All Chapters of Ashes Of Sterling - A Tale Of Revenge: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

"What did she tell you now?" Derek asks as he finally arrives by my side, looking over my shoulder at his mother. I put my palm over his and slide it down to rest on his chest for a second, enough for everyone to notice before dropping my hand to my side. "Doesn't matter, now does it?" I say as I gently take his hand into mine, our fingers intertwining. "As long as you hold this hand, like you promised you would. Nothing she says will change how I feel about you." He looks down at me like he’s still adjusting to the idea that I chose him, and maybe afraid that I won’t keep choosing him.“I meant it,” I say, meeting his gaze. “And I don’t say things I don’t mean.”Not here. Not tonight. Not with Camila watching like a hawk from the corner, her expression unreadable behind the sculpted chill of high society restraint. Not with Victor circling, quiet and coiled like a question still waiting to be asked. I squeeze Derek’s hand just a little tighter. I want her to see it. I want all of the

Present day...Marcus Delacroix.I haven't seen him in a long time. After he delivered the news of my brother's death, I lashed out. I blamed him. He told me, gave me his word he would help Jackson, and even if he tried, he was late. I couldn't forgive that. And now, he was standing in front of me. Aurora just introduced him as her favorite uncle. How could he be her... their family? He was supposed to be our friend. And worst of all, I dont know where I stand right now. He could destroy me, destroy Isabella. Because even with a hairdo and the colored lenses, there is no chance he wouldn't be able to recognise me. Recoginse Katherine.He’s standing right there. Real. Solid. Unchanged in the way that only men who’ve already lived through war seem to be. Tailored suit, salt-and-pepper hair combed neatly back, and that cool, impenetrable gaze that always made people talk less and mean more. Aurora beams beside me, blissfully unaware of the unraveling going on in my chest.“Isa,” she says

"I thought you said there was nothing between you and Derek."His voice is low, but it cuts clean, sharp and close like a blade slipped under skin. There's no room left for pretending. Not with that look in his eyes. But I knew this was gonna happen. I knew I would lose a pawn and accepted it. Besides, there is not much more I can take out of Benjamin."There wasn't." I answer. "But now there is."The words land between us like a dropped match.His jaw tightens. Something flickers behind his eyes, disbelief, betrayal, maybe just bruised ego, but he keeps his voice controlled. “Isabella, did you forget what I told you about him, the reputation he has... or do you prefer ignoring it for the sake of the project landing in your lap?" A slow smile curls at the corner of my mouth, cool, precise. I tilt my head, studying him the way one studies a closing door, deciding whether it’s worth reopening."Respectfully, Benjamin..." I say as I decide to let this conversation die and walk away. "I t

"I really did look great in that dress," I say as I lean back in my office chair, flipping the magazine page, reviewing the aftermath of yesterday's party. The press loved me, the woman on Derek Ashford's hand, the one who had him so smitten he didn't glance at another woman. One might think I paid to have this written, but this was all them. And that is for sure the reason why everyone hid their gaze as I walked the office hallway this morning. Not one whisper loud enough for me to hear, but I could feel them.The stares. The judgment. The fascination.I went from quiet new hire to headline material overnight. And while part of me wants to roll my eyes, the other part, the cold, calculating part knows this is exactly what I need.They need to get used to the idea of me, after all, I am going to be the CEO's wife. Even if Derek doesn't know it yet, I'll make him want it. And them now knowing I'm in a romantic relationship with the boss makes it perfectly normal for them when they see

The hospital smell hits me the moment I step through the glass doors, antiseptic, cold, and too clean to be comforting. My heels echo against the marble floor, though I don’t remember choosing these shoes. I don’t remember much of the last ten hours, just a blur of sky, white leather seats, and panic eating me from the inside.I hadn’t slept. I couldn’t. I’d spent the entire flight gripping the armrest and whispering silent prayers, watching the clouds like they held the answers.Valerie meets me at the reception, her face pale and lined with worry. The moment I see her, I fall into her arms, and she holds me like a sister, like a mother, like someone who’s already broken before I can.“He’s stable,” she whispers into my hair. “But they’re still running tests.”That word. Stable. It sounds like a lie. Like a consolation prize for something worse.“Where is he?” I ask, already moving.She leads me past white walls and hushed voices, through sliding doors and muted fluorescent lights. I