[BL] Dear Hushand, I want divorce-Chapter 40: Protecting him

Elijah’s pov ;

The first episode of the highly anticipated drama of my company had just aired, and it was a disaster. Not because of Ash’s performance—he was barely given any screen time.

I finished the whole episode and he rarely appeared. Wasn’t he supposed to be the main lead?

Meanwhile, the other two main actors were basking in all the attention and praise, their faces plastered on every magazine cover.

Fury bubbled up inside me as I watched the TV screen where the drama was paused.

"Daniel," I growled, slamming my fist on the desk for emphasis. "Get in here!"

Daniel rushed into my office, his usually calm demeanour replaced by one of unease. "Yes, sir?"

"Look into this," I demanded, pointing at the paused scene on the screen. "Why were Ash’s scenes cut? He’s supposed to be the main lead, not some insignificant background character."

Daniel nodded briskly and left to investigate. I tried to take a deep breath and calm myself down, but the anger still burned within me.

All this time I had been keeping my distance from Ash for his own good, trying to prevent my thirst for revenge from consuming me completely. The less I see him, the less I’d feel the longing to get my revenge. But the moment I turned away, he ended up in trouble again.

When Daniel returned with a serious expression, my instincts told me it wasn’t good news. "Sir, I spoke to Thomas like you asked. He’s been keeping an eye on Ash. It seems he’s being mistreated on set," Daniel reported tensely. "They’re cutting his scenes and creating a hostile atmosphere for him."

My hands clenched into tight fists as I felt my headache boosting. "Why didn’t anyone inform me about this sooner?" I seethed.

Daniel hesitated before answering. "I...thought you wanted to keep your distance from Ash, sir. You’ve been avoiding him and I assumed -"

"You assumed wrong," I snapped, cutting him off. "Just because I’m trying to stay away from him doesn’t mean I’ll stand by and let anyone mistreat him."

The more Daniel spoke, the more my head throbbed with anger and frustration. It was as if Ash had a talent for getting himself into trouble the moment I looked away. My efforts to ignore him were supposed to help me focus on my plan for revenge, to come up with something that doesn’t make me feel guilty anymore, but it seemed that my absence had only made things worse for him.

As much as I wanted to keep my distance, I knew deep down that Ash couldn’t survive on his own without my protection anymore. And if that meant breaking my own rules and getting involved again with him, then so be it. I wasn’t just going to let anyone harm him just like that.

Determined to put an end to this mistreatment, I gave Daniel one final order. "Make sure this stops. Ash is the main lead and he deserves to be treated as such. If anyone causes him any trouble, they’ll have to answer to me."

With a firm nod, Daniel assured me. "Sure, sir. I’ll handle it," and left to carry out his task.

As I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my throbbing temples, I couldn’t deny anymore that distancing myself from Ash was not the solution. It was time for me to rethink my strategy.

Feeling a sudden surge of determination, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to pay a visit to the set. As soon as I arrived, the director went into a frenzy, his face pale and panicked as he rushed over to me.

His hands wrung together nervously as he spoke, "You should have called ahead, Mr. Stone. We would have been more prepared..."

I cut him off with a cold stare. "This is my set and my production. I do not need an invitation to visit my own property now, do I?"

"Oh...of course hahaha..." He laughed as he kept trailing his eyes from me, too anxious to meet my gaze. "You. Get Mr. Stone a fresh drink."

Immediately, people flocked around me, offering me drinks and comfortable seats. I waved them away, my focus sharp and unwavering.

"I want a tour of the set," I demanded firmly. He only looked at me in shock. So, I increased the volume of my voice. "Now."

The director nodded eagerly and began to lead the way. He introduced me to the other two leads, Benji and Eva, but I barely spared them a glance in my determined stride.

"Where is Ash?" I questioned, catching them off guard. "I can’t see him anywhere."

There was a noticeable pause as the group exchanged uncomfortable glances. "It is lunch time," the director stammered. "He could be anywhere..."

