Chapter 360: Glad to see him!
MARIA
I was suffocating beneath the mask.
Every breath felt heavier than the last, and eating was even worse. The material pressed uncomfortably against my face, making it difficult to properly pass food through my mouth. I had to struggle through every bite, forcing myself to maintain composure despite the irritation growing inside me.
And Vincent certainly wasn’t making things any easier.
As if the mask wasn’t enough torture already, he kept going on and on about this depressing marriage. Every word that left his mouth made my mood darker. I sat there in silence, enduring it all, because I had no choice.
If he hadn’t threatened me with Noah’s safety, I wouldn’t even be here.
Not for a second.
My gaze swept across the room, lingering on the guests gathered around the table. To my surprise, they were people I knew far too well. The realization immediately answered a question I hadn’t stopped asking myself since we arrived.
No wonder Vincent had brought the mask.
No wonder he had insisted that I wear it.
He never wanted anyone here to recognize me.
Still, despite everything, there was one thing that made this unbearable evening worth enduring.
I got to see Noah.
The moment my eyes landed on him, a wave of relief washed over me. He looked good. Healthy. Strong.
Thank Goddess.
There wasn’t a single visible injury on him. He didn’t appear to be in pain, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I could breathe a little easier.
Yet the relief didn’t completely erase my worries.
A part of me couldn’t stop wondering if Vincent had forced Noah to take whatever he had given Vanessa. The thought lingered in the back of my mind, dark and unsettling. It felt exactly like the kind of thing Vincent would do if it meant gaining another way to threaten me.
But no matter what he had done, one thing remained certain.
I needed to see Noah.
I needed to speak to him.
"Where is Maria?" Noah suddenly asked.
The entire room went still and tension instantly settled over the table like a heavy blanket.
My heart leaped inside my chest. He was thinking about me.
The sudden happiness nearly overwhelmed me. At that moment, all I wanted was to rip off the mask, run to him, and kiss him.
"Don’t ruin my appetite!" Vincent snapped suddenly, slamming both hands against the table.
The sharp sound echoed through the room, as his eyes hardened as he glared around at everyone.
"I called you all here to eat, not to question me!" he added.
"I know you have her!" Noah said, as his voice rang through the room, firm and unwavering.
"Just hand her over," he added, pressing further without the slightest hint of fear or hesitation.
The atmosphere instantly became more tense.
I saw Vincent’s hand tighten around the spoon he was holding, his knuckles turning white.
The muscles in his jaw flexed sharply, and a dangerous shadow crossed his face. I could feel all this despite the mask in his face.
The warmth he had been pretending to maintain throughout the meal disappeared completely, replaced by something far darker.
His eyes hardened as he stared at Noah.
For a brief moment, nobody spoke and nobody even moved. It felt as though the entire room had stopped breathing.
"If you still cherish your life, I suggest you keep quiet," Vincent said coldly, his voice calm, but that somehow made the threat even more terrifying. "You are ruining my meal," he added.
The words sent a chill through me and panic exploded inside my chest.
I knew that tone—Vincent was angry, and when he lost control, terrible things happened.
My pulse raced as I glanced between the two men.
Noah remained seated, looking completely unfazed by the threat that had just been thrown at him. That only made my anxiety worse.
What do I do now?
I cannot sit still and watch Vincent threaten him!
Without allowing myself time to think, I acted.
Left with no other choice, I reached out beneath the table and wrapped my hands around Vincent’s clenched fist.
The reaction was immediate, as his entire body stiffened. Every muscle seemed to lock in place and for a second, he simply stared at my hand resting over his.
Then he drew in a slow, deep breath.
The tension radiating from him eased ever so slightly, enough for me to know that he was calming down.
I silently tightened my grip, praying he would let the matter go.
A few moments later, Vincent finally leaned back in his chair.
"Alpha Noah, let’s have this meal in peace," he suddenly said.
The change was so abrupt that even I was surprised.
Across the table, Noah frowned slightly and I could practically see the confusion written across his face.
He had clearly expected another threat, perhaps even a confrontation.
Instead, Vincent was backing down.
"Sure thing, Lycan Prince," Noah replied after a moment, his gaze lingering on Vincent for a few seconds longer before he continued. "I guess I was wrong to speak while eating."
The sarcasm in his voice was impossible to miss. Still, neither of them pushed the matter any further.
I released a quiet breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding, as relief flooded through me.
Slowly, the tension around the table began to dissolve. The sound of cutlery against plates filled the room once again.
Everyone seemed eager to pretend nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, I found myself unable to focus on the food in front of me, as my eyes kept drifting back to Noah.
I stole glance after glance, unable to help myself. Just seeing him sitting there made my chest ache.
After a while, the pressure inside me became too much to bear.
I quietly excused myself from the table.
"I will be back, I need to ease myself!" I told Vincent.
And then I rose from my seat and stepped outside.
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