25. Valerie

Chapter twenty-five

Valerie

T he room is dead silent as Nat stares back at me.

"Yes, I know," she says, before she bursts out laughing.

I furrow my brows. Where is the surprise? The shock? Even the horror? I expected so many emotions from her, but this reaction? Never saw it coming.

"What do you mean, you know?"

"Val, you have stars in your eyes whenever someone even mentions the Vitales, and I'm pretty sure it isn't for Adriano, Augustus or Antonio," she says. "Besides, I wouldn't be your best friend if I didn't know."

My phone rings beside Nat, and before I can jump to retrieve it, she has it to her ear answering it.

"Val's phone, Natalia speaking," she says in her sweetest tone. "Oh hey Antonio," she smirks up at me. "No, we're not doing anything tonight, what's up?"

Immediately, I'm shaking my head and hands. "I have to work on my commission," I mouth to her.

My lack of creativity, or as I like to call it, painter block, has been making starting this commission incredibly difficult. It needs to scream passion, and right now, my brain is barely whispering it .

"Yeah, we'd love to come to The Vice to celebrate with you guys, see you then." She hangs up and faces me with an innocent smile

"We are not going."

"Yes, we are. He said they're all going to be there, which means Ambrose as well. Besides, I think it's good after the realisation you just had. You need to be sure, and hanging out in a public setting around close friends can show you what he's truly like."

That does leave me quiet, contemplating, and unfortunately, Nat takes my silence as compliance. Before I have the chance to say no again, she's dragging me by the wrist up the stairs.