Chapter 197 Something Happened to Asher

Chapter 197 Something Happened to Asher

Zane's POV

My expression completely darkened. Ember was lying — the person texting her wasn't Penelope at all.

Asher had already left the country and he still wouldn't leave Ember alone. He was like a leech, absolutely disgusting. What made me even angrier was that Ember had lied to me for that man.

My chest was filled with endless rage and jealousy, but I kept a gentle smile on my face. "Alright, we can talk about it tomorrow then."

Ember visibly relaxed when I didn't push further, and quickly changed the subject. "Oh right, Zane, what did you think about the deal Mr. Kane brought up earlier?"

"I think it's fine, but we'll need to iron out the details."

After dinner, I drove Ember home. Neither of us said a word the whole way.

When we pulled up outside her building, I turned to look at her. "Go on up, Ember. Get some rest."

"Okay." She nodded. "You get home safe too."

She reached for the door handle and was about to get out when I stopped her.

"Ember."

She turned to look at me. "What is it?"

I looked at her, my expression unreadable. "Nothing. I just wanted you to know — no matter what happens, I'll always be by your side. I'll protect you and love you. You have to believe me when I say no one in this world will ever love you more than I do."

My sudden confession clearly caught her off guard. She stumbled over her words. "Zane, you..."

"Go on up." I cut her off before she could say the rejection out loud.

Ember opened her mouth, but couldn't find anything to say. She gave me a slightly flustered nod and turned to walk into the building.

I watched until her figure disappeared completely, and the moment it did, every trace of the smile vanished from my face. I reached out through the mindlink. "How's everything going?"

"Mr. Sawyer, it's all been arranged. We're just waiting for him to walk into the trap."

"Good." A cold, ruthless look flashed through my eyes. "Keep it clean. I don't want anything traced back to me."

"Don't worry, Mr. Sawyer. It'll go off without a hitch."

I ended the call and looked up at Ember's window, where the lights had just come on. A cruel smile pulled at the corner of my mouth. Asher, tomorrow is the day you die. Ember — soon, you'll have no one left but me.

---

Ember's POV

The next morning, I was jolted awake by my phone ringing like crazy. I fumbled for it half-asleep and saw it was Penelope calling.

I yawned and picked up. "Hey, Penelope."

"Ember! Something's wrong! Something terrible happened!" Penelope's voice came through the phone, frantic and urgent.

My heart seized, and I was wide awake in an instant. "What happened? Penelope, are you okay?"

"It's Asher... Asher's been hurt!" she said, the words tumbling out fast. "It's all over the news — he was shot in Europe. He's missing now. They don't know if he's alive."

"What?!" My mind went completely blank.

My phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a loud crack. Asher... was shot? Missing? They don't know if he's alive? How was that possible? He'd texted me just last night saying he'd landed in Europe. How could something like this happen so suddenly?

The room started spinning. Everything went dark, and I blacked out.

When I came to, all I could see was blinding white. The air smelled sharply of disinfectant. I blinked slowly, my mind gradually coming back.

"Mommy!"

Evelyn was slumped over the edge of my hospital bed, her eyes swollen and red like two little tomatoes, dried tear tracks still on her cheeks. I tried to move my fingers, but my whole body felt completely drained.

"Ember, you're awake?" a familiar voice said nearby.

I turned my head with effort and saw Penelope sitting beside the bed, her eyes red — she'd clearly been crying. Standing next to her was Zane, his expression heavy and grim.

Evelyn grabbed my hand with both of hers and sobbed in her small, sweet voice, "Mommy, you're finally awake! Evelyn tried to wake you up this morning and you wouldn't move. Evelyn was so scared."

Penelope was sitting in the chair beside her, and the moment she saw my eyes open, hers filled with tears. "You're finally awake. You scared me half to death."

"Ember, how are you feeling?" Zane asked.

I reached out with my weak arms and pulled Evelyn into a tight hug. My voice came out hoarse as I looked at Penelope. "Penelope... how is he?"

Penelope avoided my eyes and answered quietly, "There's still no news. The police are doing everything they can, but they haven't found him yet."

My heart sank with every word. No news.

"How did this happen..." I murmured, feeling like I'd lost all sense of reality. "How did he end up getting robbed?"

"The police think it might have been a local gang," Zane said, his voice low and heavy. "Paris has always had a rough side. Asher had just landed when someone targeted him."

"Ember, try not to fall apart. Asher is tough — he'll be okay. Right now the most important thing is taking care of yourself. Evelyn needs you."

I lay back tiredly and let out a quiet sound of acknowledgment. "You all should go. I'll be fine on my own. Penelope, can you look after Evelyn for a few days?"

"Of course," Penelope said right away. "Don't worry about her at all."

Once they left with Evelyn and the room was finally empty, I lay there staring up at the cold white ceiling. Tears slid silently from the corners of my eyes, soaking into the pillow and spreading into dark, damp patches.

I opened my mouth, but all that came out was a muffled, broken sob. There was a weight pressing down on my chest, heavy and suffocating, squeezing tighter and tighter until I felt it in my bones. And finally, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I cried out loud, alone in that empty hospital room.

I stayed in the hospital for two full days. But I couldn't stand being there — every minute felt like torture. The moment I had nothing to do, my mind would spiral into all kinds of dark places. I couldn't take it anymore.

Zane came to pick me up today. He handled all the discharge paperwork and came to my side with a gentle smile. "You've finally made it out. Want me to take you somewhere to clear your head?"

"Zane." I stopped him, my voice quiet and worn. "I just want to be alone for a bit."

Zane paused for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I'll take you home."

The car pulled up smoothly in front of my building. I unclipped my seatbelt and reached for the door.

But then Zane leaned toward me and pressed a cold kiss to my forehead. My body recoiled on instinct — I pulled back without even thinking.

He noticed. Something flickered in his eyes and went dark, but his voice stayed as calm as ever. "Go home and rest. Our wedding is the day after tomorrow. You need to save your energy — I want you to be the most beautiful bride."

The words hit me like a shock to the system. I snapped my head toward him, staring in disbelief. "What? Wedding?"

"You've had a lot on your plate, so I took care of everything. The day after tomorrow, all you need to do is show up, look beautiful, and walk through the ceremony." He smiled at me warmly.

"Zane, I..." The refusal was already forming on my lips.

"Ember." He suddenly fixed me with a hard, unblinking stare. There was something in his tone I couldn't quite name — something that felt like a warning. "You're not thinking of pushing back the wedding because of Asher, are you?"

I looked into his eyes and felt a cold instinctive dread. I swallowed the refusal back down and said faintly, "No."

"Good. Go get some rest."

"Okay."

I opened the door, got out, and walked straight into the building without once looking back.

---

Zane's POV

I sat in the car and watched until Ember disappeared through the door. Only then did the warmth slowly drain from my face.

She had actually pulled away from me just now. Why? Asher was already dead and rotting somewhere in Europe. Was she really planning to mourn him over some expired mate bond?

It didn't matter. After the day after tomorrow, she would be my wife — officially, legally, in every way that counted.

And once that happened, I would do whatever it took to erase every last trace Asher had ever left on her, until she belonged to me — completely, entirely, inside and out.

I looked at the empty entrance to her building, and a slow, satisfied smile spread across my face.