Valerie walked into the police station with trembling She had waited for Cade to call and when he did not, she became nervous. There was no way she was going to spook him out yet again by sending a message the same way she had been doing before, so her plan was to wait it out, and she was over the moon when he set a meeting. The place was not her favourite place to meet, but she went with it because she would rather meet him here than not meet him at all.
“Hello, Ms White.” A young officer welcomed her as she walked in. He was not supposed to know her because he had never worked her case, but somehow the gaze he left lingering on her skin showed that he learned a lot about it.
“Hello, young officer,” she said with a short answer. He was probably eyeing her up and down, wondering what kind of old woman tries to stalk a young man through texts. “I am here to see Cade Vale,” she added and he nodded.
“Of course you are, this way,” he said, taking her through the back and then into one of the investigation rooms at the back. “Mr. Vale is not yet here, but you can wait here comfortably,” the man said and then added with his mouth in a fine line. “We have turned off all the cameras and microphones so you can speak freely.”
She nodded her head and was not sure if that was something she should trust. Did he want her to talk when she had no company? Were they trying to get some incriminating evidence without her knowing? “Thank you, officer,” she said and turned around to look at the place that she might frequent soon. The last time she was not in the right frame of mind to check out the place, but it was as cold as what she thought hell would be.
“Do you want me to get you something to drink while you wait?” the officer asked. Valerie wondered if Cade had asked them to treat her well or if the police were truly your friend.
“If you do not mind, can I get cold water? Whatever kind you have,” she said with the smile she had earlier still on her face.
“Of course, I will bring it to you at once,” the man said, leaving the room, so her thoughts began to overwhelm her. She was about to sit face-to-face with her son after all these years. She had to leave him to the Vale’s because at that time she was just a poor secretary, and there was no way she would have been able to give him the life he had now. If she were his mother instead of all the Ivy League certifications he had, the best thing he would have had would have been a roof over his head. There was no way she would have been so selfish enough to keep him to herself and not give him the best he knew. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden opening of the door.
Cade followed by Ophelia and the officer who had brought her in first filed in. “Your water,” he said, putting a bottle in front of her. “Thank you,” she murmured and he stepped back.
“You can use this room for as long as you want to,” he said, looking around and holding onto his belt like he was in one of those cowboy movies. Cade looked at him, ready to ask a few questions “I have turned off the cameras and audio recording devices; there would be no evidence that you were today so you can talk freely.”
Cade knew that this was the only safe place they could talk without being monitored by his grandfather, who had eyes everywhere. Charles would find out eventually but at least he would have known the truth before any of that went down. He already probably knew why he was in there and that was supposed to throw home his scent for a while.
“Thank you, officer. I owe you a big one.”
“Of course not; I am so glad I could help,” he said and then gave them a thumbs up before adding in the most sarcastic voice ever that told Cade that he must tip him before leaving. “Remember that police is your friend,” he said, giving them a quick nod and exiting with the door shut behind him.
“Cade,” Valerie’s voice came out all shaky.
“The test results are out,” he said, taking out the envelope from his suit jacket and slamming it against the table.
“I don’t need to open that. I know you are my son. “I birthed you,” she said, tears seamlessly rolling down her cheeks. He wondered how she was able to cry so easily like that.
“Okay, so I guess you were correct about that, but I want to know about a lot of things.”
“Of course, you do want to know about them all and you have the right to do. I just want you to know that I only chose to let go of you because I thought that was the best thing I had to do for you to live the best life.”
“The best thing?” Ophelia had followed because she wanted to be supported; she had not wanted to talk earlier, but now she could not control herself. “You abandoned him because it was the best thing to do?” she scoffed again.
“I was weak and helpless, and the Vale agreed to take him; how could I have said no to them?” she asked with a worried expression on her face. “Cade I was truly devastated, and I had to do it,” she added, turning to him, hoping he would see that he was truly helpless but had no other choice.
“Yeah, you were.” Ophelia’s tone was judgmental, and Valerie did not like it.
“How did you enjoy your life while you threw me into a life of misery with my stepmother?” Cade followed as soon as Ophelia stopped talking. “Did you actually care about me?”
“Of course I did, the chairman promised to take good care of you and turn you into the chairman; that was why I had to give you up. That was a wonderful opportunity for you; I could not let it slip away. Imagine the son of the mistress being the chairman of all the Vale empire.”
“But no one would know that because you have hidden it all this while,” his mouth was in a thin line as he fought back the tears.
“Yes but isn’t it better for you to have that? That was all I ever had to give you,” she said, the tears now flowing endlessly from her eyes.
“Just call yourself the selfish mother you are; no need to sugarcoat it.”