Raven's Point of View
The deeper we drove into my neighborhood, the quieter he got.
The city lights disappeared.
The sidewalks cracked.
Graffiti showed up on brick walls.
People lingered on corners they had no business lingering on.
And Dominic Derveaux-dominant, ruthless, feared-sat at the wheel like a storm bottled inside a man.
His jaw flexed.
His grip on the steering wheel hardened.
His eyes scanned every shadow like he was expecting someone to jump out.
When he finally turned onto my street, I felt the air in his car change completely.
He looked at my building.
Really looked.
The flickering lights.
The busted mailbox.
The peeling paint.
The busted front door that didn't even close all the way.
His expression darkened.
Not disgusted.
Not judgmental.
Something worse.
Angry.
Not at me.
At everything around me.
I swallowed, trying to lighten the mood even though my heart felt like it was sliding down my ribs.
"Relax," I said. "This isn't the kind of place that steals from people who don't belong."
His reaction was immediate.
A low, dark chuckle-deep in his chest, low enough to vibrate through the air between us.
But it wasn't amused.
It was almost... irritated.
Like my comment was the least of his concerns.
Like people stealing his car was the least dangerous thing on this street.
Of course it was.
He was a billionaire.
He probably had twenty more.
Before I could process it, he turned off the engine and-
opened his door.
"What are you-?"
He didn't answer.
He stepped out into the rain like he couldn't feel the water slamming down on him. The moment his door shut, I saw him circle around the car.
My eyebrows furrowed.
No way.
He wouldn't.
He did.
Dominic walked right to my side, his dress shirt clung to every line of his massive chest and broad shoulders, soaked through in seconds.
I stared, stunned, as he reached for my door.
And opened it.
Like this was some five-star hotel drop-off.
Like I wasn't just a drenched assistant with cheap clothes and a bad first day.
I grabbed my worn out strap bag, confused as hell, and stepped out.
He stood there, towering over me-hot, enormous, radiating body heat even soaked through. The rain ran down his jaw, dripping from his hair, sliding down his neck into the open collar of his shirt.
His presence swallowed the whole damn sidewalk.
I had to tilt my head back just to look at him.
Holy.
Shit.
His voice came out low, controlled, like he was holding something sharp behind it.
"See you tomorrow, Ms. Vazquez."
My breath hitched-hard.
He waited.
Didn't blink.
Didn't move.
Didn't get back in the car until I nodded like a complete idiot.
"O-okay..." I managed, voice embarrassingly small.
Then-
Only then-
Did he turn away from me, walk back to the driver's side, and get in.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"What the fuck..." I whispered to myself, hair stuck to my face, bag hanging off my shoulder, rain soaking through my entire life.
"What the actual fuck just happened..."
By the time I dragged myself up the three flights of stairs-heels in my hand, hair stuck to my face, clothes wet and clinging like a second skin-I was convinced today had been a fever dream.
A stupid, chaotic, mafia-flavored fever dream.
I pushed through the building's front door and started up the stairs inside, digging my keys out of my bag as I went. By the second landing, my arm ached, my patience gone.
I reached my floor, fumbled with the lock, and shoved the apartment door open.
Instant mistake.
Jamie shrieked.
Lila gasped.
And I just stood there dripping on the welcome mat like a traumatized cat pulled out of a bathtub.
Jamie slapped a hand over his chest.
"OH-MY-GOD. RAVEN. Why do you look like a wet noodle that got hit by a bus?!"
Lila came running with a towel.
"What happened?! Did someone mug you? Did someone push you into a fountain? Did the BOSS push you into a fountain?!"
"I'm fine," I muttered, stepping inside.
Jamie pointed at my see-through blouse.
"GIRL. YOU ARE NOT FINE. I can see your entire soul through that blouse!"
I groaned.
"Okay, okay, shut up-just let me breathe."
They dragged me to the couch like two overexcited parents at a meltdown recital.
I wrapped the towel around myself, dropped my bag on the floor along with my heels, and exhaled.
"Alright," Jamie said, hand on hip. "Start. Talking. Because clearly your first day at work turned into a full Netflix crime documentary."
Lila nodded aggressively.
"From the beginning. And don't skip parts. You always skip the spicy parts."
I leaned back and covered my face.
"Oh my god... okay. So first... I forgot to wear a bra."
Jamie screamed into a throw pillow.
Lila fell onto the armrest like she fainted.
I continued miserably.
"And he noticed."
Jamie lifted his head, eyes wide.
"He WHAT-"
I groaned again, burying my face in my hands.
