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Chapter 79
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A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 80
Aside from hunting down Dennis, Justine needed to make a trip back to Glascape to sort through the belongings Aurora had left behind.After taking a final, lingering look at her parents' grave, she turned and left.The snow was falling heavier now.Justine sent Leon a quick message, informing him that she would be gone for two days on personal business.Then, she opened Benji's chat—the one she hadn't responded to yesterday.If Benji knew anything and, like Frederick, wanted to protect Charlie, he might have already tipped him off.Justine: [No special reason, just something came to mind these past few days. I realized I never really understood how my parents died. It's been weighing on me, so I visited their grave just now, and I feel a little better.]Benji's reply was instant.Benji: [Miss, the deceased are at peace. Your parents loved you dearly, and they wouldn't want you to be troubled by the past.]Justine: [I think so too.]Benji switched topics.Benji: [I've been wo
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 81
Justine was shocked. How did Ash know?"Why?" he asked, pain etched on his face. "Why didn't you tell me?!"He understood how much ballet meant to Justine. Even he had mocked her for it—she had nothing else in her life besides ballet and him.She had no parents. She had no friends. She had nothing!Justine cast her eyes down and snickered mirthlessly. "You don't need to cling to this, Ash. You saved my life once. I'll pretend this is me repaying you. Now, we don't owe each other anything."She was telling the truth. When Ares died, she had felt as if she could no longer live. Ash had been what motivated her to carry on for years."Did I?" he echoed, questioning.Justine was not going to explain herself. "That's not important. What's important is that we stop crossing paths until the day our divorce is finalized. I don't want to see you again."The car Justine had hailed was parked a short distance away. She turned from him.He caught her wrist. "We're not getting a divorce!"
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 82
The driver wasted no time pulling up the partition screen inside the car.Justine saw it and scowled at Ash.Ash frowned and suddenly covered her eyes with one hand while catching her wrists with the other. Curling closer to her, he buried his head near her neck. "Please, don't look at me like that."She froze. Since when was he capable of speaking so humbly? What had gotten into him?Justine did her best to suppress her anger as she struggled slightly.He looked up and uncovered her eyes.Now that she appeared more placated, Justine signaled for Ash to let her hands go. He obeyed.She took a deep breath and signed, "I don't know what happened to you, but you need to calm down.""I'm calm!" Ash protested firmly.Justine had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. He had abducted her in broad daylight!"Great! Keep up the good work for a few more days while I take care of some very important business. We'll talk once it's over, okay?" Justine pointed at the roadside. "Let me ge
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 83
Ash finally broke into a smile. "Good. I'm willing to overlook your past interactions with him, then. You are not to associate with him anymore."Justine scanned Ash's neck, wishing she could bite into his artery and kill him."Answer me." He tightened his grip around her chin, looking down at her like a tyrant.Justine could only nod."You don't like Jenny, right? Don't worry. Once her baby is born, I'll send her far away to another city. She won't trouble you again. As for your injury—I'll take you to Libernois after I finish my acquisition plan. You will recover," he promised.He surveyed her face for any sign of joy.There was none. He found only alarm, helplessness… and barely concealed disdain.Ash looked down. "I didn't treat you right back then, but I won't be so careless now."He grazed Justine's lips gently with his thumb. "Don't be afraid."What he really wanted to say was, "Don't be afraid of me. Please love me."-They arrived at Vanaheimr Park before the blizza
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 84
Jenny turned pale after hearing that.It was enough to make Martha feel bad, but it did not change her mind."Please, Ms. Thorpe. The mistress of the house isn't you. Since she doesn't want to see you here, I really can't allow you to see Mr. Vanderbilt," Martha declined, mincing her words. "Please return home. It's getting cold out here, and I don't want anything to happen to the child."She closed the door in Jenny's face.At present…"Ashie, Martha said Juju was the one who forbade me from coming inside!" Jenny sobbed. "That's why I've been outside!"Martha waved in panic. "No! Mrs. Vanderbilt didn't say anything like that!"Ash noticed Jenny shivering in the cold and said, "We'll talk inside."He started toward the door with Justine in his arms."Hell no!" Justine suddenly protested coldly.Ash was confused. "Why not?""I won't go inside if she's going inside!" Jenny signed angrily.Just the thought of being under the same roof disgusted her.A request like this would
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 85
"You're sending me and my child away?!" Jenny cried out, pointing at the door. "Was this her request?!""No.""Then who else could have been this cruel?! You promised me a vacation together in Ylishire! But now you're suddenly taking back your promise! You're banishing me and my child—and all this happened after you met her again!" Jenny bellowed.To hell with acting like a little darling!Jenny jabbed her finger at the door once more. "Have you forgotten that she betrayed you with someone else?!"Ash's expression darkened. Ignoring her, he turned to the driver. "Send her home.""You can't treat me like this, Ashie! She doesn't love you! Your grandparents have always used her to humiliate you! And now she's having an affair with her therapist!" Jenny shouted."Enough!" Ash suddenly roared.Jenny quivered. He had never sounded so belligerent before."Justine and I will handle our own problems," Ash declared emphatically, walking toward her slowly. "You saved my life once, Jenny
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 86
Ash scanned Justine with downcast eyes. He held her chin and tipped it slightly upward to see her face. "Enjoying this, aren't you?"He disliked it when Justine pretended not to care about him while Jenny was around. But he disliked it even more when Justine tried to ship him with Jenny.This time, he didn't apply much force in his hold.Justine tilted her head sideways and immediately freed her chin."Oh, no. I just thought it was stupid. Wouldn't you mind being the child's de facto father if she's your true love? They would still call you 'daddy'. You shouldn't give up on your precious childhood sweetheart just because she's pregnant with someone else's kid," she signed.For some reason, Ash found her amusing and smirked, his eyes shining with delight.Justine had always been too obedient when she was with him back then. Now that she was lashing out, she seemed much more alive than a robot.Justine frowned. She was mocking him, so…"What are you smiling about?" she signed."
A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt Chapter 87
Justine did not enter the room. Instead, she walked away.She told herself it was okay. As long as "Ares" was with her, alive, she would endure it. She could not bear to lose him again.That night, Ash did not return.Justine's depression flared. She experienced an episode, feeling as if her entire skeleton was in pain. She writhed on her bed as she hyperventilated.Her only solace lay in Ares' voice notes stored on her phone. She played them over and over. It was as pathetic as it sounded.-The Justine of the present could only marvel at the experiences of the Justine from the past.Ash tried to touch her cheek silently, but she avoided him.Still, he refused to let go. "If a child is what you want, we can adopt one of the Vanderbilts' current pool of children."Justine was stunned, looking at him as though he were a clown. "What the hell did you just say?""I mean it. We can adopt a healthy, adorable baby. It doesn't have to be a Vanderbilt—we can get one from the Thierrys
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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
