The Forbidden Line

4.The Mask We Wear

"Val! Oh my God, I am so incredibly sorry, I was truly trapped by the storm last night!" Clarissa immediately stood up from her chair the moment she saw Valera enter. The honey-blonde-haired girl jogged over and hugged Valera tightly once again. "I was so worried about you. Thank goodness Papa was here, so you weren't left all alone and terrified in the middle of the storm."

Clarissa’s warm embrace felt like a thorn piercing straight into Valera’s chest. The guilt struck her heavily once more. Valera forced a stiff smile, patting her best friend’s shoulder.

"Ah ... yes, Clary. It’s completely fine. Mr. Valentino respected his boundaries very well and ensured everything was safe."

"Of course. Papa can always be relied upon in emergency situations," Clarissa said proudly, then pulled Valera to sit in a chair at the long dining table made of expensive mahogany wood.

Right as Valera sat down, she only then noticed the figure of the man sitting at the head of the table.

Garrick Valentino had already transformed back into the cold and untouchable figure of a respectable gentleman. He wore a neat, dark gray casual shirt, sitting upright while reading a business report on his tablet, while his right hand held a steaming cup of black coffee. There was not a single trace of the wild man who had confined Valera on top of the bed last night. His professional mask was absolutely flawless.

"Sit down, Valera. Your breakfast is almost cold," Garrick said without diverting his gaze from his tablet. His voice sounded so flat, formal, and distant, as if they were two strangers who happened to find themselves beneath the same roof.

"Thank you, Mr. Valentino," Valera whispered in a low voice, bowing her head deeply. She intentionally chose a chair that was somewhat far away, but Clarissa instead nudged her to sit in the chair located right on Garrick’s right side.

"Just sit here, Val. So we can chat closely," Clarissa said completely innocently.

Inevitably, Valera sat there. This physical proximity tortured her entire nervous system. Garrick’s signature masculine and cedarwood scent instantly filled her senses, triggering her body’s memory of the warmth of the man’s skin last night. Valera tried to focus on her plate of bread, but her hand holding the butter knife could not stop a subtle, faint tremor.

Garrick placed his tablet down on the table with a soft tap that made Valera flinch slightly. The mature man then reached for the coffee pot, extending his hand to pour coffee into the empty cup in front of Valera.

"You look pale this morning, Valera. Did the storm last night prevent you from getting a good night's sleep?" Garrick inquired.

The tone of his voice sounded just like the polite concern of a host toward his guest. However, beneath the table, completely unseen by Clarissa who was busy grabbing the jam, the tip of Garrick’s luxury leather shoe intentionally and gently brushed against Valera’s leg.

Valera almost dropped her butter knife. She gripped her skirt tightly with her left hand beneath the table, desperately holding back her shock and the sudden turmoil rising into her chest. This man was insane. He dared to carry out this provocation right in front of his own daughter.

"Y-yes, Mr. Valentino. The storm was quite noisy last night, so I had a bit of difficulty closing my eyes," Valera replied, attempting to stabilize her voice so it wouldn't tremble. She looked up, staring at Garrick with a warning gaze.

However, Garrick instead stared back at her with a dense, gray glint, the exact same glint as last night, completely filled with an obsession that demanded obedience.

"Is that so? I thought the warmth inside this villa would have been more than enough to make you feel comfortable and submissive."

Valera held her breath. The word submissive was uttered by Garrick with a hidden emphasis that made the hairs on the back of Valera’s neck stand up.

Clarissa, who was completely oblivious to the subterranean tension between the two of them, chimed in while chewing her bread.

"Ah, Daddy is right! This villa has the best heating system. But then again, it’s only natural for Valera to be scared, Dad. She is incredibly sensitive to the sound of lightning. It’s a good thing you weren't indifferent to her last night."

"I am never indifferent to things that catch my attention, Clarissa," Garrick replied calmly, his eyes still locked onto Valera’s face, which was now flushing increasingly red from holding back her internal turmoil. Garrick then withdrew his hand, sipping his coffee casually. "Especially things that are under my protection."

That breakfast session felt like an ongoing torture for Valera. Whenever Clarissa shared her experience of being trapped in the lower town, Garrick would occasionally respond, but his gaze never truly left Valera. Every small movement Valera made, from the way she chewed, drank her coffee, to the way she tucked a stray lock of her hair was constantly monitored by Garrick like a predator marking his territory.

"Oh right, Dad," Clarissa suddenly remembered something. "They said the roads in the lower town have already begun to be cleared of snow. We can return to New York this afternoon, right? Valera has an internship interview scheduled at a law firm tomorrow morning."

Valera felt a small wave of relief upon hearing the words New York. She thought that once they returned to that massive city, she could hide away in her small apartment and avoid this man forever. However, Garrick’s answer instantly shattered that hope.

"What a coincidence," Garrick said, setting his coffee cup down gracefully. He leaned his back against the backrest of his chair, staring at Valera with a thin, triumphant smile. "The law firm you are aiming for happens to belong to my primary business associate, Valera. And I have just requested them to transfer your interview files directly to the Valen Group headquarters. You will be interviewed directly under my supervision tomorrow at nine in the morning."

Valera’s eyes widened completely. Her heart pounded violently, this time purely out of an extraordinary sense of panic.

"Mr. Valentino, I do not wish to be a nuisance to you—"

"It is no nuisance, Valera. This is a form of my appreciation because you have taken such good care of my daughter all this time," Garrick cut in with an absolute tone that brooked no counterargument whatsoever. He stood up from his chair, smoothing his shirt, and then looked down at Valera from the dominating height of his physique. "Get ready. We leave this afternoon. Don't be late, sweetheart."

The word sweetheart was spoken in an extremely low volume, almost masked by the sound of Clarissa cheering happily because her father was helping her best friend.

However, for Valera, that word was an invisible chain that Garrick had just fastened around her neck. The man gave her absolutely no room to run. No matter where she went, even back to New York, Garrick Valentino had already prepared the net to confine her within an endless, dark obsession inside the Valen Group.