Save Myself From Desperation
img img Save Myself From Desperation img Chapter 6 Hidden Intentions and Desires
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Chapter 7 Cold Encounter img
Chapter 8 Show Stealer img
Chapter 9 Goddess of the Dance img
Chapter 10 Stealing Her Thunder img
Chapter 11 Frenemies img
Chapter 12 Boss Chef img
Chapter 13 Auction img
Chapter 14 Tactics img
Chapter 15 Checkmate img
Chapter 16 Cultivated Expertise img
Chapter 17 Wisdom Beyond Age img
Chapter 18 Going for the Kill img
Chapter 19 ThunderClap Before the Storm img
Chapter 20 Biting the Bullet img
Chapter 21 Stunned and Stoned img
Chapter 22 A Night Full of Nostalgia img
Chapter 23 Hidden Hands img
Chapter 24 As Sly As A Fox img
Chapter 25 The Finals img
Chapter 26 Enter The Goddess img
Chapter 27 Flawless and Professional img
Chapter 28 The Hand of God img
Chapter 29 The Wheel of Fate Turns img
Chapter 30 The Prodigy img
Chapter 31 Rejection, Rejection img
Chapter 32 Rehearsal of Rejection img
Chapter 33 Fads and Trends img
Chapter 34 Mystery Fan or Lover img
Chapter 35 Fondness and Attraction img
Chapter 36 Electric love img
Chapter 37 Relative Value img
Chapter 38 Expectations and Allegiances img
Chapter 39 Decisions, Decisions img
Chapter 40 Emergence img
Chapter 41 Refreshed to Re-treat the Past img
Chapter 42 Slow Burn, Slow Fade img
Chapter 43 The Cat Slips From the Bag img
Chapter 44 Disillusioned img
Chapter 45 Blood is Thicker than Water img
Chapter 46 Track-Record of Lies img
Chapter 47 Too Late to Regret img
Chapter 48 Protective Love img
Chapter 49 Sparks img
Chapter 50 Hangover....Foreplay img
Chapter 51 Love....Tactics img
Chapter 52 Ties That Bind img
Chapter 53 Overflowing Desires img
Chapter 54 Competitive Competence img
Chapter 55 The Unruly Star img
Chapter 56 Rivals and Fans img
Chapter 57 The Tamer of Horses img
Chapter 58 Turning the Tides img
Chapter 59 Criticism img
Chapter 60 Stunned img
Chapter 61 Goddess of the Harp img
Chapter 62 Outclassed img
Chapter 63 Warm and Cold img
Chapter 64 Friend and Fiend img
Chapter 65 Influence img
Chapter 66 Lover's Quarrel img
Chapter 67 Love Sick img
Chapter 68 Ties That Bind img
Chapter 69 Uneasy Partners img
Chapter 70 Playing with The Prodigy img
Chapter 71 Unmasking The Prodigy img
Chapter 72 The Power of Influence img
Chapter 73 Formidable Network img
Chapter 74 Bombshell! img
Chapter 75 Debut of The Legend img
Chapter 76 Celebration and Reactions img
Chapter 77 Allergy img
Chapter 78 Marital Duties img
Chapter 79 Midnight Cuddle img
Chapter 80 On Butterfly Wings img
Chapter 81 Friendly Rivals img
Chapter 82 Deft Skills img
Chapter 83 Internal Dispute img
Chapter 84 A Costly Bet img
Chapter 85 Private Affair img
Chapter 86 Passionate Affection img
Chapter 87 Not On His Watch img
Chapter 88 Unparalleled Love img
Chapter 89 The Variety Show img
Chapter 90 Unveiling The Legend img
Chapter 91 Struck By Lightning img
Chapter 92 Broken img
Chapter 93 Hell to Pay img
Chapter 94 Drowning in the Sea of Regret img
Chapter 95 Public Confession img
Chapter 96 Whitewashed Lies img
Chapter 97 Burning The Bridge img
Chapter 98 Ridiculous Loyalty img
Chapter 99 Pulling No Punches img
Chapter 100 The Ugly Irresistible Truth img
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Chapter 6 Hidden Intentions and Desires

The next morning dawned with gentle, warm sunlight streaming through the window.

Ashley's eyelashes fluttered as she slowly awakened from her slumber.

She gazed at the unfamiliar ceiling overhead. It took her a moment to realize she was in Valentin's room.

She and Valentin got their marriage license yesterday, and she would be living there from now on.

Ashley got up from the bed, noticing the healing scar on her calf.

The ointment Valentin had Gavyn bring over was proving quite effective.

At breakfast, Zain sat at the head of the table, with Ashley taking her place beside Valentin.

Zain couldn't help but beam with joy when he looked at Ashley. "Valentin, let's pick a good day soon to hold the wedding ceremony for you and Ashley! It'll also be the perfect time to announce your marriage!"

Valentin nodded slightly. "Okay."

Ashley was startled, and under the table, she gently kicked his leg with hers.

Valentin's breath hitched, and he glanced down to see Ashley's leg gently against his. Through their thin clothes, he could distinctly feel the softness and warmth of her leg.

Valentin's gaze darkened.

He looked at her and seemed to question with his eyes, "What's wrong?"

Ashley leaned in and whispered in his ear, "We just signed a divorce. agreement yesterday, agreeing to divorce in a year. Announcing our marriage now will make the divorce more troublesome, won't it?"

