"LEAH UHTCEARE EVEGACA," were the words that Evelyn Palmer had whispered into her daughter's ears.
In the dream.
'Nah, it wasn't a dream. All this happening around me is too real to be a dream.'
"It's all for a purpose," her mother had added without further explanation.
'What purpose could dying over-and-over serve?' Ashley wondered. She had already experienced bursts of physical pain and mental anguish more than a person could endure in an entire lifetime. It had hardened her.
'What doesn't kill you- wait, that's not applicable here,' she told herself.
“Leah Uhtceare Evegaca.”
She had no idea what the cryptic words meant. They did not sound like any language she knew. Even though she could speak seven culturally unique languages, the words were foreign to her.
A google search had not turned up anything. 'Leah' appeared to be a name. The other words seemed like gibberish. She decided to deal with the mystery later.
It was a week after her breakup with Jake. She had been living at Malory towers earlier and had to send an attendant to get all her belongings. The billionaire returned all her things, including the expensive gifts he had brought for her during their relationship.
Jake Grayson was probably inhuman, but he wasn't petty.
As soon as the cancellation of their engagement was declared to the media, the share market value of both companies plummeted. It was financial chaos in Norwich that Ashley had invited inadvertently. She felt both guilty and satisfied at the same time.
The stakeholders had no way of contacting Arthur Palmer, her father, directly. He was away on a mountain-climbing expedition to the Himalayas.
Arthur loved his daughter to pieces, but he was rarely ever present to listen to her. After handing over the reins to Scarlet, he had set off on a soul searching journey to fulfill his interests and avocations.
Arthur would have missed Ashley's engagement, which he had called a 'formality'. But if he had gotten word that his daughter was in danger, he would have rushed to come back to her. Or so Ashley believed.
If Evelyn knew about her' return by death' ability, was Arthur also aware of it? They were very close and inseparable, even as far as couples were concerned.
Ashley dared not go back to Palmer Estate for fear of getting murdered again. She remembered bitterly how her stepmother had treacherously pushed a helpless girl to her death.
Monster.
The only satisfaction Ashley could derive from her breakup with Jake was Scarlet's frustration arising from the company’s losses. The little bitch was CEO of Palmer industries at the moment. It would leave an indelible scar on her career.
Ashley had been avoiding her stepsister and stepmother's calls all this time. They would blame her for the company's losses. That was not a conversation she wanted to have with people who wanted her dead.
Ashley had set up her office and lodging at the Blue Grove building. Arthur had given her charge of the joint venture before he had left. As the merger was uncertain at the juncture, the building was up for grabs.
Guiscard had hired a dozen of his men for her protection. While the building security personnel were posted everywhere else, Guiscard's men guarded the management floor where Ashley had installed her office.
At the moment, Ashley walked along Crimson Avenue 1st Street towards Macintosh Square. The detective she had hired, Harry Doyle, had finally agreed to meet her.
The old man always preferred to meet in the open. Moreover, he did not want to appear on cameras; they were abundant in corporate streets. Therefore, Ashley found herself again headed to where she had first learned about Scarlet's betrayal.
Macintosh Square.
Not many days had passed since the unfortunate day, the day she had experienced her first death. Ashley felt as if it was in the distant past.
The location was a more serene part of the city, with parks, fountains, and greenery. It was the perfect site for clandestine meetings.
Chevalier de Guiscard walked alongside her, looking around sharply. He had his hands in his trenchcoat, but Ashley was sure he was holding onto a weapon inside, probably a Beretta. He had given a small Glock, which she kept safely in her purse.
"Why do you have to stay alert? Will the attackers rush me in public?"
"Miss Palmer, I don't know exactly the breadth of the danger you are in. You have been cryptic with me from day one. All I know right now is that your stepsister Scarlet and the mafia Zetelica are after you. I feel there are more villains to pop into this story as we proceed. So, pardon me if I have to stay alert."
Ashley took a deep breath. "Fair enough. To tell you the truth, I don't know every threat that awaits me. They come suddenly and unexpectedly, and I am left to think on my feet."
"That must be quick thinking because I have never seen a defenseless girl survive both the mafia and hired goons. You must have a gift for survival."
Ashley sniggered sarcastically. "It's more like a curse, in my opinion."