THE MAID, THE WIDOW, AND THE MAFIA BOSS'S SECRET

Victoria’s hands were shaking as she gripped the heavy pistol, but her eyes were wild and completely unhinged.

“Put the gun down, Victoria,” Dominic said, his voice eerily calm. He stood up slowly, pushing Leo firmly behind his legs to shield him.

“Shut up!” she screamed, her perfectly coiffed hair now a disheveled mess. “You ruined everything! I gave you my youth! I gave you a son! And you throw me out for a maid?”

“You didn’t give me a son,” Dominic replied, his voice laced with venom. “You hid him. You used him as a bargaining chip for your father to extort mine. You stole from his trust fund.”

“He is my property!” Victoria shrieked.

I stepped forward, putting myself between Eleanor and the staircase. My heart hammered against my ribs, but I refused to show fear. “He’s a child, Victoria. He’s not a pawn. He’s a little boy who deserves a mother who actually loves him.”

Victoria’s gaze snapped to me, her eyes filled with pure hatred. “You. You should have died in that car with your pathetic parents. If my brother wasn't an idiot, you would be dead right now.”

On the floor, Marcus groaned, shifting slightly as consciousness began to return.

“Don't move,” Dominic warned him, pressing his foot firmly against Marcus’s chest. He looked back up at Victoria. “It’s over. Harrison is in custody. We have the ledger. We have Rachel’s father’s diary. The police are going to see everything.”

“Not if there’s a fire,” Victoria smiled a cold, jagged smile. “A tragic electrical fire that kills the boss, the maid, the widow, and the intruder.”

She raised the gun, aiming squarely at my chest.

“No!” Eleanor cried out.

The elderly widow did something I never expected. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a small, heavy object, and threw it with surprising force up the stairs.

It was a heavy, silver rosary with a solid metal cross.

The cross struck Victoria squarely in the forehead.

It wasn't a lethal blow, but the sudden pain and surprise made her flinch. She staggered backward, her high heel catching on the edge of the marble step.

She shrieked, her arms flailing as she lost her balance.

The gun fired wildly into the air, the bullet shattering the grand chandelier above us. Glass rained down like diamond hail.

Victoria tumbled down the last five stairs, landing hard on the marble floor with a sickening thud. The gun slid out of her reach.

I didn't wait. I lunged forward and kicked the weapon across the room, watching it slide under a heavy oak console table.

Dominic immediately signaled his security team outside.

Within seconds, the front doors burst open. Half a dozen armed guards flooded the foyer, flashlights cutting through the darkness.

“Secure them,” Dominic barked.

Two guards grabbed the groaning Marcus, hauling him to his feet and zip-tying his hands. Two others hauled Victoria up. She had a nasty cut on her forehead, and the fight had completely drained out of her. She looked pathetic.

“Dominic,” Victoria pleaded, her voice suddenly small and desperate. “Please. For Leo’s sake.”

Dominic walked right up to her. The absolute disgust in his eyes made her shrink back.

“Don't you ever say his name again,” Dominic whispered. “Take them to the police. Hand over the ledger and the diary. Tell the captain I’ll be there in the morning to make my statement.”

As the guards dragged Victoria and Marcus out into the rain, the silence in the foyer felt incredibly heavy.

Eleanor slumped against the wall, clutching her chest. She was panting, the adrenaline finally leaving her frail body.

“Eleanor,” I rushed to her side, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. “Are you okay? That throw… you saved my life.”

Eleanor managed a weak, trembling smile. “Thomas always said I had a good arm. I used to pitch apples at the raccoons in our garden.”

I hugged her tight, tears finally spilling hot down my cheeks.

Dominic knelt beside Leo, who was trembling violently. Dominic didn't say a word. He just pulled the boy into his arms and held him tight, rocking him back and forth.

“It’s over, buddy,” Dominic murmured into the boy’s hair. “They’re never coming back. I promise.”

Leo sniffled, wrapping his small arms around Dominic’s neck. “Are you really my dad?”

Dominic pulled back slightly, looking the boy in the eyes. “I am. And I’m so sorry it took me this long to find out. I’m never letting you go.”

I watched them, my heart breaking and healing all at once. For seven years, I had watched Leo grow up lonely and ignored. Now, he finally had a father who would kill to protect him.

But amidst the relief, a heavy sadness settled over me.

The truth was out. The bad guys were gone.

But I was still just a maid. And now that Dominic had his son, there was no reason for me to stay.

“Rachel,” Eleanor whispered beside me, pulling my attention back.

She reached into her other pocket and pulled out something shiny.

It was a gold pocket watch.

“I didn't give everything to the charity shop,” she said softly, her eyes misty. “Thomas told me to keep this close. He said if I ever found the girl… the accountant’s daughter… I was to give her what was inside.”

My breath caught.

“Me?” I asked.

Eleanor nodded. She pressed the release button on the top of the watch.

The gold casing popped open.

There was no clock face inside.

Instead, folded tightly into a tiny square, was a heavily creased piece of paper bearing the official Romano family crest.

“What is it?” I asked, my hands shaking as I reached for it.

Dominic stood up, holding Leo’s hand, and walked over to us. He looked at the paper, then at Eleanor.

“Read it, Rachel,” Dominic said quietly.

I carefully unfolded the brittle paper. The handwriting was unmistakable. It belonged to Dominic’s father.