“No, you can't do that to me," I said, my hands clenching at my side and the man just smirked as he stared at me.
I worked hard to be here, I worked tirelessly for that prize and then he's just going to look at me and tell me I don't look competent enough. Who does that? “I just did," he said smugly because he knew he had the upper hand. He didn't care that I was throwing a tantrum or being dramatic. He really wanted me gone. The fucking hot handsome bastard. I took deep breaths deciding to do this another way. “Is this how you do business Mr De Vito?" I asked as I crossed my arms and he just raised a brow wondering what I was going on about. I walked towards him ignoring his dangerous gaze as I stood behind his chair, then I leaned down so that my lips were close to his ear. “Are you saying you're going to refuse a potential client just because they don't look like a potential client?" I asked and I noticed the way his jaw clenched. I wasn't stupid, he knew that the argument I was bringing was one I'd win. “I never reject potential clients," he said and I smirked but he couldn't see me, “How do you know potential clients when you don't give them a chance?" My fingers brushed his shoulder before I calmly returned back to my seat as I pulled the chair and sat down, then I turned to him with a smile. "Until I am sure that I am as incompetent as you claim Mr De Vito, I am not leaving here, I am going to prove myself to you," his jaw ticked but he didn't say anything and I couldn't help the victorious smirk that took over my lips. I knew that this was far from over. Men like him hated being wrong. But he was a challenge I was willing to conquer. The maids who had been standing in a corner came back to serving breakfast as we ate in a tense silence. As we ate, my eyes couldn't help but look at him. He was a very interesting man, that was obvious. He looked so focused on eating his food. He could eat me if he wanted, I wouldn't mind. Emily! You're supposed to be mad at him. This man was just trying to end your dream but here you are having nasty thoughts about him. Are you stupid?! My internal voice yelled at me and to prove that I was indeed stupid, I pressed my legs together when my eyes looked at his veiny hands. I couldn't stop the image of him choking my neck with that strong hand while he slammed into me. I pressed my legs even harder. His eyes met mine so I quickly removed my eyes as I turned back on my food. When we finished eating Mr De Vito stood up and walked out of the dining room and I followed as I blew a kiss at Janet thanking her for the food. Outside the house the car was waiting and I was confused as to which car I would be leaving with. Would I be leaving with Mr De Vito or in my own official car? Angelo had basically told me that I was like Mr De Vito's wristwatch since men didn't carry handbags like women, you get what I mean. So I was to follow him everywhere he went like his shadow because as much as I would be working with him as a junior architect, I would also be learning from him. “Listen to me,” Mr De Vito suddenly stopped turning to me with his intimidating eyes trying to scare me but I kept my head high. "You see that little act you did there, isn't going to save you from what I have planned out for you,” he whispered as he leaned down and I just smiled looking up at him. "By the time I'm done with you, you'll be the one packing your bags and going back to wherever the fuck you came from,” my smile only broadened and his jaw ticked. "Well, good luck trying sir. We should probably get going to work, I wouldn't want to piss my boss off by showing up late on my first official day, would I?” I said with a smirk as his cold eyes narrowed. Mr De Vito straightened as he put his hands in his pocket, and then he moved aside for me to enter the car. I did a mock curtsy before I entered into the car and I heard him mutter something under his breath but I didn't catch what it was. I wasn't going to let him break me. He doesn't know how many sleepless nights I had before I made the designs that gave me this prize. I wasn't going to fold my hands and let him ruin my plans. Whether he was Mr De Vito or not. The ride to company was quiet and filled with tension. I'd occasionally glance at Mr De Vito who looked lost in his thoughts as he kept rubbing his hand on his chin. Poor man must be so stressed. I could offer him a good solution, I know a very good way to relieve stress but I had a feeling he wasn't going to like my suggestion so I kept it to myself. The car stopped in front of the company as I opened the door and quickly turned around and walked to Mr De Vito's side. He didn't wait for me, he just walked into the company and I hurriedly followed him with the sound of my heels clicking against the polished floor. We got into the elevator and I released a breath after the little run to keep up with Mr De Vito's long strides. We finally reached his office floor and I quietly followed behind. “Morning sir," Angelo greeted as he stood up, he turned to me with a smirk and I smiled. Mr De Vito stopped in front of Angelo's office and I stopped too. “Angelo, I need all the files on the Blue Haven project brought to my office, now," he said. I could see the way Angelo's brows crunch in confusion but he didn't ask any questions. Mr De Vito continued on his way to his office and I quickly followed him. He opened the door and walked in leaving it open for me. He walked to his table and got settled while I walked to the desk that was created for me inside his office. I felt eyes on me and turned to see Mr De Vito looking at me. “You want to prove yourself to me right?" He asked as he picked a pen on his table and started twirling it around his fingers. “Yes, that is what I said sir," I said and just then the door opened as Angelo walked in holding a bulk of documents he could barely carry. Mr. De Vito smirked before turning to me. “Angelo, drop the documents on Miss Ross' table," he said and I felt my heart stop as Angelo walked to my table and dumped the