CHAPTER 5: Lesson one

      The sun  filtered through the grey-tinted windows of Moretti Enterprises as Rosalie stood in the elevator, her hands held tightly in front of her. Her reflection in the glass walls of the elevator stared back at her, brown curls coiled around her shoulders, wide, nervous eyes.

But something was different now, she e was a stranger stepping into a palace she never asked to be part of. A palace owned by a king who wore ice for skin.

      Her heels clicked against the marble floors of the 23rd floor. The air was cold, her palms were sweaty.

Her new desk was set in front of an enormous glass door engraved with gold letters: ALESSANDRO MORETTI. CEO.

       Her fingers trembled as she turned on the monitor. New employee introduction pamphlets were neatly stacked beside the keyboard. Her name printed in a fancy font across them made it feel like this was someone else's life. She swallowed the knot in her throat and sat the leather chair cradling her like it belonged to someone else, someone more important. 

She wondered if she would ever get comfortable on them.

  Minutes ticked., no one came to greet her, no welcome, just quiet, and the low whisperss from distant offices

Her phone vibrated, interrupting the silence. She hurriedly picked it up.

"Coffee. Black. My office. Now."

Rosalie stood, smoothing down the black pencil skirt they had delivered to her apartment in a Moretti branded bag. The fabric clung to her hips, defined them. Her blouse was silk, tight at the chest, exposing a lot of cleavage and designed, she realized now, more for appeal than professionalism

  She made her way to the executive kitchen, Everything in it was polished. The coffee brewed slowly, giving her time to ready her mind.; She prepared the cup, her hands steadier now and her back straighter. She didn't want him to see her shake, to think her weak.

When she knocked on his door, she heard a buzz, Then the door clicked open.

He was standing behind his desk, talking on the phone in Italian. His voice was low, lower than she remembered, harder. It scared her.  He didn’t look at her as she entered, just waved her away. She placed the coffee on his desk

"Leave it"

She blinked"I already did."

He ended the call and picked the cup slowly, peeked inside. Then placed it down abruply. Finally, he looked at her.

   That same unreadable expression, cold, calculating and beautiful in a terrifying way. Alessandro Moretti had the kind of presence that drew the eye.

He didn’t smile.

"You’re late"

"I wasn’t given a specific time to resume"

His eyes flicked to the watch on his wrist. "And yet you chose nine, Interesting."

Rosalie fought the urge to clench her jaw,he just stared back.

He walked around the desk slowly. His suit today was charcoal grey. The fabric pulled slightly at his broad shoulders, and his watch gleamed under the light.

He stopped in front of her, she should feel his eyes roaming through her body. They made a brief pause at her cleavages before he stared at her eyes.

"You look… presentable"

"It was a job requirement and I wasn't quite given the chance to chose my own outfit." She pulled the skirt downwards, awkwardly. 

A slow smirk crept across his face but it didn’t touch his eyes.

"Everything is a requirement here, especially how well you wear obedience"

She wanted to respond, to ssay something cruel but her throat dried, the room was too cold or maybe too quiet. His presence sucked the air from it.

"Return to your desk. Don't expect anyone to put you through. You learn by watching"

Rosalie turned, jaw tight, and walked out. She didn’t slam the door, she wished she had.

     The rest of the day passed, very slowly. Emails came in, Schedules, names, appointments she had no context for. She fumbled at first then learned quickly. She wanted, needed to be efficient. She took notes, memorized. She noticed how his top clients were addressed differently in internal documents by initials not names. Secrets, everywhere.

  She only saw him again briefly, during a meeting with investors. He didn’t introduce her, she realized her own unimportance,She stood silently at the back, taking notes.

  At lunch, she tried to eat in the cafeteria. The other secretaries avoided her, some smiled politely but none spoke to her.

At 4:15, she received another message.

"Conference Room B, five minutes"

She arrived early, the room was empty except for Alessandro, standing by the window.

"You lasted the day" he said without turning. "Most don’t"

Rosalie held her chin high "You expected me to fail?"

"Hmm"

She stepped forward "I don't break easily, Mr moretti"

That did it, heturned slowly and walked over.

The table was between them, but it felt like nothing. Her heart beating rapidly.

"You accepted the terms, you sold your dignity. Don’t pretend this is nobility"

The words hit but she refused to show it.

He came closer.

"But you’re learning quickly, you might even survive"

She didn’t flinch when he moved toward her, she didn’t back away.

He stopped behind her.

Then without a sound, without permission he brushed his hand slowly over her waist, but it wasn’t just a touch.

His fingers grazed the curve of her hip,a claiming gesture. Softn but deliberate. It wasn’t urgent or careless, it was calculated and slow. 

It lit a fire beneeath her skin, Her breath quickening. Her body still, reacting without permission. She hated that she felt it, that her stomach tightened, that her lips parted just slightly. She hated that she… liked it.

Her eyes widened, chest rising, heart pounding.

He leaned in, drawing her closer to him. She could feel his chest on her back. His breath grazing her ear.

"Lesson one: I don’t ask, you're mine."

Then he walked past her without looking back,.like nothing happened.

She stood rooted to the floor, shaking inside her perfectly ironed blouse

The door clicked shut behind him.

And Rosalie no longer sure who she was or what she’d just let herself feel, closed her eyes and whispered

"God help me."