At that mont Chloe couldn’t move. She couldn’t even blink.
She stood there like a statue. Not a word ca out of her mouth. Her hands stayed frozen beside her body.
Victoria too didn’t say anything. She didn’t even dare to look up.
The whole place was quiet for a mont, like everyone was still trying to understand what they had just seen.
Valentina stood still, her eyes on the golden card in her hand. It felt unreal. So many people bowing. So much respect. And all for her.
She looked around slowly. Everyone was watching.
She could already hear the whispers in her head, "Did you see that?" "Who is she really?" "Where did she co from?"
Without bring told she could tell her na was going to be everywhere now. The blogs. The videos. The pictures.
She didn’t want that. She didn’t like too much noise.
So, quietly, she turned to Raymond and whispered, "Let’s go."
Imdiately Raymond nodded, his smile calm.
She faced the manager and gave a small smile. "Thank you," she said, gently accepting the golden card
At that mont the manager’s face lit up. He bowed again, even lower this ti.
Inside, his thoughts were clear.
’I must keep this woman close,’ he told himself. ’Anyone who can buy this much at once—anyone who can make this much of a scene with just her presence—should not be taken lightly.’
He watched as Valentina turned and walked away beside Raymond, still holding the golden card.
In his heart, he was smiling wide.
At that mont, just before leaving, Valentina turned around slowly.
Her voice was calm, but clear.
"Chloe," she said.
However Chloe didn’t answer. She couldn’t. She was still stuck in her place like soone hit pause.
"I hope now," Valentina continued, "you finally understand."
She wasn’t smiling. She wasn’t angry either. She just looked... done.
"We’re not the sa anymore. Not in any way."
At that mont Chloe blinked, once.
"No matter how much you try to tell yourself that you’re still ahead of ... you’re not. And you know it."
Valentina took a small step backward. "So whatever you’re planning... whatever nonsense you’re holding onto... drop it now. Because I won’t take it anymore."
Her voice didn’t rise, but her words landed hard.
"I’m not that old Valentina," she added softly. "That Valentina is gone."
Then she glanced at Raymond and said again, "Let’s go."
They turned and walked away—quiet, calm, untouchable.
Imdiately Heads turned as they passed, Nobody said a word.
After Valentina and Raymond stepped out of the store, the tension inside seed to collapse with them. Chloe stood there frozen, her hands trembling slightly, her eyes fixed on the spot where Valentina had just stood.
Then her legs gave way.
"Chloe!" Victoria quickly caught her before she hit the ground.
Victoria guided her gently to a nearby seat, helping her sit down. Chloe’s hands covered her face. She wasn’t crying—no tears were falling—but her chest rose and fell like she couldn’t breathe properly.
At that mont Victoria bent beside her. "It’s okay. Just breathe. Just... breathe."
But even Victoria wasn’t okay.
She sat quietly beside Chloe, stealing glances around, as whispers filled the air again. People were still talking about Valentina. About Raymond. About the diamond dress. No one was talking about them.
No one even noticed them anymore.
anwhile...In the car, the soft hum of the engine barely covered the silence between Raymond and Valentina. Raymond was focused on the road. Valentina looked at him, her arms crossed, a thoughtful look on her face.
She broke the silence.
"Raymond..." she said slowly.
"Hm?" he glanced at her.
Valentina tilted her head. "How... how did you do all that?"
Imdiately Raymond raised a brow. "All what?"
"All of that," she waved her hand. "The dresses. The diamond gown. That manager practically knelt down. And the card? Raymond, you bought a spot at their board table. Who does that just to buy clothes?"
Raymond chuckled softly.
However Valentina wasn’t smiling. "I’m serious."
Raymond looked at her, one hand still on the wheel. "You deserve more."
She shook her head. "You’re doing too much. It was just a simple dress. I didn’t expect all that."
He didn’t answer right away. Then he said, "You don’t see it, do you?"
"See what?"
"The way people look at you. The way they treat you. So of them still think you’re broken."
She blinked.
"I just wanted to remind them," he said, "that you’re not."
