Her Mafia Don

"Damn it!" My hands were busy rummaging through the pile of papers on my desk. The monthly financial report requested by the President had suddenly disappeared without a trace. A thousand excuses I made to cover it up would not work when confronted by Rafael Castello, the gorgeous boss who was unfortunately fierce and full of authority.

"Maybe you haven't done it yet? Or haven't you printed it yet?" asked Kayle who was also busy helping me to find the sacred paper that I would soon be responsible for in front of Mr. Castello.

"I finished it and printed it. Now the document is missing. It's missing. I could get fired if I don't get it."

"Well, you can just reprint it again. Problem solved." Kayle pulled out a chair to sit down, as she seemed to be tired of helping me who was still busy searching and searching.

"Oh, shut up," I snorted in exasperation. "There's no time to reprint it. The report is thirty documents, which takes ten minutes because there are so many diagrams and pictures, and... in ten minutes he'll call me. There's not enough time."

I glanced at Kayle who was shaking her head, as if she couldn't get over my carelessness this time. "Yeah, whatever. I have to go back to my desk now. I'm afraid that bald boss of mine is walking around the room watching over everyone."

I waved my hand in reply to tell Kayle to leave quickly. I ignored her who was already walking out of my room. Holding back my frustration and annoyance, I stood up and grabbed the water on my desk, and gulped it down.

"Audrey North."

The call made me almost choke.

"Si..sir?" I glared at the President standing in front of my open door. His suit was gone, he was wearing his white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, allowing me to see his sexy muscles.

He put both hands in his pockets and looked at me with his sharp gaze. Which I'm used to. "My room. Now."

Without waiting for my reply, the President of the Castello Arc named Rafael Castello just left. I reflexively exhaled the breath I had held for a few seconds because, well, who wouldn't be scared by that man? He is indeed handsome and so sexy like a model in a magazine. Tantalizing. But his brutality and cruelty to me made me feel fear rather than fascination. It was due to the incident two years ago where he caught me eavesdropping on his conversation with the HR director.

After he realized that I was his employee and not some random woman named Ashley who gave her boyfriend lunch, he decided to give me hell every time we met. The finance director, William Roles: my boss, wasn't even helpful at all. He preferred to dump everything on me, his secretary, rather than deal directly with the President who always had a creepy aura and a temper.

Kayle and I once guessed that our captivating President seemed to have a tendency to lack orgasms from the different hot women he took out once a week. The lack of orgasms could be making him angry all the time.

That concerned me. How can such a beautiful man have problems with orgasm and temper? Maybe it was because his female standards were so high and no woman could keep up. If I were his therapist, I would probably advise him to have sex with men. Who knows, he might get addicted to it.

His temper made me always try to minimize my encounters with him, and if I had anything to do with him, I would hurry up and finish my business. This time I had to do that too.

I tidied up my appearance briefly before going to meet the big boss's call. The door to the room with the President of Castello Arc's plaque opened after the heavy voice inside let me in. I stepped in quietly with all sorts of demonic prayers that I chanted in my heart, hoping that this time I would also be as lucky as usual and could be saved from the tantrum of the man who was sitting shuffling his feet on his large sofa.

"Can I help you, sir?"

Rafael Castello was still silent, his head still lowered to stare at the papers on his lap.

"Sir?"

He just cleared his throat lightly, I closed my eyes to contain my annoyance. Was I just ordered to stand stiffly in this large room of his while waiting for him to stop reading?

"If there isn't anything I have to do, I'll excuse myself to get back to work," I told him again.

"Here," Mr. Castello placed the file he had just read onto the sofa table. "Review all the financials from three years ago to the end of this month. Cancel the report you've been working on. And I request this report be completed by the beginning of the month."

I stared at the tall stack of folders on the sofa table with horror. Actually, this was good news because I didn't have to rack my brain to come up with an excuse about the report I had been working on being lost or tucked away, I don't know. But seeing the reason for saving my life from this crazy handsome Big Boss tantrum didn't make me happy.

"The beginning of the month, sir?" Oh my, seriously! It's already February 26th, which means I only have less than a week.

"You have very good hearing," he said in a mocking tone. "Get that file out and start working on it." Mr. Castello massaged the bridge of his nose then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I could die of boredom looking at that many files."

"Me too, sir."

"What?" he linked his eyebrows, giving me a sharp look.

"Nothing, sir." I quickly lifted the pile of files with difficulty and hurriedly left the room of my boss who had already put on his fierce face.

<<<

"Overtime again?"

I looked up at Kayle who was in the doorway of my room. "Yeah, Mr. Castello gave me a lot of work to do. You can go home first. I'll be fine, I'll take a taxi home."

"Okay, then. I'll go first. I have a dinner appointment with Darren."

I just mumbled and went back to my work. Sleepiness and boredom overcame me completely. This was really draining. The office atmosphere is already so quiet that I immediately want to finish my work.

