Principal Valois waited for him to sit first, and as soon as he did, she followed. With a smile that did not quite reach her eyes, she asked softly, "What should I offer you?"
Marcus leaned back, his legs crossed, a deep frown fixed on his face. That frown had beco a part of him through the years, and it was clear he was not pleased to be here. He shook his head sharply, rejecting her offer.
"No. I don’t want anything."
She tried again, forcing a gentle smile as she stood. "No, I insist. At least a drink." She started across the room, but his voice cut through the air, deep and sharp enough to stop her in her tracks.
"I said no. Co back here."
Marcus stretched his arm across the couch, his dark gaze fixed on her with open disgust. "What makes you think I would take even water in the house of my enemy?"
Her chest tightened at his words. She had expected coldness, but the bitterness in his voice pierced her. "Don’t say that, Marcus."
His eyes darkened even more. "Don’t call that. You lost the right to use my na years ago. Address properly. It’s Mr. Malynster now. Do you hear ?"
The weight of his voice shook her heart. It was low, yet it echoed inside her, making her pulse race faster than she could control.
"Forgive ... Mr. Malynster." She lowered herself into the chair beside him, her hands stiff on her thighs as she tried to steady her voice. "You haven’t let it go at all."
"Why should I forget?" Marcus leaned forward, his anger clear. "Every single day I think of my daughter. Every single day I rember what you and the rest of them did to her mother." His tone burned with grief and rage.
Her hands trembled as she forced a smile that quickly faded. "But I didn’t do anything. The moon goddess told you... right?" She scratched at the back of her neck, trying to ease her nerves, but nothing could hide her unease.
"My mother?" Marcus gave a bitter laugh, his face close now, his brows drawn tight with fury. "It has been years and still she will not tell the truth. But I will find out. I swear it. And every single one of you on that cursed board will pay for what you did."
Principal Valois swallowed hard and placed her trembling hands on her stomach. Fear twisted inside her after what Marcus said. Her voice cracked as she tried to defend herself. "I know nothing about it. We should be thankful she survived whatever happened in the central house. The other girl died on the spot."
"Oh please," Marcus scoffed with disgust, his eyes narrowing as if he was holding himself back from tearing her apart. "Why did you call here? Speak fast. My ti is precious, and I have a family event in two hours. I will not be late because of you."
"I... I called you here because I have hints about your daughter." Her eyes searched his face, and the change in his body was imdiate. The way he stiffened told her that the girl mattered to him more than anything else. She did not care about that; all she wanted was his protection. "She is in Mistvale."
"I already know," Marcus said coldly as he leaned back, though his eyes never left her. "Bellezza is already handling it. We feel her energy around both academies and toward the mountains. I will find my daughter."
Her heart skipped. She had not expected him to be this close to the truth. She forced herself to nod and tried to smile. "I am happy for you. But what would you give in return if I handed your daughter over to you?"
That was a mistake.
Marcus rose from the seat in an instant, towering over her. His shadow fell across her as he bent down and seized her by the neck. She choked under his grip, her hands clawing at his wrist, her breaths breaking into sharp gasps. His voice was like a knife against her ear. "You know where she is, don’t you? You have my daughter hidden. You vile woman. I will tear this academy apart, burn every corner of it to the ground, and turn it upside down until I find her."
Her tears spilled as he tightened his hold, and for a mont she thought he would end her life right there. Then he released her suddenly, and she fell forward, coughing and shaking as pain tore through her throat.
Marcus paced the room like a storm contained, his eyes blazing. He stopped at her desk and began to scatter through the files with violent hands. "You know exactly what I am capable of, yet you dared to toy with . Bring my daughter, woman. My patience is gone."
"I... I don’t know where she is exactly," Valois stuttered, rubbing her throat with trembling fingers. Her whole body shook as she forced out the words. "But soone said they saw her, so I sent n there. They will return tomorrow with your daughter. I promise, I will hand her to you tomorrow."
I do not understand why you play dangerous gas," he said, each word pulled tight like a wire. "Hand my daughter and spare us the drama."
"I swear I do not have her," Valois whispered, voice thin.
"So why did you call here? Why did you invite to your house?" Marcus stepped closer, his shadow swallowing the light in the room.
"I wanted us to talk. I wanted your protection," she answered, hope and fear warring in her face.
"Protection?" Marcus’s laugh was cold and quick. "Protection from whom? The devil?"
Marcus’s interest sharpened like a blade. He leaned in, as if the na of whoever could make this woman that afraid might be worth his attention. If there was soone out there who had made her tremble like this, he would rather pay that person back in full than waste himself on protecting her.
"Devil? No one can take that title from you, Mr Malynster," Principal Valois said, forcing a smile that did not reach her eyes. "Please. I need your word. Will you help or not?"
"Who am I going after?" Marcus asked.
"Soone I know you can beat," she said, and a small flicker of hope lit her face.
Marcus dropped another file on the floor and folded his arms. "I will not decide until I see my daughter. Do you have a picture?"
"No. I used the sketch you gave and matched it to her parents. It should be easy to recognize her."
"Are you playing with ?" Marcus stepped closer until she could feel his heat. She shook her head. He held his gaze and then said, voice low, "Do not think I am a fool. I am not like others. I will tear your son’s heart out in front of you before I kill you, do you understand?"
Principal Valois nodded, every line in her face telling him she believed him. "I promise I will give her to you. You do not have to worry."
Marcus looked at her a long ti, searching for any sign that she was hiding sothing. He wanted to leave it hidden for now, to tell Bellezza about this new developnt first. "Tomorrow I will be back here," he said as he moved for the door and his n fell into step behind him. "If you do not have her, I will kill you."
The words landed like ice. A cold shiver ran down Valois’s spine. For a second she could not breathe. The door slamd, and with it went the small hope she had been clinging to. Oh Marcus, she thought, everything is getting harder.
She paced the room for a long minute until at last she stopped and steadied herself. The decision had been made. Tomorrow she would give Angela to her father.
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