The Mafia’s Wanted Desires

ASHLEY

“What the hell?” I asked no one in particular as I tried igniting the engine of my car but it wasn’t coming on. I hissed through my teeth and picked up my phone that was lying on the seat beside me, powering it to check the time. God, I needed no soothsayer to tell me how late I was. I groaned and got out of the car, slamming the door shut before I proceeded to open the bonnet. Not like I knew anything, I was going to check in there. I scrunch my face, tapping the battery with the tip of my blood-red nails.

“Oh come on!” I whined.

“Just fucking start already!” I snapped. I crouched softly, taking one of my stilettos off and hitting the pencil sole on the car battery, hoping it would miraculously make the car come alive. After trying to no avail, I wore my shoes and went into the car to get my bag, deciding to order a ride. Genevieve would chew me raw if I didn’t get to that office in twenty minutes.

I locked the car and waited for my ride, which pulled over in front of my house in no time. I greeted the cab driver and he started the ride. I kept shifting uncomfortably in my seat, chiding myself mentally about how I woke up late. All I wanted to do last night was finish up the work on my laptop, but I ended up spending much more time than I should have, sitting in front of the laptop, so I slept late and I woke up late.

I knew there was no time for me to start beating myself up about what had already happened. The car halted in front of the Allure’s building and I alighted after paying the driver. I skidded into the building, paying the littlest form of attention to anyone.

“Gen wants you to see her in her office,” Maxine uttered, holding my gaze. She never tried speaking with me after I lashed out at her the other day and I was super grateful for that.

“Okay,” I simply said and dropped my bag in my office before heading to Gen’s. I made sure I knocked before I entered and she ushered me in. She had a glass of fruit wine in front of her and a half-filled bottle, her fingers moving swiftly on the keys of her keyboard.

“Gen, Maxine told me you wanted to see me,” I spoke up and heard her scoff. She went on typing, ignoring my existence, before she finally decided to acknowledge me at the time she wanted. She stopped what she was doing and fell back onto her chair, taking a sip from her glass of wine.

“You are fired, Ashley.” She deadpanned and my eyes widened, a scoff exiting my lips. I stared at her as though she had grown two heads, squinting my eyes at her and unable to believe the trash she had just spewed.

“I don’t want to get mad and do things you wouldn’t like Peach.”

Wait, was this it? This was how he wanted to get back at me for rejecting his offer.

I felt my eyes water at the impact of his words in my mind.

“You are firing me? Huh, Genevieve? Why?!” I couldn’t stop myself from bombarding her with questions and yelling at her.

“This is my business, NOT YOURS! And I get to decide how I want to run it, NOT YOU!” She retorted, the harshness of her tone matching mine. Her eyes flashed with so much fury as she took me in with those dark eyes of hers, challenging me.

“Oh fuck you, Gen! This is about him! The same client you asked me to meet up with. He’s the one who put you up to this. He asked you to fire me, didn’t he?” I queried, arching my brow at her and I watched an ounce of surprise flicker in those emotionless eyes of hers.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” She deadpanned, not meeting my eyes anymore, and I scoffed. She didn’t even know how to look me in the face and lie to me. My eyes grew blurry with tears and they soon came streaming down my eyes.

“You are so evil, Genevieve! So evil! What did I ever do to you? Why would you treat me like this? All these years, I have stuck by your side and discharged my work effectively. I stuck with you no matter how overbearing and demanding you were! I didn’t leave, Genevieve. I didn’t bail on you and now you have decided to fire me because he asked you to? How inhumane can you get?” I spat out my words with disgust, pain, and hurt evident in my tone. She disgusted me so much that I could barely stand the sight of her.

“You don’t deserve to be called a human, Genevieve,” I said to her face, scoffing.

“Do you think it was easy for me to do this? Yes, I know how you have stuck with me over the years and that’s why you have always remained my favorite!” She snapped at me, rising to her feet and it felt nearly imaginary. I saw tears pool in her eyes but she looked skyward and then, the tears were just gone.

Her last sentence gave me a whiplash that had me staggering backwards without being shoved by anything.

“I’m your favorite? Then why have you been treating me like shit and why would you sell me out this way? Gen, you have no fvcking excuse! No excuses and don’t you dare come up with one!” I shouted.

“I had to do it! I had no choice! He asked me and I couldn’t say no! I just couldn’t say no. You have no idea how much it breaks my heart to see you like this. You have no idea how hard it is to let you go, but I have to do it. I have to.” She sounded so desperate like she wanted me to see reason with her, but all it did was elicit a mirthless chuckle from me.

“You know what, Gen…”

“Screw you and your work. I was getting so tired of it anyway. I’m done here. I have nothing to say to you anymore.” I spoke, my voice was drawn to a whisper. I gave one last long glance and spun on my heels, heading out of her office.

“Ashley, wait!” She called, sharply. Her tone was laced with urgency. I halted and turned to face her, my lips quivering as I glared really hard at her, but that didn’t seem to faze her.

“Ashley, he’s obsessed with you. So obsessed with you,” She began, earning a slight furrow of my brows.

“You have to do what he wants. You have no idea how far he’s willing to take this. And no, he would never hurt you, but I can’t say the same for those around you. Just… give him a chance to prove himself to you.” The tears she was holding back and trying to hide finally spilled and she did nothing to stop it.

“Rot in hell, Genevieve Emilia Royce,” I said coldly and spun on my heels, storming out of her office and leaving Allure for good.