Valentina pov
“Well… Emily was a kind-hearted person, but she often had trouble with anyone who wasn’t Alexander or Felix. She especially clashed with the female maids and jealousy often got the better of her when any of them came near Alexander. You could say she was possessive, but she was also a devoted wife and mother to both Alexander and Felix.”
I frowned, replaying their words in my mind. There was something odd about how they spoke about me. It felt like they were speaking about another person entirely because… why wouldn’t they just call me Emily?
It felt unsettling, like something wasn’t quite right.
Weird. Really weird. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts, before tilting the glass back and drowning the champagne in one swift motion. The burning taste sliding down my throat.
“Hey, wait, you’re drinking too much,” Daniel’s voice broke through my thoughts, and I looked up to find both him and Sebastian watching me with concerned, almost guilty expressions.
I blinked, trying to make sense of what Daniel had just said. He was staring at my hand. I followed his gaze to see the glass I was holding, then shifted my focus to the empty glasses on the table.
I gasped, covering my mouth in shock. Had I really drunk all of these? No, it couldn’t have been just me… right? But as I glanced around, it was clear-we were the only ones at the table, and Daniel and Sebastian hadn’t even touched the full glasses in front of them.
It was me.
I turned to Daniel and Sebastian with a sheepish smile, setting the empty glass in my hand back on the table.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, licking my bottom lip nervously as I avoided their stunned expressions. “I didn’t realize I’d kept drinking.”
“What do you mean, you didn’t realize?” Daniel exclaimed, raising a brow. “You were practically drowning those drinks like water, and you kept stopping the servers to ask for more, at this point I noticed they kept coming to our direction with more drinks in their tray”
I winced at his words, my sheepish smile faltering as I avoided his amused yet incredulous gaze. “I… I didn’t think I was drinking that much,” I muttered weakly, glancing at Sebastian for backup.
Sebastian, however, simply shook his head with a soft sigh, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Madam, You’ve had seven glasses, and you didn’t even notice? That’s… impressive, I guess?” he added, though his tone sounded more concerned than impressed.
I pouted and glanced around the spacious, glamorous ballroom, my gaze drifting with slight boredom over the elegant crowd gathered before me.
When I had entered the ballroom earlier with Sebastian and Daniel, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The long, gleaming chandeliers hung like crystal waterfalls from the high ceiling, their light casting a soft glow over the polished marble floors.
It felt like something out of a fairytale, and I was excited, especially at the sight of all the food on the tables. But soon, that excitement turned into utter boredom.
Why?
Because all these people did was talk and talk. Some had approached me earlier to strike up a conversation, but I couldn’t remember any of them or even understand half of what they were saying. Like, how on earth would I know about the latest clothing lines when I didn’t even remember my last meal?
Or what kinds of guns and weapons were popular on the black market. Yes, a man had the audacity to walk up to me and ask me that question. When I said I didn’t know, he actually suggested I ask my husband.
Sigh. What kind of party was this?
“Hello, boss.” My attention shifted to Sebastian as he answered his phone.
Boss? My heart skipped a beat. Alexander. Excitement bubbled within me, and I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. Was he here already?
Sebastian’s expression grew serious as he glanced at his watch. “Got it, boss. I’ll be there in a bit,” he said before ending the call.
“What’s wrong? Is Alexander on his way?” Daniel asked, his tone curious. Sebastian hesitated, his gaze flickering to me briefly.
“Boss is close by,” he said. “I need to step out to take care of something, but I’ll be right back.”
Before Sebastian could take a step, Daniel stopped him, rising from his seat. His tall frame towered over Sebastian as he looked down at him with an intense, penetrating gaze.
Sebastian glanced up at Daniel, confusion flickering in his eyes, but I didn’t miss the faint blush creeping up his ears. For a moment, it was as though the world around them faded, leaving just the two of them.
My mouth formed an ‘O’ to hide the growing smile as my eyes sparkled with amusement while I watched the scene unfold before me.
Gosh, men liking men! I grinned, and I was sure I looked like a creep at that moment, but who cared? Two hot men were blessing my sight. They should kiss-oh my goodness!
“I’ll go with you. What if something happens along the way? I’ll protect you,” Daniel said, his voice low and deep.
Sebastian, however, shot him a deadpan look. “No, thank you. You’d be the first to hide behind me if something actually happened.” Sebastian said, removing his hand from his grip and something told me he was still upset at Daniel for his comment in the car earlier.
After two minutes of convincing Daniel and Sebastian that I would be fine on my own, they finally gave in, leaving me with strict instructions to stay put and not wander off. I almost scoffed at how they were treating me like a child. It wasn’t like I was going to cause any trouble.
“Hey, excuse me,” I called out to a server, stopping them in their tracks. I pointed to the drink on the tray with a wide grin.
“Can I have that?”
What? One or two drinks wouldn’t hurt.