Chapter 8
Ryan arrived at my office at exactly 10 AM.
He looked different — not the polished billionaire from the gala, but someone unraveling. His tie was slightly crooked. The shadows under his eyes had deepened.
Good.
I didn't stand when he entered. Didn't offer a seat.
He sat anyway, across from my desk, in the lower chair. I caught him notice the height difference and almost smiled.
"Talk," I said.
He leaned forward, elbows on knees. "Helen came to me. She says she has documents that could challenge your claim to the Zhao Group inheritance. Something about the will being contested — that your mother wasn't of sound mind when she wrote it."
"And you believed her?"
"I didn't say that." He met my eyes. "I'm telling you because—"
"Because you want something in return." I leaned back. "What? Your company back? A board seat?"
His jaw worked. "I want you to hear me out. About us."
I laughed. Actually laughed.
"There is no 'us,' Ryan. There never was. You had a contract wife who made your life easier. That's all I ever was to you."
"That's not true." His voice dropped. "I know I failed you. I know my family treated you—"
"Like dirt."
"Yes." He swallowed. "Like dirt. And I let it happen. But Ashley, you have to believe me — I didn't know who you were."
"That's exactly the problem." I stood, walking to the window. "You didn't care who I was. Not my name, not my story, not my pain. The only thing that's changed is that now you know I'm rich. And suddenly, I'm worth your attention."
"That's not—"
"Isn't it?" I turned back. "Tell me one thing about me, Ryan. One personal detail from our three years together. My favorite food. My birthday. What I did during the day when you were at work."
Silence.
His mouth opened. Closed.
Nothing.
"Exactly." I returned to my chair. "Now, about Helen's claim — it's baseless. My legal team already anticipated a competency challenge. We have three independent medical evaluations of my mother from the month she signed the will. All confirm full mental capacity."
Ryan blinked. "You already knew?"
"I've been preparing for this for two years." I fixed him with a hard stare. "What I want to know is why Helen came to you. What did she offer?"
He hesitated. One second too long.
"She said if I helped her contest the will, she'd ensure Victoria's family invested enough to buy back my shares."
"And you're telling me this... why?"
"Because I turned her down."
I studied him. Searching for the lie.
"I told her no," he repeated. "I'm not proud of what I've done, Ashley. But I won't actively work against you. Not anymore."
"How noble," I said flatly. "The bare minimum of human decency."
He winced.
My phone buzzed. Daniel: "Helen just left the Lane family office. She's accelerating."
I looked at Ryan. "If you're telling the truth — prove it. Tell me everything Helen said. Every detail."
For the next twenty minutes, he talked. Names, dates, strategies Helen had laid out.
When he finished, I had enough ammunition to dismantle my stepmother's entire defense before she even filed a challenge.
"Thank you," I said. "You can go."
Ryan stood slowly. At the door, he turned.
"Ashley... for what it's worth — I'm sorry. Not because you're powerful now. Because you deserved better."
I said nothing as he left.
But something in his words — the raw, broken quality of them — lodged somewhere beneath my armor.
I ignored it.
An hour later, Leo rushed in, his face pale.
"We have a problem."
"What?"
"Victoria Lane. She's gone to the press. She's claiming you manipulated Ryan into marriage through fraud. That you infiltrated the Carter family as a corporate spy."
My hands stilled on the keyboard. "What evidence does she have?"
"None that's real. But she has photos — doctored — of you meeting with competitors during your marriage. And she has a witness."
"Who?"
Leo's expression was grim.
"Sophia. Ryan's sister. She's backing Victoria's story."
He looked different — not the polished billionaire from the gala, but someone unraveling. His tie was slightly crooked. The shadows under his eyes had deepened.
Good.
I didn't stand when he entered. Didn't offer a seat.
He sat anyway, across from my desk, in the lower chair. I caught him notice the height difference and almost smiled.
"Talk," I said.
He leaned forward, elbows on knees. "Helen came to me. She says she has documents that could challenge your claim to the Zhao Group inheritance. Something about the will being contested — that your mother wasn't of sound mind when she wrote it."
"And you believed her?"
"I didn't say that." He met my eyes. "I'm telling you because—"
"Because you want something in return." I leaned back. "What? Your company back? A board seat?"
His jaw worked. "I want you to hear me out. About us."
I laughed. Actually laughed.
"There is no 'us,' Ryan. There never was. You had a contract wife who made your life easier. That's all I ever was to you."
"That's not true." His voice dropped. "I know I failed you. I know my family treated you—"
"Like dirt."
"Yes." He swallowed. "Like dirt. And I let it happen. But Ashley, you have to believe me — I didn't know who you were."
"That's exactly the problem." I stood, walking to the window. "You didn't care who I was. Not my name, not my story, not my pain. The only thing that's changed is that now you know I'm rich. And suddenly, I'm worth your attention."
"That's not—"
"Isn't it?" I turned back. "Tell me one thing about me, Ryan. One personal detail from our three years together. My favorite food. My birthday. What I did during the day when you were at work."
Silence.
His mouth opened. Closed.
Nothing.
"Exactly." I returned to my chair. "Now, about Helen's claim — it's baseless. My legal team already anticipated a competency challenge. We have three independent medical evaluations of my mother from the month she signed the will. All confirm full mental capacity."
Ryan blinked. "You already knew?"
"I've been preparing for this for two years." I fixed him with a hard stare. "What I want to know is why Helen came to you. What did she offer?"
He hesitated. One second too long.
"She said if I helped her contest the will, she'd ensure Victoria's family invested enough to buy back my shares."
"And you're telling me this... why?"
"Because I turned her down."
I studied him. Searching for the lie.
"I told her no," he repeated. "I'm not proud of what I've done, Ashley. But I won't actively work against you. Not anymore."
"How noble," I said flatly. "The bare minimum of human decency."
He winced.
My phone buzzed. Daniel: "Helen just left the Lane family office. She's accelerating."
I looked at Ryan. "If you're telling the truth — prove it. Tell me everything Helen said. Every detail."
For the next twenty minutes, he talked. Names, dates, strategies Helen had laid out.
When he finished, I had enough ammunition to dismantle my stepmother's entire defense before she even filed a challenge.
"Thank you," I said. "You can go."
Ryan stood slowly. At the door, he turned.
"Ashley... for what it's worth — I'm sorry. Not because you're powerful now. Because you deserved better."
I said nothing as he left.
But something in his words — the raw, broken quality of them — lodged somewhere beneath my armor.
I ignored it.
An hour later, Leo rushed in, his face pale.
"We have a problem."
"What?"
"Victoria Lane. She's gone to the press. She's claiming you manipulated Ryan into marriage through fraud. That you infiltrated the Carter family as a corporate spy."
My hands stilled on the keyboard. "What evidence does she have?"
"None that's real. But she has photos — doctored — of you meeting with competitors during your marriage. And she has a witness."
"Who?"
Leo's expression was grim.
"Sophia. Ryan's sister. She's backing Victoria's story."