Chapter 2 - The Interrogation And The Vow
The next morning, the hospital room was filled with the soft golden light of the sunrise. I had finally managed to sleep for a few hours, the anti venom medications slowly flushing the dangerous toxins out of my system. When I opened my eyes, Dominic was still there. He had not left my bedside for a single second. He was sitting in the corner armchair, reading through a stack of corporate legal documents on his tablet.
"You should go home and rest," I murmured, my voice sounding a little stronger than the night before.
Dominic immediately set the tablet aside and walked over to me. He poured a glass of ice water from the bedside pitcher and gently held it to my lips, supporting the back of my neck with his other hand. His touch was incredibly gentle, a stark contrast to the ruthless orders I had heard him barking over the phone all night.
"I am exactly where I need to be," Dominic replied, setting the glass down. "My mother is safe. My security team transported her to our private property in the Hamptons with a full medical staff. She remembers what happened, Skylar. She remembers you stepping in front of her. She cried for an hour asking if you were going to survive."
A wave of relief washed over me. "I am just glad she is safe. Bianca looked like she wanted to destroy her."
Dominic expression darkened into a storm of fury. "Bianca is currently sitting in a federal interrogation room downtown. Her father, Marcus Moretti, has been threatening to destroy my company if I do not drop the charges. He claims it was an accident, that Bianca bought the ring from an antique dealer and had no idea there was a hidden compartment containing poison."
"Do you believe him?" I asked, shifting against the stiff hospital pillows.
"Not for a second," Dominic said with a bitter laugh. "The Moretti family has been bleeding money for years. Their shipping empire is on the verge of total bankruptcy. This entire engagement was a strategic corporate merger. They needed the Rossi wealth to save their failing business. But my mother holds the ultimate veto power over the family trust until she passes away. Bianca knew my mother hated her and would eventually convince me to cancel the wedding. So, they decided to eliminate the obstacle."
I looked down at my hands, feeling incredibly small in the grand scheme of billionaires and corporate warfare. I was just a plus size housekeeper who polished silverware and washed expensive linens. I had accidentally stumbled into a deadly game of chess between two ruthless dynasties.
"I am so sorry your engagement is ruined," I whispered, not knowing what else to say.
Dominic reached out, gently brushing a stray lock of hair away from my uninjured cheek. His touch sent a sudden, electric shiver down my spine.
"Do not ever apologize for this," Dominic said, his eyes burning with an intense, raw honesty. "I never loved Bianca. It was a business arrangement constructed by a board of directors. But watching you risk your own life to save a confused, elderly woman who could not defend herself... it woke me up, Skylar. It made me realize how empty and toxic my world had become. You have more courage and grace in your heart than anyone I have ever met in my entire life."
My breath hitched. The way he was looking at me was not the way a billionaire boss looks at a maid. It was the way a man looks at a woman he is terrified of losing.
"We are going to destroy them," Dominic promised, leaning closer until I could smell the faint, comforting scent of sandalwood and expensive cologne on his skin. "I am going to dismantle the Moretti empire brick by brick. And when this is over, you are never going back to cleaning floors again. You are under my protection now. Forever."
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Suddenly, the hospital room door burst open. Detective Miller walked in, looking incredibly exhausted.
"Mr. Rossi," the detective sighed, running a hand over his face. "We have a problem. Marcus Moretti just posted a ten million dollar cash bail for his daughter. Bianca is walking free pending trial. And she is claiming Skylar attacked her first."
