My CEO Thinks I Am A Man

Chapter 5

Focus, Alessandro. Focus. You may not have a p***s's body, but you certainly have a brain, so use it. Think, love.

She kept repeating the words inside her head as she stood trapped in the bathroom stall with Cesare Moretti. Fear was trying to take control of her, but she knew she could not afford to panic. She had to find a way out before things became worse, and she had to do it without revealing that she was not actually a man.

Cesare looked confused when he noticed a smile slowly appearing on Alessandro's face. He had expected the young man to be frightened, but instead, Alessandro suddenly looked strangely calm.

"What? What is it?" Cesare asked, clearly confused. He had entered the bathroom intending to scare the boy and satisfy his disgusting curiosity, but he was no longer sure what was going on.

"Oh, Cesare," Alessandro said softly, placing her delicate hands against his chest. "How did you know I like doing things like this in the bathroom?"

Before Cesare could understand what she was doing, Alessandro pushed against him and managed to reverse their positions with a little struggle. Within seconds, Cesare was the one standing against the wall while Alessandro stood closer to the door.

Cesare stared at her with his mouth slightly open, clearly shocked by the sudden change. Alessandro almost laughed at his expression because she could finally see that he was no longer in control of the situation.

"Turn around and tell me all about your wild imagination," she whispered with a playful smile. "Go on, my boy."

She carefully reached towards his waist as though she was playing along with his disgusting game, then turned him towards the wall. While keeping his attention focused on her words, Alessandro slowly reached behind herself with her other hand and searched for the lock.

"Why didn't you tell me you liked this?" she continued, keeping her voice soft and teasing. "You came to the right person, Cesare. What a man you are."

She kept talking while slowly moving her hand towards the latch. Cesare seemed too distracted by what he thought was happening to notice what she was doing. Alessandro could hear his breathing becoming heavier, and she knew she had only a few seconds before he realised something was wrong.

She finally found the latch.

"Now I understand what you like, love," she whispered. "I will give you exactly what you want. I promise."

With one quick movement, Alessandro slipped out of the stall and pulled the door shut behind her. Before Cesare could react, she locked him inside.

She stood outside for a second, trying to catch her breath, before hurrying away from the bathroom. Her heart was pounding so hard that she could hear it in her ears, but she did not stop until she was certain she was far enough away.

By the time she climbed into the luxury car beside Marcello Valenti, her hands were still trembling. She tried to calm herself, but her knee kept moving nervously beneath her.

"Can you stop shaking your knee, Bellandi?"

Alessandro jumped at the sound of Marcello's voice and quickly looked at him.

"Sir?"

"Stop moving your leg. What's wrong with you? You look pale."

Theodore Panks, who was sitting in the front beside the driver, turned around and glanced at Alessandro. He was a man in his thirties who rarely spoke unless necessary, which suited Marcello perfectly.

"N... Nothing, sir. It is just that I have never attended a high-profile meeting like this before, so I don't really know how to behave around people from that level of society," Alessandro said, giving him the safest explanation she could think of. However, a part of her mind was still stuck on Cesare.

She prayed that someone at the office had already found him locked inside the bathroom stall. The last thing she needed was a scandal on her first day at work, especially when she was already hiding a much bigger secret.

When they arrived at the venue, Marcello and his team received a warm welcome before being escorted inside. They were given seats in the front row, and Alessandro looked around carefully, trying to remember the faces she had seen earlier.

After a while, Marcello leaned slightly towards her.

"Have you found the man you saw last night?"

Alessandro shook her head. She had not seen him yet, and she was beginning to wonder if he would even appear at the bidding.

"What?" she asked when she noticed Theodore looking back at her from the front seat.

Marcello simply shook his head and turned his attention towards the stage. His face was close enough for Alessandro to feel his warm breath against her cheek, and the unexpected sensation sent a small shiver down her spine.

"Marcello..." she whispered before quickly correcting herself. "I mean, Mr. Valenti."

Marcello turned his eyes towards her.

"Lower your bid, please. Remember what I told you. The man I saw last night was talking about lowering the bid."

"Hmm. Lowering the bid means making the product look less valuable, and that is not something the business community encourages," Marcello replied calmly, keeping his eyes on the stage.

"It will not matter what the business community encourages if you lose the business and have to walk out of this hall without anything," Alessandro whispered, forgetting for a moment that she was speaking to her boss.

Marcello slowly turned his head towards her.

"Tone it down, boy."

Alessandro immediately became quiet. She had done what she needed to do, which was warn Marcello about the people who might be working against him. The rest was now in his hands.

