Naressa Valdez Novels & Stories

As though climbing higher didn't mean someone else had to fall. The applause hadn't even faded before the final name appeared. Rank One. **VALENTINA ASHFORD.** The hall erupted, students stood, teachers clapped and even Principal Lawson smiled wider. Valentina stood gracefully, thanking everyone with a modest nod. She looked exactly like the girl every parent wished their daughter would become. Perfect, confident, untouchable. Yet...Something felt off. As she sat down, our eyes met again. This time she wasn't smiling. She looked...worried.

THEN PHONE CALL. The call came on the pantry landline. “Adrian Knight,” Reese said. Voice like oil. “Heard you’re smashing things. Again. Like your stepdad’s jaw.” Adrian didn’t answer. He put it on speaker. Pointed at the record button. “Valeria says hi,” Reese said. “From jail. Says she can’t wait to meet the girls. March 14th, right. She’s got a present. Same as Alex. Photos. Ashes. Maybe more.”

Alessia asks, and a few other girls snigger. The red-haired model-type throws some weight around, Valeria informs me- because of her obvious good looks, her easy confidence and the fact that she is a star student in the little academy of female-led assasination known as the Dollhouse. She's been top of the class, ever since I- well, Thirteen- went for that last operation and ended up in a coma. Post that, Alessia had dominated the evaluation charts with ease, rising to Number One- a position that once used to belong to Thirteen; the same one she had claimed so effortlessly in her first month here it was almost like a birthright.

she said while serving cakes and drinks from a teapot. “Eh, it’s okay, Madam. No need to bother,” Alisa said while waving her hand. “Oh yeah, maybe Rinka told you before, right? I’m Jeanne Valderlia. Mother of Jouiria Valderlia,” the woman introduced herself. “I’m Alisa Garbareva, and this is my friend Floria Fresilca.” Hearing her name made Jeanne surprised. “Alisa? Hey wait. You’re Alisa from Kartovik Girls High School, right? Joy’s junior?”

Stopped directly in front of her. And smiled. It was sweet. But not friendly. "Ms. Valeza of Aureline," she said smoothly. "Right?" She extended her hand. "I'm Cassy Torres." Her eyes gleamed. "The youngest and current Chairman of Firm Jewelry."

Vanessa stiffened, her grip on Lucas’s arm tightening, but he subtly shifted away. Valen took a single step closer, his voice dropping just enough to make the words sting. “You couldn’t be as competent as Natalie if you lived a thousand lifetimes. You don’t have the depth. You don’t have the fire. And most of all?” He leaned in just slightly, eyes gleaming. “You don’t have the originality. Your entire personality is a poor collage of other women you’ve tried and failed to become.” Vanessa’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Her silence was delicious.

He didn't want to go her wrong impression about him! Chantelle sat down on the bed, still processing what had just happened. It was a strange mix of emotions - embarrassment, gratitude, and relief. But the thing that stood out to her the most was the sense of safety and comfort she felt around Delcan. It was a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time, and she savored it. She knew that she was on the path to healing, and Delcan was helping her every step of the way.

Every small movement against the ruined sheets sent sparks shooting through her overstimulated body. She should have locked the door. She should have cast every protective ward she knew. Instead, she picked up her phone with trembling fingers and sent another message. This time to Valeria. Valeria was different from Lena, taller, colder, a renowned rope artist and sadist who ran exclusive private sessions for the city’s most powerful women. She and Giselle had clashed many times, always with Giselle coming out on top. Valeria had never hidden her desire to one day see the arrogant witch on her knees.

MICHAEL'S POV. I sat quietly on the couch shaking the glass of wine in my hand, my mind still clouded with guilt. I still couldn't believe Allen talked me into this evil act, it wasn't because I was righteous, I was the complete opposite. My name was Micheal but I was known among the billionaires as “The drug devil”. I was a drug dealer, one that you shouldn't mess with…one that valued money more than family. I was someone who sent shivers through people's spine, there was no single person that crossed me and never lived.

Kayo spots her first and waves like they’re old friends. Kayo: “Neri! You survived Rowan’s equations!” Nerida’s laugh sounds like distant nebulae colliding. Nerida: “Barely. One of them tried to date me.” She pushes off the railing and walks over (tentacles curling politely behind her so they don’t knock anyone off the roof). Nerida (to me, soft): “You’re Celeste Valentina Morua-Tsatoke. The one who made the Sky Court kneel.”