The Forbidden Line

6. The Unlocked Door

The obligation to obey was the primary currency at Valen Group, and Valera Dawson had only just realized how expensive a price she had to pay for a single sheet of an internship contract. After stepping out of the CEO's office with knees that felt completely weak, Valera sank into the chair of her cubicle in the fiftieth-floor anteroom area. Her cold hands moved to straighten several folders of legal acquisition drafts she had brought out, attempting to divert her focus from her racing heart, which was still pounding wildly.

The cedarwood aroma lingering on the skin of her neck, the residual trace of Garrick Valentino’s index finger brushing against it just a few minutes ago, felt as though it had become a visible stamp of ownership.

"Valera? Are you alright?"

The voice of Sophia, the senior personal assistant, instantly shattered Valera’s daydream. The middle-aged woman stood beside her cubicle with a professional smile that was warm yet probing.

"Your face looks incredibly pale. Was the interview with Mr. Valentino too nerve-wracking?"

Valera hurriedly straightened her back, forcing a stiff smile that looked as professional as possible.

"Ah, it’s nothing, Sophia. I was just a little surprised by the incredibly high standards Mr. Valentino applies to the corporate law division. He is ... extremely meticulous."

Sophia chuckled softly, a reassuring laugh that slightly eased the tension in Valera’s chest.

"That is Mr. Valentino for you. He never tolerates even the slightest mistake, especially for a massive project like the Brooklyn acquisition. But don't worry, if you can survive under his guidance, your career in Manhattan will be guaranteed. Clarissa wasn't wrong to recommend you here."

Hearing Clarissa’s name mentioned, a sharp wave of guilt struck Valera’s core once more. Her best friend was so sincere in helping her, while behind those locked double oak doors, Valera had instead allowed her best friend's own father to claim her body in the most taboo manner.

"Thank you, Sophia. I will do my very best," Valera replied in a low voice, bowing her head to hide the flash of anxiety in her eyes.

It was eleven forty-five in the morning. The fiftieth-floor corridor was beginning to clear out as most of the administrative staff had started preparing to head down to the cafeteria or restaurants outside the building for an early lunch. Sophia herself had just said goodbye to attend a coordination meeting with the finance division on the thirtieth floor, leaving Valera entirely alone at the anteroom desk.

The sound of the executive elevator doors opening echoed, and the figure Valera least wanted to meet at this moment stepped out cheerfully. Clarissa Molina Valentino walked closer with a broad smile, wearing an elegant white furry winter coat, carrying a large paper bag from the premium bakery at the corner of Wall Street.

"Val! What a perfect coincidence that the corridor is empty!" Clarissa half-ran and placed the paper bag right on top of Valera’s work desk. "How was the interview earlier? Daddy didn't make you cry, did he? I intentionally stopped by here before my afternoon class schedule because I was worried to death thinking about you."

Valera hurriedly stood up, attempting to create a psychological defense barrier between them.

"Clary, you shouldn't come to the executive floor this often. Mr. Valentino could get angry if he sees you disrupting work hours."

"Relax, Val. Daddy is a monster at the office, but he won't eat his own child," Clarissa teased with a crisp laugh, completely oblivious to the double meaning of the word 'eat' that instantly made Valera’s stomach churn. Clarissa glanced toward the tightly closed CEO office door. "Is Daddy inside? Alone? I want to deliver his favorite meat-filled bread while bragging that my best friend definitely passed her interview."

"Don't, Clary!" Valera instinctively caught Clarissa’s arm, a little too tightly, making Clarissa frown in confusion.

"Val? What's wrong? Why are you so tense?" Clarissa asked, her pair of honey eyes staring at Valera with an innocent, probing gaze.

Valera processed her thoughts within a split second, attempting to regulate her breath so she wouldn't sound panicked.

"I-I mean, Mr. Valentino is currently reviewing a highly crucial legal risk draft. He explicitly instructed Sophia that not a single soul should disturb him before lunchtime begins. If you walk in now, I am the one who will be reprimanded for failing to maintain peace in front of his room."

Clarissa exhaled in disappointment, but then nodded in understanding.

"Ah, that's true. Once Daddy enters work mode, let alone his child, he would probably throw out the prime minister himself. Alright then, the bread is yours to keep. I need to head back to campus immediately before Manhattan traffic gets any worse."

Clarissa gave Valera a brief, warm embrace, blew a kiss in the air, and then turned back toward the elevator. Once the elevator doors closed, Valera leaned her back against the desk, exhaling a long breath as though all her strength had just been utterly drained.

However, her relief did not last long.

A soft click sound from the direction of the double oak doors startled Valera. The door opened slightly, revealing the figure of Garrick Valentino standing in the doorway without his three-piece suit jacket, wearing only his dark navy shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, displaying his firm, veiny forearms.

"Step inside, Valera. Bring the analysis file I gave you earlier," Garrick commanded. His baritone voice sounded absolute, leaving absolutely no room for refusal.

Valera squeezed her fingers, reaching for the document folder on her desk in surrender, and then stepped inside the expansive office room. The moment she crossed the threshold of the door, Garrick closed it with one hand, turned the automatic lock cylinder, and then leaned against the door while crossing his arms over his chest.

"You lied to my daughter just to protect me, sweetheart?" Garrick inquired with a thin, highly provocative smile on his lips.

Valera turned around, maintaining a distance of three meters from the man.

"I was not protecting you, Mr. Valentino. I was protecting myself and Clarissa’s feelings. She loves you deeply, and she trusts me as her best friend. Do you not possess even a single shred of guilt toward her?"

Garrick straightened his physical frame, stepping slowly to approach Valera. Every single footstep of the man, clad in luxury leather shoes, sounded like the tolling of a death knell for Valera’s self-defense.

"Guilt is an emotion that yields no profit on Wall Street, Valera. And as for Clarissa, she receives everything she needs from me as a father. But you, you are a completely different matter."

"I am not your matter, Mr. Valentino! I am merely an intern at Valen Group!" Valera countered, her voice rising slightly out of frustration, stepping backward until the edge of the massive black glass work desk stopped her back.

Garrick halted his steps exactly in front of Valera, leaving only a few centimeters of space that caused their body scents to mix in the air once more. The mature man extended his large hand, gripping Valera’s waist with a possessive strength, locking her movements completely.

"You are my intern from nine in the morning until five in the afternoon, Valera. But inside this room, when this door is locked, you belong to me," Garrick whispered huskily, his face lowering until his hot, mint-scented breath brushed against Valera’s trembling lips.

Garrick crept upward, his firm fingers gripping the back of Valera’s neck, forcing her to look straight up and accept his gray gaze, which was filled with pure wildness. Without granting Valera any further opportunity to argue, Garrick lowered his face, claiming the girl’s ripe lips with a demanding, scorching kiss full of absolute dominance that completely crumbled the entire legal defense Valera had been struggling to construct inside her head all morning.