Chapter 6 - The Check Maeve Refused Twice
Roman wanted to pay every dollar Erin owed before lunch.
Maeve refused.
Again.
Declan stared at her across the kitchen.
“You are the only broke person I have ever met who argues this hard about receiving money.”
Maeve buttered toast.
“I am not broke because I’m stupid.”
Gabriel looked up from his laptop.
“That should be on a pillow.”
Roman entered.
He carried no cash.
Maeve noticed.
Good.
He placed a legal folder on the table.
“Helena restored the trust injunction.”
Maeve frowned.
“In English.”
“No funds can be moved until the court determines whether Vittorio transferred them illegally.”
“That does not pay Erin’s bills.”
“No.”
“What does?”
“The clinic agreed to suspend collection while the ownership dispute is reviewed.”
Maeve nodded.
“That helps.”
Roman looked almost disappointed.
“You wanted more.”
“I wanted to fix it.”
“That’s different.”
He sat.
“I also created an employee health benefit.”
Maeve narrowed her eyes.
“For me?”
“For every domestic employee in this house.”
“There are no other domestic employees.”
“Currently.”
Gabriel whispered, “Because we scared them all away.”
Roman ignored him.
Maeve opened the folder.
Health insurance.
Dependent coverage.
Transit allowance.
Overtime.
Written grievance procedure.
She stared.
“What is this?”
“A contract.”
“My agency contract already exists.”
“With terrible terms.”
“Your house manager wrote them.”
“Yes.”
“So you’re admitting your house was a bad employer.”
“Yes.”
The speed of the answer disarmed her.
Roman continued.
“You said money from me came with questions. This does not.”
Maeve read the dependent coverage section.
Erin could qualify if Maeve became her legal household caregiver.
“That helps,” she said quietly.
Roman nodded.
Maeve looked up.
“Why are you doing this?”
His expression remained steady.
“Because the house should have had it before you arrived.”
That was the right answer.
Not because Maeve was special.
Because the policy was wrong.
She signed the new contract after Helena emailed her a copy to review independently.
Roman watched.
“You trust Helena?”
“She works for you.”
“I know.”
“No.”
Maeve smiled.
“I trust that I can sue you with the document she wrote.”
Declan laughed.
Roman almost did.
Then Marco entered.
“Vittorio wants dinner.”
Roman’s smile disappeared.
“Here?”
“Tonight.”
Maeve looked at him.
“Does he know?”
“Not everything.”
Gabriel said, “He knows the bank box was accessed.”
“How?”
“Someone at the bank called him.”
Maeve’s anger rose.
Roman stood.
“We will identify who.”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“What?”
“Do not turn this into another room full of men making decisions about my mother.”
Roman stared.
“What do you want?”
“I want to be at dinner.”
“No.”
Maeve folded her arms.
Declan whispered, “Wrong answer.”
Roman corrected himself through clenched teeth.
“I think it may be unsafe.”
“That is different.”
“You still should not be there.”
“Why?”
“Because Vittorio will use you.”
“He already used my family.”
Roman had no answer.
Maeve continued.
“I want to hear what he says when he sees me.”
Roman looked at Gabriel.
Gabriel shrugged.
“You taught us not to threaten witnesses.”
Declan added, “She is also terrifying.”
Roman looked back at Maeve.
“Fine.”
Dinner happened in the formal dining room.
Twelve chairs.
Too many for five people.
Vittorio arrived exactly at eight.
Silver hair.
Perfect suit.
Warm smile.
He hugged Roman.
Then saw Maeve.
The warmth vanished.
Only for a second.
Enough.
“Who is this?”
Maeve answered.
“Kathleen Donnelly’s daughter.”
Vittorio’s eyes went to Roman.
Not Maeve.
That told her everything.
He knew the name.
He knew why it mattered.
Roman said, “Sit.”
Vittorio did.
Dinner began.
Soup.
Silence.
Then Vittorio smiled at Maeve.
“Your mother caused this family great pain.”
Maeve put down her spoon.
“You mean by finding the money you stole?”
Declan choked on water.
Gabriel covered his mouth.
Roman did not move.
Vittorio’s smile disappeared.
“That is a serious accusation.”
“So is murder.”
Roman looked at Maeve.
Even he had not expected that.
Vittorio leaned back.
“Young woman, poverty has made you reckless.”
Maeve felt the insult.
It did not cut as deeply as he wanted.
She had heard richer men say kinder versions.
“You know what poverty made me?”
Vittorio waited.
“Good at counting.”
She looked at the soup.
“I know exactly what twelve thousand dollars feels like.”
Then she looked at him.
“And I know what two million would have changed.”
The room went silent.
Vittorio’s hand tightened around his spoon.
Maeve saw it.
Fear.
Not guilt.
Fear.
She understood.
The money was not the biggest secret.
After Vittorio left, Maeve found Roman standing alone in the formal dining room.
He had not moved his mother’s old chair.
“Why didn’t you ask him directly about Sofia?” Maeve said.
“Because he wanted me angry.”
“And?”
“I am very good at being angry.”
“That is not a compliment.”
“I know.”
Roman looked at the doorway where Vittorio had disappeared.
“When we were young, he always arrived after Father lost his temper. Vittorio was calm. Reasonable. He made us think calm meant safe.”
Maeve leaned against the chair.
“Sometimes the person who benefits from chaos is the quietest person in the room.”
Roman looked at her.
“Did your mother teach you that too?”
“No. Debt collectors.”
He laughed once.
Then Maeve’s expression changed.
“If he is afraid of the evidence, he may go after Erin again.”
Roman’s face hardened.
“I can put security on her.”
Maeve immediately raised one finger.
“Ask her.”
Roman stopped.
Then nodded.
“I will ask.”
May you like
That night Erin said yes to one plainclothes guard and no to two. Roman accepted one. Maeve noticed how difficult that was for him.
It was the first protection decision in the Falcone world that the person being protected actually got to make.
