Valen’s gaze moved across the apartment, taking in the narrow hallway, the single window, and the front door that had just begun to shake beneath another heavy blow.
His fingers brushed the gun hidden beneath his shirt.
The movement was small, almost instinctive, but Isadora noticed it immediately.
Her eyes widened.
“Why are you reaching for a gun?” He didn’t answer.
The next impact rattled the entire door.
Isadora flinched and took a step back.
“Maybe it’s the police?” “No.” The certainty in his voice made her stomach tighten.
“How do you know?” Valen kept his attention on the entrance.
There was only one way out, and the window offered no real escape.
He was still injured, still far from recovering his full strength, and the weapon at his waist was the only advantage he had.
If the people outside had come for him, this apartment would become a trap the moment they forced their way in.
The knocking stopped.
For a few seconds, the silence felt worse than the noise.
Then three slower knocks sounded through the apartment.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Valen’s expression hardened.
Whoever stood outside wasn’t trying to get someone’s attention.
They were listening for movement, waiting to see whether anyone inside would make a mistake.
Isadora swallowed.
“Valen…” “Stay behind me.” She stared at him.
“Excuse me?” “Behind me.” There was no room for argument in his tone.
For once, Isadora didn’t challenge him.
She moved back as he approached the door, watching the slight stiffness in his movements as each step pulled at his wound.
He tried to hide the pain, but she could see it.
When he reached the entrance, he rested one hand on the handle.
“Wait.” He glanced over his shoulder.
“What?” “I wasn’t expecting anyone.” “That doesn’t answer my question.” Isadora frowned.
“I don’t know who it is.” Valen studied her for a moment, then turned back to the door.
He opened it only a few inches.
A young man stood in the hallway.
He looked nervous, and his eyes moved quickly from Valen to Isadora, as though he hadn’t expected to find anyone else in the apartment.
“Uh… Is this Miss Matthew’s apartment?” “Yes,” Isadora said, stepping closer.
“Who are you?” The man lifted his phone.
“I saw your advertisement.” “My what?” “The roommate advertisement.” For a moment, Isadora simply stared at him.
Then she remembered the post she had made several days earlier, back when she had still believed she could solve her financial problems by finding someone to share the rent.
“Oh.” The young man gave her an awkward smile.
“I live in the building.
I’m looking for a place, and your post said you were looking for someone to move in.” Valen slowly turned toward her.
“You’re looking for a roommate?” “Yes.” “You didn’t mention that.” “You didn’t ask.” The stranger cleared his throat, visibly uncomfortable with the tension between them.
“So… should I come back another time?” Isadora glanced at Valen, then at the apartment behind her.
The unpaid bills on the counter were impossible to ignore.
Neither was the nearly empty balance in her bank account.
She looked back at the young man.
“Actually… come in.” “No.” Valen’s answer came so quickly that both Isadora and the stranger turned toward him.
Isadora blinked.
“Excuse me?” “He’s not coming in.” The young man looked confused.
“I’m sorry?” Valen ignored him and kept his eyes on Isadora.
“You don’t know this man.” She stared at him.
“And I know you?” The question silenced him.
His jaw tightened.
“That isn’t the point.” “Then what is the point?” He had no answer.
She was right, and that was what irritated him most.
He had spent an entire week unconscious in her apartment, relying on a woman whose name he barely knew.
She knew even less about him, yet he was standing there as though he had the right to decide who she could let through her own door.
The irony wasn’t lost on him.
Isadora sighed and turned toward the stranger.
“Look, I need someone to help with the rent.
I’ll contact you if—” “I’m not interested.” Valen’s voice cut across hers.
The young man looked at him.
“You’re not interested?” “No.” Isadora slowly turned back.
“Why are you answering for me?” “Because you clearly don’t understand the risks.” She stared at him in disbelief.
“I’m a grown woman.” “So?” “So I can decide who lives in my apartment.” Valen said nothing.
He knew he had no argument that wouldn’t make him sound even more unreasonable.
The stranger took a cautious step backward.
“I think I’ll… leave.” “Good.” “Valen!” The door closed before Isadora could stop him.
She turned toward him, furious.
“You just scared away my only potential roommate!” Valen remained calm.
“You should be more careful about who you let into your home.” She folded her arms.
“You’re one to talk.” His eyes met hers.
She knew exactly what she was about to say, but she refused to back down.
“You literally appeared half-dead in the street, and I let you live here.” Valen’s expression remained unreadable.
“Exactly.” Isadora frowned.
“What?” “You should have been more careful.” For a moment, she could only stare at him.
Then she shook her head.
“Unbelievable.” She walked away and disappeared into the hallway.
Valen watched her go.
A roommate would solve her financial problems, but it would also bring a stranger into the apartment—someone who might notice things he couldn’t afford to have noticed.
His gaze hardened.
Perhaps there was another solution.
One that could solve both of their problems.
The Next Morning A black car stopped in front of the building just after sunrise.
A man in a dark suit stepped out, looked up at the rows of windows, and checked the address on his phone one last time.
It’s the right place.
They had been searching for Valen for days.
Every lead had ended in failure, every possible location turning out to be empty.
Now, finally, they had found him.
The man entered the building and climbed the stairs until he reached Isadora’s apartment.
He knocked twice.
A moment later, the door opened.
Isadora stood on the other side, still looking as though she hadn’t expected anyone to visit.
The man’s eyes moved past her shoulder, searching the apartment.
His expression changed the instant he saw the figure standing in the living room.
“Where is he?” Isadora frowned.
“Who?” The man didn’t answer.
His gaze had already shifted toward the room behind her.
And there he was.
Valen.
Standing.
Alive.
For a second, the man could only stare.
Then the shock gave way to relief.
“Boss.” Valen’s expression remained cold.
“You took long enough.” The man’s eyes moved over the bandages and the injuries Valen was still trying to conceal.
“You’re alive.” “Obviously.” A faint smile appeared on the man’s face.
“We thought you were dead.” Valen’s gaze sharpened.
“Apparently, someone was disappointed.” Isadora stood between them, completely lost.
She looked from the stranger to Valen, then back again.
“Wait.” Both men turned toward her.
She pointed at Valen.
“Boss?” The room fell silent.