Alexander. What was I doing here? No matter how many times I asked myself that question, I couldn’t come up with an answer. I had retreated to my room, determined to block out that insufferable nuisance and force myself to rest. Yet, somehow, my body had betrayed me. Before I even realized it, I had wandered here, my steps carrying me down the hall without reason or logic. And when I finally became aware of where I was, I didn’t stop. I just kept walking. Now, I stood at the entrance of the kitchen, staring at what could only be described as the most ridiculous scene of my life. “Well, good for you! I guess you moved on really easily. You found a new girl, and it only took a couple of weeks! Remember when you said that you wanted to give me the world?” Valentina stood on the stool, eyes closed and chopsticks clutched tightly in her hand as she sang the lyrics at the top of her lungs, one hand dramatically pressed against her chest as though she were performing on a grand stage
Valentina pov I closed my eyes and squeezed my face as the maids carefully applied makeup, their hands swift and practiced. "Madam, please relax and refrain from furrowing your brows," Martha said, her voice stern, and I could practically feel the weight of her gaze drilling into me. I sighed in frustration, my body already stiff and sore from all the sitting around. How long does it take to apply makeup? It had already been two hours when Martha and a number of maids barged into the room, forced me into the shower, dressed me in a form-fitting gown, and now this. When I asked why she was dressing me as though I were attending a royal ball, she replied calmly, “Madam, it is for an upcoming event you will be attending with Master this evening.” Her tone was firm but professional as she added, “You must look your best, as today will mark the first time you present yourself to the world after your accident.” I was shocked when she said that— because honestly, how could she wak
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 bl
Valentina pov I was about to puke. I must have had a little too much because as I walked—no, wobbled—toward the restroom, the walls seemed to close in. I covered my mouth, struggling to stay on my feet and not collapse in a heap, but with every passing second, it got harder to hold it in. I could feel the judgmental stares from everyone around me as I hurried along, but I couldn’t care less. God, I really should’ve stopped after three glasses. But could you blame me? Twenty minutes had passed, and neither Sebastian nor Daniel had returned. Sitting there alone with nothing to do had been so painfully boring that another drink—or five—felt like the only way to pass the time. “P-please…” I gagged, clamping a hand over my mouth as I stopped a server along the way. “Apologies, madam, but I’m not carrying champagne right now. However, I can—” “Not that… the restroom, where is it?” I interrupted, my voice strained. “Ooh, it’s this way, to the right,” the server replied. As soon as t
The first thing I did was run. I couldn’t face the humiliation, so I bolted without a second glance, probably leaving both the man and woman stunned but I didn't care, I had to save the little dignity I had left.What had I just done? The second Sebastian and Daniel left me alone, I caused trouble. Great. I was so dumb—I wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. As I sprinted away, too busy contemplating my life choices to watch where I was going, I abruptly collided with someone, the impact causing something warm to spill all over me.“What the fuck?! Are you blind?” a shrill female voice snapped, and I gasped, realizing I had accidentally spilled the person’s drink.“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, it was a…” I began to apologize, but the moment I looked up and saw the person, I froze, unable to get a word out.My body tensed, and a shiver ran down my spine as I took in the sight of the woman in front of me. Before I knew it, I instinctively took a step back
Alexander pov “I’m sorry for what he did to you, you shouldn't have lost Emily that day. I tried saving her, but it was too late; he had gotten to her before I could stop the accident…” Her words replayed in my mind as I tapped my fingers continuously on the seat, my eyes narrowing. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't understand what she meant by that. Emily… Had she known her before she lost her memories? The way she had spoken left so many questions unanswered. I groaned in frustration and stopped the rhythmic drumming of my fingers. Almost immediately, the car came to a sudden halt, pulling me out of my thoughts. I narrowed my eyes, looking straight ahead to see that the car in front had stopped abruptly, blocking the road. “What’s going on?” I asked, straightening in my seat with a frown. “Apologies, boss. Looks like the car ahead of us had an accident. I’ll take another route,” Adrian replied, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror, waiting for my approval. I
