VALER’ES POV“I can’t believe you’re actually going! You’re really honoring his invite?” Nanny Beth asked for at least the billion time already ever since I informed her of my meeting with Grandpa. I had already told her I was going, explained things to her but still, she couldn’t seem to sink it in. Even until now that I was fully dressed and almost ready to leave.“I can’t believe you agreed to go to that house! I can’t believe you agreed to meet those people! After everything they did to you, this is just insane!” she bellowed in a semi shushed tone so the kids wouldn’t hear. They were literally in my walk-in closet area right in my room that Nanny Beth and I currently stood. So, you can imagine Nanny’s efforts to contain her frustration.After a moment of her glaring giant holes at the side view of my face and me continuously checking myself and behaving like I couldn’t just feel the intensity of those glares, I finally gave up and turned to face her. “Nanny…I will be fine. Comple
VALERIE’S POV“My dear… it’s so good to see you. Thank you for coming” Grandpa gushed with a smile so big that it had his blue eyes twinkling like Miles when he was excited about something. He made me feel warm all over with how welcoming and accepting he was. I had to blink a few times to keep the tears away as he scanned my outfit from head to toe.“You look absolutely beautiful, my dear!” he complimented and we shared a warm laughter at his attempt to blow kisses at me. “Oh, stop Grandpa! Everyone is staring” I playfully scolded, feeling genuinely happy to see him. He turned back to face the waiting audience at my words. And truthfully, his outburst from earlier had caught a lot of attention if not all. And if they were still a few people left, his next words definitely had them at full attention, making the entire house totally silent.“My dear, are you worried about these people? Don’t be!” he said dismissively before pulling me close, “Everyone, this is Valerie Ann Marie Hernand
VALERIE POVSo, I squinted my eyes in the direction of the voice and sure enough it was another one of Hudson’s cousins- Coco. I call her the black owl because of her insatiable need to always wear a black eyeshadow every single goddamned time.She probably thought it made her look badass but it just seemed tacky for me. Cause just how old are you exactly? That you would still be freaked with been ‘badass’ and trust me, she was probably older than Hudson! Hudson was in his thirties, so you could imagine.“Are you sure about that?” I asked and took steps in her direction. “Why would she join us? This is literally the last round! Let her wait for the next one” Amelia, Hudson’s mom and the very person I had been hoping to see insisted conclusively at Coco’s gesture to make me join them.I finally got to them and noticed it was a poker game, the game of cards. And you know what’s more interesting? Charlotte, Amelia, Coco and Hudson were in on it. They were the main players but, Charlotte
VALERIE’S POVLeaving the bustling gathering behind, I walked over to a secluded part of the mansion. From my memory, this area used to be some sort of relaxation spot for when the sun was down. It had these transparent glass walls that gave an overview of the well-trimmed flowers of the gardens around.Plus, the peace and quiet anyone could get by just been here, I say it made the area all the more enjoyable. But regardless of the place’s beauty, it wasn’t the reason I was here. The reason I was here though, was standing not too far from me. Probably about 6 steps or there about, and cladded in a perfectly tailored black suit, with his dirty blonde hair styled in his usual wave. - Hudson Rodriguez.I think its safe to say his side profile looked good. He didn’t even look angry from the game, like I had imagined he would. He was just…lost in thoughts?Hmm, I wonder why…. “Hey,” I called out, to get his attention and his head turned in my direction. I noticed how he let out a low sigh s
VALERIE'S POV But my moment of triumph didn’t last long at all cause I somehow ran into a certain blonde hair on my way back to the main hall for the party. “Here she is, the little manipulative, bitch” Charlotte sneered, narrowing her eyes at me. ‘Ugh, not now please.’ I groaned inside my head and moved to the other side to leave but Charlotte quickly blocked my path. I moved to the previous path but she got back in the position again. She was obviously trying to get a rise out of me. “What do you want, Charlotte?” I asked after we went through the same process for the third time. “I should ask you that," she retorted sharply, "Why are you here? How can you come here?! Have you no shame?" "Huh?" I scoffed, blinking my eyes at the absurdity of her questions. "Excuse me? What exactly should I be ashamed of, Charlotte?" "A friend of mine invited me for his late wife's memorial, I honored his invite by coming here, what is the shame in that? And why are you all agitated and in
CHAPTER 131HUDSON’S POV“I don’t know about us been mirrored souls or not, but you sure do look like you’re running away” those were the words that had been continuously replaying in my head ever since she walked off, and so nonchalantly at that! Like she didn’t alter those crazy ridiculous words about her feeling some type of way for me.Like what the hell was that? And why right now?!Right now, when I was still trying to pick myself up from all the crazy feelings I had been having lately? Does she even know how long I had been waiting for her to show up at the house? How long I had been discreetly glancing at the front double doors? Despite knowing I shouldn’t?! despite trying so hard not to do it?She doesn’t know anything! And then finally! when she does show up, she just went right ahead to come bullshit me about her feeling something for me. Which we all know were lies!Horrible lies!It was okay if I kept having crazy thoughts about her, it was okay. It was all inside my head
