My Ex, My Stepbrother, My Ruin

Broken vase

Ashley's POV

The next morning, I woke up pretty late, somewhere around 10:30 a.m.

The house was already buzzing with activity. Footsteps echoed against the floors, and the faint scraping of ladders and furniture filled the air. The decorators from the previous day were still at work. Today was their final day because the wedding was tomorrow.

I walked around the house in my pajamas, taking everything in. Flowers were being arranged, drapes adjusted and lights tested. I paused here and there, eyes scanning the details. I had worked briefly with a decoration company during my gap year after high school, before college, so I knew what to look out for.

I made sure to keep my gaze away from anywhere Jake or Ava might be, though I didn’t see either of them. Maybe they were still asleep… or out. Either way, I didn’t care.

Tonight was supposed to be Mom’s night out, so she had already left with some of her friends. My soon-to-be stepfather had gone to the company for an emergency meeting, at least that’s what one of the servants said.

“Aunty Ashley.”

The small voice came from behind me. I turned just in time to see Louisiana bouncing toward me, her little feet thudding lightly against the floor, her doll clutched in her hand.

“Heyy,” I said, opening my arms as she ran into them. Her small body pressed against mine. “How was your night?”

“It was bad,” she said, her shoulders drooping, her voice quieter now.

“Bad?” I pulled back slightly and crouched in front of her, holding her hand in mine. “Oh no… why?”

“Mom and Dad…” she trailed off, looking down at her doll, her fingers absentmindedly brushing through its hair. “I couldn’t sleep because they were arguing a lot.”

My brows drew together. Arguing? Did it have to do with what I overheard Ava say over the phone last night? I pushed the thought aside.

I rested my hand gently on her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. “Mommy and Daddy will be fine, okay?”

She nodded and stretched her doll toward me.

“Diddy wants to play with you,” she said, making the doll bounce in front of me. “Look, she’s saying hi.”

“Hi, Diddy.” I laughed softly, brushing the doll’s hair back with my fingers, smoothing the tiny strands as I played along.

Louisiana’s face lit up, her laughter bubbling out easily. She was such an adorable girl, warm and innocent. Whatever her parents had done had nothing to do with her. She didn’t deserve to carry any of it.

Just then, one of the decorators rushed past us, her steps hurried, and her elbow caught the edge of a flower vase.

It tipped.

The crash was sharp and sudden, glass shattering across the floor. Louisiana flinched, her small body jerking as we both turned toward the sound.

“s**t,” the girl muttered under her breath, dropping to her knees as she started picking up the broken pieces with trembling hands. “I’m so sorry…”

I recognized the vase instantly. Even in pieces, the design stood out. It had been sold at an auction back when I was still in high school. Jake had once shown me a picture of it, talking about how much his father loved rare artwork.

Now it was nothing but shattered glass glinting on the floor.

“Leave it,” I said, stepping closer. “I’ll inform the servants to clean it up.”

She hesitated, her fingers still hovering over the sharp edges, unsure.

“Just go, okay,” I added, softer this time.

She slowly nodded, rising to her feet, her movements stiff. Then she walked away, shoulders hunched.

I turned back to Louisiana, who was still staring at the broken pieces.

“Go and play with Diddy, okay?” I said gently. “I’ll come join you later.”

“Okay,” she nodded and skipped off toward the front yard, where voices and movement filled the air as the decorations continued.

I stood up and turned toward the servants’ quarters, about to go call someone to clean the mess.

Then Ava walked in.

Her heels clicked against the floor as she came straight toward me, her gaze locked on mine like she had just caught me doing something wrong.

I acted like she wasn’t even there, stepping forward.

But her hand shot out, grabbing my wrist, stopping me in place.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she asked, her voice edged.

I glanced around slowly, as if checking if she could possibly be talking to someone else, even though she was clearly facing me.

“I’m talking to you, Ashley,” she snarled, her fingers snapping sharply in front of my face.

I let my gaze settle on her, my expression going cold.

“And what business do I have with you?” I asked evenly, refusing to let her childish behavior get under my skin.

“You broke Jake’s father’s vase,” she blurted, her voice rising just enough to carry.

I almost scoffed. I could see exactly where she was going with this, but I wasn’t about to play along.

I tried to walk past her again, but she stepped in front of me, blocking my path. A smirk tugged at her lips and her brows lifted slightly, obviously waiting for me to snap.

I shifted to move around her from the other side, but her hand shot out, shoving my shoulder back. The force made me stagger half a step before I caught myself.

That was it.

Ava didn’t let go of my wrist.

Her grip tightened instead, her nails pressing slightly into my skin.

“This isn’t about the vase,” she said, voice suddenly lower.

I frowned. “Then what is it about?”

Her lips curved into a smirk. “You’ve always had a habit of showing up where you don’t belong.”

Then she released me like I wasn’t worth holding onto.

I let out a small, humorless breath.

“You’re really doing this?” I said quietly.

I stepped forward, just enough to close the space between us.

“Fine. Let me make it simple for you, Ava Lane.”

My voice dropped, steady but sharp.

The smirk on her face vanished.

“You’re not in a position to accuse me of anything in this house.”

Her jaw tightened, the muscles in her neck straining as her chest rose and fell with barely contained anger.

For a second, she looked like she might explode.

“You stupid b***h…” Her hand lifted, fingers curling as if she was about to strike.

A faint sound of footsteps came from the hallway.

Ava froze instantly. Her expression shifted from anger to performance.

Jake appeared at the entrance, taking his time like he wasn’t in a hurry to step into whatever mess was waiting for him.

His eyes moved between us, slow and careful, like he was piecing something together that didn’t quite make sense. No panic. No rush toward Ava.

Just that quiet, assessing look he always got when something felt off.

His gaze drifted past me and landed on the shattered glass scattered across the floor. His eyes widened just slightly as he processed it.

Then his eyes moved to Ava, then to me.

“What happened here?”