Chapter 48 My Cousin's Wedding
1906words
She was hoping he would soften if she slept in his room. His back is on her, showing a sign that he's still mad at her.
Vale closed her eyes at the stab of pain in her heart. It's not his fault, though, and she admits it. She was the one who made him angry, and as a result, she felt the pain of being ignored by someone she loves.
Sighing, Vale shakes her head off before standing up and head to the bathroom to get ready for today's event.
'My cousin's wedding.'
Just thinking about meeting her parents gave her a strong wave of headaches.
The event starts at 10 am. But, she knows the folks are expecting all of the family members to arrive earlier than the guests invited. That was a stuck up rule of their family.
Vale wore an emerald corset dress with a slit on her left side to show off her long legs.
She decided to have her hair down in curls. Applying a simple makeup and pairing it with a nude suede strap heels. Spraying her favourite perfume and picking her nude clutch bag, not forgetting to slip her phone and gun in it along with a few small useful things for a lady.
The frequent sleepover she's having at Keith's room is quite hard to handle. So she had to move some of her things here.
Keith was still asleep when she finished dressing. Vale guessed that he needs to catch some sleep after coming back into the room at 3 am.
He must be drained, handling these businesses he was doing. She knows the feeling, and more so, she was far away from the base to do her work secretly.
Walking up to his side of the bed, she bent down to land a kiss on his forehead before leaning away with a conflicted expression. Not before whispering words to him, "Trust me a little bit more, love..."
...and here she is, closing the door of Jake's white Lamborghini.
Damn! He's genuinely her soul-cars-mate.
Vale walked up to the hotel entrance and saw her first brother, Mason, chatting with a handsome businessman.
Geez! He couldn't even wait for the event to finish before he talked about business.
"Brother!" she called him out with a wide grin plastered on her face.
She walks at a fast pace towards him before throwing herself in his embrace.
"Ugh! Dio! Nana, you're ruining my shirt!" he grumbled as he tries to pry her arms off of him.
Meanwhile, Vale just snuggles more into him and giggle when he growled out. Someone cleared their throat, making her let go of her brother and turned to face the handsome man just now.
"So, may I know who is the beautiful lady here, Mason?" he smiled at her, and her heartbeat picks a pace before it slowed back down.
'Oh, come on! Why is my heart not running like a marathon for this gorgeous specimen?'
"Hello, I am his younger sister, Valentina Rodriguez." she lifted her hand, and he takes it before landing a kiss on the back of her hand.
Vale could feel a blush forming on her face, "It's an honour to meet Mason's beautiful sister. I am Lawrence by the way." he introduced himself at the same time her brother growled.
"Not my sister, Law. Don't you dare." he said threateningly.
"Don't worry, dude. I won't. Unless she's willing-" he was cut off by a slap on the back of his head.
"I dare you, bro."
Vale's smile grew wide, seeing her second brother. She jumped out from Masons hold and into his embrace. Sniffing his cologne deeply.
"Nana, stop! Your lipsticks will stick on my shirt!" he complained, trying to pry her steel arms off of him.
"What did you say? Did you just insult my lipstick? Come here, you-" she tiptoed before raining his face with a kiss.
"Nana, No! Oh, shit! Mason, help!" Peter tries as hard as he can to hold her head away from his face as she smiles evilly at him.
He's lucky she use a long-lasting lipstick.
Mason only laughs at him as Lawrence chuckle.
"Sissy!" she was stopped by a small body flying into her embrace, realizing it was Anne, her younger sister, "I told you not to call me that, you shorty!...and let go of me...I...can't...breathe..."
Holy shit! She s strong like a bull for a small figure like her.
"No, I miss you too much. Let me hold you more." Vale was taken aback by her sister's response.
She usually will not hug her longer than she hugs her brothers. And her tone changed, melancholy?
"Okay, then..." she patted her back as she looked at Mason and Peter, who didn't notice her tone.
She pulled out of her embrace after a few minutes and Vale was startled to see Anne letting a lone tear slid off of her face. She wipes it as quickly as she can. But, Vale noticed it and frown.
"Anne, why-?" she was about to ask when Anne cut her off.
"I'm fine...now..." she smiles at Vale, and something tugged at her heart at the forced smile.
What had happened while she was away?
"It's good that you still recognize your family." her dad's voice rang through her ears like a piercing sound.
"Hi, Dad, Mom..." she acknowledged them tensely.
A phone rang, breaking the tense situation and startling her. They turned around and saw Lawrence taking his phone out from his pockets.
"Uh, sorry. I have to take this, I'll come back in a bit," he said before scurrying off.
"Where's Kayden?" her breath hitched when her mom mentions his name.
