Chapter 62 Chapter 62
They moved on, and she knocked on the door before she entered with Maxwell, who didn’t seem to be in a good mood. At least, that was what his grumpy expression conveyed to Valerie. She wondered what was up with him, but didn’t ask. The interview would start now, so she had to concentrate.
“It’s good to see you again, Valerie,” Jackson grinned, waving at her.
“Hey, Jackson,” she answered and smiled. He always had such a friendly aura about him; it was refreshing, and she could tell why he was so popular with everybody. It was easy to talk to him and even easier to make friends with him. “I brought a friend this time, I hope you don’t mind. This is Maxwell.”
The demon had the decency to nod at Jackson, but other than that, he stayed silent when he followed them to the seating area close to the windows of the office. Valerie sat on the sofa with Maxwell next to her while Jackson took a seat opposite them.
“Are you feeling better today? I heard you fainted last time,” the CEO said worriedly, tilting his head a bit. Valerie flushed, glancing down at her lap and smoothing her dress to distract herself from her embarrassment. Of course, he had heard about that, how awkward…
“Yes, but I’m fine. No need to worry, Jackson,” she answered.
“If you say so,” he replied, arching an eyebrow as he glanced at her. His curious eyes soon moved to Maxwell, who sat next to her and looked quite arrogant as he raised his chin. His steely blue eyes stared at Jackson, attempting to find out if he had anything to hide.
“Are you both journalists?” Jackson asked curiously, prompting Valerie to shake her head.
“No, that’s just me. He… uh… tagged along today, I know it’s a bit random, but…” she struggled to explain.
“I don’t mind,” Jackson said, his smile shining brightly. Valerie thought he was like a puppy when he behaved this way – it was adorable. “What’s your line of work, Maxwell?”
Valerie shot the demon a sharp look, but he ignored her. “I’m a model and a singer too,” he said, his lips twitching when he noticed Valerie gape at him for lying so effortlessly.
“That’s great.” Jackson said excitedly. “Honestly, I already expected you to work in this kind of business; it’s obvious.”
“Oh, really?” Maxwell answered, his expression turning even more smug than before. Valerie rolled her eyes at him and his insatiable ego.
“Sure, man. You look the part, and I could imagine you as a singer, too,” Jackson replied.
“Maybe in another universe where he’s actually a nice person,” Valerie grumbled under her breath, so quietly only Maxwell heard. His smug smirk vanished and was replaced by a surly glare.
When Valerie began the interview, she noted that Maxwell seemed a tad more interested in the conversation than before, sometimes even talking to Jackson. Valerie was surprised about this since Jackson was also a “lowly human” like Maxwell labeled them. It appeared like they got along nonetheless, with Jackson laughing about the demon’s comments. The atmosphere was easygoing, and Valerie eventually forgot about her trepidation.
She enjoyed the interview more than the last, and time flew by so quickly that she was disappointed when Jackson’s secretary interrupted them to remind him of his busy schedule. He was apologetic when he ended the interview, shaking their hands to say goodbye.
“It was great meeting you two,” he grinned. “I’m looking forward to your article, Valerie.”
“Thank you for your time,” she answered. “Maybe we’ll see each other again.”
“I hope so.”
Valerie and Maxwell left after that and walked down the hallway. When they entered the lift, she pushed the button to go back to the ground floor. The doors closed.
“This wasn’t so bad,” Maxwell said, putting his hands in his pockets as he leaned his back against the wall.
“I expected you to act a lot ruder,” Valerie replied, smiling faintly. “You surprised me.”
“Well, I know what manners are, I just usually choose to ignore them.”
She chuckled, shaking her head at him since she knew exactly what he meant. He wasn’t the politest person out there, and sometimes it bothered her, but today he had been on his best behavior. Though maybe that had only been the case because Jackson had praised him so much?
“Thank you for accompanying me,” she said quietly, facing forward as she stood next to him, not looking at him. He glanced at her with astonishment swirling through his blue eyes.
“I would love to know why you were suddenly so keen on having me with you,” he muttered slowly, gaze hardening as he moved it to the mirror in the lift.
Just at this moment, it reached its destination, and they walked outside on the ground floor. Quite a few people were around, and it was a little crowded.
Valerie looked around carefully, and the inevitable happened.
Her eyes met those of a man that she never wanted to see again, and her happiness died in a heartbeat. Cold fear washed over her, petrifying her. She stopped in the middle of the hallway leading to the lobby, her feet frozen to the ground. Her pulse quickened.
Uriel looked surprised to see her, but not for long. His lips formed a sneer as he walked in her direction, intending to speak to her, causing her to panic.
She didn’t notice the strange glance she received from Maxwell at her sudden behavior change. He narrowed his eyes and observed her closely, but he didn’t understand what was going on with her. Though one thing he already knew, he didn’t like the horror that reflected in her brown eyes.
When he followed her gaze, he realized that she had been watching a man who was approaching them, coming to stand in front of them. Maxwell scrutinized him, noting that he was muscular and tall, with black hair and a permanent scowl on his face.