“Will you let me be your roommate?” Isadora stared at him as if he’d just asked the most ridiculous question she’d ever heard.
For several seconds, she wondered whether he was actually serious.
Then she shook her head.
“No.” Valen’s expression remained unchanged.
“No?” “No.” “Why?” She pointed at him without hesitation.
“You’re strange.” His eyes narrowed slightly.
“You’re refusing?” “Yes.” Valen studied her for another moment before giving a small nod.
“Fine.” Isadora blinked.
That was surprisingly easy.
She turned away, feeling no regret whatsoever about her decision.
What she didn’t notice was the faint shift in Valen’s expression behind her.
He wasn’t offended.
He was simply calculating.
The following morning, Valen Da Costa was back where he belonged.
His office.
His territory.
His world.
The moment he stepped through the doors of Da Costa Corporation, the atmosphere seemed to change around him.
Employees lowered their voices as he passed, executives straightened instinctively, and nobody dared keep him waiting.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, Valen moved through the building with the same unreadable expression he wore every day.
Nothing about him suggested that only a few days earlier, he’d been lying unconscious in a stranger’s apartment, recovering from a bullet wound.
He entered his office, placed his phone on the desk, and sat down.
He had barely opened the first file when the door opened.
“Valen.” He didn’t need to look up to recognize his mother’s voice.
“Mother.” She closed the door behind her and stood there, studying him.
“I heard you were alive.” “Apparently.” Her eyebrows rose.
“That is all you have to say?” Valen finally lifted his eyes from the documents.
“What would you like me to say?” She let out a frustrated sigh.
“You disappear for a week.
No one knows where you are.
Your men are searching everywhere, and then you simply walk back into your company as if nothing happened.” “I had things to deal with.” “Things?” Her gaze hardened.
“You were shot.” Valen’s expression didn’t change.
“And yet I’m standing here.” For a moment, she simply looked at him.
Then she shook her head.
“You’re impossible.” “I’ve been told.” She sighed again before turning toward the door.
“Try not to disappear again.” Valen said nothing.
Once the door closed behind her, the faint trace of amusement disappeared from his face.
He reached for his phone.
There was one thing he needed to take care of.
By late morning, a black luxury car pulled up in front of Isadora’s university.
The chauffeur stepped out first, followed by two men in black suits.
It took less than a minute for the unusual arrival to attract attention.
Students slowed down as they walked past, whispering to one another and stealing curious glances at the expensive car.
“Who are they?” “Are they celebrities?” “Look at that car.” Isadora was standing outside the building with her bag over her shoulder when one of the men approached her.
“Miss Matthew?” She looked at him cautiously.
“Yes?” “Mr.
Da Costa would like to see you immediately at his office.” “Mr.
Da Costa?” She glanced toward the car, then at the two men waiting behind him.
“No.” The bodyguard paused.
“No?” “I can’t.” “You don’t understand.” “Oh, I understand perfectly.” She gestured toward the university.
“I have an internship.
I’m busy.” The man’s expression remained calm.
“Mr.
Da Costa is waiting for you.” “Well, he can keep waiting.” A few students nearby had now stopped pretending not to listen.
Isadora lowered her voice.
“Besides, why does he need three people and a luxury car just to ask me to come somewhere?” The bodyguard exchanged a brief look with his colleague before turning back to her.
“Because Mr.
Da Costa prefers things to be done efficiently.” Isadora rolled her eyes.
“Tell Mr.
Da Costa I’m not coming.” The man nodded politely.
“Very well.” Isadora smiled, satisfied, until he added, “If you refuse, we’ll have to make you come with us.” Her smile disappeared.
“You’ll what?” “We’ll make you come with us.” He paused, apparently choosing his next words carefully.
“But gently.” Isadora stared at him.
“…Gently?” “Yes, ma’am.” She looked at the two enormous men standing behind him, then at the car, before looking back at him.
“You people are insane.” “We’ve been called worse.” Isadora let out a dramatic sigh.
“Fine.” She adjusted the strap of her bag and pointed a finger at him.
“But if your boss thinks I’m going to sit quietly and behave like some obedient little doll, he’s seriously mistaken.” The bodyguard opened the car door for her.
“We’ll let him know.” Isadora stopped before getting inside.
“Actually, don’t.” She narrowed her eyes.
“I’d rather tell him myself.” With that, she climbed into the car.
The moment Isadora stepped into Da Costa Corporation, she stopped.
She’d seen expensive buildings before, but this was on another level.
Glass and steel stretched upward above her, while polished marble reflected the soft light pouring through the enormous windows.
Everything about the place screamed wealth without needing to show off.
Employees moved through the lobby in perfectly tailored suits, their voices kept low as they went about their business.
Even the atmosphere felt different—sophisticated, intimidating, almost painfully expensive.
Isadora slowly looked around.
“Wow…” She followed the two men through the lobby and into a private elevator.
When the doors opened on the top floor, the impressive lobby was replaced by a quieter, more exclusive space.
At the end of the hallway stood a massive set of dark wooden doors.
One of the guards opened them.
“Mr.
Da Costa is inside.” Isadora stepped through.
The door closed behind her.
She immediately turned around.
“Wait—” Too late.
She was alone with him.
Valen sat behind an enormous desk, calmly going through a file as though he hadn’t just had two bodyguards escort her across the city.
Isadora’s gaze wandered around the office.
Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking view of the city below, while a large dark-wood desk dominated the center of the room.
Elegant leather chairs surrounded it, and every detail was perfectly arranged.
Minimalistic.
Expensive.
Cold.
Just like him.
She dropped her bag onto one of the chairs.
“Seriously, who does he think he is?” Valen didn’t look up.
“You talk a lot.” Isadora’s head snapped toward him.
“Excuse me?” “You’ve been here for less than a minute.” “And?” “And you’ve already complained three times.” She rolled her eyes.
“Maybe because your men dragged me here without properly explaining anything.” “They asked you to come.” “They also told me they’d force me gently if I refused.” Valen finally looked up.
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
“They were being polite.” “Polite?” Isadora stared at him in disbelief.
“That was your definition of polite?” Valen leaned back in his chair, studying her.
“You wanted to know who was asking for you.” She crossed her arms.
“Yeah.
Who?” “Valen Da Costa.” She rolled her eyes.
“Obviously.” For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Valen closed the file in front of him and rested his hands on the desk.
“About my offer.”