Chapter 5 - Shadows on the Estate
The quiet truce between Diamond and Caprice blossomed into an unspoken, deeply rhythmic routine over the next three weeks.
The night hours were no longer silent or oppressive. While Caprice cleaned, Diamond worked, and during her scheduled breaks, they sat together in the study. She spoke to him about her mother’s past as a schoolteacher, about her own dreams of finishing her nursing degree before life had derailed her. Diamond listened with a quiet, fierce intensity he had never applied to business, absorbing every detail of her simple, hard life.
In turn, Diamond opened doors he had kept locked for two years. He showed her old blueprints of the city, explained the complex logistics of international shipping, and spoke—without bitterness for the first time—about the night the sniper's round had shattered his spine.
"It was an inside job," Diamond said one rainless midnight, his voice flat as he pointed to a map spread across his desk. "The shooter knew exact angles. He knew the glass on my private vehicle was being serviced that afternoon."
Caprice looked up from where she was organizing his files. "You never found who did it?"
"I was too busy dying in an ICU," Diamond said dryly. "By the time I woke up, the trail was cold. Levi handled the cleanup, wiped the street networks, and shut down the investigation to protect the business."
Caprice’s eyes flicked to the heavy mahogany doors. "Do you trust Levi?"
Diamond paused, his fingers resting on the armrest of his wheelchair. "Levi has been my right hand for twelve years. He kept the empire together while I was in a coma."
"He looks at you like you're a problem he hasn't solved yet," Caprice said quietly, her voice laced with an intuitive sharpness that startled him. "Every time I see him in the hallway, he looks at your chair, not your face."
Before Diamond could reply, the heavy brass door handles turned.
Levi walked in without knocking. He stopped dead when he saw Caprice sitting near the desk, a stack of confidential ledgers in her hands.
Levi’s face hardened into a mask of pure fury.
"Get out," Levi barked at Caprice.
Caprice didn't move. She looked at Diamond first.
"Levi," Diamond’s voice cut through the air like a blade. "You don't give orders in my study."
"She’s handling financial records, Dom!" Levi shouted, stepping further into the room, his fists clenched at his sides. "She’s a twenty five dollar an hour maid! Do you have any idea what the syndicate members are saying on the street? They think you've lost your mind! They think a night servant is running the Kelly estate!"
"The syndicate members do what I tell them to do," Diamond said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "And so do you."
Levi let out a bitter, harsh laugh. He glared at Caprice with pure hatred.
"You think she cares about you, Dom? Look at her! She’s taking your money, living off your charity, leeching off a crippled old mobster who can't even stand up to defend himself!"
The room went dead silent.
The air seemed to leave the space instantly. Levi realized what he had said a second too late. His face paled slightly as he met Diamond’s eyes.
Diamond did not shout. He did not throw anything.
He slowly reached down, unlocked the manual brakes of his wheelchair, and gripped the wheels with his powerful hands. He rolled himself forward until he was mere inches from where Levi stood.
"Say that again," Diamond whispered, his jaw clenched so tight the muscles in his neck strained.
Levi swallowed hard, his posture rigid. "I... I spoke out of line, Boss."
"Leave the estate," Diamond ordered, his voice dangerously low. "Hand your keys and secure phones to the guard at the gate. You're suspended from operations for two weeks."
"Dom, you can't be serious—"
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"Two weeks, Levi," Diamond growled. "If I see your face on this property before then, I won't use a suspension. I'll use a bullet."
Levi stared at Diamond for five agonizing seconds. Then, turning his glare toward Caprice one last time, he turned on his heel and slammed the heavy oak doors behind him.