The bidding continued, and Marcello eventually followed Alessandro's warning. He lowered his offer at the right moment, and by the end of the meeting, Valenti Holdings had successfully secured the deal.

As they walked out of the venue, Alessandro saw Marcello smiling warmly. It was the first time she had seen him look so pleased after a business meeting, and she could not help smiling too. Her warning had helped him make the right decision, and for the moment, he was back in control.

It was almost evening when Marcello turned to her.

"It's getting late. I can drop you at your place."

Alessandro immediately became nervous. Nobody from the office had called about Cesare, which meant that he was probably safe or had somehow managed to get himself out of the bathroom. Either way, she could not afford to let Marcello take her to the place where she was staying because she had nowhere suitable to give him as her address.

"You can just drop me after the next traffic light, sir," she said with an overly bright smile.

Marcello studied her for a moment but did not ask any questions. He simply told the driver to stop at the place she had mentioned. When the car finally stopped, Alessandro prepared to get out, but Marcello suddenly held out an envelope.

"Take this."

Alessandro looked at the envelope in surprise. It felt heavy enough to contain a large amount of cash.

"What is this? I mean, why are you giving me..."

Marcello interrupted her before she could finish.

"We got today's bid because of you, Bellandi. Buy yourself some decent clothes."

Alessandro stared at him.

"And..."

"And book yourself a room at the Emerald Hotel. It is safe, and you can stay there until you receive your salary."

For a brief moment, Alessandro looked into his eyes and saw something she had not expected to see. The cold CEO who always seemed distant and unapproachable was nowhere to be found. Instead, she saw a kind man who genuinely wanted to help her.

She swallowed hard and nodded before quietly accepting the envelope.

"Th... Thank you, sir."

She stepped out of the car and continued looking at it even after it drove away. She had not expected Marcello to do something like that for her, and the kindness left her with a strange feeling in her chest.

Alessandro decided to take his advice seriously. After spending so many days without a proper place to stay, she finally had enough money to get herself a room at the Emerald Hotel. However, instead of buying men's clothes as Marcello had suggested, she bought a short skirt, a beautiful top, and some good makeup products.

The Emerald Hotel was a five-star hotel, and Alessandro immediately began thinking about visiting the bar that night. She knew the place would probably be filled with wealthy people, but she was a guest at the hotel, so she was sure she would be allowed inside.

She booked the room using her fake name, River Brower, and the fake identity she had been using for some time. Having a false identity made things much easier, even though she knew she had to remain careful.

Ludovico Ferri had warned her not to go outside without her boy disguise, but Alessandro wanted to ignore his advice for just one night.

Just tonight, she wanted to be a woman.

She wanted to laugh, dance, and enjoy herself without worrying about anyone discovering her secret. She wanted to flirt with men and experience what it felt like to be noticed and desired as a woman instead of constantly pretending to be someone she was not.

Nobody at the hotel knew her. Nobody would question why she did not have a beard, why her voice was not deep enough, or why her appearance did not match the identity she had been using. For one night, she could simply be herself.

After getting ready, Alessandro stood in front of the mirror and slowly turned around to admire herself. She styled her soft raven curls into a loose bun, leaving a few strands around her face. The short skirt, high heels, and bold makeup gave her a confidence she had almost forgotten she possessed.

She had removed the fake nose, thick eyebrows, and large glasses she normally used as part of her disguise. She was also no longer wearing the grey contact lenses that changed the colour of her eyes. Her natural azure eyes were now visible, giving her an entirely different appearance.

She looked like a mysterious woman no one would recognise.

With a small smile, Alessandro walked straight to the hotel bar and ordered a drink. The place was lively, and several couples were dancing on the floor while soft music played in the background. She watched them for a moment before taking a sip from her glass.

"He is so handsome. I can't believe my luck that he is here tonight," a woman nearby said excitedly.

Alessandro smirked to herself.

Who could possibly be more handsome than Marcello Valenti? In her opinion, nobody could compete with her ridiculously attractive CEO.

"Too bad he is sitting in the VIP area. Not everyone can go there unless he invites them," another woman said.

Curiosity got the better of Alessandro, and she turned to see who they were talking about. She expected to see some wealthy businessman, but the moment her eyes landed on the VIP area, she nearly choked on her drink.

What was he doing here?

Marcello was sitting at a table with three other people, talking and laughing as though he had completely forgotten about the serious CEO she knew from the office. There were two women and a man with him, and Alessandro immediately recognised one of them.

