met gala
3496 Words
CHAPTER 2
Two weeks later.
The merger still wasn't signed.
But that hadn't stopped the first project from moving forward.
PROJECT PARAGIZE.
Vince Vantex's six-billion-dollar smart city project in Austin was already making headlines. Investors were restless. The board wanted results. And with the merger hanging delicately between the Vantex and Ashford families, everyone was watching them.
So, naturally, they needed a spectacle.
Something extravagant.
Something impossible to ignore.
The Met Gala.
White lights. Flashing cameras. Designer gowns. Billionaires pretending they weren't watching one another.
Money spoke louder than words that night.
And Valentina Ashford intended to make sure everyone heard her.
She spent four hours getting ready.
Her black gown hugged her figure, its back completely exposed and the slit climbing dangerously high along her thigh. Her six-centimeter heels clicked against the marble floor as she walked. Her hair fell down her back like a dark waterfall, and her lips were painted an equally dark shade.
She looked beautiful.
Dangerous, even.
She arrived late.
On purpose.
She wanted everyone to notice.
But the moment she stepped inside, her confidence faltered.
Because there he was.
Vince Vantex.
Black tuxedo.
Cold expression.
Perfect posture.
The kind of man who didn't have to demand attention because attention simply found him.
And on his arm—
Liana.
Cream-colored dress. Soft smile. One hand resting comfortably against Vince's arm as though she belonged there.
As though she had always belonged there.
Valentina stopped walking.
For a moment, the noise around her seemed to disappear.
Vince was speaking to a group of investors.
"And this is Liana Ashford," he introduced, his voice calm and detached.
His hand settled against Liana's back.
"She's heading Paragize Charity."
Cameras immediately began flashing.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Valentina felt something twist painfully inside her chest.
She smiled anyway.
Because that was what she had learned to do.
Smile when it hurt.
Smile when she wanted to scream.
Smile when the person she had spent years chasing looked at another woman as though she were the only person in the room.
She took a champagne flute.
Then another.
Then another.
Three glasses.
She stood alone in the corner, watching Vince and Liana become the perfect picture for every newspaper that would be printed the next morning.
No one approached her.
No one asked her to dance.
No one seemed to notice that the smile on her face had disappeared.
By the time the gala ended, Valentina had already made a decision.
A stupid one.
A reckless one.
One she would regret.
But she followed him anyway.
---
1:03 A.M. — VANTEX PENTHOUSE
The elevator doors opened to cold marble and absolute silence.
Valentina stepped inside.
Her heartbeat was painfully loud in her ears.
She wasn't proud of what she was doing.
She knew better.
But knowing better had never stopped her from wanting Vince.
He was already inside, standing at the bar with his back to her.
He poured himself another drink.
Something about him looked wrong.
There was sweat along his temple despite the cool temperature. His jaw was clenched, and his fingers trembled slightly around the glass.
He didn't turn around.
"What are you doing here, Valentina?"
His voice was rough.
She shut the door behind her.
"You looked right through me tonight."
"I wasn't looking at you."
The words struck harder than they should have.
She swallowed.
"Exactly."
He finally turned.
His eyes were darker than usual.
"Go home."
"Then what mood are you in?"
She stepped closer.
"For her?"
His expression hardened.
"Don't."
But she did.
Of course she did.
Valentina reached out and placed her hand against his chest.
"Why not me, Vince?"
His hand closed around her wrist.
Hard.
"Let go."
For the first time, she really looked at him.
The faint tremor in his hand.
The strange glassiness in his eyes.
The way his breathing was uneven.
Something was wrong.
Someone had put something in his drink.
She was almost certain of it.
But hurt had already drowned out whatever common sense remained.
She leaned up and kissed him.
For one second, Vince froze.
Then something inside him snapped.
His restraint disappeared.
The kiss became heated and desperate, fueled by anger, confusion, and emotions neither of them was willing to name.
There were no declarations.
No tenderness.
No promises.
Only two people making a terrible decision while neither of them was thinking clearly.
When it finally ended, Vince stepped away from her abruptly.
As though he'd suddenly remembered himself.
His breathing was uneven.
His expression unreadable.
"Get out."
Valentina stared at him.
"What?"
"Get. Out."
The words were quieter this time.
And somehow, that made them hurt more.
He turned away from her and walked toward the bathroom.
The door closed behind him.
Valentina remained on the couch.
For several seconds, she didn't move.
She stared at the ceiling, trying to understand what had just happened.
Her body ached from the night's chaos, but the pain inside her chest was worse.
What had she been thinking?
That this would bring him closer?
That one night would somehow erase fourteen years of resentment?
That Vince Vantex would wake up the next morning and suddenly realize he loved her?
A bitter laugh escaped her.
"Idiot."
