Silvia just sighed, relief mixed in with the exasperated expression. Her bouncy black hair was pinned up in a messy knot, her face devoid of makeup, it made her look even younger.
She had feared that Angelo would disappear after his resignation, it made her worry.
She picked up the landline on her desk to arrange for some food to be brought up to her office.
"Have you even eaten all day?" She accused, "Now that you’re no longer working for me, this meal is coming out of my pocket."
"I ate the apple I swiped off your tray in the morning," Angelo muttered, his eyes getting heavy.
Although Silvia kept trying half-heartedly to get rid of him, he always snuck into her office at the most random times to doze off in one of her chairs.
Angelo wasn’t quite sure why but whenever he napped in Silvia’s office, he never had nightmares, his thin shoulders slouching as he finally got the chance to stop being on edge.
"I killed him," He said quietly into the office. Silvia always had it brightly lit even in the day time, the white fluorescent lights giving the office a bit of a clinical air.
"I know," Silvia said simply, her words holding a world of unspoken conversations. "You..." She trailed off, unable to say the rest of her words.
She knew as much of Angelo’s past as he had been willing to tell her, and she had made a promise to him when they first met, that she wouldn’t stop him from carrying out his revenge.
Silvia hadn’t thought much of it when it was done but now, nearly a decade later, she faltered.
Mafia King Ivan was dead, as well as everyone he had a deep grudge against but she couldn’t bring herself to say that out loud, that was too cruel.
Silvia wouldn’t have cared otherwise, but this was a dangerous job she would rather Angelo didn’t do. Even when he was still a fledgling teenager, he had caught on quickly, able to rapidly think of a solution whenever things went awry.
But even those who were veterans in the business wouldn’t take on this job for all the money in the world. Mafia King Nikolai was a monster, and he didn’t bother to hide that.
Angelo’s eyes had already slipped shut, sparing him the sight of her internally battling with herself.
The food she had ordered came a short while later but she didn’t interrupt Angelo’s sleep, the Beta’s long hair fell over his face, a face that was still gentle in sleep despite the cruel life he had lived.
Silvia’s lips twisted in dissatisfaction, she couldn’t focus on the reports she had been going through, she couldn’t accept that this was the end that Angelo would have.
If she was being honest, this had plagued her all day, and she had stayed back at the company because she knew that Angelo would find his way here.
Silvia wanted Angelo to have a bit of a happy ending, she was happy that he was resigning from the company, hitmen never met good ends, but she wished that he wouldn’t do this last job.
The chances of his success were beyond slim, and Angelo knew that but he remained unwavering. The Beta had made enough in his years of being an assassin to quietly live a good life somewhere, Silvia wanted that for him.
She cursed under her breath as she forced herself to focus on the reports again, her sharp-tipped nails tapping on the desk.
Angelo slept until dawn came, a ray of sunlight splashed on his face, the warmth gentle against his pale skin. And when he opened his eyes, the illumination of the sun made his eyes look like precious stones.
Silvia stopped sighing and cursing at that point, pretending to focus on her screen. "You let your food get cold," She said without any real anger, the words that she actually wanted to tell him buried deep down.
Silvia had racked her brain for weeks trying to figure out an outcome where Angelo didn’t die. In her desperation, she even considered going to Nikolai with a proposition.
But she couldn’t do that to Angelo, he trusted her, and she took that very seriously.
"I’ll eat it." Angelo uncurled from the chair, stretching slightly.
Silvia knew he meant what he said and that was why she had long sent back the cold tray of food. "If you fall sick that’ll be out of my pocket too, sit tight, I’ll have another tray brought."
Angelo’s beautiful eyes were usually devoid of emotions but when he looked at Silvia, she thought she saw a bit of the warmth from the child he used to be.
Sometimes, when she felt deeply emotional, she wished their paths had crossed sooner. She might have not been able to save his mom, but she would have rescued him from his dad.
That was all wishful thinking in the past now, Silvia never wanted children, there was a high chance she wouldn’t have kept Angelo around her if he had been any younger.
Angelo dutifully ate the food she had brought for him, Silvia peering at him above her screen to make sure he ate everything, vegetables included.
The assassin never ate properly when she wasn’t looking, and it added to Silvia’s endless list of worries about him. She had to be at her nagging best all the time just to get him to take care of himself. If the upper echelons of Haines saw the side of her, they would be stunned speechless.
After he was done eating, the air between them became serious. Angelo was thoughtful as he looked across the desk at his boss, "Can you get intel on the layout of Mafia King Nikolai’s penthouse apartment?"
Silvia shivered slightly, it was Fall but it hadn’t gotten that cold yet. She had been bracing herself for when Angelo would ask this, and it seemed that after all these years, she still wasn’t prepared enough.
"Yes," She answered, her tone somber. "As well as information on the security. It’s impenetrable." She spoke slowly, careful to not use the wrong words to convey her message. "Mafia King Nikolai has many enemies, his men are trained to shoot first and ask questions later."
Angelo was already well aware of all this, even though he knew where the Mafia King was at all times, it didn’t necessarily mean he could touch him. "Then I’ll just have to think of a way they wouldn’t expect."
Silvia wasn’t great at concealing her emotions when it came to Angelo, especially when they were this turbulent. "I’ll help you out," She offered generously but her heart wasn’t in her words.
Silvia decided then, she couldn’t change Angelo’s mind, the only thing left to do was increase his chances of success. "What will you do if you fail?" She flicked her eyes to him, those glistening black eyes sharp.
Mild pale green eyes returned her stare, "Either I die or he does. The only other outcome is that we both die."
Silvia went quiet for a moment, her heart constricting at his words. Angelo had said them so casually, like it meant nothing to him, and Silvia feared that it did.
There was a reason Angelo was so good at his job, he didn’t value his life, not even a little bit.
Silvia couldn’t fix that, she was just his nosy boss. She nodded at his response, "I’d prefer if you didn’t die," She tried to say lightly but her voice came out hoarse, "I’d rather not lose my best assassin, after all."
Angelo rose to his feet without acknowledging her words, his painfully thin physique visible even through his thick hoodie.
Silvia had worked with a lot of dangerous men, and after they killed enough people, the scent of death seemed to cling to them, but Angelo smelled clean, it was an airy scent she couldn’t put her finger on.
"Send the information." He simply said, thin fingers slipping into his hoodie pouch. "I’ll pay."
Silvia ignored the second half of his words, if money could fix things, she would have paid him to not go. "When do you plan to carry out the job?" She asked, her voice uncharacteristically cold.
Angelo pulled his hood over his head. "In a few days. There’s no reason to wait, my chances aren’t going to get any better. Thanks boss, I’ll see you later."
Silvia’s lips felt glued shut, she mumbled some word of assent but she couldn’t remember what she had said. She cursed again as she glanced at her screen and realized that she was still on the same report after so many hours.
This would hurt... a lot.
Angelo quietly slipped out of the company just as he had gotten in. He took a cab again, but this time he was headed to his hotel room.
He had learned to drive years ago and although he could afford any car he wanted, they were a liability.
He couldn’t risk having something that could be used to track him down, not with the career path he chose.