Revenge In Repose (Valerie and Aiden) novel Chapter 40

Chapter 40

By now, a curious crowd had gathered around, many of them longtime rivals of the accused. The moment those shameless words were uttered, scan and sneers rippled through the onlookers–utter contempt written on their faces.

Everyone knew what kind of men Billy and Alonso were. They had a history of preying on young women, and thanks to their backgrounds, justice often slipped through the cracks. As for Brody? He was spouting lies with a straight face.

Billy, black–and–blue and sprawled on the ground, nodded furiously. “Y–yes! Exactly!”

Alonso shouted indignantly, “She attacked us for no reason! We’re the victims here!”

Brody seized the moment, his face darkening in outrage. “Valerie, I don’t care whose woman you are–even if you belong to Aiden, you can’t just flip the truth on its head. I know my friends better than anyone. What you did tonight crossed the line.”

Valerie, half–drunk and fighting to stay upright, almost laughed aloud in disbelief. Her head throbbed from the effort of holding herself together.

Kelly’s temper snapped. “Brody, what the hell are you saying? You’re accusing us of framing them?!”

Brody maintained his calm, all gentle smiles and false sincerity. “You two are clearly drunk. Look at yourselves–you’re swaying on your feet. Maybe you mistook two innocent men for perverts because your imaginations got the better of you.”

Renata quickly jumped in, echoing, “Exactly! way you two were pounding drinks–maybe you started hallucinating.”

Kelly fumed, her chest rising with fury. “We’re not drunk, damn it!”

Brody sighed, still wearing that patronizing smile. “Drunk people always say that. Kelly, I know you. I’ve always seen you as a younger sister. Don’t make things worse by being unreasonable. I’ll be taking my friends with me now. As for the injuries you caused–well, we’ll have to talk about compensation

later.”

Valerie, trembling with anger, forced herself to stand tall. “Wait-”

A low, magnetic voice suddenly pierced through the crowd like a shot fired in silence, its weight sending a chill down every spine.

“Well, Brody,” the voice drawled, cold and composed, “aren’t you bold tonight?”

It struck like thunder.

“Aiden!” someone gasped.

As if on cue, the crowd parted like the Red Sea, revealing a tall, elegant figure making his way through.

He looked like he’d just returned from a long trip, wind–dusted and travel–worn, but no less imposing. His sharp, obsidian eyes locked on Brody, dark as midnight, glinting with silent fury.

He hadn’t said much. He hadn’t even raised his voice. But just by walking in, Aiden’s presence suffocated the air–so oppressive that Brody instinctively shrank back, a cold sweat prickling at his neck.

With a glacial smile, Aiden said, “A few clever lines, and you think you can just waltz off with two men who tried to assault my wife and sister? That’s

rich.”

He came to a halt at Valerie’s side, and though his tone remained cool, the faint upward curl of his lips made Brody’s stomach sink.

The atmosphere shifted. The weight of his rage was silent–but deadly. Billy and Alonso went pale, dread slithering down their spines.

“A–Aiden…” Billy stammered.

They called Brody Brody. They called Aiden Mr. Walker. That… was the difference.

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Chapter 40

Brody took a hesitant step back, then quickly caught himself and forced a grin. “You’re back already? Weren’t you out of town?”

But Aiden didn’t acknowledge him. His gaze remained locked on Valerie.

She stood there flushed, her skin glowing from too much alcohol.

Her eyes shimmered with unease, and when she finally met his eyes, her voice was soft and shaken. “Aiden?”

His gaze deepened.

Valerie felt her knees go weak. She bit her lip and whispered, “Why are you back?”

Only Aiden could hear the faint tremble in her voice, a mix of fear and intoxication.

He suppressed the anger clawing at his chest, loosened the button on his suit jacket, and, without a word, draped it around her shoulders.

She blinked, dazed.

Then he pulled her into his arms, voice low and husky against

her ear. uld you

drink so much?”

The scent of him–clean, cold, uniquely Aiden–wrapped around her. In her last life, she had flinched from it. Hated it.

But tonight, in her wine–blurred haze, it somehow felt like safety. For a moment, she forgot everything else–forgot where she was, what time it was–she just stood frozen in his embrace.

Gasps erupted all around.

Aiden–cold, ruthless, notorious for his disdain toward women–was holding his wife like she was made of porcelain.

This… wasn’t the man everyone thought they knew. Billy and Alonso were breaking into a cold sweat. Weren’t they banking on the idea that Aiden didn’t give a damn about his arranged wife?

Then why–why this?

He didn’t just show up. He was holding her, shielding her, looking at her like she mattered.

Kelly wasted no time pointing. “It was Renata! She dragged people over and tried to get Valerie drunk. Then when we went to the parking lot, we caught these two sneaking around.”