Valentine (24 page)

'Champagne! The good stuff, way to go V,' Finn
exclaimed from the sofa. 'I could get used to this lifestyle,
and isn't this apartment great? I love the minimalist look.'

'I don't like it actually,' Valentine replied, putting the
champagne down on the replacement glass table.

'Shall I open the champagne?' Finn asked, not
appearing to hear Valentine's comment – but that was
Finn all over, he only ever really heard what he wanted
to hear.

'No,' Valentine replied. 'Actually it would be best if
you left.' She had his attention now.

'Why?' he demanded. 'I thought we were going to
spend the night together.'

'Finn, it's over,' she said.

'What is?'

'Us.'

'What, because I said it wouldn't be a bad thing if you
lost more weight?' He laughed. 'You've got a great body,
but there's always room for improvement.'

'Not because of that comment, although that is symptomatic
of what you think of me, but because . . . She
paused for a beat, wondering how best to put it and then
decided that being direct was the only possible way. 'I
don't love you anymore.' There, she'd said it. She felt
suddenly light as a feather, her spirits lifting as if she'd
just drunk a glass of bubbly.

Finn was frowning now. 'Don't piss around V, of course
you love me and I love you. We are meant to be together,
you know that.'

She shook her head, 'No we're not, Finn; it's over. I
don't love you anymore.'

Finn's face had gone through shock, disbelief and now
anger was taking over. 'Are you seeing him again?' he
demanded.

'I suppose you mean Jack, and no, I'm not. I just don't
love you anymore.' Now she couldn't stop saying it; she
wanted to shout it from the rooftops.

'Well who are you fucking seeing then?' Finn clearly
couldn't imagine ending a relationship without the replacement
already lined up.

'No one. I don't love you anymore.'

He stood up. 'I fucking heard you the first time! Well
don't fucking come crawling back to me, V. If I go now,
that's it.' He stood waiting for her to change her mind
and when she didn't say anything, he grabbed his jacket
and stormed towards the door. A comical sight it had to
be said, as he was wearing the compulsory white cotton
slippers and it was hard to have any kind of dignity in
them. When he reached the door he suddenly realised he
was wearing them and pulled them off and threw them
on the ground in disgust. He slammed the door shut
behind him.

Valentine waited to be seized by a storm of emotion,
waited for the feelings of regret to envelop her, but there
was nothing. She felt completely calm. She opened the
bottle of champagne and poured herself a glass.

The following day she fully expected to regret her actions,
but found she felt nothing of the sort. The only sense
of loss she had, which had become her familiar
companion these last weeks, was entirely to do with losing
Jack. Nothing whatsoever to do with Finn. By the end
of the week she remained certain that she had made
the right decision. Instead of wallowing in an emotional
quagmire she was focusing on herself, on catching up
with friends, going to the theatre and getting fit. She
was actually quite enjoying the personal training sessions,
though the temptation to strangle cheerleader Kelly was
very strong at times. Food was another matter – the
portions had continued to be minuscule and several times
Valentine had to supplement them with secret trips to
Pret, but on the whole she had stuck to the diet. On the
Friday she was feeling particularly proud with herself
for having run fifteen kilometres with Kelly. She was
sunbathing by the pool and feeling quite OK, until a
shadow fell across her face. She opened her eyes to
discover toady Saul standing by the lounger, dressed in
his regulation chinos.

'Hello, Valentine. I wondered if I could have a word?'

'Sure,' Valentine replied, reaching for her robe. She
wasn't going to have a conversation with loathsome chinos
toad in her bikini. 'Outside or in?'

'Here is fine,' Saul replied, sitting down on the adjacent
lounger. He was wearing sunglasses and Valentine
couldn't see his eyes – always disconcerting when you
were dealing with someone like Saul. She reached for
her own dark glasses – two could play at that game.
'I've been asked to run some paperwork by you. It's
all very straightforward. You may remember that
Piers asked that you keep the matter of his paternity
confidential?'

She nodded, wondering where this was leading.

'And you said that you had only told your mother, your
aunt and your then boyfriend, Jack Hart.'

'I do remember my ex-boyfriend's name,' Valentine
bit back. She was not feeling quite so OK anymore.

'I'll get to the point. The lawyers have advised
that you and anyone else you have told about your
relationship with Piers should sign a confidentiality
agreement.'

He handed her a document and with a feeling of disbelief
Valentine flicked through the pages. It was written
in highly legal language and was hard to follow, but she
got the gist. She was to sign, shut up and if she did
speak to the press there was the threat of legal action
against her. A growing feeling of outrage was building
up inside her. Did Piers really expect her to sign this?
What about trust and integrity?

'See, it's all very straightforward isn't it?' Saul pulled
out a pen from his jacket and offered it to her.

Valentine shook her head. 'I'm not signing this; I'll
give my reasons to Piers in person.'

'Oh come on, Piers is very busy; that's why he delegated
the task to me. You really don't want to piss him off.'
Saul's arrogant drawl thoroughly set her teeth on edge.

