The next morning, Isadora still hadn’t returned home.
Valen had barely slept.
Not because he was worried about her, of course.
He was simply staying alert.
That was all.
At least, that’s what he told himself.
There was, however, another reason sleep had been impossible.
A ridiculous one.
A black cat.
The animal he hated most.
Valen slowly opened his eyes when he felt something warm pressing against his side.
His brows drew together as he looked down, only to find Midnight sleeping peacefully on his bed.
His bed.
For several seconds, Valen simply stared at him, trying to understand how the hell the animal had managed to get into his room.
“How did you even get in here?” Midnight didn’t move.
“Get out.” Still nothing.
Valen reached over and gently pushed the cat away.
Midnight responded by shifting closer, curling himself against Valen’s chest as if he had just been invited.
Valen’s jaw tightened.
“You have five seconds.” The cat yawned.
Valen stared at the ceiling, completely speechless.
He had faced armed men without blinking.
He had survived an assassination attempt only days ago.
Yet somehow, he was losing a battle against a cat that weighed barely a few kilograms.
He tried pushing Midnight away again.
The cat opened one eye, looked at him for a moment, then closed it.
“Unbelievable.” Eventually, Valen gave up.
The moment he closed his eyes again, Midnight rested his head against his arm.
Valen remained perfectly still.
He hated cats.
He absolutely hated them.
A knock at the front door immediately pulled him out of his thoughts.
Midnight lifted his head, but Valen was already reaching for the weapon beside the bed.
Another knock followed.
This time, he recognized the rhythm.
“Boss?” Ruel.
Valen glanced at Midnight.
“Don’t move.” The cat stared back at him.
Valen got out of bed and headed for the door.
When he opened it, Ruel stood outside with several files under one arm and a small suitcase in his other hand.
His eyes went to Valen first, then briefly wandered toward the bedroom behind him.
And stopped.
On Midnight.
For a second, neither man said anything.
The corner of Ruel’s mouth twitched.
Valen’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t.” “I didn’t say anything, Boss.” “You were about to.” Ruel lowered his gaze, hiding the amusement threatening to show on his face.
“I brought your things.” “Put them inside.” He handed Valen the files and walked into the apartment with the suitcase.
As he passed the bedroom, his eyes wandered toward Midnight once again.
The cat was still comfortably occupying Valen’s bed.
Ruel immediately looked away.
“You find something amusing?” “No, Boss.” “Good.” Ruel placed the suitcase down, and the brief moment of amusement disappeared from his face as Valen’s expression turned serious.
“Did you notice anything unusual outside?” Ruel shook his head.
“Nothing.
No one was watching the building, at least not that I could see.” Valen nodded, though the answer did little to ease the feeling in his gut.
His instincts had kept him alive for years, and right now, they were telling him something wasn’t right.
He walked to the window and looked down at the quiet street.
Everything appeared normal.
Cars passed, people went about their morning, and nothing seemed out of place.
Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching.
“I’m still thinking about her,” he said.
Ruel looked at him.
“The girl?” Valen nodded.
“She saved me without hesitation.” His gaze remained fixed outside.
“She didn’t know who I was.
She didn’t know if I was dangerous.
She found a bleeding stranger in the middle of the night and decided to help him anyway.” Ruel remained silent.
Valen finally turned toward him.
“She has something people don’t have anymore.” “What?” “Trust.” His voice lowered slightly.
“Too much of it.” Ruel’s expression became more serious.
“If she’s really a witness…” “I’m worried about her.” Valen didn’t need to say more.
The tension in his jaw said enough.
“She has no idea what kind of world she stepped into,” he continued.
“And if the people who attacked me saw her that night, they might already know about her.” “What are you going to do?” Valen was silent for a moment.
“I can’t leave someone who saved my life to die.” Ruel nodded slowly.
“Then we make sure no one finds out where you are.” “Exactly.” Before either of them could say anything else, a loud crash came from the bedroom.
Both men turned.
Valen’s expression immediately darkened.
He walked into the room and stopped.
Midnight was sitting on the floor beside a shattered glass.
The cat looked completely innocent.
Valen stared at the broken glass, then at Midnight.
“You…” Midnight blinked.
Behind him, Ruel covered his mouth.
Valen slowly turned his head.
“If you laugh, you’re dead.” Ruel immediately straightened.
“Yes, Boss.” A beat of silence passed.
“Of course.” By the time Isadora finally returned home, she was running on fumes.
Her night shift had drained every ounce of energy from her, and at that point, all she wanted was a shower, her bed, and several hours of sleep without anyone bothering her.
She pushed open the apartment door and almost walked straight past the man in the dark suit standing near the entrance.
Ruel.
He gave her a brief nod.
“Good morning.” Before she could ask why he was there, he walked past her and left.
Isadora watched him go, too exhausted to make sense of it.
She dropped her bag onto the couch and sighed.
“I’m dead.” Her eyes eventually landed on Valen.
He was already awake.
She barely registered that he had changed clothes, or that there was now a suitcase and several files sitting in the apartment.
Her brain was far too tired to care.
She had just started toward her room when a knock sounded at the door.
Isadora stopped.
“Again?” Another knock followed.
With a tired sigh, she turned around and opened it.
A man stood outside with a bright smile.
“Miss Matthew?” “Yes?” “I saw your roommate advertisement.
I’m here about the room.” “Oh.” She stepped aside.
“You can come in.” For the next several minutes, Isadora listened to him talk.
And talk.
And talk.
He had already planned where he would put his furniture.
He wanted to know her schedule, her classes, her hospital, her friends, and even how often she visited her family.
At some point, he started asking questions about her family’s financial situation, as if they were filling out paperwork for a mortgage rather than discussing a spare bedroom.
Isadora’s smile slowly disappeared.
“And do you have any questions for me?” the man finally asked.
She forced a polite smile.
“Actually… yes.” “Go ahead.” “Why do you need to know what time I come home?” He blinked.
“For security.” “And my friends?” “I don’t like strangers.” Isadora stared at him.
That’s rich coming from you.
Her eyes briefly moved toward Valen, who was sitting across the room and silently observing the entire conversation.
The man continued, completely unaware of how close he was to being thrown out.
“I also prefer the apartment to be completely quiet after ten.” Isadora’s eyebrow twitched.
“I work night shifts.” “Oh.” “And I have a cat.” The man’s expression changed immediately.
“I don’t like animals.” That was enough.
Isadora stood up.
“Thank you for coming.” The man looked confused.
“But we haven’t finished discussing—” “We have.” She opened the door and gave him a polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Have a nice day.” The man left, still looking confused.
Isadora closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a breath.
“Absolutely not.” When she turned around, Valen was still watching her.
“What?” “You need a roommate.” “I know.” “You’re not going to get one like this.” Isadora narrowed her eyes.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.
You almost chased one away yesterday.” “Because he was weird.” “You say that like you’re normal.” Valen ignored the remark.
“You’re the one interviewing them?” “Yes.” He studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable.
Then, almost casually, he asked, “Would you consider me?” Isadora frowned.
“What?” Valen looked directly at her.
“Will you let me be your roommate?”