While My Husband Cheated, I Married His Powerful Brother

Chapter 177: Chapter 177 Nightmares And Dorian

​The interior of the empty shop was dead silent.

​Jade’s face was still flushed a deep shade of red, her fingers trembling slightly against her sketchbook. She had been on the absolute verge of blurting out her price when Veyra raised her hand, stepping in to speak first.

​"Jade, whatever you’re about to ask for, just say it directly," Veyra reassured her softly. "Whatever the number is, we’ll sit down and figure out a solution together."

​Jade took a deep, steadying breath. When she finally spoke, her tone was small but entirely firm.

​"I actually don’t want a design fee at all," she admitted.

​Veyra blinked in complete surprise. "What?"

​"I want to officially join the business as a core team member," Jade said, taking a step closer.

​The entire room went completely still.

​Mia stared at Jade with wide eyes. Megan’s jaw dropped open in shock, and Veyra raised her eyebrows in quiet disbelief.

​"You want to join us as a co-founder?" Veyra asked, wanting to make sure she heard correctly.

​Jade gave a confident nod. "I don’t just draft structural floor plans. I also fully understand market positioning and brand growth. I know how to turn a specific visual concept into a social media trend, how to build brand identity from scratch, and how to draw steady foot traffic into a storefront."

​She paused, gesturing toward the blueprints on the table.

​"If you bring me on as a one-time interior designer, you’ll eventually have to pay a separate marketing consultant down the road anyway. That means two expenses and two separate contractors to manage. It makes much more financial sense to let me handle both responsibilities under one roof."

​Veyra stayed silent for a moment, weighing the proposition carefully.

​She genuinely admired Jade’s artistic talent, sharp instinct, and clear dedication to the vision.

​However, they hadn’t known each other very long. True business partnerships required deep trust and long-term reliability. She couldn’t simply hand over an equal stake in the company without testing their working relationship first.

​Mia stepped forward, breaking the silence. "What if we establish a formal trial period first?"

​Veyra turned her head to look at her. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

​"A one-month probation window," Mia explained, looking between Jade and Veyra. "Jade works alongside us for the next thirty days. She completes the primary store layout and helps launch our early marketing strategy. If everything runs smoothly, we bring her on as an official equity partner. If it doesn’t work out, we simply pay her standard design fee for her blueprints and part ways on good terms."

​Jade’s eyes instantly lit up with excitement. "I am more than happy to agree to those terms!"

​Veyra thought about it for a second. The arrangement was practical, fair, and protected everybody’s interests equally.

​She gave an approving nod. "Alright. A one-month trial period it is."

​Megan immediately raised her hand in the air, leaning forward. "Wait, what about my role? I want to join as an official partner too!"

​Veyra turned her attention to her. "Megan, you’re already helping us out so much every day. You are already an essential part of this group."

​"I know that, but I want to make it official," Megan insisted, her eyes full of earnest emotion. "I want to be recognized as a full partner in the company."

​Veyra remained quiet for a brief moment, then slowly shook her head.

​"Not right now," Veyra said gently, keeping her tone firm.

​Megan’s enthusiastic smile vanished, her posture deflating. "Why not?"

​"Because your single most important responsibility right now is preparing for your upcoming college entrance exams," Veyra explained, looking her directly in the eye. "You need to dedicate your full energy to your studies and your personal future right now. Getting into a great university is far more important than running a local milk tea business."

​Megan opened her mouth to argue back, but no words came out. She slowly closed her lips, realizing the logic behind Veyra’s strict boundary.

​"Okay," Megan agreed softly, looking down. "Can we re-evaluate after my final exams are over?"

​Veyra smiled warmly at her. "Once your exams are finished, we will sit down and talk about it."

​The tense atmosphere in the dusty room lightened instantly.

​Mia clapped her hands together cheerfully. "Alright, everyone! Let’s get down to business. We have a full store concept to build."

​They spent the entire rest of the afternoon touring nearby pop-culture establishments and figurine-themed cafes across the commercial district. They walked through busy shopping streets, snapping photos of clever interior layouts, and recording detailed notes on customer traffic flow.

