Ashley POV Even so, I reached over his shoulder gently, squeezing his bicep with my other hand. He stiffened slightly but then relaxed as I started talking. "We are going to work this out," I said softly. "One step at a time. I don't know how, and I doubt I'm even qualified enough to help you, but I will do my best. I don't want to see you broken because of this." "I... I have wanted to be a singer for a long time..." The sound of his voice was almost barely audible. It took all my strength not to put my arms around him and hug him until he told me to stop. I knew it was wrong. "I know," I replied. "I'm not going to let you lose this opportunity. I'm going to help you get through this, Jayden Keller." Even though I knew it was a silly thing to do after what he had done to me, I felt responsible for helping him through this difficult time. Part of me blamed the stupid bond that still clung to me and him. One of his hands found mine and grasped it. "Even though I have been bad to
Ashley POV Oh, shoot. Not because he had a famous girlfriend, but because he had cheated on me, my soon-to-be ex-fiancé, for who knows how long. And even though he was suffering from amnesia which made him more mellow - probably because he did not recognize anyone else but me as well as the pair bond between us and therefore he was attached to that sense of familiarity - yet I still did not consider him a friend. Besides, technically speaking, he is still a pop idol who definitely has tons of fans who adore him in various ways. So, he did not qualify as a friend, other than as an idol, and here I was, wallowing in my own emotions. Great. Before I dragged myself off to sleep, I decided to go see Clark. The man paces back and forth in front of the door, and opens his mouth to speak when he sees me coming. In a flash, I put a finger to my lips, shutting him up. "He is finally asleep," I whispered as I peered through the gap between the door and the frame. "I will be here until morni
Ashley POV Really, I had no idea what to say. This could have been an opportunity for me to tell him the truth, that the two of us had been engaged and mated since the age of eighteen. But then, he had cheated on me and I had called off the engagement and rejected him. Now I might have to change all that. Frankly speaking, I did not hate the idea of it anymore. I was the only person he trusted and, as I admitted a few hours ago, I felt that I was starting to really like him, perhaps because of the bond that still lingered between the two of us or because it was only me who was there, no matter how scary it was. And I will keep my promise to him - I will help him get through the amnesia. But I still could not get the image of him and her out of my head. So, despite it hurts more than anything in the world, more than when I break my collar bone falling down a hill or more than all the words and "jokes" from my friends, I decide to lie. "There was a girl who visited you earlier," I st
Ashley POV I stared at him incredulously. "You have got to be kidding me, right." "I don't think so," Clark replied, sipping his cup of coffee unwillingly. "I will help you as much as I can, but it all depends on you." "I... I..." I trailed off. Hesitating. "You hesitated?" "That does not even come close to describing how I feel," I admitted and nervously scratched my arm. "I... I will try my best, I really will. But..." I cut myself off right then and there. I had only promised Jayden that I would help him through his amnesia. I did not need to bring him back to the top of the music industry again. But I knew he had suffered and worked hard and spent too much time in his life to lose it all just because he was ignorant and impulsive enough to run drunkenly through the streets at the wrong time. On top of that, I also felt a little guilty. Despite him - or rather, I could call him an asshole scumbag. If only I had never let him down so much, he probably would not be in such a de
Ashley POV However, then I remember Jayden's face when he looked at Clark. I recall the anxiety creeping into his voice as he spoke to me, and he looked so desperate as he tightly held my hand. He had become someone entirely different. Afraid and vulnerable. So close to his dreams yet suspicious, confused, and alone. Now, he only trusts me. Of course, I couldn't forget how his eyes were fixed on his dear girlfriend as well. As that scene replays in my mind, my wolf, Lea, starts to whimper and feels a sting. Eva had been discussing her favorite solo performance as I reminisced when she said something that caught my attention. "'Tyler James'?" I repeated. "Who is he?" "Are you serious, Ash?" Eva exclaimed. "I have been talking about BHB for years, and you're just now paying attention?" "Sorry," I said nonchalantly as I checked the time on my phone. It seemed like the class would start soon. "You never listen to me when I talk about my interests." "Oh, is that so? Okay, I will kee
Ashley POV "Sweetie? We are so sorry that we have not been able to call you back until now. Jayden's parents have been in a frenzy since noon, trying to find a cheap ticket back to Beverly. We did not worry you, did we?" As it turned out, it was my parents who called me. My dad's gentle, low, humming voice comforted my ears. Truth be told, I was a little worried when they did not answer my phone calls even during lunch. I had left a voicemail that I had something important to tell them but had no time to think about it anymore because of school matters and battle plans. By battle, I mean the battle against Jayden's amnesia. "Did you know that their son had an accident last night?" The piercing voice of my mom pierced through the phone line, making me wince. She was a beautiful, strong, determined woman, and the woman I admired most in the entire world, but her voice could cut through diamonds. "Yeah," I said, holding the phone slightly away from my ear and turning down the volume
