Her eyes flew open in shock as she swivelled her head to look out the window. Sure enough, the buildings outside were awash with the glow of the afternoon sun. Tanya had slept the whole day away.

But it also made her feel refreshed. She shrugged as she made her way to the bathroom, taking her time to brush, going through her usual skincare routine and generally pampering herself by spending an hour in the bathtub. It was a Sunday after all.

By the time she emerged from the bathroom, the sun had set. The shadows had lengthened around her apartment. The window that was all the glimpse of outside Tanya had allowed herself all day showed her the laurel tree welcoming the birds returning to their nests after a long day in the sun.

Twilight. It had been quite some time since Tanya had experienced twilight like this. It had been quite some time she wasn't inside an artificially lit building when twilight came around every day.

Switching on all the lights, she went and closed the window and the blinds for good measure. The bath had been very, very relaxing. She wasn't going to go outside tonight. She wanted a night in. Not only to give herself a break, but she could also feel the tell-tale signs of her periods approaching. The next five days were going to be totally awful.

As she went to sleep at nine that night after a light dinner of pasta that was all she was in the mood to cook, along with a light conversation with her mother, not for once did Tanya remember the reason she was up all last night.

Monday morning saw Tanya wake up fresh with a clear mind. The long sleep on Sunday had done her good. She felt bright eyed and a lot of confusion had gone away for her. She had also decided on her next course of action.

Which was to do nothing.

As she placed her bag at her desk and turned on her work computer, Tanya noticed that it was almost nine o' clock but the CEO's cabin was locked from outside. That did strike her unusual because she had never, in all of her six months working in this company, witnessed Ilario to be late. She shrugged and went to the washroom instead. It was none of her business anymore. She didn't care. Somewhere in her long sleep her brain had given her clear indication to stop poking her nose where it didn't belong, and that meant steering clear from the Russo and Visconti families.

The day dragged on as only Monday could. Amanda was back and they went to lunch together. When they sat down to eat, Amanda initiated the topic of Ilario's absence.

"So my boss has taken half the week off." The CEO's secretary informed her.

Tanya was non-committal as she tucked into her meal with gusto, "Uh-ha."

"Yes. Some family emergency."

"Oh? Anything serious?"

Amanda pursed her lips, "I don't know. Besides, who cares anyway?"

"Uh-ha?"

"Yeah, all I care about is that I get to go home at five without anyone calling me twenty times a day."

Tanya nodded. Amanda was right, Ilario was a kind of a boor of a boss. Not that he was ever impolite, but he did have exacting standards which was a pain in the ass at times.

"What happened to you?" Amanda was frowning.

"Nothing." Tanya sighed when she saw the older woman not convinced, "It's my periods. I've irregular periods, I don't get them for months on end, and when I do, they arrive with a vengeance."

"Oh." Amanda was sympathetic, "Did you take something?"

"Yes, I had my first painkiller early in the morning, but despite that the pain is letting its presence known."

"Period pain can be a bitch."

"So true. The pain usually goes away in a couple of days or so, but a throbbing remains."

After that, they finished their meal accompanied by inane chit chat.

The day, as predicted by Amanda, ended at five. Tanya too prepared to collect her bag and leave, when she was stopped.

The doors of the elevator opened and out came Mateo. His face lit up when he saw her standing there, in contrast to Tanya's who couldn't help the scowl.

"What a surprise, baby doll." He quipped, his expression showing that he used that phrase expressly to piss her off, "Aw, did you miss me?"

With that, he leaned towards her, allowing the two men who were still inside the elevator to come out. "Were you hoping for a quick escape since my brother isn't here?"

Tanya didn't say anything. She knew Mateo was trying to provoke her, so being silent was the best thing she could be. She jabbed her finger on the button so the elevator door opened again. Stepping inside, she said, "Goodbye, Mateo."

Mateo smirked at her, "Not for long. You are coming back to me, remember?" She saw his smiling face before the elevator doors mercifully closed.

As she made her way outside the building, Tanya wondered what is it that turned off her towards Mateo. He was not bad looking, and to be honest, when he isn't trying to impress, he could be quite charming. It was that charm that had made her make that bet on the first place which had eventually made her go on a date with him all those months ago, which had ultimately made him label him sleazy.

No, she couldn't put her finger on it. But there definitely was something which made her want to stay away from him.

The next day also passed quite the same as the first. Since the CEO wasn't in attendance, all the people at the floor were relaxed. There were impromptu coffee parties in the middle of the day and almost everyone packed up their bags by five in the morning. Mateo caught the atmosphere of merriment during one of his trips to their floor. He smirked, snidely encouraging them to enjoy till his brother came, because he was going to tattle. No one took him seriously, which made him sour and he didn't visit their offices again.