VALERIE’S POV*Sound of phone buzzing*“Ohmm, stop calling me…” I groaned sleepily and turned to the other side of the bed to keep the sound away. But it just kept buzzing, even when I had thought in relief that the person finally gave up. It only continued buzzing after few seconds again until I finally gave up and reached for the object under my pillow.“Hello?” I said with a groggy voice, half asleep. But the thunderous voice that followed had me almost jumping down from my bed, “VALERIE! Where in heavens name are you?! I have called you 15 times already!” I quickly checked the ID, cussing myself for not checking earlier.“Ugh, Nanny… stop yelling! You’re making my headache worse” I groaned out while holding a fist full of my very very disorganized hair. “Where are you? Are you hurt?” she asked instead, but this time her voice was much calmer. “Did those people hurt you again? Because I swear to the heavens, I will get all their asses locked up! I already called the Chairman, he’s
CHARLOTTE'S POVThat stupid bitch! Ughh!” I cussed loudly, slamming the door of my supposed room shut and moving to my dresser.“I’m going to kill her; I’m going to kill that bitch!!” I bellowed some more and threw all the stuff on the dresser down just in time for Lucia to walk in, “Hey! Relax, you’re going to hurt yourself.” Lucia called out, rushing to me at the sight of my bleeding palm. “It’s all that Valerie’s fault! That bloody bitch and her stupid superior attitude!” I cussed some more seeing as a bottle spray had cut my palm when I threw those down.“Here, this should stop the blood” She muttered and wrapped my palm with her handkerchief. I whizzed a little she pulled at the ends a bit tighter. “You shouldn’t let her get you so worked up like this”“I just can’t stand her!” I responded, still angry at the thought of Valerie mocking me downstairs. “She’s like a disease, a virus that has no cure! I want her gone and out of this house! Out of my life! Out of this family! Out of-
VALERIE’S POVI just sat there speechless as my mind tried to picture the scene. The scene of Hudson actually confronting my Papa, threatening him… but no matter how hard I tried, it just seemed so…weird.Was Papa exaggerating?“You know, aside from his…past with you, he actually is a good lad.” Papa continued, even smiling a bit as he spoke. Which made things all the more weird. “He is reliable, stable, a bit hot headed though and also very annoyingly confident!”Confident, that he was. I would give him that!Confronting my Papa and openly threaten to do harm was a whole other level entirely.“Smart too! A man that can pull his own weight, and not drag you down! Or want to change you” Papa continued, his smile now obvious but not the really big kind of smile though. But it was enough to have me pointing it out. “You what I think, Pumpkin? I think he is just my style.”What?“Okay Pa, hold on!” I called out, my hands in the air to pause his little speech cause I wasn’t following anym
VALERIE’S POV“Pa!”“Pa!” Babara’s loud voice echoed in the air even before we saw her face. The urgency in her voice clear, and it only seemed to get worse as the clicking sounds of her heels drew closer to Papa’s hospital door.My eyes flickered to Papa’s for a moment, just making sure I didn’t need to stop her before she got to him right. Cause I was ready to! I won’t let her rashness take away the only family member I had left. I wouldn’t let him encounter another panic attack, not on my watch!I think he kind of sensed my uneasiness, and gently placed his hands on mine. Wanting to assure me he was alright, and as much as that calmed me, I still wasn’t putting down my guard. Not while the enemy was so close by.And as if hearing my thoughts, the door slammed open!“Papa!” and in came Babara herself. Rushing in with all her might, desperation and anxiety coating her every move. “Papa, I have looked everywhere for you! Everywhere… hospitals after hospitals, ward after ward, just… ev
HUDSON’S POV“Do you understand now?”“First, the man you wanted left you, Amelia left you, Ethan also did, and now… your own father has abandoned you.” her voice sounded softly, almost considerate but the underlying cruelty was hard to miss. A total contrast to the nonchalant expression on her face, like even speaking to the woman on phone was not worth wasting her energy.It was enchanting, to say the very least.“No one wants you; no one wants to be with you.” She whispered slowly, “You will die alone, Charlotte. A long, lonely death. Remember that,”And just like that, the call ended. The phone sliding from her ears, every movement smooth like she had finished the deal right then and there, which she had though. The bait had been set.The bait we both agreed upon after Ethan showed up at our doorstep, with information about Charlotte. A very daring attitude from a person with his record of betrayal. Ever since he attempted to kidnap Valerie back then, he had gone off record. Which
