Chapter 56: Chapter 56

When it was past noon, Val was still working on her desk when her phone suddenly rang.

" Hey Val. It's on. Ms Courtney is out of office" Attorney Chris quickly informed in a hushed tone.

" Alright." Val nodded. Hanging the phone, Val felt a wave of nervousness wash through her being. Her hands trembled uncontrollably and she clenched her fingers into a fist to gather herself. Her gaze became resolute and she breathed slowly.

Val was about to stand when a thought suddenly occured to her. Wasn't she being impulsive, she should confirm first by herself right?

Val checked the time on the wall clock hanging by the right side of the office.

It was only 3:47 pm...

' I should wait till it's past work time' Val thought to herself since it'd be safer then.

' But wouldn't it be suspicious that I'm going to visit the CEO past work time?' Val wasn't certain if waiting was the right thing to do. Her prior excuse as to why she was going to the CEO's office if anybody saw her and asked was to say she needed to see her for some important business talk. But wouldn't that it be quite suspicious if she said so when it was after work hour?

Nonetheless, she picked up the landline on her desk and dialed Daisy's line.

Trrrr!

" Ma'am?"

" Yes uh, I just wanted to check if Miss Margarette is around. I was at her office just now and she wasn't there?" Val cooked up a lie to confirm. If she was going to do this, she needed to get the CEO's secretary out of the way.

" Oh, Miss Margarette left with the CEO not long ago." Daisy unknowingly helped Val confirm.

" Thank you, Daisy." Val hung up the phone.

' The coast is truly clear.' Val thought to herself. She drew the drawer by her desk and picked up the black key card she'd met in her office earlier in the morning. She rose from her sit, quickened her step out of the office and walked towards the nearby stairs.

Fortunately, there was no one in the corridor so it was safe for Val to make her way to the stairs. She hastened her pace and took quick steps up the stairs clicking her heels on the marble. Val didn't take.the elevator as their was a risk of getting caught.

She could look around and check if there were anyone around with the stairs.

Click! clack!

She was nervous and scared of being found out, but she wasn't afraid of being seen walking up the stairs. After all, she'd prepared herself for that all day long.

She planned to just tell anyone who saw her that she was going to see the CEO. Only Daisy could foil this plot of hers.

But of course, Daisy wouldn't be anywhere near this area. She's only a receptionist after all, and it was rare that she would come all the way up to the administrative floor.

Right after the stairs was a small corridor with only two doors and an elevator. The two doors led to offices, that of Maggie and the other at the far end being the CEO's.

As Val passed by, She noticed how Maggie's office which was usually slightly open was tight shut and locked. She felt a little secure seeing this.

However, he froze when she caught sight of the CCTVs. Val had totally forgotten to put them into consideration. She had been so keen to just get in Courtney's office after determining that the coast was clear, so much that she missed this detail.

Val stared in shock at the surveillance cameras, wishing the ground opens beneath her at the moment. However, she heaved a deep sigh noticing that their indicators were off.

Val pressed a palm to her chest to calm herself. She could tell that attorney Chris and Bob had prior thought about this fact and had pulled some strings in the company to deal with the problem. All for her to have a safe passage into Courtney's office.

Indeed, Bob and attorney Chris kept their promise. Val had no reason to fear anymore now after realizing this.

" Haah!" Val visibly sighed before slowly proceeding towards the door at the end of the corridor, looking about like a burglar.

When she got to the door at the end of the corridor, Val swiped the black duplicate key card to Courtney's office across the card reader.

Beep!

The light turned green in an instant. Val quickly grabbed the door knob and turned it downwards, causing a clicking sound to be made as the door opened.

Val's face brightened and she quickly looked around before sneaking into the office and locking the door behind her. She still has the duplicate key card with her so she could get out anytime she wanted after all.

This was the first time Val would be in Courtney's office. Ever since her appointment as a manager, she and Courtney had never met nor spoken to each other regarding work. She didn't even ask for files or anything, the managers like her did the overseeing job and took care of everything in Courtney's stead. She only reviewed the works that were submitted, that too rarely.

The office was dark since the curtains were curtains were furled. But the lighting of dusk crept in dimly nevertheless.

Val shook her head and looked around the well tidied office that had a sweet and relaxing air.

She saw the ergonomic cabinets, the large classy work desk and chair of black and golden details, and the wooden book shelf. A black sofa was placed to the right of the desk, in front of which was a long glass table. Behind the sofa was a furled curtain, and one could imagine the view of the place when this curtain was unfurled.

