At Ashford Biotech, a few board members had arrived early for the meeting and were chatting casually around the conference table.
“Did you guys see the latest market report? A small startup just beat us to it. Their imaging algorithm runs twice as fast and is two percent more accurate than ours.”
“You mean Medi AI? I’ve been keeping an eye on them since last year. They’re using artificial intelligence in diagnostics—reading medical scans faster and more precisely than any existing system. It’s a total game changer.”
That immediately caught the others’ attention. “Yeah, I’ve heard a few doctors talking about them too. But does anyone actually know who owns that company?”
They all looked around at each other and shook their heads.
Weird. A company that type would need serious funding—probably old money or pharma connections—but somehow nobody knew where the hell it came from.
After a pause, someone suggested, “Could it be the Winthrops? Their hospital group would kill for that kind of tech.”
Another exec quickly dismissed it. “Nope. Word is, they tried to buy Medi AI and got completely ignored. Whoever runs it clearly doesn’t need the money.”
“Cocky as hell,” one of them scoffed. “Most startups dream of cashing out once they’ve got a working product.”
“Exactly. So whoever’s behind it must already be loaded. Probably keeping the tech for some bigger play.”
“Hey, the Winthrop girl’s about to marry into the Ashford family, right? Maybe we’ll be the ones negotiating that deal soon.”
Just then, another board member returned from taking a call and asked what the excitement was about. After hearing the gist, he nodded knowingly. “Medi AI’s officially owned through a trust, so no one can trace the real owner. But I did hear…”
“Heard what? Come on, don’t keep us hanging!”
“That the person behind it is under thirty.”
The room filled with murmurs of surprise.
“Under thirty? That’s insane. To build something like that in just three years?”
The corporate elite circle wasn’t that big, and as they mentally scanned through all the heirs, prodigies, and founders they knew, no one seemed to fit the bill.
Then, with a snicker, one of them muttered, “You see, some people start empires before thirty, and others just waste their days drinking and screwing around—born rich, no drive whatsoever.”
“Yeah, what a waste of good genes. Poor old Ashford—neither of his grandsons turned out well. Especially that Julian kid. Word is, he’s slumming it in the marketing department. Can’t even handle a mid-level manager role.”
A few heads shook in quiet disdain.
“At least Marcus has done something over in strategy,” another said, though without much conviction. “Still better than a spoiled drunk.”
The room fell abruptly silent as the door opened. A poised woman with perfect makeup stepped in—Serena.
Serena smiled graciously, greeting them all. Everyone in the room instantly sat up straighter, trading looks before smoothly switching the subject.
——
Serena rarely spent time at the company—only showing up for board meetings. The rest of her days were filled with brunches, shopping trips, garden parties, and the occasional overseas getaway. She managed her late husband’s estate, kept up with the social circuit, and lived a life most women could only dream of.
Her only real headache lately? Julian. He’d started acting just a bit too… unpredictable.
After the board meeting, she slid into the back seat of her car. Her assistant, Rose, sat beside her—straight-backed, tablet in hand.
“Per your instructions,” Rose began crisply, “the donation’s been made to the designated charity fund. And those art pieces you had your eye on—they’ve been purchased and are being prepped for shipment overseas next month.”
Serena hummed softly. “Good.”
“One more thing—Mr. Lopez asked if you’d have time to meet with him.”
“Aaron Lopez? The one in fashion?” Serena frowned.
“WHAT does he want this time? Don’t tell me it’s another favor about doctors or fertility treatments. His wife’s health issues aren’t my problem. If he keeps throwing money at every clinic in the country, he’ll eventually find someone who’ll tell him what he wants to hear.”
Rose offered a cautious smile. “Maybe he assumes our ties to the medical world mean we have inside connections.”
Serena gave a low laugh, cold and sharp. “Well, tell him he’s asking the wrong person. If I had that kind of pull, I wouldn’t still be childless myself.” Her voice softened at the end, followed by a quiet sigh.
“Please don’t say that, ma’am,” Rose replied gently. “It was never your fault. The Ashford family’s genes are… complicated. If not for that, you’d have a child by now. You were the one who suffered from their mistakes.”
Serena didn’t respond right away.
Rose had been with her since she married into the Ashford family—over twenty years. Rose’d watched the once-sweet, naïve young bride harden into a woman of steel, calculating and self-protective. The miscarriage had changed everything.
“Enough,” Serena said finally, brushing off the thought like dust. “Let’s talk about my dear son. Other than the two screw-ups in marketing, how’s he doing?”
Rose adjusted her posture. “Julian’s been keeping regular hours, nine to six. Other than that, nothing unusual. Oh—and he’s recently opened a Hookah Lounge with a few friends.”
She handed over a folder.
Serena skimmed the contents, then let out a faint, disdainful laugh. “A lounge. Of course. The boy’s hopeless. Every cent of allowance he gets, he throws into nonsense like this. If I didn’t manage his dividends and the assets his father left him, he’d have burned through it all by now.”
Rose nodded silently. Serena never bothered to hide her opinions around her.
“Did you see those men’s faces earlier?” Serena sneered. “Talking trash about Julian one minute, then shutting up the second I walk in. I almost wish they’d kept going—it’s entertaining watching them squirm.”
Rose smiled. “You’ve built quite the image of a devoted mother. None of them dare say a bad word about Julian in front of you. But behind your back, they’ve all heard he mixed up two market model datasets. It wasn’t a huge mistake, but it spread through the company fast.”
Serena scoffed. “Good thing they only made him a mid-level manager. If he held a higher position, he’d have bankrupted us by now.”
