Smile.
Bow your head.
Apologize.
That's what I did.
Clean words.
The right tone.
A precise gesture.
I could feel every pair of eyes on me, wondering whether I understood where I was standing.
Of course I did.
That's why I apologized.
Not because I regretted anything.
Because I know when conserving strength is worth more than spending it.
I walk down the hallway beside Monica.
Silence.
She thinks she's escorting me to the exit.
She thinks it's over.
How wrong she is.
I've sent men to their deaths.
I've ordered retreats before battles even began.
I've learned that first impressions rarely decide a war.
Does bowing your head mean you've lost?
No.
It means you're watching.
That's exactly what I did in there.
I watched.
Adrian Valmont...
He speaks only when necessary.
He doesn't react.
He doesn't show off.
He never feels the need to prove he's superior.
And that's exactly what makes him unsettling.
Most powerful men need everyone around them to know they're powerful.
He doesn't.
That makes him much harder to read.
And Katherine...
I clench my jaw.
She cut me off without hesitation.
Clean.
Cold.
Precise.
I don't blame her.
I would have done exactly the same.
The only thing that changed was the board.
I don't bring in my men.
I don't move money.
I don't respond.
That isn't weakness.
It's discipline.
People born surrounded by power believe everything is decided in grand halls, in front of witnesses.
No.
The important decisions are always made offstage.
I walk out of the Valmont mansion with my back straight.
I'm not furious.
I'm not humiliated.
I'm thinking.
Because today I learned something.
The Valmonts are far more dangerous than they appear.
—It's me.
Things have changed.
Maintain surveillance.
Wait for my orders.
The Valmont boy...
Your life is over...
The smaller drawing room of the Valmont mansion was not designed to impress.
And yet, it did.
There was nothing out of place.
That was what made it unsettling.
The dark wood.
The sunlight filtering lazily through the tall windows.
The low table, polished just enough to faintly reflect the silhouettes gathered around it.
Nothing screamed wealth.
Everything whispered control.
Katherine sat down with her back perfectly straight.
Not stiff.
Straight out of habit.
She placed her black leather briefcase on the table and rested both hands on top of it.
The leather was cool.
It reminded her that this was not a courtesy visit.
It was a negotiation.
Élise Valmont watched her from the opposite side of the table with a serene smile that was impossible to read.
Henri stood by the window, looking out over the garden with his hands behind his back.
He seemed distracted.
But Katherine had the distinct feeling that nothing escaped his notice.
Adrian leaned against a bookshelf.
His phone rested in his hands, the screen still lit.
At first glance, he looked completely disengaged.
It only took a few exchanges for Katherine to realize that the impression was deceptive.
Whenever Henri left a thought unfinished or Élise posed a question, Adrian would offer a brief remark.
Precise.
He never repeated the obvious.
His apparent distraction was nothing more than a mask.
A little farther back, just outside the center of the conversation, Sara stood beside Élise.
No one had introduced her.
No one explained why she was there.
And yet she moved through the mansion with the ease of someone who had belonged there for years.
Katherine quietly filed that detail away.
Another piece of the puzzle.
—I understand these past few weeks haven't been easy, Élise said at last. The current economic climate is testing even the strongest families.
Katherine nodded.
—That's true. But we're still standing. We simply need to rearrange a few pieces.
Henri left the window and took his seat.
—The Sterlings have always known how to adapt when the tide changes.
He paused.
—Although this time, the current seems stronger than usual.
It wasn't criticism.
It was an observation.
—That's precisely why I'm here, Katherine replied. Not to ask for help, but to offer a solution that benefits both our families.
She opened her briefcase.
Three folders.
Nothing more.
No theatrics.
No rehearsed speeches.
Élise picked up the first one.
—I see you've come prepared.
—Improvisation is usually expensive.
I'd rather avoid it.
Henri accepted another folder and began flipping through it.
He didn't seem to be searching for information.
He looked more like someone confirming something he already knew.
A quiet alarm sounded in Katherine's mind.
Then...
Was this meeting really about evaluating her proposal?
