"Sign here," the officer instructed, pointing at the docunt. "Once you’re done, you’re free to go."
Ashley took the pen with slightly shaking hands.
"The boutique owner has decided to drop the case," the officer continued, "on one condition. The cost of the damaged items will be sent to the three of you."
Ashley’s grip tightened.
"You are expected to pay within the stipulated ti," he added. "Failure to comply will result in re-arrest."
The words felt like chains tightening around her neck.
Ashley said nothing.
She simply signed.
But inside, anger burned fiercely.
Where were they expecting her to get that kind of money?
And what about her injuries?
Her bruised body?
Her bleeding wounds?
The police hadn’t said a word about it.
Of course... they wouldn’t.
Because in this story..
She was the villain.
And villains didn’t get justice."Don’t worry, officer. Jas and Freya are like family to . I’ll settle their part of the debt today once they are released," Ava said smoothly, her tone gentle but laced with quiet authority.
Ashley’s head snapped toward her instantly, her eyes blazing with anger. For a second, it felt like she might cough out blood from how violently her emotions surged. Ava t her gaze without flinching, a faint, smug smile playing on her lips as if she had already won.
Ashley’s fingers curled into fists at her sides.
"Let’s go," Evans said, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.
Without sparing Ashley another glance, he turned and walked out of the station, Ava clinging to his arm. Freya and Jas followed closely behind, their expressions filled with nothing but disgust and cold satisfaction.
As Freya passed by Ashley, she didn’t miss the chance to shoot her one last look, one filled with pure hatred.
Then they were gone.
Just like that.
Ashley stood there for a mont, her chest rising and falling heavily as the reality of everything settled over her. The station suddenly felt too quiet, too suffocating.
She forced herself to move.
Luckily, she still had a little cash left in her purse. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. Without saying a word to anyone, she walked out of the station, flagged down a taxi, and gave the driver her address.
The ride ho was silent.
Ashley leaned back against the seat, her reflection staring back at her from the window. Bruised. Tired. Broken.
She barely recognized herself.
By the ti the taxi pulled up in front of her house, night had already begun to settle in. She paid the driver and stepped out, her movents slow and heavy, as though each step carried the weight of everything she had lost.
The mont she pushed the door open, loud voices greeted her.
Her parents.
They were in the living room, pacing back and forth, completely imrsed in their argunt.
"Maybe you should go and bring her out!" her mother snapped angrily. "After all, I’m not the only parent here. And let remind you, she’s old enough to take care of herself!"
"You’re the man of this family. It’s ti you start acting like one!" Selena shot back without hesitation. "You’ve never done anything in your life except steal from others. That’s why you can’t stand on your own without looking for soone to exploit... or even kill."
"What did you just say?" Mr. Smith’s voice dropped dangerously.
"You heard ," Selena replied coldly. "You’re a weak man. And because of that, this family will always suffer."
"Take that back," he warned, his fists clenching.
"Or you won’t like what I’ll do to you."
"I won’t," she said, stepping forward boldly. "What exactly are you going to do?"
Mr. Smith lunged forward, ready to strike.
But he froze mid-step.
His eyes had landed on Ashley.
Selena, who had braced herself for the hit, slowly opened her eyes when nothing ca. Following his gaze, she turned, and saw Ashley standing at the doorway.
In an instant, her expression changed.
"Ashley! Baby, you’re back!" she exclaid, her voice suddenly soft and full of concern as she rushed over.
Ashley didn’t move.
She simply stood there, staring at her mother with distant, empty eyes.
"Why didn’t you co to bail out?" she asked quietly.
Selena’s steps faltered. She covered her mouth, her eyes filling with tears as she approached.
"Baby... it’s not our fault," she said, her voice trembling. "All the money disappeared.
Everything... even my savings. We’re left with nothing."
Ashley’s expression hardened.
"Then why didn’t you call the bank?" she snapped, anger rising again. "Why are you both here arguing while your daughter was locked up? Do you even know the kind of humiliation I went through today?"
