2025-02-07 15:54:50The Mission
Ashton’s head spun.
He had spent the last few hours stumbling from one absurdity to another.
A lot of weird things had happened within just one day, but this? This was something else entirely.
His father. Sitting here. Speaking as if this was somehow normal.
“Dad?" He asked, looking around the fancy house.
His father smiled. Not a warm smile, not even a cruel one, just a knowing curve of his lips, like he had expected Ashton to ask that.
Somehow, he looked very satisfied at Ashton's shock.
“What's going on?" Ashton asked, “Why am I here, dad?"
“Because, Ashton,” his father said, leaning back in his chair with a smirk, “it’s time you knew the truth.”
The truth?
Ashton felt his stomach drop. He was already overwhelmed with shocking truths for one day.
“What truth?”
His father motioned toward the empty seat across from him. “Sit.”
Ashton didn’t move. “This is all so strange. What's Mr Coleman doing here? What are you doing here?”
With a soft chuckle, his father swirled the dark amber liquid in his glass, watching the way it swirled before speaking again. “You’ve graduated now. It’s time for you to know the truth of who you really are.”
“Yes, dad. I've just graduated. But what does that have to do with this?"
His father smiled, "It's time for you to take over the family business.”
Silence.
The words seemed odd to his ears. Family business? What did that mean?
“What?” His voice came out hoarse.
His father’s expression remained calm. “You didn’t think we’d let you waste away in some ordinary job, did you?” He gestured toward Mr. Coleman. “You were never meant for that life.”
Ashton was stunned. Was his father also pranking him? This had to be some joke.
*Family business? What are you talking about, dad? I've been struggling to get a job and I just realized today that someone has been sabotaging me…”
His father held a hand up, "You don't need any of that anymore. You're the heir to the family business.”
Then his father gestured at Mr Coleman. He was standing beside him, with his hand folded in front.
His father continued, his voice smooth and bold. “Mr. Coleman isn’t just your neighbor. He’s been our family’s butler for decades.”
“Butler? We have a butler?" Ashton’s breath hitched. “What?”
“He lived near you to protect you,” his father said simply. “To keep an eye on you. To make sure nothing happened before you were ready.”
Ashton shook his head. “This is insane I can't believe any of this.”
“Is it?” His father raised an eyebrow and then got on his feet. “We’ve waited long enough. Now that you’ve finished college, I have decided to retire. Everything, the entire family business, will now belong to you.”
Ashton opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He wasn’t sure what to say. What could he say?
None of this made sense.
For twenty-two years, he had struggled. Worked part-time jobs. Worried about rent. Lived an ordinary life. And now, out of nowhere, he was supposed to believe that his parents were what? Secret Business owners that lived in big houses?
It was too much.
Too much to process.
Before he could even begin to untangle his thoughts, his phone buzzed.
The beep jolted him back to reality.
Frowning, he pulled it out of his pocket. The name flashing across the screen was familiar.
Liam.
His best friend. He already had an idea of what the call was about and he wasn't looking forward to it.
Ashton hesitated before answering. “Hey, Liam.”
“Ashton!” Liam’s voice was loud, excited. “Where the hell are you, man? We’re all getting ready to book the club. Graduation party, remember?”
Right. The party. Ashton had not forgotten, but he wasn't planning to attend and so he didn't give it any thought.
For weeks, his friends had been talking about this, one last celebration before everyone went off to start their jobs, to chase their futures.
Except Ashton had no future. No job lined up. Nothing. He was the only one that had graduated and didn't have his life all fixed up like the rest of them.
The thought made his face flush. .
“Uh,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know if I'll be free tonight.”
“You’re not bailing on us,” Liam interrupted. “Come on, man. You deserve to enjoy yourself.”
Ashton hesitated. “I just have a lot I have to take care of right now."
“No, I'll see you tonight. Even if it means dragging you out here. We must celebrate one last time." Liam chuckled and with that hung up before he could respond.
Ashton sighed and his thoughts went wild. What would he tell the rest he was doing with his life? When they spoke of their fancy jobs, what would he say? He had nothing going.
Then he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. His father.
Ashton glanced up, finding his father watching him with an amused expression.
“Go,” his father said, his voice was rich. “You should celebrate.”
Ashton frowned. “I don’t even have a job yet.”
His father laughed, shaking his head. “You don’t need one.”
There was something assuring about the way he said it.
Before Ashton could question him, his father reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a small, golden card.
He placed it on the table and slid it forward.
“A graduation gift,” his father said.
Ashton picked up the card cautiously. It was heavier than he expected and felt cold against his fingers.
“What is this?” Ashton asked.
His father’s lips curled into that same knowing smile. “Your spending card.”
Ashton narrowed his eyes. “How much is on it?”
His father leaned back with a smirk. “Enough.”
That wasn’t an answer.
Ashton exhaled sharply. “How much?”
