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CHAPTER 44. The woman is back
Valeria took a deep breath. Returning to Los Angeles brought back too many memories, and the vast majority of them were painful. She climbed down the steps of the plane and watched Alice frown from the top, not wanting to come down. The last six months had been incredible for her, and going back also brought back bad memories, but the wonderful smile of the twins waiting for her dissuaded her. Richard was the first to lift her into his arms, while Elliot hugged Valeria and shot a flirtatious glance at Emma. “How are the princesses?” Elliot asked, and the answer made him smile. “Ready to fight,” Andrew said, getting out of the plane, and the twins gave Valeria a grateful look. At last that family could be complete. “Well. There's something we haven't decided yet,” said Richard. “Val, I know that you and Alice are used to your privacy, and if you want you can go to an apartment by yourselves; you choose the one you want and we'll buy it. I have my apartment and Elliot has his, too.
CHAPTER 45. A debt to pay
The phone rang insistently, but Nick didn't bother to pick it up. Miranda had acquired an unpleasant habit of calling him as soon as he got up in the morning, and it was already wearing on his patience. But she was his girlfriend again after all, so there wasn't much he could do about it except not answering her and lying to her about it later. He adjusted the cufflinks on the sleeves of his shirt and his tie. When or how exactly had he resumed his relationship with Miranda? He couldn't remember. He had accompanied her to a lot of events to get Valeria out of his head, at some point the press had started talking about them as a couple, and suddenly Miranda had begun to behave as if they were... He hadn't consciously accepted that, but it seemed that—eventually—that would have been the natural outcome for the two of them anyway, especially after Valeria had disappeared. And she really had disappeared. Nick had been left with so many doubts, so many incomplete thoughts after the alterc
CHAPTER 46. A “Ms.” Davies
Nick let out something quite similar to a growl under his breath. He was not only furious with Andrew Davies, he was also furious with himself, since he could not believe that he had allowed himself to fall into such a mistake like that. “What could you possibly want but money?” he asked angrily. “Shares. I want that money in company shares. Either you give me some of yours or you find someone else who wants to sell them to me... but I want Bennet Designs shares.” “You want to destroy my company?” Nick spat at him. “Destroy it? No. You've already taken care of that all by yourself. But I'd like to add a design studio to my already diversified capital.” Andrew shrugged. “It's either that or the money deposited in my account by tomorrow morning, with a nice press conference declaring your bankruptcy. It’s up to you!” Nick was thoughtful for a few minutes. He had inherited fifty percent of the company's stock from his father, automatically making him the CEO and senior partner. Hi
CHAPTER 47. A majority shareholder
If the ghost of his father had risen up at that table in front of everyone, Nicholas Bennet's face would have reflected much less horror. “Wh-what do you mean, majority shareholder?” he roared, unable to contain himself. “What kind of nonsense is that?” Valeria didn't even flinch despite the reproachful looks the shareholders were giving Nick. “It’s not nonsense, Mr. Bennet, just business.” Valeria shrugged. “The debt the studio acquired left me with twenty percent of its shares, I bought eight percent from Mrs. Layla, and some other shareholders, who were better aware of the difficult situation this studio is going through, decided to sell me part of theirs. So now, I manage forty-one percent of the shares.” She pushed the folder toward him again. “It's all here, Mr. Bennet, you can check it with your legal department.” Nick took out the stack of signed and notarized papers, and his face lost all color in a second. “Is this your revenge?” he hissed, unable to contain himself. “De
CHAPTER 48. A relentless pursuit
Nick sat in front of his computer as if it were his worst enemy and typed in Valeria Williams' name as fast as he could. However, nothing appeared. Not a single trace of the girl on the networks, even that picture of her naked in the lobby of Bennet Designs had disappeared. However, Valeria Davies’ name had already been on the Internet for a few months. On her I*******m account she always appeared with her sister or with the twins, and in the last few days she had uploaded many photos with Andrew. So that's was it. She had married Andrew Davies. He had just been a bridge for Valeria to meet the man she really wanted for her life. And in the end she had ended up throwing the noose around Davies' neck. He slammed a fist on the table. How could it be that she had come back to build a studio out of nowhere? And especially a studio that had blown away the first fashion show it had ever participated in. He was wallowing in his frustration and uncertainty when Miranda peeked through his o
CHAPTER 49. A Monumental Intoxication
Nick waited, waited until he saw them leave smiling and saying goodbye to each other with a kiss on the cheek and a hug. And just as he was, half drunk and angry, he got into his car and chased Valeria's car. He didn't know why he was doing it, only that he had that imminent need to get it out of his system. He saw her take the road towards the most exclusive residential area of the city and he imagined very well where she was going. To Andrew's house. That was where she must live now that she was his wife. He accelerated until he was in front of her and suddenly cut her off. Valeria slammed on the brakes and before she even stopped to think, she pressed that button on the car that assured her she wouldn't be alone for too long. Nick's car braked in front of hers and a half-staggering, furious man got out. Valeria's eyes narrowed when she realized it was him, so she got out of her car with a sigh. “Are you all right, Mr. Bennet?” she asked, although there was not a hint of concer
CHAPTER 50. A night full of announcements
“Are you nervous?” the twins asked in unison, then looked at each other and laughed. “A little,” Valeria admitted. “I guess I'm used to being anonymous.” “There's no such thing as ‘anonymous’ in the fashion industry, doll,” Elliot assured her. “You have an amazing studio that will soon be the most successful in town, and I hope it doesn't stop there, so get used to the camera flashes, okay?” Valeria smiled and hugged them tightly, not caring that her dress might get wrinkled. She let them go as soon as the doorbell rang and fixed her hair a little. “Don't worry, I think Alan would have a heart attack even if he saw you in your pajamas,” Richard teased. “Especially if he saw you in your pajamas!” added Elliot, and Valeria showed them her fist as a threat to make them behave. One of the service girls went to open the door and sure enough, Alan made an abandoned puppy face as soon as he saw her. “Alan, how are you?” “How are you?” said the twins as well. The doctor shook hands wi
CHAPTER 51. Too painful a truth
Valeria saw him, too, as if in slow motion. The way Nick was looking at her, gasping for air and staggering. His eyes were lost and he had turned as pale as a ghost. What she hadn't expected was for him to go face first into the ground. “Call an ambulance,” she said to Alan as she went over to check on him, turning a deaf ear to Miranda's pathetic cries. “Nicky! What's wrong with him? Nicky!” “Shut up already!” Layla ordered her, coming up beside them. “He just fainted, he didn't get hit by a truck.” “It looks like a nervous breakdown. The paramedics will attend to him as soon as they arrive,” said the doctor with professionalism as he took off Nick’s tie and opened his shirt a little to make sure he was breathing. “Why don't you attend to him? Aren’t you a doctor? Or are you just a fake?” Miranda shouted at him. “I'm an off-duty doctor, and I've had several glasses of champagne,” Alan replied, annoyed. “And I'm responsible enough to know when I'm not fit to practice my professio