Chapter 3 - The Confrontation in the Lower StudyThe lower study smelled of old paper, pipe tobacco, and damp stone. It was a windowless room where deals were finalized and debts were collected.
Maria sat in a straight-backed wooden chair near the hearth, her hands trembling as she clutched a lace handkerchief. When Roman walked in, flanked by Dante and two armed enforcers, she burst into tears.
"Mr. Moretti, I swear to God, I didn't mean any harm!" Maria sobbed, rocking back and forth. "They said they only wanted to know when the north gate was clear so they could talk to the girl—they didn't say they were going to hurt anyone!"
Norah stood just outside the half-open door in the corridor, her breath catching in her throat as she listened. The betrayal stung deeper than she expected. Maria had smiled at her every morning over breakfast.
Roman stood over the elderly housekeeper, his hands clasped behind his back. His face was a mask of cold marble.
"You traded my family's security for a loan shark’s promise," Roman said quietly. "You invited wolves into the sheepfold, Maria."
"My grandson—they were going to break his legs!"
"They are going to do much worse than that now," Roman replied without raising his voice. He motioned to Dante. "Pack her bags. Have a car drive her to her daughter's house in Wisconsin. She is stripped of her pension, her references, and her right ever to set foot in Cook County again. If she tries to return, the debt falls on her blood."
Maria screamed as Dante gently but firmly lifted her from the chair, leading her away from the ruins of her life.
When the room emptied, Roman walked out into the corridor. He found Norah standing rigidly against the wainscoting, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
"Are you satisfied?" Norah asked, her voice shaking. "You exiled an old woman."
"I spared her life," Roman corrected sharply, stepping close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his chest. "In my world, Maria committed treason. Treason is traditionally punished with a shallow grave in the Indiana pines. I gave her a bus ticket and her family."
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Norah looked up, her gray eyes flashing. "You think you own everything, don't you? You think because you have money, guns, and men in suits, you get to rewrite the rules of everyone's existence!"
"I didn't write the rules, Norah," Roman murmured, his amber eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her breath hitch. "I just refuse to lose to them. Now, come inside. Sullivan and your brother are here."
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