Resisting the temptation to tell him to fuck off, she got
up from the lounger with as much dignity as she could
muster, wrapping her robe tightly around her. 'If you'll
excuse me, I've another appointment.' Dignified, moral
high-ground intact, Valentine turned to go.

'I meant to say Valentine, you're looking really good.
The new fitness plan must be really paying off.'

Valentine wasn't prepared for the compliment; was this
Saul's way of wrongfooting her? She turned back round
and glared back at him. 'I wondered if you wanted to go
out for dinner sometime.'

Ha! Did the chinos toad really think he was in with a
chance? 'Thanks for the offer, Saul, but I'm really busy
at the moment and as you know I'm on a diet.'

Saul's lip curled. Clearly he didn't like being turned
down. 'Olivia wants to see you. She's expecting you in
the living room.' Olivia had returned two days earlier
without Piers and this was the first time she'd asked to
see Valentine.
Just keep walking,
Valentine told herself. It
was only when she was inside her apartment that she gave
vent to her feelings.

'It's fucking outrageous!' she shouted, not caring if
Ivana had got a hidden CCTV camera trained on her.

Valentine hated feeling as if she'd been summoned,
but nonetheless she quickly changed into a black sun dress
and put on a dash of red lipstick to give her confidence.
Then she went upstairs, choosing not to wear the white
slippers as a small gesture of defiance. Olivia was sitting
on the white leather sofa looking effortlessly chic, in a
white trouser suit. She gave a smile that did not reach
her eyes.

'Valentine, do come and sit down.' Then she noticed
Valentine was barefoot. 'Oh you've forgotten the slippers
I see; let me ring Ivana for some more. It's one of the
very few house rules.' Her own feet were clad in a pair
of pale-gold ballet pumps. Clearly only guests and staff
had unhygienic feet. She languidly got up from the sofa
and pressed the intercom by the door, asking Ivana to
bring replacement slippers. 'So, how's the fitness regime
going?'

Valentine shrugged. 'OK I suppose.'

'I know it's only early days, but I am a little surprised
you haven't lost more weight.'

At this point Valentine could only think it was just as
well Olivia hadn't had a daughter, as she probably would
have been one of those ghastly women who put their
daughters on diets from the age of five.

'I have been working hard with Kelly,' she replied,
wondering why she was justifying herself to Olivia.
Though she supposed it would be unforgivable to tell her
father's wife to fuck off.

'But not doing quite as well with the diet,' Olivia
persisted. 'You've been drinking.'

'Well there was a bottle of champagne left in the fridge,
I didn't think alcohol was banned, so I drank that and
the odd glass of wine.' Valentine said defiantly.

'Bottle, I think,' Olivia corrected her. She sighed as if
Valentine had let her down. 'Piers would never say this
to your face, but he does think you need to get into better
shape if you're to have any chance in movies. And he
really does want to help you, but he has his own reputation
to think of.' Another sigh. 'I'm sorry, but I do believe
that in our profession brutal honesty is the best course.
The bottom line is you have to lose more weight. Look
at someone like Tamara. Her figure is really what you
should be aiming for.'

Valentine was struggling to remember if she had ever
been so insulted in her life. 'Tamara is a completely different
build from me! I'm never going to look like her unless I
get dysentery and don't treat it, and I'm sure we'd both
agree that isn't a good look!' But it was hard to stay strong
in the face of Olivia's assault on her self-esteem.

'I'm just being honest,' Olivia repeated, as if that
excused everything. 'So let's talk about the premiere of
Piers's film next week. It will be your first red-carpet event
I presume?'

Valentine nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

'Greta will take you shopping for a dress. Piers wants
to treat you to something special. So just work a little
harder on the dieting; I am sure you want to make Piers
proud when he sees you at the premiere.'

'Well I'm not going to show him up, if that's what you
mean! Even though no one actually knows that I am his
daughter. I hadn't realised that Piers was ashamed to
acknowledge me! But with the confidentiality agreements
and our little chat I'm beginning to wonder!' Valentine
said with feeling.

For the first time in their conversation Olivia looked
a little rattled. 'I'm sorry if I upset you – please don't
mention any of this to Piers. He really can't have any
conflict in the run up to his premiere. He's under a huge
amount of pressure.'

'Of course I don't want to upset him!' Valentine
exclaimed, getting up from her seat – as far as she was
concerned the meeting was over and she wasn't going to
wait for Olivia to dismiss her. She paused at the door, 'I
will persevere with the training programme and cut down
on the alcohol, but I will do that for myself and not to
fit in with someone else's perception of what I should
look like.' And without waiting for Olivia's reply she left
the room.

Even though she was furious with Olivia she made a
conscious effort in the week before the premiere to stick
to a strict exercise regime and diet. The premiere would
be the first time she would actually see Piers since she
had moved in, as he'd been tied up with some budget
meeting in LA. So much for father/daughter bonding.
On top of the dieting and the exercise, she had a facial,
manicure, pedicure, waxing, highlights and a subtle
spray tan. The extensive preparations had been like
having a full-time job – it was just as well she wasn't
acting at the moment. The afternoon of the premiere
itself was completely given over to hair and make-up –
she and Olivia both had their personal team. They had
avoided each other since the meeting. It was probably
better that way.

