Valentino's Angel

03. Alex - Part 1

Alexis' POV

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

No response. Why am I not surprised? Here I thought my parents would be home today.

Clearly this day has lost its value over the years.

I remember my 13th birthday. That was the last time both my parents were home for my birthday. Now I'm lucky if I see them once a month.

Back then my father was just starting out in the business world and my mother wasn't so consumed with the lavish lifestyle of the Upper East Side. My father wasn't always a rich man. He came from a poor background – unlike my mother. She comes from old money but she fell in love with him against my grandfather's wishes. My grandfather never believed my father could give my mother the life she deserved.

But now, my father is the CEO of Cartier Enterprises. He built the company from the ground up. He wanted to make a name for himself.

They both used to value family time and actually cared about me. Now it's just me and Harry - my butler. He feels more like family than my actual family does.

But to be honest, it's not all bad that they're hardly ever around. They make up for it in Gucci, Louis and Prada. But little do they realize that the greatest gift would just be their love.

Well happy 20th birthday to me.

I walk distractedly to the kitchen to get something to eat. As I walk into the kitchen, I see Harry holding a plate of my favorite thing to eat – chocolate chip pancakes!

I grin at him – he knows exactly how to lift my mood.

"Happy birthday Alex. You're growing up so fast. I remember when you were just a baby"

I roll my eyes as he continues his speech about how I used to run around in my diapers and follow him around all day.

Although it makes me cringe hearing about the embarrassing things I used to do, it makes me genuinely happy that he's never changed over the years.

I finish my pancakes and make my way up to my room. As I walk up the stairs, I see clothes on the floor and hear noises. I follow the trail of clothes towards my mother's room and I tip-toe towards the room door.

I peek into the room and see my mother with someone who's... not my father.

I fling the door open.

"Who the HELL are you?" I scream and they both look back at me slightly stunned.

"Mother? What's going on? Who is this?"

She takes a while to answer and when she finally does... I'm not sure whether to laugh at her stupid response or kill them both.

"Oh honey, this is Andrew my yoga instructor." Is she for real? Yoga instructor my ass.

"Does dad know that your yoga classes take place in his bedroom?" I placed my hands on my hips and glare at her. If looks could kill, they would both be dead already.

My mother sighs, puts on a robe and takes a few steps towards me. She looks at the floor and says,

"Okay, okay, he's not my yoga instructor."
No Shit Sherlock!

She continues, "I don't love your father anymore. He's always busy and never gives me the love and affection that Andrew does"

"But if you're not happy with him, why cheat? Why don't you just leave him?" I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about your father. I couldn't leave even if I wanted to. Its not that easy Alexis."

I can't believe this is happening. I need to get out of here. Now. I turn around to walk away. When I reach the door, I look over my shoulder and say to my mother,

"By the way, its my birthday."

I grab my purse and head to my car. There's only one place that I want to go right now. The place that feels more like home than this hell hole.

I arrive at the Tipton Hotel and make my way to the left penthouse suite. As I enter, I see a box with a note on the dining room table. I smile when I open the note. It's from Nina, the housekeeper. She's so sweet to remember that it's my birthday.

I plop down on the couch and I hear my phone beep. It's a message from Stephanie. One of my closest "friends".

"Hey birthday girl! Let's hit the club tonight! #celebrationsss!"

Considering the disaster of a day that this has been, going out couldn't hurt.

I reply, "Sure Steph. See you at 8"

I get off the couch and make my way to the walk-in closet. I pull out a blue sequence dress that fits my body like a glove. I untie my hair and let it run down to my waist. I put on the dress and pair it with my Louis Vuitton heels. I go over to my vanity and lightly apply some mascara and lipgloss to finish off the look.

I take one last look in the mirror and make my way down to the club.