Secret Scion

Jaxx pointed toward the main entrance of the hall and hollered, "You have one minute to get out of my sight!"

Asher could tell that Jaxx had not given up on his pursuit of Phoebe. He still remained infatuated even after two years.

"Give me a reason," Asher said with great indifference.

"Who's the kid? He seems quite strong."

"I hear Master Miller is the most powerful one amongst the practitioners. This guy is actually picking a fight with him. He clearly has quite the exaggerated opinion of his own abilities."

"But he's quite the looker. He's exactly my type. Haha."

None of the trainees here knew Asher. They were a tad stunned to see Asher and Jaxx going toe

to toe.

"Reason?" Jaxx narrowed his eyes. "You having a woman back in Rollinsford is more than enough reason!"

Asher could not help but splutter in a mocking laugh before he said with great interest, "Even if my women were scattered across the globe, what does that have to do with you? I'm here on business, Jaxx. I don't have time for you. Get out of the way, and let me through."

As soon as Asher took a step forward, Jaxx followed suit with his arms folded in front of his chest. He spoke with great disdain, "You can forget about coming through without my consent! Everyone else might be afraid of you just because you're the master of the Crawfords. But I, Jaxx Miller, who was born a bumpkin, am only afraid of those with fists harder than my own. You gentrified young men are nothing in my eyes! Beat me first, then I'll let you in."

Asher's temper, likewise, began to flare. Jaxx was looking down on him, so why would he care about him?

"Get out of my way before I get angry, Jaxx. I'll pretend that all this didn't happen."

"You've got quite the big mouth. Let's see if you've got the ability!" Jaxx's eyes narrowed as he rushed up to Asher. The five fingers of his right hand were in the shape of an eagle's claw, aiming straight for Asher's neck.

The strike was a rough one which severely tested Asher's patience to its limit. He raised his right hand and plucked away Jaxx's own and kicked upward at the same time.

Jaxx, however, was quick to respond. The blow was easily avoided.

The two exchanged blows, showing the trainees that surrounded them exactly what being a master meant. Someone marveled, "Master Miller is so fast. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to parry even a single move."

"But that Asher guy isn't weak either. We'll have a good show today."

"It'd be great if Master Miller won. If he lost, this center would probably just lose its prestige." "You worry too much. There's no way Master Miller would lose."

The surrounding trainees discussed in low voices.

That was when a voice filled with fury rang out from a distance away. "Stop, Jaxx!"

The students subconsciously turned around to see Phoebe rushing over and hurried to part. All

of them were afraid of Phoebe's wrath falling upon them.

Jaxx also stopped when he noticed her arrival.

"Do you have any idea who exactly is standing before you, Jaxx Miller? How dare you pick a fight with Asher? You've got guts! You're just an insignificant master. You can go ahead and scram if you don't want to do this anymore. Stop causing trouble!" Phoebe did not leave a way out for Jaxx and reprimanded him right before the crowd of trainees.

Jaxx's face was incomparably red. He gritted his teeth as he rebuked, "Phoebe Webb, Asher has done you wrong! And you're still speaking up for him?"

"What happened between Asher and I has nothing to do with you! I'm warning you. This will be the first and last time this happens. If I find out that you disrespect him again, you can't blame me for going too far!" Phoebe declared in a stern voice.

***

At the same time back in Rollinsford.

"Elle, are you saying that Asher brought Phoebe back with him to the Capital City to celebrate his mother's birthday?"

In a cafe in Rollinsford, Candace Weiss held Noelle Steward's icy hand with her face filled with sympathy. There was, however, fury present in her visage. "I was so blinded to not have foreseen Asher being that kind of man. In my opinion Elle, you should break up with him. A man like that isn't worthy of your love."

Noelle and Asher's relationship had been growing stagnant in the days passed. She, of course, had thought of parting ways with him, but having gone days without seeing Asher had been difficult. She did not know if she would be able to leave her feelings behind if they split. Splitting up was not a joke. It would be too late to regret it if she did go through with her decision to do so.

"Is there no other way except breaking up with him?"

Candace thought about it. "There's a way but you have to listen to me. You should do everything I say."

"What way?" Noelle asked.

"I'm going to give Asher a call. Can you call him for me?" Candace handed her phone over to Noelle, the latter instinctively typed in Asher's number. It was clear that she remembered his phone number clearly.

Candace took the phone and pressed the dial button. After a while, the call connected. "Are you Asher? I'm Noelle's best friend, Candace Weiss."

Asher could not help but be surprised that Candace had called. "I'm Asher. Do you need something, Ms. Weiss?"

