Chapter 7 - The CleanupWithin twenty minutes, the executive suite was immaculate. The blood had been scrubbed from the floor, the shattered watch placed carefully in a velvet box, and the heavy doors locked to the outside world.
Lorenzo sat behind his desk once again. But this time, the atmosphere in the room was entirely changed.
He looked across the mahogany wood at Sophia Rossi, who stood quietly with her hands folded, her posture calm, though a quiet tension still lingered in her shoulders. Beside her, little Emma was drawing pictures with a red crayon on a blank sheet of printer paper.
“Sophia,” Lorenzo said, his voice remarkably gentle compared to the cold monster he had been to his enemies.
Sophia lifted her chin. “Yes, Mr. DeLuca?”
“You saved my life. Your daughter saved my life,” Lorenzo said, leaning back in his leather chair. “In my world, debts are never forgotten. And betrayals are punished, but loyalty is rewarded tenfold.”
“I only did what any decent person would do, sir,” Sophia replied quietly. “I just want to keep my daughter safe.”
“You’ll never have to worry about safety again,” Lorenzo promised. He picked up a document from his desk and slid it across the wood toward her. “Effective immediately, you are no longer a housekeeper in this estate. You are the Chief Administrator of the DeLuca Philanthropic Foundation, with a salary that will ensure Emma never has to worry about a single thing for the rest of her life.”
May you like
Sophia stared at the paper, her eyes widening in disbelief. “Mr. DeLuca... I... I don't know what to say.”
“Say nothing,” Lorenzo smiled faintly. “Just keep bringing me my coffee the way you always have.”
