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Chapter_183
Valerie stood frozen in place, her heart hammering in her chest as Ashton’s eyes locked onto hers. The weight of the moment settled between them, the air charged with tension. She hadn’t expected to be caught, though she knew there was always a risk of eavesdropping. Still, her response came naturally, laced with sarcasm. “Eavesdropping? Isn’t it more of a coincidence that I overheard you two? I was just passing by.”
Ashton’s frown deepened, his jaw tightening as his mind churned over the implications of what Elaine had just revealed. The mention of Ludwik and Whitney’s supposed divorce left him stunned. How had things between them gone so far off course? The disbelief clawed at him, but it wasn’t just the news that disturbed him. It was the realization that his perception of Elaine, the woman he had trusted, might be entirely wrong.
“You’re not surprised, are you?” Valerie’s words cut through the silence, her voice sharp, tinged with bitterness. “Elaine is nothing if not dramatic. She’s already planning her next move, and you’re just eating it up.”
Ashton didn’t answer at first. The silence between them spoke volumes—his mind too full of questions and doubt to respond. He knew Valerie wasn’t wrong. The more he thought about it, the more he could see how Elaine twisted every situation to her advantage. But there was still a small part of him clinging to the hope that she wasn’t as calculating as she seemed. He wasn’t ready to fully confront the truth, not yet.
“She’s playing you, Ashton,” Valerie pressed, her voice cutting through his internal battle. “And you’re letting her. Don’t you see it?”
Ashton’s jaw clenched, his mind racing to process everything he had just heard. There was no easy way to deny it now. Valerie’s words rang too true, and for the first time, he couldn’t ignore the growing realization that he had been blind to Elaine’s manipulation. Still, he didn’t have an answer for her. How could he? He had believed in her sincerity for so long.
The sound of Elaine’s voice broke through the tension as she rejoined Jaxon, her tone pleased with herself, as though the conversation had gone exactly as she had planned. She glanced back, locking eyes with Valerie, a sly smile playing on her lips. Valerie had gotten too close to the truth, and Elaine knew it. She would use that to her advantage.
“So,” Jaxon said, breaking the awkward silence, his eyes darting between Valerie and Ashton, “I hear Whitney’s coming. You sure you want to be around for that?”
Elaine’s expression shifted, the cold smile returning as she heard Jaxon’s comment. “Oh, I’m counting on it,” she said, her words laced with an unsettling calm.
With that, she walked away, leaving Valerie and Ashton standing in the silence of her departure. Valerie’s gaze turned back to Ashton, her frustration simmering. He seemed lost in thought, his earlier irritation replaced by something deeper, more conflicted. The realization that his blind trust had been misplaced seemed to weigh heavily on him.
“You’re going to regret this,” Valerie muttered under her breath, more to herself than anyone else. She didn’t have any affection for Whitney, but she could see how this situation, this web of lies and deceit, was falling apart in a way that could ruin them all.
As the evening continued and the summit preparations progressed, Whitney made her way to the Oceanus Hotel. Her mind was clouded with worry, a sense of unease weighing on her as she thought about Ludwik and what had been said. The night felt thick with anticipation, as if something momentous was about to unfold. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this was the turning point, the moment when everything would change. She just didn’t know yet if that change would be for the better—or worse.