Valentine actually enjoyed getting ready; it was like
dressing up for a part in a play. She'd managed to book
Dixie as her make-up artist and the two girls had a great
gossip as Dixie worked on her face. Nicky, the hairdresser,
was a sweetie who achieved an amazing up do with her
hair, but as it took him at least two hours it was not something
Valentine planned on repeating. Then it was time
to get into the Spanx and put on the dress. And oh my
God, what a dress! It was a red evening gown by Valentino,
simply stunning. Valentine had never worn anything so
expensive before. She half-expected the heavens to open
and for a booming voice to declare, 'Valentine Fleming,
remove that dress at once! You are not worthy!' Dixie
helped zip her in and was generous in her compliments.
'Are you sure it looks OK?' Valentine asked, anxiously
surveying herself in the mirror, experiencing a sudden
pang for Lauren.

'Fab. You look totally A-list. You've got star quality,
Valentine.'

Valentine laughed. It was an outrageous compliment
and only to be expected from a make-up artist. Just then
there was a knock at the door and after she'd called out
'Come in,' Piers and Olivia walked in the room. Piers
looked very handsome in his black tie. It was the first
time they had seen each other for several weeks and
Valentine was feeling quite nervous. Olivia was playing
her ice-queen role to perfection in white silk. Valentine's
heart sank at the thought of their verdict. She breathed
in an extra notch and thanked God for Spanx. 'So will
I do?' she asked, sounding more confident than she felt.

'Valentine, you look beautiful!' Piers had finally given
her a compliment.

'So I won't let you down on the red carpet?'

Piers looked puzzled. 'Of course not! You look incredible,
doesn't she Olivia?' It was with some effort that
Olivia nodded.

Valentine was so astonished and pleased at the warmth
of Piers's comments that she impulsively kissed his cheek
in gratitude.

'Valentine!' Olivia hissed. 'What did you do that for!
She turned to Piers, 'Darling, quickly go to the bathroom.'

'It's no problem, Olivia,' Piers told her, looking rather
embarrassed at Olivia's reaction. He then lowered his
voice and said, 'I thought your OCD wasn't so bad lately.'
But Olivia was rubbing at the spot Valentine's lips had
touched and then practically frogmarched Piers out of
the room.

Valentine's faux pas with the kiss made for a frosty
limo ride to the premiere at Leicester Square. Olivia practically
ignored Valentine, apart from whispering, 'You
know Piers could really have done without that incident.'

It was just a display of affection,
Valentine felt like saying.
Remember what that felt like?
But her relationship with Olivia
was rocky enough at the best of times without her
defending herself. She looked away from Olivia and
straight into the cold grey shark eyes of Saul, which she
was appalled to notice had a lecherous gleam in them as
he looked her up and down. Please let the chinos toad
not fancy her! They were approaching Leicester Square
now and Valentine couldn't believe the crowds pressing
against the crash barriers, clamouring to get a glimpse of
the stars. She was tempted to shout out, 'Get a life! These
people are nothing special, they're just like you. But no
doubt Olivia would have had her shot on the spot – Olivia
really did not think she was like anyone else.

Piers was first out of the limo and while he was caught
up with talking to one of the stars on the red carpet
Olivia whispered, 'Valentine, you'll remember not to make
any comment to the media about being Piers's daughter,
won't you? And did your mother, aunt and ex-boyfriend
sign those confidentiality agreements? We really don't
want any stories leaking out to the press.'

Valentine tried to keep her cool. 'There's no need to
get anyone to sign anything, I've asked them to keep it
quiet and I trust them.'

'Hah!' Olivia exclaimed in shocked disbelief. 'You are
so naive! Do you know what a big story this would be to
the press and how much money they would be prepared
to pay for it?'

'Neither my mum, my aunt or Jack would sell a story
to the press,' Valentine insisted quietly. 'They're not those
kinds of people.'

'Oh right, because they're all wildly successful and don't
need the money,' Olivia shot back sarcastically.

'Money isn't everything,' Valentine replied, but now
Olivia was getting out of the limo and into a volley of
camera clicks and flashes.

'You really must get them to sign the papers,' Saul
added. 'It will be easier all round.'

Easier for who?
Valentine felt like saying, knowing that
her mum and Lottie would be incredibly hurt if she
presented them with such a document, which would be
tantamount to saying that she didn't trust them. And she
couldn't imagine what Jack's reaction would be. Olivia
and Piers were already way ahead of them on the red
carpet, pausing every now and then to be photographed.
The press weren't interested in screenwriters, even very
successful screenwriters like Saul, so Valentine and Saul
walked up the red carpet without being photographed.
Valentine concentrated on walking as elegantly as possible
in the evening dress, wanting to make a good impression,
but she couldn't help wondering again why Piers was still
so reluctant to name her as his daughter. It wasn't as if
she had asked for any of his massive fortune. Maybe it
was down to Olivia; perhaps she felt threatened by
Valentine? Whatever the reason Valentine wished the
situation could be resolved. She felt as if she was in limbo,
waiting for something to happen.