Library Ashford Novels & Stories

She waited, then continued, “You’ll be joining the Ashford meeting next week, by the way.” I paused. “What meeting?” She turned toward me and smiled like it was good news. “The Ashfords are partnering with us on a new project. You’ll be on the presentation team. Big international deal. The CEO’s flying in personally.” I blinked. “Did you say… Ashford?” “Yeah. Why?” She tilted her head. “You know them?” I didn’t answer immediately. My heart skipped. Ashford. That wasn’t just any company. That was my father’s company.

She searched his face, but his eyes were fixed on some point beyond her, as if speaking more to himself than to her. “And you?” she asked. “Are you strong enough?” His gaze snapped back to hers, piercing. For a heartbeat, she regretted the question. But then he smiled, slow and confident. “I am Ashford. Strength is not a choice—it is inheritance.” The words should have reassured her. Instead, they chilled her faintly. ---

Hazel smiled lazily and folded her arms on her chest again. For the first time, Tobias's expressions changed to one of surprise. A frown slowly formed between his perfectly thick eyebrows. “ Why Ashford? ” He asked all of a sudden. “ I like that company. The CEO of that company made it reach the top in only a few years and he did it all by himself. ” Hazel sighed out dreamily, causing Tobias's frown to deepen. “ Okay. I will do what you asked of me. I don't owe you anymore. You can come to Ashford Enterprise tomorrow morning and you will be hired. ” He sighed out and turned around to walk away from her.

From the back, it honestly looked a little like he was running. I couldn't figure out what game he was playing now. I didn't want to. I went upstairs and crawled back into bed. When I woke up, there were a few unread messages waiting on my phone. From the Ashfords. They wanted me at the house. Something to discuss. That was novel. Since when was I, the outsider, invited to weigh in on Ashford business? I arrived at the estate at dusk, timed down to the minute. The moment I stepped into the foyer, the Ashfords' faces settled into disgust.

What I found made my head spin. The Ashford family didn't just own one hospital. They owned dozens, scattered across multiple cities, with Kingspins Medical serving as the flagship location. They were billionaires, old money mixed with new, and Kade Ashford was listed as the chief medical director of the main hospital as well as the CEO of the entire medical empire. How the hell was Rhia my best friend and I'd never known any of this? She'd always been wealthy, sure, but I'd assumed it was normal rich people money. Not build-a-medical-empire-and-run-a-secret-gang-on-the-side money.

Even the name had stolen her breath. The carriage jolted violently as it turned onto a gravel road. Through the fogged glass, Amelia caught her first glimpse of the Château d’Ashford a grand, imposing mansion of pale stone perched upon a hill, framed by black iron gates. The lamps flickered dimly in the courtyard, shadows dancing like ghosts. Her heart twisted. This was no longer the Ryan she had once known the passionate dreamer who’d sworn he’d change the world. This was Monsieur Ashford, the English industrialist whispered about across Paris a man said to have no heart, no mercy, and no desire for love.

The King of Ashes had work to do. Lucian was waiting for me in the secured basement level of the Citadel. The air was cold and sterile. In one of the reinforced interrogation rooms, one of the arms suppliers from the pier sat chained to a steel table. He was a mid-level gunrunner from out of state, a man who thought he was making a simple, profitable deal. His eyes were wide with a terror that told me he had finally realized how far out of his depth he was.

I looked up at him. "The Ashford line," he said, "did not begin as a wolfless bloodline. That is a relatively recent development. Recent in pack terms." He folded his hands on the desk. "Two hundred and thirty years ago, the Ashford bloodline was one of the oldest in existence. It predated most of the current Alpha families, including mine. It carried a power that wasn't expressed through shifting the way ordinary wolves shift. It operated differently. More deeply." The pressure under my skin had been quiet all day. Now it moved. Just slightly. Just enough to remind me it was there.

Then added one more line before I could change my mind. 'Are you at Ashford Corporation?'

“Whatever it is. Just say it.” Phillips looked at each of us. Slowly. Letting the tension build. The room felt smaller. The air felt heavier. Lila couldn’t take it anymore. “What is it?” She asked. Phillips said it like he was dropping a bomb. “The Ashworth.” The word echoed in the room. “The Ashworth?” Lila repeated, confused. “The Ashworth.” Harold said, frowning. I stared at him, my mind racing. The Ashworth Group.