Chapter 119
Valene’s lips twisted into a wry smile, her gaze icy, “Nn, who do you think Ashton is with right now?
Isn’t it obvious?”
Nn and Parker’s expressions darkened.
Whitney, ever perceptive, caught on that Ashton, Valerie’s husband, might be keepingpany with
another woman at this very moment..
And this woman might be someone Nn and Parker both knew.
Was Valerie’s marriage unhappy?
Whitney pressed her lips slightly.
Furious, Nn blurted out, “That bastard Ashton, I’ll take you to him.”
Valerie shook her head with a dark chuckle. “Forget it. I’m not in the mood to walk in on a steamy
scene. That woman can turn it around on me even if I’m not involved. After all these years, if I can’t
confront her, I can at least avoid her
Whitney’s head snapped towards Valerie.
Parker stood up, forcefully pulling Nn with him. “Stop meddling in women’s affairs. It’s about time we
brothers caught up.”
As Nn left, his piercing gaze lingered on Valerie’s delicate face.
The three women sat down, and Tiana’s gossip–loving soul took over, staring at Valerie, “Valerie, I’ve
noticed Nn seems pretty concerned about you. Nn and Ashton are brothers, right… Oh my God, I
just remembered When I first met you, you said you had just moved out of the Fuller Mansion. You
lived there for a decade, right? Jesus, the day you told me your husband was Ashton, it did not click in
my dumb head. I was so surprised, but thinking about it now, you and Ashton, it was meant to be.”
Tiana’s eyes widened in shock, and so did Whitney’s. Valerie had such a connection with one of the top
families, the Fullers?
Whitney knew Valerie eventer than Tiana and was unfamiliar with her family background.
Suddenly, Whitney remembered something. Did Valerie just mention ‘ine?
A revtion hit her like a lightning bolt. The surname “Bartels‘ was not umon, but it had never
urred to her that Valerie and ine could share it.
Whitney could not help frowning. “Valerie, you and ine, could you possibly be…
Valerie turned her head, nodding with a distant look, “The Bartels of Emperor City are my kin, but
ine is the legitimate heiress. I’m just from a side branch, not closely rted. I was fostered with the
Fullers in Banyan City as a child…”
So, Valerie’s entanglement with Ashton was far moreplicated than just an ine issue.
Ashton and Nn were half–brothers. When Valerie was a child, her parents did business in Banyan
City and were close with the Fullers.
Valerie remembered her mother as kind and gentle, but one day, they imed her mother and Ashton’s
father had an affair, which Ashton’s mother, Matilda, discovered. Convinced of their guilt, Matilda
dragged Valerie’s parents to a confrontation…
That fateful car ride also carried Valerie’s younger brother, and it ended in a devastating crash.
Valerie’s parents died, and her brother went missing.
Matilda was left crippled.
Ashton’s father, feeling guilty, took Valerie from Emperor City to the Fullers to raise her.
Young Valerie understood nothing, and Ashton back then was not the cold–hearted man he was now.
He knew Valerie was innocent, so he pampered her as a sister, In contrast, Nn was hostile towards
her.
Rumors spread that Ashton had a sister who was always with him, like a little shadow.
Valerie thought that although she had lost her parents, at least she still had Ashton’s warmth.
That all changed when ine from Emperor City entered the picture.
On that icy day by theke, young Valerie nearly lost her life saving a teenage Ashton, asking her
distant sister. ine, to look after him while she changed clothes.
But when she returned, she found a young Ashton blushing with gratitude towards ine.
The hero who saved Ashton had be ine.
As ine visited Banyan City yearly, Ashton’s warmth towards Valerie turned to disdain and
misunderstanding. He fell into love, blind to the malice and hypocrisy of a true maniptor.
Meanwhile, Nn, who had always disliked her, became unexpectedly kinder.
As these memories surged, Valerie’s face twisted with pain and bitterness, her slender fingers
clenching the ss, a wryugh escaping her lips.
Whitney, piecing things together, quickly pulled up a photo on her phone. “Valerie, the Bartels heiress in
Emperor City, ine, is this her?”
Valerie nced at the photo, recognizing the saintly facade of ine. “I’d know her even if she turned
to ashes. Do you know her too?”
Tiana and Whitney exchanged a look.
Almost blurting out, Whitney questioned, “Is she also the person Ashton invited international judges to
help?” “Exactly,” Valerie confirmed without a doubt. “He called ine afternding, mentioning that
favor. There’s no one else he’d go out of his way for like that.”
A realization struck Whitney’s heart, an answer falling into ce.
It was ine who revived Monica in thepetition, ine who was the powerful force behind
Yvonne! Although Whitney had suspicions, Valerie’s confirmation solidified the truth, a sharp chill
sweeping through her.
Supporting Monica was undoubtedly a move against her, and ine hadid her ns far too early,
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long before Whitney had any clue.
Whitney had suspected something was off when Monica framed her, leading to her wrongful
imprisonment over counterfeit gems. The scale of the deceit suggested to Whitney that someone with
clout bore a grudge against her, but she could not pinpoint who it might be. Now, as recent events
came together in her mind, a chill ran down her spine. Perhaps the inmates who had attacked her in jail
were not acting on Monica’s orders after all.
From the moment ine showed up, she seemed hell–bent on causing Whitney to miscarry. Clenching
her fists tightly, Whitney braced herself for the storm ahead.
Tiana was seething with rage. “I can’t believe this bitch! Not only did she try to steal Whitney’s
husband, but is she also after Ashton, Valerie?“/
Valerie let out azy, scornfulugh. “No, I’m the one who snatched Ashton away from her, and now I’m
reaping what I’ve sown.
My sister has always been an expert at ying the innocent while plotting behind the scenes. She
loves to
take what’s not hers, and her malice is beyond your wildest imagination and tough to tackle. Isn’t my
decade–long misunderstanding with Ashton proof enough? She doesn’t even love him but relishes
having a string of admirers. The only man in her heart is someone else, but karma’s a bitch- he doesn’t
give a damn about her!”
Valerie’s words were tinged with relish, and Whitney suddenly understood–ine’s true affection was
reserved for L.
As anger and thoughts of revenge surged in her heart, Whitney’s face remained calm, but her eyes
glinted with icy resolve.
Leaving such a woman near L was like waiting for a disaster. If ine was willing to go to such lengths
to harm her and her unborn child, Whitney was more than ready to return the favor.
It was time to strike back.
After parting ways with Valerie, Whitney set out to gather evidence. Monica was the obvious starting
point, especially since she was staying at the same hospital as L. How convenient.
A smirk yed on Whitney’s lips as she checked the date–the submission deadline for the jewelry
The timing was perfect.
She instructed Tiana, “Spread some rumors about thepetition online, push it to trending topics.
Say there’s insider news that the Imperial Gem Corporation still intends to disqualify Monica from the
semifinals.” Tiana hesitated for a moment but quickly caught on. “You have effectively neutralized
Monica’s shares in Skye Gem. ine ims she’s supporting Monica and Yvonne, but it’s more like
she’s using her influence to suppress them. I bet those two are having a rough time and are desperate,
hoping Monica will win the semifinals with the piece ine provided. Announcing her disqualification
now will make Monica lose her cool.”
And that was precisely Whitney’s intent.
If Monica panicked, she would slip up.
Since L was staying at this hospital and ine could not seem to stay away in her attempts to get close
to him, Whitney’s n solidified. She had Tiana nt extra cameras at strategic points throughout the
hospital.
Once the rumors hit the trending charts, Monica indeed became frantic.
Whitney timed her move perfectly, heading to Monica’s hospital room just as ine was due to arrive
with some documents.