《The Price of Ashbourne 》全部章節：第 1 章 - 第 9 章

Chapter TwoBy the time Elena left St. Mary’s, she still believed she could fix everything. Her mother needed a transplant. She needed money. She needed to get back to work, finish paying for the wedding, and somehow make it through the weeks ahead. She had survived worse—at least, she thought she had.When Riverside Café came into view, her clothes had almost dried. She stopped outside the glass door and stared through it for a moment. Her apron was still hanging in the staff room, her bag still in her locker. She hadn’t checked out. She hadn’t told anyone where she was going. She had simply run.Taking a steady breath, she pushed the door open. The familiar smell of coffee met her at once. Cups clinked against saucers, the espresso machine hissed behind the counter, and conversations overlapped beneath the low hum of music. Everything looked exactly as it had a few hours earlier. Only Elena felt different.Marcus was handing a customer a cup when he looked up. “There you are.” He sh

Chapter FourDamien Ashbourne walked through the fourth floor with the hospital director beside him, his pace unhurried but purposeful. Every few steps he stopped to glance into another ward, another treatment room, another nurses’ station. He asked few questions, but each one landed with enough precision to make the director hesitate before answering.“The dialysis unit has reduced waiting times by nineteen percent,” the director said, gesturing toward the renovated wing. “Patient satisfaction has also improved significantly since the Foundation’s first grant.”Damien’s gaze drifted over the room before settling briefly on a maintenance checklist pinned to the wall. “When was that last updated?”The director followed his eyes. “Yesterday.”“It says this morning.”The director looked again, caught himself, then gave an awkward smile. “I’ll have it corrected.”Damien looked away. The inspection moved on.A few doors ahead, inside Room 412, Elena had forgotten he was even in the buildin

Chapter byxElena lowered her phone onto the dressing table, the smile lingering on her face even after the call had ended. “I’ll see you after the ceremony,” she’d promised. “And I’ll be waiting,” her mother had replied, before insisting she stop worrying about the hospital and start thinking like a bride.The makeup artist fastened the last pin into Elena’s hair before stepping back to inspect her work. She adjusted a loose strand near Elena’s temple, nodded to herself, and finally set the comb aside. “There,” she said. “Now you can move.”Elena laughed softly. “I’ve been waiting to hear that.”“I know. Every five minutes you asked if we were done.”“Because we weren’t.”Across the room, Mia was already halfway through another phone call. “No, the white arrangements go on the left side of the entrance… Yes, the entrance, not the altar.” She listened for a moment and rubbed her forehead. “Please tell me someone remembered the guest book this time.”She ended the call with a s

Chapter EightElena woke to the faint scent of lavender mixed with something colder she couldn’t name. Her eyes opened slowly. Above her, delicate gold lines traced an unfamiliar crest across the ivory ceiling—a black raven crowned in gold, its wings curled around a single letter: A. She stared at it, certain she had never seen it before, yet something deep inside whispered otherwise.A dull ache spread across her head. She pressed a hand to her temple and closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to settle. Where am I? The bed beneath her was enormous, covered in soft white sheets and a dark velvet throw. Tall windows were draped in heavy curtains, and beyond them sunlight poured over carefully maintained gardens. When she sat up, her bare feet touched warm marble veined with thin threads of gold that caught the morning light.Her gaze moved across the room. Heavy curtains fell from ceiling to floor, embroidered with the same crest. A crystal chandelier scattered light across polished su