All Chapters of THE HIDDEN KING: Chapter 11
- Chapter 13
13 chapters
Chapter 11: Checkmate in the Boardroom
The skyscraper loomed over the city like a fortress of glass and steel. For Ashley, it was more than just headquarters, it was her last battlefield.She strode into the boardroom at Monroe Enterprises, heels striking like gunshots against polished marble. Her eyes burned with defiance, the humiliation of the gala still fresh in her veins.But here, surrounded by contracts, shareholders, and the law, she would reclaim control. Her allies, what few remained, were already seated around the oval mahogany table. Some avoided her gaze. Others smiled thinly, calculating.Ashley slammed a leather folder onto the table. “Gentlemen. Ladies. It’s time to end Gordon Monroe’s interference once and for all.”Board Member #1, a gray-haired magnate, cleared his throat. “Ms. Monroe, Gordon has been instrumental in stabilizing our partnerships. Attempting to oust him might”“Instrumental?” Ashley cut in, her voice sharp. “He’s been nothing but a parasite in the shadows, undermining me, stealing my alli
Chapter 12: The Fallen Queen
Ashley Monroe had never felt the city so cold. The boardroom doors had closed behind her like iron bars, sealing her fate with the echo of that gavel. Suspended. Cast out of her own empire.The company she had claimed as her crown had turned its back on her, and worse, it had turned toward Gordon.She stormed into the penthouse, the marble floors echoing with the sharp staccato of her heels. Clara trailed behind like a shadow, carrying folders Ashley had grabbed in desperation, papers slipping loose in her wake.Ashley hurled her clutch onto the sofa. “Traitors,” she hissed. “Every last one of them. Harold, Harrington, Vincent… rats, all of them. Feeding on scraps from Gordon’s table.”Clara set the folders down carefully. “Madam, perhaps”“Don’t,” Ashley snapped, her voice sharp as broken glass. She paced the length of the living room, eyes wild. “They think they can humiliate me? Strip me of what’s mine? No. Gordon hasn’t won. He’s stolen. There’s a difference.”Her reflection glare
Chapter 13: The Serpent’s Whisper
Ashley Monroe had always known enemies lurked in shadows. What she hadn’t expected was that, stripped of her throne, the shadows would come to her.The penthouse was silent except for the hum of the city below, a glittering sprawl she no longer ruled. Ashley sat on the balcony, a glass of scotch in her hand, her gown loosened, hair falling in wild strands.She looked nothing like the untouchable queen she once projected to the world. But her eyes… her eyes still burned. On the table beside her lay the phone with that cryptic message.He took what’s yours. I can help you take it back. She had read it a dozen times since it appeared, and each time it stoked a different fire: suspicion, hope, rage.“Who hates Gordon enough to reach out to me?” she muttered.Clara, hovering by the doorway, looked uneasy. “Madam… it could be a trap. Someone trying to exploit your situation.”Ashley shot her a glare. “Exploit me? I am not weak.”But the words felt brittle. Even Clara saw it. The phone buzze