All Chapters of Ashes Of Sterling - A Tale Of Revenge: Chapter 11 - Chapter 16

Dining at the Ashford mansion would put five-star restaurants to shame. Everything was, because it had to be, simply exquisite. From the appetizer to the last course, maids moved around at Camila's simple yet strict gaze, while the conversation was light, elegant, and shallow."So, Isabella..." Camila said as she lowered the glass of wine from her lips to the table. "What other interest do you have besides architecture. A young woman such as yourself must have more than just blueprints and building codes occupying her mind." The question wasn’t innocent. Camila’s voice, though velvet-smooth, held the weight of a scalpel...sharp, intentional, designed to slice beneath the surface."Well, work does take a big amount of my time, but it's what I love doing. I love creating things with strong, everlasting bones, leaving my mark. But I enjoy art, sports, traveling when time and work permit, doing work for needed foundations." Camila tilted her head slightly, the corners of her lips curving

The silence that followed the question was heavier than any verdict. For a moment, even the cameras forgot to click. Derek’s hand, still gripping the edge of the podium, twitched. Just once. Barely noticeable. But I saw it. The mask cracked. He cleared his throat, jaw tightening before releasing, and leaned ever so slightly forward.“I understand the speculation,” he began, voice carefully measured, “but I won’t comment on cases unrelated to today’s breach. The incident involving Jackson Carter was thoroughly reviewed by legal and closed. Any attempt to connect the two is reckless and disrespectful to those involved.”A practiced line. A well worn shield. But even the best rehearsals stumble when ghosts show up. And the memory of my brother sturded up something in him, something he is trying really hard to push back but the reporter persisted. “But don’t you think the public deserves to know if Ashford Global’s culture of silence contributed to both these scandals?” Derek paused only

I had to get out of here. The walls were too thin. The air too stale with boardroom lies and glassy smiles. Every hallway echoed with the ghosts of who they made him be, Derek Ashford, heir to the dynasty, shaped like a weapon, polished like a statue. But that wasn’t the man I needed. I needed the version unraveling at the seams. The version who wanted to be seen instead of managed. Who questioned instead of performed. And that man wouldn’t find himself here. Not under Camila’s hawk-eyes or Lucas’s fake fatherly nods. No. I needed him far away from this place.So I disappeared. No warning, no dramatic exits. Just an empty desk and my house key I foolesly left behind. It was a breadcrumb, subtle but deliberate. Something only he would notice. A quiet invitation. Come find me. Because I knew he would.Derek needed me now. Not for press releases or spin strategies but for something raw. He was falling apart, and looking for confort. Good. Let him fall. Let him crumble. And when he does,