Valentina pov
The entire place buzzed with guests, each exuding an air of wealth and importance. The men were dressed in suits, the women in elegant gowns-everyone screamed money and status.
My gaze trailed over the massive mansion, and I felt uneasy. With each passing second, the pounding in my chest grew stronger, my breath hitching as everything felt suffocating. This place was suffocating.
“Good evening, Dr. Daniel, Madam Emily, and Sir Julian. Welcome.”
My eyes snapped to the elderly woman dressed in a maid’s uniform, her head bowed in obedience.
I raised a brow, studying her face.
She looked familiar. No-scratch that. This entire place looked familiar.
I frowned as Daniel responded with a brief greeting, and the maid led us toward the garden where the ceremony was set to take place.
“Do you feel okay? You’re looking really pale. Should I check up on you?” Daniel asked in a low whisper. I turned to him, noticing the slight worry in his eyes. Even Sebastian and Julian looked concerned, making me wonder just how sick I must have appeared.
“I’m fine, just didn’t get enough sleep last night,” I said with a small smile.
Julian snorted, shaking his head. “Well then, this is where we part ways, Uncle, sister-in-law, and Sebastian. I need to go mingle with the ladies before Uncle Alexander arrives. See you soon.”
Daniel opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get a word out, Julian had already vanished in the blink of an eye.
My eye twitched. Julian always came across as lazy-the type to scroll on his phone all day, acting like getting up was a chore. But when it came to women? He moved like the freaking Flash.
“Sometimes, I can’t believe that boy is the son of the most dangerous man in Italy,” Daniel muttered under his breath. “But I guess there’s always a black sheep in the family… like me.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the way he said it-like he’d fully accepted his fate.
Daniel sighed and then turned to me as the maid showed us to our designated table before leaving.
“About what I wanted to say… I’ll tell you later, but don’t leave my side throughout the night, okay?” Daniel said, his expression unusually serious. He rarely looked this tense, and that only heightened my anxiety.
What was he going to tell me? And what did he mean by saying I shouldn’t trust Alexander? What on earth was going on?
However, before I could ask, another voice interrupted.
“Good evening, Mrs. Emily. It’s lovely to see you here.”
I stiffened at the sight of them.
Damien and his wife, Caelina.
Damien stood before me in a sharp blue suit, his blond hair neatly styled and gelled. He looked like one of those men from fairytales, the prince charming who would save the damsel in distress. But for some reason, he didn’t feel that way. Instead, he felt like a devil in disguise. Despite his polished appearance, there was something about him that made me despise him.
His wife, Caelina, carried an air of elegance, just like the last time I had met her. Blonde hair, striking blue eyes, and a matching blue dress. Standing side by side, they looked good together.
My eyes flickered behind them, and I saw her-what was her name again? Damien’s sister?
Tessa.
But this time, she wasn’t alone. Beside her stood an older woman-one who bore a striking resemblance to both Tessa and Damien. My first thought was that she must be their mother
My breath hitched as I saw their polite smiles at me as they nodded in greeting.
Yet, as I took in the people before me, a single question echoed in my mind-why do I feel this way about this family? This hatred, this pain, this constant feeling to get away from them.
I couldn’t explain it, but my body trembled, and I had to fight back the urge to throw up.
“Can you hear me?” A light tap on my shoulder snapped me out of my daze, and I blinked, realizing that everyone was now staring at me.
Ah, shit.
What was wrong with me today?
“Mrs. Emily, are you okay?” Caelina’s voice pulled me back to reality.
I took a deep breath, forcing a smile as I shifted my gaze to her. “Y-yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry for not answering sooner. Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Laurent. It’s lovely meeting you here.”
Almost instantly, Caelina smiled, but Damien’s expression remained unreadable. His sharp eyes studied me, as if trying to piece something together.
The way he looked at me made me uneasy.
“Of course don’t worry Mrs Emily. I assume Mr. Knight hasn’t arrived yet,” she said, glancing around with a widening smile. “My husband wishes to speak with him.”
