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EPILOGUE
THE CEO'S LITTLE TROUBLEMAKER A book by Valeria Adams New York Times bestseller Number one best-selling book for twelve weeks. The ad had appeared on the huge screen behind the film set. A makeup artist was busy getting her ready and the journalist laughed beside her; they were old friends after all. When the director finally said “ACTION!”, the journalist started with the questions. “Valeria, you became a famous writer almost since your first book came out, but I must admit that with this one you surprised us a lot. We were expecting more fantasy, more vampires and witches, and you suddenly give us this... family chronicle?” “That's right. THE CEO’S LITTLE TROUBLEMAKER is the story of my grandparents,” answered Valeria. “A year ago, I found one of my grandmother's diaries, and... well, I was named after her, so I got very curious. She's an amazing designer, but there's a big part of her life that few people know about.” “So... everything you're telling in this story... really
CHAPTER 1. A dangerous bet
Valeria sighed bitterly as she watched Alice playing alone at the farthest table of the restaurant, in a corner almost nobody used. “Val, stop thinking.” Her friend Emma approached her and hugged her with a sigh. “Alice is going to be fine.” “That's what she says, but she's six years old, what can she know?” said Valeria trying to hold back her tears. “Well, she's a child genius,” said Emma smiling. “At six years old she is already smarter than you and me”. “She's a child genius who doesn't like to be touched, who barely eats, who suffers from social anxiety, and I don't know how many other disorders she has been diagnosed with precisely because she's too smart,” replied Valeria. “She should be in a specialized school for children like her, where they help her... where they help her be happy, because it's obvious that I can't!” Valeria hid her face in her hands and sobbed in despair. Alice was a child who required special care; and a job as a waitress, even working full time and d
CHAPTER 2. A Half-Corset Bra To Die For
Valeria smirked. Her mother had taken it upon herself to make her a strong woman, even if sometimes, like at that instant, she did not measure her words. “Let me get this straight, Mrs. Bennet. This is what exactly for you? A wager against your son... or against me?” she asked. “No, my dear, this is a desperate attempt to see joy and sexiness walk down these halls again!” Layla assured her. “But you can call it whatever you want. The point is that if in three months you turn out to be just another one of those submissive designers then—” “Then I'm no good to you,” Valeria finished. “Ok, I accept the deal.” She stood up and extended her hand with determination. “Really? Are you sure?” Layla seemed afraid to get too excited. “On one condition: If I am going to confront your son, I must at least have your support. Otherwise, he can fire me whenever he wants.” “Don't worry,” Layla smiled. “I have a special contract waiting for someone like you. Take everything to Human Resources. I'
CHAPTER 3. A“Fired!”Designer
To say that it had been embarrassing for Nicholas Bennet to walk out of the women's restroom of his company cafeteria shirtless, wearing only his jacket and the face of a serial killer, was an understatement. He had resisted the temptation to trash his office, because in the end the poor office was not to blame for the existence of women like her. He took deep breaths all the way to his apartment, but by the end of that night, he couldn't stop three or four ornaments from going crashing into the wall. It was true that he was stupidly distracted on his cell phone, and he had been quite ready to apologize until his eyes had met those of that woman. She was of medium height, beautiful as a goddamn mermaid and with the voice of one, even while angry. She had long, curly, brown hair, brown, defiant eyes, and a body to stare at until the end of time. That was what had bothered him. He could smell it, feel it, sense it: she was one of those women capable of dragging a man's heart under th
CHAPTER 4. A place too small
He was going to explode. Nick felt as if he couldn't fit into the suit he was wearing due to the helplessness he was feeling. That girl was shameless. And she had left him unable to say anything else! Him! He went to his desk and furiously pressed the intercom button on the phone. “Oli!” That scream through the phone made the girl jump in her seat. “Yes?” “Get me Valeria Williams' contract right now!” “Right away, sir.” What Oli found when she opened the office door was far worse than a caged lion, so she put down the contract and almost ran out. Nick was fuming out of his ears. That insolent... shameless... brazen... girl! How dare she threaten to sue him! He just felt like choking her with his own hands... like this... around that neck... just above the chest... that chest... “Fuck, Nick, get a grip on yourself!” he chastised himself internally and sat down calmly, very calmly, to review that damned contract. Ten minutes later, his shout came over the intercom again: “Oli!”
CHAPTER 5. An indecent collection
Valeria had her head so buried in the designs that she barely noticed Oli gawking at the drawings. “Val, these are amazing,” she murmured, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Valeria raised her eyes and smiled. “Do you like them?” “I've never seen designs like these before! They're cute but... sexy... Is it even possible? I mean... one would feel virginal and naughty in these!” “Yes, that's the idea,” Valeria explained. “You know the CEO is going to collapse when he sees this, don’t you?” Oli warned her. “Well... if he drops dead in the middle of the meeting we'll save ourselves a lot of headaches,” Valeria said derisively. “Maybe I should have made them more provocative...” They both laughed, and Oli told her that the meeting was about to start. Valeria had spent the week locked in her cubicle, and Nick Bennet had spent the week in a fury because he couldn't get the legal grounds to fire her. They had avoided each other as much as possible, but the time had come to present th
CHAPTER 6. An emergency hospital
It would have been a lie to say that the slap hadn’t hurt, that unruly girl had a heavy little hand, but the tears running down her cheeks caused a greater impact on him. They were tears of sincere and silent rage, the kind that overflowed and destroyed what was in front of it, and he knew it perfectly well because his was exactly the same. Valeria did not say another word. She left that office crying, leaving him with the horrible feeling that he had made a big mistake, that he had done something wrong, very wrong. He took some time to cool off. He had to calm down because in the last week he had completely lost control. What the hell was happening to him? He wasn't like that! And she wasn't the first easy woman to cross his path. So what was exactly bothering him so much about her? He paced around the office, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, and saw the folder Valeria had brought him with the designs lying in the corner. He hadn't even seen them properly the first time
CHAPTER 7. A different look
Nick closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. “Come on, let's sit down,” he said softly. “As you say, we can yell later, but now there are more important things.” Valeria didn't say anything. She just walked to one of the seats and filled out the form she already knew by heart. Not even twenty minutes had passed when a doctor came into the waiting room and Valeria got up quickly to meet him. “Alan!” Valeria hugged him for a second and he smiled with an expression that felt like a kick in Nick's stomach. “Alice...” “Don’t worry. I saw her. It’s all right. She's going to be fine,” the doctor assured her. He was in his thirties and seemed to be a serious, educated man, and more attractive than he should have been for a physician. “It's been a long time since she'd had a fever like this,” said the doctor. “Has she been under stress? Were you able to change schools? Nick saw that Valeria was looking at the floor and hugging herself. “No... I haven't been able to do it. I'm working on it