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The Rise of Ashton Chapter One
A Bitter AnniversaryAshton Reed had everything mapped out. A promising future, a degree from a prestigious college, and a girlfriend he’d been with for three years, Zoe Matthews. Today, of all days, was supposed to be the day it all came together.He was a step closer to landing his dream job in finance. But there was one glaring issue. Despite his intelligence, his hard work, his effort, he had failed every single job interview so far.He couldn’t figure it out. What was wrong? He knew he was qualified, more than qualified. The initial phone calls were full of promise but when it came time for the interviews, it all fell apart. Something wasn’t clicking. Each time he walked out of a corporate office, his hands were shaking. How could he give his girl the life she deserved? That morning had been no different. The hiring manager, a middle-aged man with cold eyes, barely glanced at Ashton’s resume. Instead, he skimmed through it with a sigh before firing off questions that had no
The Rise of Ashton Chapter Two
A Scorned Man Ashton’s heart pounded as his eyes locked onto the scene before him and in that moment, the reality of what he was witnessing shattered his entire world. Zoe, his girlfriend, the woman he had adored for the past three years, was entwined in the arms of another man. She wasn’t just in bed with him, she was naked, fully engaged, laughing and moaning in a way that felt like a slap in Ashton’s face.“When will your loser boyfriend be back?" The man asked, still not aware of his presence. Zoe moaned loudly, “Let's not talk about him." Ashton hissed. He'd seen enough. He'd heard enough. Zoe gasped at the sound of his voice, she looked over, and her eyes widened in shock when she saw Ashton standing there, frozen in the doorway with cake plastered on the floor. For a brief moment, everything seemed to pause and then, the panic set in. Zoe scrambled to cover herself with the sheets, her face pale as she threw the pillow on the naked man beside her. “Ashton… I can explain
The Rise of Ashton Chapter Three
A World Against Him The man laughed and leaned back against the headboard, completely at ease in Ashton’s presence. He looked as if he had already won. "You poor, clueless fool,” he said, shaking his head with amusement. "I’m rich. And that means I can take whatever I want, including your girlfriend." Ashton’s fists clenched, his nails digging into his palms, but the man continued to laugh. “You kept failing every job interview, didn't you? Kept wondering why nothing was going your way?" He let out another laugh, shaking his head. Ashton couldn't speak. He was speechless. The man seemed to know everything about him. Zoe had told him everything. "That wasn’t just bad luck. I made sure every company you applied to turned you down. Money opens doors, but it also closes them." Ashton’s entire body stiffened as the weight of the words sank in. His failures, his crushed dreams, hadn’t been his fault. This man, lounging comfortably in his bed with Zoe, had orchestrated it all.“Wh
The Rise of Ashton Chapter Four
A Shocking TruthAshton’s breath hitched. The old man stepping out of the sleek black car was someone he had known for years, a tall old man who lived just a house away. His neighbor, Mr. Coleman. But that didn’t make any sense. Mr. Coleman wasn’t rich. He was a frail, retired man who lived in a tiny, run-down apartment just a few doors away from Ashton’s. He used to complain about rising rent prices, used coupons for groceries, and always wore the same worn out coat in the winter. Yet here he was, stepping out of a luxury vehicle that looked like it belonged to royalty. “Mr Coleman?" He asked in surprise. He didn't know if it was pleasant or not. Ashton’s mind spun. He was confused. Everything today had already been absurd. First, he’d lost Zoe. Then, he’d found out someone had deliberately ruined his life by making him jobless. His college degree was now useless because Zoe's man toy decided to ruin his chances of getting hired. And now, his broke neighbor was stepping o
The Rise of Ashton Chapter Five
The MissionAshton’s head spun. He had spent the last few hours stumbling from one absurdity to another. A lot of weird things had happened within just one day, but this? This was something else entirely. His father. Sitting here. Speaking as if this was somehow normal. “Dad?" He asked, looking around the fancy house. His father smiled. Not a warm smile, not even a cruel one, just a knowing curve of his lips, like he had expected Ashton to ask that. Somehow, he looked very satisfied at Ashton's shock. “What's going on?" Ashton asked, “Why am I here, dad?" “Because, Ashton,” his father said, leaning back in his chair with a smirk, “it’s time you knew the truth.” The truth? Ashton felt his stomach drop. He was already overwhelmed with shocking truths for one day. “What truth?”His father motioned toward the empty seat across from him. “Sit.” Ashton didn’t move. “This is all so strange. What's Mr Coleman doing here? What are you doing here?” With a soft chuckle, his
