The filming of The Wedding was put to a halt due to the arguments within the core producers and investors. As one of the leading roles, Ashley did care about it. Even she herself was astounded after knowing how messy the internal team was! She only knew that The Wedding would be big but she did not know the nitty gritty details before it was released! With how messy things were right now, even the staff of the film started to whisper among each other—not all of them were optimistic about the film anymore. Who wouldn’t be pessimistic, right? There were precedents in which a certain big-budget film would experience inner turmoil and the quality of the movie was affected then the marketing would be all over the people without proper positioning which was bad—the result would be obvious.Youth 1990s was doing better than Ashley could ever imagine. This was the second movie she starred in after her rebirth. Her emotions were set straight here and she was pretty motivated during the filming
Ashley and her family took the family’s private jet and set to Country T after hours of deliberation with her son and Jaxon. It was the longest discussion she had been! Even the meetings in the filming were not that long and tiring! But because this was for her son, she gritted her teeth as she explained the suitable countries one by one to Scottie, making all this trip for him so everything should be according to his liking.After much deliberation, Scottie—who was confused where to take his first vacation with a complete family—still let out what he really wanted to ask the entire time: “Is Mommy still getting her cruise ship?”Ashley and Jaxon looked at each other. There was helplessness in their eyes—after all these hours, their son’s concern was still his mother even when it was all about him and his birthday. This made his parents feel so touched that they could cry, especially Ashley who felt that it was her birthday coming!Her parched throat was finally soothed. Unbeknownst t
Country T was the cradle of ancient civilization in the continent they lived in. Ashley had only read of this statement from some leisure magazine long ago. Now, she could not help but sighed. The magazine did not do justice! This place was simply magnificent!“The cruise ship has been bought, are you sure you don’t want to join the filming of the next episode?” asked Dylan. His tone was laced with worry.Rolling her eyes, she said: “You would have sounded convincing if you let go of that camera. And for the record, you shouldn’t be here in the first place.”“You don’t expect me to clean up your mess while you enjoy a much-needed vacation, do you? Plus, Scottie is my godchild. I am automatically invited in his birthday party.” He leaned against her ear and whispered playfully. “I will not be a third wheel, don’t worry.”“Shut up!” Ashley helplessly admonished Dylan. She quickly looked around nervously. Seeing that he was nowhere to be seen, she was finally able to release her breath.
Nexus took out a piece of cigarette, lit it up with his vintage lighter, and started smoking inside the jacuzzi area. His eyes were everywhere but in her direction which made Ashley see hope.“Can you at least give me time to change my clothes?” Her voice had a hint of annoyance.Ashley was not that nervous anymore. This reaction of hers was considered normal since in their first life, he did not show any signs of interest towards. Her mind subconsciously found an excuse for him—maybe he was just in a hurry or maybe he really did not see her as a woman for him to do this?Finally, Nexus looked at her.Ashley, whose skin was still slightly red, had her cheeks particularly and seductively red as if she was blushing. Her eyes were moist…so innocent as she stared straight into his eyes, into his soul.Suddenly, Nexus regretted barging in. He cleared his throat and took out another cigarette stick as he let go of the other, not caring about the pristine floor. “Only this place has no secur
It was brightly in the area. The ornamental plants seemed to glow under the luster of the moonlit sheen and the lights of the city. Despite being late at night, from the top floor they were located, they could see a handful of people still enjoying the pools below. The people’s joyous and boisterous laughter echoed perfectly, a direct contrast to the silence between Ashley and Jaxon.Neither of them seemed to want to break the eerie silence between them. Despite her silence, Ashley’s heartbeat muted the surroundings. Her palms were sweating and cold as she stared at the seemingly endless city night lights ahead of her.On the other hand, Jaxon leaned against the luxurious balcony’s railings, his back was against the city lights, and in between his lean fingers was a lit cigarette. It was quite a shocker for someone as noble as him to smoke, but Ashley was too preoccupied to give him a shocked reaction. Not now. She was simply not in the mood after what she had learned from Nexus.Alth
The hotel room they booked was very family friendly. They could call for a room service for cooked meals or they could ask the room service for materials so that the family could cook themselves.The morning after the dreaded night, Ashley was the first one who ha adjusted her mood right away. Aside from her puffy eyes—the telltale sign that she ever cried—nothing could be seen that was beyond her normal routine. She woke up, decided to cook for her family of three, and took a refreshing bath.On the other hand, Jaxon took Ashley’s answer harder than expected. He was serious about dying if she would ask for his life. But hearing her said that she regretted loving him was a huge blow. It was expected but it was still a huge blow. After these days, he slowly imagined a life with his wife and his son—and hopefully, a daughter in the future. Hearing her said this, his dreams of that beautiful future shattered, waking him up immediately from the illusion he was living in.There were no sec