His father chuckled again, clearly entertained. “Let’s just say, you won’t be able to spend it all.”
Ashton was stunned.
His father smiled smugly. “In fact, let’s make this more interesting. Your first mission,” he said, his voice smooth as silk.
“Spend a million dollars tonight.”
Silence.
Ashton blinked. “What?”
“You heard me,” his father said. “One million. Before sunrise.”
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The Rise of Ashton Chapter Ten
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The Rise of Ashton Chapter Thirteen
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Chapter Ninety Nine
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A Ghost in the MirrorAshton sat there, stunned, staring at the name on the file. Lily Forrest.She was regarded as a ghost in the tabloid news. A missing heiress. A tragedy that had befallen a once great family. "How sure are you about this?" Ashton asked, still bewildered. Lancaster leaned back and sipped his coffee slowly. "One hundred percent. She was declared missing and then after spending a lot of money to find her, her family finally gave up and she's never been found." “She's the one then, if she's missing and her name is Lily then she could be the one. But how does this relate to Marcel? There could be a million missing Lily's in this city.” "Well, she's linked to Marcel somehow. The Forrest family knew the Green family for so long. So…there's a link somehow.” Ashton dragged a hand through his hair. trying his best to fit the pieces together. Marcel had been hiding a girl in his basement for how long? "If she's supposed to be dead," Ashton said slowly, "then how the
Chapter Ninety Seven
A Missing Forest In just a few minutes, Ashton arrived at Swam Limited. It was magnificent, the sheer beauty of it still stunned him. But he knew this was all seeds of wickedness. “Goodness! No wonder they're friends," he hissed. Peter, the driver, looked at him through the rearview mirror and asked, “who are friends?" Ashton replied, "nothing.” Shortly they rolled into the parking lot and Ashton got out of the vehicle closing the door softly behind him. Ashton stepped into the elevator and adjusted the cuffs of his designer suit, preparing himself for yet another tiring day in this establishment. He had become a worker for both Frederick and Marcel, helping them build their empires even when he knew that they did not care about him. But it was all going to be to his advantage and one way or the other he would make them pay, both of them. As soon as he got inside his secretary, Amanda ran to his side, “Thank goodness you arrived on time, the meeting is set to start, sir." A
Chapter Ninety Six
His New Mission It was a new day. The morning sun poured through the tall windows of the Green family mansion. Ashton had barely slept the previous night. Nightmares of Marcel and the nas girl plagued him even as he had breakfast. He sat alone, dressed in a simple grey shirt with the sleeves rolled up, sipping a warm cup of coffee. His eyes were distant as he stared at the meal but couldn't seem to erase the thoughts of the previous night. The revelations about Marcel left a bitter taste in Ashton’s mouth. This man was up to something. He was no knight in shining armor. He was a monster.While he was still picking on his toaster, bacon, omelette and coffee, footsteps echoed down the staircase, softly. Ashton looked up and saw Veronica appear at the edge of the room, wrapped in a navy-blue bathrobe. She looked like she'd just showered and her dark hair was still damp from the shower. Her anger was quite obvious and even before she spoke, he could hear the irritation in her foot
Chapter Ninety Five
The Green Monster Ashton felt bad for her. What could she have possibly done that would justify such harsh treatment? He reached out to hold her hands but she jerked away violently. "I don’t like to be touched," she said suddenly. "Don’t come any closer.."Ashton froze. "I wasn’t going to." He lied. "I trusted someone once. A girl. She said she was my friend and I believed her, but she was a spy. Marcel sent her to watch me and see if I was healing. And when I told her that I was, she reported it. And then they brought the doctors."Her voice cracked and she was now trembling at the memories. "They made it worse. So much worse."Ashton’s stomach turned. Marcel had mentioned doctors occasionally visiting Lily for her condition. He’d said he paid the best of doctors and nurses to attend to her. Now he wasn’t so sure if it was to hurt her or cure her. He looked into her eyes again. There was so much pain there, buried beneath layers of anger and bitterness. How long had she been h
Chapter Ninety Four
Finding Insanity 2 The Green Mansion was quiet at midnight and Ashton knew this was the right time to move around. No one would see him. He was under the cover of darkness. Slowly, he rose from the dinner table and the maid moved close to him. "Would you like anything like dessert before bed?” She asked. The idea of a sweet and sugary treat sounded fun but he had other things to attend to. "No, I'll just get in bed. I'm exhausted,” he said, placing his hands on his forehead dramatically. She nodded, apologized and went off. As soon as he returned to his room, he locked the door, and shed the clean shirt and slacks Marcel had gifted him. In their place, he pulled on a black long-sleeved hoodie, jeans, and soft boots. He strapped a flashlight to his belt, then pulled up the hood. There was no one around as he stepped into the hallway, but he moved quietly anyway, sticking to the parts of the mansion he knew no one strolled. The left wing of the mansion was kind of forbidden.
