Dangerously Beautiful Scars

14. "Will you go on a date with me?"

EARLY UPDATE CAUSE ITS MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

As Eva visited the hospital, she was shocked to see someone else beside Felicity's bed.

"Who might this be?" she asked as she entered the room, her eyes widening even further when she recognized Neron standing there.

**EVANGELINE'S POV**

As soon as I reached the room, Felicity jumped on me, hugging me tightly. But what surprised me the most was that I found myself hugging her back without any hesitation.

"Missed me?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Yes!" she responded, excitement evident in her voice. I glanced over at Neron, puzzled.

"You two know each other?" I asked, genuinely shocked.

"Yes, Neron is my best friend," she said, smiling widely.

"Yeah, we met a few months ago," he added, patting her head affectionately.

I was about to say something when the nurse entered for a check-up. As the nurse worked, I couldn't help but notice the closeness between Felicity and Neron. For some reason, their interaction made me jealous. Whether I was jealous of Neron or of Felicity, I wasn't sure, but one thing I knew was that I was incredibly jealous. It put me in a foul mood for the rest of the day.

"I'm home," I shouted as I walked in, tossing my phone onto the sofa before collapsing onto it, knocking a pillow to the floor with a heavy sigh. I had thought about it the entire ride back and reached a conclusion.

I'm screwed. Royally.

"What's got my baby sister all depressed?" Xavier teased, ruffling my hair.

"Fuck off," I retorted, flipping him the finger.

"Austin, our sister needs some medicine!" Xavier shouted, and soon enough, the whole family was in the living room, surrounding me as I lay face-down on the sofa, my hair a mess thanks to Xavier.

"What happened?"

"Eva, you okay?"

"Finally, the big bad boss has lost her mind," I heard the playful comments around me.

What a loving family I have.

"Do you need a check-up?" Austin asked. Shouldn't he be at the hospital right now? Whatever.

"I need therapy," I mumbled into the pillow, which was now somewhat under my face, but who cares?

"I told you she's finally gone mad," Xander said, sounding completely uninterested in his sister's plight.

Well, me too, brother, me too.

"What happened, baby?" Mom asked, gently making me sit up like a human being, removing the hair from my face.

"I think I'm sick... up here," I said, pointing to my head.

"You bet," Xander snickered, earning a smack on the head from Dad.

Ha-ha, take that.

"So, do you want to talk about it?" Dad asked, his tone serious. I shook my head.

"I need to think about it first, then come to a conclusion," I mumbled to myself, heading to my room and leaving them all confused.

Well, I'll think about it tomorrow. First, I need a long shower. By long, I mean a really long shower.

The moment I stepped out of the shower, I wanted to crawl back into the comfort of the warm water, but I knew I had work to do.

As I worked on the Lotus assassination list, I noticed a few well-trained women who stood out. These ladies deserve a promotion.

"I'm going out," I announced as I made my way out of the room.

"Where?" Gelo asked, emerging from Xavier's room.

"The headquarters. I have some work to do," I replied, fixing my hair into a ponytail.

"Get home soon. Mom's making spaghetti for dinner," he said as I shouted back an "Okay!" and left the house.

When I reached the headquarters, I went straight to the office and called in the four girls and five boys who had stood out the most in their applications. Soon, all of them were standing before me with the same blank expressions we were trained to have.

"The nine of you are going to India in three days," I announced, watching their shocked reactions.

"But, ma'am, that's..." one of them began to protest.

"I know. I've spoken to the head of the Indian branch, and they will provide you with accommodation and everything you need. You'll be there for three months," I explained.

"What's our mission, ma'am?" a girl asked.

"You'll get all the details when you arrive from the underboss of the Indian mafia. Now, go pack," I instructed, watching as they nodded and left, muttering to themselves.

I had planned to give them a vacation, but knowing they would refuse, I let it be a surprise.

Once the work was finished, I could finally head home. On my way back, I saw Neron by the side of the road, buying hotdogs. I pulled up beside him.

"Wanna ride?" I asked, startling him.

"Hi! I was on my way to the hospital," he said in a low voice.

"Hop on, I'll take you there. I was planning to visit her too," I said. He nodded, taking the hotdogs with him as he got on.

As we reached the hospital, and were about to enter, Neron said something I never could have imagined.

"Will you go on a date with me?"

Hillstate mansion (third person POV)

Back at the Hillstate mansion, the tension was palpable.

"Where is he?" he asked the maid in a cold, demanding tone.

"H-he hasn't l-left the r-room, sir," she stammered as he made his way upstairs.

He entered the room, flipping on the lights. "Why do you always sit in darkness?" he asked, his voice laced with frustration.

Ashley remained silent, his gaze fixed on the window, deliberately ignoring him.

He sighed, trying to break the silence. "You know, I appreciate that you haven't tried to run away, even though I did not tie you up."

"It's been a whole year since I last stepped outside this mansion. Besides, I know you have guards ready to drag me back, even if I just step into the garden," Ashley replied, his voice tinged with bitterness.

"What do you want me to do, huh?" he snapped, grabbing Ashley's face in a sudden burst of anger, making Ashley flinch.

"I'm sorry," Ashley quickly apologized, not wanting to provoke him further.

"No, don't apologize," he said, his tone softening. "Now that I think about it, you've really stayed put for a whole year." He smirked, a hint of something dark behind his eyes. "Do you want to go out?"

Ashley looked at him in surprise. "You'd really let me out if I wanted to go?" he asked, a flicker of hope in his voice.

"You want to go out that badly, huh?" he asked, his voice turning cold, the anger beneath it unmistakable.

Realizing his mistake, Ashley quickly backpedaled. "I'm sorry. I won't leave."

"No, I'm the one who's sorry. I know I've been wrong. Let's do this." His sudden shift in tone caught Ashley off guard. In the two years he'd known him, he had never once apologized, but lately, something had changed—he had become almost... compassionate.

"What?" Ashley asked, unsure of what to make of this.

"Today, I'll take you out. Don't think I'm letting you go. Let's just take a stroll down the street," he said gruffly, leaving Ashley to wonder what had brought about this unexpected offer.

so what do we think of 'him'?

and what do we think of the date?
will it happen?