Chapter 3 - The Empty Threat
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I crossed my arms, trying to stop the shivering that had nothing to do with my wet clothes.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied, keeping my chin high.
Leandro chuckled. It was a dark, rich sound that sent a shiver down my spine. His bodyguard stepped outside and pulled the door shut, leaving us entirely alone.
"You whispered something to Stella," Leandro said, walking slowly around my living room, examining the framed photos of my mother. "Something that made my notoriously loud sister lose her voice for the rest of the evening. I want to know what it was."
"I just told her I knew who she was," I replied.
Leandro stopped and turned to face me. The amusement vanished from his expression.
"Maya, your file says you're twenty-four, drowning in medical debt, and you have no family. You're a smart girl. Don't play stupid with me." He took a step closer, towering over me. "Stella has been hiding something for months. The family accounts are bleeding. Arthur doesn't know yet. But I do."
My throat went dry. I had noticed the trembling in Stella’s hands at the restaurant, but it wasn't just fear of Leandro. I had seen her slip a small, familiar glass vial into her purse when she thought no one was looking. I knew that vial. I grew up in a bad neighborhood; I knew what desperation looked like.
"She's using," I said quietly.
Leandro’s jaw tightened. A muscle feathered in his cheek.
"And she owes money," I added, guessing based on his reaction. "To someone she shouldn't."
Leandro closed the distance between us until I could smell his expensive cologne—sandalwood and smoke.
"You have very sharp eyes for a waitress," he murmured, his gaze dropping to my lips before snapping back to my eyes.
May you like
"When you're invisible, you see everything," I shot back.
"Well, you're not invisible anymore." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a thick envelope, tossing it onto my cheap coffee table. "That’s fifty thousand dollars. You work for me now."
