Valery blinked her pretty eyes several times, her gaze lingering on Riley as though she were seeing him for the first time.
For a brief moment, the familiar image of her father—steady, calm, and indulgent—overlapped with something sharper, something far more resolute.
"Don't act so surprised, Valery," Riley said lightly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Strength is the only true measure of a person in this world. It's always better to possess too much of it than to kneel and beg when the moment arrives—only to realize you have none left to rely on."
His words were spoken casually, yet they carried a weight that pressed against Valery's heart.
She understood the logic behind them. In fact, she had known it since childhood.
And yet, hearing such ruthless clarity come from Riley still left her unsettled.
As she went about her day, Valery found herself unusually distracted, her thoughts returning again and again to that conversation.