"I didn't even realize until I was already there, and by then it was too late to do anything about it. And, of course, the first thing Dominic did when I walked into his office was notice. He stared, Jamie. Stared."
Jamie wheezed with laughter.
"Oh my god, this is gold. First day on the job, and you're already giving the boss an eyeful? Iconic."
Lila wheezed.
"Like-how long?"
"Five seconds. Maybe ten."
"OH HE WANTED YOU," Jamie declared, pointing a finger in the air like he'd solved a murder.
"NO HE DIDN'T-listen! That's not even the crazy part-he made me walk with him to his lunch place."
"You WALKED with the mafia boss? On day one?" Lila whispered like I had committed a sin.
"Yes, and THEN while we were waiting in line one of the cashiers stared at my boobs and Dominic got MAD."
Jamie stood up.
"MAD HOW? MAD LIKE-'sir that's rude'? Or MAD LIKE-'I'll kill your whole family and their dog'?"
I stared at him.
They both froze.
"Oh my god," Lila breathed. "It was the second one."
"He flipped the guy off," I said helplessly. "Right in front of everyone."
Jamie sat down slowly.
"Bestie... your life is not normal anymore."
"And THEN-" I continued, throwing my hands up, "he forced me to buy food on his tab. Like-forced. Like full-on growled at me in line."
"The way I would've fainted on the spot," Jamie whispered.
"But that's not all..." I said, voice dropping.
Lila leaned in.
"There's MORE?!"
I let out a slow breath, already regretting opening my mouth-but there was no sugarcoating this.
"He's married."
The living room went dead silent.
Jamie froze, his glass hovering halfway to his lips. Lila blinked once. Then twice.
They didn't explode.
They didn't yell.
They looked at each other.
A look passed between them-quick, heavy, guilty.
My stomach dropped.
"...Why did you look at each other like that?"
Jamie slowly set his glass down. Too carefully.
Lila pressed her lips together, eyes shifting anywhere but my face.
And then Jamie said it.
"...We know."
The word hit me harder than if they'd slapped me.
"You-what?" I laughed once, sharp and disbelieving. "No. No, you don't. You're messing with me."
Jamie cleared his throat.
"Okay. Before you freak out-"
"I'm not freaking out," I said. "I just don't understand why no one mentioned it."
Lila sighed.
"Because it wasn't supposed to matter."
I frowned.
"How does that not matter?"
"It's not the marriage," Lila said carefully. "It's him."
I leaned back against the couch, processing.
"You let me walk in there without telling me he was married and already looking at me like that."
"We warned you he was dangerous," Jamie said.
"You warned me he was powerful," I shot back. "That's not the same thing."
Lila leaned closer.
"Raven, listen. Working for a married man isn't the issue. Plenty of bosses are married."
"Then why didn't you say it?" I asked.
"Because once you know," Jamie said slowly, "you start seeing how trapped it makes things."
That settled heavy in my chest.
"So what," I said. "I'm supposed to just... ignore it?"
"No," Lila said firmly. "You're supposed to keep your guard up."
I sighed, sinking deeper into the couch.
"Every Monday he will send me a task-arrange flowers for her. That's like... part of my job now."
Jamie scoffed.
"What a romance. Nothing says 'I adore you' like having your assistant handle your weekly apology bouquet."
Lila winced.
"That's... honestly depressing."
I let out a breath.
"A heads-up would've helped."
"Different world, Raven," Lila finally said softly. "It's D'Vere Heights. He's not Ashwick. Things aren't... normal there."
"Things or people?" I muttered, glaring at them both.
Jamie rubbed the back of his neck.
"Either way... you're smart. You can handle yourself."
I shook my head, leaning back.
"Yeah... I guess I can. But still. First day, and I already feel like I'm playing with fire."
For a moment, none of us spoke. The only sound was the rain outside, tapping softly against the window.
Then something Lila said replayed in my head.
I frowned slightly.
"...Did you just say D'Vere Heights?"
She nodded, like it was obvious.
My stomach tightened.
"Is that where he lives?"
Jamie and Lila exchanged a look.
I swallowed, trying to sound casual. "Because yesterday... the driver mentioned Nightshade Row. He said that's where his company is. On the rich side."
Jamie leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"It is," he said. "Nightshade Row is where all those glass towers are. Companies, headquarters, private firms. Money stacked on top of money."
Lila nodded. "That's business rich."
Jamie continued, quieter now.
"But D'Vere Heights?" He let out a low breath. "That's personal rich."
A chill slid down my spine.
