Chapter 168 - One Hundred And Sixty-eight: Valentino Armani
The third point of view
In a high-end restaurant with a bold red and black decor giving it a vivid and sexy ambiance, sat a handso middle-aged man sipping a cocktail with no care in the world, enjoying the soft jazz music playing in the background.
To many people, he looked simple and normal but only a few knew the cruelness that lay beneath that gentle deanor. His eyes twinkled with excitent and he readjusted in his seat as soon as his sight fell on the woman who walked into the restaurant.
The building had elegant modern touches, Angela noticed that as soon as she walked through the revolving door. But she didn't like the color setting, it was too romantic- who was she kidding, it was sinful.
The color was just too hot and provocative which wasn't surprising, that was Valentino's style, that incubus!
Their eyes connected instantly, it wasn't hard to find him since the restaurant was empty with just a few workers present; he must have rented the whole place - If he doesn't own it.
Walking over to the table, Angela took that opportunity to take a good look at him.
Valentino had aged, that was for sure. Yet he only lost that boyish charm, right now he looked so tempting and attractive with a matured vibe.
His previous black hair has been dyed gray and he wore it in a ssy quiff. He was wearing a black button-down shirt that clung to his body with the first three buttons left open and revealing his toned chest. The sleeve was rolled up, exposing tattoos running down the length of both arms.
Angela was not going to lie, she felt her heart miss a beat especially now she found him more attractive than ever but she knew that was his tactics. That fox, his daughter shouldn't be any different than him.
Speaking of the daughter, she hoped he had not found out about Maya. Well, he wouldn't know anyway, he would think it was Alfred's.
"What do you want?"? She asked as soon as she reached the table, standing over him with an apathetic expression.
Valentino looked up at the woman who was displeased at him but he smiled, she looked almost the sa over the years; dark hair, black eyes, and those tall model-like legs that were wrapped around his waist that night, many years ago. She indeed takes care of them well since it hasn't lost its charm.
"Sit "
That was a simple order from him which she obeyed, occupying the seat grumpily.
Angela looked around her environnt, she wasn't comfortable here. It would be a scandal if she was caught with a man in this kind of romantic setting moreover, with a man like Valentino.
"You don't need to worry, you're safe here," he told her
"What do you an?"
"You're not being followed, my n took care of those tailing you and you can be rest assured that those in here are my people" he gestured at the workers in the counter and kitchen.
"I was being followed?" Angela was shocked.
She had been careful not to get discovered on her way here, how was she still….
"Your daughter Kimberly, she's quite a smart one," he chuckled.
She panicked, " Hope you didn't do anything to her?"
"Is that how lowly you think of ?"
She heard the disappointnt in his tone but his face was expressionless, there was no way to figure out what was going on in that head of his.
Angela groaned, rubbing her head tiredly. That daughter of hers was too smart for her good and now she would have to deal with her endless questions once she gets ho.
"What do you want, Valentino?" Angela asked straightaway.
"Only you can make my na sound this sexy," he flirted with her.
Her cheeks flushed which she hated, this man had no power over her and she wanted to prove that! He was beating around the bush, wasting her ti.
"Since you won't behave then, I'll stick to Sakuzi" this ti she caught a flicker of annoyance across his face, but it was gone as soon as it ca.
Of course, this man was no other than Valentino Armani. Sakuzi was just the title bestowed on whoever was the boss of the gang or whatever, Angela didn't care to know.
"Sure, you can call anything that befits you" he added," You always know how to pronounce them the right way"
She frowned at him "I have no ti for your gas Armani and mind the way you talk to , I'm a married woman" ca her reminder which didn't daunt him at all.
"I guess you forgot you were a married woman the night you ca to " he also jolted her mory a bit.
Angela swallowed but she refused to be intimidated, "That was a deal which has been sealed, so quit ssing around with !" She warned him furiously.
"Really? So you felt nothing that night?"
Her pulse quickened, " I don't know why you're bringing this up but I'm a married woman, I have no interest in other n"
"Would you co to if Alfred was out of the picture?" He asked her, staring her straight in the eyes.
Angela's eyes widened and her lips quivered, she knew his definition of "out of the picture"
"You would not lay a hand on Alfred!"
"If I wasn't Sakuzi, would you have been with instead?"
The unexpected question took her by surprise but the answer was obvious.
"If I realized you called here to reminisce, I wouldn't have wasted my ti in coming here"
The chair squeaked when she pushed it back and was on her feet when his next question made her stiffen.
"When were you going to tell about my daughter?"
Angela turned around, painfully slow with a pale expression and wide eyes. Did he find out already?
Just then, the waiter ca to their table and served their feet, easing the apprehensive environnt a bit.
"Sit back down, Angela, and enjoy your al. The steak was freshly prepared in the kitchen the way you loved it - not too tender, not too hard"
Angela knew Valentino wouldn't poison her but as tempting as that broiled steak with mustard sauce looked, she couldn't stomach it - she was so nervous.
