It was a Friday afternoon, all the employees of the O'Connor Technology company had left at the usual time, except for one person, Loreta Rosietti who was still in her boss's office taking notes for next week's appointments. She was the private secretary of the company's president, Mr. Lewis O'Connor, a man in his late fifties, robust, grumpy who believed that his secretary's life belonged to him and that he could dispose of her schedules at his whim.

"Loreta please, remember to reschedule the appointment with Mr. Harris, that man is a nuisance but an excellent supplier and has the best chips on the market," he ordered, while reclining in his seat and smoking his cigar.

"Very well, sir, I will call the supplier early Monday," she replied, resisting the urge to vomit, the smoke in the office hardly allowed her to breathe and she was getting dizzy.

"That would be all, I think that's enough for today."

"Okay," she said and closed her agenda.

"You can leave, see you on Monday," he commented, putting out the cigar in the ashtray.

"Thank you."

Loreta was about to stand up to leave the office when the office door burst open and a man who inspired fear entered without warning, without even announcing himself and the CEO's face paled as if he had seen a ghost or worse his worst nightmare. So Loreta went to the door and did her job.

"Sir, you can't just walk in like that! Tell me what you need and I'll schedule an appointment for you for Monday first thing in the morning," she offered, but that man simply ignored her completely, he didn't even bother to look at her.

"Loreta, there's no need, I'll take care of this man right now," he said and simply motioned for the young woman to leave, then he said, "Wait at your desk, I may need your services."

She nodded.

"Call Thomas and George, tell them to come up."

"Very well sir," she replied, watching as that man just crossed his arms without saying a word.

Something was wrong, her boss never called his trusted men to a meeting like that so she ran down the hall and upon reaching her desk immediately dialed George's number.

"Loreta, what's wrong?" George asked immediately.

"Come up!" replied the secretary, unable to control her voice.

Two hours had passed since that interruption and the secretary remained impatient at her desk waiting for Mr. O'Connor to grant her permission to leave the place and get home early; however the minutes passed and she knew that her illusions were unfounded and that surely the meeting would extend until late at night, since it took place unexpectedly and the loud discussions did not subside.

Loreta checked the phone once again, she had several messages from her nanny, where she demanded double pay for the extra hours she was doing to take care of little Lucia, then with regret she replied

"I'm sorry, I'll try to get there as soon as possible, but please don't leave, I need you for just one more hour," she pleaded resignedly watching the screen waiting for a response, until finally the cell phone lit up again and in it appeared only one word that was more than enough to bring her soul back to her body...

"Ok."

"Thank you, I swear I'll make it up to you..." she replied but the screen simply went off without receiving a reply.

Loreta sighed in relief, at least her nanny would not abandon Lucia, however now she had to go home no matter what. Regretfully, almost by inertia, she got up from her chair and went to the door of the boardroom, she was about to interrupt the meeting when her boss's furious scream stopped her.

"No, only in your damn dreams will I hand over my company to that miserable man, and tell him that they will have to pass over my dead body first!"

"That may be easy to solve, so you better sign the documents before it's too late and my boss isn't so generous!" he replied.

"I won't do it, I'll never hand over my empire to that brat!" Lewis shouted firmly.

"Well, you asked for it," replied again that mysterious man who didn't even announce himself when he arrived.

Loreta felt real fear. The raspy and icy voice of that man was so threatening that the young woman instinctively recoiled. It was not the time to interrupt, much less to show her face in that place. Her body shuddered, she had a bad feeling, that was not a normal discussion, they were not arguing about the sale of any technological device and from the direction the meeting was taking she suspected that something serious was going to happen very soon. Thoughtfully she returned to her seat, she couldn't stop trembling, all her alarms were on alert although she had to obey, she no longer wanted to stay in the office.

It was almost midnight, she was exhausted, she was sleepy and she urgently needed to drink something to wake up and stop thinking about that discussion that she overheard without intending to be indiscreet. Sitting at her desk she looked at her cell phone again, only fifteen minutes had passed since her nanny replied to her the last time and she seemed very upset. She needed to go back home as soon as possible, the girl was restless. Slowly she got up and went to the kitchen and upon entering a smile lit up her face as she smelled the delicious aroma of freshly brewed coffee that was steaming in the coffee maker. Following her usual ritual she looked for her personal mug, poured herself some of the drink and carefully placed two small teaspoons of sugar in the mug, then sat on the counter swinging her feet.

She loved the office coffee, as it was a special brand that suppliers from Colombia brought exclusively for her boss, for that reason she did not miss the opportunity to savor that delight and enjoy its aroma, its flavor, its texture, just for drinking that drink it was worth enduring Lewis O'Connor's bad mood and even his flirting from time to time.

