Page 28 of At Her Service (Club Velvet #2)

CHAPTER 28

V alerie’s blood froze in her veins. Francesca was here, in her home .

And so were Hazel and Abby.

She spoke calmly, her eyes never leaving Francesca’s. “Abby, take Hazel to her room and stay there.” She needed to get them out of harm’s way.

“Uh, okay.” Abby glanced between Valerie and Francesca. “Do you want me to?—”

“Go,” Valerie said. “ Now. ”

Abby obeyed. It wasn’t until they were safely upstairs that Valerie addressed Francesca.

“What are you doing in my house?” she snapped.

“What do you think?” Francesca set her half-drunk glass of wine on the coffee table and sauntered over to where Valerie stood. “I’m here to talk. And there’s plenty we need to talk about.”

“This is…” She shook her head. “How the hell did you get in here?”

“I had to get a little creative. The security system was the biggest obstacle, but it wasn’t hard to get around. You’re really still using that old password you use for everything?”

Valerie stifled a curse. She should have been more careful. But she’d never have guessed that Francesca would break into her house. And she’d never told Francesca any of her passwords in the first place, not even when they were married.

Had she been spying on Valerie back then, too?

Francesca stepped toward her, closing the distance that remained between them. “I finally have you alone. It’s just you and me now. So let’s talk, honestly. No more lies. Just the truth.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Yes, you do. You see, you haven’t answered my question. I asked you if there was someone else. I’m still waiting for an answer.”

Valerie crossed your arms. “I don’t owe you an answer. We’re done . I’ve told you that.”

“We’re not done. We’ll never, ever be done. Don’t you see, Val? We’re meant to be together, always. I know it. You know it. Even Hollywood knows it. The movies we made together—they were magic. It just goes to show that our love was meant to be. Sure, we’ve had our ups and downs, but we got through them. We can get through this too, together. We can be a family again. You, me, Hazel, all of us. Isn’t that what you always wanted?”

“This is absurd. Can’t you hear yourself? You’re being completely irrational.”

Francesca’s eyes darkened. “You need to stop saying that. You don’t want to piss me off. I know things about you, Val. And if those things got out, they could destroy you.”

“No, Francesca. I’m done with your games. I’m done with your threats. I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to paint me as some kind of monster, trying to guilt me, blackmail me, into taking you back. But your bullshit doesn’t work on me.”

“Maybe it doesn’t work on you. Everyone else, on the other hand? What would they think if they knew who you really are? What would they think if they knew all the things you did to me? All the ways you hurt me.”

Valerie’s hands curled into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms. “I never did anything to hurt you. Everything we did, you wanted.”

“That’s what abusers always say, isn’t it?”

“I won’t let you twist the truth. I never, ever did a single thing with you without your explicit consent. And I never, ever abused you. Yes, for a while you had me convinced that I did. I let you get into my head, let you manipulate me. But I’m stronger than that. I’m stronger than you. So go ahead. Tell everyone whatever you want. No one will believe you.”

“Oh, Valerie.” Francesca shook her head. “After all this time, you still don’t understand how things work. Who do you think everyone will believe? Beloved Hollywood darling Francesca Moreno? Or the ice-cold bitch producer who half of the industry wishes they could take down?” Her voice dropped low. “I know how to work an audience, darling. The media, the people, they love me. They’ll believe whatever I tell them.”

Valerie scoffed. “They won’t believe your empty words. Not without proof. Your accusations are baseless. They’ll see that.”

A slight smirk crossed Francesca’s lips. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

Valerie’s skin prickled. Something was wrong.

“Do you remember the first time it happened? That night at the hotel after the premiere? We’d been dating for what, three months? We were in bed together, things were getting hot and heavy, and you suggested we make things interesting.” Francesca’s voice grew wistful. “That was the first time you tied me up. You were careful not to leave any marks on my wrists since those would be hard to hide. But the marks from the flogger, the paddle? Those were in places that were easy to cover up, so you didn’t hold back there.”

“What’s your point?” Valerie snapped.

“That night, I took photos of the marks you left on me. A memento of the experience that I could look back on and remember. I did the same thing the time after that. And the time after that. And every other time, too. I photographed every bruise, every mark, that you ever left on me. And I kept them all as a record—no, a tribute—to the love we shared.”

Valerie’s whole body tensed. She’d always been able to tell when Francesca was lying.

And right now? She wasn’t bluffing. She was telling the truth.

How many photos did she have? Hundreds, maybe even more. They’d been together for years. And Francesca had always loved when Valerie would leave imprints on her skin. She’d begged for them. They’d fought about it more than once because Valerie had refused to go to the extremes Francesca wanted.

But that didn’t matter. Not when Francesca had tons of photos, tons of evidence against Valerie.

