Six months contract with the mafia boss

CHAPTER 4

MELIORA

Men loitered around the hallway, each engrossed in his own affairs. Some spared me a quick glance as I walked by, curious perhaps about the woman in towering six-inch heels amid a sea of sensible flats. Others didn’t bother to look, too wrapped up in their own worlds to care.

I stopped in front of a door with Dominic’s name boldly displayed.

Drawing in a slow, deep breath, my hand rose, ready to knock, but before my knuckles could touch the wood, an arm appeared from behind me, fingers curling around the knob. With a swift turn and push, the door swung open.

“Well? Are you going in, or do you plan to stand here all day?”

“I’m sorry,” I stammered. It wasn’t an apology born of guilt, just nerves making me say the first thing that came to mind. I quickly stepped into the room, but my feet halted after just two strides.

I hadn’t known what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t this—a room filled with men, their faces hard and unreadable, expressions as rigid as stone. Their eyes tracked my every move, weighing and assessing me.

And then, my gaze found him. Across the room, Dominic stood with his back straight, shoulders squared.

His eyes locked on mine, dark and intense, just as they had been the last time we met. That same penetrating look, one that seemed to see right through me, held me in place, stealing the air from my lungs.

I suddenly felt very small in those six-inch heels.

I quickly looked away from Dominic and walked across the room, my heels clicking loudly on the floor. I pulled out an empty chair and sat down, trying to calm my nerves.

“Aren’t you supposed to be standing behind him?” a sharp voice asked.

I looked up to see the same young woman from before, glaring at me. Confused, I turned to Dominic and saw his jaw tighten. That small movement was enough to tell me I was in the wrong place.

I jumped up from the chair, my heart pounding, and hurried to stand by his side.

“You can start the meeting, Sophia,” Dominic spoke slowly like he had all the time in the world. One thing was clear—Dominic Blackthorne was never in a hurry.

Sophia stood up, walked to the projector, and started her presentation.

Not sure what I was supposed to do, I decided to record the meeting. If Dominic asked me about it later, I would have everything saved.

An hour passed before one of the men cleared his throat loudly. He pointed his pen at me, his face scrunched up in a frown. “Why is she recording us?” he demanded.

Seven pairs of eyes turned to me at once, and I froze, my palms suddenly sweaty. “Am I not supposed to record?” I whispered, forcing myself to look at Dominic.

“Who the hell did you hire to spy on us?” a man shouted from the end of the table, his face twisted in anger.

“She’s new,” Sophia cut in quickly, coming to my defense. “She doesn’t know the rules yet, but I’m sure her thick skull will get it soon enough.”

How was I supposed to learn the rules when no one bothered to explain them?

“The deal is off,” Dominic growled, making everyone go silent. He pushed his chair back and stood up, slowly adjusting his jacket. “If you think I brought a spy here, then you don’t trust me.” He picked up his phone from the table. “And if you don’t trust me, then I have no reason to trust you. I don’t do business with people I can’t trust.”

“Mr. Blackthorne,” another man spoke up quickly, his face pale. He forced a weak smile. “Please forgive our mistake and let’s forget this ever happened.”

“One thing I never do is go back on my word.” Dominic’s shoulders stiffened as he fixed a cold, hard stare on the man who had spoken. The man’s face went pale, and he started to squirm under Dominic’s gaze. “How dare you suggest that I would?”

Dominic snapped his fingers at Sophia, his eyes sweeping over every man in the room, making sure his message was clear. Then, without another word, he turned and walked out, his hands tucked into his pockets.

The door slammed shut behind him, echoing through the room.

For a moment, no one moved, then, the silence broke as murmurs filled the air. One by one, the men got up and shuffled out, their faces tense and worried. In just a few seconds, they were all gone, leaving me alone with Sophia.

She took a few steps toward me, her heels clicking softly on the floor. Her eyes were cold as she looked me up and down. “The moment I heard Dominic hired a Lancaster, I knew it would be a complete disaster,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain. “How stupid can you be?”

I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing myself to stay calm. Judging by how easily she interacted with Dominic earlier, she clearly held a higher position than me. Lashing out wouldn’t do me any good.

“Just one day, and we lost a potential deal worth millions.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing as she looked at me. “Why are you so quiet? Can’t you speak, or are you too stupid to come up with a proper response?”

I wanted to tell her the truth—that we lost the deal because of Dominic’s pride and temper. The men were willing to continue, but he chose to walk out. But I bit back the words and went for the safer option. “I apologize.”

“Your apology changes nothing,” she snapped, stepping closer, her face twisted in anger. “Do me a favor and get the hell out of here.”

I blinked, taken aback. “I beg your pardon?”

“I didn’t stutter,” she hissed, her neck veins bulging. “Get out.”

My fingers curled into fists, my nails digging into my palms. I held back the urge to fire back, choosing instead to nod politely. Without another word, I turned on my heel and walked away.

As I made my way to the elevator, one of the doors to an office slid open, and Dominic stepped out. I stopped in my tracks, my body tensing as his cold eyes locked on me.

“Get in here,” he ordered, his voice flat and emotionless. Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked back into his office, the door clicking shut behind him.