All Chapters of A Dance of Substitutes with Mr. Vanderbilt: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

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

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

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."

Justine did not lock herself in her room and twiddle her thumbs. She was consulting her lawyer.She wanted this divorce—no matter the cost.If Ash was going to back out, then she would sue him. However, that would be a troublesome, time-consuming process as long as one side disagreed.This thought only deepened Justine's frustration.She left the room and found Martha in the kitchen, prepping food. Ash was nowhere to be seen.Justine immediately headed for the front door. Unfortunately, it would not open.She looked to Martha for help, but Martha replied apologetically, "Oh, Mr. Vanderbilt has activated the security locking measure for the house. I don't have the power to unlock it..."Justine's expression darkened, and her fists tightened."I'm sure he only does it because he's worried Ms. Thorpe will return to cause you grief!" Martha said hopefully. "He's trying to protect you."Justine snickered. 'Protect me? Please! He is trying to lock me up!'Justine returned to her ro

Jenny stormed around the living room, her hair in disarray.Her maid, trembling, picked up the broken pieces scattered across the floor.Sue burst through the front door, her voice urgent. "What happened?! Why isn't the divorce going through?!"She and her husband had been in Faireharbor for business earlier that day, but they had rushed back to Sol as soon as they received Jenny's call.How was Jenny supposed to live now? And what would happen to Thorpes Inc.?She had been talking up their prospects to the upper-class women in Faireharbor, making it seem as if she and Ash were on the verge of marriage!"What happened? I should be asking you!" Jenny yelled."Why hasn't anyone gotten rid of that woman over these past three years?! Why did you let her stick around, only for her to torment me now?!" Her voice shook with anger. "Do you know how smug that woman looked? She had Ash carry her in his arms like she was his bride!""Didn't I give you every opportunity to seduce him? How