Chapter 5: Rejected

For the next few days that followed, Florence couldn't shake off that unsettling feeling that she was being followed.

At first she thought she had only been overreacting after her encounter with her ex boyfriend but the feeling grew. When she's leaving her apartment or taking a simple stroll down the street,that strange prickly feeling always crawls across the back of her neck.

She was very sure that someone was watching her.

Every time she turned around, there was nothing there.

Just strangers minding their own business.

"It's probably him" Lucia had said when she told her. "He'd never hurt you with so many witnesses around."

Still that did nothing to call her down. No one knew what he was capable of doing. He didn't care about anyone.

Now, sitting at her desk outside Arturo Fanucci's office, Florence tried to stop herself from worrying and focus on the task at hand.

Today was his birthday.

A small paper bag sat carefully on the corner of her desk. She glanced at it every few seconds, her fingers nervously tapping the wooden surface. She wondered if he was going to like it.

It had taken her days of over thinking and second guessing herself to finally pick a gift but the thought that he wouldn't like it kept gnawing at her heart.

Inside the bag was a handcrafted fountain pen made of dark walnut and engraved with a subtle gold design. She couldn't deny that it was way too expensive for just a pen but it was worth it. She noticed that the pen he's using is almost empty and it would show that she cared about something as little as that.

She had even asked the shop to engrave something small along the barrel which cost an extra charge.

'For the man who builds empires.'

The elevator dinged causing her heart to stand pounding.

Florence straightened her posture immediately while pretending to be so engrossed in work.

Arturo stepped out.

It was as though the world always came to a stop whenever he was around. His dark suit was perfectly tailored to fit him,his black hair combed neatly back and his sharp features set in their usual cold expression.

Florence stood up before greeting him but he only walked past her as if she hadn't said a word before entering his office.

Florence decided to wait a few minutes, her heart thumped nervously.

She gave him a few minutes to settle before standing up. Grabbing the gift bag, she quickly hid it behind her back.

Then she knocked.

"Come in."

She opened the door slowly.

Arturo was already seated behind his massive desk, reviewing documents with his usual intense focus. All that man cared about was work.

"Good morning, sir," she greeted.

He didn't look up immediately, his eyes still scanning across the papers in the desk.

"What do you want?"

Florence swallowed, her palm suddenly becoming sweaty.

Her fingers tightened around the paper bag behind her back.

"I... um..." she began, suddenly feeling like every word had disappeared from her brain.

Finally, he looked up.

His dark eyes settled on her, knocking the breath out of her lungs.

"What is it?" he repeated, more impatient and irritated this time.

"I just... Happy birthday," she blurted.

Arturo's hand froze over the papers.

For the first time since she had known him, his expression actually changed.

His eyes narrowed slightly as if trying to study her and find out all of her secrets.

Then his gaze slowly lifted to her face.

"What?" he asked.

Florence cleared her throat nervously.

"I... I got you a gift," she stammered. "Happy birthday sir"

Her hands moved from behind her back, placing the small bag carefully on his desk.

A hopeful smile appeared on her face.

For a moment, he simply stared at the bag.

Then he reached for it which made Florence to hold her breath.

His expression remained unreadable.

And then without warning...

He threw the bag at her feet.

Her smile disappeared instantly.

"Did I tell you that I wanted a gift from you?" Arturo asked, voice cold.

The anger in his voice made her flinch.

"I do not want anything especially from you"

Florence's cheeks burned with humiliation.

"I just thought..."

"I don't care about what you were thinking. Stay out of my business" he cut in harshly. "Or you'll lose your job"

The words felt like a slap.

"It won't happen again. I'm so sorry." She whispered immediately. "I just wanted to..."

"I've met a lot of girls just like you" he cut her off again,his tone dripping with irritation and disgust. "Stop trying to impress me and just do the job you're paid to do"

Florence's throat tightened.

Her eyes burned but she forced herself not to cry.

"I'm sorry," she repeated quietly. "This won't happen again"

Bending down, she picked up the bag and without saying another word she made her way out of his office.

Back at her desk, she stared at the gift for a few seconds.

Then slowly, she stood up and walked to the nearby trash can and threw the bag inside.

Returning to her desk, she sat down and tried to focus on her work but she couldn't get rid of the regret that clung to her chest.

What was I even thinking,getting him a gift?

That day, Arturo gave her more work than usual. Tasks piled up on her desk until it felt impossible to keep up.

Still, Florence didn't complain.

She worked quietly, determined to finish everything. She couldn't help but want to prove herself to him.

_____

Late that evening, Arturo finally stepped out of his office, his jacket draped over his arm as he prepared to leave for the night.

As he passed Florence's desk, his gaze flickered briefly toward the nearby trash can.

For a split second, a small part of him wondered what exactly she had bought.

But the thought vanished almost immediately.

He kept walking.

His eyes shifted briefly toward Florence.

She was still hunched over her desk, struggling to stay awake as she worked through the stack of documents he had given her.

I don't care that she's tired and working late, he thought to himself.

