Chapter 6 - A Very Expensive Mistake
2169 Words
The first rays of sunlight slipped through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the luxurious hotel suite.
Sienna's eyes slowly fluttered open.
For a brief moment, she simply stared at the unfamiliar ceiling.
Then...
Everything from the previous night rushed back in fragments.
The rooftop.
The stranger.
The walk through Milan.
The hotel.
She sat up slowly, pressing a hand against her forehead.
"...What a night."
The room was quiet.
She turned her head.
There, lying peacefully beside her, was the man from last night.
His dark hair was slightly messy from sleep, one arm resting lazily across the bed while the morning sun highlighted the sharp lines of his face.
He looked... unfairly handsome.
She studied him for a few silent seconds.
"So that's what you look like when you're not talking."
He didn't move.
Still asleep.
She quietly climbed out of bed and gathered her clothes from the floor.
Within minutes, she was fully dressed.
She picked up her handbag and was about to leave when her eyes landed on the expensive watch resting on the bedside table.
Then she looked back at the sleeping man.
A slow smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"...You know..."
She reached into her purse and pulled out several crisp euro notes.
She placed them neatly on the bedside table.
Then she grabbed the hotel's notepad and a pen.
After thinking for a second, she wrote,
"Thank you for last night. You were surprisingly good. Here's a little tip."
She looked at the note again.
"...Maybe that's too much."
A pause.
"...No."
She folded the note, placed it beneath the money and quietly walked toward the door.
Just before leaving, she glanced back one last time.
"...Goodbye, stranger."
The door clicked shut.
Silence filled the room once more.
...
Almost thirty minutes later...
Bang!
The hotel suite door burst open.
Five men in black suits rushed inside.
"Boss!"
"Mr. Bellucci!"
"Sir!"
The sleeping man groaned.
"...What?"
One of the guards nearly looked ready to cry.
"We've been looking for you all night!"
"You turned off your phone!"
"The board thought you were kidnapped!"
"We searched half of Milan!"
Alex slowly opened one eye.
"...You people are loud."
The guards collectively let out relieved sighs.
"Thank goodness you're alright."
Alex sat up lazily, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I was sleeping."
"Exactly!"
One guard exclaimed dramatically.
"You never disappear without security!"
Alex ignored him.
His eyes wandered around the room.
"...Where is she?"
The guards blinked.
"She?"
"The woman."
The room suddenly became very quiet.
One of the younger guards cautiously pointed toward the bedside table.
"Sir..."
Alex followed his finger.
"...What's that?"
He reached for the folded note.
Several euro bills slipped onto the table.
He frowned.
"...Money?"
The guards exchanged confused looks.
Alex unfolded the note.
His eyes scanned the neat handwriting.
His expression froze.
A long silence followed.
Finally...
One guard carefully asked,
"...Sir?"
Alex read it again.
Then again.
His eyebrow twitched.
Another guard leaned slightly closer.
"What does it say?"
Alex slowly lowered the paper.
"...She tipped me."
Silence.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"I'm sorry..."
One guard blinked repeatedly.
"...She what?"
Alex placed the note back on the table.
"She..."
He looked oddly amused.
"...left me money."
Another long silence.
Then...
The oldest bodyguard cautiously picked up the note.
His eyes widened.
"'Thank you for last night. You were surprisingly good. Here's a little tip.'"
Nobody spoke.
Nobody breathed.
Then...
One brave soul whispered,
"...Did she..."
"...mistake you for..."
He couldn't even finish the sentence.
Another guard covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing.
Alex slowly looked toward him.
The guard immediately straightened.
"I wasn't laughing, sir."
"No?"
"No, sir."
"...Good."
Alex suddenly chuckled.
Softly.
The guards looked at one another in complete disbelief.
Their boss...
Was laughing.
"I've negotiated billion-dollar deals."
Alex said calmly.
"I've frightened politicians."
He stood and picked up the money.
"...Yet somehow..."
He looked at the note again.
"...one woman managed to mistake me for a gigolo."
The guards lowered their heads.
None of them dared comment.
Alex slipped the note into his suit pocket.
"Find her."
"Sir?"
"I want everything."
"Name."
"Occupation."
"Why she's in Milan."
"What hotel she's stayed in."
"If she's leaving today."
"I don't care how."
"I want her found."
One guard hesitated.
"...Sir..."
"...What if she has already left Italy?"
