?Chapter 370:


    The man took a long drag from his cigarette, then flicked it to the ground and crushed it beneath his heel. He stepped closer, his face as striking as Kristian’s, yet carrying apletely different air—cold, venomous, and calcting.


    “Have you made up your mind?” he asked, crouching before her. He lifted a hand and lightly tapped her cheek.


    Ashley flinched hard, her whole body quaking with dread.


    It wasn’t just his words—it was the unshakable terror he inspired.


    “All you have to do is take Kristian’s life,” he said, his voice slow and deliberate. “Do that, and I’ll let the past stay buried. I’ll even shower you with wealth—everything you’ve ever craved.”


    Ashley only wanted him dead.


    Her fists clenched at her sides. Every inch of her body throbbed with pain—a constant reminder of the hell she’d been through since falling back into his grasp.


    She had failed before, and because she’d begged him to spare her family, he’d found new ways to make her suffer every day.


    More than once, she’d wanted to end it all. But she couldn’t do it. Why should she die while he went on living?


    The man seemed to savor the fury and madness in her gaze. His smile curled wider. “You want me dead?” he asked, as though reading her mind.


    Ashley’s pupils shrank in panic. A chill surged down her spine, freezing her where she sat.


    “You’ll never make that happen,” he said, hisrge hand cupping her wet, trembling face.


    His touch was warm, but to Ashley, it felt like poison.


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    “You really think just because your grandma and brother are under protection, you can defy me?” His thumb brushed across her cheek as he spoke, his voice low and dangerous.


    Ashley didn’t say a word, but her chest tightened with fear.


    “They might be under guard,” he continued, drawing out the words,


    “but if I want them gone, no one can stop me. Got it?”


    “Why me?” Ashley’s voice was ragged, her eyes bloodshot from exhaustion and despair.


    “Because you were Kristian’s first love,” he said, lifting her chin. He didn’t care about the hatred burning in her eyes. “If you go near him, he won’t question it. He’d never believe someone as weak and pitiful as you could kill him.”


    Freya would be the better choice, Ashley thought bitterly. But she couldn’t say that aloud. Not after everything she had done to Freya. Even after all that, Freya had stepped in to help her. She couldn’t drag her into this nightmare.


    “That’s not true,” Ashley said, holding back tears. “After what happenedst time, he doesn’t trust me anymore.”


    “Just do as you’re told,” the man snapped, his tone sharp and dismissive.


    Ashley bit down on her lip, her entire body racked with pain. She looked up at him and said, “Murder is still a crime in our country.”


    “Once it’s done, I’ll have you brought back here,” he said, his voice smooth and convincing. “No charges. No prison. You’ll live in peace.”


    Ashley didn’t buy a word of it.


    Murder wasn’t something you could just erase.


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