Chapter 138 138

Chapter 138 138
Ashley POV

\-About One Month Ago-

"Jared..." I whispered, my voice sounded weak and fragile from terror. "What happened?"

His normally stoic face twisted - there was pain there, so obvious as he tried to shut the door swiftly. But I hurriedly slipped my foot into the crack of the door before it could close completely. Without much effort, I slipped inside, only to flinch as the door slammed behind me. A bloodstained shirt and jacket lay on the floor, clearly visible from the corridor. I almost didn't want to turn around. I was afraid the reality would be harder to swallow if I actually looked at him straight on.

"Just leave... Forget what you have seen."

His tone of voice was cold, somber... and weak. It even sounded painful at the end of the sentence. I had never heard him sound this weary before. Even though everything inside me was screaming for me to do what he just said, my instincts, my feelings, refused to back down. I forced myself to spin around and stare at him.

He leaned against the door and its handle as if it were the only thing keeping him on his feet. His normally neat hair was now a mess, his temples and forehead damp with sweat. His breathing was heavy and ragged - I could hear and see it vividly because he was not wearing a shirt. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, though his body still looked well-built, my eyes were soon drawn to the scars.

Holy crap... there were so many.

Small wounds, old wounds, and new wounds that had yet to fully dry out. Some looked like sharp weapon cuts, others like hard blow marks. Even his forearms and hands were covered in new wounds, red and fresh.

"Just leave," he repeated. This time he pushed himself slowly away from the door, getting to his feet with struggle.

"What?" I gasped frantically. "No! We have to call the police! Who did this to you? What happened?"

My hands trembled as I tried to unlock my phone screen. I could barely type the number 119. But before I could press the call button, Jared snatched my phone from my hand.

"No," he said sternly. His gaze pierced me - those hazel eyes, so similar to Jayden's, felt like they held a thousand unspoken emotions.

"But you're hurt!" I croaked, frustrated.

"It will heal. So... please leave me."

I shook my head. "Not until you explain what really happened."

His eyes softened. "I can't do that."

I was about to argue back, but the sound of his groan cut off my line. His body collapsed abruptly to the floor. My eyes widened and instantly I rushed to his side.

"Jared!" I called frantically.

He tried to get up, wrapping his arms around his stomach but failed. I hurriedly caught his body before he fell completely - he was much heavier than I imagined. With all the strength I had, I dragged him towards the large bed and helped him sit up.

"Sorry," he sighed under his breath, then coughed loudly, shaking his shoulders. As I picked him up, he wrapped a single weak arm around my shoulder, just to stay standing, then quickly let go.

"I'm just a little dizzy."

"My gosh, Jared..." I bit my lip. "I can't leave you now. Not after seeing you like this."

He looked at me wearily. "I can't tell you anything, Ashley."

I looked at his wounds, the dried blood, and decided. "I can live with that." For now. "I'm going to go buy medical supplies."

"I have everything here," he said, sounding timid as he pointed to a suitcase in the corner of the room. "But if you could buy me a cigarette, I would be very grateful."

I almost said no. But given the circumstances, I simply had no way. Who could refuse such a request after seeing someone battered like that? So, I nodded and stepped outside. Walking towards the nearest convenience store - thankfully, not too far away. I thought it was a good thing, considering my cell phone was still with him.

In less than twenty minutes, I was back in front of the hotel room.

"Hello?" I called as I opened the door.

There was no answer. My brow furrowed. I placed the key card on the small table by the door, then began to untie my shoelaces.

"Jared?" I called again.

It's still quiet.

At first, I was unaware of it until it stopped, but then I caught the faint sound of the water stopping. "I'm in the bathroom," he replied quietly.

Stepping gingerly towards the door, I halted for a second as I noticed that the door was unlocked. Blushing, I rapped my knuckles against the wooden door. "I have the two brands you used to wear," I told him. "I will put them on the bed."

"Thank you."

I hesitated and said, "Do you want me to stay?"

"No."

From the way, his voice sounded dry and cold as he said that word, it felt like a direct slap. Even so, I could not bring myself to be truly hurt. He must be in a lot of pain. The wound on his hand must be very painful, and the fact that his previously injured hand was not bandaged was something I noticed.