Alex smiled.
A slow...
Dangerous smile.
"Then you'll simply have to search harder."
...
The following morning...
The conference room on the top floor of Bellucci International buzzed with quiet conversations.
Executives from across Europe reviewed contracts while assistants arranged documents across the polished table.
Kai adjusted his tie.
"This partnership could change everything."
Zara nodded.
"I just hope nobody starts another argument."
Sienna calmly flipped through the final proposal.
"They won't."
"And if they do?"
She closed the file.
"They'll regret it."
Before Zara could reply...
The conference room doors opened.
Everyone stood.
"The CEO has arrived."
Heavy footsteps echoed across the room.
Sienna looked up.
The man who entered wore a perfectly tailored charcoal suit.
His expression was calm.
Commanding.
Powerful.
The moment his eyes met hers...
Time seemed to stop.
Recognition flashed across both their faces.
The stranger from last night.
Alex Bellucci.
His gaze shifted for the briefest moment before settling on the contract in front of him as though nothing had happened.
Sienna remained perfectly composed.
Inside...
Her thoughts were racing.
Him...?
Alex calmly took his seat at the head of the table.
"So..."
His deep voice filled the room.
"Let's begin."
His eyes briefly found hers again.
Almost teasingly.
A faint smile touched the corner of his lips.
Found you.
Sienna narrowed her eyes.
This... is going to be troublesome.
_______
The conference room fell silent the moment Alex Bellucci took his seat.
Every executive in the room straightened almost instinctively.
His reputation had always arrived before he did.
Cold.
Ruthless.
Uncompromising.
Sienna quietly observed him from across the polished conference table.
The tailored charcoal suit.
The expensive watch.
The composed expression.
Gone was the relaxed stranger who had laughed with her beneath Milan's night sky.
This man...
Was every inch a billionaire.
Alex opened the file before him.
"Let's begin."
The presentation started.
Kai stood first.
With confidence, he projected the revised proposal onto the large screen.
"As everyone is aware, the previous draft contained several discrepancies that originated from our headquarters. De Luca Holdings takes full responsibility for the oversight and has since conducted a complete internal review."
He clicked to the next slide.
"The errors have been corrected and additional safeguards have been implemented to prevent similar incidents."
Several executives nodded.
One of Bellucci International's directors adjusted his glasses.
"We appreciate the transparency."
Kai smiled politely.
"Trust is more valuable than any contract."
Alex remained silent.
His attention wasn't on the presentation.
It was on Sienna.
She hadn't looked at him once since the meeting began.
Interesting.
Most people couldn't even maintain eye contact with him.
She couldn't seem to care less.
Or...
She was pretending not to.
He almost smiled.
Almost.
"...Miss De Luca."
The sudden mention of her name drew everyone's attention.
Sienna looked up.
"Yes, Mr. Bellucci?"
His voice remained calm.
"The contingency plan on page twenty-three."
She immediately flipped through the document.
"Yes."
"You suggested dividing the project into three implementation phases instead of one."
"I did."
"Why?"
Several executives exchanged curious looks.
They hadn't expected the CEO himself to question such a small detail.
Sienna answered without hesitation.
"Because people recover from small mistakes."
She closed the file.
"They rarely recover from large ones."
Silence.
Alex held her gaze.
"Reasonable."
One of his directors leaned forward.
"I actually agree with Miss De Luca."
Another executive nodded.
"It minimizes financial risk."
Within minutes, the room began discussing her proposal.
Kai glanced toward Zara.
Zara subtly leaned closer.
"...Am I imagining things?"
Kai whispered back.
"No."
"Why does their CEO keep directing every question to Sienna?"
"I was wondering the same thing."
"And why does Sienna look like she'd rather throw him out the window?"
Kai shrugged.
"I don't think she'd miss."
Zara bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing.
Fortunately...
No one noticed.
...
Nearly two hours later...
The contracts had finally been signed.
Pens clicked shut.
Documents were exchanged.
Handshakes followed.
The partnership between De Luca Holdings and Bellucci International was officially sealed.
Applause echoed throughout the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen..."
One director smiled warmly.
"Congratulations."
People gradually began leaving the conference room.
Executives chatted among themselves.
Assistants gathered documents.
Kai stretched his shoulders.
"I'm starving."
"You've been starving since breakfast," Zara replied.
"That's because breakfast was six hours ago."
Sienna closed her laptop.