Or were they simply confirming a decision that had already been made?
As Henri turned another page, Katherine casually brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face.
A simple gesture.
Instinctive.
Adrian looked up.
Just for a moment.
Damn.
He looked away immediately and scrolled across his phone without reading a single thing.
Focus.
—Cross-shareholdings... Henri murmured. Asset restructuring. Shared guarantees.
—Nothing is final, Katherine explained. The structure is designed to protect both sides' interests.
Élise skimmed through another folder.
—It's an elegant proposal.
—A cautious one, Adrian corrected.
Katherine turned toward him.
—Or the result of seeing enough mistakes not to repeat them.
Their eyes met again.
This time, only for a second.
Adrian was the first to look away.
He locked his phone.
Then unlocked it again.
A completely unnecessary gesture.
Sara noticed the exchange from the corner of her eye.
She frowned ever so slightly.
Something wasn't right.
She had known Adrian since they were children.
He had always been straightforward.
Confident.
She had never seen him avoid looking at a woman.
Certainly not twice in a row.
Katherine noticed it as well.
It was strange.
Most men tried to prolong eye contact with her.
Adrian did exactly the opposite.
It didn't feel like shyness.
Nor disinterest.
It felt like... discipline.
As if maintaining eye contact for a few more seconds was a mistake he refused to make.
The thought sparked an unexpected curiosity.
Not enough to distract her.
But enough to file away with the rest of her observations.
Henri finally closed the folder.
He placed it neatly on the table.
—It's a reasonable proposal.
Katherine waited.
—However...
The patriarch folded his hands together.
—At times like these, reason is rarely enough. Stability is built on something much harder to secure.
—Commitment? Katherine asked.
Henri smiled faintly.
He didn't need to answer.
She understood.
—That commitment will come.
When the time is right.
Élise stepped in with practiced diplomacy.
—No one here intends to rush anything.
Henri aligned the three folders.
—Our teams will review every point. In the meantime, it would be wise to keep certain matters... discreet.
Katherine nodded.
That was enough for today.
Adrian finally slipped his phone into his pocket.
—Do you intend to stay in Valenheim for long?
—As long as necessary.
Nothing more.
Silence returned.
Adrian lowered his gaze again.
He needed any excuse not to look at her once more.
It wasn't Katherine.
It was him.
He knew all too well the danger people like her represented.
The heroines of this absurd story seemed to carry something impossible to explain.
A presence capable of slipping past reason itself.
He refused to let that happen to him.
Then his eyes drifted toward Sara.
She was still sitting beside Élise, looking a little uncomfortable after everything that had happened earlier.
When she noticed Adrian looking at her, she gave him a small smile.
Shy.
Genuine.
Without calculation.
Without masks.
Adrian felt the tension slowly leave his shoulders.
Good.
That was real.
Just Sara.
When Adrian turned his attention back to the conversation, the urge to look at Katherine had faded.
Henri allowed himself a faint smile.
—Then we agree on one thing. This doesn't end here.
Katherine slowly closed her briefcase.
The meeting had been flawless.
Too flawless.
And that was precisely what concerned her most.
The Valmonts didn't need the Sterlings' capital.
Nor their influence.
A family that had built an empire like theirs didn't offer an alliance out of generosity.
So then...
What were they trying to gain?
For the first time since walking through the doors of the Valmont mansion, Katherine felt that this engagement concealed something far more dangerous than a simple agreement between two families.
Henri closed the last folder and rose to his feet.
—I believe we've made enough progress for today.
Katherine stood as well, ready to put the documents away.
Then Élise smiled.
A smile that was a little too calm.
—Although... I think there's still one thing missing.
Everyone looked at her.
—Our teams can review the paperwork. But you two have barely exchanged a few words.
She looked first at Katherine.
Then at Adrian.
—If you're going to spend your lives together, it would be wise for you to get to know each other a little better.
Silence settled over the room.
A flicker of alarm ran through Adrian.
No.
Please, not this.
Katherine kept her composure.
—I have no objection, Mrs. Valmont.
