|| LORENZO KING's POV||
She left crying.......
I saw her running out of the house, desperately looking for a cab. When she found nothing, she started walking like an abandoned pet on the street. I didn't know what kind of emotions I had felt at that moment. When she started walking towards the street, I felt as though she was walking out of my life not from my house.
It was pretty clear that Nana had said something bad to her. That old woman might dote on me but she would never allow anything to stain my reputation. Even the servants said that they felt the atmosphere turned off when Nana left the mansion after visiting Valentina.
SHIT!!
She can't leave me...she is mine..!
I growled slammed my fist against the desk and immediately called all my guards to find her,
" Two hours! I want to see Valentina at my house within two hours."
The guards all left in a hurry to obey my order. However, I couldn't just sit back and wait calmly. I couldn't dare to imagine that she left me. After so many years, I felt something for a woman. In no way, I was ready to let her go away from me like in the past.
Forcing myself to calm down, I tried to remember every detail of her. There weren't so many places that she could go around at this hour. If she booked a hotel, my guards would have found it already. Then I recalled a friend of her whom she used to contact often.. Emily....
______
I finally found her. The CCTV camera showed that she went into this apartment where Emily lived. I strode straight to the apartment and rang the bell impatiently. The door was slammed open with an annoying voice,
" Who the fuck.. Lorenzo..Mr.King.."
It was Emily, Valentina's best friend who was clearly shocked to see me at her doorway. I replied to her hurriedly, already peeking my head inside her apartment rudely,
" Hi.. Emily.. Valentina..I am here for her..Let me talk to her for once..I know that she is probably mad at me but.."
" NO!!", Emily cut me off sharply, blocking my way from entering. I narrowed my eyes at her but she just retorted, daring just like her friend,
" Sorry, Mr.King but my friend's mental health is far more important to me. Especially since she is pregnant. Please leave her alone. She will definitely contact you since your baby is in her stomach. But let her stay in peace for a while which you undoubtedly failed to give her."
I clenched my fists hard, unable to retort. Emily was hitting the truth one after another. Indeed ever since she got pregnant, one after another issue crossed in her life because of me.
Before Emily could shut the door in my face, a weak voice came from the indoor,
" Emily! What is this noise..."
Val stopped there in surprise. She didn't expect me to find her out this soon but hell, Lorenzo King could own this entire town. Emily shouted at her worrying,
" Val..go back to your room..I can handle him.."
Val spoke calmly, so reserved that it ached my heart to the point of suffocating,
" It's okay, Emily..I can handle it.."
Emily left with a helpless sigh, giving us space to talk. Val walked over to me carefully, holding the little bump on the process. She started speaking in a calm voice,
" Lorenzo...I need time to calm down myself... Please don't come here to cause trouble for others..I need to give birth in a healthy environment. So wait patiently until I give birth. I am not running away from you."
What did she mean by she was going to stay here until birth?
I blurted out the truth bitterly,
" So, you are breaking up with me because of Nana? What did she say to you?"
She said nothing harsh about Nana, not a single complaint. After taking a deep breath, she muttered without battling her eyes from me,
" I am doing it for myself. I can't let myself.. get humiliated every single day..You deserve far better than me..So Lorenzo..Let me be the surrogate for you only... Don't come to look for me anymore.."
_______
|| VALENTINA's POV ||
I couldn't sleep well last night. The look on Lorenzo's face broke me into pieces. He looked hurt and abandoned. I didn't dare to look into his eyes after I told those words on his face.
When I arrived at the store the next morning with a sore headache, the store was in chaos from the beginning. A little group of curious crowds were peeking into the store, watching the commotion like a good show.
I dashed forward to see what was exactly happening. It left me dumbstruck to see Sophia with my stepmother, Mara arguing with my staff. Sophia spat aggressively, stomping on her feet,
" Why can't I take these clothes? I am Valentina's sister okay? Do you dare to throw me away?"
The staff replied helplessly,
" Mam, the lady Boss told us to not provide any clothes for you. Please try to understand!"
Mara rebuked angrily, sounding all proud,
" You..still dare to stop us..Just wait till I tell my son-in-law. He will definitely fire you for being rude to his in-laws. Give me Lorenzo's number."
My lips twisted in disgust. The woman who appeared the next day on our doorstep right after dad died for the property had the nerves to call me 'her daughter'. She never even said 'hello' to me properly.
How dare they come to rob my store everyday?
I made my appearance hurriedly, scoffed back at the mother-daughter,
" Is that so? Does he acknowledge you as his in-laws?"
Both of them looked shocked after finding me especially Sophia whose expression darkened. I bet that she went to the bars everyday to show off these branded outfits.
Mara was definitely a good actress. She rushed forward to me, sounding like a good and caring mother,
" Here...Good daughter..Look how your staff is daring to be rude to us..We just picked a few pieces of clothes..."
I saw the bags in Sophia's hands. More than fifteen clothes were in her hands and all of them were the latest designs by James. Ignoring the woman who was never a part of my life, I walked over to slap Sophia at her face. The staff were all stunned including Mara who dashed next to her daughter and glared at me hardly. I spoke through my gritted teeth, fuming in rage,
" I told you..so many times that this isn't my store..Still... you dare to show your shameless face again and again..And you..Mrs.Mara.. You were never my mother and never will...You both are just shameless women who are after money.."
I glared at my staff who seemed satisfied,
" Take back the clothes immediately! Don't let them enter the store next time."
The staff quickly snatched the bags away from her hands and vanished into the corner to put them back in places. Mara shouted at me, holding her daughter in her arms,
" It was just clothes! Did you have to be so harsh on her? She is your biological sister..how can you do this to her.."
I spat back angrily,
" Leave before I call the security guards!"
I turned around to walk back to my office when Sophia started shouting from the top of her lungs, earning attention again,
" What are you so proud of, Valentina? Does your staff know that you are Lorenzo King's Mistress? He used you and threw you out like garbage. Hmph! You are more useless than those clothes. Don't act like you are some Boss lady here. Humph!"