Thirty minutes later, Brian and Kevin located Ashley at a nearby milk tea shop and escorted her to room 802 at the Crystal Starlight Hotel.
"Let go of me! What do you want, and did James send you?" Ashley demanded, her voice filled with defiance.
"Stop the chatter and get inside. If you dare to run, I'll make sure you regret it!" Brian threatened Ashley sternly.
Knowing that Charles had instructed him to bring Ashley, Brian understood that someone important must be inside the suite. Naturally, he dared not offend anyone.
After delivering Ashley to the hotel, Brian returned to the bar with Kevin.
Meanwhile, Ashley stood at the door, hesitating. Eventually, she hesitantly pushed open the door and entered. Inside the room, James sat on the bed, his expression sly as he gazed at Ashley.
"Is it really you?" Ashley exclaimed, visibly surprised at seeing James.
"How about that? I told you if you tried to run, I would have Kevin bring you back. I didn't deceive you, did I?" James teased, then rose to lock the door.
"What are you planning?" Ashley's voice quivered upon seeing James lock the door.
"Take off your clothes," James ordered bluntly.
Upon hearing this, Ashley was momentarily stunned, a hint of fear flickering in her eyes. Despite her outward boldness and revealing attire, she held conservative values deep down. Accompanied by her stunning figure and exceptional beauty, Ashley's pride made her hesitate, as she had never been intimate with a man before.
Now, being ordered to undress in front of a man, especially someone like James whom she despised, felt like a profound insult. She couldn't imagine how she would live with herself if she went through with it today.
"You don't want to undress? Then I'll call Kevin right now and see what he does to you!" James threatened, beginning to step out of the room as Ashley stood frozen in place.
"No! I will undress." Ashley hurriedly caught James' arm, speaking shyly.
"Then do it quickly!" James turned to face Ashley.
With a deep breath and trembling hands, Ashley unfastened the buttons on her fitted skirt and slowly took it off.
As Ashley removed her skirt, her long, fair legs caught James' gaze. Acknowledging her undeniable allure, he found her figure truly striking.
"Continue," James coldly instructed.
Startled, Ashley proceeded to remove her top. In a short while, her low-cut blouse was off, exposing her enticing silhouette to James. Covering her chest with her hands, Ashley, her voice tinged with shyness, said to James, "What do you want to do? Just get it over with."
Upon hearing Ashley's words, James couldn't help but smile. Unexpectedly, he did something that left Ashley speechless. James directly opened the door, turned, and walked out.
"James, where are you going?" Ashley called out as she saw James leaving.
"I've done what I came here to do," James replied indifferently.
Ashley stood bewildered, her beautiful eyes fixed on James, unsure of his intentions.
"Aren't you here to be with me?" Ashley hesitated, asking James.
But in the next moment, Ashley seemed to realize something and hurriedly grabbed James, pleading, "James, I know I was wrong. None of what I said earlier counts. You can kiss me, do whatever you want. Please don't bring Kevin here. I beg you, please?"
Thinking James might have had a change of heart, Ashley pleaded humbly. Possibly due to nerves, she didn't shield her full form, laying everything bare.
"I never said I was going to find Kevin," James softly replied to Ashley's question.
"If you're not going to find Kevin, then why are you leaving?" Ashley asked, puzzled.
"A woman like you, even if you strip naked in front of me, I wouldn't be interested. I just wanted to see what a gold digger like you would do for money. A woman who would sell herself for fifty thousand dollars—I wouldn't stoop to that!"
"You scoundrel!" Ashley furrowed her brow in anger, glaring at James.
"I am no scoundrel," James calmly retorted.
"By doing this, James, you are just trying to humiliate me!" Ashley fumed.
"Exactly, I am humiliating you. I want you to realize that a woman like you, even if standing naked before me, will never attract my touch." James scornfully replied before turning and walking towards the door.
Ashley stood in shock, replaying James' words in her mind.
It was at that moment that Ashley realized how ludicrous her actions had been. Perhaps she had no right to humiliate James, as she was no better than him.