Satisfied with Roman's efforts, Kaiser let out a satisfied smile while sipping some water. Although he wanted a drink, considering he was driving Luca and Valentina around, he would abstain.
Turning to Alexandria, he happily berated her, "You need to have self-respect for yourself and stop shoving yourself in places you're not wanted. Your father is a good man and raised you better than that. Your actions are disgraceful to him and your entire family. If I were you, I would take the moment to leave."
As her face turned pale, he calmly continued.
"But since Roman did you a favor and brought you here, I won't kick you away. Sit. Eat. And watch your mouth. I've let it slide once because of your father, but I won't do it again. Check your tone and respect my guest and my son. Otherwise, you won't be able to handle the consequences. Understood?"
Even though the cold words weren't directed at her, the pressure coming from Kaiser was no joke. She watched as the blood drained from Alexandria's face before the girl seemed to make a decision.
"...yes"
Responding in a subdued tone, Alexandria sat down while looking between Valentina and Kaiser's arm around her chair as he leaned in and whispered something to her. Finally, seeing the exquisite face of the woman before her and the way Kaiser, the blunt Kaiser who had just berated her worse than her parents ever had, treated the woman softly like a princess, she felt really bitter and outclassed.
Who was this random girl that was being called sister in law by Roman and being carefully treasured by Kaiser?
Clearly, she was only being favored because of that vixen-like face and body. How was a respectable lady like her supposed to compete with that sl*t??
From the way she looked and dressed, she was probably an aspiring actress or a model. She grew up wealthy, so she could recognize that the quality of the clothing Valentina wore was superb and probably off the runway. Since she didn't recognize her, and she knew most of the socialites in the capital, that meant that something shady was going on and the woman in front of her was probably selling her body to afford the things she wore.
A dirty gold digger who was trying to climb up!
Gritting her teeth, she put on a cheerful smile and began chatting obliviously after placing her order.
As the food quickly came out, Alexandria continued to talk, bringing up past topics and stories that Valentina had no context for or interest in.
She simply focused on her food while occasionally chatting with Luca, acting as if the whole situation had nothing to do with her.
As the three other people continued to chat, Roman was loud and energetic while trying to drag her into the conversation; Kaiser was cold and curt; and Alexandria ignored her existence; Valentina hid a yawn as the food began weighing her down.
Glancing at her, Kaiser lowered his head and whispered, "Tired? Need coffee?"
"No, but I need to use the bathroom."
"Make two lefts, walk a bit, and you should see the sign." At her raised brow, he continued with a teasing smile, "I've seen that you're bad with directions, so I took some preventative measures."
"I'm just a little directionally challenged. Eat your food and stop talking nonsense about me." Rolling her eyes, she got up and, after a moment of hesitation, decided to follow his directions.
She took her time using the bathroom, and when she walked out of the stall, she saw that Alexandria was standing in front of the mirror applying her lipstick.
As their eyes met, a cold smile appeared on Alexandria's face.
"You must think you're all that to catch Kaiser Grayson's attention? You must be thanking your lucky stars that a small-time nobody like you did a job that allowed you to meet Roman. Otherwise, how would you dare to be here? I'm sure your head is swelling to the roof because Roman is calling you sister-in-law, but you don't know he does that to any girl Kaiser talks to. You're not special."
"Oh."
Shrugging, Valentina continued washing her hands without a care in the world.
Seeing that her words weren't having the effect she wanted, Alexandria continued with a dark smile.
"You don't deserve him, you know. Only well-bred noble people like my sister who can match up deserve him. A gold-digging tramp like you who only has a pretty face should just know your place and disappear."
"Ah. Then you should tell your sister to take him. What do his actions have to do with me? He's a grown man. I'm not some puppet master controlling him to do my bidding."
Meeting Alexandria's gaze in the mirror, Valentina gave her a small smile.
Seeing that Valentina was acting unphased, Alexandria decided to switch tactics. She wanted to get her riled up so she could go complain to Kaiser about her two-faced manners. Finally, he would see her true colors and maybe even realize how good Alexandria was.
