Chapter 21

Jo forced a smile on her face as she opened the door to usher Andrea and Sia in. She was still living like a hermit in her mother's house, and she didn't want to diagnose what that said about her. She was making progress, she told herself, she was going to make a conversation with her friends even if it killed her.

Andrea and Sia noticed her staring into space.

"Yo! Earth to Jo!" Andrea said, snapping her to the present.

"You okay? We could come back later, if you wanted." Sia said, leading Jo to the nearest chair.

Jo allowed herself to be led and when she sat down, she said, "No. I invited you here. We're going to do this."

"Ok. But there's no pressure," Andrea said, turning on the television. There was a boring news broadcast going on, so they paid the television no mind.

"How's your injury?" Sia asked, switching to physician mode.

Jo raised her blouse up and let Sia examine the injury.

"It's healing nicely but it's going to leave a scar." Sia proclaimed.

Jo grinned, "I don't mind. I'm a gangster. This is like a badge of honor."

Andrea and Sia burst out laughing.

"Oh Jo! I've missed you." Sia said, hugging her.

Jo hugged her back, "I've missed you too."

"Me too." Andrea said, joining their hug.

"Where's your mother?" She asked when they broke off the hug.

"She left the house with a man." Jo said.

"You mean like on a date?" Sia asked incredulously.

"I think so." Jo replied.

The two women gasped in disbelief.

"Believe me, I was just as surprised as you two when I heard." Jo said. It was common knowledge that after her father's death, Jo's mother had stopped dating. Nothing Jo said convinced her to dive into the dating pool.

"Do you know this man?" Andrea asked.

"Nope. But I'll find out who he is." Jo vowed.

"Yeah. Then we'll give him a warning, not to mess with her." Sia said fiercely.

"Yeah!" Andrea said.

Sia was about to make a comment when Asher Mason's picture appeared on the television. They all went silent.

The newscaster read, "Josiah Greenwood, owner and CEO of Greenwood Holdings has been charged to court on multiple count charges of kidnapping, human trafficking, illegal arms dealing, extortion, murder and a number of others. The board of directors of Greenwood Holdings have appointed a new CEO, who is none other than Josiah's estranged son, Asher Mason."

The news cut to a video feed of Asher, who looked delicious in a designer suit, talking to journalists. The camera highlighted his green eyes and slashed cheekbones.

"Yes, I'm sad my father used Greenwood Holdings as a cover for running dirty business, but all that ends today.

Hence forth, Greenwood Holdings will only engage in legitimate businesses, and I'll try my best to make sure all those who were hurt directly or indirectly by my father's actions get compensated." Ash said genuinely.

Jo watched as a very beautiful and young journalist flirtatiously asked him if he was single or taken.

Ash smiled, "This is not about me, but about Greenwood Holdings."

The next question was cut off when the television suddenly went off.

"Hey! What happened?" Jo asked.

"I switched it off. You don't have to see that bastard!" Andrea said.

Jo realized Andrea was right. She'd thought she'd made progress forgetting about Ash, but the video clip brought back all they'd shared vividly. The pain returned with a vengeance.

I will not cry, I will not cry, she told herself.

"Are you okay?" Andrea asked, concerned.

Jo nodded, then shook her head. What was the point in lying, "So this was why he left me, to take charge of a multi-million dollar company."

"Then he's an idiot." Andrea said fiercely, hating that Jo had to go through a harrowing heartbreak, while Ash was in Gulden playing young and rich CEO.

"That's not fair," Jo said, "He probably took over the company to right his father's wrongs."

"That shouldn't have stopped him from reaching out to you." Andrea said.

"I know." Jo replied, wringing her fingers.

"Yeah, and look at the dumb-ass answer he gave when he was asked if he was single or taken." Andrea said.

"He never said he was single," Sia said, defending Ash.

Both women looked at her in surprise.

"He didn't say otherwise either." Andrea pointed out.

"Why are you supporting him?" Jo asked, exasperated.

