My usual thanks to Aureleis, iloooveinuyasha1, KrystylSky, Peridot Eyez, Paperlanterns86, KKK3, ShueYun, faye50free, Angel, Morwen80 and Fi. It seems that most of you preferred the Legolas approach to meeting Valerie. At least, he didn't end up in jail – yet!

In this next chapter, you will see the Valerie 2.0. I hope you will appreciate her as much as the one from the first story!

Chapter 3 ended with:

When he finally reached Valerie's home, the burgundy truck was already gone, and only the old woman was in the house. The maid was doing some laundry and changing the bed sheets in the children's rooms. He had missed them. How could they have spent so little time at home? And how could Valerie Thompson have slept so little hours in the night? She was not even an elf!

Chapter 4 – The life of Valerie Thompson

Legolas had been watching Valerie and her family for a full week. By then, he knew well their habits and schedules, and had come up with various plans to introduce himself in their lives, without being able to make up his mind on one specifically. It was a Saturday, right after dinner, and once again, Legolas was perched in his favorite tree in their backyard. The family seemed ready to come out of the house and play in the backyard. Legolas would see them closer than he had ever seen them since he had started hiding in the forest. In the backyard was a big balcony and stairs leading to some sort of blue artificial lake that had a strong clean smell he had never encountered before. There was also a separate little bath with a top nearby the pool. He hid in the leaves when he heard the back glass door slide and the children started coming out of the house in their bathing suits.

"This is the last time of the season, so enjoy it!" Valerie told her children from inside the house. "I will soon stop the water heater, it is getting too cold at night."

The children started whining that it was not that cold yet. Legolas snorted. In every world and every culture, children were the same. They interpreted reality as they wished it to be and not as it really was. The difference in temperature between the air and the water was so important that steam was coming out of the pool. How could they not see that?

"We are September 22nd! This is fall! I am stopping the heater tonight! And wait for me before going in the water!" Valerie insisted, still inside the house while the children threw their towels beside the inground pool. The girl and the youngest boy jumped in the pool with screams of delight while the older boy started to scowl.

"Sean! Phoebe! Mom just said we cannot go in the water if she is not watching us!"

"Did I just hear a disobedient child jump in the pool?" Valerie screamed from inside. An instant later, she was outside and standing by the pool, glaring at her youngest children. "Both of you! Out of the water and stay on the side until I decide that you can go in. Now!"

Legolas was appalled. Valerie was practically naked. She was wearing what he assumed was swimwear, a top that barely covered her breasts and panties. He could see her shoulders, her stomach, all of her legs! It was leaving very little to the imagination, and no elleth nor woman in Middle Earth would accept to appear in public like this. Her children did not seem to care. Her sons only wore colorful short pants and her daughter also wore a two-piece swimsuit with flowers. It seemed very normal in this world.

The children whined and begged, but faced with a determined and angry mother, they eventually came out of the water and wrapped themselves in their towels while watching their older brother, who was making quite a show of swimming in front of them, grinning triumphantly.

"Why does Liam have the right to swim?" the girl, Phoebe, asked with a pout.

"Because your brother always listens to my commands while you never do," Valerie replied harshly while removing the cover of the nearby bath. "Sean, help me remove the spa cover," she asked, and the youngest boy helped his mother before going back to sit beside his sister.

Legolas, who was keeping his attention on the children to avoid the inappropriate sight of their mother, could barely resist the voice inside his head who was telling him to observe the woman he could bind himself to while he had the opportunity. He fought with himself for a minute or so, and finally decided to just have a quick look. The quick look became a long stare, until Valerie finally allowed the two culprits to go back in the pool while she went into the bath she had called a spa. The spa's water seemed hotter than the pool's, with even more steam coming out in the autumn's cold air. He could no longer see her body, but he knew the sight was forever imprinted in his memory. She was very different than an elleth, but at the same time, she was beautiful. She was tall and had a slender waist that barely showed she had carried three children. Her breasts were bigger than an elleth's, and he caught himself imagining touching them and discovering how firm and round they would feel in his hand... He gulped and shifted uncomfortably in his tree. He physically wanted this woman. He burned for her. He wanted her in his bed. But his mission was not to sleep with her. It was to discover if she could become his mate for eternity and become the princess of Greenwood. He needed to speak to her, get to know her and fall in love with her before making that decision. At least, he now knew that physically, he was extremely attracted to her. One less thing to worry about.

