Start of the training

Lily grappled her textbooks to her chest, she couldn't believe what had just happened.

"Lily," the excited call of Neo penetrated her thoughts.

"Did you get in?" Neo and Joan's expectant eyes bore holes through her thoughts.

She felt a little hesitant to reveal that she got in. It was good news, but it was their dream to go in together. She couldn't help but feel sad that her best friend Joan wasn't going to be there.

"I got in." she announced rather sadly.

Neo screeched, immediately pulling her in for a hug. Neo wasn't the typical alpha male, he openly embraced his feminine side and his friends loved him that way.

"Why do you look like that?" Joan contributed when Neo let Lily go.

"Like you're unhappy." she added, looking intently at Lily.

Lily fought hard to lift her face to meet Joan's query eyes. "We were supposed to do this together." she mumbled, fighting back tears as she spoke.

Joan immediately pulled her in, she could feel herself moved to tears as well. The real reason why Lily needed them both was because of the mistake she had made with Asher. She could still picture his spine-chilling smile when he told her she got in. It spelled pure evil, and the uncertainty of what he was going to do to her petrified her.

"You both are gonna make me cry." Neo chipped in, wrapping his arms around both ladies.

They were still in their embrace when Asher stepped out of the hall. He was done with interviewing students and was on his way out. He noticed Lily in the embrace of two other people. He also recognized that he interviewed all three of them but he wondered why they were engaging in a public show of emotions. He made his way towards them, his bulky escorts walking on each of his sides.

"Lily," he called when he was close enough to them.

The group of three immediately split up. When Lily turned around to realize who it was, she hastily dried her wet cheeks.

Asher wasn't moved by her tears. The last thing he did was care about why she was crying. "Your training starts by 6 am tomorrow morning." he mumbled assertively, both hands buried in his pocket.

Lily shot her friends a stare of confusion, as if making sure they were also hearing what she was hearing. They looked at her the same way before returning their gaze to Asher, who kept a straight face.

"Isn't 6 am a little too early Sir?" Neo said when he realized everyone was silent.

"Also, I'm part of the program too. It'll be a little challenging to get to you that early." he added, nodding his head in approval of his own words.

Lily looked at Asher, hoping that Neo's point made sense to him. Asher didn't glance at Neo for even a second. He chose to ignore Neo's audacity to speak when he wasn't spoken to.

Keeping his cold gaze on Lily, "I wasn't speaking to you," he said casually. "Lily, be at my address at 6 am tomorrow or you can consider this opportunity gone." he unapologetically smiled at her before turning to walk away.

He didn't feel a hint of pity for her or her friend that he spoke rudely to. He was Asher Blackwood, nobody scared him. If anything, he scared people. A feeling he had grown to enjoy.

Lily placed her head in her hands when Asher had walked a considerable amount of metres away from them. She knew it. This was only the beginning of the worst things that were yet to come. She was so angry, but what made her angrier was that she could do nothing about it. She was caught in between a rock and hard place, where her only option was to suffer or shy away like a coward.

"What a jerk." she heard Neo mumble.

"I can tell you that." Joan added immediately. "He told the panel he didn't like my face and that's why he rejected me."

"What?!" Neo exclaimed and Joan nodded with a disgusted look.

Lily was so engrossed in her own world, she didn't realize her friends were hating on her new boss. Her brain thought about a thousand ways she would embark on a one hour trip to his address and be there before 6 am.

"It's gonna be okay girl." Neo placed his hand on her shoulder causing her to lift her head up.

"Yeah," Joan's soft voice followed. "I know you got this." She gave Lily a reassuring smile, thanking her stars that she didn't have to work for the rude, insensitive man that Asher Blackwood was.

From the backseat window of his parked car, Asher could see the sorry face of Lily Grant. He almost felt sorry for her, but he wasn't a man of emotions. As a matter of fact, Asher rarely felt emotions other than anger, pride and accomplishment.

"Where to Sir?" his gaze was torn away from Lily and her friends by his chauffeur's voice.

"Polly Cemetery," he mumbled. "I have a few words to say to my mother." The last part was for himself. He didn't speak to anyone about his mother, not even the therapist his father forced him to go to when she died. She was sacred to him.

"Yes sir." the chauffeur responded, starting the ignition as he did so.

Asher settled into his seat, picking up his MacBook to look through the multiple business emails he received.

"Hey Asher?" Julian, his personal assistant in the front seat of his dark lexus, called his attention.

Asher looked up from what he was doing, hoping that what he was about to say was really important. "Yes?"

"Your dad has been trying to get to you lately." Julian mumbled with pity in his tone.

Asher cackled under his breath, shaking his head before returning to the screen before him. "Tell him I'm busy."

"Asher you've been saying that for years and…"

"I said, tell him I'm busy Julian." Asher's low tone carried a warning underneath.

"Sure." Julian whispered with a silent sigh.

No one could understand why Asher hated his father so much and no one dared to ask. Asher was a closed book with a brick wall built around it. Any one who dared to come close to the wall would get arrows fired right through their chest.