CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY
Asher's PoV

"And what about Zayn?" The voice on the other end of the call asked.

"He would not know what hit him when I eventually attacked, the only thing stopping me is the release of Amorreto"

"I think she has been released…from prison," he said.

I paused. "She has? And he deemed it fit not to tell me?" I continued twisting my shoelace. "I have a few more weeks to finish here and I'll get Amoretto from him and end his life like that of his brother" I barked, ending the call.

We had a promise and he broke it. To get Amoretto from him when I took over Pablo, but the moment I was done taking over, Zayn's friend sent her to prison for absolutely no fucking reason and now I had to wait till she was out.

And now she was out, he could not inform me? Does he still want to keep her hostage?
This wasn't the time or place to get pissed. I dropped my phone and walked out of my room, locking the door behind me.

I dashed out to the hall.

As I made my way through the crowd, I spotted a group of people gathered around a large screen displaying the game's logo: Dungeon Defenders.

Dungeon defenders - today's game didn't need any forceful partnering so I didn't need to bother about the dumbass lady doing everything she could to get me out of the competition. I despised her, but I still couldn't get where our hate resurrected.

The audacity of being the only woman here to compete with strong men bruised my ego. Sometimes I feel threatened by her. But how could I be? I was Asher, I was strong, powerful.

She had a lot of gut, but I was determined to crush it. It worsened when she won the press-up game. It was what gave her the boldness to challenge me from time to time.

I walked into the crowded room, scanning the faces for familiar ones. The competition was about to start, and I was excited to finally meet the other participants.

"What's happening?" I asked, nodding at the screen.

One of them turned to me. "We're trying to figure out what this game is all about. I've never played a tower defense game before."

I grinned, I loved the game and I would be enthusiastic to explain it. "Dungeon Defenders is an amazing game! You get to build towers, traps, and auras to defend your crystals from hordes of monsters. It's all about strategy and teamwork."

A tall guy with a messy mop of hair spoke up. "I've played some tower defense games before, but I've never heard of this one. What makes it so special?"

"The heroes, man! You get to choose from a variety of unique heroes, each with their abilities and playstyles. And the customization options? Endless!"

They all listened as I continued to explain the game's mechanics and strategies. I knew the game master would also come around to do the main logic of how we would go about it, but I indeed was eager to give them a heads-up. I could see the excitement building in their eyes, and I knew I had them hooked.

As I continued, I realized that most of them were new to the game.

"Listen, guys," I said "I know some of you might be new to Dungeon Defenders, but trust me, you'll love it."

They nodded, smiling and delighted they got to do this with me. People on my team would be going to the next round.

Soon, the announcer and the game master began to list out the rules of the games. However, not everyone would play it all at once.

The first set of names were being called and it came to my memory that someone was missing. I looked around the crowd whether she had stayed elsewhere, far from me like she wanted or someone had taken interest in her and they were together.

But I didn't find her. The time was ticking, there was a time limit for everyone to arrive and it was getting close.

I knew her so well, she never gave up nor was she late for any task. Even when I did things to make her late, she always managed to find her way. So where was she? I didn't do anything to stop her from coming to the game, so what could cause the delay?

I shrugged the thought off my mind. If she was not coming that was the best news. She had been given a single chance before, missing this was complete disqualification.

The first set of people started the game and the rest of us were pushed behind the hall to give them some space. I looked around to see that everyone was present except her.

Why do you bother? I asked myself.

Restlessly, I walked out of the hall. On the way, a group of men stopped me. "Where are you heading to?" One asked. "In five minutes, no one would be allowed to go out or come in," he said.

I chuckled. "I wanted to just take in the fresh air" I lied, looking around to see if she was part of the few people hanging around.

"Are you perhaps nervous about this game?"

"Nah…" I said. "It is an easy pass for me" I responded, but he was right. I was nervous, about something…about someone. "Never mind, I'll just go inside," I said to them.

As I walked back into the hall, I hit Matteo on the way. "Oh, easy big guy," he said to me, and I raised my brows. He turned to leave and involuntarily, my hand grabbed his shirt.

"Where's Rosetta? You're her friend now."

"I haven't seen her. Have you?" He asked, a small smile settled on the corner of his lips. It was mischievous and my suspicions were increased.

"So where could she be?" I asked and he shrugged his shoulders. "Did you hurt her?" I found myself asking.

A laugh escaped from his lips, something maniac and I did not know when I ran out of the hall in concern for Rosetta.