It was dark. It was humid. And it was silent.Three feelings registered in Ashley’s mind as soon as she regained consciousness. But there was only one thought in her mind—where was her child? Where was Scottie?Though her eyes were still closed, her mind started to be awake already. Then, panic finally set in as her memories returned to the previous moments before she passed out.It started when she chased her son to the comfort room. There were not many people in that restaurant when she remembered it but when her son dashed away, it was as if the people walking around started to unite to obstruct her way. When she finally got out of that weird predicament, there was a nagging feeling she had—something was wrong.As someone who had been in multiple altercations with death, she knew deep down that there was something going on here. She just could not point it out, to be clear, she was more focused on chasing her son that she had shoved this thought at the back of her mind.When she en
Torture room. One needed not to think hard what it meant to be there.Ashley was literally dragged there with her feet tied. Her hands were tied behind her back so when she stumbled over, her arms or her head would be slammed on the floor. The man dragging her by the arm walked so fast that Ashley stumbled many times over. So in the end, Ashley’s arms and forehead were all bloody and bruised before they could enter the said torture room.Blood dripped on Ashley’s left eye, making it hard for her left eye to have a clear vision from time to time. When she entered, her eyes seemed to be drawn by something—no—someone.It was her son, Scott Elijah.Tied on a metal beam with disheveled clothes, a pair of red eyes from crying, and a pair of bare feet, Scottie was clearly in a state of distress. Unlike Ashley, he was gagged but it was evident that he was in so much distress.“Look who’s here!” Talia’s beaming voice resounded the eerily silent torture chamber. She bounced off from her ‘throne
Ever since their first fight, life had not gotten any easier for Talia. If anything, it had become even harder.Lucas, once patient and composed, had grown irritable and restless. He hated being weak, hated relying on her, and the frustration bled into everything he did. He snapped more often, his words sharper than he likely intended, but the damage was done each time. And Talia—Talia, who had already carried so much weight on her shoulders—chose to step back instead of fueling the fire.Not for herself, but for Tasha.Their daughter, still too young to understand the depth of their struggles, had always been a bright spark in their darkest days. Talia refused to let that spark fade.So when Lucas’s voice took on that cold edge, when his temper flared over something as small as her adjusting his pillow or offering to help him sit up, Talia swallowed her own frustration and let it go. She bit back the pain, the hurt, and the urge to lash back. She stepped away before Tasha could see,
The days had turned into months, and Talia had settled into a relentless routine.Between taking care of Lucas, working at the library, and making sure Tasha had everything she needed, there was never enough time. But today—today was different. Today, something miraculous had happened.Lucas had woken up.After months of watching him waste away in his coma, after months of feeding him, cleaning him, speaking to him without response—he had opened his eyes. He had whispered her name in a voice so weak and fragile that it had nearly broken her. But he was awake. He was alive.“W-Wife…” He whispered.Talia froze in shock for a split second before she cried out in surprise and happiness. “Lucas?!”And for the first time in what felt like forever, Talia saw hope.She had spent the day by his side, holding his hand, talking to him, helping him sip water from a straw. His body was weak, too weak to even sit up on his own, but he was there. He was present. It was more than she could have ever
The days blurred into an endless cycle of exhaustion.Talia barely slept anymore.Between tending to Tasha at the hospital, checking on Lucas at home, and working at the library to keep them afloat, there was no time to rest. Every hour of her day was spoken for, every moment accounted for. It was a delicate balance, one that she couldn’t afford to lose, but the weight of it pressed down on her like a vice.Her body was slowly giving out.Tasha’s fever had finally broken, but she was still weak. The doctors wanted to keep her in the hospital for a few more days to monitor her condition. Lucas, on the other hand, had taken a turn for the worse. His body was growing frailer by the day, and without proper medical intervention, she feared the inevitable. She knew he needed professional care, but there was no money for that. Every cent she had went into keeping a roof over their heads and putting food—what little she could afford—on the table.She had no one to turn to. No allies. No suppo
The apartment was small—too small for three people, especially when one of them needed around-the-clock care. Talia stared at the single bed pushed against the wall, where Lucas lay unmoving, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm, unaware of the world around him. In the other corner, her daughter, Tasha, sat cross-legged on the floor, coloring with the few crayons she had managed to bring from their old home.Talia let out a slow breath, exhaustion pressing against her shoulders like an invisible weight. She had lived many lives, died twice, and yet, nothing could have prepared her for this.Her old lives had been filled with power, darkness, and control. She had never known the taste of struggle, not like this. It was absurd, really. Once, she had commanded armies of men, had resources at her fingertips, had struck fear into the hearts of people with nothing but her name. And now, she was in a rundown apartment with peeling wallpaper and a rickety heater that barely worked.
