CHAPTER 216: CHAPTER 216

At that moment Valentina felt a chill crawl up her spine.

Her curiosity now spiked higher than ever. There was something happening here. Something behind the warm greetings and the expensive chandeliers.

Because the way Rebecca was talking to Cecilia—it wasn’t just friendly. It wasn’t even just familial. It felt deeper. Older. Like they had lived lives together. Like secrets passed between their eyes without words.

It sounded as if they were sisters, Or they were very, very close friends.

And Valentina couldn’t help but feel that there was more going on than what she was being told.

And the more Valentina stood there watching, the more uneasy she began to feel.

Cecilia had always been like a motherly figure to her. She reminded her of her own mother—gentle, composed, wise, and always carrying herself with the dignity of age and experience. Even though Valentina never knew Cecilia wasn’t human and was far older than she appeared, there was still a certain respect that came with her presence.

But Rebecca... Rebecca was young. She looked like someone Valentina might have gone to school with or met at a business gala. And yet, the way she was talking to Cecilia—it wasn’t with respect or deference. It wasn’t with the tone someone used to speak to an elder. It was familiar.

As if they were equals, as if they had known each other for years.

As if they were sisters.

Valentina’s mind couldn’t quite process it. She had seen people talk warmly to Cecilia before, but this? This wasn’t warmth—it was intimacy. And for a moment, she wondered if she was the only one who found that strange. How could someone so young speak to someone like Cecilia without any form of formality?

Before she could linger on that thought, Rebecca’s eyes slowly turned toward her. The room suddenly felt heavier, as if her gaze alone shifted the atmosphere.

She looked Valentina up and down with a faint smile playing on her lips.

And then, she pointed directly at her.

"Is she the one?" Rebecca asked, her voice smooth, almost playful. "Is she the lucky one this time?"

Valentina blinked.

The one? Lucky?

She didn’t understand what that meant. But she didn’t like how it sounded.

Beside her, Cecilia gave a soft nod. "Yes," she said simply. "She’s the one."

That made Valentina’s heart skip slightly. The one for what?

Her mind raced, questions piling up like waves. But no—she couldn’t let her curiosity swallow her reasoning. Not now. She had to stay calm. Observant. Sharp.

After all, the man beside Rebecca still stood silently like a sentinel, and the entire mansion gave off an energy she couldn’t quite explain. Something about this place whispered that not everything was as it seemed.

And knowing fully well that the people standing before her might be from Raymond’s bloodline—maybe a cousin, maybe something even closer—Valentina realized she had to tread carefully.

She didn’t understand what was going on just yet. Not fully.

So, with grace and composure, she stepped forward slightly and gave a small respectful nod to Rebecca.

"Good evening," she said softly. "My name is Valentina. I’m Raymond’s wife. I... I’m sorry, but I don’t know much about you. I have no identity concerning who you are."

Valentina stood there, her hands lightly clasped in front of her, eyes never leaving Rebecca’s face. She was trying her best to remain polite, to hold herself with the grace expected of someone who carried the Maximiliano name, but inside... she was burning with curiosity.

Who was this woman really?

Why did she speak to Cecilia like that?

Why did the man beside her speak with such careful precision, like a soldier following royal command?

And more than anything—what did she mean by "the lucky one this time"?

So, with a small, composed voice, Valentina asked gently, "May I know who you are, please? I mean... you seem to know Cecilia so well, and I... I’d really like to understand. I haven’t heard your name mentioned before."

Rebecca’s lips curled into a sly smile, the kind that held centuries of secrets behind it.

"You don’t know anything about me?" she asked softly, almost as if teasing.

Valentina hesitated but nodded slowly. "No, ma’am. I don’t."

That made Rebecca smile even more—wider this time, with a glint in her eyes that Valentina couldn’t quite read. It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t warm either. It was... knowing. Ancient. Almost amused.

She didn’t laugh. She didn’t scoff. She didn’t even correct her.

Instead, she tilted her head and said, "Well... that might be true. You may not remember me. You might think we’ve never met."

