I am the Queen

Came late evening. 

"I'll be there––"

"Fuck off!" Asher yelled and ended the call with Satele.

HMP!

How dare she canceled their date to the hospital for her ex. She could die for all he cares.

"Boss, it seemed like another fight broke out in one of our territories," D said.

"Fuck off! Those assholes can die for all I care. Can't you see that Eva takes priority?"

Asher glanced at the sleeping Evangeline and lowered his voice. "Tell those assholes that if they don't stop pestering me, I'll personally kill them myself."

"Bunch of idiots. Starting a fight that they can't finish," Asher murmured as he looked at his phone to see if Satele called again.

Hmp!

When he didn't see her name appear after ten minutes, he threw his phone on the ground.

"Fucking useless! D! Get me a new phone. This one is broken!"

". . . Yes. Yes." D was used to it whenever Satele and Asher fought. Asher's mood was worsening by the minute.

"This room is so crappy! D, order them to move my darling Eva to a private room."

"Boss, this is already the private room."

"Then get me the most private-private of all them!"

". . ."

"And this food. What the heck is this? Fire the chef!"

"Boss, its hospital food specifically made for her Highness Evangeline."

"Shut up! You expect me to feed this crap to my darling Eva? Fire that chef, right now!"

"We don't have that authority, though."

"Then I'll buy this damn hospital!"

". . ."

Riiinngg~!

"D! Get me my phone quick!" Asher's face lit up as D handed his phone to him.

He didn't even bother to know who called as he answered. "Fuck off!"

Feeling pleased with himself, Asher ended the call only to regret it not a second later when he saw it was his father. He hurried and called back.

"F-father . . . it's not what you think. I thought that––"

"Asher, come home this instant."

Asher paused at his father's grim tone. "What?"

"Your grandfather is in the hospital."

"What?!" Asher jumped from his seat. His grandfather? The Marcos Cole is in the hospital? That man is the freaking devil himself. The monarch of Coles. He was immortal!

"I can't come home. Evangeline is . . ." Asher stopped. He couldn't possibly announce that Evangeline is in the hospital. For sure . . . hell would rain in Burberry, and he would surely face punishment for his negligence.

"I should have forced my way and come with her," he grumbled instead.

Asher cleared his throat and made an excuse. "Evangeline has a cold right now and is not able to travel. So we'll wait for about three days at most. Anyway, it's not like the old man is in critical condition, right? And even he is, I doubt he will go down without a fight. That man is the king hell."

". . . *sigh. His condition is stable, and he just woken up. He asked for all his grandchildren to come."

". . . Is that serious?"

"Yes. So you better get your ass here as soon as Evangeline is okay."

". . ." That meant leaving Satele for how many days or even weeks. Asher sighed, "Fine." Though he was not fine.

"And if you see or hear from Alvaro. Tell him to come home. We can't reach him."

Asher paused, and his eyes widen. "Don't tell me he is missing?"

"No. He is just . . . taking some time off. . ."

"Oh . . ." Asher rubbed the back of his head rather forcefully. "Is that serious, huh?"

"Just hurry up and come back."

And the call ended. 

Asher looked at the phone in his hand and decided to throw it on the ground again but halted when it rang.

Didn't check the caller he answered, "Yeah?"

"What is Evangeline's room number? I'm already at the hospital."

"Fuck off!" Asher yelled and ended the call.

 However, he did text Satele the room number as he grumbled, "What does that woman want? It's too late to ask for sorry now. Even if you beg, I won't give a damn! What do you think of me?! Someone you can just see and leave?"

At the side, if Evangeline could move, Asher would already be on the floor with fingerprints on his face, left and right.

He was so loud it was hard to sleep!

"D!"

"Boss?"

"Make sure that the door isn't locked."

"Huh?"

"And how do I look? What about my face? Is it angry enough but handsome?"

"Agh . . ."

Before D could answer, there was a knock on the door. Asher brushed his hair with his hands and leaned on the sofa with legs crossing and arms folding.

Asher gave the signal, and D opened the door.

Satele entered and roamed her gaze. Evangeline was asleep, but she doubted she really was with the way her brows were knitting. D was just on the side pretending to be a statue. She already knew that D was the one who brought Asher to the auction house. Frankly, it wasn't a big deal anymore since it was years ago, and it was no point wasting time on things that already happened.

Satele went in front of Asher, who was ignoring her.

"How's Evangeline?" she asked. She still didn't know what Asher and Evangeline's relationship was. But based on their interaction, it was more like siblings rather than friends or lovers.

"Why do you care? And why are you here anyway? I thought that you'd gotten back with your ex?" Asher said, refusing to look at Satele.

Here we go. Satele thought. "I'm here because I want to check up on Evangeline. Though we are not close, I feel that it's my fault that she ends up like this. If I had just convinced her to turn back at that time, none of this would have happened."

Asher pouted. Evangeline pouted. This girl likes to own responsibility even it's not hers to take!

