Every raw jade stone with a thick white smoke surrounding it was selected by Ashley. It all came in different sizes and shapes but the quality inside—only Ashley knew that each one was more valuable than the other.There were raw wools as big as a fist while there were as big as a human torso. Common raw jade stones were as big as a football or as huge as a human head.Three hours later, all the carts were filled with raw jade stones. Secretly, the sales guide could not help but think that the customer was a prodigal for buying so much without the guide of an expert. The sales guide even concluded that maybe the store where Ashley was working was short with money that was why they were pushed to the point of relying on luck. Unbeknownst to the sales guide, all the wools contained jadeites which were high class category!When the truck of Ashley’s processing plant came, she watched for a few minutes before she proceeded to the other nearest supply points. Just like the first one, she a
It was not until Ashley failed to see her son’s small silhouette that she finally withdrew her gaze. She did not bother to glance at the towering figure of the man standing next to the gate of the Elijah Mansion like a damn door god.Before Ashley could dash away, Jaxon crossed the distance between them. The next moment, he was standing next to her window, knocking the mirror. He wanted to talk with her, something she was able to avoid the last time.Ashley hated this feeling of being oppressed. But she also knew that running away was not the solution; they had to sit down and talk about it. So she opened the window and said: “There’s a nearest coffee shop here with good privacy. I will wait for you there for five minutes. If you are not there within that period, I’m out.”Without waiting for his answer, Ashley’s car drove away, leaving a solemn-looking Jaxon Elijah. He looked back at Harold. “Let’s go.”Harold drove the phantom car, dropping Jaxon before he looked for a place to park
The silver hair of Director Morgan did not diminish her prestige as the crew surrounded her in the set of Youth 1990 the movie. Even the award-winning actor, Black, who played the role of the young Sean, flattered her as soon as he arrived. On the other hand, Sabrina Taylor, a budding young actress who was once nominated as Best New Comer last year, kept her amiable and sunny personality which garnered her the approval of the crew. After all, along with the famous Director Morgan, all the members of the crew were behind the reason why Youth 1990 Series was successful all these years.And, where was Ashley? She was in her tent with Dylan and the makeup artist allocated to her. Seeing the things in the tent which barely met her needs, Ashley quickly reckoned that the crew was showing its dissatisfaction to her. After all, she was involved in a gossip which almost affected the movie. The crew was warning her in a subtle way.What could she do? This was the mess brought by the past ‘her’.
“Young Lady, please calm down.” Sabrina’s assistant slash manager could not help but want to exclaim and kneel in front of her boss who was now in the verge of smashing her tent to pieces. The assistant did not forget to minimize the volume of her voice, fearing that anyone could hear the commotion inside the tent.Though the crew had packed, ready to move to the next location, the break time did not mean that danger of having a paparazzi around was non-existent!Sabrina Taylor, who portrayed herself to the outside world as a sunny budding actress, had a distorted face right now. She was short to smashing her dressing table.“Tell me how to calm down…Director Morgan is comparing me blatantly to that bitch in front of everyone!” Sabrina half-whispered and half-screamed. She viciously pointed to the direction where the tent of Ashley was located.Sabrina’s assistant slash manager shrunk. She really wanted to refute her boss and say ‘Ashley is using you as a foil to make the entire crew
Scene 26 was like her rebirth. It was full of peril. One wrong move and there would be no more chance to turnover but what awaits after her endless struggle was the bridge that would help her reach the end line—her goal.As Ashley grasped the sharp stone, she felt the resistance when the sharp edges pierced her smooth palms. When she moved from one step to another, she knew it was a gamble. In fact, every step was a gamble in this foggy cliff. Yet Ashley braved through every step because there was no option called ‘retreat’. All she could do was to move forward.When her right foot slipped, her nails broke and her fingers bled. Ashley held onto the sharp stone. It was painful, her nails were broken, but she was safe. And the journey continued despite the obstacles.When her bruised and bloody palms slipped along with the stone that fell, Ashley stifled her scream as she felt herself fall one meter down her intended route. In her panic, she grabbed anything that she could grab may it b
#TheStoryOfTrueLoveSeparatedByTheDesperateCelebrity continued to rise in the trending list of all social media platforms. Many speculations immerged about the ‘tragic’ story between Talia and Jaxon Elijah who were both victims of the schemes from that ‘blind item’ celebrity.Blind item? Ashley rolled her eyes. Who did not know that she was the legal wife of Jaxon Elijah with a legitimate heir between them?Despite no one mentioning her name in these headlines, anyone with brain could guess who this evil blind item was.Ashley called a number. After a couple of rings, the other side answered despite being late at night.“Who is this?”“I’m Ashley from that day in YN City stone gambling street. I have a new Imperial Green jadeite with me. Would you like it with a discount of 5% the market price?”Frederick Lavioski remembered the mysterious woman that received his business card that day in the YN City stone gambling store. Upon digesting her words, he knocked down the chair as he stood
In a villa owned by the Elijah Consortium’s subsidiary real estate, inside a glamorous room, a pale lade was humming as she applied pink lipstick on her chapped lips. Before, she would lose her temper and blamed that mother and son whenever she saw her pale face, but this, it was different. She was oozing with vibrant aura that only a woman in love would possess. This woman was no other than Talia.After the failed attempt to secure a heart transplant, she was back to the bottom of the list despite her backer, the huge Elijah Consortium. After all, she was not the only ‘rich’ lady who was in urgent need of a healthy heart. Because of this, Talia decided to discharge from the hospital even when her doctor told her patiently that it was best for her to rest in the hospital so she could be monitored by this group of experts hired by Jaxon Elijah.She decided that instead of dawdling in the hospital, giving Ashley a chance to use her son to steal her man, Talia was determined to secure he
Before the Old Man’s birthday party, Ashley was done with her scenes. With the staggering record of all one take per scene, Director Morgan generously gave her a vacation. Ashley would only meet the crew up in the next location which would be in X City where her character Lily would die pitifully—that would also be her last scene in this movie. After that, Ashley was relatively free in her career but she would use this time to consolidate and stabilize her businesses while spending time with her son.Now, Ashley was on the way to G Village under H County. Allen was here with her nanny van. Dylan, on the other hand, was now bidding farewell to her.“The contract with the company will expire three days from now, they are asking me if you are willing to sign a new contract. The details will be discussed after Unmasked’s results,” said Dylan who just answered a call from the second-tier entertainment company.Ashley smiled. She knew that the kind of contract that they would give to her wo
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