Opposites Do Most Certainly Attract!

Spoke too soon...

It was Tuesday and already, Scarlett was feeling she'd had enough of the week from hell. Why, oh why, hadn't she heeded Dante's warning?! And, how had that imbecile Scott found her office?! Wait, of course he'd found it - her office location was public knowledge! Damn it. She'd actually thought she'd never see the lying jerk's face again. She wasn't that lucky of course.
To top it all off, her grandma had almost collapsed at the news Scarlett had had to impart with concerning the house - it was a total nightmare.

"Ms. Kane, a Finn Stanley from the Weekly Gazette on the line," her personal assistant Jenny said from the doorway to her office, looking harried and more stressed than Scarlett had ever seen her. The week hadn't pushed only Scarlett to the edge obviously. Why was the world so interested in things that didn't matter, Scarlett wondered in annoyance. Since Sunday, all kinds of speculations had been made about her and the renown owner of the Valenti International bank - it had even been said that it was possible Dante Valenti was thinking about breaking off his engagement to Carmella Giorgio! Scarlett hadn't even known her name! Or how classy, rich and Italian she was!

"Decline. God, aren't those idiots ever going to let this alone?! I only sat for lunch with the man for crying out loud! Now, I'm known as the red- haired witch who has cast a spell on one of the wealthiest men in the world! How do people come up with such stupid stuff?!" Scarlett pushed out through gritted teeth, badly wanting to pull her hair out of her scalp - if she got her hands on that photographer, God help him!

"Well, he was smiling at you quite secretly, made it worse I believe - everyone can't stop talking about the way he was looking at you!" Jenny said with a little dreamy sigh - clearly, she hadn't seen this for the extremely serious matter it was.
Scarlett couldn't disabuse that though - she herself was afraid to look at the newspapers to see what everyone was talking about. This was bad.
And no, she wasn't going to call Dante for help, that would definitely make things worse. Imagine. "And what such a great couple the two of you make - duchess!" Jenny made it worse.
"Clearly you wish for me to go through with killing myself - please go away before I actually do it." Scarlett said with a disgusted shake of her head.
Jenny only laughed and said, "This came in for you by the way- a bouquet..."

Scarlett looked up and scrunched her face, "A flower delivery. This couldn't get any worse." she said dropping her head in her hands, "Who's it from?" she groaned

"Scott Manning..." Jenny replied with a look at her boss - hadn't Scarlett run the man out of her office just yesterday? Clearly, he thirsted for more of that rough loving. Her boss was not interested, it was clearer than her screaming it down his ear but what did she know, some people had a thing for rejection.

"That moron. I can't believe he insists on keeping this stupid charade up! And he's engaged! What's with me and engaged men?! Please throw them in the trash." she said without even looking at them. "He's so annoying." only the word 'annoying' was preceded by another colourful adjective.

"But they are so pretty! Can I take them instead?!" Jenny cried in disbelief at her boss's request. Was it because her boss was so beautiful she could afford to turn her nose up at all potential suitors?! Well, Jenny couldn't - she was keeping these beautiful roses.

Scarlett looked at the girl in disbelief, "Seriously? I'll excuse you though, you don't know the imbecile behind the gesture, so you can take them. Just please don't let him in here again."

"He won't even know you're in town." the assistant assured with a happy smile and walked out.

Ring Ring!
It was her mobile. It was 11am. It could only be one person. She didn't check caller identity.

"Hello," she said into the phone with wide guilty eyes.

"Scarlett, hello..." the deep accented voice of Dante Valenti said from the other end of the line and Scarlett fought the shiver that involuntarily always run down her spine when he said her name with that exotic voice of his.