Chapter 494 The Charm
The eighteenth of next month. Just over a month away.
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Lily thought it felt a little fast. But when she remembered James that morning–clinging to her like a desperate wolfhound terrified of being abandoned–her heart softened. She blushed, nodded, and whispered, “Okay.”
Grace pped her hands in delight. “James, on your wedding day, Lily will need more than a gown–she’ll need several outfits for the ceremonies.” She pulled a sleek ck card from her purse and pressed it into Lily’s hand. “Take her shopping. Get jewelry to match.”
“Grandma, I already have so many pieces…” Lily protested weakly. These days, when she wasn’t in the studio recording the theme song, she was shopping. James’s vi safe was crammed full of jewelry already. They weren’t heads of state, why did she need a new treasure chest every week?
“A girl can never have too much jewelry!” Grace scolded, feigning outrage. “Take it. If you don’t, I’ll be angry!”
Helpless, Lily epted the card, cheeks still red, and let James usher her out to the bridal boutique.
Upstairs, Victor had gone to fetch a file. He slipped off his jacket and felt something stiff in his shirt pocket. Curious, he pulled it free.
A charm.
Carved from fine rosewood, strung on red cord, etched with a tiny phoenix and the characters for <i>peace </i>and <i>fortune</i>.
His breath caught. He remembered this charm–barely. Last night, it had rested against the woman’s chest, warm beneath his lips as he lost control. Somewhere in that chaos, it must have slipped into his pocket.
“Victor…”
Marilyn pushed through the door, her eyes shimmering with practiced tears. “The maid said you wanted me in the guest room… Victor, I gave you my body. Don’t you want us in the same room?”
Victor stiffened. His fist closed around the charm, hidden behind his back.
By all logic, this should be Marilyn’s. She had been the one with himst night. And yet–some instinct, deep and unreasonable, told him not to hand it back.
Expression nk, he said only, “If you’d rather stay here, I can move into the guest room.”
Marilyn nearly choked on her rage. She didn’t want him in the guest room. She wanted him in her bed, night after night, so she could get pregnant as quickly as possible.
But she bit her tongue. Victor loathed intimacy; if she pushed too hard, she might scare him off entirely.
For now, the priority was eliminating the bastard child in Lily’s belly. Once that problem was gone, she
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Chapter 494 The Charm
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could “miraculously” turn up pregnant herself. Whether Victor touched her or not, the family would have no choice but to believe.
The Luke fortune would be hers. All of it.
Meanwhile, the hotel cleaningdy who had saved Adeline had not only chased off the attacker but also called for help.
At the hospital, Adeline woke with nothing worse than a concussion and splitting headaches.
She filed reports–against the men who had cornered her, against the two who had drugged her. But the hotel cameras had been deliberately disabled, and Evan and Rob twisted the story, iming she had tried to seduce them. Without physical evidence, there was little the police could do.
Frustration gnawed at her. And yet, beneath it, the memory ofst night’s wildness burned hotter still.
Leaving the station, she resolved to go straight to the Luke estate. She had never been shameless before- but she had loved Victor in silence for years. If she didn’t speak now, she might never have another chance.
At the very least, he deserved the truth.
If he rejected her afterward, so be it.
She was about to call a car when her phone buzzed.
A video call–from Marilyn.
Her heart skipped. <fn35b5> Updates are released by find{n}ovel</fn35b5>
Her foster mother, Holly, had always treated Marilyn with courtesy, despite bad blood between the older generation. Whenever Marilyn visited with her younger brother, Holly would feed them well, even slip them spending money.
But Marilyn never called her like this. Not without reason.