Seven Black Rolls Royce

Inside the Montclair family manor, silence descended the moment Ashley walked out the door.

The entire family stood frozen in stunned disbelief.

For what felt like an eternity, no one spoke. No one moved.

They simply stared at the entrance she had just walked through, as though an invisible force still lingered there, suffocating the room with unbearable pressure.

And as they stood there in silence, one terrifying realization crept into their minds.

For the first time in years… they had felt fear. The thought itself was absurd. They were the Montclair family, one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the country.

Among the ten richest conglomerate families in the world, the Montclairs ranked ninth and were revered as one of the Four Noble Houses.

They stood at the very top of society. People feared them. Worshipped them. Bowed their heads in their presence.

And yet… a woman they had always looked down on, a poor nobody named Ashley Stone, had managed to make every single one of them feel something they never thought possible.

Fear.

Caleb was the most surprised. Standing in the same spot Ashley had left him in, staring blankly at the door with a mixture of shock and surprise.

Vanessa was the first to break the silence, sobbing quietly as she rubbed her reddened cheek, clearly trying to continue her pitiful act even after Ashley had already left.

But to everyone’s surprise, Caleb did something he hadn’t done since Vanessa returned to the country. He ignored her

Without saying a word, he excused himself and retreated upstairs to his room, leaving the rest of the family to calm her down.

Looking out his window, he saw Ashley squatting in front of the Montclair family’s gate, as if waiting for someone while the rain poured heavily on her.

And for the first time since marrying her, Caleb felt something shift inside his chest. A strange ache.

He couldn’t quite put a name to this strange feeling, only that it was causing him so much discomfort. He rubbed his chest softly, wondering why he was feeling this way towards her. And her final words, why did they leave so much fear inside his body?

Suddenly, the sound of engines echoed from outside.

Caleb’s gaze sharpened as a convoy of luxury vehicles slowly came into view. Seven black Rolls-Royces pulled up in front of the Montclair manor.

Caleb blinked in disbelief, instinctively rubbing his eyes as though he were imagining things. Because in California, only the world’s most powerful families traveled with convoys like that.

The Crown Families. The Scepter Families. Or… the Noble Houses.

Before he could process it further, the door of the first car swung open and an elderly man stepped out.

Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, the old man held an umbrella in one hand as he hurried toward Ashley through the rain.

The moment he reached her, he bowed respectfully.

Caleb narrowed his eyes in confusion.

The old man appeared to be saying something, but before he could make sense of the situation, Ashley suddenly rushed forward and embraced him tightly.

Caleb brows furrowed instantly as he took a closer look at the man.

White hair.

Refined posture.

An overwhelming aura of dignity. Yet Caleb was certain he had never seen him before.

After a moment, he dismissed the thought, assuming the man was perhaps someone passing by who had decided to help Ashley. Before long, the convoy slowly drove away from the Montclair manor.

As he watched them depart, Caleb felt as though a precious part of him was leaving him forever. He turned and walked towards the nightstand where a bottle of whiskey rested.

He uncorked it and poured some to the crystal glass by the side. Picking it up, he twirled the glass in his hand, the amber liquid offering him a fleeting respite from his turbulent thoughts.

As he sipped his whiskey, Caleb felt an overwhelming sense of solitude crept into his mind. For some reason, the room felt colder than usual. Lonelier, as though the room itself was missing Ashley’s presence.

For the past three years, he had rarely shared a bed with her. But on the few nights he did, he had always slept peacefully. Especially that night two weeks ago before Vanessa returned., their passion had been sweet and undeniable and… Caleb’s grip tightened around the glass. He shut his eyes, forcefully pushing the thoughts away.

What was wrong with him? Ashley was gone now. Their marriage was over. Nothing else should matter anymore. Exhaling deeply, Caleb placed the glass back onto the nightstand. There had only ever been one woman he truly loved. Only one woman capable of stirring such intense emotions within him.

Vanessa.

She was the woman he had waited years for. The woman he would give up everything for.

And yet, he felt something was off. Why was he suddenly feeling this way for his ex wife? Why did he feel like he had just made the biggest mistake of his life?

As he opened his eyes, Caleb’s mind wandered back to the first time Ashley had entered their home. She had been shy, soft-spoken, and innocent. Without any effort, her smile could lift the mood in the house, especially that of his grandfather. And that alone said a lot.

Patriarch Gerald Montclair had never been an easy man to please. He was cold, distant, and rarely socialized with others.

The only reason he had never married Vanessa was because his grandfather strongly disapproved of her. But with Ashley, everything had been different.

Not only had the old man approved of her, he had personally proposed the marriage himself.

Even now, Caleb still didn’t fully understand why. Was it because Ashley had saved him that night in the park? Or because she stayed by his side for days afterward, taking care of him until he recovered?

He still remembered the final words his grandfather had spoken to him before his death, “That girl is special, Caleb. No matter what happens… never let her go.”

Till now, he didn’t understand what he meant by that. Only that she had done everything she possibly could to make their marriage work. She gave up her position in the family company because he asked her to.

She tolerated his coldness. Endured his family’s humiliation. Stayed by his side despite everything. And yet, he had continued pushing her away. Because in his mind, she was never the woman he loved.

Despite his harsh treatments towards her, their marriage had somewhat remained peaceful, until two months ago when Vanessa had returned from overseas. They had linked up a few times and everything had gone downhill from there.

Now, he had finally gotten what he wanted. The divorce. So why did his chest ache so painfully? Why did the image of Ashley crying earlier refuse to leave his mind?

Had he truly made the right decision by going against his grandfather’s wishes and divorcing her under such circumstances? And more importantly, why did a part of him desperately want to believe her when she said she had been framed?

But that was absurd. There was no way Vanessa would stab herself and throw herself down the stairs. He had known her since childhood.

She wasn’t that kind of person.

Then why had Ashley sounded so sincere? Caleb let out a frustrated groan and dragged a hand through his hair before heading toward the bathroom, hoping a cold shower would clear his mind.

As he opened his wardrobe, his gaze fell on Ashley’s side of the closet, causing his hand to hover in the air.

That’s when it hit him.

She hadn’t taken a single piece of clothing. Not one.

All the expensive dresses, handbags, jewelry, and designer outfits he had bought for her over the years remained untouched.

And then he remembered the bank card. Ashley hadn’t spent a single penny from the family allowances.

Not the monthly payments.

Not the company benefits.

Nothing.

She had even returned the compensation his grandfather had personally given her after she saved his life.

“Fuck Ash, just what kind of woman are you?” He muttered, staring blankly at the empty space.

Letting out another frustrated groan, he quickly grabbed a black T shirt and a pair of sweatpants before shutting the wardrobe forcefully, as though trying to silence the thoughts in his head.

There was no point thinking about her anymore. They were divorced now. And that was something that could never be changed.