Chapter 204
Chapter 205 Ashton STOV Coing Public
Chapter 205 Ashton’s POV: Going Public
+15 BONUS
Mirabelle: [I’m not telling you who to eat dinner with. Just… two photo leaks in a row? Keep your guard up next time p>
Ashton: [The guy who took them is already in custody. We’ll find out who paid him p>
Mirabelle: [Good p>
Ashton: [Did you see what I posted on X p>
Mirabelle: [Didn’t know you had an X account. Give me a moment p>
Ashton waited.
Then-
Mirabelle: [You announced it? Publicly? Without even asking me 1
Ashton sat stiff in the back seat, fingers curled tight around his phone.
The screen glared back at him, the three sharp question marks lined up like little knives.
She was angry.
She hadn’t said it outright, but he could see it in the spacing, the punctuation.
He should’ve waited.
Now he understood what Dominic had tried to hint at earlier.
But at the time, it had felt necessary. Urgent.
He’d wanted to shut it all down.
The speculation. The fake flings. The Rowan Hale shitstorm.
He hadn’t thought past that one impulsive moment.
But now…
The car eased to a stop.
Gino twisted around slightly. “Mr. Laurent, we’ve arrivel p>
Ashton lifted his head.
Beyond the window, the entrance to the Sunset City Hotel gleamed under cold overhead lights.
A fountain pulsed beside the stone angels at the gate, water spraying over the marble like rain on glass.
He didn’t move.
He’d told Gino to speed through two boroughs just to ge here.
But now that he was here, he didn’t open the door.
He hadn’t told her he’d come to Sunset.
Chee 30 x
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She was already annoyed.
If she saw him in person, it might turn into something Something worse
He typed slowly
Are you mad p>
Her reply came fast.
[I’m surprised. This was something big. You should’ve said something. We agreed to keep it quiet for now)
He stared at the words, jaw tight.
She was being measured, rational.
That made it worse.
He typed, thumb hovering for a second before hitting send.
[Things aren’t the same now. I want it out there p>
Mirabelle: [You posted that because of Rowan Hale? You didn’t want her name linked to yours again, so you threw this out to shut people up p>
Ashton: [That’s one of the reasons, but not the important one. I wanted to tell people I’m married. To you. I want to let the world know that you and I are together p>
Nothing came back.
He waited.
Five minutes.
Then ten.
He wiped a hand down his face and typed again.
(I didn’t tag you. No one knows it’s you. That doesn’t count as going public. I’m not trying to corner you. It you’re not okay with it, I’ll delete the post. Just don’t stay mad, alright p>
Still no reply
The last thing he wanted was to push her further away
Still, he couldn’t stand the silence
Ashton (If I ask properly this time can we go public?
Aston (Would you be okay if I tag you in my next posts my wife?1
Along moment later, she said at me think)
Ashton (Okay)
The car had been idling at the hotel entrance for too lon
Gino finally cleared tus throat and said again, “Mi Lavu, we’re here”
Chapter 205 Ashton’sTOV Going Public
Ashton didn’t respond right away.
His fingers were still wrapped around his phone, unmoving.
A beat later, he exhaled through his hose, shoved the door open, and got out.
As soon as he walked in, a man in a suit came scurrying over.
“Mr. Laurent, welcome. I’m Ned Camacho, manager of this hotel p>
“Dominic told you I was coming p>
“Yes, Mr. Everett called, though he didn’t mention the purpose of the visit p>
When Ashton didn’t answer the unspoken question, Ned Camacho fidgeted.
“Which room is Mirabelle Vance in p>
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“Um, give me a second to check, please.” He jogged to the front desk, spoke to the check–in clerk, then came back a minute later. “Miss Vance is on the sixth floor. Room 608. Would you like me to place a call to her room p>
“No.” Ashton headed toward the bank of elevators.
Ned Camacho jogged to catch up. “Mr. Laurent, I could-
“No p>
The man stopped.
Ashton got into the elevator alone.
The ride up was too short for him to gather his swirling houghts.
When the door dinged open, he stepped out, found 608,nd stopped.
He didn’t knock.
Instead, he leaned his back against the wall beside her door and unlocked his phone.
Still no new messages.
The screen showed her last one: [Let me think p>
His thumb hovered over it.
She was probably asleep by now. Or pretending to be.
He stayed there, motionless, watching the timestamp lie it might blink and change.
It didn’t.
He’d handed her the decision.
Now all he could do was wait.
He stared at the door.
3/5
Chapter 305 Ashton TOV Coing Public
+15 BONUS
Every part of him wanted to dismantle the door, walk in and ask her straight: “Is all this still just a contract to you? You said you’d give us a try p>
They’d been tangled in each other’s lives for months.
Still, she hesitated.
Did she still want Rhys Granger? That useless piece of shit?
Ashton rubbed his jaw, trying to stop himself from thinking in circles.
He didn’t knock.
He just stood there, silent, waiting for nothing.
The phone display dimmed; he tapped it back on.
Then again. And again.
The hallway was silent.
The carpet beneath his shoes muffled every shift of his weight.
The only sound came from the faint hum of the elevator at the far end.
He tried to tell himself she wasn’t ready.
If she didn’t want to go public, that was fine.
It meant she still didn’t feel secure enough.
That was on him.
He’d fix it.
He’d give her more time. More reasons to trust him.
Tomorrow. Or the next day.
Or whenever she finally stopped flinching at the thou