"Go ahead."
Kai frowned.
"What about you?"
"I'll be there shortly."
"You sure?"
She nodded once.
"I just need to organize a few files."
Zara looked at her suspiciously.
"You aren't secretly planning to work again, are you?"
"No."
"Liar."
Sienna ignored her.
Kai gently nudged Zara.
"Come on."
"But—"
"Leave her."
With one final glance toward Sienna, the two walked out of the conference room.
Soon...
Only one person remained.
Sienna quietly arranged the documents into neat stacks.
She didn't hear the footsteps until they stopped beside her.
Without looking up, she spoke.
"The meeting is over, Mr. Bellucci."
"I know."
She continued gathering the files.
"If there's an issue with the contract, my assistant will gladly—"
"There isn't."
Silence.
She finally looked up.
Alex stood with one hand inside his pocket, watching her with an unreadable expression.
"So..."
He spoke first.
"Do you always leave without saying goodbye?"
Sienna blinked once.
Then calmly zipped her laptop bag.
"I don't remember saying hello."
A corner of his lips lifted.
"There she is."
"There who is?"
"The woman from the rooftop."
"I think you've mistaken me for someone else."
"Oh?"
"I've never been very memorable."
He chuckled softly.
"No."
His voice dropped slightly.
"You're unforgettable."
She met his gaze without flinching.
"I'll consider that a compliment."
"You shouldn't."
"Why?"
"Because it wasn't one."
She smiled faintly.
"Good."
He raised an eyebrow.
"I dislike compliments."
"I noticed."
She walked past him.
Or...
Tried to.
Alex stepped sideways.
Not enough to block her.
Just enough to slow her down.
"Excuse me."
"I have a question."
"You've already asked several."
"I have one more."
She folded her arms.
"...Go on."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"Did you really think I was a gigolo?"
For the first time since entering the room...
Sienna froze.
Only for a second.
Then she recovered.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You left money."
"I leave tips often."
"You also left a note."
She sighed quietly.
"...You're surprisingly sensitive."
Alex laughed.
An actual laugh.
The same one she'd heard on the rooftop.
"So you do remember."
"I remember embarrassing mistakes."
"And which mistake was that?"
She looked him up and down.
"Mistaking a billionaire CEO for someone who charges by the night."
Silence.
Then...
Alex laughed harder.
Sienna frowned.
"...Was I supposed to say something funnier?"
"No."
He shook his head.
"I've simply never met anyone bold enough to insult me to my face."
"I wasn't insulting you."
"No?"
"I paid generously."
Alex stared at her.
Then burst into another laugh.
Outside the conference room...
Kai stopped walking.
"...Do you hear laughing?"
Zara frowned.
"...That sounds like..."
"The CEO."
The two looked at each other.
"Impossible."
Curiosity got the better of them.
They quietly peeked through the slightly opened conference room door.
Inside...
Alex Bellucci was actually laughing.
Not smiling.
Laughing.
Across from him stood Sienna with the same calm expression she wore during board meetings.
Kai whispered,
"...What exactly happened in Milan while I was working?"
"I don't know..."
Zara whispered back.
"...But I definitely missed something."
Inside the room...
Alex finally stopped laughing.
He slipped both hands into his pockets.
"You know..."
"What?"
"I kept the note."
She looked mildly surprised.
"...Why?"
"Because no one has ever tipped me before."
She nodded thoughtfully.
"There's a first time for everything."
"And the money."
"What about it?"
"I donated it."
She shrugged.
"Good."
"I didn't need it anyway."
"You certainly didn't."
A comfortable silence settled between them.
Neither moved.
Finally...
Alex spoke again.
"Dinner."
She blinked.
"What about it?"
"I'm asking."
"No."
"You didn't even think about it."
"I did."
"For how long?"
"Half a second."
"I'm wounded."
"I'll survive."
He smiled.
"I'll ask again tomorrow."
"You'll receive the same answer."
"We'll see."
She walked toward the door.
This time...
He didn't stop her.
Just before leaving, she looked back.
"Oh..."
Alex looked up.
"You really were surprisingly good."
His eyes widened ever so slightly.
Before he could answer...
She walked out.
The door closed behind her.
Alex stood alone in the conference room.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"Interesting..."
He murmured.
"...Very interesting."
For the first time in years...
Someone had walked away from him twice.
And Alex Bellucci had no intention of letting there be a third time.
- Writer
