Chapter 3 - “SHE’S NOT A SERVANT ANYMORE”: THE DANGEROUS GIFT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Three days passed in a blur of luxurious confinement. My body was healing rapidly, though every movement reminded me of the violent night at Lumina. But the isolation was broken on the fourth morning when the bedroom door creaked open.
A small shadow slunk inside, holding the same yellow plastic dinosaur.
“Maya?” Leo whispered, peeking around the heavy mahogany door frame.
I smiled, the dark heaviness in my chest lifting instantly. “Hey, little guy. Come here.”
Leo didn't hesitate. He scrambled onto the bed with the agility of a squirrel, carefully avoiding my bandaged back, and dropped his dinosaur onto my lap. “Papa said I wasn't allowed to touch you because you’re fragile like a porcelain doll. But I told him you’re not a doll. You’re a superhero.”
“I’m definitely not a superhero, Leo,” I laughed softly, touching his nose. “Just a girl who moves too fast.”
“Papa bought you dresses,” Leo beamed, pointing toward the walk-in closet. “Big ones! Like a princess!”
I looked up as Dante entered the room, accompanied by three women carrying velvet garment bags and jeweler cases. The women arranged the items across the lounge chairs—couture dresses, cashmeres, diamond studs, and custom leather shoes with soft padded insoles.
“What is this?” I asked, feeling defensive. “I don't accept charity, Mr. Vance.”
“It isn't charity; it’s a uniform,” Dante replied, waving his hand to dismiss the tailors. Once the room was empty, he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. “Tonight, the Syndicate Council meets at the grand hall down the mountain. Don Valenti and the five families will be attending.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Valenti orchestrated the 'accident' at Lumina,” Dante revealed, his eyes darkening with dangerous heat. “The server who tripped? She was paid fifty thousand dollars by Valenti’s enforcers to drop a tray filled with crushed glass mixed with industrial acid directly into my son’s face. They wanted to blind my heir.”
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My breath hitched. It wasn't an accident.
“You saved my boy from a chemical disfigurement, Maya,” Dante continued, stepping closer until his shadow enveloped me entirely. “Valenti thinks you’re just a disposable waitress who got lucky. Tonight, you walk into that gala on my arm wearing fifty carats of diamonds. You will sit at the head table as my honored guest. I am going to show the entire underworld that the woman who bleeds for my family is untouchable.”
