Chapter 26

Kai

"W hat the fuck are you doing here?" I growled at Soren as the prick fixed his position before swinging his racket in the air and striking a perfect serve.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked, pulling another tennis ball out of his shorts. Bouncing the ball a few times, he tossed it in the air before striking it, slicing the air in half with his smooth swing. Only then did he turn to look at me, his smug face taking pleasure in the moment. "Practicing my serve, of course. And I'm so glad you could join me, Kai."

"Join you?" I hissed, my jaw twitching with rage. "They told the restaurant that some billionaire was interested in hiring us to cater his party. We were asked to meet them here to discuss the details, so the owner sent me. Now I see it was all a scam." I looked around the empty tennis court, which was part of a private club. Clearly, Soren had set it all up just to drag me here.

"Well, I am a billionaire and indeed looking for a caterer for a rather big party I'm hosting. But my assistant probably made a foolish mistake contacting your little restaurant. As if I'd ever hire someone like you." He couldn't have sounded more full of himself. "But oh well, let's look at the bright side. Shall we?" Pulling out another racket from his bag, he offered it to me.

"I don't know how to play tennis." I flashed him a fake smile while pushing the racket away from my face.

Bouncing the racket in his hand, he chuckled. "Well, that's an unfortunate lie." He held my stare. "Because my sources told me you were quite the player, and here I was, getting my hopes up to have a proper match."

I was a damn good player, and not by choice. My stupid father forced me to play. It was just one out of many other things he pushed me to do while trying to shape me into being more like him.

"Fine." I snatched the racket from his grip. "Ten-points tiebreaker," I said, not intending to stick around for a full game.

Soren smirked, his eyes checking me out slowly. "Don't you want to change into something more comfortable? I have some of Ashton's shorts in my car. Last time we finished a game, he couldn't keep them on, if you know what I mean." He grinned. "I bet I could also find a shirt."

His words rubbed me the wrong way, but choosing to ignore him, I walked to the other side of the court. "I'd beat your ass just fine wearing whatever."

Once again, Soren let out that low chuckle that dared me not to punch him in the face.

"You can serve first," he said, hitting two balls my way.

He probably hoped to hit me with one of them, but I caught both.

"I appreciate your generosity."

"Please, it's the least I could do."

"The least you could do is shut the fuck up."

"That's unnecessarily rude," he sneered, and fuckkkk .

I wanted to kill him.

"Would you be quiet? I'm trying to concentrate." I bounced the ball on the hard court.

"Please, take all the time you need. I heard you're rather slow."

Biting my lip hard, I shook my head and forced myself to focus on my serve instead of going over there and pounding his head open with the racket. With my foot pointing in the direction of the net, I fixed my grip on the handle, tossed the ball in the air, jumped, and swung my racket. Like a stretched spring, I released all my strength on the ball, hitting a perfect serve that started the game.

Without noticing, I got into it and fought harder than I should have to return each ball Soren hit my way. Sweat soaked my clothes, and the afternoon sun fried my brain as we played the ball back and forth until one game turned into four.

Now, in the fourth game, it was Soren's turn to serve. Having the advantage point, all he needed was to score this one to win the game.

Already familiar with his shots, I positioned myself further back to the baseline and bent my knees, ready to take his serve. The ball went up at the same time he swung his racket back and—

"Out," I yelled after his serve missed the line by a mere inch.

"That was clearly inside the lines!" he shouted back, already walking toward the net with his racket pointed at me.

"Bullshit. It was a clear out, you dipshit ." I also began walking until we were in each other's faces with only the net separating us.

"Of course you're going to start calling me names instead of sticking to actual facts, such as this serve being a perfect ace."

"Calling you names?" I snorted. "What are you, five?"

He frowned. "Excuse me for having proper English. And besides, it doesn't matter. What matters is your inability to lose with dignity. Therefore, you're lying in an attempt to steal the win."

