Billionaire's Bounty Cost Of Love And Revenge novel Chapter 83

Luca’s POV

The housekeeper was waiting for me at the door as soon as I stepped into the house. The worry in her eyes sent a wave of panic through me. “Where is he? Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“He asked me to tell everyone who called that he was out of town,” she explained, her voice trembling.

I followed closely as she led me toward Asher’s room.

“I really thought it wasn’t anything serious. The lady of the house was away, and I assumed he just needed some time to himself. That’s why I left him alone.” She let out a heavy sigh. “But with each passing day, I grew more worried. He wouldn’t eat his meals…”

We reached his bedroom door, and I grabbed the handle before she could stop me. It was locked.

“He hasn’t come out of that room in days,” she said, fishing through the large keyring hooked on her waist. “And lately, it’s been suspiciously quiet. No sounds from inside…” she trailed off, shaking her head.

The unspoken implication terrified me.

I let out an exasperated sigh, massaging my temples. Janine hadn’t given me much to go on. She’d called me thousands of feet in the air to tell me Asher had messed up again. Ivy needed someone, so they were jetting off on vacation.

I barely had time to process what had happened. My girlfriend was away for weeks, and I couldn’t even complain to my best friend because I hadn’t told him I was dating his sister.

Meanwhile, that same best friend was in a complete mess and impossible to locate. His office said he had urgent business to attend to. His houses had

the same excuse. His phones were unreachable. The whole situation had thrown me into a momentary panic attack.

“I found the spare key!” the housekeeper announced excitedly, turning the lock.

It was barely a minute, but it felt much longer. My heart thundered in my chest. As soon as the door opened, my eyes widened in panic at the sight of Asher sprawled across the floor. I rushed to him.

“Asher!” I yelled, my voice echoing through the house. I glanced at the terrified housekeeper. “Call an ambulance!” I barked.

She turned to leave, but before she was out the door, Asher stirred.

“What… what ambulance?” he muttered faintly.

I was already at his side, scanning his body for signs of injury or distress. There was no blood, thankfully, but he looked almost unrecognizable. His skin was pale, his eyes sunken, and dark circles etched the area around them.

Those once–vivid eyes now seemed hollow, peering up at me from beneath his unruly, overgrown hair. His lips were dry and colorless, and his frame had thinned alarmingly.

Asher may not have slit his wrists or pulled a trigger, but he was killing himself–slowly.

I turned to the housekeeper, who stood silently in the doorway, tears streaming down her face.

“Get the ambulance,” I said firmly. “Asher needs trea-”

“Don’t,” he interrupted, his voice weak. He raised a trembling hand. “Don’t call an ambulance. I don’t need one.”

“So what am I supposed to do when you look like a resurrected corpse, huh?” I snapped, my voice rising. “Just let you sit here and w

away?”

My tone was harsher than I intended, but the fear gripped me like a vice. In all the years I’d known Asher, I had never seen him like this.

1/3

10:32 Wed, 2 Jul G

Chapter 83

He lifted his head slightly. “I wasn’t trying to wither away…”

I rolled my eyes. “So what did you think was going to happen, Asher? You lock yourself up, starve yourself, and-“I sniffed the air and grimaced as the sharp stench of alcohol hit me. How had I missed it before?“and drown yourself in booze? What did you think the outcome would be?”

texhaled heavily, raking my fingers through my hair in an attempt to steady my breathing. when he was in this state,

As much as I was angry, I couldn’t let it consume me–not

“You need help, Asher. Help only medical professionals can provide,” I said, my voice softer but firm. I looked him over again, taking in the damage. My breath hitched. Just moments ago, I had thought he was dead.

“If the balance wheels me away from my house, everyone would be thrown into hysterics. I can already see the headlines when they dig into all of this. They’d have a field day, and do you know who suffers the most blowback?”

I didn’t reply.

He chuckled dryly. “It won’t be that betraying skank. No, it won’t be me either.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m the country’s beloved, after all.” He made it sound like a curse. “They’ll trip over themselves trying to find excuses for me, for what I’ve done. It’s her who suffers the most,” he whispered, his gaze distant. “It’s Ivy who suffers. My innocent flower. I-” His voice broke.

I let out a heavy sigh and looked over my shoulder. “Get him something to eat. A protein bar, a nice bowl of soup. Run a bath afterward,” Finstructed.

The housekeeper nodded and scurried off, leaving us alone.

Asher scoffed. “What are you, my mother?”

I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I picked up the empty whiskey bottles littering the floor. The sight made my chest tighten -three unopened bottles gone in just a week. “I’m not your mother. I’m your friend, and I’m worried about you.”

He sniffled. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m f—”

“Stop being such a child and let me help you!” I barked, cutting him off.

His brows shot up, but he stayed silent. I continued tidying up, putting away the chaos that surrounded him. I opened the windows, letting in much- needed fresh air, and worked quietly, lost in thought, until he broke the silence.

“It’s been a week, Luca. A week since she left with Janine.”

I paused, staring out the window with my hands buried in my pockets.

“I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures…”

I had. There were new ones every day. I’d kept up with her posts, trying to piece together where she was and what had happened before the housekeeper’s frantic call. There were photos and videos with a man she called Dex, some featuring Janine, too.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify