Chapter 27 - Vicious Tiffany

Slipping out of bed Valerie made sure to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to wake up Gabriel. He stirred, but didn't wake which made her sigh in relief. Picking up his shirt she shrugged it on and buttoned it up. She pulled her hair up in a messy bun and started her morning routine. Once she finished with her make-up she tiptoed out of the bedroom and headed to the kitchen, bumping into Rachel along the way.

"Morning to you too." Rachel looked amused, her eyes wandering over Valerie's choice of clothing. Or the lack of clothing which Valerie chose to wear that morning.

"Morning." Valerie greeted back, not bothering to apologize for the lack of clothing, "I need coffee before I wake Gabriel, you want a cup as well?"

"I was just heading that way."

Together they made their way to the kitchen, Rachel leaned against the cupboard while Valerie made them coffee.

"We should have dinner before you leave tonight." Valerie suggested, "Your plane leaves at nine?"

"Yes." Rachel confirmed, "We should have plenty of time when you get back from work."

Valerie poured them both a cup of coffee, smiling when Rachel reached for hers. Valerie poured some milk and sugar into her cup and stirred away.

"I'll make sure both Gabriel and Ethan join us tonight."

Rachel lowered her gaze, her eyes fixed on the black hot liquid, "You don't have to do that. Maybe Ethan needs some time after his talk with Tiffany."

"We shouldn't give him time." Valerie quietly answered back, "Tiffany could be manipulating him. She could turn him against Gabriel, if that happens it's all over." She tightened her grip on her cup, the heath not even bothering her because of the anger that seeped into her bones.

"Ethan is a nice guy."

Valerie raised an eyebrow at her sister, "You shouldn't let those thoughts get the better of you. You had plenty of time to come up with bad crap last night, didn't you? For now Ethan is still on our side, we should not let that opportunity pass." She smiled when Rachel still looked unsure, hesitant and confused, even, "Ethan is a nice guy." She repeated, "A nice guy like that wouldn't just sleep with you and never look back. It's not in his nature."

"I guess." Rachel didn't sound like her confident usual self, Valerie could understand why though, the uncertainty could drive anyone mad.

Valerie reached for her sister, taking her hand in hers, "Rachel, trust me. Things will work out. We talked about it last night, did we not? I need you to be your confident usual self. I can't do this by myself."

Rachel squeeze her hand back, "I'll have your back, Val."

Sharing a smile Valerie left the kitchen and strolled to her bedroom, closing the door quietly behind her. The bed was empty and already made, she could hear water running in the background. Gabriel was up and taking a shower, washing away all the concerns of last night. Putting her coffee upon the bedside table she opened her closet and put together an outfit. She slipped on a white pencil skirt with a pink colored t-shirt on top, tucked into her skirt. The water stopped running while she did her hair, curling the ends, keeping it natural looking. She watched as Gabriel strolled out of the bathroom, his eyes meeting hers.

"I need clothes here." He muttered, his eyes falling upon his suit he laid out on the bed.

She smirked, "You demanding to have a drawer?"

She could hear the smile in his voice as he responded, "I'm demanding closet space, Valerie. My suits need a little bit more room than that."

She walked up to him, wrapping her hand around his bare bicep and leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek, "Got it, you can have closet space."

"Good."

He dressed in last night's suit while she finished up by slipping on her nude pumps. He made a quick call to his driver and then walked with her to the living room, joining Rachel who was hanging out in her fluffy robe while watching the morning news.

"You looking comfy." Valerie told her sister while she strolled to the kitchen to make Gabriel a cup of coffee as well.

"I don't have to be at the office at eight!" Rachel called.

She could hear Gabriel's chuckle, the man stayed to keep Rachel company though. Valerie rinsed her cup and put it in the dishwasher. She poured Gabriel a cup of coffee and joined her sister and boyfriend in the living room, handing him his cup.

"Thanks." He mumbled, taking the cup from her.

"Rachel needs to be at the airport around eight, thought we could do dinner together before that." She cautiously eyed her boyfriend as she brought Ethan up, "We should ask Ethan to tag along."

Gabriel stilled his movements, yet he didn't look at her. She could see him inhaling deeply before he sipped his coffee again, visibly relaxing while his eyes never left the TV.

"Sounds good, I'll talk to Ethan later."

She shared a look with her sister, flashing her a reassuring small smile before she spoke up, "Okay." She let her fingers run through her boyfriend's damp hair, "You must have some stuff at the office, right? Like a suit, hair products and possibly a razor?"

He met her gaze, his eyes gleaming amusingly, "You suggesting something here?"

"You look undone, it's not a bad look on you, but-"

"Yeah, Gabriel Starr can't look like he had a rough night at a bar. I'll fix it at the office."

