One Night With A Mysterious Billionaire (The Heiress's Revenge)-Chapter 79: and that is how it all began

"Let me tell you our plan... and the real reason we are here today," she said softly.

What followed was a long, detailed story, one that unraveled years of lies, secrets, and carefully hidden truths.

"And that is how it all began," Selena concluded after what felt like an eternity.

Ashley sat frozen, trying to process everything she had just heard.

"So... you’re saying you both came to York City because of Lena’s property?" she asked slowly, her voice laced with disbelief.

"No," Mr. Smith cut in sharply. "What we are saying is that after your mother conceived you, things became extremely difficult for us."

He leaned back slightly, his expression darkening as he spoke.

"Your mother was a stripper back then. Once she got pregnant, she couldn’t continue working. And we needed money, fast. We were struggling... barely surviving."

Selena lowered her gaze, her silence confirming his words.

"So we did the only thing that came to our minds," Mr. Smith continued coldly.

"And that is...?" Ashley asked, her heart beginning to pound.

"We decided to take over my brother’s property."

Ashley blinked in shock.

"You... have a brother?" she asked, clearly stunned.

"Yes," he replied. "An identical twin brother. But most people don’t know that."

He paused briefly, as if revisiting memories he had long buried.

"You see, my father disowned me when I was young. I was a rebellious child, always going against everything my family stood for. My family had a name, a reputation built on integrity, honor, and discipline. But me? I was the exact opposite."

A faint smirk appeared on his lips.

"I loved everything they despised."

His eyes darkened as he continued.

"My father considered me a disgrace. He was ashamed of me, so he stopped introducing me to people. To the outside world, he only had one son, my brother. I was hidden away, erased from existence... and eventually, forgotten."

Ashley remained silent, listening intently.

"Then one day, I made a mistake," he went on. "I went out to gamble, and I got caught. That was the final straw.

My father disowned me completely."

He let out a low, humorless laugh.

"My brother? He said nothing. Not a single word to defend me. That was the day I left York City."

His gaze grew distant.

"The only thing driving me at that point was revenge. I wanted to take everything from my father, his name, his pride, his ’perfect’ son... everything. But before I could do anything, he died."

There was a brief pause.

"For a long time, my life felt meaningless," he admitted. "Until I met your mother."

Selena looked up slightly, a faint smile touching her lips.

"She was reckless. Fearless. She didn’t care about the world, just like me. She loved the same things I did, danger, risk, chaos. We became inseparable... like two peas in a pod."

"Two criminals," Ashley muttered under her breath.

Mr. Smith ignored her.

"We survived through scams and gambling. Small schemes at first... until something bigger came along. When we had you, everything changed."

His eyes locked onto Ashley.

"We needed a name. A clean slate. Something respectable, something powerful. A life that could give you everything we never had."

Ashley felt a chill crawl down her spine.

"And that was when we decided... to take my brother’s life."

The room fell into silence.

Ashley’s breath hitched.

"You... killed him?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Mr. Smith didn’t flinch.

"Since no one knew he had a twin, it was the perfect plan," he said calmly. "I reached out to him after many years. We reconnected... and when the time was right, we carried it out."

Ashley’s hands began to tremble.

"I studied him for years," he continued. "Followed his movements. Learned his habits, his mannerisms, everything. I made sure that when I took his place, no one would suspect a thing."

Selena remained quiet, watching her daughter’s reaction carefully.

"I called him out one day," Mr. Smith said. "And that was the end of him."

Ashley’s eyes widened in horror.

"I took his clothes, his identity... and returned to his home as him," he added. "His wife never suspected at first. I had done my homework well."

He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.

"But the hardest part... was living with her." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

His expression twisted with disgust.

"Trying to act like him, sleeping beside her... enduring her presence. I couldn’t stand it."

Ashley felt sick.

"It didn’t take long before she noticed something was off," he went on. "She began to suspect me. Eventually, she discovered the truth."

Ashley held her breath.

"She threatened to expose me if I didn’t leave," he said, his voice turning cold again. "Of course, no one would have believed her, we were identical twins after all. But she was determined. She wanted me gone... wanted everything I had worked for to slip out of my hands."

"So... what did you do?" Ashley asked, though she already feared the answer.

"I poisoned her."

The words fell like a death sentence.

Ashley’s body went rigid.

"I thought that would be the end of it," he continued. "I had kept her isolated, made sure her lawyer never got close. I believed everything would pass to me."

He let out a bitter laugh.

"But that woman was smarter than I gave her credit for."

Selena’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"She managed to contact her lawyer in secret," Mr. Smith said. "Not only that... she made Lena her sole heir."

Ashley’s eyes widened again.

"All her properties. The company. Everything," he added, his voice tightening with suppressed anger.

"It all went to Lena."

"I couldn’t accept it."

The rage in his tone was unmistakable.

"The rest... you already know," he finished. "Lena would have met the same fate as her mother... but Raymond interfered."

At the mention of Raymond, his expression darkened even further.

Silence settled heavily in the room.

Ashley sat there, pale and shaken, her mind struggling to process everything she had just heard. Fear had begun to creep into her heart, not of strangers, but of the two people sitting right in front of her.

Her parents.

Selena finally spoke, her voice calm but firm.

"What Magnus is trying to say," she began, "is that patience is a virtue."

She reached out and gently placed a hand on

Ashley’s shoulder.

"If we could wait for eighteen years after conceiving this pla... if we could wait that long to achieve our goals, then what is a few more months?"

Ashley slowly turned her head to look at her.

"All you have to do," Selena continued, her tone softening, "is be patient. Let us handle everything."

She gave a faint smile.

"Your father already has a plan."

Ashley said nothing.

But deep down, something had shifted.

And for the first time, she wasn’t sure whether she was part of their plan... or just another piece to be used.

"I... I don’t think I want to be part of this plan," Ashley stuttered, her voice trembling as fear crept into her chest. "And don’t put the burden of you killing Lena’s parents on me. I never asked you to do that."

She looked visibly shaken, her hands clenched tightly by her sides.

"This is exactly why I said you are no daughter of mine," Mr. Smith replied coldly, his voice dripping with disappointment. "Because I could never give birth to someone this weak... this pathetic."

Ashley’s eyes widened in disbelief, hurt flashing across her face.

"I never asked you to birth me anyway," she shot back, her voice breaking but firm.

Mr. Smith let out a harsh scoff.

"

I never wanted your mother to keep you," he said bluntly. "She insisted. To me, you were nothing but a mistake, a mistake that ruined our plans. You were a mistake then, and you’re still a mistake now."

Each word struck Ashley like a blow, but she refused to look away.

"Enough," he added sharply. "You’d better behave yourself and stop causing problems for me and your mother."

He paused briefly before continuing, his tone turning more serious.

"Mr. Black is aware... of everything I just told you. To what extent, I don’t know. But he warned us to stay away from Lena, or he would have us killed. so if I were you I would behave myself."

"He knows?" Selena and Ashley exclaimed at the same time, their voices filled with shock.

Mr. Smith simply shrugged and nodded.

"Is he going to kill us?" Ashley asked, panic rising in her voice.

Mr. Smith smirked faintly.

"Of course not. Lena loved her father... me. He wouldn’t want her to lose me," he said calmly. "So the best option is for me to disappear."

His smile slowly twisted into something darker.

"But if I go near her again... he’ll kill me."

He let out a low, unsettling laugh.

"Funny, isn’t it? The same love keeping us alive..." he paused, his eyes gleaming with madness, "...is the very thing that will destroy her