Chapter 3 - A Shift in Power
By evening, the immediate threat of a secondary attack had subsided, but the tension within the estate remained razor-sharp.
Dominic refused to let Lena return to her small staff apartment on the ground floor. Instead, he had her belongings moved to a spacious, elegant guest suite directly adjoining his master bedroom on the second floor.
"This isn't appropriate, Mr. Marlowe," Lena said, standing in the middle of the luxurious room with its velvet curtains, private balcony, and king-sized bed. "The other staff members are already talking. They think... they think I’m using what happened last night to gain favor."
Dominic stood near the door frame, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms.
"Let them talk," Dominic said quietly. "You’re not a housekeeper anymore, Lena."
Lena blinked. "What?"
"Effective five minutes ago, your employment contract with Marlowe Enterprises has been altered," Dominic declared, pulling a thick folder from under his arm and setting it on the marble coffee table. "You are now employed as my personal medical advisor and private health manager. Your salary is quadrupled. You report directly to me."
Lena stared at the folder, then looked up into his dark eyes. "You can't just change my life with a piece of paper, Dominic!"
"I can," he answered smoothly. "And I did."
"Why?!" Lena demanded, her hands resting on her hips, her full curves outlined against the soft cotton of her sweater. "Is this guilt? Because I saved one of your men? Because I helped clean your floor?"
Dominic took three slow steps toward her, his presence instantly dominating the room. He reached out, his long fingers gently catching a strand of dark hair that had fallen across her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. His thumb lingered along her jawline, warm and rough against her skin.
"It’s not guilt, Lena," Dominic whispered, his voice dark and thick with emotion. "For three years, I watched you walk through these halls. I watched you work yourself to exhaustion to pay off debts that weren't even yours. I watched you smile at everyone while no one bothered to ask if you were okay."
Lena’s breath hitched in her throat. "You... you were watching me?"
"Every day," Dominic admitted softly, his dark eyes searching hers with intense honesty. "I saw a woman with more courage, grace, and beauty than anyone who has ever entered this house. Last night didn't change how I feel about you, Lena. It just gave me an excuse to stop pretending I don't want you in my life."
A hot flush swept through Lena’s body, her pulse roaring in her ears. She had spent her entire life feeling invisible—too big, too quiet, too ordinary for the wealthy families whose homes she cleaned. Yet here was a man who commanded an empire, looking at her as if she were the only woman in the universe.
"Dominic..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "I don't belong in your world. Your world is full of guns, betrayal, and violence. I fix people. I don't break them."
"Then fix me," Dominic murmured, leaning down until his lips hovered less than an inch from hers. "Because I’ve been broken for a very long time."
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Before Lena could answer, a loud alarm suddenly blared across the estate.
Red emergency lights flashed outside the window, and the sound of heavy automatic gunfire echoed from the front gates.