She was immersed in her thoughts, oblivious to everything else. That was her special moment in the day, where she could enjoy a good coffee, close her eyes and forget about all her bills, her responsibilities and simply enjoy that little moment with joy.

"Don't you know how much I miss you on weekends?!" she said opening her eyes and staring at the dark liquid that swirled inside the mug in the form of a swirl. "I love you, you are the love of my life!" she commented and without more she began to laugh, although in reality it was the nerves that made her act incoherently and be joking.

Anyone who heard her would believe that she was confessing her love to a man, however, the reality was different. She had lost all hope of falling in love again and lately her coffee was much more important than any male person. In it she took refuge on cold nights, as it was hot enough to ignite her whole body from the inside with just a small sip; it was cozy, much better than the arms of the jerk she had been involved with in the past and above all patient, it was always waiting for her at the end of the day for her lips to delight in its flavor.

She laughed like a fool for being so romantic and witty, until the memories crowded as always in her mind and melancholy embraced her to such an extent that it cut her breath, wreaking havoc on her battered heart. Her eyes crystallized, the coffee had lost its charm and sadness overwhelmed her as every Friday she remembered the last night they were together and looking at nothing she reproached herself once again.

"Enough, you must forget that idiot!" she sighed and took a sip, however now the drink was as bitter, lifeless, and tasteless as she was. "Loreta Rosietti, stop thinking about the past and concentrate on the future," she advised herself as always.

Clinging tightly to the warm vessel she thought, if only her love had been reciprocated, if only he had valued her, if only he had not deceived her saying such beautiful words, unfinished and empty promises of love, today she would have confidence in men, but no, her life or fate put on her way someone cruel and ruthless who only played with her feelings, used her as much as possible and then disappeared from her life completely without giving any sign that she was about to be abandoned a few days before her wedding. Devastated by feeling so miserable she looked at her left hand, where the engagement ring still rested and that over time was the perfect symbol to remember that she would not fall under the charms of any man again and would not give herself in body and soul. She was now more mature, wiser and above all no longer that naive girl who was easily convinced with tender words said in bed by the heat of the moment.

Loreta was playing with the ring, when shouts in the hallway caught her attention, then she left the mug on the counter and went to the door, carefully and quietly she opened it a few centimeters, enough to observe and not be discovered, since spying was frowned upon by her boss, who demanded absolute discretion and always reminded her that nothing she saw inside the presidential floor could leave her mouth or she would fire her immediately.

"What's going on?" she muttered between her teeth as she saw that the shouts rose in tone and her boss insulted as much as possible "Something is not right" she said and tried to get away from the door but curiosity was greater, without imagining that from that moment her life would change forever.

Loreta remained clinging to the doorknob, wishing to close the door and take refuge in the kitchen, however a superior force kept her in that place witnessing everything. The screams continued for several minutes until they finally ceased and only the laughter of her boss echoed in the office, suddenly he stopped laughing and said seriously.

"Go away, go away like the rat you are and tell your boss not to insist on the same thing again!"

"You will regret all this! You have dug your own grave and you know it!" threatened the mysterious man, raising his voice, making the words resound throughout the room.

"Don't threaten me, you don't know who you're messing with, your boss is just an insect compared to me!" replied the CEO loudly.

"Well, that insect has a surprise prepared for you and I hope you enjoy it!" he commented proudly and feeling victorious.

"Get out, I've already wasted too much time listening to your nonsense!" ordered Lewis.

At that moment, the glass door of the boardroom opened wide, slamming one of the leaves, making the tempered glass tremble, the man in the gray coat, dark glasses who had arrived without an appointment left the place. With a sarcastic half-smile on his face, he stopped in the hallway and turning on his heels pretended to hold a gun in his hand and pointed it towards the office.

"Today you die, decrepit old man!" he whispered.

He was about to walk away when he realized that the secretary was not at her desk, clenching his fists tightly, he cursed in another language, that woman was a threat, she had seen his face and it was best that his men also finish her off. With firm steps he went to the elevator, almost at the same time that two men dressed in black came out of it, on their heads they wore balaclavas to protect their identities and when passing near the mysterious man they inclined their heads a little in the form of reverence showing respect. Once the supposed CEO entered the metal compartment and descended through it, the men opened their coats and revealed two large guns.

Loreta was hypnotized, motionless, her retina did not move away from those two men, then as if she were a machine without emotions she paid attention to every detail. The gait of both was safe, precise and they even seemed like soldiers because of their way of marching in unison. Looking everywhere and pointing their weapons, they went to their boss's office, abruptly interrupting the conversation that Lewis was having with his right hand and his head of security.