The car slowed to a stop in front of a private cosmetic clinic. Serena pulled down the mirror and checked her reflection, perfecting a strand of hair.
“Anything else?” she asked absently.
Rose hesitated. “Yes. There’s something about Julian’s wife, Violet. Her families have been trying to find her.”
“Oh?” Serena arched a brow. “I thought she was an orphan. Didn’t see a single soul from her side at the wedding.”
“It’s her aunt and uncle—the ones who raised her. I’ve been keeping tabs, as you asked. They don’t seem to work much and spend most of their time around the hospital. At first, I thought they were harmless, but yesterday they visited a man named Mr. Hill. They left in tears—well, the uncle left looking like he’d been beaten to a pulp.”
“Hill,” Serena repeated thoughtfully. “Interesting… So they don’t know she married Julian.” Her lips curved into a sly smile. “Left on their own, they’ll never find her. Let’s give them a little… push.”
Rose nodded, instantly understanding. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll take care of it.”
Just a tiny crossover, Aaron Lopez is the lead from my other story "After divorce, He regretted"
Violet had just stepped out of the apartment building, planning to walk to a nearby shop—barely a ten-minute trip, close enough that she didn’t bother use the driver.She’d barely gone two steps when two figures suddenly jumped out from behind a parked van, scaring the life out of her.It took her a second to register who they were—and then her breath caught. One of them had a swollen black-and-blue face, the kind that made him look like he’d lost a bar fight.“Aunt Polly? Uncle Benny? What happened to your face?”Polly and Benny froze for half a heartbeat, then their eyes lit up. They’d gotten an anonymous text the day before saying Violet would be here today. They hadn’t been sure if it was real, but they’d waited outside all morning anyway—just in case. And now, unbelievably, there she was.“FINALLY!” Polly rushed forward and grabbed Violet’s hand like she might vanish any second. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you!”Violet frowned and immediately pulled her hand free. “How di
At Ashford Biotech, a few board members had arrived early for the meeting and were chatting casually around the conference table.“Did you guys see the latest market report? A small startup just beat us to it. Their imaging algorithm runs twice as fast and is two percent more accurate than ours.”“You mean Medi AI? I’ve been keeping an eye on them since last year. They’re using artificial intelligence in diagnostics—reading medical scans faster and more precisely than any existing system. It’s a total game changer.”That immediately caught the others’ attention. “Yeah, I’ve heard a few doctors talking about them too. But does anyone actually know who owns that company?”They all looked around at each other and shook their heads.Weird. A company that type would need serious funding—probably old money or pharma connections—but somehow nobody knew where the hell it came from.After a pause, someone suggested, “Could it be the Winthrops? Their hospital group would kill for that kind of t
Violet?At that name, Julian’s steps froze.Liam let out a sigh, sneering, “Yeah, she was obedient as hell. But don’t you think that kind of girl’s boring as fuck? Last time I ran into her she still looked broke and pathetic. Honestly, just looking at her killed my appetite…”The disdain in his tone was crystal clear.His buddy snickered, “Man, you’ve been spoiled by too many rich chicks. At least she’s hot though. If you don’t want her, pass her to me—I’d have some fun with that.”Liam smirked, arching a brow. “I’ll give
Julian stepped into the brand-new hookah lounge, let his eyes adjust, and scanned the crowd. Spotting Felix across the room, he pushed through a couple of tables. “Not bad, kid. Place looks solid.”Felix clasped his hand and bumped his shoulder. “Thanks. But aren’t you forgetting something?”Julian waved him off. “If you mean that thing you wanted—next time, I’ll get it for you.”“Not that. I meant… where’s your wife?”Julian blinked, caught off guard for half a second—then he saw Lydia’s head pop up from behind the bar. “Told him, what’s the big deal? Felix’s practically family.”Julian arched a brow. “Well, guess it’s out now.”Felix jabbed him lightly in the shoulder. “The hell, man? What’s with the secrecy? Too pretty to share, is that it? Even with me?”Lydia’s eyes lingered on Julian, waiting for what he’d say.Julian shook his head slowly. “Nah. She’s just been tied up. We agreed we’d go public a little later.”Felix frowned. Something didn’t sit right. “So what’s with rushing
Julian’s phone buzzed, snapping him out of his thoughts.It was Lydia. “You promised dinner with me and Felix the other night, then bailed last minute. And now you tell me not to mention to anyone that you’re married? What the hell’s going on with you?”From her seat, Violet glanced over. She couldn’t hear everything, but the car was so quiet she caught bits of a sweet female voice and Julian’s low chuckle.His tone was lazy, almost teasing. “Not the right time… reasons don’t matter. Quit gossiping.”Then he arched a brow. “Now? I mean, I could&hell
Violet froze at the sudden shift in topic. Kids? Julian hadn’t given her the slightest heads-up. She glanced sideways at him, waiting for his answer.He lounged back on the couch, all casual. “C’mon, Aunt Nora, you know I don’t like kids.”Nora tilted her head toward Violet. “And you? You not a fan either?”Violet blinked. “Honestly, I haven’t thought about it. We just got married. I’d rather enjoy a little time as just the two of us first.”The second the words left her mouth, she swore she heard someone breathe a little easier.She still had no idea why Julian had pulled her into this marriage—only guessed it was something he could only get by being married. But kids? That was never part of their deal. And she wasn’t about to treat a baby like some bargaining chip.Nora chuckled. “Fair enough… besides, you’re still young. No rush.”After a bit more small talk, Nora finally let them head out. Serena had gone quiet ever since Julian had thrown her little jab back at dinner. She just s