"Mom-" Mason and Peter started protesting when their mom, Lovy, glared at them.
"I'm here!" his voice landed on her ears with such gentleness, Vale couldn't believe her ears.
Her brothers put her behind their back as they glowered at him. Well, she guessed they already know what happened then.
Mom and dad, how come they believe this man more than their daughter?
This fact alone made her hatred for Kayden intensified.
"Why are you here?" she asked coldly.
"Valentina, don't be rude!" her mom snapped at her.
"Mom, did you invite him?" she turned to glare at her.
Well, that's where she got her stubbornness and ego.
"I have to embarrassedly invite him on my own instead of waiting for his fiance to invite him." she gave her daughter a piercing glare.
Vale scoffed. She couldn't believe her ears.
"Oh, I didn't know he is more important than me, your daughter." she fires back.
"You-!" her mother was cut off by her father's clearing his throat.
"We're here to attend a wedding not to choke each other's throat, you can continue this at home, later. Save the embarrassment for yourself," he said before going inside.
Her mom only huffed before dragging Kayden with her inside.
"You okay, Nana?" Mason asked.
"I'm not," she answered honestly.
"I can't believe mom and dad believe that manwhore!" Peter sneered.
"And you're not?" she asked jokingly.
"Don't compare me with him. I'm way better than him." he rolled his eyes at her.
"Sure, you are." she teased.
"Let's get inside," Anne said, grabbing Mason's arms.
Vale walk along with Peter, not before hearing someone calling her name, "Vale!"
She tensed and quickly turned around, almost stumbling when she heard his voice.
Vale looked at the person with her eyes wide, and her mouth gaped open.
What the hell?!
"W-what are you doing here?" she asked him.
"I'm here for you..." he said calmly.
"But..." she was about to ask another question when Peter butted in.
"Nana, who is this?" he asked, rather harshly.
Vale frowned.
"I'm her boyfriend, Kyle Johnson," he said, giving my brother an oblivious fake smile.
He lifted his hand, and Peter looks at it with a conflicted look on his face before he raised his own and shake their hands.
Vale cringed at how much force they're using on each other's side.
She cleared her throat as they withdrew their hand.
God, this day couldn't be much worse.
She was slightly relieved knowing that peoples didn't know the real face of the Black Rose gang leader.
She just hoped Peter wouldn't investigate him, though. That would be one hell of a thing to explain.
And Keith, using his fake name as Kyle Johnson, who legally owns almost half of the properties in the country. Not to forget, he holds some of the shares in and out of the country. He usually used this name when handling issues apart from the underworld business.
"Uhm...should we go inside now?" she asked no one in particular.
They both followed without question. They walk towards the table where her parents and the others are already seated.
The frown on their face deepens upon seeing Keith or Kyle Johnson as the devil introduces himself.
"Who is this?" Mom asked and stood up, Dad and Kayden following her moves.
"Mom, this is my boyfriend, Kyle Johnson." Vale introduced awkwardly.
More so, when he put his hand on her waist.
Their eyes widen, recognizing his name. Vale was not expecting him to meet them in a rather short time without notice at all...and that, too, with a fake name.
"Nice to meet you, Mr Rodriguez, Mrs Rodriguez, and..."...it looks like he intentionally forgot Kayden's name.
"Kayden...Kayden Ilmanto." Kayden said rather embarrassingly.
Humph! Serve you well. Not everyone could remember your name!
"Aah...Mr. Ilmanto, nice to mee you. I didn't know you were part of the family." Keith innocently gave him an invisible slap.
Mom and dad were embarrassed as they look at each other. But, none of them speaks up until the wedding is almost finished.
"I need to go to the bathroom," Vale said before walking out.
After finishing her business, she was about to walk back to the table when she heard someone speaking in a hushed tone at the entrance behind the pillar. She quietly walks past the person when she heard the person mention Keith's name.
Vale walked back to the table and notice Peter is missing from the table.
She gulped as she looked at Keith and couldn't help her palm from sweating uncontrollably. She was close to having a panic attack.
No, it could have been someone else.
She must have heard it wrong. No one in this wedding is supposed to know Keith's real name.
Keith turned around and was about to ask her a question when he saw how flustered she is. He frowned, noticing how she was gripping her dress below the table.
He reaches out for her hand and gently untangles it from the grip she was putting on her dress. He took her purse, rising his eyebrows seeing its content, before taking out a tissue and started wiping the sweats off of her face and neck.
Vale blushed when she noticed everyone looking at them.
"Nana, Why are you sweating so much?" Mason asked, concerned.
"Uh...I think it's a bit hot in here, right?" she asked unsurely.
Anne and Mason look at each other before shrugging.
