"A gentleman is someone who does not what he wants to do, but what he should do."
Ava looked at him, puzzled. She felt it was not safe to say her name to a complete stranger, especially a man who looked powerful and very similar to her father.
She ignored his question and said, "Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoyed our service. Please do visit again." She masked a not-so-genuine smile, which Lorenzo was sure about. Lorenzo was furious that she didn't answer the question. In other words, he couldn't accept the fact that a girl ignored him and rejected him. He was the only one who rejected the girls, not the other way around. In response to her answer, Lorenzo just nodded his head and walked away.
Ava felt frustrated that she couldn't kick his perverted ass. Yet she was relieved that she didn't create a scene. This job was the only source of her income. She didn't want to lose it because of any of her mistakes. She knew that she was short-tempered. And because of this, she was proud of herself that she could handle the situation without creating a fuss.
Her father was the worst and only man she'd ever met. She has never been close to any other man. She assumed all men were mean, selfish bastards who cared only about themselves. It is an understatement to say that she hates men, she despises them. You cannot blame her. Her past shaped her into the person she is today.
After working her ass off in the coffee shop, she came back home. It was almost evening. She got freshened up and went straight to bed. She didn't switch off the light because she gets scared of darkness. Three years ago, every night in the darkness, Joe Adonis used to beat his wife, Ava's mother, mercilessly. Her screams were still heard by Ava, and she would get terrible nightmares and even faint if she stayed in the dark for more than 5 minutes. She had nyctophobia, an extreme fear of the dark.
She laid down on the bed and started thinking about her life. For Ava, her life was not miserable. It was just different from others' lives. She tried to be as positive as she could. Though she was well aware of the fact that she had no one in this world but herself, she tried to cherish every moment of her life. She knew she had to be strong, as she was still being searched by her father. She missed her mother so much. She looked at the heart-shaped locket that she was wearing. Inside the locket, Ava had her mother's photo, the only thing she kept with her before escaping from hell. She was engrossed in deep thoughts when she drifted off to sleep.
*****
The next day, Lorenzo was sitting in his office amidst a meeting. He was not concentrating on the meeting, as his mind was on that particular girl who managed to piss him off. He kept thinking about the reason but couldn't find any. He knew he was too rich and good-looking for any girl to ignore him. He groaned in frustration, completely forgetting that there were 10 of his company partners who were listening to the meeting and apparently staring at him.
"Did I do something wrong, sir?" The man who was giving the presentation asked nervously.
"Let's continue this meeting some other day. I'm not in the best mood today." Lorenzo said controlling his frustration.
They all nodded and went out of the conference room except for Francesco, Lorenzo's right hand, and a member of his mafia team.
"What's wrong, bro?" Francesco asked.
"Nothing," Lorenzo said too quickly.
"Girl problems, I guess..." With a dirty grin on his face, Francesco teased. Lorenzo wished to wipe the smirk off his face.
"Shut up and get out." Lorenzo expressed his displeasure.
"Jeez, what crawled up your ass and died?" Francesco asked before continuing, "Anyways, come downstairs. We need to go to the dorm."
Lorenzo grunted but did not waste time and immediately went out to meet her.
*****
Selena was in Lorenzo's office, sitting on the chair opposite his desk. Lorenzo entered and greeted her.
"Hey Lorenzo? What's with your mood?" Selena asked.
"Nothing serious." Lorenzo shrugged and sat on his chair and asked, "What's with the sudden visit?".
Selena looked at him doubtfully but decided not to ask further questions.
"Ok, so there's something important that you need to know." Selena said seriously.
"What's that?" Lorenzo asked.
"The weapon manager of our gang has betrayed us. He joined hands with the Russian mafia. It is reported that he has been visiting their dorm very often. Here are photos of him shaking hands with the Russian leader's secretary." Selena said as she put some pictures on the desk for Lorenzo to look at.
Lorenzo inspected them and growled loudly. He hated the traitors, and he knew what was going to happen next.
"I want him in the basement before the sun rises tomorrow." Lorenzo issued a warning and then went outside to clear his mind.