Sia shrugged, "You didn't see him at the clinic. He was so undone, so unraveled at seeing you in such a bad state. The man shed tears and talked to you while you were still out of it. He also told me he loved you, and he wanted to be in your life permanently."

Jo was touched, and confused. If Ash loved her as he claimed, why had he deserted her to go be a CEO in Gulden?

Andrea snorted, "Sure he loved her, but as we can see for ourselves, he loves being a CEO better."

"Not that I blame him. Who would remain in Ganghaven when they got a chance to go to Gulden?" Jo asked, sounding as pitiable as she felt.

"The least he could have done was tell you." Andrea said.

Sia glared at her, "You know, I've been meaning to put my theory out to you, but you weren't ready to talk about it till now. I believe there's a perfectly rational reason for Ash's actions."

Andrea returned her glare, "And what might that be, O defender of Asher Mason?"

"I don't know," Sia admitted.

"And there we have it." Andrea said.

Turning to Jo, who looked like she was going to cry a minute, she said, "I have just the remedy for what ails you?"

Jo decided to indulge her, "And what might that be?"

"Burgers and fries at Jacob's. Treats on me!" Andrea said, spreading her hands wide apart.

As much as she loved Jacob's burgers, Jo didn't think they'd solve her problem but either way, she wasn't going to let the offer pass.

* * *

Ash heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Capo.

"It's good to see you, boss." Capo said with a grin.

"You too, my man." Ash said bringing in Capo for a hug. He didn't think he could explain how much he'd missed his second-in-command. Capo was his loyal confidante and adviser, who had never let him down. He felt so free with him.

Too bad he couldn't say the same for the vultures under him at Greenwood Holdings. They were sycophants who only wanted to be friends with him so he could give them something in return.

"How's business?" Capo asked.

Aah grimaced. Even with his degree, running a company the size of Greenwood Holdings was difficult, "It's coming along. Yours?"

"We've shut down most of the business your old man was running, which leads me to ask; after we finish the task, what next? Do we disband and look for other things to do?" Capo asked.

Ash shook his head, "No. There are many people out there like my father, who make their money illegally at the expense of Ganghaven residents. We'll find another person, and take them down."

Capo sighed in relief, "That's good to know, boss. Because I love my work."

Ash grinned at him, "I love it, too."

"So, boss," Capo eyed Ash suspiciously, "Did you leave your fancy-ass mansion in Gulden and come all the way to Ganghaven to ask me about business? Not like I'm complaining, but you could have just called."

"Well, I came here for Jo." Ash admitted. He regretted leaving her in the first place. The nights he'd spent in his mansion were pure torture when compared to the blissful nights they'd shared in Pascal's house. Without her, he felt lonely and knowing he'd left her so he could protect her did nothing to alleviate the pain of being without her.

As soon as he'd gotten unshakable control of things in Gulden, he'd hurried down to Ganghaven to see her but on his way, for some inexplicable reason, he'd begun to have cold feet, and had diverted to talk to Capo, hoping that he'd have time to build up his courage.

"Then you shouldn't be wasting time with me. Go get her," Capo said good-naturedly.

Ash nodded and steeled his shoulders, this was something he had to do. Being away from Jo was all shades of unpleasant.

"I wonder where she is," He said as he got up to leave.

"Rex should know. I'll give you his address," Capo said as he stood up to see his boss out.

* * *

Jo was in the sitting room, watching a boring reality TV show about a spoilt brat of fifteen who was something of a star, when the doorbell rang.

Thinking it was her mother come back from her date, she opened the door.

Her breath left her in a rush when she saw Ash standing in her doorway, with what looked like the beginnings of a black eye and a split lip.

Many emotions ranging from relief to disbelief to anger bombarded her in that moment, so she moved to slam the door in his face.

Ash put his hand on the door and watched Jo with a confused expression on his face, "Jo, what the hell is going on?"

Jo left the door and retreated to the sitting room. Ash followed her and closed the door behind him.

