REGINA'S P.O.V

"Work"

Of course, how could I think otherwise. He didn't call me to have a chat or to reminisce about that 'one' good time that we shared in the past. When I think about the words "good" and "past" at the same time, that memory always pops up in my mind. He was a part of the good memories from the times when I loved life.

"What kind of work?" I asked him. I noticed that we had come far, in an unfamiliar neighborhood. It was silent and the roads were constricted here. It alarmed me.

"I've to get something from my business partner. It wasn't expected so I had no one trustworthy available to complete the task." He paused for a moment and then continued, "I believe you can do it for me."

"Why don't you do it yourself then?" I questioned him. It was a reasonable question on my part. Why bother calling me if it was so simple of a task. I was suspicious, my gut was telling me to refuse, "I don't think I'm doing it."

As soon as I had said that, I saw his jaw clench and his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"What?" I asked, taking his reaction to my refusal into account.

"I don't want to be seen associating with his workers. You are unknown to them, its better this way." He said and shot a warning look at me. Why was I intimidated? He didn't own me.

"What will I get out of this?" I asked.

"What do you want? Money"? He asked back, amused.

"No, I'll think about it later. I'll do it if you swear to not refuse anything I ask for later on." I said and he nodded.

I really had no idea what to ask for. I was craving some cinnamon rolls and if I kept thinking about it, I was afraid I would ask for them so I decided to delay my demand to some other time. I can ask him to promote me back, but I needed time to think about it.

He took a turn onto another quiet road and parked on the curb. He reached into the back seat and procured a black briefcase. It was small, the kind you see in the movies in which they deliver shit loads of money in.

"You'll walk down the street, take a left and there'll be a small Chinese kiosk. It might be closed. You'll go to the guy and ask him for Ruby." He said handing the briefcase to me, "Hand this briefcase only when they have given you a red bag."

As much as I felt uneasy by all of this business, I nodded and held on to the briefcase. Asher's face expressions were business-like and his formidable aura had surpassed any confidence of mine that would make me question him. I exited the car and walked along the street. The air was cold and I shivered. I looked up and it seemed like it was about to rain. I had to hurry up, lest it would start raining. I was not looking for another sick episode.

I turned the corner and saw a lone food stall lit up in the middle of the street. I walked up to it and saw a man sitting in a chair beside the stall. He looked me up and down, and stood up when his eyes landed on the briefcase in my hand.

"I want Ruby." I said and he continued to look at me with a confused expression.

"Ruby." I said again, "Red?" I held the briefcase higher and he finally nodded.

"Wait." He said and went back inside. I looked around the place which would have looked normal if not the shady looking man who just went inside and shady looking briefcase that I held.

The man came back and I saw that he was holding a very small red bag, it was almost the size of a pouch.

"Give it to me." He said gesturing me to give up the briefcase. I shook my head, "No, you hand me the bag first." I held my hand out.

He rolled his eyes and extended the bag towards me slowly, gesturing me to do the same.

"Fair enough." I slowly extended the briefcase out. I was about to reach the bag when I felt cold metal touch the side of my neck. I stopped breathing.

I tilted my head slightly to glance at another man standing behind me. He had a gun held up against me and I was about to lose my shit.

"Hand it over." His voice was gruff and he didn't sound like he would hear a no. I cursed Asher in my mind. I was scared shitless and there was no way I was putting my life in danger for him. I nodded aggressively letting him know of my compliance. The feel of the metal against my skin had me moored to the ground. Just then, the man nudged me again with the gun, "Hurry the fuck up, puttana."

I handed the briefcase to the man in front of me and braced myself for an impact. I expected him to hurt me and run but it never came.

I opened my eyes but as soon as I did, I heard two sharp gunshots booming in the quiet street. The man in front of me was instantly on the floor, unconscious. I quickly turned around to see the other man lying behind me. A pool of blood girdled around his lifeless body. My eyes widened at the realization.

