Chapter 2 - THE COST OF THE TRUTH
Dominic threw Elena out that night. He had his security team escort her off the grounds, her meager belongings packed into a single duffel bag. He watched from the dark balcony as the car pulled away, the taillights disappearing into the Long Island fog.
The house fell silent instantly.
He walked into the girls’ nursery. They were huddled in the oversized bed, three identical lumps beneath the silk duvet. They were awake, their eyes open, staring at the ceiling. They didn't turn to acknowledge him.
He sat on the edge of the bed. "She was an employee," he said to the empty air. "She was paid to be here. That’s all she was."
Silence.
He stayed there for hours, the weight of his failure pressing down on him. He realized then that he hadn't just lost his wife; he had lost his daughters the moment he chose his empire over their recovery. He had outsourced his parenting to therapists and nannies, expecting them to 'fix' the girls like a broken engine. He had forgotten that love wasn't a resource he could buy—it was an atmosphere you had to create.
He needed to know more about Elena. If she was a threat, he would know. If she was something else... well, he needed to know that, too.
He called Marco. "Find out everything about Elena Vasquez. Don't touch her. Just watch. And find out why she really came to work for me."
Two days later, Marco returned with a thick file.
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"She didn't apply for the job, boss," Marco said, looking uneasy. "Rosa hired her because she showed up at the back door with no money, looking for work. And the fire she mentioned? It wasn't an accident. The building was owned by a shell company linked to the Valenti family—our rivals."
Dominic’s heart skipped a beat. Elena had been living in a property targeted by his enemies. Her loss wasn't a coincidence; it was a consequence of the war he was fighting.
