V
Chapter 109
Asher’s POV
The loud beat of the bass shook the walls as I stepped into the dimly lit club. I spotted Luca almost instantly, sitting in a booth near the back, drink in hand. His easy grin faltered the moment his eyes landed on me.
“Asher?” he called out, his voice a mixture of surprise and suspicion. “What the hell are you doing here?”
I slid into the booth across from him without waiting for an invitation. “Could ask you the same thing,” I said coolly.
He chuckled, though it lacked his usual charm. “I wasn’t expecting you to show up. We haven’t exactly been on great terms.” He passed me a glass and poured whisky for me.
“Yeah, about that,” I said, picking up the drink he slid my way. “I figured it’s time we talk.”
“Talk?” Luca echoed, leaning back in his seat. “This should be good.”
“Since when?” I asked, cutting straight to the point.
Luca raised an eyebrow. “Since when, what?”
“You know what I’m talking about. Janine,” I answered. “When did you and my sister…” I trailed off. “Well, when?”
His face shifted. It was a look of guilt. He sighed and took a sip from his glass before answering. “Middle school.”
“Middle school?” I repeated, leaning forward. “You’ve been into my sister since middle school?”
He nodded. “Yeah. It’s not like I planned for it to happen, Asher. It just did.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me? Ever?”
Luca ran a hand through his hair. “What was I supposed to say? ‘Hey, Asher, I’m head over heels for your little sister. Hope that’s cool‘? Come on, man. You would’ve killed me on the spot.”
“You’re not wrong,” I admitted, my tone sharp.
“Asher,” he said, his voice lowering, “I know we’ve had our differences, but you’ve got to believe me. I’d never hurt her. Never.”
I stared him down for a long moment, letting the weight of my silence hang between us. Finally, I nodded. “I know you wouldn’t. Because if you did, I’d kill you.”
Luca blinked, then burst out laughing. “Fair enough!” he said, raising his glass. “At least we’re clear on that.”
I smirked despite myself. “What can I say? I’m a simple guy.”
He took a sip, his smile lingering. “So, what about you? What’s going on?”
I began to narrate all that had happened, from the moment we brought Max to the house and how he exposed Taylor and what she did.
Luca’s jaw dropped. “Oh my God!” he exclaimed. That is crazy! How’s Ivy taking it?”
I hesitated, rolling the glass between my fingers. “We haven’t really talked about everything yet. Too much… unresolved.”
“Taylor?” Luca asked, his expression darkening.
“Still out there,” I said, my jaw tightening, “I’ve got people looking for her, but she’s good at disappearing when it suits her.”
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Luca frowned. “I knew she was bad news, but I didn’t think it was this bad. What was she even trying to do? Why would she even do something as
diabolical as this?”
“Jealousy. That’s my best bet,” I said simply. “She’s jealous of Ivy and everything she has. That’s all she ever wanted.”
He shook his head, looking genuinely stunned. “That’s some next–level crazy. You think you’ll catch her?”
“It’s not a question of if,” I said, my voice cold. “It’s when.”
Before he could respond, Kat appeared beside him. She kept her eyes firmly away from me as she leaned down to whisper something in Luca’s ear.
He nodded, his brows furrowing. “Got it,” he said simply.
Kat turned to leave, and for a split second, her gaze flickered to me. Something unreadable flashed across her face before she quickly looked away.
Luca watched her walk off, then turned back to me. “What was that about?”
I let out a low chuckle, shaking my head. “You don’t want to know.”
“Like hell I don’t,” he said, leaning forward. “Spill, Asher.”
I took a slow sip of my drink, enjoying his curiosity. “Remember when you told me to do something crazy, or I’d lose Ivy forever?”
Luca narrowed his eyes. “Yeah…?”
“Well, I took your advice. Did something crazy.”
“Define crazy,” he said, his tone cautious.
I leaned back in my seat, meeting his gaze. “Bound Ivy and brought Kat in, pretended I wanted to have sex with Kat in front of Ivy.”
Luca froze, staring at me like I’d grown a second head. “You what?”
“I needed to know what she truly wanted,” I said with a shrug. “I mean, she had that dumb photographer up at my house, and he was being weird…”
“You tied her up?” he repeated, his voice rising slightly, in clear disbelief.
“And got answers,” I added. “She admitted that she still wanted me/so…?”
Luca leaned back, running both hands over his face. “Asher, that’s not just crazy, that’s psychotic!”
“Worked, didn’t it?”
80%
“That’s not the point!” he said, though he couldn’t stop the incredulous laugh that escaped him. “You’re absolutely insane. You’re lucky Ivy didn’t leave you for good.”
“She considered it,” I admitted. “She was mad, but she didn’t leave.”
“Unbelievable,” Luca muttered, shaking his head. “You’ve got some serious issues, man.”
“You told me to do something,” I reminded him, smirking.
“Yeah, but I didn’t mean that,” he said, laughing despite himself. “You’re out of your damn mind.”
We sat there for a while, the tension easing as we shifted the conversation to lighter topics. At one point, I glanced over my shoulder, spotting Kat lingering near the bar.
“She’ll come around,” I said casually.
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Luca followed my gaze, then looked back at me, his expression skeptical. “You really think so?”
“Yeah,” I muttered confidently. “She will.”
“You’ve got balls. I’ll give you that,” Luca murmured, shaking his head.
“You’re just now figuring that out?”