They decided upon which restaurant they should have dinner at, in the end spicy Indian food was what they all agreed upon so Gabriel made the reservations. When he ended the call they had to leave, heading to the office to get some work done.

In the elevator they linked their fingers and tightly held on, their relationship so much stronger after last night. She wouldn't let go of him, no matter how hard Tiffany fought to have him back, Gabriel wasn't hers anymore.

***

Valerie strolled toward her office when Andrew suddenly grabbed onto her wrist and steered her away, hushing her when she wanted to protest. On wobbly legs she followed her friend and watched as Andrew glanced around, making sure no one was at hearing distance. Her friend looked paranoid, it almost made her laugh. The serious look in his eyes prevented her from doing so, instead it made her put her guard up, knowing something was off.

"Barbie is in your office." He told her.

"What?!"

He motioned to her to be quiet, "She's bitch on heels right now, thought I'd warn you."

Valerie straightened up, not letting Tiffany intimidate her. She was grateful Andrew warned her beforehand, it meant bitch on heels didn't have the advantage of the element of surprise.

"Did you buy the last pair of the new Louboutin booties which caught her eye?"

Valerie's scowl faded, "No, according to her I stole her man."

A dark look overcame Andrew's features, "That would mean at one point Gabriel Starr actually was her man." He pointed out.

They had been right about that messed up relationship from the start, but unlike that time she couldn't gossip about it with Andrew anymore. She had to stay united with Gabriel, it would be the only way to overcome this mess they were currently in.

"She definitely believed that." Valerie's eyes traveled to her office, "I'm meeting up with her, you can go back to whatever you were doing." She smiled at him, "I got this."

Andrew didn't look convinced, but he didn't stop her either. Reaching in her bag Valerie grabbed her phone and let Gabriel know about Tiffany's surprise visit. She didn't wait for his response, instead she dropped her phone in her bag again and entered her office, closing the door behind her. Her co-workers didn't need to know about the messed up things which were happening in the background. It was none of their business. Her eyes shifted to Tiffany who sat behind her desk, looking like she owned the place.

"Good morning, Valerie."

There was no kindness in Tiffany's voice, the woman sounded undone. She looked it too. Her blonde hair was messily tossed to the side, her outfit of choice almost too average for a woman like Tiffany. A flowy tank top paired with black yoga pants, not the kind of outfit you expected Tiffany to wear when she was wandering around town.

Valerie tried to look as confident as possible, pretending that nothing could throw her off her game. She was anxious though, because Tiffany probably knew about her evil schemes. Last thing she wanted was to have Tiffany throw those things in her face. She believed she was better than Tiffany, but much like the woman sitting behind her desk, she also plotted to achieve much more in life at the expense of Ethan Hunter.

"Good morning."

Tiffany smiled at her, that smile also not feeling like she meant it. It didn't reach her eyes, it was cold. Not even matching one of Tiffany's polite smiles which she shared so carelessly whenever she was clinging to Ethan's side.

"Thought I'd pay you a visit and congratulate you in person."

Valerie frowned, not quite understanding what Tiffany was saying, "Congratulate me?"

Tiffany got to her feet, "Gabe and I were convinced that no one could come between us and Ethan. We had our little family after all, it brought so much happiness to Ethan." She walked around the desk, but kept her distance from Valerie, leaning against the desk while she folded her arms across her chest, "But you managed to tear that family apart without even trying, so here I am." Tiffany smiled once more, this time her smile having so much more meaning, "Congratulating you in person for a job well done."

"I didn't do anything. The ones who tore that family apart were the players who came up with a scheme to ruin a man's life." Valerie was the one who stepped forward this time, it caused Tiffany's confidence to waver, "Ethan took charge and no one else but Ethan is the one who could take control of the situation."

Anger flashed through Tiffany's eyes as she clenched her fists up at her sides, "Forget Ethan and his damned money." Tiffany raised her voice a bit, but Valerie applauded the woman for being able to contain herself and not resort to screeching like a banshee, "Gabriel never let some desperate nobody get to him, yet an ugly, fat girl like you managed to get his attention. I'm not letting you get away with this." Tiffany promised her.

Valerie let out a laugh, "Well, I guess this ugly, fat girl has more game than you do because the great Gabriel Starr did fall for me and promised me that his days together with you is forever in his past."

Valerie walked around the desk and stood behind it, showing Tiffany she was the real owner of that office.

"Now if you excuse me, I have some matters to attend to." She gestured to the door, "You can show yourself out."

Tiffany looked like her head would explode right then and there, she was probably two seconds away from stomping her feet and throwing a tantrum because things didn't go as planned. The woman brushed her fingers through her hair and pulled herself together. With her shoulders squared the woman left her office, even being mature enough not slam the office door shut.

