Then Raymond looked at Valentina and spoke in a calm voice.
"You don’t need to stress about anything. When the ti is right, you’ll see it yourself. You’ll feel it."
At that mont Valentina chuckled softly, resting her back gently against the seat. The weight of the day had been lightened by his words. With everything Raymond had done—the diamond dress, the entire shopping experience—she knew she had nothing to be afraid of anymore. If he could make the entire boutique stop and stare, then she truly had soone by her side who could move mountains.
She smiled, a real smile that ca from deep within.
They got ho shortly after.
**
It was the next day, Liam stood outside his car, checking the ti for the third ti in five minutes. He had been standing for a while now. The engine was still running.
"Where is this girl?" he muttered under his breath, walking to the front door but still not going in. "She was the one pushing about attending this get-together... Now she’s not even ready?"
He waited again, pacing.
Then, after a few more minutes, Liam sighed heavily and shook his head. "This doesn’t make sense."
He headed toward the house, determined to find out what was keeping Chloe so long.
’What could she possibly still be doing at this point?’
Liam glanced at his wristwatch for the third ti, leaning against his car with growing impatience. The sun was already up, and they were late. Again.
He muttered under his breath, then pushed off the car and walked toward the house. "This girl was the one shouting yesterday that I didn’t inform her properly," he said to himself. "Now look—she hasn’t even dressed up. What’s she doing?"
As he stepped into the house, he was greeted by a confused Maria, standing near the living room doorway with her arms crossed.
"She’s still not ready?" Liam asked, his brows pulled together.
Maria sighed. "Liam, she hasn’t even bathed. She ca back yesterday like soone that got drunk in a street Carnival. Her friend was the one who carried her inside. I thought maybe she just needed rest."
Liam’s eyes narrowed. "Carried her? What do you an?"
"She couldn’t walk," Maria said. "It was like... she didn’t even know where she was. Since then, she’s just been lying there, staring at the ceiling."
At that mont Without wasting another second, Liam moved toward the bedroom. Chloe was sitting at the edge of the bed, still in yesterday’s clothes, her eyes empty, hair a ss.
"Chloe," he said sharply, stepping inside. "What’s wrong with you? Are you okay? Did soone insult you? Talk to . What happened?"
Chloe sat at the edge of the bed, staring at nothing. Her hair was ssy, her face pale. She hadn’t even touched her makeup. the dress her mother had helped her arranged lay untouched on the chair.
Maria stood near the door, arms folded, looking both confused and worried. "Chloe," she said softly. "Can you stop acting like this and just talk to us? What is going on?"
Chloe didn’t move. She didn’t blink. She just sat there, lost.
Liam stepped even more closer, holding his car keys. "Chloe," he said, his voice sharper now, "you were the one shouting yesterday. You were the one who wanted to go more than anyone. What are you doing? You haven’t even gotten dressed. You look like soone who just ca back from a drinking contest."
Maria nodded. "She’s been like this since she ca ho last night. It was her friend who brought her ho. She couldn’t even walk well."
Liam walked closer. "Chloe, talk to . Did soone insult you? Did sothing happen? What did you see?"
Still, Chloe didn’t speak, Maria’s voice cracked. "My daughter, please. Say sothing."
At that mont Chloe finally shook her head, slowly. "I’m not going," she whispered.
Imdiately Liam frowned. "What?"
"I’m not going for the get-together anymore," Chloe repeated, still staring at the floor. "Only you can go. If you want. But even you... maybe you shouldn’t at this point."
Maria and Liam looked at each other, confused.
"What do you an by that?" Liam asked, his voice rising. "What’s going to happen there?"
Chloe’s voice was low, but firm. "It’ll be worse. Far worse than what I saw yesterday."
Upon hearing what Chloe just said, Maria stepped forward a little. "What are you saying? Chloe, did you... did you see Valentina?"
Chloe nodded once, slowly. "I saw her."
