Chapter 3

My phone rang again. It was Logan.

He launched in, voice full of anger. "Ashley, if I weren't busy cleaning up your mess, would I be out in the rain trying to calm Nathalie down? Now I'm sick. I'm texting you my address. Get over here now with some medicine."

I held the phone away from my ear and glanced out the window. It was barely drizzling. A faint smirk touched my lips.

So, the one-million-dollar scheme had failed, and they'd already cooked up a new one. And this one was starting even earlier than the previous time.

Back in my previous life, Logan claimed he'd come down with a fever while looking after Donna with Nathalie, and made me deliver his medicine.

It was my first time visiting the Mosley family, and Donna never bothered to hide how much she disapproved of me.

Logan whispered to me, "My mom watched your series and said your outfits made you look way too improper. Someone like you could never be accepted in our family."

Later, Donna shuffled over, faking weakness, and handed me one of her old, dowdy dresses, insisting I put it on.

Trying to be respectful since she was "sick," I put on the ill-fitting, frumpy outfit.

Donna scanned me up and down and said, "Now you at least sort of look like a proper lady."

That evening, his mother started ordering me around, demanding grilled fish from the west side of town. I offered to order delivery.

Donna gave me a fake smile. "Someone like Nathalie, who does everything herself, is the only one who could ever be a proper daughter-in-law for the Mosley family."

Getting the hint, I gritted my teeth, put on my sunglasses, and drove out in the middle of the night to get it for her.

When I returned with the grilled fish, Donna took a couple of bites, complained it was overcooked, and said she wanted chicken instead.

The whole night was one demand after another. I bit my tongue and went along out of respect for the elder.

The next day, I wanted to head home and get some rest, but Donna insisted I stay. She said that after pulling an all-nighter, if I just left, people might think her family didn't know how to treat their guests.

Donna was finally being somewhat nice to me, and I was so caught off guard by her sudden warmth that I agreed to stay. I slept in the guest room.

But I'd barely managed three hours of sleep before a phone call jolted me awake.

It wasn't quiet on the other end.

Nathalie was calling from Logan's phone, saying he was drunk and that I should pick him up from a gathering. She mentioned that everyone there was a childhood friend of theirs.

Nathalie added, "Ashley, no need to put on makeup. I bet you look great without it. Besides, acting like some celebrity just puts distance between us. You don't want to feel left out, do you?"

I didn't give it another thought. Logan was wasted, and I was honestly worried. So, with bags under my eyes and wearing that frumpy dress Donna forced on me last night, looking like I'd been dragged through a storm, I hurried over to the bar.

Guess who else was at the bar? Director Finley himself.

It turned out Nathalie had Logan contact Finley while I was asleep, telling him I wanted to reschedule our meeting for that exact time without informing me.

Nathalie waited until I was two whole hours late before telling me to show up, making sure I'd miss the director entirely.

As soon as Finley saw me, he erupted. "Ashley, with your background, you can land any role you want. But I won't stand for this kind of disrespect."

Finley stormed out after slamming the table, and soon everybody was gossiping about how I'd made a top director look like a fool.

Logan's voice cut through my thoughts, snapping me back to reality. He was still raising his voice, "Did you even hear what I just said?"

He sounded full of energy, nothing like someone running a fever.

I chuckled. "If you're not feeling well, go see a doctor. What do you need me for?"

"What did you just say?" Logan snapped, his voice nearly bursting with fury.

"Nothing," I said, hesitating for a beat. Deciding to play along, I laced my words with fake sweetness, even though it turned my stomach. "Alright, just stay home. I'll be right over."

As soon as I hung up, I set my phone to silent.

When I didn't show up, Logan called again.

I just watched my screen light up and didn't bother to answer. Instead, I shot a quick text to my agent.

I asked her to confirm the details of the dinner with Finley.

Linda, my agent, teased. [What's with all the sudden interest in work? Weren't you the one who told the company to leave you and Logan alone so you could have your little love bubble?]

The mention of Logan turned my stomach.

Back in my previous life, the company really pampered me. No matter if I was filming or just relaxing, I always had two assistants taking care of every little thing, even in my private life.

But then Logan came out with, "My mom says, not even an empress gets waited on like this."

Just to make Donna happy, I cut off almost all contact with my team whenever I wasn't filming.

A moment later, Linda sent me an address. [That's strange. Finley's team said your boyfriend contacted them to reschedule for noon tomorrow.]

I didn't explain. I simply booked a skincare treatment and went to bed early.