The Rise of Ashton Chapter Six
Rags to Riches Ashton decided to head to the graduation party. He wasn't so excited about it before. But now, everything has changed. “I'm sure you're going to have fun, son,” Ashton's father had said as he handed him the card. Fun. That was a foreign concept to him. Ashton had been working all his life after college to get a job. Fun wasn't exactly on his list. "I guess I have what it takes to show up now,” Ashton murmured as he finally texted Liam that he was going to be at the party for sure. The gold card felt heavy in his pocket. He didn't have any limits. In fact, it felt like he'd been given a task. How could he spend so much money in one night?! He got dressed in an old suit, it wasn't anything expensive or grand but it was neat. “Where to?" The driver asked as the car rolled to a stop. “The biggest club in the city. We're having a party," he replied and the driver looked at him oddly through the rearview mirror.Clearly, Ashton didn't look like where he was going. The
The Rise of Ashton Chapter Seven
Rich or Not?Bella was shocked and Ashton didn't bother to tell her what he wanted the third time. Clearly, she's heard him, she was just surprised. “I…I haven't ever heard someone order so much drink at once,” she stuttered, avoiding his gaze. Ashton smirked, this was odd. But of course he had the money to pay and he would buy it. After all, he had a task to spend so much money. On hearing the drink that Ashton had ordered and how many bottles he needed, he suddenly hurried back to the counter. “Bella," he said with a frown, “don't you have something else to do inside? Something meant for low staff?" Bella blinked, a little lost and tried to explain what Ashton wanted. "Oh, don't worry, I'll attend to the gentleman, you shouldn't be serving important clients like him,” he said enthusiastically and nudged her aside. Bella stumbled a little, clutching her tray tightly as she glanced nervously between him and Ashton. “Hurry along," the bartender insisted and she nodded as she
The Rise of Ashton Chapter Eight
The Golden CardAshton leaned against the counter, his expression cold, though the disdain was clearly on his face. He didn’t need to say much; he’d seen enough to understand exactly what kind of people Zoe and Clifford were. Their mockery, their laughter, it didn’t hurt him. It just disgusted him. “Why don't you leave, punk! No one believes your lies!” But Ashton didn't reply. He just walked off. The club slowly began to fill as more of Ashton’s classmates arrived. One by one, they filtered in, dressed in designer suits and cocktail dresses. They were loud and cheerful as they greeted one another. Yet, despite the growing crowd, no one approached Ashton. They barely even glanced his way. Except for Liam. Liam pushed through the crowd and walked directly to Ashton. “Hey, man,” he called out. “What’s their problem? Acting like they don’t see you. It’s ridiculous.” Ashton shrugged, his eyes scanning the room. “It’s not surprising. They’ve always been like this, all jealous
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Chapter Ninety Nine
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
Chapter Ninety Eight
A Ghost in the MirrorAshton sat there, stunned, staring at the name on the file. Lily Forrest.She was regarded as a ghost in the tabloid news. A missing heiress. A tragedy that had befallen a once great family. "How sure are you about this?" Ashton asked, still bewildered. Lancaster leaned back and sipped his coffee slowly. "One hundred percent. She was declared missing and then after spending a lot of money to find her, her family finally gave up and she's never been found." “She's the one then, if she's missing and her name is Lily then she could be the one. But how does this relate to Marcel? There could be a million missing Lily's in this city.” "Well, she's linked to Marcel somehow. The Forrest family knew the Green family for so long. So…there's a link somehow.” Ashton dragged a hand through his hair. trying his best to fit the pieces together. Marcel had been hiding a girl in his basement for how long? "If she's supposed to be dead," Ashton said slowly, "then how the
Chapter Ninety Seven
A Missing Forest In just a few minutes, Ashton arrived at Swam Limited. It was magnificent, the sheer beauty of it still stunned him. But he knew this was all seeds of wickedness. “Goodness! No wonder they're friends," he hissed. Peter, the driver, looked at him through the rearview mirror and asked, “who are friends?" Ashton replied, "nothing.” Shortly they rolled into the parking lot and Ashton got out of the vehicle closing the door softly behind him. Ashton stepped into the elevator and adjusted the cuffs of his designer suit, preparing himself for yet another tiring day in this establishment. He had become a worker for both Frederick and Marcel, helping them build their empires even when he knew that they did not care about him. But it was all going to be to his advantage and one way or the other he would make them pay, both of them. As soon as he got inside his secretary, Amanda ran to his side, “Thank goodness you arrived on time, the meeting is set to start, sir." A