Chloe sat up slowly on the bed. Her voice was soft, almost like she was talking to herself.
"I still don’t understand what happened yesterday," she said. "I haven’t been able to breathe well since then. Everything I saw... it just showed that we were wrong all along."
Maria and Liam were quiet now, watching her closely.
"Valentina... she’s not who we thought she was," Chloe continued. "She’s far from it. It’s like... like she’s climbed over a thousand steps above us. I don’t know how, but from what I saw yesterday, Valentina isn’t soone anyone should ss with anymore."
Chloe words made Maria frowned. "What are you saying?"
"I’m saying," Chloe replied, her tone serious, "everyone needs to stay in their lane. If not, sothing bad might happen. Even Valentina warned us. She said no one should co near her again. That she wants to be left alone."
At that mont Liam narrowed his eyes. "Valentina warned you?"
Chloe nodded slowly. "Yes. And she said if anyone tries the sa tricks we used to play on her... she won’t let them go free anymore. She ans it."
Angrily Liam slamd his hand on the table beside him. "So what now? Is that a threat? Who gave her the right to talk like that? Who does she think she is?"
Liam stood there, arms folded, jaw tight. "Who does she think she is?" he muttered under his breath, pacing a little. But deep down, where his ego couldn’t protect him, sothing twisted.
’Why would Chloe go see Valentina on her own?
He knows her well enough to understand she must have stirred sothing—poked the fire and gotten burned. Valentina must have given her a dose of humiliation, and now Chloe was acting like a shadow of herself.’
That’s why he ca prepared today. He wasn’t about to be shown up, not again. Not by Valentina, and definitely not by her husband, whoever he was. If Chloe was trying to prove that her husband ant nothing... then he was going to prove her wrong today.
Everything’s ready, he thought. Let them watch.
Maria looked between them, her face pinched with confusion. "Can soone please explain what happened? What really made Valentina co out talking big like this? What got into that little brat?"
however Chloe didn’t respond.
Maria went on, scoffing, "Just because her husband got a little cash, now she thinks she can go around threatening people? Is that what we’re dealing with now?"
She looked to Liam and shook her head.
"They all better calm down. We all better just mind our business now, I’m telling you. That girl’s not joking. Valentina warned us already. She said it clearly—no one should co near her again."
At that mont Maria paused, her voice lower now.
"She said if anyone tries those gas we used to play, she won’t let them walk away free anymore."
Chloe’s voice echoed faintly in Liam’s mind, and his brows furrowed. "Is she threatening us now?" he snapped, his tone rising. "Who gave her that kind of mouth?"
But as he stood there trying to look tough, a small, uneasy thought crept into the back of his mind.
At that mont he clenched his jaw. So Valentina finally bit back...he couldn’t just believe it.
At that would explain why Chloe looked like she hadn’t slept, hadn’t spoken, hadn’t recovered.
Still, Liam wasn’t ready to let it slide. He had everything set today, every piece in place to remind Chloe—and anyone else—who really mattered.
"I’ll show her," he muttered under his breath. "I’ll show her husband is nothing."
Maria, arms crossed, snapped in confusion. "Can soone please tell what happened? What did that girl do? What gave Valentina the guts to start acting like a queen?"
She turned to Chloe, who still sat there silently.
Maria huffed. "So what now? Just because her husband has a little money and little business, she thinks she owns the world? Please. Liam here is way ahead of that man. And yet he’s humble. Can that Raymond of hers even compare?"
Are mothers words made Chloe to finally looked up and slowly shook her head. Her voice was low but clear.
"Can Liam really do what Raymond did yesterday?"
Maria frowned. "What do you an?"
Chloe’s eyes narrowed, her tone filled with sothing between admiration and disbelief. "At the VIP area Valentina and her husband didn’t just buy clothes. He turned the whole VIP room silent. All those elite faces—people who don’t even blink at millions—they all froze."
She looked at Liam now.
"Can you do that?"
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