Chapter 137 The Man at Her Door
chapter one hundred and thirty seven
Stefan’s POV
I parked my car across the street from Val’s house and sat there for a long time. The engine was off. The street was quiet and the air felt heavy.
I stared at the house through the windshield.
It looked different and I noticed it right away. The terrace lights were off. The small flowers she used to keep along the railing were gone and the curtains were closed tightly. The place felt empty.
I remembered how it used to look when Nona was alive. The terrace door used to be open in the evenings and I would sometimes see them sitting there talking.
Now the house looked silent.
My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I sighed.
“Damn it,” I muttered.
I had been sitting here for almost fifteen minutes. Part of me wanted to walk up to the door. While the other part told me to leave.
“Maybe this is a mistake,” I said quietly to myself.
My eyes stayed on the house. “What if she doesn’t want to see me?”
The thought made my chest tighten. But then another thought followed it. What if she needed help?
I let out a long breath.
“Enough,” I said under my breath as I opened the car door and stepped out.
The cool air hit my face as I crossed the street. Each step toward the house felt heavy. When I reached the front door, I stood there for a moment.
My hand hovered over the door, then I knocked.
Three firm knocks and three sounds echoed inside the house. I waited but got nothing. So, I knocked again.
“Val?” I called through the door and there was mo answer.
I waited another minute and still nothing.
My jaw tightened as I knocked one last time.
“Val, it’s me.”
The house stayed quiet and I stood there for a few more seconds before letting out a frustrated breath.
“Great,” I muttered.
I turned and walked back down the steps. The street was still empty. When I reached my car, I got inside and shut the door hard.
I leaned back in the seat and ran both hands over my face.
“Where the hell are you?” I whispered.
My frustration started growing fast as my mind kept racing.
She wasn’t home and her phone wasn’t answering. The house looked empty.
I clenched my jaw.
“Damn it, Val.”
I stared through the windshield. Then the thought hit me. Of course. She had just announced her engagement.
My stomach twisted.
“She’s probably with that idiot,” I muttered.
The anger rose quickly.
“With that moron Lucas.”
I hit the steering wheel with my palm.
“Of course she’s with him.”
My voice grew sharper.
“Where else would she be?”
I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the wheel. My chest burned with anger.
“That bastard,” I whispered.
My hand reached for my phone. I unlocked it and started scrolling through the latest news.
Every headline made my mood worse. There were more stories about their engagement. More photos of them together. And more people praising their “power couple.”
“Power couple,” I scoffed quietly.
“Yeah, right.”
Then something caught my eye. A live video uploaded five minutes ago.
I tapped it and the video opened instantly to show a man who stood in front of a table inside a restaurant.
Lucas Ryder.
Even through the screen I felt my jaw tighten. He wore a dark suit. His hair was neat and his face looked calm.
Too calm.
Behind him I could see a few reporters holding phones.
One of them spoke loudly.
“Mr. Ryder, people want to know how Valenticia Dykstra is doing after the difficult weeks she has faced.”
Lucas answered in a steady voice.
“Valenticia is strong. She is handling everything well.”
Another voice asked, “Are you both planning to appear together publicly soon?”
Lucas nodded once.
“We are focusing on stabilizing her company first. Everything else will come later.”
I felt anger rising with every word.
“Look at this guy,” I muttered.
“So confident.”
My eyes narrowed at the screen.
“You think you’re some kind of hero now?”
I paused the video and stared at his face. My jaw clenched harder.
“I know exactly where that restaurant is,” I said quietly.
The decision came fast and before I could think twice, I started the car. And the engine roared to life.
“Let’s see how calm you stay when I’m standing in front of you,” I muttered.
I pulled away from the curb and drove down the street. Traffic lights blurred past me. And my mind burned with anger the entire drive.
Images of Val and Lucas together kept replaying in my head.
My hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“You think you can just step into her life like that?” I said under my breath.
“You picked the wrong woman.”
Ten minutes later I pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant.
The building stood bright with lights. Cars filled the lot. I parked quickly and stepped out. My steps were fast as I walked toward the entrance.
The doors opened. Inside, the restaurant buzzed with voices and music.
But I barely noticed any of it. My eyes scanned the room. Then I saw him.
Lucas Ryder.
He sat at a table near the window speaking with someone.
I didn’t slow down.
I walked straight toward him.
People turned their heads as I passed, but I ignored them.
My anger burned too strong.
When I reached the table, Lucas looked up. For one second our eyes met. That was all it took.
My fist moved before he could say anything and the punch landed hard against his face.
He fell sideways in his chair and gasps filled the room.I stood over him breathing heavily.
“You bastard!” I shouted.
