Chapter 7: Pawns and Players

"Oh, Ashlyn." Penelope's voice dripped with false concern. "I should warn you about Jonathan. He's just using you to get back at the Knights."

"Am I such a fool, Penelope?" Ashlyn's smile was razor-sharp. "Or are you already scared?"

"Scared?" Penelope laughed nervously. "Of you?"

Christopher stepped forward. "If you want to degrade yourself, go ahead. Jonathan shouldn't waste his time."

"Bold words from someone who lost a bidding war so spectacularly," Jonathan remarked. "Then again, you've always been blind when it comes to certain things... or people."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you don't know, you're even more foolish than I thought."

Penelope touched Ashlyn's arm. "We're just worried. Without us to guide you—"

Ashlyn jerked away. "Your concern is noted and dismissed."

"Mrs. Walker," Jonathan interrupted, "perhaps we should go. Your husband might worry if you wander too long."

"Afraid of Richard, Jonathan?" Christopher sneered.

"Merely preserving my life. Richard can be quite... protective."

Later that evening, a velvet box waited on Ashlyn's dresser. Inside gleamed the auction diamond, now set in an intricate necklace.

Meanwhile, at the White mansion...

"You fool!" Christopher's mother slammed her hands on the desk. "Do you realize what you've done?"

"Mother—"

"We're losing shares! Without Ashlyn—"

"I have a plan."

"Your plans got us into this mess!"

Across town, Richard found Ashlyn thrashing in her sleep.

"No... the portal... I can't..." she mumbled.

He kissed her forehead gently, and she settled.

The next day, Christopher cornered Ashlyn outside her office.

"Be my secret wife."

Ashlyn blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Keep your shares, maintain appearances with Richard, but be mine privately."

"And why would I do that?"

"For your reputation. Who else would accept you after everything?"

Ashlyn laughed, the sound echoing through the empty corridor. "Accept me? Jonathan is twice the businessman you are, and Richard?" She stepped closer. "Richard is everything you pretend to be."

"You're damaged goods, Ashlyn. I'm being generous."

"Generous?" Her eyes flashed. "Tell you what – apologize for Penelope at your grandfather's banquet, and I'll consider it."

"That would ruin me!"

"Exactly." She smiled coldly. "But here's what will happen instead. I'll acquire the Knights, merge it with Sparkle & Shine, and watch your empire crumble."

"You wouldn't dare."

"The old Ashlyn wouldn't. But I'm not her anymore."

Christopher grabbed her arm. "You hate me that much?"

"Hate requires emotion. You're simply an obstacle to remove."

As she walked away, Christopher's mind raced. He'd underestimated her transformation. The sweet, naive Ashlyn was gone, replaced by this calculating woman who wielded power like a weapon.

"I could sacrifice Penelope," he muttered. "Get Ashlyn back under control..."

His phone buzzed – a message from Penelope: "We need to talk. I found something about Ashlyn's past."

At that moment, Ashlyn received another message from her homeland: "Commander, the portal's energy is unstable. We may only have one chance. Your troops await your orders."

Richard's message followed: "Dinner tonight? I learned new jokes. What did the sushi say to the bee? Wasabi!"

Then Jonathan: "Script production begins tomorrow. Also, interesting documents surfaced about Penelope's involvement in your accident..."

Finally, Christopher: "You want revenge? Fine. But remember – I know your darkest secret. The real reason you disappeared that night."

Ashlyn stared at her phone, each message a thread in an increasingly complex web. The portal home, Richard's love, Jonathan's support, Christopher's threat...

She touched the diamond necklace, remembering a different kind of weight – the armor she wore as commander, the lives she held in her hands.

"Mrs. Walker?" Her assistant appeared. "Mr. Knight is here. He says it's about the night of your accident."

Through the glass doors, Ashlyn saw Christopher's father, holding a familiar-looking file.

Her phone buzzed one final time. An unknown number: "The truth about your accident wasn't an accident at all. Meet me in an hour, or Richard learns everything."

The diamond caught the light, throwing rainbow patterns on the wall like a kaleidoscope of choices. In three days, the portal would open. In two days, the script would launch. In one day, the banquet would begin.

But in one hour, her carefully constructed plans might shatter.

Commander or wife?

Truth or revenge?

Past or future?

The clock started ticking.

And somewhere, in a dimension beyond this one, an army waited for their commander's return, while in this world, a husband prepared bad jokes for dinner, unaware that his wife's two worlds were about to collide.

The question wasn't just about choosing between two lives anymore.

It was about surviving the explosion when they crashed together.

Christopher's father's voice carried through the door: "Ashlyn, there's something you need to see about the night you died."

Died?

The diamond suddenly felt like ice against her skin.