Chapter 5- The Test

The door slammed shut as Angelo left, leaving me staring at the mountain of documents that now consumed my desk. My pulse quickened, and I had to suppress the wave of panic threatening to bubble over. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me rattled.

I turned to Mr De Vito, who was now leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, watching me with his cold calculated eyes.

“Before the end of today?" I asked, my voice steady despite the tremor that was going on inside me.

He twirled the pen in his fingers and titled his head slightly, as if considering my question. “Yes, Miss Ross. Or is that going to be a problem for someone as ‘competent’ as you claim to be?"

Bastard.

"Not at all,” I replied with a sweet smile masking my true feelings. I swear I felt like jumping over his table and scratching out his eyes or rather kissing him. No, stop Emily. He's annoying and making your life hell on the first day of work, remember.

“I'll have it done,"

He raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by my lack of resistance. "Good. Angelo will come back to check your progress in a few hours. Don't disappoint me, Miss Ross.”

“I never do, Mr De Vito," I said, lifting the first document from the stack and flipping it open, signaling that I was done with the conversation.

His dark eyes lingered on me for a moment longer before he turned his attention to his computer, the clacking of his keyboard filling the silence.

I let out a slow breath, reminding myself why I was here. This was my dream job, the culmination of years of sacrifice, late nights, and relentless determination. I couldn't let a man like him intimidate me. If he thought this workload would break me, he was in for a rude awakening.

I dove into the documents, skimming through blueprints, financial reports, and zoning permits. My brain worked overtime, but my hands remained steady as I organized the chaos into manageable piles. Minutes turned into hours, the silence of the room only broken by the occasional shuffling of papers or the tapping of Mr De Vito’s pen.

When Angelo finally walked in carrying two cups of coffee, I didn't bother to look up. He placed one cup on Mr De Vito's desk and the other on mine.

“You'll need this,” Angelo said with a grin. "Trust me.”

I glanced at the cup, then at him. "Thanks,” I said, my tone neutral.

He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Don’t let him get to you. He’s just testing you. If you survive this, you’ll earn his respect."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "That supposed to be comforting?"

"Just saying," he said with a shrug before walking out.

I sipped the coffee, letting the warmth spread through me. It was a small comfort, but I’d take what I could get.

The hours dragged on, and the pile of completed documents grew steadily. By lunchtime, my fingers were cramping, and my back ached from sitting for so long. I glanced at Mr. De Vito, who hadn’t moved from his seat. His focus was entirely on his screen, his jaw clenched in concentration.

The man was infuriatingly attractive, even when he was being an ass. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing those veiny forearms that I couldn’t stop thinking about. I quickly looked away, cursing myself for being so easily distracted.

"Miss Ross," his voice broke through my thoughts.

I looked up to see him standing and buttoning his jacket. "I’m stepping out for a meeting. I’ll be back in two hours. Make sure you’re done by then."

"Of course," I said, my voice laced with determination.

He nodded, his dark eyes locking with mine for a brief moment before he left the office.

The moment the door closed, I let out a groan and leaned back in my chair. "This man is going to be the death of me," I muttered.

But I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me struggle. I pushed through the exhaustion, focusing on the task at hand. The clock on the wall ticked away, each second a reminder of the deadline looming over me.

By the time Mr. De Vito returned, I had completed the last document. I leaned back in my chair, letting out a sigh of relief as he walked in.

He stopped in front of my desk, his eyes scanning the neatly stacked files. "You’re done?"

"See for yourself," I said, crossing my arms.

He picked up the top document, flipping through it with a critical eye. His expression remained unreadable as he moved on to the next file, and the next. My heart pounded as I waited for his verdict, but I kept my face neutral.

Finally, he set the last file down and looked at me. "Not bad," he said, his tone begrudging.

"Not bad?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow.

He smirked. "Let’s see if you can keep up this level of performance, Miss Ross."

"I intend to exceed it, Mr. De Vito," I shot back.

He stared at me for a moment, and for the first time, I thought I saw a flicker of admiration in his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

"Good," he said, turning toward his desk. "Because I’m just getting started."