My CEO Thinks I Am A Man

Chapter 2

Marcello Valenti shifted his cold gaze to his phone when he saw the young man walk out of his office with slumped shoulders. He had always given women a fair chance when hiring at Valenti Holdings, but when it came to his personal assistant and secretary, he preferred men. He simply could not deal with the constant drama that came with hiring women, especially when they suddenly developed feelings for him after working around him for a few days.

Ever since Marcello had started taking his business seriously and his grandfather had handed over control of the Valenti empire, he had wanted nothing more than a team of serious and hardworking people who understood their responsibilities. He had already fired three secretaries and five personal assistants because they had failed to meet his expectations. After dealing with so many problems, he finally decided that both positions should be given to men. His secretary, Teodoro Pavesi, had been working for him for the last two years, and now Marcello needed a reliable man to work as his personal assistant.

However, he could not openly announce that he was looking for a male PA because the media would make a story out of it. Marcello had already learned that anything connected to his personal life could quickly become public news. What made the current situation even more interesting was the name of the young man who had just left his office.

Alessandro Bellandi.

The name was dangerously close to the name of the woman he had been searching for.

For five years, Marcello's private investigators had been telling him the same thing. His missing wife's name was Alessandra Bellandi. He still remembered the day their marriage had been arranged by his grandfather. At the time, Marcello had been furious that his family had decided his future for him, and his anger had blinded him. He had stood at the altar, exchanged vows with Alessandra, and then walked away without giving her a chance to explain anything.

Later, guilt had consumed him.

Alessandra had done nothing wrong. She had been innocent, yet he had punished her for a decision she had never made. When his anger finally disappeared, it was too late. She was gone, and the divorce papers he had signed had only made everything worse.

Marcello had spent the past five years trying to find her, but his grandfather had refused to give him any information about Alessandra's family or her father. Every attempt to uncover her whereabouts had led to another dead end.

Still, Marcello had never stopped looking.

He wanted to find Alessandra, stand in front of her and apologize for everything he had done. More than anything, he wanted to erase the pain he had caused her, even though he knew that five years of suffering could not be undone with a simple apology. The thought that she might still be somewhere in Milano gave him a strange feeling of hope. For the first time in years, he felt as if he might actually find the woman he had lost.

Ring.

Ring.

Marcello frowned when the intercom on his desk started ringing. He had been interviewing candidates since morning, and all he wanted was ten minutes to eat something and drink a hot cup of coffee before calling the next person into his office. He picked up the phone with an irritated expression.

"Yes, Bianca?"

He had almost snapped at the receptionist, but he stopped himself. Bianca Orsini had been working at Valenti Holdings for some time, and although she was professional, Marcello knew she had a small crush on him. If he spoke too harshly to her, she could spend the rest of the day looking as though he had broken her heart.

"S... Sir," Bianca said nervously. "Mr. Marcello Valenti, there's a problem. It's Alessandro Bellandi."

"Yes? What about him?" Marcello asked impatiently. "Has he started crying too? If he's causing trouble, call security and have him removed from the building."

There was a brief silence on the other end.

Then Bianca's nervous voice came through again.

"No, sir. That's not what I meant."

Marcello frowned.

"What happened?"

Before Bianca could answer properly, he heard her say something that made him sit up straight.

"He said he was selected."

Marcello stared at the phone.

"What?"

He could hardly believe what he had heard.

The directors sitting around the table immediately looked at him.

"What happened?" Matteo Rinaldi asked.

Marcello did not answer. He pushed his chair back and stood up before walking toward the door. His movements were calm and controlled, but there was something about the way he walked that made everyone in the room immediately follow him.

Within seconds, the other interviewers were on their feet and walking behind him.

When they reached the reception area, they expected to find a scene. Instead, the place was almost empty. The women who had been waiting for their interviews were already leaving, while the young man who had just been interviewed was sitting alone, staring at his phone as though nothing had happened.

It was Alessandro Bellandi.

He had a light moustache and shoulder length hair that made him look younger than his actual age. He seemed completely absorbed in his phone, but the truth was that he had heard the office door open and the footsteps approaching.

