Chapter 1 - THE COFFEE AND THE SCARRoman Calder watched the small woman standing by his desk with a gaze that had unnerved hardened syndicate bosses and bribed politicians alike. Nora Hayes did not flinch. She simply waited for him to dismiss her, her hands neatly folded over her apron.
"You've been here five years, Nora," Roman said, his voice a low, gravelly hum that resonated in the quiet library. "And you still treat me like a landmine."
"I treat you like an employer, Mr. Calder," she replied quietly.
"Most employees don't tuck me in." He took a slow sip of the chamomile tea, the warmth of the honey soothing a throat raspy from sleeplessness. "Why didn't you leave when you heard me? You know what they say about me downstairs. The cook who stays too late usually ends up seeing things they shouldn't."
"I saw a man who had a nightmare," Nora said softly, her courage surprising even herself. "And I know what nightmares are like."
Roman’s eyes narrowed slightly. He traced the jagged silver scar along his jawline—a permanent souvenir from the night his father’s empire nearly imploded upon itself. For a fraction of a second, something vulnerable flashed behind his dark irises, before the iron shutters slammed down again.
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"Get out of my sight, Nora," he said, though there was no heat in the command. "And next time, let me choke on my own demons."
As she turned and slipped out of the room, Roman stared at the empty doorway. He didn't know it then, but those ten words would become the anchor he clung to when his entire world caught fire exactly one week later.
