I'm sorry it took so long.
Asher's POV
I stared blankly at the steering wheel in thought. Blake sat beside me silently and I could feel his eyes boring holes into the side of my head.
I didn't want to move but I knew I had to. I had to be sure what I found out wasn't real and everything I lost wasn't in vain. But I just couldn't move.
Blake sighed tiredly, "we've been sitting here for twenty minutes man," he complains.
I swallow silently and look up from the steering wheel then turn to him. He was staring at me, waiting for a reply.
"Blake, I need you to be honest with me," I start, my voice sounding weak as I desperately tried to swallow down my emotions. "Am I a bad person?" I ask.
Blake seemed shocked by my question and shook his head instantly, "ofcourse not."
His answer slightly aggravated me. Even if it was true or not it was not what I want to hear and was not convincing enough. The last thing I need right now is a lie, everyone's been calling me a villian these days.
I always knew I was never a good guy, but it hits different when the people you love and want to give the world to speak like they see you thesame way your enemies do.
~
"Look what you did! She's gone because of you! You fucking ruined her!" Jasmine cries, throwing a vase on a nearby wall, causing it to shatter and leave ceramic shards and fake flowers on the ground. I gave no instant reply and made sure my face gave nothing away.
"I tried to stop her from finding out about Rhea," I say calmly after a long silent minute while staring down at Jasmine. It's been a week and we've been searching for Bianca non-stop but we have no clue where she is, and Jasmine isn't happy about that.
"About Rhea?!" She snaps laughing angrily with hot tears strolling down her cheeks. "How about all the trauma you've caused her? She was doing so much better! You just had to drag her back into your life because you couldn't move on. And for what? Her to loose her freaking mind? How do you think she would feel finding out she lost everything chasing a lie?"
Her words stung but she was right.
~
I wasted everyone's time. Including mine. I wasted people's lives for this, I have so many graves on my back it's starting to crack me, but I won't break. I can't.
~
"What do you mean you can't find her?" I snap at Justin. He was one of my men and was leading the search for Bianca in a part of town. It's been five days since Bianca left and we haven't stopped.
He sat at the opposite side of my table staring at me fearfully.
"We looked everywhere sir. It's like she just vanished," he says timidly, keeping his eyes low.
My jaw clenched angrily, the police have been searching for her too, if we don't find her first she'll go to prison and I can't let that happen. I opened my mouth to speak just as the phone rang.
I didn't waste a second and picked the call. It was Michael.
"Boss, you'll never believe what we found," Michael says over the phone.
My heart beat escalated at the thought of them finding Bianca. "Did you find her?"
"No," Michael says, crushing my hope. "But we found something big."
I raised an eyebrow, "what?"
"Hades."
--
I got out of the helicopter, feeling the wind from it's spinning blades move my hair and clothes.
Jasmine, Michael and Blake came out after me before my bodyguards who where in another helicopter joined. We landed on a rocky cliff near a beach.
I looked around the coast through my dark sunglasses with a deep scowl on my face.
"Find the place. And be descret," I command and my men scatter in search for the hidden mansion.
"Shawn said it's near the end of the beach," Michael says.
About half an hour later one of my men inform us about the location of the building.
I felt the excitement build up in my chest as we made our way to the mansion, surprisingly it wasn't under any form of protection which made it easy to get to the front door. Almost too easy.
Though, I couldn't wait to get in and end this once and for all.
Once we got in I made my way to search for the bedroom while carefully moving through the empty house.
Once at the door I threw it open with my gun aimed at the bed.
A woman squealed loudly, holding the sheets closer to her shaking body. I sneered at the sight of her, she looked young, probably in her early twenties.
"Where is he?" I snap, feeling Michael's presence behind me.
She looked at us in terror, raising her hands in surrender. "W-who?" She stammered.
My scowl deepened, "you know who I'm talking about. Don't play dumb with me."
"I really d-don-"
"Where is he!" I yell, making her jump in shock. "Hades," I add.
Her mouth fell open in confusion, "he doesn't stay here anymore! Please don't shoot me!" She pleads with tears strolling down her face.
I refrained from tugging my hair strands in frustration.
"How did he know we were coming?" Michael snaps in frustration.
"I don't know. But we'll find him," I reply, keeping my gaze on the girl I lowered my gun. "Grab her," I instruct.
Two of my men pull her out of bed and hold her on her feet. I walk towards her in slow strides, trying best to surpress my anger.
I stopped a feet away from her, "now. You're going to tell me where he went pretty girl. I don't want to hurt you," I tell her.
She tries to muffle her sobs, "I don't know what you me-"
"Don't!" I snap, making her jump. "...don't start with that," I finish calmly. "I don't have the time. Now where did he go?"
"He... he can't go anywhere," she says between cries as she yells curses in italian.
