Oh man, you've got me blushing and kicking my feet--I really can't stress enough how happy your comment has made me and the care and thought you put into it!
I'll let the game and player choices speak for themselves as more weeks come out, but I will agree that characters aren't made with the intent to fulfill some straightforward purpose of being good/bad, and that the mc isn't a wise, all-knowing narrator. Maybe Ashley's intentions are misunderstood, maybe they do just see the mc as someone they need to manage and play nicely with, or maybe it's something else, we'll have to see how things shake out I guess!
Again, thank you so much for investing yourself in my humble little demo--I shall annoint you with an official Bachelors in RBS studies, as goes my power as the developer!