7

 Athos

"Good morning, Mr. Mazza!" I hear Barbara say to her boss as the elevator doors open. Curious, I take my eyes off the file and turn around. Maybe this time I'll catch a glimpse of my future boss's face?

I must say, his stern gaze is truly striking. The close-cropped beard adorning his square jaw contrasts sharply with his extremely stern expression, and his thick, firm eyebrows indicate that he's not at all patient this morning. Or is this his normal demeanor? After all, the employees who were working leisurely suddenly turned into robots, burying their faces in piles of papers on their desks.

"Good morning! Barbara, could you fetch me a headache pill and some water?" The imposing voice that follows immediately blends with a voice inside my head.

...What do you think about getting out of this noise?

"It can't be!" I hiss, feeling my heart abruptly slow inside my chest.

...I'm sorry, but I liked you and just wanted to touch you more... intimately.

"It can't be him!" I feel a chill spread through my body, sucking away any semblance of security within me.

The male figure dressed in his expensive suit enters his office, and only then do I manage to stir from my place. Flustered, I grab my phone from the back pocket of my pants and head straight to the company's pantry. During the short journey, I call Anne.

...I promise you'll enjoy it very much!

"Please answer! Answer!" I plead, trembling, holding back tears of desperation.

"Olivia, have you finished the interview, dear? Tell me how it went," she asks with a subdued excitement, perhaps due to her working hours at the company. However, I take a few deep breaths.

"Olivia?"

"He's here, Anne!" It's all I can manage to say amidst my agony.

"He who, dear?"

"Athos Mazza."

"Oh, of course he is. He's the owner of the company, why wouldn't he be there? And wasn't he the one supposed to interview you? Olivia, dear, I know you're nervous, but..."

"You don't understand, Anne," I interrupt her and glance towards the entrance to make sure I'm alone.

"Olivia, what's going on, dear?"

"Do you remember the man from the nightclub? Mr. Mazza, it's him."

"It can't be! Are you serious?" She holds back a scream and after taking a deep breath continues, "Okay, Olivia, calm down, dear. Take a deep breath and tell me, did he recognize you?" I take another breath and close my eyes for a few seconds.

"I... I don't know. I... I think he hasn't seen me... yet."

"Great, then calm down! Maybe he doesn't remember you. After all, it was a casual night, right? What man would remember the woman he took to bed in a hotel room a year ago?"

"I know, it's just that..." I take another breath. "Ah, maybe you're right."

"That's it. Now, since you're in the pantry, have a strong, hot, sweet coffee, that'll calm you down. Just try to relax, and if he remembers you, you can deny it, right? Say he's mistaken, it wasn't you, and that's it!"

"Anne, he can't know about my kids. This man is... too powerful, and he could take them away from me."

"Okay, here's what you do. Find Barbara and tell her you're not feeling well. Ask her to postpone this interview and come meet me."

"Okay, thank you, Anne!" I end the call and with trembling hands, I turn on the coffee maker, impatiently waiting for the short brewing process to finish. After filling the cup, I rush off to search for Barbara around the office. However, I'm too nervous, and this fact is leaving me completely disoriented. Nevertheless, in the midst of my lethargy, someone bumps into me forcefully, and the hot liquid spills, leaving an exaggerated stain on a white shirt. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" I beg fervently, my eyes fixed on the chaos I just caused.

"Who are you?!" His voice thunders like a horrendous roar, tearing through the skies, making me shiver all over, and despite being scared, I dare to lift my gaze and meet a pair of infuriated eyes.

"M-Mr. Mazza, I..."

"Look what you've done, stupid girl!" He bellows again.

"I-I didn't... I'm... sorry, I..."

"Who. Are. You?!" Mazza roars again, this time slowly, and as much as I want to respond, the words escape my mouth. "Can someone tell me who this crazy woman is and what she's doing here in my company?!" He yells so loudly that the walls seem to tremble.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mazza! This is Miss Martin, she's the intern..."

"Not anymore!"

"What?!" I gasp.

"Mr. Mazza, Olivia is the best we've found so far..."

"Fire her now, Barbara!" he shouts, and this time, he attempts to walk away.

"Who do you think you are?!" I shout back, making him stop.

Damn it, Olivia, what's gotten into you? Have you gone mad, girl? My conscience screams.

"How dare you?" Athos Mazza growls, stepping closer to me. In front of his stature, I feel minuscule, and his gaze seems to want to melt me. However, I'm angry. I'm so angry that my gaze dares to meet his. "You want to know who I really am?" I smirk sarcastically, even with my mouth closed.

"No, I know exactly who you are, Athos Mazza!"

"Oh, you do? How nice that you do! Now, disappear from my sight!" His stern gaze somehow becomes even harder, yet it doesn't make me back down.

"You're an arrogant, extremely rude, stupid, and rude man!"

"What did you say, insolent girl?!" He snarls, taking another step. However, I don't flinch.

"Oooh!" The employees hiss low and surprised, and soon whispers fill the place.

"Who do you think you are to speak to me like that, you insolent girl?!"

"I know exactly who I won't be, Mr. Mazza. I won't be the secretary of an unloved man like you!"

"Olivia?!" Barbara tries to reprimand me, but I snort loudly.

"And you don't need to fire me, Mr. Mazza, because it's me who refuses to work for a despicable being like you!" I say and then step away.

"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT, YOU BUNCH OF IMBECILES? GET BACK TO WORK!" I hear him shout as I stride down the corridor with wide steps. "I'm changing. Barbara, I don't want to see that girl stepping foot here again, do you hear me?!" He roars, and the elevator doors close.

***

At night...

"Did you really say that to him, girl?" Victoria scolds, giving in to another fit of laughter. However, both Anne and I remain serious. "I said that man was a demon, didn't I?"

"Mom, please! Olivia, what now?" I shrug.

"What do you think? I'll look for a job elsewhere."

"From what I've heard about this Mazza guy, he won't allow you to work here anymore. No company will want to hire the girl who outsmarted Athos Mazza." Victoria laughs again.

"Mom, you don't know..."

"He's done it several times, Anne. Olivia isn't the first and won't be the last, dear."

"He's not much different from my father," I comment, and both of them give me pitying looks. "How do they have an entire city in their hands?! How can this be?!"

"I'm so sorry, friend!" I take a deep breath.

"I'm tired, I think I'll sleep for a bit and think of something tomorrow," I say, leaving the table immediately.

"But you haven't eaten anything!" Victoria scolds, but I don't stop. And with my eyes burning from the tears that want to spill, I close the bedroom door and face my children sleeping peacefully in their cribs. "I won't let men like him dictate my life again," I growl softly, feeling the tears spill down my face afterward. "This time I won't stay silent. I'll scream if I have to, but I'll do things my way, or my name isn't Olivia Martin!"