Chapter 8 – THE PAYOFF

I held my breath.

I squeezed the trigger.

The recoil snapped my wrists back.

The gunshot deafened me.

On the catwalk, the sniper jerked backward, dropping his rifle.

He clutched his shoulder and collapsed against the railing, out of sight.

Marcus spun around toward the doorway, shock masking his face.

That one second of distraction was all Sebastian needed.

Sebastian lunged forward.

He grabbed Marcus by the collar, swept his leg, and slammed the older man onto the hard concrete.

The knife clattered away.

Sebastian drove his fist into Marcus’s jaw with a sickening crunch.

Marcus went limp.

Silence fell over the warehouse, broken only by Camille’s terrified sobbing.

Sebastian stood up, breathing heavily.

He looked toward the doorway.

I stepped inside, my arms trembling, still holding the gun.

Sebastian stared at me in awe.

“Olivia,” he breathed.

“You pay me twenty dollars an hour,” I managed to say, my voice shaking. “I expect a raise.”

A faint smile crossed his face.

“You’ll get the whole damn company.”

He pulled his phone and called his loyal men to clean up the warehouse.

Within minutes, three black SUVs arrived.

They hauled an unconscious Marcus away to face family justice.

They untied Camille.

Sebastian stood in front of his former fiancée.

She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

“Sebastian… I loved you. I was just afraid.”

“You’re banned from this city,” Sebastian said, his voice void of any emotion. “If I ever see your face again, if you ever come near my sister or my nephew, Marcus will look like a saint compared to what I’ll do to you. Get out.”

Camille scrambled to her feet and ran out into the rain without looking back.

We drove back to the Blackwood mansion as the sun began to rise.

The storm had passed.

The morning sky was painted in soft hues of pink and gold.

When we walked through the front doors, Margaret was waiting in the foyer.

She looked exhausted, clutching her rosary beads.

When she saw Anna, Margaret burst into tears.

Anna let go of my hand.

She walked slowly toward the old woman who had sacrificed her own reputation to save her life.

“You paid Arthur to hide me,” Anna whispered.

Margaret nodded, crying.

“I had to, my sweet girl. I had to. Your father… it wasn’t safe. I couldn’t lose you.”

Anna wrapped her arms around Margaret, hugging her tightly.

“You saved my life.”

Sebastian walked over and wrapped his arms around both of them.

For the first time in twenty-nine years, the Blackwood family was whole.

Later that afternoon, the mansion was filled with a strange, beautiful warmth.

Leo was sitting on the expensive Persian rug in the living room, happily playing with a set of wooden blocks.

He was safe. He was home.

Sebastian found me in the kitchen.

I was packing my apron into my bag.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“My shift is over, sir. I need to take my mother to dialysis.”

Sebastian reached into his jacket.

He handed me an envelope.

“Your mother’s medical bills are paid in full. Her transportation is covered for the next five years. And there’s a check in there for a new house.”

I stared at the envelope, tears welling in my eyes.

“Mr. Blackwood… I can’t—”

“You saved my life, Olivia. You saved my nephew. You’re not a maid anymore. You’re family.”

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