**Third person**“Good,” Karen said with a satisfied smirk and ended the call.Tessa lowered the phone, the weight of what Karen just said settling on her. She was to spy on Valerie and report back to her. So far, Val did seem odd, but there was nothing concrete.Except… Expect for the time when Adam sent Valerie flowers and a text message.“I hope you like the flowers. The offer to be my mistress is still on the table; have a nice day (inserts love emoji),” the message had read. She'd taken a quick peek at it before Valerie noticed she didn't fail to inform Karen about it.Maybe it was part of the reasons Karen wanted her gone? Or maybe it was something else. Anyway, that didn't matter to her, as long as she was getting paid. As long as the money was going to help with her mother's hospital bills...**Valerie**The whistling sound of the kettle snapped me out of my thoughts. I reached for the hot water and poured it into the tea cup on the counter, the smell of milk and honey fil
**Valerie** Wow… Was Adam really willing to divorce Karen and backstab his in-laws just to be with me? Me? The fat and ugly Ashley? An amused chuckle left my lips before I could stop it. I stared at his face a tad longer, and there was no sign that he was joking. He was actually serious? Taking over and divorcing Karen? Seems like I won't even have to do much since he was on the path of self-destruction. Then I smirked. "Well, I guess we'll never know.” With that, I walked away. What was he up to? Either way, it sounded exciting. An hour later, I was at the knitting club. A wave of warmth washed over me. There, by the window, sat Grandma and Frances, their heads bent over their knitting projects. A smile spread across my face as I approached them. “Hello,” I said with a big grin as soon as I was standing in front of them. "Valerie!" Grandma exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "Good to see you; I almost thought you wouldn't make it.” “Uh, I finished working late. You look a
**Lucas**“So anything on why Adam wants to make work difficult for Valerie?” I asked Calvin.I couldn't just ignore what I heard him say to her, Adam was a complete jerk.“Apparently, Mr. Smith likes Mrs. Thorne,” he answered.My brows raised as I turned to look at him. I wouldn't put cheating beneath Adam, and Valerie was a very attractive woman.“So, he wants to date an employee?” I scoffed. “And not even minding that his wife works in the same company too?”“Turns out Mr. Smith is quite the womanizer,” Calvin chipped.My jaw clenched and my grip on the window rail tightened. Turns out he really fucking was. At least, now that he thinks Valerie is my girlfriend, I expect him to back off. But still, I wouldn't take chances.“Make sure a close eye is kept on Valerie; I want to know everything that goes on with her in that place,” I instructed. And I assume Karen would not be too fond of her.“Yes, sir,” Calvin said before heading out of my office.Thoughts of her kept running in my
**Adam**Anger surged through me when I saw that damn Lucas wrap his hand around Valerie's slim and slender waist. That waist is mine. She is mine! Mine!!The scene replayed in my head for the umpteenth time. The way she looked at him... She has never looked at me that way.It was supposed to be me, not that self-satisfied prick. And the fact that she had managed to catch the attention of Lucas made her even more desirable. Ruffling my already disheveled hair, I paced the length of my office again; her words kept echoing in my mind.*He's more handsome, caring, richer, and, of course, faithful, seeing as he doesn't have a wife but you do.*My fists clenched, my knuckles turning white, and I punched it hard against the wall without thinking. The sharp pain that coursed through me was a welcome distraction as I leaned against the wall, my eyes closed, trying to calm my racing heart. Oh Valerie… I will have you, no matter what it takes.First, I needed to take over the company comple
**Valerie**It was lunch break already and the office was empty, except for me and Tessa.Just then, my phone buzzed. “Hey Valerie, how are you doing?” Lucas's voice rang through the receiver.“I'm good, how are you?” I replied, gritting my teeth to suppress the smile forming on my lips.“It's your lunch break, maybe we should have lunch together?”“Uh, I'm already eating with a colleague,” I replied.“Okay then, I'd wanted us to meet and talk?”“Talk?” I echoed, my cheeks turning red as my lips curled into a cheesy.The past few weeks have been crazy, the last thing Lucas asked for us to meet in my house, I was pinned against my kitchen counter and fucked shitless. And the same thing happened the last four times before that.Not that I was complaining though…I subconsciously bit my bottom lip as my mind wandered.It was clear that there was a strong physical attraction between Lucas and me that we couldn't ignore. Anytime we saw each other, there was this strong urge to devour him
**Third person** Wednesday evening, Adam headed to his bedroom with his travel bag in hand and Karen trailing behind. “How was Chicago?” Karen asked as soon as they stepped in. “Fine,” Adam hummed tiredly, slumping into the bed. She studied his face for a moment before speaking. “You don't seem too pleased, did the deal go well?” “It was fine, I'm just tired.” His voice held a tint of irritation as he placed the bag on the floor without even glancing at the woman beside him. Sighing, Karen plopped down beside him on the mattress. “Dad said that Italy was a dead end,” she announced. “Oh, tell me about it,” he thought, his eyes rolling in frustration. “I wonder where Ashley could have hidden all that money,” Karen added. “Wow, I wonder too,” he finally said in a monotonous tone, taking off his shoes and then his socks. “You don't seem too surprised?” Karen pointed out, searching Adam's face. Of course, Adam knew firsthand that Italy was a dead end; he'd gone t
**Third person**“Maybe you should tell Miss Thorne how you feel about her,” Calvin suggested, causing Lucas to glare at him. “And how do I feel about her?” Lucas raised a brow.“Considering you booked a weekend getaway for both of you and then lied that it was your mother,” Calvin paused before he continued, “it means that you love and care about her.”Lucas folded his arms around his chest and defended himself. “It's not that deep... I just wanted her to take a break from work.” “But why tell her that it's your mother?” Calvin asked, a playful glint in his eyes. “You know, she might appreciate your thoughtfulness if she knows that this was all your doing,” he suggested.“Then she might not come,” Lucas sighed, his hands falling back to his sides. "I don't want her to think that I have ulterior motives.”Calvin's brows raised, and he smirked. “But don't you?” he teased.Lucas furrowed his eyebrows and squinted his eyes, feigning anger. “You should leave,” he scolded playfully, and
**Valerie**It was already evening when we arrived in Paris. I called in sick to work today. I wasn't entirely lying though, especially after last night at the bar.The villa was more beautiful than I'd imagined. It had a big garden, a pool, a waterfall, sculptures... Name it.“Do you like it?” Lucas asked, standing behind me.My lips curled into a smile. “I love it.”“I'm glad it's to your taste.” He grinned. “I'll show you to your room then,” he offered, leading the way.Stepping into the well-furnished interior, I let my eyes roam, taking in the lights, the walls, and the floor. They were all impeccable.We were standing in front of a door now. Lucas opened it and gestured for me to go in, while a man brought in my bag.“You should freshen up," he suggested. "There's a local bar not far from here; we could have dinner there.”“Okay, sure,” I nodded, settling into the large and hard mattress.“Great, I also have a lot planned out for tomorrow…” He paused. “I mean, my mom has a lot p