Chapter 100
“Who knows? It’s hard to say, but Valerie does seem pretty impressive,” another one chimed in.
“Totally. I feel the same way,” she agreed.
Aside from the toxic trolls hell–bent on publicly humiliating Valerie, most people on the forum were just fair–weather critics swaying with the wind.
The once–buzzing discussion quickly lost much of its steam.
Valerie arrived at school still in a daze.
Valerie was so exhausted yesterday that she even forgot to shower. After talking with Russell, she lay down on her bed and drifted off to sleep without even realizing it.
When she woke up, she found herself tucked under a blanket, her shoes already taken off, and Aiden resting quietly beside her.
After rushing through a shower, washing her hair, and changing clothes, Valerie found Aiden already awake from the noise. Leaning against the bedside, his gaze followed her as he said simply, “We’ll go together.”
Valerie was still half–asleep and didn’t quite catch what he said. “Huh?” she mumbled, confused, then gave an absent–minded.nod and turned around to
leave.
After she stepped outside and got into the cab, it suddenly dawned on her. ‘Wait, did I just overlook something incredibly important?” she wondered.
With trembling hands, Valerie nervously picked up her phone, anxiously waiting for Aiden’s call or WhatsApp message.
Valerie breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Phew, thank goodness–nothing,‘ she thought.
By the time Valerie returned to school, she had dozed off for another hour during the ride. Still groggy, she headed straight to the classroom, feeling the
odd looks from those around her.
Adrienne rushed up to Valerie, her eyes shining as she whispered, “Valerie, you’re brilliant. How did you even come up with such a clever way to shut
them up? Wow, that was amazing.”
Valerie was practically sleepwalking. “I need to wash my face first.”
Adrienne was stunned for a moment.
Halfway through the morning classes, during the third period, they suddenly got word that the class was canceled. A renowned financial tycoon was coming to campus to give a special lecture.
It was said that not only is he a big shot, but he’s also super young, tall, ridiculously good–looking, and absolutely loaded.
Just now, he donated a whopping 3 million dollars to the school to buy state–of–the–art equipment for the jewelry department and brand–new instruments for the music rooms.
“Oh my god, what a legend.”
“3 million, just like that–he donated it. Oh man, that’s so much money. I’ll probably never make that much in my whole life.”
Another student scoffed, “Let’s be real–drop the ‘probably. There’s no way you’ll ever make that much.”
“Hey, of course, talentless folks can’t make that kind of money. But some campus belles just for being pretty–can casually ride in luxury cars worth millions whenever they please, you know?”
A student scoffed, “Don’t say that. You only see her looking glamorous getting in and out of those fancy cars, but you don’t see the humiliating mess she’s in behind closed doors, getting pressed by some greasy sugar daddy.”
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Wed 11 Jun
Chapter 100
Adrienne was fuming, ready to march over and give those girls a piece of her mind, when Valerie suddenly grabbed her hand.
Valerie’s eyes turned icy as she whispered, “People can say whatever they want we can’t stop their tongues from rotting. But what’s more important is we shouldn’t take the bait.”
After all, they didn’t actually name names.
The lecture was held in the school auditorium, packed with an eager crowd. People were jostling for seats–especially the girls, who were practically buzzing with excitement.
As Valerie and Adrienne were walking across campus, Valerie suddenly spotted a familiar figure, Payton from the finance department.
Payton froze for a second when he spotted Valerie, then his eyes lit up. “No way. What a coincidence–you’re a student here too?”
Valerie chuckled in surprise, not expecting to run into him here. “Well, I am a student, after all. But shouldn’t you be with your mother right now?”
Payton broke into a bright smile and said, “Thanks to you, my mom’s now cleared for surgery–they just have to wait a couple more days before operating.
“Her condition is stable, and the doctors are really optimistic about her chances. That’s why I came back to school today, I have some important things to handle. I’ll head back as soon as I’m done.”
Valerie nodded reassuringly and said, “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”
Payton smiled warmly and nodded, saying sincerely, “Thank you, really, thank you. I don’t even know your name yet.”
“Valerie Clark,” she replied with a gentle smile.
Payton’s classmate froze. “Wait? What?”
“Valerie,” she repeated.
Payton’s classmate stared at her in disbelief. “Wait? You’re Valerie?”
“No way,” he blurted out in disbelief.
‘That Valerie who’s been absolutely trashed online?‘ he wondered.
“Wait? You know her too?” Payton asked, clearly surprised.
Payton’s classmate muttered under their breath, “Who doesn’t know her now? She’s gone completely viral lately.”
Adrienne felt unsettled. “Let’s go grab some seats before they’re all taken,” she said, trying to hide her discomfort.
“We’re going. See you,” Valerie said.
Valerie and Adrienne parted ways soon. Payton had barely sat down when the principal, beaming with joy, began his speech.
Payton turned to his classmate, curiosity in his voice “How do you know about her?”
The classmate looked at him oddly and retorted, “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? This is Valerie we’re talking about–the infamous mpus queen. She’s been getting absolutely dragged online these days. With all that scandal, it’s practically impossible not to know her, right?”
Payton frowned and asked, “What’s going on? You seem to really dislike her.”
He rolled his eyes at Payton and tossed him a link. “See for yourself.”
Payton clicked the link but exited within seconds, his face livid with rage. “This is complete bullshit.” he snapped. “How can people go this far and just spew this kind of garbage? It’s absolutely revolting.”
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Chapter 100
Pile classmate shot him a posted took. “Why do you thin her ch datir
Payton’s face was then. “Didn’t i tall gren, just a roman
Pansplant, when Valerie sava m
“She didn’t just help me hei husband
with them.”
gave me a job. The
for money at a nighted as a food prep an
અને રસ્તા ગુમા
“Right.” the classmate replied dismissively at first, but then suddenly caught on, his face taleting into a drange migracion. “Don’t that a dat
Payton nodded solemnly, his face grave. “Yes, it was her he said. “Vaterie lent me 100 thousand dollars so my mim could get sheantanestant, shelf my lifesaver I’ll never forget her kindness for as long as ! live.”
“No, you’ve got to be kidding me,” his classmate stammered, his face contorting in disbelief. “There must be some mistake. And don’t peer vand in vers al married couple who saved you? How could Valerie already be married?”
“How can you be so sure it’s impossible?” Payton challenged.
His classmate choked for a second. “She’s only a junior.”
“Why can’t a junior get married?” Payton asked.
“Well, not exactly,” he said.
“I trust her. That Rolls–Royce is probably her husband’s. He’s young, loaded, and the CEO of the Walker Group. His name is Payton tried to explains
Meanwhile, the principal, beaming with excitement, finally got to the main point. “Now, please join me in welcoming the CEO of the Wal Aiden Walker.”
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