Harper's POV

It was nearly the end of my first month working for Angelo, and it was currently my first Saturday working in the office. It was much quieter in the building than it usually would be on a week day the lack of people typing away at their computers and phones continually ringing made the building feel even more intimidating if that was even possible.

After I placed my bag down and hung up my coat, I walked over to the little coffee machine; it had become my best friend in the short month I'd worked here. Waiting for the device to warm up, I walked through to Angelo's office and dropped down in the chair opposite his desk.

"Morning Boss , Coffee?" even though I was in work at 9am on a Saturday I was in an amazing mood , mine and Angelo's banter had returned full force after the little incident a few weeks ago where he flipped his shit. "Please just bring the pot in , were going to need it. I've got plans I need help going over , I need your opinion on some things.

"sure, I'll be back now."

I still had no idea why I was one of the people Angelo trusted when it came to the need for an opinion on a particular aspect of a new hotel or any other business venture he was pursuing. The one he needed help with the most was his new hotel, the one who's interior design was being left up to me. I'm sure other PA's weren't given this much control over business matters.

Walking back into my office I press the button on the machine and wait. A few minutes later fresh , hot coffee comes pouring out and I savour the rich aroma that begins filling the room. Grabbing the milk and sugar along with the two mugs me and Angelo had adopted as ours I made my way back through the door to Angelo's office where he's currently scribbling something down for the contractors , who we're meant to be meeting in a few days' time when the construction of the hotel begins.

"Sit, I'll sort out the drinks" his voice was something I'd never get tired of. The crush I had been nursing since I had met him hadn't seemed to die down, as I hoped it would. I just needed to remember to keep this as professional as I could, especially now I was involved In one of his extravagant projects.

I sat back and watched him as he poured the coffee; his movements were graceful and poised. I'd never seen a man so confidant in the way he handled himself before. But I suppose If you had the face and the body of a Greek god, you've got nothing to worry about.

"How many sugars today?" he asked, his voice laced with humour, shit he must have caught me staring. "3 please and hold the judgment please, you know I need my sugar"

He held his hands up in mock surrender "I'm keeping my mouth shut." I chuckle at his response. Moments later I'm cradling the warm mug and listening to what Angelo had to say about the plans for the new hotel.

"Construction should last for just over 10 months but the interior will take 6 months to complete properly , but I'm sure with you overseeing the whole process it'll be worth the wait. When it gets closer to the time I'll give you a brief of what the interior will look like but you can make any changes you see fit as long as you run it past me first , it's not that I don't trust you but it's policy."

I was stunned, " I don't know why you're trusting me with all this, can't you just get an interior designer for the hotel?"

He paused for a moment before replying " I could, but I think you're more than capable of the task, and besides, you know what I like."

The thoughts that ran though my head were threatening to bring an almighty blush to my cheeks , you need to get it together Harper , he is your boss. "So what else do we have planned today?"

The rest of the afternoon went by smoothly it was filled with Angelo's ideas on what the new hotel would be like and where he wanted the chain to expand to. 

It was mesmerising to see him so interested in something; I was sure he had inherited his father's passion for hotels. Anyone could tell that the man in front of me would do anything to keep his father's business on top, and it made my heart swell.

 I doubted many people knew about Angelo and his father's relationship to the degree I did, he was very much a private person, but I was honoured to be included in his little circle.

I leant back in my chair and let out a massive groan. " I am literally starving , want me to pop to the Deli down the street and pick up some lunch?" A small smile appeared on his face; HA got you now Deluca. "Even powerful men like you need to eat, wouldn't want you wasting away now would we?"

"Food sounds good, take my card I'll pay" he rose from his seat and started fishing around for his wallet.

" I don't think so Mr, sit back down I am more than capable of affording lunch for the both of us, any preference on a sandwich?"

" BLT if you don't mind, Harper I don't mind paying for lunch I've got more than enough money."

"Nope, it's my treat. See you soon" flashing him a smile I made my way back into my office to grab my bag and coat.

The Deli was a short 5 minute walk away from Angelo's building , the smell of freshly made bread could be smelt from up the street and it instantly made my mouth water. The shop was a quaint little place that was family-run, I'd pick somewhere like this over a fancy Michelin star restaurant any day. 

I rummaged through the shelves of freshly prepared sandwiches until I found Angelo's BLT and I decided on a chicken and chorizo pasta that looked heavenly , I made my way to the counter to pay for the items and all of a sudden my phone began to ring.

Placing the items of food down on the counter I fished out my phone from my bag, how odd the number on my screen was one didn't recognise. Hesitantly I accepted the call and placed the phone to my ear.

" Is this Harper Dawson speaking?" I didn't recognise the voice on the other end of the line.

"Yes it is, can I ask who I'm speaking to please?"

" My name is Trevor, I'm a paramedic I'm sorry, but your nan has had a fall and was taken to St Marks hospital I found your contact details in your nan's address book. The fall was quite severe but we won't know the extent of the injuries until she goes to X-ray." 

I was in shock; I didn't know how to process the information that I'd just been told. "Your grandmother was lucky that she was wearing her panic button or things could be a lot worse. The hospital will call you later on."

The line went dead; I felt numb. My hand were shaking, and my breathing was ragged. My nan was in the hospital, she had fallen, and I wasn't there. She was alone, and I did nothing to help her, she could have died. Before I even registered what was going on around me, I was running out of the shop and towards the nearest taxi. 

I felt like screaming when I thought everything was going so well my whole world collapses around me. If anything happened to my nan, I'd have no one. I'd be all alone in the world.

