Chapter 7 - Shifting the Power
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The first week at the Perry estate was a baptism by fire.
Stella tried every trick in the book to break Nevaeh. She intentionally ordered the wrong flowers for the foyer, hoping Nevaeh would take the blame. She left her designer clothes scattered across the floors, demanding they be dry-cleaned by midnight. She screamed at the kitchen staff just to see if Nevaeh would intervene.
Nevaeh intervened every single time.
When Stella threw a temper tantrum over her restricted credit card limit, Nevaeh didn't raise her voice. She simply locked Stella’s favorite luxury car in the garage and handed the keys to Marco.
“You can have the keys back when you apologize to the chef for throwing a plate at him,” Nevaeh stated calmly, standing in the middle of the grand driveway.
“I will have you killed!” Stella screamed, pacing like a caged animal.
“If you do, you’ll be taking the bus to your country club for the rest of your life,” Nevaeh replied, checking her clipboard and walking away.
Leandro watched all of this from his second-story office window.
He was fascinated. The women in his world either cowered in fear or manipulated with sex. Nevaeh used raw, unyielding competence. She moved through the dangerous, violent atmosphere of his home with the steady grace of a woman who had already survived the worst life had to offer.
On Friday evening, Leandro summoned Nevaeh to his private study.
The room smelled of rich leather and expensive bourbon. He poured two glasses and slid one across his massive oak desk.
“You’ve neutralized her,” Leandro observed, taking a seat.
“She’s a spoiled child testing boundaries,” Nevaeh said, taking the glass but not drinking. “Once she realized the boundaries are made of concrete, she stopped banging her head against them.”
“My capos are talking about you,” Leandro murmured, his dark eyes tracing the curve of her jawline. “They say the new girl is colder than the boss.”
“I am professional, Mr. Perry.”
May you like
“Leandro,” he corrected softly. “When it’s just the two of us, you call me Leandro.”
Nevaeh’s breath hitched. The air in the room suddenly felt very thick, charged with an undeniable, heavy tension. She looked into his eyes and saw the dangerous, consuming interest burning there.
