|| VALENTINA's POV ||
" Thank you for coming! I would like to be clear about the incident that brought public attention to me..", It was Lorenzo on the TV, having a press conference about the recent scandal. I still couldn't ignore the guilt in my heart. He was going to lose this battle because of me. I heard from the butler that the Ning International had broken all the collaborations because of the fight.
Tears welled up my eyes as I heard Lorenzo, saying to the reporters,
" Mr.Rick was disrespectful towards my girlfriend. As a man, I had to stand up for my woman. As a result, we had a fight. I have nothing more to explain except this."
The reporters all went crazy around, asking about his girlfriend but Lorenzo just stepped down from the stage, followed by his guards. The live conference was stopped after that, making me sigh remorseful.
I browsed through the internet, reading the online comments under the live telecast,
" Who is that special woman?"
" Lorenzo King is ready to lose his billion dollar deals just for a woman? Is he crazy? I would like to see what kind of woman had bewitched him."
Most of the comments were hateful as they didn't expect Lorenzo to go to this extent. I also felt hurt and slept on the bed after crying. Before sleeping, I promised myself that I would definitely prove my worth to Lorenzo one day.
When I woke up, it was already 10 P.M at night. However, the butler suddenly entered the room with a hint of surprise in his voice,
" Miss, you are awake?"
I scratched the back of my head, yawning lazily,
" Hmm? Why? Is Lorenzo at home?"
The butler shook his head, disappointment dawned over me. Before I could ask for more, he informed me with a sour expression,
" The old madam is here to see you. Change your dress before going downstairs."
I was nervous as hell as soon as I was dressed up. I put on decent clothes to meet Lorenzo's granny for the first time. I heard the maids talking about her a lot. They said that Granny was the one important person who Lorenzo valued deeply. It was normal for me to get nervous.
Why didn't anyone tell me in advance that she was coming today?
After getting into a long top, I strode downstairs to find her seated on the couch, sipping her tea. She was dressed far better than me which gave me the speculation that she was a highly fashionable woman. I smiled at her nervously, dragging my feet towards her,
" Granny! Hello, I am Valentina. I have heard about you a lot."
She gave me a deep stare before rising from the seat gradually. Her face was expressionless without any smile. A part of me told that she didn't like me. Still, I tried to stay calm on the surface, ready for anything.
She eyed me from head to toe, finally stopping at my stomach to ask coldly,
" How far are you?"
I replied with a smile,
" Three months. The doctor said that everything is going well."
She hummed in acknowledgement and suddenly blurted bitterly,
" Since when did surrogate start to join the family business?"
My expression fell as I swallowed the burn in my throat. As expected, she didn't like me joining the store. I replied softly, still faking a smile,
" I just.. rented his brand for months to test. I..I don't own the store, Granny."
She let out a scoff, blurting through her gritted teeth,
" Do you take me as a fool, woman? My grandson might be blind but your intentions with my grandson are clear. In just a few months, you have managed to take over the business. Besides, he just had a fight because of you and has lost a reputation for you. I can clearly see that you have a big influence on my Lorenzo."
Tears pricked from the corner of my eyes as I tried to correct her,
" Granny, you are mistaking. I have no such intentions."
She didn't trust me instead humiliated me further,
" Trust you? If you don't have such intentions, why are you wearing such fancy dresses? Do you think that I have no idea about women like you? You are just trying to get your benefits through Lorenzo's sympathy."
I was shocked momentarily before looking down at my clothing. I had no idea what kind of brands these were. All my shopping was done by Lorenzo's men. They were the ones who chose clothes for me.
Granny continued, orbiting around me,
" Listen woman! You are just a surrogate for his child. Don't take your expectations too high. Just live well these days, give birth and leave with money. Otherwise, I don't want you anywhere near my grandson. You understand?"
I gripped the corner of my clothes hard, tears poured down from my eyes. She was speaking the truth indeed. I was just a stripper. How could I deserve Lorenzo King?
______
" Hello Emily! Are you at home? Can..can I come?", I asked Emily through my tears and sobs, walking cluelessly on the street. I need space now. Perhaps, I should just stay at Emily's place before I could give birth to their precious heir.
Emily replied with concern anxiously,
" Val.. What's wrong? Where are you? Tell me, I am going there to find you."
I looked around the dark street to any board but nothing was seen nearby. I guess, it was the wrong idea to walk out of the house in a rush. The humiliation was too much for me. I never felt so cheap in the past. Granny literally told me that I was sleeping with Lorenzo for money. I turned on the location and saw that I was near Emily's place. I quickly sent her the address and waited for her to come and pick me up from here. However, a car suddenly parked in front of my path...