Page 1 of Valentine's Miracle

Chapter One

Victoria

“I smell so fruity,” I mumble to myself, looking down at my pajamas as the blanket slides down from my chest.

It’s hot and heavy while it still traps most of the heat from my nap. I like sleeping throughout the day; it gives me bursts of energy to get to work while maintaining a level of awareness to understand where the equations had come to a dead-end.

I work as a mathematician for the government, and they don’t require me to be in an office space to get my creativity flowing. They would give me an assignment, typically a list of equations, in an envelope delivered by an agent, without any background information as to what it does to the bigger picture so I can be safe in my own home.

I can do work without having to face the danger that someone wants to kidnap me for information which I don’t even know myself. I like it that way; it’s less complicated and offers more freedom to me to wander around my home that the government paid for during the first year that I worked for them.

It was a contract bonus, and they sold it to me so good that I signed, but I don’t regret it. The house is in a gated community which is known to be frequented by military families as it’s close to the military base.

People thought it was weird that I live here without having a husband in the military. I don’t really care what they think because I barely go outside, and they better believe that when I do, it’s not to make friends.

Then rumors started that I did have a husband in the military base, but I was also cheating on him with the man that always comes to my house.

Sebastian is one of my childhood friends; he’s two years younger than me. Sebastian comes to me because he’s a clingy man who can’t stand talking on the phone because apparently that’s too impersonal for him since we grew up together.

He also likes to crash in my place because his apartment is always frequented by ants despite having fumigation there several times. Sebastian is a freeloader that eats all my food, but I can only blame myself for having a soft spot for him.

Silas, on the other hand, is a difficult boy.

I haven’t seen him or spoken to him in seven years. I was eighteen, ready for college, and he was sixteen, angry, and withdrawn.

I tried, and I tried to reach out to him, but he never answered.

Silas and Sebastian are still very close friends, and that’s when I knew that the problem originated from me.

It was difficult to understand what I had done wrong when he wouldn’t give me the time to explain and nothing I can do reached to him while I was in another state for college.

Time passed and Sebastian became the only thing that connects Silas and me. I would get updates about Silas through Sebastian’s daily rambling about his day, and from what I can tell, Silas is doing well himself, and I don’t have to worry about him.

It’s sad on my part that I only know enough about Silas through Sebastian, and I have only seen pictures of him. He’s grown into a fine man. Puberty did him justice as he looks massive in pictures.

I laugh, shaking my head and running a hand through my hair. “He’s doing fine.”

Whatever had happened, I wish he would talk to me and let me know what I had done for him to end our friendship in one day.

Another whiff of fruity scent fills my nose as I drop my feet down on the ground where I find my slippers. They’re warm and fuzzy as they tickle my skin. I should get rid of the smell on me because that bottle of shower gel is new and it’s too sweet for my taste.

I prefer a scent more towards the natural floral side than smelling like I had just jumped into a fountain of sugar.

I run a quick shoulder as my alarm suggests that I should really get ready for the event that requires my presence. I would have declined to be there if it wasn’t for Sebastian begging me to be there because he needs another slot for a bodyguard as he’s not enough to protect his charge.

‘Charge’ is what the security company calls its clients. Each ‘Charge’ or client is recommended to have two bodyguards given that they cater towards people with more than a few hundred grand to spare on protection as if their Fort Knox home security isn’t enough.

However, the event I have to go to is the one that Sebastian’s client is going to as well, and they only allow one accompanied guest.

Oh, the things I do for my friend.

I even brought a freaking dress for this occasion. A dress that fits a bit too snugly on my body, and it practically shows all the curves that I didn’t want to be shown. It’s a simple black dress that guarantees no prying eyes can see through the material while my feet are stuffed in a pair of heels that I know I will regret at the end of the night.

The car I called is at my front door when the security guard at the gate gives me a call, and my home security camera catches movements in the front when the driver gets out of the car and waits by the car door.

I pick up my small purse, searching for my keys and the necessities. I find my keys and a moisturizing lipstick that gives me color because I would be eating at the event. Oh yes, there is also a mint strip to prevent my breath from choking myself, and I need it to charm potential investors in my work.

I don’t plan on working for the government forever. I want to expand my horizons and work in the private sector. They pay better and with better benefits, and they hardly have their workers do overtime over the weekends and holidays.

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