The Reborn Omega's Revenge (Valencia) novel Chapter 5

Valencia's POV

The chill of the night bit at my skin as I slipped out the door, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t stay there for another minute, not with Jaxon’s words echoing in my mind.

His fake concern, his entitlement. I needed to get out, to breathe, to escape the suffocating dread that closed in on me like the night around me.

I called a cab and slid into the back seat, clutching my bag. “Noir Paradiso,” I muttered, my gaze fixed on the world passing by. The driver’s eyebrow shot up, but he didn’t say a word. I knew what I looked like—wine-stained dress, messed-up makeup, on my way to the most expensive bar in town. I could practically feel his judgment. Let him judge, I thought. If tonight was my new beginning, then I might as well make the start one to remember.

The cab finally stopped, and I tossed a bill at the driver, stepping out into the dim, ambient light of the bar’s entrance. The heavy beat of music pulsed through the walls, and as I entered, the low lighting and warm wood tones wrapped around me like a cloak.

I made a beeline for the bar and ordered the strongest drink I could think of, my pulse calming as I lifted the glass to my lips. For once, the burn in my throat was welcome—it was real, tangible, something I could grasp. I hadn’t even set my glass down before I felt a presence settle beside me.

I glanced up, my breath catching as I saw him.

He was tall, with broad shoulders and a casual posture, like he belonged to every place he stepped into. His skin was tan, his dark, slightly wavy hair curling at the nape of his neck. A quiet strength exuded from him, a confidence that made it hard to look away. He slid onto the stool next to mine, glancing at me with mild curiosity before looking away, uninterested.

I tilted my head toward the bartender. “Keep them coming…” I said, my voice more louder than I’d intended.

The man beside me chuckled under his breath, the sound low and rich. “Maybe ease off that idea. Or you’ll be under the table by the end of the hour.”

I turned, raising an eyebrow. “What, you don’t think I can handle it?”

He smirked, his gaze cool, detached. “Not the point. Just saying there are ways to forget things that don’t end in a blackout.”

I rolled my eyes, a smirk playing on my lips. “Nah, I’m tired of making sensible decisions.”

“Ah, a rebel tonight.” His voice was laced with sarcasm, his tone a blend of humor and indifference. “Well, here’s to reckless choices, I guess.”

He raised his glass slightly, giving me an amused look as I shook my head, feeling my own lips tug into a smile.

We sat in silence for a moment, but he didn’t leave, and didn't seem to want to either. So I kept talking, not knowing why. We said our basic introduction and the topic veered off…

“Your dress…” he said suddenly, his gaze dropping to the dark stain.

I scoffed. “Someone poured wine on me. Let’s call it a… friendly reminder of why I needed a night out.”

A hint of a smirk flashed across his face. “Rough day?”

“Rough life, more like it,” I replied, the words tumbling out unfiltered. “What about you? Here to drown your sorrows too?”

He glanced at his glass, a hint of a laugh in his voice. “Alcohol doesn’t work that easily on me. Already on my fifth bottle today.”

I gave him a skeptical look, not bothering to hide my disbelief. “Five bottles, huh?”

“Swear on it,” he said, his tone deadpan. “My employer threw me out because I wasn’t ‘bringing in clients’ tonight.”

I tilted my head, narrowing my gaze at him. “What exactly do you… do for a living?”

He leaned back, his eyes sweeping over me with an assessing look before he replied, “I service… other people.”

His words hung in the air, deliberate and vague. My cheeks heated slightly as I took in his handsome face and the relaxed confidence that rolled off him in waves. So that’s what he did. Well…

“I get it,” I said, tilting my glass toward him. “Not a bad night for that line of work.”

“Don’t know about that,” he murmured, his voice carrying an edge of humor as he sipped his drink, glancing over the crowd. Then he looked back at me, his gaze a shade more serious. “So, why’d you really come here?”

I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden directness of his question. I could have brushed it off, made up an excuse, but something about him invited honesty. “A guy I liked,” I admitted, shrugging. “He… was going to propose.”

His eyebrows shot up. “And that’s a bad thing?”

I scoffed, shaking my head. “I said I used to like him, not that I still do. And besides, I found out he’s a cheater.”

I paused, swallowing down the sudden wave of emotion rising in my throat. Or he will be. But honestly, who cares about timing anymore?

The stranger, ‘Steal,’ as he had introduced himself, let out a low whistle. “So you’re just going to ghost him then?”