Chapter 67
Marrying
Chapter 67
Julianâs expression shified from confusion to shock as he examined the diamond ring. This is fake!â :
Valerie was
was caught off guard by Ashleyâs sharp eye. She tried to laugh it off shaking her head. âYou must be joking, Ashley. Its definately real
Ashley wasnât about to let Valerie off the hook still remembering an earlier embarrassment involving a crab incident, she saw an opportunity to assert herself âValerie, just stop. You might not know this, but I used to work at a jewelry store before I got married. Iâve seen more diamond rings: than I can count, and I can tell yours is a fake. Did Matthew trick you into thinking it was real? If so, thatâs on him. A real gold ring costs no more than 300 dollars, so why the deception!
As Ashley vented. Valerieâs expression grew more troubled. She cut in. âItâs not about Matthew. I bought the ring myselfâ.
âYou bought itâ Ashleyâs tone was incredulous. âValerie, Leanât believe youâd go to such lengths. We all know moneyâs tight. Why humiliate yourself with a fake ring? If you end up looking foolish, thatâs on you.â
Valerie squirmed under Ashleyâs scrutiny, regretting her decision. She hadnât bought the ring our of vanity; she was trying to deflect any doubts about her relationship with Matthew. Now, the fake ring only made things worse.
âValerie, why on earth would you buy a fake ring? Come clean to me? Julian looked at Valerie seriously, then at Matthew, feeling uneasy. He liked Matthew, but he didnât know him well enough yet, and his main concern was for Valerieâs wellâbeing.
Why do
Why do we even need the truth? Baying a fake ring is just plain vanity. We need to be more downâtoâearth Valerie,â Ashley persisted.
âEnough Matthew deep voice suddenly cut through the tension. He had been silent until now but felt compelled to intervene. fake ring because she was afraid of losing a real one. She wears it every day to avoid losing something more valuable.â
âValerie bought the
Ashley bristled at being interrupted. She thought to herself with a scowl. Who does this guy think he is, telling me to shut up just because heâs goodâlookingâ
âIâve never heard of anyone buying a fake to avoid losing the real one. Mr. Grant, even if youâre trying to cover for Valerie, thereâs no need for such tall tales. If you want me to believe you, youâll have to show me the real ring!â Ashley declared.
grown even more complicated. After all, they didnât have a real
Valerie was taken aback by Matthewâs unexpected defense. Now, the situation had gn ring to present
âAlrightâ Matthew said, rising from his seat and heading toward another room Moments later, he returned with the ring box that Valerie had given him before and placed it on the table. âHereâs the ringâ
Valerie moved to retrieve it quickly, bui Ashley was quicker. Seizing the opportunity to catch Valerie off guard, she grabbed the box and opened it
Valerieâs heart sank She couldnât understand why Matthew had decided to bring out the ring box again. âDid he forget that I told him the rings were fake the last time I gave them to hum she thought to herself anxiously
Ashley, who had already doubted the authenticity of the ring earlier, now saw another chance to mock Valerie.
But Valerie was more worried about how she would explain this to her brother than the immediate embarrassment
What Valerar hadnât anticipated was Ashleyâs reaction upon examining the ring. After a long, hard look, Ashley mattered in disbelief.
âIts actually