The office was vast yet detailed in short, and it screamed luxury.

Val stood confused as to where to start her search from.

" If she had anything important, she'd probably put it very close to herself" Val thought as her gaze fell on the desk. She strode over to the desk with a ceramic-like top and walked around it. She pushed the tall-back chair aside and squatted by the drawers. Val reached to pull it open but...

' Of course!' as expected, it was locked.

Val became terrified. She looked around baffled as to what to do now. The fact that the drawers were locked only meant that what she was looking for was probably in there.

But obviously there was nothing she could do to get it open.

Frustrated, Val decided to try her luck with the shelves and the cabinet. She tried the tall column of cabinet first, it was unlocked, but there was nothing of real relevance in there. Val even saw few explicit 'things' but she didn't give much concern to it well-knowing Courtney's character.

She moved to the shelves and rummaged through the row of files and paperback folders and books.

Click! clack!

Val's heart skipped a beat when she suddenly heard the clicks of heels resound outside the door. She froze with her hands still holding a folder in the air as she put all her attention to listen to the sounds of footsteps that only got closer by the second.

" The last time I left the company, a lot of things that I do not want to mention happened..."

A voice came resounding from outside. More so, it was a voice she knew and that which she definitely wasn't expecting at this moment at all.

Val's eyes widened, and her heart raced wildly as she visibly started to tremble in spot. panic overtook her being.

' Why is she here!?'

" ... I don't want that to be the case this time." The feminine voice said again.

Val realizing that Courtney had returned and was most definitely coming into the office freaked out and quickly scanned about for a safe spot to hide.

' Fuck!' She regretted ever agreeing to do any of this.

Val looked about the place frantically, finding that she could hide behind the sofa, she hurried behind. Val tried as much as she could to not let her heels give her out as she hastened across the office to the back of the sofa.

Click!

A short while after, the door to the office was pulled open from outside, and expectantly, Courtney's figure appeared in the room. Margarette followed behind as they both walked into the office.

" Didn't you agree that I was coming to Seattle with you?" Maggie seemed to ask with an expectant glee on her frowned face.

" Yes I did. But at the same time, as I've said earlier, I dont want the company in a mess after I'm gone." Courtney stated as she slowly walked to her desk.

" T-the managers will do their job. It's just a few days anyway, I'll be back in the office before you know it" Maggie pleaded behind Courtney.

Courtney stopped by her table and turned around to say in a soft sigh " Hah! Alright" She waved dismissively and sat in her chair.

Maggie's expression beamed with joy but she only let out a small excited smile. Her face was beet red from all the things she had wanted to do with Courtney resurfacing in her mind. She went take a seat by the sofa.

" You do know I can see this key card you placed here right?" Courtney said.

Margarette baffled and befuddled about Courtney's words frowned and was about to ask what key card when Courtney added,

" Ms Valerie!"

Margarette's eyes widened and she looked around frantically. Not seeing anyone around, Maggie became perplexed. She couldn't help but have doubts about Courtney,

' Is she hallucinating? What the fuck is going on!?'

Valerie who had hidden perfectly behind the sofa froze hearing what Courtney just said. Her eyes looked about, trying to recollect if she had truly left the card on the desk.

' Shit! I must have left it on the desk when I was trying to pull open the drawers earlier. Dammit!' In realization that she actually had left the key card on the desk and that she didn't have the key card with her, Val but her lower lips hard in frustration. She started contemplating whether to stay hidden or just give up the struggle.

Eventually she would be found, so it's better to save herself the face.

' By the way, isn't she supposed to be away? why is she back and why hadn't attorney Chris warned me of this? No... More importantly, how did she know it was me that had infiltrated her office? What's going on!?' Val was bereaved, she had a really bad feeling.

However, she had to find one way or the other to escape this predicament. Her whole life depended on it!

The worst case scenario had happened, and she was certain that Courtney would use this to blackmail her into working with her.

" Citadel's manager caught sneaking into the CEO's office with a duplicate key card" Val could visualize the news headline that would ruin her life forever already. If that happens, it would be the end of her hopes and dreams of a fashion design brand of her own. With infamy like that, she could as well forget about ever achieving her dream and just focus on begging Bob to take her.

' I could act like I would work with her and find a way to inform Bob about this.' She thought but shook her head knowing Courtney probably wouldn't let her. And even if she did find a way to tell Bob about this, what was he going to do about it?

Val felt that her life was actually ruined at this point...