Chapter 105: we used you
Ashley sat at the very far end of the cold, dimly lit cell she had been thrown into, her back pressed against the damp wall, her head bowed low. She looked like a shadow of her former self, lost, broken, and drowning in pain.
Her once carefully styled hair was now disheveled, strands sticking out in every direction, while faint bruises, cuts, and scratches marked her skin, telling the story of the chaos that had unfolded just hours ago.
Every part of her body ached, but the pain within her chest was far worse.
She sat there silently, replaying everything that had happened at the boutique over and over again. The humiliation. The betrayal. The way
Evans had looked at her...
Like she was nothing.
Like he had never known her.
Like he had never been the one to call her and ask her to come.
Her fingers curled tightly into fists as the memory replayed in her mind. The laughter, the whispers, the cameras pointed at her face, it all felt like a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from. And then there was Freya... the way she had spoken so confidently, so coldly, as though everything had been carefully planned from the very beginning.
It dawned on Ashley that maybe, just maybe, it had been.
They had planned for her to fail.
They had waited for her to fall... just so they could destroy her completely.
Her breathing became uneven as the realization sank deeper into her bones. It was as if she had never truly known them at all.
A sharp, mocking laugh suddenly cut through the silence of the cell.
Ashley slowly lifted her head.
Across from her, separated only by a few rusted bars, Freya and James stood watching her. Their expressions were filled with open disgust, like she was something dirty they had accidentally stepped on.
Freya folded her arms, her lips curling into a cruel smile.
"You’ve always been gullible," she began, her tone dripping with mockery. "Easy to use, easy to manipulate."
She took a slow step forward, her heels echoing against the concrete floor.
"I still remember when Evans first met you. The way you fell for everything... it was almost pathetic. You really thought we wanted you as a friend?" she scoffed, letting out a soft laugh.
Ashley’s brows furrowed slightly, confusion mixing with the pain in her eyes.
Freya didn’t stop.
"No one wanted you," she continued bluntly. "A poor girl... a stripper." She tilted her head, studying Ashley’s reaction. "Did you really think Evans didn’t know? That we didn’t know you were sleeping with men just to pay your way through school?"
The words hit Ashley like a slap.
Her body stiffened instantly, a cold shiver running down her spine. That secret... the one she had buried so deep, guarded so fiercely, it had just been exposed like it meant nothing.
Slowly, she raised her head fully, her eyes wide with shock.
"What... what are you talking about?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
James let out a tired sigh, shaking his head as if disappointed in her.
"Of course we knew," he said flatly. "We knew everything."
Ashley’s heart dropped.
"We only kept you around because of how useful you were," he continued. "You were vicious... fearless. You’d go to any length to get what you wanted, no matter the consequences."
He shrugged lightly.
"That’s why we sent you on all those errands, submitting assignments, getting good grades... however you did it didn’t matter to us. You delivered results."
Freya smirked.
"We praised you, made you feel important... even made you the so-called leader of our group," she added mockingly.
Ashley’s breathing grew heavier.
"But the moment you became useless," James said coldly, "we decided to cut you off."
Freya’s expression darkened.
"When Evans finally got close to Lena, that was the biggest plan we had ever made," she said through gritted teeth. "All you had to do was stay quiet... lay low."
Her eyes narrowed sharply.
"But you couldn’t do that, could you? You wanted Evans all to yourself."
Ashley’s lips trembled slightly.
"Lena trusted Evans completely," Freya continued.
"She handed everything over to him, her company, her future. Things were moving so fast. By now, he could have been the CEO of Smith Enterprise..."
Her voice turned icy.
"But you ruined it."
Ashley felt like the ground beneath her had disappeared.
"You rushed things because you couldn’t stand seeing him with Lena," Freya said. "And because
of that, everything fell apart."
"I suggested we cut you off immediately," she added with a shrug. "But Evans still believed you might be useful. He kept saying you had handled difficult situations before... that you could fix it."
Freya let out a dry laugh.
"But you didn’t. Did you?"
Her gaze swept over Ashley’s battered appearance with open disgust.
"You ended up ruining everything. Your face, your reputation... your body, used by God knows how many men."
Ashley’s hands trembled violently at her sides.
"And you still expect Evans to come back to you?" Freya scoffed. "The only reason he even slept with you in the beginning was because we told him to."
Ashley froze.
James nodded casually. "It was part of the plan."
Freya smirked. "Though, I’ll admit... he started enjoying it later, especially when he realized he was the only one you were seeing."
Her smile vanished.
"But after that last incident, even he couldn’t tolerate you anymore. That’s when we all agreed, you were no longer worth anything."
Silence fell heavily over the cell.
"Now we have a new target," Freya continued, her tone shifting. "We’re putting everything in place again... and then you suddenly show up, acting all different, claiming you’ve changed."
She crossed her arms again.
"Of course we were cautious. We thought you came to ruin things again."
James added, "Freya was even curious at first, wondering if you really had become the CEO of Smith Enterprise."
Freya rolled her eyes. "But that was all. We only entertained you so you wouldn’t cause trouble... so you wouldn’t ruin the fragile relationship between Evans and Ava."
Ashley’s mind spun.
"When you claimed you were the CEO, we decided to investigate," Freya continued. "And that’s when we found out Lena is alive and well, and has even opened a new branch in Vegas."
Her lips curved into a satisfied smile.
"That’s when we knew you were lying... and that you came here with an agenda."
Ashley’s chest tightened painfully.
"So we made a plan," Freya concluded. "Your account issue? That was just a bonus. Even without it, we would have painted you as an obsessed woman chasing after Evans."
James stepped forward slightly.
"This was us cutting every tie you thought you had with him," he said firmly. "From now on, no one will ever associate you with Evans again."
His gaze hardened.
"And if you try to interfere with our plans again... we won’t go easy on you."
Ashley couldn’t move.
Her entire body trembled as fear, anger, and disbelief crashed over her all at once.
"Was there ever a time..." she started slowly, her voice breaking, "when you actually saw me as a friend?"
Freya and James exchanged a brief glance.
Then they answered in unison.
"No."
The single word echoed in the cell like a final verdict.
Ashley let out a soft, hollow laugh.
It started quietly... almost like a whisper.
But beneath that laugh, something darker began to take root.
They would pay.
Every single one of them.
She would make sure of it.
Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when a police officer called out their names, informing them that bail had been granted.
Ashley blinked in surprise.
Her name had been called too.
But how?
She clearly remembered calling her father earlier, how he had insulted her, told her to stay there, that he had no money for her. He had made it clear she was on her own.
So who...?
Confusion lingered as they were led out of the cell.
The moment Ashley stepped outside, her eyes landed on a familiar figure, and her blood ran cold.
Evans.
He stood there, looking composed as ever, with a beautiful woman clinging to his arm.
Ava.
Ashley’s fingers curled slightly.
"Ashley," Evans said calmly, his tone almost gentle. "I posted bail for you... for old times’ sake."
His next words cut deeper than any insult.
"But I’d appreciate it if you stopped bothering me. I have a girlfriend now."
Ashley felt the weight of every gaze in the room shift onto her.
The police officers. The staff.
All of them looked at her with disdain.
And she couldn’t defend herself.
What could she possibly say?
By now, the video from the boutique must have spread everywhere. If she reacted again, she would only be playing into his hands, solidifying the image he had carefully created of her.
"Let’s hope she finally stays away this time," Freya muttered with clear disdain as they completed the paperwork.
Ashley remained silent.
She just wanted it to end.
