Revenge In Repose (Valerie and Aiden) novel Chapter 212

Chapter 212

Valerie whispered anxiously, “Then… what about me?”

She was a bundle of nerves.

Valerie thought anxiously, ‘If Baz really is my dad… then I wouldn’t be an orphan anymore, right?

‘Then I’d… I’d actually have family.‘

At the thought, Valerie felt a warm glow spread through her chest.

Valerie mused, ‘Baz may be self–made, but his abilities and connections are formidable… If he really is my father, then wouldn’t my social standing change too?‘

Aiden gently placed his hand on her shoulder and said softly, “Let’s go meet them.”

She composed herself, then sat in the wheelchair and was wheeled out.

Baz looked at Valerie in the wheelchair, his eyes filled with complex emotions, and said formally, “Mrs. Walker.”

Russell studied Valerie’s face. The more he looked, the more she reminded him of his aunt. Stepping forward, he asked, “Valerie, how’s your back? We went to the hospital to see you, but you weren’t there and didn’t answer our calls, so we figured you must’ve come home and came straight here.”

Valerie always kept her phone on silent mode.

Russell cleared his throat awkwardly. “We came to find you because… the DNA test results are back.”

Valerie nodded, her eyes shining with anticipation as she looked up at Russell.

Russell said hesitantly, “Well, I really think you look so much like my aunt, not just her, you even resemble my grandmother when she was young. But…”

Russell produced the DNA test report solemnly and said, “There’s no blood relation between you and Mr. Holden.”

Valerie stared at the string of zeros on the report, and all the hope swelling in her chest instantly deflated, as if she’d just been doused with a bucket of cold water.

Valerie thought bitterly, ‘I thought I was prepared for the worst… so why does seeing the result right now still hurt this much?‘

Valerie glanced at it and forced a slight smile. “See? I knew it couldn’t be. What are the odds of something like that happening…”

Baz looked deeply apologetic as he said sincerely, “My apologies, Mrs. Walker. I was being presumptuous.”

Russell said with an awkward laugh, “What a crazy coincidence! I remember seeing those international news stories about people living on opposite ends of the world who look exactly alike, identical names, no connection at all, not even a drop of shared blood. I was shocked when I first read about it, but I never imagined something like this would happen right here to us. It’s almost unbelievable!”

Valerie forced a smile, masking her disappointment before quickly letting it go.

Baz and Russell didn’t stay for dinner and soon got up to leave. But just before heading out, Baz handed Valerie a parting gift, a hand–drawn portrait.

The portrait looked remarkably like Valerie, though it wasn’t her. It was actually Baz’s late wife, who had succumbed to a terminal illness and was also Russell’s aunt.

After Baz and Russell left, Valerie’s eyes welled up with tears, but she quickly composed herself, forced a bright smile, and said to Aiden, “I got my hopes up for nothing.”

Aiden gently stroked her hair. “You’ve still got me,” he murmured.

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Chapter 212

Valerie paused briefly, then instinctively looked up at him. Meeting his deep, obsidian eyes, she was profoundly moved by the unwavering sincerity

within.

Valerie felt a lump in her throat and her nose stung with emotion. Unable to help herself, she leaned into Aiden’s embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist. In her mind, Waylon’s words from the past echoed, “Valerie, I know you’re a good kid. You’ve come far for an orphan, but the Walker empire will eventually belong to Aiden. It’s unrealistic to expect him to manage such a vast conglomerate alone, someone like you would only hold him back.

“One can only bear as much as their abilities allow. You’re not cut out for the responsibilities of the head of the Walker family, nor can you handle the challenges ahead. It would be best for everyone if you stepped aside now and made room for someone else. I’m saying this for your own good.”

Valerie had never planned to stay married to Aiden for long, but she refused to leave just because she was deemed unworthy.

Valerie thought to herself, ‘First and foremost, I’m a person. My identity and status come later.

‘It’s true I am an orphan, but my starting point wasn’t low. Baz built everything he has from scratch. If he could do it, why can’t I?

‘In my previous life, I was helplessly trapped under Aiden’s suffocating control. But in this life, at least I have my freedom.

‘I’ll make sure those around me see me for who I truly am, my own person, not just an accessory to the Walker family.

‘Only with true power can I break free from being at others‘ mercy like this. Only with absolute authority will people stop looking down on me, and only then can I truly control my own destiny.

‘Time to grow stronger.‘

Having made up her mind and stuck at home with her bad back, Valerie figured she might as well start dabbling in stocks.

She realized she had a natural talent for finance. Just by investing in a few key stocks she remembered from her previous life, she had already amassed a small fortune.

Valerie had already bought herself a place to live. She had about 1.5 million dollars in managed investments, overseen by a professional financial advisor. On top of that and her real estate, she also had another 1.8 million dollars in liquid cash, money she could use however she wanted.

Now, this amount of cash might be pocket change for the truly wealthy, but for her, it was enough to accomplish a great deal.

While Valerie was busy, Timothy quietly entertained himself, perfectly content to play on his own.

Recently, with time to kill, Waylon decided to try his hand at stock trading.

He really did take a fall last time, though it wasn’t all that serious, it was partly a deliberate ploy. Faking it was one thing, but once Aiden saw right through his act, it was a whole different story. Furious at being exposed, Waylon ended up sulking in the hospital for a few extra days.

These days, bored in the hospital, Waylon put his seasoned instincts to work in the stock market. He made a few hundred million dollars, but he was

having a blast during his stay.

As Waylon kept trading stocks, he noticed an unfamiliar trading account that always managed to sell at the peak, and every time it did, the stock would

inevitably plummet.

It had become like clockwork, Waylon noticed the pattern several times and couldn’t help but follow her trades, only to find, to his surprise, that things

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