Chapter 3 - The Offer on the Table
The smoke from suppressed gunfire slowly drifted toward the high crystal chandeliers as Chicago police sirens began to wail faintly in the distance. The three intruders were now securely zip-tied and tossed into a corner of the grand hallway, groaning in pain. Zeus sat obediently beside me, his massive head resting heavily on my knee once again, completely calm as if he hadn't just taken down a hardened mercenary single-handedly.
Dominic walked over, stepping carefully over a splintered chair leg. He stopped a few feet away, his chest heaving slightly under his black dress shirt. He looked down at the dog, then up into my eyes.
"You saved my life," Dominic said, his voice stripped of all mafia bravado, leaving only raw, genuine sincerity.
"I saved the dog," I corrected gently, though a small, nervous smile tugged at the corner of my lips. "You just happened to be standing in the right place."
A genuine, rare chuckle escaped Dominic's lips, softening the hard lines of his face and making him look startlingly human. He crouched down beside me, ignoring the mess around us entirely. "My men couldn't handle him for six months. They tried beating him into submission, starving him, breaking his spirit. You spent three minutes on the floor, spoke to him like a living creature, and he just... surrendered his heart to you."
"Because animals don't understand dominance, Mr. Castellano. They understand trust," I replied softly, scratching behind Zeus's soft ears. "You can't buy loyalty with a paycheck or a threat. You have to earn it."
Dominic reached out, his warm fingers gently brushing a stray lock of hair away from my face. The unexpected touch sent a sudden, electric shiver straight down my spine. I stiffened, my breath catching in my throat. His hand lingered for a second longer than necessary, his dark eyes searching mine with intense, unwavering focus.
"My name is Dominic," he murmured softly. "And I don't intend to let you walk out of my life, Addison. The job offer still stands, but we need to upgrade the terms."
"Upgrade?" I raised an eyebrow, trying to steady my racing heartbeat.
"Yes. Not just rehabilitating Zeus," Dominic stood up, extending a strong, calloused hand to help me up from the cold floor. "I want you to be my estate's chief animal behavior consultant, handling all of our security assets, and... I want you to stay here. In the main house. Under my direct protection."
I looked down at my cheap, dust-covered flats, then up at the towering, dangerous, impossibly wealthy man standing before me. My old life at the shelter was gone, reduced to ash by budget cuts. Here, I had a purpose, a magnificent animal who trusted me implicitly, and a mafia boss who looked at me like I hung the very stars in the Chicago sky.
"Only if I get to redesign his entire kennel and diet," I said, placing my hand in his strong grip.
Dominic’s smile widened, a flash of white against his dark stubble. "You can redesign the entire damn mansion if you want to. Name your price, Addison."
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"It's not about the money, Dominic," I said, holding his gaze. "It's about respect."
Before Dominic could answer, his lead butler rushed back into the room, gasping for air. "Sir, we have a major problem. The man who ordered this hit—your rival, Salvatore Rossi—knows you survived. And he’s coming for Addison."