Her hands clenched against the fabric beneath her.
She slowly stood.
Her legs felt weak.
But there was something else inside her now.
Determination.
She wanted Vince.
She wanted his name.
His home.
His ring.
His child.
She wanted to become the woman standing beside him when everyone else looked at him.
She wanted to be his wife.
Even if she had to bleed for it.
---
Vince emerged from the bathroom several minutes later.
He didn't look at her.
"Get out."
Valentina's lips parted.
For one tiny second, she thought about asking him to stay.
Instead, she nodded.
"Okay."
She bent down and picked up her heels.
Her fingers trembled as she slipped them into her hand.
She walked toward the door barefoot.
The humiliation burned hotter than the cold marble beneath her feet.
Was she really that detestable?
He hadn't even allowed her to spend the night.
He had pushed her away like she was something filthy he couldn't bear to touch.
And the fact that he'd gone straight to the bathroom afterward—
That hurt most of all.
She lowered her eyes.
She refused to cry.
Not here.
Not for him.
Not tonight.
She stepped outside into the cold night air.
The city stretched endlessly before her, bright and beautiful beneath the darkness.
At two in the morning, the streets were almost empty.
Her silhouette looked painfully small beneath the towering buildings.
Her dress was wrinkled.
Her hair was disheveled.
Her heels hung from one hand.
She had walked into that penthouse believing she could finally get closer to the man she loved.
Instead, she had walked out feeling smaller than she had ever felt before.
She had chosen this.
And somehow, she knew there was no turning back now.
---
THE NEXT MORNING — ASHFORD ESTATE
9:00 A.M.
Breakfast was normal.
Painfully normal.
Richard sat at the head of the table with a newspaper in his hands.
Victor was scrolling through his phone.
Liana was talking excitedly about Paragize.
Elena moved around the table, placing plates in front of everyone.
Everything looked ordinary.
As though the world hadn't shifted beneath Valentina's feet only hours ago.
She walked downstairs wearing oversized sunglasses and a black turtleneck.
"Morning."
Her voice sounded normal.
Too normal.
No one questioned her.
No one knew.
She sat down and picked up her phone.
Her fingers moved mechanically across the screen.
Then she saw the headline.
VINCE VANTEX & LIANA ASHFORD TO LEAD PROJECT PARAGIZE
Beneath it was a photograph from the gala.
Vince.
Liana.
Smiling.
Together.
Perfect.
Valentina's fingers tightened around her phone.
Her hand began to shake.
She locked the screen immediately.
"Are you okay, baby?"
Her mother's voice pulled her back.
Valentina looked up.
"I'm fine, Ma."
She forced a smile.
"I just didn't sleep well."
Elena studied her for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Try to rest today."
"I will."
Valentina barely touched her breakfast.
The moment she could, she excused herself and returned upstairs.
She locked her bedroom door.
Then she leaned against it.
For several seconds, she simply stood there.
The silence swallowed her.
She slowly removed her sunglasses.
Her eyes were tired.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
She didn't recognize the woman staring back.
She had always believed she could handle anything.
But last night had cracked something inside her.
And she wasn't going to tell anyone.
Not her mother.
Not her father.
Not Liana.
Not even God.
What happened in that penthouse would remain there.
Forever.
---
VANTEX TOWER — VINCE'S OFFICE
10:00 A.M.
Vince looked like hell.
His assistant stood across from his desk, carefully choosing his words.
"Sir, you've missed two meetings. Security also reported that someone entered your penthouse last night."
Vince rubbed a hand over his face.
He remembered fragments.
The gala.
The strange taste of the drink.
The dizziness.
Valentina.
Then nothing but heat and confusion.
He looked down.
He didn't want to remember.
"Don't care."
His voice was flat.
"Send Liana the Paragize files. She's handling the launch."
"Yes, sir."
The assistant hesitated before leaving.
Under Vince's laptop was something he hadn't noticed earlier.
A small piece of black fabric.
He pulled it out.
His jaw tightened.
He knew exactly where it had come from.
Valentina.
For a moment, something unreadable crossed his face.
Then his expression hardened again.
He threw the fabric into the trash.
Fourteen years.
Fourteen years ago, his mother had lost her life because of an arrogant Ashford boy who had failed to make the call that might have saved her.
At least, that was the story Vince had lived with.
Fourteen years of grief.
Fourteen years of anger.
Fourteen years of promising himself that one day the Ashfords would pay.
And now Valentina was practically throwing herself at him.
He almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
But pity wasn't forgiveness.
And it certainly wasn't love.
He had seen through her.
Her obsession.
Her schemes.
Her desperate attempts to attach herself to him.
She wanted to become Mrs. Vantex.
Fine.
He would let her believe she was getting closer.
