New Inspiration

Amy woke up early since she and her team decided to do their training first thing in the morning which will be their routine from now on.

She also decided to eat breakfast with her team since it's lonely to eat alone without Henry joining her.

It was only when Dave asked her what will be their itinerary for that day, that Amy reminded herself of Mary and her cousins.

Amy decided to tell them about Henry in person since they needed to meet up for an update on the cafe and farm.

She informed them of her plan via their group chat.

Amy: [Girls, I am sorry for my late reply. I am busy with Jayson and the book at the moment. Can you instead meet me this week in the city? I don't think I have time to go there for the weekly report. Or we can do it online if you're busy too.]

Mary: [I'm free tomorrow; you know how crazy it is here on weekends]

Maya: [Sandra and I are free too]

Amy: [Alright let's meet in our favorite diner tomorrow, see you, girls]

Sandra: [You better tell us about the man in the picture tomorrow!]

Amy: [Okay… ]

Amy and her team went to the hospital to accompany Jayson and his family to the airport.

She was ecstatically happy for his nephew. Today is the day that they all have been waiting for. The first step towards his operation will finally happen.

Deep in her heart, she is eternally grateful to Henry for making this happen.

She greeted cheerfully every nurse and doctor that she passed by while going to Jayson's room. She wanted to personally see him off since she would not be able to go along with them.

Her happiness heightened when she saw Ash in Jayson's room.

"Ash! This is a surprise; I thought we would see each other at lunch?"

"You are right, but I am not here for you. I want to send off this brave little man here," he beamed as he patted Jayson's head.

Jayson giggled and said, "Just wait for me; we will play basketball when I get back."

"Of course, we will, and we will do anything you want when you get back so make sure to get well fast," Ash replied.

Jayson nodded with a wide smile on his face.

Ash and Amy's brother were like brothers. It also pained him so much when he died, so he made sure to be involved in the lives of his best friend's children. He wanted to be a father figure to them now that their dad was gone.

He swore to his best friend's grave that he would look after his children and sister. He will be there for them at all times.

Soon enough the medical team announces that it's time for them to go. Amy with her team went to the airport directly to the private hangar where Henry's plane was.

Amy shed tears of joy as she bid her farewell to Jayson, Jena, and their grandparents. She cannot wait for them to get back and see her nephew walk again.

As promised she and Ash went to a restaurant to talk. Amy's security team took their seat at the next table as Henry instructed them to do so.

Ash was not happy seeing how heavily guarded Amy was.

"Do they really have to be this close to you? It's not like I will kidnap or hurt you."

Amy felt sorry for Ash, even though she wanted to talk to Ash in private, she didn't want to disobey Henry. She owes him Jayson's medical bill, so until their contract ends; she will make sure to not anger Henry.

"I'm sorry Ash; this is the only way Henry will allow me to talk to you in person," she said apologetically.

"Tell me, Amy, what's your deal with him? What does he get for helping you?" Ash's voice is starting to increase in volume attracting other customers near them and Amy knows that he is getting angry and impatient.

She must calm him down first or else they might not be able to talk properly.

"Let's eat first, and then I'll tell you everything. But you have to promise me to not tell anyone about it, especially Mary and my cousins. I will tell them in my own time. Can you promise me that?"

Ash was very eager to hear her explanation, however, he must not lose his patience, he must wait for Amy to tell him the real story. He must keep his cool if he wants Amy to see him in a good way.

After eating, Amy told him that she was the one who offered the contract to Henry. She said part of the deal was her becoming his girlfriend in the public's eye to accompany him in social gatherings.

She purposely left out some details that will make Ash go haywire. She made it look like Henry only needed her for public events to keep other women away and to stop other people from offering arranged marriage to Henry.

Ash seems to believe everything that she is saying and he did not ask for more details. This made Amy feel relieved. She doesn't want to hurt Ash as much as possible.

He's been good to her ever since they were kids and she's not ready to lose his friendship.

'There's no point in asking her. She will not tell me the truth anyway,' contrary to Amy's belief, Ash did not believe her explanation. He knows how infamous Henry is when it comes to women.

He doesn't want Amy to complete that contract and he will do everything in his power to end it as soon as possible.

"Amy, promise me that you will let me know right away if that man hurts you in any way or takes advantage of you. Please, please take care of yourself. Do not let him fool you."

He begged Amy, without badmouthing Henry even though he knows a lot of things about him that can change Amy's mind. The last thing that he wants is to look bad and desperate in Amy's eyes. There's no way that he will tarnish his reputation in front of Amy.

Henry may take hold of Amy now, but he will definitely find ways to take her, to make her his woman. He will not allow years of waiting for Amy to go to waste.

Amy can only promise Ash that she will take care of herself to put his mind at ease. She promised to update him on her life whenever she is free.

Amy went home after meeting Ash. She went directly to her room to work on her book and check the files that Mary and Sandra sent beforehand.

Amy can only give out a heavy sigh seeing the debt that she has to pay for the farm. Even though the cafe is doing great, the earnings are still not enough to pay off the loan that she took for both.

The only way for her to acquire more money is if her book will do well in the market. She must find new inspiration to add more romantic scenes to her book that her readers will like.

Because of that, she decided to message Henry first. It's already late at night but Henry hasn't given her a call. She has read from other books that the key to long-distance relationships is communication.

Even though Henry is only away for two weeks, she decides to act like they are in a long-distance relationship, for her time will not go to waste and she can still experience something that will be beneficial for her book.

[Hi, are you busy? I just want to inform you that I will be going out tomorrow to meet Mary and my cousins. I haven't heard from you today so I just sent this message. Goodnight.]

Just a few seconds after sending the message, her phone rang and she unconsciously smiled upon seeing the name on her screen.

"Henry?"

[Hi, how are you love? You don't know how happy I am receiving your message. I had jet lag earlier and decided to sleep so I could be ready for the meetings today.] Amy can already imagine the smile on Henry's face with his tone of voice.

"I'm sorry to disturb you; I know you're busy there. I just want to inform you of my activities tomorrow." Amy unconsciously bit her lower lip in anticipation of Henry's reply.

[I am never busy for you. I'm in the car now going to the next meeting. I heard there's an incoming typhoon there. I think it's better to let Mary and your cousins stay there for the night. It might be dangerous for them to go back home by that time.] Henry prefers Amy to stay at his home rather than go out without him in the country.

He has many enemies, and even though she has her own bodyguards, Henry still wants to make sure of her safety.

"Really? They can stay here? That would be wonderful Henry!" Amy uttered excitedly. The thought of spending time with her best girls is bliss for her. They haven't spent time together since Amy's parents died. She was so busy solving one problem after the other that she had no time for others.

Henry chuckled after hearing Amy's enthusiastic voice. [I will instruct Charles to prepare their rooms. Dave will pick them up, so give the address to him.]

"Thank you, thank you so much! I owe you one. I promise I'll make it up to you when you get back," Amy iterated like a child receiving a present.

As soon as the call ended. Amy texted the girls to pack up and be ready early in the morning so they would stay at her boyfriend's house and her driver would pick them up.