CHAPTER 146: DARE TO LOVE ME Your birthday? 

Ashley 

I took a deep breath to calm my anger. I didn’t understand anything. What could he be doing 

here? 

“Asher?” William asked, completely astonished, as he looked me up and down. I glanced at 

myself and my hair fell over my face. I had forgotten that tiny detail–that I looked like a girl. 

He turned fully towards me, and Tino watched me while rubbing his neck. William scanned 

the room, seemingly looking for someone else. Poor guy, he looked completely confused. 

So, I took a breath and decided to be honest once and for all. 

“My name is Ashley, not Asher, and as you can see, I’m a girl, not a boy,” I confessed. My 

hands suddenly started sweating, and William seemed to have entered an alternate reality, 

rubbing his face and messing up his hair. 

“You’re a girl,” he said incredulously, shaking his head slowly. 

“That’s right. I… I’ve lied to you all this time,” I admitted. The reason for hiding was my father, 

though William had been collateral damage. 

“You have,” he said, looking me up and down again before walking towards the exit. 

“Ash!” Alaia entered the room with a frightened look, seeing William who gave her a slight nod 

as he passed by. 

“William!” I said, walking after him, but his long legs took two steps for every one of mine. 

“William, wait!” I rushed down the stairs and ran towards the door. 

“Let me explain,” was the last thing I said as I stepped out of the house, only to see him 

getting into a car. 

The tires screeched and he disappeared from my sight. 

“Damn it!” I screamed at the entrance, feeling frustrated. I turned to go find my car. 

Alaia and Tino appeared in front of me. 

“Where are you going?” Tino asked. 

“I need to talk to him; he deserves an explanation,” I said, stopping at the entrance to the 

parking lot, unsure of where to go. 

“Nick is at the house,” Alaia hurried to walk with me, and I entered to find him. He must know 

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CHAPTER 146: DARE TO LOVE M… 

where William had gone. I quickly kissed my little ones and found Nick finishing a call. 

“Nick,” I said, and he looked up at me, his first reaction one of surprise, then he looked at Alaia. “I’m Asher-” I shook my head-“Ashley, and yes, as you can see, I’m a girl. It’s a long story,” I 

clarified. 

Nick was speechless, just like his cousin had been. 

“I’m sorry, my love, it wasn’t my place to reveal her secret,” Alaia approached her husband and left a short kiss on his lips. Nick held her by the waist and deepened the kiss. 

“I understand,” he said to her and kissed her nose. “There was something about you,” he turned to look at me, “but I decided not to look beyond it.” 

I nodded, understanding what he meant. 

“Sweetheart, your cousin left without letting Ash explain,” Tino quickly spoke, touching his neck. Alaia approached him to check it. 

“He almost killed me,” he said, and my cousin laughed, seeing that there was nothing to worry 

about. 

“He probably went to our hotel. We booked at the Four Seasons,” Nick said to me, extending a key. “You two need to clear a lot of things,” he commented as I took it. 

“Thank you,” I said gratefully and rushed out of the house. 

When I arrived at the hotel, I quickly went up to the floor corresponding to Will’s room, after asking about him at the reception. They told me he was there. When I reached the door indicated by the card number, I clasped my hands nervously before knocking. I didn’t dare 

open the door on my own. 

“William!” I knocked with my closed fist. “It’s Ash. I know you’re there,” I said after several 

minutes of knocking. “We need to talk.” 

“Ash the boy or Ash the girl?” he scoffed from inside, and I rolled my eyes. This man…. 

“The Ash who wants to tell you the truth,” I said. 

“You’re months late,” he responded, and I knew we wouldn’t get anywhere like this, so I decided to open the door. 

I took a few steps inside and saw him sitting on a couch, holding a drink in his hand while looking out the window at the city. 

“Nick gave you my key,” he drank from the glass. I placed the mentioned key on a table, and 

we fell silent. 

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“For months, I had to hide my identity from my father,” I started to speak, but Will didn’t look at 

me, remaining in the same position. I noticed he reacted slightly when I mentioned hiding from my father. “I was and still am about to lose everything I’ve worked for over the past few years, the only thing that has mattered to me until now,” I looked at him significantly for a few 

seconds, but he didn’t notice. 

“And where do I fit into that lie? Since you decided to hide from me too,” he spoke after a few 

seconds. 

He was right. I exhaled and took a step towards him. 

“I needed time, so I went to Los Angeles and decided to start this crazy act of being a boy. 

Everything was going well; I had to avoid people. I needed my secret to be safe, and I didn’t 

want anyone to get involved with someone who didn’t exist. Hence my attitude towards you 

when we met, besides the fact that I didn’t like you,” I explained sincerely, and I noticed he raised his eyebrows. 

“However, you got involved with me and decided to keep me deceived,” he spoke seriously, and 

although I knew I had done wrong and should have spoken sooner, I didn’t regret meeting the 

real Will. 

“Well, I realized you were a good guy, and I liked being your friend. I knew that if I told you I 

was a girl, our relationship would change. I didn’t want that to happen. Then everything got 

strange, and you distanced yourself,” I commented, and William adjusted himself better in the 

chair. 

“I tried to tell you the truth several times,” I said, and William turned to look at me, raising an 

eyebrow. “Something always happened that prevented me from doing so,” I knew, I knew, it 

wasn’t a valid excuse. 

