Chapter 14: Stay the night

WARNING SIGNS:

LANGUAGE THAT IS UNAMBIGUOUS

CURSING

VIOLENCE, GUN VIOLENCE

SELF-INFLICTED HARM

BLOOD, DECEASE, and GORE

VALENTINA’s POV

"I warned you not to do that, yet you went ahead," I growled as I reached for the fork still resting on the countertop. I seized her wrist roughly, pinning her hand down. She struggled in my hold, but I held firm.

"Don’t move or you'll be next," I warned the second bitch, who now stood frozen.

Grinning, I swiftly plunged the fork into the first bitch’s hand without a second thought.

She screamed and began to weep. "Get out of my sight, and if I see you again, I’ll stab your eye out. Understand? ! " I threatened.

Fuck, now I have a headache.

She cried softly when I let her go. She clutched her cut hand, which still had the fork stuck in it. Big tears flowed from her eyes, mixing with her dark mascara. Thick red blood dripped from her hand, marking the white floor.

Fuck. "What are you waiting for? " I yelled. The bitches practically jumped in fear and hurried out.

I glanced at my dress, now covered in blood. "Fuck," I whispered as I tried to clean the blood, but it just spread more.

"Wow. " A deep voice surprised me. I looked up to see Luca Delgado. "That was. . . impressive. " He smiled.

I stared at him. He was dressed casually but still looked amazing. No, he looked like a devil. I raised an eyebrow.

He laughed quietly. "Don’t tell me you forgot I really don’t care. But if I were you, I would have already taken out their eyes," he said, sounding unconcerned.

I rested back against the fridge. I yawned, my tired eyes wanted to close. He glanced at my broken tiara. I rubbed my eyes. "Don’t worry about that. I’ll get a new one," I said, looking at the damaged jewelry.

"Your father has left," he said.

Great. Jerk. He left me here. He doesn't care.

"What the hell. . . I’m leaving," I sighed, rubbing my forehead. I walked toward the door, but Luca stepped in front of me. "Stay the night. I insist," he said, looking straight at me. I don’t have time for games, Luca fucking Delgado.

I made an effort to read him, but in the end I was too worn out, both physically and mentally.

I accepted the offer with a nod.

Before he led the way to a spare bedroom, I'm sure his lips pulled into a fleeting grin. He didn't even crack any dirty jokes.

Everyone had left by then, it was past midnight.

He gave me some garments and said, "Here you go." Since I didn't have any clothing with me, I gladly took it because I valued the kind act. And this fucking outfit clung to my flesh.

I changed into the t-shirt that hung loosely on my body and locked the door after he left me. I folded the cuffs of the sweatpants up a little bit and pulled the drawstrings tighter. His attire consisted of these items.

For the love of God. Where the fuck was Vix? It had his scent. I had his scent. It had a woody, musky perfume that, in some way, soothed me.

I tossed and turned in the bed. No matter how exhausted I was, I couldn't get any sleep. Fuck.

This is how things always turn out. I cautiously walked from the living room to the kitchen, determined to get some water from downstairs.

A moving shadow caught my attention in the corner of my eye. I discreetly opened a drawer and reached for a knife, my pulse racing.

I gripped the fucking butter knife firmly in my hand. It will have to suffice.

I turned and flung the knife towards the shadow, which promptly retreated. My toss was incredibly precise and strong, hitting the wall with the knife.

In an effort to find something else to throw, my hands frantically groped in the drawer. Fuck.

The shadow shifted and switched on a light.

Oh.

"Valentina? " Luca narrowed his thick eyebrows at me. I mirrored his expression.

"Why are you sitting in darkness like some crazed person? " I questioned, feeling confused as my heart calmed down.

He glanced behind him at the knife stuck in the wall and then back to me.

"I don’t often get sleep," he said. I tilted my head slightly as he sat down on the couch. "And what about you? " he asked while crossing his legs.

"I can’t sleep either," I replied as I moved toward the couch. I plopped down, feeling my body loosen up.

I swept my hair back and pulled out the joint I had hidden in my palm. I lit it with my lighter while he observed me, a hint of amusement in his eyes. I took a deep inhale and exhaled a cloud of smoke. Leaning my head back on the couch, I noticed him smirking at me.

"What? " I asked straightforwardly. He shrugged and pulled out a cigarette. He offered it to me, and I lit it for him. I watched as he smoked. A few strands of hair fell over his eyes, and I found myself intrigued when he spoke.

"I’m sorry for throwing that knife at you. I suppose I’m not used to seeing someone just sitting on a couch, doing nothing in the middle of the night. " I grinned.

He laughed as he looked at me. His gaze wasn’t gross like other guys. "I’m not sure if that apology was genuine. But just so you know, I was about to shoot you," he remarked, tapping the gun beside him. "And I never miss. "

I cozied into the couch and closed my tired eyes. "I disagree. I bet you’ve missed before.

You hesitated just now, why? " I asked while still smoking.

"I knew it was you," he replied confidently. I opened my eyes and turned to him.

"You knew it was me? That’s impossible! " I chuckled.

"I did.” He smiled kindly. I gazed back into his eyes. "How? " I asked, feeling curious.

He licked his lips while coming up with a lie. "No one in my house walks around at night." So, it must have been you. Plus, you seem to not care much about rules, which is why you didn't introduce yourself.”He said this easily.

So, he has been studying me, keeping an eye on me.

I considered his response. Fuck, he’s impressive.

"Did I leave you speechless? " He joked. I shook my head, trying to hide the grin that wouldn't go away. But the truth was, I was.

"What’s your favorite color? " He asked, breaking the nice silence. "Are you really going to ask that? " I smiled brightly.

"Why not? Now that we’re married, I want to get to know you better, you catch my interest. " He added.

The hell. I’m not an animal.

"How do you mean? " I asked, going along with his playful mood. It was entertaining. "You just do. " He laughed heartily. I frowned at his mysterious reply. I took another hit from my joint. "Red. That’s my favorite color. " Red like the blood of anyone who annoys me.

He smiled and brought his cigarette to his lips. He exhaled a gentle puff, keeping it between his fingers.

"What’s your favorite weapon? " He asked.

I shook my head.

"If we’re playing this game, you need to join in too. So, what’s your favorite color? " I asked, trying to suppress a grin by taking another puff from my joint. He leaned his head back on the couch as I was doing. "It’s black," he replied. I laughed. "That was pretty obvious. "

"Then why did you ask? " He teased again.

"For all I know, you could prefer pink. " I smirked, and he chuckled deeply in response.

Luca and I chatted like this for some time, and I found myself drawn to him more and more. The more we spoke, the closer we felt. It was strange for me to feel so at ease with someone I barely knew. But as the moments went on, I learned more about Luca, and the feelings of attraction I had for him grew even stronger.

Fuck fuck. This is too much.

After a bit, I started to feel tired, and I began to fade away. I felt fingers gently take the joint from my relaxed grip, and then the light was turned off.

I closed my eyes for the last time and fell asleep.