Valentina
Everything in life can change, everything can be replaced—but not a parent's concern. No matter how far you go, their voice always finds you. Even their scolding, sharp as it may sound, feels like a blessing—warming that fragile organ beating on the left side of my chest.
I sit tucked inside a corner of the café, my laptop glowing faintly in front of me. Pushing my spectacles back up my nose, I let out a soft sigh.
"Are you even listening, Meine Perle?" My father's deep voice echoes through my AirPods.
"Yes, Father. I'm all ears," I purr like a kitten, just to annoy him.
"Val!" His tone sharpens. I laugh under my breath. I can almost picture the scowl pulling at his lips—stern, yet oddly endearing.
"Okay, I'm sorry," I try to sound serious, but my voice betrays me with amusement.
"It's not funny, Meine Perle. You know how much your safety concerns me, yet you didn't even make a call. I was waiting."
His disappointment presses heavy on my chest. I shut my laptop, forcing myself to give him my full attention. Safety. Always safety. Why does he repeat it like a mantra?
"Father, I know I'm at fault. I'm sorry. I reached the hotel late, I was exhausted. The next day I had a fan-sign event, and I barely had time to breathe." I swirl the straw in my glass, watching the orange liquid catch the light. Coffee was never my thing—juice feels like home. Especially orange juice.
"When are you coming back?" His question freezes me.
"Father, I just got here. You're already talking about returning? There are so many places I want to see, so much I want to explore."
"You don't understand." His voice lowers, trembling with something I rarely hear in him—fear. "It isn't safe for you there. I am a politician. I have enemies, mein kleines Mädchen. If they ever tried to hurt you…I wouldn't survive it. I've already lost your mother. I can't lose you too."
Jennifer Quinn—the man who bends nations, feared by allies and enemies alike—breaks in front of me. His words tremble. His power, his ruthlessness…all of it crumbles when it comes to me.
"Father…" My throat tightens. "I'll be fine. No outsider has ever seen my face, remember? You've kept me hidden well enough."
"Val."
"Yes, Father?" I bite my lip, waiting.
"Be safe."
Relief floods me, a smile ghosting across my lips. "Thank you, Father. I love you."
"I love you too." His voice lingers as the call ends.
I lean back in my chair, heart thudding softer now. Just as I let out a breath—
"Hey!"
I look up, startled. Andrea drops into the seat across from me, champagne-colored hair falling in waves around her face. She looks impossibly bright in a bow gingham crop top and high-waist pink corset-laced jeans.
"Time for my treat," she announces, batting her dark lashes dramatically.
I laugh. "What do you want to eat?"
"Hmm…Eton mess and a berry blast smoothie." She peers at the menu, then waves for the waiter.
Andrea is sunshine personified—always talking, always buzzing with life. Nothing about her feels boring. She tells me stories like confessions, about breaking her father's favorite vase and blaming her brother, or the time she squeezed toothpaste into his shampoo bottle. Her laughter makes the café warmer, lighter.
Listening to her reminds me of everything I've missed. I never had a sibling. My childhood was…quiet. Lonely. Andrea and I share one thing, though—our mothers. Both gone, though at different times. Loss connects us in a way no one else understands.
"Tomorrow's my birthday!" Her eyes sparkle like a child's. "You have to come."
"Of course, my friend," I reply softly.
We talk for hours, losing track of time, as if filling the spaces left empty inside us.
"I'll send a driver to pick you up," Andrea says, hugging me tightly before she leaves.
As I watch her walk away, I can't help but smile.
This is a new chapter of my life.
And this time, I'm going to enjoy it.