Chapter 18 - The Loyal Rewarded
|
The estate felt remarkably different when I finally returned. The suffocating tension that had gripped the house for months had completely vanished.
I walked past the grand staircase and headed directly toward the kitchen.
Marta was standing by the sink, humming quietly as she washed a few stray coffee cups. She wasn't wearing her usual drab gray uniform. She was wearing a comfortable, elegant sweater and dark slacks.
When she heard my footsteps, she turned around. She didn't drop her gaze to the floor. She met my eyes with a warm, respectful smile.
“Mr. Victor,” Marta greeted me.
“Marta,” I said, pulling a thick, legal envelope from my jacket and setting it on the marble island. “I have a few changes to announce regarding the household staff.”
Marta looked at the envelope, a flicker of anxiety crossing her face. “Am I being fired, sir?”
“No,” I smiled, a genuine expression that I hadn't felt in a very long time. “You are being promoted. Effectively immediately, you are the Head of Estate Operations. Your salary has been quintupled, and you have full medical and dental benefits. You will no longer clean floors. You will manage the staff who does.”
Marta stared at me, tears instantly welling in her eyes. She covered her mouth with a trembling hand. “Mr. Victor... I cannot accept this. It is too much.”
“It is not enough,” I insisted, stepping forward. “You risked your job, and potentially your life, to save my mother. You gave her water when the woman who was supposed to love me tried to let her suffer. You are a hero in this house, Marta. And heroes are treated like royalty.”
She wiped her eyes, nodding slowly. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“There is one more thing,” I added softly. “My mother is returning from the private medical facility tomorrow. She is recovering beautifully. I want you to be the one to welcome her home. She trusts you.”
May you like
Marta smiled, a brilliant, radiant expression. “I will make sure her room is perfect.”
As I left the kitchen, the weight that had been crushing my chest for weeks finally lifted. I had purged the poison from my life, and I had ensured that the people who truly mattered were protected forever.
