MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE

CHAPTER TWO: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!

Every year since Valerie married into the Carson family all the responsibility for organizing Christmas has been transferred to her.

Nothing changed except that the Christmas preparation is usually more hectic than the last, and her husband- Alex even made it more unbearable for her.

Valerie worshipped her husband and the ground he walked on because he saved her father from going to prison.

Valerie's father- Toby Diaz was a well-known gambler and fraudster. He usually borrowed money from Alex- his boss and then gambled it all away. In the end, Toby had no means to pay Alex back and that was the first time Alex had ever seen Valerie.

Valerie was 17, she rushed into the living room because she heard people yelling. When she entered the living room, she found out that they were yelling at her father, she looked confused and couldn't place her finger on why they'd be screaming at her father.

All the heads in the room turned toward her, including Alex. When Alex saw her he was too stunned to speak, he had never seen anyone as gorgeous as Valerie. Alex was 30 years old. Toby was horrified when he saw the lascivious look on Alex's face. He wanted to speak but then one of Alex's men slapped him across the face.

"She is 17 years old! " her father screamed at Alex and she just stood in the room scared and unable to move.

"Go back upstairs, Valerie, " her father commanded, and then she ran upstairs swiftly.

That night, her father came into her room, he looked so sad, and he had tears welling up in the corner of his eyes. Valerie pretended to be sleeping in bed and she could hear her father walk toward where she lay and then kiss her forehead.

"Lo siento cara mia, " he said in a small voice, and she opened her eyes forgetting that she was supposed to be pretending to sleep. *Spanish word meaning to English is- I am sorry my dear*

"Papa, what is it? " she asked and her father just hugged her, his head buried in her long brunette hair as he cried.

"It's all my fault, " he said

Valerie didn't understand what was going on so she stayed quiet.

"I promised your mom that I was going to take care of you, " he whimpered, sniffling. "I am very sorry amor, " he added

"What is going on Papa? " she asked in a small voice, already sobbing

Toby moved to cup her face, cleaning her tears, and then kissed her forehead

"Vete a dormir bebe, " he whispered and tucked her in her bed. *Spanish word to English means-Go to sleep baby. *

The next morning, when she woke up, she saw Alex seated on her bed.

"You are so beautiful, even the law cannot stop me from marrying you, " he said

He married Valerie the following day.

~

Valerie was now 22 years old, and she had a son with Alex the year they got married. Alex named him Kevin, her young vibrant beautiful boy.

Valerie's beauty had grown and developed over the years. Her hair was a deep, rich brunette, falling in waves below her waist. Her eyes were a deep brown, flecked with gold, and her lips were full and rosy. She had high cheekbones and a delicate nose, giving her a timeless, classic beauty. But it was more than her physical features that made Valerie so stunning - it was the way she carried herself, with grace and poise, that indeed made her a sight to behold. Valerie had a heart of gold and she spread kindness everywhere she went.

Her father and mother-in-law loved her so much because she reminded them of Alex's sister who died when Alex was 20 years old. Alex had a younger brother-Alan whom Valerie had met once and that was when Alex and Valerie got married.

~

Valerie was supervising the preparation for the Christmas party that was taking place in the Carson estate tomorrow evening. The Carson estate was where Alex, Valerie, and Kevin lived, while Alex's parents and his brother lived in another country.

Carson Innovations is a technology company founded by Alex's great-grandfather, Francis Carson. The company is headquartered in California and has a strong presence in London as well. There are also several branches of Carson Innovations scattered all over the world but California and London are where the headquarters of Carson Innovations are located. Alan is the CEO of the branch in London and their parents also live in London.

For this year's Christmas party at the Carson estate in California, the whole Carson family will be in attendance and this was something that even the estate staff were looking forward to.

Only the most influential persons are invited to the Christmas party, Valerie usually prepares the guest list and hands it over to Alex for cross-checking. Valerie was only allowed to see her father at the Christmas party and that was why she mostly looked forward to the Christmas party every year. She was also anticipating her father and mother-in-law's visit to their home and she was mostly anxious to meet Alan again after five years.

The last time she saw him at her and Alex's wedding he was just a scrawny boy who wore braces in his 20s, so what was there to be anxious about?

None of that was her problem at the moment because she had something to discuss with Alex.

The theme of this year's Christmas party was chosen by Alex, and it was called- A Night in Paris, she ordered for all of the decorations to be delivered to the Carson estate immediately and she was sure that Alex's assistant- Mini sorted the payments for all of it out.

She received a call after the decorations arrived, the man demanded at least a down payment and she was lost, she called Mini and Alex, and they both weren't answering the phone. She was sure that they were together because Alex said something about attending a meeting in Vegas.

When Fareeda- the head maid informed her of Alex's arrival and that he was in the room they both shared, she sprinted to the room, opened the door, and found Alex removing his suit. She ran towards him to help him take it off and she noticed purple marks on his neck. She ran her hand over it and Alex looked at her questionably.

"There are purple marks on your neck, " she said softly

"It's a bruise, "

"Hm, I can see, " she replied, folding his suit and placing it on the bed. She moved to unbutton his dress shirt and then told him about what was bothering her.

"I called you and Mini earlier, " she started, looking at Alex to meet his eyes, and when he said nothing, she continued

"The decorations company said that we haven't paid them and I was sure Mini took care of the payments, "

"I withdrew them before she deposited anything, " he said taking off his dress shirt by himself

"Why? "

"None of your business, " he said removing his pants

"The company wants their money, Alex, do you want me to cancel the party? I do not want anything that will bring embarrassment to our family especially when Mom, Dad, and Alan will be in attendance, " Valerie pressed

"I'll take care of it, I'll talk to Mini after taking a bath, " he said and left for the bathroom

Valerie heaved a sigh and sat on the bed. Just then, Alex's phone began ringing. Mini's name appeared on the caller ID. She thought that it'd be a good idea to speak to Mini herself as she was the one organizing the event. She answered the phone and Mini's voice filled her ears.

"Babe, that was amazing," Mini said and then chuckled

Babe?

Who the hell calls their boss, babe?

"It's Valerie, "