Chapter 6 - The Price of Trust
Their first dinner became a second.
Then a third.
Roman never took Nora somewhere flashy.
Instead, he found a tiny Italian restaurant in the North End where nobody cared about his last name.
Nora noticed.
“You planned this.”
“I make plans.”
“You control things.”
“That too.”
She smiled.
Then her phone rang.
Arthur.
Nora answered.
“Dad?”
His voice was shaking.
“Nora, somebody broke into my apartment.”
Roman immediately became alert.
“Are you hurt?” Nora asked.
“No. But they took papers.”
“What papers?”
“The ones Leo gave me.”
Roman’s expression changed.
“What papers?” he repeated.
Arthur hesitated.
“Records. Accounts. Names.”
Nora looked at Roman.
Leo hadn't simply disappeared after being fired.
He had left behind evidence.
The next morning, Roman’s attorney discovered the truth.
Leo had been keeping copies of everything as insurance against Roman.
Not evidence of Roman's crimes.
Evidence of Leo’s fraud.
Millions in unauthorized transactions.
False invoices.
Loans.
Arthur’s documents could prove it.
Roman wanted the matter handled immediately.
Nora wanted authorities and lawyers involved.
They argued.
Hard.
“You're asking me to trust people who would enjoy destroying my company,” Roman said.
“I'm asking you to trust the truth.”
“The truth doesn't always protect people.”
“Neither does fear.”
Roman stared at her.
“You think I'm afraid?”
“Yes.”
The word stopped him.
Nora stepped closer.
“You're afraid that if you don't control every outcome, someone will use it against you.”
Roman’s voice lowered.
“You know very little about how I survived.”
“And you're making the same mistake you made the first night we met.”
“What mistake?”
“Assuming your way is the only intelligent way.”
Silence.
Roman looked toward the windows.
Then back at Nora.
“What do you suggest?”
“Independent counsel. Full internal audit. Turn Leo’s fraud over properly. Protect the legitimate businesses and employees.”
“And Arthur?”
“He tells the truth.”
“He could face consequences.”
“I know.”
Nora swallowed.
“So does he.”
That evening, Arthur agreed.
For the first time in years, he stopped trying to gamble his way out of a mistake.
Leo was ultimately exposed through the records and audit trail.
The stolen money wasn't magically recovered.
The damage didn't disappear.
But Roman's legitimate companies survived.
Arthur entered a repayment agreement and began rebuilding his life honestly.
And Nora learned something about Roman.
He could change his mind.
For a man accustomed to command, that mattered.
Weeks later, Roman stood beside her outside Bistro Laura.
Nora looked through the window.
“Strange.”
“What?”
“I used to stand in there worrying whether table twelve needed more water.”
“And now?”
“Now I worry about eight-figure projections.”
“Do you miss the water?”
“Sometimes.”
Roman smiled.
Then Nora looked at him.
“You listened to me.”
“Don't sound so surprised.”
“I've met you.”
Roman laughed.
Nora had rarely heard him laugh that freely.
Then he held out his hand.
Not grabbing.
Not demanding.
Simply offering.
Nora looked at it.
May you like
Then placed her hand in his.
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