“But that love?” Francesca said. “It was all a lie. You were just using me for your sick, sadistic pleasures.”

Valerie shook her head. “That isn’t true. None of this is true.”

“Then prove it. Prove that you loved me. Give me, give us , a second chance.”

“I can’t, Fran. I won’t .”

Francesca shrugged. “Then I have no choice. I’ll release those photos. I’ll tell everyone about how you took advantage of me, how you took pleasure in hurting me. How you’re no different from all those men in Hollywood who use their wealth and status to prey on young women. That’s what you’ve always feared the most, isn’t it? Facing the fact that you’re no better than them ? Having everyone find out that the great and virtuous Valerie Kane is just another lecherous Hollywood executive, using her power to exploit young women who have no choice but to go along with whatever she wants?”

Dread flooded Valerie’s body. But she couldn’t panic. She needed to defuse the situation.

“Just think about this,” she said. “Please.”

“Oh, I’ve had more than enough time to think. You’ve been dodging my calls for months now. I’m done thinking.”

“What do you think this will achieve? You want to punish me for refusing to take you back? Is that it?”

“I’m not trying to punish you. I just need you to understand how this feels. I need you to know what it feels like to have your life, your heart, everything you have, ripped to shreds . There’s nothing you care about more than your precious career, your reputation. And with just a few calls, I could end it.”

“You don’t have to do this. Why are you doing this?”

For a moment, Francesca was silent. And for a moment, it seemed like Valerie had finally gotten through to her.

Then, something snapped behind her eyes.

“Because I know, Val.”

“You know? You know what?”

“I know about your fucking nanny.”

Valerie’s stomach turned to ice. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, please. You never were a good liar. That’s why you chose a life behind the camera, not in front of it.” Francesca pulled out her phone. “But I don’t need you to confirm it. I have the evidence right here.”

She held her phone up to Valerie. On it was the photo of her and Abby at the restaurant, taken from a social media post.

Valerie held back a curse. The post had barely been up for an hour. The only way for Francesca to have seen it was if she’d been stalking the internet for anything to do with Valerie.

She was obsessed. Dangerously obsessed.

“Now,” Francesca said. “I’m going to give you one last chance to tell me the truth. Is there someone else? ”

“Just listen to me. There’s no one else. No one.”

Francesca nodded toward her phone. “And this?”

“It’s just a photo. You of all people can understand how misleading photos can be. We’ve both had it happen before. We’ve been snapped by the paparazzi at the wrong time, the wrong place, had a photo twisted to look like something it’s not.”

Francesca scoffed. “You expect me to believe this isn’t exactly what it looks like?”

“Yes. Look, here’s what happened. I was in Italy scouting a location for a film, and I took my nanny with me to look after Hazel. I treated her to dinner at a restaurant as a thank you. That’s all this was.”

Valerie held her gaze. Francesca couldn’t know the truth. She’d already vowed to destroy the thing Valerie cared about the most.

But Francesca had gotten it wrong. There were two things Valerie cared about more than her career. Her daughter.

And Abby.

And if Francesca knew that? She would destroy Abby too.

She stepped toward Valerie until their bodies were almost touching. “There’s nothing between you? Then what’s this?”

Before Valerie could stop her, Francesca reached down and tugged at the piece of lace sticking out of Valerie’s jacket, pulling Abby’s panties from her pocket.

“Well then.” Francesca held the panties up, dangling them from a finger. “Aren’t these… cute?”

Valerie snatched the panties from her. “Give them back.”

“Why so possessive? They’re clearly not yours. Black lace is more your style.” Her eyes skimmed up Valerie’s body. “That can only mean one thing. They’re hers, aren’t they? That fucking nanny? What’s her name again? Abby? Yes, Abigail Peters. And she’s only 23. That’s a little young for you, don’t you think?”

Valerie’s jaw stiffened. The only way Francesca could know so much about Abby was if she’d gone digging. It was worse than she’d feared.

Abby was already in Francesca’s crosshairs.

Valerie needed a way out of this. A way that wouldn’t lead to Francesca destroying her life, along with Abby’s.

“All right,” she said. “You want the truth? Yes, Abby and I are… involved. But it’s just sex, nothing more. I’m sure you can understand that.”

“Oh, do I ever.” Francesca chuckled softly. “I haven’t exactly been celibate since we ended things. But no other woman has ever compared to you. That’s how I knew I had to get you back.” She took Valerie’s hand. “So you mean what you said? About you and your nanny? You’re not in love with her?”

“No,” Valerie said. “It’s just a fling. It means nothing to me. She means nothing to me.”

A smile spread across Francesca’s lips. “Then she won’t be a problem for us.”

A shiver rolled down Valerie’s spine. Something wasn’t right.

She turned slowly. Her heart sank.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, her face pale and twisted with pain, was Abby.