Valentina’s brows creased. Sothing about the confidence in his voice felt too sure, too strange.
She tilted her head slightly and asked, "The way you’re so confident... is there sothing you’re not telling ? Because I don’t get it. I’ve never t soone who believes in another person this much. You talk like it’s already done."
Then Raymond leaned back and smiled.
"Because it is."
Raymond tilted his head slightly and smiled, the corner of his lips curling in that usual calm, unreadable way.
"If you asked to bet on you, Valentina," he said, voice low and steady, "I’d place every single thing I own on you winning that contract."
Hearing what he just said Valentina blinked, trying not to roll her eyes. "You keep saying that," she muttered, running her fingers over the edge of the file, "but do you even know the weight of this deal? This isn’t so five-hundred-million contract. This is ten billion, Raymond. Ten billion."
Her voice had a little edge now, not angry—just anxious.
"So please, stop acting like I’m so kind of guru or superwoman. I’ve never gotten anything this big before."
Raymond chuckled, the sound deep and easy. "And yet here you are," he said, eyes locking onto hers. "You wrote this proposal like soone who deserves it. I went through it, Valentina. I’ve read a lot of business proposals in my life—more than I care to count—and I’ve never seen anything with this much precision and clarity. You didn’t just write numbers and objectives. You wrote vision."
Raymond words made Valentina pause. Slowly, she lowered the file and looked at him. There was sothing about the way he said it—not trying to flatter her, not just hyping her up. He ant every word.
Imdiately she sighed and finally spoke, "You know... I trust you."
Raymond raised a brow. She smiled faintly and continued, "I trust everything you say, everything you do. And I don’t doubt your intentions, not even for a second. Because ever since you ca into my life, you haven’t gotten anything wrong."
She hesitated for a mont, heart suddenly heavy with sothing she couldn’t describe. "I just hope you don’t get it wrong soday," she whispered, her voice softer now. "Because I really, really love you and everything you’ve done for ."
At that mont Valentina leaned gently against Raymond’s chest, her voice soft. "Thank you," she whispered, "for always believing in ... for always standing by , no matter what. I’m really, really grateful, Raymond. I’ll never disappoint you."
Raymond said nothing for a mont. He simply pulled her into a tight embrace, wrapping his arms around her like he was shielding her from the world.
Then, with quiet tenderness, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"You’re my safe house now," he murmured against her skin, his voice low, almost broken by emotion. "And I’m never letting go."
He held her there for a while, but his eyes stared beyond her shoulder—dark, focused, unreadable. Because deep within, Raymond knew what ti it was.
It’s almost that mont again.
That haunting point in Valentina’s life... the sa point in every cycle. The point where everything began to unravel.
It’s always around this ti... when things start getting intense. When threats start rising.
’When I start losing her. not this ti.’
His jaw clenched as he pulled her even closer, If anything or anyone ca close to taking her away from him—whether they were friend, family, or stranger—he’d eliminate them. Quietly, completely, and without regret.
He didn’t care anymore.
’Last ti... I killed her stepmother. I thought she was the one behind it all.’
But in the end, she wasn’t, Raymond had learned his lesson. This ti, he wouldn’t make assumptions. He’d remove every potential threat before they ever had a chance to act. Because this ti... he wasn’t going to lose Valentina.
So, and previously before then, he had taken the lives of three of Valentina’s past suitors—n who chased after her with obsession in their hearts.
Raymond had killed all three, convinced one of them was the reason he kept losing her. But even after eliminating them, Valentina still died.
That mory haunted him, this ti, he wasn’t going to rely on instincts or assumptions. No. This ti, he would be thodical, calculated, and one step ahead of fate. He would protect her—not just by standing close, but by watching everything, every movent, every face around her. Every shift in emotion.
He would watch over her like a shadow that never slept, he would find out who had grudges against her, who held hidden hate, who smiled with envy behind their greetings. And right now, Avery stood out. There was sothing off about her. The subtle digs. The forced smiles. The power plays. Raymond could feel it, could she be the one?
’Maybe. Maybe not.’
But Raymond was going to find out.
And if Ivory turned out to be the reason Valentina’s life ended before... he would make sure she never took another breath again.
Yet, despite his clarity, one thing still ate away at him: the way Valentina died—each ti—never followed a pattern. It was like the world kept changing the rules on him. And that... that was what made him most afraid.
It’s beginning to feel like the thing that kills Valentina... might not even be far from him. That’s what haunts Raymond the most.
The pattern is always changing—but the pain stays the sa. Every single ti.
He clenched his jaw, a storm of mories flashing behind his crimson eyes.
He had tried everything. He had even attempted the unthinkable—turning her into a vampire during her final breath two centuries ago. He rembered the way her body trembled, how her veins surged with unfamiliar darkness.
But it didn’t work. The transformation failed. She died in his arms from the sheer shock. Her fragile body couldn’t take it.
That mont shattered him, since then, he vowed never to try that again. Not unless it was her choice... not unless he was sure she could handle it.
So this ti, no rushing. No panic. Just clarity and vigilance.
This ti, he was going to be more watchful than he’s ever been in any of her other lifeti.
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