Chapter 3 CEO Faragos Kingdom

Matteo Accardi Faragos is the eldest son of the successful businessman Lucio Arman Faragos. Being the CEO of a large company known as Faragos Kingdom undoubtedly earns him a great deal of respect and fear. There is no negative record for every success he has achieved at the age of 35, which is considered young for a leader of such a large company.

Despite being known as a young, wealthy, and successful CEO, the label of a cold and feared man by his competitors makes people in the business world reluctant to deal with Matteo personally. Rumors have spread that the Faragos family is the owner of a secret organization that handles illicit business.

"It's not usual for you to come here. Is your business at the company done?"

Matteo didn't immediately answer. He walked annoyed towards his office, followed by his younger brother, Ludwig Faragos. "Who's that woman? And why did she cause a scene here?" he asked.

Ludwig waited until Matteo sat in his executive chair before explaining the events that had just occurred.

"Interesting," Matteo said with a smirk on his face.

"I don't think she's just an ordinary woman. She even hired Andreas as her assistant," Ludwig added.

Matteo tapped his fingers on the desk. He replayed the memories when he and Andreas were still quite close friends until Andreas chose to leave his life for a certain reason. However, he didn't expect that they would be reunited in a situation like earlier.

"My initial observation, it seems that she's not American judging by her accent," he muttered.

"Clearly, she looks Russian if you judge by her facial features," Matteo explained.

Ludwig smiled, not doubting his brother's ability to identify someone, especially a woman.

"She was born with a silver spoon, judging by her appearance," he continued.

"Isn't she very beautiful? But I don't like her attitude; her mouth is very venomous," Ludwig said, shivering.

"That rough woman must have been hurt by a man; that's why she acted aggressively and called all men fools," Matteo replied.

"Ah, that makes sense. But how could she win the game, considering it was her first experience?" Ludwig still couldn't believe it.

"She was just lucky," Matteo replied. Matteo then rose from his chair and walked towards the liquor storage shelf, taking a bottle of whiskey. "Find complete information about that woman."

"Hey, are you interested in her?" Ludwig smirked.

"She's beautiful, bold, arrogant, and very stubborn. Wouldn't it be fun to get to know someone who's similar to me?" Matteo turned and smiled at his brother.

Ludwig then laughed. He almost forgot that Matteo was a man with the worst behavior he had ever known.

"Oh, also, find the latest information about Andreas. I'm curious about what he's planning, coming back to Vegas."

"Alright."

"Tomorrow, I'm going to see Dad, so make sure there's no trouble here while I'm away."

"Have you still not found that person?" Ludwig asked as he approached.

Matteo sighed deeply after taking a swig of whiskey straight from the bottle. "I'm suspicious of someone."

"Who?"

"Keegan. I think he's the one hiding Adam all this time," Matteo said, furrowing his brow.

"Him? The crazy guy who ordered his men to smuggle cocaine onto our ship? How is that possible?" Ludwig seemed a bit incredulous.

"I'm trying to find out too. But I suspect Keegan has some connection with the Walington family." Matteo was currently troubled by the past that had befallen his father. He was searching for someone whose name kept coming up in every meeting.

His name was Adam, a former friend of his father who had betrayed him. He was also the one who had kept Matteo's father living in guilt throughout his life. Now, his father was seriously ill, and his last wish before dying was to see Adam die in front of him.

***

"Miss, there's a guest for you," Helena said.

"Who?" "A big guy we met at the FK club."

Violetta stopped reading the document in her hands and turned to Helena, who looked frightened. "I don't want to meet him." "

B-but he insists on meeting you."

"Get him out!" Violetta snapped, then went back to reading her documents. She didn't care about what would happen next.

The door to her room was kicked open. The big guy walked arrogantly toward her desk. Violetta frowned; she was annoyed by his behavior and stood up, slamming the table.

"What do you want coming here?!" Violetta asked boldly.

"Of course, I came to kill you!" The man pointed his gun at her head. Then he shot her with a sweet smile, bidding Violetta farewell.

Violetta opened her eyes with a start. For a few seconds, she struggled to breathe. But eventually, her body began to calm down, and her breathing returned to normal. Violetta then glanced at the clock, and it was still three in the morning.

"Damn! Why did I dream about being shot by him?" Violetta then got up from her bed, walked into the bathroom. She washed her face and looked at her reflection in the mirror, which appeared quite pale. And instantly, the memory of being threatened by many guns at the club resurfaced, making her hair stand on end. It was a lie if Violetta wasn't scared earlier. She was very scared, but she tried to keep her composure and act casual.

Violetta walked out of her room, and to her surprise, she found someone sitting and watching TV in her living room. It was Andreas, her own bodyguard.

"Why are you here?!"