“You should have tried harder,” I could tell by his tone that he was really angry. He stood up 

and went to the bar in the room. 

“Did you have fun making me believe you were a man? I must have looked like an i***t! You 

decided not to trust me. Do you have any idea of the shitty days I’ve lived through thinking I 

was…?” he stopped and laughed ironically. 

“Thinking you were what?” I asked, stopping the glass he was about to bring to his lips. 

William looked at my face, my lips, and my hair, and raised his hand to take a strand of it, making my body react. I watched his actions and then his eyes, feeling the strong connection 

I’d felt with him for a long time. 

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I want to be alone. Close the door on your way out,” he cut the 

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moment, went back to the couch, and took the bottle with him. 

He remained without looking at me, and after a few seconds, I turned around to leave the 

room. It was clear he needed time, and I planned to give it to him. However, I felt a knot in my 

stomach, so I decided to leave. 

I stopped the car at Alaia’s house entrance and walked inside. 

“Did it go well?” Tino ran excitedly towards me, and I shook my head after a sigh. 

“I had a feeling it wouldn’t. Honestly, girl, you should have told him you were a girl. For God’s 

sake, I’d be furious too if someone deceived me like that,” we sat on the couches. 

“Thanks, you’re always so helpful, aren’t you?” I said, looking at him with annoyance. 

“You got yourself into this mess, but you won’t get out of it alone, I promise. How are we going 

to fix it?” Tino looked at Alaia, who came towards us and sat next to me. 

“He’ll have to come to his senses at some point,” Alaia hugged me by the shoulders. 

“Let’s hope he’s not as stubborn as your daughter because if he is, we’re in trouble,” Tino 

spoke to my cousin. 

“There you go again, Tino. My goodness, will you ever forget?” Alaia responded. 

“No, darling, I can’t,” my friend shrugged. 

“I guess you didn’t resolve your issues,” Nick walked towards us. 

“How do you know?” I asked. 

“William is returning to Los Angeles tonight,” he showed us his phone. 

“But sweetheart, your cousin can’t leave,” Tino replied. 

I felt a sinking sensation in my stomach. I wanted to give him time to try to talk to him again, 

but… 

“He’s leaving,” I said quietly. 

“No, my darling, he won’t leave. I’ll take care of it. We’ll make sure he stays here until you two sort things out. You have a chance; he already knows you’re a girl,” Tino patted my hands, and 

I looked at him. 

“Jessie, the wedding,” he whispered. “It’s going to be a very entertaining week,” he said cheerfully. “Now go take a bath and get all dolled up. I don’t know how you thought of going dressed like that. I’ll take care of everything, you just relax.” 

“Be careful with what you do,” I told him. Tino’s ideas hadn’t turned out well lately. 

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“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Alaia reassured me, and I stood up to go take a bath at home. 

***** 

+ Poin 

William 

“She’s a woman!” my mind screamed as I took a shower. I closed my eyes and saw her face, and her hair, and unexpectedly, the image of the woman who was on top of me that night came back to me. It was her, it was Ashley. She had let me see her but then decided to continue deceiving me. I felt like the biggest fool. Damn it, I had believed every one of her lies. 

and ignored every gesture that made me doubt. 

“Ashley,” I said, and I couldn’t help but feel that the name suited her perfectly. As a boy, she 

had those fine features that confused me, but looking like a girl, she was stunning. 

I dried my body and proceeded to get dressed. I had fallen asleep after she came and drowned myself in alcohol. I checked the time and realized I still had some time before heading to the 

airport. I’d let Nick know when I arrived in Los Angeles. I packed the last piece of clothing in 

the suitcase and sat on one of the couches. 

I looked at my hands, feeling disappointed. I’d spent a long time being honest with those 

around me, even with the girls. They knew I couldn’t offer more than s*x, and they accepted it. 

Lies and deceit had no place in my life, especially if they came from someone I trusted blindly. 

I heard a knock on the door. I assumed it was dinner. I walked to open it and was surprised to 

see my nephews, Noah and Alana, running towards me. 

“Uncle Will!” they shouted simultaneously, and I took them in my arms, seeing that Alaia, Nick, 

and Tino had also come. 

“Come in,” I said, stepping aside. “I imagine you came to say goodbye,” I asked, intrigued. I 

hadn’t expected to see them. 

“Actually, no, we didn’t come for that, handsome,” Tino sat on one of the couches in a feminine 

manner. “We heard you’re leaving, and I think it’s a terrible idea.” 

I looked at my cousin and his wife. They just smiled at me. 

“And why is it a terrible idea?” I asked Tino. 

“Because we have many group plans before celebrating my birthday this Saturday,” he 

assured, and Alaia turned to look at him. 

“Your birthday?” the brunette asked him. 

“Of course! I’m deeply offended you forgot,” her friend touched his chest. 

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“Yes, yes, I’m sorry, darling, now I remember,” Alaia placed her fingers on her forehead and closed her eyes. 

“As I was saying, I want you to stay with us for a few days. It wouldn’t be the same without 

you. Even the little ones came to ask you to stay, isn’t that right, my darlings?” 

“Yes,” they said enthusiastically, making me laugh. 

“Everything is in order in Los Angeles. We’re planning to work with the Russell company on 

upcoming projects. We’ll have some meetings,” Nick looked at me. 

“We’d love to have your company,” Alaia joined the others. 

“What do you say?” Tino put his hands under his chin. 

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