My Husband Is a Million Years Old Vampire-Chapter 128

But again Valentina didn’t flinch. Still, the sting was real. She knew what Avery was doing—challenging her, testing her strength, daring her to fight back.

The GSK contract... the moment Avery mentioned it, Valentina felt a twist in her chest and the Ten billion dollars contract was still ringing in her head.

If Avery’s company secured it, their status would explode. The name "Avery" would be ringing across business tables for years. She would be lifted beyond just being the daughter of a lottery-winning businessman—she’d finally stand on her own.

And yet... Valentina remembered her own path.

Three years ago, before the fire, before everything, she was on the verge of securing a GSK contract herself—worth nearly 500 million dollars. It wasn’t huge compared to what was on the table now, but it was big enough to put her on the map.

Then came the accident, The silence, The pity, her family, desperate to stay afloat, had sold her pending contract rights to Liam

The anwer and realization had crushed her, She wasn’t just burned physically—her dreams had burned too.

But now, standing here, she knew the opportunity was back. Different number. Bigger scale. But the same battlefield.

Avery had thrown the challenge.

Valentina would try and go for both.

Avery didn’t need to see much. The quiet fire in Valentina’s eyes told her everything—her words had landed exactly where she wanted them to.

So she smiled again, gently, tilting her head like she cared.

"Valentina," she said with a soft chuckle, "don’t take it so personally. I mean it takes time, real work, and years of consistency to get where we are. My family didn’t just get here overnight."

She placed a hand lightly on her chest, still wearing that polished, superior tone.

"Keep working hard," she added. "Maybe in ten years... or fifteen... you might make it. Or maybe not. Who knows? You’ll be older then, of course, but still working, hopefully."

Then She let out a small laugh, light but filled with little mockery.

Valentina clenched her jaw. Her body stayed composed, but deep inside, the fire had turned to smoke and pressure. Her hands itched to speak—but her mouth didn’t move yet.

She was just about to respond when Avery raised her finger suddenly, as if something just occurred to her.

"Oh! Before I forget," she said, eyes wide with mock cheer, "I just remembered... I don’t think anyone invited you to our class get-together."

Upon hearing what Avery just said Valentina blinked slowly, her patience thinning.

"Yeah," Avery went on, "our former classmates are all meeting up next weekend. You can come with your fiancé, husband, boyfriend—whichever one applies. It’s totally fine to bring someone."

Valentina opened her mouth to say no, her voice already rising in her throat.

But before she could speak, Raymond—who had been quiet the entire time—stepped forward, his tone calm and direct.

"That sounds like a lovely gathering," he said. "We’ll be there."

Upon hearing what Raymond just said, Avery almost laughed. Her lips twitched, and her chest gave a slight bounce, but she swallowed it down quickly, pressing a hand against her stomach as if to cover it. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.

He agreed? Just like that? No hesitation. No second thought. Raymond had walked right into it.

’Does he even know the kind of people who show up at those reunions?’ she thought. ’Business heirs, tech moguls’ kids, CEOs-in-training... and he just agreed like they’re old buddies meeting at a park?’

She decided to go say anything, She kept it to herself. Her smile stayed warm, almost too warm.

"Well," Avery said slowly, "I look forward to seeing you both,."

Without wasting anymore time she handed over the invitation card to Raymond, which he accepted with a big smile.

Then she turned and walked away—shoulders held high, heels clicking with satisfaction.

Valentina didn’t move at first. Her eyes followed Avery until she vanished into the crowd.

Then she turned to Raymond, her voice low and tight.

"You shouldn’t have done that."

Raymond looked at her, calm but firm. "Done what?"

"You just gave her what she wanted," Valentina said. "You walked right into her plan, Raymond. That gathering isn’t just some friendly reunion. She’s pulling us into something."

Raymond folded his arms slightly. "How?"

Valentina stepped closer, her voice rising just a bit. "You don’t know Ivory the way I do. She doesn’t just invite people out of kindness. She’s planning to humiliate me. Us. Most of the people from our class, their families own companies worth hundreds of millions. Some even more. Ivory knows that. That’s why she invited us. To show me I don’t belong."

Raymond didn’t speak immediately. He just stared at her—deeply. Thoughtfully.

Then he said, "Valentina... I love you."

Her breath hitched slightly.

"I love how strong you are, how smart, how much you’ve built yourself back from nothing. But watching you stand there while she talked to you like that?" he shook his head. "I didn’t like that."

She looked down for a moment, but he gently lifted her chin with his finger.

"I kept quiet because I believe in you. I wanted you to fight for yourself, to speak for yourself. But I don’t think you fought hard enough today."

Valentina’s eyes began to cloud—not with tears, but with emotion.

"I’ve told you this before," Raymond said firmly, "as long as I’m in your life, no one—and I mean no one—gets to talk down to you. You don’t have to be afraid of anyone anymore. I’m right here. Always."

Raymond’s voice grew firmer, his tone no longer calm but filled with quiet power.

"Nobody is going to look down on you, Valentina. Not anymore," he said. "If anyone tries it—if they try to belittle you—I want you to talk back. Don’t swallow it. Don’t smile through it. Give it to them, back-to-back."

Valentina blinked, stunned. She had heard Raymond speak many times, but not like this. Not with this kind of conviction.

He stepped closer, his voice lowering just enough to feel personal.

"You’ve got a husband who’s not just standing beside you," he said, "but behind you. Always."

At that moment Valentina opened her mouth to say something—anything—but the words got stuck in her throat. The look in his eyes silenced her more than anything else.

But Raymond wasn’t finished.

"And I know," he added, "that GSK contract Ivory mentioned... you want it."

She didn’t deny it.

"I know you want it—and you’re going to get it. I believe that. Not because of luck. But because you deserve it."

Valentina stared at him, completely quiet now. That thing she was about to say vanished. All that was left was a deep, pulsing feeling in her chest.

Raymond gave her a small nod, then gently motioned for them to keep walking.

Without another word, they began walking toward the hospital again, side by side, but something between them had shifted—grown stronger.

**

Maria sat in her car, checking her phone, when it suddenly buzzed in her hand.

She looked at the screen.

A call.

From the same contact she had been waiting for all day.

The moment she saw the name, her eyes narrowed with interest.

Looks like they finally got something.