Saint Valentine

10

It's not the sun that wakes me up this time. It's a loud, persistent knock on the door.

"Miss Baldessano," they call out to me, continuing their banging.

"I'm coming," I grumble a response, my words barely audible. I slip out from under the sheets, my ankles almost too weak to keep me upright. I walk over to the door like a zombie. As soon as I open it, a whole brigade of men barges into the room, almost knocking me backwards. It's too much for me to register this early. "What— What's happening?"

"We've been instructed to pack your bags," Seth stops before me. I recognise another one of the men — Gianna's brother Gino, who handed me the letter during the gala.

"What?" my scowl deepens. It's way too early for this shit.

"Sainte has asked us to pack your things."

"What?" I repeat. Is he kicking me out? My body instantly wakes up.

"Did he not tell you we were coming?"

"No. He didn't," I march back into the bedroom. There are men digging through the wardrobe and others pulling things out of the bathroom. This is ridiculous. "Can you stop, please?!"

"Sorry, boss' orders," one of them says. But it's not good enough. I climb up onto the bed, towering over them.

"No! Stop it right now!" I boom. "If any of you move another muscle, I swear to god you'll regret it!"

"Bianca—," Seth tries.

"No!" I pull away. The men stop what they're doing, turning to look at me. "Where is Sainte?"

"In his office."

"Get him up here right now."

"Bianca..."

"Right now!"

"He's not doing to be happy," Gino warns.

"I don't care."

Gino shakes his head in disagreement. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and holds it up to his ear. I wish I could hear the whole conversation, but this will have to do.

"We've got an issue," Gino begins. "She's refusing to cooperate. She insists on seeing you first."

The room is so silent, I can hear Valentino blaring on the other end. It doesn't sound good, but Gino doesn't make any other attempts to convince him. He removes the phone from his ear.

"And?" I ask.

"He's on his way."

Good. Time stands still for the next few seconds. Everyone stays frozen in place, waiting for the boss to arrive. I feel for them, knowing they're about to be exposed to the argument of the century. The man himself walks into the room moments later, a deep scowl plastered on his face.

"What are you doing, Bianca?" he demands. "You're wasting valuable time and resources right now."

"I don't care about your time and resources, Valentino," I mock him. "I care about you voiding our agreement and kicking me out!"

"What?" he moves closer. "I'm not kicking you out."

"Then what the fuck is going on? Why are they going through my things?"

"Will you come down from there?" he holds his hand out to me. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"No! I need answers."

"Bianca—."

"Tell me what's going on!

"Only if you come down."