Alaric's pov
It was quiet and even with the AC running cold, the tension in the car was suffocating. I watched the streetlights strobe across Valeria's face. She stared out the window, her jaw set in defiance.
My hand rested on the seat beside her, too close to her thigh.
And I swear to God, I could feel every second of it.
"The lady said you were a prodigy," I said, breaking the silence. "You could have gotten a scholarship. Why withdraw?"
Valeria didn't turn. "Scholarships don't pay for a roof over your head."
"Is that the only reason?"
She finally looked at me. Her eyes were flat
"My ex-fiancé decided my best friend was a better investment," she said. "He cheated. I left. End of story."
I searched her face for something. A flicker of pain or a tremor at least. Nothing.
"You didn't love him?"
"I loved the career he represented," she snapped. "The man was just a placeholder."
I flexed my fingers against the leather.
"Liar."
"Believe whatever helps you sleep at night, Mr. Von."
I let out a soft huff of amusement.
She had no business talking to me like that. And maybe that was the problem.
Every woman I'd ever met either wanted something from me… or was too afraid to say no. Valeria did neither. She bit back every single time. And God help me, I was starting to look forward to it.
The office air was sterile, a sharp contrast to the humid tension of the gala. Days had passed, but somehow, the scent of her perfume still seemed trapped in the vents of my private suite.
I leaned back in my chair, watching the security feed. Valeria stood at the turnstile downstairs, jamming her keycard against the reader.
Red light. Access denied.
She tried again and again until I pressed the intercom.
"My office. Now."
A minute later, she stormed in without waiting for permission. She slammed both hands on my desk.
"My card is blocked, Mr.Von. I have an urgent matter. I need to leave."
"You aren't going anywhere." I didn't look up from my tablet. "Marcus Sterling called this morning."
That made her freeze.
"And?"
"He's asking why my secretary was in his private study floor." I finally looked up. "Until I know he hasn't put a price on your head, you stay where I can see you."
"That's my life, you arrogant prick. You can't just lock me up."
"Watch me."
Her nostrils flared. For one second, I genuinely thought she might launch the tablet at my face. Instead, she spun around and stalked back to the outer office without closing my door.
Valeria lasted exactly ten minutes. Then she stood up so violently her chair rolled back and hit the cabinet. I watched her grab her bag, march to the elevator, and stab the button. I reached over and pressed the override.
The elevator doors opened.Then stayed shut.
My office door flew open. "Did you just lock the elevator too?"
I leaned back in my chair. "You catch on quickly."
"You insane control freak—"
"Lower your voice."
"No." She came around my desk this time. "You don't get to cage me because some rich psychopath made a phone call."
"I can when that rich psychopath has men who make people disappear."
That shut her up. Only for a second. Then her jaw tightened. "So what? she snapped. "I'm supposed to sit here and be grateful?"
"You're supposed to stay alive."
Her expression flickered. Just once and Fast. But I saw it.
"You don't own me," she said quietly.
My gaze dropped to her mouth before I dragged it back to her eyes.
"No," I said. "And that's becoming a problem."
She looked like she wanted to slap me. Or stab me. With Valeria, both were equally possible. Then she turned and walked out. And for some sick reason, watching her angry was becoming the best part of my day.
The intercom buzzed again. It was 3:50 p.m.
"In here. Again."
When she walked in, I was sitting on the edge of my desk, my shirt unbuttoned halfway. The bandage on my ribs was starting to itch. Her eyes narrowed immediately.
"Are you trying to seduce me?" she asked flatly. "After you and your boss destroyed my future?"
"Are we still on this?"
I shifted. Pain dragged across my side. Her eyes snapped to the gauze. And just like that, the doctor in her won. She stepped closer.
"Is that a bandage?" she said. "Are you a disaster magnet?"
She pressed two fingers near the wound. I hissed. Her eyes sharpened.
"You went back to the industrial site, didn't you?" she said. "What were you doing there?"
"None of your concern."
My phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen. Marcus. I silenced it.
"Just help me change it."
Her eyes dropped to the phone, then back to me. "Commanding. Bleeding. Emotionally constipated. Do you come like this naturally, or is it part of the CEO package?"
She peeled the edge of the tape back. Her fingers brushed my skin. My jaw locked.
"Does that hurt?" she asked.
"Yes."
Her eyes lifted to mine. "Good."
Then she ripped the rest off in one clean motion. I sucked in a breath. She didn't even flinch. Sadist.
"You enjoy this too much."
"I really do."
She reached for the antiseptic and cleaned the scrape with sharp, efficient movements.
"And yet," I said quietly, "you keep touching me."
"Don't flatter yourself," she said. "If a rabid dog crawled in here bleeding, I'd help that too."
"I'd bite less."
"That remains to be seen."
I almost laughed. Actually laughed. That was new and dangerous.
She pressed fresh gauze to my side and taped it down. Her face was close enough for me to catch every breath. Every blink. Every shift of those infuriating eyes.
I could have kissed her. I could have ruined everything in one second. Instead, I stayed still even though a big part of me was growing.
"There," she said, pressing the last strip into place a little harder than necessary. "You're patched up. If you tear this open again, don't call me."
"Valeria," I said, just as she turned towards the door.
She turned slowly. "Yes?"
"You were seen where you shouldn't have been."
Her brows pulled together. "I got lost."
"You walked into his private wing and spoke to one of his guards."
"I asked for directions."
"To a man like Marcus, that's called snooping. And now he is interested."
Valeria let out a short laugh. Bitter. Sharp.
"So I'm what now? A threat?"
"A suspicious one."
"And what do you think?" she asked. "Do you think I was snooping?"
I looked at her for a second too long.
"I think," I said quietly, "you have terrible survival instincts."
Her mouth parted, then flattened.
"Of course," she said softly. "That sounds about right."
Something twisted in my chest. Ugly.
"Valeria—"
This time, when I said her name, it came out rougher than I intended. Too human. Too honest.
Before i could say anything, Julian walked in without knocking, a single pink lily in his hand. He looked smug as hell. His gaze dropped to the bandages in Valeria's hand. Then to me. Then back to her.
"I had a feeling you'd be here, didn't see you in your office," he said lazily. "Alaric, I heard you were overworking your secretary. I thought I had offer her a better position. One that doesn't involve 2 full time jobs for one salary."
"Is that what you think she is? An asset to be traded?" My voice was a jagged, low rasp. "Step across my threshold again without an invitation—I'll liquidize every holding your family has in this city."
Julian's smirk didn't falter, but he tossed the lily onto the desk like a piece of trash.
"Always the martyr," Julian sneered. "Why the act? You have a fiancée waiting, yet you're protecting a secretary like a man possessed."
He stepped closer. His voice dropped.
"I spoke to Marcus. He was very clear about his instructions for you. So tell me, Alaric... have you told her what you were ordered to do to her?"