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CHAPTER ONE
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Present day
Valerie p.o.v Today is going to be a good day, I can feel it. The weather is perfect, the sun is not too heavy and I’m signing the biggest deal of my entire career today. It’s practically a done deal and the investing company just needs to sign on the dotted line and I will have enough funding to officially break into the fashion industry. It’s been hard trying to do this especially as a single mother but my son has been the biggest inspiration, his birth gave me a purpose to live for and since then it’s been two of us. About three years ago, I graduated fashion school and have gone on to successfully create a good brand. My work gained popularity almost immediately, and since then it has been a really good time and I have sold my work anonymously with my identity being a mystery. Truly anonymity has helped to build my brand especially as I dabble in eccentric pieces. But now is the time for me to step into the limelight. It helps that I am nominated for a prestigious award in the upcoming fashion celebration in Milan, Italy. The other companies nominated are very much in the limelight and if I want to win that award I need to tweak my approach to the fashion game and this is why for the first time I am opening my doors to allow other companies to participate in the production process and hopefully become successful in my desire to try a new method of business for my company. When I put out word that I was going to collaborate with financial industries, I was awed by the amount of companies that wanted to work with me. The most astonishing one was the Sullivan group. They are arguably the biggest company and they offer their expertise as well as funding to the companies that they worked with and while I wasn’t exactly broke, additional funding would be ideal. And I definitely wouldn’t say no to the chance to work with Arabella Sullivan. She is the head of the fashion subsidiary of the Sullivan group and is the pinnacle of success in the fashion industry, she is a king maker and it is said that once she wears any of your outfits, it becomes an internet sensation and gets sold out repeatedly, I mean I would know because she has worn my clothes exactly three times. I accepted the deal with the Sullivan group and I met with Arabella, we had settled the conditions needed to finalize the deal and today, we will sign the contract and I will be represented by the Sullivan group. That alone is perfect news for me and even better news for my employees, I cannot wait to see their reactions once the news hit the internet. I grab a pink jacket and grab the matching heels. Satisfied with my outfit, I go downstairs and when I find the coffee machine already on, I know that Janet is already awake and my guess is confirmed when I see her and an overly excited George coming down the stairs and as soon as my baby boy sees me, he runs down the remaining steps and he embraces me with all his might. I lift him up and kiss his cheeks. He smiles at me and mumbles “good morning mummy” and I hug him tighter as Janet walks around the counter and gives me a hug while muttering her own greetings. Shifting my son to one hand, I pour in some coffee and add sugar and creamer and offer it to her, she quickly takes a huge sip and I move out of the way before she can do anything weird like propose or something along those lines. After a few more sips she opens her eyes and when she looks at me she zeroes in on my pink jacket and she smiles at me and nods to George who nods his head too and I’m lost in this exchange so I ask her about it and she smiles and says that George had told her that I would wear my lucky jacket today and she had struck a bet with him and now she owes him 50 dollars and I can’t help it, I burst into laughter. Janet throws me a look of false irritation as I finish the last of my coffee and accept good luck kisses from both of them. I get into my car and drive to our meeting point, we agreed to meet on neutral territory so we picked a restaurant in East Village and I get there before Arabella and her lawyer. I order a glass of wine and I am showed into the private room booked for today’s meeting. The waiter brings my wine and I sip it while reviewing catalogues from my last fashion show. About 20 minutes later, the door opens and Arabella comes in followed by the lawyer. She apologizes for being late and after she places her order we start reviewing some documents. Some minutes into the meeting a knock sounds on the door and Arabella checks her wristwatch and smiles then she talks to the lawyer and she finally looks at me and murmurs apologetically, “That’s my brother, he insisted on sitting in the meeting. Do you have a problem with “No I don’t”, I replied. She stood up and went to open the door and she steps outside for a bit. I look at the lawyer and mouth “what’s going on”? and he shakes his head. The door opens and Arabella steps in, I start to ask her what the problem is and if her brother couldn’t make it until a man steps in after her and the moment he looks up all the air leaves my lungs, my whole body goes numb and blood rushes to my ears as I come face to face with the one person I never thought I would see again.Related chapters
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Valerie p.o.v My life is ruined. “How is this real life?” “What's happening right now?” “I pinch myself to confirm that I'm not dreaming and the sharp pain that registers in my brain confirms that I am officially fucked.” “How did this day turn out to be the worst day of my life?” “Who did I offend that would wish me such luck?” “I am sure that I look a mess with how much I'm blinking but that's all that's stopping me from crying or laughing hysterically.” “Why does my case always go from best to worst in the most dramatic way?” “I'm sure God must hate me, because if he didn't why would I be looking at the one problem that I have no answer to?” “What is Carter doing here?” I see Arabella's lips move but she might as well be speaking a language I don't understand because I can't take my eyes away from him. “How is he still so handsome?” “How dare he look so good?” “I try to feel for my chair but I can't reach it, only then do I realise that I'm standing.” “I'm not prepare
