Chapter 66: Do You Like Valentin?

The study was dimly lit.

Valentin stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, a half-burned cigarette between his fingers, its ember glowing faintly in the darkness.

After hearing Remy's report, the disgust on his face was unmistakable.

"Stealing?" He let out a cold laugh, his voice low and cutting.

Such greedy, vulgar people, full of lies—he had actually trusted them for so long and even let them move in here.

To him, this was a humiliation he couldn't wash away.

"Sir, those jewelry pieces are all accounted for, it's just..." Remy hesitated for a moment.

"Just what?"

"It's just that the guest rooms where Ms. Montague and her daughter stayed are a mess, and there's still a heavy perfume smell lingering..." Remy didn't continue. She knew very well about Valentin's sensitivity to cleanliness and odors—it wasn't just a preference, but more like a visceral reaction.

Valentin turned around, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, his tone cold and flat, "Remy, you've worked hard during this time. Your salary for this month will be doubled as compensation."

Remy looked genuinely grateful, "Thank you, sir."

"Also," Valentin adjusted his shirt cuffs with precise movements, "notify the best cleaning team to deal with the rooms where that mother and daughter stayed. Bedding, carpets, furniture—anything they touched, throw it all out. If the smell doesn't go away, gut the rooms and start over."

He wanted to erase any trace of their existence here, like ripping out pages from a book.

Remy left to carry out the orders.

Valentin looked out the window again, but what surfaced in his mind was Giselle's lonely figure when she moved out.

The housekeeper said her life had been difficult, that she was ignored at home.

He had originally thought Giselle was full of schemes, but now it seemed she was more like a victim thrown to the wolves.

If it wasn't Stella, then who was the woman who had that one-night stand with him at the Grand Crest Hotel?

In Ethan's apartment.

Giselle sat on the carpet with her laptop on her knees. Only a warm yellow desk lamp was lit in the room, the rest in shadow.

She was revising her resume, her gaze fixed on Fuller Corporation's recruitment page.

Fuller Corporation was something of an institution in Kingshaven.

The company's leader, Saskia Fuller, and Sean Gray were known in their circles for their rock-solid relationship. Rumor had it they had weathered conspiracies and dangers but still trusted and relied on each other.

Giselle looked at the calm couple's photo on the website, a flicker of envy in her eyes.

This kind of mutual support and loyalty felt like a fairy tale to someone like her who had grown up amid favoritism and schemes.

And Fuller Corporation's values gave her something she hadn't felt in a long time—hope.

"If I could work here, maybe I could finally have some stability," she said softly, her fingertip pressing send.

She didn't seek wealth or power now. She just wanted to get away from Valentin, away from that suffocating family.

Just then, the sound of the door lock turning rang out.

Ethan pushed the door open, carrying two containers of hot takeout.

Seeing Giselle, he paused, then broke into a surprised smile, "Giselle? You're still up?"

Giselle closed her laptop and stood up somewhat stiffly, "Ethan, you're back."

"I thought you'd already gone to bed." Ethan changed his shoes and set the food on the dining table, his voice warm, "I brought your favorite seafood chowder. Come have some?"

Giselle walked to the dining table and looked at the steaming soup, her throat tightening.

She lowered her eyes, trying to keep her composure, "I need some time to find a new place... can I stay at your place for a few more days?"

"Of course. You can stay as long as you want." Ethan pulled out a chair for her, his tone easy, "I work overtime a lot, so this place is empty anyway. Having you here actually makes it feel less lonely."

As they ate, the mood lightened.

But thinking about this morning's events, Ethan still asked, "Giselle, they came to see you today, didn't they?"

The spoon in her hand paused.

"They did." She put down the spoon, her voice carefully neutral, "We had a fight. Ethan, you don't need to go find them for me anymore. That family and I... we're done."

Ethan sensed something deeper, "A fight? Was it because of what happened before?"

"No." Giselle raised her head, her eyes carrying bitter irony, "Ethan, do you know who Stella's boyfriend is?"

Ethan frowned, "Who?"

"Valentin."

The name left Ethan stunned.

"Who? Valentin?" He let out a disbelieving laugh, "Giselle, are you sure?"

"Stella said it herself, and Valentin didn't deny it." Giselle's fingers tightened slightly, "Even Susan admitted it. To protect this so-called 'perfect match,' they forced me to move out and treated me like I was some kind of threat."

Ethan's expression darkened.

As a man, he understood another man's true preferences better.

A man like Valentin, at the top of his game, calculating, selective, impossible to read.

And Stella, pretty on the outside, but transparently shallow and vain.

"From any man's perspective, Valentin couldn't possibly be interested in Stella," Ethan said with certainty, "unless there's something we don't know about."

Watching Giselle's face grow paler, his suspicions crystallized.

On the surface, the conflict between Giselle and Stella was a family issue, but every key turning point revolved around Valentin.

"Giselle," Ethan put down his cup and looked at her seriously, his tone gentle but more direct than usual, "tell me the truth. Is the reason you and Stella are at each other's throats really just because of work?"

Giselle froze, "Ethan, what are you getting at?"

"Valentin treats you differently than he treats others." Ethan spoke plainly, "He cares whether you're pregnant, who you're with, whether you're going to resign. And you... every time you mention Stella and him, what I see in your eyes isn't just hurt from family betrayal."

Ethan took a deep breath and asked the question that had been eating at him.

"Giselle, do you... have feelings for Valentin?"

The silence was deafening.

Giselle felt stripped bare, her breathing becoming shallow.