"Is that all? If so, you can leave now!" Asher said and ignored Satele altogether.

Satele sighed. "Look, I already said that I'm sorry that I canceled on you. But I'm here now, aren't I?"

"You've got some nerves showing in here with that innocent, adorable little face of yours just to tell me that?"

Are you scolding or complimenting her? D thought as he shook his head.

"Why are you so mad anyway? It's not like Aldrick and I had gotten back."

"You're asking me that?! When you and that asshole––!"

Asher paused, then his head whipped at Satele with a shocked face.

"You and that asshole are . . . not together?"

Satele wanted to roll her eyes and, at the same time, smile at Asher's silly face. It took everything for her not to laugh.

"No. He and I just cleared the past. That's all."

Asher's brows rose. "That's all?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You have no feelings for him anymore?"

"I wouldn't say no, but it's no longer love. More like of friendship."

Asher slumped on the sofa and once again crossed his arms. The space on his brows wrinkled, and the edge of his lips kicked up a disdain smile. "SO there are still feelings, huh."

Satele's lips pressed in one line. "What are you talking about? I said that it is more like a friendship. Just like Lilybella and me. You and D."

Asher's eyes turned to slit. "Just how many people do you have feelings for? And you even like girls? Lilybella? That crazy? Really?"

Satele gave up and turned toward the ceiling. "You're impossible!"

Yes. The both of you are hopeless and couldn't be saved. So you get out of here before I call the psychiatric ward. Evangeline thought at the side.

----

Chapter 23

Frizkiel, Rozienheim mansion

Love was an emotion that couldn't be controlled, one that overwhelms logic and common sense. That what it was like for Rozarria. She didn't plan on falling in love with Álvaro, and she was sure as hell that he didn't plan to fall in love with her.

But when they met, none of them could control what was happening. They fell in love under unusual circumstances, and once they did, something beautiful was created.

As she looked at Alvaro in front of her, she was once again reminded of that feeling. A feeling that she would always cherish and protect.

There was an astray between them, an untouched bottle of whisky beside it. Thin smoke rose from the cigar in his hand. He was not grinning like he used to, and she knew that something was wrong.

"What is it?" Rozarria asked after a whole five minutes that there was just silence between them.

Smoking in front of her, something was really wrong.

Alvaro dragged another smoke before he distinguished his cigarette in the ashtray. His toes wouldn't stop tapping the floor, and he needed something to distract himself.

But he still needed to say it. "What would you do if I tell you to wait for me?"

Rozarria was confused before realization dawned on her. "You can't break off your engagement."

When Alvaro didn't answer, she stood on her feet. "Then this conversation is over."

"Wait!" Alvaro grabbed Rozarria's hand. He never felt this panic in his entire life. "Just listen to me for a second. Okay?"

When Rozarria didn't answer, Alvaro continued, "Grandfather didn't want to break off the engagement, and for me to become the next head of the family, I needed both grandfather and the Celestine's support. If I don't, the whole Cole could be in shambles. My relatives are power-hungry and so many-eyed my position."

"So what are you trying to say exactly?" Rozarria asked, voice turning colder like her heart.

"I just . . ." Alvaro sighed. For the first-ever in his life, he didn't know how to speak his thoughts. "I just wanted you to wait for me to become the official head of the family. Wait for until . . . grandfather dies."

"So what you're saying is . . . you want me to be your mistress until you can divorce your wife. Is that it?"

". . ." Alvaro didn't want, for the life of him, say it. But he couldn't put it in any other words. No matter how he sugar-coated his words, in the end, Rozarria was right. Mistress was still the term.

"Yes."

". . ."

". . ."

"Let go," Rozarria murmured.

"What?" Bile was rising in Alvaro's throat as his stomach churned in the most twisted way.

"I said, let go!" Rozarria screamed and whisked her hand from Alvaro's hold.

"Who cares about the Cole's?!" Rozarria screamed, "Who cares about your family?! Just look at me!"

Shock was an understatement at what Alvaro was feeling right now. He never saw Rozarria so angry. He never even heard her raise her voice until now.

"You are shocked, aren't you?" Rozarria said, voice lowering and face downcast.

She was smiling, but her smile sent a chill in Alvaro's spine. And not many could do that to him. Especially not from a woman.

"But that's who I am . . . The real Rozarria is selfish, egoistic, doesn't care about others nor care about their misfortune."

". . ."

Alvaro couldn't move even when Rozarria was about to leave the room.

"That is the true nature of the woman you fell in love with. If you're okay with that, then right here, right now . . . grab onto me."

. . .

. . .

Seconds stretched into eternity, and when Álvaro still didn't move, Rozarria went out of the room with head high. No tears were shed. No words were stated. They were over, as simple as that.

She refused to shed a single tear. She refused to . . . it was the only thing that could save what pride she had left. Even though the room was spinning before her eyes, her heart was tearing apart, she wouldn't show any weakness before a man who didn't choose her.

What was pain and heartbreak? She overcame it before, and there was no way that she couldn't now.