The morning after hearing the news, Gwen rushed to the hospital, her heart heavy with worry.
As she entered the room, the sight overwhelmed her—a sea of flowers filled the space, their bright colors at odds with Asher’s pale, battered body.
He had a few bruises on his face, but they did little to diminish his rugged handsomeness. At least he was awake, which was a small relief amidst the chaos.
The room was crowded with police officers offering their support, and among them was Penny, Asher’s wife.
Her disheveled appearance and tired eyes made it clear she hadn’t gotten much sleep. She stood by Asher’s side, her worry evident in every glance.
As the hours passed, the crowd gradually thinned. Seeing an opportunity, Gwen stepped forward.
"Why don’t you go home and get some rest, Penny? I’ll stay with Asher and watch over him," Gwen offered, her voice steady and reassuring.
Penny hesitated, glancing between Gwen and her husband. Finally, she nodded, exhaustion evident in her movements.
"I need to grab some clothes from home anyway. Thank you, Detective Gwen," she said with a faint smile.
Even in her fatigued state, Penny’s beauty shone through.
Her delicate, doll-like features reflected her Chinese ancestry, making her strikingly attractive.
Perhaps the only thing that set her apart from the women in Ross’s circle was her more modest figure—her C cup in contrast to their more voluptuous DDs.
"It’s my duty as his partner. Where else would I be but here?" Gwen replied firmly. "We’ll find who did this to him, Penny, and bring them to justice."
The words sounded strong, but Gwen felt the bitterness of her own lies. She knew exactly who had done this to Asher.
Worse, she knew she was powerless to bring them to justice. She couldn’t even protect herself, let alone Asher, who had now suffered irreparable harm.
As Penny left the room, she noticed two armed police officers stationed outside her husband’s door.
The sight gave her a small sense of security, though the weight of what had happened still loomed heavily over her.
Inside the room, Gwen sat by Asher’s side, her guilt and frustration building as she stared at her injured partner. The path forward seemed as uncertain as ever.
Finally, Gwen and Asher found themselves alone, the tension in the room pressing down like a heavy weight.
Gwen sat stiffly in the chair beside his hospital bed, her sharp eyes fixed on her partner. Discover stories at empire
Despite the bruises marring his face and the obvious toll of his injuries, Asher still managed to retain an air of rugged handsomeness, though the fury simmering beneath his expression was impossible to ignore.
"What really happened?" Gwen asked softly, her tone measured.
Asher had told everyone he went out in the middle of the night because he thought he had found a breakthrough on one of the cold cases they’d been working on.
Asher also said that he did not see who attacked him.
It sounded plausible enough to satisfy the officers crowding his hospital room, but Gwen wasn’t so easily fooled.
She recognized it for what it was: a blatant lie.
"I was ambushed," Asher said, his voice low and bitter. "A big guy wearing a demon mask came out of nowhere. He was strong, fast—too fast. I didn’t even have a chance to pull my gun. He knocked me down, and before I knew it…" His voice faltered, and his gaze flicked away, shame and anger etched across his face.
Gwen frowned. The story sounded almost surreal, even for her line of work.
A man in a demon mask?
It sounded more like a setup for a horror movie than a real-life attack. If Asher had claimed Ross was behind it, she might have believed him.
But Ross wasn’t built like the hulking attacker Asher was describing. But she knew that this big man was perhaps a man under the payroll of Ross.
Asher’s voice suddenly dropped, sharp and accusatory. "You set me up."
Gwen blinked, taken aback by the venom in his tone. "What are you talking about?"
"You set me up, Gwen," Asher snarled, his eyes narrowing. His usually composed demeanor was gone, replaced by a feral rage that twisted his handsome features.
"I don’t understand," Gwen said, genuinely confused.
"I texted you last night," Asher said through gritted teeth. "You told me to meet you. You said to come alone. And when I stepped outside, that bastard was waiting for me. I walked right into your trap."
Gwen’s confusion deepened, her brows furrowing. "What text? Asher, I didn’t get a message from you, and I definitely didn’t send you one. Let me see the messages."
Asher glared at her, his breath coming in ragged bursts. "Don’t play dumb," he spat. "I’ve got proof right here."
He grabbed his phone from the side table, his fingers trembling as he scrolled through his messages.
But as his eyes landed on the screen, his expression froze, shock replacing the anger that had consumed him moments ago.
"…What the…" Asher muttered, his voice trailing off into stunned silence.
Gwen waited for him to explain, but when he didn’t, she extended her hand.
"Let me see," she said firmly.
Asher hesitated, his face pale, before finally dropping the phone into her palm.
He leaned back against the bed, covering his face with his hands in a mixture of frustration, agony, and disbelief.
Gwen looked down at the screen, her eyes scanning the messages.
The thread appeared to be between her and Asher, but the number on her side was unknown. Her frown deepened as she read through the conversation.
Asher had sent a message the night before: "How about it, Detective Gwen? Be my slut for one night, and I’ll forget I ever heard you fucking a college student."
Her stomach churned at the crude blackmail, but the reply that followed was what truly sent a chill down her spine.
"Okay. Come pick me up at home. Park a block away from my house. See you there in 30 minutes. Don’t be late. This is the only chance I’ll give you."
The last message came minutes after Asher’s ambush:
"Cheer up, baby girl. It’s not too late to learn how to sway your hips and wear high heels. Hehehe." It was followed by a mocking emoji—a smug, taunting signature.
***
Huge shoutout and thanks to ddecoen for the gifts!
You are awesome! Thank you! ^_^