Chapter 8 - THE NEW CONTRACT
Two weeks later.
The sun was shining brightly over the restored grounds of the Reyes estate. The heavy scent of smoke and gunfire was completely gone, replaced by the fragrant bloom of summer jasmine along the stone terraces.
In the grand study upstairs, Selena stood before Damon’s heavy mahogany desk. She wore a simple white dress, no longer in her maid's uniform. Beside her sat her small canvas bag.
Damon sat behind his desk, holding a stack of legal documents signed by his international corporate attorneys.
"The Delgado offshore accounts have been legally frozen and placed into an irrevocable educational trust fund for Ruby," Damon spoke calmly, setting his pen down. "Salazar’s surviving loyalists have been dismantled. No one is coming for you ever again."
Selena swallowed hard, tears welling in her eyes. "I don't know how I will ever repay you, Mr. Reyes. I lied to you when I took this job—"
"You did what any real mother would do to keep her child alive," Damon interrupted softly.
He stood up, walking around the desk, holding a single sheet of paper. It was her original employment contract as an estate maid.
Before her eyes, Damon tore the contract cleanly in half and tossed it into the fireplace.
Selena gasped. "Mr. Reyes...?"
"You don't work for me anymore, Selena," Damon said, his dark eyes softening with an unmistakable warmth. "You and Ruby aren't staff here."
He reached out, taking her hand gently into his broad palm.
"I want you both to stay," Damon whispered. "Not as employees. As my family."
May you like
Selena looked into his eyes, seeing no longer the feared mob boss the world spoke of, but the man who had bled to protect her daughter.
She smiled—a radiant, tearful smile—and nodded. "We'd love to stay."
