All Chapters of Ashes Don't Bleed: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

VOSS ESTATE The night hummed with static, rain whispering against the glass in a slow, rhythmic pulse. The world outside was nothing but dark sea and the gleam of lightning cutting through the fog. Inside, the estate was quiet — too quiet — except for the faint crackle of Kaylee’s typing and the low, predatory patience of Amara watching her. The listening devices the chef had planted across the Cade estate had been silent for days — background noise that yielded nothing but passing conversations, meaningless chatter, and the soft echo of Sienna’s laughter in empty rooms. Until tonight. A small pulse blinked red across Kaylee’s monitor. Her breath hitched. “I’ve got something.” Amara’s gaze snapped toward the screen. “Play it.” Kaylee did — her fingers trembling slightly as the feed opened. A voice filtered through, faint and tinny but unmistakably Sienna’s. > “I told you not to call me first! What the hell are you doing? What if Ethan sees?” The silence that followed was thic

THE CLUB The city had changed its skin by nightfall. The rain-washed streets shimmered under neon and deceit. Music spilled out from the heart of the district—low, throbbing, human. Haven, the club Sienna had chosen, was carved out of glass and shadow, the kind of place where power came to dance with denial. Amara arrived at nine on the dot. Her driver opened the door, and the wind caught her coat like it wanted to hold her. She stepped out, a symphony of restraint—black silk and sharp heels, and that quiet confidence that made men shift without knowing why. Inside, the air was warm, rich with perfume and false laughter. She spotted Sienna almost instantly. Perched on a high stool near the bar, Sienna looked like a painting come to life—hair perfectly curled, smile perfectly placed. But her eyes flicked toward the entrance too quickly. Expectant. Nervous. She’d rehearsed this moment. Amara’s lips curved. Of course she had. “Amara!” Sienna’s voice rose above the music, too bright

CADE ESTATE The message arrived at 2:07 p.m. Sienna’s phone buzzed against the marble counter, the sound slicing through the quiet of the penthouse. She glanced at the screen—and froze. > Unknown Number: You can lie to him, but you can’t hide from me. Her heart lurched. For a moment, she just stared, waiting for the words to rearrange themselves into something less terrifying. They didn’t. The same white letters burned against the dark screen, cold and certain. Then another buzz. A photo. Her breath caught. It was her. Outside the hotel. The streetlight pouring gold across her face, Daniel’s shadow inches away. She remembered that night vividly. Her first instinct was denial. It’s fake. A trick. But even as she thought it, she knew the truth. The angle, the lighting, the timing—it was too precise. Her throat tightened. “No… no, no, no…” she whispered, pressing the phone to her chest as though that could erase it. Ethan. It had to be Ethan. Who else could have know

The music ended, but Daelan didn’t let go.Amara’s pulse was steady in her throat, though her expression betrayed nothing. Around them, applause scattered softly as the orchestra shifted to a livelier tune, couples breaking apart with laughter and champagne, unaware that something far quieter — and far more dangerous — was happening just off the center of the floor.She withdrew her hand from his, slow but deliberate. “Daelan,” she repeated, her tone calm but edged with steel. “Is that name supposed to mean something to me?”Daelan’s eyes flicked with the faintest glint of amusement. “Maybe,” he said. “Maybe not yet.”“Try again.”“Names,” he murmured, leaning just slightly closer, “are just masks, aren’t they? The real question is — why does it bother you?”She tilted her head, studying him. “Because people who hide behind masks usually have something to lose.”“Or something to protect.”He said it lightly, almost offhand, but the way his gaze lingered — steady, unflinching — felt in

CADE ENTERPRISES The morning didn’t start so much as detonate.Ethan Cade’s world was a carefully constructed empire — every deal, every move, every breath accounted for. He had built his life like a chessboard: predictable, deliberate, and absolute.But control is an illusion, and today, that illusion shattered.Craig, his secretary of eight years, stood in the doorway of his office looking like a man who would rather be anywhere else. “Sir… there’s been a development.”Ethan didn’t look up immediately. He was reviewing a contract — red ink circling figures like open wounds. “Define development.”Craig hesitated. “You might want to sit down for this.”Ethan’s pen stilled. Slowly, he raised his gaze. “You have ten seconds before I stop pretending to be civil.”Craig swallowed. “We just lost two major investors — Marlborough Holdings and Silvercrest Group. They’ve both withdrawn completely.”Silence.Ethan blinked once. “Withdrawn?”“Yes, sir.”“They signed long-term contracts.”“They