Chapter 2 - The Oath in the Dark
The fireplace in Dominic's private study crackled, throwing amber light across the dark leather furniture and the heavy mahogany desk. Outside, the Lake Forest blizzard howled against the reinforced glass windows.
Dominic stood by the hearth, holding a glass of amber scotch he hadn't touched.
Evelyn sat on the edge of the leather sofa. She had taken off her apron, revealing the simple gray cotton dress beneath. She looked small against the grand backdrop of the room, her auburn hair slipping slightly from its bun, but her expression held no apology.
"How long have you known?" Dominic asked, his voice low and dangerous, though the edge was no longer directed at her.
"Since my second night," Evelyn replied quietly, rubbing her wrists. "I was changing his pillowcases. I noticed his pupils tracking me. Unconscious or brain-dead patients don't track movement with intention. Their eyes wander. Mateo’s didn't. He was looking at my hands."
Dominic turned his gaze to her. "And the alphabet grid?"
"I learned it at St. Catherine's," she said softly. "I worked in the traumatic brain injury unit for three years before... before the hospital was bought out and my department was downsized. I saw patients like Mateo all the time. Everyone treats them like furniture because it's easier than doing the work to listen."
Dominic took a slow step toward her. "Why didn't you come to me immediately?"
Evelyn gave a faint, bitter laugh. "Come to you? Mr. Moretti, until five minutes ago, I thought if I told you your brother could talk, you'd think I was crazy or trying to play a scam for money. Or worse—that whoever hurt him would realize he could identify them and finish the job."
Dominic paused. She was right. If Vincent Hale had discovered Mateo was conscious, Mateo would have suffered a quiet, undetectable cardiac arrest within twenty-four hours.
"He spelled out Vincent's name," Dominic said, his jaw tightening so hard a muscle twitched along his cheek. "Vincent was the one who insisted we take the freight terminal route the night of the ambush. He said his scouts had cleared it."
"Mateo told me more while you were coming down the hall," Evelyn added, pulling her crumpled notebook from her pocket. "Before the shooting started, Mateo saw Vincent step out of the lead SUV and toss his phone into the snow. He wasn't ambushed. He staged his own escape."
Dominic closed his eyes for a long second. Ten years of brotherhood, of shared blood and enterprise, wiped out by betrayal.
"Roland Blackwood promised him the territory," Dominic deduced coldly. "Vincent doesn't just want my money; he wants my chair. He's been feeding Blackwood our shipments, waiting for the right moment to eliminate me."
He opened his eyes and looked down at Evelyn.
She met his gaze without flinching.
"You have a mysterious four-year gap on your résumé, Ms. Parker," Dominic said, changing the subject so abruptly that Evelyn blinked. "You lied about St. Catherine’s downsizing. I had my men check. The unit wasn't shut down. You were fired."
Evelyn’s posture stiffened. A shadow of deep, agonizing shame crossed her features. She looked down at her hands.
"I was fired because I broke protocol," she whispered, her voice trembling. "There was a patient—a young girl, eighteen years old. She was paralyzed after a drunk driving accident. Her family stopped visiting. The hospital administration wanted to transfer her to a low-cost state facility where she would have died of neglect within six months."
She swallowed hard, a tear slipping down her cheek.
"I forged a transfer authorization to get her into a private non-profit clinic," Evelyn continued. "I got caught. St. Catherine's pressed charges. I spent eighteen months on probation, lost my nursing license, and went fifty thousand dollars into debt paying their legal fees. That's why I'm a maid, Mr. Moretti. Because the medical board decided that caring too much was a crime."
Dominic stared at her.
He had spent his life surrounded by people who committed crimes for greed, power, and malice. He had never met someone who broke the law simply because her heart was too big for the rules.
Dominic walked over to the sofa, set his glass on the side table, and sat down beside her. He didn't touch her, but his presence was warm, solid, and absolute.
"They stripped your license," Dominic said quietly.
"Yes."
"Then they are fools," Dominic declared, his voice carrying the authority of a decree. "Starting tonight, you are no longer a housekeeper in this mansion, Evelyn."
Evelyn looked up, alarm in her eyes. "Are you firing me?"
"No," Dominic said, reaching out to cover her hand with his own broad, warm palm. "I am appointing you Mateo's personal chief medical director. You answer only to me. Your salary is ten times what I paid you this morning. And tomorrow, my lawyers will begin the process of expunging your legal record."
May you like
Evelyn stared at him, her breath catching in her throat. "Dominic... you don't have to do that."
"I protect what is mine," Dominic said, his dark eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat. "And whether you realize it or not, Evelyn Parker, the moment you sat beside my brother and gave him his voice back, you became mine."
