When He Gave My Place Away Novel by Adrian Lockwood _ Novel




When He Gave My Place Away Chapter 01

Ashton Kestell, the stuck-up heir of Atlanta's Kestell clan, lost his mind the second I boarded that flight to New York alone.
He's been tearing the city apart looking for me.
At the charity gala last night, I stood under the spotlight with a group of socialites, waiting to receive the brooch that symbolized the matriarch of the Kestell family.
As the Griffin's bastard daughter, I knew damn well if I didn't get that brooch tonight, they'd ship me off to New York tomorrow to marry that ancient, brutal old guy.
My childhood friend Ashton, who had long promised it to me, changed his mind at the last second.
He smiled and pinned the shining brooch onto the dress of his secretary, Crystal Horsely.
He leaned close to my ear, his voice low and gentle. "Let Crystal have her moment tonight. She's had a hard life and has never been to an event like this. Don't worry, Lynn. With me around, no one in the Griffin family dares to marry you off against your will."
Even under my pleading gaze, he kept his arm linked with Crystal's.
"Crystal is gentle but strong. She comes from a humble background, but this brooch suits her perfectly."
That one word—perfect—made me the joke of the whole night.
The next day, as I was on my flight to New York, I heard he'd panicked—shut down every train and flight leaving Atlanta.
***
Right now, Crystal timidly held onto Ashton's arm. Flashlights blazed around them. They looked like the perfect couple.
My chest tightened, but I kept my composure. Ashton didn't seem to notice the anxiety in my eyes at all.
The crowd slowly dispersed.
No brooch on my chest, my fate was set. They'd marry me off like a broken toy no one wanted.
Ashton saw me standing alone in the corner and walked over with a wine glass in his hand.
"These people are such snobs. I told them that giving the brooch to Crystal was just a temporary move. But they still disrespected me and snubbed you."
I stared at the man I'd leaned on for ten years straight, and a wave of helplessness crashed over me.
"Do you have any idea what this brooch means tonight?"
The closing gift at a charity gala was the unspoken signal of a marriage alliance between the two Griffin and Kestell families.
As an unwanted daughter of the Griffin family, no one but Ashton would offend the family matriarch, Lucille Griffin, my birth father's legal wife.
Lucille forced me to come here to crush my hopes and go to New York for the marriage alliance.
I'd promised Ashton that if he gave me two years to establish myself, I'd never interfere with whoever he wanted to favor or love afterward.
Ashton had sworn to protect me just yesterday, but today, in front of his secretary, he abandoned me without hesitation.
A bond that was over ten years old was just broken, just like that.
A flash of guilt crossed Ashton's face. He waved Crystal away to go grab something to eat.
"You've long been tired of these high-society events, but Crystal is different. She's just an intern, and this might be her only chance to appear in this circle in her entire life. Just take it as me owing you a favor for her!
He leaned down slightly, his eyes carrying the familiar indulgence he always showed me. "I usually give you whatever you want. Why are you being so petty today?"
When I stayed silent and frowned, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "It's her last day as an intern, which means she won't be taking direct support from me anymore. I just wanted to give her a proper sendoff, something to remember."
But his doing so would be the start of my nightmare.
"Ashton, you know tonight..."
Before I could finish, Crystal timidly returned between us. "Lynn, did I make you upset? Please don't blame Mr. Kestell. I begged him..."
When Ashton saw Crystal hunched over like a frightened child, his brows immediately furrowed in annoyance. "Enough, Lynn. It's just an accessory. I'll buy you another one."
He randomly plucked a fake decorative flower from a nearby decorative tree and handed it to me.
"I think this suits you best. That diamond brooch is tacky. Throwing a fit over it isn't like your usual laid-back self."
The fake flower was cheap, shoddy stuff—loose threads fraying at the edges, petals crumpled and bent from being tugged at.
It was just like me now: cheap and pathetic.

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