Page 3 of His Little Angel
Before he ruins me completely.
Chapter Two
Mila
The next morning, I twist my honey-brown hair into a low bun. It used to be scraped back so tight I was practically giving myself a facelift—until someone at the office joked that I was “thinning” in the back. I checked in the mirror later and nearly had a mental breakdown. Since then, I’ve been gentler.
Twenty-three feels young, but life keeps sprinting ahead like it’s trying to leave me behind. Some days, I swear I’ll blink and wake up fifty, wondering when the hell I actually lived.
A curl slips free. I huff out a breath and tuck it behind my ear. My hair was a pale gold when I was a kid—adulthood dimmed it. I prefer it now.
My outfit follows the same formula as always: a skirt brushing just below my knees, minimal makeup, and a button-up fastened fully. Not that I’m hiding anything impressive. Even if I unbuttoned the whole damn thing, there’s not much to show. Bummer, yeah—but I’ve made peace with it.
There was a point, after my student loans were finally dead and buried, when I considered getting a boob job. But when I sat with the thought long enough, I realized why I wanted it.
Because maybe Enzo would look at me differently.
Yeah. I shut that idea down instantly. I don’t alter myself for a man—especially one who can’t even spare me a full glance.
Heels on, keys in hand, I slip into my Mercedes and speed off to the office.
When I walk in, I get the usual chorus of greetings. Most people are nice. Some… not so much. Like the men who resent that I sit closer to Mr. Morelli than they ever will. That I make more money than a couple of the fresh engineering grads.
The women? Some hate me too. They think I’m secretly sleeping with him—or that I could. As if I’d be competition.Three years beside that man, and we’ve never so much as brushed arms on purpose.
I step into the elevator and see Roy already there. Fresh hire. Large ego. He gives me a sideways smirk and mutters something about how “some people get paid for… proximity.”
My smile is sweet enough to rot teeth. “Roy, I’ve been here three years. If you survive two more months, I’ll hand you my salary myself. I don’t break promises.”
He only started four months ago—but Mary once spilled my salary, and now every insecure man in the building is obsessed with it.
The elevator dings, and Roy steps into my path, trying to block me.
“Move, Roy. We both know one complaint from me to Mr. Morelli is enough to get you fired.”
It won’t be the first time. Every time a man here has tried to push the women around—talk over them, dump the grunt work on them, question why they were hired—one report and Enzo cuts them loose. I didn’t expect it the first time I complained, but he handled it fast.
Roy pales and steps aside.
I walk out without another glance.
Inside Mr. Morelli’s office, I give the space a quick once-over. No dust. No clutter. Everything exactly how he likes it.
Everything exactly howI’vekept it… for three years.
Someone else will do this soon—learn his rhythms, anticipate his moods, memorize the exact way he likes his files arranged and how he takes his coffee.
The thought hits me right in the chest, and I have to swallow down a mix of hurt and jealousy. Jealousy I have absolutely no right to feel.
I have five women on the roster, all handpicked by me. The best in their field. Hopefully, they last. My contract only requiresone week’s notice, but I’m giving two—courtesy, and because I know what it takes to keep his world running. It’s not going to be easy teaching these women how not to get on his nerves so they can keep the job.
The thought makes my skin itch, and my fingernails scratch against my neck. I adjust the collar of my blouse back into place when the door opens.
Mr. Morelli steps inside.
The atmosphere shifts. Enzo Morelli carries an aura that makes you aware of his size without him doing anything at all. His shoulders are broad under charcoal wool, coat slung over one arm, huge muscles pressing against his shirt as he moves. He smells like cedar, musk, and wood. Delicious.
“Morning,” I say.