"That's where they live," Lila added gently. "Not where they work."
My fingers tightened around the fabric of my sleeve.
So both sides were his.
Nightshade Row.
And D'Vere Heights.
Work and home.
Power in daylight.
Power in the dark.
Jamie studied my face carefully.
"Why?"
I shook my head quickly. "No reason."
But that wasn't true.
Because suddenly, he felt even further away than before.
Not just rich.
Not just powerful.
Untouchable.
Jamie leaned back into the couch again, swirling his drink slowly, his lips curling into a smirk like he'd just put something together.
And I knew-
he was about to say something unhinged.
"You know..." He tapped a manicured finger against his chin. "If he's gonna be an unfaithful bastard, the least he could do is cheat properly."
Lila nearly dropped her glass.
"Jamie!"
"What?" He shrugged. "I'm just saying-sending you flowers for her while eye-fucking you at work? That's not even good cheating. That's lazy."
I gawked at him.
"Are you seriously criticizing his infidelity technique?"
Jamie waved a hand.
"I'm just saying, if you're gonna be a terrible husband, commit to the role. Take the mistress to Paris, shower her in diamonds, maybe whisper something sinful in her ear while she's picking out lingerie-that is how you do it."
Lila groaned.
"We are not encouraging adultery, Jamie."
Jamie sighed dramatically.
"Fine. But if he ever does decide to be a proper scumbag, he better not half-ass it."
I dropped my head back against the couch with a groan.
"I hate this conversation."
Lila patted my wet leg sympathetically.
"We all do, babe. We all do."
I swallowed, cheeks burning.
"He... said something about his ring when he flipped the guy off for staring at my boobs."
Jamie's jaw DROPPED.
"THE RING?! His wedding ring?!"
"Yeah," I muttered. "His wedding ring."
"Oh here we go-" Lila muttered.
"He said"-I swallowed again, trying to mimic his dark tone-"'This ring doesn't give another man permission to stare at you.'"
Both of them SCREAMED.
Jamie threw a pillow across the room.
Lila slapped the couch like a drum.
"HE'S MARRIED!" Lila cried.
"I KNOW!" I cried back.
"AND HE SAID THAT?!" Jamie yelled.
"I KNOW!"
Jamie paced the room.
"It's giving... obsession. It's giving... forbidden. It's giving... 'I'd burn down New York for you' on DAY ONE!"
I covered my face with my hands.
"I told him it was inappropriate and he said-he said-'What does my marriage have to do with this?'"
"Oh he's GONE," Jamie whispered. "Like mentally unhinged gone."
Lila sat down next to me and shook me like a rag doll.
"And THEN?! What the FUCK is the rain situation?! Why did you come home looking like a drowned Barbie?"
I groaned.
"I tried to go home by bus. And he-he chased me."
Jamie blinked.
"Like... politely followed you?"
"No. Like car creeping behind me. Then speeding up. Then slowing down. Then calling my name through the window."
Lila screamed again.
"I refused to get in his car, right? And he-he wasn't taking no for an answer. So he got out."
Lila squealed. Jamie practically fell off the couch.
"The rain was pouring," I continued, shivering at the memory. "Hard. Like the sky was trying to drown us both. And we argued-just for a second, but it felt like forever."
Jamie covered his mouth.
"Ohhhh no."
"And then..." I swallowed, cheeks burning. "He-he just looked at me. Like... I don't even know. And then he said-" I paused for effect, letting them absorb it. "'Why are you looking at me like that? Like you want to kiss me?'"
Lila nearly jumped out of her seat.
"WHAT?!"
I leaned back, still in a daze.
"...We almost kissed in the rain," I whispered, my voice barely above the sound of the storm outside.
Jamie's jaw dropped.
Lila's eyes went wide.
"Wait-what? You-you actually almost-?" Lila whispered, covering her mouth.
Jamie slammed a hand on the coffee table.
"Y'all almost kissed? IN THE RAIN? Are you both insane?!"
I nodded, hands trembling.
"And then... he leaned down. His lips were right there, Jamie. I could have kissed him. I-" I groaned softly. I blinked, dazed, hugging my knees. "I turned my head away just in time. I remembered he's married."
Lila shook her head, whispering,
"Now I get why you were so mad when we told you we knew he was married..."
I sighed, leaning back.
"I wasn't mad," I replied, but the lie sounded hollow even to me. My toes were still curling just from remembering it, and my heart was hammering like I'd sprinted a mile.
Jamie's smirk twisted into disbelief.