It's been two hours, and I've given up. I already miss my bed, it must have missed me too. I tidy up my bag and walk out of my room. I stepped up, about to enter the elevator but shuddered when a tall figure stepped past me.

"Don't you want to come in?" asked Mr. Castello, who was already leaning against the elevator wall.

Hesitant, I bit my lip. I could wait for another elevator. "Eh? Yes, sir."

But I decided to enter the elevator together with this lunatic person. Awkwardly, I entered the elevator with my heart beating chaotically. I was afraid that he would do something bad, like scold me or advise me or give me another job.

"Audrey,"

"Yes, sir?" I looked up, looking at him nervously.

"How old are you?"

My eyes widened. "My age, sir?"

"No, your grandmother's age." He said with annoyance.

I grimaced. Well, I didn't have a grandmother, but I couldn't possibly repay him with that. "I'm twenty-four, sir."

He turned to the door again and nodded. Didn't reply to anything else.

And we descended from the sixtieth floor to the lobby in an eerie silence.

>>>

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

There was an explosion.

There was fire.

My eyes opened wide, staring at the horror before me.

In front of me were flames bouncing around, spreading from one window curtain to another. My eyes widened, my heart beating chaotically.

I screamed.

Screamed loudly as the heat rushed towards me.

And screamed.

My eyes opened wide, my chest rising and falling heavily, staring at the ceiling of my flat.

I sat myself down on the bed, looking down to wipe my sweaty face. My body felt so tired, my breath came out like I had been holding my breath for minutes.

I felt so terrible every time the mysterious dream hit me. This was the first time this week. Usually it would come when I was so tired and forgot to take my vitamins and sleeping pills.

Kneading my head rather vigorously, I sighed looking at the clock on the nightstand that showed four in the morning. It's truly early in the morning. I rubbed my face roughly, as if that would get rid of the ugly visage of my nightmare.

It always happened in the same pattern as when I was a kid. There's a fire, there's an explosion, I'm in a room, and strangely enough in the dream I still seem to be a child.

Is that part of my past? I don't know, because I've even forgotten many details of my childhood. All I know is that I grew up and lived in an orphanage until I was seventeen because I had to live in my college dorm Maybe that's some kind of puzzle that I should look up.

But, well, never mind, I didn't want to open anything from the past. My life was always calm and I didn't want any hassles other than work.

Taking a sip of the drinking water on the nightstand, I rushed to the bathroom to clean my body.

"You need something," came Rafael Castello's low voice, making me blink, looking up from my notebook. I raised an eyebrow at him. His head tilted, watching me like a predator. He had enough time for silence to gather all sorts of material to insult or scold me. "Coffee?"

"I don't think so, sir." I replied. "I've had two cups of coffee since this morning."

A lazy sigh escaped him, his handsome face looking at me idly. "But I caught you yawning a few times."

"I'm sure this won't interfere with my work, sir."

"Not interfere? You could have fallen asleep in between your work, Audrey North." He gave an exasperated snort.

"Then I'll have some more coffee later." I smiled flatly at him, although in my head I was already fantasizing about pouring a cup of hot coffee on his gorgeous face because it seemed like he needed to get that cruel behavior once in a while.

It made me wonder if there was anyone who could do that to him? Against him? I'm sure there isn't. I doubt his parents did that, because usually rich people always spoil their children, that's also what makes their children's personalities grow up to be jerks in front of others.

The President Director rolled his eyes at me and snorted in disgust. He picked up another paper that was on the table, and then read it. Every movement he made seemed calculating and graceful, like a hunter ready to pounce on his prey at any moment. His hands were large and strong, with long fingers that looked elegant yet sturdy, as if they were made to take control of whatever he wanted.

But the man was annoying.

He was a pain in the ass, and the one person I hated the most. He was so strict. He demanded perfection in everything and never hesitated to criticize every little mistake. Every day working with him was like walking on a fragile tightrope, always worried about falling.

I averted my eyes from my big boss's near-perfect face and returned to my notebook, trying to ignore his intimidating presence. Yet, I could feel his piercing gaze still watching my every move.

"Did you finish the report I asked for yesterday?" he asked in a stern tone.

I nodded as I handed over the file I had been preparing since this morning. "I have, sir. I have completed all the data according to your instructions."

He took the file wordlessly, opened the first page and began reading it carefully. I held my breath, hoping he wouldn't find any mistakes. Rafael Castello was famous for his meticulousness and perfectionism, and one small mistake could earn me a lengthy lecture.

Several minutes passed in tense silence. Finally, Mr. Castello closed the file and looked at me with his piercing hazel eyes. "It's good," he said briefly, but there was a tone of approval in his voice that I rarely heard.

I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a little proud that my efforts were appreciated. "Thank you, sir," I replied in a calmer voice.

But my faint smile that had risen on my lips soon faded when he continued, "But, I need you to fix a few things on pages three and four. Double check the numbers, make sure everything is accurate."

