Whispers of the Damned

"I hope everything goes well," Theo said.

I nodded and waved goodbye to Theo and Abraham, who were sitting at the back. Abraham nodded while Damien lowered the back of his chair and slept peacefully.

"Don't forget to call us when you're done." Abraham said in his cold, authoritarian voice.

I nodded again, exited Abraham's Range Rover, and entered the large building. It matched the address Royal Ridge had emailed me yesterday, but why was it this big? It's so luxurious. However, from what I saw on the internet, they were still using a rented building because their building was still under construction.

Has the building been completed? Why is it so fast?

Taking a breath and letting it out slowly, I tried to suppress my nervousness, squeezing my cold, sweaty hands and biting my lip. I nodded to the security guard, who smiled politely at me, and I entered the lobby. My eyes blinked wildly, and I marveled for a few seconds in amazement at how exclusive the contents of this building were.

Is this some kind of rental building like the one owned by Damien?

Maybe.

I walked to the reception desk and said, "I came for the Royal Ridge IT team seminar."

"On whose behalf, miss?"

"Daniella Gomez."

The employee typed my name into the computer and nodded. The employee, with her hair in a neat bun, smiled at me. "It's on the fourth floor. You can take the elevator and enter the first door on the first hallway," she said. "If you're still confused, you can ask the guard there, Miss Gomez." I smiled. "Thank you." "You're welcome."

I went to the elevator, where a few people were waiting, and checked the time on my watch. It was still ten minutes away. Well, it's better to wait than be late. Luckily, there was no more drama this morning. Everything went on as normal. The four of us had breakfast Abraham's cooking, of course, and then they planned to go to the racetrack in Los Angeles. I wanted to go with them, but well, I couldn't because I had to attend this seminar.

We enter, and one of the bespectacled women with bobbed hair in front of me is already pressing the fourth-floor button. She looks at me for a few seconds before speaking. "Are you the newly hired Royal Ridge project IT team?" she asks. I nodded, giving her a smile. "Yes, you too?"

She nodded. "Nice to meet a friend. I've been alone all this time." She whispered.

The elevator doors opened before I could reply. Only the two of us got out, and I ask her, "Are you from San Francisco too?"

The girl nodded while folding her lips. She seemed to be a shy girl.

I offered my hand, "My name is Daniella Gomez. Call me Daniella."

"I'm Elsa James. Call me Elsa." She returned my handshake. "The receptionist said the first door is in the first hallway, right?" she asked.

I nodded. There were two hallways here, both on our right side and on our left side was the office and the hallway leading to the bathroom. The guard standing in the first hallway stepped towards us.

"Are you guys here for the seminar?"

We nodded.

"Come on, this way," he said, ushering us right into the first hallway and door. He opened the big door for us.

I walked in, not forgetting to throw a polite smile and a thank you. Elsa did the same.

The meeting room was vast, as is typical of meeting rooms in large companies in general, and it made me wonder: Is this actually a rented building, or does it belong to Royal Ridge?

Seven people were already occupying the seats around the table, and six seats were left. Three were on the left, which was for the team, and the other three were on the right, near a presentation screen, which was for the team leader. Elsa and I sat in one of them behind two men.

"What is this building?" I asked Elsa quietly. "Do you know about it?"

"Royal Ridge rents this building from Scavi Titanio." She replied in a hushed tone. "You know that company, right?"

I shook my head softly.

"It's the richest mining company in Europe." She whispered. "Which has also controlled the American mining market. You really don't know?"

I shook my head again. "I'm not very up to date with business or company news." I replied. "No wonder this building is so luxurious."

"Scavi Titanio is a sole proprietorship, so maybe that's why the company's profits can be used freely to polish their company buildings with beauty and luxury."

I frowned, not understanding what the difference between the two types was about. All I knew was earning money by being a corporate slave. I never learned that. "Who's the owner?"

"Italian." Elsa answered.

This made me shaky because, lately, many Italian-related things have intersected with my life. "He must be wealthy. What's his name?"

She was about to answer, but the large door opened, revealing a tall blonde man in a gray suit. He smiled at us and gave a slight nod before finally sitting in the center seat in front of us. It was just him. The other two seats were empty. "Good morning everyone," he greeted us kindly.

"Good morning," we replied in unison.

"So, no need for pleasantries. I'm Kennan Jonas, the team leader of this project, and I look forward to your cooperation. I guarantee you won't be disappointed in joining us to build Royal Ridge's information system." He said. "At the end of this project, you can also become a permanent employee at Royal Ridge with a fairly high salary, and a better life. But here first. We'll talk about our framework, and what we'll be doing."

I listened carefully to every word spoken by Kennan Jonas. He explained in detail about the vision and mission of this project, as well as our respective roles in building Royal Ridge's information system. I felt a little nervous but also excited. This was an excellent opportunity for me, a chance to prove my worth and possibly have a better career.

I was even thinking about how I would show off to my mom when I got my paycheck after all these years of her holding me back. She's bound to be even more upset by that.

After Kennan finished his introduction, he started introducing the rest of the team. I carefully noted their names and positions, trying to remember as much as possible. This introduction session lasted for a few minutes before Kennan started discussing the project structure.

"Okay, let's start by discussing the framework," Kennan said as he pulled out some documents and handed them out to us. "Here is an outline of the tasks and targets we should achieve in the next few months. This will be our guide." I opened the document and started reading it. It looked pretty challenging, but I was confident I could handle it. Kennan explained each section clearly, making sure we all understood what was expected of us. Elsa, who was sitting next to me, was seriously taking notes, so I followed her lead.

"Each of you will have specific responsibilities," Kennan continued. "However, we will work as a team, supporting each other and ensuring that every part of this project runs smoothly. Any questions so far?"