Alessandro's heart began beating rapidly.

When Bianca had called Marcello and told him what was happening, she had spoken loudly enough for Alessandro to hear. He had immediately felt cold sweat forming on his back.

He heard the footsteps getting closer.

Then it happened.

A familiar masculine scent reached her nose.

Alessandro's fingers tightened around the phone.

She knew that scent.

She had known it five years ago.

She kept her eyes fixed on her screen and pretended not to notice the people approaching her. She was terrified of looking up because she already knew who was standing in front of her.

Marcello Valenti.

The cold hearted CEO.

A tall figure stopped directly in front of her.

"Stand up, boy."

The stern voice came from one of the men standing behind Marcello.

Alessandro looked up slowly and pretended to be confused.

"Are you talking to me?"

She forced a small smile as she stood.

But standing up brought her dangerously close to Marcello. For a moment, she almost lost her balance because she was afraid her body might touch his.

"What did you do here?" the same man demanded.

Alessandro swallowed.

"I... I just..."

She tried to smile, but her lips were trembling.

"Do you know you can be handed over to the police?" the man asked sharply.

Alessandro's eyes widened.

"I... I'm sorry, but what are you talking about? What did I do?"

She pushed her hands into her trouser pockets so that no one would see them shaking.

"Our receptionist saw you telling those women to leave," the man said angrily. "You upset several candidates. Do you have any idea how serious that is? We could sue you for causing trouble on company property."

Alessandro almost laughed.

She looked at the man and then glanced at the others.

"If making someone upset is a crime, then you will probably be the first person to go to jail."

The man stared at her.

Alessandro continued before fear could stop her.

"Check the security cameras. Check the records. They will show you exactly what happened. Those women were crying because of the way they behaved during their interviews, not because of me. I only told them to stop embarrassing themselves over a man and move on with their lives."

She could feel her heart pounding harder.

"If you think I committed a crime, then call the police. Let them check everything and decide who is guilty. I have nothing to hide."

Inside, however, Alessandro was panicking.

Please don't call the police.

Ludovico never warned me about this.

Please, God, don't let them discover who I am.

She looked at the man standing behind Marcello with a sharp expression, even though she was terrified inside.

Throughout the exchange, Marcello had not said a word.

He stood close to Alessandro, studying her face carefully.

Something about the boy bothered him.

There was something strangely familiar about those features.

Marcello could not explain what it was.

Then, for the first time, he spoke.

"Do you have enough clothes for an office job, boy?"

Alessandro's eyes immediately snapped toward him.

"What?"

Marcello looked at her calmly.

"If you don't have enough suitable clothes, let me know."

Then he turned toward Bianca.

"Type his appointment letter. He starts tomorrow."

Alessandro stood completely still.

For several seconds, she could not understand what she had just heard.

Had he really hired her?

After everything he had said inside the interview room?

She wanted to jump for joy, but she was too shocked to move. At the same time, she wanted to cover her face and cry because the man standing in front of her was the same man who had destroyed her life five years ago.

Before she could react, Marcello raised one finger and pointed it toward her.

"Now listen to me carefully, Mr. Bellandi."

Alessandro immediately nodded.

She swallowed hard.

"You have been given a job, but this is the last time you lie to me."

Her heart nearly stopped.

"Next time you lie to me, I will make sure you end up in jail. Do you understand?"

His blue eyes were cold and intense.

Alessandro forced herself to maintain the expression of a young man.

"Yes, sir."

She nodded quickly.

"Got it, sir. Thank you, sir."

Marcello gave her one final look before turning away.

Alessandro remained where she was, staring after him.

She had done it.

She had actually gotten the job.

The job she desperately needed.

The job that could save her from sleeping in public places.

The job that would put her directly beside the man she had spent five years trying to forget.

And Marcello had no idea that the young man he had just hired was actually the woman he had spent five years searching for.

Alessandro finally allowed herself to smile.

"Yoohoo!"

She almost jumped with excitement.

"I got the job, Ludovico!"

She quickly pulled out her phone to call her best friend, completely forgetting that she was still standing in the reception area of Valenti Holdings with several people watching her.