𝙼𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝒶 𝙼𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝

𝓑𝓸𝓷𝓾𝓼 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮

⭒°ˑ˚。﹒∙♡☼⭒°ˑ˚。﹒∙

The early morning was always my time to get a head start. With everything in the business and family life demanding my attention, it was rare I had a moment to just think clearly. Everyone was still asleep—Rosaline, Hazel, Alessio—so I slipped into my office, grabbed a coffee, and prepared for the day ahead.

But then, my phone buzzed on the desk, and I saw Dante's name on the screen I have called him three times finally he has answered . Dante... the notorious workaholic and my brother's go-to hacker. I couldn't resist a bit of fun, so I answered with a grin.

"Dante, you awake yet? Or are you still snoozing like the rest of us?"

The sound of Dante's annoyed sigh came through the phone. "Luciano, it's 6 AM. What do you need?" His voice was already tinged with impatience, but I loved giving him a hard time.

I leaned back in my chair. "Oh, nothing. Just checking in on you. Haven't heard any stories about you firing anyone this week. What's going on, Dante? Are you slacking off, or have you finally found someone who's actually doing their job?"

There was a long pause, and I could practically feel Dante's mind racing. "Excuse me?" he finally shot back, clearly trying to figure out where I was going with this. "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," I smirked. "It's been three weeks, Dante. Three weeks without firing anyone. What's wrong? You running a soft shop over there or what?"

I could hear the frustration in his voice. "Luciano, I don't fire people every week. I run a professional business. Not everything's about getting rid of the ones who mess up."

"Oh really?" I raised an eyebrow, picturing him on the other end of the line. "Because I remember when you fired your assistant last month. And the one before her. And the one before that. So forgive me if I'm surprised you've actually kept someone around for this long."

Dante huffed, clearly irritated. "You have no idea what you're talking about. I just... I haven't needed to fire anyone. People are doing their jobs. Believe it or not, Luciano, some of us can actually keep things running without resorting to drastic measures every week."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, come on, Dante. You're telling me you've been keeping someone who actually knows what they're doing? How are you still putting up with it? I thought you fired anyone who couldn't keep up with your level of work."

He didn't respond right away. I could tell he was trying to hold back his temper, but I knew I had him now.

"You know," I teased, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms, "if I didn't know better, I'd think you were getting soft. Maybe you've finally found someone who's making you want to hold onto them, huh?"

Dante's voice was a mix of exasperation and defensiveness. "You have no idea what you're talking about. Just because I haven't fired someone doesn't mean I'm 'getting soft.'"

I leaned forward, a smug smile on my face. "Of course, Dante. Of course. You're always so... logical and calculating. But I'll admit, I'm impressed. Three weeks. That's impressive, man. Maybe you should give this person a raise. Or, you know, don't fire them for once."

There was another long pause, and I could practically hear Dante trying to keep his cool. He was good at hiding his emotions, but I could tell I was getting under his skin. Finally, he sighed. "Fine. I haven't fired anyone. Yet. But I don't need you teasing me about it."

"Teasing?" I laughed, shaking my head. "Come on, Dante. I'm just giving you a hard time. You've built this whole reputation around firing people on the spot. Now you've got a streak going, and I'm just... I'm just saying, don't disappoint me now."

Dante groaned. "Luciano, you're impossible."

"Yeah, but you love me anyway." I chuckled, enjoying this far too much. "Alright, alright. I'll let you get back to your precious work. Just wanted to check in on your 'non-firing' streak. Don't let me down, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, clearly fed up but too polite to hang up on me. "Goodbye, Luciano."

I smiled to myself as I ended the call. Dante, always so serious, always so focused. It was fun to mess with him, especially when he was in a mood. I knew he had his reasons for being so strict with his employees, but I couldn't resist teasing him about it now and then.

And as for me? Well, I had a lot of things to do today. But before I dove back into work, I took a moment to laugh at how much fun I'd just had. It was nice to have these little moments of humor amidst the chaos.

A quick glance at the clock told me it was almost time for everyone to wake up. The house would soon be filled with the laughter of my kids, the warmth of Rosaline's smile, and the usual rush of family life.

But for now, it was just me, my coffee, and a phone call to Dante. And that was enough.

⭒°ˑ˚。﹒∙♡☼⭒°ˑ˚。﹒∙

a little tease of dante's book