Someone had killed them. I frantically looked around to see the culprit but there was no one. I couldn't move from my place. My eyes landed on the red bag, still in his hands and I reached down to pick it up, trying my best to avoid looking at the guy's face. I picked the briefcase up too, in a trance. I finally moved back to run when I noticed a silhouette on the other side of the street. I only saw a dark shadow but I didn't miss the blonde hair that shone under the yellow street light. My breath hitched and I knew this was going to be the end of me. I took a few steps back and hid behind the stall.

When I tried looking back, the shadow was gone. That spiked my anxiety to the next level because this could exactly be the moment when he shows up behind me and shoots a bullet right into my skull. I instinctively brought my hand to my face and realized that it was wet with all the tears that I had shed in the meantime. I wiped them off and stood up. Without turning or looking anywhere, I took off in the opposite direction where, I supposed, Asher was waiting for me.

I hate him. I fucking hate his guts. There is no way I am staying anywhere near him.

I sprinted, my legs felt the burn but I was running frantically, clutching on to the briefcase and flimsy red bag that had almost cost me my life. I can't believe I was put into danger by Asher. I can't believe I trusted his business,

and him.

When I turned around the corner, I saw Asher leaning against the car, calmly. I refused to believe that he didn't know what had just happened. He was too calm for this.

When I finally reached the car, I quickly opened the door and sat inside. I was breathless and shaking. It felt like a bad dream and I wanted to wake up to my boring miserable life.

Asher sat in his seat and I heard the engine roaring back to life. It had no effect on me. I was still on the edge, just like I was when I was standing between two dead bodies.

In a few minutes, we were back on to the main road and that's when I heard him speak,

"Where is the red bag?"

I was enraged at his question. I wanted to punch the shit out of him, yet my hands held tight on to the briefcase.

"What red bag?" I asked back.

He glanced at me while speeding up the car, "The Ruby. I know they gave it to you."

"They didn't," I shot back, "and I don't have it. I only have this." I gestured towards the briefcase and continued to throw it in the back seat.

He shot me an unamused look and kept driving. None of us said anything until we reached the road to the mansion from where he had picked me up. The car stopped and I was about to open the door when I realized it was locked. I tried opening it again, giving him a warning look but he shot back an aggravated sigh.

"Where is it?" He asked again with his jaw clenched, emphasizing on each word.

I was gobsmacked at his audacity, "Let. me. go. and. leave. me. the. fuck. alone." I reciprocated his energy and emphasized my own words.

In an instant, I was pushed back against the car door. Asher's hand firmly held my jaw, "Stop fucking lying to me. I'm this close to killing you and whatever you have left of a family. Tell me where is it."

His fingers dug into my skin and I grimaced at the impact. He was deliberately digging his fingers in my bruises and it made me wince loudly.

"I don't have it." I said again and he gritted his teeth in annoyance, suppressing whatever he wanted to do with me. Instead of saying anything, he pulled back and looked down over the pockets of my hoodie. He checked them aggressively but they were empty. He held his temples, looking down for a moment and mumbled something under his breath that I didn't understand. I wanted to disappear. I was scared of what he might do to me.

"Get the fuck out of here." He boomed and I heard the sound of the doors unlocking. I wasted not a single moment before getting out and sprinting down the street outside the mansion gates. As much as I wanted to run off to a far away land, I had no other choice than to spend the night in.

I went straight up to my room and locked the door. I was shaking, my heart was about to burst and the fear was palpable. I stood in front of the full length mirror and noticed how pale I looked. The bruises stood out and I winced, remembering how Asher had his fingers dug into them.

He was about to get me killed and had threatened to kill me and my family. He was ruthless and had a heart of stone. Nothing could make me think otherwise.

I reached into the hem of my tights and into the side my panties, where I had stuffed the red bag in. I pulled the bag out and examined it.

Go fuck yourself, Asher.

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Hope you all are doing well.

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-Shanz