Chapter 24

ASHER

Sunday dinners at my parents’ place are always a recipe for a food coma. I always overindulge, gorging myself on the nostalgic flavors of my childhood, which is probably why I end up crashing in my old bed and sleeping the entire night and morning away. Monday sneaks up on me.

It makes its presence known in the late afternoon as I wake from a restless night of stomach discomfort and vivid dreams about my future. I can’t remember the last time I slept so poorly.

The prospect of attending the meeting that could potentially lead me to the girls I’m searching for hangs over me like a guillotine, ready to sever my head from my body at the slightest misstep. I’ve already found Maddison, and while that gives me hope of finding the others in the same place, I can’t shake the feeling that she might have been a fluke.

Maybe I just stumbled upon a girl who, like me, ran away to live a different life, dissatisfied with the one she was given. People often wonder why someone like her or me would reject a life of luxury that was handed to us on a silver platter before we were even born.

But for me, the answer is simple. I’ve never wanted for anything, had everything I could ever dream of, and while that’s nice and comfortable, it’s emotionally barren. It’s seriously fucking barren.

The people you meet only want one thing from you; there are no lasting friendships, relationships, or memories to cherish. Everything is fleeting, and it’s not very pleasant. I yearn for something more.

Something my sisters have found. The person or people who will journey through life with me, making my days more enjoyable and less monotonous. Maybe that’s why I’m so opposed to Daniel and Ella.

Sure, there’s the fact that he’s our uncle, my biological uncle, but he comes from the same background as us, and he still offers Ella what I’ve always yearned for—the thing I once opened my heart to and never again.

Once bitten, twice shy, as they say… So yes, I still find it mildly repulsive that they’re together, and I absolutely detest seeing them touch, but that’s not the main issue anymore. I realized that a few weeks ago when I walked in on them.

Yes, it was there, but as I sat with my sister, I realized I was a bit…jealous. There, I said it—nothing to be ashamed of. It’s just a natural human emotion that everyone experiences at some point in their life.

Anyway, as I mentioned, I spend the night at my parents’ house in my old room. I wake up to an empty house, but Cathrine still manages to make me club sandwiches to go. I can admit without shame that I miss her culinary and cleaning skills.

Thankfully, I still have clothes here. A pair of deep blue suit pants and a white shirt that I can put on to leave in time to scope out the club before my appointment. This will also give me a chance to decide whether I’ll actually go inside or not.

Yes, yes, I know. You’re wondering where my courage has gone. Well, I’m not entirely sure, but then again, I’m the kind of person who plays it by ear. So we’ll see where the night takes me.

I arrive with an hour to spare, munching on the sandwiches as I observe the club. It’s already open for appointments. I see men of various ages, dressed in sharp suits, enter the building as if they’re heading to their next business meeting.

Some leave with satisfied grins, while others haven’t reappeared. But each one arrives alone and at thirty-minute intervals. This seems to be a recurring pattern that I need to note in my observations.

As I watch these men enter the club and the clock inches closer to seven, my heart races, and I start thinking about all the reasons I want to stay alive. My mom is my main worry.

How would she handle it if I died doing something incredibly stupid? And then there are my dads, who undoubtedly love me in their own unique way, even if it’s unconventional at times. My siblings.

God, I’d miss them if I were gone, and I’m sure they’d miss me. This realization sobers me up, making me question—what the fuck am I doing here?

I’m not a lawyer or a cop. I’m not exactly a pro at tracking down lost souls, and honestly, I have no right to be. But here I am, considering it as a potential escape from the life my fathers have planned for me.

Without a second thought, I fire up the engine. The car’s roar drowns out everything else, leaving me alone with the steady hum of the motor. I glance at the building, taking note of its eerie silence.

Time is ticking away, and any moment now, another man is due to show up. That’s when I check the time. Six fifty-eight. In two minutes, I’m supposed to walk into that building and pretend I’m shopping for the perfect girl—a girl I’ll essentially own.

Can I really do this?

~Can you, Asher?~

Do you want to be one of those guys who pay to use a woman however they want, and it’s all fine because money changes hands? Do you want to be known as that kind of man…?

Faced with such a choice, I’m not sure I do. I’ve pushed myself way beyond my comfort zone, far past my capabilities, and now my chest feels like it’s about to burst—only to implode.

I shift the car into drive, my foot on the brake to keep it from rolling.

~Decide, Asher. What the hell are you going to do?~

I glance over my shoulder to check my blind spot, ready to leave and never return, but the damn folder catches my eye, forcing me to put the car back in park. I pick it up, flipping it open to the destined page.

A young redhead with beautiful green eyes and a melancholy expression.

~Think about the girls, Asher.~

I startle as the passenger door swings open. My hand flies to my chest as my eyes land on none other than Maddison.

“Go, don’t you dare come in there,” she whispers urgently.

“What now?” I ask.

She doesn’t answer, instead rushing across the street. I watch her greet another girl, probably arriving for her shift, or whatever they call their work. And I see her smile—the same smile from her profile picture.

She seems content enough. Not terrified, battered, and bruised like I imagined.

Maybe I’ve got this all wrong, perhaps…

No, no, no.

“This isn’t you, Asher!”

Screw it…