All Chapters of A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

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

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.

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

Charitas Home's child abuse scandal went viral the next morning.Someone had taken pictures not only of Kitty in the ICU but also of other children's wounds.The Internet erupted with outrage.The investigation was swift.By noon, Rosemary and the rest of the organization's crimes were exposed. They had lied to their donors, abused the children, and were even involved in illegal blood and organ trafficking.They were arrested. A preliminary report of their crimes was quickly publicized. Hashtags and search terms related to Charitas Home trended repeatedly on social media.-Kitty woke up that evening, thanks to the continuous efforts of the doctors and paramedics. Her lung infection persisted, but she was finally out of immediate danger.As she slowly opened her puffy eyes, Kitty scanned the room.When she saw Justine, a small, difficult smile spread across her face.Justine grinned, signing, "Don't be scared, Kitty. The police have taken the bad people away. From now on, no

Allan's record label was quick to capitalize on the surge of positive fanfare. They confirmed the events to be true, which made the news go viral once more.Every social media platform seemed to be fanning the flames.Then, one of the big verified accounts suddenly posted another piece of security footage with the caption: "Allan is cool and shit, but the volunteer who's with him? Icon. She found the deaf-mute kid in the basement who was about to die, okay? That aura she had when she risked her own life to get that kid to the hospital!"In the footage, a woman in thin clothing could be seen hugging a scarred child as she bolted toward the entrance. Allan followed her while guards tried to swarm them from behind.They almost made it out when the gate shut right in front of them.The netizens watched with bated breaths and stomping feet. There was no audio, but everyone could tell she hugged the child even more tightly as soon as they were surrounded.Allan and the guards engaged i