The Forbidden Line

5. Ground Zero

The overland journey from Vermont to New York City felt like the slowest form of ongoing torture for Valera Dawson. Inside Garrick Valentino’s black SUV, the atmosphere felt so dense that Valera could barely breathe. Clarissa Molina Valentino sat in the front passenger seat, busily chattering about her college plans while tuning into pop music from the radio, completely oblivious to the fact that in the back seat, Valera kept clenching her fingers until her knuckles turned white.

Every time Valera’s eyes accidentally caught the rearview mirror, she would find a pair of gray eyes belonging to Garrick watching her with a lethal intensity. The thirty-eight-year-old man drove casually with one hand, while his other hand occasionally tapped the steering wheel to the rhythm of the music, demonstrating the absolute calmness of a predator who knew his prey would not be able to run anywhere.

As soon as they arrived in Manhattan, Valera hurriedly said her goodbyes under the pretext of having to prepare her files for her internship interview the next day. She politely declined Clarissa’s offer to accompany her all the way to the front door of her small apartment in Brooklyn. Valera needed distance. She needed to escape from Garrick’s cedarwood scent, which felt as though it had already clung tightly to her entire senses.

That night, Valera could not close her eyes. Her cramped apartment bedroom felt so foreign, replaced entirely by the haunting memory of how Garrick’s broad physique had confined her on top of the villa’s bed. The guilt toward Clarissa continued to gnaw at her conscience, yet in the deepest corner of her heart, there was a wild fluttering that refused to extinguish, the most real betrayal of her own body.

Now, Monday morning at exactly eight forty-five, Valera already stood in the main lobby of Valen Group.

The skyscraper located in the center of Manhattan’s financial district looked like a giant glass pillar piercing through the clouds. Its lobby floor, made of polished black marble, reflected the hurried footsteps of hundreds of people dressed in expensive formal attire. This was Garrick Valentino’s domain. The place where the man was revered like an uncrowned king.

Valera smoothed her black blazer suit and pencil skirt, which was the best formal clothing she owned. She squeezed the strap of her handbag, attempting to banish the nervousness that made her stomach churn. Garrick’s decision last night to unilaterally transfer her interview files to the Valen Group headquarters was a checkmate move she could not avoid.

"Ms. Valera Dawson?"

A middle-aged woman dressed in an impeccably neat secretary uniform and a professional smile approached her.

"I am Sophia, Mr. Valentino's personal assistant. He is already waiting for you on the top floor. Please, this way to the executive elevator."

Hearing the words executive elevator, several other job applicants who were queuing at the lobby reception desk instantly turned to look at Valera with gazes full of curiosity and envy. Valera could feel her blood run cold. This was the initial form of Garrick’s power, the man could grant her a shortcut that ordinary people would never obtain, with just a single snap of his fingers.

Valera followed Sophia into the silver-mirrored lift that moved upward at high speed without a sound. Valera’s heart pounded violently in tandem with the floor numbers rising continuously on the digital screen.

“Remember, Val, this is a professional job interview. Act as though nothing happened in Vermont,” she warned herself silently inside her heart.

The elevator doors opened on the twentieth floor, revealing a wide corridor lined with a thick carpet that muffled every single footstep. At the end of the corridor, there stood a pair of massive double oak doors. Sophia tapped on the door gently, then opened it for Valera.

"Please step inside, Ms. Dawson. Mr. Valentino is within," Sophia said politely before letting Valera step inside entirely alone and closing the door behind her.

Garrick’s office room was more spacious than Valera’s entire apartment. Its outer walls were completely made of glass, presenting a spectacular view of the entire New York City skyline and Central Park freezing down below. In the middle of the room, behind a massive work desk made of black glass, Garrick Valentino sat with a lethal elegance.

The man wore a custom-tailored dark navy three-piece suit, complete with a dark silk tie. His hair was neatly slicked back. Beneath the bright glow of the desk lamp, he looked like the absolute definition of a cold, ruthless, and calculating Wall Street ruler. His professional mask was so thick, it made Valera almost disbelieve that this man was the exact same person who had whispered possessive words into her ear last night.

Garrick did not look up immediately when Valera entered. He intentionally allowed the silence to intimidate the room for a few seconds while his expensive pen danced across vital documents.

"Close the door, Valera. And lock it," Garrick said, his heavy and deep voice echoing through the silent room.

Valera swallowed hard. She turned around and turned the door lock cylinder with a slightly trembling hand. The click sound from the lock sounded like a sign that she had stepped right back into this man’s cage. Valera walked closer to the work desk, halting her steps exactly two meters in front of it.

"Good morning, Mr. Valentino. I am here for the corporate law division internship interview," Valera said, striving to keep her voice formal and professional, hiding the tremor creeping up her chest.

Garrick finally set his pen down. He leaned his back against his luxury leather chair, lacing his fingers together over his stomach, and then stared at Valera from head to toe. His gray gaze completely stripped bare all the professional masks Valera attempted to wear this morning.

"Sit down," Garrick commanded quietly, pointing to the leather chair in front of his desk with a movement of his chin.

Valera sat in an upright position, placing her folder of documents on top of her lap.

"This is my CV and portfolio from my university days, Mr. Valentino. I hope my competence can meet the standards sought by Valen Group."

Garrick reached for the folder, opening it briefly without actually reading its contents. He closed it back up with a loud tap, then pushed it to the side. The man propped his chin with one hand, staring at Valera with a thin smile that made Valera’s heart race wildly.

"You possess perfect grades, Valera. Your professors' recommendations are also extraordinary. But you know very well, you are in this room not because of these documents," Garrick said without beating around the bush, completely shattering the professional facade that Valera had been struggling to build all this time.

"Mr. Valentino, I beg of you... we are in your office," Valera whispered frantically, glancing toward the locked door.

Garrick stood up from his chair. He walked around his massive work desk, stepping slowly until he stopped right beside Valera’s chair. The man leaned on the armrest of Valera’s chair, lowering his physique until their faces were level. The familiar cedarwood aroma once again confined Valera’s consciousness, crumbling the remaining defenses of her logic.

"This is my office, Valera. And inside this Valen Group building, there is not a single soul who dares to enter without my permission," Garrick whispered near Valera’s ear, making the girl’s body instinctively get goosebumps.

Garrick’s large hand moved to touch Valera’s chin, forcing her to look up and look into his gray eyes.

“Last night you begged me to draw a boundary line in Vermont. Now we are in New York, in my world. And in my world, I am the one who determines exactly where that line lies."

Valera gripped her pencil skirt, attempting to contain the trembling of her body that was starting to betray her all over again.

"Is ... is this the condition for me to obtain this internship position? To become your secret plaything behind Clarissa?" Valera asked, her voice trembling between a sense of humiliation and a sudden rush of desire that, strangely enough, still lingered.

Garrick chuckled low, a raspy sound full of absolute dominance. His index finger brushed across Valera’s jawline with an intimidating softness.

"You are misjudging your position, sweetheart. This internship position already belonged to you even before you set foot in this building. I do not use Valen Group as a cheap bargaining chip."

Garrick paused his sentence, his face getting increasingly closer until their lips almost touched.

"I granted you this position so that I can supervise you every single day. So that I know exactly who you are speaking with, and ensure no other man touches what already belongs to me. This interview is merely my way of letting you know, that starting from this exact day, your entire freedom of movement is under my control. Welcome to Valen Group, Valera.”