Thanks to his elven hearing, he heard the front door of the house being unlocked with a key, but no one else did. He moved sideways in the tree to look inside the house through the glass door and saw a woman he had never seen before walk in the house as if she was at home. She dropped her purse on the dining room table and called for Valerie.

Valerie, who had been relaxing in the spa with her eyes closed, turned her head around, listening to the children and wondering if one of them had called her. The three children were still screaming and laughing very hard while doing a water splashing contest while jumping and diving from the springboard. She listened to them carefully, and leaned her head back, closing her eyes again. Legolas was once again amazed at how weak the human hearing was.

The woman inside the house eventually realized that the family was in the backyard and opened the glass door.

"Valerie!"

This time, Valerie heard the woman and turned to face her.

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

So this was Valerie's mother. It was the first time that Legolas was seeing a family member. He had started wondering if Valerie's parents and siblings were in speaking terms with her. For the elves, not seeing your parents for many days was not customary when you lived in the same realm.

"I came to talk to you, my dear." She bent over the spa and gave Valerie a kiss on each cheek. Legolas frowned. Why did Valerie's mother give her such fake kisses? She did not even touch her cheeks with her lips. How strange!

The children started coming out of the pool to greet her properly, but she did a defensive movement to send them back in the water. "I have a new dress, I do not want you to ruin it!"

Liam and Sean shrugged and went back in the pool while Phoebe's lower lip started to tremble.

"Come here, baby," Valerie said, and she bent over the spa to give a quick kiss on her daughter's head. "I love you! Go back with your brothers now, Grandma and I need to talk." Phoebe nodded, comforted by her mother's attention, and went back to her constant mission: bothering her brothers to the limit of their patience until they retaliated, something Legolas had noticed she was very successful at and usually never failed to earn her brothers a punishment from their mother.

"You do not see them much, Mother. The least you could do is give them a kiss when you see them," Valerie said somewhat coldly.

"They are wet with chlorinated water! They could ruin my new Prada dress."

"Why do you wear such a dress to come visit me then? Don't you remember you have grandchildren living here?"

"We are on our way to a fundraiser event."

"We?"

"Your father is waiting for me in the car."

"And he doesn't even bother to come see his grandchildren?" Valerie asked with irritation.

"He is on a very important call with -"

"I do not care! I wouldn't want you guys to be late, so you are more than welcome to leave." Valerie turned away from her mother in a dismissive way and watched her children stubbornly.

"I was coming to ask you a favor," her mother said, immediately getting her attention back.

"A favor?" Valerie asked with sarcasm. "I thought the last time you asked me a favor was supposed to be the last time!"

So far, Legolas was not impressed with Valerie's politeness with her mother. Who could refuse a favor to their parents? This was not how elves were being raised. Valerie's education was certainly lacking in that aspect.

"I am sorry, my dear. I did not know I would need your help again. You see, Samantha is quite a charming woman, and your brother -"

"Who is Samantha?"

"Your brother's girlfriend."

"Was he not with a girl called Emma? That was the name of the last bimbo I had to accept as a model in my magazine because she had the incredible honor of warming my brother's bed."

"Valerie!" the woman said, frowning. "Please do not use such crass images! Emma was a beautiful girl and she deserved to be a model."

"If she was that deserving, an agency would have hired her. She did not even have the required height, we had to adjust all her clothing because the pants and dresses were too big for her!"

"Now Samantha on the other hand," Valerie's mother said, changing the subject, "is a very talented girl. She is a promising designer and she is tall enough to pose for her own creations. Her teeth are not that nice, but if she smiles with her lips closed, that should do."

