Chapter 60
Asher’s POV
How could I possibly keep myself from thinking back to Gemini?
Trust
me- I tried
The night stretched on, an endless expanse of thoughts and worries brewing in my mind like a storm in the midst of dark clouds. I lay in bed. wrapped in my blanket, in the darkness of the night. Secking for just our thing, but it remained far from me, even as the night stretched.
Not even a minute of sleep found its way to my eyes. It almost seemed like a game of hide and serk, with me seeking to clear my heavy mind by shutting it down momentarily in a little nap- but sleep was nowhere to be found
Instead, I found myself staring repeatedly at Gemini’s picture on her lock screen, the soft glow of her smile illuminating the dark room. It felt wrong to have her phone, but I needed something–anything–that could help me understand her better.
I glanced at the device, its screen reflecting my conflicted emotions. I didn’t have the password, but I felt an overwhelming urge to dig deeper into her life, to find out what made her tick, I wanted to know how she felt about the internship offer she received. Was she going to let it all go because of me? She was going to lose the internship anyways, but the thought of giving her life up and leaving everything behind It only made me realise what extent she could go to avoid me.
Shouldn’t I be at peace for the fact that she wanted to have nothing to do with me? Shouldn’t I be happy that she also wanted to avoid adding any strings to our relationship!
But I guess none of that is valid anymore since I’ve marked her now, is it? We are stuck together now, except one of us rejects the other–Bit who thinks about rejection when one had already given up on what could it
I barely caught any sleep, but that didn’t stop the night from running by Alan was already at my door by 6 am, looking all dressed up. I also freshened up and dressed in a formal outfit as I prepared to join the meeting which was starting in less than twenty minutes.
The tension in the conference room was palpabile. I sat at the head of the table, flanked by my father and Alan, my Beta. The two young men last right — Branded Tech investors, were also present, but one thing about their expressions this morning seemed to catch my attention. It wasn’t all too noticeable, but anyone who could look past the confident exterior they clothed themselves with, would see that there was a sense of tervousness in their expressions, something I didn’t notice last night. I could surely focus on their pitch about the project, my mind drifted back to the same reason I was having dark circles beneath my eyes,
The same thought that visited my mind when I first heard the name ‘Branded Tech‘ seemed to linger once again. Could I possibly lure Gemini with this– an opportunity with Branded Tech while having my child, instead of waiting for the moment I decide to set her free! That should be enough reason, night!
-What
do you say, King Asher?” one of the investors said, snapping me back to reality.
I let out a soft sigh as if organising my thoughts before finally speaking. “So this agreement, what is the time duration we are looking a
A small smile crept onto the face of the young investor. “We’re looking at a ten–year collaboration. This could be a fantastic opportunity for both your kingdoms and our company. But there is a possibility for extension if we all are satiied with the outcome of the first ten years”
of my pack
I nodded, but inside, my thouglas spiralled. Ten years? That was enough time to milk us dry? I could almost visibly see the future o hanging in the balance, and I wasn’t ready to gamble it away.
I remained silent, drastically weighing the risks. My father, noticing my hesitation, leaned forward, his voice both urgent and urging. “Asher, you need to understand the potential here. This could elevate our tech sector to new heights.”
I felt a knot tightening in my stomach. “I get thut, King Andrew, but we can’t rush into this. We need to be cautious”
He frowned, his impatience almost too obvious “Sometimes you have to take risks to eat rewards, son.”
I could feel th
ady lu
I the pressure building, and I wasn’t read
“Let’s postpone the decision for now. I need more time to think “
The room fell ulent, and I could sense the disappointinent radiating from my father. As we began to leave, I caught a glimpse of my father slipping a file from the investors stack into his briefcase. The scrue triggered my curiosity triggered. What could they be hiding?
As I exited the conference room, I nearly collided with Becca. She moved with surprising grace, her demeanour far too composed for someone who had supposedly suffered a severe spine injury. Memories of the doctors‘ grim faces flashed through my mind, spine injuries were no joke, even for a Lycan. We could be looking at a number of months or even years before one could get healed. Hut here she was standing like die bever got injured
“Becca,” I said, try voice low and firm “I thought you were sti
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1024 AM
Chapter 60
She seemed to have been taken off guard, but she immediately masked it with her usually fake, sweet smile. “Oh.. L. Asher, you are here?” She muttered. My gaze remained heavy on her as if pushing her to answer the question. “I’m fine, really. Just taking it easy.”
*āt was just temporary stuff after all,” she added nervoudy.
I studied her, searching for signs of the pain she should be feeling “You don’t look like you’re in pain.”
