Charmed by the Billionaire CEO
Chapter 160: I will wait

Chapter 160: I will wait

Taking back the towel from her hand, Tristan cleaned her. They lay on the bed in each other arms while Ashley rested her head on his chest.

Tristan gently traced his finger on her back, falling into deep thought. He recalled Karl’s words, ’I can never be wrong. I am sure it was him. He is finally here.’ and his grip around her tightened.

Ashley senses the change as he holds her firmly, and she raises her head, watching him engrossed in deep thought.

"You seem to be lost. Is there something you want to share with me? I can be a good listener," Ashley cupped his face catching his attention.

Tristan looked down at the woman in his arms. She had become his weakness, and the thought of anyone harming her was killing him.

He didn’t know why that man chose her out of everyone in his life. He had no clue what he was planning, but Tristan would never let him lay his dirty eyes on his precious woman.

He was lenient all these years, but if he dared to harm Ashley, he would destroy his entire clan in the blink of an eye.

Ashley frowned when Tristan didn’t say a word and just stared at her. Not able to take it anymore, she swiftly rolled over him, caging him between his arms.

Tristan was surprised as his eyes widened, looking at Ashley, who had just pinned him on the bed.

"Ash..." Tristan tried to speak but was stopped when Ashley placed her finger on his lips.

"Shh..." she could feel the hesitation as if he was struggling with his emotions. He wasn’t someone who held back his feeling when it came to her, and if he were finding it hard, then she wouldn’t force him.

Moving closer to his ear, she whispered," I don’t like to see you upset, but-" her voice sent a shiver down his spine, and he turned his head to meet her yearning eyes, "If you aren’t ready, then I would wait until you finally find it to talk to me."

Tristan pulled her closer, sealing her lips. He never thought she would come to understand him so much that he would see the same pain in her eyes that he was feeling.

He knew it would be hard for him to open up to her about his past, and he didn’t know after that she would still want to be this good with him.

He wasn’t an easy man, which had seen him all this while. He had his darker side, and only a few knew about it. He was a ruthless mafia leader who killed many assassins that tried to harm his family. He never showed mercy to anyone who wanted to get in his way.

He didn’t want his darker shades to get exposed to her because he feared she would just leave him for not being what she expected him to be all this while.

Pulling away, Tristan tucked the hair strand behind her ear and looked into her eyes," I will tell you everything when the right time comes, but-" he paused, still finding it hard to speak," but promise me you wouldn’t judge me" his last words made her frown but she quickly composed.

If he needed time, then she would give him. She would wait until he was ready to talk to her. She didn’t want to push him further and would be patient with him.

Bobbing her head, she kissed him back," I promise," she said without hesitation.

She believed Tristan. He wasn’t someone who would do anything wrong. He was a perfect son to his parents, a perfect brother to his sibling and an ideal husband for her then; how can she judge him?

The kiss soon turned passionate as the couple again broke free, making love before they finally fell asleep in each other’s arms.

****

Gwen stepped into Karl’s house after informing her mother that she would stay at his place. Grace had been very supportive towards them after they confessed their love.

"Here, wear this for now. Tomorrow we will go shopping" Karl passed on his clothes to Gwen since he didn’t have one for her.

Being a tedious person, Karl never thought he would ever have a woman in his life whom he would bring to his place.

After he finished his studies, he soon accompanied Tristan as his assistant the day he became the CEO, and after that, his life revolved around Tristan and his work.

Taking the clothes from his hand, Gwen walked into the changing room. He, too, walked into the spare room to freshen up, and once he was done, he stepped out but didn’t see Gwen.

He was about to walk toward her room when the door opened. His eyes widened at Gwen’s beauty as she stepped out wearing his clothes. Though they were lost, it still complimented her.

Gwen walked, scratching her neck as she looked at Karl. This shirt reached above her knees, exposing her legs.

Karl gulped when his eyes fell on her slender legs. This was the first time he had seen Gwen so revealing. She would always be appropriately dressed, covering herself, but tonight, she was tempting him with her looks.

"Ahem... do you want coffee," Karl asked but soon regretted it. It was time to sleep, and he asked her if she would have a coffee.

He was surely going nuts, he thought and pursed his lips.

Gwen, who found him staring at her, smiled. Walking ahead, she stood in front of him and watched him gulp.

"It’s late, Karl. I think we should sleep" her words broke him out of a trance, and he nodded like an obedient child.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Gwen turned to leave. She entered the room and walked toward the bed, and sat down. She looked at the door, which she kept slightly opened and then laid down.

She just wanted to see if Karl would follow her but to her surprise, he didn’t.

What was she thinking? Gwen cursed, slapping her head. She turned around, facing her back towards the door and turned off the lights before she closed her eyes.

She was trying her best to fall asleep when she felt the side of her bed shrink and swiftly turn. Karl slept next to her, facing the wall above. His eyes were wide open as he stared at the ceiling.

" You aren’t used to sleeping elsewhere apart from your bed, so-" he turned around, facing her," I thought to join you in case you find it hard to sleep," he said, making her gasp.

Gwen was surprised to find Karl being aware of everything related to her. She never went out with friends since she preferred spending time at home reading books and listening to music.

She didn’t even have that many friends who she could trust. It was always her family she liked to spend time with; apart from them, now it was him.

Moved by his sweet gesture, Gwen slowly got closer to him," Have you keeping tabs on me" she asked playfully, knowing that he would always keep glancing at her whenever they crossed paths.

She remembered one incident when she saw him glaring at the boy at her university. Karl was asked to pick her up, and it was that day when that boy confessed his liking towards her.

She had seen the deadpan look on Karl’s face, as if he wanted to punch that boy. But then he would quickly cover it up before she could conclude anything.

She would never believe his gaze because they changed emotions so quickly, and she would always find it confusing.

"Did you realize it now? I have been keeping a tab on you for a long time," he confirmed her thoughts.

So she was right from the beginning. It wasn’t just her illusion, but Karl would truly get jealous whenever he would find her talking with any other guy.

This man had been liking her for a long time but only now had he found the courage to love her openly.

Moving closer to his face, she stopped once their nose touched each other" You have loved me all this while," she asked as she wanted him to confirm that it wasn’t just her who had a secret crush on him but even liked her.

Karl never showed it to her because he felt in debt to her parent’s kindness towards him. They had been generous enough to take them under their wings, which was the only reason he kept his feeling towards him.

"I liked you even before I realized my feeling for you. That small girl who used to tail behind me, asking me to play with her, managed to capture my heart even without struggle. Even after I went for my higher education with Tristan, there wasn’t a single day I didn’t think about you."

"You were always on my mind Gwen, but even after knowing my feeling toward you, I tried to push them away. I am sorry for being rude to you at times" Karl genuinely felt terrible for making Gwen cry because of his stupidity. He let his fears overshadow his emotions for her and ended up hurting her.

Gwen cupped his face making him look at her," I am glad that you felt the same for me or else I didn’t know what I would’ve done if my feeling were left unreciprocated. So thank you for overcoming your drawbacks for me and giving us a chance."

"I love you so much, Karl, that I would have gladly waited for you to look at me the way I wanted you to" her words skipped his heartbeat, showing how much she loved him and now he wouldn’t let this go, no matter what happens.

Pinning her on the bed, he kissed her. Karl wanted her to feel his love through his one kiss. He tried to assure her that he would always love her no matter what and that his passion would enhance with every passing day.