Page 10

The last thing I expected to happen today was seeing Valerie in my family's penthouse after hockey practice, bent over a table, placing down plates and cutlery.

I knew it was her from the second I stepped out of the elevator. I would recognise that hair anywhere.

I didn't realise she was working though. I thought this was some joke from Marcus, like bringing her here was his twisted way of saying happy birthday. I didn't care, all I could think about was that her being here was the best birthday gift I had gotten so far.

I stood, stunned, just looking at her. She was humming a song and her hair was in a neat ponytail, the soft waves falling down her back.

I leaned against the wall, some way behind her, arms folded over my chest, watching her until it hit me that I probably looked like a massive fucking creep.

After a moment of deliberation, I decided to give into what I really wanted and I went over to talk to her.

Now I was sat at the table she was setting only a couple of hours ago, my eyes glued to her as she served my table.

She told me that someone on this table had requested her as our waitress. I looked around at the table that was filled with my brother, cousins and children of family friends. I remember my whole body going stiff when she told me. She caught me off guard. She always does. I don't like anyone, literally no one, and yet I felt like I had to apologise to her. I drove her home. Twice. And voluntarily.

The thought of liking a girl scared me and the fact that she hated me made things ten times harder than they needed to be but a small part of me stopped caring and just wanted to imagine what her hair would feel like around my fingers.

I looked round the table again. One of these fuckers had requested her which meant that one of them had their beady eyes on her. Knowing the activities most of these people got up to on the daily, the thought of any one of them near her had me involuntarily clenching my fists under the table.

None of these people were my friends. I wasn't even allowed to invite Marcus to my own fucking birthday party. They were just distant family that I tolerated once or twice a year or they were the children of people my father used to do business with.

I looked at Valerie again and she met my eyes for a second before abruptly looking away.

Suddenly, someone clapped me on the back and I turned around to see my cousin, Tyler saunter over to his seat at the table. I detested the guy.

As he moved past Valerie, she shuffled away so subtly that anyone except me wouldn't have noticed. Her body went rigid and she looked like she was having a battle with herself before she took a breath, and put her serving smile back on.

I flicked my gaze to Tyler who looked way too pleased with himself, an expression he wore often. Something was going on and I was going to figure out what.

"Can I take your order, sir?" I looked up from glaring at Tyler to Valerie's expectant face. She was shifting on her feet awkwardly, like it pained her to call me 'sir'. I smirked at the thought.

After I gave her my order, I watched as she walked off. She strode quickly, like she wanted nothing more than to get as far away from this table as possible. She hadn't made it ten feet when Tyler was suddenly beside her. She then forced herself to slow down as he was now next to her. Warning signals started firing off in my head.

"Can I help you, sir?" She asked him in a calm voice but her hands that were still clutching the notepad with our orders were shaking slightly.

Something was definitely not right.

Tyler didn't have time to reply because I was already out of my chair and standing beside her.

She turned to me in shock, "Thomas?"

Tyler looked from me to her and then back to me. He started chuckling to himself, I shifted closer to Valerie, a couple centimetres in front of her, putting space between her and Tyler.

"Oh, shit! Thomas is this your bitch?" He said like it was the funniest thing ever.

I ignored his insinuation. "What the fuck did you just call her?" I said, my voice deathly calm.

"Thomas, it's fine." Valerie said, looking around the room nervously. "Just go and sit back down."

"Valerie, he just-"

"Please don't cause a scene." She said, looking around the room again. I did the same and noticed a couple of people turned our way. She looked at me, her eyes pleading with me but there was also confusion in them, probably at my reaction. I almost considered it, for her. But then I looked at my cousin and all notions of sitting back down vanished.

Tyler was all-out laughing now, his greasy hair shaking. It only made me more angry.

"Shit, if I knew she was your bitch, I wouldn't have touched her. It's your birthday, you can have her, man."

Red. All I saw was red.

Before I could think about what I was doing, I swung my right fist around, landing a punch on Tyler's face, causing him to fall to the ground and skid across the floor.

I lunged for him because I was no where near done but small fingers pulled me back.

"Thomas, don't!" Valerie cried.

Several men had now gotten up from their chairs, probably to intervene.

I looked between her and Tyler and then back at her and said, "Did he touch you?" My voice was eerily calm, trying to provide some sort of comfort for her sake but my mind was anything but calm.

"It really doesn't matter-"

"It matters." I cut her off. He fucking touched her. He touched Valerie. "Did you consent to it?" I asked, holding her elbows to me to provide support for her as much as she was providing support for me.

She hesitated and that was all the confirmation I needed before I was lunging for Tyler again.

He was groaning, clutching his face and muttering, "What the fuck, man?" Before I landed another punch to his face.

"That's enough!" I heard John shout from somewhere to my right but I was too busy beating the shit out of Tyler to care.

