Valeria's POV
The next day...
The sharp click of my heels against the cold marble floors echoed in the silence as I walked beside Adrian through the massive corridors of my empire. The vastness of Siren Industries never failed to remind me of my power, of everything I'd built from the ground up. But today, something was different. Today, I walked alongside Adrian—our hands, subtly but undeniably, intertwined.
The moment we crossed into the building, the air shifted. I could feel the weight of stares pressing against us, the unspoken tension from the employees who had never seen me like this before. I had built this empire alone, fiercely guarding it with walls thicker than anyone could imagine. No one had gotten close. No one but Adrian. And now, we were making our way through these halls, as though the world had shifted beneath our feet, leaving everything—every gaze, every whisper—irrelevant.
It was impossible to ignore the men who watched us, their eyes following every step we took. Some tried to mask their reactions, but I could feel their jealousy—sharp, intense—pulsing through the air. They had known me as an untouchable figure, the queen of this empire, and for the first time, that status was being questioned. But it didn't matter. It never had. Adrian Blake was with me, and nothing else mattered now.
I glanced up at him, a sense of calm flooding through me as his hand found mine again. He gave me a look that spoke volumes, a silent reassurance. The rest of the world could watch, could whisper their doubts, but he was here. With me. And that was all I needed.
We reached the elevator, where I could already feel their eyes—sharp, hungry, envious. There was Marco, one of my senior executives, his usual confident demeanor faltering as he took in the sight of Adrian's hand on mine. His eyes narrowed before he quickly looked away, trying and failing to hide the glimmer of irritation. There was no mistaking it: the jealousy was consuming him. They all knew it now. This wasn't just business; this wasn't just the powerful CEO beside me. Adrian Blake was something else entirely, and they didn't know how to react to it.
As the elevator doors slid open, I stepped inside, pulling Adrian with me. I didn't need to look back to know that Marco and the others were watching us closely. But I didn't care. Adrian was mine. And that knowledge was far stronger than any passing gaze.
The elevator hummed as it ascended, the world outside continuing as it always did. But here, in the silence between us, everything felt different. Adrian stood close to me, his presence radiating through the small space. There was a quiet intensity in the way he watched me, as if he were still trying to wrap his mind around everything that had happened. I understood. I was still adjusting too. But unlike him, I'd been prepared for this—for what Adrian and I had become.
"You're still surprised by this, aren't you?" I asked, my voice a soft murmur that seemed to echo in the quiet space between us.
Adrian's lips curled into a slight smile, but there was a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes, something raw that he rarely showed. "I think I'm still trying to figure it out. How did we get here, Valeria?"
I met his gaze, feeling the intensity of the moment—the rawness of it all. Adrian had started out as a man with his own ambitions, just like everyone else in my life. But somewhere along the way, somewhere between power struggles and slow-burn tension, he'd become more than just another pawn in my game. He had become mine.
"At first, I thought you were just another man looking to make a name for himself," I said, the words flowing freely. "I underestimated you, Adrian. I thought you were like all the others—hungry for power, for control, for something I could give you. But you're not. You're different. And that's why you're with me now."
Adrian's eyes softened, but there was no hesitation in his response. "I've never wanted anything more than this. Than you."
The words hung in the air between us, undeniable. He meant them. And for the first time, I realized just how much I meant to him. Adrian Blake had entered my life as an ambitious man, hoping to carve a path beside me, but in the end, it wasn't just business or power that had drawn him in. It was something deeper, something stronger than anything I had imagined.
I leaned closer, the heat between us palpable. "You think you know me, Adrian. But what you don't understand is that this—what we have—is more than just a partnership."
Adrian's hand brushed against my cheek, a tender touch that contrasted sharply with the intensity in his eyes. "I don't need to understand it, Valeria. I just need you."
And with that, I knew. This wasn't just about power. It wasn't about what Adrian had once wanted from me. It was about something far more consuming, far more real. I had claimed him as my own, and now, we would carve our names into this empire—together.
