MasukI 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 POV The driver reacted instantly. There was no hesitation, no attempt to identify the shooter before moving. He pressed the accelerator, and the SUV surged forward, leaving the mall entrance behind as another shot struck the rear window. Cynthia gasped and ducked instinctively. I flinched, but the glass didn't shatter. Instead, a small white mark appeared where the bullet had struck, surrounded by a web of shallow cracks trapped within the reinforced layers. "Stay low," Emory instructed, placing a steadying hand on Cynthia's shoulder. The driver accelerated onto the main road as another round struck the vehicle with a dull metallic thud. The armored body absorbed the impact. No shattered windows. No bullets entering the passenger compartment. Just the unpleasant sound of someone repeatedly attempting to shoot through a vehicle that had been designed specifically to prevent that. "Well," I muttered, staring at the damaged glass, "I'm suddenly very grateful for militar
Amber POV As Emory escorted me toward the secured exit, Cynthia walked beside us, her enormous camera hanging from her shoulder. He had insisted that she accompany us rather than remain in the mall, considering that the men following me might have noticed her involvement. I was relieved by the decision. After everything she had done to help me, the last thing I wanted was to leave her somewhere she might become another target. We had barely stepped out of the food court when a sudden commotion erupted near the corridor ahead. I instinctively stopped. Four military men converged on one of the men who had been following me, catching him completely off guard. Before he could react, they forced him to the ground, securing his arms behind his back. Several meters away, another four soldiers intercepted the second man, pinning him against the floor before he could reach into his jacket. The entire operation took only seconds. Shoppers gasped and hurried away, while a few curious peopl
Amber POV I watched his expression change from professional concern to confusion, then outright disbelief. Cynthia had been reaching for her camera, but the moment she looked up at him, her hand froze. For several seconds, neither spoke. I looked between them. "Do you two know each other?" "Emory?" Cynthia whispered. He stared at her. "Cynthia?" Her eyes widened. "Emory? Emory Ethan?" I slowly turned toward him. Oh. This was interesting. Emory looked as though someone had reached into his past and pulled out a memory he hadn't expected to see again. "Cynthia Shultz?" he asked. She nodded, a disbelieving smile spreading across her face. "Oh, my goodness. It really is you!" Before Emory could react, Cynthia stood and threw her arms around him. He stumbled backward half a step, clearly caught off guard, before wrapping his arms around her. I stared. The soldiers stared. Even Jason, who could apparently hear everything through my earbud, went suspiciously quiet. "I
Amber POVI kept my eyes on the monitor until the man finally shook his head and continued walking. I watched his reflection move past us, followed a few seconds later by the second man. Neither stopped, and neither looked back.Only when they had disappeared into the crowd did Cynthia slowly lower the camera. We both exhaled, almost simultaneously, and I pressed a hand against my chest as I leaned back in my chair."Oh, thank goodness," she whispered, placing the camera on the table. "I was beginning to think that man was going to ask us for identification.""That would have been inconvenient," I admitted."Inconvenient?" She stared at me before laughing nervously. "Mrs. Asher, I think we have very different definitions of that word.""Considering my afternoon, inconvenient is actually a rather generous description."She shook her head, still smiling, although I noticed that her fingers trembled slightly as she adjusted the camera strap."You handled that remarkably well," I told her
Amber POVThe woman who had been looking between me and the television stood up.I noticed her movement immediately, although I pretended to be occupied with my phone. She was probably in her late twenties or early thirties, with shoulder-length brown hair, a large camera hanging around her neck, and a canvas bag filled with what appeared to be notebooks and newspapers.She glanced at the television one more time before approaching my table.I considered getting up, but the man searching for me was still near the food court entrance. Moving suddenly would only draw attention, and I had no way of knowing whether this woman intended to help me or expose my location.To my surprise, she simply pulled out the chair opposite mine and sat down."Mrs. Asher," she whispered, opening a newspaper and holding it between us and the main walkway. "Please don't look surprised. I'm a reporter, and I promise I'm not here to cause trouble."I stared at her."That's a rather unusual introduction.""I k
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







