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Asher looked down at his phone and saw Justin’s name flashing across the screen.
“Mr.
Salvador,” he answered with a cold tone.
Axel, who was seated nearby, furrowed his brows and stood up, leaning in to listen to the conversation.
“Mr.
Thompson, I’m looking for Anna.
I need to speak with her,” Justin’s voice came through, sounding unusually anxious.
“Anna is not available right now,” Asher responded flatly.
“Then when will she be free?” Justin pressed.
“For you, she’s never free,” Asher replied, his voice sharp.
Axel couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement and nodded to himself, thinking, Well said!
Justin on the other end of the line felt the sting of Asher’s words.
His face darkened.
“Since Anna changed her number, it’s clear that she doesn’t want you to contact her.
Even if your divorce isn’t finalized, if you still have a shred of decency as a man, you should stop harassing her.
Secondly, I’m already aware of what happened at the charity auction,” Asher continued, his tone unforgiving.
Justin’s pupils constricted.
He could feel his heart constricting, as though it were being crushed by invisible hands.
Axel, hearing the tension in Asher’s voice, couldn’t help but shiver.
He had seen this side of Asher before—the angelic calmness that could shift into a devilish coldness when his family was threatened.
And Anna, in his eyes, was family.
“About that.
.
.
” Justin stammered.
“I don’t know what your bottom line is, but you’ve crossed mine,” Asher cut him off sharply.
“Anna is my bottom line.
This is the last time I’ll answer your calls, Mr.
Salvador.
I’ll remind you once more: Keep your fiancée and your family away from Anna.
If this happens again, I won’t let you off so easily.
” With that, Asher hung up decisively, ending the call before Justin could respond.
Back in Tideview Manor, Justin stood frozen in front of the window, staring at the dark screen of his phone.
His grip tightened around it as an overwhelming sense of emptiness washed over him.
Asher had always been his connection to Anna, and now that was severed.
The reality hit him hard.
Could Anna truly disappear from his life for good? He was terrified of the possibility that he might never find her again.
An unbearable sadness crept into Justin’s heart.
Desperate for something to calm his nerves, he reached into his drawer and pulled out a cigarette case, noticing there were only two cigarettes left.
His hands trembled as he removed one, placing it between his lips with a shaky hand.
After a few failed attempts, he managed to light it.
The flickering light from the cigarette tip cast a dim glow in the room, but Justin could barely pay attention to it.
He realized how strange his behavior had become.
He had quit smoking five years ago, but now he was breaking his sobriety for a woman he no longer even loved—his ex-wife.
It was maddening.
Meanwhile, Bella was alone in the vast workshop of Meteor Atelier early the next morning.
Wearing a black apron, she moved between the piles of stones, her forehead glistening with sweat.
She opened hundreds of stones, carefully polishing each one to create bracelets.
Each of these bracelets was worth a small fortune, but to her, they held no value.
None of them compared to the bracelet Nigel had given her.
Bella’s eyes were red from exhaustion and frustration.
She bit her bottom lip, her delicate fingers roughened by the constant grinding, and the wound on her palm ached, but she paid it no mind.
She was obsessed with recreating the bracelet.
She couldn’t bear the thought of facing Nigel without it.
Suddenly, a loud rumble echoed through the warehouse, shaking the iron gates.
But Bella didn’t even look up from her work.
She was consumed by her task.
Then, the door flew open, and a gust of wind rushed in, causing Bella to squint.
A helicopter had landed outside the warehouse, and as the hatch slowly opened, a pair of long, strong legs appeared.
The man wearing a black windbreaker stepped out, his face illuminated in the dim light, radiating confidence and a smirk.
“Bella! I’m back!” he called out, his voice deep and filled with warmth.
Bella’s heart skipped a beat as she turned toward the door.
