Victoria had never avoided the public eye as much as she had in the last week – studying up on motherhood through every magazine, article or forum she could possibly find.
Claudia's words had left a footprint in her mind, causing her to reconsider her choice to walk away from the one person that saw her as she was and didn't leave her stranded. Still, a small negative voice remained at the back of her mind reminding her the side that she was introduced to, the side that almost forgot how to love her.
And yet she was unable to stop herself from answering the the door once she saw him pacing back and forth at her front door questioning whether or not he is doing the right thing, bringing herself closer to the screens with hope that she would hear him say something.
Anything.
"Hi." He eventually gulped, it being apparent that he had absolutely no idea what to say next. "I was hoping that you'd be available to talk."
Vic calmed her soul and emotional thoughts. The last thing she needed to do was fall back into her old habits and forgive right away, it was time for her to bring out her icy side even if Liam was able to melt that away with just one smile.
Before responding she dashed to open her front door, letting out a deep sigh and taking in the fact that she was staring back into the eyes of her heart.
"I'm listening."
With simple eye contact, they both made their way into the living room – seats would have made the romantic connection much more harder to act on.
Liam let out a sigh of relief before speeding through his sentences, making it almost impossible for Victoria to actually understand what he was actually saying. "I'm sorry about everything, the last thing I should have done was walk away from you and leave you in the dust. I'm just afraid."
"Afraid?" Victoria felt to hold back the snorts of laughter at the thought of Liam being afraid.
"When I'm not with you, I'm thinking about you because my world revolves around you and I've never felt this." He then shut his eyes, his words softening into a sweet whisper. "I've never felt this kind of love."
"Liam, I-"
"I know, I screwed up and that baby is making you second guess everything we've built but I'm ready to rebuild it all with you."
"Really?"
He took a step closer, reaching his arm out to hold her before meaning every word he said. "Really."
Victoria rushed into his arms and they twirled around her room in silence, making up from the time they lost from being apart.
The longer her body was pressed against his, the more she knew that it was all she ever needed. Her love for Liam felt natural, almost as if she had been loving him for centuries before they even met. He was giving her something that she had never experienced fully. Liam gave her security. Vic no longer had to play mind games, or wipe her tears in toilet stalls or give brave smiles to the bearers of bad news. Their kingdom was a partnership with no other ties, tangles or scandals hidden beneath their foundation. For once, Victoria felt like her relationship was the cherry on top of the cake.
Not the whole cake.
"Ahem."
The two lover's paradise was interrupted by a third party positioned at the kitchen's doorway. Mrs.Sterling folded her arms with a straight line kept on her lips as she watched them both tear away from one another filled with humiliation and discomfort in her formal presence until it became too much to endure, Liam mumbling kind regards towards the woman before speeding out of the room with his head bowed in shame.
"You heard everything didn't you?" Victoria sighed, directing her attention back onto her mother once Liam had left the room.
Mrs.Sterling nodded, maintaining the same expression that she had fixed onto her face when she had originally walked in. "When you brought the news to me, I made it very clear of my expectations."
"I thought about it."
"And?"
"And I realised that I'm not going to reject this baby that could possibly be the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Although the fact that Victoria was standing her ground made her feel powerful, the furious glares had forced her to mentally scold herself for not keeping this from her mother longer than she had.
"You are making a great mistake, Victoria." Mrs. Sterling pointed at Vic's petite bump with disgust, her face saying it all. "When are you even going to tell your father about this?"
"I'm not." She spat, turning away from her mother and facing the window that overlooked their backyard. "Now he's not the only one with a secret."
Although the two ladies weren't looking at one another directly in the eyes, the strong silence from her mother made it apparent to her that she was not wrong at all.
Eventually her mother spoke. "I-I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
The denial brought a sarcastic smile to Victoria's lips. The Sterling's were known for protecting their skeleton closet at all costs, no matter whom was threatening them or what the consequences were. They feared nothing and no one, only Victoria thought that they should begin to fear her.
"Of course, you don't." Victoria scoffed, barging past her with newfound confidence. "Just remember, where there is smoke there is always a fire."
