Dominic Russo thought he could humiliate a broke waitress in front of his men, but his smile disappeared the moment she replied in flawless Neapolitan. / Chapter 10 / 42

Chapter 10 - Balancing the Ledger

The interior of the sedan was warm, quiet, and insulated from the storm raging outside.

As the car pulled away from Pier 19, leaving the flashing police lights and federal agents behind in the rainy mist, Maya let out a long, shuddering breath. The adrenaline rush began to fade, leaving her muscles aching and her clothes damp against her skin.

Dominic sat beside her in the dim cabin. He didn't say a word for several blocks. Finally, he reached over, took her cold, trembling hand in his large, warm palm, and interlaced his fingers with hers.

"You just outmannequined a federal task force using corporate compliance loopholes," Dominic said, a genuine, warm smile touching his mouth—the rare smile that made him look almost human, almost young.

"I told you," Maya replied, her voice steadying as she looked into his dark eyes. "Numbers don't lie. People do."

"You saved the entire operation tonight," Dominic said quietly, his thumb tracing the back of her hand. "More importantly... you saved me from having to clean up another mess myself."

"Does this mean I get a bonus?" Maya asked, a faint, tired smirk touching her lips.

Dominic laughed—a rich, genuine sound that filled the quiet interior of the car. He leaned in closer, his dark gaze holding hers with an unbreakable gravity that made the air between them feel thin and charged with electricity.

"You can have whatever you want, Maya," Dominic whispered, his voice dropping into a low, hypnotic register. "The Obsidian Room, the ports, the company... name your price."

Maya looked at him—at the man who commanded an empire of shadows, blood, and fear, yet had quietly paid off her sister's medical debt and listened to her argue about grammar in a Neapolitan dialect.

She didn't pull her hand away.

"I don't want the restaurant, Dominic," she said softly.

"Then what do you want?"

Maya leaned in just an inch closer, the last of her hesitation melting away like ice in summer.

"Just promise me one thing," she whispered.

"Name it."

"Never keep a secret from your accountant."

Dominic’s smile widened into something fierce, absolute, and entirely devoted. He pulled her gently toward him, their lips meeting in the dark, warm shelter of the car as the city rushed past them through the rain.