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I’d dropped Ashley off, and once I returned to my penthouse, I had given in and called to see how she was doing.
I got nothing.
The truth was, I shouldn’t be calling Caleb. I shouldn’t even care what Ashley was doing. I’d made my decision clear. She and I were over. I’d gotten what I wanted, and there was no going back.
Only, staying away from her was proving to be difficult. This wasn’t a decision I’d taken lightly. I hadn’t wanted to get rid of her. Ashley was mine. I still fucking saw her as mine, and one day, she’d be mine again, but until I sorted out the fucked-up problem that was my life, I couldn’t risk her.
People would kill her to spite me. I was the enemy, not her, but she was an easy target. A weakness of mine. One I had to keep protected at all costs.
By severing ties, any connection people had made for her meaning something to me was severed.
“She can’t leave the country,” I said. There was no way I’d be able to fucking survive with her in another country.
I’d lost count of the number of times I’d tried to get to her, only to stop myself when I was so close. I was doing this to protect her. Not because I wanted to.
My apartment was fucking lonely. My bed even more unwelcome. I slept in my office or a hotel room. Women made attempts to come on to me, and I took them back to my hotel room. Not to do anything with. I paid them to shut up. They stayed for an hour, and then I kicked them out.
Whores liked to embellish the truth. They got paid for their silence. I helped to create the image of Ashley meaning nothing to me. The women were nothing. Even having them in my apartment or my office felt like a fucking betrayal. If my grandfather could see me now. He’d consider me a disgrace to him, to men. Women were nothing more than ornaments or toys. To be used and put back until you needed them again.
They were a product. A commodity.
And right now, I was fucking falling apart because the one I wanted now wished to leave the country. To start a life elsewhere, and it was all my fault.
“Hello, Earl? Are you even listening?”
“Shut the fuck up, Caleb.”
The line went dead. The bastard had hung up on me.
Running a hand down my face, I dialed his number and waited for it to ring. It went to voicemail.
“You piece of vile fucking shit.” I called again. If he didn’t answer, I was going to make him pay. I’d drive down there and tear out his balls. I’d make him pay in every single way possible.
Rage rushed to the surface.
I was tired of people getting in my way.
Just as I was about to hang up myself, Caleb answered.
“Now, do you want to use nice words?”
“Listen here, don’t test me.”
“Don’t start.”
“You want to play this game? Hang up on me again, and I’ll make the call that can guarantee Emily’s life is in the fucking balance.” It was a low blow. I could do it. I had the power.
“You wouldn’t do that to Ashley.”
“I think it’s safe to say I will do anything for my woman. Think of what you did to get Emily back. You sold her to me without fucking blinking. No wonder my woman wants to be far away from you. She doesn’t trust any of you.”
“I’m not going to stop Ashley from leaving.”
Damn it. Deep down, I knew he couldn’t stop Ashley. My woman wanted a clean break. From the video I heard, she’d never said the words to me, but in some way, she loved me. Ashley fucking loved me. What she didn’t know was she owned me. All of me, she had me in the palm of her hand. The moment I cleared this shit up, I was coming to get her.
I wasn’t going to be held back.
I loved her so fucking much, and being apart from her, well, the beast within me boiled with a rage unlike anything I’d ever felt. I had to wonder if I should feel sorry for my enemies. The moment I finally got the chance to let loose, they were all going to suffer.
“Everything she wants is hers. I’m paying for it. Guards are to be with her at all times, but she’s not going to know about it. I want to know when she leaves and where she’s going. I’ll have men stationed at each point. Money is all hers. If she needs a job.”
“Earl, you don’t have to tell me any of this. We’ll take care of it. She’s one of ours.”
“No, she’s not yours. She will never be yours. You sold that right to me.”
