Meet Karen Winchester, an American that had lived in Italy for twenty years. She arrived with her mother to visit her father when she had barely hit puberty and refused to follow her back. According to her, she says Italian men are so romantic and with hope, she intends to marry one of them so she won’t have to divorce her husband like her mother.
Working toward her goal is her huge priority until she meet Luciano and fell in love with him. Even when she had sex a few times with Lu’s extra feelings, she hopes to make him fall in love with her one day and that was how she found herself working as one of the lead case managers in his company.
Going around doing what she thinks she knows how to do best, Karen would yell at staff over things that were supposed to be overlooked. Her usual mood had to either be too happy or angry too with her assumed criteria to be the independent hard-to-get woman that everyone would want.
But in cases like this, she is either too busy or didn’t hear about it when she would be busy, watching them from her office.
“What are you talking about!?” A customer yelled “I said I brought a powder here for my baby and she is having uncontrollable rash all over her body” the lady folded her hands under her big breast.
The staff she was yelling at just kept apologizing, when she tries to talk, the woman would yell and threaten to call the police if they don’t refund her money. The poor girl just had to put her hand behind her and bowed her head.
“I will report you all for selling fake products if I don’t get my refund!!!” The woman yelled more “Give me back my money now unl-”
“Keep your voice down madam” Lu interrupted calmly “What does he say she wants?” He asked his staff.
“I want my mo-” the woman tried to interrupt but was cut short.
“I wasn’t talking to you, Madam” Lu hushed with a weird smile on his face, the woman seems immediately calm and he made the smile look more fake “Thanks” he stated.
“She said our products gave her baby rashes and she wants her money back,” the girl said “I tried asking her the name of the product, it could be her baby is allergic to it but she kept raising her voice” she lowered her head as if resuming her downcast position.
Lu stared at the woman for a while wondering what he would say that won’t hurt her because she look hurt already. Mere looking at her he thought she might just be another person sent to cause problems for him again.
The woman’s hair look neatly combed and parked in a ponytail, her dress look worn out and had holes almost all over. The slippers she wore looked oversized for her small feet and she had a scared look on her red face.
“Where is your recipe?” Lu asked, his gaze became impatient as the woman wouldn’t say a word “Keep her here and call the cops” he order and walked away but stopped on hearing the woman crying voice.
“Please” she sniffed “I just need money” she rushed to him “My baby is hungry and she won’t stop crying” she knelt down beside him and hold his leg “If you want to call the cops on me please do it, but adopt my baby”
Lu cringed, he looked down at the woman’s red face and fold his hands behind him. Some of his security came to drag the woman away but he stopped the with a single wave of his hand.
“How old is your baby?” He stooped to meet her face.
“She is three years old” She replied almost immediately “Amara is two years old”
Lu sigh, his angry gaze went soft as he took the woman’s shaking hands in his large ones. He stared at her red face and smiled, not that he wanted to make her feel better, but she had a funny look with a bubble coming out from one of her noses.
“My daughter’s name is Amara and she is six years old” he stood up “You are employed” he looked at the security who rushed to help the woman on her feet “Give her food for Amara and also her job descriptions”
He didn’t wait for the thousands of thanks the woman kept screaming as he walked away, he could see his staff and customers staring at him like he had grown double heads which he actually has. One for him and the other for Alita, the one that kept telling him to do good things and hopes he would forgive him.
His heart dropped as he remained he didn’t go back to check up on her, after he had broken her wrist, he felt too guilty to even think about how good her lips would taste again.
“Pleased to see you today sir” Karen quickly walked up to him with the brightest smile on her scared face “What do you need?” She toss her hair back and straighten her coat “We are pleased to welcome your unannounced presence”
Lu gave the lady one quick glance and looked at the elevator ahead of them, the least he wanted was to get disturbed in his company again. Since he doesn’t seem to have peace in his house, he decided to come to his company to have some free time.
“Sir?” Karen walked after him into the elevator “You have a visitor”
“Are you supposed to tell me now?” He glared at her, his anger almost turned into a giggle when he heard her swallow “How long has the person been here?” He asked.
“Four days” Karen blurted out, she trembled as Lu’s gaze burn her forehead “I mean she comes here every day saying she had not been allowed in your house” she paused to swallow saliva again “I felt it would be unnecessary to bother you since you refused her access to your house”
She looked at her shoes as she tried to calm her nerves waiting for the worst punishment as usual. It’s either she works overtime for two a week, not off for one month, make sure to stand at the entrance of the building welcoming customers for weeks, mob his office, or no shift for her till after three months.
After waiting and didn’t hear anything, she stared up to see Lu staring down at her, her cheeks burning as she find him more attractive with his usual mean face.
“What’s her name?” Lu asked, his voice hoarse as he lean closer.
“Flavia” Karen replied.
Her blush turns darker shades as she leans forward to meet Lu’s kiss, with her eyes closed and the brightest smile on her face, she stretched on her toes, having been too short even on her red heels.
“Make sure to clean my empty office every day for a month” he smirked as Karen opened her eyes to meet his angry face “I am been nice, consider yourself lucky for today is my birthday”
Embarrassment and anger consumed Karen, she twisted her lips and looked the other direction with her head down like her shoulders had grown too weak to keep them high as it was seconds ago.
“Thanks, sir” she muttered “There are things on your office table. We couldn’t get to know if you would be around today so we all dropped our birthday presents for you”
Lu’s face went emotionless, he placed his left index and thumb under his jaw with the right hand behind him. He lifted one of his brows while the other remain in its position, his thin lips squeezed and bent in an awkward direction. He look like he was thinking or pretending to think.
“Let me make it twenty days” he smiled at her “Twenty days of tirelessly cleaning my office seems fair for making a fake customer yell down the peace of my company”
“Pardon my nonchalant attitude, sir,” Karen said “It won’t happen again”
The elevator door opened to Lu’s big office and they both stepped out. The office look bigger than Lu’s room if it was empty, it look as big as a whole floor of a building with chairs, tables, television, fridge, and laptop. Flavia was seated on the seat meant to be for the boss with her legs crossed on the table.
Her long legs were bare, exposing her elegant but annoying-looking legs.
“The woman would resume work tomorrow,” he said to Karen without looking at her “Make sure to give her double uniforms”
As Karen left the office, Lu went straight to the gifts on one of his tables and began to go through it totally ignoring Flavia.
“Happy Birthday, Luciano,” she said as she slapped a colorful look booklet on the table.