Chapter Text
In 1920, at the age of twenty-eight, Italian immigrant Vito Corleone, and his business partners—Genco Abbandando, Peter Clemenza, and Salvatore Tessio—created the Corleone Advertising Agency. Vito started the business with a very humble beginning–the four worked out of an old, rundown building in the Bronx until there was enough money to purchase an office space with a non-leaky roof.
Vito gained notable recognition from his friends and his neighbors for his business-savvy mind and his charming way with words. As anti-Italian sentiment grew in New York City, especially in the Bronx, Italian family businesses were suffering from the discrimination. Many of Vito’s neighbors sought his help since Vito had contacts in the newspaper and magazine businesses. Vito and his associates prepared advertisements to have splayed in local newspapers, and drew artwork for posters to be hung in the community centers.
The business began small, but it steadily grew as radio became popular in the 1930’s.
Now, the year was 1955, and after careful consideration, Vito’s three sons—Santino, Fredo, and Michael—have now joined the family advertising business.
(~)
Michael Corleone leaned back and tucked his hands into his pockets as he took in the beauty in front of him.
The 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air.
The coat of the automobile was maroon with a matching roof and it sat on four whitewall tires. It was the pure definition of luxury and Michael pondered if it was necessary to have a vehicle such as that.
After being promoted to Creative Director, Michael earned a generous bonus. He had no wife nor children so that money was pretty much sitting in the bank, accumulating interest. His brother, Fredo, suggested that he buy a car instead of taking the train every day.
As he thought to himself, a blonde salesman approached him with a ready smile.
“Good morning, sir. I see you’re looking at this fine piece of machinery here. It’s the 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air, not at all like the old generation’s station wagon.”
Bluntly, Michael asked, “How much?”
“2,100 dollars, but this car is worth every penny. It has power steering and an automatic transmission with a V-8 engine under its hood. It even has this autotronic-eye that dims the lights for you when there’s an oncoming car. It’s truly a masterpiece.”
It was a big purchase and Michael thought about refusing the offer, but he needed a vehicle, and he just happened to have enough money for such a big purchase.
Now that his pop made him the new Creative Director, Michael knew he needed to start acting like it.
Michael glanced at the salesman and confidently stated, “I’ll take it.”
(~)
Around 10 a.m., Michael strode into his spacious and well-decorated office, hanging his hat and coat on the wooden coat rack. Before he could even seat himself at his desk, he heard his door abruptly open. He looked up and saw his brother Fredo and his secretary, Kay, in the doorway.
Kay shot Michael an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Michael, but he barged past me.” She gestured to Fredo.
“It’s alright, Kay.” Michael said, signaling for her to shut the door.
Before she did, she gave Fredo a quick glare before taking her leave.
Michael glanced at Fredo, and once he saw the annoyed look on Fredo’s face, Michael then prepared himself for the worst temper tantrum ever.
“Mike.” Fredo sighed exasperatedly. “Just what on earth were you thinking?”
“What are you talking about, Fredo?”
“The Meyers account. How could you just ignore the client’s wishes like that? Do you know that Meyers is now thinking about taking his business somewhere else?” Fredo plopped himself in the chair in front of Michael’s desk.
“Meyers is an idiot.” Michael dismissed.
Fredo grumbled, “You need to tell pop that we’re going to lose that account. I’m not taking the heat for this.”
“Don’t worry about it, Meyers isn’t going anywhere.”
“How do you know?”
“I just know, alright?”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Listen, Fredo. Pop wouldn’t have put me in this position if he didn’t think I can handle it so don’t worry. Meyers is not going anywhere.”
Fredo quirked an eyebrow. “You know something, don’t you? Mike, if you know something, you gotta tell me!”
“There’s no big secret, Fredo. We all know that Meyers has been doing the same kind of advertising for five years now. The whole world is on the brink of a new era with new technology. That means new ways of doing things, and a man like Meyers needs us.”
“I don’t know, Mike. He’s a real stubborn bull if he doesn’t get his way.” Fredo huffed.
