Login to ManoBook
Home / Romance / Ashton's Betrayal, Her Unyielding Vengeance
icon 0
icon TOP UP
rightIcon
icon Reading History
rightIcon
icon Sign out
rightIcon
icon Get the APP
rightIcon

Home

Genre

Ranking

Short Stories

Ashton's Betrayal, Her Unyielding Vengeance

Ashton's Betrayal, Her Unyielding Vengeance

Gavin
Romance | Completed
5.0
Comment(s)
3
View
24
Chapters

I spent a decade as Ashton Maxwell' s shadow, building his empire and warming his bed, only for him to announce his engagement to a senator's daughter right in front of me. When assassins struck that night, he didn't just choose her; he used my body as a human shield against a grenade and then shot me himself to prove his loyalty to her family. I survived, reinvented myself as Grecia Munoz, and returned to burn his world to the ground, eventually forcing him to hand over his entire empire in a desperate plea for forgiveness. He promised to disappear so I could find peace with a kind doctor named Garrick. But Ashton' s definition of love was a sickness. To "protect" me from what he called a weakness, he secretly destroyed Garrick' s career and reputation, driving the only innocent man I ever loved to jump off a bridge. He thought this would drive me back into his arms, into the safety of the monster he created. Instead, I drove to the Hamptons, to the pristine dream home he had built for our future. He knelt before me, begging for understanding, claiming he did it all for us. I didn't offer forgiveness. I raised the pistol he had once given me, aimed at the heart I had already broken, and ended the nightmare once and for all.

Revenge Rebirth/Reborn Killer Comeback Revenge
Chapter 24
Today 17:10

Chapter 1

I spent a decade as Ashton Maxwell' s shadow, building his empire and warming his bed, only for him to announce his engagement to a senator's daughter right in front of me.

When assassins struck that night, he didn't just choose her; he used my body as a human shield against a grenade and then shot me himself to prove his loyalty to her family.

I survived, reinvented myself as Grecia Munoz, and returned to burn his world to the ground, eventually forcing him to hand over his entire empire in a desperate plea for forgiveness.

He promised to disappear so I could find peace with a kind doctor named Garrick.

But Ashton' s definition of love was a sickness.

To "protect" me from what he called a weakness, he secretly destroyed Garrick' s career and reputation, driving the only innocent man I ever loved to jump off a bridge.

He thought this would drive me back into his arms, into the safety of the monster he created.

Instead, I drove to the Hamptons, to the pristine dream home he had built for our future.

He knelt before me, begging for understanding, claiming he did it all for us.

I didn't offer forgiveness.

I raised the pistol he had once given me, aimed at the heart I had already broken, and ended the nightmare once and for all.

Chapter 1

Iris POV

I traced the rim of the champagne flute, the anticipation a humming current beneath my skin. Ten years. Ten years of building his empire, of being his shadow, his strategist, his lover. Tonight felt different. Tonight, the whispers of a shared future felt real, tangible. Ashton was late, but that was just like him, always making an entrance. The door finally clicked open. My smile faltered.

He wasn' t alone.

Elodie Hubbard, a vision in an ethereal white dress, clung to his arm. Her laugh, light and tinkling, shattered the quiet hum of my hope. Ashton' s eyes met mine across the penthouse living room, devoid of the warmth I expected. They held a different kind of glint – triumph, and something colder. Something I couldn't yet name.

"Iris," he said, his voice flat, emotionless. "Elodie and I have an announcement."

My heart hammered, a frantic drum against my ribs. I knew this voice. I knew this look. It wasn't the voice of a man about to propose. It was the voice of a man closing a deal. But not with me.

Elodie beamed, her perfect white teeth flashing. "We're engaged!" she chirped, holding up her left hand. A diamond, impossibly large and brilliant, dwarfed the one hidden in my handbag. It mocked me.

The air left my lungs in a silent whoosh. Engaged. Not to me. Never to me.

My throat tightened. "Congratulations," I managed, the word a bitter ash on my tongue. It felt like a lie.

He nodded, a dismissive gesture. "It's a strategic alliance. Senator Hubbard' s connections will legitimize everything we've built, Iris. You understand."

He said it like an order. Like I was a subordinate, not the woman who had shared his bed, his secrets, his life for a decade. Like I was nothing more than a cog in his machine.

I understood. I understood that I was never the prize. I was only ever the tool.

Just hours ago, he had held me. His hands on my skin, his breath hot against my neck. His whispers had filled my ears. False promises. Beautiful lies. Lies I had desperately wanted to believe.

