Built From The Ashes And Her.
Ronan’s Point Of View.
“What the fuck is that sound?” I yelled as my hand searched for my pillow.
It was my phone and it kept ringing relentlessly.
I groaned, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as sunlight stabbed through the penthouse blinds. My head was pounding, my mouth dry as sandpaper as my body ached from the scotch I drained last night and the stress I hadn’t shaken off in weeks.
I reached for my phone blindly and answered without checking who the hell was calling.
“This better be good.”
“Mr. Lancaster, it’s Carla from Avidron Holdings.”
I frowned, still half-asleep. “Yeah?”
“We’re pulling out.”
I sat up like someone had dumped ice down my spine. “What?”
“We’ve officially withdrawn our support, effective immediately. The documentation was finalized by our legal team this morning…”
“Are you fucking serious?” I shouted, bolting upright, heart now thudding in my throat.
“I’m afraid it’s already in motion.”
And before I could utter a word, she hung up, the line went dead.
I stared at the screen.
“What the hell?” I muttered, wiping off my sleepy eyes.
“No.”
“No, no, no, this couldn’t be happening.”
“Not after everything I did to keep Avidron happy.”
“Not after the bribes, the dinners, the deals, something was wrong.”
Before My mind could process what was happening, my phone rang again, this time it was a business associate Adri- an Klein that was calling.
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Another old ally.
I answered with a growl. “Talk.”
“Have you seen the goddamn news yet?” he asked.
“What the fuck are you people talking about…”
“Turn on the business channel now, and call me back if you’re still standing.”
He hung up at once.
Fury already boiling in my chest, I staggered out of bed and snatched the remote off the nightstand. I aimed it at the wall-mounted flat-screen, turned it on, and went straight to the business feed.
Then I saw it.
The headline that made my blood freeze and my hands go numb.
BREAKING: MARCH 12TH LANCASTER COVER-UP. ANONYMOUS SOURCE LEAKS INTERNAL FINAN- CIAL FILES
“What the fuck…” I whispered.
The news anchor’s voice bled into the room like venom.
“… the files detail suspicious activities in the March 12 transaction three years ago, including falsified valuation re- ports, off-record shareholder payments, and multiple silent board member exits…”
My mouth dried as my fingers clenched into fists.
That deal was buried, long buried. No one was supposed to know, no one could know, It was sealed under nondisclo- sure, locked in private records behind three layers of firewall and firepower.
Then Julian Crane’s smug bastard face filled the screen.
“I received these files anonymously,” he said, almost smiling. “But they appear legitimate, and damning. This source clearly had access to things no one else ever should.”
My heart slammed against my ribs and at once I knew who was behind it.
She did it.
Zyrah.
No doubt in my fucking mind.
“Ah! What the fuck?” I let out a roar and hurled the remote across the room, It cracked against the floor, shattering into pieces.
My breathing spiked.
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Cum TTVHE Tones AU FOL
“Hell no!”
She knew, she fucking knew everything, and now she was bleeding me from the inside out.
I stormed toward the bar and swept everything off it with one violent swing. Bottles smashed against the wall, glass flying across the floor in all directions.
“FUCK!”
I grabbed the lamp from the corner and whipped it against the window. It bounced off, fell, and exploded across the hardwood.
“Fucking bitch! You think you can do this to me?!” I screamed into the empty room.
The door cracked open just as I was reaching for another glass.
“Sir?” my maid said timidly. “Is everyth…”
“GET THE FUCK OUT!”
I turned on her, rage snapping in my eyes like thunder.
She gasped and stumbled backward as I slammed the door shut in her face so hard the entire wall shook.
Panting, I staggered back to the TV, Crane was still talking.
“I won’t reveal the source, but they clearly had dec insight into the Lancaster Corporation’s internal practices…”
Zyrah.
My mind was a furnace.
Only one person had access to those files, she was the only one who knew what I’d done.
She’d sat across from me, slept in my bed, and smiled when I came home, and all along, she was memorizing every damn skeleton in my closet.
What else does she have?
My hands trembled.
If she’s willing to expose this, she’s just getting started, she could bring it all down, deal by deal, secret by secret.
She wasn’t hiding anymore, she was moving calculate and fucking lethal.
I stared at the screen, sweat beading on my brow, and for the first time in my life, I was terrified.
