Chapter 8 - FINDING CARMEN SILVA
It took Ricardo three weeks to track Carmen down. She had quit her job at the mansion immediately following the incident, refusing his hush money and returning to her neighborhood on the south side of Chicago.
One rainy Tuesday afternoon, a sleek black town car pulled up outside a modest, well-kept brick duplex. Ricardo stepped out into the drizzle, wearing an understated wool coat instead of his usual bespoke Italian suits. He walked up the concrete steps and knocked on the peeling green wooden door.
When the door opened, Carmen stood there, holding a basket of folded laundry. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise as she recognized the billionaire standing on her porch.
"Mr. Garza," she said, her voice cautious. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to apologize properly," Ricardo said, his voice stripped of all its corporate arrogance. He didn't force his way in; he stood in the rain, humble and exposed. "And... to ask for a favor."
Carmen crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "I don't clean houses anymore, Mr. Garza. I found a job at a local community center teaching financial literacy to single mothers."
May you like
Ricardo smiled, a genuine, warm smile that made him look ten years younger. "I know. That's actually why I'm here."
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a single manila folder, holding it out toward her.