His lips had moved against mine, a practiced intimacy. Every touch, every kiss, a carefully orchestrated symphony of control and desire. I had melted into him, as I always did. My body, a testament to a loyalty he clearly didn't deserve.

"You're mine, Iris," he'd murmured, his voice rough with something I'd mistaken for passion. "Always."

He'd pulled me closer, the scent of his cologne filling my senses. His calloused fingers had traced the line of my jaw, then slid down my arm, intertwining with mine. My heart had swelled, foolishly believing this was the preamble to everything I dreamed of.

I remembered the warmth of his skin against mine, the rhythm of his breath matching my own. I had clung to him, pouring all my unspoken hopes into that embrace. My body had ached with a longing that went beyond physical pleasure. It was a craving for belonging, for permanence.

He had stroked my hair, his gaze distant even then. "My mother wants me to attend the annual charity gala next month," he' d said, his voice casual. "It's a big one this year. All the influential families will be there."

My breath had caught. A shiver of excitement had run through me. He never took me to those events, the ones where the Maxwell name was paraded in polite society. It was always some carefully selected 'date' to maintain appearances. Was this it? My official introduction?

"The gala?" I' d whispered, hope making my voice tremble. "Are you taking me?"

He had chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that once made my skin prickle with delight. Now, it echoed with cruelty.

"Taking you?" He pulled away, just enough to look at me, his eyes sharp. "No, Iris. You'll be coordinating the security detail, as always. Elodie will be on my arm."

The world tilted. The warmth of the bed turned to ice. The promises in his eyes evaporated.

"Elodie?" I' d asked, the name foreign on my tongue. "What about us, Ashton?"

He' d sighed, a sound of weary exasperation. He' d pushed himself up, already putting distance between us. "Us? Iris, there is no 'us' in the way you seem to imagine." He ran a hand through his dark hair, a gesture of impatience. "You're my Chief of Staff. My most trusted asset. That's your role."

His words sliced through me. A precise, surgical cut. My role. Not his partner. Not his future.

"When did this decision happen?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. I needed to know. Had I been a fool even as he touched me? Even as he kissed me?

He glanced at his watch. "The details were finalized last week. Senator Hubbard's daughter is quite... amenable." He paused, a flicker of something almost like regret in his eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. "Now, I need to get ready. Elodie is arriving soon."

He stood, pulling on a silk robe, already moving on. To her.

I watched him go, every movement a fresh stab. The sheets felt cold, the room suddenly vast and empty. I looked at my reflection in the dark windowpane, a stranger with haunted eyes. What had I been thinking? What had I become?

All these years, I had been the woman in the shadows. The one who handled the dirty work: the money laundering, the quiet assassinations, the brutal negotiations. I cleaned up his messes, built his empire brick by bloody brick. And for what? To be discarded for a socialite whose only qualification was her father' s political leverage.

A wave of nausea hit me. I quickly made my way to the bathroom. My stomach churned, emptying itself of the champagne and the bitter taste of betrayal. I looked at myself in the mirror. My face was pale, a network of scars barely visible beneath my jawline – a souvenir from a job gone wrong, a job I' d done for him. I wondered if Elodie had any scars. Probably not. She was the pristine white swan, I was the blood-stained vulture.

The engagement ring, the one he had given me years ago, a promise whispered in the dark, felt heavy on my finger. A cruel joke.

He returned, dressed impeccably, the scent of his cologne now mingled with Elodie' s sweet perfume. He looked at me, still disheveled, still reeling from his announcement. A flicker of annoyance crossed his face.

He picked up a small, elegant box from the dresser. Inside, nestled on velvet, was a delicate diamond necklace. "This is for Elodie," he said, his voice softer than I' d heard it in hours. "A small token for our first public appearance as an engaged couple."

He held it up, admiring the way the facets caught the light. His eyes, usually so sharp and calculating, softened with something I had never seen directed at me: tenderness. A genuine tenderness that twisted a knife in my gut.

He turned, walking toward the door, Elodie' s hand already reaching for his. He paused, his voice barely audible. "Iris," he said, without turning back. "Don't embarrass me."

Then he was gone, the heavy oak door clicking shut behind him. His words, a final, brutal blow, echoed in the silent room.

I felt a hysterical laugh bubble up, then choke into a sob. I slid to the floor, my fingers clutching at the expensive fabric of my dress. The future I had envisioned, the one I had built my life around, lay in ruins around me. He didn' t just break my heart. He annihilated my entire existence.

