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CHAPTER 67. A stapler and a rescue
Valeria was thinking about the buying options she had in front of her on the desk. She was sitting in the same chair that had been Nick's for many years, and was now occupied by her. She couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel concerning the Joneses' offer. All her instincts warned her that they were in for a terrible deal. But unfortunately, although she was the largest shareholder, she only owned forty-one percent of the company. If the rest of the board of directors were united in accepting that proposal, she would have no choice but to give in to the majority. She had spent the whole night thinking about how to win that fight, but she could only do so if she could get one or two of the shareholders on her side. The assistant called her to let her know that the board was ready to begin, and when Valeria walked in, she noticed that no one was missing. Even Nick was there, wearing an impeccable navy blue suit and a perfect antagonistic countenance. Valeria greeted everyone
CHAPTER 68. Too vivid a dream
Valeria felt the brush of his lips on her cheek, and he broke away a second later. “You'd better put it on my tab, troublemaker, because I'm likely to end up doing worse things to you than just kissing you.” “Stop it!” Valeria got annoyed, pulling away from him, and Nick smiled as he shook his head. Yes, that would be a war of attrition alright, but he would not be the one to give up. He reached the door and waved goodbye with a half-smile, and Valeria went back to all her papers. That night she had to stay late, and the two nights following that one were exactly the same. The workload of two studios—one of them with no CEO and no chief designer—was enormous. Valeria raised her head again only when she smelled food. “Richard?” She was a little surprised to see him enter accompanied by Layla. “Doll, do you know what time it is?” her brother reprimanded he, as he put two bags in front of her. Valeria looked at her watch. It was already past eight o'clock at night and she hadn't ev
CHAPTER 69. A Necessary Decision
Nick drove as if he could see the devil in the rearview mirror of his car. Twenty minutes hadn’t passed since Layla had told him that Valeria was at the police station. When he arrived and walked through the door, desperation was showing all over his face. “What happened?” he asked, approaching his mother and the twins, not caring that they didn't exactly hold him in high esteem. “And what the hell are you doing here?” Elliot was annoyed, but a hard look from Layla made him grumble more quietly. “Apparently Val's car was sabotaged,” Richard replied, showing him the photos, and Nick growled angrily. “Miranda,” he stated without hesitation. “That's what it looks like. That's why Val came to file the report. Dad's in there with her,” Richard explained. Nick sighed wearily. Since he had filed the vandalism charge and the twins for fraud, both Miranda and Anna had been missing. “This is all your fault!” Elliot hissed as his twin tried to calm him down. “That's why I'm here,” Nick re
CHAPTER 70. A new Chief Designer
Perhaps in another time, in another life, Valeria could have been able to say the words she wanted to say, but for now, only the truth came out. “Go, Alan. It's better if you go.” The doctor lowered his head, clearly understanding what those words meant. He had believed he could win Valeria’s heart after his return, but no matter how much she denied it, there was no way to make room in a heart that was already occupied. “I'm going to refer you to a colleague to keep an eye on you, okay?” Valeria nodded, and they said goodbye with a hug. She was going to feel his absence, but she preferred that to resenting his presence. She wasn't in love with Alan, and she couldn't deny it.” That day both Yuri and Jack escorted her to work, and when she arrived, Bruno, Oli, Layla, and Emma were already waiting for her in the boardroom. “What happened?” she asked, seeing the smiles on everyone's faces. “This has just arrived!” Bruno ventured, showing her a formal letter of proposal. Valeria put
CHAPTER 71. A Missing Troublemaker
“Did you ever think you could’ve killed me of a heart attack?” Valeria said, and Nick froze. He looked up from the reports and saw her, very comfortable on the couch where he had left her asleep. “Umm... you woke up.” “No, I hope I'm still asleep, or else someone will have a very bad time,” she threatened him, and Nick shook his head with a smile as he got up from the chair. “I was just trying to help, troublemaker,” he assured, coming over and crouching in front of her. “I told you not to call me that! The other day, when all the reports were ready in the morning, was that you, too?” Nick shrugged. “You needed help.” “So why did you stop being the CEO of this company?” Valeria said, annoyed. “Because it was always my position for being the majority shareholder. I just wanted to earn my place this time. But that doesn't mean I can't help you.” “Well, you can tell during daytime, like normal people, Nick!” she snarled at him. “You weren't going to accept my help,” he told her.
CHAPTER 72. A snowstorm
Valeria loved that scenery. Skiing was much more difficult than it looked, but both Arthur and his boys had behaved like professionals. Or rather, like nannies with a lot of patience, because she was going flat on her face every four yards. Finally, after four circuits, Valeria had given up. “Shall we go now?” asked Gilbert in a sympathetic tone. “You go if you want, I'm going to stay a little longer,” Valeria decided. “I want to see the colors of the sunset here; maybe I'll come up with something nice for those uniforms.” She said goodbye to Gilbert on the way to the base of the mountain and adjusted her anorak. She wasn't used to so much cold, but the snow she did like. It was strange to see her reflection in the mountain, it gave her so much peace, so much tranquility in the midst of the maelstrom her life had become lately, that she didn't realize how late it was getting. The cold suddenly became harsher, especially as the wind began to pick up, and Valeria realized, startled,
CHAPTER 73. A hot man
Valeria looked outside, luckily the door was against the wind, but she couldn't help a shiver of terror anyway. “No, Nick, we can't go out. It's too dangerous!” she said, frightened. “Baby, listen to me, look at me. We're going to be all right! But it's worse to stay here,” he assured her. Nick made sure the anorak covered her well and wrapped his own scarf—which was the only one that was dry—around her neck. “Let's go, troublemaker. Let's go!” He pushed her outside, and they ran to the snowmobile as fast as they could. The wind was terrible and the sleet was sticking in their faces like needles. Before they even started the bike they were both shivering, but at least, when Nick drove around the shed, they could see the lights of the hotel. It looked very close, but Nick knew there were two kilometers of sketchy terrain and gaps in the soft snow. The bounce when they hit the first bank was horrible, and it made Valeria get even closer to his back, clinging with all her might. Nic
CHAPTER 74. A dream or a memory?
“I don't want you to leave me...” Valeria pressed her ear to Nick's mouth, but she could barely hear him. “Nick, I'm here... Come on, get up, you have to help me!” The girl tried to lift him, but unless Nick did his part, it would be impossible. “Why did you leave, troublemaker? Where are you? “Nick, I haven't gone anywhere, damn it!” he snarled, pulling on his hands to make him sit up, but he was as heavy as ten bags of bricks. “Yes, you left! You disappeared! What am I going to do if I don't find you again, troublemaker?” He seemed to be asleep, but Valeria remained still as she finally managed to understand what he was talking about. Nick was raving about the months she had been in Europe. Had he really been looking for her? “No honey, I'm back now,” she told him to calm him down. “Come on, aren't you going to give me a hug?” Nick half-opened his eyes, but Valeria doubted he was really conscious. “Do you still want to hug me, troublemaker?” “Of course I do, baby. Come on,