Chapter 4 — The Kitchen Door That Should Have Stayed Closed
Maria tried to leave quietly.
She didn’t want attention.
She never did.
But Daniel stopped her before she reached the hallway.
“Maria,” he said.
She turned.
“Yes, sir?”
That “sir” hit him harder than expected.
“You don’t have to leave,” he said.
Maria hesitated.
“I think I should.”
“No,” Daniel said.
A pause.
Then softer:
“You did nothing wrong.”
Sophia looked up at him.
“Are you the boss?” she asked innocently.
A faint smile broke through Daniel’s seriousness.
“Yes,” he said.
Sophia nodded like this made sense.
“Then can I stay too?”
The room actually shifted at that.
Daniel looked at her.
Then at Maria.
Then said:
“Yes.”
Victoria, still standing in the center of the ballroom, felt the room slipping away from her.
“Daniel,” she said sharply, “you cannot seriously be replacing me with—”
He cut her off.
“I’m not replacing anything,” he said.
“I’m correcting something.”
May you like
A pause.
“This ends tonight.”