Valerie gave her a horrified glance. "What?"

"I said her teeth are slightly crooked, but your brother doesn't have time to get them fixed before the Christmas issue."

"No!" Valerie said in a firm tone. "The Christmas issue is almost complete! I cannot add more pages at this point."

"Now now, my girl! We both know how things are working in the publishing world. Until the magazines are printed, you can still make a change. Remove some pages if you need to, and replace them with pictures of Samantha wearing her own creations. You still have time. You are not going into printing before two weeks."

"No!" Valerie said, standing in the spa and grabbing a towel. "Tell my brother that I refuse! I am still controlling what is in my magazine."

"This is where you are wrong, Valerie," her mother replied, losing her cheerful mask. "This company belongs to your father. Your brother is the Chief Operating Officer and will take the reigns of the corporation within the next ten years. Your father owns many publishing companies and magazines, and you happen to work for one of them. He named you there, and can fire you any time he wants if you do not follow his directives."

At that point, her tone was icy and her eyes had no affection whatsoever for her own daughter. Legolas could not believe his eyes. How could this woman have gone from a seemingly affectionate but shallow mother to such a cold, heartless woman? He suddenly understood why Valerie did not seem polite at the beginning of this conversation. She knew her mother well while he did not. He remembered how many times his father the king had made decisions, and explained them in details to him when he had not been in agreement with them. Never had Thranduil told him to comply with his commands simply because he was king. This was nothing like what he was currently witnessing between Valerie and her mother.

Valerie's mother stood and gave her daughter a glare. "Y&S doesn't belong to you, it belongs to your father. He made you the editor-in-chief that you are. I made you the woman that you are. You owe us."

"I can quit and find myself another editor-in-chief position. I have many contacts -"

"Contacts that will refuse to help you once your brother gives them a call, my dear."

They defied each other for a minute before a cell phone rang. Valerie's mother answered her phone.

"Yes my love, we are almost done here. It took a bit of persuading, but Valerie accepted. You know how she is! I will see you in a minute."

She hung up and watched her daughter again. "I am counting on you not to disappoint your brother, and by the same token, your father. Am I clear, Valerie?"

Valerie kept glaring, but eventually turned her head and nodded.

"That's my girl!" her mother exclaimed with fake enthusiasm. "I will send Samantha to your office on Monday."

The mother gave Valerie another fake kiss and sent a few kisses to her grandchildren before leaving the house. Legolas looked at Valerie, who seemed on the verge of tears.

Liam, her older son, came out of the pool and walked to his mother.

"Are you okay, Mom?" he asked with solicitude.

Valerie's pleasant mask was back in place in the next second. "Of course, Liam! Everything is fine. Just a little disagreement with your grandmother. Nothing a 10-year old boy should worry about! Kids! It's time to go to bed!"

While Sean and Phoebe were getting out of the pool, Liam was still standing beside his mother as if he was trying to protect her.

"Do you need help to put back the spa cover?"

"No, sweetheart. I will come back." Valerie and her youngest children entered the house while Liam was staying behind. Once he saw that he was alone, he took the cell phone his mother had left on the table and dialed a number.

"Can you come?" he asked with a little, worried voice. "Grandma was here again and she upset Mom." Legolas tried to hear what his interlocutor was replying but could not. "We are going to bed. Yes. Thank you." He hung up and put the phone back where it had been, as if he didn't want his mother to find out he had called someone.

Legolas watched them in their nighttime ritual, all the while wondering if Liam had called a man to support Valerie. He had not seen one since the beginning of his surveillance, but that did not mean she did not have a male companion. His blood started boiling at the thought. He realized that although he had not even met her officially yet, he already considered that she belonged to him.

Valerie came back outside with a bottle of red wine and a glass and went back in the spa. She drank a full glass very rapidly, and put it on the edge of the spa a little forcefully. The glass did not break and strangely, she looked a little disappointed. She almost jumped out of her skin when her cell phone rang, and picked it up wearily.

