Ashton had barely left the bar when his phone rang again. This time, it wasn’t Marco or Elizabeth—it was someone unexpected. He glanced at the screen and saw the name. A cold chill washed over him as he hesitated for a moment before answering.“Pearce,” the voice on the other end growled, low and menacing. It was Gregory, one of Rebecca’s most trusted associates and a man who had never hidden his disdain for Ashton. “We need to talk. Now.”Ashton’s hand tightened around his phone. “What do you want, Gregory?” he asked. “There’s no time for games. Meet me at the old pier in thirty minutes. Don’t be late.” The line went dead before Ashton could reply.A sense of unease settled over him. What could Gregory possibly want? He had never approached Ashton directly before, and the suddenness of the call reeked of desperation. Ashton wasn’t a fool—he knew he was walking into something dangerous. But if Gregory had information or was willing to talk, it was worth the risk.He texted Elizabeth
Ashton paced the length of his living room, the dark light of the evening made out very long shadows against the walls. His mind raced as ge struggled to process the bombshell his informant had just dropped on him. For the last few weeks, Rebecca had held the upper hand, weaponizing that kid against him, threatening to take away the one thing he had vowed to protect above all else. But now, everything had shifted. The truth, as ugly as it was, lay before him. Kelvin wasn’t even his son.He grabbed his head as he felt the migraine come down on his oh so heavily. She was sick, Rebecca. His phone buzzed on the coffee table, and without hesitation, he grabbed it, his thumb hovered frantically over Thomas Gomez's contact. Ashton’s mind flashed back to their last conversation—the one where Thomas had warned him about Rebecca’s unpredictability. He was right, more than Ashton wanted to admit.Taking a deep breath, Ashton hit the call button. It rang twice before Thomas answered.“Gomez,”
The night was thick and the wind blew incessantly as Rebecca Knowles sat alone in her dark study. Her fingers drummed anxiously and noisily against the glass table as she mulled and thought over and over about the events of the past few weeks. She had played her hand well, or so she had thought. Manipulating Ashton and blackmailing him with Kelvin was one of her best plans in her grand scheme—everything had gone exactly as she planned. She let out a laughter at the thought. Soon and no one would hear anymore about the man, Ashton Pearce. He would be long gone, and so would his legacy. She was going to make sure of it. But right now, there was this unusual feeling of unease that was beginning to creep in. Things weren’t adding up. No doubt, Ashton had been far too calm lately, and she could feel something shifting beneath the surface, something she hadn’t accounted for. She hoped that it wasn't exactly what it was that she was thinking. As far as she knew, Ashton had asked to see Ke
HIS DREAM, HER NIGHTMARE Ashton tapped his feet repeatedly on the tiled floor as he sat impatiently in the CEO's office of Knowles and co. He had been sitting there for hours after receiving a message from his wife's secretary to come in and see her. The cup of coffee sitting in his hand let out its final smoke that swirled into the air till it disappeared as he looked at the wristwatch on his hand to check the time for the twelfth time.The door finally pushed open and a young lady with curly blonde hair that bounced behind her as she swayed her hips walked in. A fitted blue mini suit skirt clung onto her body and a suit shirt to match fitted her perfectly. Ashton let out a sigh as the word "finally" left his mouth. "Mr Pearce, please come over to the table." She said nonchalantly. Ashton frowned, she didn't even apologize for keeping him waiting for so long, heck she didn't even act like she acknowledged his presence. "I've been waiting here for hours, what took you so long?"
Ashton felt like his heart was being weighed down by a heavy anvil as he left the building of Knowles and co. He knew his marriage was over but he still found it hard to believe. Just like that? Had she never even loved him once? And all of those words she said to him, did she mean any of it?He always loved his wife, whatever assistant she needed, he was willing to do it for. His wife, being the one that worked, Ashton decided to be more helpful around the house. He'd make dinner before she got home from work and made sure she always had clean laundry.Never for once did he complain about living like that. In fact, he loved it! As long as his wife was by his side. He didn't even realize that someone had been calling out to him until the man tapped his shoulder. "Mr Pearce!" The man exclaimed one last time. "Huh?" Ashton woke up from his thoughts at the touch of the man. "Mr Gomez, what are you doing here?" He asked when he finally acknowledged the man. Mr Thom Gomez was the CEO o
Silence and a smooth ride down the road was enough to clear Ashton's head and put him to sleep. Plus, the tiredness from staying awake all night to tend to his wife's laundry and other chores. A sudden vibration in his pocket yanked him out of dreamland and he sourced it out. It had been his phone ringing. An empty look took over his face as he stared at the name on the screen. My forever half. He ought to change it or probably delete her number even. "Hello?" He spoke calmly into the phone. "I can't believe how low you would go just to get back at me." Rebecca said icily. "Why would you do that to me?" She questioned angrily. "I don't understand what you're talking about." She gritted her teeth as anger boiled her blood like a pot of soup on a hot stove, causing it to bubble. "Are you with Mr Gomez right now?" She managed the words as calmly as she could which was far from calm."I am." Her scoff sounded in his ear. "You really let me down, for a man who talked on about how he
Ashton took a step forward towards Elizabeth's bed and placed a hand on her forehead. Then he lifted his hand and placed it on her throat. "Hmm, it's hard for you to breathe isn't it?" She nodded her head."Can you swallow for me?" He asked with an arched brow. She tried to swallow her own saliva but choked. Her eyes fell shut for a second as the pain stung her."Inflammatory." He muttered to himself with a concerned look in his eyes. He turned to look at her father who stood worriedly a few feet away from him. "Her throat has been inflamed so she has a severe sore throat. All these side effects are ones you must have noted yourself while you take the tea." His eyes trailed back to Elizabeth."Nonsense!" Mia barked. She shoved Ashton with all her might, sending him stumbling backwards. "This man is a con! If she's sick because of the tea then why am I as healthy as I am when I drink it too , even in larger quantities than she does?!" She growled at him. "You have a stronger immune
"And how long do you plan on staring instead of treating her?" Mia spat out arrogantly. She had noticed how Ashton had been taking peaks at Elizabeth's naked body and if it weren't for the fact that she was willing to remain calm until her friend was healed, she would have poked his eyes right out of their sockets. Ashton let out a soft laughter. "Ms. Cooper is remarkably beautiful, I apologize for staring but there was no way one could hold himself from taking as much as a glance at a beautiful flower." His words caught her by surprise. Why would he apologize for what he did when most men would out rightly deny ever doing it in the first place. A strange man he was, or so she found him. Even though he had proved to be a better fighter then she, she would never still respect him or show any sign of remorse for giving him a nosebleed unless he was truly able to cure Elizabeth. "Do you think... Acupuncture can heal me?" Elizabeth asked him. "I know it can. I'll have to mix up a co