Valerie's POV
The moment I stepped out of Mike's office, I didn't slow down.
I kept walking past the hallways, guards, and the curious eyes that always seemed to follow me everywhere now.
Only when I reached my office did I finally stop.
I closed the door behind me and leaned against it for a brief moment.
My heart was racing.
It was beating so fast that I thought it would give out.
However, feeling the heartbeat was how I knew I had succeeded.
I might have put a brave front in front of Mike, and even mocked Innocent, but I wasn't confident I would succeed.
With Mike's relationship with Innocent, I was just trying my luck to see if he would agree to take me along to the dinner party.
I know for sure that if I had hesitated back there; if I had shown even a hint of uncertainty, Mike would have dismissed me without a second thought.
But the good news was, I now had my invitation.
My journey to building an empire was about to begin.
