Chapter 8 The Devil’s Office

• Two more jerks and a string of curses left my mouth. But at least this clunker brought me to my destination. After dying down once in the middle of the road and then slowing down, I was finally in front of the huge building.
• Damn Chad for changing his plans at the last minute and leaving me on my own with my useless car!
• I cursed the day I brought this second hand car two years ago. To save money for the small apartment I Iived in, I couldn't afford a new and better one.
• I needed to change this clunker.
• A sigh left me.
• The huge building before me covered with dark glass sent nervous flutters in my tummy. But I was excited at the same time.
• Time to get back to work again!
• I just hoped things will go the way I planned them. All I had to do was keep my heart safe from that icy blue eyed man. Then I would be fine.
• Just as I was about to take the car to the parking lot, a middle aged man rushed towards my car window.
• "G-good morning, Miss! I will take care of your car for you now," he said. An overly cautious smile spread across his face.
• "Morning. Thank you, but I can do it myself. No worries."
• "No, Miss. Please let me do it. It's my job," he insisted.
• Rossa had a valet for its employees?
• "Umm, alright. It's not functioning well, I will have to warn you about that." Getting out, I handed him the keys.
• "It's alright, Miss. I will park it safely."
• Nodding, I murmured a 'thank you' and walked inside. And the moment I did, Elezabeth was there with a bright grin on her face.
• "There you are! Welcome to your new office!"
• Was she waiting for me here?
• As a famous designer, she should be busy and I should have been the one to go and look for her. Not the other way around.
• "Good morning. And thank you! You were waiting for me?" I asked after returning her brief hug.
• "Yes! And why not? It's your first day here and you will need my guidance."
• "Elizabeth, did she arriv…" A voice behind her caught our attention.
• And the moment that young girl's eyes landed on me, she stopped in her tracks. Her stance instantly straightened.
• "Uh, welcome, Miss. Brooks!" She greeted me with a professional smile. "I'm Nina. The boss' assistant."
• My heart skipped at his mention.
• I googled Rossa last night. He handled it himself along with his main businesses, not some hired CEO. So the boss meant Duncan De Sylvano.
• "You know me?" I tilted my head.
• She shared a look with Elizabeth.
• "Yes, of course! I talked about you so much that almost everyone over here knows you," answered Elizabeth on behalf of Nina. "Anyways, let's go. Let me introduce you to my team. You will have to try on some dresses after that for tomorrow's shoot."
• As she took me towards the elevator, I sent a last glance at Nina who was still staring at me with a curiosity in her eyes.
• Weird.
• There were two elevators side by side. One was the ordinary one and the other was wider with black doors.
• 'VIP' was written in bold letters above it.
• "That's for the boss," said Elizabeth beside me, following my gaze.
• I shrugged. "Yeah, I know. The boss and his family and close friends."
• "Only for the boss." At her reply, I frowned. She nodded. "Everyone else rides the ordinary elevator, including his family and friends. He doesn't like to share, you know? Even elevators."
• My brows raised at that. Not even with his family?
• That's weird.
• Rich people with rich habits.
• God knew if my decision to work here even knowing the consequences was right.
• ***
• When we reached the tenth floor, the place where a photoshoot was about to take place, Elizabeth introduced me to everyone who will be working with me. Models, photographers and makeup artists.
• "And everyone, this is Cassandra. The new face that will be joining all of you from today," said Elizabeth with her white teeth on display.
• While some of the models smiled at me warmly, some sent looks of disinterest. One even threw a glare.
• Charlotte. The second cousin of Elizabeth. This bitch! How could I forget her?
• Of course she would be here too. After all her cousin was a designer here.
• Not wanting to make a scene, I ignored her hostile looks and turned to the curly haired man who beamed at me.
• "Hey, welcome to the team! I'm Tony. One of the photographers."
• I nodded. "Thank you. And nice to meet you! Can't wait to work with you!"