I squint my eyes at her, "meaning?" I ask.
I noticed her hesitate, like she was told not to say something.
"I...I..."
I grabbed her face with my free hand tightly, forcing her to look me in the eye and forcing her mouth open.
I place the gun in her open mouth with a suggestive grin, she turned pale. "You don't want this to happen do you?" I ask with the gun still in her mouth. She shook her head violently, saying no. "Good, so I'm giving you one last chance."
I slowly remove the gun from her mouth.
"He... he's dead. Melody killed him months ago, just when he was about to start h-his plan. She told me if I told no one she'd give me this place because I was h-homeless. But I haven't seen her in weeks, I don't know where she is I promise."
My hand dropped from her face in shock as I took a few steps back. "Are you playing with me?" I ask in disbelief. He couldn't have been dead all this time...
Don't tell me I lost friends, family and my sanity chasing a dead man.
A dead fucking man.
I raise my gun back at her and she stiffens. "I- I'll show you!" She exclaims desperately.
I didn't want her to, I already believed her. I already hated myself for falling for a lie.
I feel like a fool.
Just as I was about to pull the trigger Blake grabbed my hand stopping me.
"I think it's best she shows us and tells us what she knows. She seems useful boss," Blake suggests making be turn to him.
I could see the frustration in his eyes. The pain and the embarrassment.
Melody had us fooled, no wonder we couldn't find him, she had us on a wild goose chase.
Melody was fucking with us all this time.
I looked back at the helpess lady crying infront of us and put down my gun.
"You're right."
-
"He was about to start a plan with Melody and Antonio. The night after he sent assassins to Bianca and Jasmine's apartment Melody poisoned him. I was the only witness, she could have killed me but I was too useful for the plan so she let me live and she gave me this place for my silence. His body was buried here; behind the Mansion," the lady says.
"Who were you to her and Hades?" Jasmine asks as we all stare at the tombstone silently.
I was gripping onto my gun so tight I feared it would break.
"So all this time...wasted," I say lowly, staring at the grave in disgust.
"I was his assistant. I knew a lot of information she wanted to use so she kept me around. But now I'm not sure where she is she hasn't come around in quite a while and-"
"She's dead," I interrupt coldly, I noticed her flinch at my tone. I rolled my tense shoulders back as I tried to suppress the crowd of emotions in my mind. "Bianca slit her throat, threw her in her car and sank it in a lake. The end. The story's fucking over!" I yell in frustration.
"A-and antonio?" She asks timidly.
"Let's just say all your friends are rotting away at the bottom of a lake," Blake answers.
"I can't believe Caleb died for this. And Clara..." Jasmine trails off coldly.
My jaw clenched tightly as I glared hard at the girl. "What's your name?"
"Alice Ricci."
I want her dead so bad...
"Get the helicopters ready. She's leaving with us," I instruct.
Alice's eyes widened, "b-but-"
"Would you rather die?" I threaten. She doesn't reply. "Thought so."
--
"Blake. Don't lie to me," I snap coldly, turning back to the steering wheel.
He sighs, "you're obviously a bad guy Asher. But that's on the surface, deep down you're not and you mean well for those around you."
"I loved her," I confess, feeling my heart clench painfully in my chest. "I loved her more than anything. I just wanted her to be safe. I never cared about any stupid Will or money or power. I just wanted her with me."
Blake stayed silent for a while, staring at me sympathetically. "Sometimes, you could be the worst poison to the people you love. So the best thing you could do for them is leave."
His words stung and I winced.
"My entire family was her worst poison. Including me," I say, I hated how weak my voice sounded when I talked about her. She is my weakness. "Everytime I'm near her I bring out the worst in her."
"You just pick the worst times man," Blake says. "I understand your feelings for her, but you need to move on. She hates you now. She tried to kill you, she's gone, it's over."
I looked down at my hands on the wheel for a few seconds before nodding my head slightly. "You're right. I'll try," I reply through my clenched teeth. "Let's go check this place out," I say as I hop out of the car.
Yesterday we found out Bianca was arrested and as much as I hated it, the news shocked me to the core. Then, I learnt Tobi was involved. The same backstabber I never trusted.
He better not rat me out to his police friends, better yet I'll have him dead before he could.
I stared at the run down building with a frown. This was were Bianca was residing before the police found her.
"Do you want to go in?" Blake asks. Blake and I chose to come and see the place, incase there were any clues we could find for our benefit.
Now that I think of it, do I really want to go in?
"No," I reply. "Let the boys in. I'm leaving," I decide as I get back into my car. I turn on the engine and drive away, leaving Blake staring back at me with a worried frown.
She'll be safer in prison. I know people there who can help me look out for her. I don't care how much she hates me, she's still mine.
She always will be.
---
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