Chapter 15 - THE HOUSE CHANGEDTwo years after Norah broke her wrist, the Rossi estate looked almost the same.
Marble.
Mahogany.
Guards at the gates.
Mrs. Gable still ruled the staff with terrifying efficiency.
But the rules had changed.
Every employee had written contracts.
Paid medical leave.
A confidential reporting line outside estate management.
No one could threaten housing over employment disputes.
Gabriel established an emergency fund for staff.
Norah read the documents before approving them.
“You’re not on the board,” Gabriel reminded her.
“I know.”
“Then why am I receiving comments?”
“Because your draft was bad.”
“It was written by attorneys.”
“My point stands.”
Eventually Gabriel gave up pretending he didn’t value her opinion.
Norah had also changed careers again.
Her hotel-operations job led to property management.
Then compliance.
She discovered she was excellent at noticing where systems allowed powerful people to abuse discretion.
An unsurprising specialty.
Romano Holdings hired her as an outside consultant.
She refused the first offer.
Gabriel did not raise the fee.
That was how she knew he understood.
Later, after another firm offered her the same work, she accepted a Romano contract at market rate.
No favors.
No debt.
No strange romantic accounting.
Her old wrist still hurt during Chicago winters.
One afternoon, she found Gabriel watching her rub it.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You have the face.”
“What face?”
“The Ray face.”
His jaw tightened.
Norah walked over.
“Ray is in the past.”
“I know.”
“Leo?”
“Prison.”
“The men from the kitchen?”
“Also the past.”
She touched his cheek.
“And you?”
Gabriel looked at her.
“Still here.”
“Good.”
A year earlier, Norah would have said:
So am I.
Now she said something different.
“I’m here because I want to be.”
His expression softened.
That remained the most important sentence in their relationship.
Not:
You saved me.
Not:
I owe you.
Not:
I belong to you.
Choice.
Always choice.
That evening Sophia arrived carrying an enormous arrangement of white roses.
Norah stared.
“What is that?”
Sophia smiled too broadly.
“Nothing.”
Gabriel appeared behind her.
“Put them back in the car.”
Norah looked between them.
“Why?”
Sophia gasped.
“He hasn’t asked?”
Gabriel closed his eyes.
May you like
Norah started laughing.
Apparently the Rossi family had once again failed at secrecy.
