Her Crown, Her Vengeance

My entire life revolved around Ashworth Creatives, the agency I poured my soul into building, and my fiancé, Ethan.

Tonight was meant to be my crowning achievement, sealing a colossal client deal and my future within the powerful Ashworth family who' d adopted me.

Then, I saw Ethan' s phone.

A text from my manipulative adoptive sister, Chloe: "Heard you' re taking Ava to the gala tonight. Don' t forget our little after-party, just us. ;)"

Beneath it, a damning video: Ethan and Chloe, laughing, intertwined in my private guesthouse.

Chloe was draped in my deceased mother' s diamond necklace, a "gift" from Ethan, according to his text.

My blood ran cold.

They weren't just having an affair; they were plotting to use my marriage to secure my assets, then throw me aside, giving my agency to her.

The Ashworths had groomed me, controlled me, and now, they planned to discard me like trash.

I was a means to their end, and Ethan, their willing, despicable pawn.

The gala-my moment of triumph-threatened to become my public humiliation.

But a cold, unyielding rage ignited inside me, far stronger than any despair.

I wouldn't be their victim; I would dismantle them all, piece by agonizing piece.

My fingers flew across my own phone, dialing a number I' d heard whispered about, for "companions."

"I need an escort," I stated, my voice flat, holding back a torrent of fury.

"Tonight. For the industry gala. For a performance. You need to act like my devoted boyfriend."

My revenge would be calculated, public, and absolute.

Ava Chen stared at the phone in her hand.

Ethan' s phone.

It vibrated again, a text from Chloe.

"Heard you' re taking Ava to the gala tonight. Don' t forget our little after-party, just us. ;)"

Just below it, an older message, a video file.

Chloe' s giggling face filled the screen, then the camera panned. Ethan.

They were in the guesthouse. Ava' s guesthouse, on the Ashworth estate.

The place she used as a quiet office.

Chloe wore Ava' s mother' s diamond necklace.

The only thing Ava had left of her real parents.

A gift from Ethan, the text below the video said.

Ava' s stomach twisted.

The gala. Tonight. She was supposed to announce the biggest client signing of her career for Ashworth Creatives.

Her career. The one she built.

She couldn' t show up alone. She couldn' t look weak.

She remembered a name, a discreet service a cynical producer once mentioned.

For "companions."

Ava' s fingers flew across her own phone.

A voice answered, smooth, professional.

"How can I help you?"

"I need an escort," Ava said, her voice flat. "Tonight. For the industry gala."

A pause.

"For a performance. You need to act like my devoted boyfriend."

The man on the other end, Liam, chuckled softly.

A rich, low sound.

"A devoted boyfriend? That' s a specific role. Are you sure that' s all?"

Ava' s grip tightened on her phone.

"It' s a business arrangement. You play the part, you get paid. Handsomely."

She hated the desperation in her own voice.

"I need someone believable. Someone who can handle himself."

She' d never done anything like this. Hired someone.

The thought was repulsive, but less repulsive than facing them all alone.

Less repulsive than their pity, or worse, their knowing smirks.

"I assure you, ma' am, I' m quite capable of handling myself," Liam said, a hint of amusement still there.

"And you? Can you afford my level of devotion?"

His voice was calm, almost teasing.

Ava gritted her teeth.

"Name your price for the evening. And discretion is paramount."

"Discretion is my middle name," he said. "And my price... let' s just say for a leading lady like yourself, I can be surprisingly affordable for a single night' s performance."

Ava hung up, a strange mix of disgust and relief washing over her.

Ethan. Chloe. Her family.

The Ashworths had always dangled the agency in front of her, the succession.

Conditional on her good behavior. On marrying Ethan.

This gala, this client, was supposed to be her final hurdle.

Now, it was just a stage for her humiliation if she wasn' t careful.

Liam called back within minutes.

"So, this performance," he began, his voice playful, "is it a limited engagement, or are you thinking of a longer run?"

Ava frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Just wondering if this 'devoted boyfriend' role has an option for renewal. I find I' m already intrigued by the director."

His charm was irritating, yet... disarming.

"It' s for tonight," Ava said firmly. "One night."

She needed to be practical.

This was damage control.

"One night?" Liam' s voice was laced with mock disappointment.

"A shame. I was thinking more along the lines of... a lifetime."

He was definitely teasing her.

Ava felt a flush creep up her neck.

"This isn' t a joke."

"Oh, I' m perfectly serious, Ava. A lifetime of devotion. Think about it."

His tone was light, but there was an undercurrent she couldn' t quite place.

Seductive, almost.

Suddenly, she heard voices from the hallway of the Ashworth mansion.

Chloe' s saccharine tones.

"Ethan, darling, are you sure Ava won' t mind you using the guesthouse so much? I just love our little trysts there."

Ava' s blood ran cold.

Ethan' s voice, placating. "She' s always working, she' ll never know. Besides, once we' re married, and you' re a partner at the agency, we' ll have all the time in the world."

Partner at the agency?

Ava felt sick. They were planning to use her, then discard her.

The engagement party. David, her assistant, had warned her.

Chloe, the sweet, innocent foundling.

A viper.

Chloe giggled. "And her mother' s necklace looks so much better on me, don' t you think?"

Ava clenched her fists.

The door to her study, where she' d taken refuge, creaked open.

Chloe stood there, eyes wide with feigned surprise.

"Ava! Oh my god, I didn' t know you were in here."