The Runway offer

Luke

When we stepped into what Mr. Angelo called his studio, everyone's gaze was on me. Their expression was filled with amazement, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as Mr. Angelo's.

It has been two hours since we got to Mr. Angelos, and Valerie had been busy posing in front of a huge black box that flashes white lights every time. I was very confused and curious about it, but I couldn't take my eyes off her. She filled out the dress she had changed into perfectly, as if it was made for her.

While Valerie was being swamped up every time by people for one thing or the other, I was plagued about a certain person's identity, Jack.

Of course, he had to be a man and must be very important to Valerie from the looks of it.

I haven't had the moment to talk to Valerie, and Lydia was also very busy. Every available person was doing one thing or the other, aside from myself and Samson, who was nowhere to be found.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" I suddenly heard a voice behind me, and it turned out to be Samson.

"Yes, she is." I answered as my eyes fell on Valerie's figure. She was enchanting, and she drew me to her as a moth to a flame.

"She's also different. Gentle, accommodating, and also a very understanding woman." Samson complimented, and I couldn't help but raise a brow at him.

Chuckling, he rubbed his hands together. "You like her, don't you?" He asked.

Instead of replying to him, my gaze fell to the phone Valerie just got for me, and I looked at it for a brief second before following her brief instructions to save contacts, then I changed her contact to Mate instead of just her name. A smile appeared on my face as I added a few heart emojis to it. It was a cheeky move, but it made me happy.

"You don't have to feel embarrassed about it," Samson laughed and tried to pat my arm, but I moved away. That was when I sniffed the alcohol stench on his breath.

"You have been drinking?" I asked and he looked at me in surprise before he took a step back.

"You- how did you know?" He had a look of terror on his face, but I was less concerned. He would be driving Valerie, and he could put her in danger.

"You shouldn't-

"Please don't tell Miss Valerie or Lydia. Please, I could lose my job. I have a family to support," he begged silently, and I frowned at him.

If I don't tell Valerie, and I allowed a drunk human to drive her, wasn't I fixing the danger for her?

"Leave now. You can go back after she's back from the Gala, but if I ever sniff alcohol stench on you when you are around again, you will lose your life too." I warned him and watched as he scrambled out of the studio.

When I turned my gaze to Valerie, she wasn't in front of the huge black box anymore, and she had changed out of the pretty dress. She was now having a conversation with Mr. Angelo.

They were having a low conversation, but due to my supernatural hearing, I could hear the discussions from where I was.

"Make him join our fashion house," I heard him say to Valerie, and she turned to look at him with a stupefied look on her face.

"What?"

"That man, Luke, can you at least persuade him to do the Givenchy Runway for our Fashion house?"

It was at this moment I realized that the conversation was about me, and it was the same discussion Lydia was pushing into my head during breakfast.

"I've sent a snapshot of him to Moria, and she said you can forget about the Gala if you can't persuade him to do the runaway." Mr. Angelo's words took me by surprise, but when I saw Valerie's shock-stricken face, I knew the Gala was more important to her than I had imagined.

"Are you joking, Angelo? Moria can never say that. She hasn't even met him. Why would she risk the opportunity to publicize her new design for a stranger? She would never do that." Valerie challenged, her voice had risen a bit, but the conversation still seemed to be between them.

"She had no choice."

"What do you mean she had no choice? What about Randall? Steve? She has a lot of choices if you ask me." Valerie's face was filled with displeasure as she stared at Mr. Angelo. I couldn't help but wonder why she was hell-bent on me not working for her boss.

She had told Lydia that I wasn't fit to work for Moria, but I was physically fit to run a few miles already. Modeling shouldn't be harder than that, right?

"Randall and Steve's applications were rejected, and if she didn't provide an eligible candidate before tomorrow, our invitation will be canceled."

Silence.

After a while, I heard Valerie's slow admittance. "Just the runway?"

"Just the runaway." Mr. Angelo squeaked, and eyes turned at him. He thanked Valerie and his gaze found mine from where he was. He had a wide grin on his face.

I looked away to see Valerie pressing something on her phone, and within a few seconds, I heard a buzzing sound. Confused, I looked around for a moment until I realized that I was holding the buzzing sound.

The sound was coming from my newly purchased phone. I had received a notification from Valerie.

Come outside the club.

I raised my head after reading the notification and our eyes met. She gestured to the door, and I nodded in response. I followed her the instant she stood up.

I knew she wanted to talk about what Mr. Angelo had just discussed with her, but I was also thinking of how to tell her that her driver had left.

When we got outside the club, I strolled to meet her, and we both got to the car almost at the same time.

For a few seconds, that seems like a lifetime, Valerie was silent. The atmosphere grew colder, as I was just standing right beside her. I could see the gentle rise and fall of her chest, as she nervously rubbed a particular ring on her index finger.

"I still haven't been able to discuss with Blake about the new arrangement," she began.

I looked at her, and she continued. "Blake will definitely take you in even if I asked at the last minute, but my fashion house is facing some problems at the moment, and Mr. Angelo seems to think you are our lucky charm." Valerie finally let out.

I could see it on her face that she wasn't too willing to accept this, but they were really in a tight position. I was staring at her gorgeous face when one of the questions that had been plaguing my mind came out of my mouth.

"Who is Jack?"

"Uh?" She blinked at me in surprise.

"Is Jack your lover?" I asked again.

She stared at me in astonishment for a few seconds before she finally opened her mouth. "Why are you so concerned about my relationship status? Are you interested in me?"

Her questions caught me by surprise, and I couldn't reply as fast as I wanted.

"Yes, I'm interested in you."

She blinked upon hearing my reply, "you are joking, right? We just met."

"And you are rightfully mine," that was what I wanted to say to her, but I swallowed and shifted my legs to look forward instead of her enchanting face.

"I have no right or capability to have you at the moment, but I'm interested in you. Sooner or later, I will earn the privilege to have you to myself, and myself alone. Jack doesn't have a chance.

I heard a low gasp beside me, and I turned to see Valerie staring at me. Her cheeks were flushed, and she had unshed tears in her eyes.

I was shocked. "Why are you crying?"

She sniffed and replied, "that was the sweetest thing anyone ever said to me." A tear dropped down her cheeks, and I raised a finger to wipe it.

"I'm glad I am the sweetest."

She rolled her eyes and hit my arm with her soft palm. "The words, not you."

"Okay, okay." I laughed, and she smiled at him.

"You are the sweetest too."

My heart beat wildly under my chest as I heard her words. The adorable expression on her face was so cute, that I wanted to close in and take her lips under mine.

I groaned inwardly as I tightened my hand into a fist. Calm down Luke, you have nothing to yourself at the moment.

"But she's our mate." My wolf growled, but I ignored him.

"Angelo asked me to persuade you to do the runaway for Givenchy. The same runaway Lydia was talking about during breakfast. Apparently, the recent applications were also rejected, so Moria is out of options."

The sentences I have been waiting for came out of Valerie's mouth.

"Are you interested?" She raised her head at me, and I swallowed hard before I replied.