Before the Fall: Rise of the Apocalypse King
Chapter 37: The Second Avatar-Ashley Carter

Chapter 37: The Second Avatar-Ashley Carter

Inside a beautiful villa somewhere in the United States, a woman suddenly sat up in bed, her body covered in sweat. Her breathing was fast and shaky. She clutched the bedsheet tightly, her chest rising and falling like she had just run a marathon.

Her eyes darted around the room.

"How... how the hell am I still alive?" she whispered, voice trembling. "I... I was... dead... I died."

She touched her chest, then her face. Her fingers shook as she pinched her arm, hard. A sharp sting followed. She winced.

"It hurts... so this isn’t a dream," she muttered. "I’m really alive."

She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. Her shoulders dropped. She looked around the room—the high ceiling, the creamy white walls, the soft carpet beneath her bare feet. Sunlight poured in through the open curtains, casting golden light across her bed.

She slowly turned her head toward the corner where her shoe rack stood. Dozens of heels and boots sat neatly arranged.

Her massive wardrobe with glass doors reflected her confused expression. Beside it, her vintage watch collection lay untouched. It all felt... surreal.

"Nostalgic," she whispered to herself.

This was her old bedroom. Her safe space. Back when she was someone important.

Once, she was the CEO of a million-dollar company. Her name appeared in magazines, news articles, and business awards. She had thousands of employees under her command. Her company ran across multiple states.

And yet, not long ago, she was digging through trash bins for a piece of stale bread.

She had fallen from the top of the world into the dirt... into the apocalypse.

She got up from the bed slowly, her knees still a little weak. She walked to the window and pulled aside the white curtain.

The sky was a soft blue, clear and calm. A cool breeze came in, gently brushing her hair back. Birds chirped happily in the distance. Leaves rustled. The smell of fresh grass filled her lungs.

It was all too peaceful. Too perfect. And yet it made her heart ache.

"I missed this," she whispered. "I forgot how beautiful life used to be..."

She stood there for a long moment, lost in thought.

She had made so many mistakes in her past life. So many wrong choices. And now, for some unknown reason, she had been given another chance. A chance to fix everything.

"I won’t screw it up this time," she said to herself. "I’ll fix what I can... and I’ll destroy those who ruined me."

Her eyes darkened.

Her mind drifted back to the one who hurt her the most—her fiancé. A man she once loved more than life itself. She had trusted him blindly. Protected him. Fed him. And during the apocalypse, when survival was everything, she went out every day risking her life for food—for both of them.

And what did he do?

He flirted with any woman he saw. Slept around like it meant nothing. He betrayed her trust again and again. And then, when things got worse, he did the unthinkable.

He sold her.

He sold her to a group of savage men—traded her for a loaf of bread.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. She had cried enough already.

"No more tears," she muttered, clenching her fists. "No more pity. I’ll never let someone hurt me like that again."

She looked around her room again. The comfort of the past was all here—but so were the lessons of her suffering.

"I was a fool," she whispered.

But not anymore.

She had wronged people too. People who had warned her. Told her to be careful. Advised her to think before trusting. But she hadn’t listened. She thought she knew everything. Her pride had blinded her.

And she paid the price.

"Maybe... if I had listened, I wouldn’t have suffered that much."

She shook her head.

"But what’s done is done. No point crying over spilled milk, right?"

This time, she would choose wisely. She would only trust those who earned it. And she would watch everyone else burn if they tried to betray her.

With new resolve, she walked over to her desk, pulled out a black leather diary, and opened it. She sat down and began writing everything she could remember—names, events, betrayals, secrets.

On one page, she made a list of people she thought she could trust.

On the next, a list of those she needed to test.

And finally, a third list... the ones she would never forgive. The ones she would crush if they crossed her path again.

Just as she finished scribbling another name down, there was a knock at the door.

Knock knock.

She froze.

"What?" she asked, her voice cold and sharp.

"Breakfast is ready, Miss," came a soft voice. It was the maid.

She relaxed a little.

"I’ll be down in ten minutes," she replied.

She gently closed her diary and tucked it deep into the closet, behind a box of old clothes. No one needed to see what she had written.

She walked to the bathroom, stripped off her nightwear, and stepped into the shower. As warm water ran down her body, her thoughts kept spinning.

She had been given a second chance, and she wasn’t going to waste it. This time, she would be smarter. Stronger. Colder if she had to.

She would rebuild her empire.

But more than that—she would hunt down those who had broken her.

---

Fifteen minutes later, she walked down the grand staircase, dressed in a fresh cream blouse and black slacks. Her long brown hair was tied into a neat ponytail. Her expression was calm, collected.

But inside?

Inside, a storm was brewing.

She reached the dining room where the maid had already served breakfast—toast, eggs, fruit, and fresh orange juice. She sat down without a word and began eating slowly.

The maid, a young woman in her early twenties, stood nearby quietly.

The woman glanced at her. Something about the girl’s face was familiar.

Then it hit her.

In her last life, this same girl had tried to warn her. Warn her about her fiancé. That he seems dangerous and untrustworthy,but She didn’t listened.

In fact, she had fired her.

"You’re... Lisa, right?" the woman asked, swallowing a bite of toast.

The maid blinked, surprised. "Yes, Miss."

"You’ve worked here long?"

"A few months now," Lisa replied cautiously.

She nodded.

"I remember you," she said with a faint smile. "Thank you for breakfast."

Lisa gave a small nod and stepped away.

The woman picked up her fork again but didn’t eat. She just stared at her plate.

"This time," she thought, "I will remember who helped me and who hurt me. And I will act accordingly."

-------

After finishing her breakfast, she quietly walked back to her room. Her steps were slow, thoughtful. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she picked up her phone and called her secretary.

The call connected after two rings.

"Good morning, ma’am," her secretary, Suhana, greeted warmly.

"I won’t be coming in today," she said calmly. "Cancel all my meetings and appointments."

There was silence on the other end for a moment.

"...Sorry, ma’am, did you say you’re not coming in?" Suhana asked, sounding unsure. "Do you mean you’re running late or—?"

"I mean I’m not coming at all. Cancel everything," she repeated.

This time, Suhana was clearly shocked. "Oh... okay, ma’am. Just confirming... you’re taking the day off?"

"Yes. A full day. Is that a problem?"

"No, no! Not at all. It’s just... this is the first time I’ve heard you say that. I thought maybe I heard wrong."

The woman gave a small smile. "Your ears are working fine, Suhana."

Suhana laughed nervously on the other side. "I was seriously starting to doubt myself. Are you feeling okay, ma’am? Should I send someone—?"

"No need," she interrupted. "I just need the day to myself. That’s all."

"Alright... I’ll take care of everything," Suhana said, still sounding a little confused.

"Good," she replied softly and ended the call without another word.

She tossed the phone on the bed and let out a long breath. The woman who never missed a day of work... was now planning her next two months in complete silence.

She sat at her desk again and pulled out her diary. One by one, she started making lists—resources she needed, built a safe house, people to reconnect with, and enemies to avoid.

She mapped out every detail—what she needed to do in the first week, the second, and so on.

Two months. That’s all she was giving herself to rebuild a strong base before chaos arrived again.

She didn’t waste a single minute. She researched, cross-checked names, recalled every favour she might need, and even made backup plans.

This was the start of her war.

And she was preparing for it, one plan at a time.

====================

Author’s Note:

Roman has chosen the dark path. The world will burn again... but under **his** rule this time.

If you’re enjoying the chaos, don’t forget to:

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Your support helps the story rise — and ensures Roman doesn’t come after *me* for stopping. 😂

See you in the next Chapter!

—Author