Absent-mindedly, Valerie stirred the milk in the cup. She was troubled because the day was getting closer.
“Should I tell Nicole about this? Oh, no! He just got back to the country, and he must be so busy with other things. What do I do now? I have barely four days to get a man with me to Patricia's wedding. I'm doomed!”.
“When are you going to finish stirring that?”
Smacked out of her thoughts, Valerie turned swiftly and saw Anastasia glaring at her as though she could shoot her to death with her eyes.
Valerie gulped hard as she placed the cup on the saucer. “Have you been here long?”
With a snort, Patricia rolled her eyes. “Do I owe you any explanation? You are such a lazy ass, and I wonder why you were even hired with this sort of lazy behavior of yours”.
Valerie, who was still short of words, grabbed the saucer with a heavy exhale. She has already gotten used to Anastasia's critics each time they meet each other.
“I have other things to do, Anastasia. It would be very foolish of me to stand here, and argue with you”.
With that, she walked out of the kitchen. She could hear Anastasia mumbling inaudible words.
At Audrey's bedroom, Valerie handed the cup containing the milk to her. “Thank you, Miss old-fashioned”.
Audrey took the cup, and gulped down the content. “Miss old-fashioned, can we go to the zoo during leisure time tomorrow?”
Valerie was sitting on the edge of the bed with her eyes fixed on the ceiling fan. She wasn't paying any attention to Audrey, who thought she was actually listening.
Turning sharply, Audrey saw her staring into the air. “Miss old-fashioned! Miss old-fashioned!!”
“Y… yes.” Startled, Valerie snapped, and Audrey shook her head.
“Miss old-fashioned, are you okay? You don't look too well”.
Valerie forced a smile at her. “Of course not, baby. I'm fine, I just feel a little tired. That's why I'm being like this. I'm sorry, child”.
Pouting her mouth, Audrey held her hand. “Miss old-fashioned, if there is anyone who's bothering you, you can tell me about it. We are good friends, right?” She raised her brows.
Smiling faintly, Valerie patted her hair with smiles all over her face. She couldn't help but wonder how she got so lucky to take care of such an adorable little girl like Audrey. “Baby, I'm fine. I don't want you getting all worked up for nothing, okay?”
“Shhh… So, are we really going to the zoo tomorrow?” Audrey anxiously inquired.
Heaving a sigh, Valerie shook her head and thought. “Audrey will stop at nothing until she lands me into trouble. I can't believe that I keep conceding to her requests each time she makes one”.
Bowing her head quietly, Audrey turned her gaze away, feigning sadness. Valerie grabbed her arm, and whispered. “Will I ever refuse you anything? That's impossible, right?”
Upon hearing that, Audrey's face brightened immediately. She smiled widely and kissed Valerie's fist. “I love you big, Miss old-fashioned”.
“I love you more, Audrey. Go ahead, finish your paintings. Your home-teacher will be here in a few minutes”.
Her countenance changed immediately she heard of the teacher. “Gross!” She mumbled. Valerie chuckled on hearing her.
…
At Justin's apartment, Patricia was seated on the couch, sipping her glass of freshly made orange squash while Justin sat at the other end, stealing glances at her. He wanted to talk to her, but probably he didn't find the right words to use.
After a few more minutes of silence, Justin, who had been so restless, decided to speak. “What was the meaning of that attitude you portrayed in front of your sister?”
Snorting, Patricia turned to Justin. “What attitude are you talking about, Justin? She is my sister for crying out loud, and I was only inviting her to my wedding. Is there anything wrong with that?”
“Come on, Pat. It was obvious that you were making fun of her. I mean, it's not even official yet” Justin snapped.
Patricia freaked out. “What's not official? When in heaven's name is it going to be official? Is it when the baby bump becomes visible or what?”
“You even… you even asked her to bring her boyfriend. What if she doesn't have one yet?” Justin spoke in between gritted teeth.
Patricia clenched her fist tightly. “You heard her, didn't you? She said she has one. What do you care, Justin? I'm the one who's carrying your child inside me, but you're concerned about my half-sister. Why? Are you still affected by her presence?”
“Cut that crap! I'm just being concerned because it has to do with us” Justin lied.
Changing the topic, Patricia picked up the magazine on the table, and flipped the pages, looking all excited. “Have you seen these astonishing wedding gowns? They are so beautiful, and I can't wait to choose from them. Have you thought of a wedding band yet?”
“Nope…”
“What? Justin, time is no longer on our side. I want a glamorous wedding party. A wedding that will be the talk of the town. You don't expect anything less, do you?” Patricia laughed hysterically.
Justin forced a smile at her, and commented. “You do know that I'm very busy, right? You can go ahead and shop for anything you want for the wedding. That's my credit card”. On saying that, Justin dropped his card on the table beside Patricia.
“Your pin?” She raised her brow.
“Valerie birthday code” Justin replied as he walked upstairs.
Patricia fumed in rage. “Curse you, Valerie!”
At the Davison's villa, Valerie paced around the balcony, trying to contact Nicole. His number wasn't going through. He seemed to be the only one who could bail her out. “Come on, Nick, why aren't you picking up?”
She kept on redialing the number, but it wasn't connecting. Valerie was so absentminded that she didn't notice someone who had been standing and staring at her.
“What are you doing here so late at night? Who are you calling on the phone?”
Valerie flinched in shock as she turned her gaze backwards. It was President Ethan.
“Sir… sir? I'm sorry. I was just trying to reach a friend” Valerie stammered.
Raising his brows, Ethan snapped. “Nicole?”
“MMH… yeah” Valerie nodded her head slightly. Ethan felt a bit jealous, but controlled himself.
“He's out of town. You should let him be, and go back to bed. Or do you have something critical to ask of him? You can tell me” Ethan sternly replied.
“No… no… don't bother, Sir” She stormed out immediately.
Then, a card fell from her pocket as she left. Ethan bent over, and picked it up.
He narrowed his eyes. “Wedding invitation card?”