Chapter 3 - The Confrontation
When Maria arrived at the Caruso estate that afternoon, she was terrified. She knew enough about the world to know that anonymous gifts of luxury were never truly free. Someone had found her. Someone knew where she lived.
She scrubbed the marble floors of the foyer with frantic, nervous energy, her mind racing with worst-case scenarios. Just as she was wringing out her mop, Dante’s massive shadow fell over her.
“In my office. Now,” he commanded, not looking back as he walked toward the heavy oak doors of his inner sanctum.
Maria swallowed hard, abandoning her bucket. She followed him into the cavernous room, smelling of rich leather, expensive scotch, and gunpowder. Dante stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out at the sprawling, fortified grounds.
“Mr. Caruso, if I did something wrong—”
“Why didn't you tell me you were handing your salary over to the Romanov syndicate?” he interrupted, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that commanded absolute silence.
Maria stopped breathing. The blood drained from her face. “How... how do you know about them?”
Dante finally turned to face her. The sheer intensity in his dark eyes made her want to step backward, but she was rooted to the spot. “I make it my business to know everything that happens under my roof. You work for me. You are under my protection. And yet, I had to find out that a rival faction has been starving my employee and her five-year-old child.”
“They threatened Elena,” Maria sobbed, the dam finally breaking. “They said if I didn't pay my husband's debt, they would take her. Please, Mr. Caruso, I need this job. I’ll work double shifts, I’ll—”
“You aren't working double shifts,” Dante stepped forward, closing the distance between them. He reached out, his large, scarred hand surprisingly gentle as he offered her a handkerchief. “The debt is gone. The Romanovs who were collecting from you are no longer breathing. You don’t owe them anything.”
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Maria stared at him, her mind failing to process the magnitude of his words. “You... you killed them?”
“I relocated them to a permanent resting place,” Dante corrected smoothly. “But the rest of their syndicate will realize they are missing soon. Your apartment is no longer safe. Go home, pack whatever fits in two bags, and bring Elena back here. You live on the estate now.”
