Home / Urban / The Rise of Ashton / Chapter Forty three
Chapter Forty three
Author: Ree
last update2025-03-16 23:35:44

The Price of Secrets

Ashton paced the dimly lit alleyway, hands shoved deep into his pockets as he scanned the street for the contact Carter had arranged.

He has no business being her dead into the night. But Carter had insisted that if he wanted to meet the man, daylight wouldn't be good.

The city was alive even at midnight, neon signs flickering from nightclubs and bars. But all Ashton could focus on was one name, Benjamin.

What did Benjamin know? He's been with him all through college and although it wasn't all a lie, still, he knew something. He had to.

He needed answers, and if there was even a chance that Benjamin was still alive, he had to find him.

A black sedan rolled up to the curb suddenly as he stood there. Its tinted windows concealing whoever was inside. Ashton tensed as the passenger door creaked open.

“You Ashton Reed?” A rough voice asked from within.

Ashton hesitated, his instincts on alert. He wasn’t entirely sure this wasn’t a setup. “Depends on who’s aski
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    A Legacy of LiesDrama. Ashton could almost smell it and he got into the elevator with Liam right beside him. There was very little he could do now. Frederick himself had set up a meeting and ordered his sons to attend. It didn't matter if Ashton wanted to work with his brother or not, he had to. The boardroom at Titanium Corporation looked more or less like a battlefield. He could see that Augustine was alone. But he slouched on the seat like he owned the room. “Arrogant prick,” Ashton mumbled under his breath as he took his head just at the head of the table. “Isn't it sweet that we all had to wait for you to show up? What great example are you showing as the CEO?” Augustine cleared his throat and said in the most kind voice. Ashton hissed under his breath. But of course, he couldn't react harshly, all eyes were on him. “I had a few things to sort out with the finance department," he replied. Augustine hummed and then looked at everyone. "I thought I heard he got rid of t

  • The Rise of Ashton   Chapter Forty five

    The Woman Who Left Ashton stood in the dimly lit penthouse, his pulse was hammering wildly in his ears. What was his father talking about? Who was the woman? His eyes flickered toward the door as the raggedly dressed woman stepped inside. She was hesitant, her movements uncertain, as if she didn’t belong. She lingered in the doorway, her fingers ghosting over the pristine white walls for balance.She looked hungry, like she could barely stand on her own. Her clothes were worn, her sand brown hair slightly unkempt, but her eyes looked stronger than the rest of her, like she was looking forward to something.Ashton didn't know what to say. Who was she? Why was she so poorly dressed and why was she in the Reed estate? These questions rang in his mind but he couldn't bring himself to ask them. Somehow, the room had become even more tense. His father was watching the strange woman with a frown on his face. His eyes were red and his jaw clenched. The moment her fingertips brushed a

  • The Rise of Ashton   Chapter Forty six

    The Beast AwakenedYour mother. Those words left him dumbfounded. The words left him stunned. The room went silent. Ashton’s body locked up. The air in his lungs turned to stone. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. His gaze snapped back to the woman—his mother—but she was already looking at him with desperate, tear filled eyes. A painful lump formed in his throat. This couldn’t be real. Could it? He'd learnt that his mother was dead. His father was barely ever around. His entire life was a lie. She reached for him again, her fingers hesitant. “Ashton…” she whispered, her voice cracking with raw emotion. “My baby…” Ashton jerked away. His heart pounded so violently he could hear it in his ears. His mother. The woman who had abandoned him. He staggered back a step, his entire world shattering in an instant. Frederick watched, his expression smug as if this was all some sort of twisted victory for him. But Ashton’s mind was spiraling. He had spent his

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    The Warehouse TrapAshton drove like the devil was on his heels. And maybe he was. Because he'd never felt anger like this in a very long time, not even when his so-called brother was trying to get on his nerves. He had to get to Lancaster and find out why his father was so eager to get rid of Benjamin. What secrets did the old man hold? The city was cloaked in the deep shadows of midnight as Ashton pulled into a nearly deserted parking lot on the outskirts of town. The streetlights flickered overhead and everywhere was gravely quiet. He cut the engine, his fingers still gripping the steering wheel tightly as he scanned the area. “He's not here," he whispered under his breathe. But just as he scanned the area, he soon spotted a lone figure that stood by a rusted bench, barely illuminated by the weak light above him. Lancaster. “About time," Ashton whispered with a sigh and closed the car door as he stepped out. The investigator had one hand tucked into his coat pocket whil

