Valerie tried to keep her composure but it was slowly breaking, thinking of how this man standing in front of her had a hand in her downfall.
He was driving her to ruins because he wanted to make her suffer. He went that far and all because...
She clenched her fists.
"Why are you telling me this?" She asked, her head bowed. "I don't believe you said that just to make me agitated."
"You're right. I want you to know just how much influence I have. If I wanted it, you'd be wherever I want you to be and all it takes is a snap of my fingers." He displayed his fingers in front of her.
Valerie fell silent, thinking. Yes, he could do that. He could do anything, but why wasn't he already doing it?
Surely, spreading rumors wasn't the only thing the representative of the Stewart Corp was capable of, right?
He could do anything, yet he wasn't doing anything, and instead, he was proposing to help her? Why?
"Then what are you waiting for?" Valerie asked, shocking him. "You want me to suffer, isn't it? Just do your magic, snap your fingers and bring me down to my knees." She took a step towards him. "Why? You can't do it?"
Her lips curled up. She had him figured out. She took a step towards him and he took one back.
"Oh right, it's not fun for you if I don't look like I'm suffering, right? It's my broken expression that excites you, isn't it? It's what gives you satisfaction. It's not fun if your efforts to make me suffer doesn't have any effect on my expressions. Am I right, Max?"
A little silence followed her words and Max tittered.
"Smart as ever." He said and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Now that you have me all figured out, what are you going to do? My intentions are as white as snow, aren't they? Now tell me, what's stopping you from taking my hand?"
Just then, Frankie opened the door and her eyes widened, seeing Max in the room.
Valerie immediately stepped away, getting out of his grasp and said,
"Frankie, please see this uninvited guest out."
Frankie wasted no time directing Max to the door.
Max looked at Valerie. He hadn't gotten his answer yet and she didn't look like she was going to continue their conversation either so he gave in and said,
"I expect to get a response from you the next time we meet." He made his way out of there, giving Frankie a cold glare that made her shudder.
His glare had a heavy pressure on her and for a moment, she thought she had been stared down by a beast.
Once he was gone, Valerie gave out a sigh of relief and fell back on the bed, covering her face. To think one of the objects of her suffering was the man she once loved.
At this point, could she still say she deserved this punishment? If she weighed her actions and his actions, there was actually still a lot to atone for.
But to think he'd do something like that to her. He knew how much that position meant to her yet he did that. Haha, she ended up laughing. At least he remembered what would hurt her the most.
To be laughing in this situation... She must be really crazy.
"Miss," Frankie called as she returned to the room.
"Is he gone?" Valerie asked and Frankie nodded.
"Yes, Miss, but how did he get in?"
"Same thing I'd like to ask." Valerie said and sat up. "Frankie, were moving to another hotel right away. He already knows where I'm staying so there's no telling when he'll get in again."
That evening, they moved to another hotel. They just needed to stay out of his sight for a day and the next day, they'd return to the country.
But she could not get his words out of her head. With his help, she could definitely take down her uncle but it was too risky. What would she do if it ended up being one of her uncle's plots to lure her to the curbs?
She felt restless. But as risky as it was, and as angry as she was that he was involved in what happened a year ago, she wanted to take the chance. There was no success without risks, right?
Right now, she had no elaborate plan to take down her uncle and no valid backer. Her uncle had a lot of people on his side, so she was really at a disadvantage.
So even if she rejected him, because she was scared of falling into a trap and would end up defeated, there's no guarantee that she'd succeed if she went ahead with whatever plan she comes up with later on.
Without a backer, whatever plan she had would crumble. And what better backer than the richest man in the country?
At the end of it, when she had finally taken down her uncle, if he still wanted to take her down, because he so craved to see her suffer, she would not complain.
All that she wanted was revenge. All she wanted was to destroy the wonderful image they created for themselves while forcing her into the life of a villainess.
Valerie opened her eyes as she felt someone's presence in her room. She quickly sat up, only to see someone sitting next to her lamp table. With unclear eyes, she peered closer to see who it was.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." He said and just like before, her face relaxed seeing it was Max. "You seem relieved to see me. Should I take this as a yes to my proposal?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself." She flung her sheets aside and got down from her bed. She was acting so relaxed that it actually amused Max.
"You should be weary of me." Max said and she nodded.
"And that's why I'm no longer on my bed." She said and tied her robe, folding her arms. "Now, how did you get in here?"