I’ll Marry His Rival and Burn His Empire to Ash Chapter 19

I’ll Marry His Rival and Burn His Empire to Ash Chapter 19

The silence in the car was broken by Ethan, who asked half-jokingly, “So this ‘nightmare preview’… Mrs. Blackwood, are you about to tell me you’re from the future?”

I turned and looked at his handsome profile outlined by the streetlights. “What if I am? Would you regret this marriage?”

He stopped the car in the Monroe driveway, unfastened his seat belt, and took my hand.

“We’re already married, Ava. The papers are filed. There are no regrets.” His deep eyes were bright in the darkness. “No matter what you experienced or what you saw, from now on, I’m on your side. Period.”

Ethan’s actions were even faster than his vow.

The next day, a storm swept through Charleston’s financial circles.

While Jackson was still in his office, staring at a leaked screenshot of my wedding invitation to Ethan, his assistant rushed in, panicked.

“Mr. Devereaux! The family trust… it’s under attack by a hostile short campaign! They’re using leverage we’ve never seen before, and the banks are making margin calls!”

Jackson looked up, his face blank, as if he couldn’t connect the smiling woman on his phone screen with the financial disaster his assistant was describing.

That night, heavy rain poured over Charleston.

Jackson’s car was parked outside the Monroe family gates. He didn’t ring the bell. He just stood in the downpour, letting the cold water soak through his expensive suit until it clung miserably to his body.

My mother was the one who found him. She watched him through the window for a while and finally couldn’t bear it.

“Ava, let him in. If a Devereaux spends the night in the rain on our lawn, all of Charleston will be laughing at us tomorrow.”

I set down my teacup and nodded. “Let him in.”

When Jackson was led in by the butler, his Italian leather shoes left muddy puddles on the polished floor with every step. He was drenched, his hair dripping, the handsome face I had once loved now pale and unsteady.

I didn’t stand. I just said to the maid, “Clean the floor.” Then I casually tossed a cashmere blanket from the arm of the sofa in his direction. “Dry yourself.”

He didn’t take it. He just stared at me, his voice hoarse.

“Ava, I need to talk to you. Can I… borrow somewhere to shower and change?”

“I’m afraid the guest rooms aren’t prepared.” I lifted my teacup, blowing on the steam. “Besides, my wedding is in a few days. Letting my ex-husband shower in my family home… Jackson, that doesn’t seem very appropriate, does it?”

His body swayed, as if that sentence had drained all his strength.

“Why?” He stood there like a rain-battered statue, his eyes full of a pain he couldn’t comprehend. “What happened to Chloe was an accident. I explained it! Why are you taking it this far? Why do you hate me so much?”

I laughed. The sound was light, but it cut through the oppressive air like a cold knife.

“Jackson,” I said, looking up at him, no warmth in my eyes, “you’re still asking that?”