“Well, if Meyers would rather stick to the outdated ways of advertisement, then he can leave. We don’t need a client like him.”
“But what’s the harm of just giving him what he wants? He’s just one man.” Fredo whined.
“Fredo, he’s the client and he’s paying us to do the thinking for him. He needs to know that he can’t come into this building and make his demands.”
From the look on his older brother’s face, Michael knew that Fredo didn’t understand, he didn’t even try to understand. And for that same reason, that was why their father promoted Michael. Of course, the other choice was Santino, but with the amount of scandals that the eldest was involved in (multiple lovers on the side and a very public divorce), Michael was clearly the better choice.
“Fredo, don’t worry, he’s not going to leave. I rang him early this morning and made him an offer.” Michael stated as he dug into his blazer for his cigarette tin. “He’d be a fool to refuse it.”
The two brothers lit their cigarettes and watched as the busy bodies outside Michael’s office windows moved about the building.
“Oh, Mikey, have you seen my new secretary?” Fredo grinned. “She’s pretty.”
Michael gently tapped his cigarette on an ashtray to get rid of the excess. “New secretary? What happened to your old one?”
Fredo avoided eye contact. “I don’t know, we just didn’t suit each other.”
“How so?”
“She was crazy.”
Michael raised a brow. “Crazy?”
“Just another one of those loonies, you know.” Fredo stood up and looked out Michael’s office window, searching the floor for his new secretary.
Michael could easily tell that Fredo was lying to him. Fredo always had a weakness for beautiful, impressionable women, and it was easy for those women to trust Fredo since he came off as cute and as harmless as a ladybug. And, sure, Fredo was harmless at first, but once he became enamored with a young woman, his affection would become too strong for the lady to handle. Last year, a previous secretary complained to management that Fredo fondled her at the copy machine.
“Oh, there she is!” Fredo exclaimed, tilting his head in the direction he was looking at.
Michael stood up as well and walked over until he was beside Fredo. He followed his brother’s gaze and his eyes slowly landed on a young brunette struggling to carry a hefty typewriter in her arms.
Michael concluded that Fredo downplayed her looks. She wasn’t pretty—she was beautiful.
However, she looked a bit out of place, which made her appear much more interesting.
Her hair, for instance. It was stylish for American women to sport short hair, but this woman kept her long, wavy locks. Her mid-length hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders. And, she didn’t appear to be wearing any makeup, although many of the women surrounding her wore mascara and red lips. But, that didn’t make her any better than the other attractive women in the office. It just made her different and that intrigued Michael.
“Didn’t I tell ya?” Fredo asked, a glint of excitement lurked in his eyes that didn’t go unnoticed by Michael.
Michael strode back over to his desk, putting out his cigarette. “She is very cute. What’s her name?”
“I don’t know.”
“She’s your secretary and you don’t even know her first name?”
“I was too busy staring at her face to catch her name.” Fredo gave Michael a serious nod. “I think she’s the one.”
Michael refrained from rolling his eyes. “Fredo, we’ve all heard that sort of talk before.”
“I’m serious this time, Mike. She’s beautiful and soft-spoken. And, I think if she and I were to go steady, ma and pop would approve.”
There was a knock heard on Michael’s door.
“Come in.” Michael called out.
Kay entered with a stack of files in her arms. “These are the notes from last week’s board meeting that you wanted to review before today’s meeting at noon.” She walked over to Michael and placed the files on his desk.
“Thanks, Kay.” Michael answered, unaware that Kay was staring at his face, admiring him.
A light blush peppered her porcelain skin as her brain became entrenched with explicit fantasies about Michael. She was soon brought back into the real world when she heard Fredo direct a question at her.
“Hey, Kay, what’s the new girl’s name?”
Kay rolled her eyes. “Seriously? I’m the one who introduced you to her.”
Michael chuckled. “He was distracted, to say the least.”