Then she stepped closer, slowly, with elegance in every stride. "But just because you don’t remember me doesn’t mean we’ve never met."

Valentina’s breath caught.

She blinked. "I’m sorry?"

Rebecca smiled again—this time softer, but still unsettling.

"We have met, Valentina," she said. "Not in this form, not in this way. But our paths have crossed before."

The words sank like ice into Valentina’s chest. Her lips parted slightly, but nothing came out. She wasn’t expecting that. Not at all. Her heart started to pound again, memories trying to scramble together in her mind, but nothing clicked. No vision. No face. Nothing that matched the woman standing before her.

Valentina was shocked. Truly shocked.

She had expected Rebecca to wave her curiosity off, maybe say, "Don’t worry, it’s not important," or "You’ll know in time." But this... this was different. Rebecca was hinting at something deeper. Something she had no memory of.

Rebecca watched her reaction carefully. "You’re very curious now, aren’t you?" she said with a slight chuckle. "I could see it the moment I looked into your eyes."

Valentina swallowed hard, not knowing what to say.

"Well," Rebecca continued, "today is not about explanations. Today is a very, very special day for me."

Rebecca leaned in gently, her voice lowering to a tone so smooth it almost felt like velvet. "I know you want answers, Valentina. And you will get them—later." She offered a soft, almost maternal smile. "We’ll talk... I promise. Just not now."

Valentina tried to hide the disappointment on her face, but it showed in the slight drop of her shoulders. She nodded politely, even though every part of her wanted to demand more. She wanted to know now—what did Rebecca mean by "we’ve met before"? In what lifetime? In what moment?

But Rebecca raised a hand slightly, her gesture light, calming. "Let’s not dwell on that just yet. Today is a beautiful day, and I don’t want to spoil it with heavy thoughts. Let’s enjoy ourselves. Let’s get to know each other better, properly this time."

She motioned toward the large dining room opening up into a balcony bathed in golden light. "Come, I’ve had everything prepared. Food, music, wine. After all, that’s what you’re here for, isn’t it?"

Valentina smiled politely again, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

Something didn’t feel right.

Her heart had started beating faster—not because of nerves or awkwardness, but something deeper. Unexplainable. Wrong.

She looked around the mansion once more, but everything was in place. Nothing strange. Nothing out of order.

And yet, her body... her body didn’t agree.

Then it started happening.

The first flash.

It was like a blink—fast, uninvited. A dim hallway. A mirror. A faint whisper. Gone in less than a breath.

She blinked hard and shook her head slightly, trying to focus again.

But when her eyes met Rebecca’s once more—it happened again.

A sharp image—Rebecca standing somewhere else. Somewhere darker. Her hair styled differently. Her face stern. Not smiling. Watching her.

Valentina’s breath hitched.

She pressed a hand softly to her chest.

She didn’t understand what was going on. These weren’t dreams. They weren’t memories she recognized. But they were familiar. Too familiar.

And the more she looked at Rebecca, the more her head began to buzz. Her vision swirled again.

More flashes, a candlelit room.

She blinked rapidly, gripping the side of a nearby chair, pretending to steady herself with grace, but inside she was shaken.

Because for some reason, she was getting flashbacks she couldn’t explain—images, feelings, emotions that weren’t hers... but felt so real.

And every time her eyes met Rebecca’s, it intensified.

She didn’t know how, but now it was starting to feel as if she knew Rebecca.

It was now looking as if she had seen Rebecca before.

So at that moment, Valentina couldn’t take it anymore.

The flashes were getting stronger—no longer just flickers at the edge of her vision. Now they were waves, rising and crashing in her mind. Emotions she couldn’t explain began to stir inside her—fear, confusion, a strange kind of familiarity. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, and her hands had begun to tremble slightly.

She took a cautious step forward, eyes locked on Rebecca, her voice coming out quieter than she intended, but filled with a shaky urgency.

"Um... it seems I’ve seen you before," she said.