Valentin frowned.

Ashley continued in a low voice, "So, let's skip the wedding for now and keep the marriage secret, okay?"

His gaze darkening, Valentin looked at her intently for a long time before turning away without expression.

Ashley turned to Zain and smiled, "Let's not rush the wedding. We can talk about it later.

However, Zain was eager for grandchildren.

"Ashley, the wedding is ultimately up to you. It's okay if you want to hold it later, but don't make me wait too long."

Ashley smiled politely and said something else, smoothly steering the conversation away from the wedding topic.

After breakfast, Zain returned to the Kingsley Manor because he didn't live at the Kingsley Villa.

It was the weekend, and Valentin didn't have to go to the office.

He sat on the living room sofa, wearing a loose, thin sweater, flipping through a finance magazine with a casual yet noble demeanor. His hands had pronounced knuckles.

Remembering the ointment from last night, Ashley rolled her eyes and went upstairs to fetch it. Approaching Valentin with the ointment, she coughed awkwardly and said, "This ointment is effective. You have a bite mark on your wrist. Maybe you can try it?"

He didn't look up from his magazine. "No need."

Ashley blinked. "You want to keep that bite mark forever?"

Finally, he looked up from the magazine and stared at her, his tone cold. "Aren't you always thinking about divorcing me? Why bother with this?"

Ashley didn't know how to respond.

He scrutinized her, his eyes intense and piercing. "What if I want to keep this mark?"

Ashley was choked by his words.

She thought, 'What a strange preference.

"Who likes to keep scars on themselves?"

"I remembered I did not bite him that hard, yet the mark remained.

"Fine, since he doesn't want to use the ointment, I won't insist. She turned to leave.

Valentin casually stretched out his legs.

Focused on the ointment, Ashley stumbled over his legs, losing her balance and falling towards him.

The next moment, she was caught in his strong embrace.

Valentin had reached out and held her.

Ashley found herself almost lying on him, their bodies pressed together. Unexpectedly, she felt Valentin's warm, firm chest against her.

With one arm around her waist, he looked down. "Are you alright?"

Ashley, close to him, felt his warm breath on her neck when he asked her, sending tingles of excitement down her spine.

She shivered, her ears burning hot.

"Thank you!"

She quickly got up, thanked him, and hurried away, clearly uneasy.

Valentin raised an eyebrow, watching her flee, and then he moved his legs backward that had been in the way.

Gavyn, just entering the living room, was shocked to see Valentin intentionally tripping Ashley!

Back in her room, Ashley touched her neck until the tingles of excitement faded, then let out a long sigh.

She set the ointment on the dressing table, and her phone buzzed.

She received a message.

[Congratulations, you've passed the preliminary round of Show Your Dance. Please attend the semifinals in a week. The theme is "White". We look forward to your performance.]

Ashley almost forgot about the competition.

Previously, Jessica wanted to enter a modern dance contest, and had dragged her along to sign up.

Jessica was talented and confident, having danced for many years.

Jessica, aware of Ashley's background in dance, cunningly coaxed her into entering the dance competition under the pretense of deepening their sisterly bond. Jessica's real plan was to shine brighter by comparison, positioning Ashley as the plain foil to her own glamorous,

swan-like elegance.

Keenly aware of Jessica's ulterior motives, Ashley still chose to participate, driven by her eagerness to ingratiate herself with the Ramos family. She followed Jessica's lead in everything, including entering the competition.

In the preliminary round, Jessica's manipulation was evident. She dressed Ashley in an unsuitable outfit, starkly contrasting with her elegant attire. This clever ploy made Jessica stand out as a vision of grace and beauty, effortlessly clinching the top spot in the initial round.

Ashley had been immersed in dance since her early years, lovingly trained by her grandmother. She had effortlessly mastered every dance. form. When she was at a casual performance at a school event, she once caught the eye of Megan Rice, a renowned dancer, who saw potential in her.

Despite being handed the most unsuitable costumes, Ashley was able to show her innate talent.

However, she deliberately underperformed, aiming to curry favor with the Ramos family, unbothered by being overshadowed by Jessica. She believed this humility would earn her their respect.

But her efforts were met with nothing but derision from her brothers, who cruelly mocked her for being over-confident, embarrassing the Ramos family. They even asserted Jessica's superiority in every way, belittling Ashley's talents.

Upon receiving that surprising message on her phone, Ashley thought in disbelief, 'Did I advance in the preliminaries?

"And now, I'll face Jessica in the next round.

With beautiful eyes, she smiled faintly as she thought, 'This time, I'm curious to see if Jessica can still claim the top spot in the semifinals."

The semifinal round's theme was White, a challenge in modern dance. Many practiced modern dance, but few excelled in it. With a focused mind, Ashley made a performance that embodied the theme, and then she made intensive rehearsals.

Valentin, aware of her competition, had no particular comment.

Gavyn, keen and observant, already knew everything, thinking, 'Mr. Kingsley seems quite unconstrained about Ms. Ramos' choices, almost as if he's content to stand behind her, supporting whatever she decides to do.

Time swiftly moved on, and the week of the competition arrived.

Ashley unexpectedly encountered Jessica and Jeremy backstage when arriving at the venue on time. A dapper, handsome man accompanied Jessica and Jeremy. He was Frankie Ramos. Ashley recognized with just a cold gaze.

                         

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