“That’s a lie, I wasn’t distracted.” Fredo quipped. “I was so focused on her that I just didn’t hear her name.”
Kay replied, “Her name is Apollonia Vitelli.”
Fredo repeated that name. “Sounds like music.”
Inwardly, Michael completely agreed with that notion.
“You better not pull any tricks on her, Fredo.” Kay swiped. “I already warned her about you.”
“Oh, please.” Fredo ignored Kay’s futile attempt at being threatening. He glanced at his watch and put out the last of his cigarette in the ashtray on Michael’s coffee table. “I better jet, Mike. Gotta get ready that meeting today. I’ll see you later.”
Before Fredo could leave, Michael gave his older brother a joking look. “Fredo, you better be nice to that girl. If she quits, we might have to start looking for a man to be your secretary.”
“That’s not funny, Mike.” Fredo rolled his eyes before closing the door behind him.
Michael clicked his tongue. “One of these, I’m going to talk to ma about getting that guy neutered. He acts like a wild Tomcat whenever he sees a pretty face.” Michael picked up a file and began perusing the notes to refresh his memory of last week’s meeting.
Kay didn’t quite know what to do with herself but she just knew that she wanted to stay in Michael’s presence a little longer.
The pair had been secretly dating for five months now. It began a month after she became his secretary. His previous secretary got married and wanted to quit so that she could be a housewife. And, that ultimately led to Kay meeting Michael.
Upon meeting him, she was immediately bewitched by him. During the day, she watched him from her desk, daydreaming about his arms wrapped around her and his lips planted firmly on hers.
She fell very hard for Michael Corleone, and her feelings toward him never diminished, especially after the first night they made love on his couch in his office.
It was silly, but even after five months of secretly dating, Kay was still shy around Michael.
Kay peeped, “Michael?”
“Yes, Kay?”
Kay fiddled with the hem of her blouse before asking, “Are you still coming over to my apartment tonight?”
“Sure, I’ll be over.” Michael replied, glancing at her for a second before moving onto another one of the files that Kay brought him.
Kay beamed. “Great.” Kay took her leave and closed the door behind her.
Michael leaned back into his chair and looked out his window once more. His eyes immediately landed on the young woman named Apollonia.
He watched her as she reached for a folder on a nearby shelf that was almost a foot taller than her. He couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face as he watched her tiptoe in place, struggling but keeping a light-hearted smile on her face.
Michael sat up a bit straighter when Fredo suddenly appeared behind her, successfully grabbing the folder that she was aiming for. A few words were exchanged between Fredo and Apollonia, and unfortunately, Michael didn’t have a knack for reading lips.
He wished for Fredo to move out of the way. His brother being so close to Apollonia unnerved Michael slightly. Decidedly, the young Corleone man sighed, refocusing all his attention on the pile of work sitting on his desk.
(~)
After the board meeting, Michael remained in his office, working until the sun went down. He spent the day making phone calls to important clients, as well as potential clients. He reviewed artwork and slogans made by his colleagues, rejecting a few and leaving helpful criticisms for them to read. He finished his first day as Creative Director, and all in all, he felt pretty good about the work he did.
It was nearly seven p.m. when Michael finally left his office. He was the only one there, all the secretaries and copywriters had left. He made his way to the elevator as he lugged his suitcase, coat, and hat with him.
Once the elevator reached the lobby floor, Michael hoped that Kay wouldn’t be too upset with him for arriving at her place so late. Hopefully, she would understand.
Michael slipped into his coat and put on his hat once he saw the rain that was falling very heavily from the sky. He left his new car in the parking garage three blocks down the street so he wouldn’t be walking in the rain for too long.
He exited the building and before he could step out into the cold, pouring rain, a figure in his peripheral vision stopped him.
It was Apollonia.
She was standing inside a nearby telephone booth, speaking on the phone, a slight frown apparent on her face.
Michael watched her from his place in front of the building’s glass doors.
Aside from earlier that morning, Michael hadn’t seen her all day, even when he stepped out for a quick bite to eat after the board meeting, trying get a peek at her. And, at that moment, she was where he had least expected to see her.
