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Chapter 13
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Justine looked at Leon and the book."How odd," she signed. "I bought this exact book as a gift for the man I loved. But now, it's a gift for me because I took the first step to overcome my past scars."She smiled and thanked him.Leon watched her until she reached the ground floor before finally turning away.The receptionist leaped to her feet."Wasn't that your favorite performer, Dr. Tuke?!" she whispered excitedly."Oh, so this is the one who made Dr. Tuke fly home from Hattenberg—before the conference even ended—just to see her perform?" her colleague chimed in.Indeed, Leon had attended a science conference in Hattenberg, one of the largest cities in Libernois, a country across the ocean from Novaris. It was supposed to last three days—until he flew back to Novaris early, just to catch her swan song.Leon grinned. "Keep this lore quiet when she's around, young women. She's just a patient here.""Yes, sir! Definitely, sir!" The young women nodded enthusiastically. "She's
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"I know what you're thinking, Aunt Carina, but I don't think I can do much about this!""Your baby is growing, Jenny. You can give up on yourself, but you shouldn't give up on giving your baby a real family and name, right?" Carina snapped. "If you can't do anything, then make Ash do something instead!""R-Right," Jenny stammered.The call ended.Jenny's demeanor shifted abruptly. She threw her phone to the floor. "I knew it! That bitch changed her mind!""You have to tell Ash soon!" Sue urged. "The Thierrys' ruling old farts love Justine. They practically treat her like their real daughter! If she cries in front of them, you're done for!"Jenny hesitated, recalling Ash's warning. He had been clear—she was not to interfere in Justine's affairs.Despite this, she texted Ash using the burner phone she kept for harassing Justine.[Mr. Vanderbilt, your ex-wife regrets the divorce and is going to the Thierrys for help!]-As rumors suggested, Justine was indeed visiting the Thierr
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"They say you should let old grudges die with the dead, Jean, but you asked for this. If it's the truth you want, I'll give it to you—because the last thing we want is for you to resent us when we've done nothing wrong!" Eleanor's voice trembled with pain."Did you know where your parents' accident happened?" She paused, her brow furrowed. "Rhys! Do you know how far that is from Minnishkee State? It's several states away! And yet, you, who was with your parents back then... You ended up there!"Justine had no idea where the accident had occurred. This was the first time she had been given a concrete location. Her ears rang with shock and confusion."Your grandfather ordered a thorough investigation before he passed, and it became obvious what had happened. The only reason you were there wasn't because some kind souls brought you to the orphanage. Aurora Roch took you away!"Then, when we found you, you… You…"Eleanor faltered, unable to bring herself to mention Ares. She quickly s
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"Did you even find out what really happened to my parents? Was it an accident or suicide?"Felix and Eleanor frowned in silence. Even now, no one could ascertain the truth."So, you don't even know what really happened that day, yet somehow you decided that Aurora was the one who was 'bad' for me?" Justine laughed as tears streamed down her cheeks."She was just the easiest scapegoat! Why hasn't anyone considered that I could have died if she hadn't rescued me?" Justine retorted, signing.They remained silent.Justine laughed again. These modern-day aristocrats would never think from the perspective of a decent human being. Their position and power had granted them the unchecked authority to decide the fate of others, and Aurora had been an easy target."You blame her because she wasn't one of you. You knew she was dying from cancer, and that she loved me..." Justine faltered.She clenched her fists. If only Aurora had been a little more selfish, she would have come to see Justi
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Justine was pleased with their reaction. Whatever heartache or shock these two had experienced, it could not possibly compare to the weight of pain Aurora had suffered.She nodded affably at them and started toward the entrance.Eleanor hurried after her. "Julia! Come back!"She slipped, but Felix caught her before she could fall and hurt herself.Justine heard the commotion but pressed on, not sparing them a single glance. She was about to leave the living room when…Ash stormed in from outside, his expression dark.Their eyes met. He was on the verge of erupting in rage when he noticed the tear stains and the redness in her eyes.His chest tightened.Justine kept walking as if she hadn't noticed him, brushing past him without a glance.Ash grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to face him. His grip was strong enough to crush bone, but she simply glared at him.God, he was in that stupid suit and tie again. She was getting so sick of it."You're the one who wanted a divorce, Ju
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 19
"She's not looking back, Ash," Felix remarked slowly.Ash was stunned. He hesitated before asking, "Didn't she come to ask both of you to intervene and stop our divorce?""No. It wasn't a plea—it was an announcement. She said she's never going to see us again." Felix waved tiredly. "You've been terrible to her from the beginning until now, so congratulations. She no longer cares about you."From now on, you're free to marry whoever you like. Eleanor and I won't meddle in this affair anymore."It was an open secret: the old Thierry couple despised the Vanderbilts for their role in Julia's death. That disdain extended to Ash, their own grandchild.But Ash was the one they hated the least. He was all they had left of Julia.How could they hate him as much as they wanted when they had loved his mother so deeply?Felix chose not to tell Ash the truth about Justine's love for him. Being someone's inferior substitute was undignified.And Ash was critically, fatally proud.Since the t
