Ugly Ronney: mafia romance [English]

Chapter 3-3

The shaking of the sedan on the gravel woke me up. Despite the dust that surrounded the vehicle, I recognized the driveway. We had returned to Asylum. I turned to Yeraz, who was looking at his MacBook while taking notes.

"I have to attend the eighth performance of Entrepreneur's Student tomorrow night. I will need an outfit for the occasion."

He didn't bother to look up from his laptop screen. The car stopped.

"For the outfit, I will need your height, as well as--"

I didn't have time to finish my sentence as Yeraz was already out of the vehicle. I understood that he didn't intend to help me. Ashley had warned me several times that I shouldn't ask any questions.

The bodyguards waited for me to enter the luxurious mansion to close the doors behind me. I was surprised to be greeted by a blond, rather slender man with a relaxed, smiling face. His leather pants and ultra-tight top made me raise an eyebrow.

"Hello, Miss Jimenez, I'm Timothy, your assistant."

His infectious good mood cheered me up. I was happy to meet people different from Yeraz. By the way, where was he?

"How is your day going?" my assistant asked me, obviously concerned about my well-being.

"To be honest, I'm dreaming of coffee and a good bath."

"The bath, unfortunately, won't be possible, but for the coffee, follow me."

Timothy left for the kitchen. I looked up and thanked the heavens for putting him in my path.

The kitchen was twice the size of my apartment itself and was equipped with a profusion of electronic devices. The pungent smell of bleach made me gag and brought back bad memories. I adjusted my glasses and leaned against the center island where Timothy was making my coffee.

"How long have you been working for Mr. Khan?" I ventured.

"Thank God I don't work for him. I've been working for his assistants for over eight years and Ashley for three."

He handed me my cup with that big smile. I looked around to make sure we were alone.

"I don't know if I'll get used to having assistants. I'm not the type to give orders."

Timothy leaned on his forearms and stared at me with redoubled intensity.

"You're different from anyone else we've seen so far."

"I'll take your word for it," I said in a whisper before taking a sip of my hot drink.

The young man stood up and looked at his watch.

"Ashley should be here soon. The day is far from over."

I frowned and shook my head.

"My email is already full. Mr. Khan has given me a ton of instructions, in addition to getting him an outfit for tomorrow night's performance."

"Do you know what kind of performance?"

I slightly pulled a face before answering, "I didn't even have time to say two words and he had already disappeared from my sight."

A smile appeared on the corner of my assistant's lips.

"Sorry, that was a stupid question. Ashley should know better about Mr. Khan's suits than I do. She'll take care of it. Okay, now I'll show you to your apartments upstairs."

"My apartments?"

The suite was incredibly bright, with a large terrace overlooking the park. Different shades of ochre dominated the rooms, giving an image that was conducive to relaxation. It was hard to feel cramped in this private apartment. Dressing room, office, bathroom and many other details were designed to satisfy and optimize the productivity of Mr. Khan's employees.

"Is this where you live during the week?" I asked, contemplating the height of the ceiling.

"No, this suite is yours. Mr. Khan wants his assistant to be available at all hours of the day and night."

I placed my bag on a chair and tried to look as relaxed as possible while moving forward with maximum caution.

"That won't be possible. I already have a place to sleep, and I can't leave Alistair and Bergamote alone."

The young man, surprised, questioned me with his eyes.

"My roommates."

"It's your choice, but I doubt that Mr. Khan will agree with this decision."

"I already decided everything with Camilia. Yeraz will have to--"

Ashley's entered the room with her arms full of binders and envelopes that were threatening to fall to the floor. I ran to meet her and help her.

"I picked up the invitations for the big Thanksgiving reception. The Khan daughters and Camilia confirmed all the names this morning."

"Oh, no," Timothy moaned. "Tell me the seating charts are already done."

Ashley placed the rest of the supplies on the desk and gave him a sideways glance. He pretended to sob as he fell to his knees. My assistant rolled her eyes and turned to me.

"Okay, Ronney. What's the rest of today's agenda?"

I took my phone out of my pocket and checked Yeraz's emails before answering.

"Timothy and I can get started on sending out the invitations for the reception and you could take care of that shopping list."

I handed my phone to Ashley, who began to scan the long list, looking serious.

"All right, transfer it to me. But anything to do with the dry-cleaning and, uh...the last item, that's up to you. The label 'private' next to it indicates that only Mr. Khan's assistant can handle that errand."

Reading the embarrassed expression on Ashley's face, I took the phone back to see what she was talking about.

"Twelve shirts, fourteen pants, jackets. Get the KB-13 file from Alfonso's. Two boxes of...condoms."

I stopped and cleared my throat.

"Can't Yeraz handle his box of... Well... By himself?"

"Do you see him walking into a drugstore and asking for that kind of stuff?" replied Timothy, his arms crossed.

"No, I don't. I don't even see him with a woman, to tell you the truth. Yeraz seems so unsociable and cold."

My cheeks began to burn. I shook my head to get rid of the image of that man in a woman's arms. Timothy's light laughter lightened the mood. He clapped his hands and said, "Who knows? Maybe his coldness could be hiding unsuspected passions? Ouch!"

Ashley's little slap on the back of his head brought him back to reality.

"I'll take care of the first part of the shopping," she said. "Don't hesitate to contact me if you need me."

My assistant grabbed her bag and hurried out of the room, still perched on her stilettos.

"That girl is great," I whispered. "I don't understand why she isn't in my place."

Staring at the door, I could barely hear Timothy's words.

"Because of rule number two!"