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826 Words
Valentina’s POV
“So what does MorLux international want you to do for then?” My mom Sofia asked for the thousandth time.
“No idea” I said as I slumped further into the couch.
Mama flopped down next to me.
My mother and I shared the same warm olive skin and thick, wavy dark hair that brushed our shoulders. Her eyes were a deep, earthy hazel—soft but always watching—while mine had a lighter hue, more gold than brown. We both had high cheekbones and gently arched brows, but where my features were youthful and unformed, hers carried the grace of experience. People always said we looked alike, but Mamá had a quiet elegance I hadn’t yet grown into.
She was also the main reason why I just signed my life out
“Do you think that they’ll want you also work as a waitress or something?”
“No idea” I said again, closing my eyes
Mama was getting dressed, about to start her day when I was just ending mine.
“Why were you given the job in the first place?”
“No idea”
“Ar—“
“Look mom, I appreciate you thinking I have answers. But I seriously have no clue what I’m going to do or why this happened or how I’m going to handle it” I said sighing
“When exactly are you to start” she asked glaring at me, like daring me to cut her off again
“Monday”
“So soon!” She exclaimed. “Do you need help preparing?”
“No mama, I got it”
She nodded “I’m proud of you, querida”
I smiled, but the weight of the truth pressed heavily in my heart
The next day was my last shift at La Bellezza, and i’d barely spent any of it out on the floor or waiting tables, instead Williams ushered me over to his office, the room was dimly lit, the blinds drawn halfway, casting striped shadows across the wooden desk. He gestured for me to sit, then closed the door behind him with a soft click.
“You’re nervous,” he said, not as a question, but as a fact.
I nodded slowly. “A little.”
He chuckled. “Good. That means you care.”
From his leather briefcase, he pulled out a sleek folder and slid it across the desk toward me. Inside was the contract—thick, official, and real. My name was typed across the top in bold.
“This is your agreement with MoLux International,” he said. “Ten thousand dollars up front, as discussed, with a generous monthly salary to follow. Full access to the company residence. You’ll report directly to Alessandro.”
I hesitated. “It’s all so fast…”
“I know,” he said, leaning back. “But opportunities like this don’t wait. You have the look, the charm, the smarts. We’re giving you a way in. Don’t overthink it, Valentina. Just sign, and step into the life you were made for.”
I stared down at the paper, pen in hand. Everything inside me screamed this wasn’t normal—but maybe… maybe it was fate.
I signed.
“You start tomorrow. 8 pm. MorLux”
I leaned back into my seat. Crossing one leg over the other, He tried and failed to watch as the hem of my dress inched up to my thigh. Disgusting creatures.
“And what exactly” I sighed with driving boredom “I’m I supposed to do for them?”
“Whatever they ask”. He snapped fat chance of that happening
“Although,” his eyes slid down my legs to the straps heels on my leg “These might come in handy”
I did my best to hide my cringe behind a yawn.
“Who exactly I’m I supposed to report to?”
“You’ll report to Morreti” He said as is it was obvious. My stomach dropped. He noticed the dumbfounded expression on my face. “The man you met. Alessandro Morreti”
“And you will do whatever it takes to be close to him” Williams said, inspecting a speck of dust on his table
I met his gaze. Not a challenge. I would never dare to challenge him. Still, there was an ounce of desperation in my expression I let him see
“Yes ??”
“Then I get to leave and you get a good job for me?” I hated my voice for wavering
He shifted, leaned his hands on the table and fixing me with a cold expression
Then a sick smile spread across his face.
“If you get something good. Something enough to bring the Morreti’s down. Then, sure.
I loosed a breath “And the, I’m out?”
He nodded “And then, you’re out.”
- Writer
