10. Valerie

Chapter ten

Valerie

W ho does he think he is? The fact that he thinks he's some sort of God now that he is the CEO is the most nauseating thing ever.

Clicking the elevator's button, my phone begins ringing.

"Antonio? Where the fuck are you?" I say into my phone.

"Val, I'm so sorry. I've been in back-to-back meetings the entire morning thanks to your new boss. Did you get up to your desk okay?" he asks, concern lacing his tone.

Any trace of anger I feel for him immediately dissolves, and I sigh.

"If by okay you mean almost having security called because the front desk guy refused to believe I was replacing Alexa, and having to be saved by Gus, then yes. I got up fine," I say.

Antonio's chuckle rings through the phone as I make it out onto the busy street in front of Vitale Holdings.

I hug my wool coat closer to my body as the wind hits me. I increase my pace, hoping to get to the supposed coffee shop and out of the cold, a bit quicker.

"Are you jogging? Where are you?" He asks.

"Asshole wants his usual coffee," I state and the line falls silent before Antonio starts screeching from laughter .

"How did you piss him off so badly that he's already making you go get coffee?" he asks between gasps of air.

I smirk at the memory. "I'll tell you all about it when you get here."

"I look forward to it, maybe we can get lunch together?" he asks, and I smile.

I've missed Antonio and seeing each other so casually. Before I left for Paris, we were practically inseparable. We did anything and everything together, so to reconnect after all this time is the best thing I could ever ask for.

"I'd like that," I say before we exchange goodbyes and I hang up.

It's only after the call ends that I realise I've walked to the end of the block, and haven't seen a single coffee shop. A chill runs up my spine and I spin around checking if anyone's behind me. It's the same chill I felt at Scala and I'm faced with the same reality that no one is there even though I can swear it feels like there was. I retrace my steps checking to see if I missed the coffee shop. I didn't.

Nearly four blocks and a jumpscare later, I arrive outside a modern, sleek black store.

Cophia, the sign reads. If it wasn't for the two men walking out with coffees in their hands, I'd question if this place was even a coffee shop at all.

I sniffle from the cold and rush in. As soon as I enter, I'm engulfed by the warmth of the store.

"Next," the young barista calls me forward. "What can I get for you?"

I open my mouth to reply, but I slowly realise I don't have an answer for the male in front of me. If his face wasn't enough for me to want to crawl into a hole, the line of customers that magically appeared behind me was.

"You don't by any chance know what Ambrose Vitale's usual coffee order is?" I ask in a hushed tone, feeling stupid for even having to ask.

His face morphs from impatience to confusion all in a matter of seconds.

"No? Okay, I didn't think so. Uhm, can I get a double espresso and a cappuccino to go?" I ask, and the male nods slowly .

I hand him my card, and the nauseous feeling is back. I question what the headlines would say if I let this exchange slip to the media.

Europe's Youngest Billionaire Uses Assistant For Free Coffee?

Most Eligible Bachelor Can't Afford Espresso?

I entertain the idea of headlines all while waiting for the drinks. It isn't until the TV in the centre of the coffee shop shows Antonio and Adriano stepping out of a black car in front of Vitale Holdings, that I stop. The headline across the bottom of the screen flashes, "Vitale Holding's Shaken as Investors Jump Ship Amidst Turbulent Times."

My brows furrow, I wonder if that's what they were meeting about at Scala . The entire meeting had quite a tense atmosphere when I walked in. It would explain why Ambrose appeared to be mid-argument with Diego at the table.

"Valerie," Another barista calls while holding out my drinks. "Any sugar?"

"Yes, please. Three. Do you have any salt?" I ask, and she nods and smiles politely.

I spend the entire speed-walk back googling everything about why the Vitale investors are pulling out. Although a lot of it is speculation and rumours from competitors, they all seem to agree on the fact that it's because of Ambrose's reputation.

The front of the building is still surrounded by a few paparazzi by the time I get back, and I just about manage to slip past unnoticed.

As the numbers above the doors of the elevator rise, so do my anger levels. I cannot believe he made me walk four blocks, in heels at that and still had me pay for his drink. Some billionaire .

I stomp over to his office and bang on the door, before opening it and revealing floor-to-ceiling windows, with the most breathtaking views of Tevici.

The views almost claim my full attention, until my eyes meet his less-than-impressed jade green ones.

"It isn't polite to walk into a room without acknowledgement," he says. "But it seems to be your speciality."

"And it isn't polite to make your assistant walk four blocks to buy a usual coffee order that she doesn't know, and have her pay for it herself."

His brows furrow, "You walked?"

I'm stunned at his change in mood, and it freezes me in my spot in the middle of his office.

I'm directly in front of his desk, and his eyes rake up my knee-length pink body con dress covered by my coat. My outfit is a contrast to the weather in Tevici lately, clearly since I've left the weather has shifted to the cooler side of things.

"Yes, I did, how else was I supposed to get there?"

"The driver," he states matter-of-factly

It's back again, the anger. My eye nearly twitches as I stare at him. Ambrose Vitale has made me feel more anger and irritation in the last hour than I ever have in my twenty-five years of life.

"How was I supposed to know about the driver? Besides, you said it was down the block."

"You could've asked. And as for the money, you could have asked for that as well," he explains, slouching back in his seat.

"No, I couldn't. Especially since you decided to run into your office like a scared little girl." I scoff at his nonchalant attitude and place the coffee on his desk.

Amusement is clear in his eyes as he stares at the cup, and then back at me.

"So, what did you get me?" he asks, lips pulling to the side in a smirk.

"A vanilla frappuccino, since you wanted to act like a little bitch. "

The smirk is gone almost as fast as it arrived, and before I have the chance to retreat to my desk, he's on his feet circling the desk and coming straight for me.

"You've got quite a smart mouth on you. First this morning, now this. You lack some basic respect, especially for someone who's doing you such a huge favour." He says placing his hands on either side of me on the desk, caging me in.

"You're not doing me any favours, Antonio is." I scowl at him and attempt to push him off, but fail miserably, earning me only a smirk.

"You forget… Without me, Antonio has no favours to give out."

My skin feels hot, he's radiating heat like a furnace, and the annoyance pumping through my veins is only adding fuel to the fire. It's suffocating to be this close to him and have his eyes pour into mine like this.

I stare at him and reach up with my hand, gently running it down the back of his neck, allowing my nails to graze down the back of his neck.

"You aren't the same man you were all those years ago, Ambrose," I say in a hushed tone.

"You have no idea."

His face is so close that I can smell not only the overwhelming scent of his fragrance but also the mint of the gum he's chewing.

I smile as sweetly as I can. "It isn't a compliment," I grunt, and slam my knee up into his crotch.

Even though I caught him off guard, his reflexes are still too fast and he moves back in time. Eyes wide, I realise how bad this is, and rush towards the exit but he grabs my wrist.

His eyes are no longer stoic, they now hold emotion. An emotion I can't decipher as it runs across his face.

I rip my wrist out of his grip, not naive to the fact that he lets me go.

"You're an asshole, and it's crystal clear why all of your investors are pulling out. You act like an egotistical, entitled teenager who has no respect for the people around you."

With that, I open the door but turn around. "And, if you're wanting a little assistant that jumps every time you ask her to get coffee, I suggest you rehire Alexa."