Chapter 6 - The Midnight Summons
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Rosie did not wait for the sun to rise. At 2:00 AM, driven by a primal, maternal desperation that eclipsed her fear of the billionaire boss, she slipped out of her staff quarters. She moved silently through the darkened corridors of the mansion, avoiding the security cameras she knew were actively monitored by Silas and his team.
She reached the heavy oak doors of Thomas’s private study. A sliver of golden light spilled from beneath the gap. He was still awake.
She took a deep breath, raised her trembling hand, and knocked twice.
The door opened instantly. Thomas stood there, shedding his suit jacket, his tie hanging loosely around his neck. He looked exhausted, the shadows under his eyes prominent, but his gaze was sharp and intensely focused.
“Rosie,” he said softly, unsurprised by her presence. “Come in.”
He closed and locked the door behind her. The study smelled of dark coffee and expensive scotch. The velvet box and the ledger were still sitting on the center of his desk, flanked by complex medical reports.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, sir,” Rosie began, her voice shaking despite her best efforts to remain calm. “But I have to leave. I need to take Norine and leave this house tonight.”
Thomas leaned against the edge of his desk, crossing his arms. He didn't look angry; he looked deeply, profoundly troubled.
“Why?” he asked quietly.
“Emily came to my door,” Rosie confessed, the tears finally spilling over her lashes. “She stood outside my room and threatened Norine. She said if I told you about the hidden wall, accidents happen to curious children. She threatened to kill my daughter, Thomas.”
The air in the study dropped ten degrees. The temperature plummeted as the absolute, terrifying fury of the mafia boss flared to life. Thomas didn't yell. His jaw clenched so hard a muscle feathered beneath his skin, and his dark eyes turned into endless voids of black ice.
“She threatened the child,” Thomas whispered, processing the sheer audacity of his fiancé’s cruelty.
“Please, Mr. Whitfield,” Rosie begged, taking a step forward. “I know things about this family. I know you are powerful. But I am just a maid. I cannot fight her. Let me go.”
Thomas moved. He closed the distance between them in a single, smooth motion, stopping inches away from her. He reached out, his large, warm hands gently grasping her trembling shoulders. The physical contact sent a jolt of electricity straight to her core, grounding her against the panic.
“You are not going anywhere, Rosie,” Thomas vowed, his voice a low, vibrating hum that commanded absolute belief. “If you step outside these gates, her family will hunt you down to silence you. The only place you and Norine are safe is right here, standing directly behind me.”
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He looked down into her eyes, the ruthless billionaire fading into a man making a sacred promise.
“I swear to you on my father’s grave,” Thomas whispered, “Emily Rossi will never touch a single hair on your daughter’s head. Tomorrow night, at the gala, I am going to end her.”
