Chapter 12 The Challenge
Valenticia's POV:
I was going through some reports in my small office when my grandmother’s secretary, Grace, knocked and stuck her head in the door. “Your grandmother wants to see you,” she said, her tone always brisk, never unkind.
I rose immediately, smoothing the front of my skirt with my palm, and walked behind her down the hallways that always felt too quiet.
The door to my grandmother’s office was already open when I got there, and she was sitting behind her huge mahogany desk, her posture as erect and commanding as ever. The glimmer in her eyes suggested that this wasn’t a social call.
I entered quietly and sat across from her, folding my hands in my lap.
She didn’t waste time. “How would you feel stepping into the company?”
The question came out of nowhere, so I didn’t have time to think of a nice response. Not that she expected one.
I stared at her for a second. “Now?”
“There’s a lot of eyes on you,” she said, her tone cool and confident. “I’ve trained you. You’ve been under my training for more than a month now, and you’ve aced every test I’ve put in front of you. It’s time to go out and apply that training.’”
I nodded slowly, not knowing whether to be proud or pressured. Maybe both.
Her eyes narrowed. “It’s about what you want. So, tell me, Valencia. What do you desire — and how will you achieve it?”
I hesitated. I wasn’t sure. The truth was, I wanted to lead. Yes. I needed to show that I was more than some wayward girl who suddenly had a family name. But more than that, I wanted to deserve it. I didn’t want my family to give me anything. And I had to admit, with everything I was feeling out here, something didn’t sit right.
I didn’t answer her directly, though.
“How… is Gregor’s character?” I looked at my grandmother closely. “How close is he with the family?”
She blinked at me, her expression unreadable for a second. “What do you mean?”
I shook my head slightly. “Nothing. I’m just… asking. What do you think about him?”
My grandmother leaned back slightly in her chair, looking at me with an amused curiosity—as if she was decoding the hint behind my words. But then her gaze softened.
“Our relationship with Gregor is mutual,” she said, as if measuring each word. “Before you entered the picture, he was one of the sharpest people in this company. Reliable. Loyal. Focused.”
She picked up a small glass of water from the desk and took a sip. “And to be fair, Valenticia… if you hadn’t been found, I would’ve handed the company to him.”
That honesty stung.
“He’s been standing by me for years,” she added. He knows the business. The employees respect him. He’s a good young man, respectful. With a very sharp mind. He understands the politics of this place better than many.”
I fell silent, considering her words.
My instinct told me Gregor was not as ordinary as people thought. He looked at me as if I were an intruder. And that day at the auction, when he’d muttered those ugly words under his breath — he didn’t know I’d heard him.
And yet … my grandma was singing his praises as if he were the company’s savior.
“He’s someone I trust,” she said, more gently this time. “And one who’s been loyal to this family and this business long before you came back.”
I bit the corner of my cheek and nodded slowly, not in agreement, but in acknowledgment.
She must have interpreted my silence as reflection, because she leaned slightly forward, again resting both hands on the table.
“Listen, Valenticia,” she said, her tone crusty. “I believe in you." If I didn’t, I wouldn’t even have this conversation. But leadership doesn’t necessitate shoving aside the loyal. That means knowing who to stand with, knowing when to build bridges instead of walls.”
I held her gaze, steady on the outside, though in my head I was already spinning.
“If you can team up with Gregor,” she went on, “that will allow this company to grow faster over time." He has experience, and you… you have the future. It ain’t such a bad idea to have him as your assistant. Or even your vice president. So the two of you can collaborate and take this family business to the next level.”
Her words echoed through my ears as I glanced at my grandmother. Praise. So much praise to Gregor. I hadn't expected that.
I held my expression for a second, both my features frozen and my mind screaming behind a placid smile. It almost made me laugh.
I didn’t know if he was the one behind my kidnapping — but I had a feeling that he was involved. Someone who wanted a position that badly wouldn't smile when the job went to somebody else. Not when someone also vanished for a few years and then came back to claim a birthright.
And yet now I knew something: no one, not even Gregor, sat back and let someone else take what they had bled and labored for.
I pushed my thoughts away and gave my grandmother a small smile. “You’ve always wanted peace in this family,” I said gently. “And happiness.”
She smiled in return, a warm flicker of pride in her eyes. “Yes. That’s all I ask for. That we thrive together and support one another.”
“I would love to, and that is my dream,” I lied gracefully. “I also want to learn more from my cousin.”
It wasn't a complete lie. I would learn from Gregor — just not the way she thought.
“Thank you, Grandma,” I said, sitting up straighter. “I heard everything you said.”
Her eyes hung over me with a knowing nod before I cleared my throat. “Grandma… the investigation into my kidnapping. How is it going?”
Her eyebrows lifted a little in curiosity. “Are you suspecting someone?”
I hesitated. I wanted to tell her. I wanted to scream the name Gregor, to reveal the venom I had seen in his eyes. But I remembered her words. Peace. Unity. Growth together. I knew she wouldn’t believe me unless I proved it. And if she did, I would just look like the one breaking up the family.
I shook my head slowly. “No, not. "I’m not sure,” I whispered. “I don't have evidence. Just… feelings.”
She looked at me, her eyes narrowed with concern. “If you ever see anything, Valenticia, you come to me directly. Understood?”
“I will,” I said with a nod. But for now, I don’t want to bother you. You have enough on your plate already.”
She smiled, touched by my words, and reached over to pat my hand. But my mind was somewhere else.
She paused, then cleared her throat, reverting to business. “You’ll be going before the board of directors tomorrow,” she said. “You are going to replace the existing company manager." They’ve already been told.”
I blinked. “The manager?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “It’s time for you to start running things from the top.”
But something twisted in me. It didn’t feel right.
“No,” I said, surprising even myself. “I don’t want to be the manager, please." Not yet.”
Her eyes widened. “Why not?”
I inhaled deeply and met her eyes. “Grandma, I want to earn it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Place me in a position lower than I am,” I said. “Give me a master's company from the inside. ”
She opened her mouth to protest, but I pressed on. “After a month, I will stand in front of the board. But this time around, I want to prove to them my skills — not my last name.”
Her face got soft, but I didn’t let her stand up. My voice grew firmer.
“I don’t want to be the girl who got everything given to her. "I want everybody in that building to respect me, not because of who my grandmother is … but because of what I can do.
My hands formed slowly into fists, fingers digging into my palms.
“I want everyone to bow down before because of my power… and not my family’s power.”