My Absence Teaches Better Than My Love

The next morning, Asher woke up and immediately started looking for me. He couldn't find me anywhere, just the note I'd left.

"I'm getting dressed up. I'll head over later."

He believed it. With the clock ticking, he showered quickly and hurried to the birthday party.

The moment he arrived, his buddies closed in around him. Everyone was itching for drama, prodding him to play the videos.

With the crowd pressing in, Asher pulled out his phone. But when he opened his camera roll, his eyes hardened with conflict, and his face tightened with hesitation.

Everyone held their breath, bracing for a bombshell.

After a long minute, Asher let out a deep sigh and locked the screen. "Forget it. I'm not releasing the videos."

Gasps and groans broke out. Disbelief swept across the room.

"Wait, why?"

"Exactly. Weren't you planning to embarrass Rhea today? Don't tell me you were kidding."

"Asher, are you saving it for the big screen later?"

Asher shot them a dark look. "This is my call. I'm the one who decides whether I release them. Stay out of it."

That caught everyone off guard.

Someone picked up on it and asked, "Asher, you're not changing your mind, are you?"

Puzzled, another chimed in, "Don't tell me you're backing out just because you feel bad for her."

As everyone speculated, Asher snapped, "No. You're reading too much into it. I just don't think now's the right time."

Right then, Grace walked toward him. Everyone instinctively stepped aside.

She stared at him, her eyes bright with hope. "Asher, are you announcing our engagement today?"

He didn't answer. His expression hardened.

She pursed her lips and slipped her arm through his, still looking hopeful. "I'll wait. I trust you to do the right thing."

Asher lowered his gaze, his fingers tightening around the ring box.

Grace noticed it and gasped. "Is that the engagement ring you bought for me?"

He pulled his hand back. After a moment of hesitation, he brought it out again. "It's for Rhea."

She stared at him, stunned.

Realizing how that sounded, he explained hurriedly, "I'm proposing to her first. When she's thrilled, that's when I'll release the videos. The payback will hit harder."

Everyone understood immediately. Someone even gave him a thumbs-up. "Asher, you're brutal. Letting her get excited, then making her cry? That's psychological torture!"

Asher nodded, fully agreeing.

Right then, the party lights went out. The big screen lit up, and a video started playing.

Asher froze as he watched himself and Grace on the screen, planning how they'd get revenge on me. Then, clips of him and Grace acting all lovey-dovey flashed one after another.

It wasn't just his friends in the room. He'd packed the place with partners from Searle Group and Kline Group to get back at Mom and Dad. Now, they all saw who Asher really was.

"Turn it off!" Asher roared, unplugging the screen.

But the final clip, proof of his dirty business tactics, was already seared into everyone's minds. Gasps rippled through the crowd. His reputation in the industry was toast.

Grace panicked, lowering her head under the weight of their stares.

Voices rose all at once.

"This is… beyond unethical!"

"He plays dirty at work and in life! Who'd risk working with him? He'll sabotage you the second you look away!"

At that, Asher looked around at the guests, guilty and desperate to salvage his reputation. "Don't believe what you just saw! This is a misunderstanding."

But the skepticism on their faces made it clear that they didn't buy it.

He forced a smile and gestured at the extravagant setup, as if to prove how devoted he was to me. "This is the birthday party I'm throwing for Rhea. I invited everyone here to watch me propose to her.

"Those videos are just a misunderstanding. She's only joking around."

Offended, Grace snapped, "Asher, I'm the one you should be proposing to. This multimillion-dollar proposal is supposed to be for me!"

The guests looked on with mixed expressions, eager to see how this trainwreck would end.

Asher frowned. His face turned cold as he barked, "Stop making a scene!"

Grace shook her head, then raised her voice. "I'm not. Since everyone already knows, let's stop pretending. I'm the one you're supposed to marry. Our families have agreed."

Asher's expression tightened as he shut her down. "No. I'm proposing to Rhea today. I'm calling her now."

He tried to call me, but it didn't go through. After that, he texted me, but I didn't respond. As he grew anxious, panic crossed his face.

Just then, Asher's phone lit up with a text from me saying, "Asher, we're over!"

He froze, staring at the screen.

"When I realized that you were dating me just to get back at my parents, and your love was an act, I started to hate you and stopped feeling anything for you. I'm leaving.

"You won't get another chance to hurt me. Now, you can marry Grace without having to scheme so hard to kick me out of the picture anymore. Goodbye. You're never seeing me again!"

Asher's eyes went wide, his body trembling as if he'd taken a devastating hit. He kept calling me, refusing to lose hope, but the call never connected.

Finn came over, sounding exasperated as he said, "Don't bother looking for Rhea. I had someone look into it. She's already flown out, and she wiped her trail in this town. There's no way to reach her."

Asher stared, disbelief written plainly in his eyes. Then, he became hollow and stayed frozen, unsure of what to do.