My Online Lover Was the Mafia Boss Who Fired Me Chapter 04
The rumors about me and Elio around the office started after that meeting.
People said I messed up the risk calculation, and Elio didn’t call me out on the spot because he had the hots
for me.
They said I was always popping into the Don’s office,
I’d already slept with him ages ago.
The worst one? The fatter and more innocent I looked,
the wilder I was in bed.
At first, I figured it was just a few idiots joking around.
Until a guy cornered me in the break room.
“Ms. Mercer.‘
He looked me up and down.
“The Don as rough in bed as he is in meetings, huh?”
I was holding my coffee, and it took me a few seconds
to get what he meant.
Everyone around us laughed.
I turned and walked out.
Coffee splashed all over the back of my hand, burning like hell.
No one even warned me.
I found out later that the first person to spread the garbage was Dario’s assistant.
My desk sat right outside Dario’s office, so he always called me in to drop off files.
To everyone else, me traipsing in and out of the family boss’s office every day looked a hell of a lot like I was throwing myself at him.
I filed a complaint with HR.
Three days went by, and I never got a single reply.
On the afternoon of the fourth day, Dario walked over to my desk.
“The Don wants to see you.”
I followed him up to the top–floor office.
Elio was going over files behind that massive black desk.
A termination agreement sat right out on the table.
When I saw that paper, I already knew what it meant.
“Sit.”
Elio didn’t look up.
I sat in the chair across from his desk.
The leather upholstery was ice cold.
But my back was soaked through with sweat.
“Ivy, you’ve been with the family for almost a year now.”
Elio finally lifted his gaze.
“I don’t think this place is a good fit for you.
“You’re fired.
“HR will cut you the severance check per your contract.
“Any other requests, run them by Dario.”
I stared at him.
“Is this because of the report?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
He didn’t answer.
Just flipped a page of his file and kept his head down.
Not looking at me hurt worse than any glare.
It meant I wasn’t even worth an explanation to him.
I stood up.
“I can fix this.
“The raw data in the report isn’t wrong.
“I requested an investigation, but my access got locked.
“Boss, just let me get to the bottom of this.”
Elio glanced at me, shook his head slightly, then stood up and headed for the door.
He didn’t want to give me a single chance to explain.
I chased after him, desperate, and grabbed his arm.
“Tell me why. What did I do?”
Everyone working out in the hall looked up.
Dario followed us out too.
When Elio saw the crowd gathering, his face got even colder.
“There’ve been some rumors going around the company lately.”
He said, “You’ve heard them, I’m sure.”
My fingers loosened, one by one, off his arm.
“I didn’t spread those rumors.
“I never came on to you.
“If you just tell them I only went to your office because
Dario ordered me to
“I don’t need an explanation.”
Elio wrenched his arm out of my grip.
He pulled so hard I stumbled back into the wall.
His shirt hem rode up for just a split second.
On his left lower abdomen, a silver snake coiled around a black dagger.
Right above the tattoo, there was a dark, old bullet wound.
I only got a split second to look before his black shirt covered it again.
Elio turned to face everyone watching.
“I’d never touch her.”
The hall went dead silent.
His eyes landed on me.
“A woman who can’t even get a simple report right
makes me sick.”
Laughter erupted from all around.
I stood there.
Suddenly I couldn’t hear a thing.
The only word bouncing around my head was “sick“.
I’d heard all kinds of cruel garbage my whole life.
People called me fat.
Said I walked like a penguin.
Called me a frumpy old virgin with glasses who’d never even been with a man.
But none of it hurt half as bad as what Elio just said.
Because only a few hours earlier, Nox had told me.
[You’re amazing, just the way you are.]
Now Elio stood in front of the whole company and
announced that I made him sick.
I stared at him.
My eyes were already burning, but I didn’t cry.
“Fine.”
I heard myself say.
“I’ll leave.”