Free Back To The Viper by Antara Mann Page B

mother’s number. Briana was most probably with her because there was no trace of a little child in the house.
    “Ashley, how are you?” She recognized her mother’s voice. There had been a time when the two of them hadn’t got on very well, but ever since she had started helping her look after Briana, they had become close again.
    “Well, how else but fine?” She realized it would take at least a few months until she got used to her changed life. “And how’s Briana doing? She’s with you, right?”
    There was an awkward silence and at some point, Ashley wondered if the connection had been lost. Finally, she heard her mother’s quickened breathing and then her question:
    “Ashley, who’s Briana?”
    Her heart went into her mouth. She had the feeling she would faint any moment – what had happened to her daughter?
    “What do you mean ‘who’s Briana?!’" she cried. "She’s my daughter, your granddaughter!”
    “Ashley, are you all right?” Her mother’s voice grew anxious. “Have you taken any drugs or something? You don’t have a daughter.” She laughed. “That’s absurd! Hello? Ashley, are you there?”
    Ashley dropped down on the couch in the living room, stunned by the conversation with her mother. No Briana? No daughter? Then what was the point of her present life? She shook her head. She had to look at the facts soberly – although she had loved the little girl immensely, sometimes caring for her had been unbearably hard. Besides, she had detested her job at Starbucks. On the other hand, Ashley now had her own boutique clothing and perfume company now and owned two houses, had a maid, and a Jack Russell Terrier. Deep in thought about all this, Ashley hadn’t realized that Gomez had come in again and was now staring at her intently.
    “Yes?” she snapped. She had the feeling the maid was following her.
    “Madam must have forgotten that she has to attend the opening of her friend’s restaurant?”
    “Friend? What friend?”
    “Elizabeth Curdis, of course. Is madam feeling all right? You forget about everything this morning.”
    “Jesus! Liz?” Ashley exclaimed. Elizabeth, or Liz for short, had been her best friend from her school years, the one Craig had dated in high school. “She has her own restaurant?”
    “Yes, madam. Don’t you remember you financed her?”
    Ashley gasped. “And how much did I give her?”
    Gomez raised her eyebrows questioningly.
    “Madam doesn’t share such things with me.”

Chapter 16
     
     
     
    Craig was aiming at the golf hole when his cell phone rang.
    “Damn it!” he exclaimed. He should have left it at home or at least given it to the boy who was attending him.
    “Hello,” he snapped, answering the phone. He heard Ashley’s voice on the other end.
    “Craig, how are you?”
    “Urgh, how else could I be? I don’t know myself.” His tone softened, and he left the golf club on the grass. “Monique and I are getting divorced, and she’s fighting for full custody of our three-year-old daughter. At the expense of that, I have all the time in the world, only I don’t know who to share it with.”
    So her suspicion that he was also not happy with his new life was confirmed. Ashley had read a short article in Wall Street Journal about the rich angel investor Craig Bloomingdale getting divorced. She knew he loved his wife very much and wasn’t surprised when she found out he was devastated. Just a few weeks had passed since their comeback, and yet Ashley already hated her present. Back when she had done that crappy job, she had at least had Briana and had been a lot happier than she was now.
    “Do you know, I’m also unhappy with my present life? I don’t have Briana, and everything else is just pointless without her. I feel empty and lonely, Craig,” she said woefully.
    “Ashley, how come I still have a family although I’m getting divorced, and you’ve lost your daughter? Isn’t that strange?” He heard her sigh.
    “Yes, Craig,