Chapter 2

Olivia panicked when she saw the notification. She dared not open the message; instead, she did the only thing she always does. Going to Mia.

Olivia entered the house with loud footsteps.

"Hel-" Mia started.

"Your boyfriend's boss just texted me," Olivia said in a panic.

"Ash?" Mia asked in confusion.

"In the file sent by AAH, he is called Asher Simon. Is that Ash's name?" Olivia asked Mia.

"I don't know. Walter never told me his name," Mia said.

"I hope it's not his actual name because it would be stupid to use his real one in official matters like those," Olivia said, thinking about it.

"Is it if you are untouchable?" Mia asked with raised brows.

"What do you mean?" Olivia was confused.

"He has a lot of global influence, not just in the United States," Mia said nonchalantly.

Olivia was surprised to know that Asher had so much power. "What is he even, f*cking kingpin?”

"Walter hasn't told me much about his job besides the obvious," Mia sighed.

"And what is the obvious? That your boyfriend kills people on a daily basis with his Boss?" Olivia said sarcastically.

"That's not what he does, Olivia," Mia retorted.

"Don't tell me he never killed or hurt anyone," Olivia raised her voice.

"I didn't say that either. Let's just say that for mobsters, they could be worse than what they are," Mia told Olivia with a sigh.

"What do they even do?? All I heard from Ash is the whole blackmailing, corruption mess, that's all," Olivia asked.

"I don't know much about that. I know little something that Ash has been working on a big project underground apparently," Mia said, trying to remember what else she knew about the mob boss.

"I'm guessing you don't know what it's about?" Olivia asked.

"I don't," Mia agreed.

"F*ck, what am I supposed to do now. I don't even want to be adopted anymore, but at the same time, it would be useful for me since I want to open my own enterprise," Olivia cursed under her breath.

Mia sighed and said, "Your requirements don't make it easy for you to find adopters, Oly."

"Yeah, because I'm 23. I'm not looking for parents or a family, and it's why I put 25-30 as my preferred age for my adopter. You know, I just want the status of adopted because it would bring me more freedom legally so that in the eyes of the law, I wouldn't be considered as an animal with human features but rather the opposite," Olivia said.

"You know the world's view has changed about hybrids," Mia said softly.

"Not enough, though; I can't own anything, whether it's a pet or an apartment or a car, because no one can 'vouch' for me," Olivia said.

"Tha-"

"The only reason why I have a stable job is that I'm stubborn and stumbled on the right people. I just want more freedom, and an adopter would give me that," Olivia said sadly.

"Not Ash though, he may have seemed kind, but he is still a mob boss," Mia said.

"What if it's not him, though? Maybe someone stole that picture of him," Olivia thought.

"I highly doubt that. There is a reason why no one still managed to associate a face with Ash" Mia rejected the idea of someone stealing a mob boss's picture.

"Maybe someone outsmarted him and his underlings," Olivia tried to reason with Mia.

"You could ask him," Mia suggested.

"What a great idea! Let me just send a 'hey, are you the mob boss, Ash? If yes, proof or it didn't happen :)" Olivia said with a laugh.

"This kid…" Mia started to have a headache.

"This kid is about to die. Help her," Olivia asked Mia.

"You won't die, Oly," Mia said with frustration, but after a second, "Probably…" she finished.

Olivia was speechless. But right when she was about to reply to Mia, her phone dinged with a notification.

Unknown Number: I'm quite a busy man, and I would love to have an answer as soon as possible.

Olivia's heart stopped for a second. She looked at Mia and said, "Your boyfriend's Boss is pissing me off. He texted me again.”

"Can you stop calling him that," Mia sighed, "and if it's truly Ash, reply quickly. He doesn't like waiting."

"Oh really?" Olivia said with a smirk.

"Olivia, don't-"

"I suddenly have the urge to take an unbearably long sh*t. Would you look at that?" Olivia laughed. "Talk to you later. Bye," Olivia left poor Mia alone and went to her apartment.

"Mob boss, my ass. Mia's jokes are becoming too elaborate," Olivia muttered to herself and went to do her daily activities.

An hour and a half later, she decides to entertain the mob boss and play whatever the game this is. She opens the messages sent by the unknown Number.

Unknown Number: Hi Olivia, this is Asher Simon. The AAH forwarded me your phone number after I selected your profile for adoption. May we speak for a bit?

Unknown Number: I'm quite a busy man, and I would love to have an answer as soon as possible.

Olivia: Not so lowkey threatening the hybrid you want to adopt isn't really recommended if you want them to accept the offer.

Olivia: But, Hi, I was busy.

To Olivia's surprise, the reply came instantly, but Olivia saved the contact number before looking at the message.

Mob Boss????: I wasn't threatening you.

Mob Boss????: If I had been, you would know.

Olivia: Since I said you threatened me, that means that I knew, so you were, indeed, threatening me?

Mob Boss????: That's not what I meant. If I threatened someone, it wouldn't be without asking for something valuable in return.

