I step inside the office.

It's dark and mysterious, just like Mateo.

The furniture is wooden and black. The lights are dimed. In the center is a desk and behind the desk is the most handsome, jet mysterious man I've ever seen.

Mateo El Ricci.

He has a smirk on his face as he sees me.

I try to return the smile but I just blush even more.

He stands up and offers me a chair opposite of his.

I sit down. "Thank you"

"Not a problem at all, Emily"

Did he say Emily? God! I like the ways he said my name... in his deep, manly voice...

I look up at him and find him staring at me, but then he shakes his head and walk to his chair.

I take the time to check him out.

He wears a black suit with a red tie... his shoulders is indeed broader than Sebastian... Mateo is also a little bit muscular than him... what would I like to explore his chest... to touch his muscular shoulder and then next his abs...

"So, Emily..." he says, cutting my fantasy. "I want to apologize for yesterday"

I shake my fantasy out of my head and answers him. "Not a problem at all, I didn't hurt myself that much so-"

"-I actually mean that I didn't have a chance to talk to you but, of course, I'm also sorry for bumping into you"

I stare at him, a little embarrassed. "Of course..."

His smirks widen.

"Now... Tell me more about yourself" he ask, curious.

"Like what?" I say.

I really don't know what I need to talk about. My life is so boring that the only thing I can talk about is school...

"Anything...What's your favorite food?" he ask, putting his arm on the desk.

I look at his arm. There're so muscular.

"Emily?"

I look at him. He looks so handsome... I can't look away from his eyes. So blue and... cold, but jet warm at the same time.

"I... I like Italian food" I say shyly, looking down.

"Don't look down" he says and I look at him again. He grins a little. "Italian, huh? You're lucky, that's my favorite too"

I look a little surprise by his answer, and he chuckles.

God! I like the way he chuckles.

I can't help the smile that's on my face.

"You know that I'm Italian, right?" he says.

"You are?" now I'm frowning. "You don't have an accent at all"

"I live already 10 years here, so I guess I lost my accent" but the look on his face tells me that he wants to take that back.

"Well, eum... I was born in California, but when I was 8 we moves here..." I say, feeling a little bit sad.

"Why is that?" he ask curious now.

I stare at him, not wanting to answer the question.

"I ask something, Emily!" he says in a commanding voice, and the Mateo from earlier is gone.

He looks like a real... Boss right now. The one you should be scared off.

His eyes are cold, and his smirk from earlier is gone, replaced with a frustrated expression.

Did I make him angry? Why is he angry? I should be the one who is angry! I don't want him to know about my past and I don't want to know his!

That was a lie; I want to know more about him. I want to know why he react the way he does... but right now he doesn't need to know about me that well...

"That's none of your business" I say coldly.

He stares at me and I stare back.

He can't command things, even if he's more powerful than me.

"Well, that's right, it isn't my business but I think I know something you need to know" he starts.

I look at him curious.

"You're uncle's company, isn't his"

"What?" I say.

"You heard me, it isn't his."

"To who then?"

"The company belongs to your parents"

My mount flies open.

I can't believe him. No, it isn't true.

"No, it belongs to my uncle; my parents never had a company"

"That's what he wants people to believe... your parents died 13 years ago, I'm I right?"

I stare at him, not wanting to answer him.

"I ASKED SOMETHING, EMILY!" he yells, but I look down.

I hate it when people yell at me; it makes me feel like I'm trash...

I look up at him, fighting the tears. "Where are we getting, Mr. El Ricci?" I ask and his jaw tense.

"What I want to say is that the company belongs to you"

"That can't be true! Why didn't they tell me?"

"I don't know that, but I can find out if you want" he says.

I think about it a while.

Do I want to know?

"What if I don't want that?" I say, challenging him a little.

He leans forward, our eyes only a few inches apart.

"I think you want to know..." he smirks "Because the accident with your parents wasn't an accident..."

I gasp. How does he know about the accident? Nobody knows what happened 13 years ago and I want that to stay.

When my parents died, it change me... I wasn't the old Emily, no... I became different...

"How did you-"

"-I have my sources but that doesn't matter right now! Someone planned the accident" he says, giving me the hard stare.

