Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way12 min left"Still no word from Leo? Are you kidding me? What the hell is wrong with all ofyou? He's a public figure! You let him run around unsupervised like this? Do youeven realize the risks? What if something happens to him? Who's going to answerfor that?"Paige's heels clicked furiously across the marble floor as she paced, one handclenched into a fist while the other gripped her phone. Her voice cut like glass."Oh, he's an adult? And that means what, exactly?" she snapped. "If somethinghappens to him, are you going to take the fall?!"She hurled the phone onto the couch, arms crossed tight against her chest as shestormed back and forth. Everything lately had been slipping through her fingers,and she hated it.She'd planned everything so carefully—her moves calculated, her strategyflawless. Alistair should've gone down for good. Instead, he walked free.And not only that, her attempt to turn Mabel against Caroline had backfiredcompletely. She hadn't driven a wedge between them—she'd just drawn suspicionto herself. Even Gordon, who had once trusted her like family, had started keepinghis distance.She was still a Reed, yes, but she was also an Ashbourne byPARTYCOME BACKX Close13:18Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way12 min leftblood. And now she wasn't even welcome at Ashbourne Manor. How patheticwas that?And now Leo was missing. No calls, no texts. Radio silence.She was driving her insane.Paige prided herself on control. Leo had always been like a kite. She could let himsoar, fly as high as he wanted, but the string? The string always stayed in herhand.Now that string had slipped through her fingers. And she had no idea when, orhow.She picked up a glass of water, took one sip, and then,unsatisfied, hurled it across the room. The crash echoed off thewalls.A maid tiptoed in, trembling, to clean it up.The phone rang again. Paige rushed over, her heart leaping, only to sink whenshe saw the caller ID. Disappointed but composed, she forced her tone into itsusual polished calm as she picked up. "Giselle," she said sweetly, "what is itnow?"Whatever Giselle said made Paige's lip curl. The bruise on her face still throbbedsince Caroline had hit hard.Giselle, of course, had to mention Caroline again. Always the worst possible topic.BINGO PARTYCOME BACKX Close13:18Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her WayAnd now Giselle was terrified.(*) 12 min leftIt had been her media team that first leaked Alistair's background online, twistingpublic opinion to paint him as some scheming social climber. It was her peoplewho'd planted paparazzi outside Vreon Technologies, snapping that shot ofGordon and Alistair in the lobby. The one that went viral with headlines like "TopTycoon Snubs Gold-Digging Man Married to His Daughter."She'd arranged the ambush interview, the headlines, and the flood of hate.At the time, she thought she was doing everyone a favor. If Alistair turned out tobe guilty, maybe the Ashbournes would even thank her for unmasking him.The only person who'd get hurt would be Caroline. And to Giselle, that was abonus.If Alistair went down, Caroline lost her husband. The Ashbourne name would bedragged through the mud. And the Reeves family? They'd slide right into the topspot.It wasn't just personal. It was strategic.Giselle had thrown herself into smearing Alistair, not out of justice, but out of spite.Her grudge against Caroline ran deep.BINGO PARTYCOME BACKX Close13:18Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way12 min leftAnd the Reeves family had been gunning for the Ashbournes foryears.The Ashbournes were ranked first on the national rich list. The Reeves family wassecond. Money wasn't the issue. They all had more than they could spend. Butbeing number one? That meant something.In school, no one would remember who came in second.In sports, silver medals didn't make headlines.If the Reeves family overlooked the Ashbournes, Giselle would become the heiressof America's most powerful family.She could already hear it: "That's Giselle Reeves. Her family's worth more thananyone else in the country."Caroline had worn that crown long enough. It was time for Giselle to take herplace.And for a while, things were going according to plan.Alistair got arrested.Then, just one day later, he was released without charges.The case had gone straight to the top-judges, prosecutors, federal oversight.There was no way the Ashbournes could have pulled strings. Even Gordon, withall his power, would neverBINGO PARTY GCOME BACKX Close13:19Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way(***) 12 min leftabuse the system.He wouldn't cross that line, not for the man he refused to publicly acknowledgeas her daughter's husband.Now Giselle was panicking. If it came out that she'd been the one behind thesmear campaign, Caroline wouldn't let it slide. And Caroline didn't play fair."You'll be fine," Paige said soothingly, the same way she always did. "I'll makesure nothing happens to you."But the words felt hollow this time, and Giselle knew it.How could she rely on Paige when Paige couldn't even protect her own face?Giselle was filled with regret. But she didn't dare show it. She still wanted to marryinto the Reed family."Mrs. Paige Reed, has Leo come home yet?" she asked carefully. "I've beencalling him for days, but he hasn't picked up. Has he started a new project orsomething? Is he too busy to even answer the phone?"The question hit Paige like a needle to the chest. She forced a smile. "Yes, he'sbeen busy."But the second the call ended, she grabbed her sunglasses andrushed out the door.X Close13:19COME BACKPARTYChapter 190 Nothing Going Her WayLeo hadn't just gone quiet, and his assistant Ezra had disappeared too.Something was wrong.Terribly wrong.(1) 12 min leftMeanwhile, Alistair was walking hand-in-hand with Eloise down a quiet, sunnynoveldramastreet. They passed a doll shop, and he slowed to glance through the window.The dolls inside were dressed in elegant clothes, their porcelain faces perfectlypainted. He looked down at Eloise beside him.She looked up and smiled, eyes curved like crescent moons."They can dress those dolls up all they want. None of them are as beautiful as sheis."He cleared his throat, lowering his voice. "Sweetheart, want me to buy you adoll?"Eloise shook her head. "Nope."Alistair blinked. "Really? They're pretty cute. You could sleep with one at night.""I already sleep with my bear," she said matter-of-factly. "If I getCOME BACKPARTYX Close13:19Chapter 190 Nothing Going Her Way12 min leftmore, I won't be able to hold them all."He laughed under his breath.Caroline always made sure Eloise never lacked for anything. Maybe that waswhy she wasn't easily tempted by material things. Aside from books, she rarelyasked for anything.Those scenes other parents described? Kids screaming on the floor at thegrocery store, begging for candy or toys? He couldn'trelate.In fact, more often than not, Eloise would politely refuse when he or Caroline triedto buy her something.And when he asked why? She'd say she didn't need it. Or that she already hadone.Once, Alistair got insistent. He wanted to spoil her. She was his daughter, after all.What dad didn't want to go overboard?So he crouched down and asked her what she wanted most. She answeredwithout hesitation that she wanted her mom and dad to love each other forever.That she wanted them to always stay by her side.It wasn't the clothes, or the dolls, or the sweets.It was the family.And thankfully, they had given her that.PARTYX CloseCOME BACK