Whomever she was speaking on the phone with caused her to nod in defeat before hanging up the telephone. She stepped out of the phone booth before pulling out her umbrella. She faced the street, waiting for something.
Michael began walking toward her before he could stop himself.
“Apollonia?” He called out to her.
She jumped, startled by him. Her great, brown eyes stared at him as she tried place him.
“I’m Michael Corleone, Fredo’s brother.”
Her face broke into a light-hearted smile. “Oh, you’re Michael!”
Michael was momentarily dazzled by her grin. He also noticed there was a bit of an accent in her voice, meaning that English wasn’t her first language. “Yes. We didn’t get a chance to meet each other yet, but I also work in the office with Fredo.”
“Si, si, I know.” Apollonia held out her hand for Michael to shake. “Fredo told me a lot about you.”
“All good things, I hope.” He took her hand willingly and offered her a small smile. “Are you waiting for someone?”
“Si, my brother, Paolo” Apollonia glanced at the influx of cars driving on the street. “Paolo was supposed to pick me up.”
“What happened?”
“Paolo got busy with work. He said he would try to call my other brother to take me home.”
The words slipped out of Michael’s mouth, “I can drive you home.”
She did a double take. “Uh… I live kinda far away.”
“Where do you live?”
“Astoria. In Queens.”
“It’s not that far.”
Apollonia shook her head, “That’s really nice of you, but no, I can wait.”
“I don’t mind at all.”
She bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know.”
Michael understood that Apollonia had every right to be skeptical of him. It was a bit bizarre of him to offer her a ride home when neither of them had ever spoken to each other until that moment. He just needed to be patient with her and not forceful.
Michael spoke in a soothing way, hoping that would give her a sense of ease. “I just want to take you home. No games or tricks. I just wouldn’t want a new employee getting sick on her first day here. So, will you let me drive you home?”
After a moment of hesitation, she softened and gave him a nod. His heart leapt.
Michael kindly took the umbrella from her and held it for the two of them as they walked to the parking garage. The smell of her perfume enticed his senses. It was light and flowery. It pleased him for some strange reason.
Once they arrived at the parking garage, Michael unlocked the passenger side of his new car, holding the door open for her. She thanked him before seating herself in the front. He then strode over to the driver’s side and he slid into the front seat with her.
The car roared to life and Michael peeled out of the empty garage and turned onto the road.
“This car is… bellissima (beautiful)!” Apollonia exclaimed. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Maybe I am better off waiting for my brother.”
“Why do you say that?”
“My mother will have a fit if she sees me in a nice car like this.”
Michael chuckled lightly. “How long have you lived in Queens?”
“Almost a year.”
“Where did you live before that?”
“In Sicily.”
“So, why did you and your family leave Sicily?”
“Mamma and Papà thought it’d be best. My Papà and brothers were having a hard time finding work in Sicily. When we moved up north, it turned out that the northerners didn’t like us because we were Sicilian so there was a lot of—come si dice (how do you say)… when there are people who treat you a way because of your background?”
“Discrimination?”
“Si, discrimination. It was hard for my family to find jobs there so Papà thought it’d be best to leave for America.”
“Do you like it here?” Michael asked as he turned the car onto the highway that would take them over the East River into Queens.
“Si, very much.”
“Did you like your first day of work?”
She nodded, glancing out the window as they began driving over the Queensboro Bridge. She watched the city lights dance and flicker over the dark waters. “I liked it a lot.”
“I hope Fredo treated you well.” And, Michael meant that. For some reason, he found it displeasing to imagine his brother harassing a sweet and innocent girl like Apollonia. His hands gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter as he waited for her to reply.
“He was kind.” She answered honestly.
“He didn’t bother you in any way, did he?” Michael inquired, looking between her and the road.
“No, not at all.” She simply replied.
“Because he does have a bad reputation for that.”
