Collateral Bride

CHAPTER TEN - VALMONT’S DOORS

The clock ticked away the morning like a judge counting down to her sentence. Kimberly spent the hours pacing the vast bedroom, her nerves strung so tight she thought she might shatter. The mansion felt colder, quieter, as if it too knew what was coming.

Martha came once with tea, setting the porcelain cup gently on the table. She lingered, hands folded, eyes flicking to Kimberly’s face with an expression she quickly smoothed into neutrality. Kimberly caught it—a flicker of worry, maybe pity.

“Do you know what happens there?” Kimberly whispered suddenly. Her voice was low, a plea she hadn’t meant to give.

Martha’s hands froze for the briefest second, then resumed folding the napkin by the cup. “It is not my place to speak of Mr. Pierre’s affairs.”

Kimberly stepped closer, her heart pounding. “Please. I need to know.”

The maid finally met her eyes. Her voice dropped, almost too faint to hear. “Valemont is not a place you visit, madam. It is a place you survive.”

Before Kimberly could press further, Martha dipped her head and left, the door closing behind her. The words echoed in Kimberly’s mind, chilling her more than the silence ever could.

By noon, her nerves had twisted into knots. When Jake appeared at the door, she nearly jumped. He was dressed in another dark suit, crisp and commanding, every line of him radiating control.

“Ready?” he asked, though it wasn’t a question.

Kimberly drew in a sharp breath and nodded, her hands curling into fists to stop their trembling.

The ride was silent at first. The car—a sleek black machine that moved like a predator—slid through the city streets with ease. The tinted windows blurred the world outside, turning it into streaks of color. Kimberly sat rigid, hands clasped in her lap, sneaking glances at Jake.

He looked entirely at ease, one arm resting on the leather seat, eyes fixed ahead. The faint reflection of city lights caught in his steel-gray gaze, but his expression remained unreadable.

She couldn’t take it anymore. “Jake,” she said softly, her voice carrying more defiance than she felt. “Why are you bringing me there?”

His lips curved—just barely, almost a shadow of a smirk. “You’re my wife. You need to understand what that means.”

“I already understand,” she shot back, though her pulse betrayed her. “You own me. Isn’t that enough?”

The smirk vanished. He turned his head, his gaze pinning her so fiercely she had to fight not to flinch. “No, Kimberly. Owning you is not enough. You’re mine, yes. But you’re also part of this family now. If you walk beside me, the world will know it. If you fall, you’ll fall with me. There’s no middle ground.”

His words cut sharper than any blade. Kimberly stared back, her breath uneven, but she didn’t look away. He might have power, but she had pride. And even if it killed her, she wouldn’t surrender that last shred of herself.

The car slowed, pulling into a street she didn’t recognize. Towering buildings loomed on either side, but one stood apart—Valemont.

From the outside, it looked like any other corporate giant: glass and steel stretching into the sky, sleek logos gleaming at the entrance. But there was something different in the air around it. Something heavy. Men in dark suits patrolled discreetly near the doors, their eyes sharp, their movements disciplined. Not security guards—soldiers.

As the car rolled to a stop, Kimberly felt her chest tighten. This wasn’t just a company headquarters. It was a fortress.

Jake stepped out first, the driver opening his door with practiced precision. Then Jake circled the car, opening her door himself. Kimberly blinked up at him, momentarily caught off guard.

“Come,” he said simply.

She slid out, her heels clicking against the pavement. The sound seemed to echo too loudly in the silence that surrounded Valemont’s entrance. Jake’s hand pressed lightly against her back, guiding her forward. Not forceful—yet impossible to resist.

Inside, the building was breathtaking in its cold efficiency. Polished marble floors stretched endlessly, walls lined with black glass that reflected their images like ghosts. Men and women in sharp suits moved briskly, but every pair of eyes lingered a little too long on her. Some curious. Some calculating. Some outright hostile.

Kimberly straightened her spine, fighting the urge to shrink under their stares. If they wanted to see her falter, she wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

Jake’s hand stayed at her back as they entered an elevator. The mirrored walls trapped them in close proximity, her reflection pale beside his sharp, dark presence.

Her heart thundered as the elevator climbed, numbers flashing upward. She could feel his gaze on her, but she refused to meet it. Not yet.

When the doors opened, a world unlike any she had imagined unfolded before her.

The floor was open, vast, humming with controlled energy. Rows of desks gleamed with screens alive with maps, data streams, coded reports. Men spoke into headsets in clipped, coded language. Women moved with files in hand, their expressions hard, unyielding.

But it was what lay at the far end that stole her breath.

A wall of glass overlooked a sprawling weapons display. Rifles, pistols, and heavier arms lined the wall like trophies, each one polished to deadly perfection. Beyond the glass, she caught glimpses of crates being moved, stamped with foreign insignias.

Her stomach dropped. This wasn’t business. This was war disguised in a suit.

She turned sharply to Jake, her voice breaking in a whisper. “This… this is what you do?”

Jake’s gaze was steady, unflinching. “This is Valemont. Our empire. Our legacy. And now… yours.”

Kimberly’s breath hitched, her mind spinning. She wanted to scream, to run, but her legs locked beneath her. Every instinct told her she was standing on the edge of something far larger—and far deadlier—than she had ever imagined.

And then, as if the universe had been waiting for her fear to peak, a sudden commotion broke out near the far side of the floor. Shouts. A screen flashing red. Men rushing to stations with urgency.

Jake’s eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening.

Kimberly’s pulse raced as she turned toward the chaos.

Something was happening. Something big.

And she was standing right in the middle of it.