My CEO Husband Says I'm Irreplaceable

Chapter 131: Chapter 131: It Was Him Who Helped Me

Vesper Grayson slowly came to, her head spinning terribly and her body limp and weak.

’This isn’t what being drunk feels like...’

She raised a hand to rub her temples but couldn’t gather her thoughts. Her eyes flickered open, and she was startled to meet a pair of dark eyes from the sofa.

"Ah!"

She let out a soft cry and struggled to sit up, but her body was too weak, and she collapsed back onto the bed.

"Don’t be afraid. It’s me."

The familiar voice was followed by Luke Lockwood emerging from the shadows and into her view.

Vesper Grayson’s pupils constricted as she stared at him warily. "Luke Lockwood, what do you want!"

"Relax, I won’t hurt you." Luke Lockwood walked to the side of the bed and leaned in close. He gently tucked a stray strand of hair from her forehead behind her ear. "I never imagined you’d look so beautiful in red."

"Luke Lockwood, don’t you dare try anything." Vesper Grayson turned her head away, recoiling from his touch.

Luke Lockwood’s fingers stiffened. He then gave a bitter smile and began to gently caress her soft cheek, his eyes filled with deep affection.

He always knew Vesper Grayson was beautiful, but she usually dressed so plainly. He never imagined that in a red gown, she would be breathtaking, like a phoenix flower blooming from fire, so vibrant it was heart-stopping.

But this was a kind of beauty he had never seen before.

Vesper Grayson struggled, but her body was utterly devoid of strength.

"What did you do to me?"

Seeing the suspicion and wariness in her eyes, Luke Lockwood withdrew his hand, a wounded look in his own.

"Am I that despicable in your eyes?"

Vesper Grayson pressed her lips together, saying nothing.

He gave a desolate laugh. "I can’t believe you got engaged to him so quickly. We were together for three years, and we never even... I used to imagine what you would look like at our wedding, in a white dress. How breathtaking you would be."

"Luke Lockwood, stop with the devoted act," Vesper Grayson reminded him coldly. "Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten what you did?"

Luke Lockwood’s body went rigid, and he looked down. "I’m sorry. I’m the one who betrayed you. But you got your revenge on me at the wedding, didn’t you? If I had another chance, I would never..."

He regretted it after he lost her.

Seeing her with another man drove him mad with jealousy.

Now that she was another man’s fiancée, he was consumed by a jealous rage, his heart aching so much he could barely breathe.

But he was powerless to stop any of it.

"Luke Lockwood, you can’t turn back time. A mistake is a mistake. Even if you regret it, the hurt you caused me can never be erased. Maybe this was a test from fate for us, but..." She paused, her voice very soft. "You failed."

"I failed the test. It’s what I deserve. But I can’t let you go. The thought of losing you is driving me insane. Vesper, please give me one more chance. Just one, okay?"

"It’s too late."

She looked at him calmly, her eyes devoid of the love and warmth they once held.

The light in Luke Lockwood’s eyes gradually faded.

"Even if you say that, I won’t give up until the very end." Luke Lockwood chuckled, as if to console himself. "What if there’s still a chance?"

’They were once madly in love, but they still broke up, didn’t they?’

’Jared Hawthorne is a man, too, and all men make mistakes. The moment he slips up, Vesper is sure to leave him.’

’He could wait. He would wait for that day to come.’

Seeing how delusional he was, Vesper Grayson didn’t want to say another word.

"You’ve been drugged. Get some rest. I’ll tell Jared Hawthorne you’re here."

The door opened and closed, and Luke Lockwood was gone.

Vesper Grayson stared at the ceiling, her thoughts a dizzying, chaotic mess.

’When was I drugged?’

’And how would Luke Lockwood know...’

The hotel was discreetly put on lockdown. Maxim Chandler, accompanied by the hotel manager, began searching rooms one by one.

Just then, a server handed him a slip of paper.

Maxim Chandler opened it. His gaze sharpened, and he turned, striding quickly over to Jared Hawthorne to hand him the note.

"President Hawthorne."

Jared Hawthorne took it, glanced at the contents, and immediately headed for the third floor.

Sheryl Garland instinctively started to follow, but Maxim Chandler blocked her path with an outstretched arm.

She could only watch helplessly as Jared Hawthorne’s figure vanished into the stairwell.

"Sheryl, get over here!"

Noah Nash stared at her, his expression grim. Gone was his usual devil-may-care demeanor; in its place was a seriousness she had never seen before.

Sheryl Garland followed him to a window and asked nervously, "Cousin... what’s wrong?"

"Start talking. What really happened?" Noah Nash stared at her intently. Seeing her eyes shift, he said coldly, "Tell me the truth. How deeply were you involved?"

’Her act just now was full of holes. If he could see through it, how could Elias possibly miss it?’

"I don’t know what you’re talking about..."

"Sheryl Garland, you barely know Vesper Grayson. Why were you so concerned about her today? And why did you bring Elias over? You wanted him to catch her in a compromising position, didn’t you?"

Sheryl Garland’s face paled, and large tears rolled down her cheeks. "Cousin, how could you think that of me? It’s true I have feelings for Jared, but I would never resort to such despicable tactics to frame someone."

"You’d better hope you didn’t. Otherwise..." Noah Nash trailed off, his gaze turning colder than she had ever seen it.

Sheryl Garland lowered her head, her tears flowing even more freely.

"Cousin, I’m your own cousin! You really don’t believe me?"

She shot a pleading look at her mother, Casey Nash.

"Noah, maybe Sheryl really is innocent..."

Before Noah Nash could reply, Sharon Chandler spoke, her face cold. "Innocent or not, the Hawthorne family will find out. And if anyone dares to plot against the future daughter-in-law of the Hawthorne family, we will show them no mercy!"

Bernard Hawthorne stood behind Sharon Chandler, his expression sternly majestic, backing her up completely. "My wife is right!"

...

The door was pushed open from the outside again. Thinking it was Luke Lockwood, Vesper Grayson didn’t turn her head.

"Why are you back?"

"Vesper."

Hearing that voice, Vesper Grayson turned, her own voice thick with distress.

"Elias, someone drugged me. I can’t move."

Jared Hawthorne’s face was grim as he strode toward her. Without turning back, he barked an order to the people outside.

"Get a doctor."

A doctor arrived quickly, examined her, drew a blood sample, and started an IV.

"President Hawthorne, we found trace amounts of a benzodiazepine sedative in Miss Grayson’s blood. The dosage isn’t high, so her life is not in danger."

Jared Hawthorne’s gaze was dark. "Do you know who drugged you?"

Vesper Grayson thought for a moment. "I only had champagne and red wine tonight. Nothing else... How did you know I was here?"

"Someone had a server give Maxim Chandler a note. It said you were in the first room to the right of the third-floor elevator. Do you remember how you got here?"

"It was Luke Lockwood."

She didn’t hide anything.

Jared Hawthorne’s gaze darkened instantly. "He’s the one who drugged you?"

"No," she speculated softly. "I think he’s the one who helped me."

She had been replaying the night’s events in her head. If Luke Lockwood had really wanted to do something to her, he would have done it already. But he hadn’t. He had even told her she was drugged.

"Do you remember anything else?"

Vesper Grayson thought back.

"I just remember being out on the balcony and feeling top-heavy and incredibly dizzy. A server helped me to a room, and after that, I lost consciousness. The next thing I knew, I was waking up here."

He asked again, "Do you suspect anyone?"

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