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    Into the DepthsOne plunge and the world faded into darkness. Cold. Black. Cold. Black. That's all he felt as he dived into the rushing river. The icy water swallowed Ashton whole, numbing his body instantly as he fought the urge to breathe. The current was stronger than he expected, pulling at his limbs as he fought to surface. Behind him, he heard the distant splash of Lancaster hitting the water, followed by the muffled roar of gunfire. The attackers weren’t giving up. “Find him!" One of them bellowed over the rushing of the river. This was Ashton’s warning to not break the surface. He had to remain underneath in order to not give off his location in the water. With all the strength that remained in his wet and numb muscles, he continued to fight against the currents until he was far off from the attackers. He could still hear the distant and muffled sound of gunshots and the drop of bullets in the river. Finally, after a few minutes of struggling, he broke the surface, g

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    A Missing Past The night was slowly brightening up at dawn. Ashton walked in silence beside Lancaster, their soaked clothes clinging to their skin as they trudged along the empty road. The danger was over. At least most of it. No doubt the attackers had lost track of them with all the fake trails that they created in the forest. The cold night air bit at his exposed skin, but the pain in his side was a sharp reminder of everything that had gone wrong. “You better have a plan,” Ashton muttered. Lancaster pulled out his phone, thankfully it was slightly wet from the plastic casing. He risned it out and tapped a few buttons before bringing it to his ear. “I do.” Ashton exhaled sharply, hugging himself against the chill. He was soaked to the bones and he felt like he'd freeze any minute now. A few seconds later, Lancaster spoke into the phone, his voice low. “Yeah, it’s me. We need a pickup. Discreet. No questions asked.” A pause. “Fifteen minutes? Fine.” He hung up and turned

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    A House DividedThe thoughts roused him after a restless sleep. He couldn't get the images out of his head. The attack at the old warehouse. The fact that his father just might have been behind it. It was all too overwhelming. Ashton’s eyes snapped open and he groomed as he rolled over and then his ears picked up the distant sound of raised voices echoing through the halls of the Reed mansion. His body ached all over, the wounds from the previous night’s attack at the warehouse still fresh. His arm was wrapped tightly in a bandage, the pain dull but persistent. The doctor had done a good job patching him up. For a moment, he lay still, trying to make sense of what had awakened him. Then another sharp noise, something slamming against a hard surface, sent a jolt of adrenaline through his veins. His father’s voice could be heard loudly in the distance. And then it was followed by another voice, one he recognized just as easily. “Augustine,” Ashton whispered and rolled his eyes

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    Kiss and Tell For a long moment, Ashton could only stare. Augustine and Verena Mallory. Together. His mind refused to process it. Of all the things he’d expected when she walked through that door, this wasn’t one of them. Verena had always been a mystery since he wiggled off her grip that fateful day. He did his search and found out that she was a woman of power and influence. But now, seeing her wrapped in Augustine’s arms, it felt like the universe had just played a cruel joke on him. The disbelief must have been evident on his face, because as soon as Verena’s gaze landed on him, she froze. Her striking blue eyes widened, her body stiffening against Augustine’s hold. “Oh,” The gasp slipped from her lips before she could stop it. She took a quick step back, her hands pressing against Augustine’s chest to create distance. But Augustine, oblivious, or perhaps intentionally ignoring her discomfort, tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her closer. “Darling,” he

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    Blood of my Blood Ashton didn't have to wait for a reply before he ended the call and slipped through the iron gates of the Green estate and headed straight to the garden. Augustine was waiting there for him no doubt. He found his car parked behind a row of flowers, the engine still warm. Sliding into the driver’s seat, he saw Augustine with a black hoodie sitting in the confines of the car. Augustine pulled back the hoodie and spun around, the corners of his mouth lifting in a rare grin. “You made it,” he said. “I half-expected Marcel to intercept you.” Well, he wasn't lying. “Nearly got held up, thank goodness the driver stopped being so nosey.,” Ashton replied, allowing himself a laugh. “Yeap, I noticed when I first arrived that Marcel wanted to have me under lock and key. I had to break off in order to keep working at Titanium." Ashton nodded. Now it made sense why Augustine had decided to pretend to be a wayward boy just to get what he wanted. Being in the Green Mansion

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    Hello, Miss Pam. Time was ticking. There was no way he was going to get there in fifteen minutes, but Ashton was counting on making an entrance either way. “What is keeping her?" He hissed impatiently and looked at his Patek Philippe watch. It was getting really late and soon, Augustine was going to be on his neck. “Gosh! Doesn't she understand the meaning of urgent?!" His fists clenched. Maybe he should have done this himself. What was keeping his sister? Just as he continued to fume, a car pulled up to the front entrance of the Vermartel Hotel. Ashton stood by the revolving doors, dressed in a simple gray suit, a flat cap tugged low over his brow, and dark glasses shielding most of his face. He had a full ginger beard and he looked nothing like his former self. It was a simple disguise that would work. All he had to do was talk less. He glanced at his watch, then at the street.Right on cue, the back door of the car opened.A woman stepped out.Ashton blinked and then bl

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