Chapter 24

Celine turning a bit to look at him caught his attention, her nervous stare silently holding his. He gestured that she could leave, knowing that it couldn’t be comfortable for her to sit at a table with three intimidating Alphas. He hadn’t been thinking when he brought her along because if he had, he would have listened to Jael.

Davian wasn’t interested in sitting in the middle of both Mafia Kings while they glared each other down, the only reason he was putting so much effort into the meeting was because it was his turn to host it, he couldn’t care less otherwise.

He leaned back in his seat to study them, he hadn’t even been the one to bet on the Omega, it had been one of his men that he had taken along who did all the bidding for him. He couldn’t understand why and how a single Omega could have them both in knots, she had looked unassuming and very frightened.

The possibility that whatever this would escalate was on the table but it wasn’t a serious concern, regardless, he very much planned to stay out of it. “The meeting is over,” He let them know, rising to his feet.

Asher was already out of his chair and on his way before Davian could even leave the table, clearly heading after the Omega that had left the table a few minutes earlier. He turned to Nolan who just puffed on his cigar silently, his expression inscrutable.

“What are you playing at?” Davian found himself asking. Asher and Nolan had mock fights ever so often but of all the things he had been expecting to put such a dangerous rift between them, it wasn’t an Omega.

“What makes you think I’m playing?”He returned calmly, puffing out a cloud of smoke.

Davian just hot-footed it away from the table, uninterested in digging any deeper into the matter.

+

Celine was surprised that Asher had let her leave the table, she didn’t need to use the restroom but she asked one of the workers to point her to one anyway, anything to get a breather. She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, tucking her hair behind an ear to keep it out of her eyes. Every now and then, the reality of how much her life had changed hit her square in the chest and left her feeling listless.

The door opened then, making her look up sharply and then relax when she realized it was just Asher.

“Are you good?” He asked her before she could speak.

Celine’s brows shot up in surprise, she nodded however, wondering if he had left his important meeting just to check up on her. “Sorry for the trouble,” she added on a murmur, walking over to him.

Asher didn’t acknowledge her apology but when she glanced at him, she couldn’t help but think that perhaps he just didn’t hear her, because his expression was grave, hazel-gold eyes hooded. It had her wondering if something bad had happened at the meeting after she left, she didn’t ask though, expecting them to head back to the table and was surprised when he led the way to the exit instead.

The meeting had been rather short and other than the Mafia King that had glared at her, it hadn’t been that bad, there was no reason for her to be so strung up. It was easy to relax and chuckle at herself from a few minutes ago when she was in Asher’s arms and they were no doubt returning to the mansion.

Her momentary relief was cut short however when they bumped into the same Mafia King as they stepped out of the club, she tried not to squint at the smoke billowing around him and failed, Asher’s hold on her tightening.

“Nolan.” Asher muttered, he sounded unsurprised by the Mafia King’s appearance but also unwelcoming.

“You didn’t introduce me to your lovely companion,” The Mafia King said in his raspy voice, gesturing to her with his cigarette.

Celine felt pinned under his cold stare, quickly remembering why she had been so frightened during the meeting that she had to leave the table.

“I didn’t think I was obligated to,” Asher rebutted coldly, brushing past the Mafia King.

He made no move to protest or stop this rude end to their conversation and Celine could swear she heard him chuckle. She couldn’t help but be grateful that Asher had been the one to win the bid, she didn’t want to think about what Mafia King Nolan would have done to her, or the quiet but intimidating third Mafia King.

Asher had been planning to take Celine to one of his clubs but he quickly scrapped that idea, he could not predict what Nolan was up to and it set his teeth on edge. He knew that the Mafia King would make a move eventually and he was hard-pressed to think about what it could be, so it was best he sent Celine back to the mansion, her safety was guaranteed there.

So he put her in the car and had her sent back to the mansion, Jael staying behind with him until a car that would pick him up could get there.

Jael shot a glance over his shoulder at Mafia King Nolan who was still in the parking lot of Mafia King Davian’s club, smoking without a care in the world. “What do you think he’s up to?”

Asher gritted his teeth, pissed, “I can’t tell.”

“I don’t think he’s giving up on the Omega though,” He added thoughtfully.

If it were up to him, he would suggest that Alpha Asher sell off the Omega, she was more valuable that way and it would cut off all potential risks completely. Because Alpha Asher and Mafia King Nolan were almost completely equal in terms of firepower, if they clashed, there would only be casualties.

But he had never seen his Alpha get so attached to anyone before, usually, he changed women as frequently as guns, taking different companions every other night but that changed completely after he bought Celine. He wasn’t going to risk his neck with such a suggestion even though it was the best way to cut their losses.