Chapter One–Hundred Thirty–Four

Chapter One–Hundred Thirty–Four
Valerie's POV

I stood before the full-length mirror, giving myself a final once-over before heading to dinner with Chad. A silk red dress hugged my body in all the right places, my hair pulled back into a sleek bun. After applying minimal makeup, I paused, contemplating wiping off my red lipstick—then changed my mind.

It's been a while since I actually dressed up for a date like this.

A notification dinged on my phone. I reached out for the device on the dresser.

7:02 PM

Chad: I'm outside. You ready?

A smile etched on my lips as I responded immediately.

7:03 PM

Valerie: Yeah. I'll be with you in a sec.

With that, I grabbed my purse and headed out. The moment I closed the door behind me, I saw Chad leaning against his car parked at a close distance, but he straightened immediately. His eyes raked over me slowly as a smile curved on his lips.

Suddenly, I felt self-conscious with his gaze lingering on my body. I held my head high and catwalked towards him.

"You look gorgeous tonight," he said as we stood facing each other.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Thank you," I said shyly. "You don't look bad yourself."

He glanced at his outfit—a white shirt with sleeves folded neatly, paired with casual pants. "I try my best," a light laugh followed. "God! Where are my manners?"

He rushed to open the car door for me, and I muttered a quiet thank you as I settled in while he positioned himself behind the wheel.

The drive was quiet except for the soft jazz music humming from the speaker. We arrived at a fancy hotel, and Chad appeared next to me, placing a hand at the small of my back as we walked into the building.

The interior was breathtaking. Walls painted in neutral tones held expensive art pieces, and the space was half empty. I could count the number of people on my fingers.

A waiter ushered us to an empty table. Chad pulled out a chair for me to sit before positioning himself opposite me.

Chad ordered a bottle of champagne while we waited for our food to arrive.

He took a sip from his glass. "Tell me all I need to know about Valerie Edwards," he said, emphasizing the word "all."

I let out a sigh. "Well...as you already know, I run an interior decoration company. I love traveling, watching movies, and reading books."

He kept nodding, green eyes holding mine as I talked.

I cleared my throat. "Above all, I'm a single mom to an adorable five-year-old."

Chad's eyes lit up with curiosity, and his lips wore a smile.

Definitely not what I was expecting. Most men were uncomfortable whenever I revealed that I was a single mom. One thing about me is that I would never deny Jayden. If you can't accept him, there's no future with me.

"Can I see his pictures?" Chad requested politely.

I hesitated before pulling out my phone and showing him pictures of my son. "This was taken during his birthday last weekend," I explained as we scrolled through.

"Happy birthday in arrears to him. When do I get to meet him?" Chad pushed.

I blinked rapidly. The request was totally unexpected.

Easy, tiger.

"I'll introduce you at the right time," I plastered a tight smile.

That was the perfect moment the waiter chose to reappear with our food.

During our meal, Chad let me in on some information about himself. Although I already had an idea, thanks to my personal assistant, he made it clear that he was chasing me to win my heart. I told him that I didn't want to rush the process. Besides, I needed time to vet him properly.

"I really had a good time. Thank you for accepting my invite," Chad said, walking me to my apartment door.

"I could say the same for myself," my lips pressed together in a genuine smile.

My back was now against the door as Chad stood opposite me, inches separating us.

An awkward silence settled between us until he broke it.

"Goodnight, Val," his eyes held mine in quiet intensity as he leaned forward, his lips angling toward mine.

I cleared my throat, making him take a step back. "Goodnight, Chad."

He let out a disappointed breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Sure. I'll keep in touch."

I nodded. "Yeah."

I watched him return to his car and waved at him as he drove off.

When his vehicle was out of sight, I let out a sigh of relief and rushed to my room, locking the door behind me as I leaned against it.

Why does it feel awkward whenever Chad attempts to get closer? I don't want to end up losing a good man because I'm not ready.

I wiped off my makeup and went under the shower. When I changed into my nightgown, I grabbed a robe and headed to Jayden's room. He was already fast asleep.

I watched his sleeping form for a moment before pulling up his blanket and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Goodnight, honey."

I turned off his lights and returned to my room. Sleep didn't come immediately, so I pondered my love life until my eyelids closed.

In the days that followed, Chad sent me different expensive gifts every day—boxes of chocolates, jewelry, shoes, and the like. I even had to call him and ask him to stop, but he pleaded with me and promised he would reduce the frequency but not stop entirely. I was coaxed into introducing Chad to my son, but "as a friend." Chad doted on Jayden and would literally get him whatever he asked for. Chad was slowly slipping into our lives.

By this point, my business deal with Chad had kicked off fully, and he would use it as an excuse to visit and linger in my office.

Like today, he suddenly appeared in my office with a box of cupcakes and a latte from my favorite coffee shop.

We settled on the visitor's couch, enjoying the snacks as I listened to Chad rant about a meeting he recently had with an annoying client. The loud ring of my phone interrupted our moment.

I looked at the caller ID—Gina.

"I need to take this," I whispered.

He nodded, giving me the go-ahead.

I slid my finger across the screen and placed the phone to my ear.

"Valerie, you need to come home now," Gina's sharp voice rang with urgency.

My eyes widened, and I subconsciously adjusted my position on the couch. "I don't understand."

A sob broke through. "Dad is terribly sick and almost dying. His last wish is to see you."

I froze.

A sudden ache settled in my chest.

Does he really expect me to abandon the beautiful life I've built here and run to him after all he put me through?