POV Kaiser Grayson
The moment the dinner finished, and Valentina disappeared somewhere, Kaiser immediately felt bored. As he was surrounded by actors and actresses trying to suck up to him as well as the director, Marco Piero, and Antonio Salazar, he immediately remembered why he didn’t like to attend events like this. Way too troublesome.
“Mr. Grayson, I'm so happy you’re here. Allow me to introduce myself once more. I'm Elena Piero. You’re so handsome in person. you should have become an actor.” Elena giggled while blushing as she stared up at the man's face.
“And I'm Aaliyah Salazar. Hello again Mr. Grayson. It’s lovely to see you.” Aaliyah said shyly while encroaching on his personal space.
Kaiser looked at the girls trying to press up against him while grabbing at his arm and felt the urge to dump his drink over them and leave.
Signaling at Roman with his eyes, he conveyed his irritation, and his brother immediately dashed over from where he was to run interference.
“Okay, ladies and gentlemen let’s move over here. My brother doesn’t like crowds and I believe he wants to have a private word with Mr. Salazar and Mr. Piero. Come along with me, let’s talk about your roles. Are you excited to start filming?”
As Roman led them away, Kaiser turned an expectant gaze to the two remaining men.
Smirking as he observed them, he rudely asked “What?”
“Kaiser-”
“Mr. Grayson. Don’t make me repeat myself.” Kaiser immediately cut off Antonio Salazar while staring the man down, his gray eyes flashing with disdain.
Although he knew this was Valentina’s father, Kaiser struggled to see the resemblance between the two and just knowing that Valentina didn’t like the man, he automatically couldn’t stand him. additionally, seeing the loving play he had enacted throughout the meal with his adopted daughter right in front of his real daughter, his opinion of the man had dropped straight to hell.
Antonio Salazar took a deep breath to calm his irritation while looking at the man before him. Although he was young, Kaiser Grayson was stably the head of the huge conglomerate and had taken it to new heights. With his handsome face and tall figure, he attracted eyes everywhere he went and was one of the most eligible bachelors ever. Even in the business world, he wasn’t one to be trifled with. He stably dealt with executives and people in high positions without shaking and was ruthless when he decided to make a move. Even though he was rude and lacked respect for people much older than him, no one could doubt his skill and work ethic.
“Mr. Grayson. I know you gave your reasons for acquiring the film, I ask you to reconsider the actor selection. Valentina is not skilled enough for such a role and Elena Piero would be a much better fit for the film. Why don’t you have the director change to her? After all, Mr. Piero is also an investor. It would foster a great relationship between you two. After all, you can never have enough friends in business right?”
“No.” Kaiser didn’t even hesitate as he responded, “Roman has said he is interested in acquiring Miss Valentina and I don’t interfere with his judgment and the way he runs Platinum Entertainment. If you want to replace the second female lead actress, she will have to give up the role herself and the director can choose a replacement as he wants. If you want Platinum Entertainment to pressure Miss Valentina, it won't happen. As for forming a better relationship with Mr. Piero? I don’t need to.”
Seeing as the two men remained silent, Kaiser smirked, “Anything else?”
“…No.” Antonio Salazar unwillingly replied. As he glanced over at Marco Piero, he saw the man give him a vicious glance before hiding it with a smile.
“If you’ll excuse me for a second Mr. Grayson,” Antonio said nervously.
“You’re both excused. Get out.” Kaiser coldly ordered. Sipping his drink, he watched Antonio Salazar walk out in the direction Valentina had left in. As he observed the room in silence, time kept passing and there was no sign of Valentina.
Suddenly he saw Antonio Salazar pop up by the doorway and gesture to Aaliyah. As the two whispered something and Aaliyah began stomping somewhere, he had a bad feeling and began following her. As he walked out, he heard Director Loewe call his name. Restraining a sigh, he turned to look at the man.
“Mr. Grayson? Where are you heading? Are you leaving?”
“No. I was just curious about the venue. I wanted to take a look around.” Kaiser told the man.
“It’s beautiful right? I selected it myself. There’s a lovely grand staircase leading into a reception room that has the most amazing chandelier. let me show you. In fact, let me gather the cast and we can all view it.” Director Loewe said excitedly, glad that such a big CEO had not only attended but was interested in something he chose.
As the director gathered the rest of the cast, Kaiser waited impatiently. Once everyone was gathered he was the first out the door.