I dragged myself to the hidden panel behind the bookshelf. It clicked open, revealing a small, steel safe. Inside, along with my emergency passport and a burner phone, lay a small, worn leather journal. My journal. And a silver locket, a gift from Colonel Hall years ago, a piece of something pure amidst the grime.

He had given me so many things. Expensive watches, designer clothes, a penthouse apartment. All tokens of ownership, not affection. Each one felt like a shackle now.

I grabbed the journal, the locket, and then, with trembling hands, I tore off the engagement ring he had given me. It clattered against the other jewelry in the safe – a collection of gilded cages. I added his family crest pin, the one I was supposed to wear tonight, to the pile. A dark, hollow laugh escaped my lips.

I found a lighter. The small flame danced, reflecting in my tear-filled eyes. One by one, I fed the tokens of my decade-long delusion to the fire. The ring, the pin, a silk scarf he' d once praised. Each item crackled and warped, turning to ash.

"What are you doing?" Colonel Hall's voice, gruff but laced with concern, broke through my haze. He stood in the doorway, his eyes wide.

I looked at the swirling ashes, a grim satisfaction spreading through me. "Cleaning house, Colonel." My voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "Every trace. Every memory. Gone."

He watched me, his gaze shrewd. "Where will you go?"

I finally looked up, my eyes meeting his. "Somewhere he can't find me." My voice was a whisper, but my resolve was steel. "And somewhere I can become someone he won't recognize."

I pulled out the burner phone. "Colonel, I need a new identity. A complete erasure. And don't tell a soul."

He nodded, without hesitation. My only true loyalty. My only true family.

"Consider it done, Iris." He paused, his gaze softening. "What name should I procure for you, child?"

My eyes hardened. "Grecia Munoz," I replied, the name a cold, unfamiliar melody on my tongue. "And make her a ghost."

Continue Reading

Other books by Gavin

More
Contract With The Devil: Love In Shackles

Contract With The Devil: Love In Shackles

Mafia

4.3

I watched my husband sign the papers that would end our marriage while he was busy texting the woman he actually loved. He didn't even glance at the header. He just scribbled the sharp, jagged signature that had signed death warrants for half of New York, tossed the file onto the passenger seat, and tapped his screen again. "Done," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. That was Dante Moretti. The Underboss. A man who could smell a lie from a mile away but couldn't see that his wife had just handed him an annulment decree disguised beneath a stack of mundane logistics reports. For three years, I scrubbed his blood out of his shirts. I saved his family's alliance when his ex, Sofia, ran off with a civilian. In return, he treated me like furniture. He left me in the rain to save Sofia from a broken nail. He left me alone on my birthday to drink champagne on a yacht with her. He even handed me a glass of whiskey—her favorite drink—forgetting that I despised the taste. I was merely a placeholder. A ghost in my own home. So, I stopped waiting. I burned our wedding portrait in the fireplace, left my platinum ring in the ashes, and boarded a one-way flight to San Francisco. I thought I was finally free. I thought I had escaped the cage. But I underestimated Dante. When he finally opened that file weeks later and realized he had signed away his wife without looking, the Reaper didn't accept defeat. He burned down the world to find me, obsessed with reclaiming the woman he had already thrown away.

The 100-Point Divorce Plan

The 100-Point Divorce Plan

Romance

4.6

For three years, I documented the slow death of my marriage in a black journal. It was my 100-point divorce plan: for every time my husband, Blake, chose his first love, Ariana, over me, I deducted points. When the score hit zero, I would leave. The final points vanished the night he left me bleeding out from a car crash. I was eight weeks pregnant with the child we had prayed for. In the ER, the nurses frantically called him-the star surgeon of the very hospital I was dying in. "Dr. Santos, we have a Jane Doe, O-negative, bleeding out. She's pregnant, and we're about to lose them both. We need you to authorize an emergency blood transfer." His voice came over the speaker, cold and impatient. "I can't. My priority is Miss Whitfield. Do what you can for the patient, but I can't divert anything right now." He hung up. He condemned his own child to death to ensure his ex-girlfriend had resources on standby after a minor procedure.

The Ninety-Ninth Goodbye

The Ninety-Ninth Goodbye

Young Adult

5.0

The ninety-ninth time Jax Little broke my heart was the last time. We were the golden couple of Northgate High, our future perfectly mapped out for UCLA. But in our senior year, he fell for a new girl, Catalina, and our love story became a sick, exhausting dance of his betrayals and my empty threats to leave. At a graduation party, Catalina "accidentally" pulled me into the pool with her. Jax dove in without a second's hesitation. He swam right past me as I struggled, wrapped his arms around Catalina, and pulled her to safety. As he helped her out to the cheers of his friends, he glanced back at me, my body shivering and my mascara running in black rivers. "Your life isn't my problem anymore," he said, his voice as cold as the water I was drowning in. That night, something inside me finally shattered. I went home, opened my laptop, and clicked the button that confirmed my admission. Not to UCLA with him, but to NYU, an entire country away.

