Assassin Thirty Two

Ten: Unexpected Rewards

Ivy had been summoned to Valentino's office. As she walked down the halls, two security men followed closely behind her and two more were already outside his office waiting. Valentino didn't allow Ivy to walk around the estate without two guards right on her footsteps. It may have already been two months but Valentino wasn't going to trust her one hundred percent.

"Come in." She heard a grunt follow after her hesitant knock on the door. Walking in, her eyes travelled around the room and saw Valentino pouring two small glasses of a brown liquid. Most likely whisky. "Sit." He ushered and Ivy obeyed, taking a seat and quietly waiting for him to wander back to his desk.

Quietly stalking towards Ivy, Valentino placed a glass down on the desk and stood behind Ivy, gripping her jaw in his free hand. "Open." Ivy hesitantly opened her mouth ajar and stared up at Valentino. His large hand had a tight grip on her neck and his cologne was menacing. It lingered in the air around and Ivy was drunk off of it.

Slowly, Valentino placed the cold glass against her open lips and began to pour the alcohol into her mouth. It tingles her lips and she doesn't swallow it until he tells her to. "Good girl." He muttered, letting go of her neck and sitting down at his desk. There's silence in the room and the tension is thick. If they didn't meet under these circumstances, Ivy would definitely flirt with him at a bar.

"I have a gift for you considering your first job went well."

"It's not like I had a choice really so why would you want to buy me a gift?" Ivy questioned, leaning back into the chair. She could still taste the whisky and Valentino slowly drank his.

"You simply followed through on your end. You didn't try to cause a scene or run off and I'd like to reward you for your behaviour. Am I not allowed to, Princess?" Ivy gritted her teeth. She hated the sexual attraction she felt towards Valentino. He was acting as if he "saved" her but his idea of saving her from the agency was merely him holding a gun to her head and telling her she had to work for him or else.

Ivy didn't comment, instead she watched Valentino with an intense scowl as he bent down and grabbed something underneath his desk. He gently placed a black box that had a red bow on top and pushed it towards Ivy. Cautiously, she moved forward and slowly undid the bow, letting ribbon fall off of the box. Valentino leaned back in his chair and brought the glass to his lips, sipping away at the whisky while watching Ivy. Ivy didn't drop her stare from him until she took off the lid of the box to reveal an animal. A cat.

"Pebbles?" Ivy whispered, gently picking it up and smiling when she saw the familiar face. "How'd you know I had a cat?"

"I have my ways." Valentino muttered, a smirk on his face.

"Thank you." Ivy grumbled, holding the cat close to her chest and stroking his head.

"You're welcome, Princess."

Ivy couldn't wipe the smile off of her face. She was glad to see Pebbles again, as if she finally had a friend here. They talked for another ten minutes, Valentino discussing when her next task would be and the plan that she had to follow. He also told her the training that was coming up and how she would need them as preparation for her next mission. Apparently the next target was going to be deadlier than the last. That made Ivy sit on edge. She hadn't killed any dangerous targets yet and she knew that Valentino's hit list would be mainly people with the capability he had.

He soon dismissed her from his office and she left, holding onto Pebbles firmly in her arms.

Closing the bedroom door behind her, she placed Pebbles on the bed and watched the cat get comfortable. It was getting late in the day and she decided to grab a quick shower before dinner was served. When she returned from the bathroom, there was a basket sitting neatly on her bed that she didn't see before. Inside were cat treats and dishes and she smiled, thankful for the gift for Pebbles.