Jasmine's PoV

"Ms. Luciano, a pleasure to see you again."

"Mr. Manetti," I say as I give a slight nod in his direction.

"How many times must I tell you to call me 'Salvatore' or 'Sal', hmm?"

"Not while we are at work," I tell him.

Here is one way that Kaiden's dad differs from my own. He always tries to be playful with me. My dad, however, doesn't feel the same way.

Yes, my father is by far the greatest dad that I could ever hope for. He is kind, loving, considerate, and supportive. When it comes to a professional setting, we must always be "professional ". No joking around. Address everyone with respect. Always make eye contact when speaking with others. You get the picture.

Cold. Strong. Unyielding.

This is how I must be in professional settings. This is my destiny. My fate. I will make my father proud. No matter what it takes.

"Mr. Manetti, how are things going at the docks? Are there any shipments that we should be expecting within the next few days?"

"Everything is fine for the most part. We do have another shipment expected to come in late Sunday night."

"What do you mean 'for the most part'?"

"Well, this last shipment we had of guns and ammo was a bit short," he says nervously.

"How short was it," I ask him.

It seems like Kaiden and Sal noticed how icy my voice got. I see them both tense up. Kaiden starts cracking his knuckles. A nervous habit of his.

"It was 100 units short."

"Is this the only shipment that has been short?"

"Yes, Boss."

"Make sure to make a record of this incident. Double check all future shipments unless I or my father say otherwise. Let one of us know immediately if another shipment comes up short. No matter how short it is. Also, tell your men that if there are any issues or concerns before 6 to let me know."

"Of course."

"Thank you, Mr. Manetti. Kaiden, text Lorenzo and see if the recruits are ready for inspection."

Shortly after we start walking towards the gym, I hear Kaiden's phone go off.

"Lorenzo said he can have the recruits ready whenever you want," Kaiden says.

"Tell him we're on our way. After the inspection, I am going to change and workout for awhile. I'll have you grab some food afterwards."

"Sounds good."

About 5 minutes later we arrive at the gym. I am so glad that the warehouse is big enough to accommodate a gym this size. This is my second home. I feel more comfortable taking over for my father knowing that I will be so close to the gym. I am always able to clear my head and come up with solutions after a good workout.

"Lorenzo."

"Miss."

Lorenzo is used to greeting me this way now. Whenever I am inspecting new recruits, I want to see how they behave around me before they find out who I really am.

This is a small group. 10 members. Not too bad. Lorenzo has them lined up and has each member do a short demonstration of the fighting skills they have learned so far. They all do fairly well. It has only been a month since they were recruited and started training after all.

"Lorenzo, make sure you keep working with them for 2 hours every day. I want them to be exceptional next month when I come back. I will let Boss know how they performed today."

 "Of course, Miss."

I start walking towards Lorenzo to ask if he has any spare time this week to train with me. All of a sudden, I can hear a loud smack and feel a stinging sensation on my ass. I instantly see Kaiden stop and tense up. He knows not to do anything without me asking him to though.

Fucking new recruits.  

I turn around and I am face-to-face with what looks like your average everyday fuckboy.

"Damn, baby. You're looking like a snack," he says with a cocky smile.

Now, I could just wipe that smirk off of his face right away by telling him who I am. However, I think I will have a little fun and teach him a lesson at the same time.

"Really? You think so," I ask in my most flirtatious voice.

"Of course, babe. How about you let me take you out and show you how a real man treats a beautiful girl like yourself?"

"I think I would much rather see your skills in the ring," I reply as I gesture towards the boxing ring off to the side.

"Prepare to be blown away, babe. Who should I go up against? Pick anyone you want."

"Anyone? Really?"

"Anyone." 

"Alright. How about....... me."

"Come on. Be serious, baby. I don't want you to get hurt playing around."

"Aw! How sweet of you! So considerate. Perhaps I should introduce myself first though? My name is Jasmine Luciano and I will be the one you answer to soon. That is if you last long enough. I can assure you, you don't need to worry about my safety. Now, get in the ring and let's see you impress me."

All of the recruits are in shock at my revelation. The newbies always are. However, Fuckboy is clearly the most shocked. He tries to put his confident smile back on.

"Don't you want to change first? There's no way you can fight wearing that tight skirt and heels."

 I hold my hand out for Kaiden to help me get in the ring.

 "Let's go, Hotshot. Don't make me say it again."