Chapter 2 - THE TOWER IN THE CLOUDS
The Maybach rolled through the rain-slicked streets of Chicago like a silent ghost.
Inside the leather-trimmed cabin, the heater hummed softly. Beatrice sat on the plush leather seat, feeling entirely out of place. Her shoes were wet, her navy uniform was stained, and she felt the heavy weight of her own body sinking into the luxury around her.
Dominic sat beside her. He had removed his suit jacket and placed it around her shoulders. It smelled of cedarwood, expensive tobacco, and rain.
"You're shaking," Dominic said, reaching over to turn up the heat.
"I'm fine," Beatrice said, her voice small. "I'm just... confused. Mr. Vance, why did you—"
"Dominic," he corrected gently. "And you saved my life three years ago, Beatrice. I don't forget debts. Especially not debts of blood."
"I was just doing my job," she murmured, looking down at her rough, calloused hands. "Back when I had a job."
"I know what happened to you," Dominic said softly.
Beatrice froze. She turned to look at him. "What?"
"Harrison Weber," Dominic said, his eyes darkening at the name of the chief surgeon who had destroyed her career. "I looked into your record two years ago after I fully recovered. I wanted to thank you. But when I went to Lakeview Memorial, they told me you were fired for gross negligence. They said you killed a patient named Arthur Pendelton."
Beatrice’s hands clenched into fists. Tears welled up in her eyes again, but this time they were hot with old, bitter anger. "I didn't! Arthur Pendelton died because Dr. Weber administered three times the dosage of potassium chloride by mistake! I caught the error on the chart, I tried to stop him, but Weber forged my signature on the administration sheet after Arthur died!"
"I know," Dominic said.
Beatrice gasped. "You... you know?"
"A nurse with your record doesn't suddenly forget basic dosage," Dominic said simply. "Weber was a coward who protected his board position, and the hospital covered it up because Pendelton's family was threatening a fifty-million-dollar lawsuit. They needed a scapegoat. They chose the nurse without a rich family or a legal team."
Beatrice lowered her head, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I lost everything, Dominic. My license. My home. My dignity. I gained a hundred pounds because I couldn't stop eating the shame. I couldn't look at myself in the mirror."
Dominic reached out, taking her hand again. His grip was firm, warm, and unshakable.
"The mirror lies, Beatrice," he said softly. "The people in that room tonight were trash. You are the woman who stood between me and a wooden box. From tonight, nobody ever makes you feel small again."
The Maybach pulled into the underground garage of the Water Tower Residences, one of the most exclusive high-rises along the Magnificent Mile.
The private elevator took them straight to the penthouse floor. When the doors opened, Beatrice stepped out onto dark hardwood floors beneath soaring twenty-foot ceilings. The walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling glass, offering a breathtaking, panoramic view of Lake Michigan and the glowing grid of Chicago under the midnight rain.
A woman in her fifties, wearing a neat grey dress, stepped forward. "Good evening, Mr. Vance."
"Mrs. Gable," Dominic said. "This is Beatrice. She will be staying in the master guest suite indefinitely. Please prepare a warm bath, bring up dinner from the kitchen, and call my personal physician, Dr. Chen, to do a full evaluation of her knees."
"Right away, sir," Mrs. Gable said with a polite bow.
Beatrice stood paralyzed. "Dominic, this is too much. I can't stay here. I have an apartment in Cicero... my mother's bills..."
"Your mother's medical bills were paid in full twenty minutes ago," Dominic said calmly, taking off his gold watch and placing it on a marble console table. "Her home care team has already been upgraded to private private nurses. Your lease in Cicero has been cancelled, and your belongings are being packed and moved as we speak."
Beatrice stared at him, overwhelmed. "Why are you doing this?"
May you like
Dominic walked over to her, stopping close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him. He looked down into her eyes, unwavering.
"Because three years ago, you stayed when everyone else gave up," he said quietly. "Now, it's my turn to stay."
