Chapter 3 - Is this love?

Kasper's POV

     “ Sir, Greg is back to the US,” Steve announced the moment he walked up to me. That brat had finally returned, he must have been forced.

     “ Is he at the airport? If he is arrange a car to pick him up,” I instructed.

     “ I'm not sure they'll be a need for that, sir. He came in yesterday,” he informed.

     “ You know, you have said that from the start,”

     “ Sorry, sir,”

    “ Where is he as it stands?” I inquired.

    “ He's lodged in Oakwood hotel,” he was indeed handy. “ Do you want to give him a call first or...,”

     “ There's no need to, let's just get going,” I said taking my coat as we headed out. It had been a while since we last met.

Getting to the hotel, we were immediately taken to his room. Opening the door to his suite, I could already perceive the smell of ladies’ perfume. That pervert was at it again.

“ Drey, I'm coming in,” I said as I walked into his bedroom. He was seated on his bed with a bathrobe on and the lady quickly picked up her things and scurried out. 

“ Kasper, my man,” he beamed at me.

“ You sound like we're in the 1960s,” I said looking around.

“ You could at least pretend to miss me, you know?” He pouted. “ Aren't we supposed to be best friends?”

“ I'm glad you added pretend there,” I said without any emotion on my face. “ I'm guessing your grandparents dragged you back,”

 “ Sometimes they can be really intoxicating,” he sighed. “ But they don't get that I don't wanna be responsible! Well, at least not now,” He yapped.

“ Anyway, how's your wife?” He asked with a smirk on his face. “ I told you that you're too old for this. There's no way an oldie like you would get married to a hottie like her and you won't fall in love,”

“ First of, we're the same age genius. So if I'm old, you're old,” I squinted my eyes. “ Secondly, I'm not in love with her and I never would be,” I stated.

“ But you will soon,” he taunted. “ My advice to you, just enjoy her after all, she's pretty,” he came with his empty-headedness.

“ Get up. I'm not going to talk to you here,” I instructed and before he could revolt, I pulled him from his bed and threatened to drag him out with his robe on, so he finally gave in.

We sat in the VIP lounge of a club within the hotel, girls surrounded us. We began to drink as he talked.

“ So you actually scrubbed her body that hard just because she was standing with another guy?” He asked me with twisted brows.

“ No, he held her and they were about to kiss. Whatever the case may be, his smell was all over her,” I suddenly felt annoyed as I recollected.

“ What are you? A blood hound? Anyway, do you know what I think is the problem?” He's faced looked a bit more serious.

“ What?” I said curious to know.

“ I think you're jealous,” he said laughing at me.

“ Why would I be jealous because of her? I don't even care what she does or where she goes. She's simply by my side because she must pay for Aurelia’s death,” I clarified.

” Must you sound this robotic when you explain yourself?” He continued to laugh. “ If what you said was indeed true then even if she kisses another person, you shouldn't have much of a problem with it. And should you be following and monitoring her every movement if you don't care where she goes?” He went on and on. “ I think you've started to get pretty fond of her, who knows maybe you even have started to like...,” I gulped down a drink and closed my ears to his baseless talk.

I knew I didn't love Anastasia. Whatever I did, I did it to punish her and that was period.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Anastasia’s POV

Later that evening

I excused myself and headed to the toilet, I wasn't going there to do what anyone thought, I just needed to clear my head. Getting to the bathroom, I stood in front of the mirror and looked at myself, no one seemed to be in here.

 I raised my shirt up to see the painful scrub marks and hickeys on my body which I had carried ointment for. I had not being able to concentrate with the stinging pain of the scrubs, I knew I shouldn't have followed them. Tears slowly fell from my eyes as I applied the ointment but it wasn't because of the stinging pain I felt, I was just tired of everything. I never thought I would come to the point of having so many regrets.

“ Anna?” Someone gasped and looking through the mirror, I saw Claire behind me. Had she been here all along? I hurriedly dropped my shirt and cleaned my eyes.

“ Yes? I didn't know anyone was here,” I turned around to face her, putting on a fake smile.

“ Oh my gosh, Anna,” tears began to gather in her eyes. “ So you really weren't lying about you having a boyfriend?” She questioned rhetorically but her eyes caught something else.

“ You're married?” She had noticed the ring I had on. Kasper had made me wear it before leaving for work. I used my other hand to cover it as I looked at the floor.

” I don't want to talk about this,” a tear drop fell to the floor as I bit my lip.

“ You don't have to but you shouldn't suffer in silence. I mean, I don't know what's going on but he seems to abuse you,” she said plainly. “ You probably knew this was going to happen and that's why you didn't want to come. I'm sorry for making you have to go through this,” she sincerely apologised but it wasn't just about her or them, it was me.

“ No need to apologise,” I raised my head and tried to reassure her. “ I read a really really depressing story so my mood has been off, do you want to hear it?”

“ Sure,” 

“ Well, there were two friends, best friends really. One from a wealthy family and the other from a regular family but it didn't matter to them but the one from the wealthy home was really sickly and so had to be extra careful in doing anything,” I took a deep breath.

“ When they eventually find the cure for her, the best friend tells the other one the good news and in excitement, the second one decides to take her out to celebrate but then an accident occurs and the wealthy one dies leaving the average one feeling broken and guilt ridden,” I paused waiting for her to respond.

“ It's really is heart breaking, I really can't tell how guilty the other one would feel. I'm more worried about the family of the wealthy one that might want to pin the blame on the other. But in all, the friend that took her out isn't at fault and I don't think she should be blamed, accidents occur and they wouldn't be accidents if we foresaw them,” she let out a sigh.

“ No one deserves to bear the consequences for what they didn't do,” she added. “ The girl should who survived should live everyday happily, I bet that's what her best friend would want. She wouldn't want to see her downcast because of something she had no control over,” she concluded and I hugged her in tears.

“ Anna? Are you alright?” She was taken aback by my sudden outburst but in just kept on hugging her and crying. “ Really seems this story got to you,” she chuckled as patted my head.

If only she knew it wasn't just a story, it was my story and I'm glad someone understands me even if she has no idea it's me.

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