“I am ruined, I am fucking ruined!”
The shards of glass still littered the floor, glinting like tiny knives in the morning light.
I sat at the edge of my bed, elbows on my knees, staring at nothing. Shirtless, barefoot, half-sober as the room smelled
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OUR EQUIT ་ ་་་་་་་་་་་་་་་ ་་་ ་ ་་ ་་
like spilled wine and expensive failure.
All I could hear was the echo of my outburst, the sound of glass shattering, furniture tipping, my own voice tearing through the walls like a fucking lunatic. The damage was everywhere, a shattered lamp, the overturned bar cart, pil- lows scattered like debris from a war I was losing.
The March 12 leak had detonated everything.
A single story, one whisper had cost me millions overnight.
“Zyrah, that fucking woman!” I gritted my teeth.
She’d walked around my house like a mouse, eyes lowered, voice soft, sweet, and loyal.
I remembered that night the event took place, she cooked for my guests. She smiled when I took calls at the dinner ta- ble, rubbed my temples when I came home late reeking of whiskey and Seline’s perfume, and now she was disman- tling me piece by piece, feeding the world my sins like a meal she’d been prepping for years.
“I can’t let this happen to me, I can’t let her win, I won’t lose to that two faced brat!”
I reached down and grabbed the wine bottle still half-rolling under the nightstand. I took a long pull straight from the neck. It burned on the way down, but not enough to distract me from the burning in my head.
Fucking hell.
I leaned forward, pressing my fists to my forehead.
I had to get control back, and fast.
Legal was scrambling, my PR had no idea how to spin this and investors were starting to smell weakness.
I needed a win, I needed something, someone I could count on.
“Seline.” I suddenly muttered her name out as an idea clicked.
“Yes! Seline.”
Her soft brown eyes, that voice is like velvet. The way she ran her fingers through my hair last night, whispering that it would be alright, that I’d rebuild and I was still king.
She never asked me to apologize, she never made me beg, infact, she stayed, she always fucking stayed.
I grabbed my phone from the mess on the nightstand, the screen cracked from being thrown earlier and not surprising- ly, there was a text from Seline.
“I’m here whenever you need me.” The text read.
It stopped me cold, everyone else was jumping ship but she was steady, soft, and mine.
Seline is all I need right now, she’s been there through everything, and I can’t imagine facing this without her.
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Zyrah was trying to ruin me but Seline was going to help me rebuild, and I was done apologizing for choosing the one woman who actually knew how to be loyal.
I tossed the bottle across the room and It hit the wall, shattering into tiny bits.
I stood, cracking my neck, stepping over glass without flinching. I will clean up later because right now, I need a shower, a plan.
I pressed the phone to my car, pacing across the bedroom like a man trying to outrun a noose.
“Elise, schedule a meeting with the company stakeholders within the hour. I don’t care how you do it, just get them in that fucking boardroom.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied, steady as ever. “I’ll notify them now.”
I hung up before she could finish.
My reflection in the mirror looked like hell, my eyes were bloodshot, jaw tight, shoulders heavy from carrying a sink- ing empire.
I stormed into the bathroom, splashed cold water on my face, brushed my teeth, and showered in five minutes flat. The water hit like needles on my skin, but I needed to feel something real, something I could control.
Zyrah was out there dropping bombs, and I had to make sure no one else burned in the fallout.
I threw on a charcoal suit, no tie, collar loose as I didn’t care about perfection, I just needed to look alive.
The drive to the office was a blur as my hands clenched the steering wheel hard enough to leave impressions. My phone buzzed with more headlines, more questions, more fire.
When I pulled into the underground lot, Elise was already texting.
“They’re here, sir, six out of eight, and the boardroom’s ready, sir.” The text read.
Good.
I walked through the lobby and up to the top floor with my head held high, but every whisper, every side-glance hit like a slap, the building I built was now a cage of eyes and judgment.
The second I walked into the boardroom, six sets of eyes turned to me, some concerned, some pissed off, and one or two already looking for exits.
I sat at the head of the table and cleared my throat.
“Gentlemen,” I started, voice firm. “Let’s cut through the bullshit. You’ve seen the news and have heard the rumors, and yes, my ex-wife has been released from jail as you all already know.”
There were murmurs, one man shifting uncomfortably.
