Barely ten minutes passed before the stillness of the street was ripped apart by the deep, thunderous growl of incoming engines.
A convoy of five black Rolls-Royces glided toward the hospital, then eased to an elegant stop right in front of Ashley.
In flawless sync, every car door swung open at once. A pair of orderly lines formed as black-suited bodyguards stepped out and took their places on both sides, standing straight and solemn, their manner impeccably respectful. "Miss Dunn."
From the rear seat of the middle car, Dayna Gill emerged in sky-high heels and a runway-worthy red couture dress, dazzling and formidable as ever.
"Ash!"
Rushing over without a second thought, Dayna stopped short the instant she saw how alarmingly slender Ashley had grown, and her eyes flushed red on the spot.
"Nicolas is a blind, useless bastard. How could he put you through something like this? You walked away from your name and your family just to protect that fragile ego of his. You married him like you were no one special, hid your background and let him believe you were an orphan, and then spent three exhausting years wearing yourself out taking care of him. And what did you get in return? That piece of trash was actually willing to cut out your kidney for that scheming little bitch, and after all that, he still had the audacity to mock your divorce decision. He really ought to look at himself. Without the Dunn family propping him up all these years, what the hell is he, really?"
Ashley dropped her eyes, hiding the chill that flickered through them.
Dayna hadn't been wrong. Ashley had been Raymond Dunn's granddaughter—the rightful heiress of the most powerful family in Sleridge—raised in staggering wealth, wrapped in privilege, handed every advantage life could offer.
Yet three years earlier, defying her grandfather's iron will and the objections of her three brothers, she had stubbornly chosen Nicolas, casting aside her identity to live at his side as nothing more than an ordinary woman.
All that sacrifice had earned her in the end was cold, calculated betrayal.
"Dayna, I was a fool back then. That ends now."
A measured breath slipped past her lips as her gaze hardened, calm in a way that felt almost dangerous.
"And this isn't over," she added, each word deliberate and chilling. "Everything they owe me—I'll take it back myself, piece by piece."
Whatever softness had once defined Ashley was gone.
In its place stood a woman carved from something colder, sharper, far less forgiving.
Letting Nicolas and Caroline walk away unscathed had never even crossed her mind.
...
Perched halfway up a secluded hillside on the edge of Sleridge, the Dunn estate loomed in rigid silence, its severe architecture radiating quiet dominance.
As Ashley entered the living room, she found an elderly man already seated there, his keen gaze cutting through the space and his commanding presence impossible to ignore.
It was Raymond. At the sight of her, his fingers tightened around the head of his cane, a faint tremor betraying him before he steadied himself. A sharp, dismissive snort followed, his voice edged with frost. "So, you still remembered the way home. I was beginning to think you'd go die somewhere out there and never even let me see you one last time."
A sharp ache hit Ashley straight through the nose, and her eyes instantly burned. In her previous life, that had become the truth. She really had died without ever seeing him again.
Unable to hold back, she hurried to his side, her voice trembling as it caught in her throat. "Grandpa, I'm sorry," she said softly. "I was wrong. I should've listened to you from the beginning."
"Alright, alright. You're home now, aren't you? So why are you crying like this?"
His voice still sounded rough and impatient, but the affection in his eyes was impossible to miss.
No longer in the mood to lecture her, he lifted a hand and gently patted her hair. "Since you finally came to your senses and came back home, that's enough for me. Now tell me—what kind of gift do you want for coming back?"
Brushing the tears from her cheeks, Ashley steadied herself, took a quiet breath, and said, "Grandpa, I don't want any gift. I want to take over as CEO of Dunn Group, and I'm staying with you and my brothers."
For a brief second, Raymond simply stared at her. Then a rich, thunderous laugh burst from his chest, full of unmistakable satisfaction.
"Good. That's exactly what someone from the Dunn family should say. So you've finally made up your mind to take over Dunn Group. That seat was always yours, Ashley. Your brothers and I never stopped waiting for you to claim it."
A moment later, however, the warmth on his face dimmed. His voice lowered, and a trace of hesitation surfaced in his otherwise firm expression.
"But Ashley, this family has always had its rules. If you come back and take your place as the Dunn heir, then for your reputation and the family's interests, you'll have to accept an arranged marriage. Have you truly thought this through?"
Without a moment's pause, the former Ashley would have turned it down outright—her devotion to Nicolas had once made the very idea of an arranged marriage unbearable.
Yet after enduring that life once already, clarity had settled in, sharp and unshakable.
"I've already considered it," Ashley replied, her tone steady, not a flicker of doubt in her eyes. "Right now, the only thing that matters to me is keeping the Dunn Group strong and secure. As for who I'm matched with… it makes no difference to me."
