CHAPTER 23

Asher had never felt the need to justify his actions or the reasons behind them to anyone but with Shana, he was ready to make the exception.
"What do we need to talk about?," she asked quietly, fearing the what was coming next.
Well, the worst thing that could ever happen was him firing her because he was done with her. Then, she would have no hope of fulfilling Adam's wish. On the other hand, he might just want to clear the air about what happened with Nicolette the day before.
"I just want to make some things clear about yesterday," he started and she did a little dancing in her head, screaming "Yes! I guessed that one right." and she missed his next statement.
"Hmm...I didn't get you," she looked into his eyes, without a clue about what he said. She had really needed to take the moment to bask in joy.
"I said," Asher stated, taking time to pronounce each word like he was talking to a child. "You shouldn't misinterpret what happened in your office yesterday."
So much for clearing the air. What was she to deduce from his vague statement? "Misinterpret? Misinterpret what exactly?", the words were on the tip of her tongue but she did not ask him, just asked herself and continued to stare at him.
Asher shifted on his feet, feeling like an unruly child in front of his school principal. The thought brought back countless memories were he had had to report to the principal's office countless times as a teenager. He pushed the dark thoughts out of his mind just as quickly as they surfaced and he focused his attention on the woman in front of him. She was making him feel nervous, which he never did. He could not remember the last time he shuffled his feet nervously but she just made him do that.
What was she expecting him to say? Surely, she was not expecting him to give a full account of how he had actually spent the day, did she? He was doing a lot out of the normal by even discussing it with her. " Say something," he said finally, when she still continued with the staring match, her brown eyes completely blank.
"Say what exactly?," she asked and moved away from him.
What an arrogant son of a bitch!
Obviously, he had read and dissected every thought in her head and he believed he had her figured out and telling her not to misinterpret things about him. To think she had thought he was going to make a clean breast of things and apologize for the way he had behaved with her.
But no, he just had to clear the air about her 'misinterpreting' things.
"I don't know," he shrugged carelessly.
"OK. I've your schedule for the day. Do you need me to make any last minute adjustment?," she asked sarcastically but he did not seem to catch that.
"Not really. I get to have my lunch break free right?"
She glanced down at the iPad in her hand and nodded. "Of course."
"Then I don't need any adjustments made," he said giving her a smile that threatened to melt her legs but she resisted.
"I'll like to take my leave." She could not bare any more second in his arrogant presence.
Asher did not like the atmosphere. It was certainly not what he was expecting after clearing the air. What more did she want from him? He already told her whatever she assumed was going on between him and Nicolette was nothing but she was still giving him the cold shoulder. "Are we good?," he asked uncertainly, not wanting her to leave the room without everything being cool between them.
Besides, Nicolette was going to show up during his lunch break and he didn't want things to be tense by then
"We?" The question seemed to make her madder.
"We. Me and you. Are we cool?."
"Why not?," she fired back, her voice high pitched.
So much for thinking there was another candlelight dinner invitation. He probably needed his lunch break free because of Nicolette.
"OK..good," he said uncertainly. "Then we should get back to work," she said and flounced out before he could say more.
★★★★★★★★★★
Adam watched the Crier working so hard to botch his plans by falling in love with his stepson and he just knew, there was no hope there for him anymore regardless of the fact that she actually believed she was still as ignorant as the day her heart started beating and he realized that he was going to need other plans for ruining Asher.
For instance, Thomas' plan was a good one. If he could manage to take over from Adam like he was planning with the other Alpha, then his wish would be done. But there was the little clairvoyant woman in the pack, who could stand in the way of all that plan. She had the power to but she did not know it yet and added to what she had seen beyond the physical realm, she had also witnessed a scene that could damn Thomas if she stepped forward with her claims. And there was a hidden card Collins and Thomas did not even know about, a hidden card he was having a difficult the finding.
There was also Adele's plans. If Thomas continued to feed his daughters rage and obsession with his greediness like he was doing, it was only a matter of time before the she-wolf took matters into her own hands and kill Asher or better still, his mate. He had seen his stepson with the woman and he knew taking her away from him forever would be the biggest revenge in history. But that plan also was not without it's obstacle; Mark.
The Beta would rather have his sister dead than have her ruin herself and the pack.
But the greatest obstacle of all was his mother. Not because she had the ability to stop what was coming like the others, but because of the intentions behind them. She loved Asher just too much to see him come to any harm and she had sworn to protect him with her life.
If only he had that many people around him and supporting him while he was alive but no one had been there for him but they were all rallying around the bastard. Even the Moon goddess had more or less sent saviours his way. He could not contend with them all but he was going to try, till he would probably become a roaming evil spirit.
His desires needed to be met before he could find peace and he was going to satisfy them at all cost. He could not afford to live the afterlife in a bigger hell than he had lived his days on earth.
★★★★★★★★★★
The phone rang shrilly and she picked but regretted it when she heard the French accent over the line.
"Direct my call to Asher. He isn't picking his mobile," Nicolette demanded.
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell the woman to go to hell but she did what she was told.
"Please do," Asher replied her smoothly.
She was mad at him after that.
Then the lunch break came and the model sashayed in in all her glory, looking freaking hot in a very short gown that left little to the imagination and hugged her subtle curves perfectly.
So much for not misinterpreting things between him and the model but there she was again obviously to make use of his 'free' lunch break for a date with her.
"I've got to say this, how did you manage to land this job?," she said snobbishly waving her hand around in the air. "I mean, look at you. You look like something the cat dragged in. Doesn't the salary cover enough for a decent wardrobe? I could talk to Asher on your behalf you know," she moved closer to Shana and traced a finger throw her hair and she flinched back in irritation. "We are very very good friend," she added, enunciating each word.
"No. I'll pass." Shana said stiffly in her chair and took all the insult, resisting the urge to day something back.
"Your choice Kitty," she drawled lazily.
But the pet name changed her resolve to be a calm matured adult and she snapped. "My name is Shana Johnson Miss Nicolette," she snapped at her.
"Are you talking back at me right now?," she asked with a sarcastic laugh.
"As we are the only two here, I believe so," she said with a lot more bravado than she was actually feeling but bravado or not, she was not going to let this particular woman treat her anyhow, just like Asher was treating her.
She was more than her look and she did not deserve to be judged by what she decided to wear or not. She knew, even if she herself found it difficult to believe sometimes, that she had a lot to offer, if given the chance to live a normal life.
Then she felt the fire on her cheek before she even registered Nicolette's action and shrill voice. "How dare you little nobody talk back at me?."
Shana held her hot cheek with her two hands, her eyes burning with tears of rage. She had never been physically abused in all her life. It had always been the emotional, wordy kind for her.
This, it was new and it was coming from Asher's girlfriend.
"Get out," the ominous voice sounded quietly from the doorway of her office and she turned to see the frigid, cold look in Asher's eyes. He was visibly burning with something beyond rage here and it was directed at her, the innocent party.