Alexander pov
This meeting is getting irritating now. All of them are giving me nothing but bullshit. Am I paying them for this? If they can't give me some perfect plans, then what is the use of them? Mistakes don't exist in my vocabulary. I didn't climb to the top with this rubbish.
With each passing second, my patience is running out. The air conditioner is on, but they are sweating.
"After the deadline, you're giving me this," I said calmly, and threw the file on the table.
All of them flinched and hung their heads low. The one who was giving the presentation is now trembling from fear.
"One week, if in one week I don't get a perfect plan, get the hell out of my company," I said coldly.
I got up from my chair and made my way out of the meeting room. My secretary, Aaron, followed me. I entered my cabin and sat on my desk. The desk is filled with paperwork. Aaron entered my cabin and sighed.
"What?" I asked.
"You should have shown a little emotion. If you had shouted at them, they would have been more relieved, but your coldness scared them. You know, when you were walking towards your cabin, the employees were holding their breath. People call you a devil and an emotionless robot," he said.
"I come to the office to work, not to please them. And if they can't make profit for the company, then there is no use for them. Moreover, I don't give a damn about what others think of me," I said. He shook his head and said,
"I don't know who will be able to handle you."
"You are talking too much. Do you want to get fired?" I said, annoyed.
"You won't. Cause I'm your best friend and the only person who can handle this nasty temper of yours," he said gleefully. I put my poker face on and said,
"If you don't have any work, then get out before I really fire you."
"Okay, okay, chill. I have an important thing to inform you."
The playfulness was gone, and now his professional face was on.
"What is it?"
"It's about the underworld," he said.
"We are in the company," I said while glaring at him.
I'm the leader of the Moretti organization. An underworld mafia king. I took over the throne after my father got sick. Not many people know about it. Not all clans from the underworld have seen my face.
People only know me as the CEO of the Moretti Group. Some have guessed that maybe I'm in the mafia, but they don't have any solid proof of it. My best friend Aaron, who is my assistant, is also my right hand in the underworld.
"I know, but I need to talk to you now," he said, and I sighed.
"Quick."
"One of the mafia clans wants you to invest in his business."
"Which clan?"
"Castillo's organization. The leader is Noah Castillo."
I have heard of this organization before but never cared about it.
"In what do they want me to invest?" I asked boringly.
"I don't know. They said they would give the details in the meeting. They want to have a meeting today," he said, and I nodded.
"Reject them."
"I did. They sent the proposal a week ago, and I investigated them. The information I got was not so pleasant. Noah Castillo had established his organization through many illegal activities, but it doesn't matter. Since, the whole underworld is dirty. What matters is that he is a power-hungry man. He first made contracts with small clans, and then, after some time, he killed the leaders and took over the clan. He continued like that and made his name in the underworld. He became powerful and reached the top; now he craves more power and wants the throne. His next target is our clan. He thinks he can do the same to us as he did to the other clans. I rejected his offer, but he kept pestering me for a meet-up with you. So, I think it will be better if you reject him directly and warn him." He ended his speech with a long sigh.
"You can handle this on your own, can't you?" I said.
"I thought that too, but this bastard is annoying me. And he is planning something against us. That's why I'm telling you this," he said, sighing.
"Why do I have to bother with those little mobs?"
"To let them know, that not everyone can sit on the throne. We don't harm innocents, but he reached the top by shedding the blood of innocents. This meeting is just to let him know his real place," he said.
"Fine."
"I have already decided the place and the time too. I have notified them, but since it's them who want to make the deal with us, well, you know, you have a busy schedule today so they can wait," he said, and I smirked.
"Now, please handle the paperwork. I will take my leave," he said, and left the cabin. I look at the pile of work that I have to finish. I took a file and started working on it.
.
.
.
.
.
There was a knock on the door, and I told the person to come in. Aaron walked in and said,
"It's time."
I looked at my floor-to-ceiling windows to find the sun had set a long time ago, and darkness had engulfed the sky. Time flies too fast. I have finished all the documents. I hope I won't have to kill someone today.
I made my way toward the parking lot underneath my large business building. I got in my car and sat in the backseat while Aaron sat in the passenger seat, and one of my trusted guards sat in the driver's seat. He started driving, and my other guard was in the other car, following us from behind.
After a while, we arrived, and the guard killed the engine. Michael, my best assassin, came and opened the car door for me. I got out of the car and entered the bar. From the outside, it may look like a normal luxury bar, but it actually is not.
The first two floors are like a normal bar, but on the third floor, all the VIP rooms are located, where all the mafia meetings get held. I made my way to the third floor with my guards. On the third floor, a man wearing a black suit was waiting for us.