Andreas immediately stood up and saluted. "I apologize for startling you, Miss. I'm here because Mr. Dom instructed me to stay close to you."

Violetta frowned, then glanced at the table filled with snack wrappers. "Being close to me doesn't mean you can act so casually."

Andreas looked at the table and regretted his actions. "I'm sorry; I'll clean it up." Andreas quickly tidied up the food wrappers, and Violetta went to get a glass of water.

If her father was so concerned about the safety of his eldest daughter, he shouldn't have assigned her to work in Vegas. Wasn't it like sending his daughter into a lion's den?

"Andreas..."

"Yes, Miss."

"What was your job before working for me?"

Andreas fell silent, unable to answer, and that was answer enough for Violetta.

"I don't like dealing with people with problems, Andreas."

"I've left my past behind, Miss."

Violetta stared at him, observing Andreas's slightly anxious movements. Then she walked past him to the balcony to breathe in some fresh air.

"I don't like living here," she said.

Andreas approached, and Violetta raised her hand, signaling for a cigarette. Initially, Andreas didn't understand until Violetta gestured as if she were smoking a cigarette.

"Why don't you like living here?" Andreas asked as he lit the lighter to ignite Violetta's cigarette. Violetta took a drag, then exhaled the smoke forcefully.

"Vegas is bad enough in my eyes, and living up here makes me feel isolated. I'm not Rapunzel waiting for her prince."

Andreas nodded.

"Find me a simple house but with a comfortable yard to relax."

"Simple?"

"Yes, simple."

Violetta reached for Andreas's hand and handed him the still-lit cigarette. After that, Violetta walked back into her room. Meanwhile, Andreas was still puzzled, trying to interpret what Violetta meant by a "simple" house. There was a difference in the meaning of simplicity for each caste. The simplicity Andreas had in mind was clearly different from the simplicity Violetta wanted.

***

In this morning, unlike her usual routine, Helena arrived late at the office. She could already imagine how furious Violetta would be because that person wasn't the forgiving type. Fresh in Helena's memory was the fierceness of Violetta when she reprimanded those intimidating men at the club last night.

Helena hurried towards her office after stepping out of the elevator, at least making an effort to alleviate her guilt. However, her steps came to an abrupt halt as she found Violetta sitting in her chair. Helena was caught red-handed.

Violetta, aware of her presence, only gave her a brief glance without uttering a word. Helena knew her career was about to end.

"N-no, I'm s-sorry, I'm late."

Violetta ignored her, focused on reading the documents on Helena's desk. Helena stood frozen in place; she didn't dare to approach, fearing the lioness would tear her to shreds.

"Where are the detailed investment fund documents for NVD Airlines?"

Helena was taken aback.

Violetta looked at her cynically. "Are you deaf?"

Helena quickly walked towards her desk, searching for the documents Violetta was looking for. After finding them, she handed them over to Violetta. Violetta read them seriously, and Helena observed anxiously, waiting for the moment of her impending shredding.

"Find out all the background information on the companies involved in the investment. If any of them have issues, I'll ask the CEOs to cancel their cooperation."

Helena furrowed her brow. "But Julio said he already sent a copy of the cooperation contract to NVD on Mr. Dom's orders."

Violetta sneered and threw the documents onto the table. Startled, Helena took a step back, increasing the distance between her and Violetta.

"My instincts are bad about this collaboration. The second-largest shareholder in NVD is Faragos Kingdom, and didn't we go to their company's club last night? FK Club?"

Given her background, Violetta despised personal relationships outside of work. Rumor had it that she had trauma from her engagement with Elias, the owner of StarUp JR.Co, which fell apart due to conflicts within the company.

"I feel like FK is not just an ordinary investment company. We also can't figure out where their money comes from and goes, aside from my suspicion about their casino."

"Could they have hidden illicit businesses?" Helena guessed.

Violetta turned her chair, facing Helena. "Exactly! Usually, in a casino, it's not just gambling activities. Drug abuse, illegal weapons trading, and even human trafficking might occur."

Helena swallowed hard.

"Oh damn! Because people pointed guns at me, I can't stop worrying." Violetta then stood up from her chair.

Did Helena hear correctly? Violetta was just as worried as she was?

"I can't sleep because I'm haunted by nightmares. Are you experiencing the same?" she asked.

Helena nodded. She could only sleep after exhausting herself with some light exercise. That's why she came to the office late this morning.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have forced you to come with me last night."

Helena was shocked. Violetta apologizing to her? Was this for real?

"Get back to work, and please schedule a private meeting with the owner of NVD," Violetta persisted.

"Miss, are you planning to meet them without Mr. Dom's knowledge?" Helena asked.

"Isn't it obvious? Somehow, I have to sever ties with Faragos Kingdom. Especially with that annoying CEO."