“So? Who was it?” Aaliyah asked as soon as Ashton parked the bike in the alley where they decided to meet up, and Ashton pressed his lips into a thin line.
“Calling me and changing places to fool the person was a good decision. Can you believe it? You almost booked a ticket to fly away from here. Seriously, can you be more careful next time? I almost had a heart attack, trying to drive the bike rashly like you. I was this close to losing my life when I screeched the tires near the cliff,” Ashton groaned before he motioned for her to sit, and Aaliyah looked at Ashton, anticipating his answer.
Why was he reacting like that? Was the person someone from that lecherous boss’s gang again? Why won’t they just leave the hell alone? Aaliyah clenched and unclenched her fists, and seeing her worrying, Ashton placed his hand on hers.
“It wasn’t your stalker,” Ashton comforted her.
“If he wasn’t my stalker, then who was it? Someone from the racing gang? Why are you acting like this?” Aaliyah asked, confused.
“It was Mr. Volkov. I pretended I was scared when he found out about me and told him not to speak about it. It doesn’t bother me if he does anyway, but I am sure if he had said a word about it to your mother, she would’ve packed your bags the first thing,” Ashton mused, and Aaliyah sighed.
“I am happy that you can joke about something like that,” She groaned before flailing her legs.
Would Mr. Volkov have really told her mother if he had found out it was her? She doesn’t think so.
‘I will do nothing that will harm or hurt you. I won’t tell your mother anything,’ Aaliyah remembered his words before sighing.
She has got to be stupid to be thinking about those things. Her mind and heart were starting to trust Mr. Volkov more than she should, and she didn’t like the idea. It was already getting worse with her fantasies for him.
“Hey, we got away with it, didn’t we? You just need to be careful next time. Since I helped you this time, don’t you think you should repay me a little?” Ashton, who had no idea of what was going on inside her head, looked at her hopefully as she gracefully wrapped her lips around the straw to drink her shake.
“What kind of repayment?” She looked at him warily, and he laughed at her obvious thoughts.
“Geez. Can you make it any less obvious? Don’t worry. I am not asking you to go clubbing and dance for me again. I am going to the Coastal ring. Please come with me,” Ashton looked at her with puppy dog eyes.
“Do I look stupid to you? Ashton, there is no way I will bet on that illegal ring. Most of the games there are fixed, and they decide by seeing who has the most money so they could be benefited. Besides, what if we get caught? Other gangs visit that ring all the time. It was okay if your father was near the area, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to go alone. And don’t you think we have done enough illegal things for a month?” Aaliyah shook her head, and Ashton pleaded with his eyes.
“Please, Aaliyah. Look, I helped you so much today. Can’t you do a little favor for me? You don’t need to bet. I will do the betting,” Ashton pouted, making Aaliyah roll her eyes.
“Nope. No chance. I will not fall for your tricks. Go make this pout somewhere it might work,”
“I promise if you come with me and a spot is empty, I will let you fight.” Ashton resorted to his last trick, and this time his words made her pause as she gazed up with a small smile.
“Now that’s something we can discuss,” She grinned, and Ashton grinned back, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the restaurant.
“Let’s go before you change your mind,” Ashton talked to the restaurant owner to take care of her bike.
“Let’s do it, babe,” he yelled with a big smile, and Aaliyah giggled at his excitement, sitting behind him on his bike.
“I will come and get you later,” She said goodbye to her death beauty before patting Ashton’s shoulders in a signal to start.
“You know, you are the first girl I have seen who gets this much thrill just from the thought of fighting some street fighter,” Ashton led her inside.
“What can I say? I get it from my father,” Aaliyah winked at him, making him smile at her lovingly.
“Your ID -” The bouncer couldn’t complete his words when someone from behind him stopped him.
“He is the owner’s son,” The manager said before bowing and leaving, and Ashton nodded at him.
“Are you and your girlfriend looking for a quiet booth to enjoy the fighting?” The ring manager asked, and Ashton smiled at his choice of words.
“No. On the contrary, I want to ask you if there are any empty spots in the fighting arena. She wants to fight,” Ashton asked, and the manager raised his brows, looking Aaliyah up and down.
“Don’t judge the book by its cover,” Aaliyah commented, and the manager who got caught stealing glances at her widened his eyes before focusing on Ashton.
“There is indeed an empty spot, but I am afraid it’s against Conar,” The manager pressed his lips into a thin line, and Ashton looked at Aaliyah, who shrugged.
“I am not here to win any fight. I just want to feel the adrenaline rush and move my muscles,” She spoke casually as if she wasn’t someone who was learning combat for so many years.
“Well, if that’s the case, I don’t think you should fight against him or anyone in the ring. Everyone here is a trained professional, and let’s not get your pretty face and body dented,” the manager said most respectfully, and Ashton turned to pacify Aaliyah when he saw she was getting annoyed now.
