Chapter 12
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Evender shook his head. “You’re teasing him. You’re making him need you.”
I fitted my head, “Isn’t that the point?
Donovan ran a hand through his hair. “Valeria, Benjamin doesn’t just crave power. He needs control. And you’re taking that from him.”
A slow smile curled on my lips. “That’s the plan.”
Evander exhaled, “You’re playing with fire
“I am the fire”
Donovan leaned forward, voice low. “Just don’t get too close.”
1 glanced at my phone, scrolling through my messages. Breaking Benjamin’s mind is just part of the game. And I always win.
Leticia was drowning in it. She had spent years clawing her way into Benjamin’s life, ensuring her place at his side. Now, she was watching him slip through her fingers like sand. And she was terrified. So, she did the only thing she knew–she tried to eliminate me. The night air was thick with humidity, the distant city buzz faint. My heels clicked against the pavement as I walked to my car. I was used to being watched, but tonight felt different. The weight of a gaze–not just curious, but predatory–settled on me.
I didn’t react, my hand sliding into my purse, fingers brushing the cool metal of my knife. Then I heard it–the rustle of fabric, the shift of weight, and the unmistakable click of a gun cocking
Instinct kicked in. I dropped low as a gunshot ripped through the air. BANG! The bullet whizzed past me, embedding itself into the car. My heart thundered, but my hands remained steady
A dark figure moved faster than lightning–Donovan. His fist collided with the hitman’s jaw, the sickening crunch of bone echoing in the air. The man staggered back before Donovan grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against a pillar.
The gun clattered to the pavement. Donovan didn’t even glance at it, his eyes locked onto the struggling hitman. “Do you even know who the fuck you just tried to kill?”
The man choked, “1-1 was just following orders-”
Donovan’s grip tightened. “Whose orders?”
Silence. The hitman’s mouth opened, then snapped shut.
I stepped closer, my voice honeyed. “Oh, come on. You already failed. You might as well make it worth your while.”
The man swallowed hard, realizing his mistake. He wasn’t looking at a helpless woman- he was looking at a predator.
“1-1 don’t know her name,” he stammered. “I just got a call. A woman. She said you needed
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I stepped closer, my voice noneyea, un, come on, you already railed. You might as well make it worth your while.”
The man swallowed hard, realizing his mistake. He wasn’t looking at a helpless woman- he was looking at a predator.
“1-1 don’t know her name,” he stammered. “I just got a call. A woman. She said you needed
to disappear.”
My lips curled, “A woman, huh?”
Donovan exhaled sharply. “Leticia.”
Of course,
I crossed my arms, exhaling. “She’s getting sloppy.”
Donovan shot me a look. “She’s getting desperate.” He turned back to the hitman, voice dark. “If you so much as breathe near her again, I won’t be the one coming for you.”
The hitman’s breath hitched.
“Evander will.”
His face drained of color.
Donovan shoved him away, watching him scramble into the night. Then, he turned to me, eyes burning with something dangerously close to anger. “You okay?”
I exhaled slowly, pressing a hand to my chest for effect. “I almost died tonight.”
His jaw clenched. “Valeria.”
I pulled out my phone. “Relax,” I murmured. “I’m about to make it worth it.”
The phone rang twice before he picked up.
“Valeria?”
I let out a shaky breath. “B–Benjamin… I–I don’t know who else to call-”
Instant alertness. “What happened?”
I let my voice crack. “Someone–someone tried to kill me. I’m so… so scared.”
Silence.
Then, a deadly whisper. “Fuck. Where are you?”
I sniffled. “I’m in the hospital.”
“I’m coming.”
When Benjamin stormed through the hospital doors, he looked like a man ready to kill. His gaze locked onto me–sitting on the hospital bed, wrapped in a thin blanket, my face pale under the fluorescent lights.
I looked small. Fragile. Broken.
And it worked.
“Valeria.”
His voice was gentler than I’d ever heard it.
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And it worked
“Valeria.”
His voice was gentler than I’d ever heard it.
I turned, eyes glassy with fake tears. “Benjamin..”
He was at my side in an instant, and I collapsed into his arms.
His body went rigid–then melted, arms tightening around me.
“Shh,” he murmured. “You’re safe now.”
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I let out a shaky breath. “I–I was so scared.”
His grip tightened.
I buried my face in his chest. “Someone–someone tried to shoot me. If the guard hadn’t been there-”
His entire body stiffened.
I looked up, voice small. “I–I don’t want to assume things, but…” I hesitated, biting my lip.
His voice was steel. “Say it.”
I lowered my gaze. “Leticia… she was so angry after the gala. She–she told me to stay away from you. And now this?” I swallowed. “I–I don’t want to believe she would actually
Benjamin’s eyes darkened. Hook. Line. Sinker.
***
Leticia never saw it coming. When Benjamin entered the penthouse, she smiled–until she saw his expression.
Pure, unfiltered rage.
Her smile faltered. “Ben-”
“Did you try to have Valeria killed?”
The words cut through the air like a blade.
Leticia paled. “What?”
Benjamin stepped closer, his presence suffocating. “Someone tried to kill her tonight. And she thinks it was you.”
Leticia gasped. “You–you believe her?”
His gaze never wavered. “I believe someone just tried to take out my biggest investor.”
She flinched.
“You postponed our wedding for her.” Leticia’s voice shook. “Now you’re accusing me?” Benjamin’s voice was calm but lethal. “If I find out you did this–there won’t be a wedding at
all.”
