Ashton's Betrayal, Her Unyielding Vengeance

is

sport, and a small, worn photo of my parents-when the door to the safe house burst o

Iris?" His voice was a low growl,

ushed the cold steel. We stood frozen, a standoff that felt both inevitable and impossibly s

g the pistol from my grip and sending it clattering across the floor. He pinned me against the wall, his body

away?" he snarled, his breath hot agai

d seen glimpses of before, always fleeting, always hidden beneath layers

voice whispered in my head. It's

voice steady despite the tremor in my h

t say that!" His grip tightened, his knuckles white. "

his chest, though it was futile. "Our professional

ar you carry, every secret you keep, every empire we b

tered, the words sharp. "I was jus

"You think you can just discard a decade of loyalty? A decade of trust? A decade of... of this?" He gest

ce breaking. "It has been for a long tim

"Don't you dare," he said, his voice barely audible.

er over your 'most trusted asset'? That you threw me to the wolves to save her? That you allowed her to erase every

cket. It was engraved with the Maxwell family crest, intricate and ancient. This was no ordinary locket. It was a family heirloom, passed down through generations, a symbol of unwavering

"A Maxwell oath. You may be a woman, but you are a warrior. You are bound

t was supposed to bind me to him, to the family, forever. It was a sacred vow, one that his famil

aw with disbelief. "You would invoke ancient vows af

agement party tonight. You will stand by my side. You will be my Chief of Staff. And you will smile. You will perform your duties, just

esh wound, another deliberate humiliation.

y shoulders slumped. The oath. It was a cage, one I had willi

e word a bitter submiss

ickly masked. He released me, taking a st

e empty space where he had stood, my body shaking with a mixture of terror and impotent rage.

floor. It lay there, glinting innocently. I reach

He had broken me. But he hadn't kille

t break me. They would forge me anew. Into something he w