Chapter 154
Chapter 154
Everyone at the scene instinctively turned to look at Valerie, only to find her expression calm as ever. She took a sip of her drink, then looked – Stephanie with a face full of interest,
Valerie behaved like she was simply listening to someone else’s story as if none of it concerned her.
Many people, seeing this, began to feel uncertain.
They wondered, ‘Wait… are they not talking about Valerie?‘
But only Valerie herself knew how fast her heart was pounding at that very moment.
She had known for a long time that this day would come eventually–but she had never expected it to unfold like this.
In front of her mother–in–law and this crowd of gossip–hungry middle–aged ladies, it wouldn’t take more than two hours for a rumor like this to spread through the entire circle.
Not to mention, this was a public venue. Arianna’s move wasn’t just an ambush–it was meant to completely destroy her.
Compared to being exposed in the Walker household or directly confronted in front of Waylon, this was far more abrupt and far harder to recover from.
And the most ruthless part? They had even dragged Valentina over. God knows what else they had planned–perhaps more traps to finish her off in front
of everyone, leaving no room for doubt or escape.
Stephanie glanced at Valerie, let out a cold laugh, then continued, “This fake heiress went and married the real heiress’s fiancé–became the oh–so- envied Mrs. Walker. And now she’s standing right here, in front of everyone, not even daring to admit the truth… Valentina, you’re the one who lived through it. Why don’t you explain?”
Valentina burst into tears and cried, “How did you find out? We hid this so well. My parents only cared about Valerie’s happiness–they didn’t care about how I felt at all. They just handed her over to Aiden! I never even got a say in it. I loved Aiden, but the one who married him wasn’t me…”
Arianna wore an expression full of heartache. “Oh my God, how can someone be like this? She’s just an ungrateful wretch! She wouldn’t be anything if it weren’t for the Clark family! And now she steals the real heiress’s fiancé? Shameless!”
Even though Vivian had already suspected some of this, being called out so directly in front of so many people still made her face darken immediately.
There were too many people at the venue. Everyone started whispering, exchanging puzzled looks, “What’s going on here?”
“Classic rich family drama… what a mess!” another person chimed in.
Someone else asked, “Wait, you can substitute someone for a marriage now? That’s insane!”
Arianna was thoroughly pleased with the chaos around her.
She thought, ‘The bigger the mess, the better!
‘Hopefully, this spreads straight to Mr. Waylon’s ears!
‘The Walker family is a massive enterprise–with so many tangled interests, one incident could shake the whole foundation. So many people are eyeing Aiden’s current position.
‘If this blows up and everyone in the Walker family learns what kind of person Valerie really is, public pressure alone will force Aiden to dump her!”
Just thinking about it made Arianna feel triumphant.
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Chapter 154
She had suffered too many losses at Valerie’s hands! Every time she remembered accidentally gifting that intimate item to David, she burst she wanted to tear Valerie apart!
Valentina cried even harder, and suddenly, a stir went through the crowd–Alannah had arriver.
The moment she appeared, Valentina rushed into her mother’s arms, sobbing with grievance.
Arianna immediately said, “Mrs. Clark, perfect timing! You’re the one who knows the truth best–tell everyone what really happened. It was Valene w married Aiden in Valentina’s place, wasn’t it?”
After hearing Valentina’s tearful story and noticing all the eyes on her, Alannah knew there was no room left to turn this around. She clung to her daughter and wailed, her face drenched in tears. “What a sin… If I’d known it would come to this, I never would’ve adopted her. I never thought we’d raise such a heartless girl…”
Valerie wasn’t surprised at all. She curled her lips coldly, a hint of bitter irony tugging at the corners as she thought, ‘Of course.
‘They really went all out to destroy me, didn’t they?‘
Valentina cried even harder and whimpered, “Mom… stop crying. What do we do now? We didn’t mean for it to happen like this. I wanted to fulfill the engagement, but Valerie kept begging–she cried, made a scene, even threatened to take her own life! That’s why we let her marry Aiden instead..
The onlookers muttered, “That’s disgusting.”
Another sneered, “Seriously? Is that even allowed? That orphan’s a total leech–after taking so much from the Clark family, she went and stole their mant How shameless!”
“Well, what do you expect from someone raised in an orphanage? No parents, no manners. Of course, she doesn’t understand gratitude,” someone else
said.
Full of indignation, Arianna added, “Mrs. Walker, someone like her doesn’t deserve Aiden at all. She’s rotten to the core!”
Valerie’s lips curled into a cold smile. She lifted her gaze and scanned the room.
Just moments ago, she had already prepared herself for the
worst.
Valerie thought, ‘Once the truth comes out, there are only two outcomes. One: divorce–cut ties clean, and Valentina re–enters the Walkers‘ circle. Marrying Aiden is out of the question, but knowing Everett, he might push Valentina to go after another eligible Walker man, like Brody.
‘Or two… Aiden finds out he’s been deceived and flies into a rage. Not only does he refuse to divorce me, he locks me away and vents his fury on me lik I’m a living doll–just like in the last life. Nothing but pain and torment from then on.‘
At that thought, Valerie’s grip on her glass tightened. Only someone watching her closely would’ve noticed her knuckles turning pale.
Clearly, she wasn’t as calm as she looked.
Valerie slowly closed her eyes and made a silent vow: I have to get a divorce. Even if it means losing everything and paying the Walkers a fortune in damages, I must win back my freedom.‘.
She opened her eyes again, looked around, and said, “It’s true. I’m not the biological daughter of the Clark family.”
Her words sent shockwaves through the crowd.
Arianna quietly curled her lips into a smug smile, while the surrounding aunties looked stunned, all turning to stare at Vivian in disbelief.
Vivian’s face turned grim. Looking at Valerie, she asked, “Is it like they said?”
Valerie gave a faint, self–deprecating smile and said, “If I said it wasn’t, would you believe me?”
14:44 Tue, 17 Jun G
Chapter 154
“With an attitude like that, how do you expect anyone to believe you?” Stephanie snapped. “Today you stole your benefactor’s fiance for west and status–tomorrow you’ll betray the entire Walker family for something else. We absolutely cannot beep a stake like you around
Lucianna crossed her arms and spoke with a haughty tone, “If you ask me, she needs to get divorced immediately. Even her marriage existence how can a single word from her be trusted?”
And there it was again that all–too–familiar feeling of being condemned by the masses, met with nothing but contempt.
Valerie’s lips twitched, just about to speak–when suddenly, a deep, cold voice sliced through the crowd, “What a joke”
The man’s voice was low and magnetic, laced with a chilling edge that made the air tremble.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
The crowd parted in two, forming a path for the towering, composed figure walking slowly into view.
His expression was dark and solemn. In a steady voice, he asked, “Since when do you get to decide whether I get divorced or not?”
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