43. THE MOON AND EARTH: end

the final chapter: hope you all enjoy!

third person perspective

ASHER felt as though his guilt was slowly poisoning him each passing day and to escape that guilt, he attempted to find out where Luca went. However, all his attempts were in vain. But after a while, Asher had a realisation, Luca didn't leave for him to search for him, Luca left to find his own peace. After endless years of being trapped by his family, Luca was finally released out of their toxic clutch and for Asher to demand him to return was completely selfish.

"I took care of Normani," Jumin says, sitting down nonchalantly, his eyes focused on the documents of Normani's fathers company.

"How so?"

"I never planned on making her family completely bankrupt, I intended to give back everything I took but in a better shape. I was surprised that she was willing to back down after everything she did."

Asher nods his head. "Back then I thought it was kind of childish for you to do that but after I realised that she was simply crazy."

"Was it wrong of me to exploit her little crush on me?" Jumin questions, unsure whether it was fine for him to pretend as though he was pitying her.

"If I didn't see that letter she wrote for you on her desk, you wouldn't have been able to convince her so easily, anyways, how much did you end up offering her?"

"100 million."

Asher chokes on his tea. "Are you insane? Why would you offer someone as cheap as her that much? 10 million would've been fine."

Jumin sighs. "I don't know, I pitied her. Even if she acted like an absolute nutcase, there was still something human about her... and it was just a good day I guess."

"Whatever, I swear if she doesn't listen to you I will kill you myself, I'm tired of the bad press these days and it's all because of that psycho."

"You can stay reassured, she won't do anything wrong for now, after all, her little crush on me has never faded all those years, when was that letter from again?"

Asher furrows his eyebrows. "Maybe like four or five years ago, I'm more surprised that she wanted to ruin your name despite liking you so much."

"It makes sense, revenge comes before love." Jumin murmurs, tearing the piece of papers. "I suddenly had a change of heart, remembering what she could've done to my sister still makes my blood boil."

"Good, I was thinking you lost your mind for a moment, what about the 100 million?"

Jumin shrugs his shoulders. "It takes about a few weeks to earn it all back, it's nothing serious for me, if I took it away from her she'd conspire against us again. And I'm sure you don't want Sahar to be harmed in the process."

Right. Sahar. Asher hasn't spoke to her ever since the day Luca left. He couldn't bring himself to look at her, after all, he was the one who ruined everything between them. They were supposed to be soulmates but Asher had to come in between them like a barrier, preventing them from nearing each other.

Asher clears his throat.

Jumin raises his eyebrow in suspicion. "Don't tell me you're not talking to her."

"So what if I'm not?"

"You're really something aren't you Asher, after these past months, you haven't even realised that she has only ever liked you." Jumin says, swirling his caramel macchiato around.

The cafe lights slightly dim as a solemn expression appears on Asher's face. "I don't know of any person who would stick around after being tormented by someone, she deserves much better than me."

"So you're saying Helius is a good person for her?"

Asher slams his hand on the table. "No."

Jumin chuckles. "What about me?"

"Absolutely not." the ends of Asher's ear flush red. Jumin was clearly teasing him, it was amusing to him how Asher consistently has avoided his feelings for Sahar for the sake of others.

"If I were to go to her house right now and confess my undying love for her, what would you do?"

Asher glares venomously at Jumin. "Respectfully, I'd kill you."

Jumin sighs, his tone growing serious. "Enough of this, I came to tell you that Sahar is planning to leave."

"What?" he abruptly exclaims, standing up almost instantaneously at the bad news.

"She didn't want you to know because you were avoiding her and even if you knew, she didn't want to feel the pain of you not caring about her leaving."

Asher clenches his fists. "First Luca and now her, why are they both doing this to me?"

"First think about yourself, why did you do what you did to them? They're not the only ones to blame."

Asher glances down in shame. "But still, she should know that as her friend I would've been there for her..."