Five months had passed since Ashley and Jaxon decided to give their family a true second chance.Now, seated in the plush back seat of their luxury SUV, Ashley’s fingers traced over the financial reports on her tablet screen. The elegant logo of Rosemary Jewelry and Rosemary Real Estate gleamed in the corner, a reminder of the empire she had built with her own hands. At the time, these companies were meant to be her insurance, a safeguard in case she had to walk away from Jaxon and start anew. But now, things had changed. She had chosen to stay. To build not just a business empire, but a family.The numbers on the reports reflected her hard work.Rosemary Jewelry, a brand that had once been a small passion project, was now a name whispered among high society. Celebrities, heiresses, and tycoons adorned themselves with her pieces, and international boutiques clamored for exclusive contracts. On the other hand, Rosemary Real Estate was a rising force, acquiring prime properties and maki
The steam clung to Ashley’s skin as she stepped out of the bathroom, her damp hair cascading over her shoulders. A plush towel was wrapped securely around her body, but she hardly paid attention to the fabric covering her as she reached for the hairdryer on the vanity. The sound of movement near the closet made her pause.She turned her head—and then froze.Jaxon stood with his back to her, his broad shoulders flexing as he ran a towel through his damp hair. The dim lighting of their bedroom accentuated every ridge and valley of his toned muscles, the chiseled perfection of his body honed through years of discipline and training. But it wasn’t just the raw masculinity of his physique that stole Ashley’s breath—it was the dark, intricate ink stretching across his back.Her name was there.Ashley Elijah.Just beneath it, an elegant script detailed a date—one that sent an icy shiver down her spine. The date of her death in her past life.Her breath hitched in her throat, her pulse thrumm
Jaxon Elijah sat in his office, his fingers pressed against his temples as he listened to Harold recount the details of Henry Deneuve’s confrontation with Ashley. The more Harold spoke, the more Jaxon’s fury burned like an unrelenting inferno. His jaw clenched, his breathing steady yet deep—a dangerous calm before the inevitable storm.Henry Deneuve had dared to threaten his wife? To speak to Ashley as if she were some scheming outsider rather than the woman who had suffered and endured to reclaim her rightful place? Jaxon would not tolerate it. Not now. Not ever."Prepare the package," Jaxon finally spoke, his voice devoid of emotion but carrying an unshakable weight. "Everything we've collected on Henry over the years. I want him to see every dark secret, every skeleton buried in his past."Harold nodded without hesitation. He knew his boss well enough to recognize that this was not a moment for questioning. This was a moment of execution. The Elijah Consortium did not deal in empty
Ashley stood before the towering glass doors of an exclusive luxury boutique, her heart thudding in her chest. It was a strange sensation—one part excitement, one part apprehension. She had never done this before, never had the chance to bond with a mother over something as trivial yet meaningful as shopping. The mother she had known, the one who had raised her until she passed away, was a distant memory, blurred and bittersweet. And Camilla Connor, the woman who played the role of stepmother, had only ever used the idea of motherhood as a tool to manipulate and belittle her. But now, standing beside Uriel Deneuve, her real mother, Ashley was finally about to experience something she never had before.Uriel, graceful and poised, exuded the quiet confidence of someone who had spent her life in wealth and power yet carried an air of warmth that Ashley hadn’t expected. She reached out, gently squeezing Ashley’s hand. “Are you ready, ma chérie?” she asked in a soft voice, her foreign acce
Ashley stood in front of the grand estate, her heart pounding against her ribcage. The Deneuve estate was nothing short of magnificent, with its towering gates, sprawling gardens, and a mansion that exuded centuries of prestige and power. She had been through countless battles in life—both emotional and physical—but standing here, waiting to meet the people who had given her life, felt like the hardest thing she had ever faced.Jaxon stood beside her, his presence a solid wall of support. He hadn't said much on the way here, knowing that no words could ease the storm brewing inside her. Instead, he simply held her hand, giving her strength in his silence. Ashley squeezed his hand briefly, grateful that despite everything, he was here.The gates opened slowly, revealing a long driveway lined with aged oak trees. A butler approached them with practiced grace, bowing slightly. "Madam Ashley, Master Jaxon, welcome. Mr. and Mrs. Deneuve are waiting for you inside."Ashley took a deep breat