Broken Souls (22 page)

“I know.
” Her father shook his head and gently helped her into an upright position. “Please bear with me. It is going to take me some time to work something out.”

Ashley nodded, but
recalled hearing all of this before. She was used to hearing the same things from her father. He had promised her all of this in the years leading up to her eighteenth birthday, but she was still yet to see him actually do anything.

“Benjamin, you need to stick with her. Promise me you will help her come through this,” her mother cried against Ben’s shoulder.

“This is getting ridiculous now,” Ashley snapped, trying to push up from the bed. “Why would you purposely bring up the past like that after all this time? Do you have some sort of vendetta against me?”

Her mother spun on the spot and fixed her with a warning glare before turning
into the victim once again. “R-Rupert... What do we do? We can’t take her to the charity function tonight, can we?”

“I am not attending a charity event with you guys, I’m leaving.” Ashley smoothed the creases from the coral dress she was still wearing. “I will have my phone as well please,” she said, holding out her
hand. “I need to call a taxi to take me away from you lot.”

It was also so she could call Marco, but she wouldn’t reveal that out loud.

Her mother tried to hide her startled cough. “You want to call that man, don’t you?” she asked, the panic rising in her voice as she watched Ben with wary eyes.

“
Just let me have my phone please,” Ashley replied, dropping her hands against her side. “I don’t understand why you are making such a scene.”

“That man isn’t good for you. He won’t look after you like Ben wi
ll... Is that what you want? A man that doesn’t care for you and makes sure you are always happy?” Her mother cried in frustration.

Ashley opened her mouth
, but closed it again at the sound of a phone ringing.

“Excuse me,” Ben apologised,
raising the phone to his ear. “I’m a little busy right now,” he muttered, backing quickly out of the room.

Raising her eyebrows, Ashley studied his retreating form. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to hear the start of his conversation or not, but she was definitely interested to know who he was speaking to.
His voice was faint as he travelled along the hallway.

“Ashley,” her mother snapped, garnering her attention. “
I need you to attend the dinner tonight. Benjamin is attending and you have been listed as his companion for the evening.”

This news surprised her somewhat. She had no idea that Ben had been involved in th
e upper social circle. Although it hadn’t been something that had come up in general conversation, she would have expected Gabby to have at least spilled the beans at some point—especially given how close they had been over the years. 

“I
don’t want to,” Ashley replied through gritted teeth, her patience starting to really wear thin.

“How about a compromise?” her father intervened, clearly sensing the imminent battle blow-out that was about to occur between his wife and daughter. “If Ashley attends the dinner tonight as Benjamin’s companion then you will reunite her with her phone. You can’t continue to control our daughter’s life anymore, Jackie. It’s time for you to let it be.”

“And what? Let her profess her love to a man who gets drunk and staggers up to her flat at God knows what time in the morning? A man that then leaves a girl in the middle of London while he is skulking in and out of hotel rooms with a leggy blonde? I’m not having her bring shame on this fami—”

“What the
actual
fuck? Have you been following me?” Ashley asked with disbelief. “Wow... just, wow. You have really sunk to a new low, haven’t you? You should be ashamed of yourself,” she spat, her body shaking with pent up adrenaline. “Did you know about this?” she asked, turning towards her father.

Taking in his solemn expression, she found the answer she had been looking for.

“Unbelievable,” she muttered. “Now you see why I left when I was eighteen. I had to get away from your crazy shit.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Ashley registered her mother rearing back with her hand raised. Before she had chance to make contact with her face, Ashley ducked and fell back onto the bed.

“No, Jackie!” Ben reappeared from his telephone call and grasped her mother’s arm in mid-air. “This isn’t going to solve anything.” He waited for her arm to grow limp before he released his hold and moved to where Ashley was. “Accompany me tonight, please,” he asked, holding out his hand to help her up. “We can talk afterwards?”

