One Night in Valeria - Chapter 34: Chapter 34
You are reading One Night in Valeria, Chapter 34: Chapter 34. Read more chapters of One Night in Valeria.
The reviews hit by morning. And they hit hard.
> “With just three pieces, Jessica Hale reminds the fashion world that legacy doesn’t mean mimicry it means evolution.”
Velaria Vogue
> “This isn’t nostalgia. It’s war. And she’s winning.”
— The Drape
But not all voices were kind.
> “Exploiting the name of a dead icon to reignite a forgotten family name? We’ve seen this before—and it rarely ends well.”
— AltText Weekly
> “The Hale girl can design, no doubt. But can she carry a house on broken shoulders?” The Mode Authority
Jessica didn’t flinch.
She had expected both the praise and the venom. It meant people were watching. It meant they were afraid.
Still, a cold unease crept in as she paced the studio.
“What if they’re right?” she murmured aloud.
Liam, seated nearby with his laptop open and sleeves rolled, glanced up. “They’re not.”
“But what if—”
“They’re not,” he said again, gently but firmly. “And if you ever forget that, I’ll remind you every time.”
Jessica gave him a small, tired smile.
And then Celeste burst through the door.
“Something arrived. You need to see it.”
The package was simple: flat, wrapped in weathered brown paper, bound with a deep green ribbon. No return name. No postmark. Just a card, handwritten:
> For Jessica Hale.
I couldn’t save your mother.
But perhaps this can help you save yourself.
— D.
“D?” Celeste whispered.
Liam’s expression darkened. “Dorian Velar.”
Jessica’s pulse kicked.
She didn’t speak. Just unwrapped it slowly.
Inside lay a folder of old documents—sketches, signed contracts, letters. And beneath it all, a vintage flash drive sealed in a glassine envelope.
A second note lay inside:
Klara trusted me with this before she vanished.
I was too much of a coward to use it then. But I’m not dead yet.
Inside are transaction records tying August Hale directly to the theft of Lineage.
He sold the early sketches to a third-party buyer. I traced it once. Now you can finish it.
— Dorian
Liam exhaled.
“This is it.”
Jessica didn’t move. Her hands trembled faintly as she clutched the drive. “Why now?”
“Because Dorian loved Klara,” Liam said. “In his own twisted way. And maybe… this is his redemption.”
She stared at the tiny piece of plastic and memory in her hand.
Proof.
Proof her mother hadn’t just vanished. She was erased.
And now… she could be restored.
That night, as Jessica watched the city lights flicker from the studio’s top floor, she whispered to herself:
“I’m not scared of ghosts anymore.”
Because some of them came not to haunt—
But to help.
> “With just three pieces, Jessica Hale reminds the fashion world that legacy doesn’t mean mimicry it means evolution.”
Velaria Vogue
> “This isn’t nostalgia. It’s war. And she’s winning.”
— The Drape
But not all voices were kind.
> “Exploiting the name of a dead icon to reignite a forgotten family name? We’ve seen this before—and it rarely ends well.”
— AltText Weekly
> “The Hale girl can design, no doubt. But can she carry a house on broken shoulders?” The Mode Authority
Jessica didn’t flinch.
She had expected both the praise and the venom. It meant people were watching. It meant they were afraid.
Still, a cold unease crept in as she paced the studio.
“What if they’re right?” she murmured aloud.
Liam, seated nearby with his laptop open and sleeves rolled, glanced up. “They’re not.”
“But what if—”
“They’re not,” he said again, gently but firmly. “And if you ever forget that, I’ll remind you every time.”
Jessica gave him a small, tired smile.
And then Celeste burst through the door.
“Something arrived. You need to see it.”
The package was simple: flat, wrapped in weathered brown paper, bound with a deep green ribbon. No return name. No postmark. Just a card, handwritten:
> For Jessica Hale.
I couldn’t save your mother.
But perhaps this can help you save yourself.
— D.
“D?” Celeste whispered.
Liam’s expression darkened. “Dorian Velar.”
Jessica’s pulse kicked.
She didn’t speak. Just unwrapped it slowly.
Inside lay a folder of old documents—sketches, signed contracts, letters. And beneath it all, a vintage flash drive sealed in a glassine envelope.
A second note lay inside:
Klara trusted me with this before she vanished.
I was too much of a coward to use it then. But I’m not dead yet.
Inside are transaction records tying August Hale directly to the theft of Lineage.
He sold the early sketches to a third-party buyer. I traced it once. Now you can finish it.
— Dorian
Liam exhaled.
“This is it.”
Jessica didn’t move. Her hands trembled faintly as she clutched the drive. “Why now?”
“Because Dorian loved Klara,” Liam said. “In his own twisted way. And maybe… this is his redemption.”
She stared at the tiny piece of plastic and memory in her hand.
Proof.
Proof her mother hadn’t just vanished. She was erased.
And now… she could be restored.
That night, as Jessica watched the city lights flicker from the studio’s top floor, she whispered to herself:
“I’m not scared of ghosts anymore.”
Because some of them came not to haunt—
But to help.
End of One Night in Valeria Chapter 34. Continue reading Chapter 35 or return to One Night in Valeria book page.