—Excellent.
Élise smiled with obvious satisfaction.
—Sara.
The young woman looked up.
—Yes?
—Would you come with me for a moment? I'd like to show you the winter garden. It's been far too long since your last visit.
Sara hesitated.
She looked at Adrian.
Then at Katherine.
—Of course...
She stood without protest.
Henri immediately understood his wife's intentions.
A faint smile crossed his face as he walked toward Adrian.
As he passed by, he rested a hand on his son's shoulder.
From the outside, it looked like a gesture of affection.
Only Adrian heard the whisper.
—Behave yourself.
He paused briefly.
—And don't ruin an agreement worth billions.
Henri walked on as though he had said nothing.
Adrian remained motionless.
Wonderful.
First, a heroine.
Now I'm trapped alone with her.
The door closed with a quiet click.
Silence filled the room.
Just the two of them.
Katherine watched Henri and Élise until they disappeared into the hallway.
How curious.
Had this been planned too?
She slowly turned toward Adrian.
He was standing by the window with his hands in his pockets, staring out at the garden as though he were seriously considering climbing out.
She took a slow breath.
It's only a conversation.
It can't be that difficult...
Can it?
Several seconds passed.
Neither of them spoke.
Adrian kept searching for something to say.
Come on.
Anything.
It can't be harder than fighting a monster.
Or commanding an army.
Even negotiating with a god sounds easier.
I've never been good at talking to women I don't know.
Katherine glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
She had expected the flawless heir of the Valmont family—someone capable of dominating any conversation with a perfectly measured smile.
Instead...
He looked like a man desperately searching for an opening line.
And failing to find one.
At last, he gathered his courage.
—It's... warm today, isn't it?
Katherine looked toward the tall windows.
The curtains swayed gently in a pleasant breeze.
—Actually, it's quite comfortable.
...
Outstanding.
You just lost an argument to the weather.
Adrian cleared his throat.
—So... what do you usually do in your free time?
This time, the question sounded much more natural.
Katherine relaxed her shoulders ever so slightly.
—I listen to music.
—What kind?
—Mostly classical.
She paused.
—And whenever I can, I go to the opera.
Adrian tilted his head slightly.
—Is it worth it?
She blinked.
—You've never been?
He shook his head as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
—No.
Katherine raised an eyebrow.
—I thought the Valmonts had a permanent box at the opera house.
—They probably do.
—And you've never used it?
Adrian shrugged.
—For the price of a ticket, I could've eaten for a week.
Silence returned.
But this time, it wasn't awkward.
Katherine looked at him carefully.
That answer had come too quickly.
Too naturally.
It hadn't sounded like a joke.
It had sounded like a memory.
As though, at some point in his life, calculating the price of a ticket had been second nature.
What kind of heir answered like that?
Before she realized it, a laugh escaped her lips.
Soft.
Brief.
Completely genuine.
She covered her mouth, surprised.
—I'm sorry...
Adrian frowned slightly.
—Did I say something strange?
Katherine shook her head, still smiling.
—No.
It's just...
I wasn't expecting to hear something like that from you.
—Why not?
—Because people from your world usually argue about which conductor best interprets a piece... or which season in Vienna was the finest.
Adrian made a thoughtful face.
—I would've asked if they at least served food during intermission.
This time, Katherine laughed for real.
A clear, light laugh that couldn't possibly be forced.
The sound echoed through the room, and for a moment, even she forgot where she was.
When she finally composed herself, she shook her head.
—No.
They don't serve food.
Adrian sighed with genuine disappointment.
—Then it's a terrible investment.
Katherine laughed again.
No strategy.
No politeness.
Just because she found him funny.
When the silence returned, she watched him for a few moments longer.
This young man fit none of the ideas she had formed about Adrian Valmont.
One moment he spoke with the cold precision of a strategist.
The next, he said something so absurd—and so honest—that it was impossible to predict.
For the first time since entering the mansion, she stopped seeing him only as the heir to the Valmont family.
She found herself becoming curious about the man behind the name.