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Chapter 29
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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 31
Justine shook Kitty's hand gently.The child looked up at her and then performed a short ballet sequence on the spot.There was no need for beautiful tutus—Justine's dance was mesmerizing in its simplicity.Joy and excitement replaced the disappointment in Kitty's eyes as she clapped loudly, cheering for Justine.Grinning, Justine poked Kitty's nose and took her hand again before they headed to the welfare home.Leon became an accidental witness to the episode.After failing to persuade Allan to help with the production, he decided to talk to Justine—and that was when he saw what happened.It made him wonder. For all the compliments he had read in articles about her, Justine was even more interesting and fun in person. Who could have possessed the heart to hurt someone as sweet as her?-Charitas Home was a far cry from the dilapidated state of Glascape Orphanage. Its appearance took cues from Aestran architecture and featured an outdoor stadium larger than Glascape itself. It
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 32
Rosemary was delighted to have one more performance to entertain her big donor.As a token of gratitude, she allowed Leon and Justine to enjoy the best that the welfare home could offer.Rosemary knew Leon was a therapist, but Justine did not resemble a patient at all. She was prettier than any of the celebrities she had ever seen. She appeared healthy and had a pleasant temperament.However, seeing how much Leon seemed to care for her prompted Rosemary to misinterpret their relationship."Your girlfriend is gorgeous, Dr. Tuke! Did you find her in an enchanted castle?" she praised.Quietly, she thought, 'God, if only she were one of the people living in this place!'Leon chuckled."One could only dream, Rosemary," he joked. "Justine is simply one of our members in the residence."Rosemary laughed and tried to apologize for her assumption, but Justine shrugged and smiled."Enjoy your meal. I need to watch the kids during mealtime—they won't behave if no one's watching!" she sai
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 33
Rosemary watched them leave with barely concealed irritation in her eyes.That night, the scent of meat filled the cafeteria. The children's eyes widened in delight as they looked at their meals.For days, the meals had been of this standard.-Justine visited Charitas Home every day to teach the children how to dance.She was gentle and beautiful. Soon, the other kids began to take notice of her. She was constantly surrounded, and the bolder ones would even try to hold her hands.Leon had been busy, too.After several attempts at persuasion, Allan Beaumont had joined the group. He usually sat in a corner, watching the kids from afar, his hands apathetically stuck in his pockets.Justine had never spoken to him. They could not—he did not speak and could not understand sign language.-Time passed.It was the welfare home's New Year's Eve celebration.Truthfully, it was only December 20th. To accommodate the welfare home's most important patron, Charitas Home threw the party
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 34
Justine had no idea where Kitty's room was, so she tried every single door she encountered.She knew Rosemary was lying.First, Kitty had been as healthy and normal as any child when they parted ways last night. There was no way she could have developed a fever so suddenly.And where were the other kids? The ones Kitty usually hung out with?When Justine had "left" the place, she had counted the adults. All of the employees were there. So who could have possibly taken Kitty to the clinic?Kitty had to be here!Justine understood the dark side of charity organizations and welfare homes. She would not rest until she saw Kitty with her own eyes.Not finding her, Justine decided to search the floor above.It was then that Justine caught sight of a timid figure peeking out from the storeroom. It was one of the girls she trained."Millie? Where's everyone? Where's Kitty?" she signed gently.As she approached the girl, Justine was appalled to see two blue-black spots on her cheeks.
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 35
Justine neared the entrance as the electronic door closed behind her. She hugged Kitty tightly.Allan caught up, carrying Millie in his arms. She had followed them and slipped, so he had picked her up as he ran.The guards, in cahoots with Rosemary, blocked their way. "What are you doing?! The child is sick, and she needs bed rest! Taking her away like that is wrong!"Allan shot a look at Kitty and snarled in his head, 'Burdensome load!'He positioned himself in front of Justine, shielding her from the guards."You've been systematically torturing children! The police are aware of this now!" he said.Suddenly, a brick flew from the guardhouse."Justine!" someone shouted.She realized too late. Hugging Kitty tightly, she braced herself as the brick struck her shoulder.The pain nearly knocked her off balance."Justine!" Allan cried out.A crowd began to gather.Rosemary's voice echoed, "What are you people doing?!"Her husband looked pale. "She's gone mad! She came here to
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 36
Rosemary panicked. "It's just a child being disobedient! Why do we need to bring the cops in? Listen, Mr. Vanderbilt, I can explain! It was an accident! About your investment..."Ash guided Justine into the car, shielding her head with his hand. He shot a cold glare at Rosemary, silencing her.The woman stammered under the pressure and couldn't continue.She realized, with a sinking feeling, that she might be done for.-The Mercedes-Maybach sped toward the nearest hospital.A pale-faced Justine sat in the backseat, her focus entirely on Kitty. She gently caressed the girl's flushed cheeks, warm from a high fever.The heat of Justine's coat seemed to revive Kitty. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and Justine offered a reassuring smile."Don't be scared. Ms. Thorpe is here," she signed.Kitty moved her hand slightly.Justine grasped her small, dirty hand, gently massaging the girl's back with her thumb to comfort her.Kitty's finger grazed Justine's palm in response—an attempt to
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 37
It had sounded grim, causing Leon to panic and race to the hospital.Ash glared as he watched Justine sign to Leon, reassuring him that none of it was his fault and that she was no longer in pain.She was so patient with him—unlike how she had treated Ash earlier.His ire rose to a fever pitch."You're coming with me to see a doctor!" he snarled.Leon turned to him, startled, as if he had just noticed Ash. He then turned to Justine."Ex-husband," she signed.Ash's eyes grew even colder."You should be Mr. Vanderbilt, right? I've seen you in financial magazine interviews before," Leon greeted, smiling. "Hello! I'm Leon, Jean's friend. No offense, but she doesn't seem to enjoy seeing you here, so maybe you should give her some space. I'll take care of her, don't worry.""Friend," not "therapist."Ash didn't acknowledge Leon at all. He shot one last look at Justine and turned away in silence. He left.Kosta followed. "Mr. Vanderbilt, are you sure we should leave Ms. Thorpe like
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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
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 98
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
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 97
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
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 96
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
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 95
"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
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 94
"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.
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 93
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
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 92
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