"Hello? Yes, Mother?" She listened to her mother and rolled her eyes. "Yes." Suddenly, her face became red and her expression furious. "I already told you I would do it! Are you calling to rub salt into the wound?" She pushed a button and looked at the phone as if it was her enemy. She suddenly turned around and threw it with all her strength against the brick wall of the house. The phone exploded into small pieces and she smiled viciously. Until she calmed down and looked at the pieces all over the balcony. "Oh shit! Another one."

She sat back down in the spa and took another glass of wine. Legolas heard a key in the front door's lock again and wondered if this was the person Liam had called. It seemed that everyone in Valerie's life had a key to her house, and he hoped it was not a male companion so close to her that she would have given him a key. He sighed in relief when he saw that it was a brown-haired woman who looked very much like a younger version of Valerie's mother. He assumed she was her sister, the one that was a healer.

"Val?" the woman called, coming directly outside.

"Allison, one day, you will have to tell me how you always show up after I get into a fight with Mom, Dad or our dear brother."

"It is our deep, close link, sister. I can feel your emotions from afar -"

"You're so full of shit!" Valerie said with a small smile. "Want some wine?"

"Please!" Allison replied. She pulled a chair near the spa and put her feet up on the edge. She took the bottle of wine and started drinking directly from the bottle.

"Mother would be appalled if she saw you. This is not how John Thompson's daughters have been raised!"

"I know. You and I can keep up the act in front of them, but we both know that when they are not around, we are normal human beings. Not these fake dolls we were raised to be!" Allison took a long gulp and sighed in satisfaction. "You always had good taste in wine. What is it?"

"A Chianti."

Allison looked around. "I see you have violently murdered another cell phone?"

"Yes. Rose will kill me on Monday."

"How many new phones did your assistant had to buy in the past two months?"

"This is none of your business."

"Three? Four?"

"Five," Valerie admitted, taking another sip of her wine.

The sisters looked at each other for the longest time, Allison waiting for Valerie to tell her what had happened, and Valerie daring her to ask the question first. Allison gave up, her curiosity levels sky rocketing.

"What happened, Val? What did Mom do this time?"

"Nothing new. John has a new girlfriend."

"Oh, I see!"

"A designer, this time around."

"Really?" Allison asked with sarcasm. "Anyone we have ever heard of?"

"Nope! And no one that will ever be known in the industry, that's for sure! If she needs John's power to be in a fashion magazine, my guess is that her talent is abysmal and her creations without any originality."

"At least, it is only her creations. You can probably hide them under a lot of accessories."

"Actually, not only is she a designer, but she is also tall enough to be a model!"

"Is she cute?"

"I stopped listening when Mother said that her teeth were crooked."

"Fuck! What are you going to do?"

"Do as you said. Hide her dresses under lots of accessories, and make sure she doesn't smile too much. Put two inches of makeup on her face..."

"Wasn't the Christmas issue ready?"

"Almost. I will have to make changes to make room for his bimbo."

"I don't know how you can take this so casually. Murdered cell phone excluded."

"Believe me, I have felt like crying most of the evening. But tell me, do I have a choice? I made the monumental mistake of deciding to work in the family business instead of having a separate career like you do. If only Mom and Dad could recognize my success! I turned this magazine around! It is now the most popular of our entire portfolio, and still, they treat me like I am a child!"

"You are still a child to them. They do not see your life as a success, but as a failure. They think you would not be able to live like this if it were not for them. This house you have was paid with money you earned working for them..."

"I work hard and deserve every penny!"

"I know that! But they don't! And... there is the matter of your children. Born outside of wedlock... from three different men... That was a blow for Mother. In her circles, this is the worst gossip. So many accidents!"

"My children are not accidents!" Valerie cried, abruptly standing and towering over her sister.

"I know, Val! But this is what people are saying -"

"I don't care! Each one of my children was desired and planned!"

"But why do you raise them without a father? That's the part you never told me!"

Valerie sat down again, and finished her glass of wine in silence.