She sighed. There wasn’t
going to be any way of getting out of tonight unscathed, but at least she knew that if she played her cards right then she would be able to just walk away freely
with
her phone. And she had the advantage of having Ben’s full backing for tonight which would definitely come in handy.

“
Fine, I’ll go,” she replied, “but you have to understand my decision and where my feelings lie at the moment.”

He
gave her a slight nod. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Ashley slid the last of her hairgrips into place as her mother came bustling through her bedroom door. Standing in front of the mirror dressed in only a black strapless bra and thong, she placed her hands on her hips and pursed her lips.

“It would have been nice if you had knocked,” she
spoke curtly, her eyes straying to the dress bag held firmly in her mother’s arms. “Is that for me?” She eyed the designer stamp across the top of the bag and scoffed. “I’d be happy to wear one of the hundreds of gowns still hung in the wardrobe over there,” she said, gesturing towards her small walk-in-wardrobe in the corner of the room.

“Don’t be silly,” her mother snapped, bustling forward and unzipping the bag to reveal the dress. “You must match Benjamin tonight.”

Ashley gulped as a flash of emerald lace caught her eye. “We have to... match?”

“
Of course,” she said, releasing the coat hanger so that the dust bag fell to the floor. She held the dress up in the air, her eyes widening and a smile crossing her lips. “What do you think?” she shrieked with delight. “It’s Elie Saab. I thought you would look to die for in it.”

“Yeah, it’s nice,” Ashley replied with a gentle shrug. She reached behind her back and unclipped her bra, throwing it carelessly onto the bed. “
It doesn’t look as if I can wear a bra with it though,” she said, eyeing the intricate emerald lace.

“You have slips in your wardrobe that you could wear with this?”

Ashley took the dress out of her hands. “I’ll pass. Besides, I’ll be more enticing without a bra.” She laughed caustically at her mother as she carefully unzipped the garment and stepped into it. The inside was lined with matching silk-organza in emerald that was cool against her bare legs.

“Let me zip you up,” her mother offered, her hands pulling the back of the dress together so that she could zip with ease. “Oh, it looks beautiful
on you,” she gushed, standing back to take in her full appearance. “And your make-up has almost perfectly covered your face. It’s barely noticeable.”

“Yeah,” Ashley mused. “Surprising what some make-up can do, hey?
It saves the need for pricey and painful cosmetic procedures.” She walked barefooted towards her wardrobe and selected a small golden clutch along with a pair of strappy gold sandals. She hadn’t picked a small heel by any means. It was large. Murderous even. But it was most definitely a necessity with Ben’s towering frame. 

“That looks lovely,” her mother smiled as Ashley threaded some gold bangles up her left arm. “I’ll get changed and meet you downstairs in fifteen minutes.”

Ashley nodded and turned towards the large freestanding mirror in the room. She took herself in from head to toe with a sigh. There was no denying the beauty of the dress she was wearing. The lace hugged her torso perfectly, before it gently fanned to the ground in straight waves, giving her silhouette a graceful movement with each step. It was a dress made for a princess, but not for her. She didn’t want to feel beautiful tonight—not just for Ben or her mother, but for anybody. She was disappointed that she had allowed herself to slip so easily back under her mother’s thumb.

“If I ever hear you have fallen back into your mother’s psycho shit then I’m gonna beat your arse.”

Ashley smiled at Gabby’s words as she traced the line of the dress with her fingers. Although her best friend had never had the pleasure of meeting her mother, Gabby had always been vying for blood from the stories Ashley had told her alone.

“I wish you were here, Gabby,” she
whispered into the empty room. “Life just doesn’t feel the same anymore without you.”

She sighed deeply, her heart feeling heavy all of a sudden.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Ashley spotted grief and sadness behind her own eyes. She hadn’t mourned her best friend as much as she should have, and it was starting to play on her emotions a little bit. Her own life had been getting in the way, distracting her from the loss she was supposed to be grieving. Guilt was building and consuming her slowly from the inside. She needed Marco... She wanted to grieve properly with him by her side for support. Instead, she was on her own and left to tangle through the problems that were popping up left, right and centre.

