EVERYTHING IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS

CHAPTER SIX: EVERYTHING IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS

"Game over,"...

Valerie sat under the table, beads of sweat forming around her head as she struggled to keep her composure. She unbuckled her shoes and held them. If Alex found her she was just going to shove the heels in his eye socket and run.

She heard the footsteps start to get closer and closer.

"Lord, " she whispered.

Just then she heard a familiar voice.

"Alex, "

"Mom and Dad wanted you and Valerie to make a toast, " Alan said, and Alex let out a low growl.

"How did you know I was here? " he asked

"I followed you? " he said. "Wow, I have never seen this part of the house before, " he added, stepping into the room but Alex shoved him out of the room and locked it.

"I never want to see you here, " he said and Alan nodded.

Inside the office, Valerie slowly rose to see if Alex was still inside, clutching her shoes tightly as she walked slowly and turning back swiftly to check if it was a trap. She sighed and made her way to check the other file cabinets in the room. Just then, she heard the door click open, and she froze.

Her throat started to itch and water started to form at the corner of her eyes.

When the door opened, Alan's handsome face came into view, staring straight at her with his piercing green eyes, his mouth twitched up to form a cynical smile, and Valerie just stared back, she looked behind him at the door which was already closed.

She sighed and put her hands up in a conciliatory gesture, her countenance contorting into a mix of distaste and irritation.

"I knew I was going to like you, " he said and a bright smile appeared on her face as she put her hands down.

"Thank you for saving me, " Valerie replied

"We've gotta get out of here before Alex comes back, he did not look happy, "

Valerie nodded in agreement as she moved to leave the room, Alex took a key out of his pocket and opened the door holding the door for her so she could leave first.

On the ceiling, in the corner of the room, a camera was mounted, with a small red light blinking.

~

After Valerie and Alex made a toast to having a merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year- A tradition that happens every year, Valerie walked to sit down in the corner of the room, her eyes following Alex's every move and she only shifted her gaze away from Alex when Mini walked up to him and whisked him away.

"Should I be sorry for you or you are fine?" Alan asked as he took a seat next to Valerie

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" she inquired, maintaining a neutral tone

"Well, you were hiding under a table just a little while ago," Alan noted

She rolled her eyes, turning to Alan.

"Mind your own business, " she retorted harshly

"Is that the thanks I get for saving you from getting beaten up mercilessly by Alex? "

"I said thank you earlier don't be so demanding,"

"I can help," he said and she looked up at him

"With what? "

"You want to ruin Alex, and I want to get the company back on the right track, we are losing contracts and our ratings are also decreasing because of Alex,"

"Is that the reason why you came to LA?" Valerie asked and he nodded.

She sighed

"It's not like I want to ruin him, if I wanted to I could have done that a long time ago. The only reason why I feel some kind of urge to ruin him is because he is giving me methods to,"

"Fair enough, but you haven't exactly said why you wanted to ruin him, I thought that he had been good to you and you love him?"

She sighed, leaning back into the chair and staring into space.

"Everything is not what it seems Alan, "

"True but, it can't be that bad, " he replied

It was then that Valerie knew that she had misjudged this family at first for being creeps and allowing an adult to get married to a minor.

They simply didn't know, but how? How did Alex manage to hide that kind of information?

"I was 17 when Alex married me… " she started

Alex's mouth opened wide and didn't close until she finished narrating everything that happened five years ago and until then.

"I'm really sorry, "

Tears gathered at the corner of Valerie's eyes and trickled down her face as she blinked, she quickly wiped them off with the back of her hand.

"I don't care whether or not he lets me out of the house or allows me to go to college or even make friends. I just miss my father, he's usually allowed to come and see me every year at the Christmas party, and the fact that he isn't here worries me. What if Alex did something to him?" she asked, allowing the tears to flow freely down her face.

Alan immediately wiped her face and grabbed her hands, leading her to the guest bathroom.

"Everything sucks, I just wish it did not have to end like this. I am putting my life and my child's life at risk because I have a chance to escape, I have a vision of myself and my son finally being happy, how else will that be possible if Alex isn't gotten rid of? "

More tears flowed down her face as she bent down to palm her face. Alan stared at her, sadness evident in his eyes as he moved to hug her. Wrapping his arms around her waist and then allowing her head to rest on his chest, he caressed the back of her head softly.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright, " he assured her.

She moved away from him covering her face, he handed her a handkerchief and she mopped her face with it.

"I'll help you, " he said. The look that appeared on Valerie's face was a mix of hope and gratitude.

"Thank you, " she said

Alan nodded, smiling.

"I have a present for you, I mean it was a last-minute present that I just thought of, " Alan said and he watched as Valerie's expression twisted into one of confusion.

"I'm going to take you to see your father, " he said

Valerie's eyes widened in surprise as she processed Alan's statement. Mixed emotions flooded through her - joy, anxiety, and a hint of hope. "You'd do that for me?" she asked, her voice slightly shaky.

Alan nodded, smiling, and she proceeded to hug him, jumping on him and hugging him tightly before releasing her grip on him in realization.

"I'm sorry," she said, gritting her teeth. "No problem, we are friends and friends should always help each other, " he replied, giving her a tight-lipped smile

"Let's go tomorrow, then, " she proposed.

"Alex is going to NYC tomorrow, " she said and he nodded in agreement.

~

The click-clack of block heels echoed down the dark and unlit hallway. A flashlight beam swept across the walls.

'Click, clack, click, clack...'

The woman in a black hooded cloak finally stopped in front of a door that read 'Alex Carson' in bold letters.

She took out a set of keys from her pocket and fiddled with them until she found the right one. She inserted it into the keyhole and the lock clicked open.

Pushing the door open, she stepped inside and closed it behind her.

Running her hands along the desk, tapping on it slowly, walking over to his desk, and bending down in front of it. A wicked smile appears on her face as she comes across the drawers with fingerprint sensors. She gets up and makes her way to where the office camera is mounted. She takes out a small plastic bag from her pocket, removes the chewing gum from the bag, and sticks it on the camera, spreading it out.

She stands in front of another door in the room and opens it. The computer is showing the view of the room. She studies the computer, figuring out the CCTV sequence in seconds. After a few moments, her fingers dance across the buttons, erasing all the records of today and then disabling the cameras. A satisfied smile appears across her face as she finds the sequence for disabling the fingerprint sensor drawers.

After that, she makes her way into the room and opens the drawer. There are wads of cash in the drawer, but the only thing that interests her is the blue file hidden under the cash. She takes the file out, her eyes scanning it, and she puts it under her cloak. She places Alex's phone on the desk and walks out of the room with a vicious gleam in her eyes.

The Carsons weren't ready for what was coming.