She jumped to her feet. Her eyes immediately fixed on him. “Y-Yes. I’m feeling much better, sir. Thank you… for saving me.” Her voice was small, trembling slightly with gratitude and fear.He gave a curt nod. “Good. My driver will take you home.” His tone held no emotion. He had helped her, and now his involvement was over.But before he could turn and walk away. She reached out, her hand clutched his with surprising desperation. Her head was bowed, her shoulders hunched, and her fingers trembled against his skin.“Please,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Don’t send me away. I have nowhere else to go. I can work for you. I know how to cook, clean… anything. Just… Please don’t send me back out there.” Her words tumbled out.Vincenzo pulled his hand away, slowly but firmly, creating a clear boundary. “Don’t touch me again,” he said coldly, his voice devoid of empathy. Then he tilted his head, his gaze piercing, scrutinizing her. “Who were those men? Why don’t you have anywhere
Vincenzo was in his study, a large, quiet room filled with books. He sat behind his big desk, a cigarette held loosely between his fingers, its tip glowing red and burning slowly. The air in the room was filled with the faint scent of tobacco. Daisy walked in, but he didn't look up right away. Only the soft scrape of her shoes on the shiny hardwood floor made him slowly lift his head.“I’m heading out,” she said, her arms loosely crossed in front of her. She stood a little nervously, waiting for his reaction. “My brother, Dante, just got back from a trip, and I haven’t seen him in a long time.” Her voice was calm, but there was an underlying tension, as if she was bracing herself for his response.Vincenzo’s eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of her brother’s name. “Dante,” he muttered, almost like a curse, the name tasting bitter on his tongue. Then, he spoke louder, “That brother of yours… Did he do anything to help you when your father treated you like garbage?” The sudden, hars
“Talk?” he scoffed. His eyes, or rather, his one visible eye, finally met hers, and in them, she saw a profound fear. “I don’t need more trouble, Daisy. I don’t need him showing up again.”That last sentence, those few words, made it click. A horrifying realization dawned on Daisy. Vincenzo’s sudden coldness, the brutal accusations… it all made sense.Daisy’s blood went cold.“You mean Vincenzo… did this to you?” Her voice was barely a whisper.Marco didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. The way his jaw set, the fear in his eyes, they were all the confirmation she needed.She stared at him, suddenly ashamed, a crushing guilt that she was somehow responsible for his suffering. And beneath the shame, she felt a sudden anger at Vincenzo’s cruelty. “I’m so sorry, Marco. I swear I never meant for any of this…” she stammered, her voice filled with genuine remorse.“Go home,” Marco said softly, he wasn’t angry, he just looked completely drained. “I don’t want any more trouble.”And with that, wi
The next day unfolded like a quiet aftermath of a storm. Daisy felt it first in the way Vincenzo's gaze avoided hers, as if she were a ghost. That morning she went into his office to deliver the final reports from the recent hotel tour.“Here are the files you asked for, sir.” She announced, her voice was calm.He didn't even acknowledge her presence. His head remained bent over the papers spread before him. He didn’t look up from his desk, didn’t offer a customary thank you, didn’t even spare her a fleeting glance. It was as if she were invisible.“That will be all,” he said flatly.And just like that, the invisible wall between them grew taller.Daisy walked out slowly, the door shutting softly behind her, but the sound of it echoed in her chest like a slam.It didn’t take long for the whispers to start.Whispers began to trail behind her wherever she went. The mocking glances now lingered, transforming into giggles as she passed by. It wasn't just the awkward silence anymore… it wa
The next evening, Vincenzo and Daisy sat in the back seat of his car. They were en route to the site of his newly commissioned hotel. The building was a magnificent display of modern architecture… tall, elegant, all clean lines of gleaming glass and polished steel.As they arrived at the construction site, a man in a crisp suit walked up briskly. He handed Vincenzo a folder. Vincenzo took it, his long fingers flipping it open with ease, his eyes quickly skimming its contents. A moment later, he shut it with an angry snap.His jaw tightened, a clear sign of displeasure.“What is it?” Daisy asked. “Bad numbers? Trouble with a supplier?”“It’s nothing,” he said flatly.She blinked, surprised by the abrupt dismissal. “Are you sure? I could help. If it’s about the hotel, I’ve been keeping tabs on…”“I said it’s nothing.” His voice cut clean and cold.Then he walked back to his car with Daisy following behind, he opened the door for her. Get in,” he instructed, his voice low and firm. He th
The week that followed Daisy’s request for time off unfolded like a suffocating storm. Every single waking moment of Daisy's existence seemed to be mercilessly swallowed whole by the insatiable demands of her work. Meetings piled upon meetings, each one more urgent than the last, and errands, no matter how trivial, were tossed her way by Vincenzo Marino. It was as if her simple, entirely reasonable request for a brief reprieve had triggered some deeply hidden switch within him.“Mr. Marino,” she finally dared one morning, her voice cautious, nearly drowned out by the rustle of files as she organized his schedule, “about the reunion I mentioned last week…”Vincenzo didn’t even bother to look up. His pen scratched against the pristine white paper. He was absorbed, utterly oblivious to the quiet plea in her voice, or perhaps, simply indifferent.She waited. Every second felt like an eternity, her heart thudding nervously against her ribs. She watched the movements of his hand as he conti