One set of hands tried to pull me off but it was no use, then two, then three but only when four pairs of hands were grabbing me did they manage to get me off of the pervert.

"My baby!" I heard my aunt cry as she ran to my cousin.

"I'm fine." I said, shrugging the hands off.

As soon as they let go of me, I went to Valerie except she was staring off into space, a glassy look in her eyes as if she was stuck in a memory.

"This is your fault you fucking bitch!" My aunt screamed into Valerie's face and was about to slap Valerie but never made it as I caught her hand before it could reach her.

"Do not touch her." I said calmly.

"How could you do that to your own cousin, Thomas?!" My aunt screamed at me, Tyler hunched under her arm.

I looked at him, feeling pure, unfiltered disgust and was thinking about causing more damage to his wrecked face when Valerie said, "Thomas, you're bleeding."

Of course she was thinking about me when she had just been fucking assaulted by that dick.

I looked down to my knuckles and realised that I was bleeding.

Valerie looked at my knuckles and then at me before hurrying out of the dining room, making her way to the exit.

I didn't hesitate, I followed her.

Before I could get through the doors, more arms were pulling me back. I turned around to see two guards from the lobby. Then I saw my mother striding towards me, her face red from frustration and embarrassment but I couldn't bring myself to care. I just needed to get to Valerie but when I turned back to try and follow her again, she was gone.

"Thomas!" My mother said in a hushed voice, glancing around as if every pair of eyes in the room weren't on me.

I ignored her, still trying to shove off the now three men that had their firm grip on me.

"I can't believe you!" She said, outraged.

I just stared at her coldly.

"Let me go." I said to the men holding me.

"They will let you go once I am sure you will not go running after that waitress!" Julie replied. My frown deepened. "How could you cause such a scene?!" Right, because of course all that my mother cared about, all that anyone in this room cared about was their reputation.

When I didn't respond, she huffed, "Thomas! Answer me!"

I just gave her a blank look.

"The waitress is gone, Ma'am." One of the guards said to my mother. She gave a small nod in my direction and they all let me go.

"Before you even think about running after that girl, she's gone and there's no way you can find her." I knew where Valerie lived. The least I could do was check on her, or get Mable to check on her. The former seemed much more appealing.

I didn't tell my mother this, I just went for the door.

"They're all locked, Thomas. You are staying here and that is final." I ignored her and tried the handle but just as she said, it was locked. I released a frustrated groan.

"Let me out." I said, not looking at her.

"No, Thomas. I will not." I turned to look at my mother and she was staring up at me, her arms folded across her chest. It was extremely rare moments like these where I understood why my sister left. A bigger part of me still resented her for it, though. "Now, you are going to walk back into the dining room, head held high, and you are going to apologise to your cousi-"

"I'm not fucking doing that." I interrupted.

She ignored me and carried on, "You are going to apologise to your cousin and your aunt and then you are going to sit back down and enjoyyour birthday meal that John and I have provided for you and then you will sit quietly in the private room where your late father's will will be read."

When I made no move to head towards the dining room, my mother nodded to one of the guards and one of them shoved me forward. Realising I had no choice in the matter, I trudged forward, head held high. I might have been the only one, but I was proud of what I had done. The fucker deserved it.

When I entered, I saw Tyler back at the table, an ice pack held to his face and someone wrapping a bandage. I grinned at the sight.

My mother pushed me forward, an expectant look on her face. I was going to have to apologise to that fucking dick.

I stood before him and after my mother gave me a scolding look, I said, "Tyler, I am sincerely sorry that you are incapable of finding women that will tolerate you so you resort to groping young waitresses who do not get paid enough to deal with your fucking shit."

Tyler shrank back. Nowhe was embarrassed. Not after he assaulted a woman, not after he was beat up, but after he got caught.

Hushed whispers descended on the room. While I knew that half the people in here were no better than him, sexual assault was generally frowned upon.

"Just sit the fuck down, Thomas." My brother said, not looking at me as he took a big gulp of his wine. His plate was still full, the food barely touched. Trust my brother to go straight to the alcohol.

He had a smug expression on his face because not only had I embarrassed my family (and I still didn't regret it) but he was expecting to inherit the hotel empire and I couldn't give two shits.

"Might want to go easy on the wine." I said. He gave me a look but he just smiled at me.

"Might not want to talk about the future CEO of Verner Hotels in that way." He said, still grinning.

I ignored him and said to my mother, "I'm not hungry. Either lets read the will, or I will continue to fuck up that douchebag with the ice pack on his face." Tyler flinched. I smiled at the sight.

"Fine, Thomas! Have it your way!" My mother said, raising her hands in defeat. Finally, I had gotten my way on my own birthday.

We were going to read the will.

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