Chapter 9 - The New Assignment
Olivia took the ivory envelope, her fingers tracing the heavy, embossed paper. "Mr. Duca... Gabriel... my job here is finished. The house is clean. The vents are secure."
"Your job as a housemaid is finished, yes," Gabriel agreed, a subtle, rare warmth touching his dark eyes. "I am not offering you a broom, Olivia."
Olivia opened the envelope, pulling out a three-page document typed on high-grade legal bond paper.
At the top of the first page, the bold header read:
CONTRACT OF ENGAGEMENT: DIRECTOR OF SECURITY COMPLIANCE & ESTATE OPERATIONS Duca Global Holdings & Private Estates
Olivia scanned the terms. The salary listed was four times her current pay, accompanied by full health benefits, a private housing allowance, and a flexible schedule that guaranteed her four full days a week with Lily.
"Director of Estate Compliance?" Olivia looked up, stunned. "Gabriel... I don't have a degree in security administration."
"You found a microscopic relay in an air duct using a desk chair and a pair of observant eyes," Gabriel said, stepping closer to her. "You recognized a modified door latch on a house two blocks away. You held a financial ledger that broke a billion-dollar conspiracy. And you stood in a boardroom full of federal marshals and didn't flinch."
He looked down at her with absolute conviction.
"Degrees can be bought, Olivia," Gabriel said softly. "Instinct, courage, and complete integrity cannot. I spent thirteen months surrounded by highly paid security experts who missed a wire right above my head. I am not going to let the one person who actually protected my family walk out the door."
Olivia looked at the document in her hand, then out the window at her daughter playing freely in the sunlit garden.
For three years, since Thomas’s death, she had lived in a constant state of survival—counting every dollar, worrying about tuition, rushing between late shifts and early morning school drop-offs, and living with the quiet, lingering grief of an unsolved past.
Now, standing in Guest Room 7, the weight that had pressed against her chest for so long felt entirely lifted.
"On one condition," Olivia said, meeting Gabriel’s gaze with a small, confident smile.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "You're negotiating?"
"Always," Olivia said. "Lily stays here on weekends. And Nero gets two fresh steaks a week from the estate kitchen."
Gabriel let out a deep, genuine laugh—a sound that seemed to surprise even Nero, who sat up and let out a soft woof of approval.
May you like
"Agreed," Gabriel said, holding out his hand. "Welcome to the executive team, Director Carter."
Olivia took his hand, her grip firm and steady. "Thank you, Gabriel."
