d her down somewhat, with its light-colored accessories and common furniture that were selected for function rather than form. Ashley found this apartment after she had persuaded h

inch of her body, as if that would erase the shame of last night. When her family agreed to let her work for another company, she gave them her word that she would take good care of herself. F

. A man like him wasn't worth it. Despite her resolve, that twinge of sadness in her heart was inescapable. Ashley thought that she had finally found the person she would spend the rest of her life with, but last night's incident happened. Although she belonged to the upper class, she never put on any airs of superiority, nor did she care about money or status. She had always

f on her soft bed. Her exhaustion went bone deep, and so she ended up passing out soon after h

d. Before she could say anything, the other woman yelled, "Ashley, why didn't you come to work?" The agitation in Yasmin's voice made her sit up. Her friend continued, "Be

roblems she had left behind when sh

y something wrong? Hello?" Yasmin began to

didn't hear your phone calls. That's it. Don't think too much," Ashley replied in

why didn't you

to her, so the best way was to keep her explanation simple. Before her friend could ask another question, she hastily chime

y for having a remarkable work ethic. She had never reported to work late, nor did she skip work or leave early. Today, she skipped work without asking for a leave. That in itself was so uncharacteristic of

straight to her office to work However, less than half an hour after she sat down, a call from the general mana

ions interfere with her work. After hanging up the phone, Ashley made her way upstairs to Charlie's offic