PENTHOUSE 521

nine | checkmate

I stared into my cup of coffee as the steam wafted up to my face. Five days had passed since the fight in the alleyway. I had since then deleted Álvaro's contact and blocked his number, and did the same on social media. However, that also meant today was Wednesday morning.

My shift at Niccolò's.

I had gone into work the day following the fight. It was uneventful as the Sorrentino Don wasn't there. Gabriella had informed me he was conducting business with an associate about another property he was eyeing on the island.

I sometimes wondered if she was oblivious she was working for a Mafia Don. Or if she knew. Either way, I'd find out soon enough.

She had me do minor tasks like the laundry, making the beds, and cleaning the kitchen and restrooms. They were all simplistic tasks, and for the pay, it was good. Easy.

He even had his chefs prepare me lunch for that day. Gabriella told me Niccolò wanted me to have the best food around. Every work shift, he'd have his chefs cook me something.

For a Mafioso, he was certainly attentive.

Although, there was one part of the penthouse he didn't want me cleaning. It was the one rule he had for me. I was never to venture to the third floor of the penthouse. It wasn't like I could even if I wanted to. Only Niccolò had the key that unlocked the elevator button to the third floor. There were no other duplicates.

Eh, it didn't matter. It was less space for me to clean.

"Cat, eat your breakfast before it gets cold," Dorian said softly, pulling me out of my thoughts. She was already dressed in her cafe uniform, looking at me from the other side of the counter. "You okay?"

"Yea, I'm good." And I was, but between my thoughts about work and whatnot, I found my thoughts drifting back to Álvaro. It wasn't because I missed him or us as a couple. How could I, especially after what he said and did? I wasn't heartless like he made me out to be. He just was an asshole.

But I was just having trouble because I had cared for him, invested my time in him, and look where that got me. The thought was just hard to stomach.

Dorian's expression softened. "If you wanna talk about he shall not be named, you know I'm here." She placed a hand on one of mine, and I couldn't help but smile a bit at the reference to Harry Potter.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Of course," she smiled, "but remember how most of the boys in school would chase after you?" She leaned in, grinning. "It was like you had them in the palm of your hand. They were hooked."

"Hey, don't discredit yourself, you got a lot of attention too. Remember how the boys and girls would chase after you?"

She grinned coyly. "Our secondary school years were wild." She confessed.

"Oh, they were," I confirmed with a laugh. "Remember when you wrote down the formula for marijuana on the whiteboard in chemistry class? Mr. Espinoza had gotten halfway through his lecture on chemical compounds before he realized what was on the board behind him."

Dorian had a shit-eating grin on her face. Delighted at the mention of one of her many infamous pranks of our time at the academy. "I was just helping the man by giving an example." She stated conclusively before taking a final sip of her coffee. "If anything, he should have given me extra credit, not sent me to the office."

We broke into laughter, any ache that I had earlier lessening into nothing.

She picked up her car keys and tossed a pair of sunglasses into her purse. The Ibiza heat had returned, and it would be hot today. "Well, I better get going for work. Don't want Levi to suffer too long alone with just Carlos."