CHARLOTTE'S POV“Oh yeah?” she sneered, sounding totally unbothered as I continued to brew with anger. “What will you do to Drake then? You see he made a deal with me; to hand over all his dealings with my family, testify against you in court, revealing all the many corpses that was buried underneath the garden in his house for you.”What?“What are you talking about you bitch, I killed no one!” I responded, my breathing shaky as memories of how so many dead bodies were used as fertilizer for the rose garden back home. Dead bodies that were as a result of several tortures and beatings given to men doing business with the heartless man that was my father!It was all him!How come this bitch was saying something else here? How did she even know about the bodies?!“Those corpses are as a result of the many murders that you have done over the years, Charlotte!”“That’s not true!” I argued angrily, losing my cool.“But Drake said it is, and he is testifying against you in court!” she insis
CHARLOTTE’S POV“What the hell are they doing?”“Why are they even together at the hospital? Just what the fuck is this?!” my voice resounded everywhere, bouncing off the walls in the apartment I currently occupied with Raymond.But could you blame me? I was pissed off!Pissed off by the stupid ass video that was been displayed on the tv screen! A video of what supposedly had happened between my man and that bitch Valerie today! Or was this some sort of trick? That bitch Valerie was pulling a stunt again?But even if she did, how did Hudson come onboard with this?! To do this with her! Act like they were all perfect and okay, when I knew they were not! They most definitely were not! They shouldn’t even be!Valerie’s schemes have been exposed! Hudson knows all about this now, I was sure of it! I watched him drive off angrily that night, away from their new place. He didn’t go home that day I sent those cameras, they had a fight. I was sure of it!So why instead of packing his things an
HUDSON’S POVSilence settled between Val and I as we walked all the way to the ward. Our fingers still interlocked, until finally we reached the very door that held Miley’s excited laughs behind it. And then I stopped, facing Valerie right then.“What money?” I asked, but she simply blinked. Probably not expecting my question, but I heard the conversations between her and her aunties anyways. Or at least part of it, since they were already speaking before I arrived there. So…“The money your aunt was referring to” I explained, my voice calm as I waited. “She said something about a stolen money that was in Mason’s name, and you were going to be arrested for it if they called the cops. What was that all about?”“Oh,” was all she said, a deep sigh following right after. “It’s… it’s a bit personal,”Huh?“Personal?” I repeated, not believing she was about to do what I thought she would do. “How personal is this that I can’t even know about it? Mason is involved here, that’s my son, Valeri
HUDSON’S POVComing back home was nothing short of what I had expected. My kids gathered were together, happily playing games, absolutely oblivious of the current happenings surrounding me and their mom. As far as they were concerned; daddy had to take a little trip to check out a building site.A strategy Nanny Beth took to save them from the hassle of wondering why I wasn’t home for 2 days. But aside my kids, everything else seemed fine. The maids, Nanny (Whether or not she knew, she didn’t behave like it at all. But assuming she didn’t know anything will be highly stupid on my part cause Valerie tells her almost everything despite their huge age difference!) but above all, there was no Valerie.I wouldn’t lie to you, a part of me immediately thought of going back to the house outside the city, to check if she had still gone back there. But I just held back. Forcing myself to focus on taking a nice shower, eat a really satisfying meal and then catch up with my kids.The last time I
VALERIE’S POV“I-I’m truly sorry,”“I am- am so sorry for lying about that day,” I apologized, my voice breaking as I tried to keep my tears at bay. “I shouldn’t have lied! I should’ve… I didn’t know you and the kids were at the office, I didn’t know you guys wanted to surprise me so we could have lunch together. It’s all my fault! I’m sorry…”“Of course you are. You are sorry now, Valerie.” His voice sounded in the air, bitter but yet so calm. Unlike his explosive self that I had seen that day in the secret room. “But you weren’t sorry when you just lied to both me and the kids that day, running off to go clear evidences of your actions for fear that someone would get to it first before you do. Maybe someone already got to them-Charlotte had! She did send a few cameras after all; I’m guessing that is what got you agitated and also what had been bothering you days before the kids and I even went to your office!”“No! That’s not it at all,” I rushed to explain, “I wasn’t bothered about
CHARLOTTE’S POV“What? What did you say?”“They are still under the same roof? My Huddie is still living in that house? With her? with bitch Valerie?!"He simply nodded in confirmation, amplifying the horror I just heard. “How?!” I blasted, loosing my shit right then and there. “How is any of that even possible?! He should’ve left her by now! They should be fighting and him not forgiving what she has done! How can they still be together? That’s impossible!”“It is possible!” Raymond insisted, his tone similar to mine. “I saw him myself! I saw Hudson drive into that mini city of his- the Sky Walls! I saw him, and even waited for over an hour to see if he would come back out, but he didn’t! The man simply went home to his woman and kids, get over him kiddo. We need to leave the country before things get out of hand!”“No,” I responded, not wanting to believe a word he said.“Kiddo, You-“No! I said no!” I boomed, smashing the glass of water I was supposed to take my meds with. “I’m not