“Ash? Are you almost ready?”

The sound of Ben’s voice approaching pulled her from her depressing reverie. She spun around on the spot to face the open doorway as he appeared. Dressed in an elegantly fitted charcoal suit, crisp white shirt and striking emerald green tie, he looked impressively handsome.

“Wow,” he smiled,
admiring her from head to toe. “Your dress is stunning.”

“Thanks,
” she replied, snapping her clutch closed. “Shall we go?” She stepped past him and headed for the staircase, careful to hold onto her dress as she walked.

“Here.” Ben offered her his arm as they descended. “Thank you for accompanyi
ng me tonight,” he spoke softly.

“
Hey, I’m doing it for you,” she replied, her eyes darting to the bodies starting to gather in the main foyer.

She spotted Ben’s parents by the door, their expressions passive as they watched her and Ben approach. Tension was most definitely in the air. Ashley hadn’t left the room she had stayed in since last night, and she wasn’t aware that Ben’s parents had also decided to spend the night. Of course, it meant that they had heard the ruckus from earlier this morning. The th
ought embarrassed her somewhat.

“Oh there you are, darling,” her father greeted as she stepped from the bottom stair onto the stone floor. “You look beautiful as always,” he whispered into her ear as he placed a gentle kiss against the side of her head.

Ashley shifted in her strappy sandals, her gaze looking everywhere but at the couple in front. She could feel their eyes on her—burning her. She was the girl that thought their son wasn’t good enough for her. The stuck-up cow who thought that she was better than everyone else, when in reality, their idea couldn’t have been any further from the truth.

“Rupert, are we ready to go?” Her mother purred, appearing from the formal living room along the hall. “Are the cars here?”

“Of course, Jackie.” He extended his arm to his wife which she accepted graciously. “We have three cars, one for each couple,” he said, walking towards the front door.

~

Cameras flashed against the tinted car windows as they pulled up outside of The Half Circle art gallery that was situated minutes from London Bridge. Ashley had been here a few times with Gabby in the past for various parties that had been thrown by friends, but never for a charity event of this scale.

Photographers lined a long red carpet to the side of the building, their cameras flashing wildly as they tried to capture images of London’s social elite. It made her extremely nervous seeing them. She hadn’t prepared for paparazzi or reporters. How was she supposed to escape through the crowd unnoticed?  

“Are you nervous?” Ben asked, sensing her obvious discomfort. He reached over to her lap and pulled her hand into his. “It’s been a while for you, hasn’t it?”

“W-What do you mean?” she asked, wrinkling
her brow.

“All of this,” he said, gesturing with his head towards the window. “The flowing gowns, the ph
otographers and the attention.”

Ashley tried to recall the last event she had been forced into by her mother. It had to have been around eight or nine years ago. After that, she had refused any other event her mother had tried to cajole her into.

“Yeah, it has been a while,” she murmured, her attention pinned to the chaos occurring outside. Through the window, she vaguely registered her father’s nervous look as he passed the car and stepped onto the red carpet, her mother closely following behind him.

A few seconds later and the passenger door to the car opened. Immediately, Ben climbed out and extended his hand to help her. Threading her fingers through his, Ashley held onto her dress as she exited the car.
She knew that he would keep her safe and that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

“Stay close,” Ben warned, snaking an arm around her waist. He pulled her close and smiled for the photographer
s as they made their way along the red carpet and inside the gallery. Thankfully, they didn’t stop to give any interviews, despite the reporters calling Ben’s name.

“I must have been living in a bubble,” Ashley laughed once they were safely inside. “I didn’t even
know that you were involved in all of this—” She gestured to the people around them. “—side of the social life.”

He grinned. “There’s probably a lot that yo
u don’t know about me. I do try to keep myself out of the press as much as I can. My family might want to be photographed at every opportunity, but I don’t.”