documents. “I want everything done before the end of today, no mistakes,"I sat behind my desk at the Salvatore Enterprises tower, surrounded by skyline and glass and enough pending contracts to drown in. A mountain of numbers. Reports. Forecasts. People who needed decisions.But all I could think about was her laugh. That low, husky sound when she made fun of herself. The way she scrunched her nose when she drank something too strong. The way her hand clutched mine at the beach like she’d known me forever.Damn it.I ran a hand down my face and stared blankly at the spreadsheet open on my monitor. Projected revenue growth? Who cared. I couldn’t even remember what division I was reviewing. The letters swam. My jaw clenched.Focus, Alessandro.This is what you’re good at. Control. Power. Precision.Not barefoot walks with women who smell like heartbreak and red wine.And definitely not letting said woman crawl under your skin after a single night.But here I was, sitting in a thousand-dollar chair, sipping bitter espresso, and picturing the way she had laugh
“Where the fuck were you last night?”His voice cracked through the silence like a gunshot, sharp and cold, making me flinch as the door slid shut behind me.Mr De Vito didn’t move from where he stood—tall, immovable, and dangerous as hell. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides. His jaw ticked once, and his gaze—normally unreadable—was blazing.I froze a few feet inside the penthouse, my fingers tightening around my purse. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. My throat had dried up the moment the elevator chimed on this floor. I’d known this was coming. I’d known it the second Alessandro said his name.Still, being here—face to face with him in the cold aftermath—was a different kind of terrifying.“I—” I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.”“That’s not an answer.” He took a step closer. “Where were you?”Lie. Just lie. Tell him anything but the truth.Because I couldn’t tell him I’d left the charity ball because I saw a ghost from the past. A ghost with a name. A ghost with a re
The first thing I felt was my brain trying to climb out of my skull.The second was panic.I sat up too fast—huge mistake. The world spun, a dizzying carousel of expensive furniture, soft lighting, and a ceiling I didn’t recognize. My heart pounded against my ribcage like it was trying to alert security.Where the hell am I?I blinked rapidly. This wasn’t my room. The bed beneath me was twice the size of mine. The sheets smelled like cedarwood and… money. The walls were painted a soft ivory, the curtains drawn just enough to let in warm morning light. It wasn’t a hotel room either—too elegant for that. A chandelier hung overhead, glittering even in the daytime.My fingers curled around the sheets as dread settled in.I remembered the tequila. I remembered the waves. The way I laughed like I hadn’t in months. I remembered—oh god, walking barefoot through the street. But then… I remembered a face. Sharp jaw, burning eyes. A familiar menace from the past.I’d seen him at the ball last ni
The lights of the city blinked beneath me like a sea of fireflies, restless and chaotic. I stood at the window of my penthouse, hands tucked into the pockets of my slacks, staring down at the skyline that never slept. My reflection looked back at me in the glass—tired, tense, controlled only by a thin thread of restraint. I had spent my life mastering the art of calm calculation, making decisions under pressure with the precision of a scalpel.But tonight, something was off.Tonight, Emily was at Alessandro Salvatore's house.My jaw clenched as I watched the dark outlines of the buildings. I couldn’t stop replaying that call in my head, the way his voice sounded so casual, like it wasn’t a goddamn crisis that she was passed out drunk in his home. Like it wasn’t a problem that she had disappeared without a word and turned up in the company of a man like him.How the hell did she end up with him of all people?How the hell did she get herself tangled up with Salvatore? The man was oil
I lingered on the balcony longer than I meant to. The moonlight was too soft, the bourbon too smooth, and the night too full of a quiet I hadn't felt in years. For a man like me, silence usually meant a deal gone wrong, a moment to plan, or worse—a trap.But tonight? Tonight, it was peace.Until I reached into my pocket and realized my phone was missing."Damn," I muttered under my breath, patting the inside of my jacket, my slacks, even checking behind the cushion I was sitting on.Nothing.With a sigh, I pushed off the chair and made my way downstairs. The house was mostly dark, save for the golden sconces humming low along the corridor. Somewhere above, I imagined Emily still asleep, tangled in the guest bed, one hand flopped over her stomach like a cartoon character after a wild night.A reluctant smile tugged at my lips.When I got to the car, I found my phone right where I'd left it, tucked between the seats. As I reached for it, I spotted something else.Emily's purse.And her
I should have known ordering that second round was a bad idea. Hell—I should’ve known ordering the third shot of tequila was just begging for trouble. But when Emily’s glass slid empty again, and she looked up at me with those bold, half-lidded eyes, laughing like she was daring the sea itself to try and crash us out, how could I say no?So yes, I did this to myself.Now here we were, on the walk back to my car, and she was leaning too heavily on me, giggling in disjointed bursts.“I’m fine,” she slurred, her voice melting around the syllables like syrup. “I walk in heels all the time. These aren’t even—wait. I’m barefoot, aren’t I?”“Very barefoot,” I said, trying to keep my tone even, though her carefree abandon in the moonlight was undeniably cute.She paused to register that, then grinned wildly. “That’s rebellious of me. Emily the Rebel!”I chuckled softly and angled my upper body to catch her if she stumbled again. She was so warm, so… human in that moment—her wild hair flying l