Chapter 4 - The Investigation
Emma ate the stew under the quiet supervision of Vincent Carver. For six weeks, she had survived on stale crackers, tap water, and sheer force of will. The warm food felt like a miracle, but the man sitting across from her felt like an enigma.
When she finished, wiping her lips with a cloth napkin, Vincent stood up and walked over to his desk. He opened a secure laptop and began typing.
"The debt collectors," Vincent said without looking up. "What is the name of the agency?"
"Apex Financial Recovery," Emma answered hesitantly. "They... they operate out of an office in West Chicago."
Vincent’s fingers paused on the keyboard. A dark, dangerous shadow passed across his features. Apex Financial Recovery. He knew that name. It was not a legitimate debt collection firm; it was a predatory front company operated by Jimmy "The Viper" Moretti—the ruthless lieutenant of the rival Moretti crime family.
Jimmy Moretti specialized in buying up unpayable medical debts from hospitals, then using illegal extortion, exorbitant interest rates, and physical intimidation to bleed desperate families dry.
Vincent closed the laptop with a quiet snap. He looked at Emma.
"How much did your mother originally owe?"
"Forty thousand dollars," Emma said. "I’ve paid back eighteen thousand over the last six months."
"And how much do they say you still owe?"
Emma swallowed hard. "Eighty-five thousand. They keep adding... 'administrative fees' and 'interest penalties' every time I’m a day late."
Vincent leaned back in his leather executive chair. The math was predatory and deliberate. Jimmy Moretti was trapping a twenty-four-year-old girl in an inescapable cycle of debt slavery.
"Marcus," Vincent called out.
Marcus stepped out from the shadows near the doorway. "Boss?"
"Send a team to observe the apartment complex where Emma lives. I want full security coverage on her brother and sister. No one approaches that apartment without my clearance."
Emma stood up rapidly, her eyes wide with panic. "Mr. Carver, no! Please don't involve yourself! If Apex finds out I talked to someone like you—"
"Someone like me?" Vincent raised an eyebrow, a trace of dark humor playing on his lips. "Emma, the men harassing you are small-time parasites. They operate in the dark because they are weak. I operate in the dark because I own it."
He walked around the desk, standing tall in front of her.
"Starting tomorrow, your schedule changes," Vincent announced. "You will no longer work three jobs. You will work one job—here. Your salary is doubled."
Emma gasped. "Double? I... I can't accept that—"
"You will accept it because I require efficiency in my staff," Vincent interrupted smoothly. "A starved, exhausted employee makes mistakes. Mistakes in my house lead to security breaches. Therefore, eating three full meals a day at my kitchen table is now a mandatory condition of your employment."
"And my siblings?" she whispered.
"They will be fed," Vincent said. "Danny Bell will pack three fresh meals every afternoon for you to take home. No canvas tote bags. Proper thermal transport containers."
Tears spilled over Emma’s lashes again, but this time, they were tears of overwhelming relief. She had spent months carrying the crushing weight of the world on her frail shoulders, expecting no help from anyone. Now, the scariest man in Chicago had just thrown her a lifeline.
"Why are you doing this for me?" Emma asked, looking into Vincent’s stern, dark eyes. "You don't even know me."
Vincent turned back toward the window, looking out over his vast, fortified estate.
"I grew up in a house where there was never enough food on the table, Emma," Vincent said quietly, his voice carrying a deep, painful memory. "I promised myself that once I took control of my life, no one under my roof would ever know what it feels like to go to sleep hungry. You are under my roof."
He turned back to face her. "Go home to your brother and sister, Emma. Take the food Marcus packed for you. Tomorrow morning, a driver will pick you up."
"Thank you, Mr. Carver," she whispered, bowing her head before taking her bag and exiting the room.
Once the door closed, Marcus stepped forward, his tone solemn. "Boss... taking on Apex means poking the Moretti family. We’ve had a quiet cease-fire with them for six months. Is a maid worth restarting a gang war?"
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Vincent walked over to his desk, picked up his glass of bourbon, and took a slow, measured sip.
"She’s not just a maid, Marcus," Vincent said softly. "She’s an employee of Carver Enterprises. And Jimmy Moretti is about to learn what happens when he tries to bleed my people."
