No One’s Pov
"Why did you call over here?" Alia snapped, looking around the cafe with an irritated expression. She had better things to do, like planning her next "accidental" run-in with Dominic.
The man sitting across from her didn’t look bothered at all. He leaned back, stirring his espresso with a sneaky smirk.
He was dressed in expensive, tailored clothes and his dashing face had every girl in the cafe glancing his way every few seconds.
"It was such nice weather," the man said, his eyes glinting. "I thought, why not have a cup of coffee with an old friend?"
Alia rolled her eyes. "Cut the crap. I know you aren’t the type to do things out of the kindness of your heart. What do you want?"
"Oh, please. You’re hurting my feelings," he chuckled, though his smile didn’t reach his eyes. "Can’t I et an old classmate? After all, I did a huge favor for you back in the day."
"Huge favor? My foot!" Alia hissed, her voice dropping to a low angry whisper. "Because of that ’favor,’ I still have nightmares about Dominic killing with his own hands. That mory is terrible."
"Pfft- hahaha!" The man burst out laughing, drawing even more attention from the nearby tables. "That’s only because you were dumb back then, Alia. And let’s be honest... you still are."
She glared at him, her nails digging into her designer handbag. "This ti, I will definitely win him over. You’ll see. I have a plan, and it’s foolproof. Besides, it’s not like that bitch is around anymore to interfere."
The man raised his eyebrows, his smirk turning into sothing more mysterious. "You spoke too soon."
"What do you a- "
Before she could finish her sentence, her phone began to vibrate on the table. It was one of her spies at the Valente headquarters. She snatched it up and pressed it to her ear.
"What is it? This better be important," she snapped.
"Miss Alia! You need to get to the office right now!" the voice on the other end scrambled.
"Mr. Dominic just walked in. But he’s not alone. He brought a girl with him. He even took her up to the private executive floor!"
Alia’s face went pale, then turned a deep, furious purple. She looked at the man across from her, who was now watching her with a satisfied, "I-told-you-so" grin.
"Who is she?!" Alia yelled into the phone, ignoring the shocked stares from the other custors.
"We don’t know, Ma’am! She looks... ssy."
Alia slamd the phone down on the table, her breathing coming in ragged. The man across from her simply took a calm sip of his coffee.
"Looks like the ’bitch’ has a replacent," he whispered playfully. "And this one actually made it past the front gate."
"Soon she will snatch him away from you," the man called out after her, his voice dripping with amusent. He loved watching her lose her cool, it was far more entertaining than the coffee.
Alia didn’t respond. Her face was puffed up with pure rage, her heels clicking loudly against the floor as she stord out of the cafe, nearly knocking over a waiter.
As soon as she was gone, a few girls who had been watching from a nearby table gathered their courage and approached him. "Excuse , could I get your number?" one asked with a shy smile.
He didn’t even look up. "No," he said flatly, his voice cold and dismissive. He pulled out his phone, his thumb hovering over the screen. With a wicked grin, he typed a quick ssage and hit send.
Back at the office, Vivien followed Dominic into his massive workspace. The room was breathtaking.
Dominic’s assistant was already moving, opening a tablet and explaining the schedule for today’s etings. Dominic listened with a focused gaze, while Vivien stood awkwardly to the side, feeling like a stray cat in a palace.
She glanced around, her eyes widening. The aesthetics of the room- it matched Dante’s office perfectly. She suddenly rembered sothing - the mory where Viella first went to Lucian’s office, the mont she spilled coffee on Dante, and the mont they got locked in together...
Her face flushed at the mory. She looked down at her feet, trying to hide her red cheeks, when her phone vibrated in her pocket.
She pulled it out and her heart nearly stopped.
[Unknown: You look adorable today once again.]
Vivien’s breath hitched. She looked toward the door, then at the windows. Was he here? Was soone watching her right now?
Dominic, who had been appearing to listen to his assistant, hadn’t taken his eyes off her for a second. He saw the way her face went from flushed to shocked. He saw her grip the phone.
Imdiately, his mind went back to that na she had whispered earlier. Dante.
A spark of jealousy flared in his chest, hotter than any anger he’d felt before. Who was this Dante? Was he the one ssaging her? Was she blushing because of him? The thought of her smiling at a screen because of another man made Dominic want to crush the phone in her hand.
"Is there sothing more interesting on that screen than your job, Miss Vivien?" Dominic asked, his voice cutting through the assistant’s briefing.
Vivien jumped, nearly dropping her phone.
"N-no! Nothing! Just... a spam ssage!"
Dominic stepped toward her, his shadow looming over her small fra. "Then put it away," he commanded, his eyes dark and possessive. "You’re on my ti now. I don’t pay you to daydream about... whoever is texting you."
