Chapter 4 - THE GIRL WHO HAD NOTHING TO LOSE
Victor Russo had faced killers.
He had faced betrayal.
He had faced men who wanted his empire destroyed.
But Chloe Bennett standing in front of him was somehow more difficult.
Because she wasn’t afraid.
“You think nobody notices you because you’re just a maid,” Victor said.
Chloe crossed her arms.
“No.”
Victor raised an eyebrow.
“No?”
“I think powerful people like you forget that ordinary people have problems too.”
The answer surprised him.
Most people changed their behavior around Victor.
They became nervous.
Careful.
Fake.
Chloe didn’t.
She was exhausted, scared, and still arguing with him.
“Your life is in danger,” Victor said.
“So is my brother’s if I stop working.”
Victor became silent.
“What?”
Chloe looked away.
“I have medical bills.”
“For Tommy.”
Her eyes snapped back.
“How do you know his name?”
Victor didn’t answer.
That bothered her more.
“You investigated me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because someone placed you in my house.”
The honesty stopped her.
Most powerful men lied.
Victor simply admitted the truth.
“That doesn’t make it better.”
“I know.”
For some reason, that answer softened her anger.
Victor sent two guards to protect Tommy.
Chloe protested immediately.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t want strangers around him.”
“They are there because someone might hurt him.”
“He doesn’t know anything about your world.”
Victor looked away.
“That’s why he’s valuable.”
Chloe froze.
“What does that mean?”
“It means your enemies know you have something to lose.”
The words hurt because they were true.
Chloe had spent years protecting Tommy.
Now her biggest fear had become a weapon.
That evening, Victor visited the hospital where Tommy received treatment.
Chloe was shocked.
“You came here?”
Victor looked at Tommy.
The teenager looked even younger in the hospital bed.
“You must be Tommy.”
Tommy stared.
“You’re my sister’s boss.”
“Yes.”
“She talks about you.”
Chloe immediately turned red.
“I do not.”
Tommy smiled weakly.
“She says you’re scary.”
Victor looked amused.
“Is that so?”
“She also says you drink coffee like it’s medicine.”
Chloe covered her face.
“Tommy.”
For the first time in years…
Victor laughed.
A real laugh.
Small.
Almost invisible.
But Chloe noticed.
And so did Victor.
Because he couldn’t remember the last time someone had made him laugh.
That night, Victor received a message.
A photo.
Chloe and Tommy leaving the hospital.
Taken minutes earlier.
Below it was a single sentence.
“You can’t protect everyone, Russo.”
Victor stared at the screen.
Then destroyed the phone in his hand.
Because whoever sent the message had made one mistake.
They didn’t threaten Victor Russo.
They threatened Chloe Bennett.
And now…
May you like
It was personal.
TO BE CONTINUED…