"Steal the win?" I challenged him, enjoying the rage forming on his face.

"Yes. Just like you stole that kiss."

I didn't see that coming, but knowing he was still bothered by Ash's and my kiss felt pretty sweet to me, and the anger I felt thus far shifted into satisfaction.

"You're really bothered by it, aren't you?" I poked the tip of his cap and nudged it off his big head. "By the way, you missed a button." I pointed at his perfectly buttoned polo, knowing it would probably annoy the shit out of him. And it did, telling by his pissed expression. Thanks to Mel, I knew about his ODD or CDD or whatever the fuck it was called. Point was, he was a fucking weirdo. Honestly, if it were anyone else, I would have had some empathy for their mental health, but it was him, so fuck it. The guy was a freak.

Soren checked his shirt, then ground his teeth together before he shook his head.

"Aren't you a pain," he laughed to himself. "Just like a bone stuck in your throat." He looked back at me, a smile on his face. "It really is a shame you didn't end up dead in some ditch with a needle in your arm."

My eyes went wide, and I gaped at him. "Did you actually just say that?"

"Did I stutter?"

The son of a bitch just admitted to my fucking face he wished I was dead? What the fuck was up with this dude.

"You're fucking crazy," I hissed at his face while gripping my racket harder, feeling my knuckles going numb.

"Am I?"

"Just wait until I tell Ash about that little trick you pulled the other day. I bet he'll dump your ass the minute he hears about it." I was still not over seeing those two fuck, and as embarrassing as it might be to tell Ash about it, he needed to know he was dating a psycho.

Not wanting to stick around Soren for another minute, I turned to walk when his words made me pause.

"You didn't ask what party I'm hosting."

Confused, I turned around to face him, my brows narrowed. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I told you earlier that I'm hosting a rather big party. Aren't you interested in knowing what the celebration is for?"

My heart seemed to stop as my blood turned cold. By the smile on his face, I knew I wouldn't like the next words to come out of his poisonous mouth.

"Oh my, look how pale you've gotten." He huffed and cocked his head to the side, his cruel eyes looking down on me. "Relax, Kai. It's not a wedding. Yet ," he sneered, then picked his hat back from the ground. "It's a farewell party."

I stepped forward. "What?"

Tucking his racket under his arm, Soren cleaned the dust from his hat before putting it back on. "Ashton and I are moving to NYC. I thought you might want to know."

Ain't no fucking way.

"You're joking, right?" I shook my head. "I just told you I'll tell him everything." There was no doubt that once Ash heard how Soren played with him, he'd get rid of him.

"Is that a threat?" he asked, sounding unfazed.

I had a bad feeling about going on with this conversation, but I couldn't leave it as it was. This man needed to understand he had no place in our life.

"Because if it is, it's rather weak. Don't you think?" He scrunched up his face, amusement written all over it. "How about this… You open your mouth and spit one word in Ashton's direction, and I'll make sure to end you."

I huffed. "Yeah, sure, man. Whatever—"

"You have a son, don't you?" he cut in, his words straddling me before he went on. "You also have a failed marriage, and while you don't care for that girl, you do for the child, don't you?"

As I remained quiet, he spun his racket in his hand before he began tracing the strings with his fingers. "How would you feel if you lost all access to him?"

My blood boiled at his threats, and the world began closing in on me. "Y-You can't do that," I hissed through my rage and was horrified when I saw the glint behind his wicked eyes.

"I have a recording of you assaulting me with your fists and also evidence of you breaking into my house and peeking at me and my partner engaging in sexual activities. I have more than enough evidence to have you arrested and convicted for crimes you couldn't even begin to imagine. Which, naturally, would get sweet little Paris out of your unqualified arms in the blink of an eye."

Unable to respond, I kept standing there with my feet nailed to the ground. At least, that's how it felt because I couldn't move a single muscle. But as Soren began walking away, an idea popped into my head.

