Chapter 1 - The Offer
The cold New York rain soaked through my thin coat as I stared at the man inside the black Escalade.
Ricardo Moretti looked completely out of place in the grim alleyway behind the restaurant.
His dark eyes studied me with an intensity that made the breath catch in my throat.
"Get in the car, Clara," he repeated, his voice low and commanding over the sound of the rain.
I clutched my meager wages in my fist and shook my head.
"I already told you no, Mr. Moretti," I replied, refusing to break eye contact.
Dante, the massive security chief with the bruised knuckles, stepped out of the driver's side and opened the rear door for me.
"My son has not slept through the night in six months," Ricardo stated calmly, ignoring my refusal.
"He screams until he loses his voice, he refuses to eat, and he destroys everything he touches," he continued.
I felt a sudden, sharp ache in my chest for the little boy.
"Then you need a child psychologist, not a waitress who just got fired," I argued, shivering in the cold wind.
Ricardo leaned forward slightly, the interior streetlights casting harsh shadows across his sharp jawline.
"I have hired the best doctors, the most expensive nannies, and the finest pediatricians in the country," he said bitterly.
"None of them could do what you did in three minutes with a glass of warm milk," he added.
I looked down at the wet pavement, remembering the fragile weight of Leo leaning against my shoulder.
"I am offering you ten thousand dollars a week to live in my home and care for my son," Ricardo offered smoothly.
My head snapped up in absolute shock.
Ten thousand dollars a week would pay off my crushing medical debt in a single month.
It would completely erase the nightmare I had been living in since my own daughter passed away.
"You will have full control over his daily routine, and nobody will interfere with your methods," Ricardo promised.
I looked at Dante, who gave me a very subtle nod of encouragement.
I took a deep breath, knowing I was making a deal with the devil himself.
"If I do this, you do not get to intimidate me, and you do not get to yell at Leo in my presence," I demanded firmly.
Ricardo’s lips twitched into the faintest hint of a real smile.
May you like
"Get in the car, Clara," he said for the third time.
This time, I stepped out of the freezing rain and into his dangerous world.
