At that moment Valentina's hands clenched into fists beneath the table. Her heart was racing, but not out of excitement—out of frustration.
She knew Damien too well. His arrogance was unmatched, and his ability to trash talk and humiliate others was second nature. She hated it. She hated how he carried himself as if the world owed him everything.
But right now, that wasn't even the worst of it.
Her chest tightened as she glanced at Raymond. He was silent. His face was unreadable, but deep inside, she already knew—he wouldn't be able to compete.
Not here. Not against Damien, and certainly not against J12.
Then she swallowed hard, her throat dry. This wasn't supposed to happen.
They had come here to reclaim her mother's necklace, something that should have never left her possession in the first place. She had seen it with her own eyes, yet she couldn't reach for it. It was slipping away, just like everything else in her past.
This was exactly why she wanted to be successful.
