REIGN (A REVERSE HAREM)

9. Asher

"You killed your father." I look in shock as Roman sits at his desk.

"He touched Arabella." He replies calmly.

"Like touched or touched touched-"

"She was pinned to the floor and his dick was out, Asher. He would have raped her if i didn't get there in time." He sighs. "She won't speak to me."

"No shit." I cannot believe he even came remotely close to letting that happen. His fathers a known rapist, especially among young brunette girls, all of his children were the product of rape.

I knew something was up whenever i walked in and Arabella had only made one plate of food instead of the usual twenty. She sat at the table and barely ate, i watched her. She didn't make a snarky remark or a bitchy comment, she just sat, silent with her eyes heavy and head down.

Then, when i seen Roman and he actually looked for her, asked where she was and if she was okay. I knew something was bad.

There was a small knock on the door, "Come in." Roman shouts.

Arabella walks in, sleeves pulled over her hands, her body fully covered in clothes. She even had socks on which is weird enough, she's barefoot almost all the time.

"Umm.." She looks at me, "Can i stay in your room tonight?"

"You can stay with me." Roman says.

She ignores him, like he isn't even there, and keeps looking at me. "Yeah, the blankets heated, just flip the switch." I smile.

She gives me a false smile back and walks away, closing the door after her.

"She hates me." Roman says.

"She was about to be a victim of something traumatic, because of your father, i'd be pretty pissed at you too." I shake my head.

"You know this means Regno will come after me now." The mention to the family gang in Italy comes as a surprise to me, the second Roman left, they hadn't been registered with them since.

Roman is rogue.

Roman is close to a psycopath. And i would have labelled him one before he met Arabella, he seems to show human emotions to her and that's the only thing that doesn't fit the psycopath spectrum.

Romans a charmer, a manipulator. He's so intelligent it's frightening sometimes. He never felt things, he doesn't care who he has to hurt to get what he wants. The lack of empathy shows strongly there. He's extremely impulsive, and has committed more crimes at twenty-three then Luca and I have combined, both being three years older than him.

He met Arabella and the emotions aspect of that changed, because old Roman would kill both Arabella and the father, but Roman only rid of Riccardo, the father.

He's changing for the better, or maybe the worst, if Arabella continues to get under his skin and well... now ignore him, he will flip, and i'd be scared for the day that happened.

"No one's able to bring you down, Reign. Don't let your family start now." I stand up.

He looks at me, "She likes being held."

"You won't kill me for it?"

He shrugs dismissively, "I'd rather have her comfortable."

I'm underestimating Romans capability of emotions right now. Wow.

"Just tell her the wedding is going as planned a week earlier. She needs to be bound to me before somebody else tries and takes her away." He stands up.

I raise an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"My brothers were here to try and snatch her. I assume more will be coming because she's a year older then the age and still hasn't a ring on her finger or a child in her."

Understandable. Traditional Regno way.

I walk out of the room, down the hall into my room. She was snuggled in my blankets, an animated movie on TV. "Roman told me to tell you that the wedding is going to held a week earlier for safety measures."

Her eyes flick to me, "Can you tell Roman i want a pink dress?"

I smile, she hasn't changed too much. "Course, do you need anything?"

"Cuddles." She blinks slowly.

"I will after i let Roman know your request."

She looks back at the TV and i had back to Romans office, "She told me to tell you she wants a pink dress."

I could have swore i seen a smile tug at his lips before he turned around to finish placing a file in his cabinet, "I'll bring the pink dresses round tomorrow."

I decided to help move him up her nice list, "Get cake testing too."

"I will. Go back to her, Ash." He turns around, his face straight again.

I nod, walking back to my room. I get in beside Arabella, "When will Luca be home?" She asks, curling up to my chest.

"Weekend." I hesitantly put my arm around her, "He's bringing you back a gift."

Her lips curl into a smile on my neck, "What does your tattoo mean?"

"It says strength in Chinese." I look at fucking barbie on the TV.

"Are you half Chinese?" She asks.

"I am. My mom was a gangsters daughter in China, my dad a leader in Italy. When they met they formed an alliance between the two countries."

"Do you go back to China?"

"Yeah, my little sister lives there." I smile, Ashley didn't want to leave China and go to Italy. So she stays with mom in China, dad goes back to work in Italy and then goes back to them.

"How old is she?"

"Seven." Twenty year age gap. "Her names Ashley."

"Who named you?" She seems interested into getting to know about my past, i wish Roman would have opened up to her about his.

"My grandma did, on my dads side, she had a garden full of Ash trees and always told papa to name us something to do with them. I got Asher, Ashley got Ashley."

"I like your name."

"I like yours too, Arabella isn't common."

"Can you promise to stay the whole night?" She looks up at me through tired eyes.

"Promise." I rub her waist.

She rests her head back in the crook of my neck, i feel her eyelashes flutter over my skin while i watch fucking barbie and then she lays still. I changed the show into something more suitable for a twenty-seven year old man.

I turn off the TV when i get tired. I make sure not to wake her as i shuffle down the bed and scoot my arm over her waist. She makes a small groan, drapes her leg over my hip and grips onto my pinky finger.

I need to stay away before i end up too deep.

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asher reid sexc
word count: 1130