At that mont she adjusted her dress, casting one last glance at the faces staring at her in utter bewildernt. Then, her voice, steady and resolute, filled the space.
"As my husband said, I am not a commodity that you can put a price on."
Her tone held no room for negotiation, her words clear and sharp, leaving no space for argunt.
The weight of her statent hung thickly in the air, suffocating any remaining delusions they might have had about controlling her future like they once did.
Raymond, silent but imposing, buttoned his jacket calmly, his fingers moving with practiced ease. His eyes swept the room, eting the gaze of each family mber with a quiet yet unmistakable warning.
Then Valentina continued, her voice carrying an air of finality.
"Since this pathetic excuse of a eting is over—" her gaze flickered toward her father, then toward Sebastian’s battered face before settling on Maria, whose face had drained of all color.
"—I’ll be taking my leave. I have more important matters to attend to."
A sharp, collective intake of breath filled the room.
Maria’s hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palm, but she couldn’t say a word.
Bernard’s lips pressed into a thin line, his shoulders tense, his pride bruised beyond repair.
Valentina’s father simply sat there, his face hardened, his authority crumbling in front of his own eyes.
With that, Valentina turned on her heel, her movents smooth, elegant, and deliberate.
Raymond, his expression unreadable, followed suit, his steps unrushed, exuding an air of untouchable power, no one stopped them.
Not a single word was uttered as they walked out of the house, leaving behind an atmosphere so thick with humiliation and defeat that not even the most vengeful soul dared to break the silence.
The mont the door shut, the Callum family erupted in panic.
Maria was the first to rush toward Sebastian, her hands trembling as she cupped his swollen, bruised face.
"Oh my God, Sebastian! We are so sorry! We didn’t expect that lunatic to act like that! Please—please don’t take this to heart."
Bernard grimaced, his face twisted in frustration.
"That madman—who does he think he is?!" He turned to Sebastian, lowering his voice.
"You... you won’t tell your parents about this, right? I an... there’s no need to blow this out of proportion."
Sebastian, still reeling from the slap, tensed. His jaw ached, his head pounded, but the pain wasn’t what infuriated him. It was the humiliation. A nobody, a man without status or wealth, had just laid hands on him—and in front of Valentina, no less.
His breathing was ragged, his fingers clenched into fists at his sides. He wanted to roar in rage, to destroy sothing, but he forced himself to stay still.
No. He wouldn’t report this.
He wouldn’t give his parents the satisfaction of knowing that he had been utterly disgraced by a man beneath him.
But one thing was certain—Raymond was going to pay.
His gaze darkened, his lips curled in quiet fury as he finally spoke, his voice a low, venomous whisper.
"That bastard will kneel before . I’ll make sure of it."
Imdiately Silence blanketed the room.
Then Maria nodded eagerly, her expression twisting with malice. "Yes! Do whatever you must, Sebastian! Crush him! Destroy him!"
Bernard scoffed, his voice dripping with venom.
"Kill the fool if you have to. We don’t care. He brought this on himself."
Then Valentina’s father exhaled sharply, his patience thinning. His pride had been trampled on today, and he wasn’t about to let Raymond walk away unscathed.
"Enough of this nonsense," he snapped.
"I’ll call our lawyer. The marriage ends today. That fool won’t walk away with a single cent from our family."
Sebastian smirked, a twisted sense of satisfaction settling in his bloodied mouth.
"Good," he muttered.
"Then let’s see how long that nobody lasts."
As soon as they settled into the car, Valentina exhaled sharply, still reeling from everything that had just happened. She turned toward Raymond, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and admiration.
"Raymond..." she began, still gripping his arm, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed.
"I didn’t know you were that strong. I an, I knew you weren’t soone to ss with, but..." She trailed off, shaking her head in disbelief.
Her lips curved into a small smile, a glint of satisfaction flickering in her gaze.
"The way you dealt with Sebastian just now... I won’t lie, I liked it." She chuckled, but there was a hint of awe behind her voice.
"It just proved to that you don’t entertain any disrespect when it cos to ."
Then Raymond’s grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly, his expression unreadable, but there was a quiet intensity in his gaze as he looked at her.
"I don’t," he said simply.
"And I never will."
Imdiately Valentina sighed, her fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns on her lap.
"Still... you need to be a little careful," she admitted. "Sebastian’s family is powerful, and they have connections. I just pray he’s not stupid enough to run to his parents about this, because if he does, they’re definitely not going to take it lightly."
Raymond scoffed, his voice dripping with confidence.
"Let him report it." His jaw clenched slightly, but there was no fear in his expression—only a cold certainty.
"I don’t care what his family thinks they can do. If they want to co after , let them try. Their son lacks basic respect, and if his parents failed to teach him manners, I’ll gladly do it myself."
Valentina bit her lower lip, her eyes studying his face, searching for any sign of concern, but all she saw was conviction.
Raymond glanced at her, his tone calm but firm.
"I told you, Valentina. Anything that concerns you... I won’t take lightly. And anyone who dares to disrespect you—" his grip on the steering wheel flexed slightly—"will regret it."
She swallowed, a strange warmth spreading through her chest at his words.
For the first ti in a long ti, she felt sothing she hadn’t known she needed.
Safety.
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