Valentino awoke to an awful pounding in his head. He reeked of vodka and his back was killing him. He let out a groan and sat up, confusion buzzing through him when he realized that he'd been lying on a couch that didn't belong to him. Moreso, the house was very unfamiliar to him. He had no idea how he'd gotten there in the first place. A familiar red head walked in casually, her hair tied up in a bun. He really didn't remember anything from last night. He wondered if he'd ended up sleeping with her or if he'd merely crashed at her place.
"Well, good morning Mr grumpy pants" she said, raising the curtains a bit.
"What did I do last night?" He croaked. She turned to look at him, concern in her eyes.
"Tell me, I need to know if I screwed up" he said, but she walked away, moving towards the dinning room.
"What are you doing? Won't you give me an answer?" He said, sitting up. His head spun and his headache increased ten times over. He gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut.
"No, you didn't screw up" she said and he forced his eyes open.
"Then, tell me. Did we do anything?" He asked, a knot lodging itself in his throat.
"No, you were too drunk. I had to bring you home" she replied.
"I need to go" he croaked, rising to his feet. He regretted it immediately. His breath hitched and his vision went black for a second.
"Oh no, you're not going anywhere. You have a merciless fever and I'm not letting you leave like this" she said.
"I'm fine... just.."
"Sit down" she ordered, forcing him to sit. He didn't realize how exhausted his body was until now. He didn't even realize that it was this bad.
She left the sitting room and returned with a glass of water, Advil, a towel, a toothpaste and a toothbrush.
"What are you doing?" He asked, throwing her an incredulous look. "Helping your stubborn ass" she said, handing him the glass of water and Advil.
He hesitantly took it from her, chugging the pills down with water. "You'll feel better when you take your bath. Here's a towel and a spare toothbrush. The bathroom is over there" she said. "You've got to be kidding me. Why are you doing all of this?" He breathed.
She shrugged.
"Because I want to" she replied before tossing him a pair of joggers and a grey T-shirt.
"They were my brother's. He was a soldier" she said, her eyes filling up with sadness.
"I'm sorry" he rasped.
She gave him a tight smile.
"Now up you go, you seriously stink" she said, a smile playing on her face. He rolled his eyes.
"Gee, thanks"
In the bathroom, Valentino stared at his reflection in the mirror. He looked horrendous. His hair was sticking up in every direction,
face as pale as a ghost. His lips were dry, green eyes dull and devoid of life. He took off his shirt, taking a deep breath. His demons laughed in his head and he lowered his gaze, thinking about how he didn't deserve anyone's attention. He didn't deserve anything good from anyone. He desperately wanted to get out of Noelle's home. He took his bath and quickly got dressed, stuffing his dirty clothes in a bag. His damp hair was pushed back from his face. As soon as he walked into the sitting room, the red head grabbed the bag from him. "Sit down"
"I need to leave" he said, through gritted teeth.
"That's not happening. Look at you. You can barely stand straight. You look like you're going to keel over soon"
She was right.
Every muscle and joint in his body protested and he desperately wanted to lie down, but he couldn't. He didn't want to.
"I am trying to help you. You should be grateful, you moron!" She spat. He heaved a sigh and sat down on the couch.
"What's your name?" She asked.
He stared at her, expressionless.
"Do I have to tell you anything, red head?" He said.
"It's Noelle, not red head!" She snapped, glaring at him.
Noelle....it suited her.
But, he wasn't going to tell her that. "Come on, Stranger. Stop behaving like an asshole" she said, she was obviously getting upset. He sighed wearily, rubbing his eyes. She was the first person apart from his foster mom who had showed him such kindness. Yet, here he was being rude to her. Of course, he was an asshole.
"Valentino" he sighed.
She gave him a smile
"Nice name you got there" she said. He rolled his eyes, resting his head on the head rest.
"Do you have my phone with you?" He asked and she gave it to him.
"A lady called last night"
He stiffened.
'It can't be Lacey right?' he thought.
He switched it on, his heart sinking when he realized that he had twenty missed calls, all from Lacey.