Instinctively Loreta closed the door again almost at the same time that throughout the place, a shooting was felt, automatically she covered her ears with both hands to protect her ears. Desperately she observed the cozy kitchen, looking for a hiding place, she knew that if those men saw her they would not hesitate to end her insignificant life. Suddenly she realized that there was only one place to hide and without thinking she opened the compartment where they usually left the garbage from the entire floor, until Saturday morning when the waste collection company came to pick it up. In the small compartment there was only a bag, she got into the closet imploring that no one would think of checking, she was uncomfortable, she had trouble breathing, so she opened the door again, took out the bag and left it as close as possible to the door. Through the crack she observed the outside of the kitchen and trying not to make any noise she remained motionless imploring all the gods for protection.

A few minutes later the kitchen door was kicked open and she held her breath as she saw one of the men approach the cup, he looked at the mark of her lipstick and with a half smile he uttered.

"The coffee is still hot, let's check the whole place, there can't be any witnesses or the boss will kill us," he said, throwing the contents of the cup into the sink. "There is a young lady hiding in this place and it will be very fun to play with her before ending her disgusting life."

"Understood, but I think that if someone saw or heard something, they must be far away from here, only a fool would stay at the scene of a crime," said the smaller man, downplaying the matter.

The more robust and serious man who seemed to be in command of the situation shortened the distance that separated them and grabbing his companion's neck he shouted.

"The boss was quite clear in ordering us not to leave loose ends and I think there is an important piece missing here!" he said suddenly and pointing to Loreta's desk, then he clarified. "The secretary of that wretch is missing and she surely saw Igor, so you better look for something, anything that tells us who that woman is or where she lives!" he ordered.

"Okay, but let go of me once and for all, you're choking me."

The man released his partner and both left the kitchen, with clumsy movements they began to rummage through everything in their path, destroying the few belongings that the young secretary had on the table. Suddenly the police sirens alerted the criminals and one of them said

"It is best that we omit the detail of the secretary to the boss and get out of here!" suggested one of the wrongdoers.

"Very well, let's get out of here after all, we have already done our job. That damn and his men died like worms crushed by my weapon," commented the leader of the team.

"The police are approaching. Let's go before they find us," suggested the smaller one nervously, but then looking under the desk he smiled broadly, took a few steps and leaned over a little to take the secretary's bag in his hands and pronounce with satisfaction. "Look, I have her purse, surely there will be a clue!"

"Very good dwarf, now let's get out of here!"

Both men left the building through the service door to avoid security cameras, then they got into their car and drove away as fast as they could to avoid the police who were only a block away from the company.

Loreta continued locked in the darkness of the cabinet, fearing to go out and be discovered by those thugs, however the silence was such around her that she could almost hear the beating of her agitated heart resounding in the small compartment. Filling herself with courage she took the doorknob and with trembling hands turned it, opening the door of the compartment stealthily, the light of the kitchen dazzled her eyes and made her blink insistently until they finally got used to the clarity. The door was open, and from there she could see that in the boardroom silence predominated and a light flickered until it finally went out completely then she whispered.

"You can do it Loreta, you can do it, you must see if anyone survived!" she encouraged herself, giving herself the necessary courage to move forward.

Standing in the middle of the hall, while hugging herself trying to calm her nerves and exhaling all the air from her lungs that she had repressed for several minutes causing her chest to hurt. The secretary forced herself to drag her feet to the office and enter the room, where only a few minutes ago the meeting was taking place with that mysterious man who instills terror in her.

The door was wide open, only one spotlight remained on inside the great hall; in the air the smell of gunpowder mixed with the smoke of the cigar that her boss was smoking before the interruption and now remained on the table burning, the unpleasant aroma flooded the young woman's nostrils, to the point that she could not avoid coughing and feeling nauseous. The silence was such that she could hear every step she took on the soft carpet. Swallowing saliva to clear her throat, which was now dry and scratchy, she approached the table fearing the worst, and she was not wrong.

In the place there were three people in total, two of them were people trusted by Mr. O'Connor and they were sitting with their backs to the door, which was an easy target for the hitmen, who simply ended their lives in an instant. The bodies of George and Thomas were resting on the glass and blood flowed from their heads forming a large puddle. Loreta brought her hands to her face and covered her mouth, it was obvious that they had been taken by surprise and shot in cold blood without giving them time to react.

