"Stop chattering and close the damn door before it escapes!" Dario listened to me and walked to his room with me still in his arms. If the situation were different, I would not even get close to touching his shoulder, and I was sure he knew it too. He is unbearably annoying and infuriating.

As soon as he stepped into the room, I jumped from his grip and slammed the door shut. "Now, call someone to come get this freaking mouse out and check the house to see if it has family members lurking around the corners; otherwise, I will go and sleep in a hotel."

"Haven't you realized that you have been giving me orders since I met you? I am a mafia don, in case you forgot, and I can get rid of you with the snap of my finger," he declared angrily as he crossed his arms and leaned against the door.

I rolled my eyes and sat on a chair near the window with my legs on it. "You won't do that because you need me to get into the legal business field. And don't tell me that dad would replace me if you asked. Dad cherishes my opinions, not yours, and I can simply end your chances with our company with a single word. So yes, I am ordering you around. Now make the call so I can get out of your boring room as soon as possible." I looked around and had to admit that it was bigger than my room back in New York, but it did not have any sign of life or warmth. He needed to stay home more often and add to its liveliness.

"Dammi pazienza! I will call someone, so stay put. I will be right back," Dario said and opened the door, ready to leave.

"Bring me my bag when you come back. I must prepare for the branch, and my laptop is in the bag."

"You can use mine."

I shook my head. "No, you don't have the necessary tools and platforms for it. Now go."

I have to admit, bossing a mafia boss around is pretty entertaining.

"Puttana," he muttered, and I grabbed his pillow and threw it at his face. "You catch on quickly." He smirked, and I replied with a much more powerful curse. His eyes widened, and I laughed.

"Want to hear more?"

"No, now don't move from the bed."

"Don't tell me what to do," I replied.

"It gets annoying, doesn't it?" He remarked with a grin and closed his door.

"For how long do I have to endure him?"

~~~

After an hour, Dario finally came back with my bag and snacks. "Someone is out there taking care of everything, and he will check my room once he finishes with the house."

"Great, now let me start creating the branch's plan," I said, and he sat on his bed with a phone in his hand.

"You do you, and I will take care of my matters here. Let's work in silence, shall we?" Dario asked. I nodded and started working. Not a minute later, I heard a shriek from across the hall.

"What was that?" I asked as I held my laptop tighter.

Dario did not seem phased as he continued typing on his phone. "That's my friend, Lazlo. He is taking care of the mouse."

"Oh."

I heard a bang from the other side, and I got worried. "Dario, figlio di puttana, bastardo, stronzo! Non è un topo, è un dannato ratto!" Lazlo yelled, and I only understood three words. I was sure the rest were not holy prayers either.

"Ratto? As in rat? That was a rat? No wonder it was so big and ugly," I said.

Dario nodded, grinning widely at his friend's struggle. "Lazlo, when you finish, come to my room. My guest would like to see the man behind the girly scream."

I grabbed the second pillow and threw it at his face. "Lazlo, don't listen to him. I appreciate what you are doing. You are incredible!"

"Dario, I like your guest more than you already. I will check the rest of the house and come to meet you in a bit." We heard running and then a slam of a door. He was taking the job seriously, and I admired his dedication.

I looked at Dario and saw him cracking up. "Don't laugh at him!"

"I can't. Just look at him jumping whenever he feels something brush against his legs." He turned his phone to me, and I saw a man on a video, assuming it was Lazlo. "So that you know, I have surveillance cameras everywhere in the house except my bedroom and yours."

I watched as Lazlo did his assignment and could not help but chuckle when he almost fell. "Wait, you said you have cameras everywhere except these two rooms, but you have other bedrooms, right?" I asked, and he nodded.

"I have three more. One was for my nephew and my sister, so I had to put on a camera for their safety. The second and third rooms were just extras, so I decided to put cameras in case someone breaks into the house and hides there since I rarely open them." His explanation made sense.

I decided to return to my business.

After thirty minutes, the door slammed open, and I jumped, almost breaking my laptop. "Oops, mi dispiace, signora! I don't mean to scare you." I put my device on the table and stood up to greet Lazlo. He was as tall as Dario but not as intimidating.

He shook my hand. "Nice to meet you; I am Lazlo."

"Nice to meet you too. My name's Jolene, and you will see me here quite often."

"Dario told me about you and the business. You are very a pleasant sight to see around here." His reply made me cringe, but I understood his intent. His English might not be the best, but I was pretty flattered.

"Thank you, Lazlo."

"Now, check this room and leave. You have another job to do with grandpa," Dario said, and Lazlo nodded without hesitation. He seemed loyal enough not to argue with his don, but I did not understand the fuss about him being the mafia don. Dario seemed like a normal human to me.

We let Lazlo scan the room, and I wrote notes until my screen flashed red with a warning. "Shit! Damn it!" I sat properly on my chair and put the laptop on the table. "No, no, no! Son of a-" I furiously clicked the keyboard and felt Dario's gaze on me.

"Is something wrong?" Lazlo asked as he looked under the bed for any rats.

"I will tell you in a second." I looked at the screen before me, manually changed the settings, disabled any future cyber attacks, and hid my location. I thought I secured my network at the first hacking attempt, but Atlas was as cunning as they could come. I will not let him win.

"Judging from your evil smile, everything is alright now?" Dario asked, and I nodded.

"Yes, just some kid tried hacking into my computer. I stopped him, so it's all good."

"Why was he doing that?" Lazlo asked as he sat on the other chair.

"Well, I lead a big company, and some people tend to get greedy..." I lied with a smile. I was not ready to tell them about Atlas because it was none of their business, and they might already have enough on their plate. I did not want to cause any inconvenience for anyone while I was in Italy.

My stalker, my problem.

I looked at Dario and saw him staring at me again. His gaze was intense, and I shifted in my place. "Anyway, did you find any other rats, Lazlo?" I asked to change the subject because clearly, Dario did not believe me, and I started to feel uneasy.

"Other than the fatass in your new room and the one sitting next to you, no. I feel Dario put it there on purpose." Lazlo's comment made Dario slap his head. "Joking! I was joking!"

"Not funny. Now, get out and do your other job. Get back to me with the intel you can get."

"Yes, Don. See you some other time, signora Jolene. Enjoy your stay." With that, Lazlo got up and went to his next destination.

"What was he going to do? Kill someone?" I asked jokingly, but Dario's straight face made me gulp. "He is going to kill someone, isn't he?"

Dario stood up and grabbed his phone charger. "No, not kill."

"Then what?"

"Do you really want to know?"

I thought about it and was uncertain. "Maybe," I replied.

He sighed and stood in front of me. I cranked my neck up to see his grin. "Lazlo is going to torture a rat for information. Ironic!" He laughed, but I did not find what he said funny.

"How are you sure that he is a rat?"

Dario placed his hands on both armchairs, and his face was too intimidatingly close to mine. "Because I caught him red-handed stealing valuable files from my warehouse. Anyone who betrays me pays a hefty price. So, you better be careful about what you do around here. Don't be a snitch or a bitch."

I did not know what had gotten into me, but my body acted on its own, and I slapped him.

Shit, now you've done it, Joe.

~~~

17.11.2022

How do you think Dario would react to her slapping him?

See you next chapter :)