\u00a0<\/p>\n
The narrator reflects on how Ethan always insisted that gifts should be surprises, but the necklace she longed for never came. Her hope fades when she sees that very necklace worn by another woman, Judy, which devastates her. Judy praises Ethan, who responds with a smile, but Gavin\u2019s sarcastic remark hints at underlying tensions. Ethan\u2019s anger simmers as he watches Judy beside Gavin, though he keeps his composure, especially in front of Irene, his fianc\u00e9e.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Irene, unaware of Ethan\u2019s true feelings, is excited about their upcoming wedding and their future together. Ethan\u2019s relationship with Irene is strategic, aimed at securing his position as Alpha of the Redmoon pack, not based on genuine affection. Despite the outward appearance of happiness, Ethan is deeply troubled by Judy\u2019s presence and success, especially since he had tried to blacklist her from jobs.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Judy\u2019s new role as a tutor for Gavin\u2019s family is a threat to Ethan\u2019s control over her. He feels his power slipping since Gavin doesn\u2019t follow the same social rules Ethan imposed. Ethan takes a dark satisfaction in Judy\u2019s discomfort around him, relishing the control he still holds. He is determined to ruin her job and force her to quit school, seeing her only as someone to be dominated.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ethan\u2019s plan is ruthless: he will use his influence to make Judy choose between becoming his mistress or losing everything important to her. His cold calculation reveals a man bent on control and domination, willing to destroy Judy\u2019s life to maintain power. The chapter ends with Ethan\u2019s chilling resolve to ensure Judy\u2019s downfall, highlighting the intense conflict and emotional turmoil between them.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 0017<\/p>\n
He always insisted that my gifts should come as a surprise, that the thrill was in not knowing what to expect. For a long time, I stopped asking him about the necklace, hoping he would eventually choose to give it to me on his own. But that moment never arrived. I told myself he must have simply forgotten.<\/p>\n
So when I saw that necklace adorning another woman, my heart sank instantly. A wave of nausea swept over me, and I felt the air leave my lungs. It was as if the ground beneath me had crumbled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsn\u2019t it just amazing?\u201d she said, her voice full of admiration. \u201cHe\u2019s truly the best.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan\u2019s smile stretched wide as he slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her close and planting a gentle kiss on her cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s quite the sight,\u201d Gavin remarked with a smirk. \u201cGlad to see your priorities are straight, Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Sir,\u201d Ethan replied smoothly, then his gaze shifted toward me. \u201cMy priorities have never been clearer.\u201d<\/p>\n
From a third-person perspective, relief washed over me knowing Judy wasn\u2019t Gavin\u2019s girlfriend. Yet Ethan\u2019s fury simmered beneath the surface, furious that despite his efforts to blacklist her, Judy had managed to secure a job.<\/p>\n
Watching Judy stand beside Gavin sparked a fire of anger inside Ethan, but he forced himself to remain composed. Irene stood at his side, already suspicious of his earlier reaction when Judy appeared. She shot him a puzzled look, but Ethan returned a wide, reassuring smile.<\/p>\n
Irene was like a masterpiece\u2014flawless and captivating in every detail. It was a pity Ethan\u2019s feelings for her were merely a means to an end, a strategy to elevate his status and claim the Alpha role of the Redmoon pack.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still have so much to plan to make this wedding perfect,\u201d Irene said softly, resting her head against his arm. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to spend the rest of my life with this man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou two do make a lovely pair,\u201d Gavin commented, his eyes lingering on Ethan. \u201cI trust you\u2019re treating your daughter well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d Ethan answered, though he could feel Judy\u2019s burning glare directed at him. He kept his smile firmly in place.<\/p>\n
He was painfully aware that he was hurting her. The necklace he\u2019d given Irene\u2014the very same one Judy had begged for since she first saw it in a shop window last year\u2014was a deliberate wound. He never got it for Judy because he wanted to maintain control.<\/p>\n
Now that Judy worked for the Landry family, Ethan felt his grip slipping. The tutoring job was beyond his reach; though he\u2019d managed to blacklist her from the broader workforce, Gavin Landry didn\u2019t adhere to the same rules. Likely, he was paying her generously for the role. According to Irene, her brother wasn\u2019t the easiest child to handle, especially for a tutor, but Gavin remained optimistic about Judy\u2019s capabilities. Matt, the brother, seemed to have taken a liking to her as well.<\/p>\n
Judy shifted uncomfortably beside Gavin, and Ethan felt a twisted sense of satisfaction knowing he was the cause of her unease. In some twisted way, she still belonged to him, and he still held power over her. Whenever their eyes met, she struggled to look away, still wounded by his words and actions. Despite everything, he remained firmly in control.<\/p>\n
A smirk tugged at Ethan\u2019s lips as their gazes locked. The pain and confusion in her eyes gave him a dark, unsettling pleasure.<\/p>\n
She might believe she\u2019d landed the perfect job, but Ethan vowed to himself that he would ensure Judy left her position as Matt\u2019s tutor. He was also determined to make her drop out of that damn school.<\/p>\n
Someone like Judy was only good for one thing, in his eyes: spreading her legs.<\/p>\n
There were people Ethan could call on to help execute his plan, to force Judy not only to quit her job but also to abandon her studies at Royal Academy.<\/p>\n
In his mind, Judy faced only two choices: become his mistress or lose everything she held dear.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The chapter closes on a tense and charged moment where power, control, and unresolved emotions intertwine. Ethan\u2019s calculated cruelty and possessiveness cast a shadow over Judy\u2019s fragile hope for independence, underscoring the deep wounds inflicted by their past. Despite the outward appearances of composure and social facades, the undercurrent of pain and manipulation reveals the complexity of their intertwined fates, leaving the reader suspended in a web of emotional turmoil.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yet beneath the surface, there is an undeniable spark of resilience in Judy, who, even as she faces Ethan\u2019s relentless grip, does not fully surrender to despair. The chapter captures the rawness of love twisted by power and the struggle for self-worth amid suffocating control. It is a poignant reminder that even in the darkest moments, the heart remembers love, and the fight for dignity and freedom quietly simmers within.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next chapter promises to deepen the tension simmering between Ethan and Judy, as his dark intentions become clearer and the stakes rise. Judy\u2019s position at the Landry household, once a beacon of hope, now feels precarious under Ethan\u2019s shadow. Will she find the strength to resist his manipulations, or will his relentless control tighten around her life even further? The emotional turmoil brewing between them is bound to reach a breaking point, testing Judy\u2019s resilience and resolve.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ethan\u2019s relationship with Irene adds another layer of complexity, as his calculated facade hides the true nature of his feelings. The contrast between genuine affection and strategic alliance will likely unravel in unexpected ways, stirring conflicts that could threaten the fragile balance he\u2019s trying to maintain. As alliances shift and secrets edge closer to the surface, the next chapter will pull readers deeper into a world where love, power, and betrayal intertwine in a dangerous dance.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
We Built a Kingdom From Ashes That Still Remembered Love by Aila Frost 17 We Built a Kingdom From Ashes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shadow-slave-by-author-novelnozi-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21086\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}