There Was a Second One??

‎The following morning, something felt... off.

‎The moment I stepped into Moretti Corporation, I noticed it. The office looked the same as always, but the people didn't. Conversations were quieter than usual. Every now and then, someone glanced toward the elevators before quickly looking away. It was as if everyone was waiting for something.

‎I set my bag on my desk and looked around. Even Marie hadn't complained about me being late by two minutes or breathing too loudly. That alone was enough to make me suspicious. Caleb wasn't any better. He kept checking the time before looking toward the elevators again. After the fifth time, I gave up pretending not to notice and walked over to his desk.

‎"Did I miss something?"

‎Caleb looked up, but before he could answer, Marie spoke first.

‎"If you spent half as much time working as you do asking questions, maybe you'd know."

‎She snorted, picked up a folder from her desk and walked away without another glance.

‎I rolled my eyes then looked back at Caleb.

‎"So...?"

‎He leaned in a little.

‎"Haven't you heard? The Vice CEO is coming in today."

‎I frowned.

‎"Vice CEO?"

‎Caleb nodded, then quickly glanced at the clock.

‎"Yeah, and trust me..." He lowered his voice. "You'll understand why everyone's acting like this soon enough."

‎Before I could ask another question, his phone rang.

‎He looked at the screen, muttered a quiet curse, then hurried toward the elevators, leaving me standing there with even more questions than before.

‎Lunch finally came.

‎I grabbed a tray and found an empty seat near the back of the cafeteria. I had barely taken a few bites before the conversation at the next table drifted over.

‎"I heard he's coming in today."

‎"No way. I thought he was still overseas."

‎"So did I, but my friend from the executive floor said his flight landed this morning."

‎Someone let out a groan.

‎"Great. Just what this place needed."

‎I kept eating, pretending not to listen.

‎"I heard he punched someone at the annual gala."

‎"What?"

‎"Yeah. Apparently the guy spilled wine on his shoes."

‎"No, no." Another employee shook his head. "I heard he only broke the wine glass."

‎"And that somehow makes it better?"

‎A few nervous laughs circled the table.

‎"So... what's his name again?" someone asked.

‎"You've seriously never heard of him?" A woman stared at him. "Vice CEO Xavier Moretti."

‎The table went quiet for a second.

‎One of the men lowered his voice.

‎"My manager worked under him for six months."

‎"What happened?"

‎"He transferred departments."

‎"That bad?"

‎"He said he'd rather quit than work for him again."

‎I glanced up for a moment before looking back at my lunch.

‎Around me, the conversation carried on in quieter voices, but no one seemed eager to say much more.

‎Whatever kind of man Vice CEO Xavier Moretti was...

‎I was apparently about to find out.

‎*****

‎Dante stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring at the city below. One hand rested in the pocket of his trousers while the other held a glass of whiskey he hadn't touched.

‎A knock came at the door.

‎"Come in."

‎Matteo walked in carrying a few folders. He dropped them onto the desk before looking at Dante.

‎"You've been standing there for five minutes."

‎No answer.

‎Matteo raised an eyebrow.

‎"Thinking... or ignoring your paperwork?"

‎Dante finally turned and walked back to his desk.

‎"The paperwork can wait."

‎Matteo watched him for a moment before leaning against the desk.

‎"I've been meaning to ask you something."

‎Dante looked up.

‎"That new secretary."

‎Silence.

‎"You've been unusually patient with him."

‎Dante picked up a file.

‎"Have I?"

‎"You didn't fire him after he talked back." Matteo shrugged. "You even had Enzo drive him home."

‎Dante continued reading as if the conversation didn't interest him.

‎

‎Matteo let out a quiet laugh.

‎"I've known you too long to pretend that's normal."

‎The room fell quiet.

‎After a moment, Matteo's expression became serious.

‎"By the way..."

‎"Xavier gets back today."

‎The page in Dante's hand stopped turning.

‎Matteo noticed.

‎"You know how he is."

‎Dante slowly closed the file.

‎"I do."

‎"So if he starts sticking his nose where it doesn't belong..."

‎"He won't."

‎The words were calm.

‎Certain.

‎Matteo studied him for a second before giving a small nod.

‎He had already expected that answer.

‎*******

‎Elsewhere, rain tapped against the windows.

‎A man sat on the edge of his desk, a glass of whiskey in one hand while flipping through a report with the other. His suit jacket hung over the back of a chair. He looked completely at ease.

‎A knock came.

‎"Come in."

‎One of his men stepped inside.

‎"The Milan meeting has been confirmed. The Cheng shipment arrived without any problems. Our investments are on schedule."

‎The man gave a small nod.

‎"And Dante?"

‎The subordinate hesitated.

‎The man looked up.

‎"What?"

‎"Our men have noticed... a change."

‎That was enough to catch his interest.

‎The subordinate walked over and placed a photograph on the desk.

‎The man picked it up.

‎A young employee stared back at him. White shirt. Company ID. Nothing special.

‎He smirked.

‎"I didn't think Dante was into this kind."

‎The subordinate stayed silent.

‎The man looked at the photograph for another moment before placing it back on the desk.

‎"So this is the one."

‎He leaned back, a slow smirk still on his face.

‎"...Interesting."

‎He picked up his glass, a slow smile still resting on his face.

‎"Looks like this trip just got a little more entertaining."

‎******

‎By the time I got back from lunch, everyone was already at their desks.

‎The office had gone quiet again. Every now and then, someone glanced toward the hallway before quickly looking away, as though they were expecting someone to walk in at any moment

‎I stopped beside my desk.

‎Marie flipped open a compact mirror and checked her lipstick.

‎"Too much?" she asked without looking up.

‎Caleb sighed.

‎"Yes."

‎She ignored him and applied another coat anyway.

‎"You've asked me that five times," Caleb muttered.

‎"That wasn't an answer."

‎I looked between the two of them.

‎"You know he's not going to fall in love with you, right?"

‎Marie snapped the mirror shut and shot me a glare.

‎"Unlike you, I actually have standards."

‎I blinked.

‎"...Pretty sure that's not what that means."

‎She ignored me, straightened her blazer and looked toward the elevators again.

‎A soft ding echoed through the office.

‎Every head turned.

‎"...He's here," someone whispered.

‎A second later, the intercom crackled to life.

‎"Attention, everyone."

‎The receptionist's voice echoed through the office.

‎"Vice CEO Xavier Moretti has arrived."

‎The office fell completely silent.

‎People stood a little straighter. A few quickly fixed their ties or jackets. Even Marie slipped her compact mirror back into her bag.

‎I looked around, even more confused than before.

‎The entire office seemed to be holding its breath.

‎Then, from the executive floor above, came the soft ding of an elevator.

‎The doors slid open.

‎A pair of polished black shoes stepped out first, followed by slow, confident strides.

‎