Chapter 3 - The Offer You Can't Refuse
Within ten minutes, Bellavita was cleared. Mr. Halpern and the remaining patrons were escorted out by Moretti’s men with quiet, heavy-handed efficiency.
Dominic sat back in the leather booth, swirling a glass of neat bourbon. Sophie was sitting across from him, still holding the baby, who was now sound asleep, his tiny fist clutching the sleeve of her black server uniform.
“Julian was my younger brother,” Dominic said, his voice quiet, raw with an old grief. “He wanted out of the business. He spent his money on hospitals, charities… trying to buy clean air for our family. Three months ago, a car bomb proved he couldn't buy his way out.”
Sophie felt a sharp ache in her chest. “I’m so sorry.”
“He left behind a child,” Dominic continued, looking at the sleeping boy. “A secret son born to a surrogate overseas. My men brought him to Chicago six hours ago. I thought… I thought I could handle it. But I don’t know how to protect something this fragile, Sophie. I know how to break things. I don’t know how to keep them alive.”
He set his glass down with a heavy clink.
“You recognized him. You cured his pain in two minutes. And you stood up to me when my own men were terrified to breathe.” Dominic rested his elbows on the table, locking his piercing dark eyes onto hers. “I’m offering you a job.”
Sophie blinked. “What?”
“Live-in nanny. Nurse. Caretaker. Whatever title you want,” Dominic said flatly. “Fifty thousand dollars a month. Private security for you and your family. Full immunity in this city.”
May you like
“I can’t,” Sophie said immediately, her heart racing. “I put that life behind me. Holding a baby… it hurts too much. It reminds me of what I lost.”
“Then let it heal you,” Dominic countered, leaning in close. “Because if you walk out that door, this child will cry until his lungs bleed, and I will tear this city apart trying to find someone who can fix it. He needs you, Sophie. And whether you like it or not… you need him.”
