Underneath the Disguise

Wes had feared Mia would recognize him back in the salon.

In truth, it couldn't be considered a makeover since he simply reverted to his original appearance. But she was as clueless as ever, her lack of interest in showbiz apparently being the main cause.

What she thought of him hadn’t changed at all, and that lessened the dread he’d tried so hard to suppress, his heart steadied by the realization that she truly saw him for who he was. Handsome or not, she still looked at him with those same vibrant eyes—the kind that shimmered whenever she found something worth appreciating.

‘What a blind fool I'd be not to fall for her.’

“Seriously, what were you up to? You never went this far before,” Seth muttered while dragging a hand down his face, but Wes offered no explanation.

There was a lenient softness behind the frustration of his right-hand man. Had they not known each other since they were children, Seth wouldn’t be able to talk to him this way. To most people, he was too formidable, too daunting to cross.

“Well…” Wes finally began after a thoughtful pause, prompting Seth to glance back at him. “...You weren’t exactly wrong with your assumption.”

“What do you mean?”

“About me meeting my future partner.”

He spoke out the words with a slightly flushed face, his voice mellow and almost reverent. His gaze glimmered at the same second, enchanted by the sight that came into view.

Mia had opened her window to let some air in, unaware that someone was keeping watch over her from afar. Seth also observed her for a while, then he turned back to him, his eyes narrowing in silent contemplation.

---

Wes Ashthorne.

That was a name that buzzed through modeling studios, movie sets, news reports, and office boardrooms. A prodigious figure both in the entertainment and business worlds, with billions over billions of assets and a golden reputation to match—truly, a one-of-a-kind young man. He had the pedigree, the looks, the brilliance, and the world’s attention on a silver platter.

But Seth knew the truth that never made the headlines.

Wes, for all his accolades and charisma, was just as flawed and humane as others. He had everything, could have anything—except for the one thing he’d always wanted. Seth saw him wish for it, crave it, chase after it, and even beg for it.

True love, the one thing an Ashthorne could never have.

Everyone who approached him saw only the outside—the fortune, the power, the beauty. Talented celebrities and rich heiresses alike flocked to him like moths to a gilded flame. Yet the moment he tried to form a real connection and be seen as just him, each and every one of them walked away.

They weren't attracted to the person, but to the face and the name.

“Are you absolutely certain this time, sir?” Seth's question was vague on purpose, as it could either mean about his feelings or if a relationship would work.

“I don't know,” Wes admitted, though his lips curled into a pure, tender smile. “All I know is that she’s the one I’ve been looking for.”

Later on, right when Seth thought he was satisfied enough from hanging out with Mia to last him the rest of the day, he suddenly ordered him to fetch a video recording of the mall’s CCTV footage—unlawfully acquired with bribery and some power tripping.

‘I dearly hope you'd go back to just sending bouquets and love letters, Young Master.’

---

The headquarters’ elevator doors slid open with a chime and revealed the future CEO of Ashthorne’s in a suit tailored to perfection.

Into the long hallway he walked, the marble floors gleaming beneath his polished dress shoes. Morning light filtered in from the panoramic glass windows, but the air inside the top level was cold and sharp like a breath of winter.

“Welcome, Young Master Ashthorne.”

The chorus began as soon as he arrived at the executive wing, where a line of secretaries and department heads greeted him with respectful bows. Each stood a bit straighter while he passed, their gazes following him with subtle anticipation for even the tiniest sign of acknowledgment.

Wes gave a short nod here and there, if only to keep people both at ease and on their toes. Seth trailed a couple of steps behind, tablet in hand, already rattling off the day’s schedule.

“Daily briefing at eight-thirty. Contract review at ten. Lunch with your manager at twelve. Then, a script reading for the new movie at two…” Wes remained silent throughout the entire report, a formal smile fixed on his expression. “...The President has entrusted you, his successor, with the full oversight of Ashthorne’s affairs during his business trip. Please, be sure to complete everything on time.”

“Alright. Thank you, Seth.”

“Of course. I’ll go ahead and prepare the conference room.”

His office, perched like a castle chamber at the edge of the building, was a vast and high-ceiling space of steel, slate, and glass. A wall of windows overlooked the city below, the skyline stretching endlessly in all directions. He moved to the desk at the center, then took a seat on the leather chair.

Now alone, the mask of unshakable command he wore outside melted away. His eyes wandered to one of the drawers, almost by will. Within lay a most precious handkerchief, now dry and clean.

‘I haven't returned it to her yet,’ he thought, glad to have found another reason to meet with the young woman—the one person who treated him, a star and a scion, like he had nothing at all. ‘Mia… How would you react once you learned the truth?’

Just yesterday, he had agonized over the possibility that she’d figure out who he was, then felt guilty relief that she hadn’t in the end. But his mind changed the instant he finished watching the CCTV footage that he’d ordered Seth to obtain. Last night, on the flatscreen TV in his dimly lit bedroom, the scene at the mall played in grainy loops —

From the moment the two girls cornered Mia up to when she ran away crying.

So, that was why she wouldn't meet his eyes. If she had, he would've noticed them swollen and red-rimmed. 

Dark emotions surged and filled him to the brim after witnessing the truth. His chest thundered, and he’d clenched his fists so hard he felt his knuckles crack beneath his skin. Every instinct screamed at him to intervene, even though it's plain to see that the damage had already been done.

Wes knew the world could be cruel, but seeing it happen to Mia made it unbearable.

He had been there with her—in the same time and place, just a few more paces away. But maybe that wasn’t the only problem. She did not tell him anything despite his relentless questioning, and that persistent silence showed him that she expected nothing from him from the very start.

It was at that thought that clarity struck him harder than any worry or hesitation ever could.

‘She has to know…’ He had always held a distance between himself and everyone—not anymore, not with her. ‘...She has to know she can depend on me, too.’

He could protect her, and he would. He would care for her with all he had.

She only had to know that.

“Everyone is waiting for you in the hall, sir.” Seth’s voice crackled through the intercom.

Wes spared one last determined look at Mia's handkerchief. ‘Soon... I’ll see you again soon.’