Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Ariana
As soon as I got home, I grabbed my laptop and sat down on the couch. Bringing up my Facebook page, I noticed I had a message from her.
“Ariana, please. We can’t believe you just took off like that. Where are you? I tried to call your phone, but it went straight to voicemail, and your mailbox is full. We are so worried about you. Please call. I’m begging you. I love you so much, and this is killing me. It’s killing all of us. I know you’re hurt and feel betrayed, but that wasn’t our intention. There’s so much you don’t know. If you’d please just give me a chance, I will tell you everything.”
Damn it. The first thing I should have done was deactivate my Facebook page. Shit. Reading her message, I felt sick. My being gone is killing them? What about me? What about what they did to me? As much as I hated all of them, I knew they were worried, so I typed a message back before I said goodbye to Facebook.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. Just go on with your life. You’re all really good at pretending.”
I clicked to deactivate, and my Facebook page was gone. I took in a deep breath as I shut my laptop and brought my knees to my chest. I already got a job, so I could start looking for my own apartment. Things were already beginning to look up for me.
The door opened, and Olivia walked in. Setting her purse down, she fell onto the couch next to me.
“So, I hear you’ll be working for Luca.” She glanced over at me.
“I was going to tell you when you got home.”
She sighed.
“Are you mad?” I asked.
“No. Of course not. I am beyond happy that you got a job.” She grabbed hold of my hand. “It’s just him.”
“What about him?”
“He’s a player. He dates a lot, and I mean a lot of women. Never the same one after a week.”
“And? I’m not dating him. I’m working for him.”
“He always gets what he wants and has his eyes set on you.”
“I’m a big girl, Olivia, and I can handle Mr. Russo. Besides, he can eye me all he wants. The last thing I need right now is a man complicating my life. So don’t worry. I’m not going to date, Luca. By the way, I thought you liked him.”
“I do. Don’t get me wrong. He’s a nice guy and a great boss when he gets his way. He likes control and I don’t want to see you get caught up with someone like him.”
I laid my head on her shoulder. “Who would have thought that we’d be working together four years later.”
She let out a light laugh as she rested her head against mine. “I’m happy we are.”
“Me too. Are you ever going to go for your law degree?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe one day. Right now, I’m happy being a paralegal. I love my job, and it doesn’t stress me out.”
I slipped into my mid-length black skirt and a wine-colored luxe zip-front blouse. After curling the ends of my hair, I ran my fingers through it and lightly sprayed it. I’d admit that I was a little nervous but excited to be working and earning a paycheck. The last time I worked was when I was in college. After I graduated, I gave up my job at the coffee house to focus on my studies in law school.
Olivia and I hailed a cab and rode into the office together. Once we arrived, she took me to the Human Resources department, where I completed all the appropriate paperwork. Once I was finished, I headed upstairs to Luca’s office. I reached my desk, where he pretended to be the secretary, and put my purse on the chair. His office door was shut, and I wasn’t sure what to do. Glancing over where Olivia sat, I saw that she wasn’t at her desk, so I just sat and looked around.
“Well, hello there,” an older man spoke as he stopped at my desk. “You aren’t Lisa.”
“Lisa is on a leave of absence. I’m Mr. Russo’s new secretary, Ariana Williams.” I held out my hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ariana. I’m Joe Greggs, one of the partners here. Welcome to Russo, Greggs, & Butler.”
“Thank you.”
Just as he was about to walk away, the door to Luca’s office opened.
“Good morning, Ariana. Joe.” He smiled.
“Good morning,” I replied.
Damn, did he look good in his navy-blue tailored designer suit.
“Morning, Luca. I was introducing myself to your new secretary. Good choice.” Joe winked and walked away.
“Ignore him.” Luca smiled. “Follow me, and I’ll give you a quick tour, and then you can get to work. I assume you know how to answer phones, right?”
I arched my brow at him. “Of course, I know how to answer phones.”
“Just checking.” He smirked.
After my tour, Luca took me into his office and told me to have a seat.
“Okay,” he spoke as he sat behind his desk. “I know you’re not familiar with how law offices work or legal documents, so ask Olivia for help. I have two motions here that need to be proofread.” He handed me a file folder. “And when that’s complete, give them to Spencer, our runner, and he’ll file them with the court.”