"Come on," Allison insisted. "Let me in that head of yours. You are the most secretive of us all. It's been years that I ask you this question and you never answer me. Tell me now. Please!"

"Do you love them?"

"Who? Your children? How can you even ask that question? You know I do! I do not have children of my own, you guys are all I have!"

"You have Mom, Dad and John Junior."

Allison laughed. "They might treat me better than they treat you, but they have no affection for me. And they cannot control me, which is a torn at their side. Valerie, I love your children, and will never reject them because you are a single mother. I just want to understand why you never got married to have your children."

"I hate our parents' marriage. He cheats on her all the time and she acts like she has no idea. She turned into a selfish woman who only thinks of shopping for clothes and jewelry. He turned her into that woman who has no love for her children except for his heir. I did not want this for myself. I do not need a man to treat me like this."

"Not all men are like Father."

"Says the woman who has never been in a steady relationship since she started dating at fourteen. Admit it! You fear the same!"

Allison remained silent for long moments. "There is that. And the fact that my career takes too much of my time."

"Don't you want children?"

"Maybe someday. But I do not want a man in my life to have these children. I am not willing to make that sacrifice," Allison whispered.

"See? You and I are the same. You want children without a man in your life. So you have decided not to have children. I have decided to have the children without the husband."

"Who are the fathers? If you do not mind me asking?"

"A designer for Liam. Sean's father was a business man I met when I was in Spain for a year. And Phoebe's father was a model."

"Do they know about their child?"

"They could not care less. I am just lucky that the children all look like me. It saves me from answering many questions."

"Liam is starting to ask questions. Your children need a father figure."

"He asked you?"

"Yes. Your son is clever, Valerie. He will soon find out and then, what will you answer him?"

"That he doesn't need a fucked up father like ours. And that our brother is no better. He will have to be content with me. And you. I am so glad to have you! You are the only one keeping me sane in this family."

"We are very pathetic. The perfect example of what happens to children raised in a dysfunctional family."

"I know. It is a wonder that we are not in therapy."

"Speak for yourself. I still need some anxiety pills."

"I will probably need a prescription of sleeping pills," Valerie admitted. "I don't think I will sleep well over the next few months with our family acting up again."

"I'll give you one before I leave."

Both sisters stayed silent and the night became darker and darker, until Legolas could hardly see them anymore. He was both saddened and angered by what he had heard.

"I love you, you know," Allison whispered. "The four of you."

"The whole crazy bunch?" Valerie asked with a shaky voice.

"Yes. The whole crazy bunch."

They remained silent some more.

"I love you too," Valerie eventually whispered, as if it was painful to say. "You are the only person I trust."

"And I trust you. We will always be together."

"Yes."

Another moment passed.

"Want to sleep here?"

"I was wondering when you would offer. I was getting used to the idea of sleeping in the spa," Allison joked.

Legolas watched the sisters as they entered the house and got ready for bed. He had just found a major obstacle that would make Valerie's departure to Middle Earth difficult. Would she accept to follow him and leave behind the only person that she truly loved after her children?

OoOoO

"I am here to meet with Valerie," a high-pitched voice said outside of her office.

Valerie flinched. Samantha had not even said a word to her yet that she was already getting on her nerves. Her appointment had been for 9h30, and it was almost 10 o'clock. Samantha was already acting like her brother, as if Valerie was just a pawn in the family game. If only the poor girl knew that she would last less than three months in John Junior's life, if she was anything like the other numerous girls her brother had been dating in the past years.

"Are you talking about Ms. Thompson?" Rose, Valerie's assistant asked in a sweet tone. Valerie knew her assistant. Her tone was gentle, but her smile must be cold as ice. Rose could not stand disrespect.

"Yes, of course! John Junior, my boyfriend, made sure I had an appointment." Valerie almost laughed when she heard the girl use her brother's name like a banner on a battlefield. "He is the Vice-President of Thompson Publishing," she whispered to Rose, as if Valerie's assistant required a reminder about John Junior's position in the company.

