The morning after Lucas left, Ashley stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. A sleepless night had left her eyes rimmed with red. Lucas's final words echoed in her mind: "I love you. And that's why I can't let you stay in danger."
But Ashley Blue hadn't built her reputation in the 21st-century financial world by wallowing in emotion. She splashed cold water on her face and made a decision that would change everything.
"If he thinks running away is how he protects me," she muttered, "then I'll show him I'm worth protecting."
Downstairs, Eric sat at the kitchen table, studying the business card left by the mysterious investigators.
"Any luck?" Ashley asked, hands trembling slightly as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"I can't find any record of a Brown Investigations," Eric said grimly. "The phone number traces back to a shell company in Delaware. Whoever they are, they're not legit PIs."
Ashley clenched her jaw. "Which means Lucas was right to leave."
"Ashley," Eric said gently, in the tone of an older brother trying to protect her, "maybe it's time to step back. Whatever this is—it looks dangerous."
"Step back?" Ashley let out a sharp, icy laugh. "Eric, I've never backed down from a fight. Besides—" She gestured toward the window, where the front of her small grocery store stood across the street. "I've got a business to run."
But something felt off the moment she approached the store. The usual morning crowd was nowhere in sight. Mrs. Patterson, who never missed her 9 a.m. shopping routine, walked past briskly without so much as a glance.
Inside, her employee Jenny looked rattled.
"Ms. Taylor, we need to talk."
"What happened?"
"Mr. Coleman came by after you left last night," Jenny said in a hushed tone, glancing around as if the walls had ears. "He said... he said you're harboring dangerous criminals, and folks shouldn't shop here."
Ashley felt a chill crawl up her spine. Harrison Coleman—owner of the town's biggest grocery store—had never liked her, especially since her modern marketing tactics and sharp pricing had started eating into his profits.
"Did he threaten you directly?" Ashley asked, her voice calm—unnervingly so.
"Not exactly, but…" Jenny pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "Someone slipped this under my door this morning."
The note was short. Menacing. "Tell your boss she's not welcome here. Some secrets are worth killing for."
Adrenaline surged through Ashley's veins—the same rush she used to feel during late-night merger negotiations. Someone had just made a grave mistake: they threatened her family.
"Jenny, go home for the day. Full pay. Don't worry about a thing."
"But Ms. Taylor—"
"Trust me."
Once Jenny left, Ashley locked the door and marched straight to Coleman's store. The bell over the door jingled mockingly as she stepped inside.
Harrison Coleman was a hulking man who hadn't skipped a meal in decades. He looked up from his ledger with a smug grin.
"Well, if it isn't our little entrepreneur, here to beg for mercy?"
"Actually," Ashley said sweetly, voice sugarcoated enough to replace the candy behind the counter, "I'm here to warn you."
Coleman chuckled, the sound like gravel grinding in a cement mixer. "You? Warn me? Girl, you don't know who you're dealing with."
"Oh, but I do," Ashley replied smoothly. "A small-town bully terrified of competition. So terrified, in fact, that you resort to threats instead of improving your business."
His face turned crimson. "Now you listen here, you little—"
"No, you listen." Ashley's voice cut through his growl like a scalpel. "I've done my homework, Harrison. Your store's been operating on credit for the past eight months. This building's mortgage is three payments behind. All your supplier accounts? Overdue."
His face drained of color. "How did you—"
"I have my ways," she said, her smile turning to steel. "Here's how this goes: You stop spreading lies about me and my business. You issue a public apology. You compete fairly—or you won't compete at all."
"And if I don't?"
Ashley leaned in, placing her palms on the counter. "Then I'll bring in every resource I have—banks, suppliers, town council. By next week, you'll be out of business and looking for work. Your call."
For a long moment, the only sound was the ticking of an old clock on the wall.
"You can't do that," he whispered.
"Try me."
There was something in her voice—maybe the confidence of someone who had already taken down much bigger men than Harrison Coleman—that made him believe her.
"What do you want?" he finally asked.
"I want to run my business in peace. You do the same. There's room in this town for both of us—as long as you stay in your lane."
She turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and Harrison? About those 'dangerous criminals'? I'd be careful throwing around rumors you can't prove. In my experience, the ones who yell the loudest usually have something to hide."
As she walked out, the bell jingled again. Coleman stood behind the counter, speechless.
News of the confrontation spread through town at the speed of gossip. By afternoon, Ashley's store was busier than ever. Apparently, nothing drew customers like watching someone take down a local bully.
Mrs. Patterson was one of the first to return, buying twice her usual order.
"I always knew Coleman was no good," she said loudly enough for half the store to hear. "About time someone reminded him."
But Ashley's satisfaction was short-lived. That evening, as she prepared to close up, a familiar silhouette appeared outside the store.
Amelia Grace stood at the door, perfectly coiffed hair and designer dress making her look like she belonged in Manhattan, not a dusty Midwest town.
"Well, well," Amelia said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You're quite the talk of the town today."
"Amelia." Ashley kept her voice even. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, just checking on my dear sister," Amelia said, stepping inside with her heels clicking on the linoleum. "I heard your... guest ran into some trouble."
Ashley's blood went cold. "I don't know what you mean."
"The handsome, amnesiac stranger? Lucas, wasn't it?" Amelia inspected her manicured nails. "Word is, some very serious people are looking for him. Unfortunate."
"How much do you know, Amelia?"
"Me? Nothing at all." Her smile widened. "But I can't help but wonder—what kind of trouble gets someone hunted by men like that?"
Ashley stepped closer, a warning flaring in her gut. "If you know something about Lucas, you need to tell me."
"Poor Ashley," Amelia said, dripping with false sympathy. "Always so trusting. So naïve. A mysterious stranger shows up just as you're poised for a comeback, and you think that's coincidence?"
"What are you saying?"
"I'm not saying anything." Amelia turned toward the door. "Just... in my experience, when something seems too good to be true, it usually is."
At the threshold, she stopped. "Oh, and Ashley? Be careful who you cross. Harrison Coleman is small time. But in these waters? There are bigger predators."
As her car vanished into the night, Ashley shivered. And for the first time, it had nothing to do with the autumn air.
Whatever game was being played—she was starting to realize she didn't know all the rules.
But one thing was certain:She was no one's pawn.