When Jo wouldn't turn around to look at him, Ash was forced to ask, "Jo, what's wrong? Why do you look so desolate? Who hurt you?"

A myriad of scenarios where Jo had had her spirit snuffed out fleeted through Ash's mind. He wondered with fright if his father had gotten to Jo before he'd put him in a holding cell.

Jo turned around and regarded him with a cold stare. The only sign that she was angry was her fists which she kept clenching and unclenching, "You hurt me, Ash."

Those were the words Ash never wanted to hear. He never wanted to cause her pain, intentionally or unintentionally.

"What? How? When?" Ash asked, going to place his hands comfortingly on her shoulders.

Jo shied away from his touch, "How did you find me?"

"Rex. He seemed to think that I broke your heart and decided to kick my ass. FYI, our fight ended in a stalemate. Then, I managed to convince him that I'd never hurt you and he gave me your address." Ash explained, putting his hands behind his back. Hands that were supposed to be holding her. He knew if he tried to touch Jo again, she would run away. It was better if she didn't get more spooked than she already was.

"That traitor," Jo murmured under her breath.

Ash heard her comment, "Jo, how did I become the enemy in all this? I love you."

Jo laughed mirthlessly, "You loved me enough to leave me for a posh job as a CEO in Gulden."

"What? No." Ash said, shaking his head furiously, "No. Babe, that isn't why I left. I left to get my father incarcerated. I didn't want him finding out about you and trying to use you to get me."

"And after that, the life appealed to you so much, you forgot me." Jo said.

Ash sighed, "Jo, please," he pleaded passionately, "stop jumping to such conclusions. I had to stay back to enforce new rules the company would follow. Every night I stayed away from you was hell. The only reason I bore those long and unforgiving nights was because it was for your, no, our good."

Jo massaged her forehead, "If what you're saying is to be believed-"

"It is."

"Then why didn't you leave a note, or a message. Why didn't you even call?" Jo asked.

Ash put his hands out, "That was my mistake and a stupid one. I should have. I realize now that I have no excuse. The only thing I can say is that I'm sorry."

Jo looked at his handsome face which was creased with worry, and longed to soothe him, but she knew it would lead nowhere.

"Even at that, I don't think things will work out between us." Jo said, standing up.

Ash felt his heart clench. She couldn't be serious, "Why is that?" He asked, his voice sounding harsh because of the fear gripping his heart.

"Look at you. You're a CEO of one of the largest companies in Ranem, with a degree in Business Administration from a well-known college. Now look at me, I'm just a local gangster who didn't even go to college." Jo said desolately.

"That doesn't matter to me," Ash said, coming close to her once more. At that moment, nothing mattered to him more than convincing her she was wrong.

Jo laughed mirthlessly as she sidestepped him, "You think that now, but later you'll regret the decision. Which company would thrive when the CEO's wife is a gangster. How am I supposed to host those fancy business dinners and parties for your partners?"

Ash Moved again and gripped her by her shoulders, "Honey, you're creating problems where there are none. I'm not going to be a CEO forever, hell, that job drives me crazy! It's just until I find someone trustworthy enough to hand over to."

Jo tried to escape his strong grip, but couldn't, "That's what you say. You'll soon start enjoying the power and the fame. Please release me, you're hurting me."

Ash gritted his teeth and released her. The mule headed woman wouldn't listen to him no matter what he said. She needed to be shown that she was the most important thing to him.

"Fine, I'll leave you." Ash said, putting his hands in his pocket.

Jo felt her heart break further. So she'd been right. He hadn't loved her as much as he said he did. She partly blamed herself because she was the one who had been pushing him away a moment ago. That still didn't make it hurt less, though.

"I'm leaving because I don't think there's anything I'll say that will convince you. That's why I'm going to show you how much I love you and how much you mean to me." Ash said firmly before he left.

Jo slumped into a chair and stared into space, already replaying their conversation in her mind.