Revenge In Repose (Valerie and Aiden) novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Valerie raised an eyebrow slightly. “What’s going on? Didn’t you go out with your friends?”

Juliette’s voice was panicked. “Don’t even get me started… They just dumped me at the bar and left. Now I’m surrounded by a bunch of people, and if you don’t come get me, I don’t think I’ll be able to get out of here. You know how these places are…”

Valerie narrowed her eyes, a memory from her previous life suddenly resurfacing, something that had never left her mind.

Back then, Juliette had called her in tears, saying she was being held hostage at a bar and begging Valerie to come rescue her.

Believing her, Valerie had rushed to the bar with Phillip in tow.

She had even told Phillip to wait outside and come in to help if anything seemed wrong.

But when they arrived, it turned out to be a trap.

མི་ཆེ་ ་རྗེ་ ་ ོ་ ་མ་

Juliette wasn’t being held captive. She was sitting on a couch, chatting and laughing with a group of friends.

Juliette had pulled Valerie into the circle, insisting they drink together, claiming it was just about making friends. But there were a few men who were clearly crossing boundaries–touching her inappropriately, acting strange, and some of the others looked like they were about to pass out, lying on the sofa with blank expressions like they were in some trance.

Valerie had never seen anything like it. Furious, she tried to leave, but someone blocked her way, scolding her for disrespecting Juliette.

Juliette, playing the victim, clung to Valerie and claimed she had leverage over them, saying she had no choice but to act that way. She begged her to stay, asking for some mercy.

Reluctantly, Valerie stayed a bit longer.

What she didn’t expect was that, even though she never drank, she ended up “passing

out” in Juliette’s arms.

If Phillip hadn’t been waiting outside, no one knew if she would’ve made it out that night.

It happened just before the Clark family’s birthday party.

Later, somehow, Valentina got hold of photos showing Valerie being dragged around by a man at the bar, and even images of her unconscious, being taken advantage of. Those photos were shown on the big screen at the birthday party, humiliating Valerie in front of everyone as they pointed fingers at

her.

Looking back, Valerie was sure that Juliette and Valentina had planned it all.

Now, the tone of Juliette’s call was eerily similar to that time.

Valerie narrowed her eyes and pressed the record button on her phone. “What’s going on? Are you really being held at the bar? Those people aren’t trying to take advantage of you, are they?”

Juliette sounded even more desperate now, her voice trembling. “Valerie, there are so many men. I think I’m drunk. You have to come get me… please, I’m so scared. Hurry!”

Valerie’s tone remained calm. “Okay, don’t worry I’ll be there right away.”

“You must come alone. A place like this… if word gets out, it’ll be bad for both of us, especially for you…”

Valerie’s voice was resigned. “Even now, you’re still thinking about me. Don’t worry, I’ll be there. What’s the address?”

Juliette quickly gave her the address and hung up.

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Chapter 22

Once the call ended, Juliette wore a smug, “I knew it expression and couldn’t help but smile to herself. “She might not come from a good family, bu she’s got too much pride. If I’d just told her you wanted to be friends with her, she definitely wouldn’t have come.”

As Juliette spoke, she glanced over at Rowan, who was sitting nearby.

Sure enough, Rowan was intrigued and asked, “Not from a good family? Just how bad are we talking?”

Juliette explained, “She’s been an orphan since she was a child. She got adopted because she looked a lot like the missing daughter of a wealthy family, Suddenly, overnight, she went from nothing to living a privileged life.

“But then, just a few years later, the real missing daughter came back, and she became a joke in that family.”

Someone else chimed in, “So, are you saying the parents who adopted her didn’t want her anymore?”

Juliette shook her head. “It’s not that they didn’t want her. It’s just that the real daughter came back and wanted everything that was hers. They felt like she’d taken too much, so they wanted it all back.”

Rowan’s interest piqued even more, and he chuckled. “That’s interesting. So, they cut her off completely?”

“Of course they did. After all, their biological daughter is more important than some adopted stand–in.”

Some of the others looked skeptical. “But didn’t she lend you money today? Where did she get it from?”

Juliette sighed dramatically, “With a beauty like hers, what man wouldn’t be willing to spend money on her?”

The others seemed to get more excited. “Ah, now it makes sense.”

Rowan burst out laughing. “I was worried she might be some innocent girl, hard to handle. But now it seems we don’t need to hold back.”

Juliette quickly added, “You better not tell anyone this came from me, okay? This is all a secret!”

Rowan leaned back on the sofa, still smiling. “Don’t worry, I won’t betray you. Once I’m with her, there’ll be benefits for you too. You’ve always wanted to be a star, right? My brother runs an agency. I can introduce you when the time comes.”

Juliette’s heart skipped a beat, and a smile spread across her face. “Rowan, you really know how to make a girl’s day. We’re friends–helping each other out is just what we do.”

Rowan laughed heartily. “You get it. That Kamila, she’s so uptight. I can’t relax around her. And she’s been sent by my mom to keep an eye on me. Whatever you do, don’t mention anything to her!”

Juliette couldn’t stand Kamila either.

She thought, ‘That rich, brainless heiress, always acting like she is above everyone else. Juliette had had enough of her a long time ago.