Chapter 9

...Was he just overthinking it?

Edwin flipped through the papers from the folder, skimming quickly with sharp eyes.

Clarence, sitting beside him, couldn't help but scoff, "Man, that Sullivan family is messed up. That mute girl's life sounds brutal—no, straight-up inhumane."

The file laid it bare: at just nine, Ashley became mute and partially deaf after a nasty fever. Instead of treating her, her family just... tossed her out like trash.

Then poof—eleven years, gone. No one knew where she ended up. Until now, when the King family brought up the old engagement and the Sullivans suddenly brought her back, scared of offending them.

"You dropped two hundred million," Clarence said with an incredulous laugh, "and what did they give her? A single wedding dress. That's it. I wouldn't even treat an adopted kid like that, let alone my own."

Edwin's face stayed calm—cold and unreadable. But in his mind, Ashley's innocent-looking face resurfaced. Is she really just what she seems? Or is she hiding something—sharper, more calculating?

"Oh right," Clarence suddenly burst into laughter, "you'll love this. That drama queen Amelia? Got herself chased by a whole swarm of bugs last night. No idea what karma smacked her, but she's probably too freaked out to come bug you for a while."

Coincidence?

Ashley and Amelia had just clashed last night. Then Amelia gets hit with some weirdly timed retribution?

Edwin's eyes flickered with a hard-to-read glint. After a beat of silence, he said coolly, "Keep digging. I want to know everything that happened during those lost years."

Meanwhile, in the garden.

"So you're telling me that breakfast from Ashley... Edwin actually ate all of it?!" Eleanor lit up with joy as Isaiah reported in.

"Every bite. Even cleaner than your ladyship's bowl."

"Amazing!" She clapped her hands, eyes twinkling with excitement. "Looks like I picked the right granddaughter-in-law. I can already hear little great-grandbabies toddling around."

Isaiah, however, had to rain on her parade. "But... for two nights in a row now, Mr. Edwin hasn't gone back to the bedroom."

"...Ugh, that emotionally stunted blockhead!"

Eleanor grumbled, clearly annoyed. Apparently, she'd have to step in herself now.

She leaned over to Isaiah, murmuring a few more instructions with a determined glint in her eye.Isaiah looked a bit hesitant. "Uh... won't Mr. King be mad about this?"

Eleanor shot him a glare, completely unbothered. "Mad? He's delaying my great-grandkid and thinks he has the right to be mad? Just get it done. If anything happens, I'll take the blame."

"...Got it."

Ashley's suitcase barely had a few outfits in it—she still needed a bunch of everyday stuff.

So, she made a quick trip to a department store.

Right as she walked past a high-end boutique, she paused—not because she was into the clothes, but because someone familiar caught her eye. Loud as ever and dressed like a walking rainbow, Isobel was soaking up attention from a circle of girlfriends, looking proud as a peacock.

What really grabbed Ashley's attention, though, was the pendant swinging on Isobel's chest.

Her eyes narrowed, a cold flicker flashing beneath the surface.

So that's where the pendant went—this idiot actually swiped it...

Ashley's lips curled slightly, a spark of cunning lighting her eyes.

Inside the store—

"Isobel, for real? You're treating us today? We can just grab anything?"

"Of course! Go nuts, I'm paying!" Isobel held her chin high, practically glowing with pride.

She kept fiddling with the pendant like it was her lucky charm.

She'd dug it out of Ashley's suitcase the other night—looked expensive, so she'd pocketed it. Turns out, that thing was legit. The moment she walked into the mall, the store manager had come rushing out to greet her personally, calling her some 'VIP guest' and saying everything could be on the house.

Catch me not showing off, she thought smugly, pulling together her group of fake besties for one big flex.

Just as she was basking in her moment of glory, her eyes landed on someone across the way in a jewelry shop.

That damn Ashley.

Even just wearing a plain shirt and jeans, no makeup at all, she still looked ridiculously good.

Damn it—why is she always so pretty?

Jealousy burned in Isobel's eyes. She had to do something, anything, to knock Ashley down a peg.

Ashley, meanwhile, saw her charging over through the reflection in the glass.

She smirked, cold and amused, then calmly pointed to a necklace in the display and signaled the salesgirl to take it out.

Before the piece could reach Ashley, Isobel stormed up and snatched it out of thin air.

"You think this is something you're worthy of?"