Chapter 142 - A Date? (1)

With reluctance showing in every inch of her body, Valentina followed Rio and Shawn down to the parking garage.

A large black van was waiting right by the door, and they quickly entered. Shawn went to the front seat while she and Rio slid into the back seat.

As she put on her seatbelt, she smiled politely at the man in the driver's seat. He had light brown hair cut neatly with bangs framing his face and gold-rimmed circular glasses. With a simple gray suit and white shirt, he gave off a calm yet capable vibe. As their eyes met in the mirror, he smiled politely before greeting her.

"Hello, I'm Joshua Reed, the Fallen Angel's main manager. You must be Valentina Salazar; I've heard so much about you. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Yes, I'm Valentina. The pleasure is mine." Valentina replied while bowing her head.

"I've been told that you're coming with us to the company building. Is that correct?"

"Yes. Thank you for the ride."

"Of course. Please get some rest and let me know if you need anything. I know filming can be tough on the body." Joshua Reed smiled politely before driving off.

As the two men in the front began chatting, Valentina quickly updated Lia that she would bring the dress back another day before turning to Rio with an arched brow.

Sensing her attention, he turned to her and arched his own.

"Are we actually meeting Roman?" She whispered to him as he brought his face close to hers.

"Of course. You think I would make that up?" Rio answered with a roguish smile before quickly texting something on his phone.

Feeling her phone vibrate, she quickly picked it up and read the message.

Rio: We're going to sneak out once Shawn gets rid of the manager, so just follow my lead 😉

Seeing that he didn't want the others in the car to hear about their conversation, she quickly texted back.

Valentina: Should you be sneaking out? Don't get me in trouble.😡

Rio: Would I ever do that?

Valentina: Yes!!!!!!

Rio: Pessimist. Just play along so we can chat in peace without hangers-on. Remember, you're the one that wanted to talk. Trust me, I know a good place. There were no fans to bother us, and delicious food. You can't say no.

Giving him an incredulous look, she quickly turned her head to look out the window.

She would see what nonsense he had planned.

In about twenty minutes they quickly arrived in the parking garage of the building.

As they stepped out and into the entrance, a security guard checked the credentials of the manager before allowing them into the building.

In front of her was a sleek, modern-looking lobby that was very reminiscent of the Grayson Conglomerate building. It had a large central desk with a receptionist and modern couches and coffee tables spread around in an aesthetic manner.

Without pause, they walked into the elevator, where Shawn pressed the 12th-floor button while Rio pressed the highest floor.

Ding!

The door opened and Shawn slung his arm around Joshua's shoulder, dragging him out while giving her and Rio a knowing look.

"Val, see you later. Say hi to Roman for me. Rio, text me. Josh, I actually had a question about the performance. Why don't we leave Rio to deliver Valentina to Roman before he joins us."

"Sure. See you in a bit Rio. Make it quick, as we have other things to discuss and do today. No skipping out again. We need to plan."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Once the elevator door shut, Valentina whirled to face Rio.

"What are you plotting?"

Rio just hummed quietly before pressing another floor button.

"Rio Rio Rio, answer me. Rio Rio Rio, answer me…" She began repeating his name in an annoying manner.

"Shouldn't I be asking you what's going on, hmm? When did you get so close to the Grayson family? I suddenly got an email and meeting from Roman saying that you're in a lawsuit so you can switch to Platinum, and I had to act like we've been best friends forever and that it was my idea to push you to change agencies. Let's talk about it well today since he doesn't want to tell the whole story. And why I had to find out from him not you. We have lots of time for you to share the details." Rio gave her a dark look.

Not intimidated in the slightest, Valentina snorted before responding.

"I don't think we should be going out or seen together. Especially after the show today. You heard what the hosts were insinuating today."

"It's not even going to air today. And which one of us is more famous and has more experience going incognito, hmmm? If I say it's fine, then it's fine. I know you like to use excuses to avoid things, but I'm not letting you off today. A plebian should just stay in her place."

Hearing his cocky tone, Valentina rolled her eyes.

"You're such a butt. Give me time, and I'll catch up to you. We'll see who's the plebian then."

"Sure. Sure. I'm looking forward to your success, Miss Fallen Angel. Remember me when you get big, and make sure you treat me to an expensive meal."

Chuckling to himself, Rio immediately strode out of the elevator once it opened.

As he grabbed her arm and began strolling quickly through the halls, ignoring the looks he got from various people walking around in the halls, he quickly led her into a room that had Fallen Angels written on the door.

"There are clothes inside, so quickly change, pack your stuff, and then we'll head out. We don't want to be caught. Got it? Also, wipe off your makeup and try to look nondescript. We're going for an innocent and nondescript look today to blend in."