"Oh really?" Rose asked, almost mortified for the clueless girl. "That is really nice to hear, but your appointment was at 9h30. I am sorry. You will have to wait until Ms. Thompson is available. She has another appointment at 10 o'clock, so you will have to wait until she is done with the people that are punctual."

"Could I get a coffee? I just came out of bed and I would need the caffeine."

"There is a coffee machine at the end of the hallway. Just turn left in the second corridor. You shouldn't get lost, I think. Although, when I reflect upon this some more... No, I think you should manage!"

Valerie chuckled. She loved Rose. She was like a watchdog. She had remained polite with her brother's girlfriend, and had managed to insult her twice in a minute at the same time.

Valerie had spent Sunday with her children and her sister Allison, and that had helped her to see the situation in a much more positive way. She could do it, but she was tired of the situation. She loved her magazine and had dedicated the last ten years of her life to it. Her magazine was at the top of paper readerships and web memberships. She herself had developed a vast network of designers, publishers, agencies and models, and she was a reference in the industry, much more than her father believed. She was putting up with her family's condescension because she loved her magazine. It was the most important thing to her after her children and Allison.

There was a knock on the door. Rose entered immediately after, followed by the Y&S senior team.

"Here is your new phone," Rose said, giving her a cell phone. "I reprogrammed it like the others. I would appreciate if it could survive at least three weeks."

"I cannot make that kind of promises during the Christmas issue period," Valerie replied with an angelic smile.

"Your 9h30 appointment is here. The one we talked about earlier."

"I know. Tell her I will see her when I have a moment."

The stylists sat around a table, and they discussed the last minutes changes to accommodate the extra pages for Samantha's collection. At this point, they all were used to the last minute changes resulting from John Junior's requests and knew Valerie would not tolerate any negative comments about it. It was something for her to express her opposition to her family in private, but she never discussed it in front of her employees.

"I want the pictures done today. Patrick, you can take care of that. We must have a photographer that is available right away. Hollie, have the makeup and hair team ready within the hour. I know they thought they were done, but tell them it is an emergency. Olivia, the key word here is accessories. Please stay with me while I meet Samantha. I want you to have an idea of what her collection looks like.

"How many outfits do we have to add?"

"It depends. Maybe two, maximum three."

"The graphic team will freak," Patrick commented.

"This is not the first last minute change. We still have two weeks."

"Actually, the printers called. They will need our files in two days if we want to have the Christmas issue ready for the party in three weeks."

"Like we needed that additional pressure!" Valerie sighed. "How is the party organization going?"

"Good," Rose said. "Everything is ready. You have to choose the dress you will wear. I sent you the draft of your speech yesterday."

"Good. I want the new pages tonight so I can approve them. I will see you all tomorrow at 10 again. Rose, please ask Samantha to come in... if she didn't get lost in the hallway," she added with a wink, showing her assistant that she had heard their earlier conversation.

Olivia remained with Valerie while Samantha was introduced in her office.

"Valerie! I have heard so much about you, I feel like we are friends already!" the young woman she had never met before said while opening her arms with familiarity, expecting a kiss. Valerie winced, but nevertheless stood and gave her a nice smile. Maybe Samantha would not be so bad and deserved a chance, and Valerie believed in giving everyone a chance. Just one chance. One.

"You have the same hair color than your father!" Samantha added with a laugh, grabbing one of Valerie's locks.

"And what is wrong with our hair color?" Valerie asked after giving her brother's girlfriend a quick kiss and pulling her lock out of Samantha's grasp.

"Nothing! I am just glad that John Junior has your mother's brown hair! Yours is just so..." she seemed to hesitate, and not finding the right words, she continued: "I heard all your children have red hair?"

Valerie smiled pleasantly but had already decided that Samantha was a good-looking dimwit. Her teeth were not so bad though. That could be arranged by the graphic team. "Yes, they do have red hair!"

