Columns of sunlight pierced through the curtains leaning onto the body of the young girl locked to her own body sitting against the wall with her face buried into her arms.
She had succeeded in being kept in the darkness, but only if a morning would never come, or was there really no morning for her?
The banging on the door saw her fixing to her dreaded position still. The yelling outside became muffled before it could reach to her eardrums.
She didn't want to talk or see anyone, she was better left alone to drown in her circumstance. But not when Palemo's mission was on the verge of collapsing.
"Val?" He pushed the door to open but it was locked and had something else brace it up for support. Any other trial without calmness would be fruitless.
"I'm sorry, Val. I'm sorry. It was just too much for me to handle, please pardon Mr Keftedakia. How would I not trust my Valentine?"
Valentine didn't want to bring herself to cheer up, but her father's words were crushing the bridge between her heart and piercing through at once. "Go away!" She yelled under her breath.
"I'm sorry, Val. I can't"
"Go away, please, please go away, please" she mumbled.
"Well, I wouldn't come knocking at your door if I didn't have something important to tell you"
Valentine raised her head, her eyes had been bulged and the tears had left traces on her beautiful pink cheeks. "What's that?" She asked in a frail voice?
"Two things actually… and I will start with your phone—"
"My phone?"
"Yes, you have about a hundred missed calls and numerous text messages, from the same sender… and two, w—"
The door was unlocked immediately and all the hurdles were pulled off from the back.
The door opened to reveal to Palemo, the terrible appearance of his daughter. She had lost some weight just in a night. How terrific!
"I left my phone on the sofa" she grabbed the phone from his hand, and checked it, her eyes widened to the realization. "Oh my god, Lina" she muttered.
"Who is that?" Palemo asked.
"My best friend"
Palemo was amazed. "Oh! You have a best friend now?! …" He smiled, more reason to fight for her reacceptance.
The first time she was having a best friend, and not just a best friend, one who would call her up to a hundred times in a day and leave numerous messages, just because she didn't see her that day. "Imagine the pain you have left her to now."
"I'm going to call her, and meet her and ,and -and explain to her, I - I didn'—" she said nervously. She didn't want to lose her best friend too.
Palemo held her hands. "Hey, hey, take it easy, easy. Good…" she calmed down. "Now breathe" she inhaled and exhaled "Very good. You will do that, okay?" She nodded her head. "Good. For now, we have something important to do"
"What?" She asked.
"Actually, somewhere. Please go insde, and take your bathe and look good, you look like shit seriously"
"Where are we going?"
"We are going to meet someone who would help us. I can't just let this slide away, I can't. There has to be something we have got to do."
Valentine shook her head. "If you're talking about Mrs Monica, She isn't in office until about two weeks"
"No, not Mrs Monica"
"Then who?"
"Val, time is going, we need to see this person this morning"
Valentine brought her arms beneth her breasts and folded them. "I'm not going anywhere, until you tell me who we are meeting"
"Seriously, are you still being stubborn. Fine. I don't really know, but I know is someone above Mrs Monica. I believe the man can help us"
Valentine blanked at him for a while stepped back into her room "Wait for me…" and closed the door on his face.
****
"Bond Holdings?" Valentine asked her father as the taxi dropped then in front of a big exotic building with a large inscription of “BOND HOLDINGS” on it.
"Yes, this is their only branch in Athens, not their main" Palemo said grabbing her hand and taking them inside.
A security man stopped them.
"Wow, I have never seen a security robot" Valentine commented. They were let through and the next step was in one of the elevators which took them to the main floor. It was a huge four storey building complex.
Once they got released by the elevator, they were faced with a large floor which had lesser office complexes facing each other, and a receptionist was situated near a glassed office.
It was her first time being in such place. But she had been in an exotic building before; Liege College. Her father walked freely to her. And they approached the reception whose face was pleasing.
"Welcome, sir. Welcome ma'am…" Valentine was amazed to be called a ma'am. "What can I do for you?" she asked.
Her father brought out an appointment card and handed it over to the receptionist who inputted it's info to the computer. Valentine threw her father a look "I thought you said you didn't know?" She whispered with a puzzled face.
Palemo pretended not to hear what she said.
"Okay! You have an appointment at exactly…" she glanced at her watch. "Yes, correct. He is inside"
"Thank you" he greeted and the glass door was parted in multiples like an elevator door. They went in, and red lights appeared scanning their body.
"They never get tired of this" Valentine said.
"Tight security for the big boss" Palemo added.
The security protocols was done and another door parted ways to reveal an oval office, and a gentleman sat on an executive chair on the other side of the table with his back turned against them. A breath of astonishment escaped from Valentine's mouth.
"Good morning, Sir" Palemo greeted with a bow.
The man had a Glass of wine in his hand, overlooking down at the city from his office through the glass walls.
He motioned to turn and Valentine's eyes were fixed on him; he turned his face to them, and once his eyes met Valentine's, a smile cut half off his lips. Valentine froze and looked at her father with a widened eyes and a frozen lips.
"It can't be…"she said in her heart.
"Please, sit" motioned the man to them to sit down. Palemo did at once, but Valentine.
He looked at her and wondered why she was so troubled. He would have asked why, but they were before a big man, one whom anyone in Greece would kill to meet and talk to him face to face.
Valentine looked at her father. "This can't be…" she said under her breath. Her breathing had escaliated within splits of time.
"What are you talking about? …" He lowered his voice. "Please forgive my daughter, she is kind of a hard headed" he chuckled.
"I know right" the man said, without removing his gaze from her.
"Excuse me?" Palemo asked, he couldn't had heard the man agree to what he had just said, as if he knew before then, more over, he was joking. He glanced at both of them; their eyes were fixed to each other's.
"Valentine, what's going on with you right now? He is the only one that can help us, sit, please" Palemo pleaded.
"Right, Valentine…" the man took a sip from his glass cup "I'm the only one that can help you"
She shook her head. "Patera, who is he?" She asked.
The man clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "People, they won't just believe, would they?"
"Sir, do you mind?" Palemo asked for his permission first. Valentine shrieked at the will of her father addressing him like he was high.
"No. I haven't introduced myself anyway" the man concluded.
"He is the late Feir Bond's first son, Europe's youngest billionaire and the CEO of BOND HOLDINGS… I'm sure you know they are the proprietors of Liege College, and he is technically the top at Liege College. Is an honour to be in your presence, Josef Bond"