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Arabella's p.o.v The meeting does not go as planned, Valerie took one look at my brother's face and turned into an actual ghost. There was pure fear on her face and it was so heart-breaking to watch. Her reaction makes me wonder if there is more to their separation or my brother is just that scary. All our previous meetings have gone extremely well and it's so disheartening to watch all our efforts go down the drain. Especially since this is my project and it is something that I have been working on for a long time and my brother does not know this but I found Valerie a long time ago. I've worn her dresses and I have anonymously bought even more. I figured that would be my little way of getting to know her. I orchestrated using the fashion awards to bring her out of her hiding place. None of my family members know that I am on the board of directors for the most prestigious fashion school. I use an alias and so far nobody has come close to figuring out my secret. You might
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Valerie p.o.v I don't know how many traffic laws I break before I reach my house. I stumble in with unsteady feet and quickly run to the toilet where I throw up everything in my belly. After I rinse my mouth, I undress and tuck myself into bed where I spend hours reviewing the events that happened today. “How does he still affect me so much, its been six whole years. I should be over him” But I can't deny that my heart skipped a neat and I felt butterflies when he said my name. Carter has always been good-looking but now, he looks like people were sacrificed in order for God to get the required mix for his creation. I imagine that this was how beautiful Greek gods were. I feel my whole body tingling as I imagine the scratches that will be left on me from his beard if he kisses me, then I further imagine his hands paying attention to my body. I'm so lost in thought that it takes a while to register that the loud noise is coming from my phone. I quickly pick up the
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Valerie p.o.v On Monday morning I can't get out of bed fast enough, however immediately I raise my head I'm hit with the biggest headache and I immediately regret all the drinks that Janet and I had over the weekend. I can't believe she made me drink that much. We definitely took advantage of the fact that George was at a sleep over and had a vampire diaries marathon and that movie is best enjoyed with a lot of snacks and wine. That wasn't the wisest decision as I precisely have less than an hour to sober up and be present at the Sullivan group for the official contract signing. The thought of seeing Carter again sobers me instantly. I can't believe him. “How dare he show his face after what he did to me”. I haven't told Janet that I ran into Carter or that it's his family that I'll be working with. I'm sure that she would advise me to drop their company and search for another one. I don't want to involve her in this drama and I'm also hoping that Carter will not pay
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Carter's p.o.v Checking the time on my wristwatch I see that it's past 7, a slow smile spreads on my face as I quickly turned to the monitor that has all the feeds from the cameras in my company. I scroll past several videos until I get to the conference room and my eyes immediately find Valerie. She looks exceptionally stunning in the green dress that she has on. She looks so free as she smiles with my sister. I watch as Arabella pulls her into a hug and she sports a content look on her face. I imagine her looking at me like that when we wake up in the morning. The thought makes me pause, I ponder on it for a little while and my heart does a little jump as I come into the realization that I want Valerie. I know that I wanted to have her again but this image has made me realize that I want her long term. I don't like that she's giving my smiles to someone else, yes the someone is my sister but still. It's annoying that she's this happy when I'm not around. I'm a little
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Valerie's p.o.v Lunch with Arabella was great. We discussed fashion, our favorite designers and trends. I left feeling fulfilled and we promised to keep in touch with each other. I can't believe she's a Cole, she has such a calming presence and is literarily so down to earth. She made me feel so comfortable and I almost confessed everything about George to her. As soon as I get home, I open a bottle of champagne in order to fully celebrate with Janet and I go upstairs to shower, I'm in a good mood so I'm making coq au vin for dinner today. it's something traditional and a fan favorite in our house. I prep the ingredients and go upstairs to take a quick shower after which I return back to cooking dinner. I'm just about to bring the food down when the door bell rings, before I open it I hear the telltale sound of keys in the door and I relax knowing that it's Janet and George. The both of them always come home together because Janet teaches the high school where George
