Chapter 4 - THE NAPKIN AND THE LEDGER
Ricardo stared at the napkin, his dark eyes tracing the ink. He pulled the master ledger toward him, cross-referencing my quick math. The silence in the room stretched until it felt fragile enough to break. When he finally looked up, the cold mafia boss was gone, replaced by a man looking at me as if I had just pulled a rabbit from a hat.
"You're right," he whispered, his voice laced with a dangerous edge—not directed at me, but at whoever had betrayed him. "How did a waitress spot what three Wall Street accountants missed?"
"I wasn't always a waitress," I replied, wrapping my arms around myself. "Life just... redirected me."
Ricardo stood up, walking around the desk until he was inches from me. He reached out, his thumb gently tracing the line of my jaw. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs. "You are full of surprises, Clara Bennett. You tame my son, and now you unravel my enemies."
May you like
"Who is doing this?" I asked, breathless.
"A tech titan named Dominic Vale," Ricardo said, his jaw clenching. "He has been trying to force me out of a lucrative waterfront development. He thought he could bleed me dry quietly."