"Ms. Thompson's hair is her trademark in the industry. I have heard many models say that they wished they had colorful and waves like she does!" Olivia said, feeling she had to defend Valerie from the attacks of this somewhat ordinary girl.

Samantha looked at Olivia with surprise, and turned to observe Valerie once more. "You know Valerie, you look younger than I thought. Your brother told me you are 31, and I swear to God I would not give you more than 29."

Valerie briefly wondered if Samantha thought she would be flattered by being told she looked two years younger than she actually was. That was a farce. Where did his brother find this girl?

"Let me see your collection," Valerie asked, ending the torture. "I have many appointments today, and I am afraid I no longer have half an hour for you like you would have had if you had arrived at 9h30."

Not even realizing that she was being lectured, Samantha proudly took out some pictures of herself wearing her dresses. Beside Valerie, Olivia shivered slightly. Those dresses were not formal enough to appear in the Christmas issue! She looked at her boss for help and Valerie nodded, silently telling her not to worry. She selected the only three dresses that were tolerable and asked Samantha how long it would take her to get the three dresses.

"They are in my car."

"You brought all your dresses with you?"

"Yes. Your brother told me that you would put all my collection in the Christmas issue. He will help me open a boutique, you know."

Outside the office, they heard Rose cough, without a doubt hiding her laughter.

"Good for you!" Valerie said with conviction while Olivia looked elsewhere to remain serious. There was a little crack in the wall, right beside the door, and maybe if she stared at it long enough, she would be able to control her giggles? Valerie gently elbowed her in the ribs and Olivia turned back to the other two women. "Now," Valerie said once she knew Olivia was listening, "my brother knows nothing about the fashion world. We never put more than three dresses from the same designer in each issue. It is even worse for the Christmas issue, the most important one of the year! I am afraid I cannot make an exception for you. Many designers would be affronted if I were..."

"Oh my God, no! I don't want the other designers to be mad at me!" Samantha said with genuine distress. "That would not start well my relationship with them!"

Outside, Rose went into a coughing fit. Valerie walked to the door and closed it gently, letting Rose know that she was not mad at her for her lack of control. The conversation was just surreal.

"We understand each other then! I trust you will enlighten my brother about this little problem?" Valerie asked.

"Of course! You can trust me! I am so glad that I have you to guide me!"

"Now, Samantha, go get these three dresses in your car. Olivia will be waiting for you. The makeup and hair artists are waiting for you. Today is your day!"

Samantha smiled with enthusiasm, and left the office promising to be back within ten minutes. Once she was out, Olivia turned to Valerie and asked what she was supposed to do with such a disaster.

"Let's do three pages called How to make an ordinary dress a holiday success... Or some sort of nonsense like that. You get the idea?"

"I do. That gives me a couple of ideas."

"Great. Show me how brilliant you are, once again."

"Wait until you see the dresses I have found for you for the party! You will call me a genius!"

When Samantha came back, Rose had closed Valerie's door and directed her to Olivia's office.

"When will I see Valerie again?" Samantha asked Rose. "I would like to show her more of my work -"

"Let's start with the Christmas issue first. If you have more work, you can contact me for, let's say, the March issue, alright?" Rose insisted.

"Ok, I guess," Samantha said. "Tell Valerie I cannot wait to see her again."

"I will give your message to Ms. Thompson," Rose replied.

Inside her office, Valerie laughed silently. Rose knew as much as Valerie that they would probably never see Samantha again. John Junior would soon find another girl to be with. Another woman that she would be forced to put in her magazine against her will.

Valerie sighed and turned her chair to face the window, looking at the city at her feet. She was thinking of dropping everything on a regular basis, dreaming of a quiet life with her children and Allison, preferably on a deserted island where no one would be able to reach them. A place where she would start over and make different choices. She spent five minutes dreaming about this fantasy life, until Rose called her to let her know her next appointment had arrived. Time to end the pity party and get back to business.

Please take a minute to let me know if you like the new version of Valerie. In the next chapter, Legolas finally makes a move. Will he fail miserably like our Marchwarden?

Annielle