Choosing the new devil

"I'm sorry, allow me to introduce myself, I'm Asher Evans and I'm also Joan's fiance, right darling?" Asher had purposely made his last words a question, he turned to look towards Joan, she was staring at him, her eyes as big as saucers. 

He's putting everything in Joan's hands now, she had a decision to make, would she hold his hands or not, he simply enjoys her stiff facial expression as the wheels behind her eyes moved.

Joan realized Asher was playing games with her, but she didn't have the luxury to question him. Although she would appreciate anything that would save her from the claws of her family at that moment, she just couldn't trust Asher.

God, she'd expected the emergency general meeting to be hard on her, she had no idea it would be this bad.

As soon as she entered the conference hall, she was surrounded by scared shareholders asking about her family's plan for the company. 

'Would there be a sell-off or a takeover' was the question on everyone's lips? After a pointless meeting that didn't assuage anybody's fears, her stepmother and uncle ambushed her before she could exit the room.

They all but dragged her across the conference hall to a secluded side of the room and demanded she relinquishes her shares of the company. When she refused, Mabel her stepmother mocked her, she spoke of Joan's hatred for her father and claimed she came back to New York only for her inheritance.

"Is that true, Joan, is he your fiance?" Mabel asked in a snide fashion, eyeing Asher suspiciously.

"Um, what did you say?" Joan asked regaining her train of thought.

"I asked if what he said is true, is he your fiance?" Mabel repeats herself pointing an indignant finger toward Asher.

Joan hesitated, looked at Asher then her stepmother, and decided to choose the new devil.

"Yes, yes he is my fiance. I need to leave, take me out of here," Joan looked at Asher, her eyes pleading.

"You can't just leave, we are not done here."

"I believe we are," Asher said taking a menacing half step towards Mabel, "From now on, I don't want you near her." 

"You don't understand, we are her family," Mabel stated, ignoring Asher's threatening deportment.

"I don't care, if there's anything that requires her attention, send it to her lawyer," Asher pulls Joan closer and starts leading her out of the hall.

"Asher Evans, I'm sure I've heard that name before."

"Yeah, I've heard of him, he's bad news." Joan heard Mabel and Jacob whispering about Asher when they were a few feet from them. She looked up to Asher's face and it remained unchanged, indifferent to their words.

When they were a good ways away, Joan works herself from Asher's embrace, keeping him at arm's length.

"What are you doing here?" Joan asked Asher, she was wary of him.

"I'm a shareholder here, what are you doing here?" 

"I own some shares here too," Joan lies, "um thanks for what you did in there"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it".

"It's not nothing, I hope you remembered what I said at the cafe, I do not wish to cross path with you anymore, excuse me." Joan maunders and walks away from Asher. 

Joan felt her words were a little bit harsh than she wanted it to be, after all Asher had helped her and she was grateful for his intervention, maybe she was taking her anger out on Asher. Yet she thought it was necessary. When she's walked a couple of steps away from Asher, she feels his hand on her arm, halting her steps.

"Are you okay?" Asher asked, he'd seen Joan's eyes well up before she turned from him, the torrents in her amber orbs were threatening to burst.

"O...of course I'm okay," Joan pulled Asher's hand off her, she bolts for the exit stairways, the tears in her eyes starting to stream down.

Asher followed her, stopping at the entrance to the stairway when he heard her sobs, they were gut-wrenching sobs that filled him with a feeling of sadness.

It has been so long since he experienced this feeling, and never in his imagination did he picture himself being sad for someone else

This bitter feeling was now almost alien to him, after the death of his parents, the lack of love and the guilt of his sin almost ate him up, and he had to suppress his emotions just to survive. Yet a sob from this woman brought this emotion to the fore.

 

Joan's sobs went on for a long while until they became feeble whimpers, then they stopped. Joan had rushed into the exit stairway because it was the closest to her, she was thankful though that no one had passed by while she cried.

She dried her eyes, composed herself, and stepped back into the hallway she'd entered the stairway from, she was stunned to find Asher standing there, leaning on the wall beside the door. 

"Are you okay now?" Asher figured she wasn't, her eyes were all red and puffy.

"Were you here the whole time?" Joan asked Asher, ignoring his question.

"Yes, and yes I heard everything," Asher said answering Joan's question as well as the unsaid one.

Joan was embarrassed and didn't understand, why Asher would stand there and listen as she cried.

"Would you have a drink with me?"

"What?" Joan was perturbed by Asher's request, "I thought I made myself clear, we-" Joan was interrupted by Asher suddenly moving into her space. Their faces were inches from each other, she could feel herself getting flush faced, her heart beating a mile a minute.

"You made yourself clear enough, but you're sad right now, and when you're sad, you need a drink, I know a good place, come on follow me." 

Asher was so close to her, she felt the heat of his words on her cheek. She couldn't believe it, yet there she was following right behind him.

It took Asher and Joan driving twenty minutes through the streets of New York before they got to Grey's lounge.

