The Italian Director Next Door (CASTELLANO SERIES #1)

5

I jolted awake to the ringtone of my phone that was reverberating through my eerily quiet bedroom. I pulled the eye mask over my head and reached over the bed side table, grunting. I flinched at the sudden brightness of my phone and squinted at the caller ID. Clearing my throat, I slid my finger across the device.

"Sophia, this better be urgent." I hissed, smoothing a hand through my bird nest of a hair.

"Chief! I just a last minute call from our investors' secretaries from Japan. I'm not sure if you were told but they were expected to be arriving in an hour and half at the Kennedy airport, way earlier than what they were scheduled for. Administration had a little mix up with the timing and right now the Marketing manager is down with fever and he can't make it. Also, Rogue Japan had specifically requested to meet you and Mr. Castellano only." She said hurriedly, taking in a deep breath after.

I groaned in frustration and kicked my duvet away from me.

"You mean we have to pick them up? From the airport?" I clarified and rolled myself to the edge of my bed.

"Please tell me you've also informed Mr. Castellano as well." I clipped the phone between my ears and shoulder, frantically kicking off my silk pajama shorts and blouse, stubbing my toe at the bed side table in the process, looking for the light switch. "I've already done so. It's all good, that is if he does not fall back asleep." Sophia gushes over the phone.

"I'll take it from here Soph, thank you." I ended the call and threw my phone on the couch in my room and raced for the shower. I was so going to be late, I knew for a fact that Japanese culture prioritizes good time management and right now, I was nowhere close to it.

While I was struggling in getting into a fresh set of underwear after my shower, I received a text from my neighbour next door. I tapped on the screen and read his message.

'Are you awake? If you don't respond to this text immediately I'm gonna break down your door'

'Very much awake, we're carpooling today'

I knew for a fact that Castellano's car was arriving in New York today from Italy and so he had to hitch a ride with me all the way home yesterday.

'I'm alright with that, chop chop mia cara'

I applied deodorant and put on a blue silk long sleeved Dior blouse with a high-waisted skinny jeans. After dabbing on some makeup, I made a bolt into the kitchen, getting a flask out of the cabinet and made a flask of instant coffee, there was certainly no time for freshly brewed beans today. I looked at the time on the clock on the wall and it was already 5am. Shit. I was late.

I grabbed my heels from the shoe cupboard and bag on the way out and slammed my penthouse door. There, my grungy-turned-hot neighbour was hopping on one foot outside his door tightening his shoelace.

"Don't just stand there tesoro, go get the lift button!" he pointed with his chin and I quickly dashed towards the elevator bare foot, with my tote, coffee mug and heels in both hands.

We both clambered into the elevator and straightened our clothes. I threw my car keys at him and he caught them. "You drive, I need to fix my hair."

"Thank god, you drive like a tortoise." He commented and I didn't even have the time to react. We clambered into my Maserati and he sped out of the parking lot. I braided my hair and sighed in relief when we were finally on the highway towards the airport.

"Can you set up the GPS? I'm not familiar with the roads yet." he said, taking a sip from the coffee mug. "Fuck that's hot." He cursed. I tried to keep a straight face as I fixed the map on the screen display with Kennedy airport locked in.