Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way
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"Still no word from Leo? Are you kidding me? What the hell is wrong with all of
you? He''s a public figure! You let him run around unsupervised like this? Do you
even realize the risks? What if something happens to him? Who''s going to answer
for that?"
Paige''s heels clicked furiously across the marble floor as she paced, one hand
clenched into a fist while the other gripped her phone. Her voice cut like ss.
"Oh, he''s an adult? And that means what, exactly?" she snapped. "If something
happens to him, are you going to take the fall?!"
She hurled the phone onto the couch, arms crossed tight against her chest as she
stormed back and forth. Everythingtely had been slipping through her fingers,
and she hated it.
She''d nned everything so carefully—her moves calcted, her strategy
wless. Alistair should''ve gone down for good. Instead, he walked free.
And not only that, her attempt to turn Mabel against Caroline had backfired
to herself. Even Gordon, who had once trusted her like family, had started keeping
his distance.
She was still a Reed, yes, but she was also an Ashbourne by
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Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way
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blood. And now she wasn''t even wee at Ashbourne Manor. How pathetic
was that?
And now Leo was missing. No calls, no texts. Radio silence.
She was driving her insane.
Paige prided herself on control. Leo had always been like a kite. She could let him
soar, fly as high as he wanted, but the string? The string always stayed in her
hand.
Now that string had slipped through her fingers. And she had no idea when, or
how.
She picked up a ss of water, took one sip, and then,
unsatisfied, hurled it across the room. The crash echoed off the
walls.
A maid tiptoed in, trembling, to clean it up.
The phone rang again. Paige rushed over, her heart leaping, only to sink when
she saw the caller ID. Disappointed butposed, she forced her tone into its
usual polished calm as she picked up. "Giselle," she said sweetly, "what is it
now?"
Whatever Giselle said made Paige''s lip curl. The bruise on her face still throbbed
since Caroline had hit hard.
Giselle, of course, had to mention Caroline again. Always the worst possible topic.
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Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way
And now Giselle was terrified.
(*) 12 min left
It had been her media team that first leaked Alistair''s background online, twisting
public opinion to paint him as some scheming social climber. It was her people
who''d nted paparazzi outside Vreon Technologies, snapping that shot of
Gordon and Alistair in the lobby. The one that went viral with headlines like "Top
Tycoon Snubs Gold-Digging Man Married to His Daughter."
She''d arranged the ambush interview, the headlines, and the flood of hate.
At the time, she thought she was doing everyone a favor. If Alistair turned out to
be guilty, maybe the Ashbournes would even thank her for unmasking him.
The only person who''d get hurt would be Caroline. And to Giselle, that was a
bonus.
If Alistair went down, Caroline lost her husband. The Ashbourne name would be
dragged through the mud. And the Reeves family? They''d slide right into the top
spot.
It wasn''t just personal. It was strategic.
Giselle had thrown herself into smearing Alistair, not out of justice, but out of spite.
Her grudge against Caroline ran deep.
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Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way
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And the Reeves family had been gunning for the Ashbournes for
years.
The Ashbournes were ranked first on the national rich list. The Reeves family was
second. Money wasn''t the issue. They all had more than they could spend. But
being number one? That meant something.
In school, no one would remember who came in second.
In sports, silver medals didn''t make headlines.
If the Reeves family overlooked the Ashbournes, Giselle would be the heiress
of America''s most powerful family.
She could already hear it: "That''s Giselle Reeves. Her family''s worth more than
anyone else in the country."
Caroline had worn that crown long enough. It was time for Giselle to take her
ce.
And for a while, things were going ording to n.
Alistair got arrested.
Then, just one dayter, he was released without charges.
The case had gone straight to the top-judges, prosecutors, federal oversight.
There was no way the Ashbournes could have pulled strings. Even Gordon, with
all his power, would never
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Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way
(***) 12 min left
abuse the system.
He wouldn''t cross that line, not for the man he refused to publicly acknowledge
as her daughter''s husband.
Now Giselle was panicking. If it came out that she''d been the one behind the
smear campaign, Caroline wouldn''t let it slide. And Caroline didn''t y fair.
"You''ll be fine," Paige said soothingly, the same way she always did. "I''ll make
sure nothing happens to you."
But the words felt hollow this time, and Giselle knew it.
How could she rely on Paige when Paige couldn''t even protect her own face?
Giselle was filled with regret. But she didn''t dare show it. She still wanted to marry
into the Reed family.
"Mrs. Paige Reed, has Leoe home yet?" she asked carefully. "I''ve been
calling him for days, but he hasn''t picked up. Has he started a new project or
something? Is he too busy to even answer the phone?"
The question hit Paige like a needle to the chest. She forced a smile. "Yes, he''s
been busy."
But the second the call ended, she grabbed her sunsses and
rushed out the door.
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Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way
Leo hadn''t just gone quiet, and his assistant Ezra had disappeared too.
Something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
(1) 12 min left
Meanwhile, Alistair was walking hand-in-hand with Eloise down a quiet, sunny
street. They passed a doll shop, and he slowed to nce through the window.
The dolls inside were dressed in elegant clothes, their porcin faces perfectly
painted. He looked down at Eloise beside him.
She looked up and smiled, eyes curved like crescent moons.
"They can dress those dolls up all they want. None of them are as beautiful as she
is."
He cleared his throat, lowering his voice. "Sweetheart, want me to buy you a
doll?"
Eloise shook her head. "Nope."
Alistair blinked. "Really? They''re pretty cute. You could sleep with one at night."
"I already sleep with my bear," she said matter-of-factly. "If I get
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Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way
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more, I won''t be able to hold them all."
Heughed under his breath.
Caroline always made sure Eloise nevercked for anything. Maybe that was
why she wasn''t easily tempted by material things. Aside from books, she rarely
asked for anything.
Those scenes other parents described? Kids screaming on the floor at the
grocery store, begging for candy or toys? He couldn''t
rte.
In fact, more often than not, Eloise would politely refuse when he or Caroline tried
to buy her something.
And when he asked why? She''d say she didn''t need it. Or that she already had
one.
Once, Alistair got insistent. He wanted to spoil her. She was his daughter, after all.
What dad didn''t want to go overboard?
So he crouched down and asked her what she wanted most. She answered
without hesitation that she wanted her mom and dad to love each other forever.
That she wanted them to always stay by her side.
It wasn''t the clothes, or the dolls, or the sweets.
It was the family.
And thankfully, they had given her that.
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