"Uh-huh. Not mad. Totally fine. You just-almost kissed a married mafia boss in the middle of a storm. Yeah, that's chill." He waved a hand dramatically. "You are completely insane. Absolutely batshit. I'm scared for you, Raven. SCARRED."
I groaned.
Jamie's eyebrows furrowed, pacing a little.
"Wait-hold on a damn minute. This is the same mafia boss who could probably have someone killed with a snap of his fingers, and he... paid for your lunch, almost kissed you, begged you to get in his car, and this is your first day?!"
I nodded.
He threw his hands up, pacing a little more.
"Raven! Are you telling me all of that actually happened? And you're just sitting here like it's... normal?!"
I groaned, burying my face in my hands.
"I told you, we didn't kiss!"
I rolled my eyes at him.
Lila slapped my leg.
"Girl... what are you doing to yourself?"
Jamie shook his head, disbelief written all over his face.
"I cannot believe this. First day, and you're already... in the danger zone!"
Lila narrowed her eyes.
"That doesn't add up. Ruthless criminals don't just offer free meals and car rides out of kindness."
I let out a groan, running a hand through my wet hair.
"Trust me, I know how weird it sounds! One second, he's this intimidating, no-nonsense man with the whole dark and brooding thing going on, and the next... he's buying me food like we're friends or something."
Jamie crossed his arms, grinning like he had just discovered the juiciest gossip.
"Oh, sweetheart, he's interested. There's no other explanation."
I immediately shook my head.
"No. Absolutely not. Dominic is not interested in me."
Jamie gasped dramatically.
"Oh, honey, denial is a disease, and I hate to see you suffer."
I rolled my eyes at him.
"And when I tried to sit in the back seat to avoid him"-I rubbed my wet face-"he told me to get in the front."
Jamie's jaw fell open.
"HE SAID IT LIKE THAT?"
"He warned me by name," I said. "And I listened."
Lila slapped my leg.
"AS YOU SHOULD!"
"And when I gave him my address..." I stared at my hands. "His face changed. Like he knew the neighborhood. And hated that I lived there."
Jamie sat beside me.
"Bestie... he's obsessed."
"And then-HE GOT OUT. In the rain. And opened my door for me."
Lila slapped her mouth.
"He WHAT."
I whispered,
"He opened my door. In that storm. And said-'See you tomorrow, Ms. Vazquez.'"
Silence.
Dead, shocked silence.
Then-
Jamie screamed so loud the neighbor banged on the wall.
Lila jumped off the couch like she was summoning spirits.
"BESTIE. YOU ARE LIVING IN A MAFIA ROMANCE AND WE ARE NOT PREPARED!" Jamie shouted.
"I'M NOT PREPARED EITHER!" I yelled back.
Lila grabbed my shoulders.
"You HAVE to go to work tomorrow."
"Why?!"
"BECAUSE WE NEED MORE EPISODES!" Jamie yelled, pointing dramatically at the ceiling.
I let my head fall back, groaning at the universe.
"Oh! I almost forgot," I said, my voice suddenly tight with nervous excitement. "He told me how much I'm getting paid."
Lila leaned forward immediately. "How much?"
I hesitated.
"He's paying me five hundred thousand a year."
Silence.
Jamie blinked once.
Twice.
Then he grabbed the couch like the room was spinning.
"Five hundred... thousand?" he whispered.
"I did the math," I said. "It comes out to about two hundred and forty dollars an hour."
Jamie made a strangled sound and collapsed back dramatically.
"TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY DOLLARS AN HOUR?!"
Lila's cup nearly slipped out of her hand. "Raven, that's insane."
Jamie clutched his chest. "That's not assistant money. That's obsession money."
"He's not obsessed," I said again, but my voice was weaker now.
Jamie pointed at me like a prosecutor delivering the final blow.
"Raven. You just met him yesterday. And he's already rearranging your life."
He leaned closer.
"He's obsessed."
I swallowed.
Because the worst part?
I didn't know if he was wrong.
But Lila was already on her phone, looking up what kind of jobs even offered that kind of money.
"Honestly, girl, you hit the jackpot. Just be careful. You don't want to get too comfortable with this whole mafia boss thing."
"I'm not," I replied quickly, not even sure why I was defending Dominic. "I'm just doing my job. But, yeah. I guess it's... nice to be paid well for once."
Jamie grinned. "Yeah, well, let me know if he ever needs a personal assistant for his personal life-I'll take that job."
I rolled my eyes but couldn't help but smile at their antics. As much as I was still processing everything, there was one thing I knew for sure-things were about to get very interesting at this job.
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