Back at the office, I was greeted by my co-workers, and there were several new designs on my desk. "Thank you," I said to them.
"Welcome back, Ma'am!" Some of my colleagues greeted me. They continued to address me with great respect, as I was the daughter of the company owner, even though I had informed them that we could be on a first-name basis. Only the manager called me by my name.
"I'm glad to have you back, Millie!" Ma'am Lana, the manager of the operations department, hugged me.
"Thank you, Ma'am Lana," I replied as I took my seat. My colleagues kept coming up to me to ask about my married life and honeymoon. I often just laughed it off.
"I thought you weren't coming back. Word from above was that you might just become a housewife. Still, I thought, until you formally resign, I won't remove you from my department," Ma'am Lana said.
I bit my lip. I was sure my father was behind the news that I wouldn't return. I don't know what's wrong with my father; it's like he underestimates women. He thinks women should stay at home and take care of their husbands. The reality is, we can do what men can do. We can build our own names and careers. If only he weren't my father, he might top the list of men I'd rather not encounter.
I focused on my work. Two of my colleagues asked who the two people sitting in the waiting area were - Dario and Mariana.
"Uhm..." How do I explain that they're my bodyguards and that I'm not comfortable leaving the house without them? Perhaps they'd be more shocked to discover that there are others inside the office and that they're scattered outside, keeping watch over me.
I didn't need to answer their questions about Mariana and Dario because they soon got busy with their work as well.
At lunchtime, I was about to ask if anyone wanted to order food when I noticed Dario approaching my manager. He said something to her, and Ma'am Lana nodded in agreement. A moment later, the glass door of our department opened, and I immediately caught the aroma of freshly cooked food.
"Okay, guys! We already have our lunch; we don't need to order or eat out," Ma'am Lana announced. She looked at me and smiled. "Courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Locatelli."
My colleagues turned to me and applauded. They all expressed their thanks to me.
I didn't know anything about it, but I smiled at my colleagues. I also approached Dario to inquire, "What's going on? Who sent the food?"
"It was Sir Gio, Ma'am." Dario replied.
I was amazed, and unexpectedly, Gio sent us food, a smile curved on my lips. I joined in, enjoying the meal. The food came from Loca Deli Restaurants, the famous five-star restaurants owned by the Locatelli family.
"First time my taste buds have experienced such an expensive meal!" one of our junior colleagues joked.
Lunch was delightful, and my smile never left my face, all thanks to Gio. I thought I should give him a call to express my gratitude.
I left the office to find a better place to have a private conversation with Gio, as the signal inside was poor.
"Where's Dario?" I asked Mariana when I noticed only one chair was occupied and he's nowhere to be found. I was walking towards the fire exit as it had a strong signal on this floor.
"I'm not sure, Ma'am. He left in a hurry earlier, and I wasn't informed about the reason," She shrugged.
When I reached the fire exit, I left Mariana outside to stand guard. I didn't want her to accompany me here and overheard my conversation with Gio. It might just lead to embarrassment.
I found a good reception area and called Gio.
"Millie," he greeted when he answered my call. I immediately smiled to myself. Lately, I noticed that I always found myself smiling when it came to Gio. My fear of him was slowly diminishing.
"Hi, are you busy? Sorry for calling." I bit my lip for a moment as I thought about what to say. "I just wanted to say thank you, Gio. You went to the trouble of arranging the food. My co-workers were delighted."
I didn't get an immediate response from him, and my cheeks turned red. Did I say something embarrassing?
"How about you? Were you happy with your lunch?" His question took me by surprise. He was asking if I was happy!
"Of course. Thank you."
"Good. Anything else?"
My lips moved but I smiled later on. He still spoke so sparingly!
"No, nothing else. Just want to say thank you. Anyway, I might be bothering you. I know you're busy. Bye."
There was a long pause before I heard him bidding me goodbye, too.
"Bye." And both of us hung up.
As I was about to leave the fire exit, I heard someone crying. I stopped and looked around. It seemed like the crying was coming from the floor below the fire exit.
I went down the stairs and peered at the lower floor. I saw a woman who was in tears.
My heart went out to her. She was all alone, with no one to console her. I couldn't help but see myself in the woman, as I, too, had shed tears alone, with no one there for me.
"Excuse me," I greeted gently. I took a handkerchief from my pocket and offered it to her. "Are you okay? Why are you crying?"
She lifted her head and looked at me. I felt compassion for her, seeing her teary eyes.
"I'm okay," she started.
She tried to turn away, but I quickly followed her. I had a feeling she was going through something difficult. I didn't want to intrude into someone else's problems, as I was already carrying my own, but sometimes, it's not a bad thing to listen to others to help lessen their burdens.
"Do I need to make an emergency call? Are you in pain? What do you need?"
She looked at me, and the hand covering her face slowly lowered.
"What do you need?" I nodded at her. I was willing to help if I could. The corner of her lips lifted slowly, sending shivers down my spine.
"I need you."
Before my mind could fully comprehend what had just happened, I suddenly felt a cloth covering my nose and mouth from behind. It had some substance that sapped my strength, and I started to weaken and lose consciousness.
The woman took out her cellphone and made a call.
"Boss, we have Gio Locatelli's wife in our custody. Proceed with the plan. The bomb is set to create a distraction for the Locatelli's security. We'll be able to leave without them suspecting that Amelie Locatelli is with us."
The last image I saw before blacking out was the woman I tried to assist, laughing.