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Chapter 20: The Low-Key Heiress
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2025-10-15 00:00:57Ashley breathed out slowly. "Then keep it that way. At least for now."
Erick's voice softened. "Ashley, I understand what he did to you. But this is a new thing. The kind that could grow and grow if it succeeds. If you want me to stop it, I will stop it. But I need to hear it from you."
Ashley tapped her pen on the notebook, indecision and wariness drawing down her features. For a second she saw Harvey's face, that smug grin, the way he seemed to own every room he entered. But then she saw Nathan. Nathan, standing there, strong and steady, a quiet protector.
"Don't decline the offer yet," she said finally. "But don't give him access to me either. Not until I decide what I want."
"As you wish," Erick said. "I will ha
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He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away Chapter 28: The Project and the Threat
Ashley sat at the long bench in the vacant university lab. The white lights buzzed faintly above her. For the first time in weeks, she felt she had room to breathe. The military had taken the counteragent she developed, then turned it over to the FBI. She wouldn't be in any reports, but she knew how close she had come to the epicenter of all of it. Now she was back in her element, back with test tubes and laptops and data.Ashley glanced at her notes. "Now I finally have time to finish this drug," she said to herself, as if hearing her voice would make it more concrete. She typed rapidly, and a diagram of a molecule appeared onscreen. "The wearable patch can wait. If I can finish this antimicrobial first, Professor Reed can get the article published before the semester ends."Her friend and research assistant, Jamie, peered over her shoulder. "You're still on that targeted antimicrobial?""Yes." Ashley
He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away Chapter 27: Between Sisters and Shadows
Ashley was folding a blanket by the edge of the couch. She looked up. "What is it?"Mia slid the phone toward her. "Your ex-fiancé. He's all over the news."Ashley groaned, reaching for the phone. The headline blared across the top: Cindy Hart: The New Mrs. West. There was a glossy picture below of Harvey and Cindy both smiling for the cameras, her step-sister's hand glittering with a ring that looked impossibly heavy.Ashley pursed her lips. "I don't care about him anymore. Whoever he marries is none of my business."Mia arched her brows and leaned in closer. "Even if it's your step-sister?"Ashley set the phone face down on the coffee table and reclined, relaxed in her response. "Especially my step-sister."Mia stared at her for a moment. "You're serious?"Ashley gave a small nod. "I am. If Harvey thinks he can hurt me by doing this, he is wrong. And
He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away Chapter 26: A Friend Returns
There was a knock on the door.Ashley closed her book and got up to answer it. Her eyes grew wide as she opened it."Mia?" she exclaimed, her mouth falling open."Surprise!" Mia grinned and threw her arms out wide.Ashley wrapped her in a tight hug. "You're back! How long did you say you'd be?""I missed you too, Ash." Mia squeezed her in her arms, then pulled back and swished her hair over her shoulder. "Been doing the rounds, you know how it is. They just keep booking us in random places to wear the same clothes. Runway here, photo shoot there. Every time just the same tired smile. But it's a job and I love it."Ashley smiled softly. "I'm just glad you're back. Where have you been all this time?""Around. Mostly Europe. Milan, Paris, then a bit of Tokyo." Mia sank against the door frame, sighing. "It sounds cool, but really, it's just airports and hotels and
He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away Chapter 25: Harvey's Plan
I want her to think I moved on.The phrase rotated in Harvey's mind like a stuck record. It haunted him from the silence of his office into the solitude of his bed at night, and when morning came, it was still there. If she thought she was not the only option, maybe she would feel the squeeze. Maybe she would see what she was losing. Maybe she would come back.He envisioned it like a chess move, one piece nudged forward to force another into position. Show her what she could miss. Make her jealous. Make her doubt. If she saw him with someone else, she would not be able to pretend she did not care. And if she cared, then wooing her would be easy. Harvey told himself it was strategy. He refused to call it fear. He refused to admit it was spite.But who?Harvey slumped back in his chair, pressing fingers hard against the sides of his temples. The lights in the office cast long shadows across the
He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away Chapter 24: What He Cannot Let Go
Harvey couldn't sleep that night. He lay awake, restless and angry. The sheets were bunched at his knees and ankles. The light from the streetlamps bled in through the blinds, spilling on the ceiling, mocking him. When he closed his eyes, he saw Ashley. But it was not the Ashley who used to smile and lean back against him. It was the Ashley who stood in front of him. Fire in her eyes and her voice. Telling him no. He saw the way she pushed herself away in the office. He saw the pity in her eyes when she told him that he had to stop.And behind her, always behind her, was Nathan. The dark presence that never left her side. Every time Nathan's name crossed his mind, Harvey clenched his jaw.And then there was Mark, smirking at the bar, another man chasing her like carrion.Harvey rolled onto his side, tossing and turning. He reached for his phone on the table. Her number was still saved on it, glowing on
He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away Chapter 23: Shifting Grounds
The lights in the apartment were bright against the dark of night. Nathan carried Ashley's bag inside and set it on the table. She held her laptop under her arm as she walked towards the couch. She sank into the cushions and opened the laptop. It cast an even, soft glow across her features."So," she said, looking up at him. "About the counteragent. I think I have figured something out."Nathan sat down opposite her and leaned forward on his knees. "What?"Ashley swiveled the laptop so he could see. Rows of graphs shifted next to her notes on the screen. "The aerosol stays effective because the particles can hang in the air for hours. If I change the weight of the suspension, even just a little, it falls apart faster. The molecule I tested binds to the carrier. It drags it down. Instead of floating and drifting, it falls in less than fifteen minutes." She looked up, nervous and excited. "It's not perfec
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