The elevator doors opened to the top floor, and I didn't look back. Adrian followed closely, his presence a constant reminder that the world had shifted. We walked into my office, a room that had always been mine, a space where I made the rules. But now, there was someone else here with me—someone who would stand by my side, not behind me.
As we stepped inside, the weight of the room settled over us. The men, the whispers, they would all feel it. They would all understand that I was no longer just the ruler of Siren Industries. I was his, and he was mine. No one could take that from us...
"Ready?" I asked, glancing at Adrian. The world beyond those doors would never be the same. He met my gaze with a quiet smile, the flicker of confidence returning to his eyes.
"Always," he replied.
---
Adrian's POV
Stepping back into Valeria's empire after the Oracle's revelation felt like stepping into a storm, one crackling with both possibility and danger. Walking hand in hand with her, I could feel the intensity of her presence, the power thrumming just beneath her calm, formidable exterior. Every step through the halls of Siren Industries was a reminder of her unmatched authority—and the envy it ignited.
Eyes turned as we passed, a mixture of awe, respect, and something darker simmering beneath. I could sense the jealousy, especially from men who'd longed for even a fraction of Valeria's attention. They were now forced to acknowledge what they never could attain: that Valeria Moretti wasn't merely untouchable, but irrevocably bound to me.
We reached her private office, where the air was thick with energy, almost alive, as if it knew what had transpired between us. It was strange how the binding had changed me; I felt more attuned to her, to this world she commanded, a realm steeped in a supernatural aura I still barely understood.
Valeria closed the door behind us and let out a sigh, crossing the room to her desk. She glanced at me over her shoulder, an unreadable expression on her face. It was like she was weighing something, some decision she hadn't yet shared with me.
"You know what walking in here together means, don't you?" she asked, her voice low but laced with an edge.
I took a step closer, feeling the intensity of her gaze. "It means I'm in this with you. That whatever comes, we're in it together."
A faint, rare smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She crossed her arms, leaning back against her desk, studying me in that unnerving way she had, as though she could see beyond flesh and bone, down to my very soul.
"For someone who's just gotten himself tangled in a supernatural bond, you're handling it with surprising confidence," she noted, her tone sharp but not unkind.
"Confidence might not be the word," I replied, stepping closer. "But being with you means facing whatever comes, no matter the stakes. I don't regret a thing."
The words settled between us, heavy with truth. She lifted a hand and touched the mark on my chest, the one that mirrored hers—the sign of our claim, a symbol that declared to any who dared look too closely that I was hers, just as she was mine.
But as I gazed at her, I caught a flicker of something dark beneath her fierce demeanor. Valeria's eyes, usually sharp and guarded, held a shadow, a lingering threat of Talon's fury, his obsession. The Oracle's warnings hung between us like an invisible force, and I knew she felt it too. We were bound together, yet it wasn't only Talon we had to consider; there was also Marco, her second-in-command, a man who, I'd recently come to realize, harbored his own dangerous ambitions.
"Adrian," she said suddenly, drawing me back. "You need to be careful around Marco."
"Marco?" I repeated, surprised at her directness. "What are you saying?"
She shook her head, glancing down as though choosing her words carefully. "He's always been… protective. But there's a part of him that believes he's entitled to my loyalty"
Valeria's POV
I could see the curiosity in Adrian's eyes as he processed what I was saying. There were few people in this world who truly understood the inner workings of Siren Industries, and fewer still who knew the lengths some would go to secure power here. Marco had been by my side for years—loyal, efficient, ruthless when needed. But Adrian wasn't like him. He was something altogether different.
"Marco's loyalty isn't the problem," I continued, searching Adrian's gaze. "It's his ambition. He's convinced himself that he deserves more than he has, that he's… owed something from me. And now that you're here, it's only a matter of time before he lets that resentment boil over."
