Ryan’s POV
The Ashbrook mansion gleamed beneath the morning sun, all white stone and glass, but its beauty could not mask the bitterness that lived within its walls. The breakfast table was set with gold-rimmed china, fresh fruit, and a silence heavy enough to choke on.
Kimberly stirred her tea lazily, watching the liquid swirl, a faint smirk tugging at her mouth. “You won’t believe what I discovered yesterday,” she said, her tone almost playful.
Her mother, Leah Ashbrook, looked up from her tablet, her expression weary. “Another scandal, I presume?”
Kimberly chuckled. “Something even better. I found your darling daughter-in-law, Mother. Our missing Evelyn.”
Leah froze mid-movement. The tablet slipped from her hand onto the table with a muted thud. “You what?”
Johnathan Ashbrook, sit
