Mag-log inI didn’t cry.
I didn’t shake. I didn’t look back, or mourned the life and the years i will never get back, lost forever. I just went home, time to pack and say goodbye to my old life. The penthouse doors opened with biometric recognition the moment I stepped inside. Floor-to-ceiling glass. Marble under my heels. The skyline bending beneath me like something I owned. Because I did. Oscar liked to call it our penthouse. He liked to imply he bought it. He liked the way people assumed it was his. I walked straight to the security panel by the entrance. Access Control. I entered my master code. Changed the entry sequence. Updated facial recognition. Removed one name. Oscar White — Access Revoked. Then I opened the residents and visitor log. Deleted his name entirely. No hesitation. No ceremony. 5 minutes later the intercom chimed. “Yes?” I answered. “Miss Asher,” security said carefully, “There is a lady requesting acces under Mr. White, per your most recent instructions access was not granted, Mr. White called to aprove her access, we told him he did not have authorization for that, what should we do?.” “ Thank you Levi, i am sorry for the inconvenience, i will leave his belongings at the front desk,” I replied calmly. “ On Black trash bags, be sure to deliever them to Mr. White only.” There was a pause. “Yes, ma’am.” I hung up and turned to the house staff. “All of Mr. White’s personal items are to be packed immediately,” I instructed. “Clothes, shoes, documents, watches. Everything. Nothing stays.” The head maid Silvana nodded. She had always known who signed her paycheck. “And Silvana, from this moment forward,” I added, “no one enters this residence without my written authorization, not for forgotten ítems, or to say hello.” “Yes, Miss Asher.” I didn’t rush. I walked to the bedroom that used to be ours. Opened the closet. Looked at the half that was never mine to begin with. Seven years. Reduced to black bags, my mind screaming at me when i realized this was just a magazine house, it lacked the personal touches, just like our relationship . When I reached the lobby twenty minutes later, I could hear the screaming before the elevator doors opened. “Do you know who I am?!” Amelie shrieked at the security desk. “I am Mrs. Oscar White, wife of Mr. White, when he hears about this you will be fired, i will make sure of that, let me go, let me pass!” The guards didn’t move. “Ma’am, you are not on the approved entry list.” She turned just as I stepped out of the elevator. Her eyes locked onto me. Recognition. Hatred. Triumph—quickly replaced by confusion. “This is your fault!” she screamed, pointing at me. “You’re poisoning everyone against me, you are the one who should leave, not me, this is mine now!” I adjusted my coat slowly. “Yes,” I said smoothly. “It is my fault.” She blinked. “It is my fault for not correcting Oscar publicly when he claimed this was his penthouse,” I continued. “I allowed the illusion to continue. That was generous of me, don't worry, he should be able to purchase another property with ease, just not mine.” Her face went red. “This is my home,” I said calmly. “Purchased with my funds. Registered under my name. I have full control over who enters it.” I stepped closer. Security straightened. “You are not on the list,” I finished. “You never were, and you never will be.” Amelie sputtered. “Oscar said—” “Oscar,” I interrupted gently, “no longer lives here.” The front desk attendant discreetly slid a luggage cart into view. Black trash bags. Neatly tied. Amelie’s expression cracked. “You can’t—” “I can,” I said. And then I walked past her. No rush. No backward glance. The lobby doors opened for me like I was stepping onto a stage. Outside, waiting beneath the covered drive, was my car. Custom build. Designed by me. Modified suspension. Reinforced frame. Interior engineered for performance and comfort. Matte obsidian exterior with subtle emerald trim. My signature touch. I slid into the driver’s seat. The engine purred to life like it recognized me. I entered the destination into the GPS. Sun Family Estate. Private road access authorized. As I pulled away from the curb, I caught one last glimpse of Amelie through the glass doors, still shouting at security. I didn’t feel anger. I felt alignment Oscar took me for granted, and got married to someone else before we Even ended the relationship.. Amelie had married for position. I had walked away with everything that mattered. The city lights blurred behind me as I drove toward the Sun family lands—acres of private territory, guarded gates, old money woven into the soil. Jason wasn’t just powerful. He was rooted. And for the first time in seven years, I wasn’t driving toward someone else’s life. I was driving toward my own.Amber POVI had certainly been through more dangerous situations.In fact, considering everything that had happened to me over the past few months, being followed through a shopping mall by armed men should have been relatively low on my list of terrifying experiences.Unfortunately, the human mind had a rather inconvenient habit of reaching its limit at the most unexpected moments. It could accept danger repeatedly, rationalize impossible circumstances, and convince itself that everything was manageable, only to suddenly decide that one more incident was simply too much.Apparently, mine had finally reached that point.Being shot at and having death breathing down my neck while kidnapped by amateurs? My brain had decided that was perfectly manageable. Dangerous, certainly, but nothing I couldn't deal with.Taking back my younger cousin after discovering that another family had been keeping her prisoner? Piece of cake. There had been people to confront, evidence to uncover, and a very
