hapter 10
The moment Valeria walked away, something twisted deep inside my chest. A feeling I couldn’t name–sharp, unsettling. I watched the sway of her gown, the confidence in every step she took. Unbothered. Untouchable.
Leticia trembled beside me, her breath shallow with rage. “Benjamin, you can’t just let her walk away after humiliating me like that!”
I barely looked at her. “Enough.” The single word shut her up.
I was done with her tantrums. She was becoming a liability–messy, emotional, reckless. But it wasn’t just her behavior that irritated me. It was the woman who had just left.
Valeria.
She wasn’t just another socialite trying to make a name for herself. No, she was something else entirely. Dangerous. Calculated. And hauntingly familiar. I couldn’t place it, but something about her–the way she spoke, the way she looked at me, the way she played her game–felt like a ghost reaching for me from the past.
I hated it. And yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
I sat in my office hours later, the city lights casting long shadows across the room. A glass of whiskey rested in my hand, untouched.
“Find out everything about her,” I ordered coldly.
The man standing before me, Dominic, gave a sharp nod. “Valeria Lancaster. Newly emerged in the business world. Wealthy but discreet. No family ties that we can track.”
I narrowed my eyes. “That’s impossible. No one climbs this high without a past.” Dominic hesitated. “Whoever she was before–it’s gone. Completely erased. No records, no connections. It’s as if she didn’t exist before last year.”
That caught my attention. A woman with no past? Someone powerful enough to erase every trace of their former self? That only made me want to know more.
I swirled the whiskey in my glass, watching the amber liquid catch the light. “Keep digging. I don’t care what it takes.”
Dominic nodded, then placed a black envelope on my desk. “She sent you this.”
My jaw tightened as I reached for it, breaking the wax seal with a flick of my fingers. Inside, a single note.
Did you ever wonder what happens to a caged bird when it finally flies free?
Something cold slid down my spine. I read the words again. And again. It wasn’t just a message. It was a warning.
My grip tightened around the paper as I exhaled slowly. Valeria was playing a dangerous game. And now?
Now, I was going to play, too.
Betrayal Wears My Crown
1/3
46.7%
My grip tightened around the paper as I exhaled slowly. Valeria was playing a dangerous game. And now?
Now, I was going to play, too.
***
VALERIA’S POV
I had won.
Benjamin was bleeding, and he didn’t even know where the knife had come from. His empire had taken a hit–a deep, precise wound in one of his key businesses. The hostile takeover had been beautifully executed, cutting off a major revenue stream without leaving a trace of my involvement. He was scrambling for answers, trying to find the enemy in the shadows.
And the best part? The enemy was right in front of him.
I swirled the glass of wine in my hand, my office dimly lit by the city lights outside. It had been a long day of meetings, manipulating investors, and ensuring every piece of the puzzle fit perfectly. I had expected Benjamin to react. To send someone sniffing around. Maybe even reach out himself.
But what I hadn’t expected… was her.
The office door slammed open so hard the walls shook. I didn’t even flinch. Leticia stormed in, her eyes wild, her breath ragged like she had been holding in a scream.
“How the fuck did you do it?!” she spat, her stilettos clicking against the marble floor as she approached my desk. “Who the hell are you working for?”
I let out a slow, bored exhale, placing my glass down. “Leticia,” I greeted smoothly, tilting my head. “To what do I owe this lovely visit?”
“Don’t,” she snarled, slamming her hands on my desk. “Don’t act like you don’t know why I’m here! You’ve been toying with me, haven’t you? First the rumors, then the journalists, and now this?”
I raised an eyebrow. “You’ll have to be more specific. I do a lot of things.”
Her fingers curled into fists. “I’m done playing your fucking game, Valeria.”
I smirked. “Oh, sweetheart.” I leaned forward, resting my chin on my hand. “You were never playing. You were just a piece on the board.”
Leticia’s nostrils flared. She pulled something from the inside of her coat and slammed it onto my desk. A knife. Silver. Sharp. Wicked.
She gripped it tight, her knuckles white. “I’m going to tell you this once,” she hissed. “Back. Off!”
Amusement flickered through me. “Or what?”
Her lips twisted into a vicious smile.
And then she drove the knife into the desk–between my fingers. The blade missed my skin by a breath. A warning.
Chapter 10.
2/3 18.2%
Amusement flickered through me. “Or what?”
Her lips twisted into a vicious smile.
And then she drove the knife into the desk–between my fingers. The blade missed my skin by a breath. A warning.
“I swear to God,” she seethed, her breath hot with rage. “If you don’t stop–if you don’t disappear–I will kill you myself.”
Silence stretched between us. Then I smiled, Slow, Lethal. Leticia had made a very big
mistake.
I reached for the knife. Calm. Controlled. Deadly. And in one smooth movement–1 ripped it from the desk and hurled it straight at the door behind her,
Thud.
The blade lodged itself inches from Leticia’s head. She froze. All the color drained from her face as she turned, staring at the vibrating handle of the knife.
And then I stood. I walked toward her, my heels clicking softly, my presence swallowing hers. She backed up, but I didn’t stop. I leaned in, lowering my voice to a whisper, my breath fanning against her trembling skin.
“You don’t get to threaten me, bitch.”
Leticia’s chest heaved, her pupils blown wide.
“I’m not just your enemy,” I continued, my voice honeyed poison. “I am your nightmare.” Her lip quivered, but she clenched her jaw. “You don’t know who you’re messing with.”
I smiled. “Oh, but I do.”
I let that sink in. Let her drown in the weight of her own fear. And then, softly–so softly it was almost cruel–I whispered, “I’m planning to take Benjamin from you.”
Leticia sucked in a sharp breath. Her hands curled at her sides. “Y–You’re lying.”
I tilted my head, amusement curling at my lips. “Like how you took him from Nevaeh…
Her body went rigid. The silence between us cracked. Her eyes widened, horror creeping into her expression.
She swallowed hard. “You… you knew Nevaeh?”
I said nothing. Just smiled. And walked away.
Leticia stood there, frozen, pale, haunted. And I didn’t need