Bianca Orsini.

The receptionist was laughing happily beside another woman who was pregnant and leaning comfortably against the man sitting next to her. He was probably her husband or boyfriend.

Alessandro stared at the pregnant woman for a moment before realising where she had seen her before.

The picture on Bianca's desk.

She was one of the women in the photograph.

Holy crap.

Alessandro suddenly wondered whether she should leave immediately or stay and pretend she had never seen them. Every sensible thought in her head told her to run, but another part of her wanted to stay.

No one was paying attention to her anyway. Almost every woman in the bar seemed more interested in Marcello, and he probably had enough experience dealing with attention to ignore it.

Alessandro decided to stay.

She was wearing a sexy little dress that showed off her long legs, while her makeup covered every detail that could give away her identity. Her smoky eye makeup made her azure eyes stand out even more, and there was nothing about her appearance that could connect her to the young man who had been working at Valenti Holdings that morning.

Marcello would never recognise her.

At least, that was what she told herself.

She took another sip of her drink while keeping her distance from the VIP area. The waiters continued serving Marcello and his friends, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

After a while, Alessandro placed her glass on the bar and walked towards the dance floor. She began dancing with the music, slowly relaxing as the night went on. At one point, she felt as though someone was watching her, but she dismissed the feeling and continued dancing.

She was probably imagining it.

Hours passed, and the dancing helped her forget about Marcello. The man might not be as heartless as she had once believed, but Ludovico had warned her that Marcello was still searching for River Brown. He had hired some of the best investigators available, and if they discovered her identity, her carefully built disguise would fall apart.

She needed to be careful.

Eventually, Alessandro left the dance floor and returned to the bar. She picked up her glass and smiled at the handsome bartender when he approached her.

"Would you like any particular garnish or twist with your drink?"

"Hmm. How about a cherry on top?" Alessandro asked playfully before adding, "Or maybe an orange twist to give it a little citrus flavour."

She gave him a teasing smile and then looked down at her phone. However, before she could do anything else, a familiar scent reached her.

Her heart stopped.

No.

That was impossible.

Why would Marcello leave the VIP area? Perhaps he was looking for another woman, she told herself, trying desperately to remain calm.

"Hello there."

Alessandro froze.

She slowly turned her head when she heard the voice, expecting him to be speaking to someone else. Instead, she found Marcello sitting on the stool right beside her.

"Hey, Azure Eyes," he said smoothly.

Her heart began pounding.

Easy. Easy. Don't panic.

"Hello," she replied, forcing a smile.

Marcello looked even more handsome up close, especially with the charming smile on his face and the small cleft in his chin that Alessandro had never noticed before.

The bartender placed her drink on the counter.

"There you go, lady. One perfectly prepared Old Fashioned, just for you."

"Her drink is on me," Marcello said without breaking eye contact with Alessandro.

She silently cursed herself for coming here. Ludovico had warned her not to take unnecessary risks, yet here she was sitting beside the very man who was searching for her.

Marcello slowly stood from his stool and moved a little closer.

"Who are you? Are you staying here?"

Alessandro did not answer. Instead, she opened her purse and placed her phone inside, pretending that she had not heard him.

"Listen..." Marcello's voice became gentler, as though he thought he had frightened her. "I am looking for someone, Azure Eyes. Can you tell me who you are?"

He raised his hand and lightly touched her chin, and a strange shiver ran through her body at the unexpected contact. His eyes remained fixed on hers, and for a moment, Alessandro felt as though she could lose herself in those blue eyes.

Marcello studied her face carefully, as though there was something familiar about her that he could not quite understand.

"Who are you, angel?" he asked softly.

Alessandro's heart pounded against her chest.

One thing was certain. Marcello would never intentionally hurt her, but she could not afford to trust anyone with her secret, especially not him. If he discovered who she really was, everything she had worked so hard to protect could disappear.

Suddenly, a man's voice came from the other side of the bar.

"Marcello, your phone is ringing, man."

Alessandro glanced towards the sound and saw one of Marcello's friends holding up his phone.

This was her chance.

She stepped back without saying another word, grabbed her purse, and hurried towards the exit. She did not look behind her because she already knew that if she gave herself even one second to hesitate, she might stop running.

"Hey, wait!"

She heard Marcello call after her, but she did not stop.

That night, Alessandro Bellandi made her second run to the exit.

The first had been to escape a creep in the bathroom.

The second was to escape the most eligible bachelor in town, a man who apparently did not even want to call himself a bachelor.