–
Portia walked into the hip new coffee shop that recently just opened, bowing her head from paparazzi that were hunting to see what she was wearing and who she was planning to meet.
"Vultures." She thought to herself as she walked in, scanning the room filled with the latest tunes and a strong scent of coffee beans until she found Claudia subtly waving to a clique of girls that appeared to be admiring Claudia's ensemble.
Claudia could never do anything wrong when it came to her taste in fashion. Portia never understood how she knew what trends were in before the trends were plastered in social media. She was always the first to bring them in and the first to throw them out, causing others to follow in her footsteps. Today she had decided on a business casual, a white and blue striped shirt that she had purposefully placed off her shoulders to wear as a bardot alongside white skinny jeans with one small tear just above the knee paired with white Christians, a white Chanel bag and matching Tiffany & Co necklace and earrings that are on display as a result of her messy up do.
Claudia's entire look caused Portia to look back at her fashion decision in shame, even though she had created a friendship with Claudia it did not make her any less intimidating to be around.
"Exactly fifteen minutes late, Portia." Claudia looked up from checking her crystal customised Rolex, gesturing to the mimosa she had ordered on Portia's behalf. "When will you stop becoming so predictable?"
"Oh, come on." Portia took a seat, suddenly remarking the fact that it was only the two of them sat at their table. "Where's everyone, I thought this was a group brunch."
"I lied." Claudia shrugged, placing her phone down to look Portia directly in the eyes.
"Okay.."
"I lied because we need to talk and I knew you would show up if I told you Tate was going to be here."
Portia aimed to fire back in disagreement but only managed to gulp her mimosa down instead. Every single time she had a private conversation with Claudia, it always involved bad news.
And she knew that it was not going to change this time.
"This love triangle PR stunt is getting completely out of hand, don't you think?" Claudia asked, it being clear that there was only one right answer.
"Maybe but isn't this what we want from our status?" Portia leaned back into her chair and turned to wave at the paparazzi that were taking consistent shots of the two of them. "Buzz, Fame, Our names in the public's mouths?"
"Not when it is creating damage."
"All press is good press."
"If you were right then you wouldn't be blocking all social media sites to keep you from doing something stupid again." Claudia gritted her teeth to keep her perfect smile in tact, keeping the paparazzi completely clueless about the subject of their conversation.
After watching the paparazzi get chased away from the exterior of the cafe, Portia's smile twisted into a dark frown. "How on earth do you even know that?"
"I know everything about everyone."
Portia rolled her eyes at the sound of another one of Claudia's mysterious statements before leaning towards her with a smile that almost matched hers. "Well Queen C, if your aim was to get me backed out of this major deal then you're wasting your time."
"Oh, no no." Claudia giggled, forcing Portia to feel uneasy about what she was going to say next. "That was not my aim."
"Then, I'll see you lat-"
"My aim was to inform you that we want nothing to do with you or your major deal anymore."
"We?!"
"Myself, Victoria, Giselle and Milan."
Portia scoffed in disbelief, glaring at Claudia with anger pumping through her. "You can't be serious."
Claudia lifted up her phone, swiftly typing before turning the screen to her. "Look, Portia."
Portia snatched the phone from her grasp and scrolled through the social media sites herself, holding back all of the words she so desperately wanted to say.
"When you originally joined, I warned you that I handle the image of this group and how we look towards the public. I have given you chance after chance and supported you through every hardship you have faced but enough is enough."
"You're letting me go but keeping Milan, you know her plans and I have shown you nothing but loyalty!" Portia banged the table with frustration, causing others to stop and stare at the two of them.
"Where ever you go, you make a scene." Claudia whispered, lifting her bag from the table and getting up to leave. "You don't know how to carry yourself in this world, we won't crash and burn with you."
Without another word, Claudia strutted out of the cafe and out of her friendship with Portia. She knew that it had a negative effect on the group but not enough damage for her to be completely isolated from them. Portia did not deserve them but she needed them.
"Just another thing that Milan has stolen from me."