Chapter 18

"Rebuilding Walls"

Valeria's POV

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Working with Ren was... an experience. Not a good one. Not a bad one. Just one that I wasn't sure I'd survive without throwing a laptop at his head—or maybe kissing him senseless, depending on the day.

It had been a week since I agreed to his offer, which felt like shaking hands with the devil while wearing a gasoline suit. He'd set up this whole elaborate command center in his penthouse, complete with enough screens to make NASA jealous. It was impressive, sure, but working in the same space as Ren? Less so.

Because Ren Moretti had a talent. A special, annoying talent for making me want to scream in frustration while simultaneously making me wonder what his mouth tasted like.

Gross. I didn't just think that.

Did I?

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I was hunched over my laptop late one night, buried in a particularly thorny piece of code. My fingers flew over the keys as I worked through the problem, biting my lip in concentration. I hadn't heard Ren come in until he cleared his throat.

"Should I be worried that you look like you're planning world domination?" His voice was low, teasing, and way too smug for my liking.

"World domination?" I asked, not looking up. "Please. This is way more ambitious than that."

He leaned against the edge of the desk, and I could feel his eyes on me. Ren had this way of looking at people like he was peeling back their layers, like he wanted to get to the core of who they were. It was infuriating.

"You've been at this for hours, Vee. Is this even for our mission?"

I tilted my head to look up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Why? Jealous you're not the center of attention for once?"

He smirked, that infuriatingly attractive smirk that made me want to simultaneously slap and kiss him. "I'm always the center of attention, darling. I just thought we were supposed to be a team."

"Teamwork implies equality," I shot back, turning my attention back to the screen. "And last I checked, I'm the one doing all the work while you stand there looking pretty."

He chuckled, and damn it, I hated how much I liked the sound. "Is that what you think of me? Just a pretty face?"

"Pretty face, decent suit game, terrible personality," I said, counting on my fingers. "You're really hitting all the clichés, Moretti."

Ren leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "And yet, you're still here."

My heart did that stupid little flip it had no business doing. I ignored it, focusing on my screen like it held the secrets to the universe.

"I'm here because I have a job to do," I said, keeping my tone even. "Don't flatter yourself."

"You say that," he said, his voice annoyingly soft, "but I see the way you look at me."

I snorted, finally tearing my gaze away from the screen to glare at him. "The way I look at you? Please. If looks could kill, you'd be six feet under by now."

He grinned, and it was the kind of grin that could make a girl forget her own name if she wasn't careful. "If you say so, darling."

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife, and I hated how much I noticed it.

Ren reached out, his fingers brushing mine on the keyboard. It was such a small, stupid thing, but it felt like the air got sucked out of the room.

"You can trust me, you know," he said, his voice serious now.

I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. Trust. What a loaded word.

"I don't trust anyone," I said, pulling my hand away.

His eyes softened, and for a moment, I thought he was going to push. But he didn't. He just nodded, his smirk replaced by something quieter. Something... gentler.

"That's fair," he said. "But maybe one day you'll change your mind."

When he finally left, the tension in the room didn't. I stared at the screen, my fingers hovering over the keyboard but not moving.

Trust Ren?

He had no idea what he was asking for.

Because if he ever really knew me—if he ever really saw the parts of me I kept locked away—he'd run.

Wouldn't he?

Shaking my head, I closed the laptop and stood. Sleep wasn't coming tonight.

Because for the first time in a long time, I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep running from someone.

And that scared the hell out of me.

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˗ˏˋ Author's note ˎˊ˗

Heyy (✿◡‿◡)

What do you think of the story so far?

Please Vote and comment to make another insignificant human happy (^◕.◕^)

Question of chapter:

Shopping online or shopping in-store?

shopping in-store for sure. I LOVE the feeling.

See you next Sunday!

Sometimes you need forget what you feel and remember what you deserve <3

*hug*

Byeeee

Izel

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