Chapter 5 - The Setup
Dominic slowly released Maggie’s chin, his eyes turning to stone as he faced Evelyn.
“I told you to drop the background checks, Evelyn,” Dominic said, his voice dropping into a dangerous rumble.
“I couldn't in good conscience do that, Dominic,” Evelyn insisted, stepping into the room and slapping a thick stack of bank statements onto the mahogany desk. “Not when the safety of this family is at stake. Miss Bennett didn't come here by accident. She owes over fifty thousand dollars to loan sharks in West Chicago—the very same loan sharks affiliated with the O’Malley syndicate.”
Maggie froze. “What? That’s a lie!”
“Is it?” Evelyn sneered, pointing a manicured red nail at the paper. “These are wire transfer logs from an account in your name, Miss Bennett. Two days before you 'accidentally' spilled cream puffs on Dominic at the hotel, ten thousand dollars was deposited into your checking account from an offshore shell corporation owned by Liam O’Malley.”
Maggie felt the air vanish from her lungs. She rushed to the desk and grabbed the papers.
There it was. Printed in stark black ink. An account number matching her small credit union checking account, showing a massive wire transfer from an entity called Apex Global Holdings—a known front for the O’Malley crime family, Dominic’s deadliest rival in the city.
“This... this isn't mine,” Maggie stuttered, her hands shaking violently. “I’ve never heard of Apex Global! My brother’s medical debt was with Illinois Central Hospital! I don't owe loan sharks!”
“The papers don't lie, Dominic,” Evelyn said smoothly, stepping toward Dominic’s side like a whispering viper. “She staged the incident at the hotel. She knew you were attending. She dropped those pastries to get your attention, used her physical therapy background to gain access to Leo, and now she’s feeding information about your household security to O’Malley.”
Dominic didn't say a word. He stood motionless, gazing down at the documents on his desk. The atmosphere in the study became suffocatingly cold.
Maggie turned to Dominic, her eyes wide with desperation. “Dominic, look at me! Please! You know me! I would never hurt Leo! I would never work for people like that!”
Dominic slowly lifted his head. His face was an unreadable mask of ice, the terrifying persona of the crime boss fully back in place.
“Dominic...” Maggie begged, a tear spilling over her cheek.
“Where did you get these, Evelyn?” Dominic asked quietly.
“My private contact at the bank,” Evelyn said proudly. “I had to pay a substantial fee to bypass privacy laws, but I knew something wasn't right about her. She’s an operative, Dominic. You must have her removed immediately before O’Malley makes his move.”
Dominic picked up the bank statement. He looked at the paper, then at Maggie’s trembling form, and finally at Evelyn.
“Frank!” Dominic called out.
The heavy oak door swung open instantly. Frank, his head of security—a six-foot-four wall of muscle with a scarred face—stepped into the room.
“Boss?”
“Take Miss Bennett to her room,” Dominic ordered coldly. “Lock the door from the outside. She does not leave, and she does not speak to my son.”
“Dominic, no!” Maggie cried out as Frank caught her firmly by the arm. “I didn't do this! You’re being set up!”
Frank didn't handle her roughly, but his grip was ironclad. He pulled her out of the study. As Maggie was dragged down the hallway, she caught a glimpse of Evelyn Price standing by the desk, a faint, sinister smile playing on her lips.
Maggie was shoved into her upstairs guest room. The heavy brass lock clicked shut from the outside.
She collapsed against the wooden door, sliding down to the floor, her chest heaving with deep, ragged sobs. She had been framed. The debt, the wire transfers—it was a masterclass in character assassination. Evelyn had fabricated the entire paper trail to purge her from the house.
And worst of all, Dominic had believed it.
Hours passed. The sun dipped below the horizon, plunging the estate into deep night.
Maggie sat on the edge of her bed in the dark, her hands clutched in her lap. Her career was over. She would likely be handed over to Dominic’s enforcers, or worse, arrested by the feds as a co-conspirator in a mob war.
Suddenly, a faint, scratching sound came from the balcony doors.
Maggie jumped up, instantly alert.
The glass balcony door creaked open smoothly. A small, dark figure squeezed through the heavy curtains.
May you like
“Maggie?” a quiet voice whispered.
Maggie gasped. “Leo?!”