I sat there listening to him, and I thought I should tell him that I had graduated from law school. But he did say that he didn’t need to know what skills or knowledge I had, so I’d let him find out on his own.
“I’ll get right on it.”
“Thanks. I have a new client coming in about an hour. Until then, I don’t want to be disturbed, including phone calls.”
“Got it.” I smiled. “Is that all?”
“Yes.”
I got up from my chair, and I heard him call my name as I was about to walk out.
“Ariana?”
“Yeah.” I turned around.
“You look very beautiful today.”
“Thanks.” I gave him a small smile as I left his office and sat down at my desk.
He shouldn’t have said that. He knew better. I couldn’t help but think about what Olivia said. He was a womanizer and a player and never dated the same woman for more than a week. I knew his type. I worked with them, and I was privy to their indiscretions. It was time I found out exactly whom I was working for. But that would have to wait until later. I needed to proofread these motions and hand them off to Spencer, whomever he was.
I was sitting at my desk when Olivia walked over to me.
“How’s it going so far?” she asked.
“Good.” I smiled. “I’m just proofreading these motions. By the way, which one is Spencer? I need to give him these to file with the court.”
“He’s down the hall and the first cubicle on the left. When you’re ready, let me know, and I’ll take you to him. Does Luca know your background yet?”
“No.” I bit down on my bottom lip. “When he offered me the job, I told him that he doesn’t know my skills, and he said it didn’t matter.”
She let out a laugh. “He’ll find out soon enough. Human Resources will be sending up your paperwork for him to sign.”
“Great.” I rolled my eyes.
I finished with the motions, and Olivia walked me down to Spencer. Early twenties, part-time law student, blondish-brown hair that was long on top and short on the sides, brown eyes, and a friendly smile.
“Welcome to the firm, Ariana,” he spoke as he held out his hand.
“Thanks, Spencer. Luca needs these filed today.”
“I’m heading there now.”
As I returned to my desk, Luca stepped out of his office.
“I need you in this meeting to take notes. You can take notes, right?”
“Yes. I can take notes.”
“Good. Grab the iPad inside your desk and come on in.”
Reaching inside the desk, I grabbed the iPad and sat at the table where Luca sat with a man and his daughter, who was accused of killing her boyfriend. I took notes, listened, and watched how Luca handled her when she broke into tears. Her name was Kylie Kirkman, and she was twenty years old. They had been dating for two years. He was the love of her life, and he cheated on her. Luca got her out on a five-hundred-thousand-dollar bond under the agreement that she wouldn’t be left alone. Her father was an investment banker. Mother passed away a year ago. Her mental stability was questioned, for she sought psychiatric care for depression and anger issues after her mother died.
Once the meeting was over and they left, I turned to Luca.
“She didn’t do it.”
He looked up from the file in front of him and over at me.
“It doesn’t matter if she did or didn’t. It’s my job to get her off.”
“Do you believe she killed him?” I cocked my head.
“It doesn’t matter what I believe.” He closed his file and got up from the table.
“How can you defend someone if you don’t believe they’re innocent?”
He let out a long sigh. “Like I said, it’s my job to get her off, regardless of whether she did it. Why the interest?” He narrowed his eye.
“Just wondering how you operate. That’s all.”
The corners of his mouth curved upward into a small smile. “Have dinner with me tonight, and I’ll tell you exactly how I operate.”
The thought was tempting. He intrigued me. But doubt crept into my mind.
“Sorry. I can’t.”
“And why not?”
“Because you’re my boss.”
“It would be a business dinner.”
“To discuss what?” I arched my brow.
“Business and what I expect of you here in the office.”
“You already told me what you expected of me.”
“Maybe not everything.” He smirked. “Ariana, it’s just dinner, for God’s sake. Nothing else. I promise.”
I sat there contemplating whether or not to go. Olivia and Harry were attending some benefit dinner tonight, so I would be home all alone, sitting and thinking about my family. Having dinner with him would be a distraction from all that.
“Fine. I’ll have dinner with you.”
“Excellent. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“I can just meet you.”
“I said I’ll pick you up at seven. By the way, did you finish those motions?”
“Yes. I handed them to Spencer already.”
“Well done and rather quickly. Impressive. It looks like I made the right choice in hiring you.” He looked at his Rolex, which sat proudly on his wrist. “I have to get to court. I’ll see you later.”