Revenge In Repose (Valerie and Aiden) novel Chapter 99

Chapter 99

For some reason, an odd sense of dread crept over Valerie.

Valerie cautiously lifted her head; sure enough, Aiden’s face had darkened to an extreme, his aura abruptly plummeting to a terrifying low that sent heart pounding fear through her.

Valerie instinctively swallowed, guilt flashing across her face, and quickly sealed her lips.

‘Sure enough, I really shouldn’t mention other men in front of him,‘ she wondered, ‘Even though I know I can’t stand him, I still can’t talk about other guys when he’s around. Wow, his possessiveness is downright terrifying.! What a ridiculously jealous beast. The ultimate green–eyed monster.

Aiden fixed her with a cold, piercing stare, clearly waiting for her to realize just how badly she’d messed up.

But he was clearly overthinking it. Valerie’s guilty, timid look was more out of fear of making him angrier if she said another word, rather than any realization that she’d missed something.

Aiden couldn’t help but feel a surge of irritation. ‘Why on earth did I fall for this idiot?‘ Aiden thought, exasperated.

‘Seriously? She remembers that damn roommate and even Russell, but somehow it never crosses her mind that I’m involved too?” Aiden fumed inwardly.

His anger mounting as he stared at her, Aiden suddenly loomed over her and gripped her chin.

Valerie was sitting on the bed. When Aiden suddenly closed the distance between them, instinctively, she leaned back, propping herself up with both hands on the mattress. She tilted her head up to meet his gaze, her expression the picture of wide–eyed innocence.

Aiden just couldn’t bring himself to lose his temper. He shut his eyes tightly and let out a heavy, helpless sigh. “Forget it,” he muttered, resignation in his

voice.

‘She’s hopeless,’ he wondered.

Aiden spun on his heel and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut with enough force to make the walls shake.

Valerie felt miserable. ‘I should’ve never been at home. No, I should’ve never answered Russell’s call in the first place,” she thought, regret flooding her

mind.

But putting those thoughts aside, she knew the matter still needed to be handled. Without delay, she quickly pulled up WhatsApp and messaged Russell

again.

Of course, there was no way Russell would actually get upset about this.

That was the actual wife of his family’s arch–rival. Even if they never became real friends, he should still cultivate this connection with her. She might come in handy.

The moment Russell saw Valerie’s message, he jumped at the chance to reply, practically tripping over himself in his eagerness.

Less than ten minutes later, Russell posted on X: [Many thanks to the creative muse Valerie for pouring her soul into every song–each one is deeply moving. Looking forward to our next collaboration and sparking even more magic together.]

The accompanying image showed a sheet of music by Valerie, bearing her signature at the bottom.

Valerie was genuinely surprised–Russell agreed to help her without so much as a second thought. This was going way smoother than she’d ever expected.

Russell promptly forwarded the X post to Adrienne, instructing her to share it on the university forum immediately.

Valerie had barely posted her latest Instagram when some overeager friends had already screenshotted it and shared it straight to the campus forum.

12

Chapter 99

The title was: [The campus queen has been MIA lately–turns out she wasn’t ignoring you, just too busy to bother.]

Original post: [Wow, our campus queen’s weekend was seriously packed–she actually went to such a high–profile event and took photos with so many big shots. I’m so jealous. Art students will totally get why I’m freaking out right now.]

[HOLY SHIT. No way–I actually recognize all those big shots and legends in the group photo.]

[OMG. Mrs. White–she’s my idol, my absolute idol. How did Valerie manage to get such a close–up photo with her? And their name placards are side by side–just how high is her status to pull that off?]

[What the hell is this? Can’t even tell what’s going on. Just because you call it high–class doesn’t make it so. It’s just a group photo with a bunch of old folks and a DIY name tag. Pfft, so disgusting.]

[Wow, your attitude is downright pathetic. I don’t care if you trash–talk Valerie–I barely know her. But these people are absolute legends. If you’re clueless, just.zip it–don’t embarrass yourself by exposing your lack of brain cells.]

The moment this post went live, it instantly blew up, skyrocketing to become one of today’s hottest trending threads.

The comment section quickly devolved into a full–blown flame war, with art insiders and gossip–hungry onlookers trading barbs.

In all the chaos, hardly anyone seemed to care how Valerie had managed to score an invite to such an exclusive event, or why she was rubbing shoulders with so many big names, let alone the fact that she was wearing a museum access pass.

Luckily, Adrienne jumped in just in time, steering the conversation back on track and refocusing everyone’s attention on Valerie.

[Let’s be real. I’ve heard about this exhibition and lecture too. Only the top–tier talents in the field get invited, and the main stage seats are reserved for the most renowned veterans and professors.]

[So how did Valerie even get in? You really expect me to believe her art skills are that good? No way. Stop being her shills, okay?]

[Cut the shilling bullshit. Just stick to the facts, will you? I’ve noticed so many of you just can’t stand it when anyone says anything good about Valerie- the moment someone praises her, you scream shill. It’s disgusting. Are you just hating for the sake of hating? Do you even know Valerie at all?]

[Wow, could your white–knighting be any more obvious? Think we’re all idiots? Even if it’s true, so what? Valerie is just a gold–digging slut who’ll spread for cash. With a sugar daddy’s deep pockets, she can waltz into any event she wants, right?]