Filed to story: The Scarlet Vengeance: Justice of a Framed Beauty Novel (Grace & Jason)
Valda Theller could not help gulping. ‘Is he trying to stand up… for me?’
“Well… Let the police handle her. Just do it according to the law,” Valda Theller said weakly.
“Okay,” replied Brian.
“Well… Why did you do all this for me?” Valda Theller could not help asking.
His dark phoenix eyes glanced at her bruised face and swollen cheek. Her round deerlike eyes were full of confusion. “Because you’re my girlfriend. Someone laid a hand on my girlfriend. Of course, I’m going to get justice for you,” he said.
The simple words made Valda Theller’s heart melt. It felt good to have someone so protective of her, even though she knew she was only his girlfriend in name.
“Thank you.” Her voice choked.
“Why are you thanking me? Didn’t I say you’re my girlfriend?” he asked.
She took a deep breath, looked him straight in the eye, and said sternly, “But do you really want me as your girlfriend? I… I didn’t know who you were earlier, but I now know you’re the crown prince of the entertainment industry. Won’t someone like me being your girlfriend only raise questions? It might ruin things for you.”
Brian said, “Who I choose as my girlfriend is my business. Why bother with others’ doubts? You only have to look like you love me in front of people. Of course, you can tell me now if you have something else in mind such as falling in love with someone else.”
Valda Theller hurriedly shook her head, “No, I’m not in love with someone else!”
Brian said, “Including Raymond Bowman? I know you used to date him when you were in university.”
Valda Theller bit her lip slightly. It was not a secret during university, and it was not surprising that Brian knew about it.
“Yeah.” She nodded. “Since you know I used to date him, you should know that the bullying I suffered in university was also because of him.”
She never told anyone else about the events of that year except Camille.
However, she could not help confessing in front of Brian. “I did like him back then. I thought I was lucky to be able to be with the person I liked when I thought it was just a secret crush. But I found out he was in love with another woman, and I was only a tool for him to please her.”
When she told Camille these, she felt nothing but bone-crushing pain.
However, the pain seemed to have disappeared when she told Brian this. All that remained were ridicule and… relief. She found it ridiculous that she had once fallen in love with a person like Raymond Bowman. She even bet that Raymond Bowman had some feelings for her and that he would not defame her in front of everyone or send her to hell.
It seemed inevitable that she lost.
At the same time, she was glad that she had finally gotten over Raymond Bowman, who was just a passerby in her life.
“So, I don’t like him. Not now, not ever again,” Valda Theller said firmly.
“Really? But I think he cares a lot about you,” said Brian.
“If he cared about me, Assistant Maggie wouldn’t have been the one to rush in front of the camera with the others to save me today. He was there watching,” Valda Theller said with a slight smile.
She was so nonchalant as if Raymond Bowman did not mean anything to her.
Brian stared at the woman in front of him. Sometimes, she was indecisive, but other times, she seemed so decisive.
It was just like how she agreed to date him and let go of her feelings for Raymond Bowman.
“I envy you.” A whisper escaped his mouth.
“Envy?”
“You can withdraw your feelings,” he said.
After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “Maybe it’s just like what you said. I can withdraw them because I didn’t love him deep enough. Fortunately, my affection for Raymond Bowman wasn’t deep enough.”
“I can’t withdraw mine because they’re too deep…” he muttered as his long lashes lowered gently, half-obscuring those deep phoenix eyes.
‘What is he thinking? Is he thinking about the one he loves deeply?
‘Raymond Bowman said Brian refused to have any girlfriends for the one he loved. He even risked his life to save her and… is willing to never marry!
‘How much does he love that woman? We’re even dating because of… that woman!’
“What’s the matter?” His voice suddenly rang out.
Valda Theller realized she had fallen into a trance from looking at him. Those phoenix eyes had looked up to meet hers.
“N-Nothing. I think Raymond Bowman probably won’t bother me anymore after what you said in front of him.” She paused. As if recalling something, she hurriedly said, “I… I know what you said isn’t true. You don’t love me. Don’t worry… I… I won’t misunderstand you. I won’t bother you even if we break up.”
She anxiously tried to explain, but she spoke so quickly that she let out a low cry of pain when she accidentally tugged at her swollen face..
“I know you didn’t misunderstand me.” He put his fingertips to her lips and muffled all her voice. “You need to get some rest.”
Valda Theller felt as if her lips were on fire.
She lay down on the bed in a fluster, and the heat from her lips seemed to spread to her face, which was probably very red now.
‘What… on earth is wrong with me? Why is my face turning so hot because of Brian’s finger?
‘Is it because of… Brian’s face? He’s so good-looking! Um… It should be normal to blush… when a good-looking man presses his fingers against my lips.’
Valda Theller comforted herself. Then, she closed her eyes so she would stop looking at Brian.
Moments later, the sound of even breathing came from the person on the hospital bed. It was obvious that she was asleep.
Brian was surprised that Valda Theller fell asleep so soon. “How… unwary,” murmured Brian.
‘Does she trust me?’ He looked at the bruises on her face and felt that the injury on the woman’s face was so harsh to the eyes for the first time.
“What? No Stephensonl?” In the detention center’s meeting room, Queenie Mack looked at the lawyer her family had hired for her and could hardly believe the reply she heard.
“Yes, because those extras insist that you instructed them to hurt Valda Theller, Miss Mack. Besides that, they have records of the money you transferred to them. It’s safe to say that they have all the evidence required, so you’ll be detained for at least 15 days,” the lawyer said.
“15 days?” Queenie Mack asked in shock. ‘I don’t even want to stay for a day!
‘If I’m detained, it’ll be the end of my career if word gets out. To make matters worse, if the heir of the Weiss family whom I’m working so hard to approach finds out about this, how am I going to…’
With that in mind, Queenie Mack hurriedly said, “No, I must get out immediately. It doesn’t matter how much it costs.” “Miss Mack, there’s nothing we can do,” the lawyer said.
“How is there nothing we can do?” Queenie Mack panicked. “It should be fine if I can afford the Stephensonl. Besides, I swear not to leave tMason Swansonty.”
“Miss Mack, you’ve offended the Hart family.” The lawyer could only be more explicit.
Queenie Mack froze. “What… do you mean?”
“The Hart family told the police to handle everything by the book.” In other words, if the police were lenient, they would be in trouble!
Therefore, nothing would come out of it even if the lawyer tried to pull some strings.
Queenie Mack looked confused. ‘I… I’ve never offended the Hart family. Even if I did instigate other actors to go on a strike with me, that’s something that happened on the set. There’s no conflict of interest with the Hart family.
‘What the hell is going on? The assistant named Estelle Rowe rescued Valda Theller and called the police at the set. Now, the Hart family seems to be targeting me!’
Queenie Mack’s head was full of doubts, and all that resentment was directed at Valda Theller.
‘How could I have ended up like this if it weren’t for that woman?
‘I’ll never let Valda Theller off!’
Valda Theller did not expect herself to… fall asleep as soon as she closed her eyes!
Besides that, she slept so… peacefully! She remembered entering the ward around three o’clock, and now, it was dark.
‘How long was I asleep?’
“You’re up? Are you hungry?” The familiar elegant voice rang in the ward.
Valda Theller immediately sat up and could not help wailing. She sat up so fast that it tugged at a painful part of her body.