Chapter 7 - An Offer You Can't Refuse
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The next afternoon, Clare came home from her clinic shift to find her apartment door unlocked. Panic seized her throat. She dropped her keys and rushed inside, grabbing an umbrella from the stand as a makeshift weapon.
She burst into the living room, ready to fight.
Gabriel Mendes was standing in her small kitchen. He was pouring a cup of tea for Mrs. Higgins, the elderly neighbor who watched Oliver. Oliver himself was sitting on the rug, playing a video game with a brand-new, top-of-the-line console that Clare definitely hadn't bought.
“Mom!” Oliver cheered, not looking away from the screen. “Gabriel brought me a game!”
Clare lowered the umbrella, her heart pounding. “What are you doing in my home?” she demanded, glaring at Gabriel.
Gabriel set the teapot down. “Mr. Lombardi requested that I solve your scheduling conflict.”
He pulled a thick manila envelope from his jacket and placed it on the counter. “Your son’s medical debts have been paid in full. The machine he uses has been upgraded to a hospital-grade model, which is currently being installed at the Lombardi estate. There is a private suite prepared for both of you.”
Clare stared at him in horror. “I’m not moving into a mafia compound.”
“It is a private estate with twenty-four-hour security and a private chef,” Gabriel corrected smoothly. “Your son will have the best pediatric pulmonologist in Chicago on call. In exchange, you will devote your professional hours entirely to Mr. Lombardi’s rehabilitation.”
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“You can’t buy us,” she whispered.
Gabriel leaned in slightly, his voice dropping. “Sebastian Lombardi does not ask twice, Clare. And out there, the men who want him dead would gladly use his physical therapist as leverage. You are safer with us.”
