Chapter 5

Ashley's pov 

 I wasn't proud of it but I did something cowardly.

 Instead of responding to the message I just blocked Archer. 

Of course my efforts could be equated to mopping up spilled milk with thin tissues; ultimately unhelpful and eventually creating a bigger mess. 

 Archer texted me with so many different numbers begging to see me and I just kept blocking them one after the other I couldn't change my number currently because half members we're sending me several congratulatory messages and constantly calling me like they were running a shift. 

  I could understand why everybody was making a big fuss, an alpha's firstborn was always meant to take over them unless circumstances made it impossible but that was the norm. 

 People were not actually bothered about me but the pregnancy that was growing within me.

 Which was part of the reason why I couldn't just say the truth. 

 I would be accused of deception along with adultery, cast out of the Park House stripped of my title and if I was any unluckier here probably banished too.

  There was no other choice, I would have to keep my lips tightly short even if people noticed some similarities between the child and Archer they might not question it too much since they were all family in the end. 

 Yes, yes maybe I'm just overthinking this I'm sure they are no loose threads for me to tie up. 

  That was what I thought to myself one sleepless night, sitting in an empty bathtub when my phone began to ring next to me and I picked it up without thinking it had become like a reflex now because of how many calls I received a day. 

 Archer's voice came through loud and clear. 

 “Finally, Ashley how long do you plan on ignoring me?” His voice carried such weighty pain that I was almost struck with guilt however I held my ground. 

 “I'm not ignoring you, I'm keeping my distance with you because we are nothing to each other,” 

 “How could you say that?” His voice was wobbly now, to imagine that man who towered over everybody with broad intimidating muscles that flexed without trying while remaining impeccably lean and attractive and…. Wait what was I thinking about again? 

 “I don't want you calling me anymore,” 

“Then should I call my brother instead?” 

 It felt like the cold metallic mouth of a gun had been pressed at the side of my head.

 “You wouldn't dare, if you do that, we will both go down together. Don't you understand that?” 

 “Do you think my position in the park is so fragile that I would be shaken by something like this?” 

  

 My blood was boiling. 

 “What exactly do you want from me that you are stopping down to blackmailing me?” 

 “I'm not blackmailing you, but I am stating the facts. Let's meet. Let's talk I just want to talk with you,” 

 I knew it wasn't going to end with just a talk but I still wanted to feel like my time would not be wasted somehow so I told him that I would agree to meet up with him on the condition that this was the one time thing after this he would shut up about the issue. 

 He ended the call without giving me any promises but I knew I had to show up anyways and force it out of him. 

 We picked a quiet little coffee shop that really got any customers. When I walked in at the early hours of the morning he was already there. He told me that he had even showed up before the employees did and when he caught sight of me his entire face lit up like a puppy.

 Something inside Of me made me wonder why my husband couldn't look at me with those kind of eyes. 

 Why did it have to be his brother instead? 

 I slid easily into the seat that was opposite him and got straight to business; “so how much do you want?” 

 “What–aren't you going to at least order something first?”

I snorted.

“we're not here on a date in case you forgotten, so tell me how much you need,”

 He laughed.

“Sweetheart you seem to be forgetting that I'm an alpha myself, what makes you think that of all things I could be lacking it would be money,”

 I clenched my teeth, I didn't know but I was hoping that he would take it anyways and let me leave my life peacefully. 

 Things went perfect in my marriage but they had been getting better recently maybe it was just Bryce effort to look better in front of people as they were so many members of the parks around in us these days, he was far more attentive than usual even buying me get and telling me to always inform him of my cravings so he would take care of them. 

  It wasn't much, and most of the time it was easy from my viewpoint to tell that most of it was for sure but here I was clinging unto hope like a man Lost at Sea clinging to a straw thinking that maybe just maybe we had a shot. 

   But the only obstacle standing between my tolerable future where my child would not be seen as a bastard was this man. 

 “Isn't there anything I can give you that will make you let go?”

“There is.”

“What is it?”

“You.” 

 His response came without missing a beat.

 “I want you, Ashley.”