The Grounds of Deceit
In the estate's shadows, you hold the key to an empire's ruin—and the arrogant heir who's caught your eye.
You've spent years as the under-gardener at Ashworth estate, invisible to the billionaire family—until you overhear the eldest son plotting to sabotage his father's shipping empire. Torn between loyalty to the old man who taught you everything and the dangerous heir who's noticed you're not as invisible as you seem, you must choose a side before the grounds become a battleground. With secrets buried in the roses and betrayal blooming at every turn, this slow-burn billionaire romance will test your heart and your nerve.
The story begins
The secateurs were cool in your grip, the blade whispering through a spent rose stem. Morning light pooled across the Ashworth gardens, gilding the hedges, and for a moment the world was only the scent of damp earth and the soft weight of dew on your gloves.
Then a voice cut through the stillness, sharp and low, from the other side of the topiary wall.
“…the Suez reroute. Yes. Father’s prized contract, and he’ll never see it coming.”
You froze. Julian Ashworth. The heir. His footsteps crunched on gravel, closer, and the words kept coming—names of shipping lines, dates, a dry laugh that held no warmth. The scheme unfolded in fragments: a corrupted manifest, a delayed cargo, a fortune bleeding out through a wound he’d carved himself.
Your fingers tightened on the secateurs. Move, and the gravel betrays you. Stay, and you’re a witness to treason.
The footsteps stopped.
The topiary’s shadow shifted, and Julian stepped into view, his smile a blade’s edge. His gaze slid from your hands to your face, and lingered there, assessing.
“The under-gardener,” he said softly. “How long were you listening?”
What happens next is up to you.
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