CHAPTER 67: CHAPTER 67: HENRY JENNINGS’ FIANCÉE SLAPS YVETTE ASTON

Yvette’s helpless attempt to explain only made her more flustered.

Over the years, Yvette became increasingly inept at explaining herself.

Henry grabbed Yvette’s wrist and pulled her close. "Okay..."

The rest of Yvette’s words got stuck in her throat, as she stared at Henry in a daze.

"Ask anything you want, I will agree." Henry gazed down at Yvette’s wrist, noticing the scars — remnants of past attempts.

"Was it... really hard in there?" Henry asked softly.

Yvette sat on the floor in front of Henry, her gaze devoid of energy.

Was it hard?

Not particularly.

After all, hell has its ways of communicating.

Whether outside or inside, it’s merely the difference between the eighteenth circle of hell and the seventeenth.

"These scars, they can be removed," Henry said, looking at Yvette.

Yvette pulled her wrist away and covered it with her sleeve. "No... it’s unnecessary."

No need to perform pointless gestures.

"You don’t need to go to the club anymore. You follow me, and obviously you won’t be working reception. Stay with me for three years; I’ll have someone deposit a hundred thousand into Summers’ account every month, and the rest into yours. My secondary card is yours to use, or just tell me whatever you need money for."

Henry had no idea how to make it up to Yvette, except to potentially fulfill any material needs.

"No..." Yvette said quietly. "I promised Holly I’d help..."

Henry frowned slightly. "Think carefully."

Yvette nodded, then spoke up again. "I’d rather... it not go public."

She proposed this for Henry’s sake; she herself cared little about reputation now.

Henry patted Yvette on the head, without addressing her directly. "Not sleeping yet? Planning on keeping me company for the night?"

Yvette quickly stepped back with alarm.

Henry chuckled. "I won’t touch you until you’ve thought it over, but I hope you won’t make me wait too long."

Yvette’s lashes were still glistening with tears, evidence she had recently been crying.

Henry mulled over things for a moment before speaking again. "Don’t want to bring Summers over?"

Yvette rose to her feet and shook her head.

Bringing Summers over would mean truly being trapped by Henry.

"Go to sleep, and once the banquet concludes, I’ll go back with you for a while." Henry seemed to promise Yvette.

Yvette nodded, then rushed back to her room.

Henry sighed in frustration, the feast before him untouchable, agonizing...

But what could he do, he had brought it upon himself.

After all, he had stood by passively for far too long.

...

The Nightfall Club.

Yvette arrived at work, with everyone at the club sneaking glances her way.

Yvette was used to it, following the breakfast incident with Henry and the public confrontation involving Ethan. That’s how the staff is now.

Even Maya was becoming cautious. "Yvette, um..."

Maya glanced around, then quietly asked, "What’s your relationship with President Jennings?"

Yvette kept her head down. "Nothing...we knew each other before."

Maya inhaled sharply. "Yvette, you’re quite the celebrity here now. Look over there."

Yvette glanced at the stairs, packed with dozens of women staring at her.

They were all wondering which woman at the club had managed to capture the notoriously picky President Jennings.

And Yvette had become the key figure.

"Several big clients will be visiting today, everyone should stay alert and get back to work." The manager called towards the stairway.

The crowd dispersed, and the manager walked over to Yvette with a smile. "Yvette, have you had breakfast? The reception work is dull and tiresome. Would you like to switch positions?"

The manager intended to transfer Yvette to a higher-paying and more leisurely job.

Yvette shook her head and refused.

And the manager couldn’t say much more.

A red sports car stopped outside the club’s revolving doors, from which emerged a woman dressed in high fashion tossed her keys to an attendant and walked confidently through the entrance.

Yvette kept her head down, not bothering to look up.

"Miss, and you are..." The manager quickly approached and asked.

The woman pushed the manager aside, quickly surveying the room. Recognizing Yvette, she strode over directly.

"Slap!" A resounding smack echoed through the hall silencing everyone.

Yvette lifted her head numbly; her natural reaction upon seeing Claudia was an immediate urge to flee.

"Run?" Claudia laughed, leaning against the bar and watching Yvette. "Keep running. If you don’t kneel today and beg, I’ll sell that little brat of yours to Rividia."

Yvette froze in her steps, breathing rapidly as she turned to face Claudia. "What are you... planning..."

"No more running?" Claudia chuckled, stepping closer to Yvette.

"Who are you?" Maya finally shook off her shock and bravely placed herself in front of Yvette. "How can you just hit people like that?"

The manager and the security staff realized what was happening and rushed over.

"Are all of you blind?" Claudia raised her head haughtily, her tone mocking. "I’m Claudia Bell, from the Bell Family. To you, I’m your boss Henry Jennings’ fiancée."

The manager stared stunned at the security supervisor, indeed they’d heard about the Jennings-Bell family engagement.

Claudia was indeed the second daughter of the Bell Family, the one set to marry Henry Jennings.

Years ago, Claudia had orchestrated an incident on Lynn Chase, dumping a whole cup of tea on Lynn in front of the entire crew and even got Lynn beaten. The scandal had gone viral then, though Henry quickly quashed it.

Henry hadn’t been angered by Claudia’s actions towards Lynn; instead, it seemed to bolster Claudia’s audacity.

For years, Claudia had claimed the title of Henry’s fiancée, strutting around with little regard for the negative gossip — Henry always managed to resolve it for her.

Knowing the ’real deal’ had arrived, the manager was momentarily at a loss.

"Yvette, escaping to Montville from Meridia, quite the talent." Claudia shoved Maya aside and tugged at Yvette’s hair. "You’ve bedded all of Meridia’s social elite, now you’ve come to seduce my man?"

Yvette clenched her trembling fingers, choosing to remain silent.

The hall soon filled with onlookers, all of whom were stunned by what they were witnessing.

The main wife catching the mistress?

"Take a good look everyone. Do you know who she is?" Claudia jeered, talking loudly enough for all to hear. "Yvette, remember the country-wide scandal six years ago about the real and fake heiress? Ring any bells?"

Murmurs arose among the gathering crowd.

Yvette felt darkness engulfing her; it was another scene of public judgment, criticism, unbearable.

A sense of suffocation grasped her, leaving her wishing for something worse than death.

"This is the one who spent twenty years living as the Aston family’s heiress, a thief and a slut," Claudia yanked Yvette’s hair while making her accusations. "You know what the men in Meridia call her? A piece of trash... used up and discarded."

Yvette bit down on her lip hard, blood streaming.

How could she explain or confront such rumors?

"I’ve even got videos of her; a whole collection... want to see? Rated 18 and over, restricted, featuring several men..." Claudia produced her phone and began to sift through past recordings made while tormenting Yvette.

Yvette wept, attempting to prevent it, fingers growing numb.

"Scared now? Seducing my man, where was the fear then? Yvette... you’re quite skillful." Claudia laughed wildly, treating Yvette as a mere plaything. She delighted in bullying others.

"Remember? Six years ago... oh, I forgot, you were pregnant then, even in the alley they didn’t spare you..."

Claudia’s words felt hellish, dragging Yvette back to her memories, each like torment beyond measure.