On January 2nd, 2015. 

My alarm clock went off at 4 a.m. I tossed and turned in bed, trying to keep my eyes shut. Suddenly, my mother burst through the door, grinning at me. I reluctantly opened my eyes and looked at her. 

"Can't you let me sleep a little longer?" I said groggily.

 She placed her hands on her hips and replied, "I'm not the one who has to go to work, you are." 

Rolling my eyes at the mention of work, I peeled myself out of bed and wrapped the blanket around me like sushi. 

Sitting up, I yawned and said, "Alright, alright, I'm getting up." 

She chuckled and wiped her wet hands on her hips and she left.

 My mother and I lived alone. My father had abandoned us on the day I was born, apparently unable to bear the burden of raising a child. But he could handle the burden of fucking around? Funny, isn't it?

 My mother chose me, and I was raised with love and dedication. She sacrificed her entire youth for me, and now it's my turn to sacrifice everything for her! Despite being tired from working on a report for a murder case all night, I got up. I yawned and headed to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face and staring at myself in the mirror. My gray-dyed hair was a mess. If left uncombed, it looked like a plucked chicken. I sighed and carefully brushed it, then brushed my teeth and concealed my dark circles with makeup. I applied mascara and lipstick, then tied my hair into a loose bun. In my room, I grabbed my work uniform—a black blazer, white shirt, and black pants—along with two pairs of black high heels. I hurried down the stairs to the kitchen. 

There, I saw my mother smiling as she prepared sandwiches for me. I smiled at her and said, "Mom, you really didn't have to do this." 

She shook her head happily and replied, "My little girl needs to be strong for work." 

I placed my hands on my hips and raised my eyebrows.

 "Mom, I'm 25," I reminded her. 

She shook her head again and placed her index finger over her heart. "To me, you're still my little 14-year-old Rose." 

I laughed and sat down to eat my sandwich, consisting of salad, schnitzel, and sauce, along with orange juice. I checked the time on my phone: 5:30 AM! Damn.

 I hastily got up, gave my mom a quick kiss on the forehead,"thank you for the food!", and rushed to the hallway to grab my car keys. 

I heard from behind as she shouted in concern  "be careful!"

I activated the security system in the house, then hurried to the garage, opened the door, and got into my bulletproof Chevrolet SUV. Starting the car, I drove off.

I reached for my pack of cigarettes as I drove. Lighting one up, I rolled down the window, knowing it wasn't allowed. Taking a deep drag, I exhaled slowly. The drive to work took 20 minutes. As I got closer, I slowed down and retrieved my work pass from the armrest to scan it at the entrance. The security guards gave me a warning look as I stretched out my hand for them to scan the pass, allowing me entry with a nod. Parking my car in the designated area, I stepped out, stretching and extinguishing the cigarette, dropping it to the ground.

 That's when Lydia, the red-haired annoyance known as "Karen" in the FBI, came running towards me, sweating and overweight, pointing her finger at the ground. 

"You know you're not supposed to throw your cigarette butt on the ground," she scolded.

 Seeing such an annoying person early in the morning was irritating, and I sighed, closing and locking my car door, taking a step closer and placing my hand on her shoulder with a grin. 

"Thanks for the daily reminder, but I couldn't care less," I retorted. 

Her pale face turned as red as a tomato. If I didn't want to stay serious, I would've burst out laughing right then and there. I continued walking, my grin fading, but I could still hear her cursing behind me. I walked casually through the automatic entrance, which recorded every face automatically. I scanned my work pass at the control point to log my duty hours. On the ground, the emblem of the FBI. Turning left to reach my office, someone suddenly wrapped their arms around me. I looked at the person, and it was none other than James Ryan, my boyfriend. 

He smiled at me and said, "How's my sunshine doing?"

 I hugged him back, allowing myself a big grin. "Your sunshine is doing well, and how are you?"

 He kissed my forehead. "As long as I'm doing well, you should be too."

 I rolled my eyes. Yes, he was narcissistic. Why hadn't I broken up with him yet? No idea.

I sighed and removed his hand from my shoulders, grinning at him sarcastically before rolling my eyes and opening the office door, slamming it shut behind me. Making my way to my office chair, I flopped down onto it and leaned back, waiting for my computer to start up. This job paid very well, allowing me to meet all my financial needs. My computer powered on, and I immediately saw an email from my boss.

 Clicking on it, I read the message: "Come to my office immediately."

 I buried my face in my hands, trying to think of any possible reason why he would summon me. In recent days, I had been physically drained and unable to work properly due to a weak immune system. The slightest bit of overexertion would result in nosebleeds, or in the worst case, I'd faint. I was also very tired, which clouded my thinking. I stood up, opened the door, and walked to the end of the corridor where his office was located, then opened the door.

He smiled kindly and gestured to the chair in front of his desk. I sat down and greeted him with a warm smile. "Good morning, Mr. Collon!"

 He returned the greeting with a smile. "Good morning, Rose! As lovely as ever."

 I giggled.

 He was the best boss, and he could relate to me in a way that filled the void of not having a father figure in my life. He leaned back in his chair and retrieved a file from the drawer, handing it to me. I took it and opened it, feeling confused. He leaned back, his fingers steepled. 

