Ashley POVI was unaware that David had even parked before the hotel entrance until his voice snapped me out of my reverie. Judging by the expression on his face, I could guess that he must have been waiting for quite some time without me responding.Out of shame, I cleared my throat before responding, “Thank you. I don't think we need you anymore today, so you can go home if you want.”“Alright,” he said, though a hint of hesitation was evident in his voice.I smiled to ease his worries and then stepped out of the car. After grabbing my duffel bag, I bid him farewell and headed to the elevator. Nervousness made the journey upstairs feel twice as long as usual, plus the dizziness that kicked in the second I opened the front door of my parents' apartment.Eighties or nineties rock music was blaring from the kitchen. No wonder I spotted my dad standing by the stove humming and dancing to the beat. My mom was sitting on one of the barstools near the kitchen, her skinny legs crossed, thou
Ashley POV“Come on! Harder!”Sweat dripped from my forehead, my temples, and well, from all over my body. In my mind, I made a note to buy a sports headband next time. Swiftly, I wiped the sweat off my forehead using the back of my arm before going back to doing two quick jabs and hooks, just like I had been doing for the past two minutes.“Put your weight into it!” My trainer, Larry Swan, didn't move a cent from where he stood while holding the boxing gloves, which I had successfully grounded earlier in the day's training session. “And keep your feet light! There's still one minute left!”Without saying a word, I punched the gloves with all my might. Larry grinned as he wrapped up the workout for the day, but a glint of concern spread across his handsome face as I remained quiet.“You seem unfocused,” he said as he started to take the gloves off. “Something on your mind?”I took off my gloves and hand wraps, wiped off as much sweat as I could with the small towel that I had brought,
Ashley POV“So, you're telling me,” Mom started, pinching the bridge of her nose, “that you are in love with Jayden? And that's the reason why you didn't want to marry Jared?”I sighed as I looked down at my phone. The conversation that had been going on since Jayden's departure had switched to a video call, where Mom felt she could fully show her disappointment.“Yes,” I answered her, though the confession made my face heat up. “That's just it.”“And are you sure? You won't regret breaking off your engagement again?”She made it sound as if it was my fault that things had turned out this way. And in some ways, maybe it was. But I definitely was not responsible for canceling the first engagement.“Yes,” I replied with another long sigh.She was staring at me in a literal sense, because she had her iPad on her lap, which she was using to talk to me. She was sitting on a balcony somewhere, or maybe by the pool, because she was wearing a bathing suit. Dad's head would occasionally pop up
Jayden POVJared. Brother. Despite the cold image of my wolf in my chest churning at the mention of his name, an even larger and far more terrifying creature showed its claws at the very thought of him. Though I managed to restrain both of them, it was hard, bordering on impossible for the latter. Because there were no words that could describe what I felt for my brother. My fists slamming into his arrogant face so many times might describe it, but it still wasn't enough.Not even close enough.“It's a long story,” she said in response to her mother's babble. “Do you have time to listen—”“You just told me you're not going to go through with yet another marriage!” Her mother must have been half-shouting over the phone, because I heard her words more sharply now. “You better explain it to me right now, Ashley Van Smith. Or I will fly back to Beverly and find you and Jared and marry you off myself.”Instead of getting angry in return, I noticed Ashley becoming mellow. “I will tell you,”
Jayden POV“Why did you do it?”My mind drifted along with the soothing songs on the radio when her familiar voice caught my attention. I wasn't sure if she was asking me that question or talking to her driver or even someone on the phone, but she was already looking at me as my eyes lazily searched hers.“Doing what?” I asked as my brows furrowed.She rubbed her arms — obviously a sign of her nervousness. “My name,” she said, her gaze dropping to the cell phone in my hand. “Why did you make it that way?”“I have always given you that name in my contact list,” I admitted with a shrug. “Ever since I got my first cell phone.”“But why?” Her brow furrowed, and there was a curious streak lining her tone. “That doesn't even make sense.”“Of course, it makes sense.” I couldn't help but smile. “Who else in the history of this life has ever won a Halloween costume competition in such a ridiculous costume?”She crossed her arms in front of her chest, but I could see that she was struggling to
Ashley POVMy name slipped out of his chapped lips in a whisper, like the soft flutter of wings. His voice sounded so hesitant, so skeptical, so flustered, I was not sure what to say to him back. So, I chose to nod, then lowered my gaze to the dirty floor.“What are you doing here?”“I came to see you,” I muttered.“Why?”His tone was hard to guess. Partly because he spoke so quietly that I could barely hear him over the beating of my own heart, which had regained its beat, thankfully. And partly because I was so scared and anxious to answer, I felt sick.“Because...” I cleared my throat, still refusing to look at him. Tears welled up in my eyes, like strong alcohol in my throat. “Because,” I tried again, though my voice broke.“Did something happen to your parents? Or my brother?”I couldn't believe how calm and collected he was. Despite my temptation to look at him, at least to catch a glimpse of his face, I knew I couldn't hold myself back from crying if I locked eyes with his gaze
Ashley POVI could barely breathe as I talked to the man who was also the owner of the karaoke bar at the front desk. He said a man who was about my age and had his face covered by a mask was somewhere in the back of the building, but he forced me to rent a room of my own before letting me into the karaoke bar. Money was not a problem. I would gladly pay ten... no, no, a hundred times as much if the owner asked for it.A glimpse over my shoulder showed that Miles was still waiting outside on the street, watching me through the double glass doors. He stood with his hands in his pockets and nodded after I waved my hand. He stayed even as I headed deeper into the building, and I was the first to slip out of range.No matter how the conflict between Jayden and me turns out, I will forever be indebted to Miles. Because he was the one who woke me up. Even if Eva had tried, she wouldn't have been as blunt and assertive as Miles in talking about this matter. She would have given up, knowing m
Ashley POVI stared at him with an incredulous look on my face. “You couldn't be serious could you,” I whispered.“I'm dead serious,” he told me solemnly, his sharp, dark eyes looking at me intently. “As soon as you were out of sight, Jayden...” I flinched at the mention of his name, “...tried to chase after you like crazy. Hunter and Tyler jumped on him, though it wasn't until Clark, our manager, and a few other managers came to help that we were able to stop him.” Miles sucked in a deep breath and stared out the window. “If it wasn't for Jax and a slap from Jamie, Jayden would've gotten you. And who knows what would have happened to either of you if he had.”Then, he was silent for a while, surely waiting for a reaction or answer from me, but I didn't react. He scratched the back of his head restlessly just before going on, his tone grave.“We managed to convince him to head back to the styling and hair and makeup team since there was still a show to do. Next, Clark went to find Bla
Ashley POVTo tell the truth, I regretted my decision as soon as I got out of the car. But his piercing, dark eyes caught mine from the second floor before I could find the nerve or perhaps, the sanity to run. So, despite feeling as if every step was through a bed of quicksand, every breath felt as if it were swallowing oil, and my heart was racing as if I was galloping as if my life was at stake, I had no other choice but to go inside that damn building.“Serenity” is a café and bakery concept with a large selection of vegan menu items that directly blend into the non-vegan menu. How someone would make cheesecake without cheese baffled me enough to make me order it from the front desk along with a large iced latte. I made my way around the round tables scattered throughout the rustic bistro, excusing myself when it became too crowded amongst the patrons.Miles sat down, alone, next to one of the windows on the second floor that was rarely visited by people. He looked rather casual an