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 20
The Thierry family drama became headline news.Justine hadn't bothered to be discreet. Even those unfamiliar with sign language could tell she had been arguing with the two most important members of the Thierry family… and it had ended with Eleanor in the hospital.Carina let out a belly laugh and immediately informed Jenny.Jenny was just as thrilled.Felix and Eleanor were Justine's only shields and protectors. Sending one of them to the hospital over a health scare?! Justine might as well have shot herself in the foot."Thank you, God, for these endless blessings! Who knew my return to Novaris would spark all of this?!" Jenny chuckled with glee. "First the divorce, and now she gets into a fight with that old hag?! Man, if only my luck were better… If only she had died right then and there!"Eleanor had always hated Jenny. The feeling was mutual—Jenny had long wished for Eleanor's death.Now, both of her enemies were down."This is your best chance, Jenny! You have to make hi
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 21
Tomorrow, the ballet company would depart for a brand-new tour overseas. It would last three months. It was time for goodbyes—and many of them made their longing clear. "I'll get you some souvenirs, Jean!""Me too! Tell me what you like!"Justine smiled sweetly and signed, "I like… seeing all of you perform to the best of your abilities… as well as returning home safely."The troupe erupted again. Justine had to coax them into the car. Iris was pretty drunk, so Justine had someone from the establishment drive them home. "Ah, you're coming along! I'll drive you home!" Iris slurred. Justine waved. The direction of her hotel was at odds with where the rest of the company was heading. Iris shoved a name card into Justine's hands. "This… This is my best friend's number! I've talked to her."Justine thought Iris must have been drunk out of her wits. She had told the woman she would be leaving Sol—she could not take up that job.To Justine's surprise, Iris raised her voice. "
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Any rage Ash could have felt about Justine's antics vanished. Any thought of punishment was gone."I'm sorry," he whispered, pulling her gently into his arms.She sobbed like a wounded animal, and a while later, she fell back to sleep.Kitty rubbed her eyes groggily. A familiar stranger was hugging Justine and patting her back.Her eyes widened.Ash placed his index finger on his lips, signaling her to keep quiet.He remembered now. This girl was a deaf-mute. Justine had suffered a brick attack to protect her.Kitty regarded Ash warily, her finger hovering close to the nurse-calling button.Ash sighed helplessly."I'm her husband," he signed.Kitty was shocked."You can sign?!" she exclaimed via signing. "No, wait. You're lying! Ms. Thorpe is Dr. Tuke's girlfriend!""Who told you that?" he asked."I guessed it! I'm very smart, you know! So let her go, or I'll call the police, and you're dead, old man!" Kitty signed warningly.Ash stared at her, speechless. It was just a g
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'Mrs. Vanderbilt never learns,' Ash thought.-Justine got herself a cab quickly enough. Where should she go?Ash could find her easily enough if she stayed in a hotel. The residence was out as well—it was too obvious.In the end, Justine instructed the driver to take her to Kitty's hospital.Dusk had fallen, and Justine felt exhausted. She closed her eyes and recalled how, when she had turned around mid-run, Ash stood alone in the middle of the crowd.He appeared almost pitiful.How insane was that? Anyone else deserved more sympathy than he ever could.-Justine arrived at the hospital just as visiting hours were about to end.Due to the sensationalism surrounding Kitty's case, many strangers wanted to visit her. To protect Kitty, the hospital had restricted visits, allowing only Leon and Justine to see her.Kitty had been transferred to a regular ward during the few days Justine had been absent.Seeing Justine filled the girl with such joy that she clung to her without a
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Ash had taken over Vanderbilt Corp. from his uncle only a few months earlier. He had a mountain of tasks to tackle—how could he possibly afford to be out of town right now? That was why Justine believed he had been merely floating the idea without any real commitment.Ash had always prioritized his work far above Justine—even when she had suffered a grievous injury while saving him.Who would have expected him to mean it?"No!" Justine refuted.Her treatment was showing results, and Benji might be bringing Dennis back at any moment. She would not leave at this point.Ash's expression darkened slightly. She would decline treatment for something that was hindering her career? Who was she staying for?Justine sensed his mood shift."Look. You've just taken over Vanderbilt Corp. Many people are probably plotting to gain control of the company, right? My injury isn't that bad. As long as I don't dance, I'll be fine," she signed.Ash knew she was pretending to care. He had experien
