Chapter 346

Valeria’s POV

I stepped onto the stage as the lights in the hall shifted, dimming into something darker and richer like the inside of a predator’s den.

The warm glow that once filled the room drained away, replaced by shadows that clung to the corners and crept along the walls.

Conversations faded into murmurs, laughter dying mid-breath, until only a thick, expectant silence remained.

It pressed a