You Had Me, You Lost Me, You'll Never Find Me novel Chapter 4

Ashton scoffed. "As if I haven't bought you every single one of those things."

Seeing that her excuses weren't working, Sylvia's hand trailed lower, boldly dipping past his belt buckle to seek out his heat.-

The lust in Ashton's eyes darkened, and his tone dropped to a dangerous octave. "What are you touching? Keep your hands to yourself."

He had held back earlier because she was in pain. Her reckless teasing was playing with fire.

"Let me help you," Sylvia purred in mock innocence, fully aware of his agonizing restraint. In the past, her heart would have ached for him. Now? Not a chance.

Ashton let her have her way. A long while later, a look of utter satisfaction smoothed his features. Yet, when Sylvia brought up the money again, he refused to budge. "My cash flow is tied up in business right now."

It was a blatantly cheap excuse.

Sylvia was so furious she could have cried. Swallowing down her bitter frustration, she climbed off his lap.

He didn't try to stop her. Lighting a fresh cigarette, he watched her tense back. "Where are you going?"

"The restroom."

Her hands were dirty.

-

Instead of using the private bathroom in the suite, she headed out into the main club.

The suite reeked of smoke and alcohol, and worse, she felt horribly nauseous.

But as she gripped the porcelain sink, nothing came up.

Instead, she caught an earful of gossip.

"What's the big event tonight? Why is Ashton going all out?"

"I heard he's throwing a welcome back party for a friend who just returned from abroad."

A tall woman fixing her lipstick chimed in. "Are you guys living under a rock? It's for Reina Winslet, his childhood sweetheart. Haven't you seen the news? The Wyatts and the Winslets are finalizing their marriage alliance."

"Some girls get all the luck," another sighed enviously. "Born into a billionaire dynasty, and engaged to the most gorgeous, powerful guy in the city. Why is life so unfair? Wait... do you think this club, The Reign, is named after Reina? Am I crazy?"

A sharp, inexplicable pain sliced through Sylvia's heart. A lump formed in her throat, and the air in the bathroom suddenly felt suffocating.

She had known about Ashton's nightclub for years, but she had never given its name a second thought.

Sylvia hadn't expected the cliché line. But looking at his pristine dress shirt and tailored trousers, he looked entirely out of place in a nightclub. His demeanor was polite and genuine; he wasn't just some sleazebag hitting on her.

"I'm an actress," she explained. "You might have seen me on television."

"Ah, that makes sense." The man nodded. After a brief pause, he added, "I actually own a production studio called Reign Media. We're currently casting for a new show. If you're interested, you should audition. Here's my card."

Sylvia was stunned to land an audition in the middle of a nightclub. Normally, she would have been highly suspicious, but the man radiated a comforting, respectable aura. Feeling inexplicably at ease with him, she reached out to take the business card.

Out of nowhere, a set of long, familiar fingers snatched the card away.

Ashton glanced at the card before carelessly shoving it into his pocket. He turned to the man, an arrogant brow arched, his posture oozing a dangerous, casual dominance.

"Reina was just looking for you. Aren't you going over?"

The man chuckled, unfazed. "I was just looking for her, too."

He gave Sylvia a polite nod. "Excuse me."

Having successfully dismissed the man, Ashton noticed Sylvia was still staring after him. Displeased by her lingering attention, he wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her against him. He lowered his dark eyes, his voice a low, lethal whisper.

"Didn't I just take care of you? And you're already out here flirting with someone else?"