'I'm so screwed' he thought, alarmed.
....
Looking around for signs of anyone following her, Lacey drew her hood further over her head. With the papers in her hand, she approached her usual meeting place with Valentino. Suddenly a car swerved from nowhere and was heading for her. It felt like time had stopped. She froze completely, her life's events flashing before her eyes.
The car collided with her and she felt her bones crumble and break on the impact. She gagged as blood filled her mouth, darkness dragging her in. Gasping for air, she fell to the ground.
As she struggled with death, she realized that she had failed. Xandre had been two steps ahead of her, she realized. How could she not have known? Nemesis had finally caught up with her.
This was her last thought right before she took her last breath.
...
Jacobi stared at the wall of his room, dazed. He knew it was over for him. He'd failed. He wasn't able to get his hands on the Montero properties and now, he'd lost everything. Surely, emperor X would destroy him.
The door to his study opened and Baron Wright, the dreaded Emperor X walked in, like a thief in the night. He was tall and leanly muscled. His short hair was a mix of black and brown. His nose was crooked, telling a tale of how his nose had once been broken. His thin lips were set in a grim line. He had a goatee and his dark brows were thick.
"Emperor--" Jacobi began. He was already starting to tremble.
"Sh. I didn't ask you to say a word, did I? You know how much I dislike failure, don't you?" Baron said, his icy blue eyes glimmering with mischief.
"I--"
"Silence!" he hissed, pointing a gun at him. Cobi sighed in defeat. "I know and I'm sorry"
"Everything has to end one day. But, let me tell you, I'll find someone else to replace you since you couldn't get the job done. Lacey is dead because of you. I'm tired of seeing the Monteros at the top of their game. I don't need you anymore"
Baron pulled the trigger and the gun went off thrice. Cobi slumped to the ground, a lifeless heap.
Baron headed to his next destination. This time, Valentino was home. He looked sick and this made Baron even more disappointed.
"Good day, little protège" He said, smirking. Val moved backwards, knowing that he was in deep shit.
"Where were you when Lacey was trying to bring the papers to you?" Baron queried him.
Valentino swallowed hard, his body trembling.
"I was sick" Val croaked.
"Oh well, I can't kill you now for being a failure, can I?"
Val moved backwards as Baron raised his gun.
"But, I can toy with you" Baron grinned. Val shivered.
"Please" he choked, knowing what was coming to him.
"Oh, loosing your touch already? Take off your shirt and go down on your knees" he ordered.
Val knew better not to argue with the monster of a man. He'd gone through several tortures and the man had ruined his life in the name of training. Baron took out his trusty whip, grinning maniacally. The whip landed hard on Valentino's bare back and he groaned. He couldn't risk screaming for fear of increasing his punishment. The whipping went on and on. Valentino's knees and hands went weak and he collapsed to the ground, hard. His whole body hurt and he was gasping for breath.
"Don't be such a weakling. I know you're very much stronger than this. I've only hit twenty"
The next hit had him sinking closer to darkness. He tried to stop the tears, but they wouldn't be controlled.
"Ah, weeping like a child. This is not what I taught you" Baron scolded, whipping him again. "Please" Val gasped, his fever spiking up.
"Fine, only because I can hit you whenever I want and you're sick. I am very disappointed in you. I made you what you are and you are nothing without me. I will definitely kill you.
But, because you are my little protège, I'll give you a head start. Take a shower and get out of this place. You should never come back, Val. If I get you, you'll become a goner. I have two advice for you......run and hide".
With that, He kicked Val hard and left the sitting room.
Weakly, he pushed himself to his feet and had a hot shower, the hotness of the water stinging his injuries. He put on his shirt, his injuries bare and bleeding. By the time he got to the park, it was raining heavily.
Valentino was devastated. Where would he go? He sat down on a bench, shivering as a result of the intensity of his fever. He felt like the fragile boy he'd once been. He felt helpless and cold. He felt so angry and bitter. With these emotions racing through him, he broke down and cried. He cried for what he had done and he cried for what he was.