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Chapter 45
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A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 46
Ash had likely run all the way there, breathing hard as he stood before Justine.She looked up apathetically, showing no signs of disgust.Ash studied her carefully, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His eyes finally landed on her beautiful face.Justine was naturally stunning. Despite being raised in a seaside town, she boasted smooth, fair skin, which made the single trace of blood on her face stand out in startling detail.He caressed it with his thumb, but Justine did not move. Her eyes caught the redness on his fingertip."Sid's," she signed, pointing toward the ER."You're not hurt?" Ash asked.Justine frowned in contempt, signing, "Please. I beat her up, not the other way around. Do you really think she could even land a blow on me?"Ash's expression darkened. "You hit her?"Justine looked confused. "Aren't you here because of this?""No. Sid left a message for me. She said she got into an accident, and you're here too," Ash replied.Ash had been in a meeting when
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 47
Justine bought a small carton of chocolate milk and a turkey sandwich, finding a spot where she could see the ER while keeping her distance from Ash during her meal.She had always liked this milk brand, but oddly enough, it tasted raw and unappetizing today.Ash caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye.By the time he finally finished speaking with the higher-ups and approached Justine, she had already purchased a cup of warm chocolate as well."I thought you wouldn't let yourself drink something like this," he remarked.Dancers were often subjected to incredibly stringent demands regarding their physique. At first, Justine relied on her naturally high metabolic rate to keep her body in shape.Then, Ares died.Justine had fallen into depression and had to take a variety of medications. Naturally, the hormonal changes had lasting effects on her body. Her diet had become one of the few ways she maintained her profession.And now, that "profession" was over. There was no
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 48
The internet mob was a significant development, enough that Justine had heard about it on her way to the hospital.One might even see it as a divine gift from God—an opportunity for Allan and Justine to reform their image.An opening that could lead to exposing Jenny.But Justine knew Allan was likely behind it. He thought of her as a sweet summer child, naive and helpless. This was his way of showing her how to fight back.Allan was a celebrity, a role that came with an instinct for virality. By the time Ash's media team realized what had happened, the momentum was almost unstoppable.His baby had become the target of the Internet's hate. Naturally, he would launch an investigation.Judging by what he said, Ash had likely discovered troll bots stirring up the conflict. Somehow, he immediately assumed this was Justine's doing.Ash didn't even ask if she was behind it—he just decided it was her. Then, he used Leon to degrade her.Justine should have done more than just slap him.
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 49
Ash had only treated Justine better after she was injured in that incident, but it was clear that he was falling several miles behind this dreamboat of a man.-Sidney's operation was a success.As she was returned to her ward, Kosta rushed to inform Ash. While they were on their way to Sidney's ward, Kosta described Leon's call to Ash.Ash's face was cold, and he remained silent. The only thing that changed was his quickening pace—which Kosta thought was out of concern for Sidney.He hurried to catch up."This might be the best thing to happen, Mr. Vanderbilt. It's as you've wanted for her, right, Mr. Vanderbilt? She wasn't suited for the life of an elite. She's like a rose in the wild, you know?" he remarked."The people of your social class just don't know how to appreciate a girl like that..."Ash grew irritated. He stopped and turned to Kosta.The older man sensed danger and shrank into himself."Do you even know who Leon Tuke is?" Ash began frostily."Um... who?""The
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 50
Jenny had been on pins and needles since leaving the hospital.When she saw the Twitter handle attached to the exposé, she knew it had to be the Vanderbilts' illegitimate daughter.The whole Internet had descended upon Jenny for an entire night, and she needed an emotional outlet. The target was clear.Sidney never kept a low profile, so it hadn't been hard to find her. On the dark web, Jenny found someone willing to do the job for a price.But Jenny was dissatisfied when she learned Sidney was still alive, having only broken her leg. Enraged, she stormed to the hospital to intimidate Sidney into silence.Unfortunately, there, she ran into someone who had once been Sidney's enemy. Worse, that woman had recorded Jenny's behavior.If Justine shared that clip, it would be impossible for Jenny to explain herself to Ash. How could she ever become Mrs. Vanderbilt?Her only hope lay in the blackmail material she held over Sidney. Hopefully, it would be enough to keep Justine in line.
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 51
"I can arrange that for you," Ash said.Jenny's voice quivered. "But… If you're not with me… Those people might come for me…" Ash was quiet. He gripped the steering wheel and stared ahead, his eyes piercing through the hazy veil of night at the entrance of St. Hart Hospital.A four-wheeled truck had stopped at the roadside near the pedestrian entrance.Justine emerged from inside the hospital and jogged toward the truck.The driver opened the door and strode toward her with a large sack in his hands.Ash could see the breath fogging the air around Justine. More importantly, he could see the smile on her face despite the chill.Leon's work had ended later than expected, but it was still because of Justine.Earlier, Leon and his team had developed a piece of therapeutic equipment designed to treat Justine's disorders. It had taken them some time, but it was finally approved by the international board for market release.The equipment was high-tech but expensive. Only three such
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 52
"Goddamn it, Justine Thorpe!"Sidney had only just woken up from her sleep. Her face was pale, but she still managed to summon enough indignation upon hearing about her brother's departure."How could you waste this opportunity?! I almost died from blood loss over there to create this perfect chance for you to get back together, and this is how you used it?! God, it's like you want Jenny to win!" she ranted, breathing hard.Ash might have been a piece of trash, but even Sidney could not bear to see him end up with someone like Jenny."I don't want him," Justine signed.Sidney stared at her in incredulity. Then, shifting to sincerity, she asked, "So… this isn't you sulking? You really mean it?"Justine nodded placidly. "Yeah."Sidney knew what this meant. Her sister-in-law was done with Ash."Oh, just wait for my recovery," she said. "I'll introduce you to better men—guys who are younger and dreamier than that stain."Justine smiled but signed nothing. There were certainly men
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 53
Sidney was not as fearless as she pretended to be. She had always known her worth in the family—she was neither valued nor legitimate.She was, and would always be, the daughter of a wealthy elite and a woman who worked in the club.Thus, she pretended to be bigger than she really was. Being "Miss Vanderbilt" was a way to inflate her presence. Everyone seemed to fear her and allowed her to act however she liked.She told herself this proved the importance of her existence.Justine was an exception.The first time Sidney tried to terrorize her, Justine responded by slapping her. From that moment on, Justine would always punish Sidney whenever she got into trouble.-Back then…Sidney got into a fight. It was severe enough that the victim was hospitalized—he could even die.The victim's family was not as rich as the Vanderbilts, but his uncle was a government official. He wanted Sidney to pay with her life.Ash was away at the time, and no one else in the family could control h
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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
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 99
'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