I look him in the eyes, his eyes are cold and dark... and I just can't hold it anymore, the tears come and come and come....

His hand goes to my cheek and he wipes away the tears that just keep rolling down my face.

"I can help finding the one who killed them" he says, calmly. His eyes soften.

"You... you can?" I say, my voice cracking.

He nods and sits back down on his chair.

"What do you want in return?" I ask, aware that he would ask sax or anything.

"Marry me" he says and my heart stops.

Marry him? He wants ME to marry HIM?

I stare at him, not knowing what to says.

"Marry me, Emily. If you want to find out who killed your parents then you need to marry me in return, isn't that a win-win situation?"

I still keep looking at him.

"Do you really want a girl like me, to marry you?" I ask. "Don't you want to marry Stephanie? I head you guys were rocking it yesterday" I say and immediately regretting it.

His jaw tenses. "That was a onetime thing, it meant nothing to me"

I stare at him, disbelieve coating my face.

"So sex is for you just, what? For fun?" I feel my face heat up. "And then afterward... just pretending that nothing happen?" I say in my psychological voice that I learn over the years.

"Don't use that voice to me and yes, sometimes sex is just for fun. Can't you agree?"

I stare at him.

He uses his commanding, Mafia voice! And I can't use my psychological voice? What an asshole!

"But, Emily... I want to marry you, it's a win-win situation"

"Can I think about it?" I ask, still a little mad at him.

"Of course, but I can't wait all day... I want an answer tomorrow! If you don't, then I can't help you. But I want to give you the contract I made, so you at least know what you're getting in if you marry me"

He opens his drawer and takes out a folder.

"Here!" he says.

I think he is mad too...

I take it and open the folder. Inside is a contract.

I read it out loud.

____________________________________________________________

CONTRACT MARRIAGE

Emily Magetta will agree to marry Mateo El Ricci for the benefit. Mateo El Ricci will help Emily Magetta to make the company 'Protect Power' hers, in return that she will marry him so he can be the Mafia ruler and they need to help each other so New York will be his. If one of them stops the contract before one of those things happen, than the one will give the other $25,000,000.00. There also will be some basic rules so there isn't a miscommunication.

Rules:

1. No flirting with other people

2. No sex with other people

3. No kissing or holding hands with other people without the permission of the other

4. The money of Groom can be used by the Bride

5. The bride will learn how the defend herself and how to use guns or other thing, like knifes, to protect herself

6. The Bride and Groom need to pretend that they are in love, even if they need to prove it like kissing or holding hands

7. No touching rule, except if it needs to be proves that they are in love or if the other gives permission,

8. There will be no feelings for the other

9. If everything they promises is complied then there will be a divorce

10. After the divorce the two will not see or speak to each other again

____________________________________________________________

Wow! That's a lot to take in.

"As you read, there are a lot of rules. If there is anything that you want to change just say it and then we can discuses it"

"Yeah there is one thing I want to change" I say, looking at him seriously.

He raises a eyebrow.

"Rule number 10, that need to be gone"

"Why is that?" he asks curious.

"How can we work together afterward if we can't talk or see each other?" I say smirking. All my anger from earlier gone.

He smirks in return.

"Well, well... I see that miss Magetta is a smart lady, but yeah, you can delete that rule and one more thing..." he comes closer "...This stay between us. You can't say this happen to anyone, especially your family"

I nod.

I don't want them to find out either. If aunt know about this, she will kill me.

"I need to go... back... they probably wonder where I am" I say, laughing a little.

"Of course..." he says and stands up.

I also stand up and his hand goes to the small of my back as he leads me to the door.

His touch gives me shivers.

I feel something deep inside me clench.

What are those feeling? I never felt that with someone before...

Ignoring the feeling, I turn so I face Mateo.

"Mateo... I mean Mr. El Ricci" I say, his jaw tense "If you announce who you will marry... can you at least make it look like you couldn't choose between us? Otherwise my aunt and uncle will kill me"

He nods and comes closer. I feel his breath on my ear. His lips are only an inch from them. "It was not a difficult choice by the way. I would have chosen you, with or without the contract just now"

And those were the last word he says before getting back to his desk.

____________________________________________________________