"In fact, the only reason he's with you is for that foxlike face of yours and that whorelike body which I'm sure you've spread around town. Do you know how many qualified women are chasing him? How many marriage proposals enter his door? And you think you can keep him? You're just a placeholder."
"Fine by me. I don't know about the women chasing him, and I don't care to know. It has nothing to do with me. Truly, I don't know why you're telling me this. Please go tell him, and if he wants to leave me or whatever you're imagining, he can. That way, I can stop having this meaningless conversation. You may have time to waste, but I certainly don't."
"You-"
"If you like Kaiser Grayson so much, no need to tell me or bring up your sister, go and confess to him directly."
Valentina marched over to Alexandria, her expression cold as she met her eyes and forced the other woman to retreat.
"Also, watch the way you speak to and in front of Luca. You were incredibly rude earlier and clearly are the one who lacks manners. Because the next time you say something that hurts him, I won't let you off. I'll make you totally regret messing with my kid. Both you and that red-haired nephew of yours. Got it?"
Although the words were said in a calm, even tone, Alexandria still felt a shiver go down her spine as she felt herself getting sucked into those sharp green eyes. Her breath felt stuck, and her heart started beating rapidly. It felt like if she gave the wrong response, she would get sliced by a thousand knives, that's how intense Valentina's eyes were right now.
Gasping, she mumbled a yes, and as if the previous tension was just a joke, Valentina gave her an angelic smile, her green eyes curving happily while a dimple appeared on her cheek, making her look like a young, charming girl who hadn't seen the world.
As Alexandria watched, Valentina's smile became more seductive, really making her look like a fox demon here to suck a person's soul out. She reached out and grabbed something, and her long slender fingers brushed Alexandria's hair out of the way before flicking the item away.
"You had some lint on you, but don't worry, I got it. We can't have you looking bad in front of your crush now, can we?"
When she heard the mocking words, Alexandria's face turned red and she quickly sputtered before cursing at Valentina.
"You-you-demon! Stop spreading lies! Stay away from me with that foxlike face that just goes around seducing everyone that you see! I won't fall for your tactics, and neither will Kaiser.!"
Hearing the childish insults, Valentina chuckled.
"Ah, well, I'm glad you think my foxlike face is pretty. As I said, watch your mouth in front of Luca."
Done with what she had to say, Valentina calmly washed her hands, dried them, and applied lotion without even giving Alexandria another glance. As she stepped out, she gave the woman a teasing smile and a wink before heading back to the room.
"Got lost?" Kaiser glanced up at her before pulling her chair out again.
"Nope. I ended up having an interesting chat with your childhood friend."
"Oh? Care to share?"
"Apparently, I should be thanking my lucky stars I met you. Seducing you with my foxlike face, Blah, blah, blah. Oh, and that there's a mile-long line of women approaching you. I thought it would be longer, honestly. I'm disappointed." Valentina calmly reported. She hadn't planned on saying anything, but since Alexandria had confronted her in the bathroom, she might as well get it off her chest.
And since Kaiser caused the issue, he should handle it. She didn't want to argue with a random rich lady she didn't know. Dealing with one Aaliyah was enough.
"That's wrong information. I'm sure that it's at least five miles long. And of course, I'm seduced by you, you're the prettiest person I've ever seen. I'm sorry you had to deal with that; I'll handle it." Kaiser joked around even as he stared expectantly at the door.
"Hmmm." Valentina hummed quietly and prepared to watch the show.
As Alexandria walked in and heard the entire exchange, her face turned bright red, and she angrily pointed at Valentina.
"I didn't say that! She's lying. She-"
"Alexandria, did I not warn you? What did I say just now? Are my words a joke to you?" Kaiser didn't even give her the opportunity to finish her words as he began to stand up.
"Brother. Calm." Roman calmly said as he saw the dangerous look in Kaiser's eyes.
"I'm very calm. I just have a few things I'm trying to understand. I thought my words were simple and clear, so simple a child could understand, and yet they were ignored. Is it because you're deaf or because you're stupid? If it's the first, I can buy some hearing aids if you're too poor to afford them, and if it's the latter, I can recommend a good brain doctor because from where I stand, you look dumber than a rock. Causing trouble for your family after they just resolved one crisis."
