CHAPTER SIX.

Dom.

"You want to know what I found inside that envelope, don't you Matheo?" I raise a single brow at the bulking 6ft6 frame of my fathers right hand man.

The more time I spend around the man, the more I understand why he's been my fathers right hand man for so long. He's not particularly cheerful or extremely energetic but the few times he spoke was to divulge vital information necessary for the business or to accept whatever orders I gave him.

I might admit that I don't completely trust the man but he's been with my father longer than I'd been born and did extremely good for his age, but that is exactly it- he'd been with my father every step of the way as he fell into the trap of Marcello Sullivan, while he didn't do a single thing to stop it. Or maybe he did and my father had been too blinded by his lacklustre friendship to listen and give him heed.

"Yes sir." Came his gravel reply. He was a man that rarely lied or hid what her felt. If there is one thing Im thankful for my father for, it's how well he thought me to read people. Decipher when they had the best intentions or not, so why had he been friends with someone that wanted him dead? And just how blind did my father get before he took his last breath.

I stand up from the chair behind my office table. Most of the staff had been surprised when I showed up to work this morning. I'm even more surprised because were they expecting me to quite work for weeks, months maybe to mourn my fathers death? Donatel Santoro won't have wanted that. He'd have wanted me to bounce right back up and get to work immediately and that is exactly what I did.

The office serene and pastel colors remind me weirdly of my father. The light magenta curtains like drapes cast a warm yet intoxicating glow to the room, a room well biggest than most average sitting rooms.

Everything about the Santoro's spells money, from our luxury mansions to our decorative offices, even the tight hold we have in the political affairs of the country all emphasize our stronghold in anything that has to do with power and fame.

The warm waves of sunlight coming from the expansive window shines so brightly, I squint my eyes to look at the man in front of me. Should I fire him? His boss is dead, what is he even doing here? Matheo isn't the kind of man to just give his loyalty to anyone. Is he giving it to me right now?

"Matheo, do you wish to continue working for me, even after the death of your boss?" I ask, and from the look that appears on his face, I can tell that this question surprises him.

He adjusts himself quickly, standing upright once again before he gives me his signature blank look. "I've worked for Mr. Santoro all my life sir, I can't imagine anywhere I'd rather be. I'll be happy if you would take me." No matter how hard he tries to hide it, I can hear the anxiety in his voice, the one he trying so hard to conceal.

Instead of giving him the reply he expects, I pass a stack of papers on my desk towards him. "I want you to look through this folders. There are twelve men in there, and one of them is going to be my new right hand man. Im entrusting you with the task of choosing the one you think would work best for me, since you've worked with me father for a really long time. Thank you." I don't give him a chance to speak as I quickly dismiss him.

He nods and walks out. I know Matheo would have rather worked for me than get anyone else to do so because that's what he thinks my father would want but all these people, every single one of them, Marcello, Matheo, and every member of the Sullivan family don't deserve any peace after what they did to my father. Unconsciously or not, they are all responsible for the death of my father.

Before I can recline into my chair and take a much needed break, a knock on my door interrupts me. I'd much rather not be disturbed right now but as the new owner of SIN, this is my responsibility. "Come in." I answer.

The door is opened and my P.A walks in followed by a young woman I don't recognize. As big as my company is, I make it my responsibility to recognize as many of my employees as I can, and this one doesn't even ring a tiny bell in my head. She must be new

"Sir, good day. This is Miss. Castillo, Vanessa Castillo and she was approved by your father to be your new secretary." My P.A, Letitia says as I raise an inquisitive brow at her. My Secretary?

"Actually sir, I mean your fathers secretary, May his soul rest in peace, and her employment has been approved so I was wondering if you'd like to let her still be your secretary or you could assign her somewhere else."

At the mention of being assigned somewhere else, the woman's body literally stiffens, as if in anticipation of my decision. I could tell Letitia to fix her in somewhere and have her out of my hair in no time, or I could let her work for me. The reasonable part of my brain wants me to instruct that she be put somewhere else, anywhere else even, but the thought that my father approved her before his passing has me rethinking it.

This was one of my father's last decisions before his death, I feel like I owe it to him to fulfil it, and it also gives me this false sense of having him here, like even in his death he'll still making choices around here. I plaster a manageable smile on my face as I give the two women a reply. "It's alright, Letitia. She can take the position of my secretary. I'll be needing one soon anyway when you take your maternity leave."

Letitia beams at this. "Thank you very much, sir. I'll leave her here. You can dismiss her when you're done talking to her. Thank you!" She says eagerly and rushes out of my office. The minute the door is shut behind her I turn to the woman in front of me and take her in much better.

