All Chapters of QUEEN OF ASHES: RISE OF THE SCORNFUL EX-WIFE!: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

LISA’S POV I stared at the document, my fingers twitching as if the paper might bite. Three minutes. Maybe more. I’d lost track. The pen hovered above the line that would change everything. “Sign it, baby,” Dominic murmured, his breath warm against my neck, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine. “Just one signature, and you’ll make me the happiest man alive.” He looked perfect this morning, hair brushed back, jaw freshly shaved, smile soft enough to make me forget how dangerous it could be. It’s just another one of his business deals, I told myself. He’s been trying. He deserves this chance. But my hand didn’t move. Not with the memory of every “big idea” that had burned my money to ash. “Dominic…” My voice was quieter than I intended. “I said I wasn’t signing anything else.” He leaned closer, cupping my face like he was cradling something fragile. “You don’t trust me?” His words weren’t sharp. They didn’t need to be. They sank, heavy, into my bones. I wanted to say no.

LISA’S POV A sharp, piercing sound split through my skull, metal grinding against bone. I tried to open my eyes. Bad idea. Pain slammed me back into darkness, throbbing harder with each attempt, like my brain was punishing me for daring to wake up. Something wasn’t right. I couldn’t name it, but my chest tightened like my body already knew what my mind couldn’t remember. Beep. Beep. Beep. The sound grew clearer, syncing with the biting scent of antiseptic and the scratch of stiff sheets beneath my fingers. Not heaven. Not even close. “Lisa!” The voice cut through the fog—urgent, familiar in a way that sent another jolt of confusion through me. I didn’t move. Couldn’t. My eyelids fluttered, but the light burned. The voice came again, closer this time, softer but no less desperate. “It’s okay. You’re safe.” Safe. Somehow, that word felt wrong. Slowly, I pried my eyes open. Faces swam into view—my mom, my dad, a man in a white coat, and also a guy, tall and handsome, worry et

Lisa’s POVThe silence of the night pressed in around me, it was heavy and suffocating. My room was dark but the city lights bled into my room through the curtains and then traced faint silver lines across the wooden floor. The clock on the nightstand blinked back at me, it read 2:13 a.m. I had been lying here for hours, sheets tangled around my legs, eyes wide open, and mind spinning like a wheel on fire.Sleep was impossible. How could I close my eyes after what had happened?The images replayed over and over again in my head. The flash of cameras, the shock on Dominic’s face and the electric warmth of Jace’s lips against mine. The kiss had been a weapon, nothing more but yet it lingered, ghosting across my mouth every time I exhaled.Frustrated, I sat up abruptly. I was trying to get some sleep but the thought of his lips against mine was messing with my thoughts.Propping myself up, my hair tumbled forward. The next time I raised my head, I was staring back at my own reflect

Lisa’s POVAfter my conversation with Jace last night, I decided to meet up with my father this morning. My meeting with him had left me restless. Since I stepped out of his office, my thoughts had been making rounds in my head. I should have felt triumphant but instead I was restless.He didn't acknowledge me as the foolish daughter who once gambled her inheritance on love, but as a strategist.He saw me as someone who was worthy of trust and didn't hesitate when I asked him for help. He gave me something tangible: power.I was almost drifting further in my thoughts when the front door lock beeped open and close. “You're back," I said, rising from the couch I had been lying on and then proceeded to turn on the lights.“Hey,” he waved, trying to shield his face but I saw it. “You’re hurt,” I said, my gaze on the reddened spot.Shaking his head with a smile at the corner of his lips, he brushed it off. “It’s nothing.”“Nothing?" I huffed, closing the distance between us. “Dominic

Lisa's POVFinally, the elevator doors slid open with a soft ding, and I stepped out with my chin high. Behind me, I could hear Dominic’s impatient stride, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of looking back. If anything, his shock was the appetizer I was anticipating for as the main course was waiting in the boardroom.Since I learnt I was going to go up against him in the boardroom, I swung into preparation. After handling official duties at work, I will spend a greater part of my night crafting out strategies and studying every angle of the building project.Unlike Dominic, I didn’t just come armed with charm and ego. I came armed with facts because I was determined to beat him at his game. The moment I stepped into the boardroom, all eyes were shifted to my direction. A half dozen investors sat around the long polished table, their expressions varying from curiosity to genuine surprise. It was clear that they weren't expecting me. “Good morning,” I greeted, smiling warml