VALERIAN’S ALARM CLOCK woke him up at 4 within the morning like typical. It was how his day usually started apart from one factor: immediately was his first time waking with a hangover, and he discovered the expertise immensely detestable.

His physique felt heavier than it needs to be, and his thoughts appeared to be working beneath a fog.

He remembered the precise points he needed to resolve with the Risto deal. He additionally had an sadly vivid recollection of his unstable change with Camelia earlier than their breakup.

However anything after that, Valerian was unable to recall.

He checked his telephone, and over 100 messages had landed in his inbox from the final hour alone. Heather’s title popped out as he saved scrolling, and Valerian frowned when he noticed the timestamp subsequent to her message.

Why the hell would Heather textual content him at midnight?

Valerian instantly had a foul feeling as he tapped his display screen.

Heather: I simply received again. Poppy’s again in her condo. Please do not be a dick about this. Name her as quickly as you are up. I am going to deal with every part at work.

Heather: I am sorry in regards to the Risto deal.

Studying her message was like getting sucker-punched in his guts. Floodgates that had held his reminiscences again burst open, and Valerian whitened as forgotten fragments of final evening began coming collectively.

Fuck.

A picture seared his thoughts, of his arms cupping a lady’s face.

Fuck.

That lady was Poppy, and he had kissed her.

FUCK, FUCK, FUCK.

Valerian felt sick as he referred to as the salon the place Poppy labored. If she refused to speak to him, then that may imply the kiss had been unwelcomed, and he had compelled it on her. She had each proper to sue her in that case, and he would plead responsible. It was the least he may do, for abusing somebody who had been nothing however harmless in her each encounter with him.

But when she did not refuse to speak to him, and the kiss was one thing she did not discover unwelcome?

“Bonjour, that is Salon Joyieux. How might I enable you to?”

A mix of frustration and reduction struck him as his name related. He was not within the behavior of leaving any query unanswered in his thoughts. However after having solely Camelia in his life for thus lengthy, being concerned with one other lady, and particularly one like Poppy, was simply too new and unusual to him, and so Valerian determined to take issues one step at a time.

First issues first, Valerian thought, and that was to see if Poppy wished to speak to him.

The one that answered the telephone was somebody named Giovanni, and the latter’s shock was evident when he realized who he was chatting with.

“Hold on—-I imply, p-please give me, umm, I am going to, umm…”

Giovanni appeared to surrender making an attempt to be coherent as a result of the subsequent factor Valerian heard was the opposite man frantically yelling for Poppy.

It is Mr. Rossfield, Poppy, hurry, Valerian heard the person whisper frantically after a second.

An surprising silence adopted, and his jaw clenched as one other undesirable risk crossed his thoughts.

He had thought he knew Camelia out and in. However as an alternative, his ex had him fooled for eight years. Why would he even take into account trusting one other lady after that?

Poppy had acted like she was crushing on him all this time, however what if she was additionally pretending?

“Did you actually say ‘Mr. Rossfield’?”

The unmistakable sound of Poppy’s voice lower into Valerian’s ideas. She had squeaked every phrase out as nicely, however as an alternative of discovering this amusing, Valerian was shocked to really feel his coronary heart pound as an alternative.

What the hell was occurring?

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