REVENGE ON THE BILLIONAIRE BAD BOY

"Ashley? That ghoul! She'll scare away children!"

As Ashley Palmer stepped out of the shower in a robe, these words rang in her head. She walked into her sprawling master suite, perched on the fifty-first floor of Malory Towers, the tallest building in Norwich.

"God knows how the ugly wh0re seduced Jake."

The world was envious of her a long time back. Now it hated and ridiculed her.

Ashley looked around, hoping to find comfort in luxury. The room had designer club chairs and sofas upholstered on cocktail tables. A stylish credenza and tripod floor lamp stood beside an anthracite side table.

She turned to the east city view, a wall made entirely of Saint-Gobain glass. Custom-made rugs covered the floor space. The extravagance did not bring Ashley any delight anymore. A long time ago, she was spoiled and adored. Now she was treated like an animal.

Jake Grayson, Chairman and CEO of Grayson Inc., was her husband. He was one of the most desired men in the city. However, he was the sole cause of her suffering.

An expansive mirror covered the wall near the changing room. Ashley approached it and examined herself in the mirror. A natural strawberry blonde, her hair was the cause of envy.

Ashley went for a jog every morning and worked out in the gym in the evenings. Her body was taut and slender with firm bre@sts. But her face contrasted the rest of her features. She hated her face. It was hideous!

Ashley used to be beautiful. However, she became a survivor of a horrific crime. A group of masked men abducted her on the day of her engagement. People found her disfigured and unconscious on the pavement the following day. The skin of her face was peeled, and her body was bruised and bleeding. She recovered her general health, but her face and psyche did not.

Multiple plastic surgeries only made matters worse. The scars were everywhere: her forehead, cheeks, chin, lips, and nose. Even her earlobes were affected.

Ashley would still have a reason to be happy if not for the trials of her personal and social life.

Ashley's marriage to Jake was a sham. It was a front for the corporate merger of Grayson Communications and Palmer Industries Inc., her father Arthur Palmer's company.

Ashley and Jake were the hottest couple in town before the tragic incident. After her disfigurement, her face became hideous, and people assumed Jake would dump her. However, the Palmers followed through to sustain the merger.

Ashley's mother had died of cancer when she was young, and Arthur had remarried a woman named Mary. Scarlet, Ashley's stepsister, had supported Ashley throughout the nightmare, attending to her at the hospital and helping her through the legal procedures.

"Don't worry, sister. As long as I am by your side, you're safe."

However, the brutal attack on her was not the end. Her troubles had just begun.

Along with her, Tessa Grayson, Jake's eighteen-year-old sister, had also gone missing. She was found dead, her body disfigured and her throat slit.

Police forensics were shocked to find Tessa's murder weapon covered with Ashley's fingerprints. Phone records indicated Tessa was supposed to meet Ashley for lunch during those hours.

The cops grilled her for days, but Ashley had no information to give.