"Let's play another game," I shouted at him, my voice scraping my sore throat. "If you win, I'll stay out of your life. But if I win, you'll break up with him."

Soren stopped from walking and held my stare, his face serious. I swallowed hard, ready for his answer, when he suddenly burst into hysterical laughter. And as he continued rolling with laughter, my shame grew bigger, turning into a stone in the pit of my stomach.

"My God, aren't you a funny one," he said once he calmed down, wiping off tears from the corner of his eyes. "What do you think this is? Some cheap romantic drama?"

Each word was another stab into my already bleeding ego, making me feel as small as an ant.

"You're a child if you truly believe I'd bet over what is already mine." He put his racket back inside his bag and then picked it up. "Now then, I must go," he said while checking his watch before glancing at me over his shoulder. "Let's hope you're wise enough to listen." With that, he walked away and left me alone with an unbearable ultimatum.

Ash versus Paris.

A choice I didn't ever imagine I'd ever have to make.

I spotted Mel's car parked in front of the house once I reached home. Exhausted after today, I killed my bike's engine and rolled off it with a heavy grunt. Soren's words haunted me like demons, leaving me utterly lost.

After he left me on that damn tennis court, it was the first time in a long while I craved a drink or a good high, and only for the sake of silencing my problems, even just for a little bit. But instead of driving off to the nearest bar, I went to see Paris. The second he saw me and that beautiful smile of his popped on his face, I remembered why I got sober to begin with and promised myself to stay strong.

Now, a few hours later, I still felt like shit, but at least I'd accepted reality and understood my place. Running up the steps leading to the house, all I could think about was the hot shower I'd take.

But before that, I stopped at the kitchen to greet Mel and Aiden. Sure, I wasn't in the mood, but I didn't want to be rude.

"Hey, guys," I said, only they didn't answer and instead looked like they'd just seen a ghost.

Eventually, Mel glanced up from where she was sitting by the dining table and gave me a barely there smile, as if only to acknowledge me, before looking away.

My nerves kicked in.

"What's going on?" I asked Aiden, who pushed away from the wall he leaned against and came to stand closer.

"Ash was here earlier, letting us know he's moving away."

Even though Soren had already told me they were moving, my heart still clenched just now. Hearing it coming from Aiden was a harsh confirmation of what I already knew.

"Moving away? That vile man is stealing him away!" Mel hissed from where she was sitting, her voice cracking at the end as she swallowed a sob.

Aiden's jaw tensed at the sound of her weak cry, and he sighed.

"They're moving to New York. Ash was here earlier to invite us to a party they're hosting next week."

Not knowing what to say because I felt dead inside, I shrugged. "That sucks…"

Aiden placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed me tight.

"You see, after Ash left, Mel and I sat down to talk, and we thought that maybe you could speak to him?" While talking, Aiden looked me straight in the eyes. He seemed so hopeful, and it hurt because I knew it was in vain.

"Ash cares about you, and I saw how you got close again in those few days he spent here. I mean, it was the first time since he moved in with Soren that he stuck around for so long. It must mean something, right?"

It was rather surprising hearing him speak so much as Aiden was normally a man of few words, but the longer he talked, the harder it was for me to stand and listen because although Soren had placed me in the middle of a dilemma, there wasn't really a question.

"Ash is a big kid, Aiden," I said with a heavy heart while avoiding both of their eyes. "He can make his own decisions."

"Kai." Mel said my name while getting up. "I know you still care for him, and just like Aiden, I also think Ash still cares for you. So talk to him, please. For us."

Guilt tightened my chest, and I fought hard to resist it. Sealing my lips together, I unwillingly shook my head. "I'm really sorry, guys." I want to talk to him, too . "But I can't do it." Not staying to watch the disappointment on their faces, I turned around and walked up to my room. Slumping back on my bed, I covered my face with my palms and squeezed my eyes shut.

One way or another, I'd have to find a way to get over Ash Sage, or I was afraid it would drag me down. Again .