The Waitress Is Actually The Mafia Queen

The Waitress Is Actually The Mafia Queen

Mafia

4.5

I spent a year scrubbing floors in my fiancé’s club, hiding my identity as the daughter of the Capo dei Capi. I needed to know if Connor Bishop was a King worth merging empires with, or just a puppet. The answer came walking in wearing a neon pink dress. Jaden Juarez, a civilian he was infatuated with, didn't just treat me like a servant; she deliberately poured scalding espresso over my hand because I refused to be her valet. The pain was blinding, my skin blistering instantly. I video-called Connor, showing him the burn, expecting him to enforce the code of our world. Instead, seeing his investors watching, he panicked. He chose to sacrifice me to save face. "Get on your knees," he roared through the speaker. "Beg her pardon. Show her the respect she deserves." He wanted the daughter of the most dangerous man on the East Coast to kneel to his mistress. He thought he was showing strength. He didn't realize he was looking at a woman who could burn his entire world to ash with a single phone call. I didn't cry. I didn't beg. I simply hung up the phone and locked the kitchen doors. Then, I dialed the one number everyone in the underworld feared. "Dad," I said, my voice cold as steel. "Code Black. Bring the papers." "And send the wolves."

Left To Drown: The Heiress's Cold Departure

Left To Drown: The Heiress's Cold Departure

Mafia

4.3

I was the fiancée of the Chicago Outfit’s heir, a bond sealed by blood and eighteen years of history. But when his mistress pushed me into the freezing pool at our engagement gala, Jax didn’t swim toward me. He swam past me. He scooped up the girl who pushed me, cradling her like fragile glass, while I struggled against the weight of my gown in the murky water. When I finally dragged myself out, shivering and humiliated before the entire underworld, Jax didn’t offer a hand. He offered a scowl. "You’re making a scene, Eliana. Go home." Later, when that same mistress shoved me down the stairs, shattering my knee and my dance career, Jax stepped over my broken body to comfort her. I overheard him telling his friends, "I’m just breaking her spirit. She needs to learn she’s property, not a partner. Once she’s desperate enough, she’ll be the perfect obedient wife." He thought I was a dog that would always return to its master. He thought he could starve me of affection until I begged for scraps. He was wrong. While he was busy playing protector to his mistress, I wasn't crying in my room. I was packing his ring into a cardboard box. I cancelled my transfer to UCLA and enrolled at NYU instead. By the time Jax realized his "property" was missing, I was already in New York, standing next to a man who looked at me like a queen, not a possession.

My Wedding, Not With You

My Wedding, Not With You

Romance

4.8

Five years ago, I saved my fiancé' s life on a mountain in Aspen. The fall left me with a permanent vision impairment-a constant, shimmering reminder of the day I chose him over my own perfect sight. He repaid me by secretly changing our Aspen wedding to Miami because his best friend, Annmarie, complained it was too cold. I overheard him call my sacrifice "sentimental crap" and watched him buy her a fifty-thousand-dollar dress while scoffing at mine. On our wedding day, he left me waiting at the altar to rush to Annmarie' s side for a conveniently timed "panic attack." He was so sure I' d forgive him. He always was. He saw my sacrifice not as a gift, but as a contract that guaranteed my submission. So when he finally called the empty Miami venue, I let him hear the mountain wind and the chapel bells before I spoke. "My wedding is about to start," I told him. "But it' s not with you."

You'll also like

Celestial Queen: Revenge Is Sweet When You're A Zillionaire Heiress

Celestial Queen: Revenge Is Sweet When You're A Zillionaire Heiress

Jori Hays
4.9

After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.

The Mafia Heiress's Comeback: She's More Than You Think

The Mafia Heiress's Comeback: She's More Than You Think

Wiley Goods
4.5

Sawyer, the world's top arms dealer, stunned everyone by falling for Maren—the worthless girl no one respected. People scoffed. Why chase a useless pretty face? But when powerful elites began gathering around her, jaws dropped. "She's not even married to him yet—already cashing in on his power?" they assumed. Curious eyes dug into Maren's past... only to find she was a scientific genius, a world-renowned medical expert, and heiress to a mafia empire. Later, Sawyer posted online. "My wife treats me like the enemy. Any advice?"

