Mystery Bride's Revenge (Selina)

Selina had already prepared for this moment.

She monitored Ashley's every move, including her phone and current residence, and was fully aware of whoever the latter contacted or met.

While Quinton and the others still harbored some softness for Ashley, Selina knew Patrick wouldn't.

He was always on guard against anyone who threatened the interest of the Harvey family and would never let them off easily

Selina planned to help Ashley avoid Patrick's scrutiny and ensure she could meet with Sofia to complete the deal

Ashley had something crucial that could impact Harvey Group.

With Patrick back and the pressure mounting, it was only a matter of time before Ashley made her decision.

Sure enough, when Ashley returned home, she was mulling over the deal with Sofia and wondering if she should betray the Harvey family for her future

Not only did she still have some lingering affection for the Harvey family, but she was also afraid of the consequences of failure.

The Harvey family would not spare her. As someone who had fallen out of favor, she would face a grim fate if she was caught by them.

Just then, she noticed someone in her condominium.

It was Patrick!

Ashley's face turned pale when she saw him,

, and her voice trembled. P-Patrick... You're back?"

No one had informed her about Patrick's return.

Although she knew it was only a matter of time before Patrick came back after what had happened to Harvey Group. But to not even bother to inform her about his return? It seemed to her that the Harvey family didn't care about their relationship at all. Damn it, she cursed.

Patrick was sitting on the couch in the living room with his arms crossed. He glared at Ashley angrily. "You seem to have recovered well. It's 10:30 p.m., where have you been?"

"I went out for some fresh air... Ashley stammered, clearly intimated by Patrick. She was not afraid of the rest of the Harvey family members because she knew that even if she did wrong things, they would only scold her but not harm her. However, Patrick was different. He would beat Ashley, and the worst was that he might imprison her like a criminal and strip her of her freedom. She knew well that Patrick had used such methods against many of the family's enemies. "Do you realize how much damage you've caused to Harvey Group? Do you still dare to go out now? Your face is now known all over Sokovis. Do you want to bring more trouble to the Harvey family? Patrick asked.

His voice was cold as he advanced toward Ashley,

Terrified, Ashley backed away until she was cornered against the wall Towering over her at nearly six feet three inches, Patrick loomed like a giant. She tried to avoid his gaze, but he grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his cyes. The sheer force of Patrick's presence was suffocating,

"Patrick, I'm sorry I-I didn't mean to... I was careful when I went out. No one recognized me..." she said.

"You've always liked playing the victim in front of the family, acting innocent, even trying to seduce me. Don't think I've forgotten that. Patrick's eyes narrowed dangerously.

That was the fundamental reason he never trusted Ashley

"Patrick! H-How could you say that about me? We're siblings! I never seduced you. You misunderstood mer Ashley cried.

Parrick fell silent. It was this very doubt that gnawed at his mind

Her repeated advances back then were not just his imagination. She was really seducing him, and it was not the fe feelings of a sister for her bother

Patrick had encountered countless people in his life, and he had seen through many women who, like Ashley, pretended to be innocent while secretly playing hard to get 11:15 AM 1

There were moments when he almost believed that Ashley wasn't his biological sister.

Something had to be wrong.

Patrick had asked his other brothers about it, and they simply brushed it off, believing it was just a sister's way of showing affection to her brothers.

Ashley was their sister. How could she have any ulterior motives? However, the shadow of doubt in Patrick's heart never fully dissipated.

ra DNA test, and the results confirmed that

He had secretly taken a strand of Ashley's hair and sent it to a hospital that Harvey Group invested in for a they were indeed biological siblings

Only then did Patrick's concerns were put to rest.

He spoke. "I've warned you. Ashley. When 1 was away from Clusia, I told you to behave yourself, be the obedient daughter of the Harvey family, and not cause any trouble. You could have had a life of luxury that others could only dream of, but you disobeyed-" Ashely quickly interjected, Tm sorry. Patrick, I wasn't thinking straight, please, forgive me! I promise I won't do it again, I swear!"

Slap! Ashley was slapped heavily by Patrick.

The slap knocked her to the ground. Her face went numb. The pain was so sharp it dulled into nothing. All she tasted was the metallic tang of blood she couldn't quite spit out

Patrick grabbed a fistful of her hair with such force that her scalp felt like it was being torn apart. Tears streamed down her face as she begged, "Patrick... Please, don't... Let me go for just this once...

"In my eyes, there's no difference between men and women. There are only those who threaten the Harvey family. Ashley, I'm giving you one last chance only because Dad and Mom begged on your behalf. You'll behave yourself from now on. If you cause trouble again, you won't want to know what will happen." Patrick warned

With a cold snort, he hurled Ashley against the wall, ignoring her cries of pain as he turned and walked away.

It was only half an hour after Patrick had left that Ashley managed to muster enough strength to crawl to the couch and rest. A flash of deep hatred and fear flickered in her eyes.

"No... I can't just sit by and do nothing. Patrick has come back, and from the look, it is clear that he wouldn't let me off easily. Not only will TICYCE be able to return to the Harvey residence, but I might also be tortured to death by him! I need to find a way out, she thought.

As Patrick left the condominium, he arranged for someone to keep a close watch on Ashley and to report any unusual activity to him.

"Yes, sir!" the man replied.

Little did he know, everything was part of Selina's plan.

Selina clasped her hands together. The man Patrick found is skilled. Oh Ashley, you really have to thank me this time. Without my help, meeting with Sofia would have been much more difficult for you."

Two days passed by, Ashley met with Sofia again.

The person in charge of trailing Ashley was all discreetly diverted by Selina, and Ashley was oblivious about that.

Seeing the bruises on Ashley's face, Sofia asked with concern, "Ashley, are you okay? Your face..."

"This has nothing to do with Ashley started coldly, but she hesitated. She needed Sofia's help to escape the hellish grasp of the Harvey family and secure a future for herself, so she had no choice but to rely on her biological mother. She forced herself to continue, Tm okay, just bumped into something accidentally. What you mentioned last time is still valid, right?"Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.