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CHAPTER 17
publish date:
2026-01-25 00:53:26
Latest chapter
Ashes Of His Regret CHAPTER 105
DAMIEN'S POVSomething about her is off.I notice it the moment I see her in the morning, and it stays with me the entire day like a quiet, persistent weight I can’t ignore. It’s not something obvious nothing anyone else in the office would pick up on but I know her well enough to see the difference in the small things.The way she moves feels… slower, like she’s thinking through every step instead of just existing in it. The way she speaks is measured, careful, like every word has to pass through something heavy before it leaves her mouth. Even the way she sits at her desk, staring at her screen, feels wrong.She’s here.But she’s not here.Whatever happened last night didn’t just end when Julian went down. It followed her home. It settled into her bones. And now she’s carrying it around like something she doesn’t know how to put down.*********************By the time lunch rolls around, I’ve had enough of watching her pretend she’s fine.I grab food and head straight to her office
Ashes Of His Regret Chapter 104
ESMERALDA’S POV I wake up to the sound of Damien’s alarm, but for a few seconds, I don’t move, lying there with my eyes still closed as my body tenses before my mind fully catches up, as if some part of me already remembers everything waiting on the other side of consciousness.Then it comes back all at once...Julian, the confession, the arrest and my eyes slowly open to the ceiling, though I’m not really seeing it, because I’m still in that hotel room, still hearing his voice, still feeling the exact moment everything shifted beyond repair.“Esmeralda.”Damien’s voice pulls me out of it, and when I turn my head slightly, I see that he’s already awake and fully dressed, sitting on the edge of the bed like he hasn’t slept at all, his posture controlled in a way that tells me he’s being careful with me.“You’re awake,” he says.“Barely,” I murmur, pushing myself up as a dull heaviness settles behind my eyes.He hands me a cup of coffee without asking, and I take it, more for the comfor
Ashes Of His Regret CHAPTER 103
JULIAN’S POV The holding cell is cold in a way that seeps into your bones and refuses to leave.Concrete walls. Metal bars. Fluorescent lights that never turn off, humming faintly overhead like a constant reminder that sleep isn’t meant to come easy here.I’ve been sitting here for three hours.I’m still wearing the same suit I had on at the hotel—the one I carefully chose, thinking it would impress Esmeralda. Now it just clings to me, wrinkled and stale, carrying the faint scent of sweat and something far worse.Desperation.The arrest happened fast. Too fast to process, too clean to resist.Federal marshals showed up at the hotel, their presence sharp and final.“Julian Voss, you’re under arrest for wire fraud, tax evasion, securities fraud…”The charges kept coming, stacking one after the other like nails sealing a coffin.I didn’t fight them. Didn’t even think to.What would have been the point?They read me my rights. Slapped the cuffs on. Walked me through the lobby like a spec
Ashes Of His Regret CHAPTER 102
DAMIEN'S POVShe wentto bed, while I stay in the living room.Making calls.I called Marcus first."It's done," he says. "Julian's arrested. Evidence is everywhere. We won."Won."How's Esmeralda?" he asks."Processing.""Is she okay?""I don't know. She's..different, a little bit quieter.""That's normal. Revenge has a cost.""I know.""Do you? Because you look like you're questioning this whole thing."Am I?"I'm questioning what it did to her. She came home shaking. Empty. Like she hollowed herself out to destroy him.""She'll be okay. Give her time.""Will she? Or did we just—" I stop. "Did we just turn her into someone she's not?"Marcus is quiet."Damien. She chose this. You didn't force her.""Didn't I? I gave her the tools. The resources. The plan. What if she only went through with it because I made it possible?""Or what if she went through with it because Julian destroyed her and she needed justice?""Justice. Revenge. What's the difference?""About eight years of your lif
Ashes Of His Regret CHAPTER 101
ESMERALDA'S POVI'm in the elevator when my phone buzzes.Marcus.Marcus: Articles are live. All three outlets simultaneously. It's everywhere.I check the time.9:47 PM.Perfect timing.I text back: Good. Send me the links.They come through immediately.NEW YORK TIMES:Julian Voss Charged with Fraud, Tax EvasionWALL STREET JOURNAL:Evidence Reveals Systematic Corporate CrimeBLOOMBERG:Billionaire Faces Twenty Years After Offshore Accounts ExposedI click on the Times article.Read the opening paragraph."Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges tonight against Julian Voss, former CEO of Voss Industries, after evidence surfaced revealing systematic fraud, tax evasion, and securities violations. The evidence includes recorded confessions..."Recorded confessions.His words. His voice. His crimes.All on record.All public now.The elevator reaches the lobby.I walk out.The doorman smiles. "Have a good evening, ma'am.""Thank you."I get in the car.Tell the driver: "Home, please."
Ashes Of His Regret CHAPTER 100
JULIAN'S POV She's listening, really listening, not judging. Not walking away,nJust....listening. Maybe I actually have a chance, maybe honesty is working. "The offshore accounts started five years ago," I tell her. "My CFO suggested them. Said it was standard practice for companies our size." "But it's illegal." "Technically. But everyone does it. The penalties if you're caught are minimal compared to the tax savings." "How much did you save?" "Maybe forty million over five years." She doesn't flinch. Just nods. "What else?" "The insider trading. That was..." I pause. "That was more deliberate. I had information. Opportunities. I took them." "How many times?" "Maybe a dozen deals. Over three years." "Total profit?" "Twenty-three million. Give or take." "And Morrison Manufacturing. Tell me exactly what you did." This is harder. Because she knows it was personal. "I identified your father's company as a strategic acquisition. But the valuation was too high. So I engine
Ashes Of His Regret CHAPTER 37
ESMERALDA'S POVEleanor's townhouse smells like rosemary and wine.I stand in the foyer holding a bottle of expensive Bordeaux Damien picked out, trying to calm my racing heart.This is the third family dinner. The third time I'm playing devoted wife for a dying woman.It should be getting easier.
Last Updated : 2026-03-24Ashes Of His Regret CHAPTER 32
ESMERALDA'S POVDamien's hands are everywhere.Sliding down my sides, gripping my hips, pulling me closer like he can't get close enough.I've forgotten what it feels like to be wanted like this. With this kind of intensity. This kind of hunger.Julian's touch became perfunctory toward the end. Rou
Last Updated : 2026-03-23Ashes Of His Regret CHAPTER 31
ESMERALDA'S POVDamien's bedroom is exactly what I expected minimalist, expensive, impersonal.Except for the way he's looking at me right now. There's nothing impersonal about that.He sets me down at the edge of the bed, his hands sliding from my waist to cup my face. His thumbs brush across my c
Last Updated : 2026-03-23Ashes Of His Regret CHAPTER 30
ESMERALDA'S POVThree days later, I'm back at Damien's penthouse.This time it's not midnight after a gala. It's eight PM on a Thursday, and we're supposed to be discussing logistics for the upcoming charity auction where we'll make our second public appearance as a "couple."But first, he said, we
Last Updated : 2026-03-23
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