When he saw us, he approached us, bowed, and guided us to the VIP room. I stepped inside the room with my guards behind me. A man wearing a blue tuxedo was sitting on the couch, and his man was standing behind him.
"We apologize for the lateness, Mr. Castillo. Our king was quite busy," Aaron said, apologetically, but not a hint of guilt was in his tone.
"It's okay, Mr. Robert," Noah said while gritting his teeth. I smirked. Aaron is really a bastard.
"It's an honor to meet the underworld king," he said, and extended his hand for a handshake.
I just glanced at his hand and sat across from him and said,
"Let's get down to business," I said.
His hand hung in that position for a moment before he pulled it back and sat down. His face was covered with anger, but soon he replaced it with a fake smile.
"Sure," he said.
Aaron sat beside me, and the others stood behind me, guarding me. Noah sat down, and his assistant sat beside him.
He told the waiters to serve the drinks. And a waiter came to me with an alcohol bottle. I know this waiter. His name is Henry. He always serves me when I come here. And gradually, he told us about him. He is nineteen. He is a good man, but his family is not.
His father is a gambler and a drug addict and spends all his money on those things. His mother is dead, and he has a little sister who is unfortunately sick. And because of that, he became the only breadwinner in his family. He is quite a timid boy. A boy like him was not supposed to be here, but the situation brought him here.
"We-"
Henry's hand accidentally slipped, and that made him spill the drink on my hand. Everyone gasped, and Aaron quickly gave me the tissue paper. Henry hurriedly placed the whiskey bottle on the table and knelt down.
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." he muttered while trembling.
He keeps apologizing. I sighed. I understand that it was a mistake. Moreover, it wasn't a big deal. I was about to tell him that it was okay and to stand up, but before I could do that, Noah spoke.
"You are so useless. You have just one job but can't even do it properly. But it was kind of expected from low-class trash like you. How did they let people like you serve me? Trash like you shouldn't have been born."
He is going overboard, and this is making me annoyed. I looked at Henry and saw him on the verge of crying. I signaled Michael to stop this and speak on behalf of Henry. He understood his task and said,
"Mr. Castillo, please calm down. I think you should stop here. He didn't do it on purpose. It was just a mistake. Please forgive him." He helped Henry stand up.
I thought Noah would stop here, but he didn't.
"Shut up. You are just nobody. You are just like the bartender. Useless and a waste of time." Noah shouted. I clenched my hand as I was running out of patience.
"Will you just shut your mouth?" Aaron said, annoyed. Noah got angry. His look is telling me that his ego got injured.
"How dare you talk to me like that? You should know your place. You are just a dog who is working for the mafia king. You can never ever talk to me like that," he said.
My patience ran out. This is enough. I stood up, crossed the table, and held his throat tightly. His people were shocked. He struggled to breathe and tried to move my hand. His guards pointed their guns at me, and instantly, my guards pulled out their guns and pointed at them. Did they really think I would be scared of them? I tightened my grip more on his throat and looked deadly in his eyes.
"No one can insult my people. It should be you who should know his place. You better be careful. Stay quietly from now on, or I will make you regret your existence," I warned him.
I left his throat, and he fell on the couch, coughing and breathing heavily. I turned toward the door to leave, but his assistant came to me and said desperately,
"Mr. Moretti, please forgive Mr. Castillo. Please at least listen to the deal." I looked at him and said coldly,
"You guys are not even worth my time."
Noah fumed with rage, and I proceeded to walk out of the room. After I stepped outside the room, followed by my guards, I heard crashing sounds. Well, well, someone wasn't able to digest the insult. We stepped inside the elevator, and Aaron pressed the button.
"The look on his face, I love it," Aaron said, laughing.
I shook my head. He held grudges a lot. The doors opened to the first floor instead of the ground floor, where the parking lot is located.
"What are we doing in the bar?" I asked while frowning.
"I just received a text from Owen. He is here and wants to catch up. So, why not? You need to relax too," he said.
"You can catch up with him. I will go back home," I said and proceeded to enter the elevator again.
"Oh, come on, man. Just for one night," he said while blocking the elevator.
"I will really kill you one day." I glared at him, and he gave me his toothy smile.
"But that one day is not today," he said, and dragged me into the bar.
Only he dared to force me to do something I didn't want to do, and will still be breathing. When he was dragging me, my eyes fell onto the dancing floor, or more like, into a person. I halted my step and looked at her dancing. She stood out among all the people like the brightest star in the dark night.