I averted my sharp eyes at him, causing him to flinch and stop talking. I asked again, my voice low and menacing this time. "Where. Is. Ash?"

Tension crammed the surroundings as everyone avoided my gaze. Benji sneered confidently, "He’s probably slacking off somewhere. Not exactly known for his hard work. So, how do we know–’

That was enough to push me over the edge. "Shut up," I snapped fiercely, my eyes flashing with anger. The set fell silent. I roamed my dead eyes all over them as they stood with their lowering heads.

Finally, one of the workers spoke up timidly, "He...usually stays in his vanity during lunch."

"Yeah! Since it was lunch time, he was probably eating...why don’t I take you–" The director quickly offered to take me there, but I declined.

"Just show me the way."

"Would you like to have lunch with us, Mr. Stone?" Benji invited me with a wide smile and hopeful eyes.

"No, thank you for the offer," I brushed him off as I strode towards Ash’s vanity.

When I arrived at the door, I gave a firm knock before pushing it open without hesitation.

He was sitting alone at the table, his fork paused mid-air as he looked up at me, startled by my sudden appearance. He quickly placed his plate on the table and stood up, his eyes wide with surprise and perhaps a tinge of fear.

I have tried ignoring him for a while longer, finding a way how to approach him after our previous encounter in my office. But fate seemed determined to keep bringing us together again and again.

My heart fluttered when I saw his face light up at the sight of me. "Elijah?" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on some things," I replied in a measured tone, trying not to reveal my true intentions. "Why are you eating alone?"

He shifted uncomfortably and sighed. "I prefer it here. It’s peaceful and no one is disturbing me."

But it was clear that he was lying, just too prideful to accept it. The way he avoided eye contact and fidgeted with his fingers gave away his discomfort being around these people here, most likely due to their treatment towards him.

I suddenly felt pity for him, though I didn’t say anything to make him feel more down.

"Why are you still wearing the same clothes from earlier?" I asked, taking note of his rumpled attire. "Aren’t you supposed to be shooting today?"

He glanced down at himself before meeting my gaze again. "There weren’t many scenes for me today."

Before I could press further, he added suddenly taking me aback with suspicious eyes. "How did you know what I was wearing when I left the house? You weren’t there."

My heart skipped a beat and I struggled to hide my surprise. I couldn’t very well tell him that Thomas had been keeping me updated on his every move. So instead, I changed the subject. "What are your plans after this?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. Thankfully, taking my bait without any further questioning. "Probably just go home and sleep. Why are you asking?"

"No," I shook my head. "I’ll take you home with me since it’s almost time for departure."

A look of hesitation crossed his face. "But that will only add to the rumours."

"Don’t worry about baseless rumours," I assured him, pulling out my phone. I called my secretary and instructed him to pick up Ash first and then come get me.

"Make sure you prepare yourself when you get home," I ordered him after hanging up.

A flicker of something passed over his features making a blush taking over his features and his eyes lit up in anticipation. I felt satisfied with the reaction.

"Alright," he replied shyly and I smirked.

After seeing him off, I made my way to the director’s office. I was desperate to interrogate him and show him his place but before that, I needed to be prepared completely.

"I need a copy of the script," I demanded, not bothering with formalities.

The director looked taken aback but quickly retrieved a script for me. "Of course, Mr. Elijah. Here it is. Can I know why–"

"Thank you," I flipped through the pages, already knowing what to expect. The original version had countless scenes for Ash, but this one was drastically different. "See you soon," I said curtly before leaving with the script in hand.

As I stepped outside, Daniel was already waiting for me. "Look into both versions of the script. This one and the one I have in my office," I commanded, handing him the one I had just obtained. "Find out why Ash’s scenes have been cut."

Daniel nodded understandingly. "I’ll start on it right away. And by the way, Ash has been safely dropped off at home."

"Good," I replied and got in the car.

"Where are we heading next?" he asked.

A devilish smirk twitched on my lips as I savoured the thought of what was to come. "Home," I declared while stretching my arms.