Valentina pov
The older man before me raised a brow at the word that slipped from my mouth. Before I could process what was happening, my body moved on its own-I fell to the ground, scrambling back, desperate to put distance between us. My entire body trembled, drenched in sweat, and the air around me felt thick, suffocatingly slow.
“You useless girl! Can’t you just pull the damn trigger? You act all fucking innocent, but if you don’t learn how to kill, you’ll die instead. This world is survival of the fittest, not some fucking fairytale!”
“Even though you’re useless, you should at least learn how to fight. I don’t care if you’re tired-you’re running those fucking laps until you pass out!”
“How dare you! Lock her up in the basement and do not feed her. Maybe when she starves, she’ll learn her lesson.”
“Continue whipping her, but do not touch her face. Be careful about that.”
Images.
Blurry, fragmented images flashed through my mind like a broken reel, forcing me to squeeze my eyes shut as tears spilled down my cheeks. My chest ached as an overwhelming fear gripped me, suffocating me, choking me. My body instinctively reacted, curling in on itself as though it was trying to protect me from something unseen.
I clutched my chest, gasping for air, my lips trembling uncontrollably.
What was happening? Why was I reacting to this man like this? I had watched Alexander kill with my own eyes-yet nothing had shaken me like this.
So why… him?
“Emily?” the man drawled, his tone carrying a hint of surprise. Slowly, I raised my head to meet his gaze, and for a brief, agonizing moment, we simply stared at each other.
Neither of us moved. Then suddenly, the corner of his lips curled into a slow, amused smirk, as if he had just remembered something.
“Ah, it is you, Emily. I didn’t realize that,” he said, stepping toward me. “What are you doing here?”
He reached out, offering to help me up, but before he could touch me, I instinctively recoiled and moved away.
His smirk widened at my reaction, yet he said nothing. Instead, he straightened, tucking his hands into his pockets, watching me intently.
I couldn’t help but take in his features. He appeared to be in his fifties, with black hair and sharp brown eyes. Despite his age, he still looked strong-broad-shouldered and undeniably imposing.
He made me afraid. He made me want to run away and hide.
“Are you okay, Emily? You look kind of pale. Is seeing me that scary?” he asked, his tone dripping with amusement.
My heart pounded heavily against my chest as a single thought ran through my mind-I needed to leave. I had to get away from him as soon as possible.
Before he could say anything else, I was already on my feet, wiping away the tears that brimmed in my eyes, threatening to spill.
“G-Good evening. I-I’m sorry for being here. I got lost while looking for the restroom,” I stammered, struggling to steady my voice, though my entire body felt like it was about to collapse.
The man observed me for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter.
“Haha, you don’t have to apologize. It’s really okay. I didn’t mean to scare you-it’s my fault,” he said, his tone surprisingly light.
I blinked, my hands clenching at my sides as I took a deep, shaky breath before offering him a small bow.
“Thank you. I’ll be leaving now,” I forced the words out and turned toward the door, my legs barely holding me up. I managed to pass him, but just as I reached for the handle, his hand caught mine, stopping me in place.
I froze.
My breath hitched as he tilted his head to the side, his eyes boring into me, his smirk widening.
“But dear Emily, why are you acting like you don’t know me? It’s making me quite upset given the history we have, you know.”
My eyes widened in confusion at his words.
What? We’ve met before? Of course, we have-he knows my name. But… I don’t remember him.
I opened my mouth to apologize, to explain that I couldn’t recall who he was, but his next words sent a chill down my spine.
“Or perhaps you’re pretending because you don’t want your husband to know?”
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.
“You don’t want your husband to find out that you betrayed him… that you were willing to work with me to take him down. That the real reason you were running away the night of your accident wasn’t what he thinks it was.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, my entire body going rigid.
“What?”
I had no idea what he was talking about, yet his words still managed to shock me.
The man leaned back, his face just inches from mine, but this time, the smirk was gone. His eyes narrowed, a deep frown settling on his lips as he stared at me with an intensity that made my breath hitch.
“Don’t act dumb with me, Emily. My patience is wearing thin. Where is it? Don’t think you can hide it from me forever,” he hissed through clenched teeth, his grip on me tightening.
I didn’t understand what he was saying, but for some reason, I knew that if I didn’t answer him, things would end badly. I would be in trouble.
So, I quickly parted my lips to speak, but before I could, another different voice cut through the tension.
“Let go of her.”
Both our heads snapped toward the door, and I stiffened at the sight of the stranger standing there.
Black hair. Blue eyes. And a frown so cold, it seemed to suck all the warmth from the room.
Where had I seen him before?
The older man, however, didn’t look surprised. If anything, his smirk widened, his eyes gleaming with something unreadable. His grip on my wrist tightened, and I was certain it had already left a bruise.
“Luca, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with your wife?” he asked smoothly, but the man, Luca didn’t respond.
His gaze dropped to the hand gripping mine, his expression darkening before he spoke again, his voice even colder than before.
“I said, let go of her.”
This time, it wasn’t a request. It was a warning.