"Sure, sir," I said quickly, taking back the file. I knew it wasn't the fullest compliment, but at least he wasn't angry. That was more than enough for me.

Mr. Castello stood up and walked to the window, looking out with his hands in his pockets. "My father will come next week to check everything. Make sure all the financial reports are perfect. No fraud and nothing missing. I don't want any mistakes."

"Yes, sir. I'll make sure everything is ready," I replied as I noted down his instructions. His father, Javier Castello was the owner of Castello Arc, and several times a month he would come to check the reports on everything. Usually the meeting was only for the top brass of the company, and they had to account for everything in front of Mr. Castello Sr.

"I want your revisions done quickly. I want the report on my desk before five in the afternoon."

"Yes sir," I replied, feeling slightly relieved but still tense. I refocused on jotting down bullet points in my notebook but I could feel his eyes still watching me.

I looked at him who didn't even make a face when I caught his gaze.

Danger! This was a sign that I should leave quickly. He must be thinking of something else to trouble me with.

"Is there anything else, sir? If not, I'll go out and continue with the pending work." I said, starting to tidy up the scattered folders.

His hazel eyes narrowed. "Since when have you been wearing makeup?"

I was dumbfounded. "Excuse me, sir?"

He leaned his back against the glass wall, folding his hands together coolly, he looked at me with a frown on his forehead. "I've never seen you wearing makeup like this."

That .. surprised me because I didn't expect him to notice me in such detail. I rarely use makeup when I work, I only use basic skincare and sometimes skin tint and natural lipstick because my makeup sometimes doesn't last long, and I'm very lazy to reapply it.

Now I'm wearing makeup, which I don't think is too flashy. It's a natural style that accentuates my eyes and my cheeks. But what I wonder is why he can notice that when my coworkers don't even do that?

This is creepy.

"Do you have a boyfriend and are you going to hang out at lunchtime?" he asked again, raising an eyebrow, asking me like a gossiper.

This was another thing that made me want to hurry up and finish our financial report session. There were just things he did to me, from getting angry, nagging, telling me to make coffee, telling me to buy him his favorite bread, and then asking random things that made me hold back my annoyance.

"Oh.. ehm.." I stammered. "I'm going out with my friend at lunchtime, sir." I replied with a grimace.

"Where?"

Why do you care? "At one of the cafes not far from the office, sir."

"Is it a guy or a gal?" he asked with a flat and creepy face, which scared me.

I swallowed. "A guy, sir."

"And not your boyfriend?" he asked again.

I sighed softly. "No, sir."

"You dressed up for him?"

"You shouldn't ask personal questions, sir." I replied in a tone which was still polite, I smiled at him because this had indeed gone too far. "If nothing else is needed, I'll excuse myself, sir."

He didn't say anything but looked at me with a gaze that I couldn't read. It was like brooding and... I don't know... I can never guess people's expressions.

"Get out."

I stood up while hugging the two documents that I had already clutched, and bowed to him before exiting his large room with a feeling of resentment.

<<<

"Is the food good?" the voice of Calvin Barend, my college friend who has survived until now.

"Yes, it's good. It's perfect." I replied, chuckling softly, and took another piece of steak. "Your recommendations are never wrong." I continued.

"Of course. I'm always good at choosing restaurants." He replied and refocused on eating his steak.

"So, how has your life been during your unemployment?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Hey, I'm not unemployed. I got out of working in an office and started my own architectural firm."

"And is it running? Last time, you told me you wanted to be unemployed first."

"Yeah," he shrugged his shoulders. "It's still a work in progress. Building your own company isn't as easy as you make it sound."

I laughed lowly. "Right."

And my eyes darted to the entrance, where three men in expensive suits walked into the restaurant. My eyes widened. The one who had just entered was the President of Castello Arc, Rafael Castello, along with my boss, William Roles, and the director of Human Resources, Rowan Markov.

Damn it. I bit my lip and covered my face, not wanting to be seen by them. I looked down at my steak and prayed they weren't sitting near us.

"My boss is here. Shit." I muttered to Calvin.

"Those three guys?" I nodded. Calvin looked back and then said, "They went upstairs." He replied. "Looks like they're in the vvip spot."

I breathed a sigh of relief, stopping covering my face. "It would be awkward to meet them here."

He chuckled. "Which one is Kayle's boss? She always says that her boss is an annoying guy."

Yeah, apart from being close to me, he's also close to Kayle. It started with Kaylee often joining Calvin and I for lunch. They're already close, too. "Not that one. He's bald and is a middle-aged man who ended up at his marriage for cheating on his wife with a woman at a karaoke place."

"Oh my God." Calvin chuckled. "No wonder she often complained to me about him."

I raised an eyebrow. "He snitched on you?"

"Yeah, we chat a lot."

"You do?"

Calvin mumbled. "It was me because..." he bit his lip, leaning slightly towards me. "...To be honest, I liked her."

My smile faded slowly.

And now I had lost without fighting.