Chapter 221
Valerie chuckled softly. “Alright, get some rest. You… must be exhausted too.”
Though her tone was gentle and caring, Aiden sensed the veiled sarcasm beneath her words. Choking back his rage, he growled through clenched teeth. “Valerie!”
His fury was unmistakable.
Valerie didn’t bother with another word, she hung up the phone.
ང་
Valerie put her phone on airplane mode, biting down hard on her lower lip to keep the tears at bay.
Before long, Valerie tilted her head back slightly, fighting back her tears. Meeting Nelson’s gaze, she managed an awkward smile and murmured, “Sorry
Nelson’s heart ached as he gazed at her and murmured softly, “You’ve lost weight.” And, he thought, ‘you’ve grown even more beautiful.
The girlish innocence he once knew had faded, replaced by a woman’s alluring charm.
This was how he had always imagined she would look in the future.
But now, that future no longer included him.
Most importantly, she looked anything but happy.
“Same goes for you,” Valerie replied with a smile, “Don’t forget to eat, no matter how busy work gets.”
Nelson chuckled softly and dropped the subject, instead painting a vivid picture of Gharn’s local customs and attractions.
At first, Valerie was still a little reserved, but Nelson proved to be an excellent tour guide, his enthusiastic storytelling soon had her eager to explore every corner of the city.
Meanwhile, Aiden was on the verge of a breakdown, repeatedly calling Valerie, only to find her phone was off.
“Shit!” he cursed, raking a hand through his hair in frustration.
‘She must have seen Sydney by now,‘ Aiden thought, his anger flaring. ‘Does she think I’m in there with her too?‘
Just imagining it made him want to wring Sydney’s neck.
Without hesitation, he dialed Kelly’s number.
Kelly was at the bar, chatting and laughing with a cute guy, her face lit up with happiness. When she noticed her phone ringing, she flashed him an apologetic smile, excused herself, and quickly answered, “Bro, what’s up?”
Aiden was already at his wits‘ end, and hearing Kelly in such high spirits only added fuel to his fire. He sneered, “You sure seem to be enjoying yourself. Where’s Valerie?”
Kelly had even stepped outside to a quieter spot to take the call. “I have no idea! Isn’t Valerie with you?”
Aiden roared through clenched teeth, “Find her now! Valerie’s gone missing!”
Kelly froze for a second. “How could Valerie be missing? That makes no sense. She definitely went straight up to your room with your key card…”
Aiden’s head was pounding after a long, exhausting day. He snapped, voice raw with frustration: “I don’t know! I don’t know! Just find her, now!”
Kelly’s heart skipped a beat.
Chapter 221
Aiden suffered from violent rages. At his worst, he once beat a servant nearly to death.
This stemmed from childhood trauma, when he was forced to survive alone in the forest, living like a beast.
Kelly’s heart skipped a beat. Aiden had been doing much better since starting therapy, but hearing his tone now, she panicked. “Where are your Don’t scare me like this! Calm down first, bro, seriously, stay calm! I’m coming right over!”
Aiden knew something was seriously wrong with him, but he just couldn’t control himself. It felt like a wild beast was roaring and raging inside him. tearing him apart from the inside out. There was no way he could calm down.
The veins at his temples throbbed painfully, as if a steel needle was being driven straight into his skull.
Aiden clutched his head and dialed Valerie’s number once again.
Yet still, her phone was powered off.
Aiden’s self–control finally snapped. With a violent jerk, he hurled his phone at the wall, it shattered instantly, pieces scattering across the floor
Kelly had been at a bar near the hotel. As she stepped outside, a sudden crash made her jump. She turned toward the source, and to her shock, it was Aiden.
Kelly dashed over, shouting, “Aiden! Please calm down!”
Aiden’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Kelly, his jaw clenched. “She’s not answering my calls. Her phone’s off…”
Kelly quickly tried to soothe Aiden. “Maybe her phone just died, Aiden. Valerie hasn’t charged it all day, so it’s probably out of battery. Just give me a
second, okay?”
She picked up the shattered phone from the floor and slipped it into her bag. “Don’t panic. We’ll find her. Maybe she’s just hungry. She hasn’t eaten anything all day. She could just be out grabbing a late–night snack, okay?”
Kelly gently patted Aiden’s back, just as she always had when they were children. Whenever he locked himself away in his room, she would patiently stay by his side.
But this sudden outburst was nothing like the ones before.
Aiden still had a shred of sanity left, but he was already on the verge of madness.
Kelly tried calling Valerie, and sure enough, her phone was off.
Kelly thought, her eyes welling up with panic, ‘What should I do now… If we can’t find Valerie, won’t that just push my brother closer to the edge?
‘He’d kept his condition stable for so many years, but now, everything could unravel in an instant…‘
Valerie listened with rapt attention as Nelson shared amusing anecdotes from work, her eyes sparkling like stars.
It was just like the old days.
Nelson’s smile softened further as he smoothly steered the conversation to a new topic.
Before she knew it, Valerie realized they’d been chatting idly for hours. She gave a knowing smile and said, “It’s getting late. I should head back now.”
With that, she turned off airplane mode on her phone.
She thought, ‘I don’t want to answer Aiden’s calls, but I should at least let Kelly know I’m safe.‘
She had acted on impulse just now. Thinking about it now, she felt a pang of guilt.
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Chapter 221
Sure enough, the moment she took her phone off airplane mode, it lit up with a barrage of missed calls, some from Aiden, others from Kelly
Just as Valerie was about to call Kelly back, a sudden shout cut through the air, “Valerie!“It was Kelly’s voice.
Valerie looked up and immediately spotted Kelly, and right beside Kelly stood Aiden.
The moment she saw Aiden, those seductive moans from not long ago came flooding back. ‘How could he… she thought, her gaze turning icy sty
landed on him.
Aiden’s face was like thunder, his entire presence radiating an icy, sinister edge that went far beyond his usual unapproachability. He charged over with the furious intensity of a lion poised to attack.
His gaze was locked squarely on Nelson.
Valerie’s heart seized. “Aiden!” she cried out.
But it was too late.
Nelson had already noticed them approaching
realized that his time with Valerie might easily be misunderstood. He opened his mouth to explain,
but before he could get a word out, Aiden stormed over, grabbed him by the collar, and landed a brutal punch square on his face.
A