Amber POVI was being corralled.There was no other explanation for the way the SUVs had been moving. Every time I changed direction, another vehicle appeared somewhere ahead, forcing me toward a particular route. Whoever had organized this wasn't simply trying to follow me. They were controlling my options, narrowing them down until I had nowhere left to go.Unfortunately for them, I wasn't particularly fond of following other people's plans."Jason, they're trying to trap me," I said, studying the black SUV positioned across the road ahead."I know. Emory is coordinating with the security team, but they're still several minutes away. I need you to keep moving if you can do it safely.""Moving is exactly what I intend to do.""Amber, that SUV is blocking the road.""Yes, sweetheart. I can see that.""Then don't try to drive through it."I almost laughed. "I wasn't planning to."The road curved around the base of a mountain before descending toward the shopping district. On one side s
Amber POVI activated my right turn signal and checked my mirrors before smoothly changing lanes, putting some distance between my car and the black SUV following me. The driver immediately adjusted his position, confirming that he had no intention of letting me disappear from sight. Ahead, the intersection was approaching, and according to Jason, another SUV was waiting less than two blocks away.I was considering my next move when I heard a baby crying through the phone.It was faint at first, almost drowned out by the sound of Jason typing, but then the crying grew louder, followed by the unmistakable sound of my husband attempting to comfort a very unhappy infant."Come on, little man. What's wrong?" Jason murmured, his voice noticeably softer than it had been a few seconds earlier. "Daddy's right here. There's no need to complain."I smiled despite the circumstances."Which one is it?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the road."Lucas. Ethan is sleep
Amber POVI checked my rearview mirror again.It was maintaining a reasonable distance, neither approaching nor falling behind. Whoever was driving knew how to follow someone without drawing too much attention. Unfortunately for them, I had spent enough time dealing with people who wanted something from my family to recognize when a coincidence stopped being one.I reached for my phone and called Jason through the car's hands-free system."Sweetheart?" he answered almost immediately. "Are you close to the estate?""Not yet. Jason, I think someone is following me."His tone changed instantly. "Where are you?""About fifteen minutes from the Asher estate. There's a black SUV behind me. It's followed me through three turns, including one I made specifically to see whether it would.""Don't go to the estate yet," he said. "Stay on the main roads. I'm accessing River City's street cameras."I glanced at the navigation screen. "You're doing that already?""Amber.""Fine. No questions about
Amber POVI had missed the Asher estate.It was a ridiculous thing to admit, even to myself, considering how much of my childhood I had spent wishing I could escape its walls. Back then, the estate had felt too large, too quiet, and too full of memories I didn't know how to carry.Now, as my car traveled along the familiar road leading toward it, I found myself watching the landscape with a strange sense of affection.The tall trees lining the driveway had grown since the last time I paid them any real attention. The iron fencing stretched along the property, its dark metal glinting beneath the afternoon sunlight. Beyond it, the distant rooftops of the estate were just visible through the trees.Home.The word came to me so unexpectedly that I almost laughed.I had spent years building a life that didn't depend on the Asher name. I had created Phoenix Ashers, made my own money, established my own reputation, and convinced myself that I didn't need anything my family could offer me.Ye
Amber POVThe press conference might have ended there, but the reporters had one more subject they were determined to discuss.Me.A journalist in the second row stood and adjusted his microphone."Miss Asher, I have a question for you."I turned toward him."Go ahead.""Considering the recent developments involving the Sun family, the allegations against you, and the claims that you have been found guilty in Sum Country, what exactly is your plan moving forward?"The room became almost unnaturally quiet.There it was.The question that had been waiting beneath every other one.I could practically hear the headlines being written in the journalists' minds.Amber Asher Responds to Sum Country Verdict.Asher Heir Faces Political Crisis.Is Amber Asher Preparing to Fight the Sum President?I looked at the reporter for a moment.Then I laughed.Not because the question was funny, but because the situation had become so absurd that I could no longer take the accusations seriously."That's