Damien stiffened at her words but quickly forced a smile, giving me a polite nod of acknowledgment.
“Good evening, Mrs. Emily. How have you been-”
Before he could finish, Daniel cut in beside me, his tone light yet firm.
“Good evening, good evening. We’ve all exchanged pleasantries, haven’t we? Now, can we sit down? My legs are getting rather tired from all this standing.”
Everyone froze at the unexpected remark, and we all turned to find Daniel rudely eyeing Damien, the corner of his lips curling into a sneer.
I blinked, taken aback by his blatant attitude, but Daniel didn’t seem to care. He simply scoffed, grabbed my hand, and dragged me to an empty seat, ignoring everyone around us as if they didn’t even exist.
My eyes widened as I tried to make sense of what was happening, but before I could, Daniel leaned in and whispered-or at least tried to.
“Don’t speak to them. They’re not good people.”
“…”
He knew they could clearly hear him, right?
Oh, he definitely knew-especially with the stunned expressions they were now giving us.
“H-how dare you-” Damien’s mother was the first to snap, but Damien held her firmly, shaking his head before saying something along the lines of,
“Do not say anything. He is Alexander’s twin brother. The owner of Clearbrook Medical Center-the biggest in the country.”
That seemed to shut his mother up instantly. Though she shot Daniel a glare, the family silently found their seats, yet I could still feel Damien’s piercing gaze on me.
“Sigh… Dr. Daniel, please don’t forget the boss’s order not to cause trouble here,” Sebastian reminded him, but Daniel merely scoffed, loosening his tie before grabbing the glass of wine in front of him and downing it in seconds.
“I won’t listen to that jerk anymore! I won’t! Alexander isn’t God-he can’t dictate my life.”
Sebastian scoffed, adjusting his glasses. “Yet you were in tears when he threw a knife at you.”
“Y-you-That was because I was caught off guard-”
I finally managed to speak after struggling for a while. “Can I… Can I use the restroom? I’ll be quick.”
Daniel and Sebastian halted their bickering and turned to me.
“Of course, I’ll follow you. Let’s go.”
I frowned. Follow me to the restroom?
“No, no. I can go by myself. I’ll just ask around and be back really quick.”
Before Daniel could say anything absurd again, I quickly stood up and walked away from our table, heading toward the house.
I couldn’t hold it in any longer-the overwhelming urge to throw up was unbearable.
Before I knew it, my feet had carried me in a direction I hadn’t consciously chosen. I wasn’t sure how or when it happened, but I suddenly found myself standing in front of a black door.
Instinctively, I reached out and pushed it open before my brain could fully process what I was doing. Stepping inside, I froze.
The room was pitch black, but the reflection of the moonlight cast just enough brightness to reveal the small, unfamiliar space before me.
There was a small bed in the middle of the room, a cabinet stood beside it, and a wardrobe occupied the far corner. The space was simple and plain, unlike the rest of the house, but it was clear that no one had been here for a while-dust coated every surface.
I frowned, clutching my chest as an inexplicable wave of sadness washed over me.
“This isn’t the restroom,” I muttered, snapping out of my daze. Taking a deep breath, I realized I must have wandered in without realizing it. I needed to leave before anyone saw me-I didn’t want it to seem like I was sneaking around.
I turned to go, but before I could take a step, something fell from the wall, stopping me in place.
I looked down, furrowing my brows.
A picture?
It was turned upside down so I couldn’t see it.
I sighed and bent down, reaching out to pick it up, but before I could, a voice froze me mid-motion.
“Who are you, and what do you think you’re doing here?”
Fear.
How do you describe fear?
An overwhelming urge to run from something terrifying? Or the sinking dread in your stomach when you come face-to-face with your worst nightmare?
Either way, that was what I felt now. But it wasn’t the same fear I had when Alexander tortured someone in front of me or when people were shot dead around me.
No.
This fear was different-deeper, colder. It had been carved into my very bones.
Slowly, I raised my head, my breath hitching as I met the cold, piercing eyes of the man standing in the doorway.
“Father.”
The word slipped from my lips before I could stop it.