Chapter 123
Vernon stood there, lost in thought, his gaze fixed on the direction Juliette had fled. A nagging sense of unease crept over him. Something bad was about
to happen.
Juliette tore through the streets in a blind panic, running as if her life depended on it. She had no idea how long she’d been running before she finally stopped, nearly collapsing from exhaustion.
Collapsing to the ground, she sat there for a long time, utterly spent. Only when her strength finally gave out did she break down completely, sobbing uncontrollably.
‘I made it. I finally got away.‘ Juliette swore through gritted teeth inwardly, ‘I’ll make every last one of them pay for this. One day, they’ll all bow before me and beg for my forgiveness, especially Valerie.‘
She would make that bitch Valerie sob and beg for mercy at her feet.
After what felt like hours of crying, Juliette stumbled into a public restroom to retrieve her hidden jewelry. With trembling hands, she selected one piece, then headed straight to a pawnshop and sold it without hesitation.
Juliette couldn’t believe it. The jewelry that used to cost 10 thousand dollars was now sold for just 2 thousand.
Juliette’s heart ached, yet she couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved at the same time. ‘Thank goodness, I still have these to sell in case of an emergency,’ she thought.
After completing the sale, Juliette quickly pocketed the cash and headed for the door. As she reached the entrance, a portly middle–aged man happened to pass by.
His gaze caught on the pendant hanging from Juliette’s neck–it looked vaguely familiar, but he didn’t give it much thought. Whistling to himself, he strolled leisurely into the pawnshop and asked, “Anything special today?”
“Nah, nothing special. Just some run–of–the–mill stuff,” the owner said.
“What did that girl just sell?” the
guy
asked.
“She sold a bracelet, nothing special, so I lowballed her on the price. But that pendant around her neck was pretty interesting, a wooden pendant.
“Who wears a pendant made of wood? They’re usually jewelry. First time I’ve ever seen one made of wood,” the owner joked.
“Man, you really haven’t seen much, have you?” the middle–aged man said with a leisure smile, “Do you know about it? Some people just need to wear something to suppress their bad luck.
“For example, a friend of a friend of mine, their family would give a wooden pendant to a child at birth–Oh my.”
He’d already thought the pendant looked familiar, but the more he thought about it now, the more it didn’t sit right with him.
“The whole family does that? Who are they?” the owner was curious.
“The Shelton family,” the guy said.
“Wait a minute,” the owner suddenly realized. “That wooden pendant the girl was wearing just now had ‘Shelton‘ carved on it.”
The middle–aged man suddenly realized why that wooden pendant looked so familiar. Snapping back to reality, he bolted toward the exit, frantically scanning the surroundings. But by then, the girl was nowhere to be seen.
Ever since Valerie and Adrienne moved out of the dorm, they had been in great spirits every day.
18:55 Fri, 13 Jun AT.
Chapter 123
59%
Jasmine finally woke up on the third day of her coma. Out of friendship, Valerie went to visit her, but was turned away before she could even step inside, which left Adrienne fuming.
Valerie, however, didn’t take it to heart. Since they’d already visited, she felt at peace with herself.
After officially signing with Russell, Valerie spent several consecutive days recording piano pieces.
On this particular day, just as she finished a recording session and stepped out the door, she came face–to–face with someone, the man who haunted her nightmares.
Valerie’s face instantly drained of color when she saw him, her body tensing with instinctive wariness. It was Camren Shelton.
Camren was Aiden’s most formidable business rival, the very man who, in Valerie’s old life, uncovered Murphy’s weakness and nearly forced him to step
down as CEO.
In her old life, Camren once sent a dozen intimidating men to invite her over.
As Valerie trembled in fear, he grilled her relentlessly about Juliette’s childhood, then sent her back unharmed–exactly as she had come. That was the only time their paths ever crossed, and it would be the last.
Camren noticed the flicker of fear in her eyes and felt a spark of curiosity. He leaned in slightly, his voice laced with amusement as he asked, “You know who I am?”
Valerie quickly schooled her expression, averted her gaze, and strode forward. “No,” she said flatly.
But just as Valerie was about to brush past him, Camren’s arm shot out, blocking her path.
Valerie’s heart skipped another beat, her spine stiffening. She said, her voice tight, “Sir, please step aside.”
Camren made no move to step aside. Instead, he asked coolly, “Was it you playing the piano piece?”
“Didn’t you just hear it yourself?” Valerie snapped impatiently. “Move aside.”
Camren smirked, “You really seem to dislike me?”
Camren towered over Valerie, nearly as tall as Aiden. As he loomed in front of her, Valerie felt like a child standing before a giant.
Valerie could clearly hear the mocking undertone in Camren’s voice. Trapped like this, she was instantly transported back to the terror of her old life when he’d sent a dozen burly men to surround her.
Valerie took a deep breath. “Nobody likes it when you act like this,” she said sharply. “Now step aside.”
“Huh?” Russell’s voice finally cut in. “Camren, why did you suddenly-”
Teasing a young lady?‘ Russell thought to himself, though he didn’t dare say it out loud. Quickly changing tack, he said, “You heard her, right? That’s her.”
Camren nodded. “Yes, not bad.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Valerie snapped, her eyes flashing with irritation.
Russell quickly explained, “Don’t get me wrong. My brother showed up out of the blue. I had no idea he was coming.
“He heard your composition last night and wanted to invite you to perform at my grandmother’s birthday party. I hadn’t even had a chance to tell you yet, but then he just showed up himself.”
“No way. Move aside,” Valerie said without hesitation. “The contract is crystal clear. We’re strictly business partners.
“Once these recordings are done, I owe you nothing when it comes to your shows. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten that already?”
8.35
Chapter 123
“Of course, I haven’t forgotten,” Russell said awkwardly, quickly pulling Camren aside. “Alright, alright, it was just a casual invite. No hard feelings if you’re not interested.”
Valerie hurried away, her retreating figure betraying just how rattled she was as if she couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
Russell shot Camren an angry glare. “Camren, what the hell did you do to Valerie? She looks absolutely furious.”
Camren looked genuinely baffled, raising his hands. “I didn’t do anything. I just walked over because she seemed to recognize me, so I asked a simple question.
“Who knew she’d get so worked up? She’s gorgeous, but what’s with that temper?”
Suddenly, Russell remembered the first time he met Valerie; she’d treated him in exactly the same way.
For no apparent reason, she seemed to utterly detest him. The look of disgust in her eyes was impossible to miss. Russell thought bitterly, ‘This is the first time in my life someone’s hated me this much. It’s downright heartbreaking.
‘I thought it was just me she couldn’t stand, but turns out even Camren gets the same treatment. Well, that’s a relief.”
Russell shrugged and said, “Maybe she’s just tired of guys hitting on her all the time. I mean, look at her. She’s gorgeous.”
Camren grudgingly accepted the explanation. As he watched Valerie’s retreating figure, he frowned. “Why does she look so familiar?” he wondered.
Camren thought, ‘Where have I seen her before?‘ What a familiar face.‘
AD
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