I am the Queen

Storming out from the hallway, Asher burst into the main area where the party was held, still holding Satele's hand.

Narrowing his eyes, he gazed in the direction of that now empty table. He shifted his head left and right in a hurry, searching for Evangeline only to see unfamiliar faces. Even he couldn't find the shadow of his brother.

He let go of Satele's hand and fished his phone inside his pocket. He was about to call Evangeline only to see that she left him a message.

[I'll be going ahead. Don't look for me]

He checked his surroundings, and when he didn't find Eric anywhere, he had a rough idea of what happened.

". . ."

Satele peeked at Asher when the air around him turned tense and stifling. She shivered when she saw those piercingly intimidating eyes constricted into a dot, and under the dim lights, the shadows only made his ruthless countenance even more menacing.

It was a first that she saw him like this, and she unconsciously shrunk, wanting to make her presence more minuscule as she slowly crept away from him.

The moment she took a single step back, Asher grabbed her wrist, and with a gloomy voice which made her hair stood on end, he said, "Come with me and keep me company."

----

Alvaro was driving Maxine back to her hotel at the dead of the night, feeling a little exhausted and worn out. It had been days since he had last fallen asleep on time, and the late nights of staying awake were catching up to him.

He stepped on the gas to feel the rush of adrenaline to keep him awake. And since the road was near empty anyway, he might as well take the advantage.

Beside him, Maxine was helpless and disappointed that what little time she had with Alvaro was reduced to half as they sped towards her hotel.

It didn't even take fifteen minutes before they arrived inside the hotel's parking lot.

Alvaro was still a bit groggy from lack of sleep and didn't notice that Maxine had no intention of going out from his car.

". . ."

". . ."

In the end, it was Maxine who couldn't take the silence any longer and asked, "Do you want to come up first and have some coffee before you go? It'll help you in staying awake."

"No need," Álvaro answered in an instant, which left Maxine a little lost in what to say next.

Starring at him, her eyes softened and glazed. Her face was a little flushed while her voice turned pleading.

"Won't you accompany me for a little while?"

Alvaro's calm eyes turned alert. Peering at Maxine, he knew what she wanted. He was somewhat startled since this was the first time that she hinted this kind of intimacy. She was always prim and proper, pure and innocent, ever the conservative one whenever she was around him.

If it were another woman with this kind of beauty, especially with that pure and innocent face, he wouldn't waste another second and fuck her inside his car. Tainting that pure image of hers until she was a hot sticky mess begging for more.

But this was Maxine Celestine, the precious granddaughter of his grandfather's close friend.

If his grandfather knew that he fucked his precious friend's granddaughter, he would skin him alive and rub salt on his bloody flesh –– no doubt about it.

He puffed a laughed as he said gently yet sternly, "Go upstairs and take a rest. I won't disturb you anymore."

". . ."

Maxine's smile was awkward as she pinched her arm. "A-Alright . . . good night then."

"Mmnn . . ."

The moment Maxine walked out from his car, Alvaro waved at her goodbye, and the sound of the roaring engine zoomed towards the main road.

The color of Maxine's eyes dimmed while her lovely face turned darker by the second. It wasn't a secret to her that Alvaro and Evangeline stayed at the same condo.

Placing her thumb on her lips, she chewed on her nail, thinking about something.

----

On a side note, as everyone was busy with their thoughts and happenings, Jen was still racking her brains out, searching for Asher from all the toilets the venue had. But she still couldn't find where Asher had gone.

She was about to go insane. She wanted to weep due to frustrations while her heels were killing her, running here and there.

Asher where are you . . . ?

----

Meanwhile, at a bar not far away from the venue, Asher was drowning in shots after shots of tequila while Satele was lamenting on how did things turned out like this.

Not only that, her mind was preoccupied with the thought if she could still receive any payment after that blunder, which was not her fault at all. Those women pushed her, but she was the one who got scolded while her pay got deducted. And now that she was here, accompanying this man against her will while her fellow staffs were cleaning the clutters . . . I guess I have to say goodbye to my pay.

At the thought, she stole a shot of tequila from Asher's hand and drank it in one shot. Her face contorted in bitterness while her throat burned, causing her eyes to water.

"Ah . . . My money . . . all that work and in the end . . . I won't receive any pay . . . What shitty luck . . ."

Asher's eardrums pricked at Satele's constant prattling, and he finally snapped in irritation.

"What?! What are you complaining about? I'll goddamn pay your whole night!"

Satele couldn't retort back for a moment, and she shot him a glare. She needed the money, and she wasn't willing to go home empty-handed after she labored the whole day. She must at least get something out of this situation, or she couldn't sleep out of frustration.

She claimed and asked shamelessly, "Give me five thousand. That's my pay for the whole day as a staff there. I won't even ask for the time I wasted on you tonight."