I have never seen anything as beautiful as her in my entire life. Her dark brown hair is dancing with her. She is dancing without any care of the world. She suddenly twerks, making me gulp. She is awakening something inside of me.
Some men were looking at her hungrily, making my gaze turn cold. I just want to go to the dance floor and hide her from everyone's eyes. I frowned at my thoughts. What's wrong with me? She is nothing to me, but why did I feel so possessive?
Suddenly, she stopped dancing and looked around while frowning. She visibly flinched when a girl touched her, but soon she relaxed. She talked to the girl and left the dance floor with her. My eyes followed her, but Aaron came in front of me and blocked her.
"She is pretty, isn't she?" Aaron said.
"Shut up," I said.
"How can I? This is the first time you have looked at a woman for more than a second. Forget about a second; you've been staring at her for minutes," he said, with amused eyes. I rolled my eyes and asked,
"Where is Owen?"
"Changing topic," he pouted.
"I'm leaving."
"No, no, let's go," he said, and again became a guide.
Owen waved his hand upon seeing us. We went to his table and sat there.
"Long time no see, man," Owen said, smiling.
"We met two days ago," I said.
"Oh, come on, it was for business," he said, pouting.
I sighed. I don't know how I became friends with those crackheads. Aaron is talkative and playful with us; he looks innocent, but he is a devil when torturing enemies.
Owen looked like a serious and hard-to-approach person on the outside, but in reality, he is the most innocent person in the world. I took a glass of whiskey and drank it.
"You don't know what I just witnessed," Aaron said, excitedly.
"What?" Owen asked.
"I found this man looking at a woman with desireful eyes," Aaron said dramatically.
"I don't believe you."
"I swear," he said, and Owen looked at me.
"I was not looking at her with desireful eyes. Stop making things up," I said.
"I'm not making things up. You should have watched yourself. Your eyes were sparkling, and they were filled with desire and possessiveness."
"She is not my type," I said, and took a sip of my drink.
"Are you sure?" Aaron said.
My eyes found her again. She is playing some games with her friend. She is smiling. Her smile looks so pure. My world is black and tainted with blood. It's so tainted that it can't get back to the light. Instead, it will swallow the light.
"She is too bright and pure for my world," I said, and took my gaze off her. They gave me a weird gaze.
"Okay, if you say so. But she is pretty, and since you're not interested, I will go, 'cause I am."
"Don't you dare," I deathly glared at him. He smirked, and Owen shook his head.
"If you are interested in her, then go for her. You need to let someone into your life," Owen said.
I'm trying to stop the demon inside of me from having her. Because once it's released, no one can save her from me, not even myself.
Before I could say anything to them, I saw her approaching our table from the corner of my eye. My guards were about to stop her, but I gestured for them to halt. She stood in front of me and said,
"Excuse me."
I looked at her while swinging my drink. Now that she is in front of me, I can see every detail of her features. Her long, dark brown hair awakened my desire to kiss it. Her black dress is clinging to her perfectly curved body. Her green eyes checked me out and stopped at my eyes. She is looking at me without blinking. Cute. I raised my eyebrow and asked,
"Do you want something?"
"I-I... Can I have your number?" she stuttered.
Her honey-dripping voice echoed in my ear. I stop swinging my glass and place it on the table. I looked into her eyes. She looks nervous. She is tapping her feet on the floor. I don't think she knows that she is doing it. I think she came to me for my number because of her friend.
They were playing games a while ago, but now all of them are looking at our table. I refrain myself from smiling at her behavior. I held out my hand forward for her phone, and she tilted her head in confusion.
"You said you wanted my number. For that, you have to give me your phone," I said.
She gave me her phone, and I typed my number on it. I glanced at her and saw her biting her lips. I wonder what her lips will taste like. I called my phone and gave her the phone back. I thought she would leave after I gave her my number, but instead of leaving, she came near me, and I frowned.
Her sweet scent hit my nostalgia. She bends down toward my side. What is she doing? I turned toward her, and instantly, her lips met mine. My world stopped, and all the noise faded away. I was too shocked to move. She backed away, and my lips were already missing her lips. Her face was as red as wine. She didn't waste a moment, and flew away from the scene. Leaving me stuck in the same position.
"OMG," Aaron and Owen said in unison.
"What did I just witness?" Aaron said.
"Bro, are you alive?" Owen said and moved his hand in front of me.
"Aaron," I said.
"Yes,"
"Find all her information."
"Okay, boss," Aaron smirked.
Her lips were so soft and it tasted like chocolate. I tried to stay away from you; I tried to protect you from me, butterfly, but you came to me by yourself. So, be prepared for me. You are mine.