Valentina pov “Alexander, we've met earlier” a deep, commanding voice cut through the tension, and I instinctively looked up to meet the imposing figure now standing beside me. His sharp features were as cold as his tone. “Emily’s husband,” he continued, his piercing gaze fixed on Damien. “And I don’t appreciate another man trying to touch my wife.” Everyone froze and I blinked trying to process what had just happened. Alexander stood there before me dressed in an expensive suits, his tall frame towering over everyone present including Damien. I could feel everyone's eyes on him and the chattering around us instantly quiet down as they all looked at Alexander, his presence alone dominated the place like no one else did. “Ah, yes. Apologies Mr Alexander, forgive me for the mistake” Damien swallowed nervously before forcing a tight smile yet Alexander didn't release his hand, his expression cold, piercing straight into Damien. I stood there, unable to tear my gaze from Alex
“No… I’m fine. Just save him. Save Felix first. You have to get him out. I don’t care if I die, but he has to live. Felix has to live, so…”“So please save my son.”I gasped, jolting awake, my hand instinctively flying to my throat as I struggled to breathe. No matter how hard I tried, it felt like my breath was trapped. Sweat trickled down my forehead, and my trembling fingers reached to clutch my chest.“Breathe, Valentina, breathe,” I whispered under my breath, trying to calm the panic surging through me, but I froze the moment I uttered that name.Valentina? That name…Before I could dwell on it, a sudden wave of nausea overwhelmed me. My hand flew to my mouth as I gagged, and without a second thought, I rushed toward the bathroom.I barged in, heading straight for the sink. I didn’t even make it to the toilet before I leaned over, letting it all out in one agonizing rush.I gagged and closed my eyes as a throbbing pain overwhelmed my senses, nearly blurring my vision. I hissed an
Valentina pov “I asked you a question! I know you’re not deaf! What the hell are you doing with my fiancé?” the woman screamed, and at any moment, I felt she was going to lunge at me. I opened my mouth to speak, my voice faltering. “I-It’s a misunderstanding, there’s nothing going on—” Before I could finish, Luca stepped away from me and stood up. Without hesitation, he walked over to the furious woman, stopping right in front of her. He casually tucked his hands into his pockets, his gaze turning icy as he looked down at her—the same cold expression he had given the older man earlier. I stiffened, watching as the woman flinched under his stare, instinctively stepping back. Fear flickered in her eyes, her earlier anger vanishing in the blink of an eye. “What do you think you’re doing?” Luca’s voice was devoid of emotion. “L-Luca, what is the meaning of this?” she stammered, her voice trembling. “Why are you in a room with another woman? Are you already cheating on me before we’v
Alexander pov “We have them surrounded, and the goods from the warehouse have been secured. What should we do with Nico’s men?” Adrian asked from behind me. I didn’t turn around. My eyes remained fixed on the scene below—twenty, maybe thirty of Nico’s men, all forced to their knees, hands bound behind their backs. Some trembled, others glared defiantly, but they all knew their fate. They were going die either by me or Nico. I exhaled slowly, the smoke swirling around me before speaking. “No loose ends, Adrian. You know what to do.” “Understood, boss,” Adrian responded with a bow before turning to carry out my orders. “You really are ruthless, aren’t you? Not even a shred of mercy,” Xavier remarked from behind me as he strolled to the railing, casually leaning against it with a smirk. I took a slow drag from my cigarette, inhaling deeply, but didn’t bother responding. I watched as Nico's men were forced to their knees, roughly lined up as if awaiting execution. No— they were ab
