Library
Search
Home / Other / Ashes Of Sterling - A Tale Of Revenge / Chapter 23 - Worth your time

Share

Chapter 23 - Worth your time

Author: FioreSelvatico
last update Last Updated: 2025-07-23 06:22:11
“You know…” Derek said under his breath as he reached for his water, eyes glinting with mock betrayal, “when you said spicy… I wasn’t imagining melting my tongue off.” I laughed, nearly choking on my own bite as I set my taco down, covering my mouth with one hand. The spice was real, molten lava disguised as salsa roja but the burn was worth the look on his face.

“Hey,” I said, catching my breath and waving toward his glass, “you picked the place. This must be some true to core Mexican chef, because I’m pretty sure my face matches my red dress right now.” He glanced at me, then did a double take. Not at the joke, at the dress.

“Not a complaint,” he said quickly, grinning. “Just an observation.” I rolled my eyes and sipped my water, letting the coolness fight off the fire still curling on my tongue. Derek looked me up and down with mock scrutiny, then raised an eyebrow. “It’s not just me, right? You’re dying too?”

“Absolutely,” I said. “But I’m handling it with more grace than you.”

FioreSelvatico

Dont miss the next chapter...

| Like
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter
Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Latest chapter

  • Ashes Of Sterling - A Tale Of Revenge   Chapter 25 - Sugar

    He bent his head, brushing his lips over mine so gently it almost didn’t count as a kiss, something inside me lit. He didn’t pull away immediately. He just rested his forehead against mine, both of us suspended in that impossible moment where nothing else mattered. No Jack. No world. Just the warmth of his breath, the weight of his attention, the slow, dangerous burn of being seen. Because as close as he was, as much as he surrounded me, I saw past all of it, past the designer suit, the smirk that had probably undone a hundred women before me, the magazine covers, the family name whispered through cocktail conversations and boardrooms. His heartbeat wasn't reckless. It was steady. Controlled. Lonely. He looked like a man used to being wanted, not known.And I saw it then. In the pause between his breath and mine, in the way his fingers, still linked with mine, curled just slightly tighter as if he didn’t want me to let go, I saw the flicker of something raw beneath all the confidence.

  • Ashes Of Sterling - A Tale Of Revenge   Chapter 24 - Wanted

    Three years ago, rooftop party.The music pulsed up through the floor, bleeding from rooftop speakers like some reckless heartbeat. Laughter spilled over the edges, tangled with cigarette smoke and too sweet cocktails. The city glowed below like it didn’t know what secrets were being kept above it. I stepped out of the elevator and into the rooftop party already buzzing like a live wire. The smell of liquor and ambition hit me first but then came the heat, the kind that made people loosen buttons and morals alike.I wasn’t here to party. I was here to find my brother. Jackson hadn’t answered his phone in over six hours. My father was pacing the floors back home, convinced something was off. And he was never wrong about that kind of thing, not with his blood. I didnt know anyone here, this wasnt my world but then again some days it felt I didnt belong anywhere. I was used to it tho, to be overlooked, not heard… it was funny, where ever I went people talked about Jackson Carter, but noo

  • Ashes Of Sterling - A Tale Of Revenge   Chapter 23 - Worth your time

    “You know…” Derek said under his breath as he reached for his water, eyes glinting with mock betrayal, “when you said spicy… I wasn’t imagining melting my tongue off.” I laughed, nearly choking on my own bite as I set my taco down, covering my mouth with one hand. The spice was real, molten lava disguised as salsa roja but the burn was worth the look on his face. “Hey,” I said, catching my breath and waving toward his glass, “you picked the place. This must be some true to core Mexican chef, because I’m pretty sure my face matches my red dress right now.” He glanced at me, then did a double take. Not at the joke, at the dress. “Not a complaint,” he said quickly, grinning. “Just an observation.” I rolled my eyes and sipped my water, letting the coolness fight off the fire still curling on my tongue. Derek looked me up and down with mock scrutiny, then raised an eyebrow. “It’s not just me, right? You’re dying too?” “Absolutely,” I said. “But I’m handling it with more grace than you.”

  • Ashes Of Sterling - A Tale Of Revenge   Chapter 22 - Men with reputations

    “You were right,” I say to Benjamin as he sits across from me, his sleeves rolled up and that usual amused glint in his eyes. “This cake is amazing.” He leans back slightly, watching me with the same quiet satisfaction of someone who’s just won a bet without saying the words I told you so.“I only recommend the best,” he replies, lifting his espresso to his lips. I cant know exactly what was going on in his mine even tho I could guess… It didnt take a genius to see the way he looks at me. Not like Derek, more superficial, as if he wanted to taste me, instead of the cake. But what I did know, from his phone, is that he canceled Camila to be here with me. And that wasnt nothing. I take another bite of the cake, letting the rich chocolate melt on my tongue as I hold his gaze. Deliberate. Unapologetic.“Thank you for lending me that file yesterday. It really helped me with the client.” I say. “So much so that I got the account.”“Yes, I heard.” He says. “You are putting a lot on your plate

  • Ashes Of Sterling - A Tale Of Revenge   Chapter 21 - Fallen in love

    The table was long, white linened, and crowded with curated power. Crisp suits, crystal glasses, laughter calculated in polite increments. The Bennetts were exactly what I expected, wealthy, affable, and eager to be impressed. Derek sat at the head, speaking fluidly about vision, legacy, prestige. But every now and then, his eyes cut to me. A silent nudge. My cue. Not only did I review the project, I dound errors and even ways to improve on the architectural design. Sorry, Mr. Dawson, but I just had to put my hands in the mess. Even if it ment stealing a project. “…I know that what you first agreed with Mr.Dawson was something different but I believe that by creating transitional thresholds between the original structure and the new wing, we preserve the building’s historical narrative while still allowing for the glass installation to feel organic, rather than imposed,” I explained, one hand delicately tracing the rim of my wine glass as I spoke. The older Bennett, Charles, nodded,

  • Ashes Of Sterling - A Tale Of Revenge   Chapter 20 - Calculating

    “Knock, knock.” I say as I slowly lean on Benjamin's open door. He lifts his focused head from the screen infront of him and smiles surprised. “Isabella. What a lovely surprise.” He says as he gets up. “To what do I owe this pleasure.” His blazer hung perfectly off his shoulders, sleeves rolled just enough to suggest he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, but only if it was for something worth his time. I gave him a practiced smile and stepped inside, letting the door click softly shut behind me. “I heard you’re the man to talk to about the Bennett account,” I said, approaching his desk. “And since the presentation is happening today, I figured I should at least pretend to know what we’re selling.” “I didnt know you were on the account, I was handed the file when architect Dawson went to inspect the grounds.” I thought Benjamin handled materials and providers, but it seems he had a bit more control then I thought. “Mr.Ashford… Derek, asked me to join him on the business lunch wi

More Chapters

You may also like

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status