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Chapter 24
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A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 25
"Ugh, here's the truth: Sweetheart's sister stepped in before the two could marry. She charmed Ash's grandparents so thoroughly that they took her side, forcing Ash to marry her instead of Sweetheart. They then sent the real fiancee out of the country under the pretense of 'studying abroad'.""I can never understand how shameless some people can be," another voice said. "I heard Ash was so disgusted by her, he wouldn't even hold her hand!""Well, divine retribution's an even bigger bitch. Ash ended up taking control of his family's company and now he's getting his real darling back. Good riddance!"Twitter exploded with hashtags like #TrueLoveNeverDies, #Vanderbilt, and countless derogatory slurs directed at Justine.Edited pictures of her were shared, many juxtaposed with images of Jenny, the true object of Ash's affection.Justine was portrayed as a stereotypical witch, while Jenny looked almost ethereal in comparison.People, trapped in their lookism, devoured the narrative. T
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 26
The crowd fell silent, their eyes fixed on Ash.The host turned pale, clearly confused."Fuck this!" Ash snarled, his irritation palpable.He stormed off, his expression grim.After he left, the crowd began murmuring again."No way. Is he pissed because we badmouthed her?""That can't be it. Everyone knows he hates Justine with a passion. He would have introduced her to us if he'd accepted her even a little!""There's no way our bro would throw a fit over us talking about her!""If he really cared about that bitch, he wouldn't have divorced her!"Jenny listened quietly, her hands clenched so tightly beneath the table that her knuckles turned white.They might be speculating, but she knew how close they were to the truth.But how?! Since when?! Hadn't he said she didn't deserve him?"Jenny? Jenny!" someone called her name, snapping her out of her thoughts.Jenny scanned the crowd and quickly composed herself."I'm sorry about his outburst, everyone. He hasn't been in the b
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 27
"Look at you getting your panties twisted like that!" Gaius spun his car keys, smirking as he approached Ash. "Your sycophants said you were the one masterminding this smear campaign to please your pregnant girlfriend. I almost believed them!""That's bullshit," Ash said, frowning. "Jenny and I are not together. That baby isn't even ours."Gaius did not appear shocked."The problem is, the opposite of that is exactly what everyone thinks now." He tilted his head slightly. "Does Justine know that baby isn't yours?"Ash glared at him in silence.Gaius made a face of understanding. "How about a bet, Ash?"Ash studied him warily.Gaius might look young and cavalier, but Ash knew better than to trust his pretense. Gaius had made bets with other trust-fund kids that had nearly left them bankrupt.Gaius' eyes glinted mischievously, but his tone was firm. "Just a Bugatti will do this time. I bet you'll regret divorcing Justine."Ash thinned his lips. "Me, regret?""That's right. You'
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 28
By the time Jenny emerged with her cardigan, Ash was gone. Only the driver remained.He politely opened the car door. "Ms. Thorpe, Mr. Vanderbilt has an important international conference to attend. He instructed me to drive you home."Jenny forced a smile. She was furious but had to maintain her facade as a sweet, docile young woman when around Ash's associates.While retrieving her cardigan, she had texted Charlie and Sue using her burner phone, ensuring they covered their tracks as thoroughly as possible.Jenny had initially planned to leverage that Internet drama to pressure Ash into marrying her, but look what had happened instead!The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.Ash cared about Justine far more than Jenny had anticipated!In the end, Jenny directed all of her rage toward Justine.-A new patient had arrived at the residence—a rather troublesome one at that.He was an idol from a top boy band who suffered from severe depression. Within just three m
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 29
They would be so delighted, right? Leon found Justine's eyes reddened and misty, feeling a pang in his chest. "Are you alright?" he asked, choosing not to bring up her virality. She shook her head."I'm fine. I slept a little too much, that's all," she signed. "What's the matter?"Leon smiled. "Hey, I'm your therapist, right? If anything is bothering you—big or small—you can always talk to me. I'm your best outlet—by profession!" Justine grinned. "Did something happen?" It was rather late in the evening. Leon had never shown up in her room at this hour before—he always made sure not to do anything that might make his patients uncomfortable. Some female patients simply could not bear to be alone with a man. Leon realized Justine had no idea about the Internet drama—she had probably napped through it all. Little did she know, everyone in the residence was aware. "Well, you've gone viral for a few hours on the Internet," Leon explained briefly. "The story got clamped dow
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 30
The next early morning, Leon brought a little girl to Justine's compound. They knocked on the door.As soon as she came out, Leon beamed at her."I've got a job for you!" he declared.Justine looked puzzled.The little girl stepped forward and began to sign bashfully, "Hi, Ms. Thorpe. I'm Kitty. Will you be our dance instructor for our New Year's Day performance?""This is Kitty from the welfare home next to the residence. She's deaf and mute by birth." Leon ruffled her hair. "To be honest, almost every child there is disabled in one way or another. In a few days, the home will receive some warm-hearted visitors."If they manage to perform well enough to charm them, they might even get adopted. Other children had no problem, but… Kitty and the other deaf-mute children had no instructor, so I thought of you."Justine had been raised in an orphanage. She understood how important being adopted was for children in that situation. Besides, she had been rather free these days, hadn't
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 1
It had been three years of marriage.Justine Thorpe finally found her husband, Ash Vanderbilt, in the OB-GYN clinic of a hospital. He hadn't shown up for three months.However, he was not alone. Another woman—his mistress—was with him.She bore more than a passing resemblance to Justine. Her name was Jenny Thorpe, and she had been living as Justine's replacement in the Thorpe family for 16 years.Justine had suspected her husband of having an affair for at least six months, but she never imagined it would be with Jenny. Not that the revelation was entirely surprising, now that she thought about it.Everyone in Sol's upper class knew that Ash's true love had always been his childhood friend.Justine was the devil who had gotten in the way.Seeing Ash and Jenny together somehow relieved Justine. The mystery was finally solved.She watched them enter the elevator. Ash's delicate eyelashes were lowered as he spoke softly to his companion. Justine had never seen him this gentle befo
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 2
At the Grand Theater of Sol. A towering man stood in the darkness where the audience gathered. He felt as cold as winter. His eyes were fixed on the stage as the Black Swan darted across it, agile and mesmerizing.The Black Swan's movements were fluid and firm, sensual and tempting. The man almost wished he could possess her right now.The performance was nearing its end, so the man turned away and strode toward the backstage.-The performance ended.Justine felt a quiet pain in her waist, but she gritted her teeth through the production.The crowd erupted in ovation.She took one last yearning glance at the stage and her adoring audience before returning backstage.Iris had been watching her every move with concern."Is it hurting? I can cancel the fan meeting and photo session if you need it. You can rest in the breakroom, and once the rest of the performance is over, I'll come for you," Iris suggested.Justine waved reassuringly.Many of these fans had traveled all the
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