I’d been silent, putting one and one together when Presley asked if I knew what this meant.“Of course I know what this means. My mother only got admitted after hearing I had disappeared, which means she cared about me,” I said, that was the only sense it made — why else would she get admitted around the same time I disappeared?“Oh my God, she’s been watching me from the shadows all that time.”“That’s our guess,” Presley said, and I quickly got a grip on myself as she almost took me in her arms, under the excuse of wanting to comfort me.“Do you know the hospital she’s at?”“Yes, but—”“I don’t care. I want to see her.”“Kentucky.”“Excuse me?”“She’s in a hospital in Kentucky.”“Oh my God.” I covered my mouth as that was a state away. “But why—”“My associates are working hard to get us there. Once we have an update, we’ll let you know.”“I need to see her.”“And you will. Seems this family is fishy, and we’re still trying to figure them out. So if I were you, I’d stay as far away
I took a deep breath, my nail trailing over my signature. Who knew? I thought I would marry Rodrigo, hate him for the rest of my life, only for me to fall for him—and for him to crush me.Oh no, let me correct that. It says here he was married to Valeria Wilson, and I was Valentina Sterling. Sure, he knew, but the world didn’t. And he wouldn’t tell anyone because Valentina isn’t Valeria. Valeria is smart. She thinks. She knows how the world works.“Thank you so much for this. Do you mind?” I handed him the file, asking him in a way that said put it back for me because I have to go.“It’s not a problem, ma’am.”“Thank you. Oh, and…” I almost opened the door when I remembered something. “The reception lady—what a body she has.”“I mean…” he awkwardly chuckled.“I know everything. Keep my secret and I’ll keep yours.” I winked. Oh yeah, you’ve got to be cunning in this world.“Of course.”“Good to know. Have a good one.” I finally opened the door and left without turning back.I fixed my
Inside, I walked straight to the receptionist, who greeted me with a kind smile. “Ms. Sterling, I've heard a lot about you,” she said as soon as I reached the desk.“Hi. Wow, nice hair.” I lied, purely to get her to like me more. She already seemed fond of me, and I was going to use that.“Oh my God, I should tell my mom. I can’t believe Ms. Sterling complimented my hair! I swear, if I wasn’t on the clock, I’d take a picture with you.”“Well, this place doesn’t have the best lighting for photos.” I glanced around as if I knew what I was talking about. “Why don’t we grab lunch sometime?”Her eyes widened. “Oh my—yes! Yes, I’ll have lunch with you, Ms. Sterling.”“It’s a date, then. So, tell me… how did you hear about me?”“You’re trending on TV—saving the governor’s fortune.”“Oh, that. I didn’t think it reached your courthouse.”“Are you kidding? Everyone’s talking about you. We’ve also heard about the cases you handled at Carlos’s firm. Everyone admires you, Ms. Sterling.”“Well, I’m
Alright, I need to sit and think this clearly before I make a fool of myself. “Mr. Roberts, unlike you, I actually have things to deal with, so allow me to bid you a good day.”“Wow. I see you’ve grown some attitude.”“Mr. Roberts—”“Rodrigo is fine. And yes, I like this new identity of yours, Valentina. You thought I was too stupid to figure it out, didn’t you?”“I’m not going to waste another second. Have a good day.”And without wasting another breath, I cut the call and finally allowed myself to breathe. I had to hold back while I was on the phone—I refused to give Rodrigo the satisfaction of knowing he scared me.“Shit,” I cursed, still holding my breath. My back was against the wall, but as soon as I heard the door close, I stood upright and, with my back to Tina, asked calmly, “Is Mr. Puckett ready?”“He is, ma’am.”“Good. Check him out. I’ll wait in the car.”I approached the elevator with a straight face, kept it that way all the way down, and only let it drop once we reached
I could see Theo’s smirk from the top. Damn, he was looking so proud. I mean, he should be — he just outsmarted me.I couldn’t watch him anymore, so I frustratedly closed the curtains and turned back to Tina, who was trying to get Mr. Puckett up.“I think he’s been drugged. He doesn’t seem to know what’s going on,” Tina said, and I eyed Mr. Puckett, who really did look out of it. I had to think fast. My phone buzzed, and I just knew it was Theo rubbing it in my face.“Where’s that damn staff? She said she was getting first aid!” Tina sounded worried. “Mr. Puckett, please stay with me,” she said, shaking him gently.That’s when I spotted the glass on the table. It still had alcohol in it, but there was enough space to hold water.Placing my things down, I walked to the table, grabbed the glass, and rushed to the room I assumed was the bathroom. It was. I walked to the sink, filled the glass, and hurried back out.“Get more!” I instructed as I handed her the glass and knelt beside Mr. P
I scanned the documents, trying to catch how many days they gave me, and exclaimed the second I saw it.“You’ve got to be kidding me. Seven days?!”“Yeah, I know. I think Mr. Roberts has some influence because—”“You’re dismissed.” I turned to the server, cutting him off. He was speaking as if I didn’t already know. It was obvious Rodrigo had pulled strings to rush the case.“Have a lovely day, Ms. Sterling,” he said, with a smirk that felt like mockery. I watched him leave, then fell back into my seat, skimming the pages again. Unbelievable.“Ms. Sterling, is everything okay?” Tina came rushing in, her eyes wide with concern.I straightened immediately, switching to my professional face. “I’m fine. Tina, is there a way for you to contact the family court for me?”“I don’t think so. It’s preferred you show your face if you want to speak to any of the judges. I could go if—”“I don’t think they’ll accept you,” I cut in, closing the document and fixing my hair. “Did you contact Mr. Puck