Leaning back in her chair Valerie let out a relieved sigh. It hurt when Tiffany called her ugly and fat. She wasn't the size of a prima ballerina, but the average woman surely didn't look like a prima ballerina. She knew very well Tiffany said those words to hurt her, but she succeeded as well. The few minutes of peace she had before Gabriel came storming into her office to check on her were filled with doubt and confusion.

***

Gabriel had taken her to his office, Ethan was present as well. Concern was vivid in Ethan's eyes along with guilt. There was nothing the man should feel guilty about though. He did nothing wrong, the people around him were the ones at fault.

Gabriel handed her a glass of water, leaning against his desk while his eyes never left her. While she sipped from the cold liquid Ethan took a seat beside her, the one-seat creaking as the man got comfortable in the leather chair.

"Did she do anything to you?" Ethan aske carefully.

"Just some nasty words were said." Valerie shrugged, "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"What did she say?" Gabriel asked, not being as subtle as his friend.

She wasn't going to repeat those words out loud though, so Gabriel was out of luck.

Valerie shrugged, not going to give in. Those words echoed through her mind over and over again, causing her confidence to drop along with her self-respect.

"Do you want to go home?" Ethan asked.

"I'm fine." She assured both men, but all of them knew she was lying through her teeth, "I'll be fine." She correct herself, "Just needed some time to clear my head."

She noticed how Ethan and Gabriel shared a look, neither one of them needing words to understand each other. She figured it was years of spending time together. A trick which probably got exploited a lot when they dealt with their competitors.

"Gabe mentioned dinner tonight." Ethan smiled gently at her, "I'll be there too. I'm guessing we all need to sit back and relax, have a good time together while we forget about Tiffany trying to stir things up. Our night out should have done that, but let's just say that it isn't our thing." He joked.

She didn't get distracted by their night out, instead she focused on the subject at hand.

"I'm guessing you went through the same thing as me."

Ethan shook his head, "I think Tiffany wasn't vicious with me, just pleading to get back what she lost and a lot of empty promises."

Valerie was on high alert, "Did you give in after hearing those empty promises."

A chuckle left his lips, "Of course not." He assured her, "It's probably not what you want to hear, but I had a great time with your sister. I'm willing to explore that, I just need to talk to Rachel first."

Valerie knew for a fact that Rachel wouldn't back out, but she kept that to herself. Finishing her drink she handed the empty glass to her boyfriend and got to her feet.

"I need to get back to work, see you boys later?"

Ethan was the one who spoke up while Gabriel remained silent, looking like he was brooding over something. It worried her, but she didn't speak up about that either. She had a feeling it was because of Tiffany, all of them needed a few minutes without mentioning that vicious Barbie.

"We'll take a ride together to your apartment." Ethan suggested.

She smiled at him, "Sounds good, see you boys later then."

Leaving Gabriel's office she strolled to the elevator. When she was alone she finally dared to breathe normally again. Her eyes were lowered to the floor, taking in her nude pumps. A gasp leaving her lips when she suddenly felt someone gripping her shoulder. Glancing over her shoulder she met her boyfriend's gaze.

"I know whatever she said to you hurt you. I'm promising you that she isn't getting away with it."

Valerie turned to Gabriel, "She believes I stole you from her, instead of getting revenge I believe being the bigger person here is a better strategy. When she realizes she can't get to me she'll back off."

"What if she doesn't?" Gabriel asked, "I'm not willing to risk it."

She wanted to grab his hand and reassure him that things would be okay, Gabriel didn't give her that opportunity though. Instead he walked away with confident strides, looking like a determined man on a mission. His victim was Tiffany, the woman he once loved.

***

After dinner and dropping Rachel off at the airport Gabriel insisted on spending the night with her. She knew it was more than her boyfriend wanting to be intimate. He didn't trust Tiffany and in the back of her mind she knew she shouldn't trust that woman either.

She watched as Gabriel dropped a weekend bag near her closet and turned to her, his eyes burning with desire. She bit her lip, her heart racing with want. If she focused on Gabriel and their need to have an orgasm or two she'd surely forget about what happened in her office.

Stepping out of her pumps she closed in on her boyfriend and grabbed onto the front of his shirt. His lips curled up to a devious smirk, his eyes smoldering, telling her he knew exactly what was on her mind.

No words were spoken as they lunged at each other, kissing and touching like there was no tomorrow. Clothes were ripped from each other's bodies while only the sounds of pleasure were heard. Once she was on her back, completely naked on her bed Gabriel hovered over her and spread her thighs, holding her gaze while he slipped inside her. It was rough yet no less intimate. It was like he was looking into her soul as he moved his hips to bring pleasure to them both.

She placed her hand against his firm stomach and slowly trailed it up, letting it rest against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat pounding away. In that moment there was no one else but them in their little world. Only thoughts off pleasure and want on both their minds.