Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Val was quite comfortable with the path she currently ventured in her life right now.

She had the best of apartments in a five star residential construct, the best job- being both her ex's and his lover's boss. She was currently living quite 'the' life.

Bob had Valerie move from Mission district where she previously lived in a motel. She now stayed in a condo in Pacific heights, which was closer to Union street where Citadel's stood just ten minutes from her place.

She looked at the beautiful blonde lady in the sophisticated vanity mirror before her and couldn't help but wink at herself. She was dressed in a black long sleeved gown with a chest slit that accentuated her sensual curves and reached below her knees. It was August and mid-summer, hence, she decided to keep it light and cool.

Her long blonde hair was blown in a deep curl behind her, and a golden rimmed glasses perched on her nose bridge, giving her a professional appeal.

Val tugged on the purple heart pendant necklace that hung right above her chest slit and went into her room to grab her black blazer and matching bag before leaving her apartment for work with her ankle boots clicking rhythmically at every step.

She got into the car awaiting her downstairs in the parking spot and was driven to work in it.

One could tell from the reduction in the wrinkles previously on Val's face that she had stopped worrying about the troubles she faced and focused on solving them, one step at a time.

At work, Val greeted Daisy and headed straight to her office. She sat there and submitted the work that had already been done. Of course, Bob wouldn't let suspicion rise from Val's incompetency, he had made arrangements for everything to be done. All she had to do was place the files where they were to be, and take new ones in to be sent to the person who would work on them once again.

As to whom it was, it was exactly Sam Parrish, the previous Marketing department manager. Bob had obviously reached out to him.

Nevertheless, all Val had to do now was to be present at work. Nothing else!

At first, her presence was to have a certain effect but since it didn't, it doesn't mean she had to quit right? Of course, that wasn't the only reason Bob had planted her in the company. Bob had told her to stay and still observe things first. He didn't seem to be in a rush at the least, the billionaire patronized patience.

Regarding Bob, his first appearance in court was coming soon, probably early September, and Val was slightly concerned. She really didn't know much about the processes involved in divorce trials, all she knew was both sides would lose a thing or two of importance to them. But anyway, Bob is a billionaire so everything should be alright, shouldn't it? There should be no need for all of these games of snakes and ladders...

' If only that woman is willing to settle things amicably' Val didn't understand Courtney at all. Why go through all these when you could make reasonable demands and get a satisfying cutout.

' But it isn't that she didn't have demands. It was just that her demands were unreasonable...' Val couldn't help but make bitter faces when she recalled the demands Bob had told her she made when Val had asked out of curiosity.

She wondered why anyone with so much opportunity and riches already, would go through all the point of trying to suck someone like Bob dry. Of course, Courtney is beautiful, intelligent, and smart, and simply appalling in all senses as a woman. And Val didn't see why Bob wouldn't have taken her and her child as his if she had come clean about it faithfully. Bob himself had said this...

' The fact that the Courtney had suddenly conspired an adultery scenario on Bob showed she had schemes from the start. The next thing Courtney could probably think of is what? To take everything that Bob had from him? ' This made Val boil in anger. She started to see the problem with disloyalty... She didn't know who was more of the scum, men or women?

However, Val thought that it was people who were generally bad. It had nothing to do with either genders.

' She's insane...' Val had no doubt and wondered just how Bob had come across such an absurd lady. Hell he even made her his wife, he must be just as insane!

As Val started to look into the concept of divorce on her cell phone,Val didn't know if Bob could pull any thing off. Even if Washington was an equitable distribution state, there still isn't a guarantee that Courtney wouldn't squeeze all he had during the trial. In fact, it only increased the likelihood.

If it were to be that they were registered in California or any community property state, the distribution of property and debts would have been equal without a party getting above what the other deserves. However, Val wasn't certain if Bob would be willing to give up half of his property. She definitely wouldn't if it were to be her in Bob's position.

Although, Bob was currently better off losing half of properties than losing almost all as he's being threatened to. After all, properties solely belonging to him would still remain his in a communal property distribution state.

