CHAPTER 48Valerie wrapped her coat around her shoulder tightly as she sighted the black limousine just a few meters away from the estate's gate. A small sigh left her lips as she began to walk briskly toward it, constantly whipping her head around the area to check whether anyone was following or watching her.She noticed the tinted glass as she drew closer. The glass slowly winds down to reveal a brunette woman in a pair of big black shades that cover half her face.She tried to remember if she had seen or come across the woman but she couldn't recall, or maybe they hadn't met before, but why was she here?"Please get in," Irene Colette said in a soft voice.Valerie quirked an eyebrow and raised her hand to protest, "Who are you? And why on earth would I want to get into a car with a total stranger?" Irene Colette smiled and answered, "Think of this meeting as your redemption or your road to freedom," Valerie pressed her lips together to form a thin line, contemplating whether or
CHAPTER 49Irene sat on the couch in her office and took a sip of her black coffee while cross checking the story that her team had written and was waiting to publish at 9 pm sharp. A video recording of Valerie's testament and the files that Fareeda sent her were already in the story. The only thing that was left was for Irene to tell her team to press the release button.Her publicity team had been working all day to tell the public to tune into their pages on all social media platforms for a mid-week scandal.Overall, everyone anticipated the scandal, they knew that it was a big deal if Hush Havens couldn't wait until the weekend to release the story. Her team even went as far as to tease the contents of the scandal with the headline being, "BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS THAT CONCEALED THE UGLY FACES OF BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE," Irene was thrilled to release this story not because she was already loving the engagement that the teaser was getting, but because she knew what Alex was like.Alex
CHAPTER 50 "She was brought here just in time thanks to you. Any further delay would have brought even more complications to her and the baby," Valerie heard the doctor say from where she was pretending to be asleep.She had woken up some time ago but she couldn't open her eyes because she heard voices in the room. Besides the voices in the room, she'd hear the door open and close at intervals, and at night she'd feel as though someone were watching her. Not Fareeda, but the woman who shot her.She remembered the harsh dark lines that ran across her forehead down to her lips. Those lines drew her back to the memory she thought she had kept hidden away. Now, everything was coming back to haunt her."The baby?" She heard Fareeda ask quizzically."Yes, the baby. Valerie is pregnant and I'm happy to confirm that the baby is still alive," Valerie impulsively ran her free hand that was not held by a large needle and was connected to a drip over her stomach. "Is she awake? She just ran h
CHAPTER 51Valerie was discharged from the hospital the day before Alan's wedding at the estate. As her driver pulled over at the estate parking lot, she was too consumed with her thoughts to even notice the changes that were going on in the compound.The trees were shaped evenly to form Scarlett and Alan's ship names. There were gold chairs lined in tow at the far end of the estate greens, and an unusual amount of people walked up and down around the place. A low grunt left her lips as Fareeda helped her out of the car and her face contorted into one of distaste as she took in the new changes. Fareeda shifted close to her and whispered in her ear, "Do you want to see him?" Him.Valerie should have known that Alan's good guy facade was too good to be true. But, what hurt her the most was the fact that she allowed herself to be loved by him and she was sure that she put in her all to make the relationship work.And this was what she gets for falling in love? Valerie gulped and fak
CHAPTER 52 'This is so wrong Valerie,' a voice in her head told her several times before she actually broke the kiss.She placed her hand on her head and paced around the room, still breathing heavily from the kiss they had just shared."This is so wrong," she said and sat on the foot of the bed, taking a moment to swallow thickly and catch her breath. "What was I thinking?" she whispered under her breath and sprang up from the bed. Alan rushed toward where she stood and cupped her face to meet his eyes, "I know that I'm supposed to be married tomorrow but we will figure it out, right? We will," Valerie pushed his hands off her face, her lips quivered as she tried to hold her tears in. "What baffles me the most about this whole thing is that you thought I was going to forgive you so easily! And like a fool I opened my arms to welcome you back, forgetting all I went through in these past few weeks. Harsh realizations hitting me from all corners and now you want to take advantage
CHAPTER 53Valerie slipped on a sleek and body-fitting black gown that hugged her curves in all the right places. The dress had a plunging neckline that settled its curved edges around her ample breasts, allowing her breasts to be overly revealing. The dress was balanced by spaghetti hand sleeves, and she slipped on a black elbow glove at first but then decided against it because she didn't want to resemble a hobo.To accessorize, Valerie picked one of her black diamond pieces that added sparkle and elegance to her look. She took out a pair of chandelier earrings rimmed with black diamond and she slipped on a gorgeous cocktail ring that would catch the eyes of anyone who looked at it. Valerie sat on the bed to wear a pair of sleek black stiletto glass heels with ankle straps.Completing her look, Valerie swept her hair into an updo, with soft tendrils falling down her face. She had a red lip and smokey eye makeup on and matched it with a beautiful matte red lipstick.As she rubbed he
CHAPTER 54 "Where is she going?" Valerie whispered to herself as she followed Fareeda to the far end of the estate greens.That area was a secluded area in the estate and not many people were allowed to go there, she was so surprised that Fareeda found her way there.There were three sections of the estate greens. The first section is where everybody went, there were trees, flowers, plants, pottery, benches to sit on, a gazebo, a hammock, two water fountains, and a small shop where people could buy anything they wanted to eat. The second section was after the first one, you'd have to go through a stem-covered gate to go there, and the only thing that was there was a three-seater bench. This place was seldom used by anyone because it was mostly a secluded area. The third section, like the second section, had a stem-covered gate, but the stem covered the whole gate through and through. There were no developments there, no benches or chairs or hammocks for anyone to sit on, and ther
CHAPTER 55 Valerie had her hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail to convey professionalism. Her lips were painted a bold shade of red to touch up her professional look.After her little meeting with Alan in the estate greens about her refusal to sign the divorce papers if she was not properly compensated, she suspected that he probably told his parents about it because they invited her to Carson Innovations to have a meeting with her. She was a little confused about the email she received from the company because just after the invite they told her to dress professionally. Maybe they thought she was going to come in her after-party dress. How lame. After scanning her walk-in wardrobe for the perfect 'professional outfit', she opted for a tailored cropped black suit together with an ankle-length fitted skirt, she strutted towards the mirror and twirled in front of it. Even if the suit revealed a small hint of her cleavage and her small protruding belly, she still looked snatche