And then he walked out.

Florence slowly lifted her head.

Her tired eyes followed his retreating figure.

Chapter 6: Drunken encounter

The bar was loud.

Music thumbed through the walls, the floor beneath them reverberating as a few people danced around.

Florence sat by the bar, Lucia sitting across from her as she twirled the golden liquid in her hand.

"You should have shut me down when I brought up the idea of buying him a gift" Florence groaned rubbing her face with her palm frustratedly.

Lucia brought her glass to her lips before taking a sip from her cocktail. "I told you to stop thinking about it. He might have even forgotten about any of that"

Florence sighed, still not able to get over the embarrassment of being rejected.

"You had to be there Lu. He looked like I had just thrown mud to his face. Like I'm so unworthy to give him a gift."

Lucia reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "Im not listening to you anymore,Flo. We came here to relax. Seriously. We don't know when you're get a free day again so please... forget about him. For me"

Florence shook her head. "Its not as easy as you think it is. I have to see him next week. The humiliation,Lu. The humiliation"

"You're way over your head. He didn't want your gift" Lucia said bluntly. "Which means he's not worth ruining your night over"

Florence finally let out a small laugh.

"You know what... you're right. You're right"

"I'm always right." Lucia said with a cocky smile playing on her lips as she lifted her glass. "So tonight we drink till we puke"

"Tonight we drink," Florence agreed, raising her glass to her lips to take a sip.

Just then, the bartender walked over and placed two fresh glasses in front of them.

A frown settled on Florence's face as she stared at the bartender.

"Ummm... I'm sorry but we didn't order these" she said.

The bartender nodded toward the other side of the bar, a bored look on his face as if he was already tired of dealing with customers. "Those gentlemen over there sent them"

Florence and Lucia both turned.

They noticed two very handsome men sitting at a table nearby. One of them had sandy blond hair, an easy smile playing on his lips while the other had night dark and sharp features. The moment they noticed that Florence and Lucia were looking at them,they both winked.

Lucia chuckled.

"Well," she murmured, lifting her glass. "How sweet of them, right? This night is already going so well"

Florence smiled awkwardly and gave them a small wave. Lucia waved back more confidently.

They both took a sip of the drinks.

A little while later, Florence stood up.

"I'll be right back. I need to go to the restroom." She told Lucia.

"Sure," Lucia replied. "Don't stay too long though"

Florence chuckled lightly and with a shake of her head,she made her way through the crowded bar.

The hallway leading to the restrooms was much quieter than the main room as it was located at the very back of the bar's building. The pounding music quietened down into a soft vibration as she entered the bathroom.

A few minutes later, she came back out but was stopped when she collided into someone.

"Oh...sorry! I didn't mean to" she said quickly rubbing her nose.

She raised her head up to see that it was one of the men that had just bought Lucia and her drinks.

"Oh... it's you." Florence acknowledged with a polite smile. "My friend and I are really grateful for the drink. Thank you very much for that."

Saying that she moved to walk past him as she wasn't ready to have any conversation with him but before she could take a step,his hand clamped around her arm stopping her.

Florence froze.

With a sharp tug,he pulled her back towards him. Her eyes scanned around but there was no one around.

Her stomach tightened.

"What are you doing? I have to go. My friend is waiting for me" she said carefully, trying to break free.

The man leaned closer, his smile changing into something far less friendly.

"I hate bitches like you. Trying to act oblivious. Did you really think I bought you a drink for free, you slut?" He spat out angrily.

Florence's pulse started racing as different thoughts raced through her head.

"What?"

"You didn't come over to our table even after we bought you a drink. You and your little friend" he continued,his voice low. "Acting all innocent"

Before she could process what was happening,he leaned down and pressed his lips against her neck.

A wave of disgust washed through her. It reminded her of those days when she couldn't do anything to protect herself from him.

"Leave me alone! Stop!" She screamed, shoving against his chest.

But he was much stronger than she was so he didn't move an inch.

His grip tightened around her wrist as he pushed her against the bathroom door,his warm breath fanning against her cheek.

"Stop acting all innocent now pretty lady" he murmured into her ear. "Everyone knows that girls like you come to places like this for attention. You want men to look at you. To touch you."

"I said let me go!" She cried,tears welling up in her eyes as she tried to kick at him.

He barely moved. She hadn't realised how big he was inside the bar.

Instead, he laughed quietly and started whispering crude things into her ear that made her stomach twist.

The harder she tried to break free the tighter his grip around her tightened.

The music from the bar was so loud that it drowned out the sound of her own voice.

"Somebody Help! Please!"she shouted.

No one came.

His fingers moved to the buttons of her blouse while he held her hands over her head with the other hand.

Florence's panic exploded.

She screamed again as the first button snapped open.

Then another.

"No!" she cried desperately. "Please stop this!"

And suddenly...

The weight pinning her against the door was lifted off her.

Florence stumbled forward in shock, her heart pounding erratically against her ribcage.

The next thing she heard was the sickening sound of a fist connecting with flesh.