Olivia: Well. You asked me to reply, so…

Olivia: you asked for something in return, technically, which means it is valuable because it's talking to me, and I'm a delight to speak with.

Olivia: everything points towards the fact that you were threatening me, but we can move on from that now that we have cleared it.

Olivia: I accept your apology, by the way. 

Olivia looked at her reply, and a victorious smile played on her face. 

On the other side, Asher looked at the messages and was stupefied.

This was unexpected… Asher muttered as he exited the room, looking at his phone. All the people in the room were confused.

Adam Jacob, his second-in-command man, called for him from the back, "Boss?"

Walter Gray, who was coming in, asked, "Everything okay, boss?" But Ash was too invested in the text to reply to him.

Steven Luke, the hacker of the gang, asked, "Boss? Where are you going? Boss??"

But when he didn't respond to their call Paul Simon, Asher's elder brother, called for him, "Ashy? Did something happen?" But the result was the same.

Adam, who is extra protective about Asher, was collecting his gun and running behind Asher. Walter tried to stop him, but he just dashed away.

"This man causes more trouble than anything else," Paul muttered to himself before following them out.

Group chat "The babies <3"

Ash: who changed the group chat's name?

SL: Not me

WG: me either

PS: So much for sticking together….

PS: I just think that "The babies <3" is an excellent way to hide our little mobster group chat

PS: who would suspect we're speaking about stealing/ selling blackmailed information?

AJ: BOSS, COMING THROUGH

Ash: AJ, No

SL: Hmm

SL: I guess it's too late

* * * * * * * * * * *

Asher was sitting in his Office. 

"Did he break something this time?" Walter walked in.

"One of my guards took him to the nursery. His lips are bleeding," Ash said to everyone.

"I guess he will never learn, won't he" Steven sighed.

"Ashy was ominous, and Adam doesn't do well with the ominous when it comes to his boss's safety," Paul said with a smile.

"He is an idiot," Walter muttered to himself. Adam walked into the room after applying the ointment on his cut lips.

"Boss? Everything seemed fine," Adam said, looking at Ash.

"Oh really? What did I say about breaking my Office's door?" Ash asked with a raised eyebrow.

Adam hesitated for a minute and said, "Not to…."

"And what have you done?" Ash asked with seriousness.

"I broke it…." Adam said softly. "I assumed you were in danger, Boss," He defended himself.

"You assume he is in danger 152 times in a day," Steven said, mocking him.

"I'm the Boss's second in command. His safety is my priority," Adam said to Steven with anger.

"Walter is Ash's right hand, and yet he isn't as unhinged as you about it," Steven said.

"Walter is too busy playing with his girl toy," Adam said sarcastically.

"Call her that one more time, Adam, and see where that takes you" Walter was ready to start a fight with Adam.

"Inside your Girl toy? Do you mind sharing?" Adam provoked Walter.

Walter was ready to attack when Paul came between them. "All right, enough, you two. Stop it. Focus back on Ash" He diverted everyone's attention toward Asher.

"What's happening, Ashy?" Paul asked.

"I told you to stop calling me that," Asher said, clicking his teeth.

"As your older brother, your commands only partially hold an importance to me" Paul disregarded Asher's disproven.

"What's going on, boss?" Adam asked.

Asher sighed. "I contacted the hybrid I mentioned to you all before."

"The wolf hybrid?" Steven asked.

Asher nodded his head "that's the one. It seems she has a certain character and temper, which is good. She looks like a perfect fit for what I want."

Steven, who is in charge of the online security of the gang, says, "I have dug up her past, and I found nothing out of the ordinary aside from how many failed adoptions she went through"

"How many?" Asher asked.

"38"

"Jesus," Paul sucked in a breath.

"How come so many?" Asher asked, confused.

"From what I got, some failed because the adopters couldn't stand or should I say handle her, to put it simply, while others failed because She canceled them… or forced them to be canceled more likely," Steven said with a chuckle.

"How could she achieve that?" Paul asked curiously.

Steven just shrugged and said, "I hope she agrees to the deal because I kind of like her already." 

"You know her 18th adopter claimed that Olivia clawed and tore most furniture in the house like the couch, chair, tables, and walls as well. Olivia denied the facts by affirming that a feral lion hybrid came inside the house and fought with her."

"One time, she apparently gnawed every electrical cable in the adopter's house after turning off the power."

"And another time, in her wolf form, she opened the adopter's car and pissed inside so that every other animal in the vicinity came to do the same to marl their territory. It was so bad the adopter had to buy a whole new car."

"You know I just love her" Steven's face was filled with happy smiles.

"Oh my god, she is so wicked. I already love her," Paul joined in.

"I don't. It's suspicious," Adam said with a frown.

"It is a bit strange. Why would she go to such an extent?" Asher asked with confusion.

"I have no idea; nothing else is mentioned," Steven said, shaking his head.

"Well, I'll keep talking to her and see where it goes," Asher decided to see what would happen.

"Keep us updated!" Paul said as everyone started to leave the room.

"Will do," Asher agreed.

 If it weren’t for Paul’s request, Asher would not have taken this job…