Chapter 4 - Rumor Has It
717 Words
The rumors started before nine in the morning.
By the time Isabella walked into Jones Holdings headquarters, the entire executive floor was already whispering.
She noticed it immediately.
People stopped talking when she passed.
Assistants avoided eye contact.
Two junior analysts quickly lowered their voices the moment she stepped into the elevator.
Isabella frowned.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
And somehow—
she already knew it had something to do with Ashley.
She stepped out onto the executive floor and walked directly toward Jacob’s office.
Before she reached the door, she heard voices behind her.
“…it can’t be true.”
“I heard it from legal.”
“No, from finance.”
“Well someone confirmed it.”
Confirmed what?
Isabella turned sharply.
“What exactly was confirmed?”
The two employees froze.
Neither answered.
Isabella crossed her arms.
“I asked you a question.”
One of them hesitated.
“It’s probably nothing,” she said quickly.
The other looked uncomfortable.
“It’s just… someone mentioned Ashley’s last name.”
Isabella blinked.
“What about it?”
The employees exchanged a glance.
“Her name isn’t just Ashley Jones,” one of them said carefully.
“It’s Ashley Ashe Jones.”
Isabella stared at them.
“So?”
Neither of them spoke immediately.
Then the second employee whispered:
“As in the Ashe family.”
The name landed heavily in the air.
Even Isabella recognized it.
Everyone in the business world recognized it.
The Ashe family didn’t invest in struggling companies.
They bought them.
“That’s impossible,” Isabella said quickly.
“She never said anything like that.”
“She wouldn’t have,” the first employee replied quietly.
“They never announce themselves.”
Isabella shook her head.
“No. If she came from that kind of family, Jacob would know.”
Wouldn’t he?
The employees didn’t answer.
They didn’t need to.
Because even they weren’t completely sure.
All they knew was that something strange was happening inside the company’s finance department this morning.
Something connected to Ashley.
And nobody could explain why.
Isabella turned immediately and walked straight into Jacob’s office.
He barely looked up when she entered.
“You’re early,” he said.
“You need to hear this,” she replied.
Jacob signed the last page of a document calmly.
“If this is about Ashley, I already handled it.”
“No,” Isabella said.
“This is about her last name.”
That made him pause.
Slowly, he looked up.
“What about it?”
Isabella hesitated slightly.
Because even saying it out loud sounded ridiculous.
“They’re saying she’s connected to the Ashe family.”
Jacob stared at her.
Then he laughed.
Actually laughed.
“That’s not possible.”
“That’s what I said,” Isabella replied quickly.
“But people are talking about it downstairs.”
Jacob leaned back in his chair.
“Ashley never mentioned anything like that.”
“Exactly,” Isabella said.
“So why would finance and legal suddenly be asking questions about her investor records?”
Jacob’s expression changed slightly.
Just slightly.
“Investor records?” he repeated.
“Yes.”
For the first time that morning—
he stopped working.
“Who asked about them?”
“Legal,” Isabella said.
“And someone from the board.”
Now Jacob frowned.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
Isabella stepped closer to his desk.
“Maybe there’s something she didn’t tell you.”
Jacob shook his head immediately.
“No.”
His answer came too fast.
Too confidently.
Ashley had never been that kind of person.
She never hid things from him.
Never made decisions without telling him.
Never acted behind his back.
“She wouldn’t do something like that,” he said firmly.
Isabella wasn’t so sure anymore.
“Then why is everyone suddenly talking about her this morning?”
Jacob didn’t answer.
Because for the first time since last night—
something about Ashley didn’t make sense anymore.
Still…
he pushed the thought away.
“It’s just rumors,” he said calmly.
“It doesn’t change anything.”
But somewhere else inside Jones Holdings—
the board had already scheduled a meeting.
And Ashley Ashe Jones had just confirmed she would be attending.
Jacob simply didn’t know it yet.
- Writer
