable—because despite thirty years of service, she’d never once embezzled, committed fraud, or stepped out of line. That, in its own way, was remarkable.
Ashley didn’t bother speculating about her motives. Whatever reason she had for her loyalty to his father—even if she suddenly betrayed him one day—had nothing to do with Ashley. His entire life had been a daily battle just to survive.
“Did ‘Ashley’ die or something?”
His voice was indifferent. The secretary, unfazed, responded in her usual detached tone.
“No. Not yet.”
Ashley let out a dry laugh. The secretary added a bit more information:
“No suicide attempts or incidents worth noting.”
“Someone who can’t even walk on his own isn’t going to manage a suicide,” Ashley scoffed.
He asked another question, tone still sarcastic.