Without waiting for a response, he quickly pushed her inside and slammed the door shut.

As she looked around, Valentina could only think that a top star was truly a top star. The walls of the room, which was bigger than her entire apartment, were floor-to-ceiling glass, while the inside was tastefully decorated with expensive-looking couches, desks, and plants. 

There was a door that led to what looked like a private recording studio with top-of-the-line equipment, and she couldn't help but whistle as she looked at it.

Expensive. Do not touch! Stay far, far away. If you break anything, you'll have to sell a kidney or two to pay!

An entire wall was taken up by a rack of clothes and a large mirror taller than she was. On one of the desks was a leather backpack with a piece of paper bearing her name.

As she pulled out the clothes, Valentina could feel her face begin to twitch.

This was….a high school uniform?? The white button-up shirt, with a black blazer and matching skirt, was completely unmistakable. Hoping she was temporarily delusional and dreaming, she continued to check the bag, but the only things in there were black tights, simple black boots in her size, and a thick pair of clear glasses.

What the….

Was this Rio's taste???? Gross.

Sighing to herself, she quickly changed into the uniform before wiping off her makeup with the provided makeup wipes. After making sure her face was clean, she put her hair up in a high ponytail and arranged her bangs over her forehead before putting on the glasses.

As she looked in the mirror, she had to admit that it was a solid disguise at first glance. With the uniform, she looked like a young student, while the glasses hid her distinctive eyes. As long as no one looked too closely, she looked way different from the usual look she had for the red carpet and today's show.

And honestly, it was kind of cute. The uniform was pretty stylish and of good quality.

She purposefully didn't think too hard about where he had procured it from.

Pulling out her cell phone, she took a photo in the mirror and examined it.

Not bad at all.

As she began taking photos of herself in different poses, she heard a chuckle behind her.

Glancing up, she saw Rio laughing at her while leaning on the door.

"Having fun with your little photoshoot, Val?" he snickered once their eyes met.

"Rude of you to enter without knocking. What if I was changing?" she quickly retorted while her face quickly turned red.

"I knocked. Repeatedly. I assumed you were either distracted or taking a nap. Who knew you were having a whole photo shoot?"

"Shut up."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. And before you say anything crazy, I asked our stylist, and she contacted your stylist to buy the clothes and get the sizes. I had nothing to do with it. Are you ready to go, student Val? Shawn can only distract Joshua for so long before he starts looking for me, so we have to dip."

Hearing the question, she looked him over noting that he had changed into a similar uniform as well. 

Additionally, he had put on a dark brown wig with bangs that hid his face and thick glasses.

Although nothing could be done about his height and build, he was also decently disguised as a high school student.

"No mask?" she asked him skeptically. She usually always made sure she had one whenever she went out. Although she doubted people would recognize her, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Masks make you look suspicious. Especially if we both have one. We're going for natural, okay? Hiding in plain sight. Trust me."

"…I guess, but I really don't understand why we can't just talk here. It seems pretty private."

"I'm skipping work today, and you're accompanying me. Ready to go?"

"Sure, whatever. Let's get it over with."

"Sweet. Let's move out." Quickly grabbing the bookbag with all her stuff in it, he quickly led her to a different elevator to the side and brought her down to the parking garage.

As he led her to a nondescript sedan, he quickly opened the door for her before entering the driver's seat. As he started the car and began driving off, she stared holes into the side of his head.

"What? Just now noticing my good looks?"

Hearing the familiar line, she snorted before looking away. Did all handsome men recycle the same lines? First, it was Kaiser; now, it was Rio.

"You're supposed to be good looking? How come I don't see it." 

At her dry response, Rio reached out and flicked her forhead without looking.

"Owwww. Not the face!"

"Be nice, or I'm doing it again."

"Fine, fine. Where are we going?"

"I figured we would go on a date so we can have a nice private conversation. Since you've been avoiding me, hanging up the phone, and declining all my invitations to hang out, I decided to kidnap you and hold you hostage all day and clear the air. Look forward to it."

Hearing his words, her face couldn't help but wrinkle in disgust.

"Ewww. You-"

"Uh uh uh. First of all, retract your words and fix your face. You should be honored to go out on a date with yours truly. Do you know how many people would kill to be in your place?"

"You should go on a date with them then." She chimed in, ignoring the look he gave her as his fingers were raised threateningly.

"Secondly, you're the one that wanted to talk and it's too boring to just sit inside all day. First, let's get some food and then get some drinks. While I'm driving, you can start by telling me what's on your mind. Or do you want me to go first? I can assure you that I have a lot to say, from the lawsuit to you living at Kaiser's. Your choice."

As she stared at him blankly, Rio gave her a smug smile.