As he quickly caught sight of the staircase the director talked about, he caught sight of a flash of green and a familiar head of black hair.
As he got closer, he heard a shrill voice shouting something.
“Hey! What’s going on?” one of the blond cast mates yelled out as he began climbing up the stairs.
All of a sudden, he saw Valentina fall with Aaliyah on top of her. As he heard the blood-curdling scream, he felt his heart drop as he watched her body whack into the railing before rolling down the steps.
Quickly angling his body, he quickly braced himself and caught Valentina as she tumbled and almost slammed into the ground. Feeling her body shaking, he tried to hold her up without moving her too much. He couldn’t be sure she had broken anything and didn’t want to exacerbate any possible injuries.
As Valentina struggled to sit up, he heard her voice speak out.
"Aaliyah. What have I ever done to you? Why would you hit me and then push me down the stairs? Is it because your friend didn't get my role?"
"What?! No! you were the one who hit me and pushed me. Now you're pretending! My ankle hurts because of you!" Aaliyah shouted out and he shot a glare at the girl.
"I'm sorry for taking your friend's role, but violence is not the answer and I have a right to defend myself from your attacks," Valentina said and before anyone could respond, he felt her cough slightly, then blood came flying out of her mouth.
Her body kept heaving as blood kept flying out and he quickly held her hair back and tilted her forward so she wouldn’t choke.
As people began whispering and one person even screamed, he picked up the now-still and passed out Valentina and held her in his arms while glaring at Aaliyah.
“Aaliyah Salazar. Explain yourself. What did Valentina mean by your words? Why would you push her?” He coldly ordered while restraining his temper.
“I didn’t do anything. She’s lying. She hit me and then pretended to fall. Look at my face!” Aaliyah began sobbing brokenheartedly, tears trickling down her red face slowly. noting the slight red marks, Kaiser wanted to roll his eyes. This was a top actress? She hadn't even wiped the foundation staining her hands.
“It seems you think I'm blind? Or stupid. You clearly pushed her own. Director Loewe is this how you choose your actresses?” Kaiser turned to the director angrily.
“Mr. Grayson please calm down! I'm sure there’s a reasonable explanation for this!” the director replied in a panic.
“A reasonable explanation for attempted murder?” Roman interrupted coldly, “One actress is complaining about her face and sprained ankle while we just watched another tumble down the stairs and cough up blood. Please tell me what the reasonable explanation for that will be?”
“I-I'm sure Miss Aaliyah can explain what happened. Aaliyah?” Director Loewe stuttered while looking at Aaliyah who was crying nonstop. Suddenly, Aaliyah seemed to faint, her body falling down the last couple of steps and hitting the ground with a soft thud.
“Aaliyah? Wake up! somebody call an ambulance! We have two people down!” Director Loewe began shouting and people began panicking and running around while some pulled out their phones to record the incident.
Watching the farce happening in front of him, especially as Aaliyah fell while making sure to protect her face, Kaiser could feel his teeth grinding.
“You better give me a proper excuse for this Director Loewe and handle it well. You won’t like it if my people have to make a move. I’ll be taking Miss Valentina to the hospital first as she’s in a more urgent situation.” Kaiser held Valentina tighter, tucking her face into his jacket as he turned to Roman. As he passed him, he whispered, “Collect the security tapes and send everyone home. Parties over.”
“Got it. The car is being pulled up and the reporters are being cleared away. You should be good to go. Once I'm done I’ll go stay with Luca.”
“Thanks.”
Clutching Valentina tighter to his chest, Kaiser quickly walked out almost running in his panic.
He needed to get her treatment, and then he would finally get to the bottom of what was happening in the Salazar household and what exactly was going on with Valentina.
The drive to Imperial Hospital couldn’t come fast enough and as he walked through the private entrance reserved for VIPs; he grabbed the nurse on duty.
“Help her. She fell down some stairs and just coughed up a huge amount of blood. Money is not a problem so run every test you can and treat her. Now!”
Seeing the fierce expression on his face, the nurse wanted to pee her pants, but she quickly collected herself.
“Of course sir. Do you have any identification or her insurance card? So we can look up her charts and what is covered.”
“I’m Kaiser Grayson. This is my wife. I told you, the cost is not a concern so I expect the best care for her and her identity to be kept quiet got it?”
Hearing the threat in his tone, the nurse gulped.
“Of course sir. Let me get a stretcher and the doctor on duty.”