But then, Val had nothing else to do to be of help. Literally, this was all on Bob. She was only here because of the only thing that binds him to her. She would tell him after everything was over and hopefully, they would come to an agreeable decision together.

Nonetheless, Val shifted her focus from her thoughts to the new files on her table. They were brought in by Mr Raj Sanjay not long ago. She didn't need to do any work on these files yet but she thought to check through them and have at least a knowledge or two about the job at hand just in case someone tried to confront her. The other managers were quite nosy and had ambitions.

' After all, knowledge is never wasted hehe' She lampooned.

' Not that there isn't enough countermeasures already at hand' The truth is that, Val only did this to pass time at work.

As expected, she still didn't understand the business concepts and marketing terms in the reports yet, but she was slowly starting to slightly pick up some things with her intellect.

Val didn't know why she had spent so many years and had wasted so many years working as a customer service assistant and Mark's subservient wife where she could have become something more. Of course, Val had a degree in Corporate communications, and even if that wasn't enough, she could have taken another degree or something and went down a life-changing career path. However, she hadn't really thought to do so as all she ever had in her mind was love and marriage back then. She thought Mark was forever, and that he'd take care of them as long as he works.

She had never thought of chasing a career, she only chased romance and the pleasure of life. And look where it got her...

Of course, she'd seen and knew women who chased after a career. But the misconception that they weren't really happy about their life and that they were missing a whole lot in life had blinded Val just as any one else. As a matter of fact, she felt superior that she had a standard and stable love-life than these women and she felt they would be willing to switch places with her. She had only taken the customer service assistant job cause of how boring it became staying at home all day while Mark was at work.

Looking back at those days now, Val didn't believe that was happiness. The current life she lived was more of a better life, and only now did she know how empowered 'these' career women feel.

Val shook her head in pity and just focused on reading the file. She put away the first file and tried to look into one more when she suddenly caught notice of a note. She frowned when she recognized the handwriting on the note. She picked the note and read the content, as her iris moved from left to right reading every line in haste, her frown deepened and her face contorted more and more.

In the end, she was going to tear the note when she suddenly stopped. She folded the note and dialed a number on the landline.

"Hello, please inform the assistant manager to see me in my office this moment." She said and cut the call without waiting for a reply.

She decided to check on other files in other to calm herself down. She was really infuriated this moment and she didn't know what she could do.

Soon after, Mark came into the office with a solemn expression on his face. He sure seemed relaxed after what he'd done, Val thought.

"Mr Hawkins, please sit!" Val urged pointing at the seat on the other side of her desk, trying as much to control the twitch on her temple.

Mark's face distorted hearing her call him that but he still went ahead to take a seat.

" Would you mind explaining this?" Val asked calmly picking the note and raising it up to obvious notice.

" Well, I-"

" Even after everything you've done?" Mark was cut off by Val's sudden exclamation which seemed to contain a lot of anger. " ... You still do this?" Val asked in a low tone filled with disbelief.

" Have you no shame at all?" Val was beyond disgusted at the man he'd once fallen in love with. She didn't know just how disgusting he is until now.

Mark avoided her gaze embarrassed at himself. Of course, he had expected this outcome when he wrote the note and put it in one of the files. He just thought to take the chance.

" Val please listen to me-" Mark tried to reach for her hands but he was cut off by the sudden sound of a note slapping his face.

" Get out." Val said in a cold low tone, she was shuddering from anger. " Noww!" She yelled.

Mark shook and though he hesitated for a while, he quickly rose and left the office. Cameras were everywhere, and he wouldn't want to get himself in trouble.

"Hah!" Val sighed when he left and she held her palms on her face to hold back her emotions. She was so disgusted and annoyed that for a moment she thought she would have done something she would regret. Mark couldn't have made her hate him any much more. She despised him so much that she wanted to puke at the mere sight of him. If he were any other employee who hadn't been in Bob's scheme, she would have had him sacked with that note he'd written to her or had him face a consequence of some sort. But for now she couldn't risk it.