Beneath the surface
Chapter 5
Beneath the Surface
Amara Queen should have said no.
Immediately.
Without hesitation.
Without discussion.
Without entertaining the idea for even a second.
Instead...
She found herself staring at the blueprint Lorenzo had casually placed on her desk.
The man had come prepared.
Dangerously prepared.
Because this wasn't some fantasy he'd dreamed up five minutes ago.
The plans were detailed.
Extremely detailed.
Architectural drawings.
Engineering projections.
Security layouts.
Construction timelines.
Someone had spent months working on this.
Maybe longer.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Amara adjusted her glasses.
Then looked at Lorenzo.
Then back at the plans.
Then back at Lorenzo.
The cycle repeated several times.
Mostly because she was trying to determine if he was insane.
The verdict remained inconclusive.
"I have questions."
Lorenzo smiled.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"I expected questions."
The audacity.
The complete audacity.
Amara pointed at the blueprint.
Immediately.
"This would cost hundreds of millions."
"Yes."
"You've already had engineers evaluate my building."
"Yes."
"You had architectural plans created."
"Yes."
"You never intended to take no for an answer."
For the first time all afternoon...
The mafia don looked genuinely caught.
Only for a second.
A very small second.
Then the smile returned.
Wider this time.
"Maybe."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
Amara hated him a little.
Just a tiny bit.
The man was entirely too comfortable.
Entirely too confident.
Entirely too handsome.
All three qualities were deeply annoying.
She returned her attention to the blueprints.
The underground facility was enormous.
Larger than some hospitals she'd worked in.
Operating rooms.
Recovery wards.
Medical storage.
Laboratories.
Emergency surgical suites.
Private elevators.
Independent power systems.
Everything hidden beneath her clinic.
Completely invisible from above.
A secret medical empire.
The kind most surgeons only dreamed about.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because the more she looked...
The more she liked it.
The realization irritated her.
Immediately.
"Stop smiling."
Lorenzo blinked.
"What?"
"You're smiling."
The man looked confused.
Reasonably confused.
"You haven't agreed."
"No."
A pause.
"Which means you're smiling because you think I will."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The mafia don stared.
Then laughed.
Again.
The man laughed far too much around her.
Another flaw.
A serious flaw.
"I like you."
The words slipped out casually.
Effortlessly.
Like he hadn't just fundamentally altered the atmosphere of the room.
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
Amara stared.
Then stared harder.
Because most men flirted.
Most men tried too hard.
Most men became nervous around her.
Lorenzo Vitale simply stated things.
Like facts.
Like observations.
Like the sky was blue.
Or water was wet.
Or he liked her.
The realization was unexpectedly refreshing.
Still annoying.
But refreshing.
"That sounds like a personal problem."
The answer escaped before she could stop it.
Lorenzo's smile widened.
Immediately.
The traitor.
The complete traitor.
The man looked delighted.
Actually delighted.
Like she'd given him a gift.
"You do that a lot."
Amara frowned.
"Do what?"
"Say something cold."
A pause.
Then:
"While secretly being funny."
The betrayal.
The accurate-man betrayal.
Undefeated.
Amara looked away first.
A tactical retreat.
Nothing more.
Absolutely nothing more.
The office door suddenly opened.
Without warning.
Without permission.
Without survival instincts.
A young nurse stepped inside.
Immediately froze.
Immediately regretted existing.
Immediately considered her life choices.
Because she had just interrupted a conversation between Dr. Queen and a man who looked like he solved problems with violence.
The poor woman swallowed.
Hard.
"Dr. Queen?"
Amara rescued her.
Immediately.
"What is it?"
The nurse visibly relaxed.
"There are investors here."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
The good mood vanished.
Instantly.
Amara sighed.
Because of course there were investors.
The vultures had been circling for months.
The success of the clinic had attracted attention.
Unwanted attention.
"We have an appointment?"
The nurse shook her head.
"No."
Even better.
Wonderful.
Perfect.
The nurse hesitated.
Then added:
"They said they're prepared to make a very generous offer."
The smile disappeared from Amara's face.
Completely.
Lorenzo noticed.
Of course he did.
The man noticed everything.
"What investors?"
The nurse listed a company name.
Amara's expression darkened.
Immediately.
"Tell them no."
The nurse blinked.
"What?"
"I said no."
A pause.
Then:
"Tell them to leave."
Silence.
The nurse hurried away.
Smart woman.
Very smart woman.
The door closed.
Lorenzo watched the entire exchange.
Curiously.
Thoughtfully.
Then:
"You don't like investors."
"I don't like people trying to buy things that belong to me."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The answer came too quickly.
Too honestly.
Too instinctively.
For a moment...
Neither of them spoke.
Because something had happened.
A truth had slipped through.
And both of them recognized it.
Lorenzo slowly leaned back in his chair.
A dangerous smile returning.
"There she is."
Amara narrowed her eyes.
"Dangerous."
The man sounded entirely too pleased.
Entirely too interested.
Entirely too attracted.
The realization should have alarmed her.
Instead...
She found herself smiling.
Just a little.
The kind of smile a queen gives before conquering a kingdom.
And somewhere deep below the clinic...
In a place that didn't exist yet...
The foundations of an empire were already beginning to form.
End Chapter 5