One of the men in front of me raised his hand. "What about the timeline of this project? Do we have a strict deadline?"

Kennan nodded. "Yeah, sure. We have a pretty tight, but realistic timeline. You can see it in the document on page three. We have milestones to achieve every month."

I opened the page in question and looked at the detailed schedule. This was going to be a long but exciting journey. After a few more questions from the other team members, Kennan decided to move on to the next session. "Now, we're going to talk about the technology and tools we'll be using," he said. "I want to make sure everyone is familiar with these before we start. Anyone not familiar with the technologies listed on page five?"

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I looked at the list of technologies that would be used and was quite familiar with them. Several other team members also nodded their heads in agreement.

"Good," Kennan said. "Then, let's start with the division of labor. Daniella, you'll work with Elsa on frontend development. You two will focus on the user interface and make sure it's responsive and user-friendly."

I nodded, feeling excited to be working with Elsa. She seemed intelligent and passionate. Elsa also smiled at me as if she was happy with this division.

After distributing the tasks to everyone, Kennan ended the meeting with some motivational words. "Remember, this is a great opportunity for all of us. Let's work hard and show that we are capable. I believe in all of you."

We all nodded in agreement. After the meeting ended, Elsa and I walked out together.

"Looks like we'll be working together a lot," I said to her with a smile.

"Yes, I think about that too," she replies. "I'm happy to be working with you, Daniella."

I feel the same excitement. It's not a bad start and doesn't seem too stressful. I'm used to doing my job description because that's what I put on my CV.

"You can have lunch at the cafeteria in the lobby," the voice of Kennan, our team leader, from behind startled me.

Elsa and I looked up at him with a friendly smile, glancing between the two of us. "Isn't that for staff only?" Elsa asked.

Kennan chuckled. "It's free for anyone. You guys are Royal Ridge employees, so you have higher access."

I grimaced.

"Everything is free for employees, and you too." He said. "Come on, we'll have lunch together."

I opened my mouth when I heard there was free food. We agreed to come along. Kennan Jonas also brought along some team members who had just left. Having only met him for two hours, I already found a good leader in him. No doubt he was appointed for this project.

We went down to the main floor and walked to the large cafeteria at the end of the office building. The cafeteria was like a restaurant, and from the menus lined up, I'm sure it held all the food I liked. I sighed. Unfortunately, I was going to be working in San Francisco, and the Royal Ridge office in Damien's building was an ordinary, incomplete cafeteria. I'll urge Damien later to make the cafeteria like this.

We took a spot with a slightly longer table than the others. Some people are looking, and I'm honestly nervous. But I'm not the only one being looked at, so there's no problem with that. I take a chair and sit down, Elsa taking the seat to my

left.

"Daniella, right?" said the man sitting on my right.

I looked at him and smiled. "Nice to meet you... Tomas, right?" I asked because when Kennan was handing out the assignments earlier, I paid attention to the names Kennan mentioned and memorized them in my head.

"Nice to meet you too." After that, she introduced herself to Elsa, and we introduced each other to the other six people on the team. Then, we chatted about mundane and random things.

I ate the chicken tandoori in front of me with gusto. We all did.

"So roughly, sir." A woman named Sascha started the conversation that had stalled. "Where will the Royal Ridge company be built in San Francisco? Will it be as luxurious as this company?"

"Of course it will be luxurious. It's not far from the Civic Center. You will see it later." Kennan replied. "And I forgot to tell you, when you are in San Francisco, you will be working in this company building too, not in Rodrigo's Building." He continued.

Next to me, Tomas raised his eyes. "Woah. I'm sure that will be a lot of fun."

"Why not at Rodrigo's Bulding anymore?" I asked.

"Because the owner of Royal Ridge is a good friend of the owner of Scavi Titanio. I don't know what the reason is for moving the company there, but I'm sure Mr. Scuderi isn't making a bad decision." He said.

I nodded in understanding.

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"Who is the owner of Scavi Titanio? Why is he so willing to rent out their building to accommodate us? Doesn't he have anything to lose?"

"He's so rich. Have you ever heard of Bernardi?"

I froze.

"Yeah, Zane Bernardi. I've heard of him but I've never seen his face." One of the guys replied.

"Well, he owns Scavi Titanio." Kennan replied.

My blood seemed to flow from my face.

"So he owns two companies? That oil company and this mining company?" Elsa asked in surprise.

"Yes. That's why he's willing to accommodate his friend's employees. He's so rich." Kennan replied.

Meanwhile, my eyes were foggy, and my heart seemed to fall into my stomach. I swallowed, looking at them one by one.

"I need to use the restroom for a moment. Please, excuse me."

They nodded, excusing me.

And I exited the cafeteria, walking quickly to the restroom. There was no need to bother as a sign was at the top. I went into one of the cubicles and vomited. Nausea twisted my stomach, and my heart tightened. It's him again.

Zane Bernardi again.

I closed my eyes. I slumped down in front of the toilet and let out a rough breath.

How could this be such a coincidence? Why? I've already had the misfortune of finding out that he's my boyfriend's brother, and now he's also the owner of the company. Where will we be working later? Didn't my brothers say that he can't touch California? Why does it seem like he's controlling this state now?

I ran a hand through my hair and composed myself.

No, he doesn't.

Among so many people, he won't find me. Yes, that's all. I'm just an employee, and he's the big boss of two companies and a disgusting Don of the cosa nostra. He wouldn't bother with just a shrimp in front of his eyes. Yeah.

I calmed myself down before exiting the toilet cubicle. I stepped out of the bathroom and walked through the long hallway, but my steps stopped when I saw that familiar face.

He was in the lobby talking to another man.

Zane Bernardi.

He was here.