Chapter 2 - THE MAID WHO COULD READ NUMBERS
By morning, everyone at the Gallo estate knew Linda had been fired.
They also knew she had been promoted.
The contradiction created chaos.
Dominic's senior staff hated it.
Especially Sofia Moretti.
Sofia had been raised inside the criminal world.
Her father had been one of Dominic's father's closest allies.
She had expected to marry Dominic eventually.
Not because either of them had ever confessed love.
Because their families had treated marriage like a business merger.
Sofia entered Dominic's office without knocking.
"You moved Linda into the executive wing."
Dominic didn't look up.
"Yes."
"She's domestic staff."
"Not anymore."
"She has no experience."
"Neither did half the men working for you."
Sofia's jaw tightened.
"You don't trust her."
Dominic finally looked up.
"I trust results."
Sofia placed a folder on his desk.
"Then look at this."
Dominic opened it.
The company had lost $4.7 million through phantom shipping invoices.
Linda had noticed inconsistencies in those invoices months earlier.
She had reported them to the household manager.
Nothing happened.
Dominic frowned.
"Who approved these?"
Sofia smiled.
"That's the interesting part."
She pointed.
"Your cousin Matteo."
Dominic's eyes hardened.
Matteo was his father's nephew.
A charming man.
Popular.
Ambitious.
And increasingly reckless.
"Bring him in."
Sofia hesitated.
"Now?"
"Now."
Matteo entered twenty minutes later.
He was smiling.
"What did I do?"
Dominic pushed the folder across the desk.
"Explain."
Matteo looked down.
His smile disappeared.
"These are accounting errors."
"Four million dollars?"
"Temporary."
"Where did the money go?"
"I don't know."
Dominic stood.
Matteo stepped backward.
"Dominic."
"Where?"
"I told you."
Dominic grabbed the front of his jacket.
Matteo's back struck the wall.
"Then find out."
Linda stood outside the office.
She had heard everything.
When Dominic finally released Matteo, Linda entered.
She held another folder.
"I found something."
Dominic looked at her.
"What?"
She placed photographs on his desk.
"These shipping containers were supposedly sent to Newark."
"And?"
"They never arrived."
Dominic studied the paperwork.
Linda continued.
"The signatures were copied."
"How do you know?"
"Because I cleaned your office."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You found that while cleaning?"
"There was a carbon copy stuck under the desk."
Dominic stared at her.
Then smiled.
It was brief.
But Linda saw it.
She had never seen him smile before.
"You're dangerous."
"I'm observant."
"Same thing."
Their eyes met.
Something shifted.
Linda looked away first.
Sofia saw it.
And hated it.
That evening, Linda returned to the hospital.
Dominic did not follow her.
He told himself he wouldn't.
He lasted three hours.
Then he arrived.
Linda was asleep beside Keo.
Her head rested against the mattress.
One hand still held her brother's.
Dominic stood in the doorway.
The room was dim.
For the first time, he noticed how young she actually looked.
Twenty-four.
Too young to carry this much exhaustion.
A blanket had slipped from her shoulder.
Dominic quietly picked it up and covered her.
Linda woke.
She looked at him.
"You came."
"I had business nearby."
She smiled faintly.
"Liar."
Dominic almost laughed.
"You shouldn't accuse your employer of lying."
"You followed me once."
"Once?"
"Don't tell me you've done it again."
He looked at her.
"Maybe."
Linda shook her head.
"You really are controlling."
"I've been called worse."
She sat up.
"Why do you care about Keo?"
Dominic looked at the boy.
"Because he's seven."
"That's not an answer."
"No."
He looked at her.
"It isn't."
Silence.
Linda whispered:
"You don't have to save everyone."
"I know."
"Then why me?"
Dominic didn't answer.
Because he had spent his entire life believing money could solve every problem.
Then he met a woman who would rather destroy herself working than accept a gift.
That unsettled him.
He wasn't accustomed to people who couldn't be bought.
Linda touched the edge of the blanket.
"Thank you."
Dominic nodded.
"You're welcome."
He turned to leave.
Linda called after him.
"Dominic?"
He stopped.
It was the first time she had used his first name.
He looked back.
"Yes?"
"I don't think you're mean."
He stared at her.
"Don't spread that rumor."
She smiled.
May you like
For the first time, Dominic felt something dangerously close to happiness.
And he knew immediately that it was a weakness.
