Chapter 4 - The Housecleaning
The kitchen looked like a war zone, and in many ways, it was.
Victoria stood near the island, her hands shaking so violently she could barely hold the damp paper towel she was using to try and clean the red wine off her ivory slacks. Her father, Senator Kensington, was a powerful man, but even she knew that the federal government could not protect her from Leo Rossi if he decided she was a threat to his bloodline.
"Leo, please," Victoria sobbed as Leo walked into the kitchen, carrying Lily wrapped in his black wool coat. "It was an accident. The maid is crazy, she attacked me first! I was just trying to teach Lily some manners. She was being so difficult—"
Leo did not look at her. He walked past her as if she were made of air, gently placing Lily on the plush velvet sofa in the adjacent morning room. He stayed with her until her breathing was perfectly regular, his hand gently stroking her head.
"Mateo," Leo said, walking back into the kitchen. "Call Dr. Evans. Have him come to the house immediately to check Lily. And tell him to bring a suture kit."
"For Beatrice?" Mateo asked.
"Yes."
Leo finally turned his gaze to Victoria. The silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating. The guards, Marcus and Giovanni, stood by the door, their heads bowed, waiting for their own sentences.
"You," Leo said, pointing at Marcus. "You’ve been with my family for five years."
"Yes, Mr. Rossi," Marcus whispered, his face pale.
"And you stood by and watched a woman lock my daughter in a cellar."
"She... Miss Kensington said she had your authority, sir. We didn't know—"
"You are paid to protect my daughter," Leo cut him off, his voice flat. "Not to interpret corporate hierarchy. You are done here. Pack your things and leave the state by midnight. If I see your face in Michigan tomorrow, Mateo will handle you."
Marcus did not argue. He bowed his head and walked out, Giovanni following close behind him.
Then, Leo walked over to Victoria. He stopped inches from her, his tall frame blocking out the light from the kitchen windows. Victoria shrank back against the marble counter, her breath coming in short, terrified gasps.
"Leo, my father—"
"Your father is going to lose his seat in the next election," Leo said quietly. "And he is going to lose it because I am going to withdraw every single dollar of funding I have funneled into his campaign. By tomorrow morning, his primary opponent will have a very generous, very anonymous donor."
Victoria’s eyes went wide. "You can't do that. That would ruin him!"
"He should have taught his daughter how to behave in a house that does not belong to her," Leo said. He reached out, his fingers wrapping around Victoria’s chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes. Her perfect skin bruised under the pressure of his grip. "If you ever look at my daughter again, if you ever speak her name, or if you ever come within a mile of this property, I will not call your father. I will call the people who handle my garbage. Do you understand me?"
Victoria nodded quickly, tears spilling over her eyelashes.
"Get out of my house," Leo whispered, releasing her chin with a flick of his wrist. "Before I forget that your father is still useful to me."
Victoria did not wait. She grabbed her designer handbag from the counter and ran out of the kitchen, her heels clicking frantically on the marble until the heavy front doors slammed shut behind her.
Leo stood in the quiet kitchen for a long moment, looking at the pool of blood on the floor where Beatrice had stood. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a clean linen handkerchief, and walked into the small butler's pantry where Mateo had laid Beatrice on the daybed.
Beatrice was sitting up, holding a bag of frozen peas to her swollen cheek. She looked up as Leo entered, her green eyes wary, still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Even after saving his daughter, she was still a maid who had caused a scene in a billionaire’s kitchen.
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"Mr. Rossi," she began, trying to stand.
"Sit down, Beatrice," Leo said, his voice softer than she had ever heard it. He sat on the edge of the daybed beside her and gently took the bag of peas from her hand.
