Santi's Downfall

Chapter 10: The Encounter

It is the lives we encounter that make life worth living.

Guy de Maupassant

Haven Pierce's POV

The following after I arrived in Sicily I woke up early to start my day cleaning as a house guest and part-time housekeeper. The head of the maids was reluctant to give me instructions on what to clean because she feared that it would anger the boss if he learned that I was cleaning the house like his hired help.

It took me time to explain to her that this was my initiative and the don was already aware of this. Though I didn't mention to her that her boss doesn't like the idea I don't think that's important right now. It was my pride that wanted me to do something in this household while I was forced to spend my summer here.

And so with great reluctance, she finally gave me orders to clean the rooms on the second floor. I was beyond ecstatic when I could make myself useful around here. When I entered the room the head of the housekeeper wanted me to clean my jaw dropped on the floor.

It was the mafia's boss room!

Dark gray walls with a massive bed and huge paintings hanging on the wall. There were lampshades on each side of the bedside table there was also a portrait of Santi with an older man probably his father given that they were the mirror image of one another. This ultra-modern bedroom belongs to Santi Marchesi there was no doubt about it.

What madness has possessed the elderly housekeeper to instruct me to clean this room of all the other places she could have given me to clean? I was about to retreat and asked the head housekeeper to assign me to clean another area of this house other than that bedroom. I was about to leave before my presence in this room was known but it was already too late. I heard the bathroom door open.

I gasped loudly when Santi emerged from the bathroom fresh from his shower—and completely naked! I screamed at the top of my lungs when I got to see the full view of his nudity. "Cover yourself, will you?!" I demanded while covering my eyes.

I heard him laugh softly but he made no effort to cover the lower part of his body. "Why will I do that? You are in my room. Why do you expect me to cover myself for your convenience? What are you doing here, by the way?"

"The head housekeeper instructed me to clean this room. I didn't realize that this is your room." I replied acidly while focusing my eyes on the marble floor. There's no way in hell I could lift my eyes knowing that he's showing his full glory right before my eyes without a hint of shame in him. Damn him!

"So you are here to clean my room?" He asked his deep voice with enjoyment. "By all means, don't mind me and start doing your chores."

I glared at him. Ops, wrong move. I quickly avoided my gaze still shielding my eyes with my hand. I gritted my teeth together. Why does he like to irritate me early in the morning? If he was a normal person—the least he could do was cover himself knowing that there was a woman who was about to clean his room but this man was beyond impossible!

"How can you expect me to do my job when you are standing there naked?!" I hissed at him, still protecting my eyes from his freaking sight. "Don't you feel ashamed of your behavior? Have you forgotten that I am your ward? This can be considered as sexual harassment."

"Sexual harassment?" He mused out loud. I heard him chuckle darkly. "How can you consider this as sexual harassment when you're the one who invaded my privacy and came to my room without my permission, Haven? When you're the one who insisted on working as one of the maids without even consulting me."