The Forbidden Line

“Why must there be a storm like this, right when I’m supposed to be on vacation,” Valera whispered to the darkness of the stormy night. Christmas Eve in the Vermont Mountains was supposed to be the perfect winter getaway from the hustle and bustle of New York. However, for Valera Dawson, being inside the magnificent, modern-gothic style villa owned by the Valentino family felt more like trapping herself inside a golden cage filled with invisible tension. Valera stood near the massive glass window that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, staring at the blizzard raging outside. The wind howled, hurling white flakes against the glass wall, as if warning her that there was no way back. Overland routes were completely paralyzed. And here she was now, isolated from the outside world. "Still can't reach Clary?" The baritone voice—heavy, deep, and authoritative—shattered the silence of the room. Valera startled slightly, turning around by reflex. Her heart beat twice as fast, not out of shock, but because of the figure of the man who had just stepped into the living room. Garrick Valentino. The thirty-eight-year-old man wore a black high-necked knit shirt that hugged his broad and athletic physique perfectly. His dark trousers and calm yet dominating demeanor always succeeded in making this spacious room feel narrow. Garrick was the embodiment of the absolute power of a top investor whose name was revered on the Wall Street stock exchange, as well as the biological father of Clarissa Molina Valentino, Valera’s close friend since college. Valera squeezed her cold phone, hiding the subtle tremor in her fingers. "Not yet, Mr. Vance. The signal around the lower slopes is completely dead because of the storm. Clary's last message only said that her car was held up at the inn in the lower town. She... she can't make it up to the villa tonight." Garrick did not respond immediately. The man walked toward the small bar counter in the corner of the room, pouring amber liquid from a crystal bottle into a shot glass. His movements were calm, efficient, and full of control. "Just as I thought," Garrick said flatly, after sipping his drink slightly. His stormy gray eyes shifted, staring straight at Valera. That gaze always felt too intense, as if capable of stripping bare all the contents of her head and the deepest secrets Valera tried to hide. "And that means, you are trapped here. With me." The words 'with me' hung in the night air, carrying a heavy weight that made Valera’s throat go suddenly dry. This situation was supposed to be normal. Garrick was her best friend's father. Someone she should view as a parent figure or a protector. However, Valera would be lying to herself if she called the fluttering in her chest mere ordinary respect. Since a year ago, when Garrick first helped her out of a legal issue regarding an employment contract that trapped her early career, Valera knew something dangerous had begun to grow inside her. A wrong obsession. A dark, taboo obsession. "I can sleep in the guest room in the west wing, Mr. Valentino. I won't disturb you," Valera said quickly, trying to restore the professional boundary between them. She took a step, intending to pass Garrick to head toward the bedroom corridor. However, right as Valera stepped parallel to his side, Garrick moved. The man was not rough, but his movement was so swift and unexpected. Garrick's large, warm hand caught Valera’s wrist. Their touching skin seemed to spark an invisible current of electricity that left Valera frozen in place, holding her breath. "Valera." Garrick uttered her name with a low emphasis, almost resembling a whisper, yet full of demand. The man turned, closing the distance between them until Valera could smell the masculine scent mixed with cedarwood and expensive alcohol from Garrick’s body. "You always avoid my gaze every time we are in the same room. Why?" Valera refused to look up. She stared at Garrick’s broad chest, which was only a few centimeters away from her face. "I am not avoiding you, Mr. Valentino. I just know the boundaries." "Boundaries?" Garrick chuckled low, a raspy sound that vibrated through his broad chest. The man took another step forward, forcing Valera backward until the girl's back hit the large wooden pillar in the middle of the room. Garrick placed one hand on the pillar, right beside Valera’s head, caging the girl completely within his power. "Whose boundaries do you mean? Yours, or the boundaries I intentionally made so I wouldn't lose control?" Valera's eyes widened. She gathered the courage to look up, staring directly into the pair of gray eyes that were usually as cold as ice. Tonight, that ice melted, replaced by a flash of hunger that was dense and dangerous. "Mr. Valentino. You are Clary's father," Valera whispered, her voice trembling violently. It was her last line of defense. Reminding this man about who he was, and who her best friend was. "I know exactly who I am, Val," Garrick replied, his face lowering slowly, making his warm breath brush against the surface of Valera’s flushing cheeks. Garrick's free fingers moved up, touching Valera’s chin, forcing her to keep looking at him. "I've been trying to be a respectable gentleman for the past year. I let you think that I only helped you as my daughter's friend. But being in the same house with you, just the two of us, while the storm locks us in here..." Garrick hung his sentence, his thumb caressing Valera’s lower lip with a demanding softness. That touch made Valera’s entire body betray her. Her logic screamed to push this man away, but her body instead craved the warmth and dominance Garrick offered. "You don't know how much effort it takes for me not to walk into your room every night, Valera," Garrick whispered again, his voice now sounding like a dark confession of sin. "Tonight, don't mention Clarissa's name. Don't mention any boundaries. Because here, tonight, there is no one else but me and you." Valera's heart raced wildly, as if wanting to leap out of her chest. Outside, the blizzard grew even more wild, erasing the remaining scraps of sanity they possessed. Valera knew, if she didn't push Garrick away right now, then after tonight, her life would never be the same again. She would step into a world full of secrets that was dark, dangerous, and without an exit. However, when Garrick slowly tilted his head and closed the remaining distance, Valera instead closed her eyes, letting herself drown in the obsession she was never supposed to have.