Ch
When I was five, my parents took me to a remote village for a charity event.
A line of children in tattered clothes stood before us, each recounting their hardships.
But my eyes landed on a quiet boy lingering at the back of the group.
Compared to the others, he was small and unassuming. Yet, the moment our eyes met, I instinctively tugged on my dad’s sleeve.
“Daddy, I want that boy!!
My dad, a notorious pushover when it came to me, naturally agreed.
And just like that, Ash came home with us to Harbor City.
I didn’t know his full name then; I just followed him around, calling him Ash.
Ash was seven years older than me, and while I was loud and impulsive, he was quiet and mature beyond his years.
He didn’t speak much and wasn’t great at socializing.
But he would carve little wooden figures for me, braid vibrant flower crowns, and even carry the backpack I despised the most.
To me, he was like an older brother–the person I was closest to after my parents.
But Ash only lived with us for less than six months.
At the end of that year, I was kidnapped for the umpteenth time and brok escaping.
Ash sat by my bedside all night, his eyes red.
The next morning, he told my dad he wanted to enroll in a military academy.
After that, he never came back.
leg while
Now, as I took in his commanding presence, I couldn’t help but smile. “Ash, you’ve gotten so tall. So, my Ash is Noman Carter of SkyCloud Group?”
I recalled the name Julian had mentioned in his texts, feeling both proud and a little unsurprised.
He smiled and ruffled my hair, just like he used to. “I’m sorry I was late.”
I shook my head. “It’s a good thing you weren’t around. Otherwise, they would’ve come after you too.”
After my parents‘ downfall, Rivers Biotech changed hands overnight, and I fell from being a much–envied heiress to a prime target for bullying.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 12
No one spoke up for me.
They all said I had to pay for my parents‘ sins. My mom and dad had committed terrible crimes, and the consequences were mine to bear,
Bullying me became the most righteous thing they could do.
Those memories were far too heavy to carry, and I genuinely felt that the fewer people who had to suffer, the better.
Noman’s eyes darkened, a trace of guilt flashing across his face. “It’s my fault. If I’d been faster, maybe your parents-
“Stop blaming yourself,” I interrupted him. “What happened back then couldn’t have been changed, even if you were here.”
Noman pressed his lips together, hesitation flickering in his gaze. “Violet, actually-”
Knock, knock
