Chapter 3 A corporation in the valley

RILEY

“Are you sure you have the right address, miss?”

The cab driver’s brows knit together as he stared at me through the rearview mirror. “This, uh… doesn’t quite seem right.”

I looked up from my phone and glanced out the windows.

I’d been so wrapped up in looking at old pictures of Dominic and me, trying to convince myself that everything would be okay once this was all over, that I hadn’t noticed the scenery around us changing. We were well past the city now, closer to the mountains, with little around us besides dense forest.

He slowed the cab and pointed at the screen on the center console.

“The GPS is barely working,” he said. “We’re too close to the mountain. There’s no way anyone would live or work all the way out here.”

“Can you please keep going?” I insisted, sitting forward. “It has to be here somewhere around here.”

“Miss, it would be a waste of both of our time,” the driver huffed. “There’s no such building in this valley, and I’m not going to leave the main road.”

I tried to persuade him, but he insisted he’d either continue driving along the main road or turn back.

“Okay, I’ll walk,” I decided, abruptly gathering my things. “You can pull over up here.”

“Miss –”

I reached into my purse and prepared to hand him some cash. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll handle things from here.”

The driver paused and sighed heavily, but he pulled over anyway.

“If you insist, I guess I can’t stop you,” he said. “Just be careful out there. There could be wildlife, and it’s hard to get in touch with anyone this far out.”

I stepped out of the car despite his warning.

The driver gave me one last look through the window before shaking his head and driving away.

Taking a deep breath, I walked onto the narrow lane leading into the forest. I’d already come this far. Ridiculous as it might have seemed, I couldn’t give up now.

So I trudged ahead.

***

As I walked deeper into the valley, I began to wonder if the driver had been right.

The place hardly seemed capable of supporting human life. Trees and plants surrounded me in every direction, the dense forest growing thicker the farther I went.

Thankfully, the weather was relatively mild, but that didn't stop sweat from beading on my forehead. I wiped it away, suddenly conscious of my appearance. This was the first time I would be seeing Killian in five years, and I didn't want my hair to look messy.

But the farther I walked, the more I began to wonder whether any of that even mattered.

Why was this place listed on his business card?

Had someone been playing an elaborate prank on me all those years ago?

I was nearly ready to give up when I finally spotted something beyond the trees.

As I moved closer, a building gradually came into view.

It wasn’t particularly large, but it was impressive nonetheless.

Modern and sleek, with expansive windows and meticulously maintained grounds, it looked entirely out of place in the middle of the forest. The cars parked outside confirmed that the building was occupied.

I smoothed down my hair and adjusted my clothes before following the path toward the entrance.

I rehearsed what I planned to say for what felt like the millionth time, then opened the front door and stepped inside.

The lobby was just as sleek as the exterior, everything orderly and immaculate. I glanced around until my eyes landed on a young woman sitting behind a front desk with a sign reading Bryce Corporation.

“May I help you?” the woman asked, her eyes flickering over me.

I swallowed my nerves and approached the desk, forcing a polite smile. “Hi, I… I’m here looking for someone.”

“Do you have an appointment?” she interrupted, her expression immediately turning suspicious.

“No,” I answered. “But I’m looking for a man named Killian –”

The woman practically flinched at the name.

Her reaction was so strange that I immediately noticed it.  

“I can’t help you if you don’t have an appointment,” she said firmly.

“Please, it’s important.” I took a step closer. “I really need to speak with him, so if you could just let me –”

“No appointment, no meeting,” she cut me off dismissively.

Frustration began to build inside me.

“I really need to meet with Killian Bryce,” I repeated. “It’s urgent, and I’m not leaving until –”

I wasn’t sure what happened, but the woman’s attitude suddenly turned fierce.

“Are you trying to order me around, human?” she demanded, eyes glinting.

I blinked, trying to understand her hostility and the way she referred to me as human, as if the word itself made me lesser.

“I’m not trying –”

“You should go,” she cut me off again, almost snarling the words. “Now.”

I took a step back, confused by this bizarre exchange.

What was going on? Why was this woman reacting so disproportionately, and what had I done to earn her anger?

I was about to open my mouth to say something when a beautiful woman strode into the lobby, her heels clicking on the smooth floors.

She was effortlessly stunning. Her auburn hair was full and bouncy, her fair skin flawless. Her hazel eyes locked onto me, sending a chill down my spine, before shifting toward the woman at the front desk.

“Lisa, what’s going on out here?” she demanded, her expression accusing. “I told you to keep it down and stay out of trouble. Alpha is holding an important meeting.

Lisa, as I now knew her to be, sat up straighter and cowered slighting before glaring at me. “Gamma Sophia, it wasn’t my fault. This woman here is the one causing trouble. I told her to leave – ”

“And just who are you?” Sophia asked me condescendingly. “What are you doing here?”

My heart dropped. For a moment, I couldn’t speak.

I recognized that voice, haughty and cruel, just as I’d heard it over the phone five years ago.

This was the woman who’d answered instead of Killian.

“She’s trying to order me to bring her to Alpha,” Lisa spoke before I could respond.

Alpha?

I didn’t have time to dwell on the question before Sophia turned her attention back to me.

“How did you get this address?” Sophia demanded, lifting her chin.

My nails dug into my palms. “K-Killian gave it to me-”

She cursed under her breath before giving me a hard look.

“I don’t know what you think is going to happen, or what you think he promised you, but you’re wasting your breath. He doesn’t have time to be harassed at work by some random conquest. Do both of us a favor and just run back to wherever you came from. He’s not interested.”

I tried not to wince as my nails pressed deeper into my palms. My hands felt clammy and shaky as humiliation and anger flooded through me.

This was exactly how I’d felt five years ago. Only back then, I’d simply accepted the rejection.

But I was stronger now. I had to stand my ground.

“Look, I’m not what you think I am,” I said firmly. “I have a serious matter to discuss with Killian.”

Sophia’s eyes narrowed. “A serious matter? Doubtful. You might as well tell me instead, because he’s busy right now. He doesn’t have time to trifle with –”

I shook my head. “No, I need to speak with him as soon as possible. I don’t care how long I have to wait.”

Annoyance sharpened her features, and she scoffed.

“Fine. Knock yourself out. Wait here as long as you want, but I’m telling you, you’ll get nothing from him.”

With that, she strode away, the sound of her heels gradually fading down the hall.

Once Sophia was gone, Lisa simply ignored me and returned her attention to her computer.

My entire body was still trembling from the confrontation. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself, but before I could, my phone began to ring.

I fished my phone out of my purse, and when I did, Hannah’s contact image lit up on my screen.

I answered immediately. “Hannah?”

“Oh, finally.” My best friend exhaled in relief. “I thought you might be in some kind of trouble. I’ve called you five times, and you didn’t pick up.”

“The signal is terrible out here,” I explained. “I’m kind of in the middle of nowhere. Is everything okay? What’s going on?”

There was a brief pause before she spoke again.

“Riles, it’s about Domi. He’s getting worse.”