1 Chapter 1: So called boyfriend

"Mum! what are you doing here?" Ashlyn asked in surprise. She had just finished an important board meeting and now returned to her office. Entering her office, her eyes met her mum and she fell surprised. Closing the door behind her, she walked towards her desk and sat down.

Mrs Pedro, seated comfortably on the office couch while sipping her tea, only smiled mischievously before responding. "How was the meeting?"

Picking up a file on her desk, Ashlyn started opening it. With pouted lips, "If you had come for the meeting, it would have been less troublesome." She said.

Hearing her daughter's complain, Mrs Pedro couldn't help but smile. Releasing a chuckle, "Is they anything that's not troublesome for you?" She teased and that earned her a grumpy look from Ashlyn.

Ignoring her mother's words, "Well... why are you here since you didn't come for the meeting?"

"Hey! spoiled brat. Can't I come to visit my daughter again?" She acted blunt. Seeing Ashlyn serious face, she hissed, "Ah! here she goes again with that expression."

Sipping her tea, she answered Ashlyn question, "It's not like I didn't want to go for the meeting... I just knew you would do just fine on your own, so I decided to rest here and wait for you."

"Wait for me?" Observing her mother's expression, "Why do I feel like there's something you want to ask me or tell me?"

Mrs Pedro lips curved into a smile when she heard her daughter's words. "This girl, do anything ever get pass your eyes?" She asked and Ashlyn responded. "If it concerns you, then nothing ever gets pass me."

Hearing Ashlyn response, Mrs Pedro laughed out genuinely. Yes, this daughter of hers was right. When it came to her, Ashlyn would become like a detective and she knew why.

Dropping the tea cup on the table, Mrs Pedro stood up and walked towards her. Standing at her daughter's front, she observed her for a moment before pulling out a chair gently and seating down, facing opposite her daughter.

"Do you really not know why I'm here?" Mrs Pedro asked looking straightly at her daughter's eyes.

Ashlyn heard her mother's question and she felt unsettled within her. She could read clearly what her mother's looks were and thinking about it now, she already knew why her mother was here.

Hoping to get a different answer from what was in her head, she played dense. "No mum. I don't know why you're here. Are you already missing me?" A smirk formed on her lips.

Ever since she finished her college and became the CEO of her mum's company, she packed out of her mother's house. Well, not totally packing out since she still had a lot of stuffs there. Though her mum was okay with the idea, but Ashlyn could still tell that she was only trying to adjust but she wasn't used to it yet.

Recalling the first month of her living alone, Ashlyn couldn't help but smile. It was a nice moment but also frustrating as she got calls everyday from her mother with excuses to see.

Back to our discussion, Ashlyn was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard her mother's reply. "I do miss you, but that's not why I'm here." Without waiting for Ashlyn to say anything, "When will I get to meet your 'so called boyfriend' you've been telling me about?" She added.

Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she sighed, "Damn! I knew it. Tsk tsk! can't she just ask about something else." Ashlyn cursed under her breath.

"I... hmm.. It..." She stammered trying to fix words in order.

"Are you going to keep on lying to me?" Mrs Pedro asked and her words left Ashlyn in shock. "Kait told me everything. I'm disappointed." Pausing for a brief moment, "I can't just believe you've been lying to me for the past four months and making me believe you now had a man in your life..." Releasing a sigh, "Why did you do it? Why did you lie? Do you think I'll be mad at you if you had told me the truth?"

Mrs Pedro eyes swelled up as she said those words. She was forcing back the tears that was building up in her eyes and ready to drop any moment.

Seeing her mother in this state, Ashlyn knew she had messed up. She knew how sentimental her mother could easily get and she never wanted to see her hurt or cry again but here she was, being the cause of her mother's tears.

Standing up from her seat, she moved towards Mrs Pedro, crouched down and hugged her. "I'm sorry mum. Please stop crying..." Closing her eyes, she sighed softly before opening them back. "I know I lied about having a boyfriend, but I only did that so you won't have to worry about me."

Ashlyn said and started moving her hand gently, stroking her mother's back, "I know it's not an excuse but I don't..." Pausing for a moment, she decided against what she wanted to say and instead apologized sincerely. "I'm sorry, mum."

Noticing the pause in Ashlyn sentence, Mrs Pedro, knowing her daughter too well, she could already guess what Ashlyn wanted to say and why she stopped.

Removing from her daughter's embrace, Mrs Pedro stared into Ashlyn eyes with her piercing gaze. Holding her hand tightly but gently, she squeezed them together in hers before throwing a question that shook Ashlyn off balance.

"Why don't you want to go into a relationship?"

Despite being aware of her daughter's reason and what her answer would be, Mrs Pedro couldn't help but ask. She knew what had happened in the past and how it had affected her daughter but yet, she had always hope for Ashlyn to overcome the fear and pain rather than burying it within and forcing herself to forget.

Hearing her mother's question, Ashlyn put on a stoic expression. No, she couldn't let her mother see the pain she was going through, the hatred she was harboring, the anger she was bottling in, the fear that was consuming her. No, she couldn't.