“We have something in common then,” Ashley mused.

A waiter approached with multiple glasses of champagne on a tray. “For you and the madam?” he asked with a smile.

Ben took two
flutes and passed one to Ashley. “To calm your nerves a little bit,” he said, taking a gulp of his own. “Right, shall we find where we are sitting?”

After a quick sip of champagne, Ashley followed Ben across the room. They walked past multiple tables of people who flashed them curious glances, until they reached a large circular table close to the stage and dance floor. Luckily, it was empty so far.

“You’re here,” Ben gestured, “next to me. Let me pull out your chair.”

Taking a seat at the table and placing her clutch in her lap, Ashley cautiously cast her eyes at the various other name cards around her. She had been completely kept in the dark with this event. In the past, she would have had time to prepare with names to keep up appearances; but today however, she didn’t know anybody or even what the event was in aid of.

“Who’s behind this lavish charity event then?” Ashley asked, her eyes flitting around the room for people she vaguely knew. She had been to enough of these events in the past to remember the faces of the upper elite when she saw them.

Before Ben had chance to reply to her question, Ashley’s interest was immediately aroused
by something else.  Actually,
somebody
else...

“Ben!” Ashley squeaked. “Who is
that
?”

Turning in his seat, he followed the direction of Ashley’s gaze. “What do you mean? Surely you know who
that
is?” he scoffed.

“I’m clueless,” she murmured, watching
a handsome gentleman in a light grey suit manoeuvre through the crowd of people that had suddenly surrounded him. He had a female companion, but Ashley refused to acknowledge her. Instead, she kept her eyes glued to his impressive physique. He stood easily over six foot with onyx coloured hair that shimmered under the warm spotlights above. “Oh shit,” she breathed as he nodded casually in the direction of their table. “Is he coming over?” She could feel her cheeks beginning to flush with anticipation. She could vaguely hear Ben talking to her, but she was so absorbed in the man coming to greet them.

As he approached their table, his female companion in tow, Ashley immedi
ately rose to her feet. She was completely captivated with the glacier blue in the man’s eyes as he smiled and shook hands with Ben.

“Nice to see you again, Benjamin. How’s the dental practice doing?”

Ben grinned as he shook the gentleman’s hand. “Things are going well. I heard that you were married recently. Congratulations to the both of you,” he said, smiling at the young woman to his right.

Ashley’s interest started to wane
at the discussion of marriage and diverted her eyes to the young female at the gentleman’s side. She was a pretty young thing with chestnut coloured hair that had been curled and draped beautifully down her back in a half-up and half-down cascade. Her royal blue evening gown had a sweetheart neckline that skimmed the tops of her breasts before it pooled at her feet.

“Who do you have with you tonight?”
the gentleman asked, extending his hand towards Ashley with a beaming smile.

Ben swallowed and placed an arm around
her shoulders. “I’d like you to meet my fiancée as of last night actually. This is Ashley, the daughter of Rupert and Jackie Akerman.”

Ashley froze as all eyes turned to her. Her body had momentarily shut down as she tried to
grasp what Ben had just done. He’d introduced her as his
fiancée
, despite her asking for his understanding.

“Ashley,” the gentleman greeted, clasping her hand in a gentle handshake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, and many congratulations on your engagement.”

Eventually finding her voice, she finally spoke. “I-I’m so sorry,” she apologised, “but I don’t know your name.” She felt Ben’s fingers pinch her lightly as if to warn her.

“I have finally found somebody that doesn’t know who I am,” he chuckled. “My name is Callum Ellis, and this is my wife, Charlotte.”

“But you can call me Charlie,” she interrupted, shooting Ashley a friendly smile.

She gasped.
“Mr Ellis, it is truly an honour to meet you. I’ve read so much about you and your newly appointed role. I apologise for not recognising you sooner,” she gushed.