Queen Of Revenge And Glory (Victoria and Jackson) novel Chapter 399

Chapter 399

When Ashley saw those words on Victoria’s phone screen, her breathing grew heavy. Her lips quivered, and for a moment, she just didn’t know what to say.

After a while, she finally worked up the nerve and asked, “Do you like these earrings? If you want, I can give them to you.”

Victoria grinned and said. “I’d love that!”

Ashley tilted her head, took off her sapphire earrings, and handed them over to Victoria. Victoria took them without hesitation and then, without a second thought, snapped them in half.

With a crisp crack, the once delicate earrings were split into two pieces. Ashley stared in shock at what had just happened.

It wasn’t until Victoria tossed the broken earrings into the trash like they were nothing that Ashley finally snapped out of it.

Her face went pale, and her voice quivered as she asked, “Ms. Binder, did you know there was a listening device in those earrings?”

Victoria shrugged. “Just a cheap trick.”

Her gaze turned serious. “Let me get straight to the point. Brian hasn’t given up on you. He knows you’re being threatened, so he reached out to me, hoping I could get you out of this. If you want to get out of this, you need to do exactly as I say.”

When Ashley realized Brian had reached out to Victoria for help, her eyes brimmed with tears. “He…” Ashley faltered, unable to finish her sentence.

She quickly wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and said, “Brian’s accident years ago wasn’t just bad luck; it was deliberate. He never cheated on his assistant. Everything happened because someone had their eye on me.”

“His name is Steven Mosley, the Chief of Benwig City Police Department.”

It figured. It was exactly what Mara had dug up.

When Victoria didn’t even flinch, Ashley realized she must’ve known all along. Otherwise, Steven wouldn’t have gone out of his way today to make her address the X issue with Victoria, warning her to stay out of the Clark family’s business.

After all these years with Steven, Ashley knew he was secretly in cahoots with the Clark family. “You’re helping me because you want to help the Thornton family bring down the Clark family, right?” Ashley said.

“After all, in Steven and the Clark family’s plan, the next step is to crush the Thornton family and make the Clark family the top dog among Benwig City’s elite.”

Victoria wasn’t going after the Clark family for Jackson’s sake, but she didn’t bother explaining that. Instead, she asked, “You’ve been with Steven for a while now. How much do you know about him?”

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Chapter 399

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Ashley went on. “I don’t know a whole lot. I just know he uses his job to hook the Clark family up with all kinds of backdoor deals. Whenever there’s shady overseas business, the cops just look the other way.”

Victoria cut straight to the chase. “Do you know anything about the Greenville Talent Academy?”

Ashley paused, searching her memory. “I’ve heard bits and pieces. Apparently, they’re training girls to be toys

outside for powerful men at some exclusive party. The whole thing goes down on an offshore island, way anyone’s jurisdiction.”

“Steven is super cautious. Every time he sees me, it’s just to sleep with me…” Ashley’s gaze darkened. “So honestly, I don’t know much. If you’re hoping for evidence from me, you’ll probably be disappointed. There’s nothing I can do for you.”

“It’s fine… What did that painting you posted today mean?” Victoria suddenly asked.

Ashley was caught off guard and muttered, “It’s nothing.”

“Brian said you were in danger. So, were you planning to end your life?” Victoria asked bluntly.

Ashley fell silent. After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice bitter.

“I always felt my life should’ve ended ages ago,” Ashley said. “I was born in a poor village, and my parents only cared about having a son. When I was little, they sent me off to my uncle’s place in town.

“My uncle and aunt worked themselves to the bone to put me through college, but before they could even enjoy a single day of peace, a flood took them away.

“When I was about to end it all by jumping into the sea, Brian found me. He ignored his own safety and pulled me out, almost getting swept away himself.”

She continued, “He told me that since he saved my life, I couldn’t end it without his say–so. So all these years, no matter what happened, I kept fighting to stay alive, because he asked me to.

“But now, I really can’t keep going. I can’t find my own light anymore. Steven used to threaten me, saying that if I didn’t obey, he could take Brian out any time he felt like it. That’s why I always did what he wanted.

“But lately, I can feel he’s already bored with me. So if I die, it probably won’t matter to Brian at all. Honestly, it’s only when I’m alive that Brian keeps getting caught up in all the gossip and rumors because of me.”

Even after she was gone, she’d already written her final note. She’d lay it all out, explaining that Brian never betrayed her. She’d confess it was her own greed for wealth and power that made her choose a man richer and more powerful than Brian.

Victoria said seriously, “No, your light is still there, and he’s still doing everything he can to help you see it.”

Ashley gave a bitter smile. “What’s the point… I already feel so tainted, I can’t even accept myself anymore. Even if you really save me, it won’t change anything. I’ll never be able to forget all of this.”

Victoria didn’t try to give her a big speech. She just said, “Ashley, don’t be in such a hurry to give up. First, help me finish Chasing the Dream, and clear Brian’s name. After that, you can decide for yourself if this world is still worth staying in.”

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She added, “Starting today, I’ll be the one keeping you safe. But if, when everything is over, you still want to go down that road, I won’t stand in your way anymore.”

*****

When Ashley’s end went silent, the middle–aged man took off his earpiece. “Victoria’s got some real skills. She’s already dug this deep,” he muttered.

The guy behind him asked nervously, “Boss, what do we do now? Victoria’s not easy to deal with; she’s not going to play by your rules.”

The middle–aged man let out a heavy sigh. “What else can I do? If she won’t stop investigating me, then I’ll just wipe her whole village off the map.” After saying that, he ran his hand over his arm where the blast had grazed him.

Luckily, the explosion wasn’t that big, and he was far enough away, so he just ended up with a minor burn on

his arm.

The guy behind him caught on right away. “Understood, boss. I’ll get the crew ready. If Victoria doesn’t know what’s good for her, we’ll just wipe out the whole village she came from!”

From that point on, they planned to plant criminals in the village and fabricate evidence to make it appear as though it was filled with wanted fugitives, using it as justification to deploy armed forces and eliminate everyone there.

They wanted to see whether Victoria would still dare to act so high and mighty after that.

The middle–aged man added slowly, “It’s about time the Thornton family got a taste of pain. Maybe then that so–called invalid Jackson will finally keep his new fiancée in check.”

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