Too Late, Mr. Reed

Too Late, Mr. Reed

Gavin

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Ava Miller, a gifted NYU photography student, was desperate. Her mother's medical bills were a mountain of debt, burying Ava's dreams. Salvation appeared in the form of Ethan Reed, a tech billionaire who offered to cover everything – tuition, medical expenses – in exchange for her "companionship" as his muse. Reluctantly, Ava agreed, finding herself falling for his lavish attentions and grand gestures. Then, Ethan' s ex-fiancée, Victoria Hayes, returned. Victoria coldly revealed that every romantic moment Ava cherished was a calculated rerun, a part of Ethan' s elaborate play to win Victoria back. To prove it, Victoria orchestrated a cruel test: Ava and Victoria would text Ethan with competing emergencies. Ethan chose Victoria' s. He dismissed Ava' s plea for help without even reading it. The illusion shattered. Ava, pale and humiliated, was publicly paraded as Ethan' s temporary "project," his "plaything" – a means to an end. It worsened when Victoria callously broke Ava' s late father' s cherished vintage camera, then twisted the truth to Ethan. He immediately sided with Victoria, punishing Ava by confining her to a remote, stark guesthouse, treating her like a disobedient animal. ------------------ My spirit was crushed. How could the man I thought I loved be so merciless, so manipulative? Every grand gesture, every whispered word of affection, was a performance, a lie designed to ensnare me as a pawn in his cruel game. Why would anyone do something so deliberate, so deeply humiliating? But the cold betrayal ignited a desperate resolve. With a late scholarship offer to London' s Royal College of Art, I knew my gilded cage was finally open. I had to escape this twisted drama, reclaim my life, and maybe, just maybe, find real freedom.

Introduction

Ava Miller, a gifted NYU photography student, was desperate.

Her mother's medical bills were a mountain of debt, burying Ava's dreams.

Salvation appeared in the form of Ethan Reed, a tech billionaire who offered to cover everything – tuition, medical expenses – in exchange for her "companionship" as his muse.

Reluctantly, Ava agreed, finding herself falling for his lavish attentions and grand gestures.

Then, Ethan' s ex-fiancée, Victoria Hayes, returned.

Victoria coldly revealed that every romantic moment Ava cherished was a calculated rerun, a part of Ethan' s elaborate play to win Victoria back.

To prove it, Victoria orchestrated a cruel test: Ava and Victoria would text Ethan with competing emergencies.

Ethan chose Victoria' s.

He dismissed Ava' s plea for help without even reading it.

The illusion shattered.

Ava, pale and humiliated, was publicly paraded as Ethan' s temporary "project," his "plaything" – a means to an end.

It worsened when Victoria callously broke Ava' s late father' s cherished vintage camera, then twisted the truth to Ethan.

He immediately sided with Victoria, punishing Ava by confining her to a remote, stark guesthouse, treating her like a disobedient animal.

------------------

My spirit was crushed.

How could the man I thought I loved be so merciless, so manipulative?

Every grand gesture, every whispered word of affection, was a performance, a lie designed to ensnare me as a pawn in his cruel game.

Why would anyone do something so deliberate, so deeply humiliating?

But the cold betrayal ignited a desperate resolve.

With a late scholarship offer to London' s Royal College of Art, I knew my gilded cage was finally open.

I had to escape this twisted drama, reclaim my life, and maybe, just maybe, find real freedom.

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His Secret Son, Her Stolen Fortune

His Secret Son, Her Stolen Fortune

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5.0

I found the document by accident. Aiden was away, and I was looking for my mother' s old earrings in the safe when my fingers brushed against a thick, unfamiliar file folder. It wasn't mine. It was the "Herrera Family Trust," and the primary beneficiary of Aiden' s massive fortune wasn't me, his wife of seven years. It was a five-year-old boy named Leo Herrera, and his legal guardian, listed as the secondary beneficiary, was Haven Herrera-my adopted sister-in-law. My family lawyer confirmed it an hour later. It was real. Ironclad. Established five years ago. The phone slipped from my hand. A cold numbness spread through me. Seven years. I had spent seven years justifying Aiden's madness, his rages, his possessiveness, believing it was a twisted part of his love. I stumbled through the cold, silent mansion to the east wing, drawn by the sound of laughter. Through the glass doors, I saw them: Aiden, bouncing Leo on his knee, Haven beside him, her head resting on his shoulder. And with them, smiling and cooing at the child, were Aiden's parents. My in-laws. They were a perfect family. "Aiden, the final transfer of the Knox assets into Leo' s trust is complete," his father said, raising a glass of champagne. "It's all airtight now." "Good," Aiden replied, his voice calm. "Charlotte's family money should have always belonged to a true Herrera heir." My inheritance. My family's legacy. Transferred to his secret son. My own money, used to secure the future of his betrayal. They had all known. They had all conspired. His rage, his paranoia, his sickness-it wasn't for everyone. It was a special hell he had reserved just for me. I backed away from the door, my body cold as ice. I ran back to our bedroom, the one we had shared for seven years, and locked the door. I looked at my reflection, at the ghost of the woman I used to be. A quiet vow formed on my lips, silent but absolute. "Aiden Herrera," I whispered to the empty room. "I will never see you again."

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