Chapter 1 - The Morning After
Victor looked at the glass in her trembling hands.
"I didn't wake you because I was asleep," he said simply.
Chloe nearly dropped the water bottle onto the expensive carpet.
"You slept?" she whispered in disbelief.
"It is a normal human biological function, Bennett."
She stared at him as if he had just spoken a foreign language.
No one in the entire staff believed Victor Russo ever slept.
A sharp, authoritative knock suddenly echoed against the heavy oak door.
"Mr. Russo, your morning coffee is ready," Mrs. Gable announced from the hallway.
Chloe's eyes widened in sheer, paralyzing panic.
If the head housekeeper found her in the boss's bed, she would be fired instantly.
Victor placed a single finger over his lips, demanding absolute silence.
"Leave it on the cart, Gable," Victor called out smoothly.
"Are you feeling well, sir?" the older woman asked suspiciously.
"I am perfectly fine, but I require complete privacy for the next hour," he ordered.
Footsteps slowly retreated down the marble hallway, leaving them alone again.
Chloe let out a breath she felt she had been holding for an eternity.
"I will pack my things and leave immediately," she whispered, her voice cracking.
Victor stepped directly into her path, crossing his arms over his broad chest.
"You are not going anywhere," he stated in a tone that brokered no argument.
"But I broke the most important rule of the house," she argued weakly.
"You are no longer a standard maid, Bennett."
Chloe blinked, her feverish mind struggling to process his words.
"Effective immediately, you are my personal assistant, and your salary is tripled," he declared.
She shook her head, thoroughly confused by this sudden promotion.
"Why would you do that for me?" she asked cautiously.
"Because for the first time in six years, the nightmares stopped," he admitted quietly.
Before Chloe could formulate a response, her cheap cell phone buzzed violently in her apron pocket.
She glanced at the cracked screen and felt her stomach drop entirely.
"It is Tommy's doctor from the hospital," she gasped, answering the call.
Victor watched her face drain of all color in a matter of seconds.
May you like
The phone slipped from her fingers and crashed onto the hardwood floor.
"They cannot find my brother anywhere in the hospital," she choked out, tears filling her eyes.
