After Death, Love Unveiled

Chapter 28

Jefferson had just barely dodgeil a real disaster, almost getting hand smashed, while Asher didn't get off so easy-he'd ended up with some fresh bruises.

Those debt collectors weren't playing games. They made it clear they wanted their money, and soon.

Thinking back on his days with the Kensington family, Asher couldn't help but realize life had never been this grim.

Back then, Jefferson had a decent paycheck coming in, and Elars would occasionally throw in some cash.

Sure, Jefferson always took a cut, but he never bled Asher dry. Asher, being a bit of a spender, had usually already blown through a chunk of his own cash anyway, so he wasn't handing over everything to Jefferson, Now, though, his life was an absolute mess compared to those days. Still, the last thing he wanted was to get wrapped up with Elara again.

If he kept listening to Jefferson and scamming her for money, he'd just be turning into another version of the asshole.

Elara's gaze softened as she looked at Asher, her voice gentle. "You know, I really do care about you."

"Huh?" Asher blinked, caught off guard, and turned to meet her eyes.

Elara's lips curled into a playful smirk. "Yeah, I care, I care about how miserable you are. Seeing you down makes me feel

better."

Asher was dumbfounded for a second. Her tone was so sweet, but the words were enough to make him both laugh and want to bang his head against the wall.

Elara kept going. "Next time your dad decides to knock you around, give me a call. Ill come by and give him a round of applause for a job well done."

Asher's face darkened. Annoyed, he pulled out a book, trying to block her out. But he couldn't stop himself from muttering. "You really think Lysander's gonna make you happy?

The guy's loaded, sure, but why would someone like him be into someone as clueless as you? He's definitely up to something"

Elara's expression turned sharp. She shot back, "Whatever's going on between me and him is none of your damn business. But look at you-beat up and pitiful. And where's your girlfriend, huh? Oh right, looks like she's ghosting you. Poor thing."

was busy scribbling notes. Normally, Daphne would've been the first to rush over to Asher's side,

'She's just been

was right there yesterday when your dad showed up and kept her distance. Asher, do you really think both of us are

steering clear of drama. Even though Asher had a lot going for him, she clearly

were going smoothly, mostly thanks to the quiet support from the Kensington family. With their help, Asher had everything he needed-even managing

never

Chapter 28

Just like she said after class, Daphne was nowhere to be found. It was like

her face. "Asher, what the hell

knew Asher was the golden boy-getting into a fight was the last thing anyone expected from

shrugged, trying to play it off. "Nah,

cops, or do you need us

need for

over Asher with such intensity that she couldn't help but ask, "So, what's

Elara. "Daphne? She's been swamped with some speech she's working on for

got their shit worked out. Trust me, Daphne's the first one to freak out when Asher gets hurt. She treats him like a king, and they're even planning to apply

Don't even think about it-you're not getting in, no matter how rich your folks are. SAT

few feet away, was getting

keep things quiet, but now Lizzie had gone and aired out

school was buzzing about her and

no intention of getting caught up in that

what Asher would think. She was scared they'd start calling her a

Asher, curiosity lighting up her eyes. "So, where are you thinking of applying for college?" She remembered the image of Asher and Daphne walking

more intrigued by his decision to aim for Brookfield, especially since he was passing up top-tier schools like Queensun University. Part of her couldn't help but wonder if his choice had anything to do with her. Asher raised

laughed lightly. "Just curious. I figured it'd be interesting to see where everyone ends up. I mean, wouldn't it be cool if we all ended up at the same college? We already know each other. And besides, it'd be

Daphne? Yeah, you've been doing better lately, but you're not even cracking the top ten in our class. You seriously think you can apply to the same university as

2/1