POV Kaiser Grayson
The moment the dinner finished, and Valentina disappeared somewhere, Kaiser immediately felt bored. As he was surrounded by actors and actresses trying to suck up to him as well as the director, Marco Piero, and Antonio Salazar, he immediately remembered why he didn’t like to attend events like this. Way too troublesome.
“Mr. Grayson, I'm so happy you’re here. Allow me to introduce myself once more. I'm Elena Piero. You’re so handsome in person. you should have become an actor.” Elena giggled while blushing as she stared up at the man's face.
“And I'm Aaliyah Salazar. Hello again Mr. Grayson. It’s lovely to see you.” Aaliyah said shyly while encroaching on his personal space.
Kaiser looked at the girls trying to press up against him while grabbing at his arm and felt the urge to dump his drink over them and leave.
Signaling at Roman with his eyes, he conveyed his irritation, and his brother immediately dashed over from where he was to run interference.
“Okay, ladies and gentlemen let’s move over here. My brother doesn’t like crowds and I believe he wants to have a private word with Mr. Salazar and Mr. Piero. Come along with me, let’s talk about your roles. Are you excited to start filming?”
As Roman led them away, Kaiser turned an expectant gaze to the two remaining men.
Smirking as he observed them, he rudely asked “What?”
“Kaiser-”
“Mr. Grayson. Don’t make me repeat myself.” Kaiser immediately cut off Antonio Salazar while staring the man down, his gray eyes flashing with disdain.
Although he knew this was Valentina’s father, Kaiser struggled to see the resemblance between the two and just knowing that Valentina didn’t like the man, he automatically couldn’t stand him. additionally, seeing the loving play he had enacted throughout the meal with his adopted daughter right in front of his real daughter, his opinion of the man had dropped straight to hell.
Antonio Salazar took a deep breath to calm his irritation while looking at the man before him. Although he was young, Kaiser Grayson was stably the head of the huge conglomerate and had taken it to new heights. With his handsome face and tall figure, he attracted eyes everywhere he went and was one of the most eligible bachelors ever. Even in the business world, he wasn’t one to be trifled with. He stably dealt with executives and people in high positions without shaking and was ruthless when he decided to make a move. Even though he was rude and lacked respect for people much older than him, no one could doubt his skill and work ethic.
“Mr. Grayson. I know you gave your reasons for acquiring the film, I ask you to reconsider the actor selection. Valentina is not skilled enough for such a role and Elena Piero would be a much better fit for the film. Why don’t you have the director change to her? After all, Mr. Piero is also an investor. It would foster a great relationship between you two. After all, you can never have enough friends in business right?”
“No.” Kaiser didn’t even hesitate as he responded, “Roman has said he is interested in acquiring Miss Valentina and I don’t interfere with his judgment and the way he runs Platinum Entertainment. If you want to replace the second female lead actress, she will have to give up the role herself and the director can choose a replacement as he wants. If you want Platinum Entertainment to pressure Miss Valentina, it won't happen. As for forming a better relationship with Mr. Piero? I don’t need to.”
Seeing as the two men remained silent, Kaiser smirked, “Anything else?”
“…No.” Antonio Salazar unwillingly replied. As he glanced over at Marco Piero, he saw the man give him a vicious glance before hiding it with a smile.
“If you’ll excuse me for a second Mr. Grayson,” Antonio said nervously.
“You’re both excused. Get out.” Kaiser coldly ordered. Sipping his drink, he watched Antonio Salazar walk out in the direction Valentina had left in. As he observed the room in silence, time kept passing and there was no sign of Valentina.
Suddenly he saw Antonio Salazar pop up by the doorway and gesture to Aaliyah. As the two whispered something and Aaliyah began stomping somewhere, he had a bad feeling and began following her. As he walked out, he heard Director Loewe call his name. Restraining a sigh, he turned to look at the man.
“Mr. Grayson? Where are you heading? Are you leaving?”
“No. I was just curious about the venue. I wanted to take a look around.” Kaiser told the man.
“It’s beautiful right? I selected it myself. There’s a lovely grand staircase leading into a reception room that has the most amazing chandelier. let me show you. In fact, let me gather the cast and we can all view it.” Director Loewe said excitedly, glad that such a big CEO had not only attended but was interested in something he chose.
As the director gathered the rest of the cast, Kaiser waited impatiently. Once everyone was gathered he was the first out the door.
