Chapter 2After We Were Gone, the Twins Lost Their Minds

I turned toward the voice, and my eyes widened.

Asher was standing there, lips pressed tightly together, his gaze dark and fixed on me.

Beside him was Cora.

The sales assistant hesitated, and before Lydia could say a word, I spoke up first: “Lydia was eyeing that bracelet first. Even if you want it, Miss Blake, you should wait until she decides not to buy it.”

A sharp glare landed on me.

Asher’s.

He walked up, his towering presence full of pressure, handed his card to the sales assistant, and said with chilling calm, “Charge it. Wrap the bracelet up.”

I watched, helpless, as Asher handed the bracelet to Cora.

Not a single word to me the entire time.

Even after he left, I was frozen in place.

“Still thinking of staying here?”

“Asher doesn’t seem that different from Damien,” Lydia said, a bit of amusement in her voice.

I forced a smile. Guess that’s why they’re twins.

That night, Asher didn’t come back.

Just as I was drifting off, my phone buzzed.

It was a video message from Lydia.

In the video, Cora sat between the twins, Damien holding a fruit platter, Asher a glass of juice. She looked like a princess flanked by her two knights.

I knew what Lydia was implying: she wanted me to leave with her.

I’d been hesitating, but that scene at the mall solidified my decision.

I tried summoning The Link, but it didn’t respond.

The door creaked open. Asher was back.

Still in the same black suit from earlier, his sharp gaze was fixed on me.

“Are you mad?”

He sat on the bed beside me, the cologne stronger than it had been last night.

I shook my head, calmly replying, “No.”

Asher scoffed, “Not mad at all? Should I call you overly tolerant, Nixie?”

His expression didn’t change, but I could feel his irritation.

Normally, by now, I’d have soothed him with a few soft words.

But this time, I just looked at him silently.

Asher’s face darkened; he yanked his tie off, sighing in frustration.

“Cora’s my sister. I promised I’d always look after her. I can’t break that promise.”

I nodded in understanding.

Without crying or throwing a fit, I sat there silently as his frown deepened.

“Nora, are you throwing a tantrum?”

I swear I wasn’t.

Suddenly, he grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes.

The moment our gazes locked, my breath hitched.

His look was cold, deadly.

He was genuinely angry.

His grip was fierce, painful.

I tried pulling away, but his hold only tightened.

“Nora, you can throw a fit, but don’t go too far. It’s unattractive.”

I hadn’t gone too far.

I gripped his wrist, annoyed, “Asher, let go. I’m not mad.”

He released me after a moment, caressing my face with that obsessive intensity.

“Nixie, you’re not going back. You only have me to rely on, so don’t push your luck, understand?”

“If you’re upset, say it. Don’t hold it in—it’s bad for you.”

“As for Cora, you don’t need to worry about her. You’re the only one I’ll ever have at my side.”

The tenderness in his tone sent a shiver through me, a chill spreading up my spine.

When Asher was angry, his silence was the most frightening.

He kissed my forehead, nose, then my lips, his touch gentle, while his hands grew more demanding.

I felt like I was on a roller coaster, high one moment, plummeting the next.

Barely able to keep up, I clung to his wrist, my vision blurring.

“Asher, I’m sorry. Not so hard.”