More importantly, he felt that the burden was too heavy for Ashley to shoulder alone.

Before long, she would begin interning at the family company. Whether she chose to reveal her identity or work her way up quietly, reputation would still matter. A capable leader needed the trust and respect of the people beneath them, and first impressions were often difficult to change.

If Ashley handled the negotiations personally and failed, there would undoubtedly be people who would criticize her competence and use the failure against her in the future.

On the other hand, if she succeeded too spectacularly, it could attract jealousy and resentment from those who viewed her accomplishments as a threat.

That was the tricky part.

Failure would give her enemies ammunition, while success could invite envy.

Either way, Ashley would inevitably find herself under scrutiny.

That was why Gage believed it would be safer to leave the negotiations to the professionals Apollo had already assigned to the project. There was no need for Ashley to place herself directly in the spotlight when so much could go wrong.

Ding!

While the siblings were lost in their own thoughts, the soft chime of a notification suddenly broke the silence.

Ashley’s phone vibrated in her bag.

Curious, she pulled it out and glanced at the screen. The moment she saw the sender’s name, one of her eyebrows rose slightly.

The message was from Mr. Lowe.

The timing couldn’t have been more coincidental.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Ashley murmured with an amused smile.

Just moments ago, she and Gage had been discussing him, and now he had contacted her out of the blue.

Tapping the notification, she opened the message.

"We promised to have dinner. Should we do it tonight?"

Ashley blinked.

Of all the things she had expected, a dinner invitation was not one of them.

For a moment, her gaze lingered on the screen as she reread the message, wondering whether this was a purely social invitation or if Mr. Lowe intended to discuss the business proposal in person.

For some reason, Ashley found the message oddly perplexing.

It simply didn’t feel like something Mr. Lowe would send.

From the short time she had known him, he had always struck her as a serious, efficient, and somewhat intimidating man. He wasn’t the type she imagined initiating casual conversations, much less being the first to reach out about a dinner invitation.

As a result, she couldn’t help feeling a little conflicted.

Still, she didn’t leave him waiting and quickly typed out a reply.

"Sounds good. But I’m still not familiar with your city. Care to recommend a place for dinner?"

The response came almost immediately, as though he had been waiting for her answer.

"I have just the right place. Come to this location."

A second later, a pinned location appeared beneath the message.

Ashley stared at the screen for a moment before letting out a small laugh.

So much for asking for recommendations.

Instead of giving her a list of options, Mr. Lowe had simply made the decision himself.

After studying the location for a few seconds, Ashley lowered her phone and turned to look at her brother.

A strange expression appeared on her face, somewhere between amusement and helplessness.

It seemed that tonight’s dinner plans had already been decided for her.

"Brother, it seems our earlier predicament has been answered," Ashley said as she put away her phone. "Mr. Lowe just invited us to dinner. Let’s head back to the hotel and get changed. I checked the location he sent, and it looks like a fine-dining restaurant."

Without waiting for Gage’s response, Ashley turned and walked toward Roman and Drake, who were standing a short distance away.

"We need to return to the hotel," she informed them. "We’ll be meeting a potential business partner tonight."

"Understood, Miss," Roman replied immediately.

He gave a quick nod before heading toward the parking lot to retrieve the van, leaving Drake behind to continue watching over Ashley and Gage.

In truth, the day had been far less peaceful than it appeared.

As they traveled from one property to another, there had been no shortage of people trying to interrupt Ashley. Some had attempted to flirt with her, others had approached with less-than-honorable intentions, and a few even thought she looked like an easy target for theft.

Fortunately, most of those problems never reached her.

Gage’s imposing presence alone was enough to deter the majority of troublemakers. His cold gaze and intimidating aura made most people think twice before approaching.

As for the handful of idiots bold enough to ignore the warning signs, they were quietly dealt with by Drake before they could become a nuisance. On a few occasions, Gage also stepped in when the troublemakers were a little more capable than usual.

The entire process was handled so discreetly that Ashley was rarely disturbed during her inspections.

Now that she thought about it, Drake looked noticeably more exhausted than he had that morning. The fatigue wasn’t from following them around all day; it was from constantly dealing with problems behind the scenes.

Realizing this, Ashley couldn’t help but feel even more appreciative of both Drake and Gage. Thanks to their efforts, she had been able to focus entirely on her work without worrying about outside distractions.

Soon, Roman returned with the van, and the group headed back to the hotel.

Fortunately, they weren’t far from their destination, and the journey only took about thirty minutes.

The moment Ashley returned to her room, she sat down for barely five minutes before forcing herself back up. After spending the entire day walking around the city, all she wanted was to collapse onto the bed, but tonight’s dinner was important.

She headed straight for the bathroom and took a hot shower, letting the warm water wash away the exhaustion that had accumulated throughout the day.

Afterward, she changed into an elegant champagne-colored evening dress. The design struck a perfect balance between sophistication and allure; it wasn’t overly conservative, yet it wasn’t revealing either. The dress hugged her figure just enough to accentuate her curves while complementing her fair complexion.

Once dressed, she carefully blow-dried her hair and pinned most of it up, allowing a few loose strands to frame her face naturally. A light touch of makeup enhanced her already delicate features without making her appearance seem overly formal.

To complete the look, she slipped into a pair of Jimmy Choo Aurelie 85 heels and carried a Hermès 2025 Birkin 25 Alligator Tote.

Standing before the full-length mirror, Ashley gave herself a quick once-over and a small twirl to make sure everything looked presentable.

Satisfied, she left her room.

Outside, Gage was already waiting.

He had changed into a pair of tailored black dress pants and a fitted black shirt, topped with a vest and a royal blue tie. The outfit highlighted his broad shoulders and muscular build, making him look like a dangerously handsome gentleman straight out of a magazine.

Several women staying on the same floor had already noticed him.

Some lingered in the hallway under various excuses, while others stole glances from a distance, clearly hoping to strike up a conversation. Unfortunately, Gage’s naturally intimidating aura made approaching him far easier said than done.