WORK LIKE HELL

“Mom? Wait-“ my father hung up before I could breathe another word.

What the hell just happened? I stood with my arms akimbo and my lips agape as my mind blanked out in confusion. The noise slowly died down but the panic in my heart picked up its race. Aria stared at me, tensed and covered in sweat.

“Well? What did he say?” Aria asked as the neighborhood slowly gained its sanity. Huge tankers zoomed off, leaving a cloud of thick smoke. Everywhere became dead quiet.

“He told me to… to stay where I am. He said… Aria he said, he said my mom and my sister are gone. What is he talking about, Aria? Gone to where?” I stiffened, letting droplets of tears run freely down my cold cheeks.

“Let’s go, we will call him in the morning.” Aria immediately replied, pulling me into her embrace.

“Aria didn’t you hear me? My mom is gone!” I yelled as my voice echoed through the sketchy alley. Cats and whatnot fled at the sudden change in my voice, scrambling away on cans and dirt.

“He is probably drunk, Chelsea. Why do you keep letting his words get at you? He is a stark drunkard, okay? Let it go! You have work in the morning. Your mom and sister are probably fast asleep already. Stop bothering yourself!” Aria insisted, pulling me along as we walked towards her house.

“So why am I going to your house if you insist everything is fine in my house?” I whispered, lost in my own thoughts. Even if my dad jokes, he doesn’t joke about my younger sister.

“Just to be safe. I mean, after everything we just witnessed tonight and the destruction done to your bar, I can’t let you be by yourself. Okay love?” Aria responded, doubling our pace.

“But Aria, I-“ she interrupted me immediately.

“Enough! Enough Chelsea! You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow, that’s if it’s not past midnight already. It’s going to be all black suits and files for you in a few hours so why not let your brain rest while it can? We will sort your dad when the sun is high up in the sky, okay?” With that, the conversation ended.

*THE FOLLOWING DAY*

After the sleepless, tiring and restless night I just had, the last thing I want to do is go to work but here I am, standing face to face with the Rutherfords Empire. This organization has the largest infrastructure under the sun and Chelsea Star Ambers is in charge of every single nibble of it. I walked in, my nose high like I didn’t almost lose my life last night at my bar.

“Good morning,” a clerical staff greeted, breezing past me with a green jacketed file in her hand. I ignored her flimsy greeting and walked into the elevator as my boss’s words rang into my brain. An important meeting… I am sure as hell not ready but whatever.

“Miss Ambers, thank goodness you were able to make it.” My boss sighed the second I stepped into his office. What? Like he cares for me or something?

“What do you mean sir? I’m always early to work.” I scoffed, dumping the stamped files on his table.

“The news of the invasion at your bar is all over the media, Chelsea. People died last night so I automatically assumed we had lost you.” He shrugged like it was that ordinary.

“I’m alive sir, you can drop the sad face.” I bluntly replied, turning around to make my way out of his office.

“The meeting starts in an hour!!” He yelled again before his office door closed.

Before I could catch a breath, different files in dire need of my attention, landed on my table. My face remained buried in the books until a call came in.

“Office of the senior secretary,” I paused, waiting for a response.

“The meeting is starting in three minutes, make yourself available immediately.” My boss’s grumpy voice echoed. I dropped the call, stood up and hurried out.

I arrived the extremely cold conference room and scaled through to my seat because for some reason, my boss has started speaking already.

“The Salty Huggers Oil Group reached out to us few months ago, requesting a share of this empire because they’ve traded with us without pay. Their lawyers submitted this court order to us last week and that’s the first thing we would trash out. The Rutherfords are needed because the media will not let a debt slide by.” My boss stopped, taking several deep breaths as his eyes frolicked around the room in search for a response. The room remained dead silent as the owners stared back. Their eyes remained tucked away behind a mask.

Dressed in all black, even with gloves, their scary aura overwhelmed the room. Never have I seen their faces and I have been working with them for five good years.

“What are your suggestions, Chelsea?” A grimly voice spoke. I turned in the direction of the voice as my eyes meet him, glaring at the table as he played with his ring.

My mind paused. This ring… I know this ring. I saw this ring last night. Am I hallucinating? The double R. I can’t be mistaking, I remember it as clear as day. From the shooting yesterday. My mind refreshed and replayed it all… even the call with my father.

I squinted my eyes, lost in thought as I watched him slide his ring in and out of his finger while tracing the Rs on it.

“Miss Ambers!” My boss snapped. I jerked back to reality.

“Sorry, sorry. I think it’s best we give them the share.” I spurted without giving my words a second thought.

The deadly glances shot at me nearly pulled life out of me.

“How much do we owe them? What did we buy from them?” Mrs Nathara, the world’s deadliest woman spoke.

“They have turned down money, ma.” My boss replied with his head bowed.

“Why?” She asked again.

“Apparently, it was not a commercial transaction ma. The deal was between us, them and a certain Mr Giovanni who disappeared immediately, many years ago.” My boss nodded. My ears tingled. A certain Mr Giovanni? This is new information.

“End the meeting at once, I will handle it myself.” Mrs Nathara said in a flash, rising to her feet and walking out. Her huge sons followed behind her.

*LATER THAT DAY*

“Aria, you will never believe what happened.” I giggled as we sat in the cold, drinking and gossiping in front of a dilapidated hotel on a dark alley.

“What?” Aria asked after downing a shot of Whiskey.

“Remember yesterday, during the stampede?” I paused, making sure she follows my explanation.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Well, I saw a ring on the floor. It fell from one of the men who…”

“Miss Ambers!” A strange manly voice echoed from a distance.

Instinctively, Aria and I got up, ready to throw hands. The body emerged under a thin ray of light, all masked up with that same ring! My eyes widened, scared to the depths of my soul. Who is this person?

“I am not here to hurt you, I think we could make a great team.” He responded in between subtle laughs.

“Who are you?” My voice cracked.

“That’s no ordinary information to just hand out, you know.” He replied as more men surrounded him. Aria gummed herself to me; I could hear how fast her heart beat against her chest.

“Your ring,” I paused, trying to be bold. It’s after hours and I am still sober, why is this man everywhere?

“You know me, Chelsea, but not as much as I know you.” He stopped, taking three steps forward.

“I don’t like mind games, young man. Tell me who you are and what you want or leave me the fuck alone!” I snapped, heaving like a fool.

“I have a message for your father. He has fifteen days to report back to me, or else, he will never see them again. Am I understood?” The tense air became even worse. My father?

“Who are you and how do you know my father?” Confusion swirled my whole being.

“Non gioco con le mie informazioni.” He whispered before turning around.

As he walked away, something flashed my mind. He is Italian, he knows my father and he is wearing the same ring! Something is definitely fishy! An idea dropped.

“Ho un gioco per te!” I yelled. He stopped, turned around and gazed at me.

“What would that be?” His voice suddenly became gentle, twisting into darkness.

“A man as sexy as you can’t leave me hanging at this time, come, let’s have a drink. I bet I can make you say your name before you know it.” I smirked, walking towards him. As my hands touched his chest, he flinched.

“How do you intend to do that?” He asked, gesturing to his men to step back.

“That’s an hotel behind us, right?”

“Amo i rischi ma se perdi, mi dovrai qualcosa di più grande dei soldi.”

In a flash, he lifted me, leaving Aria behind. The desolate hotel had no life in it. He threw me against a bed and immediately undressed, leaving his mask on. Without his permission, I wrapped my hands around his length and took him whole into my mouth.