Something about her bright blue eyes reminded me of someone else's. Do I miss her that badly that Im now seeing her in other random people? I shake my head to clear my thoughts before asking the woman before me. "Miss. Castillo?" I ask.

She gives me a wide megawatt smile before answering in a breathy tone. "Yes sir. But please call me Vanessa." She blushes. I throw a confused look at her.

"Alright then. You may leave. Your usual closing hours are 6pm but since you're new and the last secretary definitely left a few things for you to clear out first you can work till 9pm at most and have the security call a cab for you or walk you to your car when you leave." I reply monotonously.

The bright smile on her face doesn't waver a tiny bit as she nods vigorously and walks out. My mind can't help but go back to the woman who just left my office. Something about her seems way too familiar and reminds me strongly of Alaina. Maybe its because they both have bright blue eyes, or the fact that the roots of dyed blonde hair have the same brunette color as Alaina's. No, I can't be thinking about her.

Alaina is a part of my life I can't afford to give any thought to right now. Since a week ago when I instructed that she be thrown out of my building, I haven't seen her again. I hate how much control she had over me that night.

How her words were able to distract me enough to actually consider letting my fathers murderer go. I wont let that happen again. Not ever.

***

Too immersed in my work to notice when the clock strikes 10pm, my mind is snapped back to my surroundings when I hear the indistinct sound of footsteps, and not just footsteps anywhere but footsteps in my floor of the building.

There aren't a lot of people allowed access to the 16th floor, basically it's just my P.A and I, and Miss. Castillo, if I remember correctly. Could she be the one in the office right now? I glance at the clock and see that it's just a few minutes past 10 o'clock. I told her she could only work till 9 anyway.

Rolling my sleeves up my arm, I pull open my drawer to reveal a shiny black gun, the style and model one of the best in the country. I quickly flip on the silencer and walk stealthily towards my office door. Whoever is out there better be praying their last prayers right now.

As I'm just about to swing my door open, a knock startles me just a bit. "Sir? Are you still in there?" I release a breath I'm not even aware I've been holding when I recognize Vanessa's voice. It suddenly dawns on me that I know nothing about this woman who I've accepted into my company. My father might know something but not me.

That is a grave mistake I've made there. She shouldn't be underestimated just because she's a woman. "Come in." I reply once I've placed the gun back in the drawer. The small frame of my secretary appears by the doorway before she enters fully. She's quite a skittish woman, I must admit.

"What are you still doing here?" I don't mean for my voice to hold so much malice, but it does.

She takes a frightening step back before she speaks. "Um, Im sorry for bothering you sir, but I got so immersed in my job that I didn't check the time. I was just leaving now." She says, her eyes darting everywhere else but at me. Something about her behavior has me inching towards her.

"What's wrong with you? What happened?" I ask when I notice the tears that have soaked her lashes, the reason her eyes don't meet mine. She glances at my surprisingly and takes another step back.

"I-its n-nothing sir." She stutters.

I sigh, considering just letting her be so she can sulk for whether hurt her in peace but this situation reminds me a little too much of another someone to just let her be. "Im asking as your boss, Vanessa, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" I could pretend I have the time for this but I don't. I already feel bad that Im only worried for her because she reminds me of another woman anyway.

For someone who'd been intent of not telling me what was wrong, Im taken aback when she slumps her body into mine and bursts into a fitful of tears. Her sobs wreck through her painfully and soak my shirt. I manage to awkwardly place a hand on her back to console her weakly. Im bad at this, there's no mistaken it. At least I could handle a drunk Alaina, a crying woman isn't my strongest fort.

"It's my b-boyfriend, I- I just found out that

he's cheating on me, and he's breaking up with me." Her words come out broken and despairing. Her eyes are buried in my chest so she doesn't notice the gasp that escapes me. This situations is all too familiar and I find myself holding her tighter, picturing someone else in her place.

I try my best to console her this time. "I'm deeply sorry, Vanessa. You must be really hurt by this. If I may ask who is this boyfriend of yours?" I question absentmindedly. Half of my thoughts have left this situation and is back at the bar. The way Alaina spoke in her sleep while piss drunk. The words she uttered against her ex boyfriend, Brian. I had made sure he paid for that little stunt of his, cheating on her like that.

Maybe if I know who hurt this woman, I could help her the way I helped Lana. The way she deserves to be helped, but what I don't expect are the words that leave her lips next. The woman in my arms, sniffles and her sobs reside a bit as she whispers, "Noel, sir. Noel Sullivan."