Chapter Ninety Six
His New Mission It was a new day. The morning sun poured through the tall windows of the Green family mansion. Ashton had barely slept the previous night. Nightmares of Marcel and the nas girl plagued him even as he had breakfast. He sat alone, dressed in a simple grey shirt with the sleeves rolled up, sipping a warm cup of coffee. His eyes were distant as he stared at the meal but couldn't seem to erase the thoughts of the previous night. The revelations about Marcel left a bitter taste in Ashton’s mouth. This man was up to something. He was no knight in shining armor. He was a monster.While he was still picking on his toaster, bacon, omelette and coffee, footsteps echoed down the staircase, softly. Ashton looked up and saw Veronica appear at the edge of the room, wrapped in a navy-blue bathrobe. She looked like she'd just showered and her dark hair was still damp from the shower. Her anger was quite obvious and even before she spoke, he could hear the irritation in her foot
Chapter Ninety Five
The Green Monster Ashton felt bad for her. What could she have possibly done that would justify such harsh treatment? He reached out to hold her hands but she jerked away violently. "I don’t like to be touched," she said suddenly. "Don’t come any closer.."Ashton froze. "I wasn’t going to." He lied. "I trusted someone once. A girl. She said she was my friend and I believed her, but she was a spy. Marcel sent her to watch me and see if I was healing. And when I told her that I was, she reported it. And then they brought the doctors."Her voice cracked and she was now trembling at the memories. "They made it worse. So much worse."Ashton’s stomach turned. Marcel had mentioned doctors occasionally visiting Lily for her condition. He’d said he paid the best of doctors and nurses to attend to her. Now he wasn’t so sure if it was to hurt her or cure her. He looked into her eyes again. There was so much pain there, buried beneath layers of anger and bitterness. How long had she been h
Chapter Ninety Four
Finding Insanity 2 The Green Mansion was quiet at midnight and Ashton knew this was the right time to move around. No one would see him. He was under the cover of darkness. Slowly, he rose from the dinner table and the maid moved close to him. "Would you like anything like dessert before bed?” She asked. The idea of a sweet and sugary treat sounded fun but he had other things to attend to. "No, I'll just get in bed. I'm exhausted,” he said, placing his hands on his forehead dramatically. She nodded, apologized and went off. As soon as he returned to his room, he locked the door, and shed the clean shirt and slacks Marcel had gifted him. In their place, he pulled on a black long-sleeved hoodie, jeans, and soft boots. He strapped a flashlight to his belt, then pulled up the hood. There was no one around as he stepped into the hallway, but he moved quietly anyway, sticking to the parts of the mansion he knew no one strolled. The left wing of the mansion was kind of forbidden.
Chapter Ninety Three
Finding InsanitySoon, they got to the parking lot and got into their car. “Take me out of this bloody place," Ashton hissed. Somehow, he couldn't even stand the sight of the company anymore. It was sad that he'd built something like his and yet his father couldn't even take clean deals. He was greedy and he was willing to con a clueless monarch's wife. Well, the joke was on him. In the black sedan, Ashton peeled off the prosthetic beard, the fake eyebrows, and the glasses."God, that glue smells like death."Veronica, however, remained in character until they pulled up to the Vermartel Hotel and got into their suite. In fact, she looked like she liked her disguise. “Won't you get out of that body suit?" He finally asked. She smirked and began to remove her sunglasses and slowly unwind her turban.Her wig came off next, and her real hair tumbled free in soft waves. She pulled the padding from under her dress, revealing her true slender form."You did it," Ashton said, watchin
Chapter Ninety Two
A Deal with DevilsEveryone was in awe. The rich heiress. A monarch’s wife rumoured to own an entire village. Ashton has picked out the best profile for their disguise. A name they could not refuse or dispute. Veronica, or rather, Miss Pam, sat like a matriarch that she claimed to be.Ashton stood behind her, arms folded, disguised with a salt-and-pepper beard and thick-rimmed glasses. He played the role of her assistant and nephew, he remained quiet and held her handbag. Beside him, Augustine leaned against the table, arms crossed tightly across his chest, eyeing the other board members intensely. They all stared at her with open admiration and it seemed none of them was eager to break the silence. "So, Miss Pam," began one of the directors, a balding man with gold rings on three fingers, "you’re offering what exactly in terms of capital injection?"Veronica clipped her fingers. "Two hundred million dollars in three phases. I want board influence, multiple shares and exclusive
Chapter Ninety One
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