I stood there breathing hard while staring at the man I had just punched.
Lucas Ryder slowly turned his head back toward me. The chair beneath him had shifted when the blow landed. One side of his mouth was split. A thin line of blood ran down his lip and touched his chin.
For a moment the entire restaurant went quiet. Then the noise started. People around us began whispering.
“What just happened?”
“Did he punch him?”
“Oh my God, that’s Lucas Ryder.”
Chairs scraped against the floor. Several people stood up to get a better look. Some backed away from the table as if they did not want to be caught in the middle.
Then I noticed the phones. People had already taken out their cameras. Some were recording. Others were snapping pictures.
I heard someone whisper behind me, “That’s Stefan, isn’t it?”
Another voice said, “This is going to be all over the news.”
The murmurs grew louder. But I barely heard them. My eyes stayed on Lucas.
My chest moved up and down with every breath. My hands were still tight. The anger inside me had not disappeared.
I thought punching him would feel good. I thought it would calm me down. But It didn’t.
Not really.
But something inside me did feel better. Just a little. I looked at the blood on his mouth and clenched my jaw.
“You deserved that,” I said under my breath.
Lucas slowly lifted his hand and wiped the blood from his lip with his thumb.
He looked down at the red mark on his fingers for a second.
Then he raised his eyes back to me.
I waited.
Part of me expected him to jump up and hit me back. Part of me wanted him to. But he didn’t move. He stayed seated. And that surprised me.
He looked at me for several seconds before speaking. His voice sounded calm.
“Who are you?”
The question caught me off guard. He tilted his head slightly while studying my face.
“Wait,” he said slowly.
“You look familiar.”
My jaw tightened as Lucas leaned back in his chair and kept staring at me.
Then his lips moved again.
“Oh.”
“I remember now.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“You’re Stefan Vale.”
A few people around us gasped when they heard the name.
Lucas nodded slowly.
“Yes,” he said.
“The famous Stefan Vale.”
He wiped his mouth again with a napkin and then looked up at me with a faint smile.
“So you’re Valenticia’s… what was it again?”
He paused.
“My fiancé’s ex-boyfriend?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
“That’s not right.”
His eyes stayed locked on mine.
“Oh yes.”
He smiled wider.
“my fiancé’s ex contract boyfriend.”
My anger exploded again.
“Shut up,” I snapped.
Lucas raised one eyebrow and I stepped closer to the table.
“Where is Val?”
Lucas rested his arms on the table. He looked amused.
“Where is she?” I demanded again.
He leaned forward slightly.
“Well,” he said slowly.
“Where else would she be?”
My hands curled into fists again. Lucas continued speaking in the same calm tone.
“Our wedding is approaching.”
“So naturally she is preparing.”
He paused and looked directly into my eyes.
“Preparing to look good as my bride.”
The words hit me like fire. Before I could stop myself, my arm shot forward again.
I aimed another punch straight at his face. But this time my fist never reached him.
Lucas moved fast.
His hand grabbed my wrist in the air. The grip was strong and my arm stopped mid-swing.
His eyes hardened.
“Enough,” he said quietly.
Before I could react, his other fist drove straight into my jaw.
The blow hit hard and my head snapped to the side.
Pain shot through my mouth and I stumbled back one step.
The room filled with shocked voices again. But Lucas wasn’t finished.
He stepped forward and kicked his foot against my left knee.
Pain exploded through my leg.
“Damn it!” I growled as I bent slightly.
Lucas stood straight again while adjusting his sleeve.
His voice stayed calm.
“You walk into my dinner,” he said.
“You attack me in public.”
He looked down at me with cold eyes.
“And you expect me to just sit there?”
I straightened slowly despite the pain in my knee.
“You think you can take her from me?” I said through clenched teeth.
Lucas shook his head.
“You still don’t understand the situation.”
He stepped closer.
“Valenticia chose me.”
My chest burned with anger.
“You forced her,” I shot back.
Lucas gave a short laugh.
“That sounds like jealousy.”
My fists tightened again.
Lucas watched me carefully for a moment. Then he sighed and shook his head.
“You really came all this way just to embarrass yourself.”
The words made my blood boil.
Before I could move again, Lucas suddenly lifted his hand.
He snapped his fingers once. The sound was sharp. For a second nothing happened. Then I heard footsteps.
Heavy footsteps.
I turned my head to see men walking toward us from different parts of the restaurant. All dressed in black suits.
Their faces were serious as they formed a circle around me and Lucas blocking every direction.
My eyes moved from one man to another.
Each one looked strong.
Each one looked ready to act.
Lucas adjusted his cuff again and looked at me calmly.
“Well,” he said quietly.
“It seems our conversation just became private.”