Chapter 12: Dollar Sign

Ashton

I slowly opened my eyes and pain suddenly rush through my eyes so I closed my eyes again, my head hurts too. When I try to open my eyes again, I realized I was in Zie's room already, beside me is his naked body, he's still sleeping soundly.

I carefully removed his hands around my waist and descended from the bed. When my feet touch the cold floor, memories of what happened tonight suddenly filled my mind. I can't believe that I just witnessed a scene that I never think exists in real life. The face of my brother enclosed in a cage as if he was some kind of a feral animal. I hate myself, I didn't do anything to help him.

I took off my clothes one by one and went straight to the bathroom and open the shower. My body was drenched with the cold water coming from the shower, it was so cold but I just ignored it. After a few minutes of letting myself get soaked with cold water, the showerhead suddenly stops and a piece of a towel wrapped around my naked body. Zie was sternly looking at me as if telling me he doesn't like what I just did.

"Come on baby, you might catch the flu, let's get you to change." He said and pulled me out of the bathroom. I don't know what went through my mind that I let myself drowned with cold water, maybe I just want to feel numb and forget the pain I am feeling. When we enter the bedroom he pulled a boxer and a tee-shirt on the drawer while I was just standing there staring at him. Zie draws near to me and wrapped myself with a towel again, I just let him dry my body.

"What do you think you're doing Ash?" He sternly said. I just look at him emotionless but didn't care to respond.

"Do you think your twin brother will be happy to see you like this?" He scolds me, tears suddenly trickled down my eyes when he mentioned my twin brother.

"You didn't help me, I will never see my brother again," I said and burst into tears. I heard Zie sigh before he embraced me and locked me in his strong arm.

"On the contrary, I can still help you, baby, did you know who bid 20 million just to have your twin?" Zie whispered to me.

"Y-you knew who's the bidder? C-can you talk to him? Please, I want to meet my twin brother." Suddenly hope filled my heart, I can't count how many times I begged Zie for help and I will never be tired of begging him if it means I can see and talk to my brother.

"Its Rex," Zie replied, I released a heavy sigh upon hearing his reply.

"Your cousin?" I asked in shock, I couldn't help but slightly smile when he softly nodded at me.

"Let's go back to bed, baby," Zie said which I gladly obliged. We lay down on the bed as I rest my head on his broad shoulder and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you and I'm sorry," I said apologizing to all the trouble I caused to him.

"Look at me, Ashton." He ordered me, when our eyes met I couldn't help but fathom the beauty of his eyes as if compelling me to wonder his soul.

"I'll be honest with you okay? I want to save your twin. God knows that if you begged me one more time at that moment I will raise my board. Even if saving your twin means losing my company." He said as guilt slowly hunt me.

"I-I'm so sorry, I didn't know it. You're the only one who I think can help me." I said feeling ashamed.

"It's okay, baby. You can ask me for help anytime and I'll try my best to help you." Zie said sincerely and kissed me on my lips. I closed my eyes and responds to his kiss. His lips are very soft. His hands landed on my body and I just let him wonder. He only stops kissing me when we ran out of the air, he smirks at me and kisses my forehead.

"Let's go back to sleep, baby," Zie said and closed his eyes, I was resting on his shoulder as his hands wrapped tightly around my body.

The next morning, I woke up at exactly eight o'clock in the morning, I reached Zie's body but to no avail, when I open my eyes I found out that I was hugging s pillow and not his muscular body. I immediately got out of bed and left the room.

"Zie!" I softly called his name but all I could hear in response was silence.

I went straight to the kitchen and there was already food on the table, there's also a sticky note attached to the side of the plate.

'Good morning baby,

I never woke you up because you were sleeping serenely, you're so cute by the way I couldn't help but steal a kiss from you. Haha. Anyway, I've already prepared your breakfast, you can just heat it if you want to eat. As you read this, I'm sure I'm already in my office thinking about you. Please suit yourself, I'll be back at six. Get ready because will be having dinner at my cousin's house.

xox, Zie '

I smiled as I read Zie's note, especially the last words of his message. Finally, I'm going to meet my brother, I am excited to see him again, there's a lot of questions that I want to ask him. I calm myself from too much excitement, I start eating the food that Zie prepared for me with a smile on my face.

After eating and washing my plate, I thought of going to Zie's library, I don't know where it is but didn't have a hard time finding it, as soon as I entered the library I couldn't help but rejoice because there were so many books lined up on the shelves. I do not know what I will read first.

I looked around until a shelf caught my attention, on top of the shelf is a sign posted in it that reads 'Bondage and Sadomasochism', I wander through the shelf until a book caught my attention.

Dollar Sign by Giza Clay.

The title of the book was intriguing, I took the book off the shelf and read the summary of the novel written on the back. After reading the summary, I decided to read the whole book later. I turned the book over the last page where you can see a picture of the author and the author's biography. My brows furrowed when I saw Giza's picture, I couldn't help but ask myself what the fuck happened to his face. He has an angelic face, very beautiful but a scar in an X shaped destroyed the beauty of his face. Hmm, I sense a lot of mystery here, not only in the novel but also in the writer. I left the library with Giza Clay's book and went to Zie's room to start reading the novel.