The clock in the main hallway of the Portello mansion struck eleven. The house was quiet, but the kitchen was still dimly lit.

Teo walked around, looking for any sign of Milo. He had checked the guest room, the garden, and the library, but the boy was nowhere to be found. He saw Stella putting away some clean towels.

"Stella, have you seen Milo?" Teo asked. "He hasn’t had dinner yet, and his room is empty."

Stella stopped and looked toward the back of the house, where Salvatore’s private office was located. "The guards said he went into the Boss’s office hours ago. Nobody has seen him come out. Maybe he is still there."

Nobody dared to go in there when Salvatore was away.

Teo looked down the long, dark corridor. He felt a sense of worry. He knew Salvatore was strict, but he didn’t understand why Milo would still be in there so late. He stood at the edge of the hallway for a minute, but the silence of the mansion kept him from moving forward.

Outside, two black cars pulled up to the front entrance. Salvatore stepped out of the back seat, his movements slightly unsteady. He had spent the evening at a high-stakes meeting that involved a lot of alcohol. He felt a bit dizzy.

Felix followed him out of the car, looking sharp but tired.

Felix was watching Salvatore closely. He had spent the entire car ride listening to Salvatore talk about their Portello plan, but he noticed how often the man checked his watch.

Salvatore couldn’t help but think about Milo. What was the young man doing right now? Was he still in the room?

He probably quit after he got tired. Salvatore was sure of it.

He led the way into the house, his coat slung over his arm. Roderick followed him, along with Felix.

"Is he still in there?" Salvatore asked a guard who passed him. His voice was a bit rough from the alcohol.

"Milo? Yes," the guard answered. He knew Salvatore planned to break Milo. Every guard knew it, and they had to go along with it.

Salvatore walked toward his office. He pushed the heavy doors open impatiently. The lights in the office were still on.

Salvatore’s eyes widened. The scene inside was not what he had expected. The mountain of sticks that had covered the floor earlier was gone. In its place were hundreds of small, neat bundles, each tied tightly with a rubber band and stacked in rows.

It was a task that should have taken several days, yet it was nearly ninety percent finished.

Milo was slumped on the floor in the middle of the remaining sticks. His head rested on a small stack of tied wood. He was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling in a shallow rhythm.

Felix stood in the doorway, his mouth slightly open. He looked at the bundles of sticks and then at Milo on the floor. He felt a surge of genuine unhappiness.

"Why is he still here?" Felix asked, his voice sharp and loud in the quiet room.

"Sshhh," Salvatore said. He didn’t turn around. He was looking at Milo.

He told them to leave the room and go to the living room.

Felix felt his stomach tighten. He didn’t understand why Salvatore had to move. They just needed to wake Milo and move him. What was the problem?

"Should I wake him up?" Roderick asked, stepping beside the man.

"No," Salvatore said. "Let him be."

In the living room, he looked at Roderick, then at Felix. "Rod, give the building proposal to Felix."

Roderick nodded and left.

"I’ll stay for the night," Felix said.

"Not tonight, I’m tired," Salvatore said. He didn’t look at him. "Just bring the documents and ask Robert to calculate the cost. He still needs to get the permit too. I’ll talk to him myself later."

Felix let out a long, frustrated sigh. He watched as Roderick came in and walked toward him with the documents in his hand. He just took them, but his mind was wandering.

He felt uneasy and unhappy about seeing Milo in the house. He knew the reason, but he also knew Salvatore would never listen to him if he said he wanted Milo to leave.

Salvatore said that Milo was just a kid, but look at how the man treated the young man, it was the opposite. He wasn’t a teenager who could be fooled by that.

He knew Salvatore was interested in Milo, more than the man expected or realized.

For the first time in years, he felt his position with Salvatore was in danger. Usually, that man had never shown interest in any man or woman before, not in the way he saw a partner.

Now, all of a sudden, the man’s attention was on a new, cute young man who was incapable of doing anything.

Felix knew he was jealous. And he knew he had to do something about it.

Salvatore walked into the office, his shoes clicking on the floor. He stood over Milo.

Milo looked peaceful, his hair messy and his lips slightly parted as he breathed.

Salvatore realized he was smiling, and he quickly pulled his face back into a neutral expression.

He looked at Milo’s clothes. He was still wearing the shirt and pants from earlier that afternoon. They were covered in dust and bits of wood.

Salvatore frowned, realizing Milo hadn’t changed or showered since then.

He’s been here since the afternoon, Salvatore thought. He hasn’t eaten or moved.

Salvatore felt a heavy sense of unease mixed with his irritation. He didn’t want the young man to be a slave, yet Milo was acting exactly like one.

Salvatore lifted his foot and pushed a large stack of the tied sticks with his shoe. The wood hit the floor with a loud, clattering noise.

Milo jumped. He woke up instantly, his body jerking with a violent start. He scrambled to sit up, his eyes wide and unfocused as he tried to figure out where he was.

He saw Salvatore standing over him and immediately looked at the sticks he had knocked over.

"Sir... I’m sorry," Milo gasped, his voice raspy. "I fell asleep. I’ll finish the rest now."

