One Night With The Devil, No Way Out

After leaving the Lloyd Group, Justine hurried home without wasting a second.

As soon as she walked into the foyer, she saw her parents sitting together on the sofa.

In her previous life, both of them had died in a car accident one year after her wedding.

Their car had gone over a cliff. By the time they were found, their bodies had been so badly damaged that their faces could no longer be recognized, and their limbs had been mangled.

That tragedy had happened on the exact day Chloe Cosmetics became a publicly listed company.

Justine fought back the tears that threatened to fall. She hurried over and threw her arms around them.

"Dad! Mom! I've missed you both so much!"

Her mother, Elaine Bailey, looked at her in surprise for a moment. Soon, her expression softened into resigned affection.

"You're already a grown woman. Why are you still acting like a little girl?"

Justine's father, Richard Bailey, looked directly at the marks on her neck, and his face immediately darkened. "Where were you last night? And what are those marks on your neck?"

Without showing the slightest sign of unease, Justine answered, "I went drinking with a few friends last night and ended up sleeping in one of the private rooms at the bar. I have no idea what bit me there."

She didn't consider it a lie.

After all, she didn't exactly know who that man was.

Richard studied her for several seconds before the stern look on his face eased a little.

"Don't stay out all night again."

In her previous life, Justine had always hated how strict her father was. She had even believed that he didn't truly care about her.

Now, however, that same strictness made her eyes fill with tears. She knew he was like this because he loved her.

"Okay, Dad. I won't do it again," she replied with a smile.

When Elaine noticed the tears gathering in Justine's eyes, she assumed Richard's harsh words had upset her. She gently tugged at his sleeve.

"That's enough. Justine is about to get married. Stop treating her like she's still a child."

Justine was just about to tell them that she decided to call off the wedding when the butler, Arthur Finch, walked over and spoke respectfully. "Miss Bailey, Mr. Nelson is here."

He had barely finished speaking before Jared strode into the house.

After giving Richard and Elaine a brief nod, he grabbed Justine by the arm and pulled her aside.

His voice stayed low, but every word carried a sharp edge. "Justine, do you know how much effort Chloe has put into getting that deal? How could you take it away from her?"

Justine didn't answer him.

Instead, she folded her arms across her chest as a slow, mocking smile appeared on her face.

"It sounds like you and Chloe are pretty close. Close enough for you to march into my house and question me, your fiancée, just because of her?" she said in a calm voice.

Cold sweat instantly covered Jared's back, and he began stumbling over his words.

"W... what? No! That's not what I meant! I only care about the matter because she's your sister—"

In her previous life, Justine had listened to that same excuse more times than she could count.

Before he could continue, she cut him off. She turned around and sat back down beside her parents.

She casually crossed her legs and looked at him with calm indifference.

"Since you're already here, there's something I need to tell you."

Jared was still shaken by what she had said earlier. All he could manage was a confused, "What?"

A faint smile spread across Justine's lips, but there wasn't a trace of warmth behind it.

"It's nothing serious. I just wanted you to know... The wedding is canceled. I don't want to marry you anymore."

Her words lingered in the room, and silence immediately took over.

Jared was the first to recover from the shock.

He looked at her with complete disbelief. "Why?"

His brows drew together tightly. She had always loved him so deeply. Why was she acting like a completely different person today?

Justine let out a quiet, mocking laugh. She slowly stood up and walked toward him. Every word left her mouth with calm certainty.

"Because you're not worthy of me."

After saying that, she looked toward Arthur. "Throw him out."

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Before Jared even understood what was going on, Arthur had already thrown him out through the front door.

"You are going to regret this, Justine..."

His furious shouting echoed in the air outside the house.

Inside the house, complete silence filled the living room.

After what felt like forever, Justine's parents finally spoke. "Are you... absolutely certain about this?"

Justine nodded without hesitation. "Dad, Mom, I'm really sorry. I've been so blind, and I've only caused both of you to worry in the past."

Her apology seemed to lift a heavy burden from Elaine's heart. Her face lit up with excitement. "That's wonderful! This is great news! I'm calling everyone right now to tell them the wedding has been canceled!"

Even Richard, who rarely showed much emotion, immediately headed toward his study. "I'll prepare an official announcement."

Seeing the joy on her parents' faces, as though they had just won the greatest prize in the world, eased the weight that had been pressing on Justine's heart.

Everything she had failed to do for them in her previous life, she would repay a hundred times over in this one.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she rested one hand against her sore back before making her way upstairs.

From the very beginning, Chloe had planned to use Jared as a way to keep her under her control. Now that the wedding had been called off, that plan had completely fallen apart.

After everything that had happened at the Lloyd Group today, Chloe would almost certainly rush home from her apartment tonight and try to convince their parents to take her side.

Right now, Justine believed that she needed proper rest.

She had to regain her strength so she could expose Chloe's lies and make sure she paid every bit of what she owed, with interest.