“I’m aware. Miss Kay already told me.” Apollonia suddenly let out a small laugh. “I think I might have scared him away. He stopped hanging around my desk as soon as I put up pictures of my brothers and my Papà.”
Michael smiled, amused. “Yep, that definitely helps.”
“I appreciate the concern though, Mr. Corleone.”
Michael put a halt to his questions. He felt that if he asked her any more questions about herself and her family, she would maybe feel like she was being interrogated. He couldn’t help that he was so curious about her. Every answer she gave him made him yearn to know more about her.
Comfortable silence fell between the two as the radio played. After awhile, the rain outside stopped. The dark clouds slowly parted, giving way to a full moon in the night sky.
Then, a well-known song that Michael has heard before came on the radio and she gasped lightly. It was Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White by Perez Prado.
She grinned, “I’m in love with this song.” Her head swayed to the upbeat tune of the mambo music.
“I’m assuming you like to dance a lot, then.” Michael joked.
“When the time calls for it.” She hummed. “Is Mr. Fredo your older or younger brother?”
“Older. Then, there’s Sonny. He’s the eldest. And there’s my sister, Connie. She’s the youngest, too.”
Apollonia smiled, “Your sister is just like me. I have three older brothers.”
“Really? What are their names?”
“Massimo is the eldest, then there are the twins, Paolo and Nico. Then, me.” Apollonia then instructed, “You will have to take a right up ahead, I live on this street.”
Michael followed her instructions and after driving for a few minutes, Apollonia asked him to stop the car.
“I live just right there.” She stated as she buttoned her coat and slipped on her gloves.
Michael unbuckled his seat before she stopped him.
“You don’t need to walk me; I will be fine.” Apollonia gave him a warm smile. “Thank you for driving me home, Mr. Corleone.”
“You can call me Michael.”
“Okay.” She tested out his name, “Michael.”
At that moment, the two were alone. There were no busy streets, no strange faces walking past them. Michael could actually get a real good look at her without anyone watching them.
She was beautiful, but even more beautiful in the dark. Her lips were full and inviting. Her dark eyes shimmered in the moonlight, beckoning him for a closer look.
It was at that moment that Michael could no longer deny his attraction to her. He had been avoiding that thought all day, and now that he was alone with her, his heart swarmed with the need to possess her mind, body, and heart.
Michael leaned in towards her, catching her by surprise. She froze as he neared her face. He was getting closer to her lips when she abruptly pushed him back with her hands.
“Please, don’t.” She pleaded in a whisper.
He pulled away instantly and noticed that her eyes were shut tightly.
“I-I’m sorry.” Michael spoke.
Apollonia cleared her throat, feeling a bit awkward. “It’s okay. I won’t let anyone know.” She placed her hand on the door handle, ready to pull but she faced Michael, an incredulous look on her face.
“Why would you do that to Miss Kay?” Apollonia squeaked, her gaze on Michael becoming stern.
“What?” Michael knitted his brows.
“Aren’t you in a relationship with her?”
“Who told you that?”
“Miss Kay. She talks about you to everyone.”
Michael was taken aback. He thought that he and Kay had an agreement that no one at work would know about their relationship, partly because he thought they both shared the same sentiment about marriage—that they were both unprepared. And now, Apollonia was dropping this information on him.
After a minute of Michael being speechless, Apollonia took that as her cue to leave.
“Thank you for the ride, Mr. Corleone.” After shutting the door, she promptly made her way to her house, not sparing Michael another glance.
Michael sat in the car for a moment, stunned.
Why did he try to kiss her at that moment? What was he thinking? He must’ve been out of his mind to think she was attracted to him. They barely knew each other.
Michael groaned, covering his face with his hands. He just knew that the next few days at work were going to be awkward.
He drove away, heading back to Manhattan. He just needed to sleep and forget what just happened. He had a whole company to look after, he needed to focus on that.
However, as he neared the city’s magnificent lights, he couldn’t help but feel as though he let something (someone) great and most valuable slip out of his hands.