Ashley POV Not even bothering to say goodbye, I simply ended the call abruptly. But still, I could hear my mom's voice, like a spell being cast inside my skull. Her words felt coiled around me and pierced my skin, like cold metal razor wire, and I felt like I really wanted to punch one of the mailboxes around the building. Seeing that it would cause ten times more damage than I could ever hope to, so I better leaned my forehead against the cold concrete wall and tried my hardest not to scream out in anger, frustration, or whatever you want to call the swirl of emotions churning inside my stomach. Just around the same time, there was the sound of the double glass doors opening behind me and two to three pairs of feet rushing inside, probably because they wanted to get away from the cold immediately. I did not pay much attention to the faint familiarity of their voices as they promptly started whispering loudly. I did not even notice anyone approaching me until they touched my shoulde
Ashley POVI was surprised by the offer at first, but I quickly turned it down. I know it sounds crazy that I was asked to have dinner with the most popular Pop Idol Boy Band currently in the world and I turned it down. Even a lot of people out there are dying for it. But here I am turning it down.Hunter shook his head with a slight smile. "I think it's time we got to know each other. Or what do you think, Jamie?"Jamie who was standing beside Tyler, chatting quietly, when he turned around. "Did we really buy enough food for all of us?" he asked hesitantly."We did buy the usual amount," Hunter replied. "And I highly doubt that she will eat more than Jayden."It seemed Tyler wanted to open his mouth to make a remark but Hunter quickly shut him up. "You are not allowed to say anything," Hunter chimed in. "What do you think Jayden would say or do if he saw the way you treated Ashley?""There is nothing. She doesn't even like us," Tyler said in a cold voice. "Jayden told me that she wou
Ashley POVI rolled my eyes and used my other hand as a barrier to block my vision from seeing something I didn't want to see. “You'll never know,” I stated. “Better to be safe before you regret it.”“I'll go change in the bathroom,” he said with a grunt. “I just wanted you to know about the appointment.”His figure disappeared, and I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding. The allure of his scent was too strong for me, for some reason. “Why?” I asked without turning around.“Would you like to come along with me?”I frowned. “I can't,” I said quietly. “I'm going to see Jared that day. He and I... we're getting a ring.”It wasn't my idea, nor was it Jared's idea to do that. The first week in April, my parents returned here for a short break and to meet up with Jared before they were forced to return to London. According to my mom, their business venture there hadn't been entirely successful, and still needed more time before they came to a final agreement. Despite the bit
Ashley POVAs time ticked by, March ended and April slowly turned into May, I found myself and Jayden drifting further and further apart. It wasn't a deliberate move by either of us, or at least not a deliberate effort. It just happened.Jayden was spending more time at the dance studio, and he started coming home with a sore throat some days when he decided to hum along to the choreography. He started singing and reading the lyrics whenever he had time in my apartment, and despite me pretending not to notice, I actually did. I loved his voice, pleasant and velvety like that, soothing my mind and body. And he kept showing drastic improvement with each passing week. Also, when he wasn't dancing or singing or memorizing song lyrics, he went and exercised.“I'm getting fat,” he told me as he read comics on the extra bed one night.I was editing an essay at the time, and didn't think much of it until he mentioned it. “I guess not,” I replied bluntly with a shrug.“I've gained almost five
Ashley POVHe didn't speak, but he didn't need to. His silence was enough. However, the stubborn part of me wanted to push him to bring up the topic... more specifically, how he had been affected by his father.“What about you?” I continued cautiously.His eyes narrowed slightly as they scanned my face. “You know about Jayden,” he pointed out.I averted my eyes.“How long have you known?”He didn't sound accusatory, or angry. No, instead, there was something more familiar, something I also felt related to his... childhood.“Too long,” I replied stiffly. I didn't like being reminded of my mistakes, so I replied automatically, defensively with, “You?”“Me too.”And when my eyes locked with his, I saw that it was there. The endless shame, regret, and guilt. It reflected a part deep inside me, so much so that I could hardly bear to look at it.But I forced myself to do so. Because if I hated it, so did Jared. Yet he was brave enough to stick to his stance.Dinner ended shortly after that.
