CHAPTER 1. CONTROL
797 Words
Alessandro Moretti didn’t believe in love.
He believed in control. Power. And the simple, predictable way people broke when you gave them just enough attention and took it away.
The woman in his bed was already asleep when he stood up.
That, more than anything, irritated him.
He adjusted his cufflinks, glancing at the reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirror. Not a single crease in his shirt. Not a single sign of the night he’d just had. Clean. Untouchable. Exactly how he liked it.
Behind him, she stirred.
“Alessandro…” her voice was soft, hopeful. Always hopeful.
He didn’t turn.
“Close the door when you leave.”
Silence.
Then, quieter, “That’s it?”
He picked up his watch, fastening it around his wrist with slow precision. “What exactly were you expecting?”
A pause. He could almost hear the way her face fell without even looking.
That was the problem with people. Give them one night, and suddenly they wanted a future.
He walked out without another word.
By the time he stepped into the office, his mood had already shifted back into something colder, sharper. The kind that made grown men stumble over their words.
“Your new assistant is here, sir,” his secretary said quickly, barely meeting his eyes.
“Another one?” Alessandro muttered. “How long did the last one last? Three days?”
“Two,” she corrected.
He scoffed under his breath. “Pathetic.”
Assistants were a waste of time. Either too slow, too emotional, or too busy trying to impress him instead of doing their damn job.
“Send her in.”
The door opened almost immediately.
And for a second—just a second—Alessandro didn’t speak.
She wasn’t what he expected.
No nervous fidgeting. No overly eager smile. No desperate attempt to look impressive.
She stood there… calm.
Composed.
Like she had every right to be in his office.
“Good morning, Mr. Moretti,” she said.
Her voice was steady. Smooth. Controlled.
That annoyed him instantly.
Most people walked into his office like they were stepping into a lion’s den.
She sounded like she’d walked into a meeting.
Alessandro leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing slightly as he took her in. Simple outfit. Nothing flashy. But there was something about the way she carried herself—too confident for someone in her position.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Elena.”
“That’s it?” His tone sharpened. “No last name?”
A brief pause.
Then, calmly, “Elena is enough for this job.”
That made something in him snap.
He let out a short, humorless laugh. “You don’t get to decide what’s ‘enough’ in my company.”
Her gaze didn’t drop.
“I’m aware.”
There it was again—that quiet defiance.
Not loud. Not disrespectful.
But not submissive either.
And he didn’t like that.
Not one bit.
Alessandro leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the desk. “Let me make something clear, Elena. Assistants here don’t last. They either can’t keep up, or they get… distracted.”
His eyes flicked over her, deliberate.
“You don’t look particularly strong.”
Silence stretched between them.
Then she said, simply, “Then I’ll prove you wrong.”
No attitude. No hesitation.
Just certainty.
And for the first time that morning, Alessandro felt something unexpected curl low in his chest.
Interest.
He leaned back again, masking it quickly with a cold smile.
“We’ll see how long that confidence lasts.”
Elena gave a small nod. “Is there anything you need, sir?”
Direct. Professional. Unbothered.
It shouldn’t have gotten under his skin.
But it did.
“Coffee,” he said lazily. “Black. No sugar.”
“I already brought one.”
She stepped forward, placing the cup neatly on his desk.
He hadn’t seen her pick it up.
Hadn’t heard her move.
Alessandro stared at it for a second… then at her.
Something about that felt intentional.
Calculated.
Like she was already one step ahead.
And he hated being outplayed.
“Anything else?” she asked.
He held her gaze, searching for something—nervousness, uncertainty, anything he could use.
He found nothing.
“Yeah,” he said slowly.
A pause.
“Try not to disappoint me.”
For the first time, something flickered in her expression.
Not fear.
Not nervousness.
Something sharper.
“You should try not to underestimate me.”
The air in the room shifted.
Alessandro smiled then—slow, dangerous.
This wasn’t going to be another two-day assistant.
No.
This one…
This one was going to be a problem.
And for reasons he didn’t fully understand yet—
He wasn’t sure he wanted to fix it.
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