The sky was almost cloaked in the pre-dawn darkness, a deep indigo hue hanging over the horizon.
Valerie stood by her window, staring out into the gloom as the tension gnawed at her insides. Her mind was racing, and her heartbeat was a chaotic rhythm in her chest.
She paced around her room, anxiety tightening around her throat like a noose. She muttered curses under her breath, her usual composure long gone.
‘Does he think he can marry me?’
‘Who does he think he is?’
‘Cold, heartless bastard,’ she spat, her fingers clenched into fists as she tried to contain the fury and fear swirling inside her.
She was in the middle of cursing Raven when her phone rang. She picked it up immediately. “Are you here, Elara?”
Elara’s voice on the other end was slightly breathless. “I’m here. Trance is with me too.”
Valerie exhaled in relief, and the tension in her shoulders loosening slightly. “Good, good.”
“But Val,” Elara said, her voice low with worry, “there’s so much security outside your house. What the hell is going on?”
Valerie clenched her teeth. Of course, Raven had planned for this. She cursed under her breath, the anger simmering beneath her skin. “That asshole.”
“How are you going to get out? There’s no way they’ll let you just walk out.”
“Don’t worry,” Valerie said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. “I’m coming out.”
Ending the call, she grabbed a small bag with essentials and looked around the room one last time. Her nerves were rattled, but she couldn’t afford to hesitate.
She walked swiftly towards the back of the house, where a balcony overlooked the rear road. She peeked down and her heart sank when she saw at least seven or eight guards patrolling below.
This wasn’t protection. This was imprisonment. In her own home.
Her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white, and rage flared hot in her chest.
She missed her father so much it hurt. If he were here, things would be different.
A tear slid down her cheek, but she wiped it away quickly. She couldn’t afford to be weak right now. “You can do this, Valerie. Be strong,” she whispered to herself.
Then an idea struck her.
Glancing around, she slipped into a small storage room and grabbed a pile of heavy curtains. Moving swiftly, she returned to her room and retrieved a lighter from her desk drawer. She held her breath as she flicked it on, the tiny flame trembling in her hands.
She stared at it for a second, then touched it to the edge of the fabric.
Within moments, the flames licked upward, consuming the curtains rapidly.
Valerie stepped back, her pulse racing as the fire grew, casting an eerie glow across the balcony.
Outside, one of the guards noticed the flickering light. “Fire!” he shouted, panic in his voice.
The other guards turned, saw the blaze, and ran towards the house, abandoning their position to try and put it out.
In the shadows, Valerie watched them scatter.
This was her moment.
She quickly dialed Elara again. “Come to the back. Now,” she whispered before hanging up.
With the guards distracted, she moved to the side of the balcony and grabbed hold of the drainpipe. She climbed down, her hands slipping against the cold metal, her heart hammering in her chest.
She could hear the shouts of the guards as they rushed to deal with the fire, their footsteps fading as she reached the ground.
The sound of a car approaching made her pulse quicken.
Elara.
Valerie hurried forward, her body tense and on edge. She had made it. She was going to escape.
She was just about to step into the shadow of freedom when a voice, cold as ice, sliced through the air.
“Going somewhere, sweetheart?”
Valerie froze, her blood turning to ice. Her whole body tensed, but she forced herself to keep walking, pretending she hadn’t heard the voice.
One foot in front of the other, she told herself.
She could still make it.
Just keep moving.
But the voice came again, closer now, filled with dark amusement. “Brave of you to think you can leave just like that.”
Her steps faltered.
She couldn’t ignore him any longer.
Slowly, with dread crawling up her spine, she turned around.
Raven stood there, his eyes gleaming in the dim light, as cold and dark as the sky above them. His expression was unreadable, but there was nothing but darkness in his gaze that made her feel small, trapped.
Valerie took a step back, her breath shallow and fast.
She wanted to run, to scream, to fight.
Anything to get away from him. But before she could move, Raven closed the distance between them in two quick strides.
Without a word, he grabbed her, lifting her off the ground as if she weighed nothing.
“No!” Valerie thrashed in his arms, her fists pounding against his chest, but it was useless. He didn’t even flinch, his grip like iron.
“Put me down, you asshole!” she shouted, her voice cracking with panic, but Raven didn’t even acknowledge her protest.
His face was calm, almost serene, as he carried her back toward the house, like a predator dragging its prey back to its lair.
From the corner of her eye, Valerie saw Elara and Trance sitting in the car, the engine still running. The windows were tinted, but she knew they could see her.
Raven glanced in their direction, his eyes narrowing. For a moment, she feared he might turn his attention to them, but he simply looked away, as if dismissing them entirely.
Inside the car, Elara and Trance sat frozen, their bodies tense with fear. Even through the glass, they felt the weight of Raven’s gaze, a cold, oppressive presence that made the air feel thick.
Elara’s hand tightened around the steering wheel, her knuckles white.
“We should go,” Trance whispered, but Elara didn’t move.
Back inside the house, Raven kicked the door to Valerie’s room open and deposited her roughly onto her bed.
She scrambled to sit up, her body shaking with anger and fear, but Raven didn’t give her a chance to protest.
He grabbed her phone from her bag and slid it into his pocket, then turned and walked out of the room without a word.
Valerie jumped up, rushing to the door, but before she could reach it, she heard the unmistakable sound of a lock clicking into place.
She pounded her fists against the door, her voice hoarse from shouting. “Let me out! You can’t keep me here, you psycho..!!!”
Outside, Raven stood calmly as her screams echoed down the hall. He glanced at Eliot, his assistant, who was standing nearby, his face pale and drenched in sweat.
“Do you have something to say?” Raven’s voice was as cold as ever, but there was an edge to it that made Eliot’s stomach churn.
“I-I’m sorry, boss,” Eliot stammered, his voice barely a whisper. “I didn’t know she would leave from the back. I… I thought she was in her room…”
Raven’s gaze remained fixed on him, unblinking. “I told you to keep an eye on her, Eliot.”
“I’m sorry,” Eliot repeated, his knees feeling weak. “It won’t happen again.”
Raven’s lip curled slightly, a hint of a smile that never reached his eyes. “You’re dismissed.”
Eliot didn’t need to be told twice. He bowed his head quickly and scurried away, his heart pounding in his chest.
As he disappeared down the hall, Raven turned back to the locked door of Valerie’s room. He could still hear her shouting, her voice raw with frustration and desperation.
But he didn’t care.
She could scream all she wanted.