CHAPTER 7

Jasmine sighed and subconsciously chewed on her lips as she wrestled with the decision to take.

A part of her wanted to say no and go ahead with her plan of leaving New York, and start afresh in a place far away from all the betrayal and humiliation.

But the other part, the one fueled by pain and anger, desperately craved to make Charlotte and Jacob pay for what they had done to her.

Still, what was the point of dwelling on their painful betrayal when she could just move on?

She pressed her lips in a firm line as she looked at Asher, who was patiently watching her.

“I appreciate your offer, Mr. Wayne, but I’ll pass,” she declined, making sure her voice was polite, yet resolute.

Asher’s brows arched in surprise, but she didn’t give him a chance to interrupt as she continued.

“I’m not interested in getting revenge against Jacob and Charlotte. I just want to leave this city. There’s nothing left for me here.”

As the words left her lips, a sad, gloomy expression overtook her face as she was reminded of how truly alone she was.

No biological family.

No friends.

No relationship.

Nothing.

Asher was quiet for a moment as he observed the slight downturn of her lips and the furrow in her brows.

He hadn’t actually expected her to refuse his offer. Was she truly giving up so easily?

The thought of her leaving didn’t sit well with him, and he decided to play a trump card he was sure she wouldn’t refuse.

“That’s disappointing,” he sucked his teeth, then leaned forward with his elbows rested on his knees, and his fingers entwined. “But what if I told you I could help you find your birth parents?”

Jasmine froze for a second before her head snapped to him, her eyes wide with shock. “What…how do you know about that?”

Asher shrugged and leaned back on the sofa, his hand tapping lazily on the armrest.

“Let’s just say I ran a little background check on you after our encounter last night. I know everything about you.”

Jasmine shifted in her seat, her unease growing at Asher’s revelation.

He sensed her discomfort, so he added,

“I know it was an invasion of your privacy, and I apologize. I just…couldn’t help but be intrigued by the lady who came into my room wearing a blindfold and the tiniest dress I’ve ever seen, yet nervous as hell.”

Jasmine’s cheeks flushed crimson and she averted her gaze. “That was a mistake,” she mumbled. “I was given the wrong room number. That’s the only reason why I ended up in your room.”

But..” she paused, her forehead creasing with curiosity as she glanced back at him, “why did you play along? You could have easily told me I was in the wrong room.”

For the first time, Asher’s confident demeanor faltered as he looked away and cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment.

“I…I wasn’t in my right frame of mind,” he reluctantly admitted. “I think I was drugged at the dinner party I attended. And…you reminded me of someone from my past, so I couldn’t control myself.”

Jasmine was taken aback at the slight vulnerability in his tone. She hadn’t expected him to be that honest with her.

It explained the slur in his voice last night, and the way he had spoken to her with so much familiarity.

Her heart twisted at the memory. He had only slept with her because she reminded him of someone.

The air was filled with a sudden awkwardness and Jasmine regretted why she asked him the question in the first place. She should have just kept it to herself.

Asher also noticed the awkwardness in the air. “So,” he began, steering the conversation back to the previous topic. “Do you agree to my offer now?”

Jasmine hesitated again as one more question gnawed at the back of her mind. “Why do you want this marriage to happen? What’s in it for you?”

Asher chuckled as though he already expected the question. “There’s a business deal I really need to secure, but the investors are skeptical about my accountability,” he replied smoothly.

“Getting married will show them I’m committed and put their doubts to rest.”

Jasmine nodded, but deep down her chest tightened with an emotion she didn’t want to dwell on.

Why was she feeling this way all of a sudden? What had she expected? That he wanted to marry her for anything other than business?

He was a businessman after all.

She got rid of the thought, and took a deep breath, her desire to find her birth family outweighing everything else. “I accept your offer, but we need to set some ground rules.”

The corner of Asher’s lips twitched, and his brows cocked in interest. “And what rules would you like to set?”

Jasmine straightened in her seat, and stared at him with a serious expression. “There will be no form of intimacy between us. I don’t want to complicate things.”

Asher’s smirk widened and he tilted his head. “Are you sure about that, princess? You might be the one to break your own rule.”

Jasmine pressed her lips in a firm line, a determined expression overtaking her features. “I won’t,” she countered firmly. “I have more self-control than you think, Mr. Wayne.”

Asher narrowed his eyes as he observed the way she fidgeted with her fingers. No matter how confident she tried to seem, he could tell she was still nervous.

That meant she wasn’t even sure if she’d keep to her words.

He traced his bottom lip for a moment before rising to his feet and crossing the distance between them in a few strides.

Jasmine almost forgot how to breathe as Asher placed both of his hands on either side of the armrest and leaned in, so their faces were inches apart.

Up close she could see how deep the blue in his eyes were—like the ocean at night.

The air crackled with tension and she instinctively leaned back until her back was pressed against the chair to put some distance between them.

Asher smirked at the reaction his closeness elicited from her, and he savored it as he leaned forward a bit more.

“M-Mr. Wayne,” Jasmine stammered out, her trembling voice betraying her nervousness as she grabbed his arm to prevent him from coming closer.

Asher’s eyes flickered to her hand on his arm, then back to her and he shifted his head towards the direction of her ear.

“Let’s see how long you can stick to your rules, princess,” Jasmine’s heart pounded against her rib cage as he whispered, deliberately brushing his lips against the shell of her ear.

He finally pulled back and her shoulders slumped in relief. She swallowed hard, determined not to let him get to her.

“I won’t break,” she said, though it seemed more like she was trying to convince herself.

Asher shrugged with a challenging smirk. “We’ll see.”