After practically barking my address at the first taxi to pull up, I pulled out more than double the amount of money needed for my journey for the driver to get back to the house quicker. In less than ten minutes, I was pulling up outside the house, and I practically flew out of the car and ran up to the front door. When I got there was a police man waiting outside and my heart plummeted further.

"Miss Dawson, I presume?"

"Y-yes" I managed to stammer out my reply

" I am DC Collins; I was sent here to ensure there was no foul play involved in your grandmothers fall. At the moment we believe it was an accident, but we won't know until my team investigates further. All I can tell you at the moment was your grandmother was found at the bottom of the stairs with a significant injury to her skull. I will warn you before you go in that there is a large amount of blood on the floor if it is too much for you to handle I can get someone in to clean up the mess for you.

"NO!!" I practically screamed at the poor man " don't touch anything" I knew I was acting hysterical, but I couldn't seem to calm myself down. "As you wish, Miss, myself or one of my colleagues will be around tomorrow to conduct a more in-depth investigation."  

With that, I was left alone outside the front of the house. Walking through the door, the sight in front of me caused me to let out a choked sob.

My nan's blood was in a large pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs, the sight was nearly enough to make me vomit, but my mind was still too numb to process everything properly. My mind switched off, and my body started doing things mechanically, I dropped my bag and coat in the hall by the door and made my way into the kitchen.

 Grabbing a bucket, cloth and some bleach I boiled the kettle, once the water was hot enough I poured the liquid along with the bleach into the bucket and made my way back into the hall way where the pool of blood was.

I began scrubbing the floor with as much force as my body could allow, my silk blouse was ruined, the once white material now stained red with my nan's blood. 

I scrubbed and scrubbed for what felt like hours. Even after the water became cold and the blood was long gone I could still see the large red pool that was once at the bottom of the stairs, the sight was permanently etched into my brain.

I picked up the bucket and the cloth and dumped them in the kitchen sink; it seemed too quiet In here without my nan rushing around making dinner or cups of coffee. A surge of anger flowed through me and without thinking I threw the large vase that was stood on the counter at the wall, it shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces, and that's when I finally lost it.

I dropped to my knees on the cold tiles of the kitchen floor and let the tears take over , I could feel the little bits of china from the now shattered vase biting into my skin but I didn't care , all I could think about was my nan and whether she was going to be okay or not. 

I looked down at my clothes through teary eyes and both my blouse and hands were caked in dried blood. If anyone walked in on me now it'd look like I'd just committed a major crim , but nobody was here , I was alone in the house left to deal with the trauma by myself.

The next thing I know is that I'm being woken up by a pounding on the front door, without even thinking I rush to it hoping that it'd be someone with news on how my nan was doing, I couldn't have been more wrong. As I swung the door open, I was met with a dishevelled looking Angelo, his tie missing and his hair a mess. 

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw my appearance; I had completely forgotten that I was covered in dried blood.

"Harper, what the fuck happened to you" he moved closer to me, but I stumbled back, I wasn't sure if I could tell him what had gone on. And then it hit me, shit I didn't even say to him that I wouldn't be coming back to work. "W-what time is it."

" It's 6 o'clock In the fucking evening Harper, you left the office 6 hours ago and didn't come back. I have called and text you over 50 times, and you didn't answer." His voice became quieter as he spoke the apparent anger being replaced by gut-wrenching concern, I could see it in his eyes, and for the second time that day I broke down.

" I – I'm s-so sorry" I began through the tears that were falling at an alarming rate down my cheeks " m-my nan had a fall, and the hospital called me when I was getting l-lunch. Please d-don't fire me I d-didn't mean to forget to call you everything j-just happened all at .." I was cut off, and I found myself being pulled into Angelo's strong arms, I felt his body relax around my own as he pulled me tighter into his chest.

" Shh it's okay, I'm here now" his quiet voice soothed me slightly as I nuzzled deeper into his chest. " Let's get you sat down."

" No I n-need to shower I'm covered in blood, I'll be back down in a second. The living rooms through there."

"Call me if you need anything."

I made my way up the stairs and into my bathroom, I peeled the blood-stained clothes off me and stepped into the boiling stream of water.

Even after the water had started running clear I still scrubbed at my skin until it was raw , my body was clean but it still felt like I was caked in blood. After a few more moments under the stream of water I stepped out and wrapped my fluffy bath towel around my body. 

I pulled out a baggy jumper from my wardrobe and a pair of leggings , my knees were sore and slightly cut up and bruised from the shattered china. After changing I made my way back down stairs to Angelo , once I was back in the living room I sat down next to Angelo. 

His hypnotising blue eyes raked over my body , inspecting me probably. Any other time this small action would have made me shudder but I was too numb to even react.

" I'm all alone" a small whimper left my lips, I wasn't even sure if the voice I heard was mine. It was so empty and void of emotion. I was pulled back into Angelo's embrace, one arm wrapped around my waist the other he was using to run his fingers through my hair. Silent tears began to fall again; the violent sobs from earlier had exhausted me. I wanted nothing more for this to be a horrible nightmare that I was stuck in, but in reality, it wasn't, it was a reality. This was my life.

" I need her to be okay, Angelo , I can't lose her. She's all I've got left; I can't bury any more of my family, I just can't. I'm all alone, and it hurts so fucking much." I close my eyes and bury my head further into his neck as he continues to run his fingers through my hair.

" You'll never be alone Harper, you have me" is the last thing I hear before the exhaustion of today drags me into the darkness of sleep.

A/N

I hope you enjoyed chapter 18!
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