Chapter 3 - A Soft Place to Land
When Caprice opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the warmth.
She was not cold. The biting chill of the estate's central air conditioning, which usually made her shiver through her shifts, was entirely absent. She felt the heavy, luxurious weight of pure cashmere resting against her chin.
Then her brain registered the environment.
The dark wood paneling. The smell of cedar and expensive leather. The high windows showing the pale violet light of dawn.
She was in Diamond Kelly’s study.
On the floor.
Caprice sat up so fast her head spun. The cashmere blanket slid down her lap. She looked at her wrist—the cheap digital watch read six forty five AM. Her shift had ended forty five minutes ago.
Panic, cold and sharp, flooded her veins.
"If you rip that blanket, I'll deduct it from your pay," a rasped voice called out from the dark corner of the room.
Caprice turned her head sharply.
Diamond was sitting behind his wide mahogany desk, a lit cigar resting between his fingers. A stack of financial ledgers lay open before him. He was dressed in a clean black dress shirt, his hair damp from a recent shower.
Caprice stood up quickly, her legs stiff and aching. She picked up the blanket and folded it with awkward, frantic hands.
"I’m sorry," she said, her voice tight with panic. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I'll leave now. You don't have to pay me for the last two hours."
Diamond took a slow drag from his cigar, blowing a thin ring of gray smoke toward the high ceiling. He did not look angry. He looked entirely calm, his dark eyes tracking her frantic movements with an unreadable expression.
"You slept for three hours," Diamond said.
Caprice swallowed hard, her heart pounding against her ribs. "Fire me if you need to. Just... please don't report this to the agency. I need the reference."
Diamond rolled his chair out from behind the desk. The electric hum was smooth in the quiet morning air. He stopped three feet in front of her.
"Who said anything about firing you?" he asked, his voice low and steady.
Caprice blinked, holding the folded blanket against her chest like a shield. "I fell asleep on your floor during my shift."
"You did," Diamond agreed. "And you snored."
A faint flush of embarrassment crept up Caprice's neck, reaching her cheeks. "I don't snore."
"You do," Diamond said, the faintest flicker of amusement dancing in his dark eyes. "It sounds like a flat tire."
Caprice stood rooted to the spot, completely bewildered. She had seen this man hurl heavy glass decor at trained physical therapists. She had heard him bellow at his second in command until the windows rattled. Yet here he was, teasing her with a flat, calm demeanor.
"Put the blanket on the sofa," Diamond ordered gently. "Then go down to the kitchen. Mrs. Higgins prepared a breakfast tray."
"I don't need breakfast, Mr. Kelly," Caprice said automatically. "I have to catch the seven fifteen bus."
"The seven fifteen bus was cancelled due to roadwork on the avenue," Diamond replied smoothly, turning his chair toward the window. "And my driver is waiting downstairs to take you to the care facility."
Caprice froze. The breath caught in her throat.
"How do you know about the care facility?" she asked, her voice dropping into a dangerous, protective whisper.
Diamond didn't turn around. His broad shoulders were squared against the light of the rising sun.
"I run a multi million dollar network, Caprice. Did you really think I wouldn't run a background check on the woman who gives me my medication?"
He paused, his fingers tapping rhythmically against his armrest.
"St. Margaret’s Memory Care. Four thousand dollars a month. You're three months behind on payments, and their legal team sent a final notice on Monday."
Caprice felt as though the floor had opened beneath her feet. Her secret, her crushing humiliation, lay exposed on the dark wood of his study.
"That's none of your business," she whispered, her fists clenching around the fabric of her apron.
May you like
"It becomes my business when my staff is so exhausted they pass out on my rugs," Diamond said coldly, though the edge was gone from his tone. "Eat the breakfast. Take the ride. I don't like my compound looking like a charity ward."
Caprice stared at his back for a long moment, torn between deep humiliation and profound relief. Without another word, she set the blanket down and walked out of the room.
