Valentina pov
“Do you want to attend?” Alexander’s voice shattered my thoughts, pulling me out of my daze. I blinked, my gaze snapping to him, only to find his penetrating stare fixed on me. His eyes were narrowed, studying my every reaction with a dangerous glint, as if searching for something beneath the surface.
For a moment, it felt like the breath had been knocked out of me. Those gray eyes-there was something about them that always seemed to stir something deep within me. And then, as if a floodgate had opened, the memories of everything that happened yesterday came rushing back all at once. Before I knew it, heat rushed to my cheeks, and a deep blush spread across my face as I remembered how huge his dic-
Fuck.
Get those unholy, sinful thoughts out of your head this instant!
Alexander’s gaze sharpened when I didn’t answer, and I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, waiting-expecting me to say something. But you see, my mind was somewhere else entirely, far from the question Alexander had just asked.
My gaze flickered away from his piercing eyes to his lips, and before I could stop myself, I licked my bottom lip instinctively, remembering how soft they felt against mine. Then, my eyes trailed lower-to his tattooed hands, the same hands that had been inside me last night-before drifting even lower, stopping at the table blocking the view.
A shiver ran down my spine.
Before I could stop myself, the corners of my lips curved into a smile, my heart hammering wildly against my chest.
Oh my God! I had really had sex with such a gorgeous man last night.
“Ahem, ahem! There is a child sitting here, hello!”
I froze as Daniel’s voice snapped me back to the present.
You could literally hear a pin (or my heart) drop as I raised my head, only to find everyone staring at me with a strange expression. Their eyes held a knowing look, as though they had read my mind- even little Felix, who sat beside me. His eyes twitched, and with a sigh, he shook his head before returning his focus to the food in front of him.
“Didn’t you hear what I just said? You’re not deaf, are you?” Alexander’s voice was sharp, and I shifted my gaze to meet his. For a fleeting second, I swore I saw a subtle smirk on his face, but it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.
“I-I heard you.” I cleared my throat, speaking quickly to dispel the awkwardness before lifting the envelope to my face.
“Y-you asked if I wanted to go, right? Do you know them?” My eyes flickered back to the invitation in my hand, lingering unconsciously on the bride’s name.
Jessica Vance.
I had no idea who she was, yet the moment I saw the name, something inside me reacted violently. My grip tightened around the invitation.
Vance.
It wasn’t just the name-but something else. A strange, gnawing sensation crawled up my spine, as if another name should have come before it, but no matter how hard I tried, it remained just out of reach, like a memory sealed away.
Was it Nick? Nico-
“It doesn’t matter whether he knows them or not. You are not going,” Daniel declared before Alexander could speak.
The moment the words left his mouth, I could feel the murderous intent radiating off Alexander, suffocating and heavy. Daniel felt it too. His throat bobbed as he swallowed nervously, instinctively stepping back. Yet, despite the fear flickering in his eyes, he still puffed out his chest and pressed on.
“A-Alexander, even if you’re cruel, this is too much. You can’t just do what you did to the girl and then-”
Before he could finish, Sebastian moved swiftly, clamping a hand over his mouth from behind, silencing him.
“Mmmmmm,” Daniel struggled against Sebastian’s hold, but Sebastian only shook his head, leaning in to whisper something in his ear. Almost instantly, Daniel’s eyes widened in horror as they locked onto the knife gripped in Alexander’s hand.
Alexander rested his head on his hand, idly toying with the knife between his fingers as he narrowed his gaze at Daniel, his expression unreadable. Then, without warning, he rotated the knife and swung it.
Daniel’s face twisted in horror, his body frozen as the blade hurtled toward him-only to fly past and embed itself into the wall behind him.
A sharp scream that sounded very much like an eagle echoed through the room, drawing everyone’s attention to Julian. He stood rigid against the wall, eyes wide with terror, his breath coming in short gasps. The knife had landed mere inches from his head.
Oh my God. Oh my God. Alexander had almost killed Julian. If the knife had been just an inch closer to his head, he would have been dead.
“Oh my God,” Julian and Daniel gasped in unison before collapsing onto the ground, their hands clutching their heads in sheer terror at what had just happened.
“Foolish,” Alexander’s cold voice rang out, sending a chill down my spine. Every hair on my body stood on end as my gaze shifted to him, only to find his piercing eyes locked onto Daniel and Julian.
His face remained expressionless, yet the sheer intensity of his presence was enough to freeze everyone in the room-everyone except Felix, who continued eating, entirely unfazed, as if the unfolding tension had nothing to do with him.
“How foolish of you to speak to me that way.” Alexander pointed another knife he had picked up from the table at Daniel, who swallowed nervously, then turned it toward Julian, who trembled. “And how foolish of you to think you could sneak away from my sight. All of you are fools who seem to have forgotten your place. Do I need to remind you what happens when you do?”
Julian and Daniel immediately shook their heads, tears streaming down their faces.
“Words,” Alexander commanded, leaning back in his seat, crossing his legs as he casually reached for the wine on the table, twirling it between his fingers.
“N-no, I’m sorry. Alexander, I spoke out of line. Please forgive me,” Daniel sniffed, wiping his tears.
“Yes, p-please forgive me, Uncle. Please forgive me!” Julian sobbed even harder.
Alexander nodded in satisfaction before shifting his gaze to me.
The moment his piercing eyes landed on me, I shot up from my seat faster than a startled cat and bowed deeply.
“F-forgive me. Wait-no! I meant, I would love to attend the engagement ceremony” I said with a nervous smile, and almost immediately the corner of Alexander’s lips curled up into a smirk as he sipped his wine causally.
Fuck, sometimes I forget that I was married to the devil.