Chapter 3— The Empire Burns
Within forty-eight hours, Ashford Holdings collapsed across every news channel.
Stock prices crashed.
Government investigators raided company headquarters.
Banks froze corporate accounts.
The media declared Damian finished.
Exactly as his uncle had planned.
What no one knew...
Was that Damian had prepared for this years earlier.
Every critical patent...
Every reserve account...
Every piece of evidence exposing the corruption...
Had already been transferred into a hidden holding company.
His uncle celebrated too early.
Federal agents interrupted the board meeting.
"Richard Ashford..."
"You're under arrest."
Fraud.
Corporate espionage.
Money laundering.
Attempted murder.
The evidence was overwhelming.
Vanessa watched the live broadcast from her luxury apartment.
She realized too late that every promise Richard had made her was worthless.
The apartment wasn't hers.
The jewelry had been purchased with stolen funds.
Even the sports car outside had been seized.
She had traded genuine love...
For borrowed luxury.
That evening she arrived outside Damian's estate.
Barefoot.
Crying.
"Please..."
"I made a terrible mistake."
Damian listened quietly.
Then handed her a small envelope.
Inside was the engagement ring.
Alongside a handwritten note.
"The woman I asked to marry me no longer exists."
The gates slowly closed.
May you like
For the first time in her life...
Money could buy her absolutely nothing.