Salvatore looked at him, his hands in his pockets. "You didn’t move from this spot? You didn’t shower? You didn’t have dinner?"

Milo fell silent. He looked at his hands, which were red and cramped from the repetitive motion. He shook his head slowly.

"Just to do this fucking job?" Salvatore asked.

"But... you told me I had to finish it before midnight," Milo whispered. "I almost finished."

Salvatore let out a heavy, frustrated sigh. He felt the alcohol making his head throb. "So you’re going to finish it now?"

Milo looked at the small pile of sticks that remained. His fingers were stiff, and he could see small cuts on his fingertips from the wood. He nodded.

"I can finish it!"

Salvatore didn’t say anything. He turned around and walked out of the room. Milo felt his heart sink. He assumed Salvatore was angry because he had been caught sleeping.

He felt like a failure. He reached for a stick and a rubber band, his hands shaking as he tried to work faster.

"Damn, why were you sleeping?" Milo muttered.

Roderick walked into the room a few minutes later. He stood near Milo and looked at the thousands of sticks Milo had already bundled.

"Milo, stop it," Roderick said. "Just tell him you don’t want to do it. He won’t be angry."

Milo looked up, confused. "But I’m not finished yet. He said it had to be done tonight."

Roderick walked closer and shook his head. "He’s just testing you. He won’t keep you if you don’t know how to decide if it’s worth your time."

Milo gulped. A test, again?

And he failed?

"Oh..."

Roderick continued. "So just tell him you can’t finish it, so you can rest. Nobody will do it. You know that. If you want to stay with him, be brave enough to speak up."

Salvatore walked back into the room. He went directly to Milo’s neat stacks and used his foot to scatter them across the floor again.

Milo gasped, his eyes filling with tears. All that work, ruined in a second.

"You want to stay here until morning doing this?" Salvatore asked.

Milo looked at Roderick, then at the floor. He shook his head.

"What was that?" Salvatore asked. "I can’t hear you."

"I... I can’t do it," Milo whispered.

Salvatore stepped closer, his presence looming over the boy. "Why? Why can’t you do it?"

Milo was terrified. He thought that if he gave the wrong reason, he would be kicked out.

He stayed quiet, his chin trembling.

"Why?" Salvatore asked again, his voice harder now.

"I don’t know... I’m sorry, Sir," Milo said.

Salvatore sighed. "Look at me."

Milo looked at Salvatore slowly.

"Now, repeat after me," Salvatore said. "Say: ’No, Salvatore. I will NOT do it, because it’s a fucking stupid job!’"

Milo stared at him. He looked at Salvatore as if the man had gone insane. He had spent his entire life being told that saying "no" resulted in a whip or a burn. The words felt impossible to say.

But the man looked so serious.

"Say it," Salvatore continued. "I order it."

Milo took a deep breath. He tried to speak, but the words got stuck in his throat. He looked into Salvatore’s piercing eyes and felt a wave of fear that he was letting the man down.

"Say it now," Salvatore insisted. "No, Salvatore, I will NOT do it, because it’s a fucking stupid job."

Milo swallowed. He closed his eyes. He tried, "...No, Sir. I can’t do it, because... because it’s a useless job."

"No," Salvatore corrected him. "Not ’can’t.’ You WILL NOT. Say it again. Use the words I gave you."

Milo took a deep breath. It was harder than he thought. He felt a heaviness in his chest. The words just wouldn’t come out.

Salvatore looked impatient. "You’ll stay here until you say it."

Milo trembled at the sound of Salvatore’s weary voice. He was sure the man regretted taking him on.

Salvatore sighed. He crouched down on the floor, level with Milo. "I will not kill you just for saying what’s on your mind. Do it."

Milo exhaled deeply. He had to do it. "...No, Sir. I will not do it."

Salvatore clapped his hands. "There! See? You can do it. Now, repeat what I said. ’No, Salvatore, I WILL NOT do it, because it’s a fucking stupid job!’"

Milo gulped again. "No... Salvatore. I will... not... do it. Because... it’s a... fucking stupid job."

Milo was shocked when the man ran his hand through his hair.

"Nice! Perfect!" Salvatore said. He looked at Milo sharply. "Now, you’ll tell me exactly how you feel about anything I ask you. I’ll kick you out right away if you just say yes. I know you’re not stupid. If you think the job is stupid, tell me NO. No, no, and no!"

Milo looked down, but Salvatore lifted his chin to make him look at him. "Don’t look down. Never look down when people are talking to you."

Milo looked into Salvatore’s eyes. He realized the man’s eyes were so beautiful and intimidating. He really wanted to look down right away, but the man held his chin.

"Understand?"

Milo nodded.

Salvatore let go of him. "Now, clean yourself up. You stink. Come to the dining room. We’ll have dinner."

Milo looked at him, confused. Was he going to have dinner with Salvatore?

"Go on," Salvatore called after him. "You have ten minutes."

Milo scrambled to his feet, his mind racing. He didn’t know how to be a "man who says no", but as he ran toward the bathroom, he felt a tiny spark of a tingling sensation he’d never felt before.