Hearing Kaiser's harsh words in a cold, clinical tone, Valentina could only blink at him before looking at Alexandria in pity.
Yeesh. That...was brutal. Alexandria was clearly just a spoiled kid who had never been scolded. Although she felt bad, it sort of felt refreshing as well having someone vent for her.
"Answer me, Alexandria. Is it stupidity, or are you deaf?"
Angry at being scolded by a man she admired, tears began trickling down Alexandria's cheeks, and she began shouting angrily, as she had when she was upset.
"I'm not stupid, and I'm not deaf! I'm saying she's lying. Besides, I looked her up! She's just a little actor. That's what she's paid to do. Act and tell lies! Besides, who knows if she's a gold digger? You haven't even heard my part of the story! Do you know what she said to me!?! Would you believe her over me? Do you know who my father is? Who is my brother?"
"Obviously." Kaiser looked at her like she was stupid, "Get out."
"But-"
"Alexandria. I've been tolerating you out of respect for your father, but I'm done. Shall I have you dragged out and thrown out in front of all the guests in the restaurants or thrown onto the street for all the public to see? It might be a PR nightmare, but it still sounds fun to me. I'll just apologize to the chairman and make it up later."
Hearing the threat and seeing Kaiser's cold smile, Alexandria's fake sobs immediately calmed down. She decided to move to tactic two, pouting and arguing her case.
"But-but- it's not fair. Why are you doing this to me? I'm just saying the truth."
"Guess you're being dragged out then. Roman, call security and see your guest out."
"Got it. Sorry about this sister-in-law."
Looking between Alexandria and Kaiser's cold face, Roman gulped before secretly giving Valentina a thumbs up.
Getting the big boss to eliminate her competition with his vicious tongue that could make a grown man cry? He had to take notes. But first, to deal with the problem.
"Alexandria. You've caused enough trouble. Let's go."
As Roman began dialing on his phone and standing up, Alexandria's eyes rolled around before settling on Valentina as she began crying for real this time.
"You- you're a snitch. This is your fault. What happened to girl code? You're not supposed to share the details of our fight!"
"Girl code? Doesn't that apply only to friends? A woman who has insulted me, ignored and ridiculed me, and actively made advances toward my man in front of me. If that's a friend who needs enemies." Valentina sneered lightly before cupping the back of Kaiser's head, knowing it would upset the woman.
As expected, Alexandria's eyes flared up in anger as her eyes focused on Vaalentina's fingers. She looked as if she wanted to rip Valentina's hand off and bat her with it.
Feeling mischievous, she trailed her finger down Kaiser's neck before stopping at his chest. After smoothing down his tie and pulling her hand away, she smiled softly as he brought it to his lips before allowing her to grab his chin possessively.
"This is mine. If you want it, please do your best to take him. Go directly to him, and don't come and tell me nonsense. I'm not interested in hearing it. Unless you want to make claims that I'm seducing everyone again?"
"You- you're horrible! You damn witch! You foxlike slu-"
"Hey! I told you to watch your tone. Don't curse in front of my kid!" Valentina yelled, causing Alexandria to flinch.
"Alright, alright, that's enough. Let's go." Roman interrupted with a sigh, putting himself between Alexandria and Valentina as he grabbed Alexandria's things.
Alexandria cried out before snatching her things and dashing out the door.
As she ran out sobbing, Kaiser turned to Valentina with a smug smile.
"Your man, huh? I like it."
Rolling her eyes, she pushed his head away.
"Please control your fan girls. I don't want anyone else cornering me in the bathroom to complain about my seducing you or the mile-long array of women chasing you."
"Got it. Shall we go home?"
"Yes, please, I'm exhausted."
Gathering her things and holding Luca, who still hadn't said a word, she calmly followed Kaiser while imagining her nice, fluffy bed. She planned on changing into nice, comfy pajamas and knocking out on her bed after dealing with some necessary tasks.
As soon as they got back, Valentina immediately ordered a new phone for express delivery. After doing a bunch of administrative tasks, she promptly lay on her bed to take a nap. She was exhausted, honestly.
What a long day.