Adrian's brow furrowed, and a flash of irritation crossed his face. "Is he a threat to you?"
I shook my head, though the unease lingered. "Not in the way you're thinking. Marco wouldn't dare cross me directly, but he's… possessive. In his mind, I'm something he's helped shape and control all these years. And now that I've brought you into my world, that control is slipping through his fingers. To him, it's an affront—a threat to the power he thought he held over me."
Adrian's jaw clenched, his hand moving instinctively to the place where our mark rested beneath his shirt. I knew he felt it, the weight of the claim, the bind that connected us. For me, it was a source of strength. For him, I imagined, it must feel both empowering and strange, something that both grounded and bound him.
"And what about Talon?" Adrian's voice softened, but there was an edge of steel to it. "If Marco is dangerous because of his ambition, then Talon's obsession… that's something entirely different, isn't it?"
I nodded, feeling a chill run down my spine at the mention of Talon's name. The Oracle's warning about him had been clear, even if she'd been cryptic about what might come. Talon had been in my life for years, lurking in the shadows, watching, waiting. He was dangerous in ways that went beyond mere ambition. He was a creature of fixation, someone who saw me as something to claim, to possess.
"Talon is… different," I admitted, choosing my words carefully. "He doesn't see people the way we do. To him, I'm an object of desire, a puzzle he's determined to solve. He believes that because we share a history, he's entitled to me in ways no one else could be."
Adrian's expression darkened, and I could feel the tension radiating off him. His protective instincts were flaring up, that much was clear, but there was more to it—a territorial possessiveness that matched Talon's, though in a much different way. Unlike Talon, Adrian didn't see me as something to be taken. He saw me as an equal, a force to be reckoned with, someone who chose him freely.
"He'll have to accept that you're no longer his," Adrian said, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "And if he can't, then he'll deal with me."
There was a part of me that wanted to tell him he didn't understand, that Talon's obsession went beyond mere human jealousy. But looking at Adrian now, seeing the fire in his eyes, I realized that he wouldn't be swayed by warnings. He was in this with me, come what may, and he wouldn't let anyone—or anything—stand between us.
Still, I felt the need to make him understand. "Talon won't go quietly," I warned. "He's not like Marco, driven by ego and ambition. He's something darker, something that won't be placated or reasoned with."
Adrian's hand found mine, his grip firm and reassuring. "Then let him try. I'm not going anywhere, Valeria. Whatever he thinks he has over you, whatever he believes gives him the right to claim you… it ends now. You're mine."
The words sent a thrill through me, a reminder of just how far we'd come, of everything we'd overcome to be here. I looked up at him, feeling a surge of possessiveness that matched his own. Adrian might not fully understand the depth of Talon's fixation, but he was willing to fight for me—to stand against anything that threatened what we had.
"Then we face him together," I said, my voice steady. "But don't underestimate him, Adrian. Talon is… relentless. And if he sees you as a threat, he won't hesitate to come after you."
A flicker of defiance crossed Adrian's face, but he held his ground, his gaze unwavering. "Let him try. I'm not afraid of him, Valeria. Whatever he thinks he's capable of, he's no match for us. Not anymore."
There was a confidence in his words, a strength that made me believe we could face whatever lay ahead. But as much as I wanted to share that confidence, there was a part of me that couldn't shake the feeling that Talon was watching, waiting, preparing to make his move.
Adrian must have sensed my hesitation because he stepped closer, his hand finding my cheek as he tilted my face up to meet his gaze. "We'll face him together," he repeated, his voice a soft murmur that seemed to steady me. "No one is going to come between us, Valeria. Not Marco, not Talon, not anyone."
I leaned into his touch, feeling the warmth of his hand against my skin, the strength of his resolve. For the first time in a long time, I saw that same determination, that same fire that had drawn me to him in the first place. And in that moment, I knew that whatever battles lay ahead, whatever darkness we would have to face, we would do it together.