“Aaliyah, I think he is right. Let’s just watch the match today, and you can -”
“You promised,” Aaliyah crossed her arms around her chest.
“Sir, both the leaders are already here. I have sent Shanaya and Monica to tend to them and keep them entertained. I think you should be there too,” A waiter said to the manager, who was standing at some distance, and he nodded before gazing to the first floor where the leaders and members of both gangs were sitting, making Aaliyah sigh.
As she had guessed, different gangs always visit this ring. Seriously, if she got into any kind of trouble, she will beat Ashton for it.
“She will fight. Write up her name. Allow the betting on the game,” Ashton spoke in a cold tone when he saw her resolute face, and the ring manager wanted to interject, but knowing the boy in front of him was the owner’s son, he didn’t say anything. The manager himself was shaking his head at him. If everyone wants to let the girl fight, who is he to interject?
Besides, it might be some easy money for the ring, no? He might actually get a good commission out of it.
If they want to lose the money, what does it have to do with him? Just rich dads and their brat kids things. The ring manager shook his head before leaving the two near the second booth with the perfect view.
“Why did you ask him for the betting? There will hardly be anyone who will bet on me. Besides, it’s Conar. He is not the best fighter here, but that guy has some muscles. Do you want to lose money?” Aaliyah rolled her eyes, and Ashton scoffed.
“Who said no one will bet on you? I will. As a matter of fact, I am going to bet all my savings on you. So you better make your daddy proud,” Ashton grinned cheekily, and she raised her brows at his insinuation.
“Creep,”
“Only for you,” he smirked.
“Come on. You know you like me,” Ashton chuckled before placing his hand on her shoulder, making her smile.
“So? Who was the student that had you rushing like that?” Dimitri asked Volkov while wriggling his brows as he casually gazed at the girls, who were pouring them drinks with a bored look, already suspecting the answer.
“It’s funny how you guys don’t support my decision of taking this job but have to know every single detail about it,” Volkov quirked his brows.
“How can we not? You are our friend,” Dimitri shot back.
“It was Ashton. One of my students,” Volkov sighed, glaring at the woman who accidentally touched his cufflinks.
“Get lost,” Volkov said without looking at her, and since all the girls here knew these were the top-tier gang members, she didn’t hesitate before rushing away, her life more precious to her than seducing the boss.
“And I guess you were disappointed because it wasn’t a girl that you had thought it was,” Bryce chimed in, and Volkov swirled the wine in his glass before smirking at Bryce.
“And how would you know that?” Volkov’s eyes looked dangerously dark brown in the dim lights. Bryce was familiar with his tactics and knew not to say anything to provoke him when he was annoyed till this point.
“Mr. Bryce, Mr. Troy, Mr. -” The leader of the other gang paused, looking at Volkov with anticipation, but Volkov didn’t bother to introduce himself either.
“He is Dominic Volkov.” Bryce stood to shake his hands, followed by everyone.
“I am sorry. I don’t recognize you. Can I know your relationship with Mr. Benjamin or the gang?” The leader asked, just to confirm his doubt because of the same surname.
Dominic was sitting in the boss’s chair while Dimitri and Bryce, whom he knows as core members of the gang, were sitting in the subordinate seats. So it was clear he was someone important.
“No, you can’t,” Dominic said coldly, and Bryce and Dimitri widened their eyes at his attitude.
‘Damn it! His irritation for not meeting Aaliyah today is seeping through his facade,’ Dimitri clenched his jaw before smiling stiffly.
“What he meant to ask is, how can you not know? Aren’t you one of the top-tier gangs, or it’s just a facade? Dominic is the younger brother of Benjamin Volkov and will handle the gang matters here,” Dominic said politely, and the leader looked at Dominic, his powerful aura suppressing him.
He wasn’t a small leader. He came all the way to this position by witnessing several murders and the cruelty of the world, but he had never met someone with an aura as strong as Dominic had.
The man in front of him was casually swirling his wine as if he was bored, but from his body language, it was clear his eyes were constantly observing everything around him.
Any mediocre person would’ve mistaken him for being disrespectful and rude and left the area, but he knew that the man in front of him was barely doing anything.
It would’ve been suspicious if he hadn’t heard his name and relationship with Benjamin, but now that he knew, he was sure he didn’t judge this person wrong.
He has heard rumors about Benjamin’s younger brother being more ruthless when dealing with negative things than his brother or father. There was this one time when it was rumored that his younger brother, who knows nothing about medical science, actually opened a traitor’s body in the name of learning how to do operations.
As far as he knows, the younger brother doesn’t make his presence known to anyone. There were actually only a couple of people who had seen him. He was as mysterious as Vulcan.
Though his face was covered with his mask and hat, they did not make his presence known to the public.
So why was he here today?
Was this collaboration as crucial to them as it was to his gang? Does that mean this was his chance? The leader’s mind went around in circles.