Chapter 15: Advice from Friends

The sun had set on the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. After an exhausting day supervising the project on the island, Valeria collapsed onto the bed in her room, stretching her muscles, tense from work. She decided she needed to relax a bit, so she picked up her phone and joined a video call with her friends.

On the screen, Mónica, Lucía, Camila, Emma, and Sofía appeared, all gathered at Mónica’s house with wine glasses in hand.

"Valeria!" Sofía exclaimed excitedly. "It’s about time you showed up."

"Hey, girls," Valeria greeted with a tired smile. "It’s been a long day."

"A long day with a handsome and mysterious billionaire, right?" Camila said with a mischievous smile.

Valeria rolled her eyes.

"Don’t start with that."

Mónica narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"But we can’t help it, V. You’ve got us all intrigued. What is Nicolás like in person?"

Valeria sighed.

"He’s very handsome, yes, but he’s really not my type."

The girls exchanged skeptical looks.

"Aha..." Sofía murmured.

"We don’t believe you," she added. "I’ve seen the pictures, and that man is absolutely stunning."

"Alright, I won’t deny that he’s attractive and has an incredible body," Valeria admitted. "But he’s too arrogant, loves to tease me, and is way too charming for his own good."

Mónica leaned closer to the camera with a conspiratorial look.

"So, you like him."

"No," Valeria responded quickly. "It’s just that… he’s hard to ignore."

"Aha, sure," Emma said with an amused smile. "And what do you feel when he looks at you?"

Valeria scoffed.

"I feel like he’s analyzing me all the time, like he’s trying to figure out what’s behind my 'being single is fun' facade."

"Maybe because he wants to know," Laura commented. "Maybe he’s more interested than you think."

Valeria shook her head.

"No, he’s just playing games. And I don’t have time for games."

"Well, it wouldn’t hurt to have a little fun," Mónica said with a playful smile. "We’re not saying you have to fall in love."

"Exactly," Sofía added. "Just that maybe you should relax a bit and stop seeing him as the enemy. You know, put your vibrator away for a while and use a real one."

They all burst into laughter at Sofía’s comment, but before Valeria could respond, the girls suddenly fell silent, serious expressions on their faces.

"What’s wrong?" Valeria asked, puzzled by the shift in their attitude.

Mónica took a deep breath before speaking.

"You haven’t checked social media today, have you?"

Valeria felt a pang of unease.

"I haven’t had time. Why?"

Laura picked up her phone and held it up to the camera for Valeria to see the screen.

"Look at this."

Valeria squinted and read the headline of an online gossip article:

"Influencer Valeria Díaz and Tycoon Nicolás Beltrán: A Secret Romance on a Paradise Island?"

Her stomach dropped.

"What the hell is this?" she asked out loud.

Mónica nodded with concern.

"That’s not all, Valeria. There are tons of pictures of you with Nicolás on the island. Some look pretty intimate, even though we know they’re probably taken out of context."

A chill of fury ran down Valeria’s spine.

"This can’t be happening!"

She ended the video call and immediately opened her social media.

Her name was trending. There were hundreds of comments and posts talking about her and Nicolás. The photos showed completely casual moments, but taken from angles that made it look like they were on a romantic getaway.

There was one where Nicolás was smiling at her with a wine glass in hand, another where he leaned in while they talked, and one where they were on the beach, seemingly very close to each other in the water.

"Damn it!" she exclaimed, her heart racing with anger.

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

Roberto was in his office checking his phone when he saw a notification with Valeria’s name. His brows furrowed as he clicked the link, taking him to social media.

When he read the article and saw the pictures, his expression darkened.

"What the hell is this?"

His mind raced. Was Valeria involved with a tycoon? Since when? Who exactly was this guy?

He frantically searched for information. He found several articles about Nicolás Beltrán: a powerful businessman with multiple enterprises worldwide, known for being reserved but with a history of romances with models and actresses.

Jealousy hit him hard.

"This can’t be…"

He stood up from his chair and began pacing, trying to think of a way to find out more.

My Valeria can’t be with him. Not after what happened between us.

He decided to make some calls. He needed to know where Valeria was and how true this news was.

Back on the island

Valeria was furious. She slammed open her bedroom door and stormed toward Nicolás’s bungalow.

When she knocked, he opened the door with a relaxed expression, as if the situation didn’t concern him at all.

"Hello, Valeria," he said with a smile. "To what do I owe the honor of this unexpected visit?"

She glared at him and raised her phone, showing him the screen.

"What is this?"

Nicolás glanced at it and raised an eyebrow.

"Looks like we have an interesting story circulating online."

Valeria gritted her teeth.

"They’re linking us romantically!"

He smirked with amusement.

"Well, it’s not the worst story they could make up."

"Nicolás! This isn’t funny. I don’t want people thinking I’m having a romance with you!"

Nicolás crossed his arms, still smiling.

"Relax, Valeria. The media always try to create sensational stories. They’ll forget about this in a few days."

"You don’t get it. This affects my image, my private life…"

Nicolás sighed.

"If it bothers you that much, we can release a statement denying everything."

Valeria took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"That’s exactly what I’m going to do."

She turned to leave, but Nicolás stopped her.

"Wait."

She turned her head impatiently.

"What?"

Nicolás looked at her seriously.

"Does it really bother you that much for people to think we’re together?"

Valeria stared at him.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I don’t want people speculating about my life."

"Or because you don’t want to admit that maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea?"

Valeria felt a shiver run through her.

"Don’t play with me, Nicolás."

He smiled again, but this time, there was a gleam in his eyes that unsettled her.

"I would never play with you, Valeria."

She didn’t know what to say.

Without another word, she turned on her heels and walked away.

But as she headed back to her room, her heart pounded.

Not out of anger.

But because, deep down, Nicolás’s words had affected her more than she was willing to admit.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***