"Then, I will be leaving," I said, raising my voice to be heard above the gurgling water that was returning. My curiosity was burning inside me, but I was not letting it take over. I would try to convince him later when I had more time and fewer tactics.

He did not answer.

I was about halfway out the door when it dawned on me that I had forgotten my phone. Hurrying back inside, I tiptoed on the carpet and scanned the room for the device. A few minutes passed until I started to think that he might have just taken it into the bathroom when I heard the bathroom door open.

Without thinking, I ducked behind the bed, with my face on the carpet. I have no idea exactly why, but it was a jumble of not wanting to be caught in the room after I said I was leaving, and not wanting to see him naked. Once hidden, however, I regretted that decision. It would have been easier for me to explain the reason why I stayed if I had not crawled on the floor like this, which was pretty suspicious, one might even say weird.

It was quiet for a while, but then the TV turned on suddenly. The volume was almost so loud that the sound of the lights turning on in the bathroom could not be heard, making it barely audible. Thankfully, I spotted a light in the reflection of the window, and gradually I squatted down. Quietly, I stepped towards the entrance, but once I reached the bathroom door, which was only slightly open, made me realize how stupid I was. How hard could it be to face him and say what I had done? It was a ridiculous idea from the start since I was there for a reasonable reason, which was to look for my cell phone.

Swallowing, I put together a word of apology, my face flushed with embarrassment. But just as I raised my hand to knock on the bathroom door again, I caught sight of him through the gap between the door and the frame.

The sight made me freeze. Because there was a tattoo on his right shoulder that I recognized. It was the symbol for the surname "Stone" - a name and tattoo that my parents had warned me to stay away from.

Because it was the mark of one of the most ruthless and dangerous members of the underground pack of mafia - Maverick Death.

Needless to say, I left without finding my cell phone - and without caring whether he heard me leave or not.



"You've got to be kidding me."

Eva and I were at a small cafe near my house. We had spent our Saturday afternoon shopping - or rather, she had done the shopping while I had just followed her, too nervous to tell her about my father's health. Now that I had finally told her what had happened at dinner that night and the aftermath - namely that I had dropped out of college - I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Since telling her the truth about my relationship with Jayden, both historically and emotionally, I had decided to count on her as my best friend.

I just, never thought that I would ever be able to tell her about Jared's tattoo.

I wiped the dew off the plastic cup of iced coffee with my fingers, then dried my hands with a napkin. "Right," I said sadly as I took a sip of the drink. "Dad's too weak to run this business anymore. And I can't blame Mom for wanting to stay with him."

The frown between her brows instantly faded as she heard my last words. "I get it too," she said briskly. "But still, you're not even twenty-one yet. Are you seriously going to drop out of college and become the CEO of a company as big as Red Moon Inc.? Don't you guys own, what, about ninety percent of the export and import industry in this entire territory of the city?

"I'm not quite sure," I admitted slightly sheepishly. Come to think of it, I hardly knew much about the company other than what my parents had told me, and even then it was not much. Dad was never poor, and although Mom was also born into a fairly wealthy family, they made sure to raise me as a middle-class child and keep me away from the family business. I attended public school and was forced to do household chores, even though my parents always hired maids.

That's why Mom's decision worried me. Even though I knew and had always known that my ultimate destiny was to become the CEO of one of the world's largest companies, I thought that I would learn more about all aspects of business while in college and then gradually work my way into the position.

It never occurred to me that I would become a CEO overnight. But then again, my parents probably never thought so either.

"Well, exact numbers are not important to this conversation." Eva had already finished her drink in the time it took me to tell her about yesterday's events, and was enjoying the rest of the whipped cream topping with a small spoon she took from the cheesecake we both shared. "And I promise, I'm not trying to patronize you or anything, but are you really qualified for this?

" No," I answered truthfully. "I'm not."

"That's convincing to hear."

"I won't be completely alone though," I said a bit hesitantly. "Jared will be helping me."

Her eyes widened. "Is he still at your company? I thought he would leave after... you know."