Chapter 5 - The Ledger of Blood
Tessa stood in the center of the grand office, her body trembling with a mixture of overwhelming relief and deep, lingering shock. The nightmare that had threatened to tear her life apart just an hour ago had been dismantled with a few quiet sentences from the man sitting before her.
Leo remained at his desk, casually picking up his crystal tumbler and taking a slow sip of rye.
"Thank you, Mr. Rossi," Tessa whispered, her voice choking with emotion. She wiped the residual tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I... I don't know what to say. You saved my brother's life."
Leo set his glass down flat on the mahogany wood. "I didn't do it for your brother, Tessa. Your brother is an idiot who will likely end up in a ditch within five years if he doesn't grow up."
Tessa winced slightly, but she couldn't dispute his harsh assessment. "Then why did you do it?"
Leo leaned back in his leather chair, his dark eyes studying her intensity. "Because you work for me. You are under my roof. If my people learn that outside scum can terrorize my staff without consequence, it makes me look weak. In my business, looking weak is fatal."
He paused, opening a drawer in his desk and pulling out a clean, crisp white handkerchief. He held it out across the desk toward her.
"Wipe your face," he said softly.
Tessa walked forward hesitatingly, took the handkerchief from his hand, and dabbed at her swollen eyes and bloodstained apron. The cloth smelled faintly of expensive cologne and cedarwood.
"Your shift is over for tonight," Leo said, turning his attention back to his paperwork. "Take tomorrow off. Go to the hospital, make sure your brother's surgery goes well, and ensure he understands that if he ever places a bet again in this city, I won't be here to bail him out."
"Yes, Mr. Rossi," Tessa said quietly. "Thank you."
She turned toward the door, her hand resting on the heavy brass handle, when his voice stopped her once more.
"Tessa."
She turned back. "Yes?"
Leo looked up at her, his expression serious and unreadable under the warm light of the banker's lamp. "From now on, if you have a problem... you come to me directly. You don't cry outside my door."
Tessa felt a strange, unfamiliar warmth blossom deep in her chest. She nodded slowly. "I understand, Mr. Rossi."
She stepped out of the office, closing the heavy oak door quietly behind her, leaving the mob boss to his quiet, cold world.
The next forty-eight hours passed in a chaotic blur.
Tessa spent Wednesday at St. Anthony’s Hospital sitting beside Connor’s bed. True to Leo’s terrifying word, the best orthopedic surgeon in the Midwest had been summoned to perform a three-hour delicate procedure on Connor’s hand. Pins were inserted, tendons reattached, and the hand was placed in a heavy fiberglass cast.
When the hospital administrator arrived with the billing paperwork, Tessa watched in disbelief as the entire forty-thousand-dollar medical bill was marked as Paid in Full via an wire transfer originating from Ricky Spataro’s holding company.
Connor was subdued, terrified, and deeply ashamed. Sitting in his sterile hospital room, he held his sister's hand with his good arm and swore on their late mother's memory that he would never touch a playing card, a sports sheet, or a casino game for the rest of his natural life.
For the first time in two years, Tessa felt as though a crushing weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
On Thursday morning, she returned to the Rossi estate at her usual time, 7:00 a.m.
The estate was quiet, bathed in the soft, gray light of early dawn. She put on her clean, pressed uniform, tied her apron tightly around her waist, and retrieved her cleaning cart from the basement.
As she pushed the cart into the main foyer, Maria, the head housekeeper, walked up to her. Maria was usually a stern, uncompromising woman who managed the domestic staff with a whip, but today her demeanor was noticeably different. She looked at Tessa with a mixture of newfound respect and cautious curiosity.
"Tessa," Maria said softly.
"Good morning, Maria," Tessa replied politely, grabbing her feather duster. "I'm ready to start the west wing."
"No," Maria said, holding up a hand. "Your duties have been reassigned."
Tessa paused, a sudden spike of anxiety hitting her chest. "Reassigned? Am I being let go?"
"No," Maria said, handing her a keycard attached to a silver lanyard. "Mr. Rossi issued new instructions yesterday afternoon. You are no longer assigned to general housekeeping or the west wing."
Tessa stared at the silver keycard. "Then what am I doing?"
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"You have been appointed as Mr. Rossi’s private executive steward," Maria explained smoothly. "You will oversee his personal suite, manage his private office, prepare his morning coffee, and handle his confidential domestic arrangements. Your salary has been doubled, effective immediately."
Tessa stood frozen, staring at the keycard in her palm, her heart taking a sharp, sudden leap into her throat.