Her smile falicred, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something–fear? Guile)”
“I’m tougher than I look, Asher. You should know me by now,
I narrowed my eyes, clearly not buying the story. “Catch you later, Asher.” She said dismissively, but just as she turned to leave, I dropped a question that had settled in the depth of my mind for a while,
“What did you do to Gemini?” The question slipped out before I could stop myself, but I needed to know
Her reaction was immediate. She stuttered, her confidence crumbling. “W–what do you meant”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, though it was devoid of humour. “Why are you trembling so much? I know you wouldn’t go that far. After all, Gemini has always been a careless person.”
Becca nodded nervously, her eyes darting away from mine. “1-1 really should get going.”
I watched her leave, a sense of dread filling me instantly. “Alan,” I called, gesturing in my Bets. “Keep an eye on Becca”
Hours later–same day.
Alan returned with a report, “Your majesty, I didn’t see Becca meet anyone suspicious, she only met with your mother and then she disappeared from the palace” He informed
My mother?
Nothing about that seemed suspicious, Becca and my mom were most times seen together, but it could still be a warning to especially after what Gemini claimed to have happened between her and my mother on the night of the full moon.
to look out for both, most
I noticed that Alan was still standing by me, making no move to leave and so I asked. “Anything else?”
He nodded slightly. “Actually, while I was returning here. I noticed your father’s assistant carrying the file from earlier into his study room. I was wondering if I should go in and check it’s content for you or—”
My eyes snapped up at the information, my curiosity piqued once more.
leave it to me
Dinner happened in a blur, but not too fast to notice the discomfort in the faces of my parents. Cain remained missing from the beginning to the end of dinner. And from the news I had gotten earlier, he had been working tirelessly on some of his art projects, My father was never in support of what he did, and Cain was never one to give up on his dreams. He would rather light the whole world to achieve his dream than give up on it. That was the only thing we had in common—
Thinking back to the silenge that lay heavy across the dining room, everyone held back their speech with fear that their secrets could leak from just a more conversation. I didn’t bother to think what they were hiding, but I knew I was going to uncover all of it soon enough
Once I was sure that everyone had gone to sleeps, I stepped out of my room and made my way to my father’s study.
The door creaked open, and I stepped inside, the familiar scent of old leather and polished wood wrapping around me. My father’s desk was cluttered with paper, but my eyes were searched furiously for the file. Of course, he wouldn’t just leave it lying there, considering the secrets that the papers undoubtedly held.
After searching several slides in the drawer, I finally caught sight of the name, BRANDON TECH.
I drew out the file, my fingers itching to pry it open
i I flipped through the pages, my stomach twisted. This old fool‘ I cursed.
His audacity to plan something else behind my back. It wasn’t stated directly in the file, but his plan was made obvious by past scanning through the paper. Did he really think he could bench from both our kingdoms without being exposed? This wasn’t just a partnership, it was a power play, a mose to solidify his control over my park’s technology arctor without my knowledge.
This olde has been playing the wrong cards for a long while now. No wonder his father never trusted him.
solud i bent down to
arranged back the file and placed. dk how I had seen it. I was about to leave when my foot accidentally kicked something so
mal to my feet, but I raught sight of something that drew my attention
Chapter 60
It was an old box, dusty and worn. Its appearance caught my attention and I found myself opening the box without thinking twice
As I carefully lifted the lid of the timeworn box, a faint scent of aged paper and dust wafted into the air, evoking a sense of nostalgia. Inside lay a haphazard assonment of documents and photographs, their edges frayed and colours faded with time.
I reached in and retrieved a stack of photographs, their surfaces glossy yet dulled by age. The first image revealed a younger version of my father. his features more relaxed and eyes gleaming with a carefree spirit I had never witnessed. He stood beside a group of friends, their laughter seemingly echoing through the years.
As I continued to sift through the collection, more images of my father emerged, each capturing moments of joy and camaraderie. All just at his youthful memories.
hinted
Then, my fingers paused on a particular photograph, its edges more worn than the others, as if it had been handled frequently. The image depicted my father standing beside a woman whose features bore an uncanny resemblance to Gemini. The pictures were in black and white so I couldn’t draw out much detail from the picture, but I didn’t fail to notice her wavy hair that cascaded over her shoulders, framing her face a little too much to be recognised by anyone. Despite that, the figure still looked all too familiar.
They stood a little too close, a testament to something more intimate. Their relaxed postures and intertwined hands adding the cherry topping
A surge of emotions flooded me- confusion, curiosity, and an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
AD