My Luna Became An Alpha After I Rejected Her

My Luna Became An Alpha After I Rejected Her

infanta123
5.0

My Luna became an alpha after I rejected her : she was my Luna. I rejected her. Now she's stronger than ever and she has my son. Amelia's world shattered the day her daughter died-and her mate, Alpha Aiden of the Red Moon Pack, divorced her to reunite with his ex-girlfriend. Cast out, disgraced, and accused of poisoning her own child, Amelia was stripped of her title and driven from her pack. The next morning, her lifeless body was found at the border.They all believed she was dead.But she wasn't. Far from the ashes of betrayal, Amelia rebuilt herself-rising from rejection and ruin to become the first female Alpha of Velaris, the most powerful and respected pack in the realm. She also carried a secret Aiden never discovered:She was pregnant-with his son.Years later, fate brings them face to face once more. A deadly disease is spreading through the packs, and the only one who can stop it is the renowned doctor they thought had died. When Aiden sees the boy at her side-his eyes, his blood-he realizes the truth.He didn't just lose his Luna. He destroyed the mother of his child.And now, she's everything he's not-stronger, wiser, untouchable. Will she heal the pack that betrayed her?Will she ever let him near her heart again?Or is his punishment simply living with the consequences?

Beneath His Ugly Wife's Mask: Her Revenge Was Her Brilliance

Beneath His Ugly Wife's Mask: Her Revenge Was Her Brilliance

Lukas Difabio
4.8

Elliana, the unfavored "ugly duckling" of her family, was humiliated by her stepsister, Paige, who everyone admired. Paige, engaged to the CEO Cole, was the perfect woman-until Cole married Elliana on the day of the wedding. Shocked, everyone wondered why he chose the "ugly" woman. As they waited for her to be cast aside, Elliana stunned everyone by revealing her true identity: a miracle healer, financial mogul, appraisal prodigy, and AI genius. When her mistreatment became known, Cole revealed Elliana's stunning, makeup-free photo, sending shockwaves through the media. "My wife doesn't need anyone's approval."

Free At Last, Untouchable Now

Free At Last, Untouchable Now

Cora Wells
5.0

For three years, Natalie gave everything to be the perfect wife and mother, believing her love and effort could finally earn her a place in their hearts. Yet her sacrifices were met with betrayal from her husband and cold rejection from her son. In their eyes, she was nothing but a manipulator, using vulnerability to get her way. Her husband turned his back, her son misunderstood her, and she never truly belonged. Heartbroken yet determined, Natalie left her old life behind. When her family finally begged for a second chance, she looked at them and said, "It's too late."

Get Back The Abandoned Luna

Get Back The Abandoned Luna

PENRELIEVER
4.5

The night I discovered my husband's whore was carrying his heir, I smiled for the cameras-and plotted his ruin. Scarlett was born a queen-heir to a powerful legacy, Luna of the Dark Moon Pack by blood and by sacrifice. She gave everything to Alexander: her love, her loyalty, her life. In return, he paraded his mistress before their pack... and dared to call it duty. But Scarlett won't be another broken woman weeping in the shadows. She'll wear her crown of thorns with pride, tear down every lie built around her, and when she strikes, it will be glorious. The Alpha forgot that the woman he betrayed is far more dangerous than the girl who once loved him.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
Ashton's Betrayal, Her Unyielding Vengeance
1

Chapter 1

Today at 17:10

2

Chapter 2

Today at 17:10

3

Chapter 3

Today at 17:10

4

Chapter 4

Today at 17:10

5

Chapter 5

Today at 17:10

6

Chapter 6

Today at 17:10

7

Chapter 7

Today at 17:10

8

Chapter 8

Today at 17:10

9

Chapter 9

Today at 17:10

10

Chapter 10

Today at 17:10

11

Chapter 11

Today at 17:10

12

Chapter 12

Today at 17:10

13

Chapter 13

Today at 17:10

14

Chapter 14

Today at 17:10

15

Chapter 15

Today at 17:10

16

Chapter 16

Today at 17:10

17

Chapter 17

Today at 17:10

18

Chapter 18

Today at 17:10

19

Chapter 19

Today at 17:10

20

Chapter 20

Today at 17:10

21

Chapter 21

Today at 17:10

22

Chapter 22

Today at 17:10

23

Chapter 23

Today at 17:10

24

Chapter 24

Today at 17:10