Her eyes, widened by the shock, desperately sought the company's president, who should have been located at the head of the table, but he was not there. She took a few steps holding her breath until she finally saw that the presidential chair was thrown on the floor and behind it was her boss soaked in his own blood, convulsing and trying to reach his cell phone. She hurried over when she saw that he was still alive and that, with a superhuman effort, he was calling her almost whispering, almost in a barely audible murmur. Desperate, she knelt beside him, carefully turned him over, and said when she saw the severity of his injuries.

"Sir, calm down, everything will be all right, help is on the way!" She settled him on her lap to prevent him from choking on his own blood.

"My... son..." he muttered almost breathlessly, spitting to be able to speak.

"What are you saying?" she asked, not understanding.

"Look for my son," he repeated with difficulty and almost breathlessly.

Loreta carefully observed her boss, a trickle of blood was coming out of his mouth, his eyes were losing the delicacy of their light blue color and beginning to darken, in contrast to his skin which was becoming paler and colder.

"Sir, you don't have any children, you're delirious," Loreta said, feeling sorry for the man.

"I don't have time to explain, call my son."

"Don't talk, you must rest," the secretary ordered, looking at the scene terrified and trying in vain to help the CEO by pressing on the abdominal wound.

"Look for my cell phone and call... Dimitrio Moretti."

"Sir..."

"Loreta, listen and stop talking, I don't have much time, I'm not going to survive," he silenced her and she stopped protesting and nodded. "Those men are dangerous and Igor is not stupid, he saw you when you arrived and if he knows you're alive, he won't hesitate to kill you."

"What?!"

"You are in danger but don't worry, Dimitrio will know what to do and he will protect you," he murmured almost breathlessly, and with a last effort he took off his ring that contained a special seal. "Look for my son and give him my ring, this is the symbol of the family."

"Sir, I don't know what you're talking about!" she said terrified.

"Listen, pay attention, this ring is important," he said and choked on his own saliva, which caused him an incessant cough, but he continued. "Don't let anyone else see it, only my son can possess it, you must only show it to him, understand?"

"I understand," she replied, wiping the tears from her face and staining it.

"Give it to him and he will have the support of my entire clan," he said with difficulty and coughing up blood. "Now give me my phone," he ordered and she obeyed. "Bring the cell phone to my face and put my left thumb on the screen." The device unlocked immediately allowing access to all files and contacts. "Look for Dimitrio's number, it's listed as White Dragon, tell him that the Black Dragon died, that will be enough."

"Sir, I don't understand anything," she confessed terrified.

"Just follow my instructions, save his number, call him and don't tell anyone about his existence," caressing the young woman's face he sighed. "I trust you, don't fail me," he said for the last time before he stopped breathing.

"Sir, sir!" Loreta shouted, moving the inert body of her boss, who looked at her without any expression and with an extreme darkness in his gaze, a reflection of his lost soul.

A few minutes had passed, she didn't know what to do, she couldn't leave her boss and leave the office just like that, she had to calm down and follow his instructions so remembering that she still had her cell phone with her, she saved White Dragon's number among her contacts and then let out a heart-wrenching cry and clung tightly to her boss, releasing the tension of what she had experienced.

Loreta cried inconsolably, her feelings were in turmoil, partly from the shock of the moment and partly from the shock of seeing someone die in her arms and not being able to do anything to help him, she didn't even understand why someone had ended the lives of three people like that, it was too much to process and her head was about to explode. Her boss had no enemies, he was a good person, he didn't have children or at least that's what she believed until now and he loved his wife with devotion and although sometimes when he had a drink too many he liked to smack the young woman's butt or make jokes, he never overstepped the mark and that's why she put up with his groping from time to time. Then she hit his chest trying in vain to make him react.

"Sir, wake up, you can't die!" she shouted desperately as she knelt beside him and began to perform CPR. "You are strong, resist, help is already on the way," she asked knowing it was knowing it was too late, after a few minutes she gave up and fell embraced over the man.

She continued in the office clinging to the body of the company's president who with the passing of the minutes was losing temperature and mobility, remaining stiff in her arms.

The sound of the elevator opening its doors alerted the secretary making her look up and try to find a hiding place, but in that room there wasn't a single closet. Terrified and thinking that her end had come, she lay down on Lewis's body and felt her soul abandon her, surely those men came back for her and the terror was reflected in her face.

The firm steps of the agents' boots and their voices invaded the corridor, Loreta closed her eyes expecting the worst, but then sighed with relief when the commanding officer shouted that they were police officers and that everyone should remain with their hands raised and in their places. Regretfully, she raised her gaze towards the entrance that remained wide open and without stopping crying waited for the agents to enter.