The Devil Who Claimed Me

Chapter 36: She is a problem.

Dominic had just stepped out of the shower when his room’s door was knocked on. He grabbed a shirt and pulled it over himself.

"Come in."

Valentina walked in. She looked composed, as always, but something in her eyes betrayed unrest.

Dominic didn’t look up immediately. He buttoned his cuff calmly. "What is it?"

"We need to talk," she said in a serious tone. "About Mila."

The mention of Mila made him look up at her. "What do you want to talk about her?"

The coldness in his tone was unmistakable. It told her everything. He wasn’t willing to hear anything against Mila, and the realization unsettled her. But Valentina wouldn’t back down. She started resolutely.

"She is a problem. Keeping her here is a mistake. An outsider shouldn’t know much about our world."

"She is not an outsider," he replied coldly, reaching for his jacket.

"Really?" Valentina scowled. She couldn’t understand why he trusted an ordinary woman he had met only a few days ago.

"She doesn’t belong to our world," she added fiercely. "How could you say that she is not an outsider? You saw what she did this morning. This is just the beginning. She will keep creating scenes like that."

He didn’t reply.

"Right now, we all should be focused on bringing Marco down. But with Mila here, distraction is inevitable."

"I don’t get distracted," he said almost instantly.

Facing the sharpness of his gaze, Valentina paused, her breath hitching. But she wasn’t ready to back down yet.

"From where I stand, everything is changing. You brought a woman to your private island, Dominic. This is something you have never done before. You are letting her into your world – someone who has no connection to us, no respect for us."

She cocked her head. "Do you realize what that means?"

She searched his eyes, hoping to see a hint of hesitation. But his expression was guarded. Valentina couldn’t tell what he had on his mind, and it frustrated her further.

"Our enemies are watching, waiting. If word gets out, they will capture her, use her, and break her to get to you."

For the first time since their conversation had started, Dominic’s eyes flickered with uneasiness.

"You should release her before anyone finds out about her," she pressed. "It’s good for us as well as for her safety. If you don’t, she will become a liability. You may fall into trouble because of her."

Dominic’s jaw clenched. He was restless. But he refused to say anything.

"You are putting everything at risk – the mission, the team, yourself. Don’t do it, Dominic."

Her heart raced with insecurity. The thought that she might lose him to Mila clawed at her. No matter what, she couldn’t shrug off that fear.

For years, she had stood beside him, fought for him, bled for him. She had been the only woman by his side, the one he trusted the most.

And now, a stranger had walked in, taken her place.

Her fingers curled into balls.

’Tell him,’ a voice spoke inside her head. ’Let him know how you feel about him.’

But she couldn’t. What if he rejected her? Worse – what if he pushed her away?

This fear had held her back from expressing her feelings for him. She couldn’t lose him. She wanted to be by his side forever.

The silence thickened between them, adding to her discomfort.

Valentina reached for his hand. "Mila is not what you think she is. She is unstable, emotional, and reckless. She caused a scene this morning – screaming at the guards, throwing things, refusing to eat. The staff is not used to this. She is making things hard for everyone."

Dominic didn’t react. When he didn’t pull his hand away, Valentina got more confident. She believed she would be able to persuade him.

"She doesn’t respect you. She doesn’t respect this place, our world."

Valentina moved in closer, her tone softening. "She told me herself," she added carefully. "She wants to leave. She doesn’t want to do anything with you. Can you keep her against her will?"

At that, Dominic’s features hardened. He jerked his hand free from her grasp and turned aside.

Valentina gasped silently, the emptiness in her hand mirroring the hollowness in her heart. She tightened her fist.

"If you don’t let her go now, she will become a threat to you, to all of us." Her voice cracked with emotion and desperation.

"You are wrong." Dominic turned to face her, his face calm. There was no longer the flicker of unease in his eyes, not even a hint of hesitation.

"She saved me. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have survived that accident. I owe this life to her."

Valentina felt something twist painfully inside her. She had accompanied him in countless missions, risked herself to keep him safe, and even had gotten injured. But he had never said that to her.

She didn’t want it, but it hurt when he said that. To him, that woman he had met only a few days ago was more important than the one who had been following him for years like a shadow.

"She took me in, gave me shelter, protected me," he continued, "without knowing my background. She trusted a complete stranger, just to keep him alive."

He shook his head slightly. "I can’t forget her favors. Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to meet my team, to return to this place. She is not a stranger from another world. She is much more than that."

Valentina’s breath stilled. She could see him drifting away from her toward Mila, and she could do nothing. This helpless feeling gnawed at her heart. She felt as though countless ants were biting her, eating her.

"She is my savior," Dominic said firmly. "And now it’s my turn to keep her safe. Marco already knows about her. If I let her go, he will find her. And he won’t spare her. He may use her as bait to lure me. I won’t let that happen."

"But she doesn’t care about all this," Valentina snapped, her composure cracking. "She doesn’t want your protection. She said she would leave."

"She’ll stay," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The certainty in his voice rattled her. She looked at him with disbelief. "Even if it’s against her will?"

"Yes," he replied with no hesitation. "My priority is her safety. And I’ll do whatever it takes."

Valentina gawked at him as if she didn’t recognize him anymore.

"She will understand eventually and will accept it," Dominic said. There was no doubt in his heart. "She will accept me and my world."

"Dominic, you should reconsider," Valentina tried again. But he held out a hand, silencing her.

"End of discussion. I have important matters to deal with."

He strode out.

Valentina’s chest twisted, something inside her cracking. Her breath grew uneven, her thoughts chaotic.

"He is changing," she murmured. "It’s all because of Mila. She is changing him."

Her nails dug into her palm. "No... I can’t lose him. Mila has to leave."

A slow, dangerous plan began to shape in her mind. "Dominic thinks highly of her. But he will not tolerate trouble within the team. He is not able to see what kind of storm Mila is. Fine. I’ll make sure he sees it."

An unforgiving glint flickered in her eyes. "Your days here are numbered, Mila."