• "Same here! Chad told me a lot about you. I have to say, you're a stunning woman!" Unexpectedly, he took my hand and kissed my knuckles.
• A surprised laughter left me while Elizabeth's eyes were big as saucers.
• "Thanks!" I didn't know what to say. He was a good looking man with brown curls and chocolate eyes. But he didn't stir anything in me like a pair of icy blue eyes…
• I shook my head internally. That man was messing with my mind now.
• "You're not that bad either!"
• His eyes sparkled at my response.
• "Uh, alright, Tony. You can go back to your work now. You can talk to her tomorrow at the shoot." The firmness in Elizabeth's voice made Tony nod.
• "Yup. See you tomorrow then, Cassie!" With that, he walked away.
• When I glanced at Elizabeth, her shoulders were tense as her eyes swept around the place.
• What's wrong with her?
• "You alright?"
• Her head snapped to me. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Let's try out some dresses now, what say?"
• "Sure!" I smiled.
• Just as we were about to move away, a small crowd before the huge television hanging on the wall caught my attention. And the news running on it turned every head in the room towards it.
• "The infamous crime lord of the city was found dead in a dark alley near the outskirts of LA last night," said the reporter on the television. Some people were carrying a badly beaten body on a stretcher to an ambulance. "As one of the dangerous mafia leaders of the city, it was a shocking incident for the police that Angelo Devis was found in that bad state all of a sudden. The cops were trying to get a hold on him for some years now but…"
• The rest of the news went unheard by my ears as my eyes landed on the headlines at the bottom of the screen.
• 'Angelo Davis, rumored to be an arch enemy of Duncan De Sylvano, one of the most powerful men of the country, was found dead last night. Has the billionaire anything to do with this incident?'
• A gasp left my lips.
• Duncan's arch enemy? And they were suspecting him for the murder?
• So it was right then. He had link ups with the mafia world. People didn't fear him without any reasons.
• But murder?
• The whispers and murmurs around the office tore my eyes from the screen. They all seemed equally shocked.
• "See, that's why people say you're lucky if you never cross De Sylvano's path," said someone in the crowd.
• "But nothing has been proven yet. They're just assuming it. He had many enemies. It doesn't have to be the boss." Another one voiced out.
• Suddenly the screen of the television turned off. And the petite form of Elizabeth stood before it.
• "Enough of gossiping! Get back to work now! The company doesn't pay you for this!" At her sharp tone, everyone spread out to their respective jobs. But the whispers remained behind.
• Turning to me, Elizabeth flashed me an awkward smile.
• "Don't mind the news, Cassie. They just blabber anything for their TRP. Now come on, let's try the dresses."
• She didn't try to explain anything to others. Then why me?
• Not giving much thought to the news and her different behavior with me, I nodded before following her to a room where hundreds of dresses were on display.
• ***
• "This is your personal office. You can relax here in between the shots."
• My eyes widened. "My personal office?"
• After I tried some specific dresses that were already set out away from the others in that room, and selected three out of them, she took me on a tour of the office building. And then she brought me here, on the forty fifth floor. A secluded floor where I barely saw any people.
• "Yes." The discomfort in her voice was noticeable.
• "Why would I be given a personal office? What am I, a superstar?" I blinked. A freaking personal office for a model? That was insane.
• "Uh, you're no less than one!" She tried to fake a laugh. But at my look, she straightened up. "Don't be surprised, Cassie. I-it's Rossa's new policy. The models would get their personal rooms to rest. The others have two rooms for them too. Though they share them with each other. As you're new, I thought to give you a uh, different office so that you can get adjusted first with the new workplace."
• "I wouldn't have any problem sharing a room with them. Thank you but you really didn't need to provide me with a separate one."
• A very lavish one to say with two velvety couches, a book shelf, a beautiful round desk made of dark glass. Not to forget the small fridge at the corner. The office was decorated with beautiful canvases on the walls and flower vases.
