LOGINAsher's pov.I opened my eyes slowly, squinting as they adjusted to the bright, sterile hospital light. I turned my head to the side. Leonard was sitting on the visitor's couch across the room, his long legs crossed, scrolling through his phone in silence.I pushed myself up against the pillows, feeling much better, though my muscles still felt a little heavy. The rustle of the sheets made Leonard look up from his screen."You're awake," he said quietly.A small smile touched my lips. "You're still here?""You asked me to stay," he replied, his tone flat, unreadable."I thought you'd be gone by the time I woke up," I mumbled, pulling the blanket down a bit. "Thank you, Leonard.""How are you feeling?""Much better" I said. "All thanks to you."I looked around the spacious room. The leather couch, the private bathroom, the large television mounted on the wall. My smile slowly faded as it finally clicked. A VIP ward. I swallowed hard, my chest tightening."Did you... ask for me to be
Leonard's pov.I rested my elbow against the leather trim of the car door, my knuckles supporting my chin as the city buildings blurred past the window. We were heading toward the Mark estate for an obligatory family visit.My mind drifted back to the quiet confrontation with Liam.He hadn't raised his voice about my absence at dinner. He had simply stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office."Skipping meals with Father isn't rebellion, Leonard," Liam had said, his voice cold. "It’s just sloppy. You're starting to make bolder, careless moves, stepping outside the lines we built for you. Moves like that don't make you free, they just make you vulnerable. And vulnerability in this family will ruin you faster than any mistake."He had turned around then, his dark eyes sharp as knives. "Fix your focus. Visit the Mark family today. Take something expensive for Kylie and start acting like a proper fiancé. You have a role to play, and you will play it."A sudden flicker of movement
Asher's pov.After our last lecture, Brady, Trevor, and I walked over to a restaurant at the campus.We placed our orders at the front counter, and Trevor gestured toward the seating area. "You guys go grab a table, I'll bring the food over when it's ready."Brady and I walked over to go and secure a table, Just as I was pulling out the chair right beside him, Brady tossed his bag onto the seat.I paused, raising an eyebrow at him. But he didn't even notice, he just sat down on his own chair, running his fingers through his hair.I let out a small sigh, moving across the table to take a different seat."I am so sick and tired of this semester," he muttered, resting his forehead against his hand. "Now we have that goddamn presentation to worry about.""I'm just glad I'm not the only one drowning," I said, leaning back. I glanced over at the counter, seeing Trevor balance three trays in his hands. "Trevor looks happy enough, though."Trevor slid the trays onto the table, squinting at us
Leonard's pov.I took another slow sip from the white ceramic mug in my hand, keeping my eyes fixed on Asher. I was waiting for him to speak. I had intentionally ordered black coffee instead of my usual caramel macchiato purely out of curiosity to see why he ordered it every single time we met but the dark, bitter liquid left a terrible taste on my tongue.Asher’s mouth curved into a small, tentative smile. He used his fork to break off another piece of the cheesecake, popping it into his mouth before looking across the table at me. "You want to know about me? Like what?""Why do you like art?" I asked, setting the mug back onto its saucer. "And are you studying art at your university?"Asher shook his head, a faint, dry laugh escaping his throat. "No, I'm not studying art. I'm actually an engineering student." He set his fork down, his fingers lightly tracing the edge of the paper napkin. "Art is just... my passion. It's the one thing that makes me feel completely alive. But my pare
Asher's POVLeonard's words caught me completely off guard. I stood there on the pavement, my lips parting, but no sound came out.Silence settled between us.After a moment, Leonard's gaze shifted away."It's fine if you don't want to come," he said in his usual calm voice."No!" I blurted out.I cleared my throat, forcing myself to calm down."I mean..." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I'd like to come. I'm free."Leonard gave a small nod."Let's go, then."Marcus immediately stepped forward and walked toward a sleek black car parked by the curb. He opened the rear door, then stepped aside.Leonard made a small gesture for me to get in first.I stared at the car for a moment.Even without knowing much about luxury cars, I recognized it immediately. The Ferrari Purosangue looked completely out of place parked beneath the campus trees, like it belonged in a showroom instead of a university.Meanwhile, my dad still drove the old Toyota Corolla he'd been paying off for years.Trying not
Asher's pov.I sat at my desk with my engineering textbook open in front of me, trying to finish the assignment due the next morning. After reading the same line for what felt like the tenth time, I gave up with a quiet sigh.Reaching into my backpack for my notebook, my fingers brushed against my sketchbook instead. I pulled it out and flipped through the pages until I found the sketch of Leonard.I traced the graphite lines of his jaw with the tip of my finger. The memory of earlier that evening rushed back—the way our eyes had locked right after I called him handsome, the sudden, suffocating heat that had flared up in my neck and face.'Where does that confidence even come from?' I wondered, rubbing my temples. Whenever I was around him, my filter just completely disappeared, and I’d blurt out whatever crossed my mind. I really needed to learn how to control myself.Looking down at the paper, the shaded eyes of the drawing felt so realistic it was as if Leonard himself was starin
Asher's pov.I swallowed hard, my throat feeling completely dry as Leonard’s gaze remained locked onto mine. The silence between us stretched until it felt almost suffocating. Slowly, his dark eyes moved away from my face, shifting back down to trace the charcoal lines on the paper.I let out a ner
Asher's pov.The red ink at the top of the paper felt like a slap in the face. I stared down at the terrible grade on my quiz, the numbers blurring together as I gripped the edges of the page until the corners crumpled in my hands.It was a total mess. During the whole test, my mind wasn't on the e
Asher's pov.The professor’s voice faded into the background, mixing with the scratching of pens against paper.Everyone around me was hunched over their desks, desperate to capture every word. I leaned back, my own notebook open, but my pen wasn't tracing chemical bonds or reaction formulas.Inste
Leonard's pov.The evening air hit me as I stepped out of the gallery, heavier than I expected. I walked down the marble stairs, my shoes clicking against the stone. The staircase stretched endlessly beneath me, polished marble designed to make people feel insignificant before they even stepped in







