They Buried Me in the Desert. I Built Weapons for the Crown Chapter 10

They Buried Me in the Desert. I Built Weapons for the Crown Chapter 10

One year later.

I turned every cent of the court-ordered damages over to the Crown.

I wanted nothing to do with money tainted by manipulation, filth, and blood.

For me, the lab waiting at Sable Ridge was the only place I truly belonged.

The spotlights at the Crown research awards ceremony were almost blinding.

I stood at the center of the stage in faded work clothes.

Banks of cameras crowded the floor below.

The Ashborne Pack case had been so explosive that even a year later, the media were still circling like sharks smelling blood.

The medal presentation had barely ended when a reporter eagerly thrust a microphone toward me.

“Ms. Ashborne, as the daughter of a former alpha, you personally sent your biological mother and older brother to prison and even turned over Ashborne Pack’s entire fortune. When you made those decisions, did you consider your blood ties at all? Do you think you were too cold-blooded?”

The room went silent as everyone waited for my answer.

I looked into the camera and adjusted the microphone, as calm as if I were reading out lab results.

“Blood ties don’t excuse crime. It took me twenty years to understand one thing.”

“No one gets to use family as an excuse to take away your right to live your own life.” “My body, my research, even my life belong to no one but me and the Crown.”

The room remained silent for three seconds before thunderous applause broke out.

As soon as the ceremony ended, I turned down every interview request from the media and even skipped the awards reception that night.

I slung my faded backpack over my shoulder and headed straight for the airport.

Kellan was waiting outside in that familiar SUV.

He pulled open the door, glanced at the medals on me, and grinned.

“Ms. Ashborne, quite the haul.”

“All right, stop teasing me.” I climbed into the passenger seat and buckled up. “Let’s get back to Sable Ridge. The tolerance data for last month’s new compound should be in today.”

The SUV headed west, leaving the bustling coastal city behind.

The greenery gradually thinned out, replaced by endless sand and barren desert flats.

Windblown sand hissed against the windows.

After treatment from the Crown’s top medical team, I had almost fully recovered from my old illness, and the suffocating pain that once gripped my chest was gone.

Watching the rolling dunes outside the window, I felt lighter than I ever had before.

The Ashbornes were history now.

At thirty-eight, I had finally reclaimed my freedom.

The SUV passed through the gates of Sable Ridge as several young researchers I knew headed toward the

lab with folders in their arms.

The moment they spotted my vehicle, they waved excitedly from a distance and shouted.

“Ms. Ashborne! You’re finally back! The data’s in. It’s perfect!”

I opened the door and stepped out as the dry wind of the western desert hit me full in the face.

It carried the scent of dust and sand, but somehow it made me feel completely grounded.

There were no pack power games here, no endless emotional blackmail or exploitation.

There were only colleagues who stood beside me and research worth dedicating my life to.

I drew in a deep breath of the dry desert air and strode toward the lab.

The first half of my life had been buried in shadow.

But the rest of it would shine brighter than ever across this vast desert.