• Her reasoning didn't make any sense. Why was I given such VIP treatment here?
• "And not to forget this floor is secluded. Like, I saw only two people working in a small office on this entire floor."
• "Uh, every other office was already occupied. So I gave you this one. And don't worry, you will be able to take breaks here in peace. You won't have any disturbance."
• "But…"
• The ringing of her phone interrupted me. And the sigh that left her seemed like she was saved from a torture.
• "I have to take it. Why don't you take a look at your new office while I answer the call? Will be back in a minute."
• Before I could say anything, she flew out of the door, leaving me alone.
• My eyes roamed around the beautifully decorated room.
• Something was wrong. My gut feeling was warning me.
• Elizabeth's behavior, this VIP treatment, the huge salary. What was going on?
• I wanted to ask her myself. But I knew she wouldn't give me a direct answer.
• And when I thought about the paychecks, all my doubts went silent. I had just two days left before Friday. Then I will have to pay those men. They were dangerous and I didn't want to bring more mess in my life. Once I give them their money, they will just go away.
• After spending some time in that office, taking in the breathtaking view of the city from the floor to ceiling window, I sent Chad a message asking his whereabouts. He should have been there by then.
• When Elizabeth didn't come back after almost ten minutes, I decided to go out and take a look around the floor.
• The whole floor echoed silence, except some noises from the two offices other than mine where some people worked. One occupied a man who was busy typing something on the keyboard and the other had Nina and another guy. Both were too busy with their jobs to notice me.
• Nina? Duncan's assistant?
• Her office was here?
• Suddenly something ticked in my mind. Assistants always stayed close to their employers, right?
• So, did that mean his office was here? On this floor?
• My heart skipped at the possibility. He didn't share elevators with others, he definitely would take an entire floor all for himself.
• And I was given an office here?
• What the hell was wrong with Elizabeth?
• Yes, this would help my other reason to be here. But I definitely didn't want to stay this close to him on this secluded floor.
• As I turned to another corridor to look for Elizabeth, a distant voice made me stop in my tracks.
• A deep accented voice I knew very well.
• Butterflies immediately started to flutter like crazy in my stomach at the feel of his presence.
• A door was left ajar of a room at the of the empty corridor.
• His office.
• Unknowingly, my legs started to move closer to the source of the voice. As if I was being pulled by a magnet that sat in that room.
• The office of the devil.
• As much as my mind was screaming for me to leave, my body didn't listen. My legs only stopped once I was just outside of his office.
• My heart raced fast in my chest.
• I should just leave…
• "...your responsibility to take care of the news. I don't want any scandal at this moment, especially now." The last two words came out harsh. Dark anger seeped through his voice.
• After a silence, he uttered something in Italian that I couldn't decipher. They sounded like curses.
• Maybe he was upset with the news.
• Anyone would be. After all he was being accused of murdering someone.
• Then I heard his next line.
• "I don't give a damn about it! That man was becoming a nuisance for me. And I don't tolerate anyone who comes in my path," he hissed out. "So he got what he deserved. No one messes with me and my wo... things that belong to me."
• A silent gasp slipped through my lips. My heart stopped in my chest.
• Was he talking about that crime lord?
• Did that mean… he had a hand behind that mafia leader's death?
• He killed him?
• My hand covered my mouth.
• What have I gotten myself into?
• I was getting myself involved with a dangerous Italian who was most probably a murderer too?
• Not wanting to be there outside of his doors anymore, I decided to leave. I definitely didn't want to be this psycho's next target.
• Gripping my phone in my hand tightly, I gulped and turned around to leave. As quietly as I could.
• But before I could take a step, a big calloused hand grabbed on my elbow before I was pulled into the office of the devil.
• A gasp left me as I was pinned against the cold wall. And a very hard and well built body pressed against me. Hot breath tickled my earlobe while my senses filled with his intoxicating cologne.
• "Where do you think you're going, cuore mio?"