Chapter 13
Valerie’s POV
It was a very long night. I woke up in the morning with a burning headache. My joints ache and I had no memory of what happened the previous night. The clock at my bedside ticked on and on. The time was 10 am. I wonder when we returned from the club last night.
I looked around and it took me a while to realise that I was still in Claire’s house.
I staggered out of the room in search of my house mate.
“Claire? Where are you?” I heard the sound of the television from the sitting room. Claire has always been an early bird.
“You’re finally awake. Hope you slept well? I didn’t want to bother you, because I saw that you needed sleep.”
“My head aches…so bad” I held my head with my hands as Claire stood up to help me sit down on the nearest cushion.
“Let me get some water for you”
“Here you go. It’s probably because of the stress from last night. You will be fine” she said as she handed the glass of water to me.
“Have you seen my phone anywhere? I haven’t seen my phone since last night.” It was difficult for me to remember that I gave my phone to Claire last night at the party.
“It’s in my room. I’ll get it for you.” She said,
A few moments after taking the full glass of water, I felt much better. When Claire handed my phone to me, it was switched off and so I had to turn it on.
I was prompted to check my SMS and Damian’s chat was the first for me to see. I was surprised to see some deleted messages. I tried to remember the last time we texted and what I could have deleted but my head was just blunt.
I would have asked Claire if she had used my phone the previous night but then I remembered that the chances of that happening are low. This is because all my apps are locked with my fingerprint so there is no way her fingerprint would match with mine.
Well…I don’t know what might have happened but I’ll still get through to Damian anyhow. Of course, we still have issues to settle. Not after what he did to me anyway.
“Is everything okay?” Claire asked.
“Uhmm…Yes, everything is good. I was just thinking of something”
“Val. I want you to be happy. Please, listen to me. I would advise that you stay away from Damian for the meantime. He has dealt with your mental health in less than two weeks since you met him. As you will stay in my house for this short period of time, can you just give him some distance?”
I sighed.
“Alright, Claire. I have heard you. I promise that I will.”
I’m just so confused at the moment. This moment I want to settle with Damian, next moment I’m being advised to stay away from him. Good Lord.
*****************
Damian’s POV
“Another glass, please” I beckoned to the waiter that stood behind me.
“Aqui tiene, senor.” He said as he poured in another glass.
“Gracias” I responded
We were at the bar, drinking Hennessy and some of my friends were playing snooker. I sat at the counter with Ethan. Ethan was my closest friend. We are childhood friends and so he knows everything about me. I informed him earlier of the marriage deal with Valerie and everything that has occurred afterwards.
“Hey, Bro! Come and join us.” Ethan beckoned to me from across the snooker table.
I simply nodded in disapproval. Ethan walked over the next minute.
“What’s up, Bro? You’ve had this sullen look all evening. What is the issue?”
“You remember Jade, right?”
“Of course I do. How can I forget that lady, especially what she did to you before traveling? What about her?”
“She showed up a few days ago.” I said as I took another sip from my drink.
“That should not be a problem. I believe you can handle that. Is it the reason why you are here?”
“Yes, but it is not the only reason. She confronted Valerie. I don’t know how she found out about her or her contact information. She went to Valerie’s store and I’m not sure of what she said to her. But Valerie has been avoiding me since then”
“You can’t be serious. I never knew she was capable of doing something like this.” Ethan said in disgust.
“Not only that, Valerie and I were supposed to meet up last night. I texted her, inviting her for dinner at a hotel which she agreed to. But the most annoying part is that she never showed up. Women can be very annoying. Why would she promise to come in the first place if she wasn’t willing?”
By now, I was fuming.
“I made out time to plan our date, make reservations at the table with flowers and notes just to make her happy but she didn’t appear. I went over to her house to see if she’d be at home but her neighbour informed me that she left with a friend. Seemingly, they travelled or went somewhere far; judging from the size of their bags.”
I continued as Ethan just listened attentively.
“I still don’t understand why she would do something like this. I was so embarrassed yesterday. I felt like an errand boy”
“Who made you feel like an errand boy?” It was Sam. Samuel is my friend and business partner, but he doesn’t know much about my personal life.
“Who would make the mistake of doing such a thing? The only Billionaire that has got ladies tripping over him. You are so lucky to have the looks, wealth and fame. If I had a quarter of all your qualities, I would have had ladies trooping in and out of my abode.” Sam said with a wink as he settled down beside me.
“There is more to life than women, Bro. You should have known this by now.” I pointed out.
“I’m not ready for your lectures now. Tell us what is bothering you”
My phone began to ring. It was Jade calling.
“Sorry guys. I’ll be right back.” I hurried out to a quiet place to take the call.
“Babe, please just give me a chance to meet with you. I have many things to disclose to you.” she pleaded.
Only God knows what Jade is plotting this time around.