Chapter 2 - The Setup
The air inside the service wing was thick with tension. Two of my personal security guards, Marco and Gianni, were standing outside the staff lounge with their arms crossed over their tactical vests. Inside the room, weeping softly, sat Maria—a slender woman in a faded grey maid's uniform, her face buried in her apron.
Standing over her, arms folded tightly across her chest with an expression of smug authority, was Renata.
Renata had been the head housekeeper for five years. She was a loud, overbearing woman who used her position to bully the junior staff, but she had always kept her nose clean whenever I was around. Or so I had thought.
When the heavy service doors swung open and I walked into the hallway carrying a child, with Pino trotting at my heels, Marco and Gianni instantly snapped to attention, their eyes widening in shock. They had never seen me touch a staff member's child, let alone carry one like a father.
“Mr. Duca!” Renata squeaked, turning around quickly and forcing a panicked smile onto her face. “Sir, I am so sorry you have to see this unpleasantness! We have everything under control. I caught this... this thief red-handed!”
I didn't answer. I walked straight into the staff lounge, Pino hovering inches from my side. The little girl in my arms—whose name I now knew was Lily—clutched my jacket a little tighter, her small fingers digging into the fabric.
Maria looked up from her tears. When she saw her daughter wrapped securely in my arms, her face went deathly pale.
“Lily!” Maria gasped, scrambling up from her chair, her body trembling with absolute terror. “Mr. Duca, please! Please don't hurt my baby! She didn't do anything! I didn't steal your clock, I swear on my life I didn't!”
“Be quiet, Maria!” Renata snapped, her voice sharp as a whip. “You were caught! I found the gold emerald clock hidden right beneath your uniform in locker fourteen! Mr. Duca doesn't tolerate thieves on his estate!”
I looked down at Pino. The dog’s lip curled slightly, a low, barely audible rumble vibrating in his chest as he stared directly at Renata. Pino didn't like her voice. Honestly, neither did I.
“Marco,” I said, my voice dead calm, cutting through the room like a razor. “Where was the clock found?”
“In locker fourteen, boss,” Marco reported respectfully. “Renata brought us down here ten minutes ago, saying she saw Maria slipping out of your private study with something under her apron. We opened locker fourteen, and the clock was in her personal bag.”
I set Lily down on the edge of the breakroom table. She didn't let go of my hand entirely; her small fingers held tight to my thumb. Pino sat right beside her feet, his head resting in her lap.
I looked at Maria. Her hands were calloused, her nails trimmed short, and her eyes held no deception—only the raw, primal panic of a mother terrified of losing her child.
Then I looked at Renata. Her eyes were darting toward the hallway, her fingers nervously picking at the seams of her apron.
“Renata,” I said softly. “Which key did you use to open Maria’s locker?”
Renata blinked, caught off guard. “The... the master key, sir. As head housekeeper, I carry the master set.”
“And who has access to my private study on the third floor?”
“Only Maria was assigned to clean the third floor today, sir!” Renata said quickly, her voice rising an octave. “I specifically gave her that assignment this morning!”
“Is that so?” I pulled my phone from my pocket and tapped the screen twice, opening the estate’s security log. “That’s strange, Renata. Because the biometric lock on my study door registered a keycard entry at two-fifteen PM today. Maria’s keycard was deactivated yesterday for a routine system update.”
Renata’s breath hitched. The blood slowly drained from her plump, red cheeks.
“Whose keycard was used to enter my study at two-fifteen PM, Marco?” I asked without taking my eyes off Renata.
Marco pulled his tablet from his belt, tapping the screen. “Keycard number zero-four-seven, boss. Registered to Head Housekeeper Renata Vance.”
The room went dead silent, save for the hum of the refrigerator in the corner.
Maria gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Lily looked up at me, her wide eyes reflecting the bright fluorescent lights.
Renata took a shaky step backward, bumping against the metal lockers. “I... I went in there to check on her work! I noticed the clock was missing while I was inspecting the room!”
“You told the guards you saw her slipping out of the room with it,” I reminded her, my tone dropping an octave, becoming dangerously dark. “How could you see her slip out with it if you only noticed it was missing after you went in to inspect?”
Renata stammered, her mouth working soundlessly like a fish out of water. “I... I meant... Mr. Duca, please! I’ve served this house for five years!”
“You planted it,” I said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement of fact. “You stole from my study, hid it in a mother’s locker, and terrorized a four-year-old child by telling her that her mother would be dragged away by nightfall.”
Pino stood up, stepping between me and Renata, his upper lip pulling back to reveal white, lethal fangs. A deep, thunderous growl rolled from his throat.
Renata dropped to her knees, weeping hysterically. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Mr. Duca! She was going to get the promotion to supervisor! She’s only been here two years and everyone likes her better than me! I just wanted her gone!”
I felt a sickening wave of disgust. A woman had almost destroyed a small family’s entire life over a petty workplace rivalry.
“Gianni,” I commanded. “Take Renata out of this house. Escort her off my land immediately. If she ever sets foot on Duca property again, handle it accordingly.”
“Yes, boss,” Gianni said, grabbing Renata by the arm and dragging her screaming down the hallway.
I turned back to Maria, who was trembling so hard she could barely stand. I reached out, caught her by the elbow, and helped her sit in a chair.
“You’re not fired, Maria,” I said gently. “In fact, as of right now, you are the Head Housekeeper of this estate. Your salary is doubled, effective immediately.”
Maria looked up at me in absolute disbelief, fresh tears streaming down her face—tears of overwhelming relief. “Mr. Duca... I don't know what to say... thank you. Thank you so much.”
I looked down at Lily, who was still holding my thumb.
“You don't need to thank me,” I said softly. “Thank your daughter. She’s braver than half the men I work with.”
Lily offered me a tiny, shy smile, her stuffed rabbit tucked tightly under her arm. But as I looked at the child, a strange thought crossed my mind. Pino was still sitting right beside her, resting his heavy chin on her knee, guarding her as if she carried his own blood.
May you like
Pino didn't trust strangers. He had never, in his entire life, bonded with anyone outside of me.
I looked from the dog to the girl, and then at Maria. A cold, sudden realization began to form in the back of my mind—a suspicion that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