Asher sneered. Still, he picked his phone, and a few minutes later, Satele felt her phone vibrated. When she checked, her eyes darkened while indecent thoughts invaded her mind when she saw Asher deposited fifty thousand instead of five. She hissed, voice low and venomous, "What do you think you're doing sending me fifty thousand? I won't sleep with you even if you pay me a hundred."

Glancing at her, the corner of Asher's eyes held scorn while he snorted. "What are you talking about? If I wanted to sleep with women, I don't need to pay 'em. They willingly offer themselves on my bed even if I don't ask."

He then winked at her, causing Satele to be at a loss for words, feeling the temperature went up to forty degrees. So hot!

She didn't know if it was from embarrassment or the handsome man that she found herself totally red and burning while her throat ached for cold freezing water. She lowered her gaze as she coughed, pretending to be annoyed as she barked out, "I don't need your forty-five thousand. Five is enough." Though she didn't make any effort to return the extra money.

Asher snorted in disdain. He then gulped another shot before saying, "Stop pretending and accept it. Consider it as payment for your time accompanying me."

He sized her up and down and smirked. His gloomy and foul mood somewhat turned better when he saw her puffing red face. She was fierce as a tiger and adorable like a cub!

"Don't worry. I'm not the kind of guy who forces women. It is always the women who force themselves to me. And besides, you're far too inexperience for my taste. Once is enough for us, little girl."

Satele's ears burned crimson while her pinkish face turned even fiercer and flustered. Eyes glossy with anger, her nose perked a snuffle. "Y-You! You perverted asshole!"

Asher grinned when he saw that she was a little tipsy yet was still growling like a kitten. He didn't know why he was amused at teasing her. Maybe because it was that adorable face she was making. Face which was flushed, looking aggrieved. Eyes which were glazy as if about to cry yet still retained its fierceness. Perky nose gradually turning red as if she had eaten something spicy. And those adorable pouty lips which were so moist and soft –– agh . . . so tempting!

Many women were sporting that kind of face, but he didn't know why he particularly likes the one she was making. Maybe because he knew she was not faking it?

His thoughts were disturbed when she spoke.

"Why me anyway? I'm sure, like what you said, others are dying for your attention."

Asher pretended he heard nothing as he drunk another shot. He remained silent since he didn't have any words to defend himself.

Should he say, he likes her company, specifically likes the face she was making –– under his dead body! His brain would automatically delete anything with a like before it could even come out from his mouth in disguised ridicule.

Then, should he lie and say he had enough of those kinds of women and needed a change of scenery? That sounded so pretentious, and he could already hear the cracking sound of his pride –– so no.

While Asher had internal chaos, expertly masking it with nonchalance, Satele was not accustomed to him being passive and tried to break the silence.

"I don't know you also have times where you feel troubled."

Not looking at her, Asher replied coolly, "I can't?"

"No. It's just . . . not like you."

Looking at her, he grinned. "Then what am I like?"

"An arrogant playboy who only knows how to enjoy himself," Satele said without a second thought.

Asher burst out laughing while he patted Satele's head, which made the latter glare at him before she swatted his hand away.

"Well, this arrogant playboy certainly enjoyed fucking you that night."

Heat crept from Satele's toes up to the top of her forehead like she would burst out at any moment. Satele was so red while her face didn't know what expression to make, which made Asher burst out laughing even more.

"You hooligan!"

Satele hit Asher's arm, voice quivering and eyes shifting left and right, checking if someone heard him.

To her relief, they were in a private area where the only people were them.

"Can you not make careless remarks out in public?"

Asher grinned. The matter with Evangeline was pushed behind his mind as he asked in a playful tone, "What's wrong, sweetheart? Embarrassed?"

Glaring at him, Satele didn't retort while she lowered her head. She was getting dizzy from a shot of that glass, and the effect was starting to kick in, making her somewhat unable to think.

Asher didn't bother Satele anymore when she quieted down. Looking at the shot glass in his hand, his face darkened. The memory of Evangeline, together with Eric, was resurfacing inside his mind once more.

He didn't know how to describe his emotions. He was about to die from frustrations and disappointments while he also wanted to kill Eric from anger. It felt like he was the one who labored day in and out for two years to plow the fields until harvest sprouts, and yet, some stranger stole all his food –– leaving nothing behind even the roots.

Sighing, he swigged another shot. He was about to order one more when his right arm felt heavy. Glancing to his right, he found Satele sleeping against his hand. Red was the color of her face, lips swollen and moist.

Without thinking, he gulped when his throat felt like something was rubbing sandpaper against it.

He removed his eyes from her face only to regret his decision when his gaze traveled to her neck down to her modest breasts, which were unnoticeable because of her staff's uniform.

He shook his head when the image of her sultry appearance, while he was on top of her, kept replaying in his mind.

He gulped another shot before calling it a night.

"Hey, wake up," he said, poking her on the cheek while she groaned in protest without even opening her eyes, remaining dead asleep.

Asher rolled his eyes and sighed. This woman is nothing but trouble!

His patience was wearing thin as he, too, was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. He pulled her and gently flung her over his shoulder before walking out of the bar.