The Don's Trust

Chapter 13

The black screen of Valentina's buzzing phone illuminated. Before calling Valentina, who was in the kitchen, he looked at the displayed name.

"Valentina,''

"Yes?''

"Your phone,''

Valentina rushed to her phone before she was too late to answer it. She accepted the call and leaned against the armchair.

"Valentina! I haven't seen you in forever!''

"Hey, Lilly. I know and I'm sorry.''

''Were you sick?''

"Yes,'' She lied.

Their last exchange popped up in her head. Lilly was keen on reporting Philip Coleman while Valentina was against it and tried to get the idea out of Lilly's head.

"Did you still make that report?'' Valentina felt his eyes on her the second she said report.

''Yup! And guess what! I don't see him around anymore,''

Her rapid blinking was followed by a small smile and giggle. She found it humorous that Lilly actually reported a detective. Lilly didn't know any better though.

"That's great,'' Valentina said.

"I have to go. My shift is starting. See you later!'' Lilly hung up.

Valentina dismissed Lilly's observation as reliable information, but there was no denying she hoped it was true. Having the option to go to her own school, without fearing to get seen by a detective, would be nice.

"Report?'' His eyes held a glint of suspicion in them.

Valentina gulped, "Lilly thought detective Coleman looked suspicious, so she reported him to the police. Apparently, he isn't around the school anymore.''

"And what do you think?'' He crossed his arms.

"He might be there, he might not be there.'' She shrugged not knowing which option was more likely to be the case.

Valentina wondered what the intent of his question was. Did Vito want to test her intelligence or was he genuinely asking for her outlook on Lilly's observation? She honestly didn't know which one of the two it was.

When Vito didn't say anything, Valentina asked him the same question he asked her.

"I don't know what to think, but you won't be going to college. I will send someone to your school to observe for a while,'' Vito saw her shoulders slump, "You can still go to other places but not alone.''

A bright smile graced her face. She couldn't go out on her own, but she could at least get a break from being in the same place for a whole week.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Her ears caught the sound of her growling stomach. She opened the fridge and her eyes roamed in search for something to her liking. Valentina closed it when she found nothing. She proceeded to her room to change her outfit and went to the foyer to put her shoes and parka jacket on.

It was high time to do some grocery shopping.

Despite wearing a winter coat, the cold weather still made her shiver. While she locked the door, Luke came to her side to escort her to the car.

"Good morning, Miss Armani,''

"Good morning, Luke,'' She smiled at him.

The two began walking to the black car, but Valentina stopped in her tracks when she saw Vito's sports car pull over. He exited his car and seemed to be going to the house until his gaze fell on her. She watched in anticipation as he walked over to her.

"Where are you going?'' The tone in his voice made it clear he demanded an answer.

"To the supermarket,''

"If you need groceries, I can send someone to do it.''

"I know, but I don't want to keep relying on them. Plus, I want to go outside,'' She argued.

He paused before saying, "Fine.''

Unbeknownst to her, Vito decided to tag along and followed after her. He didn't know why he made that decision, at least, not now. While Valentina was busy thanking Luke for holding the door open, Vito got inside through the other side of the car.

Valentina was taken aback to see him sitting beside her. It took her a second to forcefully rip her eyes from him.

"Why are you here?''

She mentally cursed at herself for sounding ruder than she intended. Valentina wasn't someone who was needlessly rude to others.

"I told you, you could not go somewhere alone.''

Valentina wasn't convinced with his answer but she stopped questioning his actions. Luke began driving after Kevin joined them and greeted his boss and Valentina.

On their way to the supermarket, Valentina felt the heavy air inside the car. There was a sense of formalness and strain around Luke and Kevin. The duo's usual banter was nowhere to be seen, Kevin's carefree attitude was gone and Luke seemed even more closed off than usual.

It was exactly what Vito wanted. He did not want the people working for him to get overfamiliar with him.

Twenty minutes had passed by when they got to the supermarket and another twenty minutes passed when Valentina was done buying the groceries. Only one problem remained. Valentina was still hungry.

"Can we go there?'' She pointed at the bistro on the other side of the busy street.

He nodded and told Luke and Kevin to bring the groceries to the car and wait for them outside the bistro. Valentina and Vito crossed the street and entered the small building. They seated themselves and ordered. Black coffee for Vito and red velvet cake for Valentina.

"Shouldn't they come inside? It's cold outside,'' She looked at Kevin and Luke standing outside.

"It is their job. Besides, they have had worse,''

Sometimes it was easy for her to talk to him, but sometimes it wasn't. In this case, it was hard for her to have a flowing conversation with him.

While she waited for her food, Valentina fidgeted with her hands. She raised her head when an unfamiliar voice called her by her name. Standing next to Valentina's and Vito's table was the very same middle-aged man they wanted to avoid.

"I'm sure I'm not mistaken. You are Valentina Armani, right?'' Philip said.