Chapter 2 - A Change of Uniform
When Tessa finally woke up, the sun was high in the sky.
She bolted upright, her heart slamming against her ribs in sheer terror. She looked around—the grand study, the fireplace, the Persian rug. The memory of the previous night rushed back in a terrifying wave: Victor Romano bleeding, his tight grip on her wrist, and her falling asleep directly on top of the city's most dangerous crime lord.
"Oh God," she gasped, scrambling off the sofa onto her feet. She looked down at her hands, expecting to find herself in handcuffs or locked in a cellar.
Instead, she saw a tray sitting on the glass coffee table beside her bucket. On it was a cup of hot chamomile tea, a plate of fresh pastries, and a thick white envelope with her name written in dark, elegant calligraphy.
The study door opened silently.
Victor walked in. He had changed into a crisp white linen shirt and dark trousers. His left arm was in a black sling, but his posture was regal, imposing, and terrifyingly calm.
Tessa dropped to her knees immediately, staring at the rug. "Mr. Romano, I am so sorry! I fell asleep—I was so exhausted—I didn't mean to disrespect you—please don't hurt my brother!"
"Get up, Tessa," Victor said quietly.
She hesitated, then slowly stood, her eyes wide with panic.
Victor walked over to the coffee table, picked up the white envelope, and held it out to her.
"What is this?" she whispered, her hands shaking as she took it.
"Your brother’s debt is canceled. The papers inside prove that the Romano family holds no further claim over Liam, his assets, or you."
Tessa stared at him, her brain refusing to process the words. "I... I don't understand. I still have two years left on my contract. I haven't paid off the interest—"
"Your debt was settled last night," Victor interrupted smoothly. He stepped closer, his shadow falling over her small frame. "You gave me something no doctor or bodyguard in this city could give me. You gave me five hours of peace."
Tessa’s face burned red as she remembered lying across his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
"You are free to leave, Tessa," Victor continued, his amber eyes locking onto hers with intense scrutiny. "There is a check inside that envelope for fifty thousand dollars. Consideration for your hard labor over the past three months. A car is waiting at the front gates to take you anywhere you want to go."
Tessa held the envelope against her chest. Freedom. It was everything she had prayed for during eighteen-hour shifts of scrubbing floors and taking orders from arrogant guards. She could go back to school. She could get a normal life.
She looked up into Victor’s eyes. Beneath the cold, stone-faced exterior of the mafia don, she saw a profound, haunting loneliness—a man surrounded by luxury and bodyguards, yet completely alone in a sea of enemies.
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"Why are you doing this?" she asked softly.
"Because I am a monster, Tessa," Victor said, his voice dropping into a low, dark timber. "But I am not an ungrateful monster. Take the money and run as far away from this house as you can."