Valentina pov"I said, let go of her."This time, the older man holding my wrist actually frowned but, after a brief hesitation, released his grip. Almost instantly, I took a step back, rubbing my wrist—not because of the bruise, but because his touch made my skin crawl.It disgusted me."Luca, what are you doing here?" The man turned his attention to him, forcing a smile. "The ceremony should be starting soon. Shouldn't you be with your bride-to-be?"Even though I didn't know this man, one thing was clear, he was furious. His forced smile couldn't hide the way his hands clenched into fists, knuckles white with restrained anger.Luca didn’t respond. His expression remained unreadable, but the tension in his jaw, the way his shoulders stiffened, made it obvious that he was barely holding himself back.I felt so out of place.How the hell had things escalated to this?I shouldn't have wandered off. I shouldn't have walked into this room.God, why do I always manage to get myself into tr
Luca pov “Why are you sleeping in the car when you’re about to get engaged?” Marcus asked as he opened the door, letting in the cool night air. I didn’t respond, my eyes remained closed as I toyed with the coin in my grip, my mind clouded with thoughts. “Luca, I know you can hear me! Why do you always have a habit of ignoring people? Can’t you be nice to me for once? I don’t want to be anywhere near this place, but I’m here because of you! I even had to cancel my date with my wife. Don’t I at least deserve your attention?” he rambled, his voice breaking at the edges as he sniffed, his eyes boring into me with a sadness that should have moved me but… Silence. I kept flipping the coin between my fingers, the corners of my lips curving into a faint frown. “Should I go through with this… or just drive away?” I murmured to myself. I could feel Marcus’ deadly glare burning into me as he finally dropped the act, no longer pretending to cry. Instead, he sighed in frustration. “This i
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 e
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 look
Valentina pov The ride was steeped in silence. No one spoke. Daniel and Sebastian looked awkward, constantly glancing at each other as if silently communicating, while Julian appeared almost bored, lazily crossing his legs as he yawned and scrolled through his phone. Alexander wasn’t here with us. When I woke up this morning, he was already gone, and Martha had told me he had an important business matter to attend to. He would meet us later at the engagement ceremony. To be honest, I didn’t know how I felt right now, but I was restless. I wasn’t sure if it had to do with what happened between Alexander and me again, or perhaps it was something else—maybe it was the place we were going to. Either way, I didn’t feel good. My heart pounded heavily against my chest, my palms were sweaty, and I felt sick, especially with the persistent headache throbbing in my head. “Ugh, I should have asked for some medicine before I left,” I muttered under my breath, closing my eyes and rubbi
Alexander pov I grunted as I pushed into her, and almost immediately, Valentina’s walls clenched around my dick, gripping me like she was made just for me. Fuck, she was tight. The first time I’d fucked her, she’d been just as tight. It had been hard for her to take me fully back then, but this time, she seemed more relaxed, letting me slide almost all the way in. Almost. My hand reached out, grabbing both of her legs that were dangling beside me, giving her a moment to adjust to my dick. Valentina’s eyes were shut, her lips parted, her back arched, and her breath coming in ragged gasps as she gripped the sheets beneath her. I had never seen anything hotter than this — the sight of her trying to take it all, her bare body laid out before me, waiting to be fucked. It was fucking intoxicating. Shit, I was barely holding myself back from slamming into her right then and there. “Mmmm,” Valentina moaned, and before I even realized it, she had started moving her hips on
Valentina povA breathless gasp escaped my lips as Alexander stripped the dress from my body, leaving me bare. His hand parted my legs with a rough urgency, while his other arm wrapped tightly around my waist, pulling me flush against him—against the undeniable hardness straining for release.Fuck.My bra was gone in an instant, and Alexander’s mouth found its way to my nipple. I bit my bottom lip, eyes fluttering shut as his sinful tongue flicked over the sensitive peak before his teeth grazed it just enough to send a sharp jolt straight to my core—leaving me breathless, trembling beneath him.Before I could stop myself, my fingers threaded into his hair, but in the next second, he pulled away, seizing both my wrists and pinning them above my head. His dark gaze bore into me, setting my body ablaze with nothing more than the sheer intensity of it.I wanted him. God, I wanted him so fucking bad.“Alexander—”“Do you want me?” he interrupted, as if he could pull the words from my lips