Chapter 2 - The Price of Mercy
By seven o'clock that evening, I was back in my study at the estate. The rain beat rhythmically against the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the misty Chicago skyline.
Marco stood across from my desk, holding a leather folder containing everything my intelligence network could gather on Linda's background within two hours.
"Her full name is Linda Vance," Marco said, pacing his tone to match my quiet mood. "Raised in foster care, no living relatives. Got pregnant at seventeen by a local street-level enforcer named Jimmy 'The Viper' Rossi. Rossi abandoned her before the boy was born. He’s currently serving time in Stateville for armed robbery."
"Has Rossi had any contact with her?" I asked, sipping my neat scotch.
"None. She's worked three jobs for the last four years to keep that kid fed and housed. When the kid got diagnosed six months ago, she dropped two jobs because she couldn't keep up the hours, keeping only her position here."
"Why didn't she ask me for help earlier?"
Marco hesitated. "Boss, with all respect... you're Dominic Gallo. People come to this estate to ask for business deals or to beg for their lives. No maid is going to ask the head of the Gallo family to pay for her kid's cancer treatments."
He was right, of course. My reputation was built on terror and ironclad authority. Yet, seeing her scrub my floor every morning while carrying a mountain of agony on her frail shoulders woke something long dormant inside me.
The heavy oak door of the study clicked open. Linda stood there, still wet from the rain, her uniform damp, her posture stiff with fear. She didn't know I had followed her, but she knew she had returned two hours after her requested leave time.
"Mr. Gallo," she stammered, bowing her head. "I... I am so sorry for returning so late. I will work through the night to complete my duties."
I set my glass down quietly. "Sit down, Linda."
She flinched slightly at the command but walked over, trembling as she sat on the edge of the leather chair opposite my desk.
"How is Keo?" I asked directly.
Linda went completely still. Her breath hitched, her dark eyes widening in utter disbelief. "How... how do you know his name?"
"I know he is seven," I said, leaning back in my chair. "I know he likes Captain Galaxy. And I know he needs an eighty-thousand-dollar experimental trial to live."
Teardrops immediately pooled in her eyes. "Mr. Gallo... please, I didn't steal anything from you! I asked for an advance because—"
"I know you didn't steal," I interrupted softly. "I paid the hospital tonight, Linda. The trial is fully funded. The best specialists in the Midwest are on their way to St. Jude’s as we speak."
She stared at me as if I were a ghost. "You... you paid it? All of it?"
"Consider it a bonus for your dedication to my home," I said, keeping my face impassive. "You will no longer work late hours cleaning this house. From tomorrow, your primary duty is to be at the hospital with your son."
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Linda burst into tears, dropping from the chair onto her knees before my desk, clutching her hands in front of her chest. "Why would you do this for me? I’m nobody to you..."
"In my house, nobody suffers alone while doing honest work," I said gently, standing up and walking around the desk to help her to her feet. "Get some rest, Linda. Your fight is far from over, but you won't fight it alone anymore."
