CHAPTER FOUR — THE RED FILE
842 Words
Elena had barely recovered from her encounter with Alessandro when the office phone rang. She jumped, her pulse still unsteady.
She answered quickly. “Valenti Global, this is Elena speaking.”
“You’re the new assistant?” a woman’s voice said. Smooth. Confident. Dangerous.
“Yes. How can I help you?”
“Put me through to Alessandro.”
“I’m sorry, he’s not available at the moment.”
Silence.
Then:
“You must be brave, telling me no.”
Elena frowned. “I—I’m just following instructions.”
The woman laughed softly. It wasn’t warm. “Tell him Lucia Romano called. He’ll know why.”
Romano.
The name sent a chill down Elena’s spine.
Before she could respond, the line went dead.
Elena stared at the phone, skin tingling with unease. She didn’t know who Lucia was, but everything about that voice felt like danger wrapped in silk.
She was still thinking about it when something red caught her eye.
A folder.
Slightly open.
Left on the corner of Alessandro’s desk—one she didn’t remember seeing before.
Her heart jumped. Did he mean to leave it?
Matteo’s warning echoed in her head:
“If the boss tells you to leave a room… you leave. Immediately.”
But Alessandro wasn’t here.
And something about the folder felt important.
Tempting.
She stepped closer. Just a peek. Just enough to make sure it wasn’t something she needed to handle.
Her hand shook as she lifted the cover.
Her breath left her lungs.
Inside were photos.
Dozens of them.
All of Alessandro.
Meeting people late at night.
Talking with men in dark alleys.
Exchanging briefcases.
Shaking hands with men whose faces were blurred out—shielded.
And then—
Her hand froze on one picture.
A photo of Alessandro standing beside a black SUV…
holding a gun.
Not aiming it.
Not firing it.
Just… holding it.
Casual. As if it was nothing.
Bile rose in her throat.
This wasn’t business.
This wasn’t corporate leadership.
This was crime.
She quickly closed the folder, heart racing. She shouldn’t have seen that. She wished she hadn’t seen that.
Her fingers were still trembling when she heard the office door open.
She spun around.
Alessandro was back.
And he didn’t look happy.
His eyes flicked from her face…
to the slightly crooked folder on his desk…
and darkened instantly.
“Elena,” he said, his voice low.
Her mouth went dry. “I—I didn’t mean to—”
“What did you see?”
“Nothing,” she whispered.
He stepped toward her. Slow. Controlled. Dangerous.
“Elena.”
She backed up until her legs hit the edge of the sofa.
“I swear I didn’t look,” she choked out. “I only saw—”
He grabbed her chin—gently, but firmly enough to make her breath hitch.
“What,” he demanded softly, “did you see?”
Her eyes watered with fear. “A photo. Just one.”
His jaw clenched.
“Describe it,” he said.
Her voice was barely audible. “You… holding a gun.”
Silence.
Not a sound.
Not a breath.
The entire world froze.
Alessandro stared at her like he was weighing every possible outcome. The room felt too small, too quiet, too dangerous.
Finally, he let go of her and stepped back.
“Sit.”
She obeyed instantly.
He turned away, running a hand through his hair, swearing under his breath in Italian.
When he faced her again, the coldness was gone—replaced by something else. Something conflicted.
“I told you there are things in my world you’re not ready for.”
“I didn’t mean to see it,” she said shakily. “I didn’t—”
“I know.”
His voice softened.
Dangerously so.
He knelt in front of her, surprising her completely.
“Elena,” he said quietly, lifting his eyes to hers, “you are the last person I want afraid of me.”
Her breath caught.
“I’m not—”
“Don’t lie. You are.” He exhaled slowly. “And you should be.”
Her chest tightened.
“But I need you here.” His voice was low, intense. “I chose you. And I don’t choose wrong.”
She stared at him, confused. “Why me?”
“For reasons you’re not ready to hear.”
He stood, his composure returning like a mask sliding back into place.
“I’m moving the red file,” he said. “You’ll never see it again.”
She nodded, still trembling.
“And Elena…” He paused at the door, looking back at her with a gaze that could burn through steel. “Don’t ever open anything in my office again unless I tell you to.”
Her voice shook. “I won’t.”
He left without another word.
But Elena knew one thing for certain:
She wasn’t just involved in something dangerous.
She was involved with him.
And that was the greatest danger of all.
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