Asher got them inside and they were now headed towards the bar. Joan took stock of the interior and was amazed by the opulence of the lounge.

"A drink here would be really expensive," Joan blurts out

"It is expensive, but no worries, I'm a member, I get a discount somewhat."

Joan blushed, she didn't mean to say the words out loud. 

"Do you come here often?" Joan asked trying to change the topic.

"I come here with a friend, not very often though, much to his chagrin." 

"Your friend is a man?" Joan faux mocking Asher.

"Of course, he is my friend, my only friend actually, you're the only woman I've ever brought here," Asher confessed as they each pulled a stool to sit on.

 Asher looked sincere enough to her, Joan guessed it was bad of her to judge Asher on her aunt's tale of his philandering ways.

As for Asher, for the first time in fourteen years, he was confused, he was as logical and calculating as they come, that is a significant part of him, his strength.

Yet he doesn't understand the influence this woman has over him, hearing her cry earlier made him sad, and now he's brought her to a place that is special to him, he couldn't comprehend this abnormality.

"Come on let's order some drinks, what do you fancy? I guarantee they've got everything," Asher boast of his alcohol haven.

"I guess I'll go for the pina colada then."

"Hmm, excellent choice."

Both Joan and Asher were now feeling the effects of alcohol after their first round of pina colada and whiskey with ice.

"So we're getting bleary-eyed," a tipsy Asher observed.

"Yes, we are," Joan replied with a goofy smile.

"Since we're getting drunk and all, do you want to talk about it, about the reason you cried?"

Joan looked into Asher's eyes, although she was still cautious of him, the alcohol has reduced her inhibitions considerably.

"Well I cut all ties with my family when I went off to college, I only returned when I received a letter about my father's death, he already died before I got back home." Asher was silent and listened as Joan told her story.

Although she didn't mention her family name or Hargreaves corporation, but from what she said Asher found that Jackson was right. Joan had received Abraham Hargreaves shares, it was a significant slice of Hargreaves Corporation.

Since she got back to New York City Joan's been trying to find a way to save her family business, after the meeting earlier her stepmother and uncle had tried to force her to relinquish the company shares to them.

Asher couldn't believe how close he'd been to losing Hargreaves to Mabel and Jacob.

"Can you believe it, she said the only reason I came back was for the inheritance, she went on about how she knew I prayed for my father's death and my uncle just stood there and let her," Joan said with a teardrop moving down her face.

"I'm so sorry about your father's death Joan," Asher said wiping her tear away, her eyes were red and puffy from crying earlier but her amber orbs were beautiful and it called for him. It called for him to come closer, to lean in and taste her perfect lips.

When Joan saw Asher leaning towards her for a kiss, with alcohol still raging in her body, she threw her care out the window and leaned towards him for a kiss too.

"You folks need a fresh round of drinks?" with their lips only inches apart, the bartender ruined the moment for both of them.

"Erm... no, we're good for now." Asher stuttered, he was surprised by how his night was going. He admits to being a flirt, but it's not every day he tries to kiss a woman that was practically a stranger to him.

After the bartender leaves, Asher and Joan looked at each other and bust out laughing.

"So Joan Hargreaves eh? I wondered why you never mentioned your last name on our date."

"How did you know?" she'd never said anything about being a Hargreaves to Asher.

"It's a secret that I'm willing to share if you answer my question." 

Asher didn't know how it would happen, still, he feels that there would be qn opening for him to finally have Joan.

"So why didn't you introduce yourself as Joan Hargreaves on our date?"

This was a question she dreads, "well I didn't want you knowing I was a Hargreaves."

"And why's that?"

"Uh... well... My motive for coming to the date was to use you. Your matchmaker is my aunt, and she matched us together in hopes I'd be able to charm you into helping me save Hargreaves." Now that Joan thought about it, the plan was just ridiculous.

"Oh wow, that's some good thinking," Asher was impressed, considering Joan's beauty their plan could've worked, he was the anomaly they didn't make provisions for.

"I'm sorry, Asher I hope you won't hold it against Francesca."

"Of course, I won't, I guess it's time for me to spill my beans too. The truth is I ran a background check on you." 

"What, why?" at Asher's revelation Joan suddenly pulled back realizing how close she was to Asher, she was stupefied.

"Well I was curious," he has thought about this ever since he met Joan at the cafe, how he could get her to trust him, but now he's realized it. He doesn't need her to trust him, he needs her to trust what he could offer her, hence the lie.

"What were you so curious about?" Joan wonder if her suspicion could be right, was Asher really stalking her?

"Well at the date, you were not exactly what I expected, so I was curious. I wanted to know who you were, now I know," Asher hoped Joan believes his lie, he feared he wasn't being creative enough, "but  now I wonder."

"Wonder what?"

"I wonder what your choice would be, if there was a way to save Hargreaves Corporation, and all you had to do to ensure it was to marry me. What if all you had to do to save your father's legacy was a contract marriage with me."