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Valerie p.o.v Familiar arms hold me tight and steady me on my feet. I do not realize how tight I'm holding on to him until he holds me back just as tight as I'm holding him. He chuckles and I immediately jump out of his arms and set a distance between us. Carter studies look on my face and smile even wider “I should surprise you often if this is the reaction I get. I can't say when last I was hugged with this much gusto, certainly makes a man happy”. “Mortified at being caught ogling and feeling him up I raise my hand to my face and I mumble “thank you for not letting me fall.” “You're welcome, you must have been missing me seeing as you welcomed me with open arms.” My sigh of exasperation could be heard from three offices over. I walk back to my seat and I throw him an unimpressed look. “What are you doing here Carter?” “I don’t think this jurisdiction Falls under your control.” “My, my jurisdiction? I see we are pulling out of the big words here.” “Your parents must be s
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Arabella's p.o.v I can't believe that Valerie saw Luciano leave my office. It's almost scary how that could have been my brother and this would have been a whole different situation. I can't keep letting him do this to me. When we started, I did not think it would get to this level and the crazy thing is that I am so scared about my brother's reaction. It does not seem like Luciano is scared of Carter but I know my brother and I know that he would not spare Luciano, best friend or not. I know Valerie means well by asking me what the problem is and how do I explain to her that I have been sleeping with my brother's best friend and that we are keeping it a secret from Carter. If she had walked in a few minutes earlier there would have been no story or no excuse to explain why Luciano had me bent over my desk or why I enjoyed everything that he was doing to me. I'm glad that she brought up the option of having meetings, that gave me ample opportunity to sneak in viewing the of
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Valerie's p.o.v What just happened? I could have sworn that Carter just calmed me down and helped me overcome a panic attack. I remained standing in the elevator for several minutes after he walked out. But I couldn't bring myself to believe that Carter Cole was actually the one that helped me to overcome a vulnerable moment and he did not say anything demeaning about it. Or has he lost interest in me, A part of me is sad that I might have scared him away. Why do I feel distraught over the possibility that he might find me lacking? The sound of the elevator closing snaps me out of my trance and I realize that I'm still on Carter's floor. Afraid to risk any more meetings with him, I quickly press the number for Arabella's floor and try to compose myself so that I don't look a mess when I meet her. We reach the 37th floor and the elevator door opens and when I step out it's like I'm in a whole new world. I'm a designer but the level of opulence and well that is displayed on th
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Valerie's P.o.v I was so excited to start work today that I got to the office before 7:00 and on getting there, the receptionist handed me my badge and I walked upstairs. I open the elevator and I walk in. The elevator is just about to close when a hand reaches in and stops it. I look up in surprise at the intruder only to come face-to-face with Carter. I try to go to the very back of the elevator but the effort is futile because it's just both of us in the elevator. He looks up at me with a smirk on his face and every bit of my nervous system reacts. I know I said I was going to stand up to him and give him no reaction but this is so hard. He works towards me and I swear my heart drops with every step that he takes. He sports a devilish grin as it comes to stand at the very next point to me. Somehow my tongue is tied because I cannot motor a single word and I start to feel the walls closing in. The elevator makes a disgruntled noise and stops moving and my fear increa
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Valerie's p.o.v I slid down the door with my head in my hands. “No he did not, I can't believe this, he's found me.” “Somehow Carter has found my address.” “How would I explain this to Janet?” “Does this even make any sense?” “I thought he would leave me alone.” “It's been 6 years, Why wouldn't he leave me alone?” “Is this some kind of joke to him?” “How will I handle this situation without jeopardising my future or risking my son's life?” I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. I quickly crumpled the note and threw it in the bin. I quickly drive my hands off the counter and rub tears out of my eye just as George comes down the staircase. “Wow, that's a lot of flowers, are we having a party mum?” I must have taken a lot of time to answer his question because as soon as I turned to give him an answer Janet came down the stairs with her eyes wide open and her mouth agape. “Holy Shit it looks like flowers vomited in here to this amount of flowers did your company send so
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Carter's p.o.v She must've gotten my gift by now, I will admit that the 12 bouquets were a bit of an overkill but how else was I supposed to make her think of me? She was a little too free spirited while hanging out with Arabella and it felt like she was happy without me and I can't have that so I sent her a little reminder of my existence and an invitation into my playground. Imagining the look on her face gives me immense satisfaction that I fail to realise that I have an audience and it is until I register the hand that passes my face that I remember that I am at dinner with my family and that they were probably waiting for an input from me. Arabella has the creepiest grin on her face when my dad sighs and repeats the question. “I heard you signed a new deal with a fashion company”. “What exactly does the deal entail and does this have anything to do with that young woman that you've been looking for for the past 6 years?” Before I can mutter a reply Arabell
