Chapter 31 Chapter 32
Luciano’s POV
I was halfway to the office when my phone rang.
The moment I saw Damien’s name flashing across my screen, I already knew why he was calling.
Smacking my lips, I accepted the call, switching to speaker as I guided my car through traffic.
“She’s gone,” Damien said without greeting.
I didn’t respond immediately as my jaw clicked.
Outside my window, the city moved as it always did. Everything looked normal and felt calm but inside my head, calculations began.
“When?” I asked after a while.
“Fifteen minutes ago. She knocked the nurse out and slipped into her clothes.”
A small smile tugged at my mouth despite myself.
Of course she did.
“Was she injured?” I asked.
“No.”
That single word settled something in my chest I hadn’t acknowledged was tight.
“I’ll handle it,” I said, already turning the wheel sharply at the next intersection.
“You know where she’s going?” He asked.
“Yes.” I replied and then ended the call.
Valerie didn’t have many places left to run to.
Her father’s house was out of the question. She wouldn’t even opt for any hotel or airport as she would be monitored.
There was only one place she associated with safety, one place she believed was still untouched by me.
And that was her best friend apartment.
Smirking, I adjusted my seatbelt, accelerating slightly.
“She really believed she could escape me.” I huffed.
The thought wasn’t insulting, instead, it was fascinating.
Most people stopped resisting me once they understood the scale of my reach.
But Valerie fought harder every time she felt cornered. It was reckless, infuriating and, if I was being honest with myself, it was admirable too.
By the time I reached Lauren’s building, my mind had already moved three steps ahead.
Lauren opened the door when I knocked, her expression shifting instantly when she saw me.
“How can I help you,” she asked politely as I stepped inside without waiting for permission.
“Who are you looking for? I think you have the wrong address.” She spluttered, scurrying in front of me to stop me from proceeding.
For the next few seconds, I kept staring at her but said no words.
My silence was deafening and in no time, she started trembling. I watched as her eyes kept darting toward the door as if she was expecting Valerie to appear at any second.
“Valerie…”
“She’s not here,” she blurted, cutting me off.
“I know,” I said, settling into the chair like I belonged there. “But she will be.”
Lauren swallowed hard, wiping her forehead with the back of her palm.
“Sit,” I said, patting the couch on my side.
She did without making any fuss, fiddling with her fingers and darting her eyes around at the same time.
The silence stretched between us, heavy with things unspoken. I didn’t threaten her as I didn’t need to.
My presence was enough.
Minutes later, the door opened and Valerie stepped inside only to freeze in my place.
The way her face drained of color would have amused me under a different circumstances.
Shock widened her eyes, fear following immediately behind it. She looked smaller than I remembered from the hospital.
Relief hit me unexpectedly seeing she was safe and wasn’t hurt in any way.
Grabbing the arm of the couch with both hands, I pushed myself up.
“Well,” I said, studying her carefully. “Why are you out of the hospital?”
She didn’t answer as her gaze was locked onto Lauren instead, panic flickering across her face.
“Please,” she whispered, stepping forward. “Don’t hurt her, this has nothing to do with her.”
I ignored the plea not because I lacked compassion, but because she needed to understand something very simple: she didn’t control this conversation.
“Why did you leave?” I asked instead.
Her shoulders stiffened.
She closed her eyes briefly, anger rolling off her skin like heat.
“You’re a freak.” She screeched.
The word landed without impact as I had been called worse.
Still, something in her tone which was a mixture of fury and betrayal made my jaw tighten slightly.
She kept talking, her words spilling rapidly as accusations layered over accusations.
“Remember, you signed the contract,” I said, interrupting her outburst.
For a moment, she was quiet then she continued, “You think a contract means ownership, huh?”
“It means obligation,” I corrected gently while she scoffed.
“Let me go,” she demanded.
“No.”
The word came easily and her expression hardened immediately.
“You can’t keep me like this.”
“I can,” I said simply.
Her breathing grew heavier. I could see the moment she realized arguing wouldn’t work against me so she switched to being emotionally instead.
“You’re insane,” she said again.
When she saw she wasn’t winning, she moved suddenly, turning toward the door with a speed that suggested instinct rather than planning.
Damien stepped forward from the hallway before she reached it and she collided with him, gasping in surprise.
“Easy,” he said calmly, gripping her arm.
“Let me go!” she yelled, struggling to free herself.
Rising to my feet, I sighed softly.
“Take her home,” I said.
“No!” Valerie’s voice broke, desperation cracking through her anger.
But Damien didn’t hesitate. Within seconds, he had thrown her over his shoulder, carrying her out of the door.
Her eyes met mine over his shoulder, filled with fury and something deeper I refused to name.
Lauren on the other hand was drenched in sweat and was shaking with fright.
Without a word to her, I spelled out, closing the door gently behind me.
The ride back to the mansion was surprisingly silent. She didn’t speak to me and I didn’t force her to.
When we arrived, she was escorted directly upstairs and confined to her room.
I waited for a few hours later, hoping she would have calmed down by the time I went to see her but instead, chaos greeted me.
She was pacing like a caged beast. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were wild.
The moment she saw me, something between rage and exhaustion flickered across her face.
“Get out,” she yelled, instead, I closed the door behind me and took another step in.
Rolling her eyes, she crossed her hands on her chest, “What, are you here to lecture me again?”
“No.”
“Then what do you want?” She yelled again.
Pushing my hands into my pockets, I studied her for a moment before speaking.
“Do you want to leave?” I asked, stunning her as the question was unexpected.
“What?” She asked, blinking rapidly.
“Do you want to leave?” I repeated calmly.
“Yes,” she said instantly, without hesitation.
Of course she did.
“Then I will let you leave,” I said, staring directly at her.
Hope flashed across her face so quickly that it almost hurt to see.
“What’s the condition?” she asked immediately, suspicion returning just as fast.
I walked slowly toward her, stopping just close enough for her to feel my presence without feeling cornered.
“Fifty billion dollars,” I said casually.
Silence fell between us that instant.
I watched as her expression shifted from confusion to disbelief then to outright outrage.
“Are you insane?” she yelled again. “How do you expect me to get that kind of money? You know my father cut me off!”
Unbothered, I shrugged lightly.
“Well,” I said, my voice even, “that is the least of my concern.”
Stunned, she kept staring at me.
“That is the only way you are leaving,” I continued calmly.
“Otherwise…” I paused deliberately, meeting her eyes, “you will stay here with me.”