Because revenge was never supposed to be rushed.
---
Across town, Valentina's phone chimed.
She looked down.
A message from Pig.
«Found a clue.»
An attachment followed.
Valentina opened it.
Her expression changed.
"Thanks," she typed.
She placed the phone down.
The fatigue in her body was still there.
The humiliation was still there.
But she pushed both aside.
There was work to do.
The leak couldn't be ignored.
The merger had to succeed.
Everything depended on it.
And if she had to play the perfect daughter, perfect business partner, and perfect future wife to make it happen—
Then so be it.
She was going to become the lady of Vantex.
The position of Vince's wife belonged to her.
And she wasn't about to surrender it.
---
VANTEX TOWER
By the time Valentina's colorful sports car pulled into the entrance of Vantex Tower, people were already looking.
The merger had become the talk of the city.
Everyone knew the Ashfords and the Vantex family were joining forces.
Nobody dared stop her at reception.
She stepped out of the car in a fitted black gown, her heels striking the marble floor with deliberate confidence.
Click.
Click.
Click.
She kept her chin high.
She knew Vince would be cold.
She expected it.
After all, she knew exactly how much he disliked her.
And still, here she was.
Chasing him.
Waiting for him.
Loving him.
Sometimes, even she had to admit how pathetic it looked.
But love had never been particularly logical.
She entered the elevator and pressed the top floor.
When the doors opened, she walked straight toward Vince's office.
She knocked once.
"Come in."
That low voice.
Her heart betrayed her immediately.
She pushed the door open.
Vince sat behind his desk, his attention fixed on a document.
Ryan, his personal assistant, stood beside him, updating him on a project.
Ryan was known throughout Vantex for his efficiency and almost robotic composure. He was also two years older than Vince, handsome in a quiet, effortless way.
The moment he heard the unmistakable click of Valentina's heels, the corner of his mouth lifted.
He knew who it was before he even looked up.
Val.
He glanced toward the door.
Valentina walked straight toward Vince's desk and dropped a file in front of him.
"Take a look."
She sank into the chair opposite him.
Vince finally lifted his eyes.
"What is this?"
"I made a new discovery."
There was something almost hopeful in her voice.
As if, despite everything, some small part of her still wanted him to praise her.
Vince glanced at the file.
"I'm not interested."
Her smile faltered.
"Vince—"
"Unless it's important, I have work to do."
She swallowed.
"It is important."
He looked at her again.
"What?"
"Our business secrets have been leaked."
That got his attention.
"What secrets?"
"Project information. Financial projections. Internal documents."
She leaned forward.
"I think one of our rival companies has access to them. I don't know how they got them."
Vince stared at her.
Then he leaned back.
"So that's what this is about."
Valentina frowned.
"What do you mean?"
He looked almost amused.
"The merger hasn't even been signed, and you're already behaving as though you work here."
The words embarrassed her.
She lowered her gaze.
"I was only trying to help."
"I know."
His tone remained indifferent.
She forced herself to breathe.
"Oh."
Silence filled the room.
Her mind returned to last night.
She couldn't stop herself.
"About yesterday..."
Vince's expression changed instantly.
"I hope you took precautions."
She froze.
She had come here intending to tell him something important.
She had been going to tell him that she hadn't drugged him.
That someone had tampered with his drink.
But he wasn't even giving her the opportunity.
"Vince, I—"
"Miss Ashford."
His voice cut through hers.
"You can leave."
She stared at him.
He continued without emotion.
"And didn't your family teach you basic etiquette?"
Her heart sank.
"We are not that close."
He looked directly at her.
"Don't forget your formalities."
Her pupils contracted.
For a moment, she couldn't speak.
The humiliation was unbearable.
Yesterday, he had held her like he couldn't let her go.
Today, he was treating her like a stranger.
Maybe worse than a stranger.
Her fingers curled into fists.
"I'm sorry."
The words came out barely above a whisper.
Vince saw the hurt in her eyes.
He saw the way her expression crumbled before she quickly rebuilt it.
He saw everything.
And still—
He said nothing.
Valentina stood.
She gathered the file against her chest.
Then she walked toward the door.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
She had come here hoping to protect their merger.
Hoping to tell him about the leak.
Hoping, foolishly, that perhaps last night had changed something between them.
Instead, she was leaving with nothing.
Not even a second glance.
The door closed behind her.
And for the first time that morning, Vince's eyes left the papers on his desk.
He stared at the closed door.
His jaw tightened.
He didn't know why her expression had stayed with him.
He didn't know why the sound of her quiet I'm sorry irritated him more than her usual persistence.
He only knew one thing.
He couldn't afford to feel anything for Valentina Ashford.
Because fourteen years of hatred were far too heavy to be undone by one night.
And he had no intention of letting them be.
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