SURRENDER - Mafia Romance

• CHAPTER 20 •

"You want me to be your calendar?" I raised my eyebrows.

He let out a sigh and tilted his head, "I want you to be my assistant."

"Why can't you take one of the boys?" I walked forward and sat on one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"On the top of my head I'd rather have someone who has nothing else to do to be concentrated and organized," he started and sat down too, "besides, since when assistants are boys?"

I looked away, unsure of what to say or do.

"Take this," I looked back at him and took the document he was putting together a few minutes ago, "I will give you my agenda too, make me a list of what I have to do and who I have to meet for this week and when you're done start on next week. Also, squeeze a meeting with Al tomorrow or after tomorrow."

I opened the document and I found small sticky notes with empty papers with one or two words in it and phone numbers with unfamiliar names.

"There is the agenda with all the numbers that are not in the document." He handed me a small agenda. "Good? Let's go."

He got up and started opening the lab behind his long portrait.

"Ace?" I called, wanted to talk to him about what I thought he called me for but again, he was ignoring me.

"Talia, I have so much to do, please go get started." And he disappeared behind the door, shutting it behind him.

I looked down at the document in my hands and sighed. I got up and went to my room.

Hours later, I was still sitting in the same spot, pulling my hair for my lack of understanding anything that was happening.

I learned many things I didn't know before and they all lead to a worse image of who I saw Ace to be. He wasn't only doing SP, selling them which makes him a dealer, he also had many buildings that he was renting but it wasn't clear for what. He also had a company of import and export things I wasn't sure of, which made me wonder if that had anything to do with the SP. I sort of understand the reason why he built, or maybe my father built, many things to bring income so they don't seem like they are having illegal money, a company and buildings were enough camouflage for the drugs they were dealing.

On the other hand, I ran through many names that I wasn't able to understand who they were. I didn't even know who Al, the person he told me to set a meeting with, is. What I understood was that Al's real name is Alfie who is important to Ace. Izra was also important but that was all I understood. I organized all the names in proper papers and filled the agenda with everyone's numbers and who I understood they were. Then I put a small circle on the people I wasn't sure who they were. I put together the meetings that were already planned and wrote them on a paper that I put in the document, deciding that this will be the document where I will plan the meetings and important dates so I know when is when.

I got up with the agenda and the document and searched for Ace to ask him about who these people were and to show him what he had planned for the week. He was sitting with the boys downstairs in the living room, drinking, as usual and joking with loud music.

"Ace," I called. I saw Joe staring at me with his narrow and piercing eyes, full of disappointment. His smile quickly vanished when our eyes met which grew the confusion in me. I tore my eyes from his and turned them to Ace's. A contrast I knew will always be glued in the back of my head; Joe who's eyes hold forbidden emotions, hold veiled words he couldn't say, hold feelings he couldn't free, and Ace who is an empty shell, who's eyes know exactly how to stay numb and hide well what he is feeling. "Can I talk to you?"

He got up and walked past me to his office. He sat down on one of the chairs beside his desk and I sat on the one right in front of it. His eyes quickly saw the papers in my hand.