Chapter 006

VALERIE 🎀

Valerie's Apartment.

A prank. It has to be a prank.

Who would have gone through the trouble of sending a child to deliver a letter?

No matter how I try to brush it off, the unsettling feeling still lingered. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand,I need to let someone know but who can I call?

Brenda was still not back.

Zachary? No way in hell.

And my father? I was still mad at him. Agitated, I rubbed the bridge of my nose. I could hardly focus, my mind spinning with possibilities.

Who would do this? Was it someone from my past? A rival? Or worse… Was this about Zachary? Was he somehow involved in all this?

The thought itself made me sick.

The sudden sound of the doorbell made me jump. I took a breath, trying to steady myself, before moving cautiously toward the door.

Through the peephole, I saw nothing but the hallway. My pulse skipped a beat as I unlocked the door and swung it open.

Nothing.

I slammed the door shut, feeling a tightness in my chest. The fear I’d been trying to ignore was growing by the second.

Just then, my phone lit up with a text.

I clicked on it and it was from Zachary.

— I'm outside.

That's all it said but I felt a strange sense of relief that he was here.

Throwing on a robe over my night dress, I rushed outside.

There he was... his back turned to me, passing orders to an unfamiliar man in a black suit.

He turned when he heard my footsteps, his gaze locking on me. He was still in suit from the wedding, his hair a ruffled mess but he still looked like he stepped out of a magazine cover. Not that I'd ever admit that to him, his ego was already big enough.

" What are you doing here? I asked , meeting his eyes.

" You can go now". He dismissed the man who nodded at me before walking away.

My brows furrowed as I stared at the man's retreating back. Why was he here?

My eyes widened as realization hit me and I whipped around to Zachary so fast I thought my neck might snap.

"Don’t tell me you sent him to watch me."

I was hoping it wasn’t true.

Zachary merely shrugged, hands stuffed casually in his pockets.

My nostrils flared as my eyes flew wide in disbelief.

" How dare you! I yelled at him but he just stood there...his expression unreadable.

"You had someone follow me? Spy on me?" I took a step closer, hands clenched at my sides. "Who do you think you are, Zachary?"

" Someone who's trying to keep you alive."

I blinked. " What?

" What did you mean by that? I asked but he blatantly ignored me.

" What was in that envelope? He asked, his gaze fixed on me and my eyebrows drew together in a tight line.

" How did you know about the —

Of course, he knows since he had someone stalk me. Nothing could get past him.

" Nothing". I muttered, looking at everywhere else but him. "Just some congratulatory message."

He snorted. "Delivered by a kid?

"The sender could have just deliver it in –

" Is that why you are here? I cut him off and he sighed defeatedly, tugging at his hair.

" You are coming with me." he muttered, turning to leave.

I scoffed at his audacity. " You are sick if you think I would go anywhere with you."

His steps faltered. " This is not a request, Ursula."

" I told you, I am going nowhere with you."

He turned around suddenly, his face flushed, heat radiating off him.

" Why are you so insufferable? He snapped, his hands balled at his sides.

"And how dare you think you can control me, you control freak! I yelled back and his jaw ticked.

He chuckled bitterly. " I'm done trying to be a gentleman."

" You are coming with me."

Before I could register his words, he marched up to me and swung me over his shoulders like I weighed nothing.

" Let me go! I thrashed against him but his arms only tightened around me.

" Somebody, help." I screamed but my voice echoed into the empty night.

" Scream all you want, no one's going to hear you anyway."

Fueled by adrenaline, I bit him in his shoulder. He grunted in pain but he didn't released me.

And then—

SMACK !

My face turned red and I felt the sting of his palm on my ass.

" What did you just do? My voice was below a whisper.

" Stay still."

" You FUCKING smacked me? I screeched.

" Let go of me, you bastard." I kicked wildly as we neared a black convertible.

Holding me in place in one hand, he used the other to unlock his car.

Now, this is my chance.

I headbutted him. His grip loosened. I stomped on his foot and bolted.

But I didn’t get far.

Before I could run a distance, his arm circled around me, yanking me back.

"Where do you think you’re going?” he growled, his breath hot against my ear as his arm locked around my waist like steel.

“Let me go!” I shrieked, thrashing wildly in his hold. My heel connected with his shin and he cursed under his breath.

“I swear, Valerie, if you kick me one more time—”

“What will you do? I spat, twisting violently in his arm.

"Are you fucking gullible or is this just an act? His voice was laced with venom.

" What do you mean? I asked as his grip on me loosened.

He didn’t answer. Instead he reached for the car door and pulled it open. “Get in the car.”

“No.”

“Valerie—”

“No, not until you tell me what’s going on. Why are you really here?”

He stepped closer, so close I had to tilt my head up to meet his eyes.

"I promise I'll explain , please, get in the car."

The look in his eyes somehow unnerved me and I huffed and entered the car.

He took a moment before joining me in the driver's seat.

"So? I probed, the moment he settled in.

" You might be in danger." He said flatly.

I already knew that. The letter wasn't a prank.

" What made you conclude that? The envelope?

He shook his head. " Someone was watching you."

I rolled my eyes. " Yeah, you sent someone to stalk me."

He massaged his temple. " Not him, someone else."

My heart thundered against my ribcage. I rubbed my clammy hands against each other.

Someone was watching me. Was it because of my marriage to Zachary.

" I don't know yet." He mumbled as if reading my thoughts.

" Why do you care? Shouldn't you be glad?

I huffed.

“Because like it or not, you’re my family now,” he said quietly, his voice filled with determination. " And I protect family."

I looked up to see his gaze already on me.

“What do you see when you look at me like that?” I whispered before I could stop myself.

“A headache,” he said,voice low, his eyes hardening again. “A walking, screaming headache.”

And just like that, the moment was broken.

I scoffed, even as my chest squeezed. “Then why are you here?”

“Because despite how much you drive me insane, I’m not letting anything happen to you.”

His voice dropped to a low octave.

“Not on my watch.”

He revved the engine to life and Zoomed off,the tires screeching against the pavement as we sped into the night.

I clutched the seatbelt, knuckles white, the silence between us deafening. The wind tangled through my hair, but I refused to look at him. I could feel the weight of his stare every few seconds—like he was checking if I’d jump out at the next red light.

“You didn’t have to throw me over your damn shoulder,” I muttered, eyes fixed ahead.

“You bit me,” he said flatly, one hand still on the wheel, the other rubbing his shoulder where my teeth had landed.

“You kidnapped me.”

“I saved you.”

That shut me up and I was quiet through the rest of the drive.

_____

His mansion loomed with darkness, cold and unfeeling just like him as he led me through the hallway.

" You can stay here." He said, stopping In front of a door.

" Wait–" Before I could get the words out, he already disappeared.

Way to go, Zachary.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside, letting my eyes sweep across the space.

There was nothing unusual , the interior was dark just like the owner, I would have been taken aback if I had seen something of color in the room.

I took off my robe and hung it on the closet before making my way to the queen sized bed.

My back hit the bed but I couldn't sleep.

I tossed and tossed , the sheets pooling around my feet.

Unable to take it any longer, I peeled the duvet off.

I need a glass of water. I thought as I made my way downstairs but I don't know where the kitchen is.

I will find it somehow.

I found myself in the dark living room and I searched the wall for a light switch.

My eyes fell on a silhouette staring at me in the middle of the room and my breath caught in my throat. My heart raced and I could feel a scream clawing it’s way up my throat.

Before I could scream, a hand covered my mouth.

oh my God.... I'm going to die.