Chapter 13 

Derick turned around and saw the pale smile on Adrianna’s lips. The ward was so quiet that they could hear the steady drip of the IV. 

“Idiot,” he said suddenly. 

Adrianna was caught by surprise. “…What?” 

“I said.” He repeated each word slowly with a piercing gaze, “You’re an idiot.” 

Her eyes widened, flashing with indignation, and for the first time, some color returned to her cheeks.” Derick Ashford, you-” 

“You just let them draw your blood without resisting? Don’t you know how to fight back if you’re being 

bullied?” 

He snorted, tapping the puncture marks on her arm with a long finger. “If that’s not idiotic, then what is?” 

Adrianna was so angry that her fingers trembled slightly. She was just about to deliver a sharp retort when 

he cut her off. 

“Lie down.” He pressed against her shoulder, forcing her back onto the pillow with unquestionable authority. “You should rest.” 

His hand was warm, and the heat seeped easily through her flimsy hospital gown. Adrianna tilted her head back to look at him, only to find an intense, unreadable expression simmering beneath his eyes. 

“I’ll handle this,” he said as he withdrew his hand from her and reached for his suit jacket. 

The door shut with a soft click, but Adrianna’s heart thudded hard in her chest. 

In an office on the top floor of Ashford Corporation, Derick slammed a stack of documents onto the desk. 

“Have you looked into it?” 

Yannick pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Last month, on the excuse of a medical emergency, James did forcibly transfer RH-negative blood from City Hospital. The timing matches the puncture mark on Ms. Quinnen’s arm.” 

Derick’s expression darkened instantly. 

Yannick continued, “Also, Nolan, Conrad, and Liam have been in frequent contact with the equestrian club manager. Before Ms. Quinnen’s fall, surveillance footage caught their men tampering with the stable feed. 

The pen in Derick’s hand snapped cleanly in two. He was about to speak when his phone suddenly vibrated. The screen lit up with a news headline. 

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“Breaking news! Adrianna Quinnen seduces the Ashford’s heir in revenge plot against her ex!” 

The accompanying photo was of Adrianna and Derick exchanging glances at the party, maliciously photoshopped to make them look lovestruck. 

Derick scoffed and made a call to his PR team. 

“Three things. First, sue the media outlet that ran the false story. Second, have a press conference ready. 

Third…” 

He turned to the window, his tone dropping several degrees colder. “Release everything I told you to 

compile.” 

That afternoon, the elite circles of Gildford exploded with gossip. 

Derick made a rare appearance at the press conference. He stood before the cameras in a perfectly 

tailored suit as reporters scrambled to ask questions. 

“Mr. Ashford, regarding the rumor that Ms. Quinnen used you to get back at Mr. Emmons-” 

Derick cut the reporter off. “My fiancé isn’t for others to gossip about.” 

The room erupted in shock. 

Immediately afterward, Ashford Corporation’s official Twitter account released a series of evidence. 

It included Cecilia’s forged degree certificate from a prestigious university, records of her embezzling Quinnen family resources for personal use, and even an audio recording of her privately insulting James. 

Public opinion flipped instantly. 

Leaning back against her hospital bed, Adrianna scrolled through the flood of news updates on her phone 

with a smile. 

Suddenly, the door to her ward opened, and Derick walked in. He tossed a thicker stack of documents 

onto her lap. 

“All 

you do when bullied is sulk in silence?” he raised an eyebrow and mocked. “When did the Quinnen 

princess turn so spineless?” 

Adrianna flipped the file open to find even more incriminating evidence on Cecilia. It had intimate photos 

of her with an ex-boyfriend and proof of large gambling debts. 

“Mr. Ashford …” She looked up, mischief glinting in her eyes. “Are you giving me a lesson on how to get 

. revenge?” 

Derick looked down at her from above. “Are you interested?” 

She smiled. She took out her phone and sent the juiciest files to all the major social media platforms anonymously. 

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Within an hour, #Cecilia MustLeavetheEliteCircle shot to the top of the trending list. 

In Emmons Corporation’s meeting room, James smashed his tablet into pieces. 

“Adrianna, that bitch!” His eyes were bloodshot. “How dare she frame Ceci!” 

Nolan frowned at the trending topics. “The evidence doesn’t look fake…” 

“Shut up!” James yanked him by the collar. “Ceci is framed! This must be the work of both Adrianna and 

Derick!” 

Liam suddenly spoke. “Derick seems to be planning to acquire a plot of land in the western part of the city. 

The three men exchanged knowing glances. 

“Since they want to play dirty,” Conrad said as he pushed his glasses up, a cold gleam flashing across the 

lenses. “Then don’t mind if we return in kind.” 

That night, the Four Great Families simultaneously announced the termination of all cooperation with the Ashford family. Rumors even spread that the four were joining forces with the banks to freeze Derick’s liquid assets. 

When Adrianna heard the news, Derick was in his study, in the middle of a video conference. 

She walked in with a cup of coffee, just in time to hear him give calm instructions. “Sell off our Aspenshire bonds. Pull the funds back… That’s right. No matter the cost.” 

When the screen went dark, the room fell into a heavy silence. 

Adrianna set the coffee in front of him. “Need the Quinnen family’s help?” 

Derick looked up at her. “How do you plan on helping?” 

She whispered, “I have three mines to my name, which can be liquidated at any time.” Derick was caught by surprise. He let out a chuckle. “Adrianna, do you know what this means?”