Heartstrings on Fire novel Chapter 940

Valerie sighed, the weight of a seasoned advisor ready to step down as the crown prince ascends echoing in her voice. "I always thought you were pushed out of the Thomas Group against your will."

Even her resignation seemed a last stand of dignity.

It wasn't until the ride back from the Capital, a slip of words from Alyssa, that the truth surfaced.

"Cilian holds Valerie in high esteem," Alyssa had mentioned casually. "Even with Ryder's promotion, Cilian wanted to elevate Valerie to the role of Vice President."

That was a lofty perch, second only to Cilian himself. But Alyssa had chosen to walk away.

She eventually chose the Tim Group.

Valerie furrowed her brow for a moment before speaking. "I want to see with my own eyes that Jared choosing you was his gravest mistake."

Her words carried a trace of triumph, a subtle lift of her eyebrows betraying her facade.

Agnes couldn't help but smile. "After all, you're no saint."

"I'm certainly no saint," Valerie confessed. "I've known Jared far longer than you, from years back. Alyssa always thought I was the one meant for him. Even when he was with Mamie, I didn't fret. To me, Jared's affection for her wasn't true love. But then he married out of the blue, to a girl barely twenty, to you. That, I admit, blindsided me."

Agnes listened quietly to the secrets buried deep.

Valerie continued, "I was heartbroken, I won't lie. I looked into your past: a journalism student with nothing but average grades, average experience, an average background. I couldn't fathom what Jared, with his high standards, saw in you. Maybe fairy tales do come true; princes do fall for Cinderellas. As much as it haunted me, I was powerless."

"Years passed, you divorced. Even from my place in the Capital, our business dealings kept me close to Jared. I watched him descend into madness over you, self-destruct, self-torment. It pained me. I wanted to console him, to win his heart through my presence, but alas, I failed."

A wry smile crossed Valerie's lips. "But if Jared was fickle, I doubt he'd have captured my fancy. His unwavering focus, his loyalty, that's what I admire."

Agnes chuckled. "If that's what you admire about him, weren’t you just hurting yourself?"

"I wouldn’t say that, Ms. Pritchard," Valerie corrected. "I prefer to see myself as someone who enjoys a challenge. The greater the difficulty, the more it thrills me. I don't just want Jared by my side; I want to be his sole obsession. If I can't erase you from his heart entirely, I'd rather walk away."

"So that's why you didn't stop our reunion?" Agnes asked.

"Yes," Valerie admitted. "On our engagement day, Jared disappeared. The media claimed Sharon's suicide was the cause, but I knew she wasn't enough to trigger such chaos. It had to be something—or someone—more significant. And the only possibility was you. You had returned, throwing his entire world into disarray."

"You don't hate me for it?" Agnes inquired, a hint of curiosity in her tone.