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CHAPTER 29. An expected discovery
It must have been maybe three in the morning when Nick heard his cell phone ring and answered it. For the first time in a couple of weeks he was sleeping in his own apartment since things with Valeria weren't going well enough to ask her to stay with her. It had been five days since Valeria's fourth collection had been released to the public by Steven Harris, and since then, she hadn't taken her head off the desk and the sketch folder, trying to design a new collection so that the delivery to Davies wouldn't be too late. “Hello? “Nicky!?” Miranda's voice sounded tearful and desperate on the other end. “Miranda?” he looked at the time and sat up in bed. “Are you okay? How can I help you?” “I don't know…” the woman sobbed. “I'm at the hospital, they just brought daddy in and he doesn’t look well...” “But what happened to him?” Nick asked her. “They think it's a heart attack, and they say his heart stopped... I'm so scared, Nicky! “Tell me what hospital you're in.” “No... don't c
CHAPTER 30. A wrong choice
Nick's face became a mask of coldness as he looked at the memory Valeria had placed in his hand. “What is this?” he growled at her. “These are the recordings from the security cameras in the hallway to my office.” “Who gave this to you, Valeria?” Nick roared. “Did you allow Andrew Davies access to my office security?” “I didn't allow anything!” she answered equally angry. “And your offices don't have any security! Andrew got the recordings. He didn't tell me how and I didn't ask him. But I accepted them even if they came from him because he seems to be the only one who cares about what happened.” “Do you think I don't care?” Nick said, visibly irritated. “So you did do your research?” Valeria questioned him. “You know what's on those recordings and you didn't say anything? You didn't do anything?” Nick frowned uncomprehendingly. “IT said that those recordings were corrupted. That someone erased ten minutes of the recording from the camera in your office—” “Yes, but they didn't
CHAPTER 31. A dangerous opportunity
The world was too dark, so dark and cold that she didn't want to wake up, but something was pushing her to open her eyes, and when she finally did the headache was unbearable. She was in the back seat of a parked car and looked to the side, recognizing Andrew. “What did you hit me with?” Valeria complained, but Andrew didn't smile, he was too scared. “You fainted. Luckily you were already with me, but I don't want to imagine what would have happened if you had been alone,” Andrew muttered. “How do you feel?” “My head hurts a lot and... everything is spinning,” said Valeria trying to sit better, but it seemed that all her strength had left her. Andrew took one of her hands and caressed it with a comforting gesture while Valeria tried to recover. The whole story between Nick, Miranda, and her came to her all at once, and she felt a horrible tightness in her chest. “The conversation with Nick didn't go well, did it?” asked Andrew, and Valeria shook her head, feeling that lump in her
CHAPTER 32. A doubt and a betrayal
Valeria thought twice before leaving the elevator, but she couldn't miss work just because she was angry with Nick. After all, she had to keep the word she had given Andrew to finish her collections. Besides, it had been two days since Nick had gone to work. He hadn't called her, hadn't come looking for her, and she had preferred to keep a safe distance rather than have another confrontation like that with him. Nick hadn't believed in her, he had preferred to believe in Miranda's lies and manipulation. That's why he was still with her in the hospital. Valeria went into her cubicle, closed the door, and pulled down the blinds so she wouldn't have to deal with anyone. She knew that everyone in that company was aware of her argument with Nick and that more than one was having a blast because of it. She looked at her cell phone screen, but there was only silence. Nick wasn't going to call her until she apologized to Miranda, and she wasn't going to apologize to that witch. More than t
CHAPTER 33. A Woman Alone in the Night
Andrew Davies threw his head back, sitting in the chair behind his desk in his office at Davies Inc. He had stopped by to pick up Valeria's test results more than three hours ago, but since then, he had only stared at the envelope on the table, unable to find the courage to open it. If it turned out that Valeria was not his daughter, the disappointment would be enormous for him. But if it turned out that she was, then he would start the longest and hardest war of his life to get her back since he was convinced that Valeria would not forgive so easily what he had done to Lisa, or the way he had always been absent from her life. “Damn it, Andrew! How could you make so many mistakes?” he reproached himself out loud. Valeria wasn't the only one who would get hurt. What would the twins think if they found out they had a younger sister? He closed his eyes for a second and reached for the envelope. He started to tear it open when he heard footsteps and voices outside his door and only m
CHAPTER 34. An unforgivable wound
Miranda looked at that document with frustration. It was of no use to her and she had paid a considerable amount for it. The night before, Nick had come back to see her. He had fought with Valeria and kicked her out of his apartment, but as happy as that made her, Miranda knew it wasn't enough. With results like those Valeria could make Nick realize his mistake. He had to get her out of his life at once, with no chance of return! She dialed the number of the clinic employee she had bribed to get the results, and the man answered her right away. “I need you to change those results,” she growled without even saying hello. “Where it says Negative, I want you to put Positive.” “That will cost you more,” the man replied. “How much more?” “Triple.” “Triple? That's too much money!” Miranda complained. “And I sell myself for money, sweetie. I'm not a charity,” laughed the guy, and Miranda grunted with discomfort. “Fine, but I'll expect it in fifteen minutes in my mail!” “As soon as y
CHAPTER 35. An extremely cruel man
Valeria fell in the middle of that circle of surprised and shocked people, and her first instinct was to curl up into a little ball. But she was naked. Naked, exposed and vulnerable in front of all those people, and that wouldn't change. The cold of the air conditioning hurt her skin, and her cheek was pressed to the floor as her tears flowed uncontrollably. Never in her whole life had she felt so humiliated and so helpless. God, Nick had thrown her naked on the foyer floor! In front of everyone! How could he be so cruel? How could he be so inhuman? She felt her whole body begin to tremble as she heard laughter, murmuring, and sounds of pictures. She cringed with a sob and it was as if her brain suddenly disconnected from reality. This would become public. Her pictures, naked, humiliated, and outraged on Bennet Designs’ floor would travel the web. They would probably go viral within hours and she would forever carry the stigma of being the whore that Nicholas Benner had kicked out of
CHAPTER 36. A Few Weeks of Despair
Valeria couldn't remember the last time she had bowed her head to anyone, and this time she was doing it in the middle of an unfamiliar crowd, because although she couldn't hold back the tears, she didn't want those around her to see her crying either. Luckily everyone was lost in their own worlds on the bus, wrapped up in their own problems. She got off six stops later, in front of an office building, and entered without hesitation. She rode the elevator up to the floor occupied by Davies Inc. and stopped at the reception desk, wiping her face. “I need to speak to Mr. Davies, please,” she asked as politely as she could. The receptionist looked her up and down and apparently didn't like the way she looked or how haggard she looked. “Do you have an appointment?” Valeria sighed but kept her cordiality. “No, miss, I don't, but it's because I'm here for an emergency. I know Mr. Davies will see me if you announce me, please,” she begged, feeling a lump in her throat. She needed to see