He leaned in closer, his voice dropping so only she could hear. "Am I clear?"
She tossed her phone deep into her bag, nodding frantically. "Yes! Yes, sir. I’m on it!"
Dominic didn’t look convinced, but he turned his attention to the corner of the room near the window. He pointed at a vacant spot that had a perfect view of both the city and his own desk.
"Clear that space," he ordered his assistant. "And bring in a small desk. From now on, she will work here."
The assistant’s jaw practically hit the floor. He raised his eyebrows. In the sa room? He had worked for Dominic for years, through billion
dollar deals and late-night crises, yet even he had to work in the outer office. No one sat in the inner sanctum with the Boss. No one.
"Yes, boss!" the assistant said, recovered from the shock. He hurried out to arrange the furniture before Dominic could change his mind.
"And you!" Dominic said, turning his piercing gaze back to Vivien. "Go bring a black coffee. I want it hot. No sugar, no cream."
Vivien nodded quickly, turning and scurrying out of the office. The heavy doors clicked shut behind her, and she stood in the middle of the fancy hallway, suddenly feeling dumbfounded.
Wait, she thought, looking left and then right. How am I supposed to know where the coffee is?
The office was like a giant maze. She thought about opening the door to ask him, but the image of his piercing eyes made her rethink. No way. If I go back in there now, he’ll probably find sothing else to yell at for.
She decided to take her chances and find the kitchen herself. As she walked down the hall, she saw a group of employees huddled near a water cooler, whispering and pointing toward the executive suite.
"Excuse ?" Vivien asked, her voice small as she adjusted her thick glasses. "Could you tell where I can find the coffee machine? Mr. Valente needs his black coffee."
The group went dead silent. They stared at her as if she were an alien that had just landed in their lobby.
"The Boss sent you for coffee?" one of them asked, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"I’m his... personal assistant. Well, maid. I an, helper!" Vivien stamred, her face heating up again.
One of the won, a tall lady in a suit, pointed toward a set of double doors at the end of the hall. "The executive pantry is through there. But I’d be careful if I were you. The coffee machine is worth more than your tuition, and the Boss doesn’t like it when people... linger."
"Thank you!" Vivien squeaked, running off toward the pantry.
The mont Vivien vanished into the pantry, the whispers turned into full blown laughter.
"Seriously, what did the Boss see in her? I don’t get it," one of the won sneered, leaning against the wall. "She’s not even pretty. Did you see those thick glasses? She looks like she got lost on her way to a middle school library."
"Exactly," another replied, checking her manicure. "Miss Alia is far better. She’s sophisticated, rich, and actually knows how to dress. This girl is just... a ss."
Inside the pantry, Vivien gripped the hot coffee cup, her knuckles turning white. She heard every word. Honestly, she didn’t care about their insults regarding her looks- she knew she wasn’t trying to win a beauty pageant. And she certainly didn’t want Dominic’s attention. All she wanted was to survive these six months and stay as far away from that man as possible.
Sothing tells staying away is safer, she thought, a chill running down her spine. He has the sa face as him....That’s never a good sign.
But the na "Alia" stuck in her mind. That was the lady from the hallway, wasn’t it? The one with the assistant who acted like a total jerk.
Suddenly, the gossip outside stopped abruptly.
Vivien peeked through the gap in the pantry door and saw a woman walking in with an air of extre arrogance. The entire office staff bowed their heads instantly, their faces switching from mocking to terrified.
Vivien’s eyes widened. Following right behind the woman was the sa rude assistant from the campus hallway!
That’s the sa assistant! Vivien realized. Which ans... that woman is Miss Alia.
Vivien tried to lean out further to finally see the face of whoever this miss Alia was but a crowd of employees blocked her view. Before she could get a clear look, the woman and her assistant stepped into the private executive elevator.
Vivien looked down at the coffee. Oh shit, that grumpy suit ordered it hot, I better hurry up! she thought. She turned and rushed back down the hallway, not even glancing at the people who were still staring and whispering about her.
When she reached the office, she could hear a woman’s voice inside- it was Alia. Vivien took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves, and knocked on the door.
"Enter," Dominic’s deep voice rang out.
The mont Vivien stepped inside, she froze. Her eyes landed on the woman standing next to Dominic, and her heart stopped. Her hand began to tremble so hard that the hot coffee sloshed over the rim, spilling directly onto her skin.
"Ow..." she whispered, but she couldn’t move.
Alia turned around, her sharp eyes landing on Vivien. The two of them locked eyes in a heavy silence.
Vivien’s mind raced. The face, the expression...it was an exact match-
Alina...?
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TO BE CONTINUED
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