"I shouldn't have called, Asher but as Noelle's best friend, I can't bear to see you mistreat her. I know you're a scion from the Capital City and there must be countless women who love you. But Noelle is beautiful and the prized daughter of the Stewards. Countless men also seek her hand. Do you understand what I'm saying?!"

"I know that, but Noelle and I have gotten into a misunderstanding and she won't allow me to explain. What am I supposed to do about it?" Asher said helplessly.

"Misunderstanding? Haha, you're such a hypocrite, Asher. You're still calling it a misunderstanding? How shameless are you?!" Candace cursed in fury.

"Who's calling?"

The woman's voice suddenly came from the other end of the line. Candace could tell that it was Phoebe and began to question him as if she had caught him in the act. "Who are you with, Asher? Is that your fiance? You brought Phoebe back home with you and kept it from Noelle. That's what you call a misunderstanding? I think you're a scum who cheats a woman's feelings. You don't deserve Elle. She has countless men on her heels. They're all much more powerful than you are. Stop contacting Elle now that you've made your choice. If I find out you're still pestering her, I'm not letting you off the hook!"

Without waiting for Asher to say anything else, Candace directly hung up the phone, cursing at him in passing.

Noelle stared at her in disbelief. "I had you lend me a hand, Candace, not for you to initiate the break up for me. How am I supposed to face him after you've said all that?"

Noelle was livid! Candace had not helped her. All she did was make a mess of things. Candace had made her take an even more passive stance with her words.

It was only after hearing Noelle's words that Candace realized that she seemed to have said the wrong thing. She stuck out her tongue, looking every bit as awkward as she felt. "I'm sorry, Elle. I got a little heated at Asher. He was with Phoebe. With matters now having come this far, should we just play hard to get?"

"Hard to get?" Noelle frowned.

Candace nodded as her lips curled into a faint smile. "Yep, hard to get. Some people won't give you their time of day the more you show them care. Asher is exactly that kind of man. He was acting decently and took care of you when you hadn't warmed up to him. But here he is having affairs with other women now that you've fallen for him. He's an absolute scum. You have to listen to me, Elle. Since he can hook up with other women, why can't we do the same? If he really cares, he can apologize and beg for your forgiveness."

Noelle felt confused when it came to matters of the heart. She could not distinguish right from wrong in Candace's statement.

"This isn't a good idea, Candy. Won't I be the one who's going to suffer if I go out with other men?"

Candace could not help but roll her eyes. "Use your head a little, Elle. I didn't say you have to actually go out with them. It's just for show. You'll find out whether or not he loves you with this." Back in the Webbs Martial Arts Center in the Capital City, Asher's mood grew foul after he put away his phone.

In all honesty, Noelle seemed to have lost a few brain cells when it came down to Phoebe. Anyone could tell that it was Phoebe who had orchestrated the misunderstanding between them. A shallow and clumsy plot like that had actually fooled her.

Asher truly felt rather disappointed.

"This is the hairpin that you gave to my mother, Phoebe. She said she can't find it in herself to

use it. It's also far too expensive. That's why she sent me to return it to you." Asher handed the

gift box over to Phoebe but the latter did not accept it. She looked displeased.

"Why did she accept it yesterday if she didn't want it?"

Asher frowned. "There were many people around. She was afraid it would destroy your reputation if she rejected it."

"Aren't you doing exactly that by bringing this back to me?" Phoebe stared right into Asher's eyes. "I don't think it was because she didn't want it. It was you who didn't want her to keep it. Am I right? You and Noelle are not made for each other, Asher. I admit that she's beautiful and capable but she's not suitable for relationships. She has barely any emotional intelligence. You'll grow tired if you keep associating with a woman who lacks emotional intelligence."

She continued when she noticed Asher remained silent. "Our betrothal has never been revoked. The Webbs will not be pleased to know that you were dating another woman when you still have a fiance."

"Just have the betrothal revoked then," Asher blurted.

"What did you just say?" Phoebe's brows were pinched into a tight frown. There was incredulity in her eyes. "You're going too far, Asher Crawford! The elders were pissed when you and Noelle got married. It was only after I spoke to them on your behalf that they let it go. And now you want to back out of our engagement. Do you really think the Webbs don't hold grudges?" There was no reason to take his words back now that he had said them. Asher simply frowned and said, "You can take a horse to the water but you cannot make him drink. You're making things difficult for yourself just because you want to make things difficult for me. Why bother? I may have been the one who wronged you, I beg you to just let me go. I'll leave this with you. We appreciate your thoughtful gestures." With that, Asher set down the gift box and walked out of the hall.