Chapter 5 - The Confession
I felt my cheeks flush with hot, humiliating shame. The wealthy patrons walking past were already staring at my frayed coat, judging my presence in the luxury store.
"That is none of your business, sir," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "Please, just give her the drawing back so we can leave."
Dominic didn't hand the ticket back. He took one slow, deliberate step closer.
"I run a business across the street," Dominic lied smoothly, his eyes scanning my cracked, blistered hands. "I know exhaustion when I see it. You look like a woman carrying the weight of the entire city on your shoulders. Why couldn't you afford thirty-eight dollars?"
The absolute, cinematic intensity of his gaze completely broke down my defensive walls.
"Because my husband abandoned us four years ago," I whispered, the painful truth spilling out before I could stop it. "He went to Chicago, and he never came back. I scrub floors at a bakery for a hundred and forty dollars a week. I can't afford the shoes. Are you satisfied?"
Dominic’s jaw locked. The muscles ticked visibly beneath his skin. The terrifying, ruthless mafia boss had just found a target.
"What was his name?" Dominic asked, his voice dropping into a dark, demonic register.
"Marcus Vance," I replied, confused by the question. "Why?"
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"Because a man who abandons his family doesn't deserve to breathe my air," Dominic stated coldly. He turned to his lead bodyguard. "Call the Chicago outfit. Find a Marcus Vance. Now."
👉 I thought he was just making an empty, dramatic threat, but Dominic was about to prove exactly how much power he held.
