Chapter 4 - CLAIRE’S TERROR
Claire Bennett burst through the double mahogany doors at the end of the hall, her face pale with immediate, sheer panic.
Claire was twenty-eight years old—a struggling, exhausted single mother who had only been hired as a housekeeper at the Valenti estate four days prior. She was strikingly beautiful, though her fine features were worn down by stress and long shifts. Her dark brown hair was tied back into a loose, practical bun, and she wore the estate's crisp black-and-white housekeeping uniform.
She came to a dead stop, her breath hitching sharply in her throat, her hands flying to her mouth.
Her heart practically stopped in her chest.
Standing in the middle of the grand corridor were five heavy, armed enforcers, and kneeling on the marble floor holding her daughter was Dominic Valenti himself.
"Sophie!" Claire choked out, taking a frantic step forward before checking her momentum, terrified that any sudden movement might trigger the guards. "Mr. Valenti... oh God, I'm so sorry! I turned my back for one second to grab the linens from the laundry chute—she slipped out—"
Claire was rambling, her voice trembling violently as she wrung her hands together against her apron. She knew who Dominic Valenti was; the entire city knew. He was a man who eliminated problems without a second thought, a man whose name was whispered with dread in every district of Chicago.
"Please don't hurt her," Claire pleaded, her eyes shining with sudden, terrified tears. "I'll take her right now, I'll pack our things, we'll leave—"
Dominic was no longer listening to her apology.
May you like
As Claire spoke, Dominic slowly began to turn his head over Sophie’s small shoulder, his dark, sharp eyes locking directly onto the trembling housekeeper standing fifteen feet away.
The moment his eyes met Claire’s face, Dominic’s expression changed completely.