I saw the words "Undercover Mission" at the top, and my eyes widened.

 "Rose, you're one of our best agents in the FBI. You've received numerous commendations for your hard work." 

I looked up at him and then back at the file, reading further internally: "Undercover mission in the largest and most dangerous cartel."

 I looked up again. "And they want me to go undercover and do what, exactly?"

 He grinned at me. "To gather evidence against him."

 I took a deep breath. "And who is he?"

 He tilted his head slightly. "Dante Russ leads the largest cartels worldwide. He's 35 years old, and nothing is known about his childhood. No one has ever found evidence against him."

 I scratched my head and looked at the picture of him in the file, but somehow, I couldn't focus on it properly. My mind was foggy.

I nodded and said, "Of course, I can handle it, no problem."

 He clapped his hands with delight and exclaimed happily, "Perfect!"

 I looked at him again and asked, "Is that all?"

 He nodded and then inquired, "Anything else?" 

With a smile, I replied as I stood up, "No, that's it."

 I went to the door and nodded to him before leaving. Closing the door behind me, I returned to my office, closed the door, and sat down. I immediately searched for his name on Google. Taking out a pencil and paper, I jotted down the most important information. "Known for always winning court cases," another article stated, "Dante Russ, a lobbyist?" "Many young people under drug influence because of the cartel 'La Casa'," "Dante Russ is often seen in the café." 

I chewed on my pencil and sighed, setting it aside for the moment. I then opened the other folders on my computer to start writing reports. I spent three hours on that, finally taking a break.

 I stretched and took out my phone, seeing a message from James: "Break has been postponed, you'll have to manage without me."

 I replied, "stop this cap."

 I must have hurt his ego with that. I stood up and took off my blazer, then retrieved my black bag from the closet and headed outside.

I walked out of the building's exit. While there was a cafeteria inside, I didn't like the atmosphere there. During my breaks, I always preferred to go outside the building to the sweet café nearby with the best croissants. Stepping outside, the refreshing breeze hit my face, and I walked past the bodyguards to the traffic light, waiting for it to turn green. Once it did, I crossed the street and opened the door to the café. Today, it wasn't too crowded, which was lucky. The delightful aroma of coffee and croissants filled the air, making my mouth water instantly.

Approaching the counter, the friendly staff member smiled and asked, "What can I get for you today?" 

I returned the warm smile, finding her dimples adorable, and replied, "I'll have a large, strong coffee with a croissant salad, please."

 She nodded with a smile and rang it up on the register, saying, "That will be 15 dollars."

 I opened my purse, handed her a 20-dollar bill, and said, "Keep the change."

 She looked at me happily, like a little child.

Just then, another person walked in, and the doorbell chimed. A strong men's cologne quickly filled the café, reminding me of the one James had wanted for his birthday. However, I didn't buy it for him because the scent was too overpowering for my taste.

The scent made me dizzy, and I instinctively touched my forehead. The waitress returned with a smile, carrying coffee and a croissant on a tray. I took it from her but squinted my eyes shut as dizziness overcame me again. Damn, why did men always have to use such strong cologne? 

Concerned, the waitress asked, "Are you okay?" 

I nodded with a smile, "Yes, everything's fine," and turned away. 

But in that moment, I hadn't expected the ground to feel like it was moving beneath me. My knees went weak, and I almost fell, but this man stopped me, one hand on my lower back and the other on my shoulder. He looked at me with his bright brown eyes, and my blue light eyes  met his gaze, I couldn't help but catch my breath at his sight. How can someone be so beautiful?

 Wait a minute, his face seemed familiar! I thought for a moment, and then it hit me—it was DANTE RUSS. My mouth hung open, and I was frozen in place. 

Right, I had read something in an article that mentioned his favorite café! 

He looked at me with confusion and asked in his deep, masculine voice, "Madam, are you okay? You're even bleeding from your nose."

I swallowed hard.

I reacted briefly, still in shock, but quickly snapped back to reality and stuttered, "Um, yeah... I mean, no... everything's—everything's fine," and gave him a clumsy smile before straightening up so he didn't have to hold me anymore. 

I walked to a table to set down my things and searched for a tissue. BUT I COULDN'T FIND ONE. What is going on today? I bit my lip, thinking, "Fucking Dante Russ is here, and I don't know what to do!" 

He tapped me on the shoulder, and I got starteled and turned around to see him gently smiling at me, holding out a tissue. His beautiful white teeth were on display, one hand in his pocket, the other holding the tissue. He wore a dark blue suit with a white shirt underneath and black leather shoes. His light brown eyes were softly smiling. His jawline was sharp, and there was a slight scar on the right side of his face, but it didn't detract from his appearance. His dark brown hair was lightly gelled back. 

I took the tissue with an uncertain smile and said, "Thanks again."

 His deep, masculine voice returned, and his damn gaze that seemed to pierce through your soul. It had something serious but also gentle about it. 

He leaned back and said, "No problem."

I smiled at him as he turned around and walked to the back of the café, where he could watch me directly. I sat down facing him, wiping the blood from my nose and hurriedly drinking my coffee. I took a bite of my croissant, feeling a mix of nervousness and curiosity knowing that Dante Russ was observing me.