"You're joking right? I'm actually tired of you saying things like this, are you really labelling someone like Sahar as your friend?" Jumin looks appalled as he gazes at Asher, he was growing sick of Asher's act.

Asher avoids his gaze. "I'm going."

It took a few seconds for the platinum blonde to leave the cafe.

"This kid, what am I going to do with him?" Jumin murmurs to himself, glancing at his text messages with Sahar. She was never leaving, Jumin had lied so that Asher would finally confess how much he adores Sahar.

—

ASHER hurried to Sahar's front door. His heart was pounding harshly, it was one thing when Luca left but Sahar, if she left, Asher would fall apart. In midst of this chaos, she was his solace, someone he felt he could confide in.

He repeatedly presses the door bell, his impatience was merciless. "Please be here." he whispers, his heart was close to falling out of his chest.

As if someone was listening to him, the door opened in an instant, revealing Sahar glancing at Asher with surprise; after ignoring her for weeks, he finally decided to appear in front of her.

"Sahar." Asher says, without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her body, tightening his grip to make sure she doesn't disappear suddenly. He could feel her body warmth against his cold body, her cultivating aura, to him, she was his soulmate. The only person for him had to be her.

But the words she uttered next completely broke his heart.

"Let go."

He hesitantly agreed. "S-Sahar, I'm sorry." Asher doesn't meet her gaze, he was afraid.

She gently lifts his face up. "Asher, it took you quite a while." her bright smile instantly warms up the glacier surrounding his heart. Sahar was a faultless person, too forgiving and too kind. Asher wanted to be the only person who received this treatment, he wanted to be the one to hear her soft compliments and lifting words.

"You're not upset?" he questions quietly, it was as if he was a child, waiting for a cursing. But Sahar wasn't the type to curse, she was the type to whisper sweet words and comfort those who hurt her relentlessly — Asher despised that part of her, unfortunately he was one of those people who relentlessly hurt her, not even bothering to care about how she felt.

That's in the past, Asher was here to rectify his mistakes. "No, Luca called me and told me to wait." Luca, his friend that resembled the sun. In comparison to him, Asher felt like the moon, who only harboured the reflected rays of the run. An artificial light, that's who Asher identified as.

"If he didn't call you, what would you have done?" Asher couldn't help but a sense of insecurity, he was new to the idea of love, after all, Sahar is the only girl he has ever had any sense of emotion for.

Sahar pulls Asher closer towards her face. "I still would've waited." her words were laced with velvet, the type that felt heavenly. Asher felt intimidated by the sudden closeness. The last time the both of them have ever been like that was in the past.

Asher gently pulls her closer, he wanted to show her his endless affection. His hands run through her soft hair as he gently kisses her cheek, his lips linger, however, Sahar pulls away instantly. Her cheeks flush a light shade of pink, resembling cotton candy. "I-" before she could speak more, Asher places his lips on hers, his grip slowly tightening around her back as he pulled her even closer.

Asher pulls away, taking soft intakes of air. "Is that enough to make you stay?"

"S-Stay?"

"You're leaving right, please tell me you'll stay."

Sahar glances at Asher with confusion. "I was never leaving."

"But Jumin told me— oh." Asher felt realisation pour on to him like a bucket of ice. Jumin had tricked him into going to Sahar's and confessing his feelings. Asher shakes his head, his cheeks burning from embarrassment.

"Regardless, I'm glad you came." Sahar says, her cheeks were a darker shade of rouge.

"I'm happy too." if it wasn't for Sahar, the loneliness that dwelled in Asher's heart would've consumed him. Even if he was the moon, to him Sahar was the earth, he was grateful to be the one to orbit her.

—

here's to the end of the billionaire bad boys club! thank you for reading, even if it took me a long time to update. but i am glad all of you were able to see the idea of how miscommunication has a domino effect.

i'll be releasing a new book soon! i hope you all enjoyed this book and hope to see you in my next book :) i am so grateful all the support in this book and all the comments, i've read them all and enjoyed them. thank you for 170,000 reads, it truly means the world to me. until next time, love kxdz :)