Chapter 4 - The Gilded Sanctuary
When Sophia woke up, the room smelled of rain, old paper, and faint lavender.
She blinked against the golden light filtering through floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over a vast, misty expanse of the Hudson River. She was lying in an enormous bed draped in charcoal-gray silk sheets, wearing a soft, oversized cotton shirt that clearly didn't belong to her.
Panic flared in her chest for a split second, but it receded as her memory caught up with her. She wasn't in a dark alley in Queens, nor was she on the hardwood floor of Victor Caruso's conference room. She was here, safe in Roman Vale's house.
Slowly, testing her ribs, she sat up. The sharp, tearing pain from earlier had dulled into a dull, manageable ache, thanks to the medication.
The bedroom door clicked open, and Roman stepped inside. He had removed his suit jacket; his white dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing the powerful, scarred forearms that had carried her earlier. He was holding a ceramic mug in one hand and a small tray with a bowl of warm broth and a piece of toasted bread in the other.
He stopped when he saw her awake.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, walking over and placing the tray on the bedside table.
"Better," Sophia admitted, her voice raspy. She pulled the sheet higher over her chest, suddenly acutely aware of her bruised face and disheveled appearance. "Where are my clothes?"
"In the wash," Roman said simply, pulling a chair over to the side of the bed and sitting down. "They were ruined. I had housekeeper bring up something comfortable. Eat."
Sophia looked at the food, her stomach giving a gentle rumble. She realized then how starved she truly was. She picked up the spoon, her hands shaking slightly, and began to sip the broth. It was rich, warm, and restorative.
Roman watched her quietly, resting his elbows on his knees, his large hands clasped together.
"You've been asleep for nearly eighteen hours," he said.
Sophia paused, her spoon hovering over the bowl. "Eighteen hours?"
"You needed it. Your body was running on pure adrenaline and survival instinct." Roman's dark eyes fixed on her. "It's time to talk about your brother, Sophia."
The mention of Eric made her throat tighten. She set the spoon down, losing her appetite entirely.
"Where is he?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Did Victor find him?"
"Victor won't find him, because Victor no longer has the resources to look," Roman said calmly. "My men located Eric three hours ago hiding out in a motel in Atlantic City, down to his last fifty dollars and drowning in self-pity."
Sophia closed her eyes, pressing her fingers against her temples as a headache bloomed behind her eyes. "He's an idiot. He always has been. Dad left him the garage, left us both a chance to build an honest life, and Eric gambled it away on card games and high-interest loans."
"He did," Roman agreed without hesitation. "And now, his debt to Victor is paid. But he still owes a debt to me."
Sophia’s head snapped up, fear sharp and sudden in her chest. "What does that mean? You said the debt was finished!"
"The debt to Victor is finished," Roman corrected, his expression unreadable. "The three hundred thousand dollars I paid to buy out Victor's ledger didn't vanish into thin air, Sophia. It transferred to my ledger."
Sophia stared at him, the warmth of the room suddenly feeling suffocating. "I... I don't have three hundred thousand dollars. The garage isn't worth that much. You can take it, sell it, do whatever you want—"
"I don't want your garage," Roman interrupted, leaning forward. "And I don't want your money."
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"Then what do you want?" she demanded, her voice rising in frustration. "Why save me? Why bring me here if you're just going to hold the same debt over my head?"
"Because," Roman said, standing up and towering over the bed, his presence filling the space with an undeniable gravity, "I want your brother to work off every single cent under my direct supervision. And I want you to stay here, under my roof, until you are fully healed."
