Chapter 9 - THE SHADOW IN THE KITCHEN|
By 3:00 p.m., the penthouse was quiet. The children had been picked up by my private security team and driven to a secure, undisclosed safe house in Wisconsin under the care of my most trusted lieutenant, Sal.
Camille thought they were merely at an after-school tutoring center.
I walked into the kitchen, where Naomi was silently polishing silver cutlery for the evening.
"Naomi," I said, standing near the marble counter. "Why did you stay?"
She stopped polishing, setting down a silver fork. She looked up at me with tired, incredibly brave eyes.
"Three years ago, the night before Isabella died in the hospital," Naomi said softly, "she called me into her room. She knew her illness was taking her away. She held my hand and said, 'Naomi, Roman is a powerful man, but he fights monsters in the dark. Promise me you will watch over my children when he can't see the shadows.'"
A knot tightened in my chest.
"I promised her," Naomi continued, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "When Camille moved in eleven weeks ago, I saw what she was doing instantly. I knew if I told you without absolute proof, Camille would manipulate the situation, make you look unstable, and accelerate her plan with Arthur. So I stayed in the dark. I filmed every tear. Every strike. Every cruel word."
I stepped forward, placing my large hand gently on Naomi’s shoulder.
"You didn't just keep your promise to Isabella," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "You saved my soul. From this day on, you are not our housekeeper, Naomi. You are family."
May you like
Naomi wiped a single tear from her cheek and gave me a firm nod. "Then let's go finish this, Roman."
"Get dressed," I told her. "You're coming to the dinner tonight. You're going to sit at the head table."
