23 The Stolen Kiss.

Tanaga's loud laughter astounded the secretaries in his office. Ashley's face was as red as an apple after the stolen kiss. She hesitated to follow him for a moment but changed her mind when she realized she was in the big conference room alone.

Ashley kept her head bowed as she walked out, attempting to keep the rumormongering secretaries from seeing her blushing face. She met Tanaga at the door, where he was waiting for her, ready to leave.

"What took you so long? I've been waiting for you," he said with his voice a higher pitch than usual. He pulled her by the hand on their way out. Ashley tried to pull her hand from his hold, but he wouldn't let her go. The secretaries stood close by, watching the couple's struggle. It gave them a great deal of satisfaction, thinking Tanaga was irritated with Ashley.

He couldn't have cared less what they thought. He was the boss. He didn't know the way the employees' stares made Ashley feel ashamed. She had seen the secretaries' eyes light up when Tanaga shouted at her earlier, and she saw the way they looked at her now.

The two women didn't realize they were standing close enough for the couple to hear their conversation. "I thought she was special, but she's no different than all the rest of us. I was overthinking it for nothing," one said to the other, her face smug.

"Haha. You're right. I'm not sure where he picked her up, but she must've been cheap. There's no way she came from any of the exclusive nightclubs with the way she's dressed. Even my maid wears nicer clothes than she does," the other replied arrogantly, her chin held high.

Tanaga stopped dead in his tracks when he heard what they were saying. He turned to face them, his piercing eyes pinning them down like a predator eyeing their prey. He pointed at one, then the other. "You! And You! You're both fired!" Tanaga roared, turning his back on them and tugging Ashley towards the elevator. The secretaries still stood there, mouths agape.

Ashley had been slowly picking up the language. She knew Niponggo. It had been a requirement to be accepted by the agency. Slowly she'd begun to understand most of what was said when Tanaga and others were speaking in Japanese.

She'd understood the secretaries earlier, and their words had hit her like a dart hitting its target. She was now more self-conscious as they passed by workers that were staring at her maliciously. She wanted to pull her hand away, but she didn't want to make him angry again. So, she let him pull her along until they reached the car. Then she tried to slip her hand away from his. Instead of letting go, he tightened his grip. Feeling helpless against him, she cooperated as Tanaga opened the door to let her in the car first.

In the car, Ashley sat far away from him. He noticed, but he didn't care. The silence prolonged their travel. The driver sensed this, too, thinking it felt like they were headed to a cemetery. Right now, this felt more like a funeral car than his boss's luxurious Mercedes Benz.

Ashley kept her head down. Tanaga's face was fierce as he sat with his fists clenched. Ashley mistook his grim countenance. She thought he was angry with her. His anger was towards his employees for the way they had mistreated the woman he cared for. He had chosen her. He was their boss, and this was the woman he had decided to marry, yet they had the nerve to disrespect her. He gritted his teeth, thinking of their undeserved remarks.

Tanaga noticed the car was moving very slowly. He glanced up and saw the puzzled driver looking at him in the rearview mirror. Ah, Tanaga thought, realizing his mistake. He hadn't given the driver a destination. "To the boutique."

Ashley heard the word boutique, and shamefully stared down at her clothes. She slumped and turned her back on him, guessing he would buy her something expensive to wear for the wedding. She wanted to ask if her guess was right. If it was, she wished to refuse his offer. But instead, she kept silent.

The driver stepped on the brake, so Ashley peered out the window. She expected to see a typical boutique shop. She was astounded when she saw the clothes displayed in the glass window. "Wow," she exclaimed to herself. The clothes here were the clothes you saw rich and famous people wearing. She did not doubt that this was an exclusive boutique. Ordinary people like her wouldn't dare set foot in a store like this. Only a handful of people would be able to afford these clothes.

She looked down at her clothes again and was suddenly embarrassed to leave the car and go in. "Do you want me to carry you? Just say so, I'll be happy to oblige," Tanaga teased. He hoped his attempt at joking would make her more at ease after what happened at his office building. Unfortunately, she didn't take it that way and felt insulted.

She got out of the car and remained silent. She straightened her clothes before she entered the boutique. She took a deep breath, standing with her back straight, and prepared herself for more insults. I'm here. I better try and make the best of it. She said to herself, trying to feel reassured.

Tanaga strolled in. A pretty Japanese woman greeted him, strutting towards him like a model. "Tanaga, welcome!" said Kazuma, the manager. She tried to peck him on the cheek, but he avoided it, her kiss landing on nothing but air. Ignoring the woman, he took a seat on a couch intended for clients.

She was indignant and humiliated but didn't give up. Instead, Kazuma flashed an alluring smile, exposing her perfectly straight, white teeth. She sat beside Tanaga. Ashley just stood there, neither Kazuma or Tanaga offered her a seat. She had prepared herself for this, but it still hurt her ego.

'Bear with it, Ashley. Be brave. It will be over soon,' Ashley said to herself, wringing her hands.

Kazuma was still trying her best with Tanaga. "This is a pleasant surprise. You seldom come here, and it makes me sad. So, what can I do for you?"

"It's not for me. Do something for her," Tanaga said, looking towards Ashley.

Kazuma followed his eyes and saw Ashley. She gave the Filipina a swift once-over and ignored her again, yet deep down, she hated Ashley already simply because Tanaga gave his attention to her. "What do you think I can do for her? Are you expecting me to make her look human?" she said while covering her sarcastic smile. "Oh my, I'm not a Goddess. I can't perform miracles."

What? Ashley's eyes went red, and her ears burned. She opened her mouth to speak, but Tanaga was already ahead of her.

"Well, since you can't perform miracles, I guess I don't need you anymore. You're fired. Go now! Get out of my sight!" Tanaga scanned the shop but couldn't see any other employees. "If you want to keep your job, get out here, and serve my wife!" Tanaga called out.

Kazuma's eyes widened when Tanaga referred to Ashley as his wife. No! She couldn't believe this. How could this girl have stolen his heart and become his wife? Kazuma had longed for years to become Mrs. Jones. "Tanaga… I'm sorry!" She pleaded with Tanaga as she clung to his arm.

He disliked anyone clinging to him this way. He yanked his arm away from her, causing her to fall, leaving her prostrated at Ashley's feet.

"Don't ask for my forgiveness. Ask for hers," he yelled. He looked at Ashley, "I don't care if you forgive her or not. Don't you ever forget that no one has the right to look down on you? Do you understand me?"

Ashley stared at him as she stood there. Too shocked to say anything, she nodded. Oh, my God. Wife? She thought to herself, unable to believe he had just called her that. She couldn't deny that they were going to the Embassy to be married today, but she didn't expect him to shout and announce it to the masses either.

Speechless, she gazed down at the disheveled woman at her feet. After a moment, Ashley bent down and extended her hand to Kazuma. The other employees gasped in surprise.

"Madame is very kind. If I were her, I would kick her in the face and be sure to leave a mark that would remind her not to behave this way again," one of the female employees commented. She was sympathetic to the situation. Kazuma had called her ugly in the past.

The other female employee replied, "Only a kick? I'd hire hooligans to make her suffer. She thinks she is so beautiful. Everything pretty about her is the result of plastic surgery." Kazuma turned and looked at the two girls.

The incident had hurt her pride and left her overwhelmed with shame. She shoved Ashley's hand away, "I don't need help from trash like you." She stood up, gathered her things, and glared at Ashley as she left.