The Mafia Boss Followed His Maid Without Her Knowing—Then Saw Her Crying Beside a Hospital Bed

When Linda returned to the Gallo estate early the following morning, she looked like a shadow of a person.

She moved through the grand marble foyer carrying her cleaning bucket, her eyes swollen, her skin deathly pale.

Dominic was sitting at the head of the long oak dining table, sipping dark espresso while reviewing shipment manifests. He watched her from over the edge of his cup.

She approached his table, her head lowered.

"Mr. Gallo," she whispered softly.

"Linda." Dominic placed his cup down with a soft click. "You're late."

"I know. I'm sorry." She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out the bundle of cash he had given her yesterday—minus five hundred dollars she had used to clear the hospital bed fee. "I... I couldn't use the rest. The trial... it wasn't available."

Dominic looked at the cash sitting on the polished wood between them.

"Keep it," he said simply.

Linda blinked, stunned. "Sir?"

"You asked for an advance. I gave it to you. I don't take money back once it leaves my desk."

Tears welling in her tired eyes, Linda shook her head. "I can't take charity, Mr. Gallo. I work for what I earn."

"It's not charity. It's a bonus for three years of uninterrupted service," Dominic said coldly, masking the deep ache in his chest. "Now put it away and clean the study."

Before Linda could reply, her cheap prepaid phone rang loudly inside her apron pocket.

She flinched, looking frantically at Dominic. "I'm so sorry, sir—"

"Answer it," he ordered softly.

She pressed the phone to her ear with trembling fingers. "Hello? Dr. Evans?"

Dominic watched her face intently.

As the doctor spoke on the other end, the color slowly returned to Linda's cheeks. Her mouth opened in shock. Her knees buckled, and she fell heavily onto the dining chair beside Dominic, her hand clutching her chest.

"A... a grant?" she stammered, tears streaming down her face. "Full coverage? The private room?"

She began crying again, but this time, it was not the quiet, soul-crushing sob Dominic had witnessed in the hospital. It was the breathless, gasping relief of a mother who had just been handed her child's life back from the grave.

"Thank you... thank God... thank you!" she sobbed into the receiver before ending the call.

She looked up at Dominic, her brown eyes shining through her tears. "He got into the trial, Mr. Gallo. An anonymous donor paid for everything. Keo is going to live."