Chapter 3 - The Liability
Nora’s breath hitched. "I'm not running from anyone. I'm your housekeeper."
"You are a ghost," Dominic countered, taking a slow, measured step toward her. "You have no digital footprint. You take your pay in cash. You don't speak to the other staff. And you understand the mechanics of impending violence far too well for a civilian."
He closed the distance between them, stopping so close she could smell the bergamot and bitter espresso again.
"I appreciate loyalty," Dominic murmured, looking down at her raw, detergent-cracked hands, then back up to her eyes. "But I do not tolerate unknown variables in my house. You just saved my life, Nora. Which means you are either the most observant innocent woman I have ever met... or you are planted here by a rival family to gain my trust."
"If I were planted," Nora said, forcing her voice to remain steady, "I would have let Arthur kill you."
Dominic stared at her, searching her face for any flicker of deception. He found none.
"True," he conceded softly. "But you are no longer a maid."
Nora’s stomach dropped. "What?"
"You just inserted yourself into a syndicate war," Dominic explained, his tone completely matter-of-fact. "Whoever paid Arthur to kill me will know that the hit failed. They will find out why. When they review the perimeter footage, they will see you talking to me right before I pulled you away from the glass. You are a target now."
"No," Nora whispered, panic finally bleeding through her carefully constructed walls. "No, I am invisible. I just clean the house. You have to let me go."
Dominic reached out, his long fingers gently catching her chin, forcing her to look up at him. The grip wasn't bruising like before. It was firm, possessive, and entirely terrifying.
"You aren't invisible anymore," he said, his thumb brushing against her jawline. "You stepped out of the shadows the moment you touched my tie. I don't know what you're hiding from, Nora, but the world you were trying to survive in just burned down."
May you like
He let go of her face and turned back to the desk.
"Silvio will escort you to the guest wing," Dominic commanded. "You will not wear that uniform again. From this moment on, you belong to me, and you will stay exactly where I can see you."
