Chapter 3 - The Debt Roman Never Intended to Collect
Three weeks passed.
Morgana learned Roman Costa’s house.
Breakfast at seven.
Meetings after eight.
Nobody entered Roman’s office without knocking.
Nobody touched the locked cabinet beneath the stairs.
And Roman drank terrible amounts of espresso.
She also learned something stranger.
He never entered her bedroom.
Never touched her.
Never made suggestive comments.
Never even asked where she went on her afternoons off.
One evening, she found him in the kitchen examining a pan.
“What happened?”
Roman pointed.
“What is this?”
“Lasagna.”
“It’s burned.”
“It’s caramelized.”
“It’s black.”
“Eat around it.”
Roman looked offended.
“You’re supposed to be the cook.”
“You’re paying minimum wage.”
He stared at her.
Morgana stared back.
Hayes, sitting nearby, began laughing.
Roman looked at him.
Hayes immediately stopped.
“Sorry, boss.”
Roman took another bite.
Morgana raised an eyebrow.
“Still eating it.”
“I’m hungry.”
“Then apologize to the lasagna.”
“I’d rather get shot.”
The humor disappeared when Roman’s accountant entered.
“Boss.”
“What?”
“We found something in Jason’s accounts.”
The man placed a folder on the table.
Roman opened it.
Morgana saw her father’s name.
“What is that?”
Roman closed the folder.
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
“Roman.”
“Morgana.”
“You’re bad at pretending.”
Hayes suddenly became fascinated with his dinner.
Roman sighed.
“Your father borrowed more money.”
“How much?”
“Seventy-five thousand.”
“From who?”
“Viktor Vulov.”
Morgana’s stomach dropped.
“When?”
“After you left.”
She stared at him.
“He borrowed money after selling me?”
“Yes.”
“Why would Viktor lend him anything?”
Roman said nothing.
Morgana understood.
“Because Viktor wants him useful.”
Roman nodded.
“For what?”
“To get you outside my security.”
She pushed back from the table.
“So Jason’s bait.”
“Probably.”
“And you weren’t going to tell me?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m handling it.”
“I am not a package you can hide upstairs!”
Roman stood.
“And you are not going anywhere near Jason.”
“You don’t decide that.”
“As long as the Vulovs are looking for you, I absolutely—”
Morgana slapped both palms against the table.
“You said I wasn’t your prisoner!”
Silence.
Roman stared at her.
Then he reached into his pocket.
He placed something on the table.
A passport.
Her birth certificate.
Her driver’s license.
And an envelope.
Morgana stared.
“What’s this?”
“Your documents.”
She opened the envelope.
Cash.
A lot of it.
“What are you doing?”
“If you want to leave, Hayes will take you anywhere.”
Morgana looked at him.
“What about the forty thousand?”
“There is no forty thousand.”
“What?”
“I canceled it the morning after you arrived.”
Her eyes widened.
“You told me I had to work for years.”
“I lied.”
“Why?”
“Because on your first night here, you were terrified. If I told you that you were free, you would’ve walked straight back to Jason because that was the only life you understood.”
Her voice sharpened.
“You manipulated me.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t get to decide what’s good for me.”
“No.”
Roman nodded.
“I don’t.”
That answer stopped her.
He pushed the documents closer.
“So decide now.”
Morgana stared at the money.
“I can walk out?”
“Yes.”
“And you won’t follow me?”
“No.”
“What if I go back to my father?”
Roman’s jaw tightened.
“I’ll think you’ve lost your mind.”
“But you won’t stop me?”
“No.”
She looked toward the front door.
For the first time, there was nothing between her and freedom.
No debt.
No lock.
No threat.
Morgana picked up the envelope.
Roman’s face remained expressionless.
Then she walked toward the door.
Hayes looked down.
Roman said nothing.
Morgana opened it.
Cold air entered.
She stood there for several seconds.
Then closed the door.
Roman frowned.
“What are you doing?”
Morgana turned.
“I haven’t finished paying you back.”
“I told you—”
“Not the money.”
She walked toward him.
“You got me out.”
Roman said quietly, “That doesn’t make you responsible for me.”
“I know.”
“Then why stay?”
Morgana looked around the cold, spotless house.
“Because this place desperately needs better lasagna.”
Hayes laughed.
Roman glared at him.
But Morgana saw it.
May you like
A tiny smile.
The first she had ever seen on Roman Costa.
