Valeria looked out the car window as she and Dominic drove back to Scarlett's residence. Since Valeria had come to the restaurant with Danny, she hadn't brought her own car. So she went home with Dominic, in his expensive car.
Even their seats faced each other. Near them was a small table with whiskey on it, where Dominic usually enjoyed his drink.
The man poured a glass of whiskey for the woman sitting across from him. "Whiskey?"
Glancing at Dominic, Valeria took the glass and drank it, rather than feeling bored. Dominic's eyes noticed the bracelet Valeria was wearing on her right arm.
"Do you like that bracelet?" he asked.
"This bracelet? You could say that. My friend gave it to me," she replied lazily as she took another sip of whiskey.
The bracelet in question was a rosemary-colored gold bracelet that Cassey had given her a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful bracelet with rose charms. Dominic grinned slightly as he looked at the bracelet and then at its owner.
"Can I ask you something, ginger?"
Valeria glanced at Dominic as she rested her head in her palm, looking out the window. She took that glance as a yes.
"I remember you once said that you don't believe in something called love. May I know the reason? I'm sure you have a clear reason for what you believe in," said Dominic.
The woman looked out the window again, watching the lights shining on the dark streets as their car sat at a red light.
"Because love doesn't exist. Love... It's just something made up for fools who believe that the word 'love' unites people. They say love is something that brings happiness, but that's bullshit."
"There's no such thing as happily ever after because of love. It only exists in fairy tales," explained Valeria in a condescending tone.
"And what makes you think that?" asked Dominic again in a very soft voice.
He could see the look in Valeria's eyes drop, as if there was a painful reason behind it. For a moment, Valeria remained silent without answering Dominic's question, even after the green light came on.
The woman's eyes closed for a moment before she finally opened them again and spoke. "Love has taken away what was precious in my life."
"Since I was a child, my father was always busy with his Mafia business. He never had time for me or my mother. Only my mother was always there for me. She always tried to get my father's attention. But it was all in vain," she continued to explain.
Her father and mother were able to marry because her mother's parents had gone bankrupt and owed money to Scarlett's parents. Seeing Arabella, Valeria's beautiful mother, Donn's parents made Arabella payment for her parents' debt. They married her to their son.
Arabella tried to love Donn even though he was very cold and cruel, but no matter how cruel her husband was, he never hurt Arabella. That was what made her love her husband and want him to love her too.
"Until finally, she chose to end all the suffering by leaving me alone."
"You mean... die?" Dominic continued Valeria's sentence with a painful question.
Arabella left her beloved daughter in deep trauma and loss.
"All because of this stupid thing called love. I wonder why my mother still tried to convince my father that love existed when I was sure from the beginning that my father never loved her," said Valeria, her voice rising with emotion.
Dominic just stood silently watching his future wife, who was still trapped in the pain and disappointment that was happening inside her.
Her stubborn, rebellious, and harsh nature was a shell to protect something inside her. Something she kept well hidden.
Dominic's car finally arrived in front of Scarlett's mansion, and Valeria immediately got out of the car. "See you later, ginger."
Valeria stood still, her back to Dominic's car, the door still wide open. "You know? I still hate you for the wedding that's happening in a few days."
"Yes, I know that," Dominic replied.
"But..." The ginger haired woman turned and looked at her future husband. "Talking to you isn't so bad after all."
Slowly, Dominic's car door closed automatically, followed by Valeria walking up the stairs and entering the mansion. She left a sweet impression on Dominic, who was still looking at the door.
"Don't worry, ginger. I'll show you something more interesting than love."
When she returned to her room, Valeria realized that she had told him a lot about her past. She felt a little regretful and embarrassed about it, thinking that she couldn't possibly marry Dominic after saying everything.
"I think I have to leave this place as soon as possible before the wedding day arrives. But how?"
Suddenly Valeria remembered the balcony of her room, which was still accessible. She could jump out from there even though her room was on the third floor. Escape as far away as possible from there.
"If you want to escape this foolishness, then do the most foolish thing to get through it."
Without thinking twice, Valeria changed her clothes and put some of her clothes in her bag. She also took the cash she had. Outside, she could see many guards surrounding the mansion grounds.
"I can sneak out of here. They won't notice me if I stay in the shadows."
Valeria dropped her bag into the bushes and climbed down, holding onto the iron balcony railing. She looked at the balcony below and intended to jump down there.
When she was able to grab the balcony railing below as a foothold, she realized that the room was where her father was currently.
TAP!
"What was that?" said someone inside the room. He walked towards the balcony door.
Valeria quickly pressed herself against the wall, then crawled down and held onto the bottom of the balcony. She hung onto the iron railing, of her Father's office.
'I hope that idiot doesn't notice my hand near his feet,' she thought at that moment.
An armed man checked the balcony of the room but found no one.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I think it's just my imagination." The guard moved away from the door.
Valeria used this opportunity to throw herself into the bushes. Luckily, she wasn't injured, but her arms and legs were scratched by the branches.
"It's just a scratch, now it's time for us to get out of here, Valy." She grabbed her bag and left through the mansion fence.
Having successfully escaped, Valeria got into a taxi and drove away from the place with a sense of relief. She intended to go as far away as possible to a place her father wouldn't know about for a while until her wedding arrived and was canceled.
"It looks like you'll have to work hard for that wedding. Find me if you can, Mr. Billionaire."