As he quickly caught sight of the staircase the director talked about, he caught sight of a flash of green and a familiar head of black hair.
As he got closer, he heard a shrill voice shouting something.
“Hey! What’s going on?” one of the blond cast mates yelled out as he began climbing up the stairs.
All of a sudden, he saw Valentina fall with Aaliyah on top of her. As he heard the blood-curdling scream, he felt his heart drop as he watched her body whack into the railing before rolling down the steps.
Quickly angling his body, he quickly braced himself and caught Valentina as she tumbled and almost slammed into the ground. Feeling her body shaking, he tried to hold her up without moving her too much. He couldn’t be sure she had broken anything and didn’t want to exacerbate any possible injuries.
As Valentina struggled to sit up, he heard her voice speak out.
"Aaliyah. What have I ever done to you? Why would you hit me and then push me down the stairs? Is it because your friend didn't get my role?"
"What?! No! you were the one who hit me and pushed me. Now you're pretending! My ankle hurts because of you!" Aaliyah shouted out and he shot a glare at the girl.
"I'm sorry for taking your friend's role, but violence is not the answer and I have a right to defend myself from your attacks," Valentina said and before anyone could respond, he felt her cough slightly, then blood came flying out of her mouth.
Her body kept heaving as blood kept flying out and he quickly held her hair back and tilted her forward so she wouldn’t choke.
As people began whispering and one person even screamed, he picked up the now-still and passed out Valentina and held her in his arms while glaring at Aaliyah.
“Aaliyah Salazar. Explain yourself. What did Valentina mean by your words? Why would you push her?” He coldly ordered while restraining his temper.
“I didn’t do anything. She’s lying. She hit me and then pretended to fall. Look at my face!” Aaliyah began sobbing brokenheartedly, tears trickling down her red face slowly. noting the slight red marks, Kaiser wanted to roll his eyes. This was a top actress? She hadn't even wiped the foundation staining her hands.
“It seems you think I'm blind? Or stupid. You clearly pushed her own. Director Loewe is this how you choose your actresses?” Kaiser turned to the director angrily.
“Mr. Grayson please calm down! I'm sure there’s a reasonable explanation for this!” the director replied in a panic.
“A reasonable explanation for attempted murder?” Roman interrupted coldly, “One actress is complaining about her face and sprained ankle while we just watched another tumble down the stairs and cough up blood. Please tell me what the reasonable explanation for that will be?”
“I-I'm sure Miss Aaliyah can explain what happened. Aaliyah?” Director Loewe stuttered while looking at Aaliyah who was crying nonstop. Suddenly, Aaliyah seemed to faint, her body falling down the last couple of steps and hitting the ground with a soft thud.
“Aaliyah? Wake up! somebody call an ambulance! We have two people down!” Director Loewe began shouting and people began panicking and running around while some pulled out their phones to record the incident.
Watching the farce happening in front of him, especially as Aaliyah fell while making sure to protect her face, Kaiser could feel his teeth grinding.
“You better give me a proper excuse for this Director Loewe and handle it well. You won’t like it if my people have to make a move. I’ll be taking Miss Valentina to the hospital first as she’s in a more urgent situation.” Kaiser held Valentina tighter, tucking her face into his jacket as he turned to Roman. As he passed him, he whispered, “Collect the security tapes and send everyone home. Parties over.”
“Got it. The car is being pulled up and the reporters are being cleared away. You should be good to go. Once I'm done I’ll go stay with Luca.”
“Thanks.”
Clutching Valentina tighter to his chest, Kaiser quickly walked out almost running in his panic.
He needed to get her treatment, and then he would finally get to the bottom of what was happening in the Salazar household and what exactly was going on with Valentina.
The drive to Imperial Hospital couldn’t come fast enough and as he walked through the private entrance reserved for VIPs; he grabbed the nurse on duty.
“Help her. She fell down some stairs and just coughed up a huge amount of blood. Money is not a problem so run every test you can and treat her. Now!”
Seeing the fierce expression on his face, the nurse wanted to pee her pants, but she quickly collected herself.
“Of course sir. Do you have any identification or her insurance card? So we can look up her charts and what is covered.”
“I’m Kaiser Grayson. This is my wife. I told you, the cost is not a concern so I expect the best care for her and her identity to be kept quiet got it?”
Hearing the threat in his tone, the nurse gulped.
“Of course sir. Let me get a stretcher and the doctor on duty.”
