Chapter 38
Chapter 38:
Minutes ago, Alden’s leg bounced impatiently as he glanced at his watch—over an hour had passed. Anxiety crept through his veins like frost.
Perhaps his concern was making him imagine things, but Helena’s voice seemed to float through the closed door, calling his name. He bolted upright and rushed to the consultation room, freezing at the door as Helena’s resolute declaration penetrated it.
She said she would never fall in love with him.
His hand, poised to knock, dropped lifelessly to his side as disappointment crashed over him like a tidal wave.
He’d harbored hope that time would gradually soften her heart toward him. Perhaps honesty was the solution—laying everything bare, dismantling the barriers between them. Yet when Helena’s anguished cries following her hypnosis session reached his ears, doubt seized him.
Would forcing her to confront those memories truly benefit her? The uncertainty paralyzed him.
By the time Valeria and Helena emerged from the consultation room, Alden had vanished.
Valeria pressed her lips into a thin line. She’d believed Alden genuinely cared about Helena’s psychological well-being, but apparently, he couldn’t spare a moment of patience.
Helena checked her phone, finding no message from Alden—just silence in his wake. This uncharacteristic behavior puzzled her. Had something gone wrong?
Valeria squeezed Helena’s shoulder reassuringly. “Forget about him. You’re spending the rest of today shopping with me. Let’s clear your mind p>
A sprawling shopping complex stood adjacent to the private hospital. After clocking out, Valeria whisked Helena away to the retail paradise. They claimed to be hunting for clothes, but in reality, they were merely window-shopping. Valeria’s…
Her modest salary severely limited her options. In this upscale establishment, she could scarcely afford a handful of new pieces each season.
Valeria guided Helena into her favorite boutique, where an eager sales associate immediately approached them. “Our latest collection is displayed over there. Would you like assistance coordinating some outfits p>
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Helena offered a polite smile but instinctively walked toward the clearance section, examining price tags before assessing styles.
The sales associate noticed this behavior and scrutinized Helena with undisguised contempt. Valeria shot the woman a withering glare and intercepted Helena with a flick of her wrist. “Didn’t your husband give you a card? Treat yourself to something special p>
“That’s for household expenses. I can’t splurge on personal items,” Helena insisted, holding up a marked-down garment. “This one suits me perfectly p>
Ignoring Helena’s protests, Valeria thrust several new arrivals into her arms. “Try these on!” She then turned away to browse items for herself.
The sales associate, realizing Helena wouldn’t yield a substantial commission, swiftly redirected her attention to Valeria.
Helena examined the price tags on the new selections, her pulse quickening—each item cost more than two months of her salary. As she prepared to return them to the rack, a piercing, familiar voice sliced through the air.
“Can’t afford new clothes? What’s wrong? Did Dorian stop giving you money p>
Helena pivoted to face Eleanor, whom she hadn’t encountered in days. Helena’s brows knitted together. “What does Dorian have to do with this p>
Eleanor leveled a scornful gaze at her. “No need for pretense when we’re alone. Laurence told me—Dorian personally secured your news anchor audition spot p>
The revelation struck Helena like lightning. She had genuinely believed her diligence had finally earned recognition from management, that her merit alone had secured the opportunity.
Noting Helena’s draining color, Eleanor paused momentarily, then erupted in laughter.
“So you truly were ignorant! Wealthy men love playing savior to their Cinderellas. Dorian pulled strings behind the scenes, and now that you know, you’ll throw yourself at him with complete devotion p>
Helena knew Dorian had orchestrated her opportunity for Alden’s sake. Alden likely knew about it too. But what was his true motive? Was Eleanor right? Was he simply laying a trap, waiting for her gratitude to transform into devotion?
Her fingers trembled as she reached for her phone to call Alden, desperate to unearth the truth.
Before she could dial, Eleanor’s fingers clamped around her wrist like a steel trap.
“You want to seek Dorian’s help in handling me?” Eleanor’s voice dripped with venom, her eyes gleaming with challenge.
“Eleanor, I merely want clarity,” Helena responded, her voice brittle with restraint.
“And then what?” Eleanor’s laughter erupted like shattered glass. “Will you nobly forsake the spot you’ve already secured?” Her shoulders quivered with cruel amusement. “Face reality, Helena—you slept your way to where you are, just like the rest of us. Your moral high ground is an illusion p>
Helena’s silence stretched between them before she countered softly, “That’s not true p>
The industry offered countless shortcuts, but she had steadfastly refused them all. Even when drowning in her father’s medical debts, even in her darkest hours of desperation, she had never once considered bartering her dignity for advancement.
Eleanor savored Helena’s visible distress, drinking in the sweet nectar of another’s pain.
She’d once imagined Helena’s life as charmed, yet here she stood, unable to afford even a single new dress. Still, compared to the humiliation she had endured, this small victory felt insufficient.
Eleanor’s predatory gaze settled on the garments clutched in Helena’s arms. She knew precisely how exorbitant the boutique’s latest collection was—utterly beyond Helena’s meager means.
With serpentine stealth, Eleanor extracted a lipstick from her purse. In fluid, deliberate strokes, she smeared crimson across the pristine fabric of every dress Helena held.
By the time understanding dawned in Helena’s eyes, irreversible damage had been done. Each garment bore Eleanor’s scarlet signature of destruction.
“Eleanor, have you lost your mind?” Helena whispered, horror-struck.
Eleanor’s lips curled into a glacial smile before she suddenly cried out, her voice reverberating through the store, “Helena! How could you destroy these expensive clothes p>
In a heartbeat, every patron pivoted toward Helena, their collective judgment hanging in the air.
The terrible truth crystallized in Helena’s mind. Eleanor wasn’t just humiliating her; she was methodically destroying her.