"Shut up!" Mr. Smith barked suddenly. "If it were that easy, we would have done it already!"
He stepped forward, his face dark.
"This isn’t sothing the bank can fix. It’s the work of a professional hacker," he said, pausing briefly before adding, "And you know exactly who has the power to do sothing like this."
Ashley’s breath caught.
"...Mr. Black," she said slowly.
Mr. Smith nodded grimly.
"So I suggest you keep a low profile for now," he continued. "Stay hidden until this blows over. You don’t want to attract his attention."
Ashley let out a hollow laugh.
"Stay hidden?" she repeated, disbelief evident in her tone. "Evans just humiliated in front of the entire city. People are calling a whore. I have debts I can’t pay, no money, no reputation, and now you want to hide because of Mr. Black too?"
Her voice rose with every word.
"Didn’t we just co out of hiding?" she demanded. "Why should I go back into it while Lena and Evans live their perfect lives?"
Her breathing grew erratic.
"You told Lena was dead!" she continued, almost shouting now. "So why hasn’t it been announced? Why is the company silent? What is going on?!"
Selena broke down in tears at the sight of her daughter, disheveled, unstable, and on the verge of losing herself completely.
Mr. Smith’s expression hardened.
Before Ashley could say another word....
Slap!
The sound echoed sharply through the room.
Ashley’s head snapped to the side as the force of the blow landed across her face.
"Pull yourself together!" Mr. Smith shouted. "How many tis have I warned you about that boy?"
His voice thundered with anger.
"Isn’t it obvious that Evans doesn’t love you? He’s been using you from the beginning! Do I have to spell everything out for you?"
Ashley’s eyes filled with tears.
"And Lena?" he continued harshly. "You let your hatred for her consu you. You made reckless decisions and destroyed everything we worked for!"
He pointed at her accusingly.
"All our plans failed because of you! Your obsession with Evans and your jealousy of Lena ruined everything!"
Ashley trembled.
"Even now, when we’re trying to fix things, you’re still acting without thinking!" he went on. "What is wrong with you? Why can’t you be patient like your parents?"
His words struck deeper than any physical blow.
"You were given one simple task, and you couldn’t see it through," he said coldly. "Now we’re the ones cleaning up your ss."
His voice dropped, final and unforgiving.
"Is it really so hard for you to understand? Evans does not want you."
Silence fell.
Ashley broke.
Tears stread uncontrollably down her face as she staggered back slightly, her entire world collapsing around her.
Why was everyone saying the sa thing?
That she had been used.
That she ant nothing.
She turned slowly to her mother.
Selena was crying just as hard.
"It’s my fault," she said through sobs. "I ruined your life. I should never have introduced you to this world..."
Her voice cracked completely.
Ashley couldn’t take it anymore.
Without another word, she turned and ran up the stairs. She slamd her bedroom door shut behind her, the loud bang echoing through the house.
Downstairs, silence lingered for a mont.
Then....
Slap!
Selena struck Mr. Smith across the face.
"You caused all of this," she said bitterly.
You made her this way. I warned you. I told you we should not let her go down the path we chose. What was the point of committing all these cris if we couldn’t even protect our only daughter? But you refused, you said it would make her strong. Now look at her... she is damaged beyond repair," Selena laughed bitterly.
"We stayed away from her for years, and now that we are finally a family again, we can’t even live like one. We are constantly looking over our shoulders, and our only daughter is far gone. I know you don’t really care about her, but she is still our daughter, and you have to fix all this.
"Or else I’m leaving you," she added, her voice turning cold. "And I’m taking Ashley with . I won’t stand here and watch you destroy what little we have left."
Mr. Smith didn’t react.
He didn’t argue.
He didn’t retaliate.
He simply stood there, frozen, his eyes fixed on the direction of Ashley’s room.
As if, for the first ti,
He was beginning to see the damage they had truly done.
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