WULFRIC paced back and forth inside his newly checked-in hotel roomâthe same one where Aster, his agent, and the Polaris team were staying.
His mind kept circling back to that message Aster had left on his Terminal. He still couldnât believe Aster had recognized him. And now, because of his staring, Aster was angry. Angry enough to threaten ignoring him for a month.
The thought made his stomach twist. Heâd been wracking his brain nonstop for ways to make it up to him, thinking so hard that now he was the one with a pounding headache.
Heâd considered sending rare giftsâjewels, vintage clothes, even a custom-built spaceship. Then he thought about renting out an entire amusement park or a floating restaurant and inviting famous chefs to cook for Aster. But he knew how those would go: Aster would frown at the jewels, return the vintage clothes, donate the spaceship to charity, and probably scold him for wasting money. Wulfric just knew that over-the-top gestures would not work.
So what was he left to do?
SŃará´h the NĂ´vel(F)ire.nŃt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
He had been calling Aster nonstop since earlier, but the other never picked upâsomething that hadnât happened since that time Wulfric had apologized and theyâd made up.
Wait. Apologized?
Could he just apologize? The moment the thought crossed his mind, he shook his head. Of course, he needed to apologizeâthat much was obvious. But that didnât mean he couldnât pair it with something more. A gesture to prove how serious he was.
And just like that, he was back where he started. What could he possibly do to make it up to Aster?
Should he ask someone for help? But who would he even ask? As soon as he wondered that, a certain someoneâs face popped into his mind.
He didnât waste time and quickly contacted Hildred.
He felt like heâd been waiting forever for Hildred to answer. When the call finally connected and Hildredâs face appeared on the screen, Wulfric spoke immediately.
âWhat took you so long?â
Hildred raised an eyebrow. âI answered as fast as anyone could have.â
Wulfric waved his hand. âNever mind that. I have a problem, and I need your help.â
Hildred studied the prince through the screen. He knew Wulf wasnât on Alluna right nowâwhen heâd asked Leland about the princeâs whereabouts that morning, the other had mentioned with a frown on his face that Wulfric left the planet the night before.
At first, Hildred assumed Wulf had returned to his old habit of disappearing without warning. But then he remembered the other hadnât done that since meeting Astrid Townsend.
Which meant Wulfâs destination was likely connected to the actor. And whatever âproblemâ he was calling about? That probably involved Astrid, too.
If that was the case, Hildred was tempted to demand another vacation for him and Ed as payment for his help. But then he remembered Leland. Their strict lieutenant would never approve another break so soon.
So, with another sigh, he resigned himself to helping Wulfric out of pure goodwill.
âAlright. Whatâs the problem?â
Wulfric explained everythingâhow heâd attended the viewing party, how Aster had recognized him, and the message threatening to ignore him for a month unless he made it up to him. When he finished, he looked at Hildred expectantly, waiting for his answer.
Hildred didnât answer immediately. Instead, he stared at Wulfric for several long secondsâthen burst out laughing.
Wulfric glared at the other.
Hildred wiped tears from his eyes, still laughing. âSorry, sorry. Itâs justâtoo funny. Seriously, Wulf. How could you stare at him like that the entire time? Poor Astrid probably thought some creepy stalker was planning to do something bad to him. And well⌠you were kind of stalking him. No wonder he got a headache. If I were him, Iâd have punched you.â
âLetâs all be grateful youâre not my dear Aster,â Wulfric said through gritted teeth.
Hildred just smiled sweetly in response. âI wouldnât dream of it.â
âSo, do you have any ideas that could help me?â Wulfric asked, his tone impatient.
Hildred pondered for a moment. âHmm⌠I do have a few ideas.â
***
Astrid checked his Terminal. Evening had come, nearing dinner time, and Wulfric still hadnât called again. After bombarding him with calls earlier, the other had suddenly gone quiet.
If this were anyone else, Astrid might have assumed theyâd given up. But this was Wulfricâheâd probably stopped calling because heâd already figured out how to make it up to hm. And right now, he was likely putting that plan into action.
Astrid could only hope it wouldnât be anything too over-the-top. Instead of being touched, he might just end up more irritated. Sure, his headache was gone nowâthanks to the medicine and an afternoon nap he headâbut that lingering annoyance still hadnât faded. The last thing he wanted was for Wulfric to make it worse.
He opened his Terminal. He might as well call Ellis and ask if she wanted to have dinner together. He knew the rest of the Polaris staff and security team had plans to go out tonightâprobably to experience the planetâs nightlife.
It had actually taken some effort to convince the security team to go. At first, theyâd insisted on staying behind, saying it was their job to protect him. But Astrid had managed to persuade them in the end. After all, heâd be staying at the hotel. What could possibly happen here?
Besides, even though he was still annoyed with Wulfric, just knowing the other was nearby made Astrid feel safe. He was certain nothing bad could happen to him as long as Wulfric was around.
He was just about to call Ellis when a message notification popped up. With his Terminal already open, he saw immediately that it was from Wulfric. Raising an eyebrow, he tapped to open it.
[Aster, please come to the penthouse. The door isnât locked â you can just walk in. Iâll be waiting there. Please? I really want to make it up to you. Iâll be waiting.]
Astrid read the message, and without realizing it, a small smile tugged at his lips. It seemed that he wouldnât be having dinner with Ellis after all.
If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.