CASSIAN
Nico and Luca lodged on the front door. I'd informed Nico about the red-hair and for one, he was right.
She looked sweet but was a hard nut to crack.
I heard Nico's phone vibrate in his hand, saw him lift it to his field of vision and read through a message—and seconds later, he came forward to whisper something into my ear.
A certain amount of money was missing from the shipping account.
I'd fucking attend to that personally after dealing with this red-hair.
I crossed a leg over the other, the urge to stroke the dice in my pocket was almost uncontrollable.
Ayla burning Thorne, Thorn or whatever the name was, with the perfect long hair I liked, olive skin, and a centrefold worthy body, and full lips that curved in irritation glared at me. For some reason I couldn't explain, I was playing calm and trying to negotiate.
She was perfect for the job. She had so much to lose.
She stood up without my fucking permission. I allowed it. She was trying to save face and protect her dignity.
It was a rare one so I could allow her play pretend to be some fucking virgin she wasn't.
"You do realize once you step out of this premises you're not gonna get any other job offer."
She made a face like I was on some cheap drug and had no idea what I was saying.
Girls like her had no idea how Lake Como worked—we controlled everything.
I gave her a week and that was it. One week to change her mind.
She left hurriedly like she couldn't wait to get away from me and that pissed me off.
I stood up to leave for the shipping port, but stopped as Elena's call came in.
"Lorenzo Vellani's on his way to you. He refused to…"
I put the call down.
The fucking bastard was literally trying my patience—First, his disrespect at the Villa, now, walking into my office without being told to—maybe I was going to resume my job fully so he'd get the message and pay his damn respect.
A knock on the door.
I signalled Nico to let him in.
He walked in, warm brown eyes looked at me lazily.
"Hello, brother in-law." Lorenzo smirked, a poor attempt to cover his disrespect.
My gaze darkened, a sign I might really end up drilling a hole through someone's skull.
His smirk faltered.
I leaned back, a contrite expression on my face. "I don't consider you family yet, Lorenzo. Don't step over the line."
He raised both arms in the air in mock surrender. "I'm sorry Cassian, it seems I got ahead of myself." He said, coming to sit down.
"I don't remember asking you to sit." I scowled.
A flicker of something hard crossed his face. He adjusted, and stood back straight.
I glanced at the Rolex on my wrist. "What do you want?"
He hesitated.
"I'm here to apologize for my actions at the Villa."
I wasn't going to let this opportunity to make him realize how unimportant he was and how he fucking had to show respect to me.
I stroked a finger on my lower lip, "then do it."
His jaw ticked. Clasping both hands on the desk, he bent slowly on both knees.
My expression didn't shift. I pushed my left hand forward, so he could kiss the family's signet ring on my finger.
His hands warm with rage, held mine as he bowed his head and kissed the ring.
I pulled away immediately, brushing him off with a wave of my hand.
He stood.
"That's done. Now leave." I said coldly,
He didn't react. He turned and walked to the door, stopping abruptly, he looked over his shoulder.
"I spotted a red-bird prima donna outside," he said, his eyes suddenly gleaming with a kind of interest that left a sliver of irritation through me.
"She's taken." Nico said almost immediately, like she was suddenly his fucking job.
I knew he was trying to step in and not allow any suspicion but the fuck it pissed me off.
Ayla was the kind of girl who had every male attention and right now, that fucking made me angry. I needed a smoke.
I'd observed her during the welcome party longer than I should have.
"Oh. I'll remember to keep that in mind next time I see her." Lorenzo said with a fucking smile on his face and walked out.
Why the hell did Ayla catch everyone's attention? She was annoyingly strange and damn attractive with that signature red hair that made it impossible not to spot her.
Why couldn't she just be like one of the girls from the casinos that could easily blend and disappear into the wall paper?
I straightened from my chair, adjusted my suit and walked out of the office, ahead of Nico and Luca.
I had important things to take care of, more important than some red-hair.
We drove to the shipping port.
The last time I was here was three years ago.
I walked to the board room, sat on the king chair and ordered Luca to bring in Mr Alberto. He was the financial manager.
Nico had briefed me about him. The damn idiot had been stealing from the shipping account and transferring the funds to a private account with a female name—maybe his mistress' account.
Luca held Alberto De Paz by his suit collar, shoving him into the floor forcefully.
"Alberto…" I hissed, watching his large frame shake violently with fear. "A dog should know not to bite the hand that feeds him."
He kept his head low, hands shaking violently above his head.
"Mr—Mr Cassian, I swear on my children's lives, I didn't take the money." he stuttered miserably,
I took a hand out of my pocket, ran a finger across my bottom lip, and shook my head slowly. I was disappointed.
"I never said you took any money, Alberto."
And instantly his face paled. "Oh, Mr Cassian."
Just the right proof he'd been fucking stealing from me.
I pulled a silencer from my suit jacket. Men like Alberto could betray you, and in my world, if a man couldn't be found worthy with money, he couldn't be found worthy of keeping a life.
"I need every penny back. Every dollar you've moved." I motioned for Nico to place the electronic device in front of him.
All Alberto had to do was open his eyes for the device to scan his pupils for proof of identity and Nico would handle the rest.
His eyes widened. "How—"
"Look at the camera."
He did with shaky hands.
Something green clicked on the device.
"Good." I said, my dark gaze centred on him. "Now, I'll show you what happens to men who steal from me."
His eyes moved from the silencer to me, and before he had any time to speak, my fingers moved. Bullets bored holes into his skull.
A dull tunk sounded as his body hit the floor, plastering blood on the chairs.
"Clean that up." I said, dropped the silencer back in my jacket and left the board room.