Chapter 4 - The Ledger and the Blade
Friday morning arrived with a biting Chicago wind that whipped whitecaps across the lake. Exactly at 7:55 AM, Nadia walked out of the lobby of her new building to find a matte-black Mercedes idling curbside. The rear door swung open automatically, revealing a driver in a charcoal suit who nodded respectfully as she slid into the leather interior.
The ride to the Voss Enterprises headquarters in River North took less than ten minutes.
The building was a masterclass in modern intimidation—dark tinted glass, polished steel, and security guards stationed behind a reception desk made of solid black granite. She was escorted directly to the top floor, bypassing the elevators with a private keycard operated by her escort.
Carver’s office was vast, quiet, and dominated by a massive mahogany desk overlooking the skyline. Carver himself stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, holding a porcelain cup of black coffee. He wore a tailored navy suit, his sleeves slightly rolled up, revealing lean, corded forearms.
"Punctual," Carver noted, turning around as the heavy oak door clicked shut behind her. "Good. In my line of work, tardiness is usually a symptom of poor judgment."
"I don't have a choice in being punctual," Nadia said, walking over to stand stiffly in front of his desk. "Your driver was parked downstairs before my alarm even went off."
Carver set his coffee cup down and walked slowly toward her. He didn't smile, but his eyes were sharp, evaluating every detail of her posture.
"Sit down, Nadia," he commanded softly, gesturing to one of the leather armchairs opposite his desk.
She hesitated, then sat down, keeping her back straight.
Carver opened a leather folio on his desk and slid a single document across to her. It was a breakdown of her proposed repayment plan: fifty percent of her monthly hospital salary would be automatically funneled into a Voss Enterprises escrow account, leaving her with just enough for groceries and basic utilities.
"This is impossible," Nadia said, staring at the numbers. "If you take half my paycheck, I won't even be able to afford public transit passes, let alone unexpected expenses."
"You live in a building owned by my development firm," Carver replied evenly, pulling out a second paper. "Your rent is waived for the duration of the debt agreement. Your utilities are covered. Transportation will be provided by my service when necessary. When you factor in those savings, your disposable income is actually higher than it was in your old apartment."
Nadia looked up, her eyes flashing with defiance. "You're treating me like an employee you own."
"You are under contract," Carver corrected without a flinch. "And as long as you adhere to the terms, you will find that I am a far more generous creditor than the men your sister was dealing with. Speaking of whom..."
Carver reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a manila file marked with a red tab. He tossed it onto the desk between them.
"My men located Maya in St. Louis late last night," Carver said casually.
Nadia’s breath caught in her throat. She snatched the file off the desk, her fingers trembling as she opened it. Inside were photographs—recent ones, time-stamped less than twelve hours ago. They showed Maya sitting in a crowded diner booth, laughing with a young man wearing a leather jacket, looking completely unbothered by the fact that she had detonated her sister's life.
"Is she... is she okay?" Nadia whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek despite her best efforts to hold it back.
"Physically, she’s entirely unharmed," Carver said, his voice dropping into a colder register. "She’s staying at a cheap motel near the Greyhound station, working cash shifts at a diner, and apparently enjoying her freedom. She hasn't asked about you once."
The words hit Nadia like a physical blow. All the sleepless nights, all the panic, all the crushing guilt—while Maya was out eating pancakes in Missouri.
May you like
"She left me to rot," Nadia choked out, her voice breaking.
"Yes, she did," Carver agreed mercilessly. "Which is why your loyalty to her is fundamentally misplaced. You are paying for the sins of a parasite, Nadia. And until that debt is cleared, you belong to this ledger."