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While Leon had a modest number of patients, scheduling all of their appointments for noon would still take a considerable toll on him. The assistant thought it was a terrible idea."I need to return to Sol every afternoon," Leon replied.The assistant was stunned. "You can't be serious! You'll be going back and forth from Sol to the residence from now on?"Leon paused for a moment before remarking, "Doesn't sound very sustainable, huh?""Of course it doesn't! The journey from here to Sol takes three to four hours!" the assistant replied."Well, then please help me hire someone dependable who can drive that much every day," Leon instructed.He left without waiting for his assistant to respond.Leon went to his room in the residence to grab his car keys. On his way out, he bumped into Allan.Allan had not been attending his treatments lately. Instead, he had been cooping himself up in his room, caught up in a manic phase of songwriting and music composing.Leon checked on him fr
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Justine never believed Jenny would give up. Hell, she had been counting on that woman to be more persistent.'Just seduce Ash already so he will divorce me and marry Jenny instead,' Justine prayed.Justine even reconsidered her stance against Jenny. If the latter could manage to seduce Ash away from her, Justine would forgive every petty thing Jenny had done. She would let Jenny live so that these two could be happy together!Ash declined the call and activated the "Do Not Disturb" mode."If anything's happening to her, they'll do better calling a doctor than me," he said.Besides, Ash had already placed some of his people around Jenny. If anything happened to her, they would notify him.Justine gawked at him as if he were an alien. Her frustration grew. Why was he treating his childhood sweetheart like this?-Sue hurled her phone onto the couch and shouted, "Fuck! That succubus' seduction has become so powerful that he isn't even picking up our calls!"Charlie took a deep pu
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"I thought I saw Ares, but he also… didn't look like himself?" the man answered, scratching his head. "That dude was expressionless! He really sent a shiver down my spine."The woman slapped the back of his head. "I knew you drank too much! This is what I was saying! Come on, Ares has been dead for years! You saw a ghost in the middle of the day!"The man trembled. She was right! Ares had died in a drowning while trying to save someone!He scanned the airport but could no longer see the man from before. His skin crawled.Did he really see a ghost?-The simple explanation for why the man could not find him anymore was that Ash had left the airport.Justine saw Ash as soon as she got out of the car. She looked rather haggard—the lack of clues in Aurora's home had ruined her sleep the night before, not to mention how many times she had cried earlier that day."Are you feeling unwell?" Ash asked, placing his hand on her forehead.She didn't have a fever.Justine was too tired to
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"You and your stories. If there's no picture, don't spread rumors!" The woman patted the girl's back. "Now quit dragging your feet. You have homework to do!"Penny Parkman pouted and mumbled to herself as she left. On the day that fuckboy and his bitch trended on Twitter, she had been taking a school exam. Just when she wanted to save those pictures, Ash had scrubbed the platform clean of any searches.The adults exchanged glances and silently decided not to bring up the topic.No matter who he was—or what he looked like—a man with foul behavior was as good as nothing. Justine was young and could still find herself a good husband if she chose.The townsfolk refused to accept Justine's payment for the gravestone, so she thanked them with a large feast at a local restaurant.After lunch, the town's older women began discussing renovations for Aurora's house.Suddenly, the driver called her, but Justine declined immediately."Time to go, huh?" Nyla asked.Justine nodded, smiling.
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Justine searched every inch she could see but found nothing of interest. She fell to the floor, dismayed.Aurora was not usually like this.Justine bit her lip.This place was too clean. Aurora must have wiped every possible hint away, ensuring Justine could not uncover the identity of the real culprit, allowing her to remain in the safety of ignorance.At that moment, Ash's video call came through.Justine wanted to ignore it but knew it was better to answer him.Besides, she was visiting the grave of someone recently deceased. It was natural for her to look forlorn and teary—she didn't have to hide her emotions."What is it?" she signed.Ash noticed her puffy, red eyes and sensed her mood."I just finished work," he said gently. "Have you had your dinner?"Justine reeled.Dinner? She had forgotten even lunch."No, not yet. I'll eat now. Goodbye.""Jean."She paused. Ash had always called her "Justine". He never used her nickname."Don't cry alone. You can always talk t
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In their three years of marriage, Ash seemed to care about Justine only when they were having sex. Outside of those moments? He was apathetic.In the last two days, he had hugged her more times than he had over the entire three years."What's the hurry?" Ash tightened his grip on Justine's chin—but gently. "Have you forgotten what you usually do at this moment?"Justine glanced at him and brushed his lips with hers."Happy now?" she signed."Wow. Where's the effort?" he protested."You didn't always let me kiss you goodbye before, either!" she protested back, signing emphatically.Ash moved in and kissed her lips."You used to do it like this," he murmured, pulling away.She couldn't read his expression, but it looked almost like… grievance.'Grievance? What grievances? Since when had he been denied anything he wanted?' she grumbled inwardly.Justine looked away. "Whatever."She couldn't bear to see Ash look like that.Ash hugged her, ruffling her hair. "If you need anythi