“I’m aware someone is using that fact to stir shit and attack the company’s integrity. But I assure you, this is strategic sabotage, someone out there has a vendetta.”
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I didn’t have the balls to mention that Zyrah is behind my attack, I didn’t want to look weak that an ordinary ex wife is behind my fallout.
“Now,” I continued, “I want to remind you that we’ve weathered storms before, and this one is no different.”
There was a skeptical snort coming from the left, an old man Rutherford, but I ignored him.
“I’ve made decisions to ensure our stability, both financially and publicly, and as of now, I’ve taken steps to solidify my personal life.”
They all looked up at that.
I leaned in slightly. “I intend to marry Seline Rousseau, very soon.”
I watched as their eyes widened, a few exchanged looks.
“Her father,” I added smoothly, “is one of the most respected names in the city, her family name carries weight, and her support has been unwavering. I know that with her by my side, we’ll restore the public’s confidence, very fast.”
It was bullshit dressed as confidence, but they needed something, they needed hope.
Rutherford raised a brow. “You’ve proposed to her?”
That question hit me square in the chest. I blinked once, then forced a thin smile.
“Not yet,” I said. “But I will, very soon.”
“Do it now,” he said bluntly. “If you’re using that name to steady this ship, make it public, the faster, the better.”
Another voice added, “The media’s already painting you as unstable. This thing with your ex, it’s becoming a blood sport. If you don’t shift the narrative, we’ll be forced to reconsider our involvement.”
Forced to reconsider?
The words sank into me like knives.
I nodded slowly, masking the sudden tightness in my throat. “Understood, I’ll handle it.”
The meeting ended with strained handshakes and polite exits, no one looked me in the eye too long. They were scared, and fear made men dangerous, or disloyal,
Once they were gone, I sat back in my chair, staring at the empty room.
If Seline was my anchor, I had to tie her down fast before the rest of this empire slipped out to sea because if they walked, I was fucking done.
The office was quiet now.
The echo of the boardroom still rang in my ears, half-hearted promises, veiled threats, and that damn word I kept re- peating to myself like a prayer.
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Engagement.
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling, fingers steepled under my chin. The tension in my neck wouldn’t let up, my jaw ached from how tightly I’d been clenching it.
Suddenly, a slow vibration from my phone buzzed on the desk.
I glanced at it and saw that Seline was calling.
I let it ring for a few seconds, just watching her name on the screen grounded me a little, like her presence, even though pixels could soften the razor edge I’d been walking all morning.
I answered.
“Seline.”
Her voice came in soft, warm, steady. “Ronan.”
Just that, my name like she knew I needed to hear it said like that, without judgment, and without weight.
“I saw the news,” she continued, calm as eyer. “I saw the headlines, and I know things must be spinning like hell over there.”
I closed my eyes and let her voice pull me out of the storm for a second.
“Don’t worry, Ronan,” she said, her voice dropping even softer. “I’ll stand by you, no matter what. You’ve been through so much, and I’m here for you, let’s focus on building our future together.”
Those words, building our future hit me deeper than I expected.
For a man like me, loyalty is rare.
Real loyalty?
Damn near extinct!
But Seline had always been constant, even when I didn’t deserve it and married Zyrah, she stayed like my damn pup- pet.
And now, in the middle of the worst fucking week of my life, she was still here, whispering through the fire like she was made for the heat.
I leaned forward, elbows on the desk again, voice low. “Thank you,” I said.
It was the only thing that felt honest.
There was a short pause on the other end. I could almost hear her smiling.
“I meant what I said,” she told me. “I’m not leaving your side, Ronan, not now or ever.”
I believed her. Seline loves me and I know that she can’t live without me. I had her wrapped around my finger, be-
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Built From The Ashes And Her.
288 Vouchers
cause in this mess of betrayal, collapsing deals, and knives in my back, Seline was the only one who hadn’t tried to
cut me.
“I will try to see you as soon as I can.” She said and I nodded.
“When you are free, you can come over to my penthouse.” I said to her,
“Okay Ronan.”
With that, I hung up and silence filled me, only this time, it didn’t feel quite so heavy because I knew what I needed to do next.
Marry Seline to save my ass, make her mine, publicly, and permanently.
Not just to calm the wolves but because I finally realized that she might be the only reason I have a chance to stand.
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Seline’s Point Of View.
