Chapter 58 Chapter 58

Chapter 58 Chapter 58
  Asher’s POV
  “What the fuck are you doing here, Zach?” I snapped, my voice sharp with anger and irritation. “No—don’t answer that. How dare you even show your face in front of me? Haven’t I humiliated you enough?”
  He scoffed, unfazed.
  “Won’t you let me in?” he asked, a smirk tugging at his lips.
  “Don’t do this to yourself, Zach. I let you go once. Don’t think I’ll be that generous again.” My tone was cold, clipped, brimming with warning.
  “I’m guessing that’s a no to coming inside?” he said, still wearing that smug smile. “That’s fine. We can talk right here.”
  I crossed my arms, jaw clenched.
  “Asher,” he continued, stepping closer, “you do realize Isabella and I aren’t divorced yet? Which means you being in a relationship with her… is a crime.”
  I laughed. Loud, bitter, and unrestrained. “You’re a joke.”
  “Get out of here, Zachary,” I said, voice lowering with menace, “or it’s going to get really fucking ugly.”
  He leaned in, voice calm but laced with venom. “I came here to warn you. I know Isabella’s pregnant. But let me make one thing clear—whatever happy ending you’re dreaming of with her? It’s never going to happen. And thanks to you, you’ve made it even easier for me. Lunareth is going to take your child.”
  My heart stopped. My fists clenched on instinct.
  How the hell did he know that?
  A growl erupted from my throat before I lunged. My hand wrapped around his neck, and I squeezed—hard. He clawed at my arm, gasping, trying to break free, but I didn’t let go.
  “I told you not to come here,” I growled, my voice trembling with barely contained fury.
  Suddenly, a jolt of searing pain shot through my arm. My hand released him involuntarily as I stumbled back, smoke rising from my palm.
  I stared at it, stunned. “What did you do?”
  Zach coughed, rubbing his throat, but the damn smirk never left his face. “You think I’d come here without protection? Please.”
  He straightened up, brushing himself off like it was all a game. “I got under your skin. That’s all I wanted.” His smile widened. “You might’ve won the last round, Asher. But that was the last time.”
  I glared at him, breath heaving. “What did you use on me?” I asked, voice low, tinged with rage and pain.
  “Oh, this?” he said, raising what looked like an ordinary pen, mischief glinting in his eyes. “Let’s just say… my new friends gave it to me.”
  That damn smirk still lingered on his lips, but there was something darker beneath it now—something dangerous.
  “I’ll leave now,” he added, anger finally breaking through his smug composure. “But trust me, Asher… I’ll be back.”
  He turned and walked away, leaving the bitter scent of warning in his wake. My hand still burned, the pain searing deeper than it should have.
  This shouldn’t be happening.
  Zachary. Always pushing the line.
  Freely interacting with humans—even though it’s forbidden for our kind, I can’t let him get away with this, our people need to know about his constant interaction with the humans. I should’ve known. I should’ve seen it coming. I truly believed I was done fighting him and his twisted mother. Thought being nice—being reasonable—would buy me peace.
  But all it did was make me look weak.
  I clenched my fist, the irritation building in my chest like a storm ready to burst.
 
  The papers in front of me blurred for the fifth time. I flipped them over, back and forth, again and again. The words refused to make sense. My focus? Gone.
  “You okay, Asher?” Michael’s voice cut through the haze. “You seem off today.”
  I looked at him, face blank, not a single reaction surfacing. “It’s nothing,” I muttered, dropping the document onto the table. “I’ll get back to you once I’m done reading it.”
  “Alright, boss. Take your time,” he said. Then he paused. “Asher… is this about Zachary?”
  I didn’t answer.
  “I knew we should’ve given that bastard a punishment he’d never recover from,” Michael growled, irritation thick in his voice. “The nerve of him, showing up here when we’ve long left their city behind.”
  I stood, pushing the chair back. It wasn’t even Zachary’s surprise visit that was truly bothering me.
  It was her.
  Three days. Three damn days, and I hadn’t heard a word from Bella.
  “We can go after him if you want,” Michael offered, concern flickering in his tone.
  I turned to face him, expression unreadable. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle Zachary. He’s the least of my problems right now.”
  Michael frowned. “What do you mean?”
  “It’s Isabelle,” I said, exhaling hard. “I haven’t been able to get in touch with her for days.”
  He blinked, confused. “Wait… don’t you guys live together?”
  “She said we should take a break.”
  “What? Since when?” Michael asked, bewildered.
  “She walked in on Zara and me…”
  His eyes widened. He gasped, one hand flying to cover his mouth.
  “Don’t tell me you slept with Zara,” he whispered, pure shock in his tone.
  “Fuck no. I would never do that,” I snapped, the annoyance sharp in my voice. “I would never fucking cheat on Bella.”
  Michael raised his hands in surrender. “Of course you wouldn’t. I know how obsessed you are with her. The Asher I knew? He never stuck to one woman. So yeah, if it were the old you, maybe I’d have believed it. But this? No. So… how did it happen? How the hell did you end up in that situation?”
  I leaned back in my chair, running a hand down my face.
  “She showed up at my house,” I began, my voice tight. “Zara. She said there was one thing I could do that would make her leave me alone—just one thing. If I slept with her, she’d be gone for good.”
  Michael blinked. “You’re kidding.”
  “I told her she was insane,” I muttered. “Told her I’d never do that. Ever. And then… she did something. Something I didn’t see coming.”
  “What did she do?”
  “She used some kind of spell on me.” My voice cracked with frustration. “I couldn’t fucking move, Michael. No matter how hard I tried. I was frozen. And that’s how she ended up on top of me.”
  Michael’s face darkened.
  “And right then… Isabella walked in,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. “And just like that, whatever spell Zara had on me broke. But it was too late. Bella saw everything.”
  Michael shook his head, anger simmering. “Zara is a vile woman. She’s out to destroy you. Have you tried calling Isabella?”
  “I’ve tried everything, man. Called her nonstop. Went to her house. Her sister opened the door and said Bella didn’t want to see me.”
  I stood up, pacing now.
  “I’m losing my mind, Michael. I don’t know what the fuck to do anymore. I need her. I just want her by my side, always.”
  Michael exhaled and stepped forward. “Okay, fine. Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll—”
  The company phone rang, cutting him off. I snatched it up. The secretary’s voice came through the line, telling me someone was here to see me. A woman.
  “Let her in,” I told her quickly, my heart already racing.
  I turned to Michael. “I think… I think it’s Isabella.”
  You could hear the hope in my voice. I wasn’t even trying to hide it.
  Michael smiled. “This is good, then. I’ll—”
  A knock at the door cut him off again. “Come in,” I called.
  The door opened.
  And just like that, the smile on my face vanished.
  “Hello, son,” Maris said, stepping inside.
  I froze, the warmth draining from my body.
  What the fuck is she doing here?