Chapter 6 - The Mother’s Mandate
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An hour later, the black SUV pulled back through the heavy iron gates of the Ferrante estate.
The security presence had tripled. Men in dark suits carrying submachine guns paced the perimeter, and two armored vehicles were parked near the entrance.
When Marin stepped back into the second-floor master suite, Adelaide was sitting up in bed, drinking chicken broth from a fine porcelain cup held by Teresa, the head housekeeper.
The moment Adelaide saw Marin, her tired face lit up.
"Evelyn told me you left," Adelaide said, setting the cup down. "I told my son if he let you walk away after what you did last night, I would remove him from my will."
Evelyn, sitting in an armchair nearby, smirked softly. Elias walked into the room right behind Marin, looking thoroughly unbothered by his mother's threat.
"She's staying, Mother," Elias said smoothly, placing a hand on the back of Marin's chair. "Miss Hollis has agreed to extend her contract under new terms."
Marin glanced sideways at Elias. "Under the condition that I run security for this room, Mr. Ferrante. Your guards are incompetent."
In the doorway, Marco stiffened, his face reddening with embarrassment. "Miss Hollis, with all due respect—"
"Your second-floor guard takes a seven-minute smoke break behind the west wing every night at two-fifteen," Marin cut him off cold, without even looking back at him. "Your night-shift monitor in the security room fell asleep twice last Tuesday. And whoever maintains your backup generator forgot to clear the corrosion on the secondary breaker."
Marco gasped, looking at Elias with wide eyes.
Elias's lips twitched into a rare, genuine smile. "You heard the lady, Marco. Give her full administrative access to the floor. If she asks for a missile launcher, you buy it for her."
Adelaide chuckled softly, reaching out her thin hand to pat Marin's arm. "You see, child? I told you that you were worth more than twenty-eight dollars an hour."
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"I still want my hourly rate itemized," Marin said calmly to Elias. "Plus hazard pay."
"Done," Elias murmured, his eyes locked onto hers with a look that made Marin's pulse jump for the first time all day.