Ashley POVLooking at the menu, I already knew what I wanted to order. My mom's favorite dish at The Monarch was pasta with a sauce made from roasted oysters, so I went with that. By the time the waiter returned with our drinks, Jared and I were ready to order. She took the menus from us, and as I watched Jared pour himself a glass of dark red liquid, I decided to strike up a conversation that would hopefully shed some light on our upcoming wedding and Jayden. It took me a few precious minutes to gather my courage and organize my thoughts, but I finally went ahead with it.I started the conversation with a light topic. “How was Europe?”Jared quietly observed the interior design of the restaurant and kept doing so as he answered. “Warm,” he said, “and dirtier than I imagined. But also incredibly beautiful in moments I didn't think possible.”“How so?” I asked.“I often hitchhike with my group of friends,” he told me as he raised the wine glass to his lips. He took a slow sip, his eyes
Ashley POVAs Jared and I walked out of the building, I spotted David parked and waiting in the car. But instead of going over to him, Jared stopped at the end of the concrete steps and pulled out a small red cardboard package. It was an automatic action, I could see that, from the way he pulled a lighter from the same pocket and pointed it at the cigarette already tucked between his lips.“Wait,” I chided, ”You can't smoke in here.”He glanced at me. “Why not?” he muttered, stroking his cigarette.Peeking over my shoulder, I glanced at the security guard outside the entrance. “That's illegal,” I said after making sure they weren't watching us.He didn't speak, but his lighter stopped halfway to his lips.“I'm not joking,” I continued. “It's illegal in almost all public places.”“I see.” He hurriedly lowered the lighter and stuffed the cigarette into his shirt pocket. “Where else can I go?”“Er.” I scratched my cheek and looked around for the smoking booth shyly. I didn't find one. “G
Ashley POVSmartly dressed in a suit and tie and polished leather shoes, Jared stood outside the apartment entrance, looking like he was ready to walk the red carpet. He had just finished shaving, revealing a clean jaw, and his dark hair was stylishly combed to the side along the neatly cut sides of his head. The scent of men's cologne and aftershave mingled with the sweet scent of flowers coming from the large bouquet of red roses he held in his left hand. I could see gold on his cuff and silver and black leather on his left wrist, which indicated a watch, and probably an expensive one.Compared to how he looked yesterday, for a moment I thought that I was hallucinating.Jared was also checking me out but seemed unfazed as my eyes were glued to him. “Good evening,” he greeted in a stiff, flat voice.“Hi,” I replied plainly. “Is David here too?”“He's waiting in the car.” Jared stepped closer to me and handed me the flowers. “Here. This is for you.”The bundle of roses was surprisingl
Ashley POV“Ash! You home?”Quickly walking back to the entrance, I found Jayden crouching down and untying his shoelaces. He looked up at me, and despite his caramel brown eyes looking heavy with fatigue, his lips curved into a smile. “Did I just wake you up?”“It's Saturday,” I replied automatically. “Who cares if I wear pajamas all day? You look exhausted though,” I added, a little softer.He snorted. “Hunter's a tough trainer,” he replied as he got up and wriggled out of his boots. “But never mind, I'm starving and smell like shit. Let me shower first before we warm things up.”“About that...” I averted my gaze as a pair of curious caramel brown eyes immediately focused on me. “I have plans tonight.”“Oh?”I scratched my arm. “Yeah. With Jared. He'll pick me up around six.”“From here?”I nodded stiffly.“Okay. Looks like I'll have to eat the leftovers alone, then.”I looked up, stunned, and saw him smiling at me before he darted past me and into the bathroom. I had no idea what k
Ashley POVIt was almost eleven hours later when my eyelids finally snapped open. With a big yawn, I sat up in bed and stretched my upper body before dragging myself to the kitchen. The extra bed was empty as I walked by, and as I poured myself a glass of water, I spotted that there were already dishes in the sink.“Jayden?” I called out hesitantly.Hell, no. He wasn't there.As much as I was instantly relieved when I realized that, I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a little sad. After all, it was surprisingly lonely having breakfast alone.And despite all the decisions yesterday, I still wanted to see him.The most likely scenario was that Jayden had left for a choreography dance rehearsal with his bandmates, especially since it had become such a routine that he no longer told me that he would be gone for most of the day. It was just that I felt it was a good idea to check the messages on my phone, just in case. And so, after making some warm oatmeal to satisfy my ravenous hunger,
Ashley POV“It's never going to be what you want,” I said softly. “I have my responsibilities and duties as the heiress of Red Moon Inc. just as you have your responsibilities and duties as, you know, Jayden Keller... the hunky celebrity and the golden man.”I sneaked a glance at him, trying to elicit a smile from him, but his face remained stony. His eyes showed no emotion. In the end, I had to look away again. “I have to put my parents and the company first,” I continued, “while you have to put your band members and your image first. Nothing is more important than that to you and me.”“Being forced into marriage is nothing,” I said candidly. “It's just like a drop in the ocean compared to what my parents have sacrificed and done and still continue to do. It's a star in the entire galaxy compared to how hard my grandfather fought and struggled throughout his life to establish this company. And while it's mostly a marriage of convenience now, it's not a bad deal. At least I know Jared