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“Still no word from Leo? Are you kidding me? What the hell is wrong with all of you? He’s a public figure! You let him run around unsupervised like this? Do you even realize the risks? What if something happens to him? Who’s going to answer for that?”
Paige’s heels clicked furiously across the marble floor as she paced, one hand clenched into a fist while the other gripped her phone. Her voice cut like glass. “Oh, he’s an adult? And that means what, exactly?” she snapped. “If something happens to him, are you going to take the fall?!”
She hurled the phone onto the couch, arms crossed tight against her chest as she stormed back and forth. Everything lately had been slipping through her fingers, and she hated it.
She’d planned everything so carefully–her moves calculated, her strategy flawless. Alistair should’ve gone down for good. Instead, he walked free.
And not only that, her attempt to turn Mabel against Caroline had backfired. Completely. She hadn’t driven a wedge between them–she’d just drawn suspicion to herself. Even Gordon, who had once trusted her like family, had started keeping his
distance.
She was still a Reed, yes, but she was also an Ashbourne by
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Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way
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blood. And now she wasn’t even welcome at Ashbourne Manor. How pathetic was that?
And now Leo was missing. No calls, no texts. Radio silence.
It was driving her insane.
Paige prided herself on control. Leo had always been like a kite. She could let him soar, fly as high as he wanted, but the string? The string always stayed in her hand.
Now that string had slipped through her fingers. And she had no idea when, or how.
She picked up a glass of water, took one sip, and then,
unsatisfied, hurled it across the room. The crash echoed off the
walls.
A maid tiptoed in, trembling, to clean it up.
The phone rang again. Paige rushed over, her heart leaping, only to sink when she saw the caller ID. Disappointed but composed, she forced her tone into its usual polished calm as she picked up. “Giselle,” she said sweetly, “what is it now?”
Whatever Giselle said made Paige’s lip curl. The bruise on her face still throbbed since Caroline had hit hard.
Giselle, of course, had to mention Caroline again. Always the worst possible topic.
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Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way
And now Giselle was terrified.
(**) 12 min left
It had been her media team that first leaked Alistair’s background online, twisting public opinion to paint him as some scheming social climber. It was her people who’d planted paparazzi outside Vireon Technologies, snapping that shot of Gordon and Alistair in the lobby. The one that went viral with headlines like “Top Tycoon Snubs Gold–Digging Man Married to His Daughter.”
She’d arranged the ambush interview, the headlines, and the flood of hate.
At the time, she thought she was doing everyone a favor. If Alistair turned out to be guilty, maybe the Ashbournes would even thank her for unmasking him.
The only person who’d get hurt would be Caroline. And to Giselle, that was a bonus.
If Alistair went down, Caroline lost her husband. The Ashbourne name would be dragged through the mud. And the Reeves family? They’d slide right into the top spot.
It wasn’t just personal. It was strategic.
Giselle had thrown herself into smearing Alistair, not out of justice, but out of spite. Her grudge against Caroline ran deep.
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And the Reeves family had been gunning for the Ashbournes for
years.
The Ashbournes were ranked first on the national rich list. The Reeves family was second. Money wasn’t the issue. They all had more than they could spend. But being number one? That meant something.
In school, no one would remember who came in second.
In sports, silver medals didn’t make headlines.
If the Reeves family overtook the Ashbournes, Giselle would become the heiress of America’s most powerful family.
She could already hear it-“That’s Giselle Reeves. Her family’s worth more than anyone else in the country.”
Caroline had worn that crown long enough. It was time for Giselle to take her place.
And for a while, things were going according to plan.
Alistair got arrested.
Then, just one day later, he was released without charges.
The case had gone straight to the top–judges, prosecutors, federal oversight. There was no way the Ashbournes could have pulled strings. Even Gordon, with all his power, would never
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Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way
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abuse the system.
He wouldn’t cross that line, not for the man he refused to publicly acknowledge as her daughter’s husband.
Now Giselle was panicking. If it came out that she’d been the one behind the smear campaign, Caroline wouldn’t let it slide. And Caroline didn’t play fair.
“You’ll be fine,” Paige said soothingly, the same way she always did. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”
But the words felt hollow this time, and Giselle knew it.
How could she rely on Paige when Paige couldn’t even protect her own face?
Giselle was filled with regret. But she didn’t dare show it. She still wanted to marry into the Reed family.
“Mrs. Paige Reed, has Leo come home yet?” she asked carefully. “I’ve been calling him for days, but he hasn’t picked up. Has he started a new project or something? Is he too busy to even answer the phone?”
The question hit Paige like a needle to the chest. She forced a smile. “Yes, he’s been busy.”
But the second the call ended, she grabbed her sunglasses and
rushed out the door.
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Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way
Leo hadn’t just gone quict, and his assistant Ezra had disappeared too.
Something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
*****
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Meanwhile, Alistair was walking hand–in–hand with Eloise down a quiet, sunny street. They passed a doll shop, and he slowed to glance through the window. The dolls inside were dressed in elegant clothes, their porcelain faces perfectly painted. He looked down at Eloise beside him.
She looked up and smiled, eyes curved like crescent moons.
They can dress those dolls up all they want. None of them are as beautiful as she is.
He cleared his throat, lowering his voice. “Sweetheart, want me to buy you a doll?”
Eloise shook her head. “Nope.”
Alistair blinked. “Really? They’re pretty cute. You could sleep with one at night.”
“I already sleep with my bear,” she said matter–of–factly. “If I get
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*
12 min laft
more, I won’t be able to hold them all.”
He laughed under his breath.
Caroline had always made sure Eloise never lacked for anything. Maybe that was why she wasn’t easily tempted by material things. Aside from books, she rarely asked for anything.
Those scenes other parents described? Kids screaming on the floor at the grocery store, begging for candy or toys? He couldn’t
relate.
In fact, more often than not, Eloise would politely refuse when he or Caroline tried to buy her something.
And when he asked why? She’d say she didn’t need it. Or that she already had one.
Once, Alistair got insistent. He wanted to spoil her. She was his daughter, after all. What dad didn’t want to go overboard?
So he crouched down and asked her what she wanted most. She answered without hesitation that she wanted her mom and dad to love each other forever. That she wanted them to always stay by her side.
It wasn’t the clothes, or the dolls, or the sweets.
It was the family.
And thankfully, they had given her that.
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