I Borrowed Money From My Bullies Before Faking My Death Chapter 10

Darkness.

Asher’s faint, cool scent surrounded me.

Outside, the elevator doors slid open.

Delilah called out, “Silas.”

Silas’s voice. Cold. Low. “The race is over?”

Knox nodded. “Yeah. I lost.”

Silas, casual. “What was the prize?”

Delilah jumped in, voice laced with practiced timidity. “Silas, they bet a girl. Asher just took her away. She won’t get off easy… You wouldn’t ever use me as a bet, would you?”

A whole performance of fragile innocence.

Silas didn’t answer.

Long pause. Then, flat. “Asher? Who did he take?”

“That thief from last night.”

…

Beside me in the dark, Asher leaned close. Warm breath brushed my ear.

“Josie. Liar and thief. How should I punish you?”

The voices outside continued.

Silas’s tone was calm. “Since it’s over, let’s go eat.”

A bunch of Delilah’s friends were there. She asked softly, “Are you covering everyone?”

Silas nodded.

The rest of them erupted.

The crowd filtered out. The third floor went quiet.

Knox flipped on the exhibit hall lights.

I was wrapped in Asher’s arms. He had a strand of my hair between his fingers. His fingertips were trembling.

The sudden brightness made me squeeze my eyes shut.

Asher’s palm instinctively covered them.

Knox’s lips barely moved. “Am I interrupting?”

Asher’s voice was dark. “Yes.”

This scene—a memory from seven years ago hit me like a flash.

Once in a storage room. Asher and me, just like this. Knox had caught us.

Except back then, Knox launched himself at Asher instantly. They’d brawled.

Not like now. This eerie, brittle peace.

My eyes adjusted to the light. I looked at Knox.

He was staring at us. His face went strangely blank.

My heart clenched.

Asher shifted, blocking me from view. “Alright. I’m taking her home.”

Knox’s gaze flickered. Something restless flashed in his eyes. “Whatever. You’re blind. Passing up a limited edition supercar for this.”

He didn’t remember.

As Asher’s smile deepened and he tugged me past Knox, Knox spoke again.

“You take her back. What about your fiancée?”

Asher’s smile thinned. “I’ll deal with it.”

I looked at Asher silently.

So handsome. And yet—engaged, but using another girl as a racing bet.

Classic arrogant, cold-blooded elite.

If I didn’t have this doomed side character task, I’d never go near him. Or I’d end up exactly like this—waiting for him to take his revenge.

The System’s voice rang in my head.

[Task two of the Bitter Gaze of the Doomed Side Character. Complete.]

I blinked.

The headache vanished. The despair evaporated.

Only one target left. Silas Whitmore.

A hundred-million-dollar payout, here I come.

I pulled my hand from Asher’s grip. Said, stone-faced, “You have a fiancée. I can’t go with you.”

Going with him would tank my Silas task. No question.

Whether I became a janitor at Silas’s company or went back with Knox, my odds of finishing this were way better than being dragged off by Asher.

Knox froze. His hand shot to his pocket. Pulled out car keys. Threw them at Asher. “Yours.”

Asher’s smile was gone. Face dark.

The standoff dragged on.

Finally, Asher looked at me with a soft smile.

“I’ll take care of it. Wait for me.”