Valeria's Pov
"There's a delivery for a Miss Valeria Onyx."
The courier didn't wait for a thank you. He dropped the box and bolted. I stared at the gold-leaf packaging. Inside lay a silk dress that cost more than anything i own.
Who the hell?
I pushed the box under my desk. I had a ledger to cross-reference and a mission to finish. The mystery could wait.
Two hours later, the Devil summoned me.
"Did you get the package?" Alaric asked without looking up from his laptop.
"You sent that ridiculously priced dress? Do you have any idea how many tuition fees that would cover?"
"The price is irrelevant." He finally looked at me, his gaze cold and transactional. "I have a gala at six. My date canceled. I need someone with a brain to navigate the room, and my usual partners are… insufficient."
Translation: Your sex partners are too vapid to talk business.
"I don't think escorting you is in my job description, Boss."
He ignored me, his fingers flying across the keys again. Dismissed.
Fine. I'll make you pay for every extra hour of work by tearing your empire down from the inside.
"You won't even compliment my looks? You're definitely a lady's man," I muttered as we walked toward the exit.
I hated him, but the man looked like he was born in a tuxedo. It was offensive how well the fabric hugged his shoulders.
"Get in the car," Alaric said.
He opened the limousine door for me—a rare flash of chivalry that felt more like an order. We sat in heavy silence. I could feel his eyes on me, raking over my legs and the curves the silk highlighted.
"I need you to respect yourself at the gala," he said. "Mind how you speak. Don't—"
He stopped. I didn't hear the rest. My head hit the leather headrest, and the exhaustion of living a double life finally caught up.
If I'm going to a den of snakes, I need ten minutes of peace.
"Wake up."
A sharp pinch on my chin snapped my eyes open. Alaric was inches away, his thumb pressing into my skin.
"Don't forget who owns your time tonight. Do not wander."
"Keep your hands off me, i am not your plaything. " I snapped. "You only own my time because you're my boss at work. Boss."
We stepped onto the red carpet. The air changed immediately—smelling of expensive perfume and hidden agendas.
In the center of the grand foyer stood a massive statue of a nude man with a tiny shaft, frozen in marble while playing an intricate instrument.
Why was the man part tiny though, they could have made it worth staring at.
Then I saw them. Jack and Vivian.
Are they stalking me, or is the universe just that cruel?
"I see you found who to leech on now," Jack sneered, swaggering toward us with Vivian clinging to his arm.
"Who are you?" Alaric asked, his voice vibrating with boredom.
"I am her ex-fiancé. I discarded her because she is worthless," Jack spat.
The air went cold.
Alaric's hand moved to my waist, his grip possessive and heavy. "I don't know who you are to think you have the right to approach me, you little worm. But you certainly do not have the right to talk to my date in that manner."
Jack's face drained of color as he realized who he was insulting. Alaric Von. The man who ate sharks for breakfast.
"I… I am sorry. I just wanted to warn you to be careful—"
"Get out of my face."
I watched Jack retreat like a kicked dog. I hate Alaric, but I don't mind watching one monster destroy another.
The gala was a blur of ministers and power-brokers. None of them looked at me. To them, I was just another piece of arm candy.
Keep thinking that. It's easier to rob you when you think I'm invisible.
I excused myself to clear my head. The building was a fortress. Waiters in masks. Piano players in masks. CCTV cameras hidden among the roses.
A scream shattered the jazz music.
"He's choking!"
The crowd circled a VIP. He was turning blue, his hands clawing at his throat. The elite were just standing there, shouting for help they didn't know how to give.
Rich people are so incompetent.
I shoved through the silk and sequins. "I'm a doctor! Stand him up!"
Two men dragged the victim to his feet. He was staggering, his eyes bulging in terror. Complete airway obstruction.
I stepped behind him, locking my fist just above his navel. I drove inward and upward. A heimlich maneuver.
Nothing.
"Again," I hissed.
On the third thrust, I put every bit of grit I had into it. A chunk of steak shot out of his mouth and hit the marble with a wet thud. The man collapsed, drawing in ragged, greedy breaths.
"Easy," I whispered, my fingers automatically finding his pulse. Steady. "You're alright. Just breathe."
The room went silent.
"She just saved his life," someone whispered.
I looked up. At the back of the crowd, Alaric was watching me. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes were dark with something that looked like… fury?
Is he mad i saved someone's life or what?
I went to the restroom to wash the adrenaline off my hands. As I reached for the towel, a shadow blocked the light.
"You know this is the ladies' room, Austin," I said without turning.
"You're playing a dangerous game, young Valeria," my father's old friend whispered. "If he finds out you are his daughter, he won't just fire you. He will ruin what's left of your family name."
"There is nothing left of my family name," I replied, looking at my reflection. My eyes looked older than they should. "I am all alone because of him."
I straightened my dress and walked back out to the ballroom, a fake smile plastered on my face.
The hunt continues.