Hi Ex, Your Uncle Is My Hubby Now - Chapter 67: Chapter 67

Valerie was half-asleep and still dazed. She thought someone had broken into Irene's apartment in the middle of the night and was about to hurt them.
"Valerie…" Irene's voice was trembling. "There's no bad guy."
But there was a disaster — the kind that didn't kill your body, just your reputation.
Irene shakily gripped Valerie's shoulders, her expression pure despair. "Valerie, I sent the message meant for Melody… to Jeremy!"
Still groggy, Valerie blinked. "Wait… who's Melody?"
She was completely blanking.
Irene gave her a haunted look. "You forgot? Melody! The one who commands an army of 300 male models!"
"Oh. Right! The madam." Valerie finally connected the dots.
She looked down at Irene's phone, then slowly turned her gaze toward her. "You sent that message to Jeremy?
"You mean Dorian the Scumbag's uncle? That sickly, half-dead guy?"
Irene slumped at the edge of the bed in silence.
Valerie winced in sympathy. This was bad. But seeing Irene looking like the world was ending, she couldn't help but find her a little dramatic.
"I mean… it's just a misfire. No big deal. I can text him and explain it was a mistake."
"What are you freaking out about?" she said, already reaching for Irene's phone.
But Irene stopped her with a quick shake of her head. "Forget it. Whatever. Let him think what he wants."
"Now that's the spirit." Valerie rolled onto her back, hands behind her head, completely unfazed. "Look — you didn't hire a male escort, and you definitely didn't cheat. Even if you had, so what?
"Dorian's been fooling around behind your back for years — and still wants your heart, literally. And you're panicking over sending one vaguely flirty voice message to his uncle?
"If this turns into a scandal, we'll just drag all of Dorian's dirty secrets into the light. I'd love to see what that old guy Jeremy has to say about that."
Irene felt the need to clarify. "Jeremy's not some old guy."
"How old is he, anyway?" Valerie didn't know anything about him — just that he was Dorian's uncle. So naturally, she pictured some middle-aged man.
If not in his 50s, then definitely pushing 40.
"Thirty-three?" Irene said, not totally sure. "Give or take."
Valerie was surprised. "Seriously? That's pretty young. Only, like, seven or eight years older than us."
Then the gears started turning in her head.
"If he's just five years older than Dorian, and he's already running the business scene in Eldraeth City... that's insane. No wonder Dorian can't compete."
The Tucker family wasn't just rich — they were on another level entirely. The kind of family other elite families whispered about but never dared challenge.
The Barnes family might be called a 'top family' in Eldraeth City, but that was only because families like the Tucker family didn't bother joining those kinds of rankings.
Too lowbrow.
"Wait a second." Valerie flipped onto her side and propped her head up on one hand, eyes full of gossip. "What does Jeremy even look like?"
Irene pursed her lips. "You've seen him before."
"When?" Valerie blinked. "I've seen Jeremy? Why don't I remember?"
She thought, 'Come on — I am just an ordinary girl from an ordinary family.
'The fanciest people I've ever met are the Jackson family.
'There is no way I'll cross paths with someone like him.'
Irene reminded her, "That night Shelby got arrested — we were at the wetland park? You saw a guy fishing.
"That was him."
Valerie's eyes lit up. "Wait — the guy with the thermos?"
"Yeah."
"Damn! That guy was hot. I've played so many video games and created so many characters, and I still couldn't come up with a face that good-looking."
She smacked her forehead in regret. "If I'd known, I would've introduced myself. Shaken his hand. Got his WhatsApp!"
Irene laughed. "Next time, okay?"
But Valerie was still replaying the moment in her head — and the more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that Jeremy was a total catch.
Suddenly, she sat up, kneeling on the bed and staring intently at Irene. "Rini, didn't you say you wanted a kid of your own someday?
"Jeremy's single, filthy rich, and has some mysterious chronic illness. Honestly, he's the perfect sperm donor."
She blinked at her dramatically, voice full of mock-serious persuasion. "Does it really matter who you have a baby with? Just skip the drama and borrow Jeremy's genes."