Valentina looked away, her heart doing sothing strange in her chest. She didn’t speak again, but she didn’t need to.
Valentina leaned back in her seat and turned to Raymond with a little sigh. "Raymond," she said softly, "why did you do that?"
Raymond kept his eyes on the road, a calm smile on his face. "Do what?"
She gave him a look. "You know what I an. That clothes store... the way everything happened. You made everyone go silent. The way they all looked at like I was soone big... I wasn’t ready for that."
Raymond smiled again but didn’t say anything yet. She continued, "I an, I hope no one took a picture. I really don’t like that kind of attention."
Imdiately he shook his head gently. "Relax. That store doesn’t allow pictures. It’s one of their top rules. Everyone there is a VIP. They protect their clients’ privacy."
Valentina looked out the window, quietly thinking for a second. Then she asked, "So... even with all that noise and the dresses and those people bowing, no one is going to post anything?"
Raymond nodded. "They can talk all they want, but your face won’t be anywhere online."
She let out a quiet breath, one that sounded like relief. Then she turned back to him. "Still, I wasn’t expecting all that. Those dresses, that golden card, the manager saying I’m their biggest buyer... I an, it was a lot. You didn’t even tell anything before we got there."
Raymond chuckled under his breath.
"If I told you, you would’ve argued with and said no."
Valentina gave him a small side-eye. "Because it was too much. You paid so much, Raymond."
He glanced at her quickly, his smile fading just a little. "It wasn’t too much. Not for you."
She paused. "When did you even plan all this?"
Raymond’s voice softened. "A long ti ago. Since the day I first saw your picture... before we even t again. I saw a dress like that and told myself, if I ever got the chance, I’d get it for you."
At that mont Valentina looked at him in surprise, her mouth slightly open. But she didn’t say anything. She just stared at him.
He continued. "I didn’t buy those clothes just to show off, Valentina. I got them because I knew they’d look perfect on you."
She lowered her gaze, her voice now gentle. "You make it hard not to fall harder, Raymond."
Raymond chuckled, holding the steering wheel tighter. "That’s the plan."
Still Raymond kept his eyes on the road, but a small smile stayed on his lips.
"I’ve been saving that money for a while now," he said. "Just in case. And now that you’ve gotten the dress... I can finally rest."
Valentina looked at him with a light smile. "You make it sound like you just finished a big mission."
He chuckled.
"It was a mission. But now, I’m calm. Because with that dress, you’re going to own that place tomorrow. And I’ll make sure Avery knows that too."
Valentina turned her head slowly, her smile deepening. She didn’t say much, but deep inside, she loved that he said that. He always seed to understand, without her saying too much.
Raymond’s voice ca again, calm but firm.
"I know you and Avery have history. But after tomorrow, that whole thing ends. No more competition. Just silence."
Valentina shook her head slowly, still smiling. "You’re too sure of yourself."
"I’m sure of you," he replied without hesitation.
She was quiet for a mont, her thoughts warm. Then she suddenly blinked. "Wait—Raymond, I hope you didn’t forget. The person you said you would call... the one at GSK."
Raymond let out a short laugh. "Forget? Never. The call’s already been made."
He looked at her briefly. "Everything’s moving. You just focus on getting ho. Send your proposal when we get there. Actually," he paused with a smirk, "you may not even need to send it at all."
Valentina’s eyes widened. "What do you an?"
Raymond shrugged with a little grin. "Just trust ."
Valentina turned in her seat, eyes slightly wide as she looked at Raymond. "Wait... what do you an I might not even need to send the contract proposal?"
However Raymond didn’t even look surprised. He just kept his hands on the wheel, calm. "I said what I said."
"That doesn’t make sense," Valentina said slowly, blinking. "Is your friend really that... powerful? Like, that connected to the top? To the point that I’ll get the contract even if I don’t submit anything?"
Valentina words made Raymond shrugged lightly. "You sound like you don’t believe ."
Valentina paused. She looked down for a second, then shook her head quickly. "No, no. I’m not saying that. I’m just... surprised. That’s all."
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