My Husband Is a Million Years Old Vampire-Chapter 21

At that moment Daniel leaned back slightly, his expression carefully neutral, but there was something calculating in his gaze.

"I didn’t expect to see you here, Valentina," he said smoothly. "Especially after hearing that you got married."

Valentina said nothing. She didn’t flinch, didn’t react, but inside, she could already feel where this conversation was going.

Serenity, ever the opportunist, took the silence as her cue to push further.

"Well," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder, "since we’re all here, why don’t we sit together? It’s been so long since we last caught up."

Without waiting for an answer, she slid into a chair at their table, pulling Daniel down beside her.

Valentina clenched her jaw. Uninvited, yet completely at ease. That was always Serenity’s way.

As soon as they were seated, Serenity leaned in, her voice dripping with feigned sympathy.

"We heard what happened," she said, her eyes flickering toward Valentina’s covered face. "After your accident... the burns... we saw the pictures. It must’ve been horrible for you."

Immediately Daniel’s gaze moved slowly, as if assessing her from head to toe.

"So that’s why you’re still covering yourself?" he mused. "How long has it been? Must be exhausting keeping up the act after all these years."

Still Valentina remained silent, her fingers curling into her lap.

Serenity’s smirk deepened.

"And then we heard another rumor," she continued, her voice just a little too sweet.

"That after all of that, you ended up marrying a nobody."

At that moment she let out a small, pitying sigh.

"Is that true?"

Serenity leaned back in her chair, her lips curling into a knowing smirk.

"You know," she mused, glancing at Daniel before returning her gaze to Valentina, "your wedding was so... quiet."

Daniel chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah. Practically a closed-door ceremony. Almost like they just... handed you over to some random guy."

Valentina’s fingers twitched slightly on the table, but she kept her face unreadable beneath her scarf.

Then Serenity’s eyes gleamed with amusement, totally enjoying herself.

"But it’s fine," she continued. "Since we didn’t get to attend, why don’t we celebrate now? A little late, but better than never, right?"

Daniel nodded, playing along. "Yeah. Let’s do that."

He waved over the waiter, a confident smile on his face.

"I’ll pay," he announced. "Let’s make this a proper wedding celebration."

Serenity laughed lightly, her fingers tapping against her glass. "Yes. And of course, we’ll make a toast—to your husband."

She dragged out the last words mockingly, her gaze flickering toward Raymond for the first time.

They were expecting a reaction.

Expecting him to look uncomfortable.

Expecting him to flinch.

But instead, Raymond simply leaned back in his chair, resting his arm casually over the back of Valentina’s seat.

And then—he nodded.

Serenity’s smirk faltered ever so slightly.

She hadn’t expected that.

Daniel, too, hesitated, his eyes narrowing slightly as if reassessing Raymond.

Because the man sitting across from them...

Didn’t look anything like the nobody they had imagined.

Serenity’s perfectly manicured fingers tapped against the table as she tilted her head, scrutinizing Raymond with narrowed eyes.

"This is your husband?" she said, dragging out the word as if it were something distasteful.

Then She leaned closer, her gaze flickering over Raymond’s face.

"But... wasn’t he supposed to be some long-haired, filthy-looking homeless man?" she added, her tone dripping with mock confusion. "That’s what everyone said."

Daniel chuckled, shaking his head as if he had just figured something out.

"So that’s it," he mused. "The guy must’ve taken the money and left her."

His gaze shifted back to Valentina, amusement playing at the edges of his lips.

"Is that what happened, Valentina?" he asked, his voice feigning sympathy.

"Did your husband take the cash and disappear? You know, it’s fine if he did."

Serenity smirked, nodding along. "Yes, it makes sense now. I mean, look at you—sitting here with a different man. If that’s really your husband, then what happened to the other one?"

The jab was clear. They were trying to imply she had been abandoned.

That she had been a fool.

That Raymond was just some replacement, who Valentina doesn’t deserve.

Valentina, however, remained calm.

She exhaled lightly, tapping her fingers against the table before turning her gaze toward Daniel.

"I understand now," she said, her voice steady.

Daniel’s brow furrowed slightly. "Understand what?"

"Why you’re so bitter," she replied.

Her words were smooth, but they struck like a blade.

"You’re still holding onto the fact that I rejected you," she continued, her lips curving into a knowing smile.

"And it’s okay, Daniel. No hard feelings, right?"

Immediately Daniel’s expression darkened, but Valentina didn’t stop there.

She turned to Serenity next.

"And you," she said, gesturing toward Raymond, "you keep pointing at my husband like he’s some sort of mystery. Why?"

At that moment Serenity blinked, momentarily caught off guard.

Valentina leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice just enough to sound almost curious.

"Does Raymond remind you of something?" she asked. "Or someone?"

Serenity’s smirk twitched.

"What are you talking about?" she scoffed.

However Valentina didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she tilted her head, eyes gleaming with something unreadable.

"I wonder..." she mused.

Raymond remained silent beside her, his expression unreadable.

Because he knew what was coming next.

A heavy silence settled over the table as Valentina reached up and slowly pulled away her scarf.

The soft fabric slipped from her fingers, revealing the flawless skin beneath—smooth, untouched, radiant.

At that moment Serenity’s smirk vanished instantly.

Daniel’s jaw tensed, his confident posture stiffening as he stared.

It was impossible.

They had all seen the pictures. The gruesome burns. The disfigured face and body.

Yet here she was, sitting before them, more breathtaking than ever.

Serenity blinked rapidly, as if expecting to find some hidden flaw, some proof that what she was seeing wasn’t real.

"This... this can’t be," she muttered, her voice faltering. "You—your body—"

Valentina tilted her head slightly, amusement flickering in her eyes.

"You were saying?" she asked lightly.

Serenity’s throat bobbed as she swallowed.

Even Daniel, who had walked in so full of arrogance, sat frozen, unable to find the words to recover.

He had come here expecting to laugh at her.

Expecting to see a broken woman, abandoned and humiliated.

But instead, he was faced with this—a Valentina who wasn’t just whole, but stunningly, undeniably beautiful.

At that moment Serenity’s fingers trembled as she reached for her glass, taking a quick sip as if it would steady her.

Daniel, on the other hand, simply exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening.

"I thought..." he started, but trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Then Serenity forced a chuckle, though it sounded anything but natural. freewebnøvel.coɱ

"Well," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder, "I suppose miracles do happen."

Valentina merely smiled.

A knowing, unreadable smile.

One that made them shift uncomfortably in their seats.