Unlike her, Valentino was calm while digging into his al, yet she didn't trust that calmness. He was like a sea whose tide rises without warning.
"When did you find out?" She asked, disturbed by his silence.
"So you do admit you had a child for ?" He murmured, then brought a piece of steak to his mouth, chewed on it before wiping his mouth with the table napkin.
He continued," I almost killed her"
There was a flash of shock in Angela's eyes but she was quick to hide it.
"She has a special relationship with my enemy"
" Niklaus " she pointed out.
"You know about that?"
"Their relationship isn't exactly low-key," she told him. Moreover, how could she forget about soone that almost bankrupted their business?
"I was hoping to use her as so sort of leverage against him until I looked into her background and her surna hit . I looked further and found out she was related to you but sothing else hooked : her eyes.
"It looked nothing like yours but mine and the fact she took after my mother facially told sothing was amiss. It was quite easy getting her DNA and did the test with it and bam!? She turned out to be mine, how joyous "
"Congratulations, you solved the big award" she deadpanned," Do you need an award too?"
"Why didn't you tell we had a child?"
"I had a child for you" She corrected sternly, "Don't make it seem like we were a couple"
"We would have been a couple if you had agreed but you were ashad of marrying a Mafia leader"
"Gosh, Valentino!" She was exasperated, "You were married for Christ's sake!"
"I was willing to divorce her for you!"
"I don't want that kind of love!"
Both stared at each other hard, breath fast with chest heaving.
Valentino reached out and took her hand which was on the table. Tingles coursed through her body upon contact causing her to withdraw her hand but he wouldn't let her.
"So" he began, intertwining their fingers together," Without that deal, you wouldn't have ever thought about "
Yeah, that deal. That was the huge dent in her otherwise perfect life - the root of all this problem.
"Whatever we had is in the past, Armani. Forget about " she pleaded through blurry eyes, tears were threatening to spill from her eyes.
She was tired of living on edge, always anxious of that secret coming to light.
"Oh don't worry, I've forgotten about you"
That statent was like a bullet hitting her heart, what was he talking about?
Valentino played with their intertwined fingers and with a smile playing on his lips, he remarked
"As you said, I was recollecting about the past "
Her blood ran cold, he had been fooling around with her this while? Angela's expression shifted into anger and she tried to pull her hand away but he held it tighter to the point of hurting.
"You're hurting " she cried out.
"Oh, it's hurting you?" he pretended to be oblivious to her discomfort," I didn't know you understood the? sensation of pain considering the fact you've been hurting her all her life"
"What in the world are you talking…" Angela faltered, realizing he was referring to Maya.
"You aborted her too but she held on " he chuckled, "She's as tough as "
Angela gulped, she was getting scared of his attitude, not to add the pain he was inflicting on her by pressing her fingers on an unnatural angle.
She couldn't take the pain anymore and yelled his na, "Valentino!"
"Angela!" He shouted back at her, his fluctuating emotions playing out on his face at last, "Were you that ashad of ?"
"Please?"
"I could understand you keeping her a secret for the sake of your god-damned marriage but assaulting her? That's totally unacceptable"
Angela scread, just as a cracking sound was heard - one of her fingers was broken.
He finally let go.
She moaned in pain, tears gathering at her eyes as she cradled her affected palm as a whole.
"I heard your daughter is beautiful," he observed.
"Do not hurt Kim, please"
"So Alfred's daughter is precious and mine isn't?" He laughed mirthlessly
"I'm so sorry " she stood from her seat and crawled towards Valentino, holding his leg in a pleading manner while tears stread down her face.
"Forgive , it was my ignorance. I was too scared of Alfred finding out what I did and took out my frustration on her"
Valentino looked down and though his heart was moved, he didn't show it.
He bent and grasped her face, lifting it to his eye level, "You are lucky I once loved you but above all, thanks for giving princess"
He kissed her on the cheek and stood, pulling his feet from her grasp and walked away without a care - but not without signaling his n to take care of her broken finger.
Yes he loved her, but without fear, no one would respect him.
"Where do we go, Sakuzi?" His chauffeur asked as soon as he got into the car.
"A place normal people go " he was feeling nostalgic after this eting with her.
The chauffeur was confused, what was their boss talking about?
"Sir? I don't understand - "
"Just return to the base "
" Alright"
anwhile, Angela was still sitting on the ground out of shock. She couldn't believe Valentino would do such a thing to her. Well, he always had that darkness inside of him.
She was quite startled when she felt soone approach her, rousing her from her thought. The strange man carried a first aid causing her brow to scrunch up, Valentino caused her pain and also repaired the damages.
Why was he confusing her? No, this was not the ti to get confused, she had her family to protect. She had not gone through the suffering all these years for nothing!
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