Valeria Torres and the Midas Vault

Chapter 8: Mother of Exiles

Valeria waited at home until midnight, but neither Frank nor Jada returned. Exhausted from the day's events, She gave up on any goodnights and went upstairs to her bed. When she woke up the next morning, she brushed her teeth and heard arguing downstairs. Without making a sound, she crept along the hallway, eavesdropping from the stairwell.

"I still can't believe Dontrell is behind this," Jada protested.

"Who else would have, or even could have done it?"

"Well," she replied as Frank finished speaking, "if someone had followed my orders instead of spying on the girl, we might have caught the perpetrator."

"I promised to look after Valeria, and I'm a man of my word," he replied, his tone firm.

"I hope she was worth it."

"She was," Frank replied, sincerity resonating through his voice. "She disarmed and pick-pocketed a Gambino thug without being detected."

"Not bad," Jada said with little interest, "But not too hard either."

"True," he countered, "but she turned around and gave away all the money to a homeless girl on the street. She really is a good kid, just like Bianca. We're lucky she chose us."

Valeria bit her lip. She wasn't too surprised to hear Frank followed her, and was annoyed that she fell for one of his tricks again. She didn't expect the comparison to his daughter. She remembered something he said at the diner a few days ago.

"You remind me of someone I used to know."

Frank had promised to look after her like a daughter during the accommodating ceremony too. At the time, she wasn't sure she believed it. Could it be true? Did he really see her as a daughter first, protege second? She didn't get to process this further as Jada continued speaking below.

"Well, it's sweet that you and the girl are bonding. Too bad that won't help me prevent a war."

"You don't know that will happen," he said, desperation in his voice.

"It might be inevitable."

"That's why the girl is more important than ever!" Frank exclaimed, his voice loud and absolute.

"Shut up!" Jada fired back in a hushed voice, "you'll wake her up."

Valeria decided that was enough. She walked downstairs without trying to hide her descent. "I'm already up. I'd have to be deaf to not have heard you." She entered the kitchen and found Jada glaring at Frank.

"Morning kiddo -" Frank started, but Valeria cut him off.

"Cut the crap. So you were spying on me last night?"

"Yeah," he said, his eyes meeting hers. "I made a promise didn't I?."

Valeria couldn't tell if he was being sincere or manipulative again. "Are you doing that because you actually care, or because I'm special?"

"Both," he replied without hesitation.

"Why am I so special?"

"You're not ready to hear that yet," Jada said, taking a step between them. "If you succeed with your schoolwork and Rogue training, we'll discuss it."

"I want to know now!" Valeria protested, her fists clenched. "You said I could be important for some kind of war? I think I have every right to know what that means."

Jada walked up to her and came within inches of her face. "You are entitled to nothing. I invited you into my house and my faction. If you wish to remain safe within both, you will do as you're told. If you don't like it, you're more than welcome to try and survive on your own."