Chapter 137

I was grateful Ashton had taken over the company. I really was. But staying here like this—being the face of the brand, parading around with a title that didn't belong to me—was already starting to mess with my head. I hadn't designed a single new piece since the buyout. Every idea felt second-guessed before it even made it to my sketchpad. While I debated whether I could fake an allergy to the paint fumes and just escape, my phone buzzed. Bank notification. Another two million had landed. Monthly transfer, right on schedule. I hadn't even touched the last batch. Okay, I'd bought some clothes, a few handbags. That was it. Counting the ten million Ashton had wrangled from his father and evil stepmother back at that birthday dinner, my account was now sitting just under fifteen million. I stared at the number. My fingers started moving before my brain even caught up. A studio. My own. Small, focused, something that belonged entirely to me. Even with Skyline's real estate prices, where a