​Jade highlighted effective display lighting and furniture arrangements along the way. Mia carefully analyzed menu prices and ingredient offerings, while Megan struck up friendly conversations with local store managers to ask about peak operating hours.

​Veyra quietly observed every single detail, absorbing useful knowledge like a sponge.

​By the time the afternoon sun began to set, she had formed a crystal-clear image of what their finished store needed to look like.

​The early evening air felt crisp and cool against her skin as they wrapped up their tour.

​Veyra said her goodbyes to the girls on the sidewalk before sliding into the back seat of the waiting black sedan. Leon shut the passenger door behind her, and the drive back to the Thorne manor proceeded in complete silence.

​Veyra’s eyelids felt incredibly heavy, her physical body exhausted from walking all day while her mind continued to race with endless business details.

​She rested her temple against the cool glass window, watching the bright city streetlights blur into long streaks of gold and red as they drove past.

​She was completely worn out.

​The car finally pulled up to the main estate entrance.

​Veyra stepped out, made her way up the wide marble staircase, and walked straight into her private bedroom upstairs. Overwhelmed by sheer exhaustion, she collapsed facedown directly onto the mattress.

​She didn’t bother changing into her nightwear. She didn’t walk over to brush her teeth or even take the time to pull back the duvet covers.

​The moment her head hit the soft pillows, her consciousness drifted off into a deep, heavy sleep.

​The dark nightmare hit her mind almost instantly.

​She suddenly found herself standing inside a pitch-black, narrow room. The surrounding walls were slick with wet moisture, the concrete floor was freezing cold against her feet, and the heavy air reeked of rain and rusting metal.

​A shadow stood motionlessly in the far corner of the space. The figure was wearing a thick black raincoat and a painted clown mask. The red smile drawn across the mask was horribly stretched, distorted, and entirely unnatural.

​Without making a sound, the figure slowly lifted its right arm, pointing a heavy handgun straight ahead.

​Veyra tried to open her throat to scream for help, but her vocal cords felt completely paralyzed. No sound came out of her mouth.

​The gun fired with a deafening blast.

​Her mother collapsed onto the wet concrete floor right in front of her.

​A pool of blood spread rapidly across the ground, thick, dark red, and covering everything in sight.

​Panicking, Veyra threw herself forward, kneeling beside her mother’s fallen body. She reached out with trembling hands, clutching her mother’s cold fingers as tightly as she could.

​Her mother’s eyes were wide open, her pale lips moving frantically as if trying to deliver an urgent message.

​Veyra leaned down closer, pressing her ear near her mother’s face.

​Yet, no matter how hard she tried to listen, she couldn’t hear a single word over the sound of rushing wind.

​Suddenly, the eerie clown mask loomed right behind her mother’s shoulder, its painted red grin widening into a terrifying sneer.

​Veyra opened her mouth and tried to scream with all her remaining strength.

​Once again, pure silence was all that came out.

​Veyra bolted upright in bed with a violent gasp, her chest heaving for air.

​Her body was drenched in a cold sweat, her hands trembling uncontrollably, and tears streaming down her pale cheeks. Her heart pounded violently against her ribs like a trapped bird.

​She was back inside her bedroom at the manor. The overhead lights were switched off, and the thick blackout curtains kept the room shrouded in darkness.

​Yet, she wasn’t alone in the dark space.

​Dorian was standing directly in the open doorway, his tall silhouette illuminated by the hallway light behind him.

​He had clearly just arrived home from his long business trip. His heavy leather travel bag was sitting unzipped on the hallway floor, and his suit jacket was loosely draped over his arm.

​His face was unusually pale, his eyes wide with deep concern and alarm.

​He had heard her breathless panic from down the hall.

​Veyra’s voice broke completely, her entire body shaking with intense fear as she stared into the dim room, lost in the lingering horrors of her dream.

​"Mom!" she sobbed out desperately, her voice echoing into the darkness.

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