The next day, I showed up at the office at six, running on barely any sleep and clearly exhausted. The building was still shrouded in shadow, with the morning light filtering through the windows. My heart raced as I made my way to Axel's office.
The moment I stepped inside, he was already watching me with that intensity that left me feeling both vulnerable and alert.
"Come in and close the door," he said.
I shut it behind me and took a deep breath. "Why am I here?"
"Because you provoked me yesterday."
"I told you the truth."
"You lied." Axel stood and stepped closer. My breath caught as he neared, his eyes locked on mine with a piercing intensity that almost hurt.
"Today, you'll handle the file room. I want everything organized alphabetically."
I froze. "That'll take me days."
"Then you'll stay here until it's done." A small, almost smug smile appeared on his lips.
"Why are you punishing me? Just because I let myself relax a bit yesterday? It doesn't make sense—you're being unfair."
Axel lifted my chin with his fingers, tilting my face up. "I'm punishing you so you always know I don't tolerate provocations easily."
I tried to pull away, but he held firm. "And I'm going easy on you. This isn't how I usually punish, Crystal. I'm much more… physical."
I swallowed audibly. "Never mind. I'll organize the room."
He released me and watched carefully as I was about to leave his office and headed toward my punishment.
But at the last moment, I paused by the door, my hand on the handle.
"Are you punishing me because I'm attracted to someone else?" I turned to look him straight in the eyes.
Axel didn't seem to expect the question.
"I'm punishing you so that you understand."
I stepped closer, nerves on edge. "Understand what, Axel?"
"That I don't like losing control over what belongs to me. I don't want you getting distracted by nonsense."
I stared at him, shocked. "Nonsense? Me trying to be happy with someone?"
Axel gave me a contemptuous smile. "You're talking about a man you don't even know."
For a moment, I didn't reply—he was right. I didn't really know Claudio, yet I wanted to throw myself headfirst into this connection.
"It doesn't matter. You have no right to interfere. It's my life."
Axel turned his back to me and walked to the window, watching the city move below. "The day you stepped in here, you lost that right. I own everything that works for me and makes me money. If I say Claudio is a distraction, it's because he is. Don't go against me—I never respond well. And now, go."
Hours passed, and I wasn't even halfway through. Despite the exhaustion, I didn't mind being there: there was a quiet, a small peace, and no one ordering me around.
After that conversation with Axel, I needed a moment to myself. I realized I'd been hired by a control freak—a boss who saw all his employees as extensions of himself.
My job was to obey him, not to erase my own life just to please him. I felt everything slipping out of my hands as Axel gained more control and power over me.
At some point, the door opened and Lucy stepped in, her smile full of concern.
"Come on, let's go have lunch."
"I can't leave. I need to finish."
Lucy shook her head and grabbed my arm. "Are you trying to faint? You need to eat, or you won't have any energy left."
I let her lead me to the break room, where a few colleagues were warming up their meals. I sat between Lucy and a man quietly eating by himself. She passed me a slice of focaccia and a piece of pizza.
"Eat, or I'm not letting you leave," she said, half-joking, half-serious.
The guy next to me smirked. "You're always like this, Lucy. Trying to save everyone."
I turned to him. "Hi, we haven't met."
"I don't always work here. They move me around a lot." He barely glanced at me.
"Right. Enjoy your meal." I decided not to push the conversation. He clearly didn't want to talk.
"I'm Francesco," he said after a pause.
A small smile escaped me. "I'm Crystal."
"I know."
I frowned. "You know?"
"Who doesn't know you here? Axel Valenti's new secretary," he said, with a dismissive tone.
"From the way you say it, you seem annoyed."
He scoffed. "Annoyed? I don't care. You fell into the lion's den. Deal with it."
He stood up, leaving the rest of his lunch behind, and I was left there, wondering what had just happened.